Equestria World, Book 1: Surviving Canterlot Highby Trader_JackChaptersCh. 2 - Morning ChallengesCh. 3 - Sunset MadnessCh. 4 - Two Hours to KillCh. 5 - A Change of PaceCh. 6 - Of Heart and SoulCh. 7 - Making FriendsCh. 8 - More Than Just ApplesCh. 9 - Join the ClubCh. 10 - Helping OutCh. 11 - A Rare SightCh. 12 - Field TestCh. 13 - The End ResultCh. 14 - Touch and GoCh. 15 - Game TimeCh. 16 - Second ChancesCh. 17 - Past and FutureCh 19 - Answering QuestionsCh. 20 - Samurai and Demon (Part 1) - HopeCh. 21 - Samurai and Demon (Part 2) - FearCh. 22 - Samurai and Demon (Part 3) - TrustCh. 23 - Samurai and Demon (Part 4) - RespectCh. 24 - Samurai and Demon (Part 5) - ForgivenessCh. 26 - We Work As OneCh. 27 - The Big GameCh. 29 - The Past is PresentCh. 30 - Old Friends, New ProblemsCh. 31 - Searching for SuspectsCh. 32 - EncountersCh. 33 - The MeetingCh. 34 - Putting Together the PiecesCh. 35 - On the HuntCh. 36 - There's a Time to Think...Ch. 37 - ...And a Time to ActCh. 38 - All or NothingCh. 39 - Destiny's PathCh. 40 - Never Leave a Job UnfinishedEpilogueCh. 25 - Samurai and Demon (Part 6) - RedemptionCh. 28 - A Date With DestinyPrologueCh. 1 - Welcome to Canterlot HighCh 18 - Diamond in the RoughCh. 2 - Morning ChallengesTwilight and me were outside the girls’ restroom looking over my schedule while waiting to Rainbow Dash to finish changing clothes. Twilight wanted to make sure I know where to go after the lunch hour for 5th Period. “So your 5th Period class is in the music room that’s across from the band room.” “The band room is next to the basketball gym with the low stage, right?” “That’s correct, Jack. I think Octavia takes that class as well this year.” “Octavia? She’s a friend of yours?” “You could say that. We have had some classes together in the past two years. You’ll notice her when she’s carrying her cello on her back. She always takes it with her, most of the time.” “Let me guess, she OWNS her own cello, right?” “WOW! Great guess. You must be into a lot of music.” “You could say that.” I let out a small laugh after saying that. “I like listening to various kinds of music, depending on my mood.” “Then you are going to like her a lot. Once you get her to start talking about music, she never stops. Oh, I even need to return some of her CDs she let me borrow over the summer.” I soon then heard a soft voice nearby. “Um, hello, Twilight.” I saw a shy, yellow girl with pink hair approach us. Twilight looked over and said, “Hello, Fluttershy. I’m glad you made it.” She looked over to me and continued. “This is Jack. He just moved here.” “Um, hello…Jack.” “Hello, Fluttershy?” I noticed she was acting a bit shy and I wasn’t sure how to react. In fact, I can just sense that she was afraid from within her. Twilight whispered into my ear and said, “She’s always like this to new people. Just give her time and she’ll open up to you.” “Um, Twilight, is there a reason you and your friend are standing outside the girls bathroom, if you don’t mind.” Twilight replied, “Oh, it because we’re waiting on-” “Waiting on the awesome ME to appear!” said Rainbow Dash as she jumped out in front of Fluttershy. Fluttershy was surprised when Dash came out, but then caught her breath and said, “Dash, you scared me. You know how I don’t like that.” “Come on, Flutters. You need to loosen up. It’s the first day of school and the gang’s getting back together.” “Then I guess you’re not worried about Coach Goalkeeper leaving, right?” Twilight waved her hands like crazy, trying to stop Fluttershy from bringing up the coach, but it was too late. Dash’s high spirit disappeared in an instant, like a dagger to the heart. “Oh, I’m sorry, Dash. I didn’t mean to bring her up.” “It’s OK, Fluttershy. I’ll just have to start over again and hope I can make it to college with what I need.” “Maybe Coach Spitfire will come in and take over for Goalkeeper. You know you liked her since we both lived in Cloudsdale years ago.” “Are you kidding me, Fluttershy? She coaches at Equestria University. It’s not like she’s going to just quit her job, move to Ponyville, and take over for Goalkeeper.” Dash looked down and said, “It’s hopeless. I’m never going to get that scholarship that I wanted.” Just at that point, I started to have this feeling that someone was hiding somewhere and was about to just pop out of who-knows-where. “What you need is a PARTY!!!!!” A pink girl with puffy reddish hair popped out of the girls’ restroom behind Rainbow Dash. “PINKIE PIE! I didn’t see you in the restroom.” She spoke in a whispered tone, “I was hiding like a ninja.” She stuck her head out to look at the rest of up, saying, “Hi, Fluttershy. Hi, Twilight. Hi, um, mystery man.” “Pinkie Pie,” said Twilight, “he has a name, you know.” “I know. I’m just waiting for you to introduce him to us.” She let out a squeal with a grin after that. Twilight let out a sigh and said, “Pinkie Pie, this is Jack. He just moved here.” “Oh, oh. Let me guess.” Pinkie Pie took a glance at me, then said, “You’re from Manehattan and moved here on short noticed because your father just became the new manager at the new store that he’s overseeing and don’t have any friends here because you keep moving from city to city to city a lot because of what your dad does for a living and that’s why you are new attending our school.” –takes a deep breath- “Am I right?” I was stunned for a moment before I could speak. “I believe so,” I said. “Darling, whenever Pinkie Pie makes a good guess, she’s always right.” “At least I know who to go to if I need some building supplies for the farm now.” I saw two more girls walking towards us. The white casual girl with purple hair to my left, and an orange country girl with a blond ponytail to my right. “Rarity, Applejack, I’m glad you could join us,” said Twilight. “This is Jack Diamond.” “Nice to meet ya, partner.” The orange girl reached out to shake my hand. “Name’s Applejack, but you can call me AJ if you like.” “Nice to meet you too, AJ.” “I’m guessing’ ya father is the manager of the new D.I.Y. Home store that’s being built here?” “That is correct. My father said it would be open in about a month.” “Well, you’ll have to invite me to the opening when that happens. I want to see what they have that can help me out on the farm before winter comes. I’m not sure if the old barn can hold up any longer.” “If you like, I can have my father come over one day to take a look at it. He’s also an experienced foreman and construction worker. He can figure out what needs to be done to your barn.” “That be great, sugercube.” The white girl decided to come up to me and place her hand on her chin while she was studying me all over. “Rarity, what are you doing?” said Twilight. She paused for a moment, gave me a big stare, and said, “Your not here to take away Flash’s girlfriend, are you?” “RARITY!!!!” Twilight yelled. “What? I’m trying to make sure that no harm comes between you and Flash, since you are both an item anyway.” Twilight told me about her boyfriend, Flash Sentry while she was giving me the tour of the school last week. She said that he’s on the school’s football team and that they have been dating for about a year and a half. “He’s NOT my new boyfriend, Rarity. What gave you that idea?” “Well, I noticed last week while I was in the fashion club’s room that you were walking around the school with some new guy, Twilight. I figure it was him.” “I was showing him around the school while my mother and his mother worked with Principal Celestia on getting him registered.” “And how does your mother know his mother in the first place?” as Rarity stared at Twilight. “Maybe he was your old boyfriend before you came here.” Twilight flew her hands in the air, and then said, “Because his mother makes the candles you like that you order from my mother.” Rarity pulled back after hearing that. “You mean, from the Queen of Hearts online store?” “Yes, Rarity.” She looked at me a said, “So you’re not her…?” “Yes,” I said. She then looked at Twilight. “And you were just…?” “Yes,” said Twilight. “So you two are just…?” We looked at each other, then looked at Rarity and said, “YES!!!” Rarity took a moment to process all this and replied, “OH MY GOODNESS!!!” –repeated bowing- “I’m so sorry, I’m so sorry, I’m so very, very, sorry.” Applejack decided to step in. “I think that’s enough, Miss Drama Queen.” “Really, Applejack? Miss Drama Queen? I am NOT a Drama Queen.” “Well, ya sure sounded like one a moment ago.” Twilight sighed and shook her head. “Come on. We got eight minutes before classes start. I would like for all of us to make it to English class early so we can make sure we sit close to each other.” “You mean your friends are in the same English class as the both of us?” I replied. Pinkie Pie came right between us and said, “That’s right. We’re, like, the bestest of friends.” “And any friend of Twilight’s is a friend of ours,” said Applejack. So my first new friends that I was able to make in this school are six girls. No doubt my dad is going to ask which one is my new girlfriend, not counting Twilight because she was already taken. But maybe this could be a good thing. We make it to our first class with five minutes to spare. And it looked like two of the guys there were already saving some of the seats for us. I recognized the light orange guy with the blue spiked hair as being Flash Sentry because Twilight showed me a picture of them on her cell phone, and the Letterman jacket he was wearing proved that he’s part of the football team. But the light blue guy in the gym suit was new to me, but I can only guess that Rainbow Dash knows him best. “Morning, Twilight,” said Flash. “Morning to you too, Flash.” Twilight went up to him and gave him a kiss on the cheek. “This is why they are an item, darling,” whispered Rarity. “I heard that.” Rarity’s eyes went wide open when Twilight glanced straight at her. Note to self, Twilight has great hearing reception. “Flash, I told you about Jack, right?” “You sure did, Twilight.” Flash came up to me a shook my hand. “It’s nice to meet you, Jack. Twilight told me about your move here.” “Thanks,” I replied. “And Twilight told me about you too. Maybe a little too much.” I decided to shoot a look at Twilight about that comment. Twilight twirled her finger around the tips of her hair and said, “I…might have gotten carried away about that.” “Gotten?” I said. “More like you couldn’t stop talking about him every time you bring him up.” “OK, OK, OK. I guess I did get carried away about us.” I heard the other girls giggle when she admitted that, expect for one. Rainbow Dash just decided to sit down in one of seats in the front row, still feeling bummed out. No doubt she’s still dealing the Coach Goalkeeper ordeal. “I guess what you told her was true, right Twilight?” The light blue guy came up to us, worried about Rainbow Dash. “Yea. I wish she didn’t, just, freak out about all of this. I know how important it is to her. Her future. Everything.” Twilight just realized that she never introduced me to the other guy. “Oh. Jack, this is Soarin. He’s a good friend of Dash’s.” “Nice to meet you, Jack” “You too, Soarin.” I placed my focus back on Rainbow Dash. “You were there when it all went down?” “Yea,” replied Soarin. “We always been there for each other since 7th grade when she moved from Cloudsdale. We both promised that we would be the best soccer players in Equestria University when we got there.” “I guess you two were best friends and teammates at the same time,” I said. “I can understand how that feels.” “I think we all know as well, sugercube,” said Applejack. Just then, we heard the one-minute bell ring, so we decided to take out seats. Twilight recommended that I sit somewhere besides her, in case I needed any help. So I decided to sit in the front row next to the wall, with Twilight sitting at the desk to my left. I saw that Rarity sat behind me, and Applejack sat behind her. Flash went to sit behind Twilight and Fluttershy went to sit behind Flash. No doubt Rainbow Dash was next to Twilight, so Soarin decided to sit behind her, and Pinkie Pie went to sit behind him. Everyone else in the classroom was going to his or her seats as the orange teacher was walking in. Her name was Mrs. Harshwhinny, and I was told that she was more of a professional in her teaching job than any other teacher in the school. As the final bell rang, an amber girl with fiery hair was just walking in. She had this glare in her eyes that made everyone scared. Well, not quite everyone. But there was something different about her, something that came…from within. “Psst,” whispered Rarity. “That’s Sunset Shimmer. And just so you know, she’s bad news around the school.” “How bad?” I replied. “Very bad. When we find some time away from her, we can tell you all about it. For now, just stay away from her if you know what’s best for you.” Twilight was able to hear what she said and gave me a nod. The others were able to look at me to agree on the issue. I was most curious about her and wonder why everyone believed that she was nothing but trouble. When Sunset Shimmer went to sit down in the back corner of the room, I noticed that she was glancing at the other students in the classroom. Soon then, she stopped and looked straight at me. At that point, I started to get the strange feeling coming from her. Something that was very strong. But I couldn’t figure out what it was. It was much stronger than Fluttershy’s shyness or Pinkie Pie’s surprises, or anything else I have felt in the past. All I know is that there was some strong feeling that she was hiding, but behind a brick wall. If that sounds strange, then it isn’t. You see, I have this ‘gift’ that came to me back when I was in the 7th grade. I’m not sure how I got it. All I know is that it just happened. It doesn’t have a name that I could find, but all I know is that I can sense kinds of feelings that are hiding in plain sight, so to speak. It took me some time to understand this ‘gift’, and by the time my freshman year in high school came around, I started to understand how to use it. If someone was scared, but tried to act normal, or if someone had evil feelings but tried to keep a straight face, I can sense it. It’s like having red flags going off inside my head. I can even sense when someone is behind a wall or corner and plans to do something when me or someone else was about to come by. I’ve never told anyone, even my parents, about this gift expect a few trusted friends who were willing to keep it secret so that I would be safe from those would use it for the wrong reasons. They even tried to find out what I had, but came up with no info about it. The best thing to do was go with the flow and make sure no one else realized about this ‘gift’. My focus on what I was feeling got sidetracked when someone spoke on the intercom speaker. “Good morning, Wondercolts. This is Principal Celestia welcoming you back. And for all you freshman students, welcome to Canterlot High.” She went through her morning announcements, and then said something that I wasn’t expecting. “And I want to welcome a new transfer student to our school, Jack Diamond. Please give him a warm welcome to our school.” I slammed my head to the desk. Twilight leaned next to me and said, “This happened to me and my brother when we moved here 2 years ago. I think she likes to do this because we get to see new faces after moving.” “You could have given me a heads up about that.” “Better to be surprised about it. That’s what happened to me.” One more announcement came through the intercom. “We also have some sad news. Coach Goalkeeper had to resign a week ago after finding out that her only daughter was diagnosed with breast cancer and has to go through therapy. Coach Goalkeeper wanted to put her focus on family first. Please keep her and her daughter in your prayers. That is all.” We all went silent for a moment before Mrs. Harshwhinny broke the silence. “Can’t believe what I’m hearing. I’m guessing her 2 grandchildren are going to some hardships with this.” “Um, excuse me,” said Fluttershy, “but how old are they?” “I think they are in their teens, Fluttershy.” I can see that Rainbow Dash was trying to take it all in, wondering how to react to all of this. I remember a classmate years ago that when through this and figure if I can tell this story, maybe she can finally understand. “Mrs. Harshwhinny, I remember someone who when through this phase back then. If it’s OK, I would like to tell the story to the class.” “Certainly, Jack.” I told my story of a classmate I knew back in the 6th grade who lost his mother to breast cancer just weeks before the end of the school year. He was one who had a hard time in school with the fact that he had been bullied because he had a “learning disability” and his mother was a volunteer helper at school. Turns out that his mother was fighting cancer for 13 years. “13 years?” said Rarity. “If your friend was 12 years old, wouldn’t that mean that she was diagnosed before he was born?” “That’s right,” said Twilight. “And she would have to make a choice on the birth of her son, knowing that he would be born with some kind of birth defect.” Rainbow Dash started to understand and said, “So that could explain why Coach Goalkeeper had to resign. Her daughter would need help with the grand kids while she went through therapy. I guess family is the most important thing to her, and I’m just going to accept that.” “Rainbow Dash, I know how important she was in helping you with your future scholarship,” said Mrs. Harshwhinny. “I can ask the principal for the coach’s contact info and she if she can still help out as a reference when the times come.” “You mean it? That’s awesome.” I figured that story would help get Dash back on track. Twilight looked at me and gave me a wink and a thumb up for what I have done. “Now that we have gotten that out of our way, let’s get class started.” Mrs. Harshwhinny handed out books and some paperwork on what we would be reading during the school year. Afterwards, she took us to where our lockers would be for the year. Our class got lockers 1 thru 30, which was near the entrance and across the school office. All of the lockers were single stack lockers, while my last school was dual stack lockers. “All right, everyone. Which lockers do we want to be close to?” said Twilight. Twilight wanted Applejack, Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy, Rarity, Rainbow Dash, Soarin, Flash, and me to have our lockers close to each other. “Since Jack’s the new guy here,” said Rainbow Dash, “why don’t we let him pick the area?” “Well, how about the ones closest to the lobby entrance?” “I got number 7. I got number 7.” Pinkie Pie was excited as she went to locker #7. “Um, I’ll go with number 8,” said Fluttershy. If you’re taking number 8, I’ll take number 9,” said Dash. “And Soarin can take number 10, right?” “As always,” replied Soarin. “I might as well take number 6, if you want number 5, Rarity,” said Applejack. “Number 5 will do just fine, darling,” replied Rarity. “Twilight, you want to take number 4, I’ll take 3, and Jack can have 2?” said Flash. “Sure, Flash. I can handle Rarity better than you or Jack,” said Twilight. “Then I guess we have out lockers selected,” I said. As we were putting away some of our stuff into our lockers, we noticed that Sunset Shimmer was being called to the school office. “Looks like someone’s in trouble, again,” said Rarity. “I think she’s just being called in as a reminder about what would happen if she causes any more problems again,” said Applejack. “By the way, I would figure you go for number 1, Twilight.” “I’m not one who likes to stand out like a drama queen,” as Twilight was staring at Rarity. “Ha, ha, ha,” Rarity replied in a sarcastic tone. “I was not acting like some drama queen earlier.” The girls and me stared at Rarity, trying to make her admit that she was acting like one. Rarity noticed the glares and said, “OK, maybe I was acting like one. But that was just out of panic. I didn’t know all the details in the first place.” Flash and Soarin were wondering what we were talking about, and Flash asked, “Can someone fill us in on what you girls are talking about?” “I’ll fill you in on the details later, Flash,” said Twilight. “And I’m sure one of the other girls can explain to you, Soarin.” As we were finishing up on out lockers, the others decided to head off to their classes expect for Twilight and Applejack. I asked Applejack, “Are you in our history class, AJ?” “Yep, I hope you don’t mind my company a bit longer.” “Not at all, AJ. Not at all.” “Well, Twilight and I are going to the restroom for a bit. Think you can wait for us?” “Sure. I’ll be here.” While Twilight and Applejack went to the girls’ restroom, I started to think who was taking locker number 1, since the class was full in the first place. Then I remember that Sunset Shimmer didn’t get her locker selected before hand. I had a feeling that his would be her locker, if no one else chose it. I soon then heard a voice behind me. “Hey, if you’re done with your locker, maybe you can get out of the way so I can get to mine.” Yep, I was right. “I think you can get to your locker without a problem, Sunny.” Sunset went to her locker, flew the door open, and said, “Don’t call me Sunny, Jack.” “Wow, you already know my name before I can give it to you. I’m impressed.” Sunset looked straight at me, pointed her finger, and said, “Look, I don’t care if your new to this school or not. I’m not here to be your friend. I just want to get through school and get out of here.” “Because you caused a lot of trouble in the past?” “I see those girls told you everything about me.” “Just the cover of the book. I just don’t know whose version to listen to, you or them.” She slammed the locker door and said, “Does it even matter? Look, I got to get to my next class, so if you are done chit-chatting with me, I’ll be on my way.” She started to walk away and dropped a small piece of paper. I picked it up and noticed it was her class schedule, which looked very familiar to me. “Hey, Sunny,” I yelled. “You dropped this.” She stomped her way back to me with an angry face, took the paper from my hand, and said, “Don’t…call…me…SUNNY!!!” She started walking away, and I said, “OK, Sunny.” She stopped for a moment to let off some steam, and then continued on her way. Twilight and Applejack just saw her walk away before coming out of the restroom to talk to me. “I hope you didn’t have any problems with her, sugercube,” said Applejack. “She’s just looking for trouble.” “I think I can handle her just fine,” I replied. By the way, Twilight, can I see your schedule.” “Sure,” as Twilight was getting out her schedule, “but why do you need to see it. We have the same first four classes.” “I saw her schedule, and guess what I saw.” I took her schedule, looked it over, and covered up the last two classes to show her. “This.” Twilight and Applejack looked at what I was showing, and Twilight was in shock. “ARE YOU KIDDING ME???” “If this ain’t bad karma, I don’t know what is,” said Applejack. Twilight continued, “How can we have the same four classes as her,” as she was referring to Sunset. “I can’t believe this is happening to me.” “Well, you got your friends by your side, Twilight,” said Applejack. “And you also have Jack to back you up, if that’s OK with you, sugercube?” “No problem here,” I replied. “Let’s just go to class and we’ll deal with her if that happens, Twilight.” “Thanks, AJ. And you too, Jack. I’ll just have to deal with her if it happens, when it happens.” So we decided to make our way to history class, waiting for what’s to come. Author's Note I wanted to think of something to explain why Goalkeeper had to leave, and the idea of her daughter having breast cancer was a good segway to the story that was told. And just so you know, the student whose mother died from breast cancer is ME. I lost my mother back in 1990. Proof that I have my own struggles to go through. Ch. 3 - Sunset MadnessTwilight was still worried about the fact that Sunset Shimmer was in the same first four classes that she was in, not to mention that I was also in those same four classes. Applejack and me have been trying to calm her down, but it hasn’t been easy. “Look,” said Applejack, “so what if Sunset is in your next class, and the one after that, and the one…after…that. Anyway, you can handle whatever she throws at you, because you’re better than her.” Twilight had a concerned look on her face and said, “Really? I mean she has been on my case since the last school year, maybe before that. I just feel like she wants revenge on me for stopping her on her last attempt.” Applejack let out a big sigh. “Jack, can you at least help me out here.” “I would if I knew the full story. But Rarity was going to tell me later when Sunset wasn’t around. Think you can fill me in?” “You want the long version or the short version?” “Since we don’t have much time, the short version.” “Sunset Shimmer was one of the popular girls here as she starting her freshman year. And she was dating Flash around that time. Well, Sunset and Flash decided to break it off, and that’s when he started dating Twilight. She starts getting more attention than Sunset and decided to cause some trouble during her sophomore year to get back at her. We start helping Twilight out with what Sunset was doing, she finally gets caught near the end of the year, and everyone now hates her after she reveals her true colors.” “And now she wants to be that bully behind me after all that has happen to her,” Twilight concluded. “This is not a good first day coming back to school.” “Well, now that I got an idea about her,” I added, “I think I can deal with her if she causes any problems.” “I don’t know if that would be a good idea, sugercube,” said Applejack. “You really don’t know her well. Plus, you’re a guy, and she’s a girl. That would be an issue that everyone would be talking about if you got involved.” “Well, she doesn’t know me well, either. And I have a way to deal with bullies and troublemakers, even if I have to take the blows myself.” The girls gave me a confused look. “Don’t worry. I have dealt with my own problems in the past, and that has developed who I am now. I can handle people like her.” I say this because my ‘gift’ is what has helped out, but I don’t want to tell them about it. I just want Twilight to be worry-free here. She helped me get adjusted here, so it’s best I return the favor. “Look, I know what you are trying to do, Jack,” said Twilight, “but this is something I have to deal with.” “You’re a little late for that,” I said. Applejack let out a big sigh. “Let’s just get to history class. Maybe some of our other friends will be there to help us.” As we arrive at our next class, two girls waved at us. One of them was a yellowish girl with blue and pink hair, and the other was a mint green girl. “Hey, Twilight,” said the mint green girl. “Hey, Lyra. I’m glad you and Sweetie Drops are in our class.” Twilight turned to me and said, “Jack, this is Lyra Heartstrings. She’s a member of the science club that I’m a part of. And that’s…” “My own Bonbon,” Lyra interrupted. “That’s Sweetie Drops. She just likes to call me that.” She looked to Applejack and said, “By the way. How’s the farm, Applejack.” “Doing very well. Just made another shipment of apples last week. We should be done with this year’s crop by the end of next month. And this guy here,” as she wrapped her arm around my shoulder, “is going to help me in getting the barn fixed up to help store some of the remaining apples for ourselves over the winter, right?” “As soon as I get with my father about it. I’m sure he would like to talk to your fa-” Twilight put her hand on my mouth, cutting me off. “Excuse us for just one moment.” Twilight grabbed me to the side, away from the others. “I’m sorry to bring it up without telling you sooner, but Applejack’s parents died several years ago.” “Really?” I said. “Yes. Rarity wants us to make sure we never bring up her parents after what happen. She’s in our next class, so we can have her explain it to you. She knows the story better than me.” “Well, she has some other things to explain to me as well, so I hope she can make a list of what all I need to know. But thanks for stopping me for saying something that I shouldn’t bring up in the first place.” We started going back to the others when a gray girl with blonde hair bumped into me as she was walking into the room. I was able to catch her from falling down and noticed that her eyes were cross-eyed. “You OK there?” I told the gray girl. “I’m fine. I was just spaced out for a bit.” “Derpy, you really need to watch where you’re going,” said Twilight. “It’s OK, Twilight,” I said, “I’m usually quick to react.” “That should be a good thing, Jack,” said Sweetie Drops, “because she has a habit of spacing out.” “Oh, you’re the new student that I heard about this morning?” said Derpy. “Yes, and it’s nice to meet you too, Derpy.” She let out a big smile in response. “It’s nice it have a good distraction around here,” said Lyra, “unlike a certain someone in our class.” She was referring to Sunset Shimmer in the corner seat of the room. “We know,” said Twilight. “We have to deal with her for the first four periods. Ugh.” She pointed to the two of us having to deal with her. “First four periods?” said Sweetie Drops. “That means we have to deal with her in our science class in 4th period.” “Cadance is not going to like this,” Lyra added. “You mean Cadance was able to get her science class after last year’s computer error, and is in the same class as us?” Twilight asked. “That’s right,” replied Lyra. Twilight felt a sigh or relief after hearing that. Somehow I felt out of the loop here, but that’s only because I’m still new here. Twilight looked at me and said, “Oh, Cadance is the student body president, and my brother’s girlfriend.” “And Twilight, here, is our new student VP,” Applejack added. Twilight continued, “Somehow, she got caught in my mess with Sunset. Something I don’t feel like talking about in public at this time.” “By the way, are you going to be at the science club today?” Lyra asked Twilight. “Afraid not. As the student VP, I have to attend to meetings every Monday during free study and watch over all the clubs to make sure they are up to school standards. But I’ll try to find some time to attend the club meetings. I already asked Moon Dancer to take over as temporary club president until after the club recruitment week has passed. She knows what needs to be done for the time being. Besides, she has wanted to take that active role, so I’m sure it would be a learning experience to try out.” “I think so too,” added Lyra. “She has the same qualities as you do in the club. And I’m sure the others will agree.” “I hope so,” added Twilight. “With my role as VP, and the fact I still have to deal with Sunset nearby, If would be nice for Moon Dancer to take over the club for the entire school year.” “Hey, I know something that can make you feel better, Twilight,” said Derpy. “Our teacher.” “That’s right,” said Lyra. “We get to have the coolest teacher EVER!” “DOCTOR WHOOVES!!!” both Twilight and Lyra said and squeal together. “Dr. Whooves? What makes him special?” I asked. “He’s, like, the coolest teacher ever,” said Lyra. “Not only is he a history teacher, but he teaches astronomy at this school. Which I was able to get into his class this semester.” “That’s great, Lyra,” said Twilight. “But I think Moon Dancer will be jealous of you.” “Not really. I was able to catch her before coming here, and she’s got in to his class for next semester. She can hardly wait.” “OK, now I’m really lost,” I said. “What makes his astronomy class so special?” Twilight explained, “This is his 3rd year teaching in this school, and it was him who wanted to add an astronomy class last school year for anyone needed to fill in their extra school credits, which always fills up because he only has that class during 5th period. I was able to take his class last semester.” Just then, her eyes just lit up. “I just thought of something. Since one of your classes that you wanted to take from your last school is not at this school, why don’t you think about signing up for his class next school year. I might be able to get you in without any problem of finding another class to take.” I started to think about it, then said, “I guess so. I mean, I know what main classes I want to take for my senior year, but the extra classes to fill in could be up in the air at this time.” “Well, Twilight, looks like you going to have to pull some strings on this one,” said Applejack, “because here he comes.” We saw our history teacher enter the room and walking this way towards us. “Good day, Twilight. Nice to have you in another one of my classes again,” said Dr. Whooves. “Good morning to you to, Doctor,” replied Twilight. “I hope you don’t mind me asking, Twilight, but have you planned on being a Teacher’s aide this year?” “Not really. But I do plan on doing so next school year. How come?” “I was talking to Principal Celestia on bringing me an aide to help in my astronomy class, but she doesn’t have any available at this time. I never expected to have both semesters filled up for two years in a row.” “I might be able to help out next fall, if you can help a friend of mine getting into your class.” It looks like Twilight was already pulling the strings in this task. But that was going to have to wait, because the one-minute bell rang at that moment. “Looks like your request will have to wait, Twilight,” said Dr. Whooves. “See me after class so you can explain it to me.” “Thank you, Doctor.” Twilight went to her seat, as did everyone else. “Jack, looks like I got my foot in the door, if you know what I mean.” “I guess I’ll have to repay you again for making this happen, if it goes through.” “Jack, if you plan on making sure Sunset doesn’t get on my case, then you already did.” I don’t know about what she meant by that, but we shall see how it plays out. For now, I’ll just focus on my history class. “Good day, students. My name is Dr. Whooves, and this is History 2, also known as World History.” He wrote it on the whiteboard as he was saying it. “Since I’m assuming that everyone here has taken National History, this class will focus on the history of the world since the dawn of time, if there were any true records that prove it.” The class laughed at his joke. During class, we received our class books and what we plan to cover for this semester. Once the bell rang, Twilight and me went to see Dr. Whooves. “OK, Twilight. What’s this request that you wanted to explain to me?” “Well Doctor, Jack just transferred here, and Principal Celestia had to make some last minute changes in his class selection. We got it covered by having him as a teacher’s aide for 6th period, but we think what classes he would like to take next year may not be available that his old school. I was wondering, and this might sound too early to make it happen, if you can have him in your astronomy class next fall. I do plan to work as a teacher’s aide next fall, and maybe I can help you in the same class if you can make it happen.” “Well, it’s not a wibbly wobbly, timely wimey issue, but I think I can make it happen.” I had to double-check what I just heard. “Did you just say ‘wibbly wobbly, timely wimey’?” “Why yes, Jack. Why do you ask?” replied Dr. Whooves. “The only other history teacher I knew who liked to say that was Professor River Song.” “Ah. You must have come from West End High in Manehattan, where she teaches. We were classmates since our high school years. Does she still like to say ‘spoilers’ at times?” “Only when she plans for a test or exam. Everyone in class just loses it when she says that. Like she wants us to just guess what’s on it.” “Well then, when I get a chance to talk to Principal Celestia, I’ll see if she can keep it in mind when the time comes.” “Thanks, Doctor,” said Twilight. “We better head to our next class. Thanks for your time.” We headed off to our next class, hoping for good things to come. But a blue girl with white hair decided to stop us in our tracks. “Twilight, if you are planning to attend Algebra 2 class, then you must face the Great and Powerful Trixie to enter.” She spoke like some actress in third person. “Hi, Trixie,” Twilight replied with a dull tone. “Twilight, you can at least play the part. Trixie demands it.” “May I?” I asked Twilight. She nodded her head, so I decided to play my part in this. “Trixie, if you wish to challenge Twilight, then you must face her worst enemy in that next class.” “If that is the case, then Trixie shall…” She stopped for a moment and realized what I was talking about. “Wait, you mean SHE’S in our class?” Twilight nodded her head. “Well, I didn’t see this coming.” “Try being in four classes,” Twilight added. “It feels like a nightmare.” “Can’t argue with that,” said Trixie. “She’s just nothing but trouble. She had to help out during summer school as her punishment for what she did back then.” “Um, is this the same Trixie that we are talking to, Twilight?” I asked. “Oh, I’m sorry, Jack. The only time she doesn’t talk in third person is when she’s serious about what’s going on.” “The Great and Powerful Trixie always talks this way,” -changes her tone- “but when it comes to stuff like Sunset Shimmer, then I just cut with the acting talk. By the way, that was some good acting you did there. Jack, is it?” “Yep. Just transferred from Manehattan. And I also share the same four classes that Twilight and Sunset have.” “Sounds like Flash has giving Twilight a bodyguard to watch over her in this journey,” said Trixie. “You could say that,” replied Twilight. Have you seen Rarity? She’s in our class.” Trixie started to look around. “I don’t think so. Wait a minute, here she comes.” We saw Rarity casually run her way up here. “There you are,” she said. “I was coming up to our class when I saw…” All three of us cut her off and said, “Sunset Shimmer.” “How did you know?” Rarity replied. “You can thank Jack for the heads up,” said Twilight. “By the way, he almost brought up Applejack’s parents if I haven’t pulled him away from her. Think you can fill him in on what happen to her parents, Rarity?” “Since the younger freshmen are now here, now might be the best time, but not out here. I saw Roseluck and Thunderlane in our class. Might help if they watch over us so that Sunset doesn’t listen in. I don’t want to give her any ammo for her cause.” “Thanks, Rarity,” said Twilight. We went into the classroom where Rarity pointed out a yellow girl with rose-red hair, and a dark gray guy with a light blue buzz cut. “Jack, this is Roseluck and Thunderlane.” “Nice to meet you, Jack,” said Thunderlane. “Let me guess, you’re on the football team with Shining and Flash.” “I guess the Letterman jacket gave it away.” Rarity looked to them and said, “Can you two make sure Sunset doesn’t listen in. I need to fill Jack in on Applejack’s parents.” “I guess you almost brought them up in front of her,” said Roseluck. “Twilight was able to stop me from doing so,” I said. “Well, we were able to save an area of seats away from Sunset. I think she won’t bother us here.” We went to sit down in the area close to the front of the classroom, which was far away from Sunset. Rarity started to tell me about Applejack’s parents. “OK, back in the 4th grade, me and my younger sister, Sweetie Belle, were riding home with our parents in some heavy rain. Dad saw someone hanging on a branch that was over a flooded river. When we pulled up with the lights towards him, Sweetie Belle noticed that it was Scootaloo hanging on to the branch. She was scared and my parents couldn’t reach out to him. So we tried to call for emergency help, but couldn’t get anyone on the phone, so they called Applejack’s parents for their help. They were able to bring some rope and try to go out and grab her. Once they got to her, the branch started to break. They were able to grab her and passed her to my parents safely. Before they could get off, the branch broke, throwing them into the flooded river away from us. We were helpless in saving them. When we arrived at Sweet Apple Acres, my parents told Granny Smith what happened before telling Applejack and her big brother, Big Mac, and little sister, Apple Bloom. When they saw Sweetie Belle, Scootaloo, and me, they just came running to us crying and just holding on to us. They found Applejack’s parents the next morning, and Scootaloo’s parents’ car later in the day. None of them survived. Turns out that Scootaloo’s family was driving home in the dark storm when they hit some deep water that carried their car away. Scootaloo was the only one to get out before it was flooded. She would have gone to an orphanage if it weren’t for Babs Seed’s parents who decided to take her in as a foster family. “Ever since that day, we became very close. And I make sure no one ever brings up Applejack’s parents, or even Scootaloo’s, since she now attends this school.” “Now I see why you don’t want us to mention about them,” I said. “It could bring up some old wounds.” “There have been times when Applejack had to act like a mother figure to Apple Bloom,” Twilight added. “I’ve seen that when I have been on their farm.” Rarity added, “As long as they are happy, I’m happy. That’s all that matters at this time.” Just then, the one-minute bell rang, and our math teacher, Mr. Tom Neighrer, started to get up and walk to the whiteboard for the start of class. As before, we got our class books and details before the end of class. After class, I thanked Rarity for telling me about Applejack’s parents, giving me a better understanding of her. Twilight and me left the classroom and went to our 4th period science class. “Well, three down, one to go,” I said. “So far, Sunset hasn’t done anything to cause any trouble. Maybe Principal Celestia just wanted to warn her if she caused any trouble in school.” “I hope you are right. With Cadence in our science class, I really don’t want anything to go wrong. Fluttershy will also be in that class as well.” We went upstairs to where our next class was. When we arrived at the science classroom, I noticed that there were tables with two seats at each table. I already saw Lyra and Sweetie Drops at one of the tables. Twilight noticed a few others in the class, maybe from the science club. One of them coming this way was a yellowish girl with red and purple hair and glasses. “Hey, Twilight,” said the yellowish girl “Hey, Moon Dancer,” replied Twilight. “Ready to handle the science club in my place?” “Just about so. I’m just not sure I’m up to the challenge.” “Come on, Moon Dancer. This is a good learning experience. And it’s just for a couple of weeks, until the recruitment period has passed.” Lyra, Sweetie Drops, and three other girls came up to us. One was yellow with blue hair, another was white with pink hair, and the third was blue with bluish hair. “This is the guy I was talking about,” Lyra was telling the other girls. “Jack, this is Lemon Drops, Twinkleshine, and Minuette. And I can see you already met Moon Dancer.” The others waved and said hello to me. Twilight was looking around the classroom, trying to find someone, and I think I know which two she was looking for. “Has anyone seen Cadence or Fluttershy?” asked Twilight. “Oh, here comes Fluttershy right now,” said Moon Dancer, “and she brought Tree Hugger as well.” –rolls eyes- “Not what I was expecting to see here.” I guess the green girl with the red-orange long hair and hippie clothes was Tree Hugger. “Come one, Moon Dancer,” said Sweetie Drops. “At least you can be nice to her just once.” “With a hippie? You have got to be kidding me.” “Um, hello Twilight. Jack,” said Fluttershy as she was coming towards us. “How’s everything so far?” “Well, I’m still alive so far,” said Twilight. “If I can get through this class, then I might just get through the rest of the day without trouble behind my back.” “I see that your aura is caught between positive and negative vibes,” said Tree Hugger. “Is it because of that one whose aura is like some kind of demon?” “If you mean Sunset Shimmer, then yes. I just know she’s up to something to get back at me.” “Well, just keep positive thoughts in your mind, and nothing will come to ruin your vibe.” Tree Hugger looked at me and said, “You must be the one that Fluttershy was talking about. Jack, right?” I nodded. “It’s nice to meet you. Already I can feel strange, but positive thoughts from your aura.” “I’m flatter,” I replied. “That must be a special talent of yours.” Tree Hugger nodded. “I can't believe I have to go through this,” Moon Dancer whispered. Lyra heard what she said and nudged her elbow at her. “Ouch. What was that for?” “Just act nice for once,” said Lyra. “I hope Cadence can get here soon,” said Twilight. At that point, and older, pink girl came sneaking up to Twilight, covering her eyes. “Guess who?” “Really, Cadence. Is that how you sneak up on my brother every time?” Cadence removed her hands from Twilight’s eyes. She turned around and said, “It’s nice to see you.” “Same here. And I don’t usually do that unless your brother is really distracted,” said Cadence. “And you must be Jack. I’ve heard so much about you from Twilight. I’m guessing that your first day here must have been crazy.” “Depends on how you define crazy, Cadence,” I replied with a simple laugh. “I know. Crazy can come in different ways from different people. Right now, I’m just glad to finally get this class in the books after last years glitch in the system.” I one-minute bell rang, so we decided to take our seats. I took one of the two seats next to the wall. Twilight and Cadence sat at the table next to me. I saw Lyra and Sweetie Drops at the table behind me, Moon Dancer and Minuette took the table behind Twilight, Lemon Drops and Twinkleshine took the next table down the row, and Fluttershy and Tree Hugger went for one of the back tables. As I was looking around, all the seats were being filled up expect the extra one at my table. I looked again to see where Sunset was at, but couldn’t see her. “Twilight,” I said, “this is the only Science 2 class at this time, right?” “I believe so, why?” “Does something seem…out of place?” Twilight looked around, and then looked at me with a confused look. She then noticed the empty seat next to me, and it hit her like a ton of bricks. “Oh my god, what was I thinking.” “What’s wrong, Twilight?” asked Cadence. “There’s one student missing from this class,” whispered Twilight. “Who?” As the class bell rang, someone came through the intercom. “Mr. Bill Neigh?” “Yes?” “This is Miss Luna. Please excuse Sunset Shimmer from being tardy in your class. I held her up in my office and is on her way.” “Thank you.” No doubt red flags went up when the class herd her name on the intercom. “You mean she’s in our class?” whispered Cadence. “Yes,” whispered Twilight, “and guess who has the only empty seat next to them?” Cadence looked at the seat next to me and almost went into shock. “I’m sorry, Jack,” whispered Twilight. “I just forgot that she was in this class and didn’t realized she hasn’t shown up.” Somehow, everyone must have been thinking ‘Its doomsday for the new kid.’ But I knew that it was time to get some answers about what I was feeling from her back in 1st period. If there was ever a time, it was now. Sunset just walked into the room and went up to the teacher. He explained to her what Miss Luna told him and for her to take a seat. When she saw that the only seat was in the front row just next to me, she just gave me a furious look. I decided to play it cool and stare right back at her with a smile. Twilight was worried that I was about to do something stupid towards her, but I had other plans. Sunset sat down in the empty seat next to me and placed her books to the side of the desk. She didn’t bother to look, or even a glance, at me. Twilight and me were able to look at each other. She was wondering if I was OK, so I gave her a wink, and she responded with a nod, knowing that I would be all right. We got our class books and were told about what was being planned for the semester. The one thing that stood out was the fact that we would have to do a group project with the other person sitting at your table. No doubt Sunset and me will have to work together, even if she likes it or not. Once the class bell rang, I knew it was time for free study. This was a first for me because my last school never had a free study session. “Jack?” said Twilight. “Cadence and I have to go to our student body meeting with Principal Celestia. OK if I catch up with you later at lunch?” “Sure Twilight.” “Great. If I get out early, I’ll send you a text. Do you plan to do anything until then?” I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do at this time, being my first day at school. Then I remembered when we took the tour, the library was locked, and so I never got a chance to see what it was like. I heard that it was unlike any other school library out there. “Maybe I’ll stop by the library this time.” “Sounds like a good idea. At least it’s not locked like the last time we went by there.” Twilight looked towards Moon Dancer and said, “Are you going to be OK with the science club? You still look nervous.” “I’ll be fine,” said Moon Dancer. “I have my friends there with me to bail me out, as long as Lemon Drops doesn’t try to stick her head in the big glass beaker.” “That was just an accident,” said Lemon Drops. “OK, I’ll catch you all later.” Twilight and Cadence got up and left the room. “I’m guessing the science club meets in this room,” I said. “It does,” said Sweetie Drops. “Lyra, I’ll see you at lunch. I have to catch up with Fluttershy.” “OK, Bonbon,” said Lyra. Fluttershy and Tree Hugger were waiting for Sweetie Drops to catch up with them before leaving the room. As I was gathering my books, I saw Sunset walking out of the room in haste. I got my books and made my way out of the room to catch up with her. “Hey Sunny, wait up.” Sunset was trying to ignore me until I caught up with her. “What do you want, Jack?” she said in a grumpy voice. “Look, since I know we are going to have to work together when the group project comes up, I figure it would be nice to get to know each other.” “Why should I even care? I just want to pass my classes and just get on with my life. I don’t need YOU helping me out, or even trying to be my friend.” “Is it because everyone at school hates you for what you did in your past?” Sunset came to a complete stop. “I told you that I just read the cover of who you are. At some point, I’m going to have to know all the details as to why everyone hates you for whatever it was that you did.” Sunset turned around, pointed her finger at me a said, “Look, just because you’re the new student here doesn’t mean you can invade my entire private life, so just BACK OFF!” She started to go down the stairs that were close to our lockers, and I decided to grab her arm, stopping where she was, just half way down the stairs. “Let go of my arm,” she said with a snarl. “Look,” as I got into her face, “I don’t know all the details, but if you want to keep living in the past with what you did, then fine. But if you want to bury all that you did and move one with your life, then I’m the only chance you got. I have helped people that needed help at my old school, and if you want, I can help you too.” “I don’t need your help. So just stay out of my life.” She broke free of my grip and continued down the stairs. As she went up to her locker, I came up to mine that was next to her locker and put my books away. “At some point, it’s going to come back and bite you hard, and no one is going to come to you to bail you out. So keep that in mind.” She slammed her locker shut and said, “Just leave me alone!” She started to leave, then came back and yelled, “AND DON’T CALL ME SUNNY AGAIN!!!” and decided to walk away and headed straight to the girls restroom. Two girls were just coming out when they noticed Sunset walking in. “What are you looking at?” as she glared at them, scaring the girls away. After she went in, I turned my attention to Principal Celestia in the school office, just as she was about to start her meeting with student board. She gave me a momentary glance, and then went in to her office. “She knows something about Sunset,” I thought. “There has to be a reason Twilight, Sunset, and me are in the same morning classes.” Author's Note The reason I came up with Mr. Tom Neighrer as a math teacher comes from the first video that I liked when I started to get into MLP, based off of the New Math by Tom Lehrer New Math by Tom Neighrer Ch. 4 - Two Hours to KillWith an hour before lunch, I had some free time to relax and do…something. I never had a “free study” time in my old school, so this felt like something new to me. So I decided to go to the library to see what it looked like, as soon as I figure out which way I was supposed to go. “I think I’m supposed to go around the corner and look to the left, I think.” I realized that it could be tough to get your bearings when you are by yourself on your first day. As I was making my way down the hallway, I heard some voices behind me coming this way. “Come on, Crusaders. The library’s this way.” Just then, one of them bumped into me from the back, falling to the ground. I looked back to see that it was a younger yellow girl with a bow tied on to her red hair. “Sorry, mister. I guess I didn’t see where I was going,” said the younger girl. “Can you hurry up, Apple Bloom?” said the white girl that was with her. I helped her get up and asked, “Are you Applejack’s sister?” “Sure am, mister. You in one of my sis’ classes?” “That’s right,” I replied. I looked at the other girls that stopped to wait for Apple Bloom and said, “Then you must be Rarity’s sister, Sweetie Belle,” as I pointed to the white girl, “and I’m guessing you’re Scootaloo,” as I pointed to the orange girl. “That’s right,” said Sweetie Belle as Scootaloo nodded her head. “And this here is my cuz, Babs Seed,” said Apple Bloom and she was putting her arm around the other orange girl with the short red hair. “We were heading to the library, until Apple Bloom ran into you,” said Scootaloo. “Then maybe you can help me find my way there. I’m still trying to get my bearings around here.” “You must be the new guy here,” said Sweetie Belle. “Jack, was it?” I nodded my head in response. “You would think Twilight would have shown you around this school earlier.” “She did,” I replied, “but the library was closed at the time of my tour.” “Then as Crusaders, we’ll help finish your tour with the library visit for Twilight,” said Apple Bloom. And Apple Bloom dragged me to the library with the others following us. As we were going down to the library, I asked Apple Bloom, “Why do you call yourselves the Crusaders?” “Because we like to help others in need as a team,” she replies. “And we have been close to each other for a long time because of what we have gone through as a group,” added Scootaloo. “Even during bad times?” They all stopped when I asked that question. With the exception of Babs Seed, they looked down, unable to speak. “Yep,” said Babs Seed. “Even during the…worst of times.” I realized I just messed up, and laid my back to one of the lockers and said, “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have asked that.” “I’m guessing that my sister told you about what happen that night,” said Sweetie Belle. I nodded. “It’s OK. We learned how to be stronger than before since that night. That’s why we call ourselves the Crusaders.” I looked at Apple Bloom and Scootaloo and said, “Your parents should be proud that you remained strong since then.” The girls looked up, smiled and nodded at me. “Well, the library’s not going to come to us by itself, right?” said Apple Bloom. “RIGHT!!!” We arrived at the library, with the double doors wide open. As we entered the library, a reddish purple lady greeted us. “Hello there, Apple Bloom.” “Hi, Miss Cheerilee,” she replied. “Jack, this is Miss Cheerilee, the school’s librarian.” She whispered into my ear, “And my big brother’s girlfriend.” Miss Cheerilee was able to hear Apple Bloom say that and called her out. We giggled after she got busted. “Miss Cheerilee,” said Sweetie Belle,” can we borrow some headphones for one of the computers here?” “Sure, let me get them from the back.” She went to the back of the library to grab some headphones. Apple Bloom pulled me over to the other side of her desk to point out what looked like a prom picture of her with a light reddish guy with orange hair. “That’s my big brother, Big Mac, with her during her senior prom.” “Her senior prom?’ I asked. “Eeyep. She’s a few years older than him. You might have to either ask her or my sis for the story.” “I hope you have a reason you’re behind my desk.” We saw Cheerilee return with a couple of headphones. “I’m just showing Jack who my big brother looks like.” Cheerilee handed her the headphones. “Thanks for the headphones. We’ll make sure we don’t make a lot of noise.” They went to one of the computers to plug in the headphones, having to share then in groups of two. “Can’t believe they are now freshmen here at this school. Still remember when they were much younger when Big Mac was a freshman here and I was a senior.” “Really?” I asked. “Yep. I was surprised when I learned that he was a freshman after I came across him a few times before I decided to approach him. But that didn’t stop me from dating him. He’s a kindhearted man, that’s for sure.” “And he still is, Cheerilee.” A voice came from behind us. When we turn around, we found out that the voice we herd was Applejack. “Applejack,” I said, “you’re not part of any of the clubs here?” “Nope,” she replied. “When I don’t have anything to do, I just come here to chat with Cheerilee and help out. She might be my future sister-in-law one day, if my brother can find the time to ask for her hand in marriage.” “I’m not in any hurry in starting my own family, Applejack. And neither is he.” “I know, I know,” replied Applejack. We paused for a moment, and then Cheerilee asked Applejack, “You still miss them?” “I do,” she replied. “But I remain strong, not just for me and my friends, but for my little sis and her friends as well.” She looked at me and said, “I’m guessing you didn’t know that I lost my parents years ago before Twilight pulled you away from me to warn you, right?” “How did you know,” I asked. “I’d catch on quick when my friends are trying to protect me, not knowing that I can handle myself, physically and emotionally. And I can guess Rarity told you the story as well later on.” I nodded. “She was there when it happen, and somehow believes that she regrets not doing enough to save them. I can tell her not to worry, but she won’t listen.” “Well, I need to make sure the new books are in their proper location and update the library database,” said Cheerilee. “I left a couple of headphones if you need them.” “OK,” said Applejack. “I’ll make sure the little ones don’t cause any trouble.” Cheerilee took a cart of books and went to work. “If you plan on using a computer, you don’t mind if I join you?” “No problem here,” I said. “Just be ready if you see or hear something you don’t like.” “With the friends that I have, I doubt there’s anything I don’t like, Jack” So we grabbed the headphones, went to one of the computers across from the Crusaders, and she let me take control of the keyboard and mouse while she gave her sister a wave. “So what do you plan on going to, Jack?” “Since I moved here, I haven’t had time to check the DeeJay boards.” She gave me a confused look and said, “Say again?” “I’ll show you.” I went to the DeeJay website where the message boards were at and logged in my user name. “I see what you talking about, partner. You must have done some DJ work in your free time.” “Not really. Just some music creating works online. I’ve only done this for a couple of years and made my first 10-minute mix track, which got some good reviews from some amateurs and experts, including the site’s admin, Neon Lights.” “So you go by the name Trader underscore Jack. Trader Jack?” “Yep. Some of my friends call me the Jack of Trades. Maybe because I know how to handle any kind of situation.” “Looks like you have a message from someone.” She pointed to the open mail icon at the top of the scene. I clicked on the icon and read the sent message. Hey Trader_Jack, Just came back from the EDM amateur contest and guess what, I got third place. Pretty good start for my first time. Thanks for letting me use your mix track. I made sure you got credited for it. I hope you finished your move that you said you had to do, because you need to come next year and give it a shot, man. Maybe you can make it far in the contest. Well, not as far as me, because I plan to get first place next year and make my way to the pros so I can compete in front of Neon Lights. Showing some wubs, DJ-PON-3 There was a picture of a small, third place trophy attached to it. “D J Pon three?” Applejack said confused.” “The three is like a reverse ‘e’,” I said. “So it’s pronounced ‘DJ Pon-E’” “Man, how do ya come up with these weird online names.” “You might have to ask him, if you ever get to meet him.” “You never met him in person, or any of the others that are on here?” “Never could get the chance. Maybe next summer, I can get the chance to make the road trip there to attend. Not sure if I would compete in the amateurs over there. I would let you and your friends come if you like, but I know all of you will have other plans.” “Maybe. But you never know. I’m sure we could use a group road trip together, if you don’t mind have several girls tagging along.” “What about the farm?” “We have some hired help there. Plus me and the girls just worked at a summer camp this past summer. If you are up to it, maybe we can ask Miss Luna to have you come along. That’s where she in charge during the summer.” “If you and the girls are up for my trip, I’ll be happy to help out with you girls anytime.” “That be great, sugercube.” Just then, both our cell phones were vibrating in our pockets. We both got them out to check on our own messages. Jack Just got out of meeting. Can you meet at track field. Talk about Sunset. Others will be there. Twilight “Looks like Twilight wants to meet me at the track field,” I said. “Cadence just texted me and my friends to meet us there as well. I guess now’s the time we filled you in on Sunset Shimmer. Ready?” “Sure. Just let me text Twilight.” With AJ. Heading to track now. Jack After sending my text to her, we placed the headphones back on Cheerilee’s desk and made our way to the track field. Looks like I’m about the get the full story about her at this time. Maybe I can find out why my ‘gift’ was going off the radar in the first place. Once we made it to the track field, only Flash, Soarin, and Rainbow Dash were there. “Guess we’re a bit early,” said Applejack. “Depends on how you want to define ‘early’, Applejack,” said Rainbow Dash. “Ha, ha. Very funny, Dash,” Applejack sarcastically replied. We noticed Fluttershy, Tree Hugger, Rarity, and Trixie walking towards us. “I hope we’re not late,” said Rarity. “Trixie wanted to join us in the discussion.” “Um, so did Tree Hugger,” added Fluttershy. “If it’s about Sunset Shimmer, then Trixie wants to make her opinion known.” “Your aura is filled with negativity, Trixie. But if it’s because of some demon, then I can totally understand.” “It is, Tree Hugger, and Trixie will have none of it.” “Sounds like we’re on the same page,” said Applejack. Just then, Twilight, Cadence, and Moon Dancer came walking towards us. Moon Dancer saw that Tree Hugger was here as well and almost wanted to say something about her before Twilight glanced at her, making her hold on to her own comments. “Is everyone here?” said Twilight. “Shining Armor and Thunderlane had to stay with the athletic club,” said Flash. “Um, so did Roseluck and Sweetie Drops with the nature club,” said Fluttershy. “I’ve already ask Lyra to take over the science club for me,” said Moon Dancer, “so we don’t have to worry about her being here.” Twilight looked around and asked, “Where’s Pinkie Pie?” “Right HERE!!!” Pinkie Pie popped her head out of the top of the bleachers. “And I brought company.” A blue haired, white girl with purple shades and headphones around her neck popped up. “What’s up!” Just then, she started to wobble and fell out of view, crashing behind the bleachers. “Ouch. Why you do that Tavi?” “Why? You should know why, Vinyl.” Another voice came from behind the bleacher. No doubt she was holding Vinyl up on the bleachers. When she came out, I noticed a black haired, gray girl carrying a Cello on her back. I now knew that it was Octavia that Twilight told me about at the beginning of the day. “Octavia,” said Twilight, “I was hoping to meet you sooner. I got the CDs that you let me borrow back in my brother’s car.” “That’s great. You want me to meet you there after school?” “If that’s OK with you.” “It is, Twilight.” Everyone that was able to make it went to sit in the bleachers. “We know why I called you all her,” said Twilight. “SUNSET SHIMMER!” Twilight continued. “And as I know she’s at least in one of our classes, if possible. But she’s in the first four classes with me.” “And that creates a problem that we don’t want to have repeating like last year,” said Cadence. “So why do you think this is a bigger problem than before?” asked Octavia. “Because the new guy here is also in the same four classes,” said Applejack as she’s pointing at me. “Cadence and me asked Principal Celestia about the situation before our student board meeting, and she was unaware that it was set up that way. And she can’t make any changes to get us out of it.” “Can’t make any changes,” I thought. “I doubt that’s the case.” “Right now, since Jack is new to this issue, I figure that we fill him in on the blanks so that he can understand our problem with Sunset Shimmer, and why she would still hate me.” “I’d already told him the short version,” said Applejack. “Rarity, I’m sure you can give him the longer version better than me.” “With pleasure, Applejack.” “I’m sure you know that Sunset was one of the popular ones here. She was even popular back in junior high. And she was dating Flash around, was it in the 8th grade?” Rarity asked. “Yes, around the spring semester,” said Flash. Rarity continued. “By the time we all got to high school for our freshman year, Twilight and her brother were new to both the school and the city. Flash was one of the football equipment managers with Soarin during the fall. It was around that time that Flash and Sunset decided to ‘take some time off’ if you know what I mean.” “Sunset felt like I was more focused on the football team than on her,” said Flash. It was that time I met Twilight’s brother, Shining Armor, who was the backup QB on the team at that time. Twilight was around during practice, waiting around for his brother.” “I was able to have a few chats with Flash and Soarin during that time,” said Twilight. “It was, I believe, as we were going into our third game that Flash told us about the so-called break up. By that time, my brother had to take over as the new starting QB after an injury from the original QB that he got in the last game got worse. Shining ask me to help out with the team from above, and that’s when I became their…tactician, if you wanted to call it that. By the time we were heading into the last game of the season, my brother started dating Cadence.” “When I saw Twilight and Flash talking at times, I asked her if he was cute,” said Cadence. Twilight started to blush. “She said yes, so I was able to find a way to hook them up. After our team made it to the playoffs for the first time, and lost, Sunset wanted to get back together with Flash.” “I told Sunset that I was dating Twilight, and we got into a heated augment. She asked what made Twilight better than her, and I just told her that we just like to spend time together when we get the chance, knowing that school and such would be more important for us to focus on. But she kept getting on our case that I just finally told her to just stay out of our lives and find someone else to be with.” Rarity took over the story. “When she learned that Cadence help in hooking these two up, that’s when she started to get jealous. She even became more jealous when Cadence and Twilight were getting more popular than her, with Cadence’s charm and Twilight smart and friendly personality. By the time our sophomore year, Sunset started to trash and sabotage anything that would involve Twilight or Cadence.” “And she had help with her to do her bidding,” said Trixie. “Two new freshmen names Snips and Snails. I did started to have a bit of a rivalry with Twilight because of our grades, but when I started to hear about what was being planned for the Fall Homecoming, I had to warn Twilight.” “With the fact that we were rivals in class, I knew she would never go that low like Sunset was trying to do. But I knew I was going to need some help in stopping her.” “And that’s where we come in,” said Rainbow Dash. “Soarin introduced me to Rainbow Dash, and her friends, Applejack, Rarity, Pinkie Pie, and Fluttershy. Some of their friends, like Octavia, Vinyl, Trixie, Thunderlane, Roseluck, Lyra, Sweetie Drops, and Tree Hugger, wanted to help out. Even Moon Dancer in my science club wanted to help.” “We knew that we just couldn’t leave Twilight hanging,” said Applejack. “But catching her in the act was the tougher part.” “We were able to stop some of her plans in the process,” said Rarity, “but without and proof to show Principal Celestia that she did it, we knew that she wasn’t going to stop.” “That’s when Cadence and me had an idea. Because we were working together for the craft fair late in the spring, we decided to set up some mini cameras to catch her in the act.” “And it almost worked,” said Pinkie Pie. “But they dressed like ninjas.” “She means that they were wearing black all over. They damaged or destroyed all the other craft tables expect ours, trying to pin it on us. But when we showed the video to Principal Celestia, she knew that the three in the video didn’t look in any way like us.” “The only other chance to catch them was during my junior prom, which I was able to help set up,” said Cadence. “We knew that she would target whatever Cadence was doing as well. While they were doing the main set up, I got the others to make a fake set up that would somehow trap them when they try to damage it. Luckily, Applejack had what was needed to make it happen. So while the real set up was kept hiding from site, we set up the trap and waited for them to come.” “And when they did,” say Applejack, “the stage came tumbling down on her two partners. Sunset ran off scared leaving her partners behind. Principal Celestia was soon there to see that it was Snips and Snails that were trapped.” “She made them confess that they were doing what Sunset wanted them to do. They got a lighter punishment while Sunset was called in to the Principal’s office. Her punishment was much harsher that Snips and Snails. By that time, everyone her was she had done and now she’s the most disrespected student in this school.” “But even though we stopped Sunset,” Rarity added, “she still wants to do something to hurt her again for knocking her down several levels.” “And now I’m worried that having her in the same four classes is just the beginning,” Twilight said sacredly. “I don’t think you have to worry about her much longer,” I said. The others had puzzled looks on their faces. “Let’s just say that she’s going to have to worry about me being her science partner than what she would want to do with you, Twilight.” “Why do I have a feeling that you did something that would cross the line,” said Applejack. “You wouldn’t have tried to harm her, would you?” said Rarity with a concerned voice. “If you mean the fact that I grabbed her arm and got in her face after 4th period,” I said. Fluttershy replied, “Oh…MY!!!” “Why the hay did you do something like that, Jack,” yelled Applejack. “Yea, that’s just like signing your death certificate,” added Rainbow Dash. I got up from the bleachers and turned around. “Think about it this way. Why do you think I was put in the same classes as Twilight and Sunset? Anyone want to answer that?” Everyone looked at each other, trying to find an answer. “Everyone knows Sunset and everyone HATES Sunset. But I’m the new kid here. I bet you that Principal Celestia and Miss Luna had something to do with this.” “How could they have a part in this, Jack?” said Cadence. “Why do you think Miss Luna held her up in her office before 4th period?” “I just had this crazy idea,” said Tree Hugger. “What if everyone knows everyone else expect Jack in our class?” “I hate to say it, but she right,” said Moon Dancer. “You know you have to be paired up with someone in that class because each table has two chairs.” “But I could have paired up with him, or even Fluttershy could have done the same,” said Twilight. “But you didn’t,” added Moon Dancer. “You went for Cadence, and Fluttershy went with Tree Hugger. The rest was simple math. All that needed to be done was to make sure all the cards were in place, in which they are. Now Sunset has to deal with Jack instead of you, Twilight.” “So Jack has to deal with whatever Sunset throws at him?” said Applejack. “That’s just crazy.” “Crazy enough that it might just work,” I said. “Beg ya pardon?” “I’m just going to take a stab at this, but I wonder if she collected any info on me from my last school, and I don’t mean my grades and attendance. More of what I have done at the school outside of class.” Twilight asked, “Like what?” “That’s something I have to find out.” “I know what we can do?” We looked at Pinkie Pie for her answer. “Let’s eat. I’m starving.” “Leave it to Pinkie Pie to start thinking about food,” said Applejack. “Well, it’s already twenty after,” said Octavia as she was looking at her watch. “Then let’s go. I’m sure the others will be there,” added Rainbow Dash. “I’ll race you,” said Soarin. “You’re on.” Rainbow Dash and Soarin started to make a mad dash to the cafeteria, while the rest of us decide to walk. Twilight grabbed Octavia and me so she can talk to us. “Octavia, you’re in Music Lit next period, right?” “That is correct. Why you ask?” “Jack’s in your class, so can you help him make sure he knows where the classroom is at. I have a different class to go to after lunch.” “Sure. Better me than Vinyl or Pinkie Pie. Their in the same class.” It didn’t take us long to get to the cafeteria, grab some food, and join up with the others who couldn’t make it to the meeting. “So, Jack,” said Shining Armor, “you now have an idea about Sunset Shimmer?” “Yep. And we might have a reason why Twilight and me share the same classes at her.” “That’s good. I’m sure she’ll fill me in later after school.” He looked at his sister, Twilight, and said, “And I’m sorry you had to put up with Sunset for most of the day, sis.” “It’s OK. I think I’ll be fine as long as Jack is around to keep her busy.” “Wow, you must have guts to take her on,” said Sweetie Drops. “But you do have to work with her in science class, so might as well be now than later.” “Oh, oh, oh.” Pinkie Pie was jumping up and down wanted to get our attention. “Vinyl as something she wanted to show us.” She looked at Vinyl and said, “Show them what you showed me.” Vinyl brought out her cell phone and showed us a picture of a trophy. “Take a look at this.” Rainbow Dash got right up to her cell and said, “3rd Place, EDM Amateurs.” She looked at Vinyl. “That’s awesome. Not as awesome as getting 1st place, but it’s a big step for your first time there. Give me a brohoof.” Vinyl and Dash punched their fists to each other. “Brohoof?” I asked. “What’s a brohoof?” “It’s like our school’s greeting or handshake,” said Applejack. “Whenever we like to show our school spirit, we brohoof. Here, let me show you.” She grabbed my hand and put it in a fist. “Now you tap your fist with mine.” So I touched my fist with her fist. “That, partner, is a brohoof.” “A brohoof? I like it.” I looked at Vinyl and asked, “Can I see that pic?” Vinyl handed me her cell and Applejack and me looked at the picture. “Hey,” whispered Applejack. “Isn’t that the same pic in that message you got from that DJ?” “I think so,” I whispered. “Just play along. I want to surprise her.” I handed the cell back to Vinyl and asked, “How were you able to get that?” “Well, I had some online help with one of the tracks that he let me use, with his permission. The rest was simple planning.” Octavia interrupted. “You spend all day and night finishing what you were doing that I couldn’t get any sleep. And that was when my parents were on vacation.” “Tavi, how are you able to put up with Vinyl’s…noise every day since she moved in with your family?” said Rarity. “I ask myself the same thing.” Octavia looked at me and said, “Jack, just don’t get attached to her. Her music is nerve-racking at times.” “Come on Tavi. My music rocks, and I’m sure he can handle it,” said Vinyl. “Oh, I’m sure I can handle D J Pon E,” I said. “See, Tavi. He can handle…” Vinyl paused for a moment and said, “What did you call me?” “You know you heard Trader Jack, girl.” Vinyl paused for a moment again to gather her thoughts. Then it hit her hard. “No. Freaking. WAY!!! You…you…you… I thought you were older.” “I thought you were a guy,” I replied. “So does everyone else. And I like to keep it that way until their ready to accept having a girl as a DJ.” “Now that I can agree on. When they soon find out, no doubt jaws will drop to the floor that a girl just owned them. Brohoof.” I tapped my fist with Vinyl’s fist. “I think girls need the same respect as guys. Even as DJs.” “I agree. But it’s hard to convince that girls can make good DJs as well as guys. And if you plan to stay for a long time, you need to come with me next year. The place is electric.” “Well,” added Applejack, “you might have to make room for several more. I promised Jack that me and the girls will take a road trip to the place if he helps out with summer camp next year, and we could use a good road trip.” “I guess I better start planning for next year’s contest,” said Vinyl. The bell rang, telling us that it was time to go to our 5th period class. Twilight came up to me and said, “We’ll see you after school, OK.?” “Sure, Twilight.” I looked at Rainbow Dash and said, “Dash, meet in front of the school office before 6th period, right?” “That’s right,” Dash replied. Octavia came up to me and said, “Ready for music lit?” I nodded, and with Vinyl and Pinkie Pie in tow, we made our way to our next class. Ch. 5 - A Change of PaceAfter gathering all I needed to know about Sunset Shimmer, I knew what I needed to do to find the answers that explain what the connection to my ‘gift’ and Sunset are. But that was going to have to wait for about an hour. Octavia, Vinyl, and Pinkie Pie were escorting me to our Music Lit class, when we started to talk about…music. “So what kind of music do you listen to?” Octavia asked me. “It can’t all be like what Vinyl has.” “Yea, you were creative in that mix track that you created,” Vinyl added. “I have a variety of music back home. From pop, rock, electric, light. I mean I have a good mix of music that I would like to listen to that helps me be creative in what I create.” “What about classical?” “Come on, Tavi. Who else would like to listen to the old stuff, besides you and Twilight?” “If you’re talking about the current classics, then I have a few of those. I’m not big on the really old stuff. No offense.” “That’s OK. I like the old classics, but the current classics are nice to.” “Oh, oh,” interrupted Pinkie Pie. “What about party music?” “Which kind? EDM or R&B?” I asked. Pinkie Pie had a confused look on her face. Vinyl was also confused and asked, “Wait a minute. There’s R&B that can be used at parties?” “It depends on the party. The key factor to know is that they always use the old records to play them, not like CDs or digital music. Adds an old, smooth feel to it. No flashy stuff. Used to hear some of it when I was back in Manehattan. But I don’t know if I can get into it. One of the guys I met said that you need to feel the soul of the music to understand it.” “Wow. That’s deep,” said Vinyl. As we were walking into class, I noticed a dark girl in green in the back. “Great,” whispered Octavia. “Chrysalis is in our class.” “Who’s she?” I asked. “Let’s sit down in the front, and I’ll tell you.” As we started to take our seats, she added, “Pinkie Pie, you sit behind Jack.” “OK!” Pinkie Pie said as she went to sit behind me. “I hope you have a reason for this,” I said. “If you plan to deal with Sunset, then you’re going to have to deal with Pinkie’s antics,” Octavia added. Pinkie smiled with a squeal, while Vinyl went to sit behind Octavia. “Chrysalis is a student who has, what others believe to be, fallen behind. She doesn’t hang out with anyone, and no one ever approaches her.” “Some say she’s a witch,” whispered Pinkie Pie. “I recommend you just don’t bother her at all.” added Octavia. “She just doesn’t like to talk to anyone.” I looked at Chrysalis and started to get that weird feeling. It wasn’t as strong as with Sunset, but I was able to recognize it. What I felt was fear. “What are you afraid of?” I thought. Our music teacher, Mr. Frederick Horseshoepin, walked in, so I turned around and focused my attention to the class. After getting our music books for the class, I waved the girls goodbye as I was gathering my things together to meet back at Principal Celestia’s office. As I got up, I bumped into Chrysalis, knocking some of her stuff to the ground. “I’m sorry there. Let me help.” I bended down to help her get her things, and she almost try to stop me, but couldn’t. I was able to gather her items and handed them to her. “Her you go.” “Um, thanks,” she replied. “You’re not like the others that I have met in this school, are you?” I asked. She didn’t bother to respond. “Well, if you ever feel like talking, just let me know.” At that point, she got up and left the classroom. “She’s afraid of something, but what?” I thought. As I was making my to the school office, I hear a familiar voice behind me. “You ready to work at the gym?” It was Rainbow Dash, already changed back to her gym clothes that she was wearing in the morning. “Maybe, but I don’t know if I can do so in these clothes.” “Well, maybe Principal Celestia can find some workout clothes to wear, like mine. Come on.” We walked into the office to hear Principal Celestia talking to another person behind her office door. We heard Principal Celestia say, “I’m glad that you decided to come on such short notice, but you really didn’t have to do this.” “It was no problem. When she called me after she had to retire, I decided to turn in my notice to the university and make my way here. I’ve already got an apartment to live in and just got with Discord today about coming here. I knew he was going to have a hard time finding a replacement.” “I recognized that voice,” said Rainbow Dash. The office door just opened up and Principal Celestia stick her head out. “Dash, Jack, you’re both here. Come in. There’s someone I want you to meet.” We walked into her office, and Rainbow Dash’s jaw dropped in shock. “Coach Spitfire?” “It been some years since I’ve seen you back in Cloudsdale. And you’ve grown since then,” said the yellow lady with the two-tone orange hair. “I figure you would be surprised,” said Principal Celestia. “Jack, this is an old classmate and friend of mine, Coach Spitfire. She’s going to take over for Coach Goalkeeper.” “Wait a minute,” said Rainbow Dash. “I though you were still coaching at Equestria University.” “I decided to resign. The money might be good, but I can’t leave my friends hanging. Plus I have a promise to fulfill for Goalkeeper. And that’s to help on you’re future scholarship.” Rainbow dash jumped up in excitement. “AWESOME!!!” “Jack,” said Principal Celestia, “you will still be my staff aide this semester. For now, I want you to work with Coach Spitfire today, since she just got here. Make sure you see me before the period is over.” I nodded towards her. We started to make our way to the gym court, and Coach Spitfire decided to strike up a conversation. “So Dash, is Soarin and Fluttershy around here as well?” “Yep. Right now, Soarin is working for Coach Iron Will at the gym as well. He’ll be surprised to see that you are here.” “That big coach is still teaching here? Does he still prefer to teach P.E. in the fall, and Auto Mechanics in the spring?” “From what my friends have told me, he still does. Me and Soarin will be taking his Auto class next semester along with Jack.” “You never told me about that,” I said. “You never asked,” replied Rainbow Dash. “Then I can guess you and Soarin are finally dating, right?” said Coach Spitfire. Rainbow Dash was shocked and blushing as she was trying to respond. “W…w…we’re not dating. We’re just friends. What gave you that idea?” “Because you always like to hang out and work out together since the two of you played soccer back in Cloudsdale.” “Looks like someone’s got a secret crush,” I said with a sneaky look. “S…shut up.” Rainbow Dash turned her head away just to hide her blushing face from us. “I’m just joking, Dash,” said Coach Spitfire as she was patting her back. “No need to turn all red on us.” “Just don’t do that again.” We walked in to the gym, and all the students were divided between the boys and girls. We could see a big bluish gray man with the students waiting for us. Coach Spitfire yelled, “Coach Iron Will. Guess who’s here?” “This is a surprise to see,” said Coach Iron Will. “What brings you here at CHS?” “I’m taking over for Coach Goalkeeper. Celestia said you had the student lists for the other classes you had to fill.” “Iron Will does. Remind me after class so Iron Will can give those to you. Iron Will was about to ask Soarin to check up on the P.E. equipment. Think your aides can help him out?” “No problem.” Coach Spitfire looked at us as said, “Make sure all the equipment is in good condition. I want to know if I need to make any request for replacement gear soon.’ “We’re on it,” replied Rainbow Dash. We made our way with Soarin to the equipment room. “I can’t believe Coach Spitfire is here,” said Soarin. “I thought she was working at Equestria University.” “Coach Goalkeeper called her up and asked if she could take over for her. And, now, she’s going to help me work on my future scholarship. This is turning out to be awesome.” “That’s great to hear. We better start checking up on the gear here.” Soarin looked to me and handed me a clipboard. “Think you can write down everything as we go through it?” “No problem,” I said. I started to write down all that we had, and made a list of what was in good condition, what needed to be looked at, and what needed to be replaced. As we were doing this, I wanted to ask them something. “Do any of you know of a student named Chrysalis?” “The one people like to call the witch?” said Soarin. “Yep, I’ve heard of her. I think this is her 5th year here. Did you have a class with her?” “Just last period in music lit class,” I replied. “I don’t understand why they call her a witch,” Rainbow Dash added. “She’s just a student who’s fallen behind, yet she doesn’t want to drop out of school.” “You think that someone would be willing to help her out,” I said. “Everyone is too scared to approach her,” said Soarin. “But she’s no Sunset Shimmer, that’s for sure.” We finished with the inventory, with time to spare, and handed it to Coach Spitfire to look it over. “Thanks, you guys. We’ll look it over and see what needs to be done. Jack, if you want to head back to Principal Celestia, you can. Just let her know I might be making a list for her sometime this week.” I agreed with Coach Spitfire and told Rainbow Dash and Soarin that I’ll see them at the lockers in a little while. When I got back to the office, I filled the principal in and ask if there was anything else to do before school was over. She wanted to talk to me about something about my time back in my old school that she wanted to understand. “I read from your old school that you have help some of your classmates who have had problems in their lives and brought it to the teachers attention. I was wondering how you were able to help them out.” To tell her about my gift would be a surprise for her, in which she wouldn’t understand. So I had to come up with something to explain this. “I just see someone who is worried and is scared to tell someone and see if they could open up and tell me what is wrong. Everything else just happens as is. Why do you ask?” “I’m guessing you heard from Twilight and her friends the ordeal they had to go through with Sunset Shimmer and that I can’t do anything to help her with the four classes that they have to share.” I crossed my arms and had to ask. “Is this why I also share those same four classes, to make sure no trouble comes between Twilight and Sunset?” “Close,” she replied. “I have a favor to ask, and I normally don’t do this, but I think you might be the best bet in doing this.” I wonder what she met by that, and then remembered our talk earlier today with Twilight’s friends. “Why do you think I was put in the same classes as Twilight and Sunset?” “What if everyone knows everyone else expect Jack in our class?” “All that needed to be done was to make sure all the cards were in place, in which they are. Now Sunset has to deal with Jack instead of you, Twilight.” I think I was about to get some of the answers that I needed, as she was about to speak. “I want you to help Sunset Shimmer open up and believe that she can change her ways in her life.” “But even if I could do that, everyone else hates her. If I did, how can I make them realized that she’s changed for the better?” “That’s where Twilight comes in. If she believes from you that Sunset has changed, she might be able to convince the school the same thing. I know it’s a tall order, but I believe in second chances, and this might be the only second chance that she can get. Do you think you can do this, just like you can back in your old school?” I thought for a moment about what I was going to really get myself into. I soon then remembered that we would have to work together in our science class at some point. “Did your sister have a part in setting us up in science class?” “I believe so. Does she share the same table as you?” “Yes.” After hearing this, I decided on what I needed to do. “I’ll give it a try. I can’t promise that it will work, but I’ll try.” “Thank you. I know you can do this. Just one thing, you can’t tell anyone what you are trying to do. I need them to see it for themselves that Sunset has changed.” The final bell rang, telling us that school was over. I waved at Principal Celestia as I was heading out. I left the office and went straight across to my locker. As I was grabbing my stuff, the others started to show up. “So Jack, what do you think about school here?” said Twilight. “It’s…interesting. That’s for sure,” I replied. “Just ya wait til you see the events that we have, partner,” said Applejack. “Some of them are marvelous,” Rarity added. “I can hardly wait to see what they are,” I said. “Oh, it’s going to be a blast,” Pinkie Pie said as she threw confetti in the air. “Well, some of us need to head on home,” said Rainbow Dash. “Fluttershy, Soarin, you coming?” “Yep,” said Soarin and Fluttershy nodded. As most of them left, Twilight was waiting for his brother to come, while Applejack and Rarity waited for their sisters and rides to show up. I decided to wait for a bit as well. We heard a group of young girls coming this way. I recognized the voices from before. “Hey, Jack. You still here?” It was Apple Bloom and her friends. “Yes. Just taking in the view.” “All of us saw you in the gym with Rainbow Dash. Were you working with her?” she said. “Yep. Coach Spitfire just showed up and needed some extra help for today. Do you have her for 6th period?” All four of them nodded. “Girls, look like our rides are here,” said Applejack. Two old trucks started to drive up. I recognized the driver in the red truck as Big Mac, but I didn’t know who the female driver in the orange truck was. “About time my sister got here,” said Babs Seed. Applejack whispered, “That’s Sunflower, Babs’ sister. She graduated the same time as Big Mac. After what happened back then, Scootaloo lives with them for now.” She looked at the girls and said, “Time to go, girls.” As Babs Seed and Scootaloo got into Sunflower’s truck and Apple Bloom and Applejack got into Big Mac’s truck, Apple Bloom turned around, waved and said, “It was nice knowing you, Jack. I hope we get to see each other again.” The other two girls also waved at me and I returned the wave. “Twilight, Jack, Rarity,” we heard behind us. We turned to see Shining Armor with Cadence and Octavia walking towards us. “Oh, Octavia. I need to make sure you get those CDs back to you,” said Twilight. “I already told your brother about it,” said Octavia. “Shall we go get them now?” Twilight nodded. “I’ll see you tomorrow, Shiny,” Cadence said as she gave him a kiss on the cheek. “You too, Cadence,” replied Shining Armor. “Come on, Twilight. Let’s get Tavi’s CDs to her and head home.” Twilight waved at me as they were heading back to their car. “How did your first day felt like, Jack,” said Cadence. “It was good. I hope the remaining days are as good as today.” “I’m sorry you have to worry about Sunset sitting next to you, but if she causes and problems, you know who to go to.” “Don’t worry, Cadence. I think I can handle her. I’m ready for a challenge.” “Just don’t push your luck.” Cadence started walking towards the parking lot and said, “It was nice to meet you. See you tomorrow.” I waved my hand towards her. “I hope he’s not running late.” Rarity and Sweetie Belle were still waiting for their ride. “Who, your dad?” I asked. “Oh no, our hired driver. Our parents like to travel around Equestria,” answer Rarity. “They travel a lot, but try to find time to stop by every now and then. Otherwise, they call us once a week,” said Sweetie Belle. “That must cost a lot of money for all that travel,” I said. “Nonsense,” replied Rarity. “Our family has earned a lot of money from the family businesses that they own. They just decided to do all the traveling to see what’s out there and still keep up with some of the work on the road.” Just then, their car finally drove up. “It looks like our ride is here. I’ll see you tomorrow.” “Rarity, wait. You got a moment to talk?” I asked. She nodded and asked Sweetie Belle to wait in the car. “What is it, dear?” “You told me to never bring up AJ’s parents in front of her, right?” She nodded. “I don’t think you need to worry about her with that. She’s tough and has a good eye, and no doubt the girls are strong as well.” “Applejack talked to you about that.” I nodded. “I just wish I could have…” I placed my finger on her lips, stopping her mid sentence. “You don’t need to be blaming yourself for something you couldn’t do. These things happen. And sometimes we can’t do anything to stop it from happening. The best thing to do is not blaming ourselves for not doing enough. I can understand that it’s not easy, bust the best thing to do is just move forward and put all the dead weight behind us.” Rarity sighed, lower her head, and said, “I understand, dear. I guess I’m doing too much in protecting my friends that I’m putting all that weight on me.” She looked back up to me with a smile on her face. “Thanks. It’s feels like a huge weight was lifted from me. I better be going. Don’t want to keep my sister waiting.” She starts walking to the car, giving me a wave of her hand. I noticed that everyone has left school and I was still outside the main lobby. As I was staring to head to my truck, one more person was walking out of the doorway, and it was a surprise to see that she was still here. “I’m surprised that you’re still here,” said Sunset as she was giving me an evil grin. “I would have figured you sneak out the back door without being noticed,” I replied with a grin. “Look, if you want to get in my face, then so be it. I’ll be happy to knock you down in your place, if you like.” “Challenge accepted. Just remember that we have to work together in science class.” “Oh, I haven’t forgotten about that. I just hope you can keep up.” “Oh, I can keep up. I just hope you can do the same.” “Whatever. I’m out of here.” Sunset started to walk down the stairs and toward the parking lot. I yelled, “See you later, Sunny.” She paused and yelled back, “Don’t call me Sunny,” and then left. “You know what?” I thought. “I think I’m going to like it here.” I decided to head to my truck and drive on home. Author's Note This is where the first day ends. I hope you like it so far. Ch. 6 - Of Heart and SoulIt’s Tuesday Morning, 5:45 AM. I’m just now getting up, able to get a bit more sleep than yesterday. After having a crazy first day, I felt like it should be smooth sailing from here, as long as I can out-do Sunset Shimmer. I go through my morning routine before going downstairs and meeting up with my mother. As I walk in to the kitchen, some pop tarts popped up from the toaster, and a glass of orange juice was next to it that my mother prepared. “Good morning, son.” “Good morning, mom.” I went to grab one of the pop tarts and orange juice and asked, “Do you have the money for my school lunch pass that I need to turn in to Miss Luna?” “Right here, son.” She hands me a check that’s made out to the school to cover my lunch meals for the semester. “And I also have something else that I need you to give to Miss Luna as well.” She pointed out to a small bag on the table. I walked over to it, and I can recognize the scent coming from the bag. “Is that what I think it is?” “You bet, son.” I shook my head in disbelief. “I can’t believe that she’s the only one in Ponyville that orders this type from you. I mean, people in the big cities like to order this kind to help them sleep with all the noise around them. But it’s more peaceful that anyone ever orders them expect for one person.” “And to think that person is your Vice Principal who orders them, since I did create those candles to help you sleep when you were young.” “Well, I’ve better get to school.” I grabbed the bag and exchanged my byes with my mother. My father was about to head out to work when he reminded me about meeting with AJ at the farm this weekend. Once I made it to school, the first place I went to was to Vice Principal Luna’s office. She was inside with the door open. “Miss Luna?” “Jack, what brings you here?” she replied. “I’m here to purchase a lunch pass.” I handed her the check, and she handed me a lunch pass so I don’t have to worry about having to pay for lunch every day. She noticed the bag that I was holding and asks, “Who’s the bag for?” “Oh, my mother wanted me to give this to you. I’m guessing you must have ordered it last week.” “I did. My sister told me that your mother created the candles that I like to order.” “I’m surprised to find out that you’re the only one in Ponyville who orders this kind. I wouldn’t think you would have a hard time sleeping.” “There are times when I have trouble sleeping. But this helps me a lot.” She pulls out of the bag a round lavender candle. Both of us were able to gather its scent that was coming from it. “I guess you have had a hard time sleeping as well.” “Back when my family was living in the big cities. Now that I live here, I can just use it to help me relax. I have worked with my mother on some of her candles during the past summers.” “Well, send your mother my thanks.” I left her office and went to my locker, where my new friends were already there. “Jack,” said Twilight. “Good thing you’re here. My friends were hoping to share contact information with you. I only have your cell number, but not your e-mail address.” “Oh, sure. Let me get my phone out of my bag.” I grabbed my phone and we exchanged numbers and e-mail addresses so we can keep in touch with each other. “Trixie and Moon Dancer wanted to keep in touch with you as well,” said Twilight. “Sure. I can take care of that when I see them in their classes. I need to do the same with Vinyl and Octavia when I see them.” I looked at Applejack and said, “AJ, I talked to my dad about your farm, and he says that he can come by sometime Saturday if that’s OK.” “That be mighty fine, partner. Since Granny Smith works at in the cafeteria, I can tell her later today.” After putting away some of our stuff and grabbing our books, we started heading to class. No doubt, Sunset was already at her seat in the back corner. I’m guessing she came here early to avoid us in the morning. “You can evade us anytime, but when science class comes, you will have to deal with me again,” I thought as I stared at her. She saw my stare and decided to look away. The day went by like any normal day, even in science class when Sunset tried her best to ignore me. By the time free study came, Principal Celestia came by my locker and asked me to come by her office. I looked at the others, wondering why I was being called, before heading into her office. “Sorry if I had to call you over, but there was something I wanted to talk to you about from our conversation yesterday.” “If you mean about helping ‘her’ make a change, it is going to take some time.” “Actually, it’s something else. Take a seat, please.” She closed the door to her office, then went up to her desk and brought out a book from her desk drawer. “I want you to look at this.” I took the book and noticed that it was some old journal that belongs to someone. The name inside the journal said Professor Star Swirl. I looked back at her and asked, “What is this about?” “Go to the page that I have marked in the book and read it to me.” I went to the page that she was talking about and read it out loud. It is believed that there are those who bear special gifts that they are born with and awaken when the time comes. The first time they experience this is when waves of emotions come from other people. It takes months to control and focus on these waves of emotion; otherwise, they would think they are crazy. Once they have control of this gift, they can focus on those who hide their true feelings. This gift has been around for thousands of years, and at this day of age, is rare to find those who have it. But it has given those who bear it an advantage against their enemies. They call it ‘soul resonance.’ I gathered my thoughts after reading this. “Soul resonance? Is this what I have been experiencing these past few years? Why I sense these emotions that I feel others? How come she has this info and no one else? Does she know about my ‘gift’? What does it all mean?” I looked back at Principal Celestia with a confused look. “I don’t quite understand. Is there a reason for showing me this?” “Look, I haven’t been fully honest with you, and I wanted to make sure I knew who I was looking at before I brought this up. Tell me, have there been times when you felt like that there was something different about someone that you question who they really are?” I paused for a moment, and then answered, “I have, twice; two students that I share classes with.” I looked at Principal Celestia. “We can guess that Sunset Shimmer is one of them, and would explain why you wanted me to help her.” “Do you know what it was that you felt?” “I’m not sure. It felt…strong. But it felt like there was a wall trying to block it or mask what it truly is.” “What you felt was that person’s soul, the true feelings that they try to hide.” “If you knew about this, why bring this up now and just on my second day here?” “I had my doubts at first, but I felt like it was better that you know now than later, after having to put you up to the task that I asked of you yesterday. For now, I want you to keep it a secret from everyone, even your friends. When you come back here for 6th period, I’ll be happy to answer all of your questions that I can answer. Deal?” “Deal!” I replied, shaking her hand. I started to get up and headed out of her office when she stopped me for a moment. “You said there was another one. Who was it?” “Chrysalis, from my Music Lit class.” She paused for a moment before she could speak. “What did you feel from her?” “Fear. It was easier to read from her than from Sunset.” I looked back at her and said, “If you want me to help Sunset, then let me start with helping Chrysalis. If this gift, this ‘soul resonance’, is what the book says it is, I would like to know more about her first and see if what I felt was right. Maybe I can understand what she’s afraid of if I knew more about her past. I can understand that you can’t reveal a person’s personal history, but…” She stopped me and said, “I can see what I can do. This would be a good test of your gift that you have.” “Thank you.” After saying that, I left her office. “Soul resonance?” I thought. So that’s what is called. I could never find info on it online, or anywhere in museums and books. Even those that kept it a secret couldn’t find any info on it. Maybe fate led me here to answer the questions I’ve been looking for. Who knows? For now, it’s best to keep it hidden from everyone, like I did before at my last school. But I will need friends that can help me keep it a secret, but who?” I got with my friends at lunchtime. And no doubt it was ‘Taco Tuesday.’ I learned that Pinkie Pie and Rainbow Dash love that day, because they race to see who can finish all 3 tacos first. “I WIN!!!” said Pinkie Pie. “I was so close,” said Rainbow Dash, as she was about to take her last bite of tacos. “Dash,” said Applejack, “you might be fast on ya feet, but when it comes to food, only Pinkie can pull it off.” “I sometimes wonder how she can eat that much and still look so marvelous,” added Rarity. “I might have an answer to that,” I said. Everyone looked at me, waiting for my answer. I cleared my throat before I spoke. “She has a way to burn off all the weight with all the energy she has.” Pinkie Pie grinned as she nodded her head. “I guess that’s reasonable enough,” replied Rarity. Twilight decided to change the subject. “So why did you get called to the principal’s office.” Everyone stared at me again, waiting for my answer. I knew I had to keep it a secret from them, so I had to come up with something. “Um, just what I was going to be working on with her in 6th period. She wanted me to…make sure I know what I needed to bring when I come by.” “You not going to help us in gym class today?” Rainbow Dash asked. “I’m Celestia’s aide, while you’re Spitfire’s aide and Soarin is Iron Will’s aide. If she wants me to help one of the other teachers, she would let me know.” “He does have a point,” added Soarin. Luckily, everyone was able to believe me, expect for Applejack. I could see that look in her eyes that she believes that I was hiding something. That didn’t bold well with me, and I might have to tell Principal Celestia about that. I needed to change the subject again. “Can I ask you a question? Do any of you know much about Chrysalis?” Everyone went stunned and silent, before Cadence broke that silence. “Everyone thinks she’s a witch, but I don’t even buy it. I think she’s more of a student who has been struggling with school, but has no where else to go to.” “You had a class with her before?” I asked. “Back in my freshman year. I tried to befriend her, but she just remained quiet. I just couldn’t break through that wall of hers.” “Did you come across any of her parents?” “Only her mother, but that was years ago. I’m not sure what has happen since then.” “I still think she’s a witch,” Pinkie Pie added. “Pinkie Pie,” said Twilight, “you just like to believe whatever you hear.” “I know,” she replied with a smile. Soon then, the bell rang, and it was time to head to our next class. Applejack stopped me and asked in private, “Just to be sure ya being honest. Are you sure that’s the reason you were called to her office?” “I’m sure. Why? You think I’m making it up?” “Maybe. I can tell when someone’s lying to me. You really sure that’s what happen?” I let out a big sigh and said, “Look, it’s better you not know. I have my reasons, and I like to keep it that way.” “Well, if that’s the case, I can’t force it out of you. Just be careful about what you try to keep from other, ya hear?” I nodded. “Good. Well, I talk to you later.” “That was a close one,” I thought. “I better let the principal know that AJ might be hard to keep a secret from.” After 5th period, I was able to catch Chrysalis and talk to her. “Chrysalis, you got a moment?” She didn’t answer. “Look, I can see that you don’t like to talk to others, but it wouldn’t hurt to at least speak and make some friends.” She kept silent, and then decided to speak. “You shouldn’t be talking to me. No one here likes me anyway.” “I like you,” I replied. “At least I would like to know you more.” “Why?” she asked. “I’m just curious. I respect who others are, even if they are different.” “It’s better you don’t. Now if you will excuse me, but I need to get to my next class.” She started to walk out of the classroom. “I hope the principal has some info on here,” I thought. “I know she’s hiding something.” I arrived at the principal’s office to find that Principal Celestia and Miss Luna inside. “I’m glad you made it,” said Principal Celestia. “My sister was able to bring up Chrysalis’ records.” “I can understand that she has fallen behind,” said Miss Luna, “and the last time we sent a letter to her mother last school year, she said she couldn’t make it because of working a double-shift.” “When was the last time you saw her mother in person?” I asked. “Didn’t we see her two years ago, Tia?” “I think so, but her mother wasn’t in good shape at that time.” Celestia looked at me and asked, “Think that’s why you felt fear from her?” I looked up, worried about the fact that Miss Luna was here as well. “Don’t worry about my sister. She’s on the same page about your gift.” Hearing that lifted my worries so I can answer. “Well, I’m only going on theories here, like I did at my old school, but it’s possible that her mother could be a part of it. Wasn’t in good shape at one time, then working a double-shift the next. That just doesn’t sound right.” “Well, now I see why you were able to help those who needed help,” said Miss Luna. “Thanks, Miss Luna. I do what I can to help. Get that from my parents.” “There’s no need to address us with our titles, Jack,” said Miss Luna. “At least in private.” “O…k. Might have to give me some time to get used to that,” I replied. “So, with that out of the way for now, I was hoping you could…” “Answer your questions that you wanted answered?” Celestia responded, cutting me off. “I think with your theories about Chrysalis in proving what your gift told you, you earned it.” I sat down in front of Celestia’s desk as she pulled out the same book that she showed me earlier. “You know that this book belong to Professor Star Swirl. But there’s more to it.” “He was our college professor and mentor at the time,” said Luna. “Tia and me are three years apart, so she was in college while I was in high school. By the time I entered college, she was in her 4th year of college and introduced me to Star Swirl after having a couple of classes with him.” “Luna was able to take his classes after I graduated from college, but she was able to spend some time with me on some research that he was working on so she can continue working after I left.” “Soul resonance,” I answered. “That’s right,” Celestia replied. “And there’s more to your gift than you know, but it’s possible you have yet to tap into that kind of power.” “But we might be able to help you to discover it in due time,” added Luna. Celestia continued. “But until that happens, I can’t reveal that info to you until it happens.” “I can understand,” I said. “Best to let it happens when it happens, than to force it to happen. Otherwise, it could go bad on me and others.” Celestia and Luna agreed with that comment. “So, did you notify Professor Star Swirl about my gift?” “That would be a problem,” Luna said, with a concerned voice. “A year after I graduated, he disappeared. And on that same day, that book came in the mail with a note.” “It said that if we were to receive this book, it means something bad was about to happen to him,” Celestia said. “When we got the book, we tried to call him to make sure he was fine, but they said he passed away without notice.” “But somehow, you didn’t believe that was the case, right?” “That’s right,” replied Celestia. “And I have a feeling that your life could be in danger because of your gift.” “Back in my old school, I had a few trusted friends who helped keep it a secret. They felt like someone can find a way to use it for the wrong reasons.” “Sounds like you had some great friends who protected you,” Luna replied. I nodded. “I don’t know who would want the professor or his research, but after seeing you here, I know there’s more to this,” said Celestia. I started to think, and then asked, “Have you thought about letting Twilight in all of this?” “I wanted to,” Celestia replied, “but with her problems with Sunset, I can’t afford to do so.” “And that’s why you wanted my help with her.” Celestia nodded. “Now some of the pieces are coming together,” I thought. “I hope you can understand what we are asking you to do,” said Luna. “It’s a start in the right direction, that’s for sure. But I might have a problem?” Both of them had a concerned look on their face. “They asked me why you called me to your office earlier, and I had to make something up. But somehow, Applejack wasn’t buying it.” “Should have known,” said Luna. “She has a sharp eye when someone is lying.” “That’s what she said,” I replied. “At some point, I’m going to need some trusted friends here to help keep my gift a secret. And so far, Twilight might be my best hope in helping me here.” “I can understand,” Celestia said. “If you can help reform Sunset Shimmer, then that can take a lot of weight off of Twilight. Once so, we can fill her in on your gift.” Celestia looked at the clock to notice that is was 2:30PM. “Well, we still have some time before school is over, so maybe you can help me get some of the locker data into the computer, because the program that I have to used is DRIVING ME CRAZY!!!” I laughed and said, “Now that I can work on. Let me take a look at it and see what’s wrong with it.” I looked at what was wrong with her computer and realized that’s she’s not used to working on Excel. It was a good thing that my mother showed me Excel so that I can help with a record of sales and customers for her. We used the first ten lockers as a way to show her how to use the program, since I knew who has those lockers. Luna looked out the window seeing some dark clouds coming our way. “Looks like the rain is coming sooner than expected,” said Luna. “I thought it was going to be in the evening for the rain to arrive,” I said. “The weatherman wasn’t sure in the timing. Maybe it’s just a light shower and not the heavy stuff. I don’t see anything to indicate a storm.” The final bell rang. “You might as well head home, Jack,” said Celestia. “We can finish this up tomorrow.” “No problem. And, thanks for filling me in. Now I have a path in front of me that I must journey.” As I looked at the coming rain, I ask, “Do you know if Chrysalis drives?” “She never came to get a parking pass, so I’m guessing that she walked to and from school,” said Luna. She looked, and then realized why I asked the question. “You think this incoming rain could help you out?” “I gotten lucky before at my old school. And it looks like luck might be on my side in helping Chrysalis.” “Just keep an open eye and ear around here, and we’ll fill you in on whatever is needed,” said Celestia. “And leave Applejack to me,” added Luna. “I’ll find a way to make her understand without her knowing what our goal is.” I started to make my way to my locker, got what I needed to take home with me, and tell my friends to drive safe as they got home. I got into my truck just as a light shower started to come and started to make my way home. As I was driving, I noticed Chrysalis walking home with a small, black umbrella. Somehow, the answers that I wanted to seek on her might come sooner than I have planned. I slowed down and lower my window to call her out. “Chrysalis, you need a ride home?” She didn’t bother to answer. “It’s going to get worse if you don’t make it home soon. And I’m one who won’t take no for an answer, even it that ‘no’ means the silent treatment.” She stopped, looked at me, looked down, and then responded. “Fine.” I unlocked the passenger door as she ran to that side to get in. “I’ll tell you where to go.” She told me where her house was located, and when we got there, it looked like a death hazard, and not even a single car was around the driveway. “That’s where you live?” I said. She nodded as she started to get out. I grabbed her arm and asked, “Are you serious? How do you and your parents survive here?” She looked down in silence, and then answered, “I no longer have any parents.” She then looked at me. “I’m a legal adult, so I can handle everything by myself.” “In this place? I don’t think so. What if something was to happen to you? What then?” “Why should you care? You don’t even know me at all.” “Because it’s my job to care for those that need help, no matter what.” At that point, she just sat there and slowly shed a tear. “You don’t even know me, yet you still want to help me? Why?” “Because that’s what friends do.” I got my cell out and made a call to my dad. “Hey, Jack. Is everything OK?” I figured he would see my name on his cell. “Dad, I need you to come by a house that a classmate lives at. I’ll explain the details later. I just need you to do a quick safety inspection of the place.” “Sure. Text me the address, and I’ll there as soon as possible. Just make sure you let your mom know. You know how she worries about you in bad weather.” “Thanks, Dad.” I went to text my dad the address. Then I text my mother what was going on. She replied that I should be careful while waiting for my dad. After waiting for 30 minutes, my father showed up to see the bad house in front of us. “Is this the house that you were talking about?” said my father. “That’s the one,” I replied. “My classmate here lives in this place…alone.” “Miss, you have the keys to the house.” She nodded. “Then come with me.” We both got out of my truck and made our way into the house while it was raining. When we got inside, it looked like a mess. Electricity was out, ceiling was crack and leaking, furniture was in bad shape; it looked like it was abandoned for years. The one item that sticks out was a picture of her younger self with another woman, maybe her mother. “Chrysalis,” I said, “is this your mother with you?” She nodded. “What happened to her?” “She passed away about a year ago.” “How come you didn’t tell anyone? I’m sure Principal Celestia or Miss Luna would have helped out.” She stayed silent as she was hanging her head. “Son, grab what clothes that she has and take her to our house. I can get a codes inspector over here tomorrow to take a look at the place. Until then, she stays with us. I’ll let your mother know that we will be having company.” As my dad was making the calls, I went with Chrysalis to grab any clothes that she had, clean or dirty, into a couple of bags that my father had in his truck. I decided to grab the picture that stood out with us, since that looked like the only priceless item worth saving. After we loaded her items in my truck, I went on home while my dad went back to the building to finish up things down there before coming home. She was quiet as we were making our way back to my place, so I really need to break the silence. “Chrysalis, what happened to your parents? I know you told us about what happen to your mother, but what about your father?” She was silent once again. “Look, you can’t keep up with the silent treatment forever.” After a brief pause, she spoke. “My parents divorced when I was little, so I hardly knew my father. Actually, I didn’t even cared about him. He never cared about me anyway. It was just my mother and I throughout the years. The past few years were hard. Mother lost her job, started to get sick, then passed away about a year ago.” “How were you able to survive all this time? You had to find a way to get something to eat.” “The lunch lady there was able to help me with any leftovers that she had after lunch. She was nice enough to help me, at least.” “You must mean Granny Smith, Applejack’s grandmother.” “I believe that was her name. She started to save some food for lunch, and any leftovers for me to take home for dinner, if she had any. I never was able to get any for tonight.” “Because is was Taco Tuesday. Well, when we back to my place, I’m sure my mother can make a good meal just for you.” “Thanks…for caring about me.” We finally arrived back home, with rain starting to die down for a bit. I figured that was the calm before the storm. My mother just came out to greet us. “Jack, I’m glad you made it back home,” my mother said. “And is this our new guest?” “Yes, mom. This is Chrysalis. Dad wants her to stay with her for the time being. We were able to bring her clothes along, but some of them could use a good wash.” “Son, go on ahead and take all the clothes to the laundry room while I’ll take our guest and get her cleaned up. Will spaghetti be fine tonight?” “That will be fine. I told her she was going to get a good meal.” My mother took Chrysalis upstairs to get cleaned up while I grabbed both bags of clothes and went to the laundry room that was next to the garage. I figure that my mother would take care of it, since I’m sure there are some things I don’t need to see at this time. I went back to my truck to grab both of our book bags and went back inside before it started raining again. Once back inside, Chrysalis had more of a fresh look to her. “I placed her clothes in the laundry room,” I said. “Thanks, dear. I’ll get started on those now before starting on dinner. Why don’t you take her up to your room to work on homework until I get some time to get the guest room ready.” “Sure, Mom,” I replied. “Come on. I’ll show you my room.” I handed Chrysalis her book bag and took her to my room. When we went in and turned on the lights, her eyes lit up in awe. “Your room looks nice. A bit to bright for me, but nice.” “I guess this room would make you stand out, right?” She nodded. “Well, lets get some homework done until dinner is ready.” We started to focus on our own classes at first. I lay on the bed while she just sat on the floor beside my bed. There were times when she asked for my help on a few things, and I tried my best to answer them, but told her that maybe Twilight could help her better than me. I decided to give her a call and hope she can help, knowing that she would be shocked at what was about to come. “Hello, this is Twilight Sparkle speaking.” “Twilight, its Jack.” “Oh, hey, Jack. What’s up?” “Oh, trying to get Chrysalis some help on her homework.” “You’re kidding, right?” “This is no joke. She’s right here next to me.” There was a small pause. “You still there?” “I am. I’m just…shocked.” “I figure that would be the case.” “How did this happen, if you don’t mind me asking?” “Can I e-mail you the details later. It’s a long story, and there’s no telling when dinner will be ready.” “Sure. Well, let me speak to her.” I handed my cell to her, and she started asking the questions and getting an idea of what she needed to know. After a while, she handed my cell back to me. “Were you able to help her out?” “Sure did. I think she understands what she needs to know. I can help her later on during free study tomorrow if she needs it.” “Thanks, Twilight. I’ll make sure I e-mail you later today.” “Sure thing. Bye” As I finished up my call, Chrysalis said, “She’s nice. I’m glad she was able to explain some of this to me in a better detail.” “That’s because she’s one of the smartest students in the school, and she’s also the student body VP.” A thought just came to mind at that point. “How would you like to join me and my friends at lunch tomorrow. I have a lunch pass, but I can have my mother fix you something to eat for lunch.” “That would be nice.” She smiled. “Thanks again. It’s nice to know when someone cares for another, even if that person is different than the rest.” “That’s what friends are for.” I soon heard my mother call. “Son, your father’s home, and dinner I almost ready. Can you help set the table?” “Sure mom. Just give me a minute.” I looked at Chrysalis as said, “Hungry?” She replied, “You bet,” and made her way out the door. I got out of my bed and thought, “Helping her went faster than expected, but that’s how it was back in my old school. Helping Sunset will be more of a challenge, and if I need to find out about my gift, then taking on Sunset might be the only way.” Chrysalis popped her head in the door and said, “You coming?” I snapped out of my thoughts. “Oh, sure. On my way.” Author's Note Jack starts to understand the meaning of his gift, and while helping Chrysalis was easy, finding a way to help Sunset will be more of a challenge. If you think this is going too fast for Jack, you have yet to get the whole story. And part of that involves his role at his last school. Ch. 7 - Making FriendsI was able to meet Twilight this Wednesday morning with Chrysalis at my side. After e-mailing her last night about Chrysalis, she was able to understand the true situation about her dilemma. “I haven’t had a chance to talk to Principal Celestia last night, since you waited until 9PM to e-mail me,” Twilight said to me. “Sorry. We were still finishing up our homework assignments,” I responded. “Well, I can reason with that.” Twilight looked at Chrysalis and said, “If you need any help today, just let me know before free study, and we can go over it in the library.” “Thanks, Twilight,” said Chrysalis. “I’m glad you were able to help me understand the problem last night.” “Hey, that’s what friends do. Right, Jack?” I nodded. “Well, I need to go to my locker on the other side. Is there someplace you want me to meet up after 4th period?” I pointed to our lockers across the main office and said, “Just meet us over there where our friends are.” She agreed and went on her way. Twilight and me went to our lockers where our friends were. All of them were just staring at us. “Why are you guys looking at us like that?” I asked. Pinkie just went straight up to me, inspected me all over, and asked, “Did you get put under a witch’s spell?” “PINKIE PIE!!!” Twilight yelled. “He’s not under any spell.” “And how do you know, dear?” asked Rarity. “Jack sent me an e-mail last night. I believe I forwarded it to all of you.” They all were confused in all this, causing Twilight to raise her hands in disbelief, saying, “For crying out loud. Were you all asleep when I sent it.” “Well, I did send the e-mail to you after 9PM,” I added. Fluttershy replied, “Here it is. You sent it around 10PM,” as she was holding out her cell. Everyone else grabbed their cells, looked for the e-mail, and read it. “Well, I’ll be,” said Applejack. “And to think I had to deal with the loss of my parents.” “And to think she would be living in such filth,” Rarity added. “This is uncalled for.” “Then she must be a…OUCH!!!” I slapped my book on Pinkie’s forehead, shutting her up. “Pinkie,” I said, “it’s you who’s acting like a witch.” “Look’s like someone put Pinkie in her place for once,” said Applejack. When 4th period ended, Twilight and me went to our lockers and saw Chrysalis waiting for us. All three of us went to the main office to see Principal Celestia, who was available at the time. We told her the complete story, explaining what happen to her mother, her living conditions, and why she didn’t want anyone to know about it. Principal Celestia understood the situation and called Miss Luna, asking if she can give her a lunch pass, which Celestia would happily pay for. After that, Twilight took Chrysalis to see Miss Luna while Celestia wanted me to stay to talk to me. “Looks like you were able to solve one problem in one day, Jack.” “You should be thanking the rain for making it happen,” I said laughing. “But thanks, anyway.” “You haven’t heard anything from your father about her home.” “Not yet, but the codes inspector should be there right now.” My cell just buzzed in my pocket, allowing me to pull it out to see if it was a text from my father. Codes inspector came. Said that house needs to be destroyed. Nothing worth taking since yesterday. Our home is her home now. “Looks like her home is no longer safe to live in,” I said. “Then I shall leave her in your care, so to speak.” “I can understand that. Maybe spending some time with her can help me in finding a way to break down Sunset’s defenses, if I can find a way.” “And maybe, if you can gain her trust, we might have a friend that can help make sure your ‘gift’ is kept secret.” “You mean my soul powers,” I added. “So you decided to give it an easier name to call it? I think that works better than before. Plus, some of those powers will have different names and meanings.” “Powers that I have yet to discover.” “I guess you still have a long way to go in finding all the answers.” I nodded. “I’ll see what ideas I can come up with that might help unlock your soul powers that you have yet to tap into. For now, you might as well enjoy the rest of the week. I might have something planned when club recruitment week happens next week.” I agreed and started to walk out of her office, when I looked back and said, “You sure have a way in giving me tests to take. And you know what, I think it’s worth the effort.” We were able to have Chrysalis join my friends and me for lunch. And for some reason, we were all getting strange looks all around. Even our friends were worried that she was with us. “Does anyone think it’s weird that Chrysalis is sitting with us for lunch,” Rainbow Dash said. “Um, it’s a bit…embarrassing to be stared at,” added Fluttershy. “Let me try something.” Applejack got up and yelled, “Does anyone here have a problem with who sits with who around here?” At that point, everyone went back to doing their own business during lunch. Applejack sat down, saying, “That’ll shut them up.” All of us were left silent, trying to think of what to say to get Chrysalis to open up more. Twilight had an idea and whispered to Moon Dancer what to do. She agreed and said, “So, Chrysalis, how are your…classes going so far?” “Really, Twilight. That’s the best you can come up with?” I thought. “Classes are OK. Just…trying to…catch up on my…failed classes.” “And we are back to the awkward silence…again. Think, think, think.” I was looking around, trying to think of something, and then I saw her notebook in her book bag, opened to what looked like a drawing of some person. “Chrysalis, what drawing is that in your notebook?” ‘Oh this?” as she was pulling out her notebook. “It’s just some drawing I was making.” Rarity was able to see what was drawn on her notebook and said, “Can I see that, dear?” Chrysalis handed her notebook to Rarity, and she looked at the drawing, and then found a few more drawings that caught her eye. “This work is remarkable. Have you ever thought about fashion designing?” Chrysalis shook her head. “I can not believe this. This is talent that is just being…wasted.” “Rarity,” said Applejack, “think ya can fill us in on what ya talking about?” “This is designer quality art. Talent like this can be use for other artist to create in real life. I have done work like this when making my clothes line, and what you have here,” –points to Chrysalis- “is something that I can see a model wear down a runway. Can you sew?” Chrysalis shook her head. “Well, I might be able to help you make it happen, with enough practice. You need to join the fashion club next week. The designers that I’m with would love to see some of your talents in action.” Trixie stepped in on the conversation. “And think about it, you can come up with costume designs that can help the theater club. The fashion club always helps out with creating our costumes; once we have selected what play we plan to perform.” “Please say you’ll join the fashion club next week. PLEASE???” Chrysalis looked back at her drawings and said, “I’ll…think about.” Rarity was about to squeal until she heard her response. Then she just calmed down and replied, “OK. There’s no need to rush right now.” “Wow,” said Twilight. “I never had seen you act like that. You always pressure anyone as much as you can.” “Well, there comes a time when you can’t rush everything,” replied Rarity. “Plus, next week is recruitment week, so there’s time for her to think about it. But I better have an answer from you when it comes, dear.” “Now there’s the Rarity we know,” Twilight responded. “Speaking of which,” interrupted Rainbow Dash, “Jack, do you plan to join a club?” “I don’t know,” I replied. “I only know there’s an athletic club, science club, nature club, fashion club, and theater club. Any other clubs that I need to know?” “There’s the music club,” Octavia recommended. “Vinyl and me are part of that club.” “And there’s the PARTY CLUB!!!” Pinkie responded. “That’s where we get to work on all the party events, like the fall homecoming later this semester.” “I do know there’s also a computer club, math club, history club, and others out there,” said Twilight. “Maybe once next week comes along, you can get a look at what’s available.” “I guess I’ll be the only non-freshman looking into clubs when that happens,” I said. “Well, the only non-freshman that we know of, beside Sunset Shimmer, is Applejack,” said Rainbow Dash. “OK, Applejack,” I asked, “how come you haven’t join a club?” “I spend my free time either helping out Granny Smith or Miss Cheerilee,” said Applejack. “I prefer to stay active than hang out with other clubs. Plus I’ve never could find a club that be right for me since my freshman year.” “I think I can understand that,” I said. “I prefer to be active than just sitting and listening.” “I can see why,” Applejack replied. “You almost started to fall asleep in history class if it wasn’t for me poking you in the back before you went out.” “And I should be thanking you for that. Professor River Song somehow caught on and decided to try a different approach, which helped me stay awake in her class last year. I’m surprised that Dr. Whooves hasn’t tried something like that.” “What kind of approach?” Twilight asked. “It’s hard to explain. If he’s still able to contact her, maybe he should just ask how she did it. But as long as AJ keeps poking at me, that would do. I’ve already gotten used to Pinkie Pie doing so in Music Lit…since that’s all she ever wants to do.” I stare straight at Pinkie Pie, getting a ‘Who, me’ look from her. “Now you know why I asked her to sit behind you,” added Octavia. “The only catch is that I don’t have Sunset poking me in science class.” “Speaking of which,” Cadence interrupted, ‘how are you going to handle working with her when we start working on our science projects? I doubt that spending time with her during free study won’t be enough to get it done. I know Twilight and me will spend some time at one of our places. Getting Sunset to work with you after school will be a challenge.” “I know,” Pinkie Pie said with excitement. “We can knock her out, tie her up, throw her in the trunk, drive back to your place, splash water on her to wake her up, and leave a ball and chain on her until you get the project done.” “There are times when I wonder how that brain of yours work,” I responded. Pinkie Pie just gave a big smile. “If you ever feel like doing brain surgery on her, let me know because I want to find out the same thing,” added Moon Dancer. “But seriously, how do you plan to get her to work with you on your terms?” That was a good question. She’s not going to be easy to convince. I started to think about how I was going to pull this off when I remember what Celestia told me earlier. “I might have something planned when club recruitment week happens next week.” I responded, “We’ll just cross that bridge when we get there. There’s still time before it comes up. I just need to get an idea of getting through to her, if I can.” I only said this because I had a feeling that Celestia might have something ready for me that would involve the clubs and Sunset. After saying that, the bell rang. We put up our lunch trays and decided to part ways to our next classes. This time, Chrysalis was able to join Pinkie Pie, Vinyl, Octavia, and me to Music Lit class. When we got home from school, Chrysalis and me went up to my room to work on our homework. This was going to be done more often, now that she was living with us. Plus, I was the only one with a cell that had my friend’s contacts on them, since she didn’t have a cell of her own. As we were studying, she decided to bring something up. “I’m glad you were able to help me make some friends, even if it felt a bit weird. But how were you able to realize that I was struggling on my own?” I had a feeling that she was going to want some answers, since we told Celestia the whole story about her and what we discovered. But I knew at some point, I was going to need allies to help out with my soul powers, and since she’s still new in making friends, and started to open up to me after getting her out of the mess she was in, she might be the best bet I have to getting somewhere on keeping my powers a secret…and finding a way to break through Sunset Shimmer. “If I tell you, can you keep it a secret from everyone?” She nodded. “Tell me, before you started to live with us, did you felt afraid about what would happen if they knew you were living by yourself with your mother was gone, no way to pay the bills or live in the house?” “I knew that if others found out, I would be taken to some orphanage, or at least thrown out of the house. I was scared that no one would be able to help me. That was until you stepped in.” “The reason I’m asking you that is because I felt it inside you, without you showing it on the outside.” She gave me a confused look on her face. “I have this ‘gift’ that has helped me in my last school. Whenever someone tries to hide any feelings that people can’t see on the outside, I get this strange feeling. It could be anger, sadness, or in your case, fear. I use my gift to help others open up, or let the teacher look into that person to see if something is wrong. And I wasn’t alone in this. I had a few friends who helped me keep it a secret from others for my own safety. Since I’m new here, I was hoping you could help me in making sure no one knows about this. Can I trust you in this?” “If you can tell me one thing. Does this gift have a name?” “From what I just now learned, I call it my soul powers. I know there’s more to it than what I have experienced, maybe something that I haven’t discovered. All I know is that it involves with a person’s soul.” “And to think people call me a witch. But with the gift you have, and the so-called rumors about me, I think I can provide a good distraction away from your soul powers, if it ever comes up. No sense in letting you have all the fun.” Both of us laughed. “Now that we can agree on.” I was glad to finally have a friend that can help me keep my soul powers a secret. I knew that I would have to fill Celestia and Luna in on our new ally, even if they like it or not. Then I just remembered something. “Chrysalis, I have to ask you something.” She looked at me, wanted to know what I was about to ask. “Do you know Sunset Shimmer?” “The fire demon? I’ve heard about her and what she did back in the spring.” “Now that’s new to me. Why do they call her the fire demon?” “Because she’s a bully, and has a fiery look to her. Is there something special about her?” “That’s what I’m trying to find out. Just like I sense fear from you, I sense something strong from her, but I can’t understand what it was. It was like a wall was over her soul, trying to come out. It’s the first time I felt something that strong from someone.” Chrysalis started to think about what I said. “That would be a challenge. And if I heard correctly, you have to work on a science project with her later on. Sounds like you have your hands full.” “I know. And who knows what else will show up.” “Well then,” she said as she was getting up and getting close to my face, “it’s a good thing that you were able to fill me in on all this. All you need is a woman’s touch to help you win her heart…and soul.” She planted a kiss on my check. “What was that for?” “A real thank you…for what you have done for me. I’m glad to have you as a friend.” She sat back down on the floor and grabbed her book that she was studying on. “Same here. Just one thing, how would know what I need to do to win her heart?” “My mother did raise me well, and that would include what to look for in a true man. And for the record, I’m not sure you would be the idea guy to go for, with my past and all. Just saying.” “I guess I can agree with that…for now.” Ch. 8 - More Than Just ApplesSince Chrysalis joined our ranks, so to speak, Celestia agreed to let her in to the group, and it was Luna who got her up to speed on what we know. To avoid any unwanted attention, Chrysalis decided to report to Luna if anything odd would come up, since I always meet up with Celestia. Now the foundation was made for what the four of us would be researching on; understand my soul powers and trying to reform Sunset. Chrysalis decided to attend to Rarity’s place this Saturday, The Carousle Boutique, so that she can decide if she wanted to join the fashion club or not. Luckily, my mother was able to take her there, since she wanted to see on of her customers herself. While they went to the Boutique, I went with my father to Sweet Apple Acres to take a look at the barn that Applejack was talking about. Rarity and Applejack was able to help us with where both locations were at, so we were able to keep those in our address book for later on. My father’s GPS was able to help direct us to Sweet Apple Acres, where we were able to see Applejack’s house and the barn behind it, through the main gate. Already, Applejack and her family and workers were unloading bushels of apples off Big Mac’s truck and loading them to an open transport truck. As we pulled in to park, Applejack saw and waved at us. “Bout time you got here,” Applejack said as we were getting out of the truck. “I wasn’t sure ya weren’t going to make it.” “Had to make sure my mother and Chrysalis knew where Rarity’s place was before leaving home,” I said. “We only have one GPS, and my father likes to keep it in his work truck.” I pointed to the truck that we just got out of. “Let me run in and get Granny for ya.” Applejack went into the house to get Granny Smith. We went up to Big Mac’s truck as they were still unloading the last bushel. “Making a delivery run for the food stores?” I asked Big Mac. “Eeyep,” he replied. “Got one more batch to pick up, and we’re done for the day.” My dad was looking at his truck and asked, “What model year is this?” “85 Taurus,” he said. “I noticed your son drives one as well.” “78, slightly used when I bought it. Got the engine updated a bit to help last longer so that my son can drive it.” “Done the same with mine. Coach Iron Will let me use his class to work on this truck’s engine, when it wasn’t in use.” “I plan to take his class next semester,” I said. “Does he always take that class in the spring?” “Eeyep. He does P.E. in the fall while coaching the football team, and puts his focus on Auto Mechanics in spring.” “Hey, maybe you can join the football team like last year,” my dad added. “Dad, I got forced into the football team because they needed more players for special teams. And I didn’t do much but punt because of how bad we were.” “You did get a couple of field goals that time, son.” I shook my head in frustration. My last school’s football team was one of the worst, and they needed a few more players in order to play last year and thought it was going to be OK. But in reality, it was just a waste of time. I did get a couple of long field goals, but even those didn’t matter. We were the worst team ever. “I played both defense and kicker back in Canterlot High,” Big Mac said. “If you know you mechanics as a kicker, I’m sure Iron Will would like to have you on his team. Hasn’t had a good field goal kicker since I graduated. And I was one of the best. Record 55 yards, eeyep.” “I rather NOT relive those times, so I’ll just pass,” I said. Applejack came out of the house with Granny Smith, the school’s lunch lady, to meet us. “You must be Jack’s dad…um?” “Ace Spades, miss,” my dad responded. “I heard to you need to have your barn looked at for repairs?” “Darn right is does,” she replied. “Let me show ya, mister.” “Granny, we need to go get the last batch of apples,” Applejack said. “You go ahead, dearie. I need a couple of the workers with me to help explain the barn details,” said Granny Smith. “OK if I join you and help?” I asked. “Sure, get on board,” Applejack replied. As I got into the back of the truck, my dad said, “Take your time if you want to. I have a feeling this could take some time to sort it all out.” “OK, dad.” Applejack, Apple Bloom, and me were in the back of the truck while Big Mac drove all the way to where the last batch was. “So, how many acres of farm land do you have?” “Oh, over 20 acres,” said Applejack. “And that don’t count the home and barn.” “That’s a lot of land,” I said in surprise. “How do you keep up with all the trees here?” “Oh, big brother takes charge of the workers, while granny take care of the bills,” said Apple Bloom. “We suppose to have one more harvest of apples ready in a couple of weeks before calling it quits for the year,” said Applejack. I noticed that there were still some apples that have yet to ripen on the trees. “You notice the few trees at the side of the house, right?” I nodded. “We keep the ones there for our own home, while producing the rest.” The truck came to a stop. We got off the truck and started to load up the last bushels of apples onto the back of the truck. Big Mac and Apple Bloom got into the truck, while I waited for Applejack to get in. “You coming, big sis?” said Apple Bloom. “If it’s fine with you, I would like to walk back to the house, if Jack is willing to walk with me.” I had this concerned look on my face. “Sure, I guess,” I replied. As they went off back to the house, Applejack and me decided to walk back. Something told me that she wanted to talk to me about something in private. “Hope you don’t mind me doing this. I just needed to get some things off of my chest,” said Applejack. “Like what?” I asked. “Well?” She was hesitant to speak. It was like she wanted to say something, but couldn’t say it. I could only think of one think that went through my mind. “Just to be sure ya being honest. Are you sure that’s the reason you were called to her office?” “I can tell when someone’s lying to me.” “Is it about what happened Tuesday after lunch?” I asked. She let out a sigh and said, “Yes, it is.” “Look, I know you want to make sure I’m OK, with Sunset and all, but…” She cut me off and said, “No, it’s me who’s at fault.” I had this puzzled look on my face. “I don’t need to be getting in ya business where it don’t be. I was worried you get caught up with Sunset that you be in trouble. But after what you did with Chrysalis, I know you can handle whatever Sunset throws at ya.” “You must be that protective of those around you like Rarity is towards you.” “Yep. I guess it runs in the family. My parents were the same way.” “You miss them?” She looked down for a moment, and then said, “I do…a lot.” She looked back up at me and said, “I do my best to make sure my little sis is happy, cause she never had enough time with them like I did.” “And somehow, it hasn’t been easy, has it?” “Darn right it hasn’t! There were times when she was bullied because she never had ma and pa, and I couldn’t be there to help. I just…I just…” She fell to her knees and punched one of her fist into the ground. “I just wish none of it ever happen.” I got on my knees next to her and place my hand on her shoulder. “Not everything can go the way you want it to. Bad things happen, and it becomes a test in moving forward.” I can see Applejack shed a tear in her eyes. “Then why does it happen to me, to Apple Bloom, to everyone around me?” “Because…forgive me for my foul language. Because shit happens! Does that mean we just give up and throw our lives away as well? HECK NO!!! I’ve only known you for a week, and already I know a lot of your past problems. Have you even stopped moving forward since that day? No. You’re Applejack, the best, hardest working girl out there. And a great friend to have at my side.” Applejack wipes the tears from her eyes and said, “You’re right. I am the best out there, and there’s nothing that can stop me.” She reached out and gave me a tight hug. “And I got my friends to help me, friends like you.” “Thanks,” I said. Applejack released her hug on me and we both got back up. “Come on. The others are going to wonder where we wander off to.” We started to walk back to the house when I decided to ask her something else. “I was wondering if you ever had a…boyfriend. Or had your eyes on one. Or…” Applejack giggles as I was trying to get the words out. “If you mean if I was ever into someone, then nope. I’ve been living the single life for as long as I remember. Doesn’t mean I’m not looking for someone. I’m guessing you’ve been living the same way, with the fact that you have moved from city to city every year.” “You could say that.” Both of us laughed. “I just knew that I would be moving to another city the next year, so I never had any childhood crushes during those years.” “But you did stay in Manehattan for two years, right?” “I did, but never even focused on that because I felt like I was going to be moving again. I wasn’t sure what would happen, but I now know I would be staying here for my last two years in high school, which could be the best years of my life, before college.” “Well, Jack. What do you look for in a girl?” I let out a sigh and said, “I don’t know. I’m not really sure what to look for. What about you, AJ?” “Well, someone who’s strong, honest, faithful…” “I guess I could come close to that,” I thought. “…And knows how to cook,” Applejack finished. I raised my hands and said, “That’s it. Now I’m done.” She stopped and looked at me and asked, “What, you can’t cook?” “All I can cook is just a grilled cheese sandwich. Otherwise, it’s either simple sandwich foods or whatever I can throw in the microwave.” “Well…” She started to walk towards me, causing me to walk backwards until I was next to one of the trees. She started to give me this gaze as she came up to my face and, in a sexy voice, said, “I might make an expectation, sugercube.” “Um, AJ? W-what are you d-doing?” I replied nervously. I had no idea what she was doing or how to react to what was happening. The next thing that happen was that she pecked me on the cheek and said, “GOT YA!!!” “Really, AJ. What was that all about?” Applejack laughed and said, “You should see the look on your face. It’s priceless.” I shook my head in disbelief. “You know what your problem is?” “What?” I replied. “You don’t know how to approach girls that you are interested, or even react to those who are interested in you.” “Welcome to my life,” I said as I rolled my eyes. “Sorry. I didn’t mean to struck a nerve.” “That’s OK. I’m still learning. Not sure if I ever find one, because the few girls that I knew were just friends.” “And now, most of the friends that you have made this past week are girls, right?” Applejack finished. I nodded. “Give it time. Someone will notice you when the time comes. And by the way, if Rarity acts the way I did moments ago, run like there’s no tomorrow.” “So that’s how you acted in that manner. I thought that gaze looked familiar.” “Like the first time we all met you. She was wondering if you were Twilight’s new boyfriend. Boy was she wrong.” We laughed and decide to finally make our way to the house and see if my dad got an estimate on the repairs. “About time you two got back here,” my father said. “We had a long talk,” I replied. “Finished with the barn estimate?” “Yep. Looks like all it needs is a new roof cover and siding. The framework is in good condition. Just weather wear.” “He said that it be couple of weeks before he get the supplies and skilled help for the barn,” Granny Smith said. “I’m guessing you’re going to call Mr. Fix-It and request his farm expert, right?” I said. “Just like that time in Appleloosa,” he replied. “You mean your dad won’t be in charge of it?” Applejack added. “I was a bit younger back then, but when we were in Appleloosa, my dad was working with a farm building expert on one of the jobs there. Dad worked on the foundation, while his partner worked on the barn design. It was his first time learning about barn designs, which is different for home or building designs.” “I want to make sure I got the right siding for this job,” my father said. “You ready to go, son?” “Yep.” I looked at Applejack and said, “It was nice spending some time with you.” “Same here, partner. Just don’t be a stranger around here. You welcome to come by anytime, just call before coming over.” “Sure thing.” I got in my father’s truck, and we headed on back home. Once we made it home, we noticed that mother and Chrysalis were already home from Rarity’s place. “So how did everything go at Applejack’s home?” my mother said. “Just fine,” My father replied. “Just need to make a couple of calls Monday.” “Good. Jack, I hope you don’t mind if Chrysalis uses your computer.” “That’s fine, mom. I told her that she can use it if she needs to.” I went up to my room to see Chrysalis looking for some designs online. “How did it go at Rarity’s?” “Well, I’m going to have to work on sewing, but the designs she has are great. I think I might just give the fashion club a try this coming week.” “That’s good to hear.” I went to lie down on my bed. “How did it go with Applejack?” Chrysalis asked. “Well, dad believes that the barn repairs will be simple,” I replied. “As for Applejack herself, she’s really trying her hardest for the family.” “It’s because of the loss of her parents.” I nodded. “I can understand part of that.” “What surprised me is that her little sis was bullied back then. And during the times when they were not in the same school at those times.” She stopped working on the computer and looked at me. “Did you ask who the bully was?” “I didn’t want to ask at the time. Not in front of the others. Usually, the only people you know would be in the same grade before coming to high school. How much do you want to bet that her bullies would be there, still trying to cause trouble to them?” “Sounds like you want to create your own challenge with your powers.” “I’m not sure if I will be needing my powers. But it’s worth a try. And as for trying to win Sunset’s heart and soul; I’m going to need your help with that.” Chrysalis just stared at me with a confused look. “Let’s just say that AJ believes I don’t know how to approach a girl, relationship wise, and she’s right about that.” “I guess we are going to have our work cut out with what you have to do, Jack.” “I guess so, Chrysalis. I guess so.” Ch. 9 - Join the ClubWe just finished up classes and started to collect our things. We knew that tomorrow would be the start of club recruitment days, which would be held this Tuesday thru Thursday. I decided to look over what clubs the school has before deciding. They do it for three days to make sure that students have some time before joining, and it only happens during free study and lunch. “I just talked with Chrysalis, and she plans to join the fashion club and give it a chance,” Rarity said with excitement. “The other members didn’t have a problem with her joining, knowing they can have more designer artist in the club.” “Don’t those girls be able to design themselves?” replied Applejack. “Working with the fabric designing is what they can do,” Rarity said. “But just drawing up the early concept is rare in our club. I’m just one of a few who can do this. And it’s the drawings that are created that others can use to bring it to life.” “It’s all about inspiration, isn’t it,” said Twilight. “That’s right,” Rarity replied. As I was closing up my locker, I heard a commotion just from the lobby. “Clubs are not some joke. They’re a way to work on your talents.” I can hear that it was Apple Bloom talking, with her Crusaders with her. “Like you have any talents for anyone to see. You’re still a bunch of losers.” I saw a pink girl with the violet and white hair and a tiara hairpin in the back say that. She was with a gray girl with glasses. “And what talents do you have, if you have any,” said Scootaloo. As the argument went on, Applejack and Rarity came up to me to see what was going on. “Darn it. I wish those two girls would just stop bugging them,” said Applejack. “Well, she is Mr. Rich’s daughter, so what can we do,” added Rarity. “Which one?” I asked. “The pink one,” Rarity replied. “Her name is Diamond Tiara, and her friend is Silver Spoon. She’s been staying with Diamond Tiara while her parents are overseas with some business partners.” “And you can’t do anything because of her father?” I said. Both of them nodded. “Let me try something.” Rarity stopped me and said, “Oh, you don’t want to get involved with them, dear.” “Don’t worry. I got an Ace up my sleeve,” I said. “Rarity, I think I know what he means by that,” said Applejack. I decided to walk up behind the two girls, waiting for my time to strike, which was very soon. Diamond Tiara said, “You’re just a bunch of losers.” “No we’re not, and we can prove it,” Apple Bloom replied. Diamond Tiara continued. “You got nothing to prove. How can you even prove anything when you don’t have…” “HAVE WHAT, MISS!!!” I said, cutting off Diamond Tiara. The two girls turned around to look at me slightly hovering over them. “Do you know who you are talking to?” said Diamond Tiara. “I’m sorry. I have a hard time remembering a bully’s name,” I responded. “Excuse me, but did you just call me a BULLY?” she replied. “I have you know that my father has lots of money, and resources to put you in your place. I am to be treated like a princess.” “Would that money be used to help in the funding of a new D.I.Y. Home store, and the resources used to file a lawsuit against some businessmen who was trying to sell another piece of land for the store on an unstable ground that lead to a sinkhole forming after the settlement was settled, meaning that lots of money would have been lost if someone didn’t caught it in the first place?” “Why yes, it was,” said Diamond Tiara. “And it was thanks to a smart man from Manehattan who caught it in the first place. What was his name?” I replied, “Ace O Spades. My FATHER!!!” “Why yes it was,” she stopped for a moment as her eyes just went wide open, realizing what I just told her, “your…father?” I remember when my father told me about what happen when he was called to Ponyville during the winter. I figure I use that as my ‘ace’ up my sleeve. I looked straight at her and said, “Who need to respect whom now, miss?” “Um…Oh look, my ride is here. We need to be going, right Silver Spoon?” She grabbed her friend and made a mad dash to the door, leaving the lobby. “Wow. What happen to her?” said Sweetie Belle. The girls started to join us in the lobby after seeing what just happen. “When you said ‘ace’, I knew you were talking about your father,” said Applejack. “Granny told me that he knew Mr. Rich, whose family has ties with the Apple family.” “I just remember what my father told mother and me that lead us to our move here. When you said Mr. Rich, I knew what I needed to do.” “Looks like someone is full of surprises,” Twilight added. “Must be a good thing to have you here when others need help from someone like you.” “I know.” I looked at the Crusaders and said, “If they try to cause any trouble, let me know. Any bully who messes with my friends, have to deal with me. I’m one who doesn’t like bullies who get to have it their way.” “Thank you, Jack,” all four Crusaders said together. “Well, I need to head off. Don’t want to keep Chrysalis waiting.” I saw her just waiting for me at the door. As we were making our way to the car, Chrysalis said, “Nice ace you pulled there. Those girls were scared stupid when they ran off.” “Well, there’s more to me than just my powers. But I have a feeling I’m about to get my next test from Celestia tomorrow.” It was the first day for club recruitment, and I wanted to see what clubs were out there. But I knew Celestia had something planned for me, and it started after 4th period when I heard from the intercom. “Sunset Shimmer and Jack Diamond, please report to the principal’s office.” Sunset just looked at me with disgust when she knew I was called with her. As she walked off, I started to follow, but stopped and whispered to Twilight, “Keep your phone handy, in case something bad happens.” She nodded in response. I just knew that this would be Celestia’s next test for me. But if it involves Sunset in person, I need to be ready to warn Twilight if it becomes a problem. When we arrived in the principal’s office, Celestia was there, waiting for us. “Please close the door and take a seat.” I went to close the door while Sunset took one of the seats. I sat down afterwards. “Now I know that club week just started, and I’m in a good mood about this. Sunset, since you have never joined a club in the past 2 years, I want you to join one of the clubs this year.” “WHAT?” Sunset replied. “You have got to be kidding. No one is going to want me in their club, and I’m not even interested in any of them anyway.” “I’m not requesting it, I’m demanding it,” said Celestia. “This is a good chance to make amends for what you have done in the past.” Sunset asked, “And how do you plan to make them accept me into their club?” Celestia answered, “With Jack’s help.” “I knew something like this would happen,” I thought. Celestia continued. “You will be joining the same club that he will join, in agreement.” “OK, I did not see that coming,” I thought again. Sunset replied, “You mean I have to stick with the new guy? No way that’s going to happen.” “If you don’t want to join one of the clubs,” Celestia stared straight at Sunset, “I’ll be happy to place you in detention during free study for the rest of the semester…with me.” “Wow,” I thought. “She’s really pushing the limits with her.” “Fine,” Sunset replied. “But what would happen if we can’t find a club to join?” “I think there shouldn’t be a problem in joining one,” I said. “See, he can help you out,” said Celestia. “Now go on and check out the clubs that are available.” As the two of us were leaving, I looked back at Celestia with a concerned looked. She replied with a wink and a thumb up. I just rolled my eyes and started to walk out of the office. I knew I needed to warn Twilight about this, but not with Sunset nearby. I only had one option to go on, so I was able to slightly get my cell out, look up and selected Twilight’s number, and made sure the speaker was very, very low. Once I saw that she picked up, I decided to talk to Sunset, in hopes that Twilight would catch on. “So, how come you never decided to join a club?” I asked Sunset. “Because I was never interested in them. They were just boring.” “But you wanted to be popular before your problems surfaced. Wouldn’t joining a club help out with that in the first place?” “Why do you care,” she snapped at me. “Now that you’re new here, I’m being forced to join a club with you for the rest of high school.” “Well, now’s the time to finally clean up your act. And I did offer to help you in starting a new life back when school started. Plus, we will be working together in science class when that project comes up. So, what’s it going to be? You want the past to drag you down in failure, or are you going to let me help you in moving forward?” Sunset just stood in front of her locker, silent. I started to put my books away in my locker when she spoke. “I heard what you did with scaring off that rich girl from what she was doing towards the other girls. That took guts to do that, and towards a freshman.” “I just got lucky with what info I had going on,” I replied. She paused again before she spoke. “You don’t plan to stop bugging me until I give in, do you?” “You want me to answer that, because you should already know the answer.” I felt my pocket vibrate. When I slightly took out my cell, I saw a text message from Twilight. Got the warning. Look for AJ. Twilight I hear Sunset closed her locker, so I put my cell back in my pocket. “Let’s get this over with, OK?” she said. “Twilight, I hope you have a plan ready,” I thought. We made our way to the gym, where they were holding the clubs for recruitment. Just outside the gym was Applejack. “I was wondering when you show up.” “AJ, what are you doing here?” I asked. “I figure I look into joining one of them clubs they be having. You did bring up about this place as being the last two years of high school to enjoy. So I figure that it’s best to enjoy every day of it.” “I’m surprised that you would join some club when you didn’t find a club that you liked back then,” said Sunset. “Well…that was then, and this is now,” said Applejack. “Maybe a club out there be more interesting than before.” “Fine. Let’s just get this over with,” said Sunset. As Sunset made her way into the gym, Applejack whispered, “Twilight warned all the clubs about her arrival with you.” I whispered back, “Let’s hope this works.” We walked in and saw rows of tables with one of the clubs at each table. Freshman students were walking around; looking into which club they wanted to join. Twilight and Cadence were watching over the area, helping students with whatever questions they wanted answered. “Why don’t we start over there?” I pointed at the science club, where Moon Dancer and Lyra were. We walked up to the science club, and Lyra introduced to us. “Hello, Jack. Thinking about joining the science club?” “Just looking for now. How have you been handling the club in Twilight’s place?” “Just fine,” said Moon Dancer. “We had a few who are thinking of joining our club so far. And we have a lot of ideas for club activities later on.” “And we’re sure that joining our club can be helpful with your science project coming up,” said Lyra. “You’ll have more time and access to the items needed for your project, plus help from other members if you start coming up with problems. The more you learn, the better you can be.” She finished with a grin. I saw Sunset roll her eyes as her response, so I said, “We’ll think about it. Thanks anyway.” We started to walk to another table when I looked back and saw both Lyra and Moon Dancer give thumbs up. We came up to the nature club, where Roseluck and Sweetie Drops were. “Rose, Sweetie, how’s the club going?” said Applejack. “Club’s doing fine,” said Sweetie Drops. “Too bad Fluttershy couldn’t help out.” “Well, she can be shy in front of so many people here, and Tree Hugger would be hard for people to understand,” said Roseluck. “I know,” replied Sweetie Drops. “By the way, do any of you plan to join us?” “Maybe,” Applejack responded. “I’ve been meaning to understand more about improving my work on the apple trees, if that’s possible.” “Oh it is,” replied Roseluck. “It’s just not looking at nature, but knowing how to improve it. Having healthier fruit trees, like your apple trees, is what makes the nature club great.” “That’s great to hear.” Applejack looked at us and said, “What do you guys think? Want to join?” Sunset and me just looked at each other with concerned expressions on our face. “We might be on the fence with this club. Give us some time to think about it.” We decided to make way to the theater club when I saw Chrysalis in front of the fashion club, which was next to the theater club. Rarity and another girl was at the fashion club table, while Trixie and another guy was at the theater club table. “So you’re going along with the fashion club, Chrysalis?” I said. “I am. I can learn a lot from them, and they might do the same from me,” she replied. “I just know that you belong in this club after looking at your drawings,” Rarity said. “Trixie agrees with your decision. Trixie believes that you can make nice costume designs for our club’s next play.” “Just make sure you let us know what play you will be doing so we can start doing the research,” Rarity replied. “Trixie agrees.” She looks at us and asks, “And will you be joining the theater club? Trixie was impressed with your acting last week.” “While I might be good at that style of acting, remembering lines and playing the requested roles is more of a challenge,” I said. “I like to do things on the fly.” “Well, you know where to find Trixie if you change your mind.” As we were leaving, I could hear Sunset mumbling something. “Did you say something, Sunny?” She just gave me a mean look, and then said, “It was nothing.” I whispered, “For a moment, you said something about having to go through all this. If that’s the case, then just deal with it.” I saw the athletic club up ahead, and Soarin and Rainbow Dash were running the table. Applejack whispered, “Looks like they got someone to take over for Flash.” I whispered back. “Good idea. No telling what would happen between those two.” I was pointing to Sunset. “Hey there Jack, AJ, and…Sunset,” Rainbow Dash said. “Plan on joining the athletic club. I know I’ve been trying to get Applejack to join every time.” “That’s because I’m no athlete, Dash,” Applejack replied. “But I might think about joining if these two were interested.” “I’ve seen Dash run, and I know I can’t keep up with her at all,” I replied. “Big Mac told me that you used to play the foot…” I placed my hand on Applejack’s mouth so she didn’t bring that up. Last thing I wanted others to know is my football past. “I did some sports in P.E., but didn’t do well in any sport,” I said. They gave me a weird glance, and then Rainbow said, “OK. Whatever floats your boat. But you don’t have to be an athlete to join. There’s more to it than just sports.” “Well, let us think about it,” I said. I removed my hand from her mouth as I was pulling her away. “What the hey was that for?” she whispered. “I rather not get dragged into football again like last year,” I whispered back. “Fine, but why bring it up in the first place Saturday.” “That was my dad who brought it up, not me.” After telling her that, we came up to the party club, where Pinkie Pie and Vinyl were. Pinkie Pie said, “Hey there. Plan to join the party club? It’s going to be crazy fun. We get to plan events like both fall and spring homecoming, and even other events that the staff want us to work on, even the prom.” Applejack was trying to tell her with her hands to shut up, but it was too late. I can see Twilight put her hand on her face in disgust. “I think I’ll pass,” said Sunset, and started to walk away. Applejack got close to Pinkie Pie and whispered, “What was that for? You know she did all those bad things last year, so why bring those events up?” “I’m just doing what I always do towards everyone,” Pinkie Pie replied. I just shook my head and decided to go to another club. The next one we came up to was the music club, where Octavia was by herself, talking to the Crusaders. “Hey, girls. What’s up,” I said. The girls turned around, and Apple Bloom said, “Howdy, Jack. Big sis. Looking for a club to join?” “You could say that,” I replied. “Are you planning to join the music club?” “That’s right,” said Sweetie Belle. “We want to start our own band, and we were hoping that the music club can help us with that.” “Well, you’re in good hands with Octavia. Just make sure you follow her lead. Otherwise, you might disgrace the club all together.” All of them replied, “We will.” “Well, we might look around some more. I can see that Octavia is busy anyway,” I said. “Here, take this,” Octavia said as she handed me a piece of paper about the club. After looking at all the remaining clubs, Sunset and me decided to talk about the clubs tomorrow in private. After she left, Twilight joined Applejack and me. “That was a close one,” said Twilight. “Tell me about it,” I replied. “I’m just glad you caught on to our conversation.” “Is this why the two of you were called to Principal Celestia’s office?” she asked. “That’s right. She’s trying to give her a second chance, but knows that would be impossible without my help.” “From the looks of what happen, I think she wants both of ya to join the same club, right?” Applejack said. “That’s also right.” “What is she thinking?” Twilight asked. “This is just crazy that she’s putting all this on you. I’m going to have a talk with her when I get a chance.” “Don’t,” I said. “Let me deal with this.” “Sugercube, I think you should let Twilight handle this,” said Applejack. “I said I’d deal with this!” I said angrily. “My problem, my responsibility.” I didn’t want to get them involved in all of this, because there are some things they don’t need to know. This was my test from Celestia, and I intend to pass it my way. Author's Note At first, I thought about adding more, but I decided to divide it up into two chapters, making the next chapter more interesting. Ch. 10 - Helping OutThe bell rang, ending 5th period classes. After walking around with Sunset looking at clubs earlier today, I needed to talk to Celestia about why she wanted this to happen. Ever since we looked over all the clubs, it felt like we were undecided about what to choose. And it wasn’t the fact that she didn’t like the clubs. It was more on my end. I wasn’t much into clubs in the first place at my old school, because the only thing I felt like doing was helping others out that needed help. Some of those times involved my soul powers. I never had any other special talents that any of the clubs could provide. I might just have been in the same boat as Applejack the past two years. I went into the school office and saw that the principal’s door was closed. “Is Principal Celestia in her office?” I asked Ms. Raven. “She is, but she’s in the middle of an important call. You can wait until she’s done.” “Thanks,” I replied. I sat down at one of the chairs next to the wall, looking up in the ceiling. “Something wrong?” Ms. Raven asked me. “You look out of it today.” I sighed and said, “Just trying to figure some things out. That’s all.” “Does it involve Sunset?” I looked at her, shocked at her guess. “Figured that was the case.” “I don’t know why the principal wants the both of us to join the same club. Both of us feel undecided in the choices.” “Is it that she feels that way more, or you?” I started to think about what she was asking, when the door open, snapping me out of my thoughts. Celestia was coming out of her office in haste. “Jack, I need to head to the school board building and get some things cleared up with Coach Spitfire teaching here so she can get her paycheck before the end of the week. I want you to check up with Miss Cheerilee in the library.” She paused to look at me and said, “Is something on your mind, Jack?” “Nothing important. I can talk to you about it tomorrow. I don’t want to hold you up.” “OK…we can talk about it tomorrow if you like. I need to head on down there.” Celestia made her way out of the office. Ms. Raven noticed that I couldn’t explain to her about what was going on. “Why don’t you talk to Miss Cheerilee about what’s going on,” she said. “Maybe you can talk to her about all this. She is a good listener, and might have an idea of how best to solve your problem.” So I decided to follow her advice and make my way to the library to help Miss Cheerilee. She needed help putting some books away on the shelves in various areas of the library. As I was putting some of the books away, I still had all those thoughts going through my head from today. Miss Cheerilee saw that something wasn’t right about me and called me over. “Looks like you got a lot on your mind,” she said. “Care to talk about it?” I gather my thoughts and said, “Principal Celestia wanted me to help Sunset in finding a club to join together. So far, we don’t know what club to join out of what this school has. And if she doesn’t join a club, she would have to be placed in dentition. And I’m caught in the cross hairs.” “Well, is there a club that you wanted to join?” I was about to answer until I noticed that she was talking about me and not Sunset. “I know it would be hard to get Sunset to join a club with her past actions. But if you don’t know what club you want to join, then there’s your problem.” “Well…I don’t know what club that I fit in,” I said. “That was Applejack during her freshman year,” Miss Cheerilee responded. “She couldn’t find a club that would fit her. But since Granny Smith and me work here, she decided to just spend her times helping one of us out. Was there any clubs that you tried out at your old school?” “Not really. I never really felt like joining any club, fearing that after the school year, I might have to move to another city. And I never had any special talents or skills that fit any of the clubs they had. I just like to help out others that needed help, whenever it happen.” “Are you and Sunset going to go over the clubs tomorrow?” Miss Cheerilee asked. “We plan to meet here during free study to go over the list of clubs that we looked at. Would at least help to keep all the stares away from us.” “We have some listening rooms that students can use to discuss with other students or play tapes or CDs as a group. Why don’t you use one of those tomorrow? That might help you focus on what you need to do with your club selection, without all those stares focused on both of you.” “Thanks, Miss Cheerilee. That would help a lot. We need to make a decision by Thursday.” “No problem, Jack. Just let me know that you need one of the rooms when you get here. By the way, I heard that someone stood up to Diamond Tiara yesterday, helping Apple Bloom and her friends. Did you see what happened?” “Why do you ask?” I said. “Well, I do teach Freshman English for the first 2 periods before coming to work in the library. And those four Crusaders are in the same English class as Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon that I teach.” “How do you teach and work in here at the same time?” I asked. “I worked as a substitute teacher when I started working here. This is my first year teaching a couple of classes for the original English teacher, who could be looking into retirement. So I might be looking into a full teacher’s license next semester to replace my substitute teacher’s license. And you still haven’t answered my question.” “You’re looking at him.” She looked at me, thinking I was joking. “It’s no joke. I knew that her father was the same man who my father helped out with some business problems. I just used that to my advantage.” “Well, you might have helped me out, because Diamond Tiara has been quiet before and during class, maybe wondering if you’re watching over her.” Both of us giggled quietly. “She’s been all talk the first week, bragging about how she’s part of a rich family and have been bugging Apple Bloom, until today.” “I’m just one of those who can’t stand bullies. Or in Diamond Tiara’s case, becoming the next Sunset Shimmer. That’s the last thing this school needs.” I felt better after talking to Miss Cheerilee and we finished putting the books away before the final bell. It was Day 2 of club recruitment, and Sunset and me decided to meet in the library. She wasn’t happy about all of this, but she felt like she didn’t have much of a choice, and I was the only leverage she had. I was going to make an effort to make this happen, no matter what. I asked for one of the listening rooms that Miss Cheerilee talked about yesterday, and she gave us access to one of them for us to use. Once we were inside, we laid out all the clubs that were available. “I still can’t believe I have to go through this,” Sunset said. “You want to spend your time in detention with the principal?” I asked. She rolled her eyes and said, “Like I have a choice.” “Well, there’s the science club.” I brought the club’s paper towards us. “They did say it would help out in our science project when it comes up.” “Well, I’m not much of a science person. And it’s not my best class.” I sighed. “Science isn’t my best class either. Same goes for English.” “Well, we can throw out the Literature club from the list. I placed both clubs to the side and pulled up the Math club. “Well, Math is my strong suit.” “Math can be easy, but try all those word problems. I have a hard time understanding what it’s trying to say.” “I prefer visuals to help in math classes. Otherwise, I just get the idea wrong.” “Is there something else to go on?” I placed that club aside and grabbed a few more. “Well, there’s the Nature club, Athletic club, and Theater club.” “I’ll just be labeled as the villain in the Theater club. Plus, I don’t think I can handle the Nature club members, and I rather stay away from the Athletic club.” “Tree Hugger and Flash Sentry, right?” I recommended. “Do I even need to answer?” she responded with an evil glare. “Forget I brought it up. And we can scratch out the Fashion club.” I placed those clubs aside and brought up a couple more. “There’s the Music club and Computer club. What about those?” “I know those girls you know will be in the Music club, and I doubt anyone with want me to play with them. And I can never understand all the nerd talk with computers.” “I don’t have much in music talents, and I can understand the computer basics. That’s what I use to make musical mix tracks. But if there’s work on customizing computers or programming, then that’s out of my league.” “Might as well put those ones aside,” she said. After doing that, I was worried about the Party club I saw. “I’m guessing I should forget about this one.” “Which one is that?” She looked and saw what it was. “Oh, that one. I’ll just get blamed for any screw-ups there.” After looking at what clubs that was left, we were left in the same state as before. “It’s like there’s not a club that’s out there for both of us,” I said. “This is just…stupid. Why did she put us up to all this?” she replied. “I knew this was going to happen,” I said. “Just like the clubs at my old school, I couldn’t find one that I was interested in.” “You mean you never joined a club before?” I nodded. “Then why the heck are we even doing this? She’s just looking for some excuse to put me away. It’s like the entire school is against me.” “You only have yourself to blame for that, Sunny. And I’m trying to find a way to fix that.” “Why do you even care!” she yelled. “There’s nothing you can do to help me!” “At least I’m helping you get a second chance when no one else will. Isn’t that what you want?” “Like anyone cares about me. All they care about is burying me into the ground. I even had to spend my entire summer working here and being grounded back home.” “That’s because you had to have a grudge with Twilight and her friends last school year.” At that point, she slapped me on the face…HARD!!! “WHY DON’T YOU JUST LEAVE ME ALONE!!!” She grabbed her things and stormed out of the room. After she left, I just sat down, rubbing my hand on the cheek that she slapped, just trying to gather my thoughts. “Why is it that I have to put up with this? I know I like to help others when they need it, but how can I help her if she won’t let me. Am I just being used just so they can find an excuse to get her out of this school?” “I know everyone hates her, sugercube, but finding an excuse to get her expelled is just out of line, if you know what I mean.” I looked at the doorway to see Applejack there. “Looks like she hit you hard there.” “Yea,” I said as I was still rubbing my cheek. “Saw Sunset running like a fireball while I was talking to Cheerilee,” Applejack said. “She told me that she was with you in here. Looks like club selection isn’t going so well.” “It’s not,” I said. “I don’t know anymore. I try to help others back at my old school, and hardly get any thanks for my efforts. I don’t have a problem with that, but it feels like I’m just being used when I try to help.” “Now I don’t buy that one bit,” Applejack responded. “Look at what you’ve done in over a week. You helped Chrysalis out of that dump and got her to open up to us. And you went out of your way to help my little sis against that so-called bully that she has been dealing with. Not to mention giving Rarity and me a better outlook at what we should be doing with our lives now than focusing on our past.” “How would you know about what I told Rarity?” “Because she came to me on Monday and decided to forgive me for being so over-protective about what happen that day.” She came in front of me, bended down and put both hands on my shoulders. “It’s like you helped remove the guilt that both of us have been dealing with. You’re like the light at the end of the tunnel. And if Principal Celestia had a reason for doing this, it’s not to find some darn excuse to get her expelled, or at least throw her in detention. She would never go that low for this school.” She got back up and said, “Look, let me talk to Principal Celestia. I might have a way to solve both your problems.” “This is my problem,” I said. “I caused this mess, and I’ll find a way to fix it.” “Not this time, partner,” she said. “You helped me back on the farm, so it’s time I repay the favor. And us Apples always repay in full.” As I went through the rest of the day, trying to hide the mark that Sunset left on me, I was able to meet up with Celestia for 6th period. I can see that she was looking over some notes when she heard me walk in. “Hello, Jack. How has your – GOOD LORD!!!” She looked up to see the mark on my face. “What happened to your face?” I just sat down, feeling drained. “Did Sunset do this to you? If that’s the case, then…” I held my hand up to make her stop talking so I can say what I wanted to say. “You know when you see a panel of buttons that you can push, but told not to push the big, red button?” She nodded. “Well, I pushed the big, red button in Sunset’s brain, and this is what I got.” I pointed to the spot on my cheek. “Then I can guess she doesn’t want to join any club out there,” Celestia said. “More like I can’t find any clubs worth joining,” I responded. “I never joined a club back at my old school because none of them interested me. The only talent or skills I had back then was helping others out. Now I’m not sure if I can help anyone here. Sunset is like a…complex puzzle, and I can’t even find the pieces to put it all together.” Celestia went up to the door and closed it. Then she went back to her desk and sat down. “I thought this would work, but maybe I jumped the gun on this test. And I can guess there are some things that you or your friends don’t know about her.” “Well, she said that she had to spend her summer working here as punishment and was grounded back home.” “I figure her mother would do something like that after I met with her about what her daughter did after prom.” “What about her father? Did he have a say in this?” She shook her head and said, “Never met him. I think Sunset’s mother is divorced. And she’s an only child, just like you.” “Sounds more like Chrysalis’ family,” I said. “Her father left the family, leaving just her and her mother. You know what happened next.” “I know. And I can see what you are talking about. Maybe there’s more to her past that none of us even knows.” “Remember when I said that I felt something from her but couldn’t figure out what it was?” She nodded. “I wonder if she’s been trying to hide the emotional scars from everyone else?” “Looks like you have a longer road ahead of you than I thought it would be. Take a break for today, and let’s see if we can get some ice for your cheek. It must still hurt.” “It does,” I said as I was rubbing my cheek again. “And just a heads up. Applejack is going to see you sometime about an idea that might help our problems. She didn’t say when or what it was, just that she wants to repay for my help towards her back on her farm.” “She’s honest about repaying her debts, Jack. And if she has an idea that can work, I’ll be happy to hear what she has to say.” It’s Thursday, the last day for club recruitment, and my hands were tied about what I was supposed to do. I was already in my English class sitting in my seat, feeling disappointed. Sunset walked in and didn’t bother to glance at me. I didn’t even feel like looking at her anyway after what happened yesterday. Applejack and Rarity saw that I was down and walked up to me, trying to make eye contact. “Don’t worry, sugercube. I plan to talk to her today before free study about all this,” said Applejack. “We plan to help get you through all of this, dear,” Rarity added. “We?” I thought. “What’s this about we?” At the time, I just didn’t want to think about it and hope Applejack will be able to fix this. When I was at my Science class, it was evident that Sunset and me didn’t want to look at each other. Once class was out, we saw Ms. Raven asking for the two of us to come with her. We arrived at the principal’s office and saw Celestia, Luna, and Applejack in the room. Celestia told us to take a seat, and we did, not wanting to look at each other still. “Applejack was telling Luna and me about an idea for a new club. Since you might be having a hard time finding a club to join, like I asked, I realized that I was taking the wrong approach in all of this. I know you would like to help others when needed, so we have decided to create the volunteer club, with Applejack as the president of the club.” “That’s just great,” said Sunset, “but there’s just one problem. You can’t have a club unless you have at least five members, and there’s only three. “It’s a good thing that I found two more members to join your new club.” We glanced back to see Miss Cheerilee with two girls, Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon. “I’m glad that Applejack told me about creating a new club, and these two decided to ‘join’ the new club.” “No we didn’t,” said Diamond Tiara. “You just forcing us to be a part of this so-called club.” “Well, you didn’t bother looking over all the clubs that were available, so I’m helping you out, since there’s not much time to decide,” Miss Cheerilee said. “If that’s the case, then I believe we have ourselves a volunteer club,” said Applejack. “And I already have our first volunteer request from Rarity. She needs some people to help be as models for some new ideas that Chrysalis has drawn up. And all five of us are going to help them out.” “Wait, all five of us?” Diamond Tiara said. “No way what-so-ever. I am not doing it.” “Looks like a few freshmen have heard about Sunset’s past,” Luna said. Sunset rolled her eyes in disgust, but I decided to correct Luna’s comment. “I don’t think she was talking about Sunset.” I got out of my seat and went straight to Diamond Tiara. “If I heard correctly, you thought that joining a club was a joke, right?” I knew she would remember me from Monday after school, because she started to feel nervous, not knowing what to say. Luna giggled, and then said, “I stand corrected.” “I guess this is how you handle bullies that bully others back at your old school,” Celestia said. Diamond Tiara said, “Hey, I am not a…” I stared straight at her. “Never mind.” “Good,” I replied. “Because we really don’t need another Sunset look-a-like at this school.” I looked at Sunset, saying, “No offense.” She replied, “None taken. Besides, I don’t think all that money can save you from dentition, anyway.” “Well then. I better let Rarity know that she will be having five volunteers this Saturday,” Applejack said. “I’m guessing you know where her store is, right?” “Mr. Rich knows where it is, so he can take us there,” Silver Spoon said. Diamond Tiara wanted to say something, then stopped, knowing there was no stopping what was about to happen. “I have to take Chrysalis over there, so I can have her show me where it is,” I said. We looked at Sunset, waiting for her response. “I…could use some help getting there,” she said, scratching the back of her head. Luna said, “Sunset, why don’t you meet at school and one of us can take you there from that point, OK? We can work it all out tomorrow.” We all came to an agreement on the new club and left the office to enjoy some free time before lunch. Applejack and Cheerilee took the two girls back up to the library to make sure they know what they would be doing. That left Sunset and me right outside our lockers. “Look,” said Sunset, “I’m sorry for slapping you in the face yesterday. I know you were trying to help.” “No,” I replied. “It was me who should be sorry. I crossed the line with that last comment I said back in the library. My actions were out of line and I deserved it.” She placed her hand on the same spot where she slapped me yesterday. “You did cross the line, but I overreacted to what you said. It was just as stupid as what you did yesterday.” She moved her hand away from my cheek and pointed at me, saying, “That’s doesn’t me we’re friends, OK?” “As long as you can handle me bugging you until you give in, Sunny.” She started to get mad and said, “Don’t call me…never mind,” and started to walk away. Once she was on the other side of the lobby, she stopped and glanced back at me. I could see a faint smile before she looked away and walked off. “If I have to travel the long road to earn your trust, I’ll take it.” Ch. 11 - A Rare SightI’m driving my way to Rarity’s place with Chrysalis giving me the directions this Saturday. Rarity told us that she was in need of some volunteers to help in modeling some new designs that Chrysalis actually drew. Luna decided to pick up Applejack, because Big Mac was going to be using the truck this weekend, and then help Sunset in how to get to her place. The reason Luna is joining us is because she is our supervisor of the volunteer club, since we only have five members and is also a new club. We started to pull up to Rarity’s place, and I noticed that the sign looked similar to one I saw back in Manehattan. “Carousel Boutique?” I said. “That’s right,” Chrysalis replied. “Rarity both lives and works here.” I had a confused look on my face. “You’ll see.” We got out of my truck and a few cars that I recognized were parked there. When we walked up and opened the door, I heard the bell on the inside above the door ring. “Jack. Chrysalis. I was wondering when you would get here.” Rarity was able to greet us as we came in. When I walked in, it looked like a small fashion store with dresses hanging on racks all around. There was a classy mint lady working behind the counter. “Oh, where are my manners,” Rarity said. “This is Sassy Saddles, my associate manager of my fashion business.” “And minor fashion designer,” Sassy added. “It’s nice to meet you, Jack. This is a first time we had a male model for Rarity’s store.” “Unless you want to count Applejack with men’s clothing,” Rarity added. “I HEARD THAT!!!” Applejack said behind the black curtain in the shop. “I’m guessing the others are in the other room of the shop?” I asked, pointing to the black curtain. “Oh yes,” Rarity replied. “Sassy, will you escort Jack to the dressing area. I need to look over Chrysalis’ designs before we begin.” Sassy took me to the dressing area, where I saw Applejack, Sunset, Silver Spoon, and Diamond Tiara in black tights. Luna and Mr. Filthy Rich were also there to watch. “Mr. Rich, it’s been a while since I saw you before,” I said. “Hello, Jack,” Mr. Rich replied. “How has the pass few weeks been since you moved here?” “Crazy, but great. I think I’m going to like it here.” Sassy handed me some similar tights that the girls were wearing. “You can change in that small room there.” I went on in and begin getting my clothes changed. “Mr. Rich, has my father kept you up to date on the store progress?” “From what I heard, the store should be open in a few weeks. We already posted job openings for the store, and hope to have some future employees training in a week. By the way, any new houses being built in the new subdivision you live at?” I replied, “Just starting to see a few lots getting the foundation being built, so I know that someone has bought those to move in later on. If I was to take a guess, we might have several neighbors in a couple of years.” “I guess having neighbors is better than living by yourself,” Applejack replied. I can hear some people come walking into the dressing room. “Jack, if it feels too tight, let me know so I can give you the next size up,” Rarity said. “OK,” I replied. “Can I ask you a question?” “What is it, dear?” “Do you have another store in Manehattan?” “Why yes I do. I also have one in Fillydelphia. Have you gone by the Manehattan store when you lived there?” “With a friend of mine during my freshman year. She was amazed by what she saw there and has wanted to make dresses like that, just like her mother.” “Was she a former girlfriend?” “Rarity, he never had a girlfriend in his life,” Applejack interrupted. “That’s right,” I said. “We were more like brother and sister, being the fact that we were just ‘only child’.” “That’s nice,” Rarity said. “What was her name?” “Coco Pommel,” I said. “She moved during the summer last year on short notice. Didn’t know where she moved to, but she was a good friend to have around.” “Oh, I’m sure you’ll meet up with her someday,” she replied with a giggle. With the fact that I was behind a curtain, not being able to see anything, when she giggled, my senses started to go off. I knew that I was able to sense this kind of thing when it’s someone who I can’t see in front of me. Another part of my soul powers that I do know. Let’s just say the curtain makes it hard to see what someone is feeling in some way that I need to be known. And so far, Rarity is planning some kind of surprise for me, but what. So I decided to play along for now. I was almost finished changing when I heard the doorbell ring. “Sorry I’m late. My mother was holding me up.” “That can not be who I think it is?” I thought. No doubt, I recognized the voice of who just came in, and that Rarity must thought of this when I said her name before. “Is our male model around? I only see the female models who volunteered.” I decided to surprise her and see if she still remembers me. “I just about finished changing, Coco. Can you give me a moment?” “Wait a minute. Is that…?” I opened the curtain and said, “The Jack of Trades is here.” The whitish girl with the light blue hair saw me with her eyes wide open, surprised at what she saw. “JACK!!!” She came running to me and jumped at me with a big hug, knocking me to the floor with her. “Coco, you really need to control yourself when you decide to go in for a hug,” I said. “Sorry,” Coco replied. She got off of me and helped pull me off the floor. “When I heard you name on the first day, I thought it was you who came here.” “Yea,” I said as I rubbed the back of my head. “It’s kind of a long story. I just want to know why you’re here in Ponyville?” “That’s a long story too,” she said with a laugh. Rarity cleared her throat and said, “Well, the two of you can start catching up after we get your measurements for what we have to create.” The girls went to get our measurements, picked out the fabric, and started to work on the designs. We sat down and waited for the basic patterns to be ready and decided that Coco and me needed to do some catching up. “OK, Coco. I need to know why your parents moved here.” “It’s Rarity that played a role in this move, Jack.” “OK, OK. I did play a role in all this,” Rarity said. “I was opening our new downtown display location over a year ago to help sell more of the dresses that we have here. Sassy was looking over the other stores and learned that her mother wanted a job at our Manehattan location. So, she called her up and asked if she was willing to work at our new display store downtown. We knew it was on short notice, but Sassy was able to find place for them to move in that they can afford at this time.” Coco added, “We hope to find a nice house at a good price, but for now, we’re staying at a nice apartment with good rent. My father was able to find a job here as well, so we are doing fine and are in no hurry of moving.” “Well, maybe my father can help with moving into a house on our subdivision, if your parents are interested,” I said. “His boss owns the area.” “I’ll make sure they keep that in mind,” Coco replied. “Besides, Rarity convinced me on attending Canterlot High as well.” Rarity said, “When I met Coco, she was going to attend Crystal Prep. I stopped them right there and told them to look into Canterlot High. When they asked why, I told them that I was a student there. They were shocked to learn that the co-owner, at the time, was a student there. Plus, talent like hers doesn’t need to be used for Suri Polomare. All she cares about is taking all the credit to her own self. That is just a disgrace to the fashion world.” “I’m glad that I now did, or I wouldn’t have reunited with you, Jack,” Coco said. “Fate has a way of bring people together,” I said. I can see Sunset rolling her eyes, wanting to say something in response. “Sunny, don’t even say it.” She looked straight at me. “I can see that look of yours, so you just deal with it, OK? That goes double for you, Diamond Tiara.” “What? I didn’t say anything,” she replied. Luna and me glared straight at her, making her nervous. She looked at her father, hoping he can bail her out. “Don’t look at me,” he said. “Miss Luna already told me what I needed to know, and you need to learn from all of this.” She looked down, knowing that she wasn’t getting any help at all. “Looks like you still have that touch with dealing with bullies,” Coco said. “I’ve already heard the story about Sunset. But I’m wondering about the other girl.” “I guess it has a connection to my reason of being here,” I said. “Before you go there,” Rarity interrupted, “I need to get these fitted on you. Sunset Shimmer, Diamond Tiara, the two of you are up first.” Both Sunset and Diamond Tiara went up to the staging area to have the fabrics fitted and adjusted on them. “OK, if we continue?” I said. Rarity nodded. “Mr. Rich, do you want to tell the story about how my father helped out with the store location? You know it better in detail than me.” “Thank you, Jack,” he replied. “I was working with Mr. Fix-It on having his business brought to Ponyville. We found some land that we worked on purchasing, and got started on the foundation for the new store. In a month, we came across some problems with the ground and needed someone to double check the ground. He recommended Jack’s father, Mr. Spades, to look at it.” I continued. “My father just finished on the Manehattan project before Christmas, leaving the interior work to another department from the company. This gave us some time to work on the truck, since my 16th birthday was a month away. We got the engine work completed when Mr. Fix-It and Mr. Rich came to our place. When they explain the problems that was going on, my father thought something wasn’t right with the foundation info listed.” Mr. Rich continued. “He came with us, with some equipment that he needed to inspect the area. Turns out that the ground had unstable limestone under the soil. And there was no mention about it on the land details. It would be a month or two before a sinkhole could be formed. The sellers of that piece of land never did their research of the ground like they should do.” “Forgive me for asking,” said Silver Spoon, “but how does limestone have an effect on creating sinkholes? “I think I can answer that,” Applejack said. “I learned that limestone can break apart after enough rain water goes through the soil. And it was Mayor Mare that created the Foundation Research Act after some sinkholes showed up after that great rainstorm happened years ago. Somehow, those sellers tried to work around that bill to get away with making some profits.” “And we took them to court and got the payment back, with interest,” Mr. Rich said. “But we still needed a location to build the store. All of us looked over the locations and prices that were out there, and we found one that cost a bit more, but the location was the best option to go with. After all that went through, we figure that Mr. Spades would be useful working here, so we asked him to be the new manager at the new store.” “Wouldn’t that be a step down from what his previous title?” Rarity asked. “Maybe,” I answered, “but in this case, it’s a step up. He’s not just a manager, but he also oversees all building projects in Ponyville, including all homes in the subdivision that we live on. The only catch was that our new house was ready to move in with two weeks left before school starts. Twilight and her mother helped out in getting me enrolled in school.” “And let me take a guess,” Coco said. “You addressed that to Miss D.T. here, putting her in her place.” “Girl hit the nail right on the head,” Applejack said. She looked at Diamond Tiara. “And that’s what you get for messing with my little sis, missy.” Once Sunset and Diamond Tiara were done getting fitted, they wanted Silver Spoon and me to come up next. “Jack, how are the others doing back in Manehattan,” Coco asked. “Well, Party Favor and Sugar Belle are now dating.” “I figure they would make a great couple, even if they can be silly,” Coco said. “What about Double Diamond and Night Glider?” “Same as usual,” I replied. “Still competing as to who the better extreme athlete is?” “Yep. We even recorded both of them as they raced down one of the difficult mountain paths. D.D. on skis, and Nighty on snowboard. Still have a copy of the video on my computer.” “You didn’t ski again, did you?” I shook my head. “That’s good. The last time we went, it was an embarrassment for the both of us.” “This time, I stayed on the helicopter with Party Favor, doing the multi-recording so we could make a side-by-side video of it. Do not ask me who was better, because I have no clue from what I saw.” Luna asked, “So what was wrong with the both of you two skiing last time?” Both Coco and me answered, “We fell down.” “Basically, I fell first, and when she tried to help me up, she forgot that she had her skis on and fell on top of me, with her head in the snow,” I said. “We just knew it wasn’t for us.” “I just wanted to enjoy the view, since the snow white mountains looked nice from the bottom,” Coco said. “I think that should do it for both of you. You want me to start sewing while you get Applejack fitted?” “If you don’t mind,” Rarity replied. Coco and Sassy went to work on the sewing while Rarity and Chrysalis finished fitting Applejack before joining the others. After a couple of hours of work, the clothes were ready for us to display. I had a white dress shirt with a gold band around each arm, purple vest, and gray dress pants. I was able to get a purple tie and white gloves to go with the set. I had to stick with my dark shoes for now. When I walked out, some of the girls were in their outfits. Diamond Tiara wore a pink classic dress with white trimmings, while Silver Spoon wore a black classic dress with white trimmings and long, white sleeves. “Chrysalis,” Silver Spoon asked, “how do you put this small hat on?” Chrysalis grabbed some hairpins and attached them between her hair and the mini-hat. “That should do it. You look like a real Lolita girl.” “Lolitia? What is that?” Diamond Tiara asked. “A fashion style that’s popular overseas,” I said. “From what I remember, it’s based on the Victorian Era clothing. Popular with anime titles, which I can guess is where you got the idea from, right Chrysalis?” “As Rarity would say it, ‘Guilty as charged.’” Chrysalis said. “Silver Spoon, yours is gothic lolitia. Diamond Tiara, yours is sweet lolitia.” “Oh look, D.T. You’re sweet,” Silver Spoon said. “As if!” Diamond Tiara replied. “Sunset,” Rarity spoke, “are you ready? “I look silly in this. Do I have to come out?” “YES!!!” Sunset came out in a Lolita dress made of crimson and black frills and a crimson net bow on her head. “This is stupid,” she said. “I don’t know. If you have some old style pistols, you might look like a bad-ass,” I added. “Looks like you know which anime I got that idea from,” Chrysalis said. “At least I was able to find these.” She brought out a small, black box. In it were three prop knives. “Good thinking, Chrysalis,” I said. I took out the knives and placed each one between the fingers of my right hand. “What do you think?” “Is there a reason for those?” Luna asked. “Hundreds of years ago, there were butlers who also doubled as skilled bodyguards. Knives like these, which are props anyway, are used to take out thieves and intruders that threaten their masters. It’s one of the few weapons that they use. Another type of weapon can be just a single wire thread. If done just right, you can do harm to your enemies up close. But this kind of practice in the real world is long gone.” “Well, at least the business attire for women is growing.” Applejack walked out of her changing room, wearing a black blazer and matching dress pants, a white buttoned shirt, and a red cravat. “This must be what a business woman with a mean streak look like.” “Why it sure is, Miss Applejack,” I said with an accent. ‘Well then, I think we need to take some pictures of this,” Rarity said. “Then we can have some pizza for your reward.” So we followed Rarity’s lead for the pictures while Mr. Rich went to pick up some pizzas for us afterwards. She took several pictures of us in multiple group sets. After she was finished with the pictures, we got changed back into our regular clothes and handed them to Sassy for display. We looked at all the pictures on Rarity’s computer while waiting for the pizza to arrive. We all picked our favorites, and Silver Spoon and me picked the same picture from the set, which was the one where I used the prop knives for that picture. When the pizza arrived, we ate and talked a lot before we decided to leave. Coco decided to pull me aside to talk to me in private. “Jack, do you still use your…gift…around school?” I answered, “Yes, and I just learned more about it.” I gave a nod to Chrysalis and Luna to come over. “Applejack, Sunset, can you wait for me in the car?” Luna said. “I’ll be there shortly.” Both of them came on over to meet with us. “Luna,” I said, “Coco is one of my friends who helped keep my powers a secret. Can you give her a quick update on what you’ve told me? I need to take care of some unfinished business.” I looked over to where Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon were. “I think I know what you plan on doing,” Luna said. “Will take care of Coco.” I went on over and asked Mr. Rich if I can talk to the two girls for a moment. “OK, you two. Since you are now in the same club as me, I expect that the two of you stop bullying anyone else, including Apple Bloom and her friends. If I catch you acting like that again, and I with come on to you like a hawk. Am I clear?” “Yes, sir!” Silver Spoon said. I looked at Diamond Tiara, wanting a response. “I guess,” she replied. I stared at her, wanted a better response. “I mean, yes sir!” “Good. Now get out of here and be thinking about what I have said.” Diamond Tiara went into the car, but Silver Spoon stayed and said, “I think it was nice what happened today. Just give her time, and I think she will understand like I did.” She soon went to car to join her friend. They pulled out of the driveway and went on their way. Luna also went into her car and made her way out back towards the school. Chrysalis and Coco went to join me. Coco said, “My mother still has a couple of hours before she has to close up. Think you can give me a ride downtown?” I replied, “Sure thing.” We all got in to my truck and made our way downtown. “Luna filled me in on the basic details,” Coco said. “I can’t believe it’s related to a person’s soul.” “If it wasn’t for his powers, I wouldn’t be where I am today,” Chrysalis added. “Well, he does care about others a lot that he doesn’t stop helping,” Coco said. “Thanks for the support,” I added. “But seriously, you and the others did the right thing to keep things a secret.” “Are the four others that both of you brought up helped out?” Chrysalis asked. “Yes,” Coco replied. “And when it comes to Manehattan, no telling who would want to use powers like that for their own advantage. Do you think Professor Digger would know about this if we asked?” “I rather leave him out of it until we know more about what we are dealing with.” I said. “Besides, he did give me a parting gift before I left. And I think he had a reason for giving me those swords.” “Masamune and Muramasa.” Coco said. “You really liked those swords when he displayed them to us. He did say that those were the last swords that were created by their creator of the same name.” “And now that I know more about my powers, I wonder if the legend of those swords are true,” I said. “What is this legend that you are talking about?” Chrysalis asked. “Legend has it that when Masamune and Muramasa each created the last blade to battle each other, the battle lead into a stalemate, with the only proof was just the blades by themselves in the ground. There was no sign of their creators, and the two blades were kept together as a reminder of the two sword maker’s craft and to remember them with honor.” “After hearing that, you think that maybe a part of their soul would live on in the swords,” Chrysalis said. “I’m starting to think the same thing,” I added. “But so far, I haven’t felt anything from them. Could be because they are just a weapon and not a living human being. My powers don’t even work on animals.” “And what about Sunset?” Coco asked. “I was told that you sense something from her, but don’t know what it is. That’s a first for all of us.” “I know, and I hope as my powers grow, I can get my answer about what Sunset could be hiding,” I said. “Only time will tell,” Coco said. “Oh, here we are. Can you want a moment, I want to get my mom to come out and see you.” I pulled up to the side of the store so Coco could get out, run into the store, and bring her mother out. “There he is,” she said, pointing at me. “Well, I’ll be. I’m surprised that you become friends with my boss and a friend of Coco’s.” “It’s nice to see you too, Mrs. Pommel,” I replied. “So where are you living at?” Mrs. Pommel asked. “You know where the new subdivision is at. It’s the one that my dad’s boss owns.” She nodded. “That’s where we live. It’s the only house in the area at this time.” “Oh, we need to exchange contact info so we can keep in touch.” I shared my contact info with Coco, and she did the same for me. “Thanks, Jack.” “No problem,” I replied. “You should come by when you get a chance. I’ll let me parents know you’re here.” “Well, I’ll have to plan that out next time,” Mrs. Pommel replied. “Thanks for bring Coco by.” “Well, I’ll see you sometime Monday, Coco. Bye.” We started to drive our way home, seeing Coco and her mother waving their hands bye to us. “Well, I guess we have another ally with us,” Chrysalis said. “Think this is an improvement in getting our answers?” “We each have our own questions that need answering. And no doubt we will find the answers together, in time.” Ch. 12 - Field TestCelestia was now aware of Coco knowing about my soul powers when I arrived to work with her for 6th period. Knowing what we are dealing with, having another friend that we can trust really helps. But so far, I haven’t experienced anything new about my powers in the two weeks that I have been here. Celestia would have figured that at least one new power would come out, with all that has happened. “So you have been dealing with the same effects and never experienced anything new since you were at your old school,” Celestia said. “It’s just been the same,” I said. “Even Coco doesn’t see anything new about how I have acted since I last saw her. And this is the first time that a lot has happened in a two-week span. Coming here, helping Chrysalis, joining a club; I mean this is so much that I would discover something new about my powers.” “Luna told me the two of you had four other friends that hang out with you. Did they do the same thing that Coco did back at your old school?” “Yes. I already e-mailed them that Coco was attending here. And I told them what my gift was called, but nothing more. Not until more comes out.” “And that’s all who knows about your powers?” She glared at me, believing that someone else knows about my powers. “One other. She’s a professor who filled Coco’s space, so to speak. But don’t expect me to reveal any ‘spoilers’ about her.” If she didn’t know what I was talking about, then that’s better for me. “Professor River Song?” I sighed. “I’ve met her when she comes to visit Dr. Whooves over the winter break. She does some traveling during the summer and has been helping me find any info in finding Professor Star Swirl.” “And so far, no luck.” She nodded. “And now that I’m here, you were hoping to find some answers in his research. Did you ask her about it?” “No. I didn’t want to bring her in on that because I didn’t think it would be important. But when she e-mailed me that you were coming to Ponyville and plan to look into our school, she wanted me to watch over you when you attended here. It was luck that your mother and Twilight’s mother knew each other.” “What all did she tell about me?” “She said that you were ‘special’, that you like helping others in needed. After what happened with Sunset, I was hoping someone new can help her in making a new path, since no one else cares about her.” “So you planned to make sure Twilight, Sunset, and me were in the same classes, in hopes to fix the damage that was caused, making me the peace-keeper.” “When Twilight and Cadence came to me, complaining about her being in the same classes as the two of you, she was more concerned about you than herself after Sunset sat next to you in Science class. I knew that this was the only chance for you to help her open up and become a new person. I started to wonder if you bear the gift of soul resonance, so I took a chance the next day and see if I was right. And we know what happened after that.” “Now I’m trying to learn more about my powers. And so far, nothing new has come to it.” “She did bring up one thing.” I raised my eyebrow, wondering what else she told Celestia. “That you also played on the football team as their kicker.” I rolled my eyes. “Did she really have to bring that up? That’s the last thing I wanted to be a part of.” “Well, it brings me to your next test. I want you to try out for the football team.” “This has got to be a joke. I was hardly useful last year. What good will I do this year?” “She said you made a couple of field goals, and that they were long ones. And our team could use another kicker. But I want to see what other talents you have on the field before going through this. Do you think you can stay after school tomorrow? I want to see what you can do with my own eyes.” “I can let my parents know. By I don’t think this will be any good for either of us.” “Trust me on this. I have my reasons for putting you through this.” So I stayed after school the next day and walked down with Celestia and Chrysalis to the football field. When we got there, Luna, Soarin, Rainbow Dash, Applejack, and Big Mac were waiting for us. Chrysalis sat next to the stands to watch while waiting for me to finish. “I’m guessing that with Big Mac here, it could be the passing of the torch,” I said. “Maybe,” Celestia said, “but lets see what you can do before we go forward on that.” As we walked up, Big Mac told Soarin and Rainbow Dash to get the net in place behind the goal post. “Where’s Apple Bloom?” I asked. “She went with Babs back to the farm, since Big Mac wanted to help here.” Applejack said. “Figure I see how well you can kick a football,” Big Mac said. “You up for it?” “I’ll give it a shot,” I answered. Big Mac and Applejack had footballs set up on each hash mark on the 20, 30, 40, and 50-yard lines. We stated on the left hash mark of the 20-yard line. “We’ll start here, then try the other side,” he said. I went to set up for the kick, like I did when I played on the team last year. When I kicked the ball, it went through the center of the goal posts. I did the right hash mark the same way, but adjusted my kick to go the other way. It went through, but was close to the right goal post. “Looks like you do better on the left side than the right.” “I still have a hard time getting the angle right, since I kick with my right foot,” I said. “Let’s focus on the left hash mark to work on distance, then the right for accuracy,” Luna said. We tried the left hash mark on the 20-yard line again to see if anything stood out. I did fine with the 20 and 30-yard marks, but the 40-yard mark came closer to the left goal post. By the time I got to the 50-yard line, the ball barely made it over the cross bar next to the left goal post. “Barely made it,” Big Mac said. “What’s your longest?” ’44-yards,” I said. “And yours was a record 55-yards, right?” “Eeyep.” We started on the right side to work on some mechanics. After kicking from the 20-yard line, Big Mac told me on how to improve the angle of my kick. This was an improvement at the 30-yard line, but when I kicked the 40-yard line, it barely made it, like I did at the 50-yard line on the left side. That worried me about kicking at the 50-yard line, and I was right, because I came up short of the goal post. “I guess that’s the best you got,” Big Mac said. “Can I see how well you can putt?” I agreed with him, and we just kicked it from the 35-yard line on the other side. Since all I have to do was a straight kick, I got the ball to land around the 20-yard line on the other side, about the same distance as my field goal kicks. “I don’t think I can come close to what you had,” I said to Big Mac. “But it’s better than those that were after me,” Big Mac replied. “I’d think you might have a chance with the team.” As Rainbow Dash and Soarin were coming back with the footballs, Dash decided to throw one my way and said, “JACK, CATCH!!!” When I say the ball coming my way, I saw it was about to go over me. At that point, I felt like I knew what I needed to do and just started to run backwards and jump to catch the football as it came over me, landing on my feet with ease. “HEY, NICE CATCH!!!” I started to run back when Luna stopped me. “JACK,” she yelled, “THROW IT STRAIGHT TO BIG MAC!!!” I never threw a football, but decided to do so anyway. For some reason, I just felt what to do. I just grabbed it, pulled my arm back, and tossed it in a near perfect spiral for Big Mac to catch. “Well I’ll be,” Applejack said. “If I didn’t know better, I’d think you give Shining Armor a run for his money.” “If not him, then maybe Thunderlane,” Soarin added. “He plans to be the backup QB this year.” “What about that run and catch?” Dash said. “It could come close to Flash or Thunderlane in the skills department.” “Well, I don’t want to take Shining Armor’s or Flash’s job, but what does Thunderlane do on the team before?” I asked. “He did the same position as Flash on the team, but became the new backup QB halfway last season when our backup QB got hurt really bad,” Soarin said. “Was he the same QB who was also the starter two years ago?” They nodded. “His chances of getting a football scholarship and career ending badly last year,” Soarin added. “He went in for Shining at one point during the first game, and that’s when it happen. And it was worse than the hit two years ago. Shining recommended that Thunderlane be his new backup because he has done some passing during practices. And his skills were average for a QB.” “Well, I don’t want to compete with him, if Shining Armor feels he’s the best fit as backup,” I said. “He might have to be the starter next year when Shining graduates.” “Well, we need to head on back,” Applejack said. “I’ll see you tomorrow.” “Nice to meet ya again, Jack,” Big Mac said. “Same here,” I replied. “Thanks for the help.” “We need to do the same,” Rainbow Dash said. “Don’t want to keep Fluttershy waiting on us.” All of them left expect Luna and Celestia. Chrysalis walked up to the field to meet us. “You looked great out there,” Chrysalis said, poking her elbow into my ribs. I didn’t reply, thinking about what just happened. It was Celestia who broke the silence. “Did something happen earlier?” I said, “For some reason, my instincts took over when Dash threw that ball to me. And again when I threw it to Big Mac. I never did anything like that before.” “I figure that something happened when you went to catch the ball,” Luna said. “That’s why I needed to see if it would happen when you throw it as well.” “That could only mean that a new power has unlocked,” Celestia said. “Let me look through Star Swirl’s book to see if something explains what you just experienced. For now, go on home and get some rest.” “Thanks,” I said. “And maybe what just happen here today might have been worth it.” When I came the next day, some of the students were looking at me, exchanging whispers. I came up to my locker with my friends already there. I was about to find out what was going on. “Hey Jack,” Twilight spoke, “did I hear that you could be looking into joining the football team?” “Where did you hear that?” I asked. Flash answered, “Some of the students are talking about the ‘new kid’ having some skilled talents that can compete with me or Shining. Maybe even Thunderlane.” I stared at Applejack, Rainbow Dash, and Soarin. “Don’t look at me,” Rainbow Dash responded. “I didn’t say anything either,” Soarin added. “Not me either,” Applejack answered. “But I think I saw some girls looking at what was going on. They could be some cheerleaders, but I’m not sure.” “If that’s the case, then Cadence might have some answers,” Twilight said. “She was the co-captain of the cheerleader team last year, and was helping out with the tryouts that happened yesterday.” “Looks like someone is getting really popular around here, including the ladies,” Rarity said. “Even the girls in the fashion club wished they met you over the weekend after seeing the picture that we took. And it’s just the third week of school.” I let out a sigh and said, “Really, Rarity. Like I need all the attention.” “Well, you did help out Chrysalis, who we thought was a witch but learn that she wasn’t, stood up towards Diamond Tiara, from the richest family in Ponyville, because you wanted to help Apple Bloom, walked around with Sunset during club recruitment, got slapped in the face by her the next day,” Pinkie takes a deep breath, “and it all started when you decided to take on Sunset for Twilight.” “Pinkie, do you have to explain everything in one breath?” Rainbow Dash asked. Pinkie Pie rapidly nodded her head. Fluttershy added, “Wouldn’t that make, you know, Sunset Shimmer…jealous?” A locker door slammed very hard, revealing an angry Sunset. She heard everything that we all said. “Jealous? You think I’m JEALOUS?” she said towards Fluttershy, causing her to hide behind Pinkie Pie. Rainbow Dash stepped forward and said, “Hey, you have no right to yell at Fluttershy.” “Oh, I’m shaking in my boots,” as she was taunting Rainbow Dash. “I’m still surprised that you have to keep protecting a scared little girl who can’t stand up for herself.” Rainbow Dash was ready to do something drastic until Applejack stepped in. “Look, you have been nothing but trouble after what you did in the past. I can’t toss you out of our club, but I’d be happy to put you in your place, if you like.” “Try me!” Sunset taunted. I can see that Flash was about to have enough of what Sunset was doing, so I put my hand on his shoulder, showing him to stand down so I can handle her. I walked up to her and said, “Sunny, if want to start some trouble, then start it with me.” Sunset turned around, stared in my face, and said, “Oh, you plan to hit a girl? Why don’t you do that right now!” “I’m sure we can handle that for him.” Sunset looked at who spoke, only to be stunned by seeing Chrysalis, with Coco standing next to her. “Anyone who wants to mess with our friend, messes with us,” Coco replied. “And don’t let this cute little face fool you. I can take you down in one blow.” “And for the record, I have seen her do that with my own eyes,” I added. “Don’t ask me how she does it, but the last time she did, the girl was stuck with neck pain for a few days before the pain went away.” Sunset knew that she had enough of this and decided to walk away, but stopped and yelled, “AND FOR THE LAST TIME, STOP CALLING ME SUNNY!!!” She then walked away, heading to class. “Sorry, but we had to step in,” Chrysalis said. “We were planning to talk to Rarity before all this happen in front of us. “Maybe we can talk later, after everyone has cooled down,” Coco added. “That’s fine, dear,” Rarity replied. “See me during free study.” “We better head to class,” Twilight said, “and lets hope that Sunset can back off for the day.” When I met up with Celestia later in the day, she has heard that I have started to get popular, maybe too popular. I told her that Cadence was at cheerleader tryouts, and some of the girls went to see what was going on at the field after tryouts were over. She also heard what was going on outside the office, surprised that the outcome was a safe one. After getting all that out of the way, she brought out Star Swirl’s book and opened it to a page that she wanted to show me. “Soul Release” There is a way to tap into your own soul, letting it guide your actions the way you want it to be. But to do this, you must know what must be done, then clear both your mind and body to let the soul take over at the same time. Once this is done, anything is possible. “So that’s how I was able to make the catch easily, as well as throwing the ball to the target. How come when I went to kick the football, it never happened?” “Maybe because you know how to kick the football,” she answered. “And what you did when it happened was close to perfect.” “So it’s a work in progress,” I said. “Do you want me to still try out for the team?” “I don’t want to take this route if it would damage the friendships that you have made, but I want you to tryout for quarterback instead of kicker.” My eyes went wide open after what I heard. “I know it’s a big risk, but with what some people that have seen what you have done, and word going on about you, we might have to take a chance.” “Football tryouts are tomorrow, right?” She nodded. “Then I need to find out how to recreate what I just did to make sure it can still work. If it happens when I do something I have no experience about it, I might have an idea back home.” When we got home, I noticed that there was no car in the driveway. When we went into the house, I saw a note on the table that was left for me. Gone out with Twilight’s mother. Looking for a new location for business. Back around 5. Mom She did say that she wanted to look into a place to run her business so she doesn’t have to work up in the extra room all the time. And she felt like it would help business if people came to her instead of going online all the time. This might be the only chance I get to put my theory to the test. I asked Chrysalis to meet me in the backyard while I get something from my room. I went up and looked under my bed, grabbing a long, narrow wooden case. I took it with me as I came back down and showed Chrysalis the two swords that I talked about Saturday. “So these are Masamune and Muramasa,” she said. “You think your theory of recreating ‘soul release’ will work?” “Only one way to find out.” I grabbed only Masamune to work with for now. I kept my distance from the house in the backyard so Chrysalis can monitor what was going on. “I know about swordplay, but handling a sharp blade like this can be deadly.” “Let’s just hope I don’t have to rush you to a hospital, because I don’t even have a license.” I pointed the blade forward and closed my eyes. At that point, I just relax and waited for it to happen. Nothing happened for at least 10 minutes before Chrysalis broke the silence. “Are you just going to stand there like a statue?” I opened my eyes to respond. “For some reason, its not working.” Chrysalis started to think, then had an idea. She went into her bag and brought out a butterfly knife. “Don’t tell me you carry that around school,” I said. “Nope, I just leave it in the glove compartment of your truck,” she replied. She revealed the blade and said, “Think fast.” She threw the blade at me like a throwing knife to a target. At that point, it happened. I knocked down the knife in one swing. “I knew it. It only works when something happens at the last second. Then it creates a reaction that you wish you could do, and it does it.” “So just wanting to do what I want to do doesn’t work. I just wish there was a way to test is more,” I said. “Hang on. I’ll be right back.” She left for a few minutes, and then returned with some small rocks. “Had to find the right size rocks to used. Ten will have to do.” She decided to throw the rocks at me, one at a time. Each rock that came to me, I struck it down. When she collected the rocks, she threw them at different locations, with me knocking them down again. She collected them again, and as she was walking back to the table, I sensed something from her, trickery. She plans to do something I won’t see coming, but what. When she started to throw the rocks again, she did more randomly than before. By the time she threw the tenth rock, she grabbed the other sword on the table, drew its blade, and threw it at me like a lance. In an instance, I was able to dodge and grab the handle of the sword without knowing what to do. I looked at Chrysalis and said, “Can I start calling you a witch again?” She smiled and said, “Just wanted to see how you would react to that.” “That was a big risk there. But I knew you were scheming something before that last set.” “So your ‘soul resonance’ went into effect before your ‘soul release’ does its part.” She paused for a moment, and then asked, “Are you thinking what I’m thinking?” “I think so. But I’m going to have to be lucky to pull this off at the tryouts.” It was Thursday after school, and tryouts were being held on the football field. This was the big test for me to take. Chrysalis walked with me to the field, making sure we have everything planned out. When we arrived, I can see Shining Armor, Flash Sentry, and Thunderlane among the students that were trying out. Rainbow Dash and Soarin were also there, getting the equipment set up, while Twilight was getting her notes ready to take down what’s needed for the selection of the team. Chrysalis went up to the stands to join the small group of girls that decided to stay and watch. Most of them were ones that I have met before. I couldn’t see Celestia and Luna around the area, but I saw Big Mac walking towards me from the field. “Wanted to make sure I do well in tryouts?” I asked. “Eeyep,” he replied. “Think you ready for this?” “I’ll do my best.” “So, do you plan to tryout for kicker, or are you going with somewhere in the offensive line?” “Well, Celestia thinks I should tryout for quarterback, but I don’t want to create any problems with my friends.” “After what I’d see Tuesday, I think it’s worth a shot. Shining would like to see Thunderlane have some competition for QB.” “Did you tell him about what happened?” “Eeyep. And he’s not sure if Thunderlane is ready to be backup. You give it a shot, and maybe it can motivate him to do so. And you can tryout for multiple spots. I was both in the defensive line and kicker roles. So you can focus on QB and kicker roles, maybe wide receiver after that catch you made.” I started to think about my options when we saw Shining Armor and Twilight walking towards us. “Hey, Twilight, Shining,” I said. “Glad to see that you made it,” Shining Armor said. “Big Mac told me about what happened with you Tuesday. Could explain why the rumor mill went off the wall yesterday.” “And the fact that Sunset went insane as well,” Twilight added. “Don’t even remind me,” I said. “Just so you know,” Shining said, “Thunderlane is trying out for backup QB, but has been either running back or tight end on the team because of his agility. Flash has been my go to wide receiver on the team, but has also worked as a running back because of his speed. And if you plan to compete for the backup, then you have to work with our big center over there, Bulk Biceps.” He pointed to the big, white guy on the field that stood out from the others. “And where do you stand on kickers?” I asked. I can see that he had no answer to that. “That bad.” “Big Mac has decided to help out with the new kickers, since that’s our only option that we have,” Twilight said. “And we’re not sure who else will try out for quarterback. I can talk to Coach Iron Will about what we plan for you to do, if you’re up to it.” “You tell me what I should do, and I’ll see what I can do about it,” I said. Coach Iron Will blew his whistle to call us over. He went on with his motivation speech to the students. Before starting tryouts, Twilight call him over to explain a few needed details. He looked at me first, then at Thunderlane. So he called out to everyone to pick either offense or defense to see which spots will fit them best. He called Thunderlane and me over with Shining Armor. “So both of your want to try out as Shining Armor’s backup?” We both nodded. “From what Iron Will has been told, Thunderlane has played on the offensive line, and Jack has played as the kicker. Iron Will wants to make it interesting. So Iron Will wants both to tryout as quarterback, offensive line, and special teams. Iron Will will decide what fits best for who.” We started with our roles in the offensive line. Thunderlane knew how to play the role as the running back and tight end. I focused on being the wide receiver, and tried for running back as well, making it easier for Shining Armor to have more options on the field. I was on target as a wide receiver, which Flash was glad to see. He said that it would help to get the ‘bulls eye’ off his back at times. But running back was more of a challenge. I had a hard time dodging because I wasn’t fast or agile with the ball. Shining Armor thinks part of that role could still be used with the secondary quarterback role in certain plays. Our next role was for the quarterback. Thunderlane was agile with the ball, avoiding defensive players in finding his targets when he throws, and was able to hand off the ball or take the ball himself for rushing plays. But when a few of the plays involved a blitz play, he couldn’t react fast enough before getting sacked. When I took over, my passing plays were good, but couldn’t go far and long like Thunderlane did. I was able to hand off the ball for rushing plays, but taking the ball was the same as being a running back. But I did have one advantage from blitzes, I was able to sense when someone was coming my way before I could see them, causing me to dodge them in time before I can throw. I knew that if I couldn’t see them, my power will tell me. Otherwise, I couldn’t react to what I was able to see. When it came time to look into special teams, Thunderlane was able to work on punting, but couldn’t do much with field goals because the kicking motion was different between the two. But he was able to work on receiving punt balls without any problems. My punting was also good, and my field goals went better than before when Thunderlane was my placeholder. Before tryouts were over, Iron Will wanted to try to test our kicker skills in distance. Thunderlane decided to be the placeholder for all the kickers. All the new kickers, along with myself, went to kick from the 20-yard line, and then backed up every five yards. Those who missed kicking the football through the goal posts were out. It was by the time we cleared the 40-yard line that me and another player were left to kick. He went to the 45-yard line and just cleared the crossbar. Before I went to kick, Twilight stopped me. “Coach, I want to see him kick it from Big Mac’s record distance,” she said. I was shocked when she pulled this on me. As they were setting up the spot, I went up to Twilight and ask, “What are you thinking? I can’t kick that long. My best was around 44 yards.” “I know,” she said. “But did you ever worked towards or against the wind?” “I don’t think there was any wind at the game that I made those field goals. And the football field was facing North to South, so wind wasn’t much of an issue.” “The field here faces almost East to West. And the direction you are about to kick is with the wind, which is about 10 to 12 miles per hour at this time. That should be enough to reach the goal post, if you can kick it at a 45 degree angle.” “I kicked around a 40 degree angle for my longest kick,” I replied. “So it will need to be a bit higher for the wind to catch it.” “Now you’re catching on,” she said. So I went to where the ball was and set myself up for the kick. I just needed the wind to help me here. I caught a quick breeze before it stopped, giving me an idea of what to expect. I made a few quick adjustments before making the kick, waiting for the wind to come again. Just as I was taking a deep breath, I felt the wind again, stronger than before. I started to feel like my soul was taking over for me. With no time to wait, I went to kick the ball before the wind died down again. As the football was in the air, I saw that it went faster across the field than I remembered. It was enough to barely make it across the crossbar. “Did I just see what I think I saw?” Thunderlane said. “I think so,” I replied. We heard a voice in the crowd say, “He just tied Big Mac’s kicking record.” Everyone was in an uproar from what I just did. All the students that were trying out or helping out came rushing towards us in excitement. “Twilight was right,” I thought. “I just needed to make the adjustments and let the wind do the rest.” “Hey Jack. That was great,” Flash said. “That was not great,” Rainbow Dash said, quieting the crowd. “That…was…AWESOME!!!” The crowd was in an uproar again. “I think you know how to work the field in your favor,” Shining Armor said. “Give your sister some credit,” I replied. “I can see why she’s the tactician on this team.” Coach Iron Will blew his whistle. “Listen up. You all did great. Iron Will is impressed in what you did. Iron Will shall post results tomorrow after 4th period. Go home, study, and rest.” I looked around to see all the students in the stands starting to head out. I saw Chrysalis point to what was behind her. I looked farther up to the booth where I saw Celestia and Luna. Both of them gave a thumb up. So far, I knew I have made some progress, but how much progress did I get will have to wait until tomorrow. Ch. 13 - The End ResultThe bell just rang, signaling the end of 4th period. We started to grab our things and made our way to the announcement board to meet up with Flash and Thunderlane. “Twilight, Cadence, Fluttershy, Jack,” said Flash, “you made it.” “Have they posted the player’s list?” Twilight asked. “We just got here,” Thunderlane replied. “Waiting for the crowd to thin out so we can see.” As students were looking at the list, some were excited to make the list, while others were not. Once we were able to see the list, we were all shocked at the four on the top. Shining Armor (QB) – Captain Flash Sentry (RB/WR) – Alt. Captain Thunderlane (QB/RB) – Alt. Captain Jack Diamond (QB/WR/K) – Alt. Captain “Am I seeing this?” I said. “All three of us are alternate captains?” “That’s just the half of it,” Flash added. “This is the first time we get to have three quarterbacks in the school’s history.” “That’s right.” We turned around to see Shining Armor behind us. “Coach Iron Will was impressed at the talents and leadership that you all have. With all of you in the front line, we have a balanced team to take on anyone.” The rest of our friends showed up to see what the results were. “So, did you guys made it?” Rainbow Dash said. “Take a look,” I replied. They looked at the list and saw what was on the top of the list. “Well I’ll be,” Applejack said. “Congrats to ya all.” “So how many games are there in the season?” I asked. “Five games total,” Flash replied. “And the first one that we play is against Cloudsdale.” “The other teams in our region are Appleloosa, Dodge City, Trottingham, and Crystal Prep in Downtown Ponyville,” Shining Armor added. “Crystal Prep has been the most hated team in our region,” Rainbow Dash said. “They have won every championship in every school sport for over 10 years. “Not to mention that they like to brag about it,” Soarin added. “We can worry about them later,” Shining Armor said. “For now, we start practice next Monday, and our game with Cloudsdale will be next Friday.” “But first, we get to PARTY!!!” Pinkie Pie said with excitement. “Everyone on the team will be on the farm tonight,” Applejack said. “Think you can be there at five?” “All of the cheerleaders will be there as well,” Cadence added. “Cadence, you might be regretting bringing that up to him.” “Why?” She asked. “Remind me to tell ya later, when he’s not around,” Applejack answered, referring to me. “I’ll have to check with my mother first,” I replied. I took out my cell and called my mother about tonight. Turns out that my mother and Twilight’s mother will be there to help set up the food for the party. So we were fine with going. “I’m glad that our parents will be helping out with the food there,” Twilight said. “Both of them were busy looking for a new place to open up a new local store.” “My mother told me about it Wednesday,” I said. “She wants to move the online business to a bigger place with some local support.” “Oh that will be great,” Rarity said. “Now I can look and smell for new candles so I can buy what I like.” “Ever since I saw those candles that you had at your house, Rarity, I have been wanting some for myself, but never had a chance,” Fluttershy said. “Well, I guess we all know what we’re doing tonight,” I said. “I’ll make sure that Chrysalis comes along. It will be a nice change of pace for her.” So we all plan to go to Applejack’s farm for the football party. But first, I need to talk to Celestia and ask about Crystal Prep. Hearing about having a perfect record doesn’t sound right. Back when I was in Manehattan, I attended West End High, but there was another school that was like Crystal Prep, called Mane Coast Academy. It was a top ranked school, but it wasn’t perfect because it had a big rivalry with Fillydelphia High, which was also a top rank school. Not every school can be perfect without a reason for it. I just hoped she has an answer. “I can understand your concern, Jack,” Celestia said, “and it has been crossing my mind. After seeing what you could do on the field, I have been wondering if there are players at Crystal Prep that have the same gift that you have.” “You are just full of surprises, Celestia. But for one school to have several gifted players for about 10 years doesn’t sound right.” “I know, Jack. But there has to be a reason they are perfect. And I don’t trust Principal Cinch handling that school like that.” “Sounds like she only cares about being the ultimate…principal.” “Or a bitch, if that’s what you wanted to say.” We laughed. “But in all seriousness, I think there must be a way to develop those powers without being born with them and having them awaken just like you.” “So we could be looking at some special pill, or maybe genetic enchantments.” “Well, Jack, I wouldn’t have thought of those ideas being used on students, but they are some good ideas to look at. But right now, we need to find out who bears similar gifts that you have when we face them at the end of the football schedule. And we hope that each game you play could help develop your powers, without letting anyone else notice.” “Then we need someone to find a way to get the players’ stats and background info so we can look for any red flags. Otherwise, we’ll be walking in that game blind.” “I can have my sister, Luna, look for some help on the outside. As for the player stats, Twilight looks into that over the weekend so she can help plan our next game. You’ll have to get those from her.” ‘I can work with that.” I pondered for a moment, and then said, “You know, this is the first time I had this much excitement in my life.” “Well, don’t get carried away with it. I need you ready for anything.” I saluted and said, “Yes ma’am.” It was 4:30, and Chrysalis and me started to drive on down to Sweet Apple Acres. Both of my parents already plan to be down there getting the food set up. As were on our way, we saw a broken down car facing towards us and two people looking over the engine. Somehow, they looked alike, but very recognizable. “Is that…Sunset over there?” Chrysalis said. “I think one of them is her,” I replied. We pulled up besides them and asked, “Is everything OK, Sunny?” When both of them looked up, one of them looked older than the other. The older lady looked back to Sunset and said, “Classmates of yours?” She let out a sigh and said, “Yes mom, he’s in four of my classes.” “Well don’t get too excited,” her mother replied. She looked at me and said, “My car broke down. You think you can help us?” “Let me turn this around so I can get on the other side,” I said. Once I turned my truck around and parked it behind hers, I got out to see what was wrong. It looked like her engine overheated, so I called my dad up to explain the situation. He was on his way with Big Mac in his truck to meet us here with a car trailer, in case we needed to bring it back to the farm. “Looks like the engine did overheat. Might need to have the oil changed and spark plugs either cleaned or replaced.” My father said. “Big Mac, you have some tools back on the farm to help fix this?” “Eeyep.” he replied. “Son, help me load it on the trailer, will you?” “Sure, dad.” As we were loading the car onto the trailer, Chrysalis decided to ask Sunset’s mother a question. “So Mrs. Shimmer.” “Ms. Shimmer,” she corrected. “Sorry. Ms. Shimmer, where were you going to at this time?” “We were going to get something to eat, since I got home late,” Ms. Shimmer said. “Now I don’t know if that would happen.” “My wife is helping out with the food for a party at Sweet Apple Acres,” my father said. “If you want, you can join us and get something to eat while we get you car up and running. Should take a few hours to work on.” “That would be nice,” Ms. Shimmer replied. “Save us from going somewhere else to eat, right Sunset?” All Sunset did was grunt and roll her eyes in response. We had the car hooked up to be taken back to the farm for repairs. Sunset decided to ride in Big Mac’s truck because she was hoping to not be seen when the car is taken to the shed. Ms. Shimmer rode in my truck. I knew that there was some info I needed about Sunset’s past, and her mother might have the answers I need. I asked, “So Ms. Shimmer, is it just you and your daughter who live together?” “Yes,” she replied. “Why do you ask?” “Well, you corrected Chrysalis on your title, and Sunset has never mention anyone else in her family,” I said. “I doubt she ever does. I’ve given her a hard time after what she did months ago,” she said. “Well, I just moved here over the summer, so I have only heard about the stories about her, but I’m not sure I really believe them.” I lied about the last part so she doesn’t know that I believe them. “So you’re Jack, the one she keeps bring up every now and then.” After hearing that, I guess I can throw the lies out the window. She continued, “I’m glad someone is making sure she doesn’t cause any trouble.” “And what has she told you about me?” I asked. “How you always watch over her about everything,” she answered. “I just hope that you can keep her out of trouble. I don’t want her expelled from school. I got enough to deal with keeping everything together.” I decided to push the envelope on the family. “If you don’t mind me asking, but what happened to her father?” “I…rather not get into that. I just want to leave it in the past.” Just as she answered that, my soul powers went active. She’s scared of her past. No doubt she’s trying to keep her emotional scars hidden. That makes me wonder if Sunset has any emotional scars on her. “What happened to her during the summer?” Chrysalis said. “I heard that she got punished at school.” “I grounded her, took away the car keys, and drove her to school so the principal can put her to work,” Ms. Shimmer answered. “That must have taken a lot out of you, juggling between your job and managing Sunset’s work,” I responded. “I know,” she said, “but it had to be done. She needed to understand how it affects the family as a whole.” We finally arrived at the farm. Big Mac drove around the back to where the shed was, while I parked at the front. I can see my friends there with confused looks on their faces. I knew they were going to need an explanation of Sunset being here. “Ms. Sunrise Shimmer. I’m surprised to see you here.” Twilight’s mother came walking towards us, recognizing who Ms. Shimmer was. “Sorry if I’m getting in your way, Mrs. Twilight Velvet. My car broke down, and I’m thankful one of Sunset’s classmates was willing to help me out.” “That’s my son. Always willing to help.” My mother walked towards Ms. Shimmer to greet her. “Mrs. Candle Heart. We moved here over the summer.” “Your son told me about it,” she replied. “If you don’t mind, but I want to check on my car to see how long it will take to get it fixed.” “Hold on.” Twilight’s mother looked over to her son and said, “Shining, do you think you and your Coach can see if Jack’s father needs any help. You did take the coach’s auto class.” “Yes I did, mother,” Shining Armor replied. “I’ll get Coach Iron Will to help out. Just let us know when food is ready.” Shining Armor got Coach Iron Will and went with Ms. Shimmer to the shed where my father and Big Mac was working on the car. Twilight pulled me over to her friends to talk to me. “I guess you had no choice in the matter, did you?” Twilight asked. “What, you want me to leave them stranded on the road?” I replied. “I’m just surprised that your mother knows her mother,” Rarity said to Twilight. “She said that they came across each other in the grocery store one day over the summer,” she replied. “Well, as long as she stays away from us, that’s fine with me,” Rainbow Dash added. “I agree. The last thing we need is a party pooper,” Pinkie Pie said. We spent a couple of hours getting to know each other on the team before food was ready. Ms. Shimmer and the guys made their way back from the shed with the car’s engine cleaned and fixed. But Sunset decided to stay in the shed. So her mother went to get some food for her. I decided to take the food for Ms. Shimmer and let her stay and enjoy some time with both Twilight’s mother and my mother. When I went to the shed with both of our food, she was sitting in the back of the shed. “Here you go, Sunny.” I handed a plate of food to her. She looked at me and asked, “Do I get a drink?” I pulled out a can of soda to give to her. “Thanks.” I pulled out my can of soda from my other pocket and sat next to her. “You don’t have to stay here with me,” she said. “You are the popular one on the team.” “Couldn’t care less,” I replied. “No sense eating alone.” She took a sip of her soda and said, “I can never understand you. You try to be protective one minute, and caring the next. You’re just…I don’t know, a mystery.” “I should be saying the same thing about you,” I said before taking a sip of my soda. She gave me a curious look. Then she looked away and said, “Why do you even want to know about me? You heard from the entire school, so why ask me when you know the answer.” “I like to think there’s more to you than what everyone else knows.” “Well, good luck in finding out, because you’re not getting it from me.” “Even if it means finding out about your father?” “I don’t even want to go there, so stop asking.” I can see that she was rubbing her arm when I brought that up, and it was the same spot where I grabbed her on the first day. “Look, just because you’re the new student here doesn’t mean you can invade my entire private life, so just BACK OFF!” “Let go of my arm.” “I don’t need your help. So just stay out of my life.” “I didn’t hurt you there back on the first day, did I?” I asked. “No, it’s nothing to worry about,” she replied. “Just…nothing.” “You still remember about that science project that we will have to work together later on. “I don’t even know why you want to bring that up every time.” “Let’s just say I’m trying to break the ice.” “Good luck trying.” I stayed with her until we were finished with our food. By that time, her mother showed up in the shed. “Ready to head home, Sunset?” “About time,” Sunset said. She got up, threw away her plate and soda, and got into the car. Once she got into the car, her mother came up to me and whispered, “Thanks for watching over her. I just hope you can help her for me.” She got into the car, and drove off the farm. I walked up back to the front of the farmhouse. “What ya been doing, sugercube?” Applejack said. “You be missing out on all the fun.” “I had…more important things to deal with,” I replied. Applejack pulled me to the side and said, “Like bothering Sunset? I know it be dangerous dealing with her, after what she tried to do to Twilight. Are you sure you want to dig yourself a hole you can’t get out of?” “Can I ask you something?” I said. “Shoot.” “Have you ever learned about her past? I don’t mean the past few years, but her far past.” Applejack took some serious thought on the question before she spoke. “Man, I never really thought about that. But I don’t think she’s willing to talk about it anyway. Why you ask?” “I think the reason all this that has happened could involve going far back into her life.” “You think she was nothing but trouble all this time?” “Not really. Just…think about what I just asked. Maybe you can help me find the answer I’m looking for.” “Well partner, I already know what I need to know, but I’ll keep that question in my mind for now. Come on. We need to enjoy the night while it’s still young.” “Can’t argue with that, AJ. Can’t argue with that.” So I spent the rest of the evening with the rest of the team before heading home for the night to get some rest. I might have a lead to follow on Sunset, but going through with that lead will be more of a challenge. Ch. 14 - Touch and GoAfter spending the weekend working out and voluntary practice with Shining Armor and friends, I return to school ready to take part of the school’s football team. But when I entered the school, I saw a scene that looked familiar to one last week. I just knew the rumor mill was going on again, and it was all on me, again. “Good morning, everyone,” I said. I got what sounded like lazy responses from my friends, which I didn’t like. “OK, what’s the deal here?” “Jack darling. The deal is with you and Sunset,” Rarity said. “Everyone here is talking about how you like to hang around with that trouble-maker.” “And it’s not because she sits next to you in Science class,” Fluttershy added. “Yea,” Rainbow Dash replied. “First, you stand up to her for Twilight. Then, you and her are together in club recruitment week. And just when you join the football team as the talk of the town, you decide to spend some time with her. That’s so not cool, man.” Flash added, “Jack, trust me when I say this, but it’s not worth wasting your time with her.” Twilight just looked at me when she saw someone else coming. “Speaking of which, here she comes. Everyone, just act normal.” I don’t know how everyone would act ‘normal’, but I just went about my business as usual when she came to her locker next to me. As I was putting my stuff away, a sealed card was shown in front of me that Sunset was holding. “Here you go. My mother wanted me to deliver this to you and your parents.” I took the card and placed it in my book bag. She finished taking care of her things and closed her locker door. “Now if you will excuse me, I’ll let you continue talking bad things about me while I’m not around.” She started to walk away from our area. Rainbow Dash said, “I swear, I’m going to give her a piece of my mind with my…” “DASH!!!” Twilight said, cutting Rainbow Dash off. “You don’t need to go there, OK?” “See. This is what I’m talking about,” Flash said. “And how long have you known Sunset?” I asked. “Since I met her when 7th grade began,” he answered. “And she wasn’t the person that you see now.” Applejack had something on her mind, and Rarity noticed. “Applejack dear. You’ve been quite all this time. Don’t you have anything to say about what Jack is doing?” Applejack looked at me, wanting to say something, but couldn’t. I knew she was taking the question I asked her Friday night to heart, but wasn’t sure if she wanted to bring the others into the conversation. “Go on ahead and tell them, AJ,” I said. Everyone else was confused at what I was talking about. “Jack got me to thinking about how much we know about Sunset.” “AJ, we already know all that we need to know about her,” Rainbow Dash added. “I mean when she was younger, Dash,” Applejack corrected. “Back then, it was just me, Rarity, and Pinkie Pie. We met Dash and Flutters in 5th grade, and Soarin later in 6th grade. Flash was in the same junior high school when we started to attend for 7th grade, but it wasn’t til high school that we met. And you know about when Twilight came in.” “What are you trying to say, Applejack?” Twilight asked. “I’m saying that we only known her well from high school. And if Flash knows her since junior high, then we don’t have any info on her before that.” “Flash, since everyone has come together after moving, do you know if Sunset moved here when you met her?” I asked. “I never really asked her at that time,” Flash answered. “What about her father?” “Didn’t see or hear anything about him from her.” “Jack, you think all this could be connected with her time before 7th grade, or even her father?” Applejack asked. “I have to ask her about that, and I can already guess that she won’t talk about it anyway,” I said. “Well, good luck with that,” Rainbow Dash said. Everyone finished putting away their items, grabbed their books, and headed to class, expect for Applejack. She came up to me and said, “Look, I told you about digging a hole you couldn’t get out of. If you think there’s more to all this, then be careful. Don’t want you getting hurt out there.” “Thanks for watching out for me,” I said. “And also for taking what I asked you to heart. It’s good to get a friend’s opinion on something.” “No problem, sugercube. I’m glad I could help.” When I went to see Principal Celestia later today, she said that she had some important calls to take care of and requested me to help out Miss Luna on an event project that she’s working on. When I arrived in front of her office, I noticed the very dim lighting in the room. “Miss Luna,” I said, “you wanted my help on a project?” “Oh, Jack. Sorry if I didn’t notice you. You can turn on the lights if you like.” I turned the light on and asked, “How do you deal with working in an almost dark room. What a minute. Don’t answer that. I rather not know.” She giggled and said, “It’s a habit I had back in college. Even Tia still wonders why I keep doing it.” “So what’s this project that you need help on?” I asked. “It’s for the fall homecoming. We just got the theme selected and need to figure out how to display it next week. Think you can help?” “I can give it shot,” I answered. “But why start now on homecoming, and why does it have a theme?” “We always do a theme for the fall homecoming. Last year’s theme was disco night. Cadence and Shining Armor were rocking the look when they were selected as homecoming queen and king. This year’s theme is Nightmare Night, which will be held close to Halloween, after the regular football season ends. Speaking of which, have you thought about looking for a date for homecoming?” I rolled my eyes and said, “Oh great. Now you sound like my parents. My dad has been asking me if I ever found a girlfriend after having more female friends than male friends.” “Well, you have been the talk of the school for various reasons,” she said. “And is the latest about me involve Sunset?” I asked. “Let’s see. Most are talking about how you are making sure she doesn’t cause any trouble, which could be good. Some think you want to give her a hard time that would make her cause trouble to you.” “That’s a first,” I added. “And a few think you are secretly in love with her,” she finished. “I guess the card she gave me from her mother is fueling that rumor,” I said. “You got a card from her mother?” I nodded and took the sealed card out of my book bag. “So you haven’t even opened it?” “Well it’s also for my parents, so I figure I wait until I get home.” As I was tapping it on my other hand, I felt something shift in it. “That’s strange.” “What is it?” she asked. I felt it in detail and noticed that there was something thick in the card. “I’m not sure, but something else is in here besides the card.” I handed it to Luna for her to inspect it. “Feels like there’s a folded piece of paper in there, maybe a note. I have a letter opener if you want me to open it for you.” I nodded and went to stand beside her while she opened it with her letter opener. When she pulled the card out, a folded note fell out with my name on it. When I went to pick it up and open it, I felt a wave of images go through my head, enough to drop the note and make me almost lose my balance. “Jack, are you OK?” “Yea,” I said as I was regaining my balance. “Just had this weird feeling when I opened that note, that’s all.” She picked up the note and handed it to me. Wondering if the same effect would happen, I braced myself for the same side effects, only to find out that nothing happened. “So what does the note say?” she asked me as I looked at the note. Jack, I’m glad that you are looking out for my daughter, Sunset. I know she has done some bad things in the past, and that Twilight will not give her another chance, even if her mother believes that she made some mistakes in the past. She’s gone through enough and needs someone to help her realized that there’s someone who cares for her and will help her move forward. I can’t watch her all the time with work and all, and I feel that without any good friends at her side, she could be heading down a dark path, one that I wish to not see in the future. You’re mother said that you have helped others back at your last school. I’m hoping that you can help Sunset follow the better path and help her make friends that believe that she has changed. Thanks, Ms. Sunny Shimmer “Now I understand why she hates being called ‘Sunny’,” I said. “You said that something happened when you touched the note,” Luna said. “What was it?” “I saw these…images…in my head.” “Can you remember what you saw?” “I saw…two people. One looked like Sunset, or maybe her mother. It looked blurred. There was auguring. Then fighting. That’s it.” Luna started to think, and then said, “I think I know what you just experienced, and it’s the one gift I have been waiting for you to unlock. Soul reading.” “So this is another one of my soul powers?” I asked. She nodded. “What makes this one important?” “Well, some of your powers react to negative feeling: greed, anger, fear, sadness. What you experienced is another person’s ‘scars’ that come from them. It’s possible that the scars that she felt while writing that note transferred onto the note.” “But it happened the first time I touched the note. After that, nothing happened,” I said. “I think the book might explain it in detail, but what I can remember about this power is that if a fragment of a person’s scar gets onto something and is sealed away, it’s trapped in there until it is released. So you only experience it for a short time. If you were able to touch the person where they feel the scar the most, it becomes clearer to sense.” “Luna, back on the first day of school, I grabbed her by her arm, which got her mad.” She gave me a strict stare. “I know, it might have been wrong to do, but I had to get her to listen at that time. But last Friday, she rubbed on that same spot. I asked her if I hurt her there, and she said that it was just nothing. I think something happened to her in the past, and that spot might hold the answer.” “And if you have started to learn to use soul reading, you might be able to read it, if you can get her trust,” she said. “Which is not going to be easy,” I added. “But what makes you think that it has something to do with her past?” she asked. “I asked Ms Shimmer about Sunset’s father, and the same to Sunset. Both of them didn’t want to talk about it. And Flash only knows her since 7th grade. Everyone else just knows her from high school. Otherwise, I’m in the dark before that time.” “Well, it looks like you are starting to become a soul detective. Maybe in time, you might find the answers that you are seeking.” “I hope so,” I said. “I don’t want all these rumors controlling my life.” “Too late for that,” she said and laughed. “Well, can we focus on the project that you need help in the first place? Would be nice to get my mind off all these rumors,” I said. “Good enough. Let me show you.” So the project involves creating a poster and fliers for Nightmare Night. We looked into ideas and decided the best one for the poster would be to get some people to dress up as Halloween characters, with help from the fashion, theater, photography, and volunteer clubs. Luna would make sure all four clubs meet in the fashion room during free study. With that out of the way, we had one other matter to take care of. We made our way to the Principal’s office to explain to Celestia what just happen. Understanding the situation, she brought out Star Swirl’s book and looked up what happen to show to me. “Soul Reading” A person’s soul can be felt with a simple touch. But when negative energy (i.e. greed, anger, sadness, fear, distrust) is released, it can attach to an item that they touch, but can fade away when in open air. Entrapping that item can contain a fraction of that energy until it is released. While it is not clear what is sensed, it is enough to learn what negative emotion is felt. It is possible to read a clearer image at the source of the energy, but must be at the spot on the body that is impacted the most. “So something must had happen in Ms. Shimmer’s past that she cannot shake,” I said. “That is correct,” Celestia replied. “And if Sunset has experienced this kind of scar, it must be hunting her all this time.” “You think that trying to be popular in the past years was a way to hide the pain she has felt in the past?” I asked. “It’s possible,” Celestia replied, “but trying to move forward to hide your past is never easy. Not when anyone else knows how you really feel.” “Well, they will have to get used to her being with the others when we work on the event poster,” Luna said. “That’s not good,” Celestia said. “Twilight and Cadence would like to be there to see what’s being done.” “Put Sunset into the mix, and you got a cat fight ready to go wild,” I said. “Who’s in charge of the event? Twilight?” Celestia answered, “She hasn’t decided who should take charge, but is thinking about either Trixie or Chrysalis.” “If Chrysalis is in charge, then they will have to do what she wants done, right?” I said. Both of them nodded. “That would include asking Sunset to help out where she is needed.” “I think I can convince Twilight to let Chrysalis take charge of the event,” Luna said. “After working on the fashion project back then, she would have the best knowledge for a Halloween theme event. Plus, it will give her a chance for others to see how good her talents are in the school.” “If a cat fight decides to break out, leave it to me to get in between them,” I said. “Would be a good, but crazy, idea. Could help give you some popularity points with the students,” Celestia said. “Oh, thanks,” as I rolled my eyes, “that’s all I need right now. Well, I better get ready for football practice. Pray that I can get through all this that you got me into.” “Don’t worry. You’ll do fine,” Celestia said. I went to the football field where all the other players were waiting for practice to start. When Coach Iron Will showed up with Soaring, Rainbow Dash, and Coach Spitfire, we started to go through training drills. After over an hour of practice, Coach Iron Will requested that Shining Armor, Thunderlane, and me work with Twilight on working out some of the plays while he kept working on the other players in drills. “Ready to lay out some play formations for the team?” Twilight asked. “You know I am, sis,” Shining Armor replied. “Hope you don’t have a problem with her helping out,” he asked me. “I know she’s good at tactics, so it would be nice to see how it all works out on the field.” So we looked through all the old plays, threw some plays out, changed some other plays, and created new plays. After 30 minutes of work, we had everything ready for tomorrow’s practice. With a little time before practice was over, we decided to talk about the homecoming event. “We already have our theme selected for homecoming,” Twilight said. “What’s that?” Thunderlane asked. “Nightmare Night. Since it will be held close to Halloween,” Twilight answered. “So my little sis wants to dress as a vampire and suck on Flash’s blood,” Shining Armor said. “Very funny, Shiny. I’m just waiting on how we will promote the event.” Twilight said. “Already covered,” I replied. “Miss Luna plans to do a photo shoot for the poster, so she’s getting the fashion, theater, photography, and volunteer clubs together tomorrow.” Twilight replied, “That’s great. I’ll be glad to see…wait, did you say the volunteer club will be there?” I let out a sigh and said, “Yes, Sunset will be there as well, if that’s what you are wondering. You just let me worry about Sunset. You just focus on yourself, Twilight.” “OK,” she replied with a monotone. “If you know what you’re doing, I won’t complain.” The volunteer club and photography club met with the fashion club in their workplace during free study. Trixie from the theater club and Twilight and Cadence were also there. “OK, we have decided to make this year’s homecoming theme to be Nightmare Night,” Cadence said. “Miss Luna, do you want to explain what we are doing for the poster?” “Thank you.” Luna stood up. “We decided to have students dress up in Halloween costumes and have pictures taken of them. I’m sure the fashion club can make some quick costumes and Trixie has allowed the theater club to borrow props. The photo club will work on the pictures and editing. I don’t know if we will have it done today, so we might have to meet again tomorrow.” “As long as I have ze pictures by Thursday, then it is fine,” said Photo Finish, the white haired, blue girl with the fancy glasses. “My partners shall work on ze setting and ze makeup when they are ready.” “Well, if our volunteers are ready, we would like to get started on the costumes,” Rarity said. “Trixie, have you brought the props to add to the costumes?” “Trixie always brings what they need.” She sets a few boxes on the table. “Just give Trixie time to find the right ones for our volunteers.” So work began on the costumes with the five of us being worked on at the same time. Diamond Tiara, Silver Spoon, and Sunset were dressed as different vampires, while Applejack and me dress up as vampire hunters. Trixie was able to find fangs for the vampires, a whip for Applejack, and a crossbow for me. We had the pictures taken of us separately and as a group. The work was completed as it went into the lunch hour. Luckily, Luna and Cadence were able to bring us some tacos and drinks from the cafeteria before students went to lunch. “So, do we know who’s going to be in charge of homecoming?” Coco asked. “Trixie hopes to be in charge this year. Trixie knows how to do Halloween.” “Well, Luna thinks Chrysalis can make this year’s homecoming theme become a reality,” Twilight said. Both Trixie and Chrysalis’ eyes went wide open in surprise. They both looked at each other. “HER???” Trixie pointed at Chrysalis. “ME???” she said as she pointed to herself. “I’m sorry, but…I don’t think I can handle something like that.’ “I think you can,” Luna said. “You did a good job with your fashion designs weeks ago. I think it’s a good chance to show the school what you are made of.” “Trixie does not understand this. People still think of her as a…” I cut her off and said, “You say that word, and you will regret it. Besides, I think it’s worth a shot. And maybe Twilight can find someone who can help you out.” “You know, I might know one person who can help.” Twilight glared at Trixie. Trixie saw what Twilight was planning and said, “Wait, you’re not thinking…NO!!! Trixie will not work with…” I gave her the same glare. “Fine, Trixie will do as Twilight requested. But Trixie does not like this.” “Well, Trixie can come to Jack’s place and work with Chrysalis on Nightmare Night,” I said, mocking her. “Besides, the D.I.Y. Home will be having their grand opening, and the two of you can talk with my father about any supplies needed to make it happen.” “Maybe Pinkie Pie should join the two of you so that she knows what party supplies are needed for homecoming,” Twilight added. “As long as Jack doesn’t mind the company, I’ll do it,” Chrysalis said. “Then how about this,” I requested. “All of you come to the grand opening this Saturday morning, look around and see what the store has, and anyone else who wants to help work on homecoming can come to my place later on in the day. Bring anyone else that wants to attend.” “What, you plan to have a lot of people helping out? Think your house can hold a lot?” Cadence said. “You have yet to see the garage,” I said. “It’s more like a tool shed in there.” “Well, I don’t think they have any fabrics there, now will they,” Rarity said. “Unless you want to decorate your home or garden,” Coco replied. “I’ve been into one back in Manehattan. Mother likes to buy some nice plants during the springtime. So it wouldn’t hurt to take a look.” “Since you put it that way, I might as well bring Sassy along,” Rarity said. “She always likes to have the right display for every dress that we make. And I’m sure she would like to see what they have for home decor.” “Perhaps we should have some fliers around the school,” Luna recommended. “A lot of people love to do projects for the school. And having a place that they can rely on will be nice.” “Then I guess we have a plan laid out for this Saturday,” I said. “I’ll ask my dad tonight if he has any to bring tomorrow.” “And we can spread word to our friends about this as well,” Twilight added. “You can expect us to be there anyway,” Silver Spoon said as she grabbed Diamond Tiara next to her. “Her father will be at the ribbon cutting ceremony.” Diamond Tiara was annoyed, but kept her mouth shut. “Well, lunch is almost over, so maybe you all should head on to your next class,” Luna said. Everyone started to grab their books and whatever they brought over and started to walk on out. “Sunset, can I talk to you for a moment?” I said. Everyone paused for a moment to look. “Alone?” as I stared at the others. That’s when everyone started to leave, expect for Sunset and me. Luna looked at me and gave me a nod before she left as well. “So what do you want to talk about?” Sunset said. I went into my bag and brought out a couple of items. I handed a card to her and said, “This is for your mother, from my parents. And this,” as I showed her a folded note, “is for you. You can read it now, later, or never if you like. Choice is yours.” I went back to my bag to close it up when I heard her open the note and quietly read it. Sunset, If you think that everyone is against you and doesn’t care for you, then you’re wrong. You may not see it, but your mother cares for you deeply. She worries that you will go down the wrong path. But I believe that there’s still a chance to win back the trust that you lost. I know there’s more to you than anyone else knows. So I need you to trust me on this if you want your life back to normal. If you still remember what I ask you on the first day, my offer still stands. Jack “Is this supposed to be some kind of trick you’re trying to pull on me?” She yelled at me. I got out the note that her mother wrote and said, “If you don’t believe me, then read this.” She took the note and read it. When she glanced at it, she sat down and handed me back the note, not knowing what to say. “Now you understand why I wrote that note to you.” As I put the note away, she said, “You said that if I want to bury all that I did and move one with my life, that you would help, right?” I nodded. “Give me…give me some time to think about it, OK?” I said, “Don’t take too long. We have…” “…A science project to work on.” She finished. “I know, I know. You don’t have to remind me.” I grabbed my bag and started to make my way out, but looked back and said, “Are you going to your next class?” “Yea. No sense staying here.” She grabbed her bag and made her way out, with me behind her. Ch. 15 - Game TimeOur first game was just days away, and while the team was doing fine, our kicking game needing work, as in our backup kicker. His name was Swift Kick, who was a member of the soccer team last semester. It was Soarin who asked him, plus a few other good kickers, to try out for the kicking position. While I’m listed as the main kicker, I’m also a backup QB and could play at times with the offensive line. So I needed Swift Kick to be ready if he needed to step in. His long kicks were fine, but something felt off with his high kicks. Twilight asked Moon Dancer to come to practice and use one of the tablets to record and analyze the kicks to find anything wrong, since Twilight has to focus on the rest of the team for data analysis. “OK. Let’s see what we have on each high kick,” I asked Moon Dancer. She played back the videos and said, “Looks like he’s not timing his kicks with where the ball is in the air.” “Swift, give yourself another second before letting go of the ball when you start to kick,” I requested. Swift held the ball and started to swing his kicking leg forward, and then released the ball a second more than planned. The football hit the top of the net as planned, which was a better improvement than before. “Judging by the angle, that works better for high, short range kicks,” Moon Dancer said. “We just need to worry about the wind conditions.” “Because the wind can hold the ball back or send it out of bounds,” Swift added. “I remember about taking wind conditions into account.” We heard the coach’s whistle blown from afar. After a moment, Coach Iron Will called to us. “Jack, Swift, ready to test some field goals?” “Ready when you are, coach,” I said. This is when we test out the range and distance of each field goal, plus how special teams can hold back the defense. With Thunderlane as the holder, I started to do some field goals, putting the focus on special teams. When I made my first attempt, one of the defensive players at the end got through and blocked the kick. “Hey, who was supposed to cover the end?” Iron Will yelled, “Boys, the middle needs to hold on to two players at least, not the ones at the end. Do it again.” The guys did better after a few more attempts, and my kicks were good enough to work. It was Swift’s turn to kick. Moon Dancer got her tablet ready while I looked from the back to see the direction of each kick. There were good kicks and bad kicks. Swift’s angle was good, but had some problems with the directions on one side, which required me to show what needs to be corrected. Once we were done with our kicks, coach went back to the main groups while we rested our legs and looked at the video recording to see if any improvements were needed. “So far, your best is around the 40-yard line,” Moon Dancer said. “Is there any way we can get to the 50-yard line, or at least the 45,” I asked. “Maybe,” Moon Dancer replied, “but we will need the right wind and holding down the defense so they can’t get a tip of it.” “I can work on the angle a bit down more, but that will be the best I can do,” Swift said. “And if the wind is blowing at me, then it will be a wasted kick.” “Agreed. Anything past the 40-yard line will have to be put into question for now,” I said. Soon then, we heard a voice from the playing field. “INCOMING!!!” We saw a football flipping in the air, coming down on us. My soul release powers kicked in, but this time, it felt like time was slowing down, allowing me to learn where the ball will land before time went back to normal. Moon Dancer went to cover her head, but I was able to catch it with one hand, a foot above her head. She looked up and was surprised at how I was able to catch it. “Hey, next time, know where you’re aiming, or at least where it will bounce off the player.” I took the ball and threw it back to Shining Armor. “I can’t believe how you can catch a ball like that without panicking,” Moon Dancer said. “I guess it’s just instinct,” I said. “Not everything can be based on instinct alone,” she replied. “True, but there are some thing that might be a mystery to others,” I said. “Maybe there’s luck to it as well.” “I’ll believe it when I see it,” she said. With practice coming to an end, I put up my equipment and started to make my way to the truck. I knew Chrysalis was with Rarity after school and that she would help take her home for me. As I was coming up to my truck, Moon Dancer stopped me. “Jack, I need to ask you something,” she said. “Has there been anything strange happening to you?” “Not really,” I answered. “Why do you ask?” “Well, I find it…strange to see how you can pull off those catches with ease. Not everyone can do something like that. And with the way you have helped out at school…it’s just not natural. There’s no science or theories to explain it.” “Not everything is based on science,” I said. “It just happens when it happens.” “Still, I just find it strange, and I think Twilight thinks the same, but won’t admit it,” she said. “Well, just focus on the data that we need and forget the strange events that happen. I’ll see you tomorrow, OK?” She nodded and went on her way. I got into my truck and drove back home. “So time just slowed down when your soul release power went active,” Celestia said. “That’s what I believe happen, unless this is a new power that I have unlocked,” I said. I knew that something strange and new happened to me yesterday, and needed to find out about what did happen. Celestia got out the book and flipped through the all the pages in the book. “I can’t find anything about what you just experienced,” she said. “Maybe your soul release powers have either evolved, or that it’s natural and was never mention.” “So there are some things that Star Swirl has yet to discover, or he never got all the details on some powers,” I said. “I wish I could have Twilight look all this over, but until we get Sunset on the right path, and have Twilight gain her trust, I can’t bring her in to all this,” she said. “Maybe not.” She raised her eyebrow, wondering what I was talking about. “Moon Dancer might be able to understand this stuff as Twilight would. She asked me if there was something strange happening to me yesterday. I lied to her about it, but I think she could be on to me. If she can understand these powers, she could be able to help us.” “As long as she can keep your powers a secret. Something I can’t risk at this time. I’ll have my sister look into her. If your powers are evolving, then we need someone with the smarts to understand this, and that’s something that Luna or me can work on, even if we spent some time with Star Swirl.” “Well, with our first game coming up this Friday, I’ll know I can find out if time slows down when I’m on the field,” I said. It’s Friday evening on the football field. Cadence was working with the cheerleaders getting everything ready. Twilight and Moon Dancer were up in the booth. And I was with the team getting ready for pregame warm-ups. Shining Armor called me over to where he, Flash Sentry, Thunderlane, Soarin, and Rainbow Dash were at, which was near the 50-yard line. Three players from Cloudsdale were on the other side. “Jack,” Shining Armor said, “say hello to, who we like to call, the bully boys. Hoops, Dumb-bell, and Score.” “I was hoping for some cool dude as the new guy, not some Average Joe,” Dumb-bell said. “DB, lets not judge him until we see him in action, if he gets any,” Hoops said to Dumb-bell. “Don’t let these boys fool you with their attitude,” Rainbow Dash said. “They let all that out during the game. Otherwise, they are good friends of ours.” “There’s only one team we all hate the most,” Soarin added. “Crystal Prep.” “Those hot shots like to show off to everyone that they’re perfect in every way,” Score said. “That’s what I have heard,” I replied. All of us started to do our stretches. Rainbow Dash helped with getting my legs loose for kicking. “So tell me…about…Crystal Prep,” I said as Dash was pushing my legs towards my chest. “Crystal Prep has been getting the best students from several cities besides Ponyville,” Hoops said. “It’s like they’re recruiting students to bring them to their school.” “You would think they would leave it to colleges to do that,” Score added. “Mane Coast Academy doesn’t do that for their school.” The others gave me a confused look, so I clarified my statement. “I came from Manehattan and attended at West End High. Mane Coast Academy is like Crystal Prep, but they don’t like to show off their wins to everyone.” “How do you know that?” Shining Armor asked. “I had a nice chat with their backup quarterback after we faced them one day. Both of us didn’t get much in playtime because we were backups in our area. They like to show other teams with respect, even if that team lost badly. Hopefully, he’s now the starting QB, because he said that their starter was graduating this past spring.” “Makes you wish that Crystal Prep can show that same respect to other schools, but they only care about themselves,” Hoops said. I decided to raise the issue that I talked about with Celestia. “Do any of you think that there could be something…strange with Crystal Prep? I mean, they’re perfect in every way. You would think they would find ways to, I don’t know, cheat to get what they want.” “That would be a first,” Dumb-bell responded. “If the did, then the school board would be on their case.” “And the guy in charge of the school board was a former principal of this school,” Flash added. Knowing that the only new info was the recruiting that they did, I was in the dark on how they remained perfect in everything. We finished up warm-ups and started making our way to the locker room for a pep talk when Luna asked Iron Will for me to talk with her. “So I see you talked to a few players from Cloudsdale,” Luna said. “Anything to take note, or was it just a casual conversation.” “Have you heard about Crystal Prep recruiting students from outside Ponyville?” I asked. “Don’t think I have. You think that would have anything to deal with Crystal Prep’s perfect record?” “Well, it’s a starting point, if we had a way to access their school records, finding out where they came from. But as of now, there’s nothing else that we can look into to confirm our suspicions.” “At least you tried to get a lead on them. For now, lets work on developing your powers.” “What about Moon Dancer?” I asked. “I’ve looked into her, and can see that she can be curious about some things. If I can talk to her before the end of the game, I can get a better idea of her.” “I saw that she’s up with Twilight in the booth. She’s going to be working on special teams from above, which is a plus for the team.” “Then I’ll look for her at half-time during the game. You might as well join the team right now. Just be ready for Iron Will’s motivation speech. He loved to give one.” So I made my way into the locker room just as Coach Iron Will was giving his speech to the team. No doubt, Luna was right about it being motivational. The team was fired up and ready to play. And with that, we made our way back to the field. As one of the alternate captains, we made our way to the center of the field for the coin toss. They won the toss and wanted the ball first. We were able to pick the side needed to give us the wind advantage in the 2nd and 4th quarters. With that set, it was time for the kickoff. I set the ball in place to be kicked, went back and looked at the players to my left and right. Seeing that they were ready, I proceeded to kick the ball to the other team. They got the ball, but didn’t get much after we chased them out of bounds. Leaving it to the rest of the team, I went and sat down and got in touch with Moon Dancer. “Didn’t feel much in the wind speed,” I spoke into the headset. “I already looked into the wind conditions. Very light winds, so it won’t play a factor in the game tonight. By the way, good job in sending the receiving player out of bounds.” “Guys saw which way he was planning to go, and was able to close any holes that were there,” I replied. “You don’t sound excited about the game.” “Let’s just say I’m not sure how much game time I will get tonight. Even if I’m more than a kicker.” And I was right. I didn’t get much play time expect for when I had to punt, or on the extra point after a touchdown, which we got two in the first half. With three seconds left in the half, and the score tied at 14 each, coach called me up to score a field goal to end the half. It was a 38-yard kick, which made it through with ease, giving us a 17 to 14 lead. As we made our way off the field for halftime, I looked up to see Luna and Celestia watching the game. When they looked at me, they were not pleased with the effort that was given to me. I just gave them the “what were you expecting” look. Luna decided to do what she planned to do with discussing with Moon Dancer. “Good job on giving us the lead with that field goal,” Shining Armor came up to me. Seeing that I wasn’t impressed in what I have done, he asked, “Something wrong, Jack?” “It just feels like how I was used last year with the last team,” I said. “I’m surprised that I’m listed as a backup QB and alternate captain. But for some reason, I still feel like the same old kicker that I was before.” “I’m aware that Principal Celestia wanted you on this team for a reason, and your kicker skills are a part of that,” he said. “Than why place the other titles for a reason when you already have those filled by others?” I asked. “I can see what you mean,” he responded. “Just give it some time.” After hearing the coach’s halftime update, it was back to the playing field. I noticed Shining Armor talking to Coach Iron Will about something before coming to see me. “Ready for the second half?” Shining Armor asked. I only let out a sigh, not wanting to answer. “Don’t worry, you’ll get a chance soon.” At first, I didn’t understand what he was talking about. But when the coach requested for me to return the ball from kickoff, I was more surprised that I would be doing this instead of Flash, who’s faster than me. I told Swift Kick to find time to warm up, in case something was to happen to me. I got on the field, waiting for the opposing team to kick the ball. Once they kicked the ball my way, the same effect I had when I grabbed the ball over Moon Dancer took effect again. Time slowed down for me to see where it would end up. I caught the ball and started to run. I was able to dodge some players, which forced me to run close to the edge to the playing field. When two more players were making their way towards me, closing any chance to move around them, I sense someone coming my way from my blind side. It was Thunderlane, making his way to tackling one of the opposing players, causing both to lose their footing. This opened the door for me to make it to the end zone, scoring a touchdown on the return play. Seeing as what just happened, I was hoping that would get everyone’s attention. Already, Thunderlane was making his way towards me as I was heading of the field. “About time you got some more action on the field,” Thunderlane said to me. “If you didn’t make that tackle, I would have been chased out of bounds,” I replied. We saw Shining Armor and Swift Kick coming our way. “We got the extra point covered. You go and take a quick break on the bench,” Shining Armor said. We made our way to the bench, getting thanks for what I did. As we were catching our breaths, Thunderlane said, “Think Shining knows how to place the ball for the kicker?” “AND THE EXTRA POINT IS GOOD!” “That answers your question?” I said to him. I requested that Swift Kick do the next kickoff this time so I can still recover from what just happened. It would be later on in the game that I would do some work on offense and leave the kicking duties to Swift Kick, unless I’m needed to make a long kick. Throughout the second half, I had the ball handed to me on several plays, which helped Flash get the bulls-eye off his back at times until both of us became random targets to our opponents. At the end of the game, we won the game, 38 to 21. Coach Iron Will was impressed with how I was able to handle on the field and decided to have me on the offensive line through the rest of the season, as long as I work with Swift Kick on improving his kicking game. As everyone started to leave the game, some of the students that were there gave me praise for what I did on the second half. Even some of the girls were interested in me. But my mind was focused on other things. It was when Moon Dancer wanted to talk to me in private. “First, you caught the ball over my head with ease. Now, you impress everyone on the field during the second half of the game. How are you able to do all this?” she asked. “Maybe I didn’t know that I had it in me,” I said. “Then tell me this. Did time slow down for you to react the way you did?” I gave a confused look, just knowing that she would be on to me. “Look, Miss Luna wanted to find out if there was anything that I saw that stood out, and I brought up your name and how it was weird to be this on target.” I said to her, “You asked me if there was anything strange happening to me.” She nodded. “Well, what did Luna say to you?” “She said that you were something special and that I should talk to you to get your side of the story,” she said. “And if I believed what you are saying, that I can’t tell anyone else about it.” “I have this gift that allows me to sense feelings and such. When I got here, I learned that it was called soul resonance. It’s the ability to sense other people’s souls, for strange reasons. We have old notes about it, but what happened this week, about time slowing down, was something new. I would like for Twilight to help understand all of this, but…” “But Twilight still has to deal with Sunset, and the only other person that’s as smart as Twilight is me,” Moon Dancer finished. “I can see now what makes you special. But this could make you a target to others, maybe even a threat. Who else knows about this, beside Miss Luna? I can guess the principal is on this as well.” “Besides those two, Coco and Chrysalis. Coco knew able my gift back at my last school, and Chrysalis caught on after I helped her out with her big problem this year.” “So you’re just trying to figure out how your gift works and unlock new powers to your gift. Is that all?” she asked. “Almost,” I said. “Part of my gift involves Sunset Shimmer. I can explain about it in detail later on. For now, I need to put my equipment away and make my way home. You plan to come to the grand opening tomorrow.” “I do. There was some planting items I wanted to get there,” she said. “Then we can talk sometime tomorrow, if we get the chance,” I said. “Agreed,” she responded. “And your secret is safe with me. If there’s any questions needing answers, we’ll find them together.” After putting my equipment away and cleaning up, I made my way to my truck. I knew that Chrysalis and my parents had to stay home, finishing up things for tomorrow. I noticed someone leaning on the back of my truck. As I got closer, I can make out a familiar girl with fiery hair, in a black leather jacket. “Looks like someone just got more popular as the night went on. You must be some hero to everyone now.” “I’m surprised that you came to the game, Sunset,” I said. “Well, that’s not the reason I’m here.” She looked down and said, “I thought about what you said in the letter you gave me. And the only problem I see in all this is that everyone loves you, and everyone hates me. How are you able to help me when no one else cares what I do?” “Because I believe in second chances. And right now,” as I placed my hand on her chin, raising her head, “you’re one who deserves it more than ever.” She grinned and said, “Well, we do have to work on a science project together.” “I though you didn’t like to bring that up,” I said. “I’ll make an exception.” She started to stand up straight and continued. “You understand why I hate being called Sunny, right?” “Because that’s your mother’s name,” I said. “Well, I’ll make another exception on that. Just don’t do it in public, please.” “Can’t make any promises on that, Sunny.” “Man, I’m going to regret doing this. But if I’m going to put up with you, Jack, might as well be now.” Ch. 16 - Second ChancesIt was the grand opening of D.I.Y. Home in Ponyville, and my father’s boss, Mr. Fix-It, was there along with my father, Mr. Rich, and Principal Celestia. Celestia never told me that she had a part in all of this until today. She said that one of the reasons that they needed a store like this in Ponyville was the added support and resources for the school projects that go on there. Somehow, my dad didn’t even know about this until weeks ago as the store was in the completion phase. Everyone that I knew from school, plus some that I haven’t met in the first place, was there. It looks like Twilight and Cadence really got the word out in hopes that we can get enough helpers to make Nightmare Night a big event. My mother and Twilight’s mom were there so that they can get supplies for their new local building to hold the “Queen of Hearts Candles” store. Twilight and me have yet to see the new building, but with Shining Armor and Cadence with us, we promised that we would help in getting the supplies needed. Shining Armor was able to ask some of his friends if they could help out with some of the work tomorrow, since we plan to meet at my place later today to work out the details for homecoming. “So you made sure those who wanted to help know where to find my place, right?” I asked Twilight. “Yes. And once we drop off the building supplies, we’ll stop by the grocery store to pick up some drinks while you go back to the house and get everything ready,” Twilight said. “Trixie hopes that there will be enough room to hold everyone who plans to attend.” “You have no idea how big his garage is,” Chrysalis told Trixie. “Not to mention the tools they have in there.” “Well, our school has enough tools for the job,” Twilight said, “as long as we ask Coach Iron Will for them.” As we were waiting for the Mayor Mare to show up for the opening, Rarity was looking around for someone. “Rare, you still looking for Sassy?” Applejack said. “She said she was going to be here, dear,” Rarity said. “I know she thinks that we could use some natural lighting, but I don’t know what the big deal is with a change of light bulbs.” “Rarity, trust me on this. When you see the difference, you’ll be wondering if you were still outside,” I said. Rarity replied, “I’ll believe it when I see it. Oh, here she is.” “Pins and needles, Rarity. I hope I’m not late,” panicked Sassy. “No, Sassy. We’re still waiting for the mayor to show up,” Rarity said. “I just hope this lighting idea is worth coming here.” Sassy started to look worried. I whispered to Sassy, “Don’t worry. Once she sees the small lighting display, she’ll be pleased with the results.” That took the worry away from her face. “Hey, you can’t have a show without the right lights.” We were surprised when Vinyl popped in between us. “Vinyl, what are you doing here,” I asked her. “Besides getting some colored lights, I need to get some new power cords for my gear,” Vinyl said. “My last ones are getting worn out after performing at the EDM contest.” “You were using heavy duty cords when you went there, right?” I asked her. “Umm, kinda?” I gave her a stern look. “Hey, I could only find the best ones that were around. If I’m going make homecoming a big party, I need the best that there is to make it happen.” “Just make sure you talk to my dad about what you need them for. He knows how much power goes through them and can recommend the right ones to use…without burning out your gear.” “I’m just lucky that my gear still works,” Vinyl added. We all noticed that the mayor finally arrived for the store opening. After the speech and ribbon cutting, everyone started to enter the store. Before we made out way in, my mother noticed someone coming our way. When Twilight and me looked at who it was, Twilight started to get that worried look again. “Ms. Shimmer, it’s nice of you and your daughter to come,” my mother responded. “I wanted to pick up some orchids for the apartment. It’s been looking a bit dull as of late,” Ms Shimmer said. “Will your daughter be coming over to help out with the others later today?” my mother asked. “She didn’t tell me about that. But I’m sure she’s willing to help, since she’s part of the volunteer club,” Ms. Shimmer added. Twilight started to feel scared, Cadence started to worry about Twilight, and Sunset decided to look away after they all heard that. I just knew I was going to have to step in before it got worst. “Oh, I’m sure my daughter would love to have Sunset’s help, right Twilight,” her mother asked. “Oh, I think we can hand-mmph.” I placed my hand on her mouth; cutting off what Twilight was about to say and said, “Sure Sunset can help out, can she?” I shook her head up and down, but Twilight was trying to object to this. “Twilight, can we talk for a moment?” I stared at Cadence as a way to tell her not to interfere. I took Twilight away from the group and removed my hand from her mouth. “Jack, what was that for?” she said angrily. “The last thing I need is her trying to ruin homecoming again.” “Is that what you want to keep doing, just trying to stay away from her?” I said. “All this time, you and your friends, as well as the entire school, wants to think she’s nothing but trouble.” “Because she is, Jack. And that’s what she’ll ever be.” “Whatever happened to second chances? At least you can give her a second chance to set her on the right path.” “Like she deserves one. She had those chances before she got caught.” “That was before, and this is after. At least give her a chance.” “That’s never going to happen.” “So is that how it’s going to be, Miss Student VP!!! Do you want to be looked that the next student president who wants to treat bad students with disrespect. Since I’ve gotten ‘popular’ in school, I wouldn’t mind running against you for that spot and leave you as Student VP again for another year if you like.” “You wouldn’t dare.” Both of us started at each other, waiting for one of us to break. But it was Twilight who broke as she started to think of the situation that was going on. “You think she can change?” “It doesn’t hurt to try,” I said. “Besides, have you seen how her mother acts towards her, or even towards your mother?” She looked towards them, then back to me. “I guess…I can give her a chance. But if this goes south, then I expect you to take the blame for all this, clear?” “Crystal,” I replied. Twilight and me started to walk back to the group. I saw Sunset gave a glance at me, in which I nodded back to her, understanding that everything’s going to be all right. We were looking over the list that my mother made on what they need for the new store. We started to look into shelving to put on the walls. That’s when we saw Applejack, Rainbow Dash, and Soarin looking at the same thing. “You looking into some new shelves?” Twilight asked. “Well, Apple Bloom and her friends wanted to add some shelves for their clubhouse. But we don’t know what would be best to work with,” Applejack said. “So who built the clubhouse?” I asked. “You’re looking at them,” Rainbow Dash answered, “with Big Mac’s help.” “Girls wanted a place to have their Crusaders meet-up, and we built it during the summer before we started high school,” Applejack said. “We wanted to build wooden shelves, but we can’t figure out what all we need to make sure they hold in place.” Shining Armor and me were looking at the selection around when we saw our mothers pick out some of the wire shelving for the store. Shining Armor asked, “Soarin, you still have some of those wooden strips that we used in the past?” “Yea, why?” he replied. “What do you think, Jack? Attach the strips to the clubhouse…” “And attach the wire shelving to the strips to hold it in place,” I said, finishing Shining Armor’s comment. “It will give them some shelves to use for hanging as well. And there’s a complete wire shelving kit to use, with all the pieces to build it. Good thinking.” Applejack looked at the wire shelves as said, “You know, that might just work. The girls are going to like this.” “Where are they, anyway?” Cadence asked. “Oh, they wanted to look at the upcoming store projects listed,” Rainbow Dash said. “They always wanted to try something new every time,” Cadence responded. “Well, we need to finish getting the supplies needed for the store. See you at Jack’s place.” The next thing we needed was some indoor work lights, and a good amount of them. “You’re sure we need this many,” I asked my mother. “Yes we do, son. Only a few of them were working when we got there. The place hasn’t been used for over two years, from what the building owner told us.” “Mrs. Candle Heart, did it have some cooling units in there?” Cadence asked. “Yes it did, why do you ask?” “I think I know which store you bought,” Cadence answered. “It was a flower store before the owner decided to close it up over two years ago. The previous owner passed away six months later. Everyone in Ponyville loved the place before it closed down. I don’t think anyone wanted to buy it because of what it meant to everyone and would be hard to find someone to replace it.” “You know, we have been thinking about working on some flowers to use for some new projects to go with the candles you sell,” Mrs. Twilight Velvet said. “Maybe we can fill the void that this town needs, with some hired help.” “I’ll keep that in mind, Velvet.” When we arrived where the lights were at, Rarity, Sassy, and Vinyl were picking up some light that each one wanted. Rarity noticed and waved at us. “Take a look at this,” as Rarity was pointing to the display. “I can’t believe that these lights give the room more of a natural look. And they have the energy saver models of them as well. I think the Carousel Boutique is about get a new look now.” I whispered to Sassy, “Told you it would work.” I looked at Vinyl as she was grabbing some colored lights. “You got the power cord that you needed?” I asked her. “Sure did,” she responded. “But I’m going to have to talk to Principal Celestia if I need a different cord to use.” “Different ports, I presume?” Vinyl nodded. “Well, I’m sure my dad can get you set up on what you need before homecoming. He also has a portable generator if we have to go with that.” “Well, I hope you don’t mind me if I bring my speaker over to your place. I have to replace the torn one.” She brought out another power cable with one of the ends exposed. “I should have known,” I said. “Just be lucky that my father taught me how to replace power cables.” “Rarity, you still remember the old flower shop that closed down?” Cadence said. “How can I not forget about that place? My parents loved going there.” “Guess who now has it?” Cadence pointed to our mothers. Rarity gasped and said, “Really? This might be a good thing, giving that store a new life. The only difference would be that it would have scented candles instead of flowers.” “Well, we have been thinking about working on some flowers, if we knew someone with that kind of experience,” Twilight Velvet said. “I just saw Tree Hugger join Fluttershy in the planting area,” Rarity said. “Maybe she knows someone who can help out.” So Twilight, Rarity, and me went to see Fluttershy and Tree Hugger while Cadence and Shining Armor stayed with our mothers in getting the items purchased and loaded. “Fluttershy dear. Do you and Tree Hugger have a moment?” Rarity asked. “I think so. What is it?” Fluttershy responded. “Guess who’s moving into the old flower shop?” Rarity looked as us with excitement. “Our mothers just got the shop to operate Mrs. Candle Heart’s online business as a local business,” Twilight said. Fluttershy became excited. “That’s great. I mean, it’s good to see that building get some new life. And with someone that is close to us.” Twilight asked, “Tree Hugger, do you know someone who is experienced with flowers? Our mothers are looking for someone who can help out with that.” “I can feel good vibes from this,” Tree Hugger responded. “I’ll talk with some members in the nature club Monday and see who can help.” “Thanks, Tree Hugger,” Twilight said. She looked over to her side and noticed Moon Dancer looking over several pots. “What’s she doing?” “Oh, Moon Dancer was going to grow some tomatoes at home,” I said. “Looks like she’s having a hard time choosing a pot,” Fluttershy said. “Tree Hugger, you grew tomatoes before. You think you can help her out.” Twilight interrupted. “Fluttershy, you know that Moon Dancer and Tree Hugger have not been on good terms.” “I can help, but her vibes conflict with mine at times,” Tree Hugger responded. I thought of an idea that could help with this ‘conflict’ she was talking about. “Come with me, Tree Hugger. I think I can fix your problem. We walked to where Moon Dancer was to see if we can help her out. She noticed us and responded, “Hello, Jack…and Tree Hugger.” “Something wrong,” I asked her. She let out a long sigh and said, “I can’t decide which pot I can use for my tomatoes.” “Let me ease out your troubles with this.” Tree Hugger grabbed one of the pots with a removable bottom pan to recommend to Moon Dancer. “This will let the roots be free to spread. You have the right soil to give it life. Just need the right pot to keep it alive. All you need is proper water and sunlight, and it will have life in itself.” “How you know all this?” Moon Dancer asked. “I created some in the past. Still have the notes on its progress to look back. You can look them over if you like.” Moon Dancer scratch the back of her head and said, “I guess it could help. Can you bring them to science class Monday?” Tree Hugger nodded. Moon Dancer looked at me and said, “Why do I get the feeling that you had this planned out?” “Just came to my head and figure it could break the ice between the two of you,” I said. “Well, I need to get back to my mother and make sure she has everything needed for her store. If you’re coming to my place later on, I’ll see you there.” I went back with Twilight to the front of the store when she asked me, “How are you able to get others to like each other when they have some kind of conflict between them?” “I just try to find a way that the two would have in common. Moon Dancer wanted to try out with tomatoes, and Tree Hugger has knowledge on that. If one person can help with another person on the same problem, they might be surprised at how they can get something done right.” “Why do I have a feeling that’s what you’re trying to do between me and Sunset?” Twilight recommended. “I think there’s more to you than you think you know,” I said. “How do you think you made all those friends that helped you in stopping Sunset from what she was doing to you.” Twilight stopped to think about it. “Well, it started off with meeting Rainbow Dash, then she introduced me to Fluttershy, then Applejack and Rarity, who introduced me to Pinkie Pie. The others just followed along after seeing the six of us working together. Lyra and Sweetie Drops are friends with Applejack, Octavia with Rarity, Vinyl with Pinkie Pie, Roseluck and Tree Hugger with Fluttershy, and Thunderlane and Soarin with Rainbow Dash. And you can understand that Moon Dancer and Trixie are friends with me. Everything just fell in place. They started to call the six of us the ‘Mane Six’.” “Main 6?” I said. “Mane. M-A-N-E. I think it’s a Wondercolt thing.” “Is it because the six of you are always together?” I asked her. “Well, that’s part of it. I don’t think you’ve heard of the Guardians of Harmony?” “I have heard of the legend. They were the peacekeepers to the Knights of Canterlot, the lost kingdom that our school was named after. What about it?” “Well, I can see that you read the scroll that they keep in the library on display. Some of the students compared us to that legend’s elements: honesty, kindness, laughter, generosity, loyalty, and friendship. Well, Applejack is always honest in what she has to say that’s on her mind. While Fluttershy is nervous in front of others, she has a kind heart to those who need it. Pinkie Pie might be strange with what she does, but she always brings a smile or a laugh to anyone’s face. Rarity is always generous in offering her designer clothes and whatever she thinks we need. Rainbow Dash is always loyal to her friends and would turn her back on them. And, well, I know how to make friends with everyone that are willing to be good friends with me.” “So they decided to compare you six to the legend, and Sunset had to play the part of the villain,” I said. “We were just tired of what Sunset was trying to do to ruin our lives. All because she was jealous of us…of me.” “And you, for once, never thought about giving her a second chance after what she did. And don’t tell me she had chances before she got caught, because I don’t believe that in the first place.” “Look, can we just drop it for once, Jack. I’m just tired of having to go through all this in the first place.” “Fine,” I said. “But don’t think I’m going to let this go. This is the last thing I need to see going on around school.” We met up with the others, who had everything loaded up and ready to go to the old store. I planned to head back to the house and wait for the others that wanted to help for homecoming to show up later today. Before I headed to my truck, Mr. Rich was waving me down. “Jack, can I ask a favor of you,” Mr. Rich said to me. “What is it, Mr. Rich.” “My wife is still out on business and I still have some business here to finish up, which could be a while. Do you think you can keep an eye on Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon for me?” “Oh, I’m sure he can handle it, with my help.” I looked to see Coco right behind me. “My mother had to head to work after stopping by here, and I was hoping you can give me a ride to your place for the meeting. Think your truck can hold four?” “I think the four of us can fit in there, so I’ll be happy to keep an eye on them until you come by to pick them up,” I told Mr. Rich. We were able to fit into the only seat in my truck and made our way back to the house. Diamond Tiara wasn’t pleased that she wanted to ride in my truck, but she knew to keep her mouth shut when I’m around. But she had different thoughts when she saw the house. All four of us decided to relax in my room until the others showed up for the meeting. And already, Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon became curious about the wooden box under my bed. Since I have planned to show them to Coco at some point, I might as well show it to them now. “Are those the swords that you were talking about?” Coco asked me. “Yep. Those are the ones he gave me.” Silver Spoon’s eyes went wide open when she noticed one of the swords. “Is that a Masamune katana that you have there?” “That’s right. You heard about it?” Diamond Tiara answered, “Please. We’ve been overseas to see all of that.” “You wanted to see all the jewels that they had. I was more into the shiny stuff, and their weapons was just part of it,” Silver Spoon said. “But the story of Masamune it what got me hooked. Basically, he made his katana to be used by those who wanted to protect themselves and those around them, like the samurai. I’ve always dreamed of being rescued by a samurai.” Diamond Tiara rolled her eyes and said, “Here we go again.” “Come on. A girl can dream.” Silver Spoon looked at the other sword and asked, “What’s this one below it?” “That’s Muramasa, what people believe is the opposite of Masamune,” I said. “They called it the blood-thirst katana, designed for those who want to kill. There have been many versions of Masamune and Muramasa that people are not sure which is true and which is not.” Just then, I heard the door open and close downstairs, followed by a voice. “Jack, we’re back early.” “We’re upstairs, Chrysalis. Just give us a moment.” I went to put away the case of swords while Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon made their way downstairs to see Chrysalis and Trixie. Coco was still in my room, wanting to ask me something. “Is it true that Sunset will be coming over?” “I know this is going to be a problem. But this needs to change. You know how I hate bullying and labeling.” “Just like you did freshman year,” Coco responded. “Things never change with you around.” “And as long as that still goes on, I plan to never stop doing what needs to be done. You know my dad’s motto.” We said together, “Never leave a job unfinished.” “But now we have a new group to keep your gift a secret. Besides you and me, there’s Principal Celestia, Miss Luna, Chrysalis, and now Moon Dancer. What if someone gets suspicious about what you possess? You’re already popular, and that was something you didn’t want to be back at your old school. Is that something that Celestia and Luna wanted?” I said, “They think that with each problem I come across, new powers would come alive when they happen. And so far, I have learned a few things. What else I learn is up in the air.” “And that’s the only way to find out more about your gift.” We looked to see Chrysalis at the doorway. “Hopefully, we’ll find the answers that we all seek. But for now, we need to focus on what Sunset is hiding.” “And to do that is by getting everyone to at least give her a chance that she can change,” I said. “If that can help lower her guard in her soul, then I can help where she needs help the most.” I soon heard the honk of a car horn. Looking outside, I saw my mother and the others show up. “Jack, can you help me with the drinks here?” “Sure thing, mom.” As I stepped away from the window, I said, “We better get ready for company showing up, not knowing what will happen.” So we went downstairs and I helped my mother with the drinks while Chrysalis went to the garage to get it ready for the meeting. As I was carrying drinks into the house, I noticed Miss Luna walking to the house for her car parked on the side of the road. “Am I early?” Luna said. “Just about,” I said. “Chrysalis is getting the meeting area ready in the garage, if you want to help.” I went up to Luna and whispered, “Sunset and her mother are coming here as well.” “OK. If anything goes wrong, I’ll do my best to help you out,” whispered Luna. As I was getting everything ready in the kitchen, everyone else started to show up to help out with homecoming. Everyone, expect Sunset. I was told that her mother wanted to drop off what they bought before coming over. And it was only a matter of time when everyone knew that she was attending this meeting. “WHAT!!!” “IS THIS A JOKE?” “WHY DO WE WANT HER HELPING OUT?” I knew I needed to make them understand why this is happening. I went into the storage room connecting the kitchen to the garage when I heard Twilight speak. I stranded next to the door to listen in. “Listen. I know we all don’t like Sunset helping out after what she has done in the past.” “Because she ruins everything that we get done,” Rainbow Dash spoke. “Dash, let me finish. So far, she hasn’t done anything wrong this semester.” “Plus, my sister has her on thin ice with what she has done,” Luna added. “That being said, I think it’s worth a shot to give her another chance to show her that she doesn’t have to be this way in the first place.” “Dear, is this your idea or Jack’s?” Rarity asked Twilight. “It’s Jack’s. But there’s a reason I’m going along with this. Even as the student VP, I would be setting a bad example to everyone if I don’t give a troubled person another chance to make a change.” “Well…it wouldn’t hurt to give her another chance…I mean, she hasn’t done anything wrong,” Fluttershy added. “But what is she plans on doing something bad,” Pinkie Pie spoke. “She could be gaining our trust in helping out on to set up traps and smoke bombs which could go off and scare everyone away in fear as a way to get back at us and do bad…” Applejack put her hand on Pinkie’s mouth and said, “I think we get the idea, Pinkie. But why would Jack want her here anyway?” “Twilight dear, AJ’s right,” Rarity spoke. “I can understand Jack has helped out with some of our problems, and he has been very helpful. But this is Sunset we are talking about. She’s more of a complex problem that no one can handle.” “That’s right,” Rainbow Dash said. “He’s taken this whole ‘being popular’ thing straight to his head.” Rarity added, “I don’t know if it’s a thing he’s gotten used to in Manehattan, but this is Ponyville. We know not to let that go to our head. No offense, Coco.” Coco replied, “Actually, I take great offense with that comment. Not everyone in Manehattan is like that.” “Excuse me, but this Jack we’re talking about, not the power hungry people of Manehattan,” Rainbow Dash said. “And that’s my point,” Coco responded. “Jack’s not like those people. And for the record, I know him longer and better than anyone else in this place. He never cared about being popular in school or anywhere else. All he cared about is helping those in need.” Applejack said, “Maybe it would help if ya start in the beginning, sugarcube.” “It started back in 8th grade, when we moved to Manehattan so my mother can take fashion study classes. I was just new around the area, and I never could make any friends during the 8th grade. When I got to high school, some ‘cool kids’ picked on me because of how I dressed or what I was into. I felt embarrassed in front of everyone else, until I met Jack. He was new to the area and didn’t have any friends either because his family always moves from one city to another every one to two years because of his father’s job. I remember seeing him in two of my classes, English and Algebra. He was able to help me in Algebra class, and I helped him out in English class. He was a good friend to have around. “But one day, he saw those same ‘cool kids’ laughing at me again and again. Jack decided to do something that I would never expect him to do. He walked up to them and said something that they didn’t like to hear. When I asked him what he said to them, his reply was that he wanted them to stop the teasing on me. He says that it’s something that he gets tired of seeing all the time. “One day, we decided to hang out in the park to relax and enjoy the view. I used that time just coming up with ideas while he uses it to clear his head. That’s when those ‘cool kids’ showed up once again. This time, they wanted to pick a fight with Jack because they didn’t like him. But every time they threw a punch at him, he was able to dodge it and counter the other guy’s attack. While dodging each of the guys’ attacks, one of the girls decided to create a distraction to throw him off guard. That’s when I went up to stop her. I just got behind her, grabbed her underneath her shoulders, and just flipped her over onto her head. It wasn’t a hard hit, but it just stunned her enough to get everyone else’s attention. That’s when he struck down the one who started the fight. He sent a message to the others that he disliked bullies and has dealt with them in the past schools. It was that point that I decided to stand up against bullying and was at his side. Everyone else just ran away at that point.” “Well, it’s a good thing you were able to chase those bullies away,” Rainbow Dash said. “But what does that have to do with helping Sunset out. She was also a bully.” “Well, on the following day at school, one of those cool kids came up to us, but it wasn’t to cause any trouble. She realized that she was hanging out with the wrong people to begin with and wanted to be our friend.” “What was her name?” Twilight asked Coco. “Night Glider.” “That was one of your friends that you mention back at my place a couple of weeks ago?” Rarity asked. “That’s right. And she learned that her true loyalty was with friends who cared for others. And that was just the beginning. We met up with Sugar Belle when she was asking for help with the homeless community when everyone else wouldn’t. She was kind to others and always like to cook food to give to the homeless, but needed help with delivering her food, so we decided to help her out. “Then Party Favor was working on the fall homecoming, but was working by himself with the balloons and decorations with a week remaining. The four of us decided to help him out. People thought that it was going to be boring, but Party Favor made it fun that it gave us a few laughs along the way. By the time we were close to finishing, we learned that we were short on budget for homecoming. Sugar Belle made treats from home, and the rest of us work on the lighting and remaining supplies. The only problem that we had was getting a DJ to play for us. Jack was willing to give it a shot, but all he had was his laptop. That’s when Double Diamond heard about our problem. He was generous enough to pay to hire a DJ or rent the turntable for Jack to use. But we found out that there weren’t any DJs available and no gear to rent. But Double Diamond knew someone who was selling an old vinyl turntable for cheap. Night Glider looked at it and believed that there could be a way to make adjustments to add Jack’s laptop to the turntable. Plus some of us found some vinyl records that would work with homecoming as a backup. “When homecoming came, everyone was shocked to see what all was done with just six people working together. Everyone saw how much of a success it was to happen. People asked how we were able to work together when we were all different. We wanted to give Jack the credit for bringing us together, but he didn’t want to take all the credit. He knew we came together when others needed the help. People started to call us…well, the same legend that our school here holds in the library…The Guardians of Harmony. I was honest to tell everyone that we didn’t want to be compared to that legend, even if we bared the same elements in the legend, so Jack decided to call us the Manehattan Knights, because we were willing to help those in need. And with the talents that Jack displayed, we started to refer him as the Jack of Trades. The rest is history.” Twilight said to Coco, “Let me get this straight. Night Glider represented loyalty, Sugar Belle represented kindness, Party Favor represented laughter, Double Diamond represented generosity, and you represented Honesty.” “From what everyone was telling us after telling the same story I told you,” Coco responded. “But like I said, we didn’t wanted to be compared to that legend.” “Well, just go with me on this.” Twilight said. “If you were compared with those elements, then Jack represented…” “Friendship,” I said as I walked through the door. “Just as you and your friends were called the ‘Mane 6’ here, we were called the Manehattan Knights over there. Both of us were compared to the legend, but in different ways. And to this day since I left, Professor River Song has kept the group going after she decided to fill the void that Coco once held. She made sure that the group was a reminder that everyone can work together, no matter how different we were.” “But we came together because of what Sunset was doing to the school,” Rainbow Dash said. “To the school, or to Twilight?” I responded. Twilight said, “He’s right. We came together because of a threat towards me, with the school in the cross hairs. Jack brought his friends together to complete a job at their school.” She looked at Luna and asked, “You and your sister know the legend better than any of us. Which one represents the Guardians the best?” “That’s something for you to decide, Twilight. Perhaps you were following the Guardians’ path. Or you could have followed the knights path, and Jack’s here to be your Guardians. No one knows the true answer.” Twilight looked down, trying to find the answer. That was when I felt a tap behind my shoulder. It was Ms. Shimmers standing behind the doorway where I once stood. She had a concerned looked on her face. When I saw this, I knew what needed to be done. “Ms. Shimmers, perhaps you can help Twilight find the answer she’s looking for.” Everyone started to notice that she was here as well. Twilight got up and turned to face her saying, “Ms. Shimmers, how long have you been here?” “Long enough to see that worried look on your face, Twilight. Look, I know what my daughter did in the past was wrong, and there’s nothing I can do to fix that. But I can’t be there to help her find the path she needs to take, and I don’t know anyone else who can do that for me. Jack has tried so far, but he’s just one person.” “Where’s Sunset now?” Twilight asked. “In the guest bathroom. I think she’s been in there for a while,” said Ms. Shimmers. “Jack, can I talk to you…in private?” Twilight started to walk through the doorway. As I was about to join her, I said, “Sir Coco, see to it that we’re not disturbed.” She replied, “As you wish, Captain Jack.” I raised my eyebrow and said, “Did you just combine two fandoms into one sentence?” Coco replied with a grin. “Never mind.” We decided to go to the backyard to talk in private. “Jack, if I was one of the knights and you were one of the guardians, then it’s my job to come to you for advice when I need it the most.” “So you’re going with the lather of the two that Miss Luna mention.” “Look, I’m serious about this.” She took a deep breath as said, “You might be right. I am running away…from my own demons. I just don’t know what to do.” “Twilight, look at you. You’re smart, friendly, and open-minded. I’m sure there are others who would love to be in your shoes. And don’t even think you’re the only one who has to deal with your own demons. Applejack, Rarity, Fluttershy, even Sunset has their own. Heck, even I had to deal with them myself.” Twilight gave a quick laugh. “You have your own demons? That’s a first.” “It’s true. You remember on that first day when I told that story about what happened in the 6th grade? That boy was a friend of my. Both of us got bullied around. But when my friend was getting bullied the most, I stood up and took the fight to them. It’s not the right thing to do, but I wasn’t going to let it go unpunished. That’s was when I decided to stand up against bullies and make sure they knew what they were doing was wrong. I didn’t want anyone else getting hurt by them. It wasn’t until Night Glider stopped being a bully and became a friend. That’s when I knew that was another way to solve my problems with bullies. And right now, I’m doing so with Sunset, hoping she could change as well.” Twilight thought for a moment, and then said, “If I want to be the ‘Guardian of Friendship’, then I need to give her another chance, if she’s willing to take it. I just…need you to help bridge that gap between us, like you did to so many others.” I nodded and we made our way back inside. Sunset was still in the guest bathroom, so it was no doubt that she was scared of facing us. I knocked on the door and said, “Sunset, it’s me, Jack. Can we come in for a moment?” She opened the door to see that Twilight was with me. She motions us to come in before closing the door. Before Twilight could speak, Sunset said, “Look, I know you don’t like me as well as the rest of the school. And if you don’t want me to help, just say so and I’ll just leave.” “Actually, it’s not about that.” Sunset had a confused look on her face as Twilight continued. “I haven’t been giving you a proper second chance to prove yourself that you can change. I was hoping that you would last school year, but I was wrong to believe that. I should have thought this over better, but I didn’t. Now I feel like I’m running away from my own problems instead of solving them. So I’m giving you another chance to show the school that you can change for the better and just…put everything in the past.” Sunset sat down, trying to take everything that Twilight just said. “Look, I’m an idiot for what I did.” “If you’re an idiot, then so am I,” Twilight responded. “I can’t forgive what you did, but I’m willing to overlook it and just focus on the future, as long as you let me give you this chance.” Sunset wasn’t sure what to do, so I said, “Twilight’s opening the door for you, Sunset. All you need to do is walk through it.” She looked at me and said, “If I’m walking through that door, I want you to walk with me, Jack.” “I’ll be more than welcomed to do so,” I said as I grabbed her hand. It was from that point that Twilight was willing to get Sunset another chance. All three of us went back to the garage to tell the others what was going on between the three of us. Not everyone was happy with the decision, but I told them that I would watch over her so that she doesn’t become a problem to anyone. With that out of the way, we were able to start our meeting. Well, almost. “Hey Jack, think we can get this speaker fixed first before we start,” Vinyl asked me. “If you going to delay the start of this meeting, then I hope you don’t mind if the others saw Masamune and Muramasa that you have up in your room,” Silver Spoon said. “Wait, you have a Masamune katana? Trixie demands to see it now.” I knew this was going to be a long day. “Coco, run up to my room and bring my case down. Shining, you can help me in getting Vinyl’s speaker fixed.” Author's Note This is by far the longest and most challenging chapter I have ever did. Took me a while to create when more ideas came in to my head while I had little time in front of the computer. I figure I bring some of Jack's back story into play, and the "Elements of Harmony" into the story, since it will come in to play in one of my later books. I hope you like it so far. The next chapters should be easier so far. Ch. 17 - Past and FutureEver since our first homecoming meeting, I knew it was going to be tough for everyone to trust Sunset. But I had to give it some time to make it happen. Chrysalis and Trixie decided to have the update meetings every Wednesday during free study, with some of us being there, and full group meetings at my place every Saturday, working on display parts and checking on what we have and what we need. We had least than four weeks to get it done, but we knew it could be done. And Miss Luna would make sure that we have the gym the week before homecoming. It was Friday, meaning that it was time for our second game, and the first road game for this season. So I had to stay after school to get our gear together and get on the bus to Appleloosa. It has been so long since we lived there that my teammates wanted to know why we lived there that one time. I was just a little boy in elementary school, but I remember my father working on building a farm that some big time farmer businessman wanted. It was that time we brought in a barn building expert for open space buildings. The only problem is that there was a conflict with the Buffalo Indian Tribe on land claims. One of the students that I became friends with was from that tribe named Little Strongheart. We became good friends that both sides noticed it. So they were able to work out their differences and come to an agreement with the land. That’s when I knew that I wanted to help out others with their problems when they needed it the most. My teammates were impressed with my story. They even told me that Applejack had a cousin living there name Braeburn. I doubt I ever met the guy when I was there. Since I had to keep my soul powers a secret, I never had them when it happened. But I did spend some time with the tribe to learn about their culture. It was also the time that Little Strongheart felt that I was something special. I never knew what she meant by that during that time, but when my powers came to life, I slowly understood what she finally meant by that. We grabbed our own equipment and started heading outside. Me, along with Shining, Flash, Thunderlane, and Swift, were met by two cheerleaders: Cadence and Roseluck. “You boys ready for game number two?” Cadence asked. “You know we are,” Shining Armor replied. “Twilight already on the bus?” “With Moon Dancer, of course,” Roseluck said. “By the way Jack, you have a fan club waiting for you.” She pointed to the other cheerleaders up ahead. “Really?” I said as I rolled my eyes. “Don’t tell me they’re single.” “Maybe,” Cadence said. “You never know.” “And where’s our fan club?” Thunderlane asked. “You should know that they have to deal with the captain if they want me,” Shining said as he was pointing to Cadence. “And I don’t think they want to mess with Twilight for Flash.” “Yea. And you have Roseluck with you, so you know they don’t want to cross that line,” Flash said. “Hey, we are not in a relationship,” Thunderlane said. “We’re just friends.” “Tell that to Soarin and Dash,” I said. “I think they would be in the same spot as you to are.” “Then I guess you never heard about what happened last semester,” Swift said. “Oh, this is going to be good,” Flash said. “Tell him what happened between the two of them.” “I was playing with them on three on three soccer with a few other students. I was the goalkeeper while they were kicking the ball between the two of them. It’s what happened after we won the game that was interesting. Soarin gave Dash a victory slap on her rear, and she just change in an instant. When Soarin realized what just happened, he just bolted with Dash chasing him down.” Flash continued. “I was with Twilight and her friends waiting for them when Soarin starts blazing though saying ‘GET OUT OF THE WAY! MAD GIRL ON THE LOOSE!’ Then Dash is running after him cursing like a lunatic. Took a while to realized it was all because he slapped her butt.” “Oh, you should tell Coach Spitfire this. I have a feeling she will get a laugh out of it, since she thinks they make a great couple,” I recommended. “Well, I better get the girls on the back of the bus before you guys get in.” Cadence starts running up to the other girls and orders, “Alright ladies, on the bus. Don’t need to give these guys any distractions right now.” “Jack, you might want to brace yourself after the game, if you know what I mean,” Roseluck said with a wink before joining the girls. “Does this happen to every single popular guy?” I asked. “YES!!!” “Forget I asked.” So it was cheerleaders in the back, players in the middle, and captains and staff in the front on the trip. We were busy with Twilight and Moon Dancer on what we needed to know before the game. And it was a good thing for us because we won, 38 to 7. Shining Armor only played three quarters before Thunderlane took over, which allow me to take his spot. The only down side was the crazy wind. I caught on to it on the kickoff, and Swift was one for three in field goals. I told him that I missed four field goals when West End High played Fillydelphia High last year in crazy wind, just so he didn’t feel bad. As we took our equipment off and headed back to the bus, I can see why Roseluck warned me about the cheerleaders, because they were all waiting outside the bus. “Looks like someone has his own fan club,” Spitfire said jokingly. “Brings back old memories in high school.” “Very funny, coach,” I said. “How am I supposed to handle THAT?” “Like a man,” Soarin said. “Unless you’re chicken,” Dash added. “Already pressuring the players, Dash? You’re lucky my cuz ain’t around.” We looked around to see a yellow guy with orange hair and farm clothes that are similar to Applejack’s. “I was hoping that you would see us before we left,” Soarin said before turning to me. “Jack, this is Braeburn, Applejack’s cousin.” “So this is the guy that Applejack has been talking about on the phone. Nice to finally meet ya,” Braeburn said as he shook my hand. “I’m glad I was able to stop by and see you guys for a moment. I’m waiting for one of the school’s cheerleader to meet up with me.” “Babysitting already, Braeburn?” Rainbow Dash said. “Only because she’s the daughter of the Buffalo tribe’s chieftain.” He looked back to see an orange girl with long, golden hair coming to us. “Was hoping you get here. Everyone, meet Little…” “…Strongheart?” I said. She took a moment to look me over before she recognized whom I was. “Jack Diamond? Is that you?” I nodded to her, in which she placed her hands on her mouth in shock. “I can’t believe it. You’ve grown since I last saw you.” “I should be saying the same thing about you too,” I said. “At least your father is still letting you attend school.” “It’s because I’m working on student relations with the Buffalo tribe, helping out by bridging the gap between both sides.” “With my help, of course,” Braeburn added. “I didn’t know you were on the visiting school’s football team,” Little Strongheart said. She came up to me and felt my arm. “You even worked out a bit.” “Well, I had someone help me with that back in the 8th grade in Fillydelphia. And did some football playing in the 10th grade in Manehattan. Now my family is living in Ponyville, which I hope is our final move between cities.” “Yea, this guy been very helpful around us that his popularity sky-rocketed in school,” Rainbow Dash bragged about. “You just had to say that, Dash,” I replied. “Hey, the cheerleaders behind you is just proof of that,” she said as she pointed at the group next to the bus door. “I knew you were special, but not like this,” Little Strongheart said as she giggled. I scratched the back on my head and said, “Yea, I know. I just wish I didn’t hear you tell me that when I was living here. But we need to head on back home. Can’t hold up the bus now, can we?” “Well, at least I know where you are living, in case I want to come and visit one day,” she responded. “Just have Braeburn get my address for his cousin Applejack,” I replied. We said our goodbyes before they left. Then I still saw the group of cheerleaders waiting for me. “So, are you man enough to face them or what?” Dash was egging me on. Twilight and Moon Dancer walked up to us as they heard Dash’s dare. Twilight said, “Give it up, Dash. He doesn’t need to go through that if he doesn’t want to.” “But where’s the fun in that?” Dash replied. “Forget about it,” Moon Dancer said. “Besides, I need to talk to him on the way back, so those girls have to wait another day to sit with him.” Rainbow Dash was disappointed in seeing that her dare just failed on her. So I walked up behind Rainbow Dash and said, “Besides, would a chicken do this to you?” I gave her a big slap on the butt, causing her to react in shock and embarrassment. “And if you try to chase me, I’ll knock you down on the spot.” She started to look at me with those angry eyes. Then turned her stare at the other guys who were on the bus and yelled, “You are so going to get it for telling that story to him.” After saving me from the group of cheerleaders, Moon Dancer wanted us to sit in the back of the bus, since everyone else would take a quick nap while she wanted to look over some videos and images of the game. I just used the time looking out the window, trying to clear my head of all that has been going on around me. It was when she got a text on her cell that caught my attention. “Who’s it from?” I quietly said to her. “Twilight.” She opened the text and saw a picture of Thunderlane sleeping on Roseluck’s shoulder. We tried to contain our laugh when we saw it. “At some point, they are going to have to make it official,” I quietly said. “I can never understand why a boy and girl just want to be friends in front of others when they’re afraid of taking their friendship to the next level,” she quietly responded. “You ever thought about finding a boyfriend?” “Not really. I’m not much into having a relationship.” “So you’re one of the single types?” “You could say that. I just don’t see how I can handle that stuff like Twilight does with Flash.” “Well, what kind of guy would you go for, if someone peaked your interest?” “Someone who can hold an intelligent and challenging conversation, which I don’t think you can even come close, Jack.” “Ouch. You know how to go below the belt,” I sarcastically said. “Well, at least I saved you from those cheerleaders. I know you have more important things to focus on.” “Like Sunset,” I said. It was quiet again before Moon Dancer decided to put her tablet down to speak. “Coco said that you were tired of dealing with…bullies, I guess, before you met her. It’s been bugging my mind, but when did you start dealing with them?” “Back in the 6th grade, before I acquired my gift. I was tired of being picked on, not to mention seeing others do the same. Someone needed to step up and do something. I just needed to find a way how.” “Makes me wish I had you around as well,” she said. I asked her, “You were bullied back then?” “Yep. But I just ignored them and went about my business. And that was before I met Twilight. She was just as smart as I was. And we both needed new friends to make, since I never really had any back then. But you look like someone who doesn’t get bullied by others.” “I wasn’t like this before,” I said. “When my gift started to show up in the 7th grade, I thought I was going crazy. Then Little Strongheart, the girl that was with Braeburn, told me that I was somewhat special. She’s a member of the Buffalo Indian Tribe and the chief’s daughter. Remembering what she told me, I thought more about what was happening to me. So I started to understand my gift. Most of the focus was on either bullies or those being bullied. “By the time I started the 8th grade, I saw some kids picking on one kid a lot outside of school. I decided to take a stand and make them stop what they were doing. They decided to start a fight with me. Somehow I was able to dodge their attacks, but I struggle fighting back because I wasn’t strong enough. That’s when she came along and joined the fight. She was tougher and quicker than the guys and started to put them in their place before they ran off. I remember seeing her in my homeroom class. She hated bullies a lot and felt like others weren’t doing enough to fix the problem. See how I wasn’t strong enough to take them on; she decided to help me get better in handling them. We spent every weekend training and sparring against each other in martial arts, something she picked up years ago. That’s how I got better when someone wanted to pick a fight with me. And we had one rule. Never go into a fight alone.” “I’m impressed. What was the girl’s name?” I took a moment to think before I remember her name. “Indigo Zap.” She put her hand on her chin and started to think. “Indigo Zap, Indigo Zap. Where have I heard that name before?” “Well, she was hoping to be the best athlete out there, kind of like Rainbow Dash.” “I might need to look her up when I get a chance this weekend. But…as for the fact that you were able to dodge any attack in that fight, do you think it has something with your gift that helped?” “Now that you think about it, I was able to sense when some…threat was coming my way without seeing it. You would think it was part of my gift. I don’t see that it was a part of the ‘soul release’ power that I learned.” “I don’t think so either,” she said. “Celestia let me look over her book so I can keep an eye out of anything new showing up from you. I think you might have already unlocked one of your powers long ago, but we haven’t noticed it at the time. And I want to think it’s one that she might have overlooked. I’ll let her know about this and see if she can come by tomorrow at the meeting with her book. We need to discuss all this after everyone else leaves the meeting.” When we had our next group meeting at my place, it was to start working on some of the display props that we can carry there on the week of homecoming. This time, Principal Celestia was able to come by to see the progress that we have done. When we were done for the day, Celestia, Luna, Coco, and Moon Dancer stayed with Chrysalis and me. That’s when Celestia brought out the book from her bag. “So what is it that you said I might have overlooked?” as she was handing the book to Moon Dancer. “Some of the pages listed in the book described a list of soul battle skills. It could also be a reason for his powers to awaken, but that would be hard to prove at this time. It does explain how he has been able to avoid any attack against any bullies that he has faced.” Moon Dancer was flipping through each page before she came to the one that she was looking for. She adjusted her glasses to make sure she found the right page. “Here it is, Soul Sense.” She handed the book to me to read over the page listed. “Soul Sense” A person can dodge any attack that it cannot see coming. This can allow an opening to execute a counter attack. It can also allow them to detect any threat that someone cannot see behind a wall or around a corner. This is a common battle skill to know, but comes with a downside. If one cannot control its own emotions, it can mask any hostile attack with its own negative power. Celestia asked me, “Was there ever a time when you got hurt buy any bullies that you faced?” “It was back in the 8th grade when a group of bullies kept picking on the same kid. I was with my friend, doing our best to get them to stop. It was at one point when the same group of bullies crossed the line. The kid they picked on almost committed suicide by hanging himself, but his parents were lucky to save him, but it left him with brain damage. My friend and I knew who was responsible for all this and decided to confront them. When they didn’t care what happened to him, that was the only time I lost my cool. I didn’t care what happened to me, as long as they paid for what they did to him. We even crossed the line ourselves and made them experience what that kid was going through before they gave in. It wasn’t the wise thing to do, but someone had to send a message, even if there were risk in what we did.” “Sounds to me that you were more of a bully than they were,” Celestia said. “Then I wasn’t clear about how we took care of bullies. We had one rule. Never cross the line unless the bullies cross it first. When the picking never stopped and he decided to commit suicide, we knew we would have to cross that line and make sure they paid for what they have done. At least they gave up and gave in before it got worse.” “I’m surprised that you would confess something like that and didn’t get caught,” Luna said. “Well, turns out they had some past criminal history with who they were hanging out with. Some gang, I believe, so going to the police would be pointless to them. After what they experienced, they decided to make up for what they did and offer their services to help care for him until he was able to recover, which could be a few years, maybe more. Doctors couldn’t give a timetable on his recovery.” “Well, I hope he recovers back to his normal self, I hope,” Coco responded. “And it looks like you were lucky in what you did.” “Fate has a way of making these events happen,” Luna said. “Just like they have now.” “Well, I’m not sure fate has a way of dealing with this. Remember when you told me her name? I looked her up online and found a news article on her.” Moon Dancer brought out a piece of paper from her book bag and handed it to me. “Indigo Zap is a student at Crystal Prep.” I looked at the paper, seeing that it was about Crystal Prep’s top ranked athlete from last semester, Indigo Zap. “Started attending in her sophomore year…starter in the girls’ basketball team…top track athlete…ranked in the Top 5 of all Crystal Prep students in her class.” I looked up and asked, “She did all this?” “Yep,” Moon Dancer responded. “Then what the boys at Cloudsdale said could be true,” I said. “What do you mean?” Celestia asked me. “I asked them before the first game about Crystal Prep, and they said that the school has been getting the best students from outside Ponyville.” “You think she would have this gift as well?” Moon Dancer asked. “Hard to say,” I replied. “All I know is that she works hard to be the best. So if she has the same gift as me, hers would have awakened after I left Fillydelphia.” “Unless someone in Crystal Prep has done some kind of enhancement on them,” Celestia said. “And if that’s the fact, we might not be able to trust her at all.” I looked back at the paper and noticed something at the end of the article. “Hold on for a moment. She brings up how a friend of hers was able to train with her back in the 8th grade to keep her on track. And I was the only one who trained with her, so she must still remember me.” “We don’t know for sure,” Luna said. “But for now, we can’t tell anyone that you know her, including Rainbow Dash.” “Why is that?” I asked. “Remember when she crashed into my office on the first day?” Celestia said. “Yea. She panicked about losing help with her scholarship.” That’s when I knew that Rainbow Dash and Indigo Zap had something in common. “OH HECK NO!!! You cannot tell me that they are fighting for the same scholarship.” “They are,” Celestia responded. “And that’s not the only real rivalry out there.” Luna brought out some more info to show me. “When Moon Dancer told me about Indigo, I figure you need to know some others that have caught our eye.” I saw some of the girls from the basketball team in action. “The bluish girl with white pigtails and glasses sitting on the bench is Sugarcoat. She’s on the same level as Twilight and is also fighting for the same Dean’s scholarship. She also works on the game plays just like Twilight.” “Brains and tactics,” I said. “How interesting.” Luna continued. “The yellow girl with the reddish ponytail is Sour Sweet. She’s more of an aggressive girl on the team. And the reddish girl with the long green hair is Lemon Zest. She has this ritual of listening to loud music before every game.” “Lemon Zest. Why does that sound familiar?” I asked myself. “Well, she’s kind of like Vinyl, but into rock instead of electronic,” said Moon Dancer. “Oh crap,” I said as I hit my forehead with my hand. “After I learned that Vinyl got 3rd place in the amateurs this past summer, I looked up to see who beat her, and the one in 2nd place was ‘DJ Lemon Lime’. We have a way of using stage names instead of our own names, and if I remember seeing who it was, it almost looks like Lemon Zest in this picture.” “Let’s hope that’s not true, because she would freak if she heard that she got beat by a Crystal Prep student in disguise,” Chrysalis said. “Look at the next picture that you have,” Luna said. “The mint girl with the mixed yellow hair is Lightning Dust. Coach Spitfire once knew her when she coached back in Cloudsdale in junior soccer with Dash and Soarin. She was more of a troublemaker back then. Don’t know why she attends Crystal Prep now.” “And the mint girl with the short violet hair is Sunny Flare, Principal Cinch’s daughter,” Celestia said. “Don’t let that poised look fool you. She can manipulate others easily, and is just as athletic as the others. Plus she’s the only one I have seen with those electronic bracelets on her.” “They’re data pad bracelets,” I said. “I read about them on an online magazine. They’re very expensive from most portable technology out there, and have all the advanced features than any other that’s out there. Looks like someone’s been spending a lot of money to get these for her.” “Jack, there’s one other you should know, although I don’t think she would be like the others,” Coco said as she got out her cell. She pulled up a picture of a light purple girl with violet hair. “Suri Polomare, I assume. I remember Rarity said something about her,” I said. “We doubt she’s like them, but we can’t take any chances,” Chrysalis said. “What about the guys on the football team? Anything that stands out from them?” I asked. “Still haven’t gotten anything on them yet,” Luna said. “So we are still in the blind on them.” “Then the only best hope I have is with Indigo Zap,” I said. “And I hate to get her involved in all this when she could be put in the line of fire.” “Then it’s best that we don’t get anyone else involved until further noticed,” Celestia recommended. “And if Indigo notices you and is willing to help, I might accept her help in this.” I said, “I can live with that. And if you find out anyone else that stands out, I want to know as soon as possible.” Author's Note When I read Of Wondercolts and Shadowbolts - Rarity and Sunny Flare, I read how he heard about the theory of Sunny Flare being Principal Cinch's daughter. Someone did a picture of Principal Cinch and Sunny Flare, and the part between the two during the Midnight Sparkle scene might be another reason for this theory. Ch 19 - Answering QuestionsIt was Friday night, and we just finished another football game with what would have been a shutout, if special teams didn’t drop the ball in the 4th quarter that one time, resulting in a field goal. But beating Dodge Junction at home with a score of 44 to 3 was big enough. Swift Kicks got a few field goals in, and I took the QB role in the 4th quarter, resulting in two touchdowns. Coach Iron Will said that next week would be more of a challenge, because we plan to go to Trottingham, who made it to the playoffs last year, only to lose to Crystal Prep. I only hoped that tonight’s win would grab Crystal Prep’s attention, because I want to see what they really are, if Celestia is right about them. Already changed and cleaned up, I left the locker room and made my way to meet up with Chrysalis at my truck. As I walked up to her, I noticed that she had company with her, and I was surprised to see who it was. It was Mrs. Rich, with Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon with her. “Jack,” Chrysalis said, “I was just talking with Mrs. Rich on homecoming, and she wants to help out with some of her connections.” “She was telling me about how much has progressed with your Saturday meetings,” Mrs. Rich said. “I know a catering service that does the best for any theme party or event, because I have had them whenever I have an event that involves most of the…high society.” She hesitated for a moment. “Sorry about that. I’m trying to get used to avoiding with the social status issue that you brought to my attention.” “It’s OK, Mrs. Rich. I’m sure it will take some time to get used to the change, since most of your rich friends have students that attend Crystal Prep,” I said. “I know,” she replied. “There have been times when I wonder if I made the right choice between here and Crystal Prep.” “Mother, you felt that Crystal Prep was too strict for me to handle,” Tiara said to her. “That was only because I felt like you wouldn’t be able to follow our family traditions,” she looked down and continued, “which I now know were wrong to follow.” “Jack, Chrysalis said that you have issues with Crystal Prep’s perfect record,” Silver Spoon said. “That’s right,” I responded. “Having a school that’s perfect is too good to be true. I mean, I attended West End High in Manehattan the last two years, and Mane Coast Academy on the other side of the city is known as one of the best, but it’s doesn’t believe in being perfect. From what I heard, they just do what is right for their students. And right now, I’m trying to find out on some of their students that would be on the football team.” Mrs. Rich responded, “Well, I don’t think any of the rich students that I have met would be on the football team, but we did get several issues of the Crystal Prep newsletter from Tenderhoof when he was at one of our social events writing some articles on people like us. If you like to, I can bring them over to the meeting tomorrow for you to look at. I need to talk to…Pinkie Pie was it?” We all nodded. “Good. I wanted to see if the catering service would be of some help for homecoming.” “That would be nice,” I said. “If you don’t mind me asking, but has there been any students, or even staff members, of Crystal Prep that you have met that felt…I don’t know, not normal. Some kind of reason that made you fell like Crystal Prep wasn’t the right school for your daughter to attend.” Mrs. Rich thought for a moment before she spoke. “Now that you think about it, when Principal Cinch gave us the tour, I felt a bit…uncomfortable around her. I just shook it off and went along the tour with her. Why?” “I just have my…suspicions about them. That’s all,” I said. “Well, we’ll see you tomorrow at your place. And I’ll make sure I bring those newsletters as well,” Mrs. Rich said. Mrs. Rich came by for the meeting, with the newsletters that she promised to bring. As we were getting more prepared for homecoming, new ideas came across for the Halloween theme, and we knew that we would be on track to have everything ready before the week of homecoming. After everyone left for the day, Chrysalis and me spent the evening after dinner looking over the newsletters of Crystal Prep. “Find anything interesting so far?” I asked Chrysalis. “Just rich students, smart students, athletic students…nothing that really stands out. Although, Tenderhoof’s poems are just…weird.” “I can see that,” I said. “Found any that relate to Applejack?” “Nope. Maybe scared to bring up a student from Canterlot High in a Crystal Prep newsletter.” Both of us laughed. I was looking at the last issue of the school year and found an article on Indigo Zap, explaining how she helped lead the girls’ basketball team to the championship, filling the void of some of their graduating students. “Hey Chrysalis, take a look at this.” I handed the issue to her with the article shown. “Wow. I can see what makes her one of the special ones at the school, and a good friend of yours. Do you think she can help us in finding out about Crystal Prep?” “Not sure. Only time will tell,” I said. Chrysalis grabbed another issue to look at, and noticed an article that required my attention. “Jack, there’s an article on Fleur de Lis. Says that her mother’s a famous model overseas, and she’s here as a foreign exchange student for all four years, this being her third year. She’s working on being a business model, I believe.” “How much you want to bet that she has to spend her time with Suri a lot?” “Oh that would be a good one, Jack. I wonder if Rarity has heard of Fleur?” “Well, you can call her tomorrow and ask. I have to take Applejack to the school workout room with me. She said that she wants to get back to working out, since they are done with apple harvesting.” It was raining Sunday morning. I went to Sweet Apple Acres farm to pick up Applejack, who made a mad dash into my truck in her own tracksuit, carrying a small gym bag with her. Applejack let out a sigh of relief and said, “Sure nice of ya to take me to school so I can workout once again.” “No problem. I never knew you like to workout on your down time,” I said to her. “Well, have to stay in shape. Working on the farm helps, but when the work’s done for the year, need to find another way to stay in shape. And I have to bring my gear to help me out on the punching bag.” “Can’t argue about that, AJ.” “Darn right. I mean, how do you expect me to keep this well…toned…body,” she said in a sexy voice. “Not to mention these strong…built…arms, and those sexy…sculpted…abs.” I was catching on to what she was trying to get to, so I had to get to the point. “You tried to pull a ‘Rarity’ last time, so I don’t see why you’re doing it now.” She went back to her serious tone of voice. “That’s just it. You got all these girls interested in you, and with two weeks til homecoming, you ain’t even asked one of them out. Rarity already told me that members of her club have been hoping you ask one of them out ‘cause you’re cute, and that makes Rarity unsure if she wants to pursue you, not making others jealous. And she heard from Roseluck that the cheerleaders were also interested in you ‘cause you’re handsome. Heck, even Tavi might be interested in you also.” “All this coming from what Rarity has heard, right?” I asked her. “Darn right it is. I’m even temped to throw my hat in the ring.” “Is there a reason you’re bring all this up? I mean, I’m popular and all, but I can sense there’s something else about all this.” “You want to know why? It’s because everyone says you been interested in Sunset all this time.” “Is that supposed to be a joke?” I ask. “I’m serious, Jack. I know you been helping her change, but everyone still thinks she’s bad news, and that makes them unsure how to make you out. You need to think about yourself, not everyone else.” I pulled up to the school and parked my truck, shutting it off before saying, “If people want to know me well, they should be asking Coco, not taking guesses about myself. I do what I believe needs to be done. Nothing more, nothing less. That’s how I live my life.” “You’re stubborn, ya know that,” she said. I just let out a huff in response. She rolled her eyes and said to herself, “Forgive me for doing this, but,” she grabs the sides of my face and pressed her lips onto my own. I was shocked as she was trying to kiss me. Once she removed her lips from mine, I yelled, “What the heck was that for?” Her response was, “What any girl would do, showing that they care for ya. I only did that to make you understand. Nothing personal. But you tell me, would Sunset do this to ya, or just give you another slap in the face?” “Only if I bring up her so-called father,” I said, “or did you forget about that?” Applejack looked away from me and through the rainy window. “No, I haven’t.” She looked back at me and said, “Just comparing him with the cops could say that he had a criminal record, but we don’t know what crimes they are.” “Her mother didn’t want to talk about him as well. And it doesn’t mean that she was involved in any crimes as well. You think it could be family abuse?” “I was thinking about that option as well, seeing how Mrs. Rich was treating her daughter in front of Sunset. But how can that still be haunting her if it was long ago?” I started to recall my conversation with Sunset while her mother’s car was being fixed. “I didn’t hurt you there back on the first day, did I?” “No, it’s nothing to worry about. Just…nothing.” “Have you noticed Sunset rubbing the same spot on her arm as of late?” I asked her. “Well, after what happened with Mrs. Rich, she has been more quiet so far. And I did notice that in our classes. You think that she hurt herself on that spot?” I said, “I think she was harmed on that spot long ago, and that could be what’s haunting her to this day. With the science project being assigned to us tomorrow, it might be the only chance to get her to open up with what’s been bugging her. And I can guess that she doesn’t want to talk about it to anyone else, after what she has done at school in the past.” “If you can get her to talk and believe what she has to say, then let me know. If I believe you, then maybe I can get the girls to listen. That’s the best I can do,” Applejack said. “Well, we can’t get our workouts done while sitting in here,” I said. “Can’t argue with that. You have an umbrella in here?” “Should be under your seat,” I told her. She looked down to find the umbrella underneath the seat. “Got it. I’ll run to your side so you can get under it. And Jack, don’t tell anyone that I kissed you.” “Wait a minute, when did you kiss me? I don’t recall you doing that,” I said jokingly. “Nice one, Jack. Nice one.” We made our way through the rain and into the school, walking towards the workout room. “Bout time you got here, Jack.” I looked to see Coach Spitfire in the room next to Rainbow Dash and Soarin behind the counter. I can already see Shining Armor, Flash Sentry, and Thunderlane on some of the workout machines, along with some of the others players elsewhere, while Twilight and Cadence were jogging on the treadmills. “Don’t worry about him, Coach. He had to pick me up, and we had a lengthily discussion while getting here,” Applejack said. “Hey Dash. Think you can hold the punching bag for me. I need to get some issues out of the way.” “No problem, AJ.” Dash made her way to the punching bag as Applejack removed her tracksuit, wearing just her sports bra and shorts, like she was going into an MMA ring. “You do martial arts?” I asked Applejack. Rainbow Dash decided to answer the question for her. “She just likes to let out some punches and kicks just to stay in shape. Although, I would like to see her in the MMA in the future, just so she can whip some…” “Alright, Dash. I think he gets the message,” Applejack said, cutting Dash off. I went to the leg press to set up some weights to work with, when I noticed Twilight and Cadence looking at me from the mirror in the room. “I’m guessing the rain forced you to work out in here, right?” “That’s right, Jack,” Twilight said. “Cadence got me hooked on jogging last year, and the only times we jog in here is when it’s raining or when it gets cold. It’s a good thing Dash and Soarin monitor the room on most of the weekends.” “Yea, unless they’re trying to get their boyfriends’ attention as a distraction,” Dash replied. “Very funny, Dash,” Cadence replied. “Hey Soarin. Think you can spot me for now? I don’t see Swift anywhere,” I said. “Sure thing,” Soarin replied. “Swift had to do some family errands anyway.” “I can understand that,” I said. Soarin came by to make sure the machine was ready for me; quietly asking me, “So, asked anyone to homecoming?” “I had to go through that discussion with AJ getting here,” I quietly said. “I just don’t feel like focusing on that right now. Besides, when are you going to ask Dash out?” “I don’t know, Jack. I really don’t want this to feel like a date.” “Like it has to be a date. Just escort her to homecoming and see where it goes. It’s not like you’re going to ruining your friendship with her anyway.” Twilight caught on to our conversation and decided to take a break on her jog to grab a small towel and her water bottle, while walking towards us. “I can hear what you are talking about, and Jack’s right. It doesn’t have to be a date like it is with me and Flash. Just be her escort and let it play out from there.” “Well, I thought Jack was going to make a move on her,” Soarin recommended. “If you mean the slap on the rear after our road game, that was just a response to her calling me chicken,” I said. “Besides, I bet you did it wrong that one time.” “How would you know?” Soarin asked me. “Did you cup the hand when you did it?” Soarin had a worried look on his face. “Thought so. That’s why she decided to hunt you down after that happen.” “He does have a point,” Twilight added. “And Jack, now’s a good time to look for a girlfriend.” I just stared at her as my response. “I mean it. About every single girl I know or come across is interested in getting to know you more. Not to mention that I’ve seen you stressed out at times. Whenever I see Flash stressed out, I help him to relax, and he does the same thing to me when I’m stressed out. Unless you’re interested in Moon Dancer, then…” I held up my hand to hold her response. “We’ve talked about that, and she’s not interested in one, unless it’s someone who can challenge her. So you can scratch that name off your list.” “Well, just think about it for once, Jack,” Twilight told me. She went back on to the treadmill to resume her jog. I got on the leg press and began my workout routine. After switching to a few more stations, I finished my workout on the bench press when I saw a familiar DJ walk in. “Hey Dash. I brought those CDs that you wanted to use in here,” Vinyl said. “Good. Just put…them on the…counter and…pop one into…the player,” she replied while bracing for more of Applejack’s punches. Vinyl placed them on the counter and selected one for the CD player. “Hey Jack. Let’s see if you remember this one.” Once I heard the music play, I knew which artist it was. “Neon Lights. Surprised you still have his first CD.” “Well, guess what? Now it’s a signed copy,” Vinyl responded. “No way. You got to meet him in person when you were at that contest?” I asked her. “That’s right,” she said. “Just after getting my 3rd place award. He’s a really nice guy in person.” “Now I have to enter next year,” I said. “Already around the 20 minute mark in my 30 minute mix tape. Been thinking about adding a remix of one of his works, if he’ll let me.” “I’ll PM him when I get back home. I’ve been meaning to tell him that we now live in the same town, so to speak.” Then Vinyl’s tone changed. “But if you’re going to enter, then you’ll have to face another local.” “Do not tell me that she found out who Lemon Lime is,” I thought. “So there’s another amateur DJ in Ponyville?” I asked her. “Yea. It was Firecracker who won this summer, allowing him to enter the pros next year. Lemon Lime won 2nd place. Turns out that her real name is Lemon Zest.” Everyone stopped what they were doing for a moment when they heard the name. “You mean from Crystal Prep?” Rainbow Dash said with a shock on her face. Vinyl just nodded in response. “And to think she would only play basketball. I never knew she was working on being a DJ.” “That’s Crystal Prep for ya, trying to one up us in everything,” Applejack said, following with a heavy punch on the punching bag. “Easy there, AJ. What’s got you beat?” Dash asked her. “Take a good guess,” Applejack said, following another few heavy punches. “Tenderhoof,” I said. Applejack stopped for a moment and started at me. “Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon told me about him. And yes, he does sound like a creep from DT’s point of view.” Applejack responded, “Darn right he is. Decided to go to Sugarcube Corner for a shake after our meeting and guess who shows up. Decides to sit next to me, trying to hit me up again. I just wanted to buck him in the face right on the spot, just to shut him up.” “I’m guessing about everyone here has a problem with certain Crystal Prep students, right?” I said. “I mean, Rarity and Coco have brought up Suri. Whom else should I be worried about?” Dash started first. “Well, there’s Lightning Dust that we knew from Cloudsdale. She’s one who likes to break the rules. How she ended up in Crystal Prep, I have no idea.” “Wait, she’s at Crystal Prep?” Coach Spitfire asked. “You mean Coach Fleetfoot hasn’t told you?” Soarin asked Spitfire. “I haven’t been in touch with her since I was coaching college. Last thing I knew was that she got the coaching job at Crystal Prep. Guess we haven’t kept in touch since that day. How can she keep that girl in check over there?” “Maybe you should ask Principal Snitch.” Dash ranted. “Besides,” Twilight spoke, “they have Sugarcoat helping out with the plays, making sure they get it right. If it’s not her brains that keep them in check, then it’s her attitude. She always think up all the plays for all the teams like she’s a pro.” “Twilight, don’t forget the principal’s daughter, Sunny Flare,” Dash added. “Like mother, like daughter. She’s like a hawk on the basketball team.” “And then there’s Sour Sweet,” Soarin said. “Every time I see them play, she always finds a way to stir up some trouble. Nice one minute, ugly the next. She’s even got in Dash’s head one time.” “And it was not cool what she did,” Dash added. “She even treated Fluttershy badly one time, and it almost hurt her feelings. Flutters can be very sensitive about some things.” “Along with Lemon Zest, they make up four of the ‘Elite Five’ at Crystal Prep,” Twilight said. “The Elite Five? Just like the Mane 6 at this school?” I asked. Twilight answered, “In a way, yes. They are known as the best of the best at that school. And in various ways.” “So…Lemon Zest, Sour Sweet, Sunny Flare, and Sugarcoat are part of the Elite Five.” I said. “Is Lightning Dust a part of it or not?” “Lightning Dust doesn’t even come close to them,” Dash said. “That honor belongs to their top athlete, Indigo Zap. It was her that gave them that name. And they like to show it off wherever they go.” “Indigo Zap created the Elite Five? Now I’m worried about her,” I thought. Dash continued, “For once, I would like to beat their basketball and soccer teams and rub it in her face. She’s even working on getting the same scholarship that I want for Equestria University. Not cool.” “Then I guess you would have to step up your game to compete with her,” I said. “Anyone else I should be concerned about?” It was quiet for a moment before Shining Armor broke the silence. “Cadence, I recall you having an issue with one foreign exchange student over there that you have crossed paths a few times.” Cadence sighed before she spoke. “If Rarity hasn’t brought her up, then I might as well say it. There’s one student who comes from Prance overseas. Her name is…Fleur de Lis. She’s been Suri’s model for her fashions, hoping to become what her mother is back home. And she’s one smart student in the school; so don’t let her looks fool you if you come across her. She always treated like she’s a princess, trying to get any guy that she thinks is worth taking.” “Sounds like this Fleur and Suri have one thing in common; like mother, like daughter,” I said. “She’s a senior at Crystal Prep, right?” “Nope, she’s a junior,” Cadence responded. “And she doesn’t care how old, or young, the guy is, or even where they are from. If she wants him, she’ll do anything to get him, right Shining?” as she stared at him. “Well,” as he cleared his throat, “she did make some passes by us before. And to be honest, she did catch my eye with her walk, which Cadence didn’t like. But I would have to agree that being one of the popular ones at the time could have that effect. And I didn’t know that she was the daughter of a foreign model until afterwards, which could explain her actions towards me. That’s when you know that she’s just there for show.” “And he’s glad that it happened to him, because that gave us a heads up about her,” Flash added. “Tried to do the same to me in front of Twilight a couple of times. I could see why we were warned about her.” “I saw him look at her, and his reaction was, ‘is that how models walk?’” Twilight said. “But in seriousness, if Crystal Prep has finally heard about you, she’s going to make her move at some point. And since you still don’t have a girlfriend, you’ll be an easier target than Flash and Shining.” “That’s what I’ve been trying to tell him,” Applejack added, “but he’s too stubborn to listen. And with homecoming being two weeks away, and several girls at school interested in him, he just wants to avoid the issue.” “I am not stubborn,” I replied. “I have more important issues to focus on. Plus, I’ve only been here for over two months. I haven’t had time to get to know about everyone in the school expect for what problems that keep appearing every now and then.” “Like Sunset Shimmer?” Applejack added. I sighed and rolled my eyes. “Look, if you don’t put your priorities in check, you’ll be in a sinkhole so deep that it’ll swallow you whole.” Something tells me this is not going to stop unless I do something. So it was time I used my gift in hopes to send a message. “OK, AJ. Then lets do this. Since I’m in need of a sparing partner here, let’s see how well you can do in a one-on-one match. I beat you, and you become my sparing partner for the school year, and this conversation that everyone keeps bring up comes to an end. You beat me, and I’ll put my focus on Sunset aside, with the exception of our science project, and start looking for a girlfriend.” “Hold up, partner. Let’s make it this. I beat you, and you get to become my date to homecoming, then you can look into finding a girlfriend after that. You still got two more football games to go before playoffs begin, and that should be your focus at this time.” Coach Spitfire intervened. “If you two are going to make bets in a fight, I want to see what he’s made of. I am a black belt in martial arts, and I hate to see Applejack damage you without my OK. I have better control than she does, after seeing how she’s been acting.” “I hate to say this, but she’s right,” Soarin said. “I’ve seen her at some karate classes, and she’s good at what she does, without hurting her opponent.” “OK, let’s do this,” I said, and got up to get ready to spar with Coach Spitfire. I just hope that my gift, plus the training I had with Indigo Zap and sparing with Night Glider, will help out. Everyone went to the sides of the room to watch. I made sure to loosen up before battling. I haven’t done this in a while, and since this was no bully like before, this could be a challenge. Dodging was one thing, but striking would be the bigger challenge in this. When she saw that I was ready, we both made our stance to attack. Spitfire made the first move, throwing a punch at me. I dodge her attack and threw a counter-punch, which she was able to avoid. She countered by throwing her rear leg and swinging it around to strike my backside. My gift allowed me to sense and block her kick. That’s when she went and threw her other leg into the air to make an upper kick strike. Another part of my gift went into effect, allowing me to drop on the floor to avoid the second kick. I rolled underneath her and got back up, just as she landed on her feet. “Well, you know how to dodge my attacks,” she said, “but I’m still waiting for you to strike.” “If that’s the case…” I said, before taking my stance and throwing my first punch. She avoided the hit and grabbed my wrist. I threw my other fist at her, but she grabbed my other wrist. Sensing that she was about to do a leg attack, I went to do a full 360, lifting my arms upward in the turn. This caused her to follow along, unable to execute her leg move. Once fully rotated, I was able to keep the crossed arms in the center. That’s when I pulled her towards me. As I landed on my back, I used my feet to flip her over me, causing her to land on her back and losing her grip on me. As I got back up, she jumped back up with her back towards me before turning around. “I think you proved your point, Jack.” Spitfire decided to stop the battle and stepped aside. “Applejack, you’re up.” “Bout time.” Applejack walked up to where Spitfire once stood, making her stance. “Hope you ready to be taught a lesson.” “Your lesson or mine,” I said, making my stance. When we were ready, she made her first move and threw a punch at me, allowing me to dodge like before. But when I went for a counter-punch, it made contact it the lower side of her body, allowing her to flinch. “You call that a punch, partner?” as she taunted me. She threw more punches and kicks at me, but I was able to dodge or block them. But every punch or kick I threw either missed her or barely bruised her on contact. When she pulled back from a blow, she taunted me again. It lasted 10 minutes before I noticed what she was trying to do. Knowing that she was well built from all the work and training that she did, all she needed to do was wear me down, which was slowly starting to take effect. I had enough stamina to last longer than that, but she’s one who doesn’t give up. I had one option left to rely on. Something that Indigo taught me when handling bullies. Let their attacks become their downfall, and taunting her was the only way to get it started. “You seem to take a hit, but can’t even make a blow on me. Is that the best you can do?” I said. “Oh I’m just warming up, sugarcube,” she said. She threw more punches and kicks at me. I dodged the punches and blocked the kicks, looking for an opening. I said, “Come on, AJ. Stop trying to hit me and HIT ME!!!” That’s when she started to fight harder than before. I kept up the same defense before, until I saw the opening. Or so I thought. I was about to do the same flip I did with Spitfire by grabbing her wrist, but she saw it coming and released my grip on her. I sense that she was going straight into me while I lost my balance. She grabbed my shoulders and flipped me over her with her feet, causing me to land on my back. That’s when she went in for the kill. She flipped over to land on me, pinning me on the ground. “Time to end this, partner.” She threw a final punch at my chest. But that’s when my crucial gift came into play. With time slowing down, I was able to grab her fist. When she threw her other fist at me, I grabbed it with my other hand. While holding on to her fists, I pushed and slid myself out from under her, letting go of her fist. With my legs free, I used my feet to push her back on the ground, stunning her in the process. I rolled myself on top of her and threw my fist to her, stopping inches from her face. When she regained her focus, she saw how close my fist was to her, shocking her. “Tag, you’re it.” Spitfire stepped in and said, “I think that’s enough for this match. Jack’s the winner.” “WHAT!?” is what everyone said in the room. Spitfire said, “Jack was able to halt Applejack’s final strike and held restraint to his own. I think that’s enough to prove who won.” Applejack relaxed herself and said, “Fine. You win. I’ll be your sparing partner for the school year.” I got off of her and reached for her hand. “And what about me looking for a girlfriend?” “Yes, we’ll stop talking about it from this point forward,” she said and she grabbed my hand, letting me pull her up off the floor. I went to grab some bottled water from the cooler and sat down to relax myself with a drink. Everyone else was still wondering what just happened. I responded, “What? How do you think I dealt with bullies in the past?” Spitfire snapped everyone else out of it. “All right everyone. Give the kid some space and get back to work. Coach doesn’t want any slackers on his team.” Everyone else resumed their workout, while Dash and Soarin went back to the counter. Applejack went to grab herself some bottled water and sat down next to me. Twilight and Cadence also sat down next to us. Cadence said, “I know we don’t need to talk about it any more, but what about Fleur? When she knows you’re still single, she’s going to make her move. How are you going to deal with her?” I answered, “Let me just say that Sunset isn’t my only focus. I still don’t trust Crystal Prep’s perfect record, and I plan on making sure that it comes to an end. And if anyone from there interferes, I plan to make sure they regret it.” “Well, I hope you know what you are doing…about Crystal Prep, that is,” Twilight said. “I hope so too, Twilight. I hope so too.” I looked at Vinyl and said, “As for Lemon Zest, once I get my mix tape done and enter that contest, she’s going to be waiting another year to join the pros. And I’ll make sure it gets played at homecoming.” “Now that’s what I’m talking about, bro,” Vinyl responded, giving me a brohoof. After finishing with our workout, and the rain stopped, I took Applejack back to her farm. “I still can’t believe you beat me,” Applejack said while looking away from me. “That’s because I caught on to your strategy.” She looked at me, wondering what I was talking about. “You were trying to wear me down because you can take the blows I was giving to you.” “Darn it. Can’t believe you caught on to that. I’m guessing you had more stamina than I thought you would have.” “Well, that and the fact that I used your attacks to my advantage,” I said. “Say again?” she replied with a confused look on her face. “Well, after you tried to taunt me, I decided to taunt you so you can attack harder, hoping to find an opening. After you tried to take me down and placed the finishing blow, I used that to stop your attack and free myself to counterattack and finish you off.” Applejack said, “You just full of surprises, partner. So when do we plan to start sparing?” “Whenever we have any free time during school or on the weekends, if that’s OK.” “No problem there,” she answered. “I’ll make sure I ask Coach Spitfire for some extra protective gear, just to make sure you don’t get bruised up.” We finally pulled up to her place. “Well, thanks for taking me over there and back. See you tomorrow.” “Wait,” I said. She stopped from getting out of the truck. “I have one more thing for you.” “What’s that, sugarcube?” I grabbed her face and planted my lips on hers, putting her in shock. When we separated our lips, I said, “Now we’re even.” “You know, you’re the first guy who made a move like that to me that I really enjoyed,” Applejack said. “Maybe you can handle finding a girlfriend on your own, whenever you’re ready to look for one. Just make sure you see me or my friends if you’re unsure if that girl is worth chasing.” I let out a little chuckle and said, “I thought we were done talking about it. But I’ll let you know if I need your help. And if Tenderhoof gets on your case when I’m around, leave him to me to chase him off. I can be full of surprises.” “I’ll hold you to that,” she replied before getting out of the truck and heading into the house. As I left the farm, I said to myself, “Wow, can’t believe I had the guts to do that. Now I don’t know who to go for, just to get my parents off my back.” Author's Note First time I added a fight scene into the story. I know more of this will happen in the future, so let's hope I do a good job on them. Ch. 20 - Samurai and Demon (Part 1) - HopeToday’s the day where we get to start on the science project. The only catch is that we don’t know what project we plan on doing because each group will have a different project to work on. But that’s not the only thing going on. Doctor Whooves wanted me to bring my swords that I have with me on a special history lesson, and Miss Luna plans to help out on this, since Doctor Whooves learned from her that I own a Masamune and Muramasa sword. He’s heard of some of the various stories about the two, and wanted to show them to his classes on understanding the possible truth between the two. I just pulled up to the school parking lot early to meet up with Miss Luna and hand her the swords for the time being, due to school rules. “Thanks for bringing the swords to me. I’ll make sure I hold on to them and bring them to Doctor Whooves’ class,” Luna said. “Well, I would have never known that the doctor would be interested in the blades’ history,” I said. “This might be a good learning experience.” “At least I was able to make sure I remember some of its history after my time in the kendo club,” Luna said. “I still can’t believe that you were in the kendo club and Coach Spitfire was in the karate club back then,” I said. “Well, when the kendo club was declining in members, Spitfire decided to merge both clubs into the samurai club. Having to learn control in karate and focus in kendo helped improved the joined club to winning several championships in college. It has got me thinking about creating a samurai club here, with the fact that you can work with your fist and blades, Applejack is good at controlled fighting, and I believe that Silver Spoon has learned a bit of its history, which is also a big factor for the club. Speaking of which, I heard that you had a sparing match with AJ, with a bet in place that you and AJ each had. I’m guessing that you used your gift to get the upper hand.” “I was getting tired of all the girlfriend talk everyone was giving me,” I said. “I’m not one who goes through this kind of thing.” “And to think that you would have AJ as your girlfriend if you lost,” Luna said. “Would have made it easier for the two of you to get together more often.” “It’s because I’m trying to help Sunset out, which everyone is concerned about. And what do you mean that it would have been easier between AJ and me?” I asked after hearing her last comment. “You mean you haven’t noticed every time you’re with her?” I shook my head. “She hasn’t been interested in a boyfriend before, and no boy in the school has had the guts to ask her out. And that’s because of what she has to do for her family. You’re the first guy she has been interested in. She told me about this because it felt like a new experience to her and wanted my advice on the matter.” I asked Luna, “What did you tell her?” “Just to follow her heart, and let the rest play out. I guess she still haven’t found a way to do so.” “And I though she was pulling a ‘Rarity’ on me before,” I said. “And she did it twice.” “Would her version of Rarity is to display a sexy look and voice?” I nodded. “She should have just been herself, or just come out and say it. I’m guessing she’s trying to see if you would catch on, which you haven’t.” “Well, she believes that I’m too focused on Sunset all this time,” I said. “Plus she said that maybe Rarity would be interested in me, but doesn’t want to get her club members jealous of her. Even Octavia might be interested in me, and Rarity’s not the only girl to tell AJ this. Vinyl has messaged me about hooking me up with Octavia because she thinks I’m nice and cute, but doesn’t have the courage to ask me. I’m just not one who is interested in a relationship at this time.” “I’m surprised that Trixie has yet to come forward.” I gave her a confused look. “You mean you haven’t noticed her either. She’s been eying you at every meeting. I even overheard her asking Chrysalis about you. Did you make some kind of first impression towards her?” “Well, I did pull some acting for Twilight when we met her on the first day of school.” And that’s when it hit me. “Wait, you mean she likes a guy who knows how to act?” “More like playing the part with her,” she responded. “You really have no experience with girls, do you?” I stopped and let out a sigh before I spoke. “It’s because I move from city to city every year or two.” “Feel like talking about it? We have some time before classes start.” “Sure,” I said, “but not out here, please.” So we went to Miss Luna’s office to talk about my problem with relationships. “Back when I was in the 4th grade in Appleloosa, I was friends with Little Strongheart. Basically, it was both of us who helped resolved an issue that was going on, which led to the first annual Indian culture festival. We spent some time together when it was going on, and even though we were young, both of us felt this…connection that we had. But we knew there would be problems, with her being the chief’s daughter and me always on the move, so we just stayed as friends. Then it was to Trottingham for the 5th and 6th grades. That was when the bullying started. It became the only focus that I had. Then it was to Fillydelphia for the 7th and 8th grades. That’s when I started to discover my powers…and met Indigo later on. All the times that we have done training in the 8th grade to deal with bullies together, and I never had the courage to ask her to be my girlfriend.” “You mean that you were interested in her back then?” Luna asked me. “I…I was. But I felt like if I had to move again, I would break her heart in doing so. So I became a friend to her instead. Then it was to Manehattan for the big project that my dad was working on. I had to leave Indigo behind and move on. I’m sure you know the rest from that point from Coco.” “What about Coco? Have you ever thought about being more of a friend to her? I mean, the two of you were close at the time,” Luna asked me. “I had the same thing going through my head about her, and I think it was the right thing to do, since she left after the 9th grade. I just felt like that it would be pointless in having a relationship with someone when I’m always moving from city to city. I guess that’s why I have no experience in this matter.” “But here you are now. You’re back with Coco, and Indigo goes to Crystal Prep. Think that would be more of getting a second chance with one of them again?” “I’ve thought about that, but Coco told me when we were reunited that one day I might find a girl that I can spend my time with, maybe in college, and I wouldn’t have to be moving from city to city ever again. So I knew that Coco was out of the question because I didn’t want to hurt our friendship that we have. And you can understand with Indigo being at Crystal Prep that’s a no go there.” “So you never had any feeling for any of the girls that you have met since you’ve gotten here?” It took me a moment before I could answer. “Well, only two that I know of. Applejack is one of them, but I wasn’t sure if she was serious of just joking towards me.” “And the other one?” she asked me. “Sunset. I felt like that there was some pain in her from her past that needed to be healed. AJ and me think her father could have abused her, after seeing how she reacted towards Mrs. Rich and bringing him up. But I still won’t know until I get her to open up about her past. And yes, I can understand if others think I doing something stupid being with her. But that’s who I am. I can’t change that.” “Well…” Luna took a moment before responding. “I can’t tell you what you should and shouldn’t do about having a relationship. That’s something for you to find out on your own…with your heart,” as she pointed at my chest. “But don’t be afraid to talk to me if you need to get something off your chest that’s bugging you. Remember that.” “Thanks.” I looked at the clocked and noticed that classes would be starting soon. “I better get to class. I’ll see you in 2nd period with my swords.” By the time 2nd period came, I saw Luna in my history class with my swords. Both of us talked about the history of Masamune and Muramasa, explaining in detail what made both blades different, answering questions from my classmates. It was at one point that got heads turning when Sunset asked her question. “Why is the Muramasa called the blood-thirst blade?” Everyone turned and stared at her. “I mean, is there a reason they call it that?” Luna was able to step in and answer her question. “That’s a good question to ask, and I think I have the answer to that.” She placed one of the blades back into the case and went up to the whiteboard. “It started off as a challenge between the two on who can made the finer sword. When they finished their swords, they decided to test the results in a small creek, which I’ll draw on the board. The top line represents Masamune, and the bottom is Muramasa. When the leaves came towards them, it traveled to the side of Masamune’s blade, while others that came to Muramasa’s blade were cut in half. This also had the same effect on the fish that came by. Muramasa felt like his blade was the better of the two. But a monk who saw what went on gave his opinion on both swords. He believed that the Muramasa, while being a fine blade, was a bloodthirsty, evil blade, because it would cut anything in it’s path, and believed that the Masamune was the purer sword because it would not cut down anything that was innocent. “It would be later on that lords and noble captains would request a Masamune blade to help protect themselves and those they cared or wish to protect. But evil warlords and assassins would request a Muramasa blade so that they can kill anything that would stand in it’s way. They even believed that if a Muramasa blade was drawn, that it must draw blood before it can be sheathed, if you believe in superstitions. That’s why it’s been called the blood-thirst blade.” Derpy raised her hand and asked, “Is there a reason that those are listed as the last blades ever made?” “Now this one I can answer,” I said. “Because of the clients that they encounter, Muramasa decided to challenge Masamune to a duel, by creating a blade that themselves will use to battle each other. The battle was to be held in an unknown location so that no one would interfere. No one really knew what happened when they haven’t seen or heard from either of them for days. A villager was walking through a forest until he came up to an opening. He saw two blades that were stuck into the ground, and no blood or person around. When he saw the engravings on both blades, he made his way back to the village elder about what he found. Unknown of what happened to them, they took the blades and placed them on display together, as a way to honor them for their craft, even if it was for different reasons.” Another student wanted to know how I got them. I told them that it was a give from a museum collector, but didn’t have time to explain because the bell just rang. I made sure that they were placed in its case so that Luna and Doctor Whooves can show them to the next two classes before placing them back to her office. Twilight, Applejack, and Sunset all came up to us for a moment. “I hope my question wasn’t uncalled for,” Sunset said. Twilight stepped in and said, “I think that was a good question to ask. I would have never known that it was a monk’s opinion to give it that title. While it might be a superstition, there are those who believe in those kind of beliefs.” “Indeed it is, Twilight,” Luna said. “And since I have you here, I’ve been thinking about something that I want to discuss with the club. Jack, AJ, Sunset. Can the three of you meet me in my office during club activities? I’ll notify Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon to meet up with us as well.” “Sure thing,” Applejack responded, while we nodded our heads. 4th period was coming to an end, and everyone in class got their science project assignments. Sunset was confused as to what we had to do. “The science of…weather? What’s that supposed to mean?” “Is that what you two have to work on?” Twilight asked us. “Yep,” I responded. “Oh, that’s a good assignment to work on.” Sunset just glared at Twilight, but didn’t want to say anything just yet. “With the way the weather works, scientists have been working on understanding weather better as the technology has evolved for its use.” “I saw a show with Silver Spoon about this last week,” I said. “I’m sure we can get this done.” The bell just rang, signaling the end of class. Everyone grabbed their books and left the classroom. Sunset was still worried about the assignment that we had to do. Applejack was able to join us in the hallway, but unlike her usual hello, she could see the worry on Sunset’s face. “Something wrong, Sunset?” she asked. Sunset let out a huff, not knowing what to say. I said, “We have to work on the science of weather for our class project.” “The science of weather?” Applejack said with a confused look on her face. “Well, I can see why she has that look on her face. Even I wouldn’t understand all of the details about weather. We just follow the Farmers’ Almanac we get before the end of the year to help plan for next year. Those guys do all the science stuff just to help us prepare for the farm season. Plus they have some interested tidbits in the book as well.” Sunset asked, “So there is some science to the study of weather?” “Depends on what ya looking at. The book only explains the possible outcome of what we need to look for. None of the mumbo jumbo stuff that people like Twilight would really know,” Applejack responded. “Well, let’s worry about that later and see what Miss Luna wanted to talk to us about,” I said. When we arrived to her office, Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon were there, waiting for us. Miss Luna spoke. “I guess you wanted to know why I wanted us to meet today. I have been doing some thinking earlier today after our morning chat with Jack, and I was wondering if everyone would be willing to be part of a new club at school, the samurai club.” “That’s an odd club to have,” Diamond Tiara said. “Are we supposed to wear armor and carry blades with us?” “The samurai club is a combination of the karate club and kendo club, allowing members to learn strength, discipline, and focus.” We looked behind us to see Coach Spitfire at the doorway with a bag in her hand. “Sorry if I’m a bit late, Luna. Had to make sure the sports equipment was put away.” “Thanks for showing up, Spitfire.” We turned our attention back to Miss Luna. “During our college years, I was part of the kendo club and Spitfire was part of the karate club. When the kendo club’s numbers were on a decline, Spitfire convinced the karate club to join the kendo club, creating the samurai club.” Spitfire added, “Since both clubs come from the same origin, we figured that we can use both teachings to improve both sports whenever we had to compete. This showed a major improvement in both sports, allowing us to win in most of the tournaments that we have competed. And since I have seen Jack and AJ in action, plus the fact that Jack, along with Silver Spoon, have some historic knowledge about the weapons that they used, it’s a good starting point for the club.” Luna continued. “This will be a test phase until the end of the school year before we can make it an official club. But I need to know is all of you will be on board with this.” All five of us looked at each other before making our decision. “I’m in,” said Silver Spoon. “I guess I can give it a shot,” said Diamond Tiara. “Count me in, partner,” said Applejack. “I can use something new to practice,” I said. We all looked at Sunset, waiting for her answer. I can see that she was debating about it in her mind. “Sunset, I’m going to need an answer from you before we move forward,” Luna said. I knew I needed to help her with her decision. “Can I talk to her for a moment in private?” Luna nodded her head, so I took Sunset outside the office to talk. “Sunset, is there something wrong about this decision?” “Well,” she was hesitant for a moment, “I really don’t know. I’m not good at this kind of fighting, but if I refuse, then the club won’t be created because of my actions. And everyone knows about my past.” “Look, it’s just a trial run, and there’s time to learn the sport. Just give it a shot. Maybe this is the change that you need in your life.” She though about it for a moment, before looking at me and giving me a nod. We went back to Luna’s office so she can give her answer. “Miss Luna, I’ll give it a shot.” “Good,” Luna responded. “I work on getting everything prepared for our new club. I hope that by the time football season has ended, we can find time to make it possible.” “Until then, I have something to get you started.” Coach Spitfire got into her bag and brought out some pairs of red, fingerless gloves, and handed each one of us a pair. I noticed the symbol on the glove was a ying yang design. “Forgive me for asking, but what’s this thing on these gloves?” Applejack asked. “It’s a ying yang symbol,” Spitfire answered. “It represents the merger of the kendo and karate clubs; the light and the dark, the white tiger and the black dragon. While both styles are different, where they come from is the same as always. It’s the symbol that we used to represent our club back then during our college years.” “By the way, Jack. I realized that you didn’t have anything to display your blades back home. So I did some looking around and found an old, two blade stand to use with them.” Luna brought out a box with pieces of the blade stand in it. “It should be easy to assemble when you get home. I’ll leave it with your blades in my sister’s office. So if there are not any other questions, you’re dismissed.” As everyone left, Sunset and me decided to make our way to the library for resource materials, while there was still time. “Sunset, do you think you can come by my place tonight so we can get some of this done?” I asked her. “I’ll have to discuss that with my mother. We only have one car, which we share. I have it for today, but I’ll have to run by my mother’s workplace to pick her up.” “What do you do when she needs it?” “She drops me off in the morning, and I take the bus after school, if possible.” “You must have it rough.” “I wish things were easier, but…” I placed my hand on her shoulder and said, “We’ll do what we can on this project. Even if it means through the phone.” She let out a giggle and said, “Thanks.” “So she’s slowly opening up,” Celestia said to me. “So far. But it’s a long way to go. And we think we might know the problem with her,” I said. “Something to do with that fight that you saw in your vision?” “Close,” I replied. “Last week when Mrs. Rich came by, she came close to hitting her daughter before I stopped her. Sunset made a harsh reaction and brought up her father and the cops in the same sentence. I want to think it’s family abuse, but I’m not sure.” Celestia started to have a worried look on her face. “Why do I get a feeling that you need my help with something here?” “Her mother has only one car, which Sunset has at this time. This could create a problem with working together more often if she has to go and pick her up, or have to take a bus home while waiting for her to come home.” “When do your parents get home?” “Mom gets home after five o’clock. Dad is after six. So it’s just Chrysalis and me for the time being.” “Let me see what I can do on that.” So Celestia called my mother first, then Ms. Shimmer later on. She was hoping that they could talk to each other about getting the two of us to meet together at home. All I can do now is wait for the results. “I’ve done what I can do,” she said. “If you do get to work at home with her, how do you plan to get her to open up?” “I might have an idea, but I’ll have to call an old friend of mine,” I said. “She met someone while waiting for me, and I think it could have been Sunset when her mother took her there. If I’m right, her words could be the wake-up call that she needs to help her change.” “Then let’s hope you’re right about this.” Chrysalis was able to help me after school with carrying the box to my truck, while I was carrying the case with the blades. As we were walking to my truck, I saw a guy and two girls looking over the parking area. Chrysalis noticed something about them and pushed me behind one of the cars far from them. “Did you see the girl with the violet hair banded in the back?” Chrysalis asked me. “That’s Suri Polomare.” I took a quick glance before ducking out of sight again. “And if I’m right, the girl with the slick, golden hair is Lightning Dust. But who’s the big blue guy that’s with them?” “I don’t know, but my guess is that they’re looking for you, I assume.” “I guess I got Crystal Prep’s attention. Let’s play along for now until we can find out what they are here for.” Both of us got back up and started walking towards them next to my truck. “Hey,” I yelled. “I hope you’re not messing with my truck.” “Oh, sorry. I was just noticing how old it was,” Dust said. “I don’t think I’ve seen you before. Are you new here?” “Yea, transferred over the summer. I don’t think I’ve seen any of you around here. But I haven’t met all of the students here anyway.” I looked at Chrysalis and said, “Could you put that box in the back of the truck.” “Sure,” she replied and placed the box in the back of the truck, while I placed my case on the corner of the back of the truck. I continued. “This truck might look old, but it’s been well maintain. My father helped me in fixing it up.” “Wish they could have fixed the body,” Suri mumbled to herself. “Hey, you could at least show some respect,” Dust said to Suri. I nodded to Chrysalis that it was time to make our move. “Yea, Suri. Show some respect,” Chrysalis said. Suri caught wind in what she said. “Suri, who’s that?” Chrysalis responded. “Oh, cut the act, Suri. We know who you are and where you’re from, fashion has-been.” Suri started to get furious. “What did you just call me?” “You heard what she said, since you like to hang out with Lightning Rust,” I said. “That’s Dust, you jerk.” Her face went from furious to cocky. “I guess Dash and Rarity filled you in on us, meaning you’re the new player that’s been showing off here.” “More like doing a better job than what your lazy school is doing,” as I was taunting her. “Oh, you are so going to regret saying that,” Dust said before her group started to back up and into the open. As we started to make our way towards them, I said, “If it’s trouble that you want, then it’s trouble you get.” “Three on two? My kind of odds,” said the big guy. “Make it three on three.” We saw Sunset walking towards us. “Well, well, well. Look who shows up, the fire demon herself,” Dust said. Sunset responded, “Look, anyone who wants to mess with my partner, has to mess with me…BITCH!!!” Dust had a mean look on her face. “What did you just call me?” “You heard me…BITCH!!!” “THAT’S IT!!! Brick Wall, take care of the guy, we’ll deal with the bitches ourselves.” All of us got into a big fight. Sunset made her way to Dust with fist flying. Chrysalis and Suri got into what looked like a cat fight. And the guy named Brick Wall came charging towards me. I dodged his charge towards me and bumped into my truck, knocking my sword case to the ground with it opened. He looked towards me and started to make a swing at me, only that I grabbed his fist to stop his punch. He threw his other fist at me, only for me to stop it with my other hand. That’s when he started to put his weight towards me, trying to push me back. “Come on, loser. Is that the best you got?” as he taunted me. “Oh, I’m just getting started.” I gave him three knee kicks to his gut, causing him to go to the ground for a moment. I noticed that Suri has knocked Chrysalis to the ground, shaking her up for a bit. Sunset was able to push Dust far back. That’s when Suri went towards Sunset’s back and grabbed her under her shoulders. Brick Wall started to recover, so I gave a swift kick to his face, shaking him up. Dust started to get up and drew a switchblade. “I think its time for a bloody makeover, bitch.” I knew I needed to level the playing field. With my case open, I went and grabbed Masamune and drew its blade. With the girls farther away, and little time to react, I knew that I needed to make a mad dash towards them. That’s when my soul powers kicked in. For some reason, I was able to make myself end up behind Suri. Not knowing how, I put it behind me and focus on the matter at hand. I placed the blunt edge on the blade to Suri’s neck. “You dare cut her up, and I’ll be happy to end her career.” “You’re bluffing,” Dust said to me. “You want to bet her life on it?” I can sense confusion in Lightning Dust, but it faded when she put a grin on her face. That’s when I sense someone coming behind me, maybe Brick Wall. But that came to an end when I heard a thud behind me. “Sorry if I’m late to react. The bigger they are, the harder they fall.” It was Chrysalis who stopped Brick Wall from advancing. Now the fear of panic came back to Dust again. “So, what’s it going to be?” I said. It was deadlocked for a moment before we heard a voice behind her. “HEY!!! WE GOT COMPANY HERE!!!!” Dust looked back and said, “Damn it. It’s Dash.” She looked back at us. “Let her go. We’re out of here.” Suri threw Sunset to the ground and made a mad dash with Dust. Chrysalis let go of Brick Wall, allowing him to escape. Dust looked back and said, “This isn’t over, fire demon,” and got into the car and drove off. Several of our friends came running towards us. I went and grabbed Sunset’s hand, pulling her up. “You OK, Sunset?” “Yea,” she responded, wiping the dust from her jacket. Twilight was the first to join us. “Sunset, are you trying to cause trouble again?” Before I could respond to Twilight, Rainbow Dash stepped in. “I don’t think so, since it was Lightning Dust that she was facing. I recognize the slick golden hair anywhere.” “That’s not the only one we were facing,” Chrysalis said. “Suri was with them.” “I can’t believe this,” Rarity said. “I know she likes to take credit for anyone’s work, but this is the lowest of the low from her.” “What about the guy that was with them?” Shining Armor asked me. “Brick Wall. Name rings a bell?” “Crystal Prep’s big guy on the team,” Shining Armor replied with his arms crossed. “Looks like they’re trying to start the prank wars early.” “Prank wars?” I asked. “They start their prank wars with us on the week of our match-up with them,” Flash said. “But this is early for them to do this.” “Because this wasn’t a prank,” Chrysalis responded. “They were after Jack.” “Looks like ya got their attention, Jack,” Applejack said. “Let’s just hope I was able to send them a message back to them.” “I hate to interrupt all this, but I need to go and pick up my mother from work,” Sunset said. “Go on. We’ll be fine here,” I said to her. She started to make her way to the car and drove off. “So does anyone here have an idea why Crystal Prep would go after Jack?” Applejack asked. We took a moment to think about it, while I went to put my blade away. Pinkie Pie started to wave her hand like crazy. We just started at her, waiting to hear her answer. “It’s because he’s popular at school and great on the team and gets the girls attention and everyone must be telling about him online and…” “Wait,” I said, cutting Pinkie off. “Does a lot of info get out on social media sites?” The girls nodded. “We always like to tell our experiences to our friends online. Well, ones that we feel like telling,” Fluttershy said as she was blushing. “But if Crystal Prep is looking into our social accounts, then…” Twilight stopped and grabbed her phone to look up online. “Of course. It looks like Jack’s the trending topic for quite some time around our school.” “That could explain why some of them would be scared of you,” Rainbow Dash said. I decided to think some more before coming up with another reason. “Twilight, is there anything that would be different from this football season and last year’s?” “Expect for the fact that we made three straight wins in a row twice, I wouldn’t know. I have both last year’s and this year’s stats on my computer. I can look into it and see if something stands out. But what makes you think that would be the reason?” “Would you be scared if your perfect record was about to come to an end by some rising star?” I said. “I see your point,” Twilight said. “I’ll check on it and let you know tomorrow.” “Thanks,” I said. “And let’s make it known to them that their attempted prank failed, but no names online. I want to see what their next move would be and who could be behind it.” “Oooooo…we get to taunt them,” Pinkie Pie said. “I like that.” “Let’s just hope it doesn’t backfire,” Applejack added. Author's Note I decided to go with the title of the Samurai (Jack) and the Fire Demon (Sunset) as both of them plan to face their own challenges as the story finally reaches its climax. This is in multiple parts, with this being the first part. Ch. 21 - Samurai and Demon (Part 2) - FearChrysalis and me finally got home after a crazy, but interesting day. We finally took our items inside and placed them up my room. It was when I got a call from my mother. “Hello mom. What is it?” I said. “Dear, I just got a call from Ms. Shimmer. She was hoping that she could bring her daughter over to our house for dinner. She said that you and Sunset were working on a project together this week.” “That’s right. And they only have one car, which makes it a problem for us to find more time to work together.” “Then I’ll let her know that they can come over. Do we have enough spaghetti for six?” “Hold on. Chrysalis, can you check the kitchen if we have enough thin spaghetti and meat sauce?” “On it,” Chrysalis replied. “Mom, did she say when they could get here?” “I think she said it could be around 5:30, but I’ll check to make sure.” I heard Chrysalis from the kitchen. “We have an unopened jar of meat sauce, but we’re low on the thin spaghetti.” “Might as well pick up some thin spaghetti, mom.” “I’ll run by the store to pick some up when I close up shop.” “OK. Text me when you get a time from her.” “I will. Bye.” I went downstairs to talk to Chrysalis. “It looks like Celestia was able to pull it off. Sunset and her mother are coming by for dinner.” “Looks like things are looking up for you,” she said. “I know. Now I need to do one more thing, and that’s a call from an old friend.” I went back up to my room and sent a text to Braeburn that I needed to talk to Strongheart soon. While waiting to hear from them, I got a text from my mother, saying that they will be here before around 5:30. That was enough time to get things set for my help with Sunset. That’s when I got a call back from Braeburn. “Hello,” I said as I answered the call. “Jack, that’s you?” “Little Strongheart. Glad you were able to call back.” “I know. I was with Braeburn as we were leaving the school when he got your text. What do you want to talk about?” “Need you to refresh my memory from the fair that we went together. Did you say that you met someone who was there and later ran off while you were waiting for me to show up?” “That’s right. While I was waiting for you, I saw a girl who was a bit down. She let me see what to look for in her future, just like I did to you before you moved away. It wasn’t good, but she ran away before I could finish telling her what she needed to know. It’s still been in my mind all this time, hoping I would come across her once again.” “She had fiery red hair, right?” -Gasp- “Did you find her?” “If it’s the same girl, then yes. She’s in the same school with me. And I think she needs help.” “I know what to tell her to look for, if I could just talk to her.” “Would it help if I record this conversation for her.” “If you can do it, then that would be great.” “Hang on. Let me get set up here.” It was coming up on 5:30, and we decided to get the table ready for six people. We could have used the dinning room, but mother felt like the eating table next to the kitchen would do, as long as we added the sleeve to it. We were used to the old style, small area whenever we ate. I heard the doorbell and went to check. It was Sunset and her mother who showed up. “Good evening, Ms. Shimmer. Why don’t you both come in.” “We’re not early, are we?” Ms. Shimmer said. “Oh, mom had to pick up some pasta for spaghetti. I hope that’s OK?” “That would be fine, Jack. If you and Sunset want to get some work done until dinner time, you can go on ahead,” she said. “Thanks,” I replied. “Chrysalis is in the kitchen, getting the table ready.” “OK. I can spend some time with her until your parents get home.” Sunset and me went up to our room to get to work on our assignment. Sunset was stunned when she saw my room. She saw that I finally got my blades on display in my room, and saw some of the dragon posters and figures that I have. “OK, should I start calling you a geek with all the dragons that you have?” “Don’t push it, Sunset.” “It was a joke, Jack. I’m just impressed with the type of dragons that you have; both medieval and oriental. Do you believe in them?” “More like what they represent. Power. Wisdom. Courage.” “That sounds like it comes from a classic video game,” she replied with a laugh. “And who should be called a geek in here?” I said with a raised eyebrow. “Now don’t get me started.” I sat down next to my laptop and invited her to sit on the bed next to me. We got out the books that we checked out from the library and decided to get to work on the project. I heard my parents walk in a little after six o’clock, and by the time it was close to seven, we were called to dinner. After we finished dinner, Sunset and me went back up to our room, so we can get some more work done. It was coming up to nine o’clock when we decided to call it a day. I asked her, “So, try to pick up where we left off tomorrow at school?” “That would be nice. I’m…glad that we got some of this done.” “Sunset, ever since Twilight gave you another chance, you’ve made an improvement towards others, even if some of your methods are a bit odd.” “Maybe you’re starting to rub off of me.” Her tone changed as she started to rub her arm in the same spot as before. “Speaking of which, I never thanked you for saving me earlier. I though…that she…” I placed my hands on her shoulders and said, “You came to help us out. If you weren’t around, it could have been a different story for us. We just have to keep fighting.” “You weren’t going to cut that girl that held on to me, were you?” “How can I when it was the blunt side towards her neck.” She punched me in the shoulder. “Damn, you were bluffing to her, and she fell for it.” “Well, she didn’t have to know.” Both of us laughed before we left my room. When we came downstairs, both our parents were talking for a moment before they saw us. Ms. Shimmer spoke first. “Sunset, I was talking to Jack’s mother about this week. I’m going to be very busy and might need the car. Would it be OK if you stayed here until Friday? This will help you work on your project with Jack more than before.” Sunset looked at me for a moment, then turned back to her mother and nodded. My mother responded. “Great. I’ll make sure you have a place to sleep in tomorrow.” “I’ll make sure she has everything packed and brought with her to school,” Ms. Shimmer. “If she needs to, she can leave it with Principal Celestia until after school,” I said. Sunset replied, “I can do that. Thanks.” “Well, we better head on home so she can start packing,” Ms. Shimmer said. As they made their way to the car, Ms. Shimmer told her daughter to head to the car while she wanted to talk to me for a moment. “Jack, I’m glad you’re making an effort on helping my daughter with her problems. I hope that things would be better for her after what she has gone through.” I asked, “Ms. Shimmer, I was talking to Applejack about what could be bothering her, and we think we might know the reason. And I can guess it’s something you don’t even want to talk about as well.” “Her father,” she responded. She let out a sigh before she continued. “I figured that was the reason she’s been that way. And it’s something I don’t want to relive again. I’m sorry, Jack, but that’s something even I don’t want to talk about. I hope you can understand.” “I see. I’ll do what I can to help her then,” I said. “So she’s going to stay with your family for the rest of the week?” Celestia asked me. “Yep. Her mother might be working late this week, so I can be able to spend more time with her on our project together.” “Look’s like luck must be on your side this time,” she responded with a grin. Just seeing that grin tells me that she had something to do with this. I just glared at her, trying to get her to confess. “OK., you win. I talked to her about the project the two of you have to do, and that you are also trying to help her out with her problems as best as you can. She felt like if she could stay with your family, she can see what she’s been missing out in her life.” “A family that cares,” I said. “And her mother can’t be there all the time to help.” “I’m guessing you have a plan in place?” “Yes, but not tonight. My parents have to meet with the boss and his wife for dinner somewhere. And I asked Chrysalis that I’ll need time with her alone, so she plans to stay with Coco to work on some ‘designs’ while over there. And I have what I need from my friend for her to listen. Let’s just hope it all plays out as I want it to be.” “I’m sure it will be, Jack.” Celestia leaned back in her chair with her hands clasped together. “Now for something else that we need to talk about.” I rolled my eyes and said, “I should have seen this coming. How did you know about it?” “Heard it from Luna, who heard it from Chrysalis. I’m surprised that some students of Crystal Prep would make a bold and dangerous move. But that’s beside the point. Chrysalis said that she saw what couldn’t be possible to do.” “Well, since you brought it up, something happened that felt odd. I knew Sunset was in danger when the girls plan to physically harm her, and I was too far away to make it there in time. That’s when it happened. One second I’m far away from them, the next I’m right behind them with my weapon drawn. Any idea what happened?” “Luna knows what you just experience, and it’s one that she wished you didn’t learn at this time.” Celestia brought out the book and opened it to another page to show me. “Soul Shift” Desperate times call for desperate measures. When danger is present, and time is short, a person can shift time and space to get from one area to another, but only in short distances. This can allow the person to get to its target, or escape the target attacking it. “I can see why she can be concerned about this,” I said as I handed the book back to Celestia. “We’re still in football season, and if people see you do a soul shift, it could be bad for all of us,” Celestia said. “Well, I haven’t been desperate about my actions, but it might be wise to let Moon Dancer know about this.” “My sister already has that covered. And what about the three that were there?” “Well, I don’t think they’re gifted, and they would have been too distracted to see me do a soul shift. So we can scratch Dust and Suri off the list, not to mention Brick Wall from their team. He didn’t sense Chrysalis coming to knock him down.” “That still leaves us with the Elite 5,” Celestia added. “I’m more concerned about the fact that they made this move on me with less than two weeks before we face them.” “You’re right about that,” Celestia said with a worried look on her face. “I’m aware about the ‘Prank Wars’ that happen between us and them. I can’t get Cinch to fix the issue because she thinks that they’re not capable of doing something like that. Last year, they dressed up the horse statue to look like a clown.” “I asked Twilight to do some stat comparisons between last year and this year, but she’s still trying to get all the data together. I’m hoping that some major difference in those stats, plus my popularity, could have raised a red flag on their end.” “Well, you were able to get their attention, like you wanted to,” Celestia said. “But if its just some normal students acting on this, it’s possible that someone is pulling the strings. But that’s just a theory.” “I’ll keep that in mind, Celestia.” After finishing up with practice and coming home, we took Sunset’s bags to the guest bedroom before going up to my room to work on some homework and our project. After a few hours of work, my mother brought up a small meal for the two of us to eat. That gave us a bit of a break, not to mention that I was able to pull up the national weather show online to help pass the time while seeing what else we needed to cover. “Question. Have you ever been hooked on the weather?” Sunset asked me. “Answer. Yes,” I replied. “But in all seriousness, it helps pass the time when there’s nothing better to watch. I always like to watch ‘Storm Watchers’ online, even if it’s an old show. Just seeing how it’s formed is one reason I like to watch it. And then there’s the fact that Mother Nature can have an effect on the homes and buildings that get damaged.” “I think the only time I got hooked on a weather related event was the flood of Ponyville that happened 7 years ago,” Sunset said. “And I wasn’t even living in the town back then.” “That was the year Applejack, Apple Bloom, and Scootaloo lost their parents from an overflowing river,” I said. “I never knew they lost their parents during that flood. But I’m sure they had their reasons for not telling me, with my past and all.” “Well, I was living in Appleloosa at the time when I heard about what happened. Around 30 dead, and almost two-dozen homes and buildings flooded. Dad got word about the damage and went down there for a week to see what repair supplies needed to be sent to the town. D.I.Y. has a weather recovery program that gets donations to help out victims of tornadoes and floods. And my dad is one of the few company workers who respond to gather damage assessments in the town.” “Sounds like your family’s life is like an adventure,” she said. “You always go to a new place and get to see what it has to offer.” “Well, I haven’t been anywhere to the north or west of here. So there’s still a lot to explore.” I started to lie down on the bed with my legs hanging on the side of the bed, remembering one of my past moments. “I still like living in Manehattan, and it’s not because of the big city lifestyle. It was more of what happened during the nighttime.” “Well, it is one of the busiest places to live and work,” Sunset added. “What made the nighttime better for you?” I told her, “We lived in a three story building, when the garage was on the bottom floor. The second and third floors were like a regular house. I had access to the escape stairs outside, which also went up to the rooftop. At night, when I needed to clear my head, I go up to the roof and look at the night sky above while the mixed lights and sounds kept me at ease. Ambient sounds were something that I like to listen to a lot. And when it snowed, the lights look a lot brighter, but not a lot of sound went on, because everyone wanted to stay inside from the cold.” Sunset started to law down next to me in the same position. “I prefer the winter time myself, when I was younger. When the ground was filled with snow and the moon was out, it made the area look brighter in night.” She turned her head towards me. “It must be great to have everything. A family that gets to go to places, see new things, make new friends, just about everything.” “Not everything,” I said. “Friends come and go in my life, not to mention I can’t get a girlfriend, knowing that I might have to move again.” “But look at you. Your family has now settled down, so you can finish up high school at its prime. Plus, you’ve become popular at the school and got most of the girls interested in you, so finding a girlfriend shouldn’t be a problem for you.” “I though you would still be jealous of me being popular, thanks to you,” I said. “I was, but I can’t compete with that anymore,” she said. “Besides, you got all those girls out there waiting for you to ask one of them out.” I just let out a huff and sighed. She got back up and said, “Oh come on. You haven’t even bothered to ask one of them out, have you?” “That’s the least of my worries,” I said. Looking straight into my eyes, she said, “And what’s holding you back in doing so?” “I’m staring at it.” She pulled back and started to look away. “What…what’s so important about me?” I sat back up and said, “I don’t know. Why don’t you tell me?” “Jack, you should know everything about me from everyone else, remember?” “Unless there’s something you’re not telling us.” She got up and walked to another window in my room, rubbing the same upper arm as before. “The last thing I want to talk about is my past, so just…” “Zip it. I know, I know. But at some point you going to have to tell me. You can’t keep it bottled up inside you. Or would you rather keep the title of fire demon with you?” Sunset started to ball up her fist, wanting to just lash out, but she then put it aside. “Please, just…give me some time, OK? I’m not ready for this. I’m not ready to relive my past.” I got back up and grabbed the empty plates and glasses. “You want some more fruit punch?” “If you will, please.” I left my room for a moment to put away the dishes and refill our glasses. When I got back up to my room with our drinks, I saw that she was reading some of the newsletters from Crystal Prep. “Still can’t believe he writes this crap,” she said to herself. “What, Tenderhoof?” I said, startling her. “Gosh, you scared me there,” she responded. “How did you get your hands on these newsletters?” “You can thank the two rich girls in our club. Met some of the students while they were still in junior high.” “Well, I can see why Tenderhoof is a creep. His poems suck.” “You came across him?” I asked. “Came across and brought him to his knees. The creep just wants to stalk any girls that catches his eye.” “And how did you handle him before?” “You really want to know?” I nodded. “Goes back to my freshman year. I was pissed after my fight with Flash. So I decided to just chill out at Sugarcube Corner, and guess who walks in. Tenderhoof himself. And just so you know, I didn’t know that he was a student at Crystal Prep when he showed up. Decides to sit next to me and flirt with me. So my response was a knee below the belt, causing him to fall down in pain. I left after that and never crossed paths with him again.” “Maybe that’s what AJ needs to do.” I said. “You mean he’s been stalking on her as well?” “Came across each other at Sugarcube Corner after Saturday’s meeting. And she did not like it one bit.” “Well, if he shows up to AJ again, I’ll be happy to give him a boot to the head,” she responded. “I’ll hold you to that, Sunset.” “So what’s the point in having these newsletters?” she asked. “You’ve heard about Crystal Prep’s perfect record?” She nodded. “I don’t buy it one bit. I mean, being the best is fine, but perfect is hard to pull off. Even Mane Coast Academy can’t be perfect all the time.” “I have always though they were a bunch of spoiled rich kids and really didn’t want to bother about it. But when you think about it now, it does seem odd to maintain a perfect record.” “I thought the same thing.” We heard the voice coming from the doorway and noticed that it was Chrysalis. “Thought I check up on you two. Your towels are in the guest bathroom whenever you are ready, Sunset.” “Thanks, Chrysalis. Must be hard not having a family of your own.” “I can understand. But this is my family now, and I make sure I embrace every day of it. And I can see you found the newsletters that we had.” “Jack told me how you got them,” Sunset responded. “So far, she’s learned more about Tenderhoof,” I added. “Oh, you have yet to see the real treasure.” Chrysalis went and grabbed the issue that had Fleur on it and showed it to Sunset. Sunset looked at the name and had a hard time pronouncing the girl’s name. “How do you even say this girl’s name?” “Fleur de Lis,” Chrysalis responded with an accent. “I know it’s a foreign name. Why they like those names is beyond me. And I’ve been meaning to tell you this, Jack, but she’s Suri’s own personal model to her fashions.” “Ugh, can’t believe she works for that bitch,” Sunset said. “Depends on which bitch is working for who,” Chrysalis added with a laugh. “Wouldn’t mind getting back at her for what she did yesterday.” “Can’t argue with you there,” Sunset added. “Well, I need to go back down and finish up on some remaining homework. I’ll let you get back on your project.” And that’s when Chrysalis let my room. We decided that we had enough of our break time and went back to work. Well, after she saw the video about how a fire tornado was created, which she felt like we should add to our project details. For some reason, she started to create an interest in the subject as it went on. As it was getting late, we decided to call it a day so she can go wash up before getting some rest downstairs. I went to my bathroom to get myself ready for bed. At that time, I could hear Sunset yelling. “Can you at least knock before entering?” I heard Chrysalis respond. “Sorry, but it sounded quiet in there. I thought you were done in there.” “Well I’m not, OK?” Followed by a slamming of the door. “Looks like Chrysalis caught Sunset in a bad moment,” I thought. As I came out of the bathroom, I saw Chrysalis nearby. “Not used to having another guest in the house at night?” I said. “Maybe. But something didn’t look right on her.” “What do you mean?” I asked. “Well, it’s the first time that I, or even anyone, have seen her bare arms, since she wears that jacket all the time. And I though I noticed scars on her lower arms, as if she was trying to cut herself in the past.” “Suicide or just harming herself?” “Well, I can noticed what looks like a true suicide, and with several markings, it looks like she wants to harm herself instead.” “But she was scared when Dust wanted to cut her up with her knife. Something’s not right about this,” I said. “Well, I’m going to stay with Coco tomorrow after school. And with your parents out on dinner, this could be the only chance to find out what’s she’s doing to herself.” “I’m done with the bathroom,” Sunset yelled from downstairs. Chrysalis told me, “Better get some rest, Jack. Tomorrow’s going to be a long day.” Twilight was still working on compiling the data from last year and this year. She said that it’s been harder to work on than expected. She was also looking into other ideas that Crystal Prep could have gotten their info about me. Until then, it was business as usual. I told Celestia about the possible scar marks on Sunset’s arms that Chrysalis saw, which was new to her. She hasn’t heard anything like this from her mother before, which raises more questions about her past. And I haven’t sense any change with that wall of hers. After practice, I took Sunset back to my place, while Chrysalis planned to stay with Coco tonight. My dad got home early before heading out to pick up mom for dinner with his boss. This left me with Sunset for the evening, working on our project some more. “So if the forest lacks rain water for days, maybe weeks, then it will be dry enough to become a wildfire waiting to happen?” Sunset asked me. “Yep. And if that were to happen, then they would have to fight fire with fire, so to speak. And high winds can make it harder to stop.” “Mother Nature can be brutal at times. Good thing Appleloosa and Dodge City don’t have to deal with that issue. Most of it is open land anyway.” “I have to ask you this. Back in the 4th grade, you weren’t living in Ponyville, and I know you didn’t live in Appleloosa when you went to the fair. So where did you live at that time?” “Would you believe Las Pegasus? Mother wanted to take the long trip to Appleloosa when she heard about the fair at that time. Got everything planned out in advanced. She felt like I needed a change of scenery to make me feel better.” “But something happened that you wished didn’t happen, right?” Sunset had this confused look on her face. I figure it was time she knew. “I’m aware that you came across an Indian girl about your age at the fair, and something she said scared you away.” “Let me guess. Little Strongheart.” She sighed for a moment. “Look, I really don’t want to talk about it.” “No need to,” I said. “I just want you to listen to this.” I went to my laptop and started to play an audio file on there. “OK., I’m recording. Now tell me what happened that day.” “Well, I came across this girl who felt down, so I decided to talk to her and maybe lift her spirits. She was dealing with some past issues that she felt like she didn’t want to talk about. It wasn’t my place to ask in the first place, so I asked her if she would let me look into her spirit and see what her future holds. It’s like the time I did this to you before you had to move again. She went along, feeling that it would hurt to try. And it was my first attempt in this task. When I looked into her spirit, I felt pain and suffering. I told her that her journey would take her down a dark path, and that she would have to face what’s to come.” Sunset went to stop the recording. “Please Jack, I don’t want to be reminded of all that.” I said, “Wait. There’s more that you need to know.” I started the recording again. “That’s when she just ran off in tears, not letting me finish what I saw.” “And what was else did you see in her?” “I saw a light in the darkness. It was a light that she couldn’t reach alone. I can see a figure that would take her to that light. Seeing that meant that someone would be there to take her on the path that she needs to go, after having to suffer the pain that she would go through. I wanted her to know that she needed to be strong through this dark path, in hopes that the figure I saw would appear to be at her side and bring her out of the dark. When I told you that you would be special, and was able to find her, I think that figure that I saw might have been you.” I stopped the recording. “You ran off, not hearing the whole story. She has been hoping to meet you again and tell you what you need to know. And to hear that I might have been that figure that she saw was a bit of a surprise to me.” Tears started to come on Sunset’s face. “You’re making this up, just to make me feel bad about my actions.” “That’s not true, and you know it.” I placed my hands of her shoulders and said, “You’ve been living with your demons for a long time and been trying to hide it all this time. And it has to do with what your father did to you.” She started to rub the same spot on her arm again. “What makes you think it has to do with my father?” “Because you brought it up during your argument with Mrs. Rich about the cops. And I like to think it comes from this spot here.” I placed my hand on hers that was on her arm. “Can you at least show me what it looks like?” “OK.” She slid down her jacket, exposing her upper arm. I can barely see a bruise mark that was there. When I placed my hand on it, she flinched. I started to see the images that I saw from the letter I touched from Ms. Shimmer, but clearer. I saw her mother arguing with a man, maybe Sunset’s father. The arguing gets intense. Then he slaps her in the face hard, causing her to fall down. Then Sunset appears and starts to fight the man. He grabs her on the arm hard, almost breaking it, and tosses her to her mother. The door busts open, revealing a big man. The other man decided to run, but is taken down by the big guy. He tells someone something, but I can’t make out any of the words. All I can hear is Sunset in pain. That’s when the images came to an end. “Sunset, I know you don’t like to talk about, but the longer you keep it bottled up, the more painful it will be.” She looked at me and said, “Promise you won’t tell anyone about it?” I nodded. Both of us sat back down on my bed. “It started back when I was in Kindergarten, up in Vanhoover. That’s where I was born. My parents got into a heated argument. Mom was doing all the work, while dad was lazy and couldn’t keep a job. She felt like he wasn’t doing enough to support the family. That’s when he slapped her in the face, knocking her to the ground. I was mad and started hitting dad, causing him to grab my arm, almost breaking it. I was tossed towards my mother in pain. Next thing that happened was the door busting open. It was our neighbor, who heard it next door. My dad tried to run, but was taken down by our neighbor. He told his wife to call the police and ambulance. Doctor said that it was a fracture, and would have to be in a cast for weeks. With dad locked up for a while, mom wanted to file for a divorce and have full custody of me, which was granted. “After being laughed at in my class with the cast on me, we decided to move away to Las Pegasus, with our neighbor’s help. She wanted to leave the past behind and move on. With a new job and new home, we thought everything would be fine. But I had a hard time making friends because I felt like an outcast. Mom said to give it time. She even thought the trip to Appleloosa would do some good. “It wasn’t until the 6th grade that everything started to fall apart. The welfare checks stopped coming in. She made a call to look into my father as to why it stopped. Turns out that he committed suicide. Cops were there to make sure he was still there, only to find him with a gun. He pointed the gun to the cops, causing them to open fire. Turns out than the gun wasn’t even loaded. Suicide by cop, they said. Couldn’t keep a job, and his bank accounts were empty and closed. Guy didn’t even have the guts to pull the trigger. We knew we couldn’t stay in Las Pegasus for long because of rent. The company that my mother worked for said that they were opening a branch in Ponyville. Rent would be easier on us, and they promised to help us move at no cost. She felt like the small town life would be much easier for us. That’s when I met Flash in the 7th grade at my new school. “I’m sure you know the rest of the story from the others. The reason I dated Flash when he started getting popular in the 8th grade was to just cover up my past. I felt happy at the time, until we took a break from dating. I thought I would get by on my own.” Her tone changed from sorrow to anger. “But Twilight and Cadence both stole the show from me. I didn’t want to fall back in that same hole that I was able to crawl out of. I…I WANTED THEM TO PAY!!!” I intervened. “Sunset, look at me.” She turned towards me. “I know you felt mad, but did you ever thought about talking to them about the pain you were feeling?” “I thought that if I told them, that they would laugh at me. I can still hear it; the laughing, the taunting. I just wanted it to end.” She covered her face with her hands, crying. “Sunset, I need you to do me a favor.” She looked at me with sadness and fear. “I need you to take off your jacket.” She looked away, crying some more. “Please…please, don’t make me go through this.” “Look, if you want me to help you, you have to trust me in this,” I said to her. She finally took off her leather jacket. And on her lower arms were knife marks all over, just like Chrysalis said. “When have you been doing this?” “Over the summer,” she replied. “I just wanted it all to go away. It’s not like anyone ever cares about me anymore.” “That’s a load of bull, and you know it. There’s always someone out there who still cares for you.” “Name one person who does. I dare you,” she said still crying. “You mother.” She froze right there after I said that. “You may not know it, but she cares for you deeply. And yes, I know she can’t be there all the time. But you still don’t have to be alone. Why do you think I’m trying to help in the first place?” “So you’re doing this for her?” I’m doing this for all of us,” as I placed my hand on hers, “because I care for you as well. I know we had a rough start on the first day, but when I saw the letter that your mother wrote, I knew she wanted me to help. And during that time, I felt like you needed someone at your side when times are rough.” With tears still in her eyes, she started to stare at the stand of blades that I had displayed. As she was staring at them, I had a feeling what was going through her mind. I placed my hand on her cheek and turned her gaze towards me. “Don’t you even dare think about doing it. You’ve done enough damage to yourself.” “Jack, you said that if the blade of Muramasa was drawn, blood must be spilled. Does the bearer of the blade have to do so to itself as well?” “What are you getting at, Sunset.” “Just let me draw the blade myself. I want to ease the pain in me again.” I knew that she wouldn’t stop if I tried, and I needed to find a way to make her stop doing this to herself. Then something came to mind that I remember hearing about in past ancient stories. “Then do me one thing.” “What?” she said. “Come with me.” I grabbed both blades, grabbed a first aid box from my bathroom, and took her to the sink in the kitchen. “I want you to make a promise to me, and I plan to make a promise with you. If you promise you will stop harming yourself in any way, I’ll promise to be by your side through the good times and the bad.” “And how do you plan to keep this promise?” she said to me. I turned the water on, then gave her Muramasa, and took Masamune in my hand. “Draw your blade.” Both of us drew our blades. “Now, slowly slide the blade on your left hand.” Both of us took the blade side to our hand until a bit of blood was shown. Sunset flinched as she did this. I set my blade down on the counter, and she did the same. “Now, give me your wounded hand.” When she brought it to me, I grabbed it with my wounded hand and placed our hands over the running water. “This is my promise to you, that I will be there at your side at all times, no matter what happens.” “And I promise to you, that I will never harm myself ever again, and be at your side, no matter what happens to us.” She looked at our hands and realized what just happened. “Did we just make…a blood pact?” “In a way, yes. Do you feel better?” She nodded. “Now lets get these patched up before we go back to work.” So I went and used rubbing alcohol on her cut before covering it up with some gauze. She flinched again like before. “You’ve been scared of having to deal with physical pain, have you?” “Depends. But maybe this is the start of the healing process for me.” She decided to use rubbing alcohol on my cut and covered it up with some gauze as well. I went and cleaned the blood off the blades before sheathing them. After going back to my room, I placed the blades back on the stand. As we started to get back to work, she gave me a big hug and said into my ear, “I sorry I put you through this, but thanks for listening to me.” It was that point that I started to feel a crack in the wall around her soul. It felt like worrying, but I wasn’t sure. I just knew I’ve finally got her on the right path that she needed to be on. Author's Note First, I wanted to point out that harming yourself or committing suicide is not an option. If you ever feel like doing so, then talk to someone first. Getting it out of your system and letting a friend listen to your problems might be better than just letting it be kept bottled in. Us bronies have to stick together. Second, don't even think of doing something like what Jack and Sunset just did with a blade. I needed to add something like this to play a part later on in this story and the next stories, and this one was the safest way to do so. The next chapter will help clear up the reasoning for this, since it just came to mind. Ch. 22 - Samurai and Demon (Part 3) - TrustThe next morning, I walked with Sunset towards our lockers, where the others were already there. “Jack, I’m glad you’re here,” Twilight said. The group stopped and noticed the bandages on our hands. “What happen to you?” “Just call us butterfingers,” I said. “Happened when we were fixing dinner for us. But something tells me you have something to tell me.” “Well, I do. I finally got the results that you wanted about the team average stats.” She brought out a piece of paper with several columns on it. All of us, including Sunset, went to look at the paper. “See the first column. It’s the stats from last year. The second column is this year’s stats without Jack. The third column is this year’s stats with Jack. While there’s a slight difference between the first and second columns, the third column shows a big difference.” She turned to her side and said, “Pinkie, do you have those newspaper clipping you collected over the weekend?” “Sure do,” Pinkie said. As she started to look in her book bag, I said, “You keep newspaper clippings?” “Oh yes,” she replied while looking in her book bag. “The Cakes get a newspaper everyday at Sugarcube Corner, and I look for any Canterlot High articles, and clip them, and have a scrapbook made from them, because I want us to remember our memories while here since our first year,” and pulls out the clippings, “like these ones.” She handed us one and said, “This one is from Saturday’s paper.” The headliner on the article said Wondercolts’ Almost Pull A Shutout. As we read the article, I came across my name and some of the stats that I made in the last game. “Look at that,” I said, pointing to where my name was. “And there’s my name, plus Thunderlane and Shining Armor’s names as well,” Flash said. “Looks like Jack stands out more than the others,” Applejack said. “As long as y’all don’t have a problem with it.” “No problem here,” Flash replied. “If you like that one, then check this one from Sunday’s paper.” Pinkie handed us another article. New Student At Canterlot High Surprises All was the headliner listed. I read out some of the pieces of the article that stood out. “Started as a kicker, Jack Diamond shows in the past three games that he can cover the offense wherever he is needed. – Almost as fast as Flash Sentry. – Can move like Thunderlane. – He could be next season’s key starting quarterback.” Then one line stood out the most. “Might give Crystal Prep a run for the money.” I stopped reading and said, “Who writes this stuff?” “Ponyville’s best sports writer, Play Maker,” Flash said. “He played high school football, basketball, and baseball back in his time. He started to play college football before an injury ended his sports career. That’s when he started to write sport articles for his college. The Ponyville Express newspaper hired him when he finished college for his expert knowledge of sports.” “And if he thinks that you can challenge Crystal Prep, he might be right,” Soarin added. “I bet you that when someone saw this article, they felt worried about having their perfect record coming to an end,” Twilight said. “Well, fear can make people panic,” Sunset added. Everyone just stared at her. “What? I know I’ve done bad things before, but some Crystal Prep students would do the same thing I do if I was in their shoes.” “I hate to say this, but she’s right,” Rarity said. “But this was in the Sunday paper. Who from Crystal Prep would read the Sunday paper?” Dash asked. Twilight asked Sunset and me, “Did anything stand out when you faced them?” “Lightning Dust was the one calling the shots when they decided to attack,” Sunset said. “And I think they could have been at Jack’s truck for quite some time before I saw Jack walk up to them. It made me suspicious about what was going on. Once I saw the slick golden hair, like Dash did, I knew trouble was coming and had to intervene.” “Not to mention that Suri was with them,” Rarity added. “I recall that she’s either with her designers or high society students. Being with a football athlete and a female basketball athlete is an odd pairing.” “Wait, you said that they were around my truck for some time,” I said to Sunset, in which she nodded. “Did anyone take a picture of my truck before?” “I think my big brother did when you were after the team party at my place,” Applejack said. She took out her cell and started to look for the picture online, before showing it to me. “Here it is. You were with Sunset at the time it happened.” It was a picture that Big Mac took of both of our trucks. The caption read, “Looks like Jack’s older truck still has more life than mine.” “Looks like someone had to do some research before planning this,” I said. “Think Sugarcoat would have something to do with this?” “As a member of the Elite 5, they only care about who’s in their group,” Twilight said. “If you’re not in the Elite 5, you’re on your own. And they don’t ask for anyone to do anything for them. That’s what makes Crystal Prep who they are.” “Then how did they know about Jack in the first place?” Applejack asked. We started to think of any option that could explain all this before Fluttershy broke the silence. “Um…what if…maybe…someone else wanted to…you know…ask them to do this for them.” “Not to be rude, but we thought about that before, Flutters,” Dash said. “Who said it had to be from the Elite 5?” Sunset said. “What if someone else wanted to have this done?” “Sunset, you might be on to something,” Twilight said. “I hate to make you the villain on the spot, but give me an idea of who it would be and what would be done.” Sunset put her finger on her chin, trying to get an idea in her head. “Well, for starters, I don’t think they would have counted on me to show up. Three on two wouldn’t be a problem for them, but that changed when I showed up and taunted Dust, who was calling the shots.” “Plus, Brick Wall started to distanced me from the girls as we fought. What would that say to you?” I asked Sunset. “If I wasn’t there, it would have been two on one with you, leaving Suri with Chrysalis. Unless?” Sunset paused for a moment before she continued. “What if Dust and Suri paired up, leaving Chrysalis in a disadvantage? Brick Wall was big enough to handle himself against Jack. And what would be the reason to keep the guys and girls distance from each other.” Just then, Rarity looked like a bright idea came to mind. “I just thought of something. Soarin, have you even come across Fleur before, even with Rainbow Dash?” “I believe we have a couple of times, but it didn’t look like she was trying to show off like she would have towards Shining or Flash,” Soarin said. “Wait a minute. Someone was trying to show off…to Flash?” Sunset said. “Like a runway model should,” Rarity said. “I would have made her black and blue if I was still with him,” Sunset said. “Can’t blame you for that one,” Flash said. “Twilight is one who wouldn’t go that far.” “Don’t be so sure about that,” Twilight corrected. “But what are you trying to say, Rarity?” “Flash and Shining were popular before Jack came here. Now that Jack’s the popular one, what if Fleur was interested in him in the first place. She’s the only connection with Suri. Plus she’s one who will do anything to get what she wants.” “Chrysalis told me a bit about her last night,” Sunset said. “And if what you say about her is true, she would be the right girl to do this.” “If that’s the case, what would be her next move?” I asked. “Sunset,” Rarity said, “I hate to say this, but I might need your help in understanding what Fleur is planning.” “I was thinking the same thing, Rares. Besides, I have no clue what else could go through a model’s head,” Sunset said. “Then both of you try to figure out what she’s trying to do, if you think it’s her,” Twilight said. “Last thing I need is to have Jack out of the game.” I told Celestia and Luna about what I learned from Sunset’s past. It could also explain why her mother never brought it up. And with the fact that she’s still scared to come forward about her past in front of the others is a big problem to overcome. But they believe in time, she will overcome all this and things would get better. But the issue of the cuts on our hands was mixed when I explain it to them. Celestia was worried that I was doing something reckless, but Luna had a different idea. “I think what they did is a big step for him, and it’s not just the blood pact that they made,” Luna said. “Does this involve the call you made a couple of days ago?” Celestia asked Luna. “Yes,” Luna replied. “Jack, after you had the blades over here on Monday, I decided to call up an old friend, and mentor, of mine from the kendo club: Master Blades. I told him that you had the last swords ever made and used for their challenge. Turns out that there was an unaccounted story that they kept as some wise tale. “A young boy was collecting wood in the forest when he came across the battle going on. When the two were tired, what he saw next was something no one would even believe would happen. He saw a glowing woman in white showing in front of the two fighters. He couldn’t hear what was being said, but he saw the two placed their blades into the ground, kneeling like a knight would to his king. Then a bright light flashed around them, and all three disappeared. The boy ran off back to the village, not telling anyone what happen. When word went around about someone finding the blades, the boy told her grandfather what he though he saw, not sure if anyone would believe him. The old man told the village elder in private the same story, believing that a strange event happened to them, but would be hard to prove it happen. Because of the scene there the blades looked strange, they decided to call it a wise man’s tale, hoping that someone later on can prove it to be real. “If I was to take a guess, that mysterious woman that showed up must have taken their souls and placed them in their own blades. And not just a piece of their soul, but their entire soul, sealed into the blade, unable to be released. It’s possible that what you and Sunset did was making a blood pact to the blade’s creator living in the blade.” “You mean I made a pact with Masamune, and Sunset made hers with Muramasa?” I asked Luna. “That is correct. And this might be the first step in awakening them. But don’t expect you to sense them coming to life. It’s possible that there are other steps in awaking them. But this isn’t the only thing that I learned.” “What do you mean, sis?” Celestia said. Luna took a deep breath before answering. “Master Blades is on his deathbed. While his spirits are high, his body is weakening. He made a confession to me saying that he was helping Star Swirl in some research, the art of soul resonance.” Celestia reacted to this. “You mean…” “Yes sis. He bears the same gift that Jack has, or he used to. Before I met him, he worked with Star Swirl on understanding this power, because he sensed that his power was slowly fading, due to age. Blades wanted to make sure that Star Swirl could get an idea of what each skill could do from another point of view. That’s what led to the book that we have now. He also had a set of ancient skills that are not in the book, called Soul Arts. He has already planned to send me all of his works and teachings to me before he passes away, including the Soul Arts, since he has no one else to pass it along to. Jack, I think these would be useful to you in your training in the future.” “You didn’t tell him that I had these powers, did you?” I asked Luna. “In fact, I did. He lost his powers a few years ago, and with him being on his deathbed, it wouldn’t matter either way. He did ask me if you knew how to Soul Shift, in which you have. He said that if you can understand how to use the blade, then you would be able to learn the first three Soul Arts, which he said would be easy to work on. The others would require more skill and training. I’ll know more when his stuff arrives.” “I guess I have my work cut out for me,” I said. “I’m guessing that Sunset will have to know my secret, since she must have made a pact with Muramasa.” Luna replied, “You are right, Jack. And Applejack will have to know this as well. It looks like we can’t keep this secret from your friends for long.” “Then you need to make sure that they can trust each other and are willing to forgive their past actions if we plan to do this,” Celestia said. After another afternoon of practice, we all went back home. Sunset and me went to work on finishing up on our project, which all we had to do, was write it up from what we had researched. Once we finished creating the report on our project, we looked it over to make sure it was good before calling it finished. We took the rest of the time working on what little homework that we had before relaxing in my room. “So, feel better after getting that out of the way?” I said. “Actually, I’m feeling a lot better than before,” she responded. “Maybe it’s because of getting all that…stuff out of me last night. It’s too bad your mother almost panic when she saw the bandages that we had. Now I have a to deal with a scar that I can’t hide.” “That scar is a reminder of the promises that we made, remember?” “I know. You don’t have to remind me.” It went quiet for a moment before she spoke again. “Can I ask you something?” I looked at her, waiting for her question. “Has there been anyone that caught your interest? I mean, someone who would be your girlfriend down the road.” “I have…two. But I rather not say who at this time,” I said. “I’m still not sure how to make of it.” “I can only guess that Applejack is one of them.” “And what makes you say that?” I said to her. “Because you spend a good amount of time with her. Plus, I think you and her have something in common. Not sure what at this time.” “OK, you win on that guess,” I said. “Then why haven’t you asked her out in the first place?” “Over the weekend, we had a fighter’s duel, with each one making our own bet. If I win, she would have to stop bring up the girlfriend issue and become my sparring partner. If she won, I would have to be her date for homecoming. Then I would have to find a girlfriend afterwards.” “And who won that bet?” she asked. “You’re looking at him.” “Oh come on. You could have had a date easily without all the other girls feeling left out, and you passed up on the offer.” “Then I would have to give up on helping you, leaving you with all the pain buried inside you,” I said. “I guess you might have a point about that. Otherwise, I would have felt like crap for a long time. Now I see what makes you special. You do all you can to help others in need, when they need it. And you don’t care about what the critics say. But it does leave us with one problem.” “Fleur de Lis,” I said. “You think she would have something to do with what happened Monday afternoon?” “Maybe,” she responded. “When I was talking to Rarity about her, we think that her motivation would be to get you to go for her. They might have been hoping that you would be by yourself so they can take you to her, but didn’t expect Chrysalis to be with you, not to mention me showing up. That is if she’s the one behind all this. We still don’t have enough proof that says that.” “Then we wait for the next move to be made. Who makes it is up in the air.” “I do have one request to make, and it’s going to sound weird to you.” Sunset started to look away, almost blushing. “Can I…sleep with you for the night?” “OK, that does sound weird from you. Is there a reason you’re asking this?” “I’ve been having…nightmares in the past. Not every night, but every now and then. I was hoping that if you were there to…hold me, maybe the nightmares would go away. I hope your parents don’t have a problem if I did this.” “Then let’s do this. If you feel scared later at night, just come up to my room and we can go from there.” “Thanks,” she said as she grabbed my hand. “And who would the other girl be that peaked your interest?” “If you can’t figure that out, then I’m not telling,” I said. “I’m starting to hate you again for that.” It was Friday, and we were done with school for the day. Sunset was able to go back home with her mother today, and it was time for the team to head to our next game in Trottingham. Everything was the same as before with the last road game that I had to face. And when we arrived in Trottingham and started to warm up and stretch, I saw a dark purple guy behind the low fence where the track was located, waving at me. It took me a moment to realize who it was. Since Rainbow Dash was helping me with my stretches, I decided the have her walk with me and introduce her to the guy. “Artemis, are you still here,” I said. “Can’t believe you still remember me after so long,” Artemis replied. “How’s everything with you?” “Well, after moving to Fillydelphia for two years, then to Manehattan for another two years, it’s now Ponyville as my new home.” I turned and said, “Dash, this is my friend from the 6th grade, Artemis. He’s the one from that story I told you on the first day.” She shook his hand, saying, “It’s nice to meet you. Name’s Rainbow Dash. I’m sorry about what happened to your mother.” “It’s no biggie. I’m used to it,” Artemis said. “A coach from our school had to retire weeks before school started. She has an only daughter who was diagnosed with breast cancer. I had to tell your story to her because her coach was supposed to help her with her future scholarship,” I said. “Well, I hope things get better for her daughter,” Artemis said. “At least the former bullies are helping me out whenever needed. Some of them play for the football team.” “Oh this is going to be interesting,” I said. “At least they have changed their ways.” “Well, we have been working on an anti-bullying movement here, after hearing a story about someone trying to end his life in Fillydelphia. Trying to get new laws passed in the town,” Artemis said. “Guess I must have that effect on others from afar.” Artemis had a confused look on his face after what I said. “He went to the same junior high school that I was. Had to teach some bullies a lesson after hearing what happen to the victim. Now they are helping out with the family in taking care of the kid.” “You never cease to amaze me,” Artemis said. “Yea, he has that effect on everyone at school,” Dash added. “Well, I need to get back with my friends,” Artemis said. “Hey, do you think you can do me a favor?” I asked Artemis. “Is there some way you can send me anything from your match with Crystal Prep. It can be videos, stats, anything.” “We plan to face them next week, and word back home is that our superstar here,” as Dash placed her hand on my shoulder, “can help hand Crystal Prep their first loss.” “And already they made a move on our school, mainly towards me. Still not sure what their motive is, but we don’t want to take any chances,” I added. “Well, they did give us a beat down two weeks ago, so why not. I’ll tell our former bullies about this. I’m sure after what they did to us, and trying to do to you, I’m sure they would like to help. Just give me your e-mail and I can have them send whatever they have on them.” Dash said, “Jack, I still have my cell with me, with all of your contact info on it. I’ll exchange it with him and send it to you after the game, OK?” “Sure thing, Dash. Artemis, I hope to see you next time.” “You too, Jack.” So I rejoin our team while Dash went and exchanged my contact info with his. I was hoping that if we can get some more info on them, maybe we could have a slight advantage against them. It made me think if we can get some help from Little Strongheart in Appleloosa and the Bully Boys in Cloudsdale, maybe we can find a way to beat them for once. And maybe we can also find out who could be carrying the gift as well. As for the game, it was more of a hard fought battle, but we were able to win the game, 30 to 27. A missed field goal on Trottingham at the end of the game helped us from sending the game to overtime. I think I came across one of the former bullies during one of my rushes that made me go out of bounds, just short of a touchdown. Can’t have all of the attention all of the time, now can I. When we started to head back to the bus, Artemis and some friends that I recognized caught up with us. Dash and me decided to introduce him to Twilight, Flash, and Soarin, who also heard his story. He also told us that one of his friends could get some videos sent to me from their match with Crystal Prep, but will need the whole weekend to get it produced and sent. Twilight decided to give him her e-mail address and to have them sent to her as well so she can review them. When we took the bus drive back, I was able to sit with Moon Dancer in the back like last time. She wanted to talk about our science project and my time with Sunset. “So, think you did good on your project?” Moon Dancer asked me. “I believe so. Sunset started to get into the assignment that we were given. What about you?” “Minuette had a hard time understanding what we had to work on for a moment, but we caught on afterwards. Twilight and Cadence should be the lucky ones. They had a hard one, but it was easy for them.” “Well, what would you expect from the current and future Valedictions,” I said. “What about Sunset? Luna told me what happen between you her, plus learning about her past. But I would like to hear your side of the story.” “Well, besides the fact that she learned a lot about the weather, she’s starting to open up. I was able to fill Applejack in about her past this afternoon in private, and she plans to keep it quiet until the right time, since Sunset still feels a bit scared of telling everyone. She’s trying to find a way to bury the hatchet between the two.” “Twilight still doesn’t trust Sunset,” Moon Dancer said. I just let out a sigh as my response. “After seeing what you have done with Sunset, Twilight needs to put all this aside. You might have to tell Twilight about your gift sooner than expected.” “Luna thinks I’ll have to tell Applejack and Sunset about my gift before we all start with her training,” I said. “This might sound odd, but why not tell Sunset about your gift now?” “Her wall is starting to fade, but if I tell her that, I may never help her bring her wall down,” I said. “Besides, last night might have weakened that wall of hers some more.” Moon Dancer just stared at me. “She had a nightmare that almost scared her badly. So she came up to my room, like I requested her if this happened, and slept next to me. When she laid her head on my chest, she said that she could hear my heartbeat. She felt better when morning came.” “Sounds like she’s making a connection with you,” Moon Dancer said. “I’m guessing you’re not ready to tell her that you have feelings for her, do you.” I stared at her. “Luna told me that you had feelings for her and AJ, and I can see why you’re torn between the two.” “I was at first. I mean, Applejack is a nice girl to be with. We always like to talk and think about everything around us, and I think she might be interested in me, but I can’t make heads or tails about that. But with Sunset on my mind as well, I’m worried that no one else would be willing to spend any personal time with her. And I’m not sure if she’s starting to have feelings for me after last night, especially with her troubled past with the other students.” “Well, just remember that you have me around,” Moon Dancer said. “Plus Coco and Chrysalis will be around to back you up if problems occur with the others.” “I just hope we can get everyone on the same side for once. With our match-up with Crystal Prep coming next week, I would like everyone to help in finding out what is making them the prefect school.” Saturday came around, and it was the last meeting before homecoming. This time, we started to move all the props and such to the school gym. Took us a few trips to get all of it there, but we got it done. But making additional work in the gym was impossible, because Miss Luna was a no show today, and we couldn’t get anyone else to come help for her. With no access to the supply room in the gym, we couldn’t get all of it done today, so we planned to work on the gym Monday during free study. Twilight made sure that club meeting will be canceled Monday to focus on helping with final homecoming preparations. With more free time today, Twilight and the girls wanted to get together at Sugarcube Corner, and they invited me to join them. Without them knowing, I decided to bring Sunset along. She wasn’t sure if it was a good idea, but I told her that we need to put this rivalry in the past, and this was the best way possible. When we showed up, the girls saw that I brought Sunset with me and started to worry. I can see it in their faces at the corner booth, so I glared back at them. Applejack was fast to catch on and made sure to defuse the situation. “I knew I shouldn’t have come with you, Jack,” Sunset said. “Look, we are going to resolve this one way or another. Just trust me,” I said. We placed our milkshake orders and got them a minute later. We made our way to the corner booth, where Applejack was on the end that was looking towards the window. Twilight was at the following side next to Applejack, looking straight at us, with Rarity next to her. Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy were at the side next to the window, and Rainbow Dash was next to Fluttershy, with her back towards us. I sat next to Applejack and let Sunset sit next to Rainbow Dash. That’s when it got really quiet in our booth. Applejack gave Twilight a nudge, hoping she could break the ice around us. “Um, well, it was nice to meet your friend in Trottingham, Jack. It looks like he’s doing better after what happen years ago,” Twilight said. “You’re right about that. And I hope he gets to send us some videos when they faced Crystal Prep. Would be nice to have a heads up about them.” Dash looked at me and said, “You did get his contact info from me this morning.” “Saw it before our meeting today,” I said. “I like to find out how they can maintain a perfect record every year.” “Oh, you met the kid over there?” Rarity asked. “Sure did. Got a picture with him last night.” Dash took out his cell and pulled up the picture to show to Rarity. “Oh, he’s a cutie,” Rarity responded. “That’s what you always say about the young guys,” Twilight said. “What can I say? I like them cute and handsome.” Rarity added. “Speaking of which,” Applejack said, “with the exception of Jack and Twilight, has everyone else found dates for homecoming?” All of us just stared at Rainbow Dash, waiting for her to answer. “What?” Dash was trying to hide it, but had to say it. “Fine. Soarin asked to take me to homecoming. Happy?” “Details, Dash. Details.” Rarity said. “Look he’s just escorting me to the dance, so it’s not a date,” Dash replied. Twilight said, “It’s a date.” “No it’s not.” Rarity added, “It’s definitely a date.” “No it’s not.” Sunset decided to push it some more. “Dash, it really is a date.” Dash got up and yelled, “IT IS NOT A DATE!!!” The whole room went quiet as everyone was staring at Rainbow Dash. Realizing the embarrassment, she held a fake grin and sat back down. The room went back to it’s usually noisy self. Rarity said, “Dashie dear. You and Soarin have been hanging out a lot these past few years. I think it’s safe to say that it’s time to take it to the next level.” Twilight said, “She’s right. He does have feelings for you. He just doesn’t know how to say it to you.” “Come on, Dash. The two of you were made for each other,” Applejack said. “And what about the rest of you girls?” Dash said. “Well…um…I’m just going by myself…if that’s alright,” Fluttershy said. “Dear, no one’s going to ask you out if you keep hiding from them,” Rarity said. “You know, you can ask one of the guys out,” Sunset recommended. “I’m sure there are some guys out there who are scared to ask a girl out themselves. Maybe you can ask on of those geek or nerd types. They have no confidence in approaching any girl out there.” “Maybe because you always pick on them,” Twilight added. “Look, I know those guys can be weak,” Sunset said, “but if a girl like Fluttershy goes up to one of them she likes, she might make them feel like they have a chance with a girl like her. I say, go for it.” “She might be right about that,” Rarity said. “Some guys have a hard time coming up to a girl and asking her out. Maybe she should come up to one of them instead.” “And what about you, Rarity. Have you gotten a date?” Twilight asked. Rarity slammed her head on the table, saying, “NNNNNOOOOOOOOO!!!!!” “Look at you. Rarity, one of the most beautiful girls in school,” Dash said. “You should be able to get a date easily.” “But no one hasn’t come to ask me out in the first place,” Rarity said while her face is on the table. There was a silence before she spoke again. “I know you have something to say, Sunset, so just say it.” “I don’t like to say this, being that it might be too much, but you are a bit, I guess, high maintenance.” Rarity sighed and said, “You might be right. Besides being a fashion designer, I do come close to being a model when displaying my wares, which could explain why others are scared to ask me out.” “At least I got a date,” Pinkie Pie said with excitement. Everyone was waiting for her to say who her date is, but she kept grinning. “Um, Pinkie. We’re waiting for you to say who he is,” I said. Her smile went to a frown when she said, “I was hoping you would know by now.” “No, Pinkie, we don’t,” Twilight responded. “It’s Cheese Sandwich…from my party club.” Sunset almost chocked on her shake when she heard the name. “You mean the one who plays the accordion?” Pinkie replied, “Yep.” “Who also likes to wear the western renegade clothes at times?” “Yep.” “And carries that rubber chicken he calls ‘boneless’?” “Yep.” Sunset just face palm on the spot. “You know the guy?” Applejack asked Sunset. “You mean none of you girls have met the guy…besides Pinkie.” The rest of us shook our heads. “No offense, Pinkie, but he is the most annoying guy in the school.” “Oh come on, dear. He can’t be that bad,” Rarity said. “Unless you like polka music,” Sunset responded. Rarity just cringed. “Yea. That’s why I just stay away from him. Well, in the past years.” “Oh he’s not that bad. He works at the costume shop on the weekends,” Pinkie said. “If you still need costumes for the Nightmare Night dance, he can help you find the best one. Oh, since I remembered this, he has the costumes for Cadence and Shining Armor, Twilight. You might want to let them know later on.” Twilight responded, “Thanks Pinkie.” “So AJ, you find yourself a date?” Rainbow Dash said. “No, and I rather not talk about it.” “Um, is it because of that Tenderhoof guy?” Fluttershy asked. “Darn right it is!” Applejack snapped, scaring Fluttershy. “I’m sorry, Flutters. The guy just won’t let up.” Twilight said, “Looks like he won’t stop, because he just walked in.” A tall, slender brown guy with blonde hair and glasses, dressed in his Crystal Prep uniform, came walking towards us. Applejack just covered her face. “Well, hello my lovely Applejack. Nice day it is,” Tenderhoof said. “Tenderhoof, will you just leave me alone. I’m trying to spend some time with my friends, and which you’re not a part of,” Applejack said. “Oh, you wound me, Applejack. I can see the mean look on Sunset’s face. I tapped my shoe on hers to get her attention. I showed her that I was pointing between Applejack and me. Sunset nodded with a grin, ready to play the part. “Excuse me, but I don’t believe we met.” I said to him. “The name’s Tenderhoof.” “Jack. Jack Diamond. I’m AJ’s boyfriend,” I said as I placed my arm around the back of her neck. “I am?” Applejack said. “She is?” the other girls responded. “Wait, since when did you get a boyfriend?” Tenderhoof asked Applejack. Sunset responded. “Oh, ever since he won that bet against AJ a week ago, right Dash?” “Um, yea, YEA! They had a sparing match, in which if Jack won…um…oh, he would have to be Applejack’s boyfriend, right?” “I believe so,” Sunset replied. “It’s a surprised that you would have the balls to hit on the most popular guy on the football team’s own girlfriend.” Sunset stared and grinned at Tenderhoof. It took a moment before it all sank in. Then I can sense the fear forming inside him. “Oh. OH!!! Um, excuse me, but I need to, um, go and, um, write on some, um, stuff. Yea, stuff.” Tenderhoof started to walk backwards away from us, colliding with the stool, then end up to the wall, then hit the door frame before he finally left and started to run across our window view. Dash started to say, “That…was…” Only to be cut off by Sunset. “Wait for it.” That’s when we saw Tenderhoof running the other way from our view. “Now you can say it.” “TOTALLY AWESOME!!!” “Oh my,” Fluttershy said. “Did you, um, come across him before?” “Oh I did a couple of years ago,” Sunset replied. “Let’s just say that he got a little too close for comfort, in which he got a blow where the sun don’t shine.” “Dang. You must be bold to do that.” Applejack said. “Well, I never knew he was a student at Crystal Prep. Plus, I wasn’t in a good mood at the time,” Sunset said. “I was hoping he would remember the girl who destroyed him in this shop.” “Sorry if I came up with this on the spot. I knew that Sunset would be able to play along, after her experience with him,” I said. “Well, I should thank you both for getting rid of that fool,” Applejack said. “I guess you have some good uses around here,” Twilight said to Sunset. “I’ll take that as a complement.” We spent some more time at our table, before another Crystal Prep problem showed up. Rarity said, “Oh great. Look who now just walked in.” We looked to see a white girl with light pink hair walked in and towards the counter. But she was wearing a pink dress that matched her hair instead of the usual Crystal Prep uniform. “Is that Fleur de Lis?” I asked. “Yes dear,” Rarity responded. “I hope she’s not here because of you.” She tried her best to see if she was trying to look at me, but with no luck. “Rarity, you have a compact with you?” Sunset asked. “Why yes,” she said as she got out her own compact to hand to Sunset. “But why would you need it?” “Watch and learn.” Sunset opened the compact and started to fix her hair, but she was trying to get a good view without tipping Fleur off. “Should have known. She’s been giving quick glances at Mr. Popular over here. Looks like she must know about you after all, Jack.” “Perhaps I should introduce myself to her,” I said. “Wait.” Twilight brought out a black box. In it looked like ear buds and wristbands. “Moon Dancer and me have been working on something for the football games. We call them ear coms. There are only four ear buds and two wristbands.” She handed me an ear bud and a wristband. “The ear bud is a two-way speaker and the wristband is the transmitter. It’s only short range for now, but this would be a good chance to test it out before we can make more. Sunset, Rarity, you take an ear bud to listen in with me. Let’s see if we can find out what her motive is.” “Oh. Jack, Mrs. Cake should still be cooking some sugar cookies,” Pinkie said. “From the smell, should be seven minutes.” “I’ll use that to my advantage,” I said. I made my way to the counter next to her and got Mrs. Cake’s attention. When she called out my name, I asked her for some sugar cookies for my friends. She said that it would be six minutes before they would be ready. So I decided to wait for them. “Off a minute, but that would do,” Twilight said through the ear com. “Forgive me for asking, but you wouldn’t be the Jack that’s been in the newspapers, now would you,” Said the girl with an accent. “Why yes. Yes I am. And you would be?” “Fleur. Fleur de Lis.” “At least we can hear everything going on,” Rarity said. “It’s nice to meet you, Fleur. Sorry if I don’t pronounce your name right.” “Oh please. I think you almost got it right. Not everyone can get it right at first.” “Suck it up, bitch,” Sunset said. “So, you go to Canterlot High?” “Oh, I’m sorry, but I attend Crystal Prep. I’m a foreign exchange student over there, and, well, it’s the only school that my mother would allow me to attend.” “Not even Mane Coast Academy in Manehattan?” “Oh no. She thinks it’s not good enough of a school for me. Did you live in Manehattan before?” “Last school year. My family moved here late this summer.” “Oh. Vous êtes vraiment mignon, mon ami.” “Excuse me?” “I’m sorry. I said that must be tough, my friend.” “Liar. She said, ‘you’re really cute, my friend.’ Good thing I can speak her language,” Rarity said. “I know. But I’m used to moving from city to city.” “So I can guess that you don’t have a girlfriend?” “Not really, but I’m not worried at the moment.” “Oh. Je vais te manger, mon ami. I’m sorry, I said that you must be lonely, my friend.” “That’s ‘I’m going to eat you up, my friend.’” Rarity said. “That is just sick,” said Sunset. “I’m used to it. Why, are you trying to hit on me like every other girl out there?” “Oh, I didn’t know that every girl was trying to be your girlfriend.” “I guess it comes with being popular. Beside, it would be odd to be dating a girl from a rival school.” “Now we’re getting somewhere,” Twilight said. “That is true. I can never understand all the rivalry stuff that goes on. Especially since all the guys I see are total snobs. The rest are either focused on being really smart or athletic. It’s hard to find a nice guy that can respect a girl easily.” “This girl really sounds like a bitch,” Sunset said. “Now that we can really agree on,” Twilight said. “Well, give it some time. I’m sure you’ll find the one that’s right for you.” “I hope so.” Mrs. Cake just brought out some fresh sugar cookies for my friends and me. I knew it was time to rap this up. “Well, I need to rejoin my friends. Is was nice to meet you, Fleur.” “Oh wait. Let me give you something.” She wrote something on a piece of paper, folded it up, and gave it to me. “My number, in case you want to talk some more. I haven’t had a nice conversation in quiet some time.” “Well, maybe I’ll call you sometime later on. Bye.” That’s when I left her and rejoined my friends. “I want to eat you up? Really? Talk about being a total flirt while trying to cover it up.” “You don’t plan to call her, are you?” Rarity asked. “Let’s just say I might use her the way she’s trying to use me.” I took out my ear bud and wristband and gave them back to Twilight. “Those are some useful tools that the two of you have made.” “Good. I’ll let Moon Dancer know to make some more transmitters to go with the ear buds,” Twilight said. “As for her, no doubt she wants you. Enough to send some allies to bring you to her.” “Then I hope that bitch will lead me to the bitch that wanted to cut me up. I own her some payback for what she did,” Sunset said. “Be patience, dear,” Rarity said. “They’ll get want they deserve soon enough. No one messes with my friends and gets away with it.” I said, “Looks like next week is going to be interesting.” Author's Note This is, by far, the longest chapter I have ever made.....EVER!!! There was more I wanted to add, but figure I leave it out and maybe put it in the next chapter, which will test everyone. And I decided to use the name, Artemis, the boy who represents myself, if you go back to Chapter 2. Artemis (who has been know as the male pony version of Luna) was what I wanted to be as a somewhat O.C. for me, which I would use in a story that has been in my head for a couple of seasons. That was before I decided to create this story at the time. Ch. 23 - Samurai and Demon (Part 4) - RespectIt was a Sunday night, and with the fact that Sunset wasn’t around my room, I decided to put my focus on why Fleur de Lis was interested in me. So with her number in my hand, I decided to call her. We were talking about what have gone on in our lives. Where I have been in all my moves, and all the international places that she has been to. It was a good way for her to open up to me. It was then she brought up an article in today’s paper. “Did you read the sports article about our schools having the rematch from last year,” Fleur said. “I read that as well. It looks like they were trying to sell it to the readers,” I said. “I believe so, since last year felt dull for the readers. I like to think that our school doesn’t hold any competition with ever other school out there. Maybe it has to do with you.” “As if. I mean, Crystal Prep is the best of all schools out there. So why sell it. Besides, did you read the article below it?” “No. Hold on.” There was a brief pause before she came back. “You mean the Cloudsdale vs. Trottingham article?” “That’s the one. Cloudsdale knocked Appleloosa out of the playoff hunt, setting them up for a battle for the #3 Seed. It’s like, you want to win, but…” “You don’t know who you want to face,” she finished. “You can guess that Crystal Prep will be first, and Canterlot would be second, like last year. So winning the game makes you feel better as to whom you want to face. But since the media is trying to sell it…” “You don’t know if you want to win or lose when you have no clue where the other game stands when both games play at the same time,” I finished. “It’s like playing a game of chance.” “Just like how you’re taking a chance with me.” “Let’s not get too far ahead, Fleur. Besides wasn’t it you who took a chance in talking to me…and giving me your number. How do you know I’m not just using you just to get an edge against Crystal Prep?” “Maybe I’m just doing that to you.” She giggles. “If that’s the case, I better just hang up and never call again.” “I’m just teasing you. Don’t tell me you take things seriously?” “I always take things seriously. Just not the last one, since I can hear you giggle after saying that. Why, is that a turn off for you?” I head a sigh before she spoke. “Just like most of the students I come across. We have to be the best if we want to survive the real world. That’s what Principal Cinch says.” “And do you take that for granted?” “Well, it is what my mother wanted for me, to be the best. Oh, look at the time. I need to get some sleep.” “Same here. Have a lot to work on.” “Just to be sure, this is your cell, right?” “Yes. Why do you ask?” “Oh, you’ll see. Bye.” And that’s when she ended the call. So I stopped the recording of our conversation and looked at Chrysalis. “Well, she knows how to sell it, I’ll give her that,” Chrysalis said. “She really does,” I said. “At least I was able to sense the deception in her. But that still doesn’t explain why she would be interested in me, or even sent those three to confront me, if that’s true.” That’s when my cell buzzed. I looked to see what text came to me, only to find that Fleur sent me her address. For some reason, I know I’ve seen this address before. “I see that she sent you her address. Maybe she wants you over sometime,” Chrysalis said with a giggle. “Very funny. But I know I’ve seen this address before. Maybe it’s from one of my mother’s orders that she received. I’ll have to look into it.” “Well, if I recall, that might be located in the upper class area. Show Rarity that to make sure I’m right. She knows the big streets better than me.” Just then, she sent a picture text with the words “Come to my place sometime.” When I clicked on the attachment, both of us were surprised and shocked to see the picture that I laid my cell on the table, face down. “I’m going to pretend that I didn’t see that in the first place,” I said. Chrysalis said, “From the looks of it, she just wants you in her bed and…you know.” “Don’t even go there,” I said, pointing to her. “That’s the last thing I want to think about. I got enough trying to decide which girl to go for.” “I still don’t get it. Out of all the girls out there, you’re undecided between Applejack and Sunset. I mean, AJ has made advances on you that were almost like she was joking about it without coming out and saying it. And Sunset just made an unexpected move on you just days ago, not knowing if she really has feelings for you or just needed some comfort from her own demons.” “I know. I just…don’t have much experience in the matter. You already know why.” “Well, you better make a choice soon, because homecoming is a week away, and rumor has it that you might be the best choice for homecoming king.” I rolled my eyes and said, “It’s because I’m the popular one at school.” I let out a sigh and continued. “I sometimes wonder how I get dragged into all this.” “To me and the few others, it’s because of the gift that you have. To everyone else, it’s because they see how special you are; how you affect the lives of others. You’re not in Manehattan anymore, so you might as well live up to the legend.” “Some help you are, Chrysalis.” “Well, at least you can enjoy that picture of her.” “WILL YOU JUST GET OUT!!!” I was able to chase Chrysalis out of my room and closed the door. I sat back down and just stared at my cell that I laid on the table. I decided to plug it in to my computer and transfer the picture over so that I no longer have it on my cell. After finishing with that, I decided to send her back a text. You must be bold to send that pic. But it’s going to take more than that to impress me. After sending that, I plugged my cell into my charger and turned off the lights. Before I can go to sleep, my cell buzzed again. Oh there’s more to show you. But if it’s words that work, then call me tomorrow evening. Bye, sweetheart. I said to myself, “Something tells me I’m about to dig myself into another hole.” When I got to school, I asked Rarity if she recognized the street address that Fleur sent me. “Oh I remember that street address. It’s near where Mr. Rich lives. Not sure what her house would look like. I’m surprised that she sent it to you after chatting with her last night.” “I’m surprised as well, since she tried to add some flavor to the bait,” I said. “Flavor? Oh please, do tell,” Rarity asked. “Well, I already deleted the one text that she sent, since it’s…not worth seeing here.” “Uh oh. If it’s what I think it is, then it sounds like she’s trying to capture you; hook, line, and sinker,” Applejack said. “The only reason that would happen is if she was more of a slut than a bitch,” Sunset added. “Jack, if it’s a juicy pic, then I must have it. I wouldn’t mind having some blackmail material for Suri and her top model,” Rarity said with a giggle. “Consider it done,” I said. “Just brace yourself when you see it. I think Chrysalis and me were shocked when we saw it. Can’t understand why girls like her would do this kind of stuff.” “Jack, you really need to start learning about them girls out there if you plan to keep coming across them hunting you down,” Applejack said. “I’m sure we can teach him a thing or two about them,” Flash said, while grabbing Soarin to his side. “Flash, you better not put any dirty ideas into his head,” Twilight responded with a glare. As we finished getting our books in order, Celestia came from her office and called me over. None of us had any idea for her calling for me, until Pinkie Pie brought up Miss Luna’s name. We all forgot that she didn’t show up over the weekend, and I think I know why. “I’m guessing this is about Luna, is it,” I said. “It is, Jack,” Celestia replied and requested for me to take a seat. “She’ll be here later today, but you might have an idea as to why she couldn’t show up this weekend.” “Master Blades.” She nodded. “She found out Saturday morning about his passing and decided to go to his home to honor him before they take his remains back to his homeland to be buried. She called me yesterday that she was busy gathering all of his kendo equipment and training lessons to bring back home. This including the Soul Arts and he was able to set aside for her to give to you, if you are willing to learn them.” “If Luna can help teach me these arts, I’ll be happy to learn them. She said that the first three would be easy to learn, so that might be a starting point to see if I’m ready for these Soul Arts. What about getting homecoming ready? We’re a bit behind because we didn’t have staff that can access some equipment to finish setting up.” “I’ve already asked Coach Spitfire to help you guys out so that it can be ready before Friday, since we also have the big game coming up. She understands why Luna had to leave, since Spitfire knew him as well.” “I’ll make sure word is spread that we plan to meet during free study today. Twilight wanted all club activities to be canceled for this.” “She made a wise choice. I just hope that with what you have doing with helping Sunset out; we can finally get everyone working together peacefully. And maybe start letting others we can trust about your gift. We need all the help we can get to find out what Crystal Prep is doing with their students, if that’s still true.” 4th period was just about to wrap up when we got the results from our project assignments. Sunset was speechless when we saw the grade and gave me a big hug. “I can’t believe this. We got a 92 on our project,” Sunset said. “Well, I guess we miss a few details. But he was surprised at the new research that we found. I guess that was a win-win for us,” I said. As we started to pack up our books, our friends wanted to compare how we all did on our own projects. Twilight and Cadence got a 100 on theirs, like usual. Fluttershy and Tree Hugger got an 85, noting that they missed some details of what could kill forest life. We should have told them about the wildfire info that we had in our report. Moon Dancer and Minuette got a 93 on theirs, and Lyra and Sweetie Drops got an 88 on theirs, feeling like they could have done more, but didn’t have enough time to find more info for their project. Everyone put away their books and made way to the gym to begin setting up for Saturday’s homecoming. Sunset felt a bit nervous about joining us, so I asked her to look for Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon before coming. Everyone else made their way to the gym to resume work from Saturday, with Coach Spitfire giving us access to the supply room. As we were busy getting the lights and decorations in place, Sunset showed up with the girls. And everything almost went quiet, as she was getting the glares from every student that she went by. I can understand why she was nervous about being here, after what she tried to do last year. Not everyone is willing to forgive her, something that I plan to change. Luckily, Diamond Tiara noticed the glares and decided to make a point about it. “Excuse me. But last I checked, the volunteer club always helps out. And anyone who wants to help the volunteer club, has to be working, not acting like statues.” Silver Spoon added, “So if anyone doesn’t want to help, I’m sure the school doesn’t need you around, if that’s what you want.” Applejack decided to make a say in all this. “Alright boys, you heard the girls. We’re already behind, so we need everyone to make up for lost time. So let’s get to it.” Everyone got the message and went back to work. Sunset felt relieved of having to face everyone who hated her. Sunset said, “Thanks, DT. Wasn’t sure if I would felt welcomed here.” “After what you did to make my mother understand what she was doing, I figure it was best to return the favor,” Diamond Tiara said. “If there’s one thing I’m good at, that’s to make sure I get what I ask for. And that includes respect.” “At least she’s reminded about what happened last year,” Twilight mumbled. I slapped my hand on the back of her head and glared at her, just to remind her about giving Sunset a second chance in all this. We started to work on the stage when Rarity remembered something. “DT, do you recall this address?” She pointed at me, in which I brought out my cell to pull up the address in question. “Of course. It’s a couple of blocks down from where we live. It’s a fenced-in white house with pink curtains. Don’t know who lives there, since I don’t see any cars parked outside. Why do you ask?” Rarity said, “Miss Fleur de Lis lives there.” “So that’s who lives there. Forgive me while I gag myself,” Diamond Tiara said. “So you heard of the girl?” Rarity asked. “When you’re part of a rich society, you come across all the rich students of Crystal Prep when Mr. And Mrs. Rich hold a formal party. And she qualifies as one of them,” Silver Spoon said. “How were you able to get her address?” We told them about what happened a week ago, followed by the encounter on Saturday. Plus we told them the theories that were going through our mind, trying to get a motive. “Well, since you put it that way,” Silver Spoon said. “What do you think, Tiara?” ‘Let’s see,” Diamond Tiara said, as she started to think. “She’s interested in Jack; wants to meet him, but not at our school; asked Suri and others to request a meeting; didn’t expect Chrysalis and Sunset; fights and retreats back to her place. Takes a new approach; possible the trio watched afar; saw him go to a neutral site; decided to watch him; he walks up to her; conversation begins; numbers exchange; and the trap is set.” “And since you said about what her mother wants and what she sees and wants, it’s possible that she wants him more as a trophy boy than a boyfriend,” Silver Spoon added. “What makes ya think she wants him all for herself?” Applejack asked. Diamond Tiara said, “Well, her mother wants the best for her daughter as a future model. And not to offend you Twilight, but bookworm people wouldn’t come close to her mother’s standards, not knowing what their future in life would be. Athletes would be a hit-miss, unless you’re more of a future big league athlete, which would be hard to know from a high school level. Plus they only would be trying to just show off their talents. No offense.” “None taken,” Dash, Soarin, and Flash replied. “And seeing how all the rich students that we have come across last year act like total snobs, which would be a turn off for a future model, it would be hard to find a gentleman who can go far in life, able to earn fame and money in the future,” Silver Spoon added. “She did say a quote from Cinch about how their school works,” I said. “We have to be the best if we want to survive the real world. That would mean that being second best doesn’t cut it in real life. And she does read the newspaper. I’m guessing besides the local news and sports, she wants to keep up in what’s going on in the world, mainly her own home. That could be how she caught on to me.” “Well, maybe we should keep close tabs on her, just to be safe,” Twilight recommended. “Perhaps you should focus on now instead of later.” We saw Coach Spitfire with some tools needed for the lighting. “Just saw Miss Luna drove up. It won’t be long before she comes here. Jack, I know what happened, and maybe it’s best that we give her our support when she walks in.” “Um, does anyone want to fill some of us in on why Miss Luna wasn’t around before?” Rainbow Dash said. “I think it’s best to tell everyone at the same time.” I cleared my throat, getting everyone’s attention. “Listen up. The reason Miss Luna couldn’t help out this past weekend is because an old friend, and kendo master, from college passed away. She had to leave to show her respect to her master, before he would be sent back to his homeland. I would like it if we showed her our respect to her in honoring her master. She has arrived at the school and it won’t be long before she shows up in the gym. Coach Spitfire, will you show us how we can show our respects to her?” Spitfire agreed and showed everyone a proper bow, like how two noble fighters would respect each other before battle. I decided to have our samurai club gloves on us and bow to her in a special way; both hands together, with one hand open and one hand closed. When Luna showed up, Spitfire issued the commands for all the students to show their respect to Luna, which brought tears to her eyes. “I’m grateful that all of you are able to continue in my absence. Now I believe that we have a homecoming dance to prepare, and we’re running out of time to get it ready.” Everyone went back to work, and Luna joined us. “Jack, I’m guessing my sister filled you in on my absence.” “That is correct,” I said. “And Twilight, I’m glad to had club meetings canceled to get this done.” “Doing all that we can. I’m hoping to have this done by Wednesday.” “Then let’s see if we can make up for lost time,” Luna said. Celestia wanted me to work with Luna in catching up on today’s stuff during 6th period. This was a good time to get her caught up on what we learned in connection to last week’s actions. “So it was all to get you to meet with her, and everything didn’t go as planned,” Luna said. “I can only guess that her mother has a similar mindset to Mrs. Rich, and she’s trying to find a way for both of them to agree on something.” “A man to impress her mother, and willing to respect her as well…or just to have a trophy boy on her shelf,” I said. “But maybe I can use her to get some inside info about Crystal Prep. She can be deceptive and clever, but I don’t think she’s interested in me because of my gift. Which could explain why she sent over those that aren’t gifted.” “So it’s just something personal for herself,” Luna said. “Maybe you should forget about AJ and Sunset, and just go straight for her. If you’re lucky, you can get her to spy on the school for us.” “I think she just wants me in her bed every night,” I said. She gave me a confused look on her face. “Let’s just say she sent me more than just her number and address. Much more.” She had a stunned look on her face as she said, “As in…” “Yep,” I responded, knowing what she was about to ask me. “I am really not used to all this.” “Get used to it, because there’s going to be more strange things coming your way, starting with those Soul Arts.” “I’m guessing you have all of his things that he plans to give to you accounted for?” “Already listed. But I’ll have to wait until his will is finalized before I can receive them. His caretaker plans to send them over when that happens, and any more if there’s anything that I missed. As for the Soul Arts, I’ll need time to translate them so you can understand what each one means.” “I guess it’s going to get worse for me before it gets better,” I said. “If it even gets better. You’re going to have to be on your guard for anything that comes your way, including Fleur.” After spending some time after school with Chrysalis getting more work done for homecoming, we made our way home to rest and get some homework done. That’s when I got a call from Rarity. “Got the files you sent me. The two of you really had a nice conversation that time. As for the picture, well…” “I warned you about it.” “Well, she does have her mother’s looks…and style. Just make sure you’re ready for…you know.” “Rarity, you’re just as bad as Chrysalis.” “Well, Applejack did say that you have little experience with the ladies. If you ever want my advice, just let me know, because I think she might be really interested in you. She’s just taking the wrong approach in doing so.” “You think so?” “Well, if you plan to call her tonight, and you can send me a recording like before, I might be able to get a better idea on this. I just hope that if I’m right…well, she could be with the wrong kind of people, as in the two athletes that came over.” “Kind of like how Night Glider was with the wrong crowd before she became friends with us.” “Well, I’ll let you get back to your studies. Until next time.” It was later on, after she hung up, that I got a text from Fleur. “I’m lonely. Call me.” “She must really be desperate,” I thought. I got to my computer to record and decided to give her a call. “Jack, is that you?” “Yes it is. I got your text. Is it always like this where you live?” “That’s a strange way to say hello. But you do bring up a good point. It is like this most of the time.” “Don’t you at least have any friends to spend some time with or call up?” “I do, but…everyone’s busy. With school; with work; with almost everything.” “And what do you do, focus on your homework?” “Well, I do. I mean, my mother wants me to do so. And there are times when I work with Suri on her fashions. You’re heard of her, right?” “From Rarity, I do.” “And they’re not good, are they. I mean, Rarity and Suri are known to be rivals. It’s all she talks about.” “That depends on what you’ve heard. But maybe we should talk about something else. I sure don’t want to bore you with this stuff. You do feel lonely, right?” “Well, at least you care about my well being.” From that point on, we just talked about random stuff for a while before I was called to dinner. I let her go for now and stopped the recording. After dinner, I went back to my room and noticed another text from Fleur, with a new picture. Ready for another shock, I opened the file to see something that wasn’t a shock to see. This time, she was in her school uniform, but placed her hands together in a heart. She also had a sign saying “Sorry if my last pic was over the top.” For some reason, I didn’t know what to make of this girl. I was able to send our conversation and picture to Rarity, noting that something wasn’t right about her and all this, and that I would like her opinion about her actions. It wasn’t until I started to go to bed, that I got a reply from Rarity. I looked at my e-mail through my cell to see what it was. Jack, this is odd of her to do this. Either she’s playing you for a fool, or she’s really interested in you and wants to prove it. I’ll need some time tomorrow to think this over and see how you should respond to this. Twilight is right to be concern about you, since someone from Crystal Prep is making this move, with the big game this Friday. For now, if she wants to talk, then talk to her. Maybe this can be a learning experience about girls. I know you don’t like us to talk to you about it, but sometimes it helps to look for the warning signs. The last thing we want to have happen to you is for someone to use you for her own use. Where have I heard this before? As the day went on, we were able to make more progress in the gym during free study, enough to have it done after school today with a small crew, since some of us will be at football practice. It was after practice that Chrysalis came to get me. She took me to the gym to show me the finished work for homecoming. I noticed that Rarity and Fluttershy were still here waiting. Rarity said, “Jack dear, can I talk to you for a moment?” “Is it about…her?” I asked. “It is, dear. I was just talking to Fluttershy about her actions, and I think she might have an idea of what could be going through her mind.” Rarity nudged Fluttershy. “Go on. Tell him what you told me.” Fluttershy responded in a shy manner. “Well, um, it’s possible that she’s nervous in meeting you when she a student at Crystal Prep. And maybe, um, coming to Sugarcube Corner would have been the best way to meet you, hoping she can get you to notice her. She might be…nervous in dating someone from a rival school, that is, if she couldn’t find someone from her school.” Rarity added, “If she’s nervous because our schools have this hated rivalry going on, maybe you could ask her to the homecoming dance this weekend, and she could just be in disguise so no one will recognize her here. Fluttershy plans to be wearing a mask with her costume, since she’s shy around others and likes to blend in with the crowd.” “I’m surprised that you want me to do this,” I said. “Well, it’s possible that she’s been taking to wrong approach because her relationship with her mother is similar to Diamond Tiara and Mrs. Rich back then,” Rarity said. “She wants a guy that she really likes, but one who would impress her mother at some time later on. And if it were someone who would have lots of money, or plan to have a major league career in the future, then he would be one to impress her mother. And from what we know so far, you might just fit the mold.” “It’s possible that she knows Suri and asked her to bring you to her,” Fluttershy said. “I mean, I would do the same, since I’m…really shy.” “And Suri just wants some added protection, so those two came with her to make sure all would go as planned. But we all know that it didn’t,” Rarity said. “If that’s the case, then maybe I should have kept my mouth shut,” Chrysalis said. “No dear. You did the right thing to do. None of us knew what the motive was at the time,” Rarity said. “If she wants to talk to you again tonight, do so and find out why she’s being acting like this. Get her to confess her reasons to you. I’m sure she would open up to you easily. You have that effect on people anyway.” “So just go along with her and see what happens.” I sighed. “OK, I’ll do what you say. Let’s just hope this ends in a good way.” So we went back home and focus on our homework, have dinner, and do more homework. Chrysalis did come to check up on me to see if Fleur called, but no such luck. I planned to let her call, or text, me first. I’m not one to call someone out of the blue with nothing to talk about. As I was about to go to bed, my phone started to buzz. It was Fleur. “You do know it’s late, right?” “And good evening to you too.” I just stayed silent. “Alright, I know. It is pretty late to call. I was just busy.” “With homework, or trying to think up of something to talk about.” “Yes…I mean no…I mean, well, maybe.” “You’re a bad liar, you know that.” “Guilty as charge. I’m just…well…you know.” “Fleur, why don’t you just go on ahead and say it instead of acting like I don’t know.” “I don’t understand what you’re talking about, Jack.” “There’s a good amount of people that know about you, just like any kind of personal rivalry between the schools.” “I guess I stand out like any other student at Crystal Prep.” I stayed silent again, while she let out a sigh. “I admit that do like to show off in front of others. I am a daughter of a famous model overseas. But it’s because of how all the students around Crystal Prep are just strict about everything. I don’t have a problem with the school’s academics, that’s for sure. It’s just that…well…” “You don’t like to be single and alone.” “Oh please. It’s not about being single, that’s for sure.” “Liar.” “Hump. Fine, it is. Happy?” “Now we’re getting somewhere. Would have been easier if you just say it in the first place.” “Well, I wanted to see who you were after reading about you in the paper. Rich students don’t get noticed in the paper, but athletic students do. And I figure that if I had a boyfriend that was popular enough to have a big career in their future, I can finally impress my mother with him. All the rich students are just boring.” “I figured that’s what it was about in the first place. All you had to do was come forward with it.” “I guess you don’t like me anymore, do you?” “Now I didn’t say that. You just took the wrong approach in the matter. Plus, I have a…hard time understanding girls, so that makes us even.” “Well, maybe we can meet this weekend and sort things out. At least it will be after the game.” “I doubt that. We have homecoming Saturday, and I will be working out Sunday, like always.” “And you don’t have a date for homecoming, now do you?” “Sounds like you’re catching on.” “Well, let me think about what to do with that, and I’ll let you know. Unless you have a better idea.” “Maybe, but I’ll have to get back with you on that.” “Don’t wait too long. Bye.” I knew that it would be too soon to ask her out. I still needed to make sure this isn’t some kind of trap. All I needed to do was take it one step at a time. There’s still the prank war, and so far, Crystal Prep hasn’t made its prank on us. I told Rarity about my late night call with Fleur. Rarity’s starting to understand why Fleur was acting that way in the past, but with the fact that we still haven’t seen a prank happen around the school, we still needed to be cautious at all this. If Fleur wants to meet in person, then Rarity wants to have Twilight around with her and her ear coms to make sure Fleur isn’t pulling some stunt on me. As for Twilight, she wanted to meet with me in the library study rooms with her tablet on the videos that she looked over between Trottingham and Crystal Prep. Twilight said, “As I was looking over the videos, I saw that Crystal Prep has a tough defense. And the guy you met last week, Brick Wall, made a lot of sacks in the defense. But that not the only thing I noticed.” Twilight showed me a few videos where the quarterback made his own rushing plays when he was under pressure, able to dodge the defense and either make it safely out-of-bounds or scoring a touchdown. “Doesn’t it look odd for a quarterback to move like that? Not even my brother can pull that off easily.” “You might be right,” I said. “And while this is a few weeks old, Trottingham is a good team. We might have to avoid blitz plays early on, and hope he can pass the ball to someone else until we can find a way to get to him. Looks like you’re going to have to plan on the fly. Think you can do that?” “Who do you think you’re talking to, Jack,” Twilight said. “But that’s not the only thing I wanted to talk to you about.” “Why do I have a feeling it goes back to the girl issue I have?” I said. “Well, most of the girls have decided to give up on waiting for you to ask one of them out and went with someone else as their date. They all think you’re putting your focus on Friday’s big game, which we hope we can finally win. So you might be off the hook until spring homecoming comes around. But Fleur is still a big concern. I hope your talent in helping others is not being misused just to take you away from the game.” “I’m well aware about all this. For now, we plan to play this like a chess game, trying to outsmart your opponent,” I said. “I’m sure you know the game better than me.” “Chess is a challenging game. But maybe you should treat this as a tactical strategy game instead of a game of chess.” “True enough. At least you’re not talking about who I should be asking out for homecoming.” “Well, about that.” Twilight was hesitant to respond. “There is someone who’s still waiting.” I rolled my eyes and said, “Who, Rarity? Octavia? Maybe Fluttershy?” She responded in a stern tone. “You know who I’m talking about, Jack.” Only one girl came to mind, and Luna told me about it last week. “You’re the first guy she has been interested in. She told me about this because it felt like a new experience to her.” “Applejack, isn’t it,” I said. “Yes. She called me yesterday wondering why you haven’t even bothered to ask her out, if not anyone else. I told her that she should just confront you personally and just say it. She was hoping that you would have lost in that sparring match over a week ago just to make it easy on herself. She still prefers to the old tradition of having the guy ask her out. Why don’t you just ask her out and be over it. Or are you now interested in Fleur from Crystal Prep?” I sighed and said, “Well, there is another that I’m interested besides AJ, and it’s not Fleur.” “Who else could you be interested in that I know you have been with expect?” Her eyes went wide open. “No. Heck no. You have got to be kidding me. HER???” I had a feeling she knew who I was talking about. “Yes, her.” “Are you kidding me? You are not got to date her, or even ask her out. I won’t allow it.” “You don’t even understand what Sunset had to go through in the past.” “I couldn’t even care less. I don’t mind giving her a second chance. But this is crazy. After what she went through with Flash, she’s just going to use you no matter what.” “See, that’s the problem,” I said with an angry tone. “You still have a problem with her and you won’t even let it go at all. How long are you going to keep this up with her, after high school? College? Maybe when she’s dead?” “Don’t even go there, Jack,” Twilight replied in anger. “I know you’re trying to help her, but this is going too far. I was hoping that things would be fine since you came here. But you started to get into so many things that you shouldn’t be in that it might just destroy the respect that you have earn from the entire school, just for one troublesome girl.” “Like I needed that kind of respect. I just do things because I know no one else is willing to do it themselves. That’s who I am, and what I do. If you have a problem with that, then deal with it. I can’t change who I am.” “Fine. Just don’t come running to me when it all falls down on you,” Twilight yelled and stormed out of the room. “And I thought this week was going to be interesting. Now it’s just crazy,” I said to myself. Author's Note I didn't have this planned at first, but I figure I added this into the story, since I already started it in the last chapter. And it really sets it up for the next chapter, which could be a game changer. Ch. 24 - Samurai and Demon (Part 5) - ForgivenessSo far, this week has been crazy. I’ve fallen in love with two girls, and have a third girl have interest in me. And with the big game coming up, and my encounter with a few Crystal Prep students last week, I’m starting to feel like the target on my back is getting bigger than I have hoped for. I went to Celestia and explained all that has happened so far, hoping for her advice. “I can understand why she’s angry with you, Jack. Even I didn’t expect for you to fall for Sunset, not to mention Applejack. And with Fleur wanting you as well, it’s dividing the group than bring them together.” “I’m starting to think that this was a waste of my time to begin with. I wanted to understand my gift more, but dealing with all that comes my way that I don’t know how to handle was something I wasn’t expecting,” I said. “I didn’t want to do this too soon, but with time running out, I’m going to have to tell Twilight about your gift. I’m hoping that she can understand why I wanted you to do this,” Celestia said. “And hope that she doesn’t think that either of us are crazy. I don’t think anyone would believe that I have these mysterious powers. Well, expect for Coco, Chrysalis, and Moon Dancer.” “Well, at least you believe that Crystal Prep’s top QB might be bearing the gift. If this is true, then maybe we can find a way to expose the school for what it truly is.” “That’s just one student,” I said. “We need a lot more before we can expose them.” “And we need a lot of help to make it happen. Students that we can trust,” Celestia requested. “For now, let me focus on Twilight. I’ll tell her about all this tomorrow, once she’s cooled off. Let’s just hope that this doesn’t go downhill fast.” After coming home from practice, I needed time to myself to clear my head. I opened the window and sat on the rooftop, looking at the downtown area from afar. As I sat and watched, my cell buzzed. It was a text from Fleur. Busy tonight, but wanted to see if we can meet somewhere tomorrow. Fleur I sent a text back to her. Not sure about tomorrow night. But I’ll call you if I’m free at some point. I knew I wouldn’t be able to talk to her tonight, which is somewhat of a relief for me. I felt like I have a lot on my plate that I couldn’t handle. I just hope that Celestia can resolve all this so that we can get back on track. I was starting to hate having to keep my gift a secret. But Coco was right in the first place about doing this, there were others who would like to have my talents for their own gain, and Crystal Prep would be one of them. I was able to get a good night’s sleep before getting up and doing my usual morning routine. When I went back to my room and looked at my cell, I noticed a text sent to me just minutes ago. Jack, bring Chrysalis ASAP We have a problem. Luna This was the first time I’ve received an emergency text from her, and I knew it wasn’t good. I went down to the guest bathroom to get Chrysalis’ attention. When she cracked the door, I showed her Luna’s text. Both of us rushed to get dressed and hastily make our way to the school. When we arrived, we saw Coco waiting for us. “We got Luna’s text. What happened?” I asked Coco. “It’s the gym. It looks like a tornado went through the area. And there’s a fabric sign with the ‘Fire Demon’ on it.” “I don’t like the sound of this, Jack,” Chrysalis said. “Me either. Last thing I need is for all our hard work to go downhill fast,” I said. We saw Luna running towards us in a panic. “We got a bigger problem. Twilight and Applejack just saw the damage and found Sunset and took her to my sister’s office. And I don’t think anyone is happy about it.” “Does Moon Dancer know about this?” I asked. “I don’t think so,” Coco said. “She might have gone to the science lab to look over some things before school starts, like she usually does.” “Chrysalis, Coco, head to the gym and try to survey the damage,” Luna said. “I’ll take Jack to Celestia and see if we can stop this before it gets worse.” Luna and me made our way to Celestia’s office, hoping that Twilight isn’t making a terrible mistake. Once we made our way into the main office, Sunset burst out of Celestia’s office in tears, bumping into me. That’s when I heard it. “Forgive Me.” It was as if her wall finally came down in defeat and spoke to me. Twilight walked out and yelled, “You better run, because you’re not coming back here again.” She turned back to me and said, “Jack, come with me. It’s time you see the truth about her for once.” She grabbed my hand and dragged me to the gym, with Applejack following along. When we arrived at the gym, it was a mess. Rarity, Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy, and Trixie were with Chrysalis and Coco, looking over the room. Everything that we worked on was destroyed. “You tell me she’s not capable of doing this,” Twilight yelled at me. “All of our hard work, gone. This is a disaster,” Rarity said as she placed her arm on her forehead, wanting to faint. “Trixie knew that she would do this at some point. And that sign proves it.” She pointed to a sign that said, “Good luck with homecoming, losers. Fire Demon.” “Anyone can make that sign and make sure that Sunset took the blame,” I said. “What makes you think she would do all this?” Twilight started to get angry. “What makes me think? YOU SHOULD KNOW WHAT THIS MAKES ME THINK!!! SHE WANTED TO DO THIS IN THE FIRST PLACE!!!” I wanted to vent out to Twilight about making these claims. But that stopped when Moon Dancer and Tree Hugger ran in. “Fluttershy, it’s Angel. He’s missing from his cage,” Tree Hugger said. “We found an envelope next to the cage,” Moon Dancer said as she held up the envelope. “Let me see it,” Fluttershy said in a panic. She went to take the envelope from Moon Dancer, but she pull back from Fluttershy. “Hold on there, Fluttershy.” Moon Dancer went up to me and said, “I need to talk to you, NOW.” We went away from the rest of the group. Moon Dancer said, “It’s not open, so there’s a chance that a fragment of the person’s soul could be in here. I need you to stay clam and focus on what you sense.” I took the envelope and opened it, taking out the note. That’s when I started to sense it. A blurred image of a blue-green person with orange like hair, filled with vengeance. The image faded before I could sense more of it. Twilight stomped up to me and took the note from my hand to read it. “If you want to see your lucky bunny again, forfeit Friday night’s game. Signed, The Fire Demon.” She crumpled up the note and said, “I knew it. She just had to go this far to make a point. If she wants to be expelled, then I’ll be happy to toss her out MYSELF!!!” My anger started to came back to me. I looked at Twilight and yelled, “That’s all you ever think of, just wanting the get rid of Sunset so you can enjoy your own life in peace.” “Don’t get me started, Jack. This is who she is and what she does. There’s no way you or anyone can change her.” “Really? The only person you care about is yourself. You don’t even care about your friends in the first place.” “Don’t you DARE bring them into all this. I care about them more than anyone.” “Then why do you even want to prove you’re the best in this school? Better than anyone else around?” “You’re really pushing it, Jack. I don’t even know why I became your friend in the first place. You’re just as stubborn as ever.” “Stubborn? You want to see stubborn? How about I just knock you out, RIGHT HERE, RIGHT NOW!!!” “TRY IT!!! I DARE YOU!!!” “STOP IT!!!!!!!!!!!!” Everyone looked a Coco, as she was furious about what was going on. “The both of you are acting like babies, fighting over something pointless.” “Pointless? You think Sunset is pointless? Try telling that to…” “SHUT UP, TWILIGHT!!!” Coco yelled to her, causing her to go into shock. “I don’t even want to hear it.” Coco went up to me and said, “Jack, this isn’t like you. I know you never lose your temper about anything that happens with you.” “Well, it looks like he just lost it completely,” Twilight said, looking away with her arms crossed. Coco started to stare at her before someone else spoke. “Twilight!” She looked over to who was calling her, only to get a slap in the face. “Moon Dancer? What is wrong with you?” Twilight asked her. “What do you think?” Moon Dancer replied. “It’s because you still hold a grudge with Sunset.” “I do NOT hold a grudge with her,” Twilight responded. “He just wants to protect his new-found love, that’s all.” This shocked everyone in the room. “That’s right. He cares about her so much that he loves her.” “That’s not true,” Coco responded in my defense. “Then prove it,” Twilight said, challenging Coco. Coco looked down and said, “Jack, I’m sorry, but I can’t keep our promise about you any longer.” She looked up as said, “Remember the story about how I met Jack? There’s one more part that I have yet to tell you; something that I promised to keep a secret for his safety. The reason we were able to meet and help each other was because of his special gift, the power to sense people’s emotions. He can sense when someone is sad or in pain. He can sense when someone wants to cause trouble. It’s that gift that makes him special.” “Coco, I hate to tell you this, but that’s hard for anyone to believe,” Rarity said. Twilight added, “She’s right. No one can sense anything like that. It’s impossible.” “Actually, it is possible. And I’ll be happy to prove it.” Moon Dancer went up to Twilight and grabbed her cell from her pocket. “Maybe this will make you believe. Jack, fetch.” She threw Twilight’s cell far away from us, trying to break it. When I saw it, something in me just snapped, and told me what to do. And that’s when it happened. I braced myself to rush and grab her cell and commanded: “SOUL ART #1: SHADOW STRIKE!” From that point, I shifted myself all the way to the other side, grabbed her cell, and planted my feet on the wall before landing on the floor. Everyone was stunned at what they saw and noticed that I was holding Twilight’s cell in my hand, undamaged. “What the hay did we just saw?” Applejack asked. “A soul shift,” Chrysalis said, “but not the one I saw over a week ago.” “Say what?” Applejack said with a raised eyebrow. Chrysalis looked at Moon Dancer, asking for her to explain. “What Jack has is the power of Soul Resonance,” Moon Dancer said. “It’s the power to sense a person’s soul, their feelings and actions. It’s how he was able to help Chrysalis with what she was going through in her life. It also allows their own soul to do things that no human can even do, like how he was able to help the football team make those wins that created headlines in the paper.” “Moon Dancer, how do you know this?” Twilight asked. “Because it’s something that Celestia and Luna have known for a long time.” We saw that it was Coach Spitfire who spoke from the doorway. “If you going to come out, I might as well do the same.” I looked at her and said, “You’ve been watching me this whole time, haven’t you.” “That’s right,” Spitfire said. “Luna got me up to date days after coming here. Wanted me to keep an eye on you so that nothing bad would happen to you. And Twilight, the gift that he carries comes from a book that was written by Professor Star Swirl, who studied it from Master Blades, Luna’s mentor, and a good friend of ours. What I’m surprised is that you, Jack, would know the first Soul Art without looking at Master Blades’ scrolls.” I handed the cell back to Twilight and said, “Somehow, I heard a voice, telling me what to do, and did it. I think it has to involve the Soul Shift ability.” “That could only mean that your powers are growing better that expected since coming here,” Spitfire said. “Forgive me for asking this, coach, but who would want powers like his for?” Rainbow Dash said. “I mean, they look cool, but who would believe that they even exist?” “Someone who wants an edge against anyone else,” Coco said. “Manehattan does have its dark side, and having someone with powers like his could give them what they need to take over a city, maybe a nation. That’s why we promised to keep it a secret from everyone.” “But we’re in Ponyville. Who would want something like that?” Dash asked again. “Someone like…Crystal Prep,” Twilight said. “They’ve been known to be perfect. Wouldn’t having a student like that give them a bigger edge in almost everything?” “We think they already have that edge in the first place,” Spitfire said. “The problem is that we’ve been having a hard time proving it.” And that’s when it hit me. “Guys, I just thought of something. When I touched the note, my Soul Reading went off, showing me a blurred image of a blue-green person with orange like hair, filled with vengeance. And someone wanted to point the finger to the ‘Flame Demon’. Anyone from Crystal Prep fits that description?” Chrysalis snapped her fingers and said, “Lightning Dust. Since we confronted them last week, it’s possible that she wanted to get back at Sunset for getting in the way. And we have yet to see a prank being pulled on our school. They must have pulled their prank and decided to get back at her at the same time.” “But doing damage like this and stealing a rabbit is just criminal,” Applejack said. “No one in their rightful minds would dare to do something like that.” “And the doors are locked at night. How would they find a way to get in?” Twilight asked. “What about this opened window with a piece of fabric on it,” Pinkie Pie said as she pointed to the open window up high. Twilight asked, “How did you…?” “There was a draft coming towards me, so I looked and saw that it was open,” Pinkie answered. Everyone looked at the open window to see a small piece of fabric snagged on the edge of the window. Spitfire said, “Someone bring a ladder over here. Twilight, I need you to take a picture of it before you bring it down.” Applejack was able to bring a ladder from the supply room and placed it below the open window. Twilight went up and used her cell to take a picture of the fabric on the window before taking it and coming back down. She handed it to Spitfire for a better examination of the fabric. The color of the fabric was maroon, one of Crystal Prep’s school colors. And from the texture of the fabric, it would have come from a track suit, which if it came from the football team, it would have to be one of the equipment workers on the team. “Well, we now know that it was Crystal Prep that did this,” Rainbow Dash said, “but how were they able to pull it off? A football player couldn’t fit through the window. You have to be thin to make it through.” “There’s a door next to the back of the stage that leads outside. Someone could have let the others in through there,” Trixie said. Just then, my sensory powers went off the wall. “Guys, would most of the students be arriving at this time?” Twilight look at the time on her cell and said, “About so. Why do you ask?” “Because I just sense a ton of negativity around the school,” I said. Rarity, Trixie, and Pinkie Pie took out their cells and looked up on some of the social media sites. “Oh my. This is not good,” Rarity said. “Everyone’s talking about how someone broke in and trashed the gym.” “But we’re the only ones that have been in here,” Applejack said. “How would anyone else know about it?” “Trixie might have found the source…well, kind of.” She showed us a picture of the gym in a mess, with the fire demon sign shown. “Hey, look at that. It was taken at night,” Pinkie said as she pointed to the windows in view. “Crystal Prep must have stayed one step ahead of us, just to be sure,” I said. “And if Lightning Dust is the one planning this, she really wanted to get back at Sunset for what happened.” “Then all of you have a lot to do in little time,” Spitfire said. Twilight asked, “What do you want us to do?” “Twilight, take AJ and Jack with you and find Sunset. You’re going to have to make sure she understands that what you did was a mistake,” Spitfire said. “Everyone else, rumor control. Make sure everyone knows that Crystal Prep did all this. I’ll make sure no one enters the gym until later on, see if I can get rid of the false claims around here.” “But what about Angel?” Fluttershy said. “Crystal Prep has him, right?” “Look, we’ll find a way to rescue Angel, Fluttershy. They just need him, unharmed, to make sure we lose the game. That’s enough time for us to think up of something to rescue him,” I said. “What about homecoming?” Rarity said. “Wouldn’t have to be canceled with all this damage?” I thought for a moment and said, “Twilight, do you think we can get the entire school to help in cleaning up and trying to get homecoming back on track?” “If we can get everyone to believe that Crystal Prep did this, then it might be possible,” Twilight said. “If you can do that by free study, I can open up the gym for homecoming repairs,” Spitfire said. “Then what are we waiting for?” Applejack said. “We got work to do.” “Wait, how do you plan to find Sunset in a sea of negative emotions?” Chrysalis said. “So far, she might still have that wall still up?” Almost everyone was confused as to what she meant before I answered. “Not anymore. When she ran out of Celestia’s office and bumped into me, I heard two words from within her: Forgive Me. I think when Twilight pushed Sunset to her breaking point, that’s when it came down.” Twilight asked, “What do you mean about this wall and her asking to be forgiven?” “Twilight, I better explain it to ya as we look for her,” Applejack said. As everyone went off handle rumor control, the three of us went to look for Sunset. Applejack told Twilight about Sunset’s past. Twilight started to understand why Sunset acted the way she did from the very beginning. But we were having a hard time finding Sunset anywhere. And sensing the sadness that she started to display was becoming hard in a sea of anger. “You sure your gift isn’t broken?” Applejack asked me. “No it’s not. It might be hard to detect sadness over anger.” “But we looked everywhere inside the school.” Twilight said. “Maybe she’s not inside,” Applejack said. “Jack, if she was outside in the sports field area, you think you have a better chance to sense her?” “It’s worth a shot.” We made our way outside and came up to the practice track where we first got together to talk about Sunset on the first day. That’s when I was able to pick up her location behind the bleachers. “Sunset, what are you doing out here?” Twilight asked. “Why should you care? You just want me gone from here, don’t you,” Sunset said crying. “Look, I was wrong to accuse you of what you did,” Twilight said. “I rushed to judgment before looking at the big picture. I wish you told me about your past with your father. I can understand you were scared in telling anyone, and you were just trying to cover it up. And I’m sorry that I didn’t see the signs in the first place. I should have started to ask why you were doing all those bad things instead of just trying to take you down. I’m sorry, I’m so sorry.” “How…how did you know…?” Applejack answered Sunset. “Jack told me about it first a week ago. We figure on waiting til all the problems were resolved before doing so. But after this morning, I had to tell her.” Sunset looked up and asked, “If it wasn’t me, then who did this to me?” “Crystal Prep,” I answered. “Mainly, we believe it was Lightning Dust.” Sunset started to get up and said with a tougher tone, “So, that bitch was the one who wanted to do this to me. She’s going to pay for this.” “We’ll worry about that later. Right now, we need to make sure everyone believes that you didn’t do this,” Twilight said. “Social media’s going crazy about it,” Applejack added. “Twilight, Applejack, go check on the others and see what progress they have made on the issue,” I said. “I need to talk to Sunset for a moment.” Both of them started to make their way inside, leaving me with Sunset. “I guess you’re still trying to keep your promise you made to me,” Sunset said. “Don’t I always,” I said with a smile. “Besides, there’s more you need to know about me.” “Like what?” she asked. “It’s kind of a long story. Make you a deal. You stay with me through this, and I’ll tell you after science class.” She nodded, and we started to make our way to our first class. Twilight and her friends ran up to us with some bad news. Everyone still believed that Sunset was responsible for the damage in the gym. We needed a way to make them believe that it was Crystal Prep who did this. That’s when Rarity had an idea and asked Sunset to go in by herself to her seat, knowing that she was going to get mean stares at her. It was going to be up to us to talk about Crystal Prep’s prank war in our gym to get them to understand as we walked in. “Seriously, why would Crystal Prep decide to destroy the work that we have done this week?” Rarity said. “If you tell me, this must be the lowest prank they pulled on us,” Applejack added. “Yea. Dressing the horse statue into a clown might be funny, but destroying the displays in the gym isn’t,” Pinkie pie said. “Jack, do you think we can fix all the damage that Crystal Prep did?” Twilight asked me. “Well, I can ask my dad for replacement supplies, once we know what needs to be replaced. But getting it done in under two days will be a challenge,” I said. “I know my friends in Manehattan pulled it off two years ago, but this will be a challenge, with it being a theme as well.” “Hey, we’ve been through worse before and came out on top. I know we can do this,” Rainbow Dash said. “That’s right. I mean, we can’t let Crystal Prep bring us down…unless that’s what they wanted us to do,” Fluttershy added. “Then I say we give it our all and make it happen,” I replied. “I think it’s been a while since I’ve done a challenge like this.” Soon then, everyone in class started to talk about Crystal Prep’s prank, remembering that we face them tomorrow night. It wouldn’t take long before social media started to spread word about it and requested that they go to the gym to clean up the mess that was made. By the time we were done with 4th period, Twilight decided to lead the group in getting the gym cleaned up and finding out what we need to replace. I told her that I needed to talk to Sunset in private and ask that she tell Applejack to explain about Sunset’s past so that our friends would understand as well. I took Sunset to one of the rooms in the library and started explaining about my gift and why I was trying to find out what she was hiding with its power. She couldn’t believe it at first, but when I pointed out what I saw when I touched her arm where she kept rubbing on, she started to understand it better. I received a text from Twilight saying that they have a list and that Chrysalis was going to explain it to my father at work. She also said that Applejack, Rarity, and Rainbow Dash were coming to see me about rescuing Fluttershy’s bunny, Angel. I was able to guide them to the room that I was in with Sunset. “So, any ideas where we can find Angel?” I asked. “We might have some ideas, but we wanted to get some info from you before going forward,” Applejack said. “And part of it has to deal with Fleur,” Rarity added. “She wanted to meet you somewhere this weekend, and you told her about homecoming Saturday.” “I was thinking about that as well,” I said. “She sent me a text last night saying that she was busy, but wanted to meet somewhere tonight.” “Then we can guess who planned all this from the start,” Sunset said. “If you mean Fleur, I doubt that’s the case,” Rarity said. “She might have her intentions with Jack. But with you, Sunset, I just don’t think so.” “I have to agree with Rarity on this,” Dash said. “If she did plan this, she would have made sure that Chrysalis would have to share the blame, since she was known as the witch.” “Plus Chrysalis was in charge of homecoming, which I doubt they knew in the first place,” I added. “And when I sense the brief soul presence in the note when I held it. It looked like Dust, and there was anger and revenge. And if you recall, Dust yelled back at you as the fire demon, wanted to get back at you, if that’s what she meant before running off.” “So Fleur was more of a distraction in the group?” Sunset asked. “Maybe. But we’re not sure,” Rarity said. “Well, we can guess that Dust and Fleur are a part of the group,” Applejack recommended. “Suri and Brick Wall would be two others, plus we have an equipment worker who help get in through the window. No telling who else from that school would be a part of this.” “If you tell me, Lightning Dust would be the one in charge. If there was anyone out there would break the rules to get what she wants, it’s her,” Dash said. “That still leaves us with where Angel could be held.” Sunset said. “Well, the school would be one option, but Angel would make enough noise to get anyone’s attention who wasn’t a part of the group,” Dash said. “And they can’t take Angel to one of their houses, because it will be the same problems at school, but with their parents,” Applejack added. “But Fleur lives by herself, thanks to her mother. So that would be the best place to keep Angel until after the game,” Rarity said. “So, let’s break in to her place, grab the bunny, and get out,” Sunset recommended. “Oh no. We can’t do that. Her place would have burglar alarms and other security plans. Mr. And Mrs. Rich have that in place at their house, so Fleur would have the same,” Rarity said. “We don’t have to,” I said. “She wants me to meet her somewhere tonight, if I had time. So why not plan to meet her late in the night at her place.” “Do that and she’ll just try to refuse or work on hiding Angel until after you leave,” Dash recommended. “Unless you hide Angel back at school…at night,” Sunset said. “Exactly,” I replied. “The school would be empty, so they could hide Angel for the night somewhere in there, and get him out in the morning. They only need one night to do so.” “But how do we know where in the school Angel would be? We don’t know much of the inside of the school, unless Jack can sense Angel when we’re in there,” Applejack said. “My soul powers don’t work on animals,” I said. “That’s one of the drawbacks that I learned while I was in Manehattan. So there’s has to be another way.” “I have an idea,” Dash said. “Coach Fleetfoot. She’s been a coach who believes in fair play. And Coach Spitfire can help talk to her about all this. Both of them have been good friends before. And I already gave Fleetfoot’s number to Spitfire so they could reconnect. We can at start from there.” “We still have the issue of making sure that Angel is at Fleur’s place,” Applejack said. “I might have an idea.” Rarity brought out her cell and made a call. “Pinkie, it’s Rarity…Question. Do you still have that spy dish with you…Vinyl has it…hang on. Vinyl has some of Pinkie’s spy gear, we might have to bring her in on this.” “Maybe more than just her,” Applejack said. “Let me see your cell.” Rarity gave Applejack her cell to speak. “Pinkie, this is AJ. Is Twilight around…Twilight, we might have a plan, but we need the entire gang to help like before…I’ll explain later, just make sure Coach Spitfire is there as well…Alright, bye.” After handing Rarity back her phone, she said, “Well, it looks like we’re getting the gang together again to deal with this.” “Think they can keep my gift a secret, if possible?” I asked. “As long as Coco and Chrysalis are there, shouldn’t be a problem,” Applejack answered. “If it’s the same group of people that helped in stopping me last school year, then count me in,” Sunset requested. “Hold on, sugarcube. I know you’re not to blame for this, but I can’t drag you into this with what happened back then.” “Screw it. Maybe what I did was wrong before, but I’m not letting someone use my past for her advantage. Plus, you need someone who can pick a lock.” The girls started to stare at her. “I know it’s the wrong thing to do, but…” Applejack raised her hand and said, “You’re in. If Angel’s in one of the lockers, then we might need your pick lock skills to help out.” “Then let’s see Twilight and get her up to date on our plans,” I said. So we went to see Twilight and Coach Spitfire and explained everything that we discussed. Spitfire knew what she needed to do and asked that the most of the group should meet back at the gym after school, expect for the guys on the football team. Spitfire can get Twilight, Moon Dancer, and Rainbow Dash away from their roles on the team, but Soarin would have to stay with us for now. After practice, the guys walked back with me, where we met up with Cadence, Roseluck, and Miss Luna. “So I’m guessing that you’re going to help us out in some way?” I asked Luna. “With the planning at least. Shining, Flash, Thunderlane, and Soarin, you’ll go with Cadence and Roseluck and help Chrysalis with some of the repairs in the gym. I can’t afford to put members of the team at risk, expect for Jack. I know he has what it takes to get through this.” “Beside, Mr. Spades just brought the materials we need to make the repairs and replacements. And we could use some help with the hard work in there,” Cadence said. “Good enough,” Shining Armor replied. “Jack, you make sure you keep my sis safe, OK?” “No problem,” I replied, before they went off to the gym. “So what’s my role, Luna?” “You’re going to be the key player in this mission. I already talked to your father and asked that you spend some time with me for some ‘mental training’ before the game. You’ll going to need your blades, should they be needed. Spitfire told me about how you pulled off a Soul Art earlier.” “I was surprised myself,” I said. “Well, if you plan to invade Crystal Prep, it’s going to be entering the hornets’ nest, and you need to be ready for anything. You might want to read this later on.” Luna handed me an opened envelope. “Just came in the mail yesterday from Master Blades’ place. The letter will explain it all. For now, let’s fill you in on the rest of our plan. Moon Dancer is in charge of the spy team at Fleur’s place. Rarity, Pinkie Pie, Vinyl, And Octavia have gone with her, along with some of Pinkie’s spy gear. They plan to see if Angel, and maybe Dust and company, would be there. Twilight is in charge of the recon team at Crystal Prep. Trixie, Fluttershy, Tree Hugger, and Coco are with her. They plan to meet up with Fleetfoot and give them some info on the place.” “So Coach Fleetfoot believes that some students don’t like to play fair and wants to fix it?” I asked. “Besides that, she’s been our inside source on what we have been trying to discover from Crystal Prep.” “Finding out who could carry the gift that I have.” “She’s still trying to figure out what’s going on, but it hasn’t been easy. But for now, she’s helping out with rescuing Angel.” “And I’m supposed to go in alone if I have to?” “Well, not alone. These girls are going to help you out.” Luna pointed to five girls in front of me: Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Lyra, Sweetie Drops, and Sunset. “We’re not going to let our hero of the school do this alone, now will we,” Applejack said. “Guess not,” I replied. “Lyra, Sweetie Drops, think you can handle what we’re about to do?” “Oh, we’ve done similar stuff when we have to deal with…another problem before,” Sweetie Drops said, causing Sunset to look away in shame. “But with Sunset’s help, we know we can pull it off.” This made Sunset feel relieved. Coach Spitfire came out of the school to join us. “Just got the info that Fleetfoot sent me by e-mail. Looks like the one issue that we have at the school is the security there. They have most of the school locked up after 7PM, and only one security guard and lots of cameras at that time.” “Standard security issues. They want to make sure no damage happens there at night,” Luna said. “And if I remember correctly, anyone who has a valid school ID can get in there at night to get something, as long as the guard is with them.” “Fleetfoot is going to help Twilight in hacking into the camera system, get some eyes in the building,” Spitfire said. “Until then, we’re running blind.” “Sunset, go with Jack back to his place and pick up both blades before checking in. It’s unclear where you need to go to first, and I don’t want to take any chances on this mission,” Luna said. “The rest of you, head on to the school and wait until they join up. I have to stay with my sister tonight. If she found out what we’re doing, she’ll freak. I want to keep this under the radar until it’s complete.” As the rest of the group made their way to Crystal Prep to meet up with Twilight’s group, I let Sunset drive my truck while I looked over the letter that Luna gave me. Dear Luna, If you are reading this, it means I have passed on. After talking to you on the phone, I needed to make sure this was made and ready if you don’t reach me in person. I have enclosed a translated copy of the first three soul arts for your gifted friend. If he knows how to soul shift, then he is ready to be trained once you have received my remaining gear and teachings. I’m sure by now that Star Swirl has passed on. When, I don’t know. Whoever took him will come for your friend. He must be ready to face whatever threat is out there. I have faith that you will do what is right and prepare him for this. You were once a student to me. Now you need to be a teacher to your friend. Your Loyal Sensei Master Blades I was able to look over the second piece of paper, which explain the three Soul Arts mention. Soul Art #1 Shadow Strike Focus and shift your soul straight to the target. Soul Art #2 Shadow Slash Focus and shift your soul, striking each target in the path. Soul Art #3 Blade Cutter Focus your soul into the blade to strike through the target. I can understand how I pulled off the first soul art, so the second art should be similar. But I have a feeling that the third art will be key to this mission if no threats are around. “I know I can’t learn these soul arts, but with what we went through with our blood pact with the blades, do you think I will have to go through training with Miss Luna?” Sunset said. “The soul arts are meant for me alone at this time,” I said. “But both of us will have to go through basic training as part of the samurai club. And that includes in how to wield a katana. Applejack will have to go through this training as well.” “Speaking of Applejack, is it true that you have feelings for her?” she asked. “What are you saying?” Sunset took a deep breath before she spoke. “Twilight was asking me if I had feelings for you, which I said I did. I wanted to know why she asked me that, and she said that Applejack also had feelings for you too.” “I don’t know why she’s still getting into this after yesterday. Did she tell you anything else?” “That was it. She didn’t tell me anything else. I just want to know if you have feelings for AJ?” As we pulled up the driveway to my house, I said, “Can we talk about this later?” and went out to collect my blades. When I got back to my truck, we pulled out of the driveway and made our way to the entrance of the subdivision. She put it in park and asked, “I want you to answer the question. Do you have feeling for me or AJ?” “Do we have to go through this now?” I said. “YES!!! I need to know…right now.” “I don’t know how to explain it, but…” “Look, I know that homecoming is days away. If you’re trying to decide, then let me make it easy for you. Go and ask Applejack out to homecoming. Forget about me, OK? I know I’ve done bad things in the past, and AJ has been good to everyone that’s around her. She’s more of the girl you should be spending your time with, not me. All I’ll do is ruin your life in front of everyone that knows me.” “Sunset, you have started to show signs of change. You can’t just give up right…” She placed her lips onto mine, cutting me off. Her kiss was more passionate than I have even felt. When she broke away from our kiss, she looked me straight in the eye and said, “Jack, you’re like the samurai to everyone. I’m just a demon. It’s not going to work out. I don’t have a problem being your friend and helping me with my problems, but I don’t want to take it any further and risk all that you have earned from the school. Everyone sees who you are and what you can do. All I’ll do is make you lose it all. Please, just go with AJ, for my sake.” My cell started to go off. I saw that it was Rarity calling. “We’ll talk about this later.” I answered my cell on speaker. “What is it, Rarity?” “Jack, where are you?” “Just leaving my house.” “Good. Make your way to Fleur’s place. We’ve located Angel…and Lightning Dust. We might need your help.” “I know how to find her home, so send me a location where I should meet you.” “Will do. Be on the lookout for Tavi. She’ll help you get to us. Rarity out.” “Better let me drive, Sunset. Let’s focus on what we have to do now, and talk about you, me, and AJ later.” Author's Note The secret's now out. How all this will play out will happen in the last part of the Samurai and Demon saga. Ch. 26 - We Work As OneWe all knew that we would have to face the music in front of Celestia today, but Twilight wanted to confront Celestia about what she had to go through since the first day of school. And she wanted Sunset and Applejack to be there as well. But for me, if there was ever a time that I needed a team on the same page for what we were about to face, that time was now. Coach Spitfire went to tell Miss Luna about what we discovered from last night; how someone knew about the layout of the school, from getting into the gym to finding the science room where Angel the bunny was located; that Lightning Dust and crew was in charge of the damage; how we had to break into Crystal Prep to rescue Angel; how I had to convince Fleur to come clean about her actions; everything. The only thing that I didn’t want to bring up is the Elite 5’s role in all this. Not until I talk to them in private about what they possess. That was the last thing I want for everyone to worry about. If they have the same gift that I have, I need to know what they know about it as well. It was after 4th period that Coach Spitfire came for me, Twilight, and Sunset. Luna went to get Applejack. We all knew that we would have to see Celestia at this time. Spitfire took the rest of our team from our class and made sure all members of the team would be at the gym, finishing up on some of the final touches for homecoming. I knew that Celestia would want to know who from the school knew about my gift. But when we arrived there to meet Luna and Applejack, Celestia went off the deep end. “What the heck were you thinking last night? To find out that you went to break in to Crystal Prep just to rescue a bunny from our school was crazy. What if you got caught while you were in there?” “I doubt it wouldn’t be a problem when you have someone who can sense trouble around every corner,” Applejack said. “Plus we had help from the outside getting us around the school,” Twilight added. “I don’t see how that can be a problem when YOU have been keeping secrets from us.” Celestia started to look at me, but Twilight slammed her hands on the desk, getting Celestia attention. “Don’t even think about going to him for anything,” Twilight yelled. “Do you know how much hell I had to go through since the start of the school year? You paired me up with Sunset for most of the classes, hoping that Jack here would help resolve all of our problems.” “And when things got to be their worst, I had to do whatever I can to fix Twilight’s problems that involved Jack and Sunset,” Applejack added. “And do you know how much pain I had to relive from all this?” Sunset asked Celestia. “I would have wanted to kill myself…AGAIN!!!” “At least you could have told us about Jack’s gift,” Twilight said. “Would have made things easier on all of us instead of having everyone as your own lab mice.” After hearing all this, Celestia sat down and pinched the bridge of her nose before she spoke. “Jack, who else knows about what you carry?” Before I could answer, a knock came to the door before it opened. It was Coach Spitfire. “We’re ready when you are.” I said, “Celestia, I think it’s best that you see for yourself.” As all of us left the office to make our way to the gym, Celestia grab Star Swirl’s book and whispered something to Ms. Raven before walking with us. When we arrived at the gym, she was surprised to see over almost two-dozen students in the gym. “You have got to be kidding me,” Celestia said in shock. Cadence walked in front of the group. “Principal Celestia, if Crystal Prep is trying to cheat to win, by any means, and if you plan to leave it up to Jack to deal with it, then he’s going to need an army, or at least a team, to stop them.” “She’s right,” Shining Armor added. “I know he has what it takes on the team. But if we’re facing a rival team who has what he has, then we need to find out how to stop them. And what has happened this week is just proof that they will try anything to get an edge on winning, with or without that gift.” “You got that right.” We all looked at the gym entrance to see Coach Iron Will who spoke. Mrs. Harshwhinny, Ms. Raven, and Doctor Whooves also walked in with them. “If you plan to take on Crystal Prep, then it’s wise to have us on your side,” Mrs. Harshwhinny said. “Students, meet the rest of the team,” Celestia said. All of us were surprised to see who all knew about my gift for so long. “I guess you all deserve to understand why we have been doing this from the start.” She looked at Mrs. Harshwhinny to begin. “It’s about how Professor Star Swirl learned about the power of soul resonance back in Equestria University. Just like how Coach Spitfire was the head female coach at EU, I was a professor there as well. I was also a good friend with Star Swirl at the time. I knew that he always like to learn and discover new and rare things and liked to talk about it with me. But one year, he didn’t show up for the start of the new college semester. All that the university would say was that he retired. I tried calling him, but got no answer. Since I have Celestia’s home number, I called her up and asked if she heard anything. That’s when I knew about the book arriving at their house. When I heard that she was selected for the VP position here, I decided to resign at the end of the college year and start working as an English teacher here. I wanted to find out what happen to Star Swirl just as much as they did.” Celestia took over the conversation. “When I went from VP to Principal, I knew I was going to be busy with the school. Mrs. Harshwhinny recommended that I hire Ms. Raven from Manehattan, who was once a student in her classes at EU. She knew that Ms. Raven would be able to help us during our off time in finding out about Star Swirl’s wear-a-bouts. And we were lucky that she did.” She looked at Ms. Raven to continue. “When Crystal Prep got a new principal, after hearing stories of problems in the school, they started to improve year by year. Then the perfect streak in every school challenge came into play. Somehow, Principal Cinch was able to make Crystal Prep as the best school to attend for the best and brightest students. As you would know, Jack, that Mane Coast Academy was also a top ranked school in the nation, their methods were different from Crystal Prep. When I brought it to Celestia and Luna’s attention, it raised some concern.” Spitfire took over. “An opening came up for a female coaching job. I was the new head coach at the time when Luna called asking me to take the job. I knew what was going on with their search, but I couldn’t take the job. So I recommended a friend of mine from Cloudsdale to take it for me, Coach Fleetfoot. I filled her in on what was going on, and she kept an eye on anything unusual there. But somehow they were having a hard time finding out what they were looking for. Coach Iron Will got in touch with the head coach of EU, Coach Tirek. That’s when Iron Will took over, in his method of speaking. “Celestia told Iron Will about the problems with Crystal Prep. Iron Will doesn’t like Crystal Prep to cheat, but Iron Will has no proof to show. Fleetfoot wasn’t much help in the position that she was in. So Iron Will called an old friend, Tirek. Tirek kept tabs on EU since Star Swirl’s disappearance, but nothing new showed up. Tirek has coached students from Crystal Prep, but they weren’t who they used to be since Crystal Prep. This raised many questions.” Spitfire said, “Tirek told me that they were getting nowhere in the team’s search. When I heard that Coach Goalkeeper was retiring, Celestia asked that I take over as the female coach here. I was hesitant at the moment, but Tirek said that I should go there and help out. Plus since Rainbow Dash needed help with her scholarship, there was no reason I should decline. Tirek said that he would find someone to take my place at EU. When Celestia later told me about your gift, Jack, she wanted me to keep an eye on you. Luna soon then had an idea of making it easier with the idea of the samurai club. I’m sure that you know the rest of the story.” “So Coach Tirek is also a part of this team?” Shining Armor said. “That’s right,” Spitfire replied. “And he hopes you would get the football scholarship after this year. He could use your talents. But that’s for another time.” “Then what’s Doctor Whooves story here?” Twilight asked. “SPOILERS!!!” I said. Everyone looked at me. “Professor River Song would have played a part in this.” “Indeed so, Jack,” responded Doctor Whooves. “Since Celestia and River Song have kept in touch with each other, thanks to me, for some reason the both of them, somehow, got me involved. Beside, since River Song is now aware of your gift, she’s been busy looking for anything that could be connected to it on her summer trips overseas. She’s still connecting the pieces since she now understands what’s going on.” “And until then, we’re in the blind about the bigger picture on my gift,” I said. “That’s right,” he responded. “By we do have one thing we need to focus on.” “CRYSTAL PREP!” “Twilight, tell Coach Iron Will you have something for tonight’s game,” Iron Will said. Twilight looked at me before answering to Iron Will. “Since I understand a bit about Jack’s gift, we might have come across something from the video we got, but it more of a long shot.” “We noticed that Crystal Prep’s quarterback has been able to avoid getting sacked against Trottingham, but that was weeks ago. If we had more up to date video, we could be certain,” I said. “Well, it really is a long shot, because that’s his name,” Spitfire said. “Wait, you mean last year’s backup QB is the starting QB for Crystal Prep?” Flash asked. “That’s right,” Spitfire responded. I looked at the guys for a better explanation. Shining Armor said, “Long Shot was just a backup QB until we faced them last year. We were able to do a number to their starter QB while we had the lead. When they put him in, he just broke through our defense without breaking a sweat, winning the game. They made him the starter during the championship game, and that’s when we got trashed big time.” “Sounds like a gifted student to me,” I said. “If I can dodge any defense that comes at me, then he could do the same.” “Is that the only player who stands out?” Luna asked us. “From what I saw, that’s the only one,” Twilight said. “We can rule out Brick Wall,” Chrysalis added. “If he had that gift, he would have dodged my leg sweep when he went running towards Jack from behind weeks ago.” “I hate to change the subject, but what about the woman’s basketball team,” Dash said. “The Elite 5 is a part of that team, and one of them acts as the tactician for both football and basketball teams. Wouldn’t they have something like that in them?” “The thought has crossed our minds, but we’re a long way from finding out at this time,” Celestia said. Coco asked, “Sunset, you fought against Lightning Dust before. Were you able to land any blows on her?” “Some, yes. But they didn’t do a lot of good when Suri came up from behind to hold me down.” “The we can rule Lightning Dust out as well, otherwise, she would have dodge every swing you would have thrown,” Coco added. “That’s a good point,” Applejack said. “Jack was able to dodge most of what I threw at him, unless I was able to pin him down. But he even found a way to stop any punch I threw at him.” “We had a feeling that not every student would bear this gift, otherwise, it would wave red flags at the school from everyone else,” Luna said. “Jack, when you were in the school, anything felt out of place over there?” “Nope. It was like any other school. I even didn’t sense anything bad from their guard,” I said. “I thought the school guard was nice when he tried to help us find Angel while we were outside,” Fluttershy added. “Then maybe some of the students there might bear the actual gift that Jack has,” Celestia said. “I wouldn’t go there, Tia,” said Spitfire. “Tirek did say that he had students from that school, and they weren’t who they were when they started college, so they must be finding a way to give them this gift.” “Oh, what if they’re part of some evil organization wanting to take over the world,” Pinkie said. “Oh maybe their aliens trying to infect the students without them even knowing it.” “Pinkie, I think you been watching too many spy movies and sci-fi shows,” Applejack told her. “Wait, Pinkie might be on to something,” Moon Dancer said. “If they were doing something at the school, wouldn’t the school board, or even the government look into it? Then they would find something that would require the school to be closed down. So it would be safe to do their operations someplace else and just test it on the students in hopes to give them an edge in what they can do before.” “Then we’re back to where we’ve started,” Twilight said. I looked at Coco; seeing that she wanted to say something to me, but I gave a silent signal to stay quiet for now. Twilight continued. “The only other issue we have is trying to prove that Lightning Dust was the one that planned the chaos in our school and tried to pin it on Sunset.” “Well, we know that someone knew the school layout to find a way into the school and make their way to the science lab,” Luna said. “But who would be willing to go back on our school to do this?” Coach Spitfire’s cell buzzed. When she pulled it out, she saw something on the screen. “Well, we can ask the student who left that piece of fabric at the window.” “I’m guessing that Fleur was able to identify who needed their track jacket fixed, right?” I asked. “Better. It’s someone that Fleetfoot knows in one of her classes,” Spitfire said. “And she says that if we can take him in, he should be easy to tell all who was a part of Dust’s group, with enough pressure.” “If you can pull this off, I’m treating you, Fleetfoot, and Fleur to shakes at Sugarcube Corner,” I said. “I’ll hold you to that, Jack,” Spitfire said. “So, Jack. Did you hit it off with the rival model that had the hots for you?” Rarity asked. “Let’s just say that if I can help Diamond Tiara and her mother change, I can do the same with Fleur,” I said. “So, how do we make sure he’s at the game tonight?” Applejack asked. “Leave that part to us,” Luna answered. “We’ll make sure we get him tonight.” “Miss Luna, perhaps we can use a few students to help…blend in with the crowd,” Mrs. Harshwhinny recommended. “Trixie, Rarity, you think the two of you would have something for this?” “Trixie knows we have something for this occasion, right Rarity?” “I believe we do. Who do you have in mind, Mrs. Harshwhinny?” Rarity asked. “If its students you need for the job, then leave it to us,” Lyra said, pointing to Sweetie Drops. “We can help find your target.” “Then count me in as well,” Octavia said. “You two might be able to blend in, but if it’s snobs that you have to face, then leave those ones to me.” “Then it looks like we got a plan in place,” Spitfire said. “Jack, I hate to say it, but it looks like you have your team to get it done,” Celestia said. “I’ll be impressed to see the final results after tonight, Captain Jack.” “Since when did I become the captain of this team?” “Since you created the Manehattan Knights, we think it’s deserving that you take charge of the team of students,” said Ms. Raven. “And I must say, Manehattan has improved since you created the group a couple of years ago.” I just placed my hands on my hips and shook my head in disbelief. “Coco, you want to do the honors?” “It will be my pleasure,” Coco answered. “As a member of the Manehattan Knights, if you want Jack to be the captain of this group, raise your hand.” And everyone in the gym raised their hand high. Pinkie decided to raise both hands. “I guess you’re our new team captain.” “And it all begins again,” I said to myself. “Miss Luna, any news on Master Blade’s items that he planned to give to you?” “The will just got finalized yesterday, and the caretaker is getting everything ready for me to pick up, since that’s the only way I can have it brought over. And she did find something that I overlooked: a diary. It’s in his own language and dates when he was younger, so it might shed some light on your gift’s origins. I plan to go there tomorrow morning and be back before the homecoming dance. For now, we just need to get through our match-up with Crystal Prep tonight. If we face them in the championship game, we might have a better idea about your powers.” I told everyone, “Well, what are you all waiting for? Let’s get to work. We got a rival school to deal with.” And everyone started to leave the gym to head on to lunch while they planned for tonight. Coco stayed for a moment, wanting to talk to me about earlier before. “Jack, I know you didn’t want me to bring it up, but what if it’s…her,” Coco said. “I mean you felt something bad about her when she left Professor Digger’s office in the museum, and that was when we were waiting for him during our freshman year. If someone on the outside is using the students of Crystal Prep for their own gain, wouldn’t she be the one to do so?” I said, “Ever since I learned more about my gift, and what I know about Crystal Prep so far, it would be something that she would do, if its her. But I need to talk to Indigo first before pointing fingers at others. I know the professor had concerns about her when she made that visit, and I think it’s the reason that he would give the two blades to me.” “How would we know if Indigo is on our side in the first place?” she asked. Then the answer just popped into her head. “Wait, was it her that helped us last night?” “It was her team, but they don’t know about the connection between me and her, so let’s leave it that way for now, until I find a way to talk to her in private. We can fill Moon Dancer and Chrysalis in on this later. Get with our team in Manehattan this weekend and see if they can look into her actions. I want to make sure I have my bases covered before making this kind of move. For now, our focus is on Crystal Prep.” “Agreed,” Coco responded. “Looks like we get to see some action again.” “And I wouldn’t do it without you, Coco,” I said. Applejack wanted to talk to me after school in private. She told me that there was something that she wanted to get off her chest. I did need to talk to her about something as well, so we went outside near the statue. Applejack said to me, “Before I let you have your say, let me get this out in the open with you. Ever since we had that talk on my farm months ago, I started to have these…feelings for you. It was something that I couldn’t understand because it was a new experience for me.” I wanted to say something, but she kept on talking. “Now I know you’re still new with being around girls in that kind of manner, and when I pulled that stunt on you on the farm, I was only joking. But after you left the farm, I started to have second thoughts and wished I went father with you when I had that moment.” I still tried to say something, but she still kept talking. “When I saw how you wanted to help out with Sunset, I started to feel jealous and needed to find a way to get ya to forget her, and that time you took me to the workout room was the only way to make it happen. I tried to give you signals on the ride there, but you were focused on helping Sunset, so that’s why I challenged you.” I wanted to say something, but I figure that I let her finish what she wanted to tell me. “When that failed, I talked to Miss Luna about how I should approach you about my feelings. But I had to put it aside when you and Sunset had that encounter with Lightning Dust and company. You had to save Sunset from Dust because she needed your help. After you finally learned about her past and told me, I had to start thinking about what I should be doing for myself. I even told Twilight that I had feeling for ya, but when she said yesterday that you had feeling for Sunset, I didn’t know how to respond. But after last night, I knew what I needed to do.” Finally, she was almost finished with what she wanted to say to me. “I know I gave you the wrong signals because I’m more old fashion, wanting the guy to ask me out. And I can guess you have feeling for both Sunset and me. But now I know I need to make the move up front instead of waiting for you to make this kind of move. So I’m asking you this…” She took a big breath before she spoke. “You need to ask Sunset out to the dance tomorrow.” I said, “I know and…wait, what did you say?” “You heard what I said, Jack. I want you to be Sunset’s boyfriend. She needs you more than I do, and I mean it.” I was now confused at what Applejack was trying to tell me, and she could see it in my face. “Wait a minute, did Sunset tell you that you should ask me out to the dance?” I nodded, and she just put her hand on her face in shame. “Damn it, Twilight. You just have to make it harder for all of us.” “I think she learned that last night when we were going back to Fleur’s place,” I said. “Well, let me make it easy for you. After what I experienced with you, I now know what I need to do in the first place. I’m sure to find another guy out there that would be right for me, and there’s the spring homecoming next semester, so there’s still time for me. But Sunset is never going to find herself a boyfriend with her past problems, and you’re the only guy that has gotten close to her. Right now, she needs someone to help heal the wounds that she has, and you’re the only guy who can do that. If she says that she’s not worth your time, then screw it. The two of you were destined to be together, and I’m sure Twilight will accept you to be with her.” I took what she told me to heart and said, “I’ll do it. Thanks, AJ.” She embraced me in a hug and said, “No problem, partner. Best I can do for ya.” As she released me from her hug, she said, “And if I ever need any help in how I should approach a guy better, I’ll come to you for advice, if ya don’t mind.” “I’ll be happy to help, as long as you can help me with Sunset’s training later on. I have a feeling she might need it.” Just then, I felt my cell buzz. I took it out and saw that it was a text from Fleur. Jack, can we meet before the game tonight. I don’t want to be alone there. “I figure you got everything resolved with her,” Applejack said. “I did, but that’s not what she’s saying. The second sentence is the code word that I gave her to warn me,” I said. Applejack asked, “You think Lightning Dust and company are behind this?” “I think Lightning Dust is just ticked off that I’ve been getting in her way with her plans,” I said. Just then, Twilight and company, along with Sunset and Chrysalis came out to join us. “I’m guessing that you two got everything taking care of with your…chat?” Rarity asked us. Applejack said, “We have, Rarity. But now we got bigger fish to fry.” “Just got a text from Fleur, wanting to meet me before the game. But her text was disguised as a warning for me.” I looked at Sunset and Chrysalis and said, “How do you girls feel like giving some payback from our last encounter?” Sunset and Chrysalis knew what I was talking about and nodded. “I’ve been meaning to get back at that bitch for what she did to me,” Sunset said. “And I have my own personal payment waiting for her.” “And I’ve been waiting to have another go with Miss I-take-all-the-credit after last time,” Chrysalis added. “Twilight, get the team together that’s not part of tonight’s game like before. I think it’s time we set our own trap for Dust and company. And this time, we make sure they regret messing with us from the start.” I made sure that Fleur knew to meet me at the school around six o’clock. This way, if it were Dust and company, Brick Wall wouldn’t be with them because of tonight’s game. I wanted to make sure my team had the advantage in this matter. I sat on the tailgate of my truck, waiting for her to arrive. That’s when I saw a black SUV pull up towards me. When it stopped in front of me, Fleur came out from the back of the SUV. “Jack!” Fleur said, running towards me. “I’m sorry for doing this.” “Is everything OK?” I asked Fleur. “Oh, everything is just fine.” I recognized the voice. It was Lightning Dust, coming out from the back of the SUV. Suri and a few other girls came out of the SUV from the other side and walked to Dust’s side. I stared at Dust for a moment before whispering to Fleur, “Go to the field entrance and look for Coco. Leave the others to me.” She acknowledges what I told her and went off towards the football field. Once she was out of range, I placed my focus on Dust. “I’m surprised you would show your face after you went running scared the last time.” “Shut it, Jack,” Lightning Dust yelled. “No doubt you helped get your lame bunny back from us.” “And you also got the gym cleaned up and back to normal,” Suri added. “We know you used Fleur to get back at us.” I replied, “Well, that’s because she was interested in me while you only cared about your DAMN SCHOOL’S PRIDE!!!” “THAT’S IT!!!” Dust yelled. “You’re lucky that Brick Wall and the guys couldn’t be here, but I’m sure us ladies can take you down easy!” “Ya sure about that?” Applejack started to come out behind one of the cars next to mine. “If ya want Jack, you have to get past us.” Dust said, “What the…you and what army?” “ALL OF US!!!” Rainbow Dash yelled as she made her appearance. Most of the other girls from our team made their appearance. Lyra, Sweetie Drops, and Trixie showed up to my left; Rarity, Vinyl, and Octavia to my right. Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy came out from behind me with Tree Hugger holding Angel on her hands. “What the heck?” Dust said as she started to back up to the SUV with the others, but Dust and Suri were bumped into someone else. Dust looked back to see Sunset, and Suri saw Chrysalis, who both grabbed the girl that was in front of them. Sunset said, “Hello, BITCH!!!” Chrysalis said, “I hope you’re ready for a rematch.” “Lightning Dust, I know you like to play dirty since we played together back in Cloudsdale,” Dash said. “But what you did days ago crosses the line.” “Now, now, Dash. Let’s not all start pointing fingers without proof,” Applejack said, then looked at Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie and gave them a nod. Fluttershy went and asked, “Angel, do you know who kidnapped you?” Angel pointed at Dust. Pinkie asked Angel, “And do you know who destroyed the gym?” Angel pointed at Suri. “Thank you.” At that point, Pinkie and Fluttershy walked up in front of us, and their mood greatly changed. Pinkie’s hair went flat, and Fluttershy’s eyes went wide, as both of them started to grin like crazy. “There’s something you need to know about them two,” Applejack said. “Pinkie hates party crashers.” “And Fluttershy hates animal abusers,” Dash added. Tree Hugger stepped in and said, “And when they come across haters like you, their aura gets very dark, like bad karma ready to strike.” “And it ain’t pretty.” Applejack finished. “Hey, Jack. Maybe we should leave it to them to handle this. We have a game to get ready,” Dash said. “Good point. I want to save my energy for Brick Wall…on the field,” I said. And I walked towards the field with Dash. “Wait, you’re leaving us with these psychos?” Dust yelled at us. I yelled, “Yep. Hope you survive.” As we were leaving the area, I asked Dash, “So how long do you think they can hold up?” “I say…five minutes tops.” Dash replied. That’s when we heard Fluttershy’s voice. “YOU’RE GOING TO RESPECT ME!!!” “Actually, make it three minutes,” Dash said. “Fluttershy’s a fast finisher.” Then there was a boom behind us. “Pinkie’s party cannon?” I asked Dash. She nodded. “That’s going to leave a mark.” We arrived at the field entrance, where Fleur and Coco were waiting for us. Fleur asked, “What was that?” Dash answered, “Oh, it just the girls doing damage control.” “Thanks for warning me in your text,” I said. “I’m just glad that you’re safe,” Fleur responded. “I’m sorry for dragging you into all this from the beginning.” “There’s no need for you to be sorry,” Coco said. “We all make mistakes, but that’s why we have friends around to get through them.” “You mean…I’m your friends?” Fleur asked. “Yea,” replied Dash. “But you might want to take the creepiness down some levels. Guys can be scared of creepy girls.” I almost wanted to slap my hand on the back of Dash’s head, but Fleur said, “I understand, and I plan to take a break from man-hunting for a while until I figure out what to do on my search.” We started to hear some tires squeal and saw the SUV driving off, breaking the speed limit. “Well, there goes my ride,” Fleur said. “If I see Diamond Tiara or Silver Spoon later on, I’ll see if they can help give you a ride home,” Coco said to Fleur. “Thanks again. It’s nice to have friends that truly care. I can now see what makes your school special.” “We should be thanking you, Fleur. If you didn’t know about the guy who needed his jacket fixed, we wouldn’t have planned to capture the guy and get all this resolved,” Dash said. “Well, if you’ll excuse me, I need to get ready for tonight’s game,” I said. “I’ll stay with Fleur until some friendly faces show up for her to stay with, or just make sure that we stay in the shadows for safety,” Coco said. “Jack?” I looked at Fleur and she gave me a kiss on my cheek. “For good luck.” And both of them made their way to the football field gate. “You really have a way with the ladies, don’t you,” Dash said. I glared at Dash and slapped her rear like last time, saying, “I guess I do.” Dash’s face went red for a moment before she said, “I swear I’ll get back at you for that.” Ch. 27 - The Big GameThe big game was finally here, and I plan to send Crystal Prep a message that they will not forget. I knew that my soul powers will play a big role, but I will have to use them carefully. I don’t want Crystal Prep, or the rest of Canterlot High, to know what I carry inside me. After our usual locker room meeting, we made our way to the field to warm up. I walked out there with Shining Armor, Flash, and Thunderlane, making sure that we got Brick Wall’s attention. We found him talking to some of his teammates while warming up. Once one of the guys in the group pointed at us, he turned around and tried to hide his surprised look on his face. I just waved at him before we got to work on warming up. “So, you think he knows that his lady crew failed to take you out?” Flash asked me. “Maybe,” I said. “Oh, he knows. He just has a bad way of hiding it,” Shining Armor said. “So which one is Long Shot?” “See the gray guy with the black hair tossing the ball?” Thunderlane said, directing me towards him. “That’s him.” “Just out of curiosity, but is he a junior or senior?” I asked. “Junior,” Shining replied. “Last year’s starter that he replaced was a senior, so we know he graduated from Crystal Prep. It’s a surprise last year that a senior had to be replaced by a sophomore and help win the championship.” “Well, you did the same two years ago, and you finally got the school into the playoffs in the last 9 years,” Flash said to Shining. “But we still haven’t won a championship in over 10 years,” Thunderlane said. “Well, we might just have to change that, now will we?” I said. After going through our warm-ups, we were having our pep talk while students and their parents from both schools filled up the stands. This time, I knew my parents would be here for this game. All four of us made our way to the center of the field for the coin toss. And we already noticed that Brick Wall and Long Shot were co-captains. “Looks like someone got lucky tonight,” Brick Wall said to me. “Makes it easier for me to take you down.” “Brick, stay focused. We have a game to win,” Long Shot explained. “And I can guess this will be different from last year,” as he was staring at me. “Let’s see how different it will be,” Shining Armor said to Long Shot. The coin was flipped and Crystal Prep won the toss. They asked to receive the ball, and we chose to side going into the wind. As we were walking back to the sidelines, I took a quick glance at Crystal Prep’s side, and at the center top of the stands was four of the “Elite 5”, meaning that Sugarcoat was working with the team as told. Once we made it to the sidelines, Coach Spitfire handed us the ear coms that we would be using. Spitfire said, “Listen up. Twilight was able to place the transmitters into your helmets, so as long as you have them, your ear coms will work.” When I placed mine into my ear, I said, “Twilight, can you hear me?” “Loud and clear,” she replied. Everyone else tested theirs before I continue. “Twilight, take a look on the other side of the field, top center of the stands.” “See it. I’ll send a message to the team so they can steer clear of them. Sugarcoat is already with their coaching staff.” “I already explained to Luna who to look for,” Spitfire said. “Mrs. Harshwhinny is with her to help bring the kid in. The other three will be blending in with the crowd, looking for him as well. We hope to have him by halftime.” “Then we’ll put our focus on winning the game,” Shining Armor said. And so the game begins. We kicked the ball to Crystal Prep, which lead to the start of their drive. They were able to score a touchdown in around four minutes time. Now it was our turn. We made our move and scored a touchdown, which took nine plays to complete. It became a back and forth race throughout most of the first half until the final minute of the half. It was Crystal Prep, 28, and Canterlot High, 21. We had the ball, hoping to tie the game before halftime. After 5 plays, time was running out and we were forced to use our last timeout for the half. “Twilight, I hope you have a plan, because this looks like our last play of the half,” Shining Armor said. “Best time to use the Double Dash play. Jack, Flash, you think you can do your part?” I looked at Flash, and he gave me a nod. “Let’s do it.” We setup for the Double Dash play. Flash took the right side, and I took the left side. When the ball was snapped, Flash and me had two players on each of us as we were running towards the end zone. Shining Armor threw the ball towards Flash, in which he caught it and got rid of one of the players that were on him. But he still had another player on him and forced him to the center of the field. The two that were on me changed their direction towards Flash. I only know one option and made my way towards his direction, saying, “Flash, hot potato.” “Coming your way,” he replied, and was able to toss it back to me and strike the other players that were once on me. I was able to take the ball and make it to the end zone for the touchdown. Flash was able to get up and join me in the celebration. But it was short lived. “Jack, Flash, we got a problem.” It was from Thunderlane, who was back where the play started. We soon then noticed that Shining Armor was down. We made our way back to them as Coach Iron Will and Spitfire joined them. “What happened?” I asked. “Just after Shining threw the ball, he got hit by Brick Wall. Hit his throwing arm on the ground,” Thunderlane said. “Thunderlane, go get with Swift and prepare for the extra point,” Iron Will requested. “Shining, can you get up?” Spitfire asked. “I…think so.” he replied, and then started to get up. We made our way to the sidelines so Thunderlane and Swift can take care of the extra point to end the half while we checked up on Shining Armor. Rainbow Dash went to retrieve the school nurse, Nurse Redheart, to look over Shining Armor’s injury. Twilight and Moon Dancer joined us as well. “How bad is it?” Twilight asked. Spitfire was examining Shining Armor’s arm and shoulder, saying, “Well, I don’t feel anything broken,” then Shining felt pain when she checked his shoulder, “but he might have damaged his shoulder.’ Dash returned to us with Nurse Redheart. “What do we have?” Redheart asked. “Bad shoulder, maybe,” Spitfire replied. Nurse Redheart took a look at the injury and knew the answer. “Strained shoulder. It’ll need to be iced.” “I guess I’m done for the night,” Shining said. “It’s your show now, Jack.” “Leave it to me,” I said. Nurse Redheart took Shining Armor to have his shoulder taken care of. Now I had to take the role of QB. “Don’t worry, Jack. We’re with you 100 percent,” Flash said. “Then let’s get to work,” I said. “That’s what Iron Will want to hear. Listen up, Jack’s taking over for Shining. Follow his lead, and we can take Crystal Prep down. Now get out there and play.” Everyone started to make there way to the sidelines for the second half. The remaining few walked out with me. And that’s when we saw Miss Luna and Mrs. Harshwhinny with an officer and a Crystal Prep student. “Coach Spitfire, is that the guy we’ve been looking for?” I asked. “That’s the one,” she replied. “I guess it’s all going down soon.” “Then I think it’s time to give Brick Wall a double dose of failure from us,” I said. So the second half started with us receiving the ball. With my gift, Twilight’s tools, and my friends at my side, this was going to take everything that we got. Twilight walked me through each play, making progress as the game went on. We scored a touchdown, giving us the first lead of the game. But Crystal Prep would respond with scoring a touchdown of their own. It went back and forth throughout the second half with both sides scoring another touchdown. With the score being 42 all, we had the ball and scored another touchdown. But that’s when things changed. Crystal Prep was able to get a piece of the ball on the extra point, causing the ball to miss the uprights. With us leading, 48 to 42, and under six minutes left in the game, we knew that letting them get a touchdown and the extra point was not an option. But Crystal Prep was known to handle clock management, and they were able to milk up the clock. With less than two minutes left in the game, and them running the ball until time expired, I knew that we needed to take drastic measures. “Coach, I hate to say this, but we might have to execute a blitz play,” I said. “You said that blitzing was out of the question, and Iron Will had to use two of their timeouts.” “Coach, I think he’s on to something,” Twilight said. “If they plan to milk the clock, then we need to force them to make a touchdown fast.” “But…” “Just save that last timeout and have the defense blitz the quarterback. Force him to run to the end zone. It will be up to Jack to get the team in field goal range. That’s when we’ll use our final timeout.” Coach looked at me and said into his headset, “OK, we’ll go for it.” The team set up for a blitz play. I decided to focus my senses on Long Shot’s reaction to the blitz. When the play began, both our players were able to make their way to the quarterback. I started to sense Long Shot panic and react to the incoming players. He was able to dodge them and saw a hole in the defense, causing him to run towards the end zone, dodging players that were in his way, but not going out of bounds. While they scored, he felt the pressure that was coming to him, causing him to stop thinking and just act. After they scored the extra point, they had the lead, 49 to 48. “Twilight, I was able to sense Long Shot’s actions. It’s no doubt that he carries the gift that I have,” I said. “The way he moved on the field is just like what we saw on the video that we got. We’re going to have to take note on this later on.” Just then, I felt a strong breeze come through, the same breeze that I felt back on tryout week. “Moon Dancer…” “I saw the flags move as well. I was hoping that we would get a strong breeze later in the evening. Lyra and Sweetie Drops already came up here to help me out. They’re analyzing the wind right now.” “Flash, you might have to fair catch the ball on the kickoff,” Twilight said. “I’m hoping that the wind can give you better field position for Jack.” “On it,” Flash replied. And Flash did what Twilight asked for. He called for a fair catch, giving us a start near the 20-yard line. But we only had about a minute to get into field goal range. I got with the team and gave them my instructions. “Listen up. We need to get in field goal range. Focus your best on the left side, and try to get out of bounds. I know Swift Kicks can do a good job, but if it’s a long kick, I need it to be on that side for my best kick. Let’s make this happen.” When we lined up, I can see Brick Wall trying to taunt me, but that wasn’t going to happen. I made my first play by handing the ball to Thunderlane, who ran to the left side and was able to get out of bounds, just short of the first down. We decided to go with the same play, but this time I faked it to Thunderlane and handed it off to Flash. This time we were able to get a first down. We thought about doing it again, but I requested for a backup plan, which would involve me to run it down the center. When we begin to setup, I started to make my call, but that’s when I sensed something off. I changed the call to our backup plan. The ball was snapped, and I did a double fake and held on to the ball. Checking to see if there would be someone open, I gave Bulk the signal, allowing Brick Wall to go through him and towards me. Was he in for a surprise? He ran towards me, ready to tackle. But I was able to dodge him, allowing him to go past me and fall down. I saw my opening and ran towards the first down line before sliding down. We got the first down, but the clock was still ticking. I called everyone to the line so I can spike the ball, stopping the clock. This only left us with 25 seconds left, and we were still a good ways to go for a field goal. We knew that they were on to our plan, so I requested for Twilight to give us some new options. She had one idea, a modified Double Dash play. Thunderlane would have to take my spot, and I might have to throw it to the right side, so I requested Flash to take the left side, allowing Thunderlane to take the right. If I were right, they would focus on Flash, not realizing that I would be throwing to Thunderlane so he can get out of bounds. And it worked. Thunderlane got the ball and was able to go out of bounds, but was short the first down marker. That left us with 14 seconds on the clock. We only had enough time for maybe two plays, so I had to plan this right. We decided to execute a pass play, hoping to get out of bounds. Once the ball was snapped, I looked at my left and right. Both sides were covered. I had one option, and it was a risky one. I called for Bulk to give me my hole in the center. In doing so, I was able to dodge Brick Wall again and slide for the first down when I saw players from both sides coming towards me. Coach Iron Will was forced to use his last timeout, leaving us with three seconds left on the clock. And to make matters worse, it was placed on the right hash mark, and I was looking at a 45-yard field goal. I was close to making a field goal during tryouts around this spot. I knew I could make it before on the left hash mark, but that wasn’t the case. I waved Swift Kicks off, saying that I would make the kick. He hasn’t made a kick of this length before, and now wasn’t the time to test his skills for this. All I needed was the right wind direction to make it happen. Thunderlane was setting up as the placeholder for the kick. I was trying to time the wind gust so I could make this kick count. But my senses went off again. I looked at where it was and saw the head coach ready to use their last timeout. I told Thunderlane what I felt, and he recommended making the snap now so the coach can call the timeout. Thunderlane made the call, and the coach called his last timeout just as the ball was snapped, trying to ice the kicker. This gave me enough time to get a read on the wind. Moon Dancer was able to fill me in on what they discovered on the wind gust. It was going to be random, so I’ll have to rely on my instincts for this. We went back to setup for the field goal. I quickly discussed with Thunderlane how we were going to make it work, with or without the wind. With a possible plan in place, he got to his place to catch the ball. I got myself in place and took a few deep breaths. I felt a few quick breezes before I gave the signal. The ball was snapped, and Thunderlane had the ball in place. I kicked the ball into the air. As it was at the top of its arc, a strong wind gust came through, pushing the ball father ahead. As the ball came down, we all stared in hopes it would make it across the crossbar. The ball finally landed on the other side of the goal post, just crossing over the crossbar near the right goal post. The game ended with us winning, 51 to 49. For the first time in over ten years, Crystal Prep was handed their first loss, and it gave us the home field advantage in the two round playoffs. Everyone came running towards us on the field to celebrate the victory, while I was able to exchange a brohoof with Thunderlane. While everyone from Canterlot High was celebrating, the students from Crystal Prep were just standing there with confused looks on their faces. Twilight and Moon Dancer made their way down to meet all of us on our side of the field to join in on the celebration. “WE DID IT!!!” Twilight said in excitement. “Looks like the wind just saved us at the right time,” Moon Dancer said. “We got lucky this time,” I said. “It doesn’t matter if it was luck or not, a win’s a win.” We saw Shining Armor returned with an ice bag strapped to his shoulder and his arm in a sling. “How’s the shoulder?” Twilight asked. “It still hurts, but the ice is trying to numb the pain. Nurse Redheart said that it should be fine in a week. But we plan to run by the hospital to make sure. She’s already made her way to inform them of my arrival. I wanted to make sure I saw the rest of the game.” “Well, you might as well make your way on over there,” I said to him. “Don’t worry, I’ll take him over there for his parents,” Cadence said. “But for now, it’s your turn to shine for the fans.” I rolled my eyes and said, “Thanks a lot.” Shining Armor went with Cadence out of the playing field. As the rest of us were celebrating, we saw the Crystal Prep team walking out, giving us evil stares because of their loss. The students went to follow the team, and I was able to make eye contact with Indigo, who kept her stare, but gave a small nod and grin. Now I was certain that she remembered me and would be on my side. As everyone else were leaving the field, some of us stayed behind to iron out a few remaining details. We saw Fleur with Rarity, Coco, and Sunset, who stayed out of view, and walked towards them. “Did you get things worked out with a ride?” I asked Fleur. “We did. Coco was able to talk with Mr. Rich about taking me home, since we live close. I noticed that Diamond Tiara didn’t like me at first.” “She’s just felt out of place with the rich society and everyone else,” Rarity said. “Maybe she and her friend, Silver Spoon, will get to know you better on the ride home.” “Well, I better be leaving. I hope we get to meet again,” Fleur said and started to make her way out. “Well, we might as well do the same. We have a dance to host tomorrow,” Chrysalis said. “I’ll see you back at the house, Jack. “Same here,” I replied. “Sunset, can I talk to you for a moment.” I noticed that everyone was staring at Sunset and me. “In private.” “Oh, um sure,” Sunset replied and walk with me to the far side of the field. “So, what is it you wanted to talk about?” “I wanted to talk about us,” I said. “Look, we talked about this before. I don’t want you to throw away everything that you earned from this school just for me. I’m just a demon to this school. Not everyone’s ready to believe that I have changed.” “Sunset, I could care less about being popular here. There’s more things in life than being famous.” “But everyone still thinks I’m a…” I came up to her and planted my lips on hers, cutting her off with a kiss. When I finished our kiss, I kept my face close to hers and stared into her eyes. “You’re not a demon. You’re just as human as everyone else. Everyone makes mistakes in life. We just learn from our mistakes and move forward. And right now, I made a promise to be by your side, and I plan to keep that promise in one way possible.” I took a deep breath before I continued. “I’m asking you to be my date to the homecoming dance tomorrow night.” Sunset just stared at me with tears starting up in her eyes before she can give her answer. “You mean…” I gave a nod to her. “Then…yes, yes. I’ll go with you tomorrow night.” We can hear a squeal from the other side of the field. I looked to see what it was, but couldn’t see anyone. I can only take one guess. “They’re watching us from the other side of the stands,” Sunset said. “I think so. You have your cell with you?” I asked. She pulled it out and handed it to me. “I do have Twilight’s and AJ’s numbers with me,” she said. “I’ll use Twilight’s number and send her a message,” I said, and started to type a message. “If you don’t leave now, we will come over there and kill you.” “Oh, this is going to be fun,” she said as I sent the text. “They should be reading and reacting to it in 3…2…1.” Pinkie yelled, “THEY’RE GOING TO KILL US! RRRUUUUNNNNNNNNN!!!!!!” We looked over and saw the girls running away from the other side of the field and out of view. “Well, that was worth a laugh,” Sunset said. “I just remembered. We still need costumes for the dance.” “We can go to the costume store that Pinkie mention before. She told me where to find it.” She asked, “Tomorrow morning?” “Sure. Then we can grab a bite to eat and chat,” I said. “Are you asking me out on a date?” “I’m asking you to be my girlfriend, Sunset.” “But, I’ve never had an actual relationship before…well except for Flash, but that was a different reason.” “Well, neither did I. So it will be a first for the both of us,” I said. “And I’m hoping that it will be our best.” “I’ll hold you to it,” she replied. “I need to head home. My mother’s taking me home and is wondering where I am. You know where I live, right?” I nodded. “Then I’ll see you tomorrow morning.” As I saw her walk off, I thought to myself, “Thank god this week’s over. Earning a big win against CPA and getting a girlfriend might be the best reward I’ve ever got in my life.” I went to the locker room to get changed and made my way to my truck. Everyone else has left the school, expect for one, Miss Luna’s. “Are you glad that’s over with?” Luna asked. “For now. How did things go with our guest student?” I asked. “Fleetfoot was right. He was able to give us some names that took part in the break-in, including the trio that you have faced before. We plan to submit to Mr. Discord to look into them. It will be in his hands from there on.” “Well, that’s another issue off of our hands,” I said. “Good luck on your trip to Master Blades’ place.” “Thanks. I hope we can get some more answers before we face Crystal Prep again,” Luna said. “And good luck on your date with Sunset.” “How did you know that?” “I guess seeing that she was the last student to leave with a smile on her face was proof enough. I’ll see you tomorrow night.” And Luna got into her car and drove home. I walked up to my truck and saw a note on the windshield. I picked it up and saw that it was from Indigo, requesting to talk with me sometime this weekend, with her cell number. Now I knew that she was on my side. I hope that she has some answers for me as well. Author's Note Having to explain the game in detail was more of a challenge, but I think I pulled it off. Ch. 29 - The Past is PresentI was able to get some extra rest after last night dance. When I finally woke up, I noticed that it was ten o’clock. I guess I was really tired. But waking up at this time really felt like a huge weight was lifted from me. Of course it’s because I was able to help Sunset open up and Twilight to accept Sunset’s forgiveness. I was able to bring everyone together in understanding my gift, and we were able to hand Crystal Prep its first loss. Having Sunset as my girlfriend and becoming the homecoming king was a bonus. Now I knew we would all be tested the next two weeks in hopes that we will face Crystal Prep, and we need to find a way to deliver a fatal blow to the school’s ego. Easier said than done. I heard a knock at my bedroom door to see Chrysalis standing there. “About time you got up,” she said. “You were out late with Sunset last night. Did fireworks go off between the two of you last night?” I threw my pillow at her, hitting her face. “Very funny. Like that’s going to happen anytime soon.” She grabbed my pillow from the floor and threw it back at me, allowing me to catch it. “I know, I know. One day at a time. At least you had a great time. Feeling better after all that?” “Better enough that I should enjoy today, because tomorrow’s a new mission.” “You plan to call Indigo today while you have it? I know you’ve been wanting to catch up with her.” Just then, my cell rang. I looked at it and said, “Might have to wait. Sunset’s calling.” I answered my cell and said, “Morning Sunset. Got a good night’s rest?” “After spending time with you last night, I did.” “So, checking up on me?” “Yea, and was hoping you have enough energy to hang out at the park today.” “What, another date?” “Kind of. I just know we’ll be busy the next couple of weeks, and it would be long before it gets cold outside. I was hoping that we could hang out there and maybe grab a bit to eat while we’re there. I know some food trucks that show up there every day.” “Even on a Sunday?” “Some of the people there live by themselves, having to earn a buck or two when they can. Beside, we may not get another chance to enjoy this moment in weather like this.” “I guess it wouldn’t hurt. It would help to relax and remember who I really am before I start losing my mind with Crystal Prep.” “Then be here in an hour.” “Make it an hour and a half. I just got up.” “Sure. See you then.” I hanged up and looked at Chrysalis. “Looks like Indigo will have to wait. I’ll try to call her tonight. Make things easier for the two of us.” “Well, good luck on your second date,” she said and left my room. I finally got to Sunset’s apartment to pick her up. By the time she got into the truck and give me a kiss on the cheek, my cell went off again. I rolled my eyes and said, “It’s Applejack. Better see what she wants.” I answered my cell and placed it on speaker, saying, “What is it, AJ?” “I’m sorry. Did you get a hangover last night that left you grumpy?” “Nice one, AJ,” Sunset said. “Oh, Sunset. I didn’t know you were with him.” “It’s OK. Any reason you decided to call him?” “I was hoping he could give me a ride to the workout room at school. Mac’s gone out with Cheerilee today, and I don’t have a ride to get there. Need to stay in shape again. But if you’re with Sunset, then don’t bother. I can wait another day.” I asked, “Did you call anyone else?” “Can’t get in touch with Twilight, Cadence, Dash, and Fluttershy. About everyone else is tired from last night.” I said, “Dash could be with Soarin at the workout room, but I’m sure not everyone will work out after last night.” “I was thinking the same thing, but I’m not sure.” “Hey AJ, if we come to pick you up, think you can train me on the basics. Would be nice to be able to defend myself,” Sunset recommended. “Heh. After seeing the way you fought Friday night, it wouldn’t hurt.” “Then we’ll be there shortly,” I said and hang up. Sunset said, “This will be great. I’m sure she hasn’t seen your new truck.” “I like what you’re thinking.” We drove to Sweet Apple Acres and pick up Applejack. When I honked my horn, she got out and stopped in shock at what she was seeing in front of her. Sunset got out and said, “Are you coming or what.” Applejack made her way and got into the back seat of my truck. “Now this is a surprise.” “That was my reaction last night when he picked me up,” Sunset said. I said, “Got it from my dad’s boss.” “Well, that’s mighty generous of him to do that.” Applejack said. “That’s just half of it,” I said. “I never had a chance to tell you, but Chrysalis is getting her own mini house next door.” “No way. Was Trixie with her at the time?” Applejack asked. I nodded. “She must have gone crazy at the sight. She always tells us that she wanted to live in one of those mini homes that she’s seen on TV.” “Well, Mr. Fix-It wants to add some mini houses on the subdivision. Get a mix in the area. We can talk about it later with the others.” And we drove from the farm and made our way to the school, stopping by a mini-mart to pick up some peanut butter crackers and juice for brunch. Sunset explained what we had planned before, but we agreed to take this route and use the time to prepare for next week’s challenge. And it was a wise choice, because when we arrived at the school, we saw Twilight and Coach Iron Will outside the workout room, looking over something in Twilight’s hands. “Hey Twilight. What’s going on here,” Applejack said. Twilight placed her finger on her lips and quietly said, “Quiet. They’re mediating in there.” “Mediating?” I asked Twilight. “Tree Hugger and Fluttershy are helping Shining Armor deal with his injury with mediation,” Iron Will said. “Cadence is with them in helping out. Flash and Thunderlane are also in there, but on the exercise bikes, which is the only quiet equipment to use.” “Dash and Soarin are also there, but decided to rest while it’s going on,” Twilight added. “Iron Will isn’t one for this mediation stuff. Iron Will prefers to motivate, not mediate.” “Is Coach Spitfire coming here?” I asked. “We hope so. Might change the pace in there,” Twilight said. “Seems like our plans keep changing every time,” Sunset said. “Might as well have our brunch while we wait.” We walked toward the gym, since it was near the weight room, and decided to sit on the bleachers. The gym was a bit cleaner since last night, so the crew was able to do their part very fast. Sunset explained to Twilight why our plans kept changing today, and she believes I’m starting to rub off on her. Twilight said, “Hey Jack. When you said that Crystal Prep’s QB was gifted, there’s a great chance that you could be right. We looked at the video from the game and noticed that he didn’t even look all around him when he ran for the touchdown. All he did was look straight ahead and just went, avoiding our players in the process.” “That’s just leaves the question of how to stop him in the process,” I said. “Let’s just hope that Blade’s diary could give us some answers, if there is any,” Twilight said. I was thinking for a while, and Sunset caught on to me. “Still think that there’s more to it than this?” This raises everyone curiosity. “Yea,” I responded. “I mean, what about the Soul Arts? You’ve seen the first art here, and the third one when we broke into Crystal Prep. I know the second one would be similar to the first. All three of those, if I were holding a blade, would be used for deadly combat. Add the fact that it can be used as a political tool, and you have yourself a future dictator, tyrant, or even…” “A God,” Iron Will finished. “I knew that my father’s stories would come to life once again. Forgive me if I talk like this, but when it comes to the serious, personal issues, I don’t like to act like I’m motivating others.” “I think we can understand that,” Twilight said. “Trixie can change like that when it comes to serious issues.” “So what did you father told you that would raise concern?” I asked. “I’m sure you have yet to come across the last Great War in your history class, but my father once served in the military when he was young. This was also the same with Tirek’s father. But they never met at the time. My father once told me stories years after he retired. It was a way to keep us talking on the weekends when I visited him. He told the best war stories that kept me motivated in what I do here. But it was one story that caught my attention. “His troop was paired with a special ops group on a special assignment to take out an axis military training center. The special ops group wanted to help with breaking in and sabotage. Then, with the help of my father’s troop, they were to take out any axis soldiers that were in the way, clearing the area out and leading the ops to setup and destroy the place. But my father came up to what was the captain’s meeting room and took out all forces. That’s when he saw something that was out of place. Most of the soldiers were ahead of him, but he was able to get the special ops captain’s attention to show what he found. Turns out they were experimenting on kids and teenagers to make them into super soldiers and generals. That’s what their real mission was. “He heard on the radio that they found kids in area rooms below. He agreed that this place needed to be destroyed, but he wanted to make sure that the kids were safe from axis control, and that they needed to be sure there are no other stations that do these cruel acts to kids. The captain knew that the axis army was doing experiments on others, but on kids was an act of desperation for them. The captain requested that all the captured kids would be escorted out of the station by my father’s troop, while they grab the locations of other stations that needed to be destroyed, and any records of the kids that they had. After the area was cleared, the station was destroyed. “My father was told that all this needed to be kept under wraps for the safety of his special ops group. In return, he would allow my father’s troop to assist them if heavy firepower was needed. This lead to the creation of two special groups: the Equestrian Knights and the Equestrian Riders. My father’s troop became the Riders, with him as their new captain. The special ops group became the Knights, lead by their same captain, who was Tirek’s father. That’s how they got to know each other, and how I got to know Tirek.” Twilight asked, “Wouldn’t some of this be in the history books, because I’ve read stories of past wars, and I don’t even heard of anything about these groups.” “That’s because it was never in the news reports.” We saw Coach Spitfire walked in. “Sorry if I’m late getting here. I guess you were busy telling your father’s war stories?” He cleared his throat and said, “Iron Will felt the need to tell them this.” “That’s good, because I recall Tirek telling me that story while I was teaching at EU,” Spitfire said. “So you father was part of a black ops group, right?” I asked Iron Will. “That’s right. A black ops group is a group of soldiers who are kept off the records. No one knows that they exist back then.” “So, you think this could be a repeat of what happen many years ago?” Applejack asked. “I hope not, unless they came across their research and decided to do so to the students of Crystal Prep,” Spitfire answered. “And that could explain Star Swirl’s disappearance, right?” I said. “Maybe, but that would mean that there’s someone connected to the old axis group on our nation’s soil doing all this,” Spitfire said. This made me wonder about what Coco and me discussed Friday during school about that one woman we came across. But I knew connecting the dots would be hard to prove. “I think we should take notice that someone must be experimenting on them and have yet to find the way to create the perfect student, since we know that they start to lose their gift when they arrive at college. And if there’s a connection to past events, then we’ll worry about that issue later. For now, we take this one step at a time. I’ve already had to jump several steps to get where we are now. I don’t want to jump several more at the same time.” “We’ll deal with the game planning,” Twilight said, “while you focus on finding our insider in the school who helped with the break in.” “Best you get with Pinkie on that,” Applejack said. “She might be able to point out any possible red flags in the school for you to focus on. Trust me, it’s worth it.” “And I’ll help Luna on the materials that she got from Master Blades,” Spitfire said. “This should make it easier on you, now that we have a big group to help you out.” She looked at Applejack and said, “Ready to get some training done?” “I was hoping to start training Sunset. Since I dragged them over here, she wanted to get some training done to improve her fighting skills, both offense and defense.” “The group’s been in there for over an hour. Iron Will wants to see that come to an end and start getting motivated.” All of us made our way into the workout room, where whale sounds were coming from the CD player. Rainbow Dash was reading a Daring Do book while Soarin was taking a nap. Flash and Thunderlane were on the exercise bikes on the other side. The remaining four were sitting in a circle near the CD player, focusing and stretching. Spitfire made her way to the CD player and pressed the stop button. Then she started to tap her fingers in the counter, getting the attention of Tree Hugger. “Wow. It’s like you calmly turned off our focus and help us regain concuss.” “Good,” Spitfire responded. “Because we need to get to training. Can’t rely on a perfect mind to stop a physical threat.” “That is true,” Tree Hugger responded. “How’s the shoulder?” Twilight asked Shining Armor. “A bit better.” “Well, let’s take it easy,” Iron Will said. “You can workout on the exercise bike for now.” So the workout room went back to being what it was meant to be. Twilight, Cadence, and Fluttershy with to jog on the treadmills, Flash and Thunderlane got to the weight equipment with Iron Will to spot them, and Applejack started training Sunset with Spitfire to watch over. I went to one machine to start working on my throwing arm, and Tree Hugger decided to join me. I can see that she wanted to ask me some questions. “So, these strange powers that you have, what does it feel like when you’re on the field?” I stopped for a moment and said, “It’s like a…sixth sense, without seeing dead people.” “And when you sense someone’s emotions, can it be any emotion?” “Only the negative ones. You know, like bad vibes. It doesn’t work when someone’s happy or excited, unless you plan to sneak up on someone.” And that got me to thinking. “Twilight, did you get a chance to look over Star Swirl’s book?” “Principal Celestia let me borrow it for the weekend, and Moon Dancer was able to come by yesterday to explain what she learned from it so that I was more up to date. She’s with Miss Luna today, helping her in taking notes on the new items she’s received. And I must say, I can see why you had to be put under those tests. Letting your powers awaken when they need to the most might be the best way to learn what you have. There were a few that I want to talk to Principal Celestia about that I think would be better if you learned instead of waiting for it to happen.” “Hey Tree Hugger, how would you like to see it in action,” Spitfire asked. “Why do I have a feeling that you want a rematch after last time?” I said. “Better.” Spitfire went to the counter and brought out a blindfold. “I want to see how you react while blinded. A real test as to how your powers have improved.” “Alright. I’ll give it a shot,” I said and went to get out my fingerless gloves out of my bag and walked onto the practice mat. Spitfire went and placed the blindfold over my eyes, leaving me in the dark. I just started to stretch and relax, waiting for someone to act. That’s when I felt my first incoming attack and just bended down to avoid it. “Reverse high kick swing. Nice start AJ.” “Now how did you know it was I?” Applejack asked. “Well.” Another attack came from my other side. I dodge and grabbed the attacker’s wrist. “Yours is more aggressive while Spitfire’s is more focused.” “So it can detect any attack that’s coming its way, even if it’s not negative?” Tree Hugger asked Spitfire. “Any attack can be sensed as a hostile attack. Doesn’t have to be negative. And from how he described the types of attack, it would give him an idea of the type of attacker he’s facing.” “And since Coach Spitfire has more training in this style, I have to be careful as to how to react,” I said. “AJ fights in a freestyle fighting form. And it’s more aggressive than others, because she still wants to get back at me after I took her down.” “Applejack, I need you to control yourself this time,” Spitfire requested. “I want to see if we can throw him off as to who his attacker is.” In a few seconds, Applejack’s anger started to die down, masking me of her location. “OK, I’ve lost where AJ is, so it must be working. Ready when you are.” And that’s when the testing began. I was able to sense every punch and kick, if it was high or low. I’ve dodge and blocked, and when I was able to grab their arm, it was the only way I can find out who it was. Applejack was firmer than Spitfire, but they were able to switch sides at times. As the fighting went on, it got more intense. While I was able to sense each attack, keeping up with two attackers became more of a challenge. And that’s when it happened again. That feeling inside of me that snapped, sending me a command to call on. “SOUL ART #5: SOUL SHADOW…TIMES 2” I felt my body split into two, yet I still felt like I was one person. I was able to take on both attackers and started to counter their attacks. It was enough to throw down Applejack first, and then take down Spitfire. When the attacks stop, I became one person again. I took off my blindfold and looked at both of them. Applejack tried to shake her head from the blow and asked, “What the hay just happened?” Spitfire asked, “Jack, was there anything similar to what just happened now?” “If you mean like what happen Thursday morning, then yea, there was,” I said to Spitfire while helping Applejack up on her feet. “This is twice that he executed a soul art that was new to us,” Twilight said. Spitfire asked Twilight, “Did you catch what soul art it was?” “The fifth soul art, soul shadow times two.” Spitfire got up and said, “Dash, hand me my cell. I need to tell Luna what just happen and confirm that soul art.” Dash grabbed Spitfire’s cell from her bag and handed it to her. Spitfire dialed Luna’s number for her to answer. “Luna, it’s Spitfire…Something new just happened…first, can you find soul art number five from what you have…I know, just find it.” She waited a moment before she spoke again. “You have it…OK, let me put you on speaker phone.” “OK, it says, Soul Art #5 Soul Shadow. Focus on splitting your body and soul into multiple forms. Multiple?” “This is Twilight. Jack was able to split into two. He mentions in his command ‘times two’. Could that have anything to do with it?” “A multiplier art, I presume. At his state, he might only execute up to times two. But it’s possible that he can go up to times five. But how is he able to know this without reading it?” There was some talk in the background. “Hold on. Moon Dancer has an idea. Let me put mine on speaker.” Moon Dancer spoke. “Twilight, is Tree Hugger still there?” “I am,” Tree Hugger replied. “You have better experience than me on this matter, but is it possible that a soul could be…reborn?” Tree Hugger thought for a moment. “I know that people’s spirits can be reborn when they die, but if a soul is similar to a spirit, then it’s possible.” “Isn’t that odd that we could be reborn whenever we die?” Applejack asked. “Well, there’s no scientific knowledge on this matter, but there have been strange theories on the matter in connection to history,” Twilight said. Spitfire asked, “You think his soul could have been a re-incarnation of a past person who carried this gift?” “I’m just taking an educated guess on this,” said Moon Dancer. “Perhaps Dr. Whooves would have an idea on this matter,” said Luna. “I’ll call him up and explain the details to him. If anyone knows about past history on this matter, it’s him.” “Tree Hugger, I want to throw some ideas towards you tomorrow before class,” said Moon Dancer. “Maybe we can get to the bottom of this if we work together.” “I’ll be happy to lend my knowledge if it answers all of our questions,” Tree Hugger said. “Looks like we have more tasks to work on,” Spitfire said. “Luna, I’ll talk to you later.” “Thanks for telling me this. I’ll see you all tomorrow.” Twilight said, “Jack, don’t worry about all this. We’ll take care in finding these answers for you. You just focus on school and Friday night’s game.” “Thanks. It’s nice for things to be easier on me.” I knew this because I need to start talking to Indigo and get her side of this, since I’m the only one who can talk to her. Author's Note I came up with that chapter after I finished the last chapter. I figure I add a connection between Iron Will and Tirek with some history. And raising new questions about what's been going on with Jack's powers was something else to add. Ch. 30 - Old Friends, New ProblemsAfter dropping off Applejack and Sunset at their own homes, I came back home and lay on my bed, tired as ever. Realizing that my soul could have lived in a past life is just as bizarre, but with the fact that I may know some of these soul arts that I have yet to see is more puzzling. At least everyone else is handling all of my problems this time. But there’s one thing that I can only do, and I’m hoping that she can fill me in on what I really need to know. I decided to grab my cell and Indigo’s number and placed a call. “…………” “Hey! Who’s trying to call me on here?” “Is that how you greet your old training partner?” “About time you called, Jack. What took you so long?” “Oh, you know. First date. Crowned king at homecoming. Working out. Mysteriously finding new powers you don’t see coming. The usual.” “Forgot you had homecoming last night. So I have to ask, what led you to Ponyville?” “After my dad finished with his part of the Manehattan project before Christmas last year, we had some free time working on old Rusty for me to drive.” “I’m surprised that he gave you his old truck.” “Well, he did get a new truck after we moved to Manehattan. But I now have a new truck of my own, thanks to his boss.” “Why you little…” “Hey, now we can give that truck to Chrysalis, now that’s she’s part of the family.” “As soon as I get my license.” Chrysalis just walked into my room. “Is that Indigo?” “Yep,” I said. “Is that her?” “Sure thing,” I said to Indigo. “HEY! MAKE SURE YOU KEEP HIM OUT OF TROUBLE, YOU HEAR?” “Don’t worry, I will,” Chrysalis said towards my cell. “I’ll leave you two alone to talk.” And she left my room. “Tough girl, that’s for sure. So where were we?” “Still talking about my time at Manehattan. So while we were working on the truck, my dad’s boss comes over and requests his aid on some problems with the new D.I.Y. store location. Thanks to my dad’s help, they got it resolved and decided to have my dad become the new manager of the store. We relocated here, and with help from a friend of my mother’s, I was able to transfer to Canterlot High on short notice.” “Well you at least answered my next question. So where are you living at?” “If you find the new sub-division that was created earlier this year, we’re the only house in the area at the moment. My dad is looking over a few houses that are being built at this time, so we won’t be alone for long.” “You’re more lucky than anyone else that I know.” “So how did you come here as well?” “After having good grades during my freshman year at Filly high, and doing some out-of-school sports that lead to my local team winning championship games in basketball and soccer, my parents got a visit from Principal Cinch and Coach Fleetfoot from Crystal Prep. They heard how I want to go to college with an athletic scholarship that they hope that Crystal Prep will improve my chances in earning a scholarship. So I was able to transfer to Crystal Prep over the summer a year ago.” “So, where does you family living at?” “Parents still live in Fillydelphia. I’m living with Coach Fleetfoot until I graduate from Crystal Prep. I do get to see my parents during the summer, and they do come over here for Christmas. Coach loves my parents cooking.” “Who doesn’t love your parents cooking?” “I know.” “Well, since we got that out of the way, I think it’s time we got to what we really need to talk about.” “Why most of Crystal Prep carries these strange powers…including myself.” “Do you know when it started for yourself?” “About a month after I started attending Crystal Prep. It worried me for a while, but I started to just think I was either hearing things or that my time training with you was finally paying off. But when basketball season started. It started to get creepy for me. After a few games, it almost felt like my mind was in sync with most of my teammates. Three others in fact.” “Let me guess: Lemon Zest, Sour Sweet, and Sunny Flare.” “That’s right. And whenever we were looking over various plays with coach, I can sense what Sugarcoat was thinking, and somehow she knew the same with all of us. Coach looked at me with concern one evening over dinner, and I just told her what was going on with myself. I had a feeling that she would think I was crazy, but she was on my side. She wondered why her teams in past years have been perfect every season. And I have to agree with her. It’s not normal to pull off. I mean, where’s the fun in that?” “It’s like there’s no need to compete when you already know who will win and who will lose before it even begins.” “So coach asked me if there were anyone who I felt in sync with, and I told her about the four girls that we just brought up. She decided to talk to each one in private and see if they were feeling the same thing, in which they did. So all five of us got together at coach’s place to discuss what was going on. The others started to feel this way a month after they started their freshman year.” “I’m surprised that you got the principal’s daughter in all this.” “I know. We didn’t know what to do. So coach told us to do what we normally do and that she’ll deal with our problems in this matter. The best we could do is keep an eye out for each other.” “So how were you able to come up with the name ‘The Elite 5’?” “Well, we were the top five female students in the school in our sophomore class that time. So it just stuck with us. Jack, what is the soul…something that we have?” “It’s called soul resonance. It involves a person’s soul. It can sense other people’s negative emotions, and can also allow you to react without seeing it coming. It was awakened inside me during the 7th grade. I didn’t know what it was at the time, or how it work, but I took the time to understand what I was sensing with this gift.” “Could explain why you were able to find and confront those bullies. You even were able to dodge them before I stepped in to help out.” “But not the time when we decided to take the fight to them when they went too far.” “I know. We were full of rage when we did so. You took a good beating at the time, but it didn’t take you down.” “That’s because it was masking my gift’s powers. I think it’s a weakness to what I possess. So keep that in mind.” “I might have to tell that to Sour Sweet. She has bi-polar disorder. And she doesn’t like taking any meds for it. Look, Sugarcoat has been studying what’s been going on with us, and some of us have unique talents. I don’t know how to explain it.” “That’s OK. There are still questions on my end as well. We need to find a way to meet altogether. If I can get Coco and Moon Dancer to see what you have discovered, maybe we can get more answers than questions. Along with Chrysalis, they know about our past relationship.” “And I would like to keep it that way. While coach handles the group, I make the orders for the group, since I’m the one who brought it up in the first place.” “Good enough for me. It was Moon Dancer who found the article on yourself when I brought your name up. I’m just glad you’re on my side.” “If you don’t mind me asking, where does Coco come in on this? I heard that she was going to attend Crystal Prep, but Suri was pissed when Rarity took her away, which in my opinion is the best thing that ever happened towards her.” “First friend I made in Manehattan. She was one who felt like my gift needed to be kept in secret. And she’s the one who has kept me in check and got me out of some tight spots since I got here.” “Glad she’s there and not here.” “Now I have to ask you something.” “I knew this was coming. I know that Long Shot might be gifted like us, and that worries me.” “What makes you say that?” “First, he’s the only one who has kept his gift from what I know of.” “You mean the rest of the team had this gift?” “Yes, but for some reason, it didn’t last long as the first game was underway. We still won, but Sugarcoat hasn’t seen any signs of their gifts returning, which is puzzling for us.” “And what would be the second thing.” “Because he’s a good friend of mine since I came here. He has the talents that could get him far in college. But I don’t think he understands what he possesses, and I didn’t feel like telling him if it would crush his dreams.” “What, is he your boyfriend?” “HECK NO!!! I mean, he’s nice, but he’s a total health nut. Always complains about some of the foods I eat. I just don’t think he’s the one for me. But he’s nice to talk to when I need someone to talk to, since I didn’t have you around when I needed it the most.” “Well, at least you had a shoulder to lean on. I was able to get a training partner at my last school. And another at this school, Applejack.” “The farmer girl? Now that’s a laugh.” “Watch it. If it weren’t for your gift, she would kick your rear big time. I had to rely on mine just to beat her in a sparing match.” “OK, OK. I believe you. Just wish I didn’t have these personal rivalries between school.” “Like you and Dash. Or should I point out Twilight and Sugarcoat. Maybe Lemon Zest and Vinyl Scratch?” “Wait, what does Lemon Zest have against this Vinyl Scratch?” “Something about Lemon getting 2nd place while Vinyl got 3rd at the EDM contest.” “So that’s what she was bragging about all this time. And to think that Sour Sweet had to face off against some hippie girl for what Sour did to one of Dash’s friends.” “Now this is a first. That would be Tree Hugger. So, does Sunny Flare have any grudges with my friends?” “Ugh, the Great and Powerful Trixie is what I heard from her. Don’t even ask.” “I guess we all have our own personal grudges.” “The only grudge you had was against bullies, and not just one person.” “That changed when I got here. And now she’s my girlfriend.” “Now I’m curious. You might have to give me the full story later on. Look, I’m going to have to go. It was nice to hear your voice again. Just wish is was on better terms.” “I can understand. Just do me a favor. Keep an eye on Fleur. I want her to stay safe against those troublemakers that gave us a hard time last week.” “Already on it. And I’m sorry about Lightning Dust getting on your case. I hope when basketball season starts, I can keep her in line. I know she’s this close to getting a beat down…with my fists.” “Let’s just hope that the school punishes her and the others for what they did last week. You take care.” “You too. Bye.” I hang up on my cell and plugged it into my charger. I lie down on my bed and let out a big sigh. That’s when Chrysalis returned to my room. “Everything OK?” she asked. “Yea, just a lot of things going on with both schools. They’re worried about what’s going on there just as much as we are. I got lucky to get our friends working together when they learned about my gift. But adding the Elite 5 into the mix will be a bigger problem with the grudges that each one of them have.” “I’m sure you’ll find a way when the time comes,” she said. “Let’s just hope that a lot of Crystal Prep students are punished tomorrow,” I said. “Would be nice to get some of them off our backs.” “I’m hoping for the same thing,” she said. I was with the volunteer club, including Coach Spitfire, working on getting all the remaining props down and making sure it was preserved for other related events. The school likes to save some of this stuff for the theater club to use. The fashion club had a very short meeting, so Rarity, Coco, and Chrysalis were able to join and help us. By the time we finished up, Cadence, Twilight, and Principal Celestia were able to join us. Miss Luna let Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon go so the rest of us can discuss our next course of action with Crystal Prep. “We haven’t heard anything about punishments from the group who broke in here, have we?” Applejack asked. “Not yet,” Spitfire responded. “But Coach Fleetfoot will let me know before school is over.” “That just leaves us with Long Shot, which we know isn’t a part of the group,” Luna said. “Twilight has been telling me that Moon Dancer and Tree Hugger have been trying to come up with a theory as to Jack’s soul having to lived a past life,” Celestia explained. “To know about these soul arts without seeing it twice is very unusual.” “I can hardly imagine it,” Rarity said. “Maybe he was a great hero, or a king back then. OH, he could have been a knight of Canterlot back then.” After saying that, Rarity started to go off into her own world. “Um, Earth to Rarity. I think you’re overdoing it,” said Applejack, snapping Rarity back into reality. “Forgive me, AJ. I was just imagining what he could have been to produce these talents,” Rarity said. “But we don’t know how he’s executing them out of nowhere,” Sunset explained. “What if this happens during the playoff games?” “Sunset’s right. If it was to happen, people would notice, and every bad person out there would be coming for him,” Coco explained. “That’s why we kept his gift a secret back in Manehattan.” Then a question came to mind. “Luna, how many soul arts were there that you have from Master Blades?” “20. All of them are written in scrolls and kept in cases, five per case. After you guys called me, I went to look over the scrolls. I’ve only looked over the first ten, and from the looks of them, each soul art gets to be more challenging the higher the number. I know you just did arts one, three, and five. If that’s the case, the art number two should be easy at this stage, maybe art number four.” I asked Luna, “What’s art number four?” “Lightning Jab. It involves lightning fast punches. I’ll bring the scrolls tomorrow for you to look over. But there’s one that really caught my eye. Soul Art #10: Chi Boost. From what I read, it’s similar to Soul Shadow in the multiplier department, but it involves having your mind, body, and soul to be as one, which I don’t think you have yet to experience. It might be the only art that can be hard to notice on the field. But with it being the tenth art, it might be hard to learn and control.” “Maybe not,” Twilight said as she placed a finger on her chin. “I wonder if Tree Hugger would know something about this that could help Jack learn it better.” “It might sound like a long shot, no pun intended, but I’ll take any opinion there is,” I said. “With less that two weeks before we could be facing Crystal Prep, it’s going to take a team to pull off a big win.” “I’ll talk to Tree Hugger and see if we can set a date and time to work on, maybe this weekend,” Twilight recommended. “Works for me,” I said. The bell rang, signaling that it was lunchtime. Everyone in the gym left, expect for Coach Spitfire and me. Spitfire asked me, “Did you have a chance to talk to Indigo Zap.” “Just last night. She’s just as worried as we are, not just for her, but for her friend, Long Shot.” “So Long Shot is just caught in this mess without knowing it? That complicates things.” “I don’t know about that,” I said. “He’s not part of Dust’s group, and is focused on having a bright future in college. Plus, he’s the only one in the football team that would possess it. I don’t want to say that he could help us, but might be helpful from Indigo’s end.” “I hope you know what you’re doing.” I spent my time helping with Principal Celestia during 6th period. She said that it would help ease my mind from everything else, which was working. She wanted to know how my date with Sunset was before homecoming. After telling her the details, she was glad that I was able to help her and bridge the gap between her and Twilight. As the final bell rang, I was finishing up with filing away the papers that we were sorting out. As I grabbed my things and make my way to my locker, Coach Spitfire came in with my friends that were at our lockers in front of the office. “I just got a message from Coach Fleetfoot that you need to hear,” Spitfire said as she pulled her cell out of her packet to replay the message. “Spitfire, I just found out that Mr. Discord requested for Principal Finch to hand out two weeks of dentition to at least 11 boys and 8 girls, and gave our equipment worker who confessed a one week dentition. The 11 boys were on the football team and have been suspended for the remainder of the football session. But we have a problem. Lightning Dust, Brick Wall, and Suri Polomare got off the hook with some alibi that someone else confirmed, so nothing is being done to them. I’ll try to find out who gave this alibi and what it was. Make sure the others know about this.” “Not cool,” Dash said. “I know Dust would pull some stunt to get out of it. That’s her style.” Twilight said, “That means that the only one who can prove they were with the group is the insider that helped them get in here.” “But how do we find out which student did this,” Fluttershy said. “There’s a lot of students here, and it will be hard to find out who helped them.” “We’ll find a way to expose our mole in this school,” Applejack said. “We just need a plan to find him or her and get that person to confess.” “We might as well stay alert after school hours,” Sunset recommended. “There’s no telling if they decide to make this personal with Jack, or any of us.” “I have to agree with Sunset on this,” Celestia said. “While they can’t do anything on school grounds, what goes on out there is beyond my control. Try to stay in pairs as best as possible whenever you go out.” So we all started to head on home, realizing that the next two weeks would not be easy for us. As Chrysalis, Twilight, and Shining Armor were walking with me to our vehicles, my cell started to go off. I pulled it out and saw that it was Fleur. “I got a bad feeling about this.” I answered my cell and said, “Something wrong, Fleur?” “I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry!!!” “Alright, alright. Clam down. What’s going on?” I said as I was giving my friends a worried look. “Lightning Dust confronted me this morning at school and wanted me to tell Principal Cinch that her, Suri, and Brick Wall were with me on the night that they wanted to break in to your school. She said that if I told anyone what I was doing, that they would hurt me. I was scared and didn’t know what to do.” “Are you now by yourself?” “Yes I am. I’m in the car with my chauffeur going back to my place.” “OK, I want you to call Coach Fleetfoot about what happen. I’m assuming that you have her number?” “I do.” “Good. We’ll take care of Lightning Dust and her crew. You just take care of yourself, OK?” “I will. I’m sorry that I have to put you through this.” “It’s OK. We got this covered. Bye.” I hanged up and looked at the others. Twilight asked, “So, Fleur was responsible for all that?” “By force,” I replied. “Rainbow Dash was right, Lightning Dust would do anything to get out of trouble. Can you catch Principal Celestia and Coach Spitfire and tell them what we just learned? I need to head back and take care of things.” “Sure thing,” Shining Armor replied. Both of them went back into the school, while Chrysalis and me made our way to my truck. I decided to send a text to Indigo that I needed to talk to now. By the time we got into my truck, she finally called me. “Jack, I got your text. I had to step away from the others. Coach Fleetfoot is talking to Fleur right now.” “I asked her to do so. Lightning Dust forced Fleur to get her crew in the clear.” “Damn it. That bitch is toast.” “Keep it in check, Indigo,” Chrysalis said. “I don’t think you want her to catch on at this time.” “Sorry, Chrysalis. I just…” “It’s OK. We all have our moments.” I said, “Look, just keep an eye on Dust and the others, and make sure that Fleur is safe.” “I can see if Fleetfoot will let me stay with Fleur if it helps her. And we’ll make sure all eyes are on Dust, Suri, and Brick Wall. If they try something, we’ll do our best to intervene.” “Good enough.” “I wish I knew she was planning this in the first place.” “Well, if Dust wants to start a war, then I’ll be happy to give her one. And I’ll make sure she regrets it.” Ch. 31 - Searching for SuspectsWith Lightning Dust getting off the hook, and using Fleur to make it happen, I knew that she would want some payback. It might have started with Sunset during our first encounter, but she decided to put her focus on me. Now I knew that I needed to step up my game, and I’ll need my friends to help me. We got together during free study on the next day. Twilight was able to find us an empty room for all of us to talk about our new problem. “How can they get away without any punishment while making the others take the blame?” Applejack said. “Shouldn’t they take the blame as well?” “That’s how Lightning Dust works,” Dash replied. “She might have forced the others to accept the blame while they got away with it.” “If they can force Fleur into doing what they want, then they don’t care about the other persons in all this,” Rarity said. “That’s more of Suri’s style, and why Lightning Dust has her along for all this.” “And with Brick Wall off the hook as well, it looks like those are the main three who control the group,” Flash added. “They’re looking for an excuse to get back at me, and taking away some of the players on the football team would be an easy excuse to do so,” I said. “And if they struggle and still win their match with Cloudsdale, it would be a bigger excuse to have,” Twilight added. “So, will they come for Jack now or after Friday’s game? Or maybe both and deal double damage,” said Pinkie. Applejack responded, “Let’s hope it doesn’t come to that, Pinkie.” “That leaves us with the insider that knew how to get in and out of the school.” Twilight looked at me and said, “Jack, have you been able to sense anything that would wave red flags around school?” “After what happened last Thursday, I haven’t been able to sense anything that would be alarming. Unless that person is really keeping themselves in check.” Twilight looked over and said, “Sunset, what about the two that were working with you last year?” “Snips and Snails? I doubt that would be the case. I haven’t talked to them since the prom. And I rarely see them. Plus, they got off easy while I got the bigger end of the stick as punishment. Not much of an excuse to try and back stab at me.” “Still, it wouldn’t hurt to check,” Twilight recommended. “The only problem is that they’re sophomores. Wouldn’t that make it harder to come across?” asked Dash. “Leave that to Trixie. I’ve seen them cross Trixie’s path most of the time.” “Trixie, let us know when you have them in your possession,” Sunset said. “I wouldn’t mind talking to them, just to be sure.” “Consider it done,” Trixie replied. While waiting for word about Snips and Snails, Luna was able to join Celestia and me about the scrolls that she brought during 6th period. Luna was able to lay the two boxes on the table and opened them, revealing five small scrolls in each box. I took out the first one and open it up, only to see it in an orient language. Luna said, “That says ‘Shadow Strike. Focus and shift your soul straight to the target.’ Just like it said on the letter that he sent me.” “I wish I learned this kind of language,” I said. “It would make things easier to understand.” I rolled the scroll up and placed it back in the box. “What about the tenth art?” Luna took out the last scroll in the other box and handed it to me. “Maybe seeing it could help unlock it, if it’s possible.” I opened the scroll and saw the same language as the last scroll. “I have no idea what it means. And all you told me is that it involves the mind, body, and soul. How?” “Look at it again,” Luna told me. As I was looking at it, Luna placed her hands on my shoulders from behind. Then somehow, I could see what it means. “Chi Boost. Focus as much energy into your body, mind, and soul as one.” I stopped for a moment to think about what just happened. When Luna removed her hands from my shoulders, I was no longer able to understand what I was reading. “What the heck just happened?” “Just what I was hoping you would have unlocked,” Celestia replied. “I’m glad to have the book back from Twilight and Moon Dancer. This way I can show you what just happened.” And she brought out the book and opened it to the selected page. “Soul Knowledge” By letting someone access your mind, a person can take the knowledge and understand what information they have to share. This can be used to translate any language. “So you opened your mind to me so I can read the language that I was seeing?” I asked Luna. “Yes Jack. I was hoping it would help if you see it with your own eyes. Do you think you can access this Soul Art?” I closed my eyes and tried to see if I was able to execute it, but nothing happened. “Nope.” “I guess we have to train you the hard way,” Luna said. “I’ll explain what the other scrolls say and mean.” Luna showed me the other scrolls that I have yet to learn or experience. Soul Art #4: Lightning Jab. Focus your fist on hitting the same spot in rapid secession. Sour Art #6: Needle Shot. Focus on hitting the target with any item. Soul Art #7: Wind Slash. Focus in turning a string of wind into a weapon. Soul Art #8: Earth Break. Focus your fist into breaking the ground below. Soul Art #9: Spin Strike. Focus on rotating your body without losing your balance. I can see how much of a challenge it would be to learn these arts if I plan to learn and execute the tenth art. This was going to be a challenge. I asked Luna, “Do you think Tree Hugger can find a way to help me with making my mind, body, and soul to work as one?” “The best time to do so would be this Sunday while the others workout. We can use my office to hold her session.” “Can we bring Sunset in on this?” I asked. “Why do you ask?” Luna said. “I was hoping that she could work on her training mentally, since Applejack has been helping her with the physical training.” “I think it wouldn’t hurt to do so, now will it, sis?” Celestia said. “With the fact that she could be bonded with Muramasa, just like you could be with Masamune, it might be wise to do so,” Luna said. “Maybe it could lead to unlocking their souls inside the blades, it the stories are true. Until then, we need to find a way to practice some of these arts without prying eyes watching us.” “Agreed,” I said. “Just let me know when and where you want us to meet. What about the diary?” “I’ve only gone through several pages before Spitfire called me. There’s still more to look over, and I’m trying to find the key pages that could get us somewhere.” “What about the ‘Trio of Trouble’ that didn’t get punished?” Celestia asked me. “If they wanted to make a move on me, our best bet would be after Friday’s game. Gives them a better excuse to take it out on me.” “That leaves us with the person who got them in and out of the school,” Celestia said. “We find that person, then we can force Principal Cinch to issue harsher punishments to those students.” “But who could have done this in the first place?” asked Luna. “We have one idea, but it’s just a guess. Once Trixie gets a hold of them, I’ll be able to find out if they did it or not,” I said. “I can take a guess who you’re talking about, so I’ll leave it to you to get the answers from them,” Celestia said. “We’ll look for other opinions to get this solved. I want this to be less of a problem towards the team, and you.” As classes were coming to an end, I received a text from Twilight, saying that Trixie has Snips and Snails with her, and was bring them to us. When I joined my friends at our lockers, we saw Trixie bringing two boys with her. One was a short with blue-green skin and orange hair. The other was slim with tan skin and green hair. “Jack, this here is Snips and Snails,” Trixie said. “It’s nice to see that the two of you were willing to come see me,” I said, while crossing my arms. Sunset placed her arm on my shoulder and gave a mean stare at the two. “It’s been a while.” “Um, h-h-hello,” Snips nervously replied. “Yea, h-h-hi,” Snails nervously added. Sunset asked, “Perhaps you can fill us in about what happen when the gym was trashed last week.” “W-w-what do you m-m-mean?” said Snips. “I think the two of ya know what we mean,” Applejack explained. “You helped Crystal Prep get into the school, trash the gym, and guide them to the science lab to take Fluttershy’s pet bunny.” The two looked at Fluttershy, who was staring straight at them. “W-we didn’t do anything like that,” Snips replied. Sunset walked up towards them. “Look, that group wanted to pin the damage on me. So if you had anything to do with it, then you better admit to it.” “We’re telling the truth,” Snails replied. “After what happen when we got caught, we just wanted to stay out of the spotlight, and away from you as well.” Sunset started to get angry, then calmed down and said, “I’ll take your word for now.” Snips and Snails felt relieved. “But if I find out that you been lying to me, we’ll be coming for you both. Now GET!!!” as she pointed to the main doorway. Snips and Snails made a mad dash out of the school. “Something tells me that they were telling the truth,” Applejack said. “I have to agree with you, AJ,” I replied. “Other than the fact that they felt a little bit scared of what Sunset would do to them, there was nothing that indicated that they were hiding something that could be connected to Crystal Prep.” “So we’re back to square one,” Twilight said as she pinched the bridge between her eyes. “This is going to be harder than we thought.” “I hear ya about that,” Applejack added. “You sure that you can’t sense anything that would raise red flags anywhere in the school?” she said to me. “Nothing really.” “Maybe his gift is broken,” Pinkie said. “Pinkie, he was able to sense some bad feeling from the two, but not enough to sound the alarm,” Rainbow Dash said. “I doubt it’s broken.” “Then maybe his gift needs more power,” Pinkie replied. “If your talking about learning to be as one with his mind, body, and soul, I don’t think that would help,” Applejack said. “Well, Tree Hugger is going to work with him in hopes that he can learn that one art that he needs before the final game,” Fluttershy said. “What was it called again?” “Chi Boost,” I replied. “And while I don’t see that to help in our search, it could help me in giving the team a better advantage against Crystal Prep, if that was to happen. Which leads me to this.” I looked at Sunset and said, “I want you to join me in our session Sunday.” “I don’t see the reason as to why I should be there?” asked Sunset. “We have our reasons, and maybe it can help you in performing better against others,” I said. “Just so you know, I might fall asleep when it’s going on,” Sunset replied. “Same here,” I said. “But for now, I need to work on the other soul arts before I can work on Chi Boost.” The next few days were spent working on private training with Miss Luna while Twilight and Moon Dancer looked me over. Free study was the only time to train, since I had to practice with the team after school. With some of my friends helping out in creating ways for me to react and execute each soul art, we were able to make little progress in those arts. By the time Friday came around, I was up to learning the first seven arts. Arts 8 and 9 were more of a problem. I couldn’t get enough force to crack the ground for Soul Art #8, and couldn’t get any spin to execute Soul Art #9. When it was time for the game, we noticed that Lightning Dust never made a move on us. Since Brick Wall was going to have to play tonight’s game at Crystal Prep, it would be too risky to strike on me now, even if the players that were suspended were of any help. My main focus right now was tonight’s game against Trottingham. When I arrived on the field with the rest of the team, an old friend greeted me again. “Artemis, you came with the team?” I asked. “That’s right. I’m surprised that my school has to face yours. Went we lost to Cloudsdale, we thought we would be facing Crystal Prep.” “Well, we were able to outsmart them in the 4th quarter,” I told him. “And it was thanks to the videos that your friends help send to us. It was all mind games that really counted.” “So, you going to be the starting QB for your team?” he asked me. “Yep. Starter has to take it easy tonight, so now I’m showing my stuff as tonight’s starter.” “Now I’m wondering who would have been better off facing Crystal Prep,” said Artemis. “We heard that several of their players were placed on suspension, but the details are not being revealed because it’s an ongoing investigation.” “Trust me when I say this, they deserve it once this is over.” I said. So we parted ways for now so I could get ready for the game. I knew we were lucky last time we met, but that was when Shining Armor was the quarterback. Now I’m the quarterback for the rematch, and I plan to send a message to Crystal Prep that we will not back down. Luckily, Shining Armor was going to help out with some of the plays with his ear com. We were given the ball at the start of the game. Most of the plays were passing plays that went to Flash or Thunderlane. They were able to execute a blitz play, but just like Long Shot, I was able to dodge the blitz and run the ball myself for a first down. To end it off, I was able to hand the ball to Thunderlane for a touchdown. And that was just the beginning. Our defense was able to limit the other team’s scoring plays, giving us a bigger advantage. At the end of the game, we pulled off a big win than before with a score of 35 to 16. Shining Armor was able to get his rest with this win. When we returned to the locker room, everyone was asking for me to lead again at the championship game. But I requested that if Shining Armor was healthy enough to play; then he needs to take the lead. If we plan to face Crystal Prep, we need all the weapons we have to beat them. After putting my things away and leaving the room, I met up with Sunset outside. “I hope you weren’t showing off, now would you?” she said. “I’m hoping that Crystal Prep gets my message when they see the headlines tomorrow, if they win.” “I think we might have our answer,” she said as she was pointing to Soarin and Rainbow Dash running towards us. Dash said, “Guys, we got a text from the bully boys. They lost to Crystal Prep.” “Well, that was easy to guess,” I said. “But the score will surprise you,” said Soarin. “31 to 30. They were able to get the winning field goal at the end of the game.” “Something tells me that we did some damage to their defense after those suspensions were handed out,” I said. “Then Brick Wall will want to handle the payback himself,” said Sunset. “All the more for Dust to join along,” I said. “Make sure the others are on alert. If this is an excuse to get back at me, they will take advantage of it.” “I’m guessing that a walk in the park would be out of the question,” Sunset said to me. I knew she would want to do something to make up for last Sunday’s change of plans. Luckily, Soarin had an idea. “Why not have Twilight and Flash join you along.” This started to worry Sunset. “Look, I know you and Flash were an item in the past, and that Twilight took him from you after the two of you broke up.” Sunset intervened. “We weren’t an item. I just wanted to be with him so my past would go away.” “Whatever. The fact is that maybe spending time with them could be…a learning experience for the two of you.” “I think what he means is that this is a way for you and Twilight get to know each other better,” Dash said. “She’s been able to stay with Flash during football season. Maybe she can show you how to do the same with Jack.” Sunset thought for a moment before she spoke. “I guess it wouldn’t hurt. Let Twilight know, Dash. And while you’re at it, see if she can find out what food trucks will be there. I know that it’s not the same selection everyday.” Dash saluted, saying, “Will do,” and went off. “Well, I better catch up with my mother,” said Sunset. “I’m sure that Chrysalis is waiting for you.” “You take care, Sunset.” She gave me a kiss on the cheek and said, “You too,” and left. I made my way to my truck, where Chrysalis was waiting for me. When we got in, I made sure the doors were lock. “Just found out about the other game,” I said. “31 to 30, Crystal Prep.” “I think we can take a guess on what would happen next,” she said. It was then that my cell went off showing that it was Indigo was calling me. I answered it and placed it on speaker. I said, “Speak to me, Indigo.” “I’m with Coach Fleetfoot on our way home.” “Chrysalis is with me as well. We just found out the score from your game.” “Not the kind of win we wanted, but a win’s a win. Any up coming plans?” “I’m taking Sunset to the park tomorrow. Twilight and Flash will be with us.” “And I’m guessing Lightning Dust will be on the hunt for you.” “More like Brick Wall, but that’s all the same.” “Then you better have more nearby, because Dust, Suri, and Brick Wall are not in a good mood. And there’s a good chance that more will be with them, after what happened tonight.” “Jack, this is Coach Fleetfoot. I’ve been talking to the others about what they posses, and they would like to meet you in person. I’ve already given them your address that I got from Spitfire. They plan to follow you in hopes to find a private location to talk to you.” “If my friends are nearby, that would make things harder for us to meet. They still don’t know that you were Shadow that helped us. And I don’t thing they are willing to trust you.” Indigo said, “What about the other two that know about us?” “This is Chrysalis. I just talked to Coco and Moon Dancer earlier in private and filled them in on the details. Think that can help you out?” “I’ll see what I can do. But Fleetfoot is calling the shots for this unscheduled meeting.” I said, “Then we’ll just go as usual and let it all play out. I’ve been training on my soul skills in hopes it can help out.” Fleetfoot said, “One more thing. Any news of the insider from last week?” “Nope. We’re in the dark here.” “That makes it harder to prove that they were a part of it.” “We’ll find out who did this. Just leave that to us. You just keep an eye on the trio over there.” Indigo said, “Will do. Take care, Jack.” “You too, Indigo. Bye.” “This year just keeps getting more excited by the day,” Chrysalis said. “If you don’t mind, but I want to make some calls for tomorrow.” “Dash has that part covered. But let Coco and Moon Dancer know what we just talked about. I want them to be around if our friends don’t trust the Elite 5. Besides, I’ve sure Coco would want a piece of the action for once. It’s been a while since I’ve seen her do that move on one of the troublemakers back in Manehattan. And you’ll be surprised to see what she can do.” Author's Note I was having writers block for some time for this chapter, but I was able to get something done. This will help set up for the next few chapters that I do have plan. Ch. 32 - EncountersI got up this Saturday morning doing my usual routine before my date in the park with Sunset. As I was getting dressed, I heard my mother calling me. “Jack, a small package came in yesterday from one of your friends in Manehattan, Double Diamond.” I replied, “Thanks, mom. I’ll come down to look at it.” “I’ll bring it up to him, since I’m going that way,” Chrysalis said from downstairs. I heard Chrysalis coming up the stairs and making her way to my room, with the package that was sent to me. I took the package and opened it, revealing what looked like a deck of cards in a leather casing with a belt clip. There was a letter also in it. Hey Jack, Coco told me about the new problem that you are facing. I’m sure you can’t take your blades anywhere, so I decided to fix up some “special” cards to use. They all have the “Jack of Diamonds” on the front side of the card. Be careful, because they are sharp on the edges, like razor sharp. It’s a special kind of metal paper that Professor River Song was able to acquire. I was able to pay for the customization of the cards. This should help you out with your current problem at the moment. We have a few more surprises for you, but that will have to wait for later. As for your request that Coco told us to look into, no activity since you first encounter the lady two years ago. And we hope it stays that way. No sense having more problems on your plate. But if she shows up like before, we will let you know. Stay Strong, and Safe Double Diamond and Crew “Looks like you now have a backup weapon if you need it,” Chrysalis said. “And with the needle shot art that I can use, this makes it much more deadlier to use,” I added. “But what’s the lady that he’s talking about?” she asked. I let out a quick breath and said, “I’ll keep it simple. You understand that Sunset had some kind of wall around her soul months ago. Couple of years ago, Coco and me came across a lady that just didn’t feel right. She was having a meeting with one of the workers at the museum in Manehattan that we like to see on the weekends. She kept her face well covered, so we don’t know who she was. Since then, we’ve heard nothing about her seeing him again. All I know is that it has to deal with some ancient weapons, maybe the two blades that I have, I think. I’m still trying to piece everything together with Crystal Prep’s gifted students.” “So you think Crystal Prep had outside help from the beginning?” she asked. “If we’re talking about anything related to a person’s soul, then it’s possible, since there’s the story about the blades that I have containing the soul of their creators. But we’re a long way from finding out if they all connect in some way. I’m just trying to stay alert about what’s going on.” Chrysalis crossed her arms and asked, “Do you like to think about this kind of stuff at times?” “Only if it’s serious. And after hearing one of Coach Iron Will’s stories from his father, and the fact that having powers like what I have can make someone a…god, I have a bad feeling that this could be bigger than any of us even knows.” “Better to be safe than sorry, my momma always said,” Chrysalis said. “You plan to take me to Rarity’s before your actual big date?” “As long as you can show Coco this letter, sure. I want to make sure she understands what been going on as of late. If she feels like it, she can fill you in more about the issue. But that’s her call, OK?” “Agreed,” she replied. “We can guess that everyone will be at the park, at random areas.” “Knowing Twilight, she would want all the bases covered over there, and Rarity would grab you and Coco into it. If so, let Coco know what’s coming our way with Indigo’s group. This is the only chance we can get some answers to what Crystal Prep is doing.” So we left the house and I went to Rarity’s place to drop Chrysalis off before making my way to Sunset’s place to pick her up. Once she was with me, we made our way to the park to meet up with Twilight and Flash. Surprisingly, Cadence and Shining Armor were also there with them. I had to reassure Sunset that they would be there to patch up everything that has happened in the past. “Sorry, but my brother and his girlfriend wanted to come along,” Twilight said to us. “Its no biggie,” Sunset replied. “At least I can show you all what a friend of mine sent to me earlier this week.” I took out a few of the cards in its case to show to them. “Be careful. They’re sharp on the edges.” Twilight took one and recognized the texture of the card. “Metal paper? That’s hard to find and modify. How did your friend get this kind of stuff?” “Spoilers!” Twilight face-palmed and said, “God, you’re just as bad as Doctor Whooves.” “Well, the food trucks plan to be on the other side of the park, and I was able to find out which ones were going to be there today,” Cadence said. So all six of us decided to casually walk around the park as we made our way to the other side. Cadence showed us which food trucks would be around in a couple of hours on her cell phone. Sunset recognized the grilled cheese truck that was going to be there. She said that they have the best, and biggest, sandwiches there. As we were walking, we saw four familiar faces jogging our way: Rainbow Dash, Soarin, Thunderlane, and Roseluck. “Hi guys. Bye guys,” Dash said as they were passing us by. Sunset was stunned at first, but just shook it off. As we continued walking, we came across a row of trees and some benches. Sitting at one of the benches was Fluttershy and Tree Hugger with a large notepad. “Now I can see why you wanted to do your session on a Sunday,” I said to Tree Hugger. “I like to spend my Saturday’s being one with nature,” she replied. “Plus, it’s a chance to display my artistic side.” She showed us the colored drawing on her notepad. “It looks like the many colors of the fallen leaves in that picture,” Sunset explained. “Oh, while I like the spring season, she loves the fall season because of the many colors that appear,” Fluttershy explained. “I’m more of a winter person,” I said. “Just seeing the lights reflect off the snow at night is truly relaxing.” “I doubt you’ll find something like that here like you did in Manehattan,” Cadence explained. “Well, we’ll leave you to your art work,” Twilight said. The six of us kept on walking. As we were getting closer to the other side of the park, we heard someone calling from behind us. “Hey y’all, wait up.” We saw Applejack with Lyra and Sweetie Drops running towards us. “You wouldn’t be going to the food trucks, now would you?” Cadence replied, “Yep. Why do you ask?” “I was hoping that the dessert truck would be there,” Applejack replied. Cadence brought her cell out again to show Applejack the list of trucks that would be there. Applejack pointed at one of the listed trucks and said, “There it is. And the sub truck is planning to be there as well, Sweets.” “Cool,” Sweetie Drops responded. “We’ve been meaning to get a sub for us to share, right Lyra?” She nodded. “I guess the three of you are welcomed to come along,” Twilight said. “As long as no one else has a problem with it.” All of us shook our heads and agreed with Twilight’s decision. When we made our way to the other side, we saw the food trucks starting to open up. “Guess we’re a little early,” I said. “Why don’t we take a seat and give them time to get everything set up.” We took a seat at some of the nearby benches, when Applejack asked us, “So, was there a food truck you wanted to see?” “I’m only going for one of the salads from the green truck at the end,” Cadence said. “The others are going for the burger trucks.” “Well, Shiny wants to try the cheese stuffed burger,” Twilight said. “We just want a regular burger.” “We’re going for the grilled cheese truck over there,” Sunset said as she pointed to the yellow truck in the middle of the group. “They’re supposed to be big enough for two with how thick they make them.” “Hey, Jack,” Cadence called. “Were there food trucks back in Manehattan, or was it just small food vendors on the sidewalk.” “Just the sidewalk vendors,” I replied. “There wasn’t any room to park food trucks in the city, unless it was in the construction area with pre-made sandwiches. So vendors had to pull their food stations to the busy areas that were close to where they live. Those who lived near the park, museum, or courthouse had the best place to run their business. But the best thing about those guys was the fact that they love to talk about what was going on around the city. Coco and me would go to see a friend of ours who works at the museum, and when lunch comes around, a few vendors would be placed outside the museum, each one having different foods to sell. The three of us will get something to eat and exchange stories that each of us have heard around the town.” “You’ll be surprised at the stories that these vendors have heard.” We looked over to see Octavia with Vinyl and Pinkie walking towards us. “I traveled to Manehattan one time with my parents when I was younger, and we met a vendor who had his radio on listening to a mixture of news and light music. He was a nice guy to talk to while we had a quick bite to eat. He loved the entertainment back when he was younger, and is glad that some of it hasn’t died at the time.” “Can’t argue with you there,” I said. Sunset noticed what was going on and said, “Is there a reason that we keep coming across all of our friends in our group today?” Then she started to stare at Twilight, who quickly noticed. “Fine!” she said as she raised her arms into the air. “We were worried that the two of you would become easy targets after all that has happen this past week.” “Enough to have about everyone watching over the area for us?” Sunset asked in anger. “If Pinkie Pie’s Pinkie Sense is spot on this morning, then you sure need it,” Applejack answered. “Pinkie Sense?” I asked, raising an eyebrow. “That’s right,” Pinkie Pie replied. “Whenever my body twitches, it means something bad is about to happen. And this one was a doozie. Oh, don’t worry about asking Twilight about it. Just like your gift, she didn’t believe it at first.” “Pinkie Pie’s able to predict events that could happen in the current future,” Applejack explained. “You know, like a tree is about to fall on me in about an hour.” “I can guess what’s about to happen, but I can’t predict the future, if that’s what you’re wondering,” Pinkie Pie added. Sunset and I looked at each other. Then we both said, “Point taken.” “At least I have a weapon to use, should I need it,” I said as I patted my hand on the deck of cards on my belt. “That may not be the only thing you need,” said Lyra. “Moon Dancer and Trixie have been working on a new item the past few days, some kind of ‘magic trick’ for you to use.” “Well, I’ll take whatever resources I can use,” I said. We all noticed that the food trucks were ready to take orders, so we each made our way to the truck that we wanted to get our lunch from. Sunset and me went to the grilled cheese truck and placed our order. As he was preparing our sandwich on the grill, he asked us a question. “Say, you wouldn’t be the new guy from Canterlot High that’s been talked about in the newspaper?” I said, “From the football team? That’s me.” “Nice. Been years since I’ve seen Crystal Prep get taken down a notch,” he said. “You mean it’s happen before?” asked Sunset. “Yep. Long before you kids were born,” he said. “But it wasn’t in any sport.” “Think you can explain,” I asked. “Sure,” he replied while cooking on our food. “Happened over…25 years ago, I think, while I was attending Canterlot High. Crystal Prep was a complete private school during that time, but had to work with the school board in order to compete in sports. It was one time that one of Crystal Prep’s teachers notices bribes exchanging between the school and the board. And some of that money was from donations and yearly payments for the students. Someone needed to help expose these illegal actions to the public eye, and our principal at the time, Mr. Discord, was the only one who could help.” “Who was the teacher that reported this to Mr. Discord?” I asked. “The same person who’s now the principal of Crystal Prep, Ms. Abacus Cinch. She showed Mr. Discord what she found out. The problem they had was asking someone whom they could trust. Luckily, I was a neighbor with Mayor Mare, who was just a worker in the local town hall at the time. She’s wanted to get into politics for quite some time. I told the principal to talk to her and see if she had any connections that she could find to have this looked at. But the big surprise was that it went straight to the president himself. A major investigation was taken place, and in a year, charges were placed on the headmaster and the director of the school board and some of its members. The government took over until they find someone who would take over as the new student board director. Ms. Abacus Cinch was selected as the temporary principal of Crystal Prep, which later became permanent.” “I heard that Mr. Discord is the current board director,” I said. “That’s right,” he said as he flipped the sandwich on the grill. “They were interviewing candidates for the job, and he was selected as one of them. But he refused the offer at the time. I think that was when Miss Celestia started working as the new VP of Canterlot High. When they still couldn’t select one of the candidates, they went back to Mr. Discord once again. From what I heard, he talked to Miss Celestia if she would take over as the new principal if he were to take the job. She was only the VP for a couple of years before moving up in the school. I’m sure you can understand what happened after that. Our school was able to maintain its tradition since Mr. Discord left to take over the school board.” “What about Crystal Prep?” Sunset asked. “Not everyone likes them for being perfect.” “Good thing you ask that,” he said. He took our sandwich off the grill and on a paper plate, cutting it into two and handing us our drinks. “He you go.” I paid the man for our food before he continued. “Crystal Prep started to recover and became on of the best private schools to attend in the nation. As for Principal Cinch, she did get married to another teacher at the school who supported her against the headmaster and the recovery of the school. It was a fine school, until news went out 16 years ago when someone tried to break into the school. Her husband was working late after basketball practice ended and came across the burglars. All that we knew was that he was fatally shot in the struggle. Another staff member heard the shots, found him in the hallway, and called 911. He died overnight in the hospital, and the burglars were never caught.” “Was he a coach in the school?” I asked. “Nope. He just stayed after classes for Principal Cinch to monitor the after school activities. And she was already pregnant with their first child on the way. She never had a chance to see him before he died. After that, everything slowly started to change with the school. In about five years time, after the birth of her daughter, the school started to set an example that every student had to work hard to survive the outside world, and proved that it could be the perfect school for all its students that attended. Soon then, they started to win in every event against every other school out there. Been that way for ten years, until a week ago, when they received their first loss from you guys.” “I guess it could explain some things about how they became what they are now,” I said. I took a few bites from my sandwich and said, “This is a good grilled cheese sandwich you make, mister.” “Thanks,” he said. “If you don’t mind me asking, but I read that you were a transfer student this year. Where did you come from before here?” “Manehattan,” I replied. “Was there for two years. And before that, it was Fillydelphia for two years, and Trottingham for two years before that. I was even living in Appleloosa for a year and Baltimare for another year when I was much younger.” “Sounds like you’ve been everywhere,” he said. “Almost. I haven’t been to Cloudsdale, and we have a family friend who’s retired over there. There are a few places in the west that I haven’t been to either, since my dad was a construction foreman. It was in Baltimare that my dad started his first foreman job away from my hometown. He’s now the manager at the new D.I.Y. store over here.” “Where were you born?” he asked. “Vanhoover.” Sunset was surprised that I said that. “Spent my first…seven years, I think up there. The only thing I can remember up there was seeing the snow around the area during the winter. My memory was never that good at remembering everything else during that time.” “Well a few of the truck vendors around here have come from Manehattan, Fillydelphia, and Baltimare. We always like to talk and exchange stories that we hear from others in the area or news reports that we see or read. So if you ever want to talk about anything when we’re not busy, we’re always welcome to exchange stories or talk about events in the area.” “Sure thing,” I said. “Well, it was nice talking to you. And keep cooking what you serve to others. It’s really good.” As we waved goodbye and walked back to the benches, Sunset asked me, “You never told me you were born in Vanhoover.” “You never asked,” I told her. We continued to have our lunch as we rejoined the others who were having their own lunch. “Hey, guess what?” Sunset told the others. “We just learned about Crystal Prep’s and Principal Cinch’s history, which could explain how they became what they are now.” “Well, hold on to that story, because I just got a text from Moon Dancer,” said Twilight. “Her and Trixie are on their way over with the new ‘magic trick’ to display. I’m sure that Moon Dancer would want to hear about it as well, if it can help us.” My cell started to buzz in my pocket. When I got it out, I saw a text from Chrysalis. “Good idea,” I said. “Chrysalis, Coco, and Rarity are also on their way as well. We might as well get everyone together on this.” “On it,” Applejack said as she was sending out messages to the others. “We better meet elsewhere to discuss all this. Same place in the park like last year, Twilight?” Twilight nodded and we headed to another area where there was hardly anybody around, after finishing up our lunch. When we all got together at the area, we were waiting for Trixie and Moon Dancer to arrive, because Twilight told us how Trixie likes to make a dramatic entrance. And did she ever deliver. “Behold, the Great and Powerful Trixie is here to display her newest magic trick for all to see.” Twilight rolled her eyes and said, “Can we just see what you have to show us?” “Patience, Twilight, and you will see. In my right hand is a small orb that will make me…disappear.” “And how is one small marble supposed to do that?” Applejack asked Trixie. “Watch and learn. Now you see me, now…you don’t.” And Trixie smashed the small orb on the ground, creating a cloud of thick smoke. It was thick enough that everyone starting to cough. “Very (cough) funny Trixie.” Twilight said while coughing. She went up to wave the smoke away, only to see that Trixie was no longer there. Pinkie Pie expressed a shocked face, saying, “She’s gone.” But it faded when she looked at the back of our group. “Oh, wait. There she is,” pointing to her in the back. Twilight was confused and said to Trixie, “How did you get from here…to there without us noticing?” “She easily sneaked over there while we were focused on the smoke,” I said. “Leave it to Jack to sense Trixie’s direction,” Chrysalis responded. “OK, so how were you able to make those?” Rainbow Dash asked. Moon Dancer said, “Trixie and me worked on getting the ingredients together and placing them into empty orb shells that can easily break, with enough force.” Trixie explained, “We figure that some of the soul arts will acquire some stealth action, so this will make it easier to execute, like soul strike and soul slash.” Moon Dancer added, “You’ll only have a 15 second window to do this, but I can take a guess that time slows down when you execute those two attacks.” “I want to say that it does about two to three times its normal speed, but I’m not certain after practicing those moves this week,” I said. “But that can make things more discreet when I do so. How many were you able to make?” “Only ten,” Trixie said. “And since I used one, we only have nine left with us.” It was then that Pinkie started to twitch, and my soul senses started to go off. “Oh boy. Trouble’s coming,” said Pinkie Pie. “She’s right, and it’s a big group,” I added. “Trixie, hand me one of those and have the other eight ready, just in case.” Trixie was able to pass one to me to keep in my pocket. “Coco, you ready?” “I’ve been waiting for two years, Jack. I just hope they have someone to carry that person off after I take one of them down,” Coco said as she was loosing her arms. “Just as long as I get a piece of Dust myself,” Sunset added. No doubt coming into view was Lightning Dust, Suri Polomare, and Brick Wall, along with most of the guys that were placed on suspension and the girls that we met the last time at our school. But somehow, I overlooked one detail that was masked in the sea of anger, Fleur de Lis. Lightning Dust held a tight grip on her arm as they were making their way here. “This doesn’t look good, Jack,” said Rarity. “I hope you have a backup plan ready?” Applejack added. “Way ahead of you girls,” I said as I tapped my belt case with the metal cards. “Rarity, once she’s free, get her to come to you as fast as possible.” Rarity nodded in agreement. When the other group stopped within yards from us, it became a stare-off between both groups. “I was wondering when you were going to show your ugly face, Dust,” as I taunted her. “Laugh it up, asshole,” she replied. “You’ve really caused us a lot of trouble these past few weeks.” “That’s because you always create trouble, loser,” yelled Rainbow Dash. Lightning Dust yelled back, “SHUT UP, DASH!!! The only reason it’s happening is because someone in our group didn’t want to work with us from the start.” Fleur was struggling to break free at that point. “You better let her go, bitch,” said Chrysalis. “Or what, you plan to wave your hands at us like you can’t even fight?” Suri replied. “I’ll make it easy on you, Jack,” Dust said. “Either you take the pain from Brick Wall, or I’ll be happy to leave a few scars on her lovely face.” Lightning Dust drew out her switchblade from last time. “Do that, and I’ll break that arm of yours in two,” yelled Sunset. At that point, I was able to draw three metal cards without the other side noticing. “Oh, I like to see you try, BITCH!!!” Lightning Dust said as she started to bring her blade close to Fleur’s face. It was now or never. Ready to execute, I quietly said, “Soul Art #6, Needle Shot,” and tossed all three cards at Lightning Dust, striking her cheek, the hand that held her blade, and the arm that was holding Fleur in place. Dust dropped the blade and lost her grip on Fleur. “Fleur, over here!” Rarity commanded, causing her to run towards Rarity. “Shit!” Dust yelled in pain. “GET HER!!!” Suri started to run towards Fleur, causing Coco to react. Coco was able to get behind Suri and locked her arms under Suri’s shoulders. Coco kindly said, “I know you’re doing your job, but it’s wise to know that no one messes with my FRIENDS!!!” She flipped Suri backwards in a German Suplex, slamming Suri into the ground. Coco got back up and said, “Who’s next?” Fleur was able to make it to Rarity safely. Lightning Dust was getting pissed at what was going on. She yelled, “BRICK WALL!!!” “That’s it, you’re going down!” Brick Wall said as he was smashing his fist together. I yelled, “TRIXIE, NOW!!!” She threw all eight smoke bombs at the group, creating a huge cloud of thick smoke. I got out the last smoke bomb and looked back at Rarity, seeing that Fleur was holding on to her, looking away. Rarity nodded that it was clear to go, so I smashed the last orb and created a cloud of smoke around me. Now it was my time to strike. “SOUL ART #2: SHADOW SLASH!!!” Time started to slow down, and I was able to locate the football players in the smoke with my powers. I ran all to way around a knocked down each player in the group until the last one, making it look like something struck all of them at the same time, leaving Brick Wall in the center. When time resumed for me, I was in front of Brick Wall, still blinded by the smoke. “SOUL ART #4: LIGHTNING JAB!!!” I was throwing punches at Brick Wall’s body at lightning speed, shaking him up badly and causing him to fall to the ground in pain. The smoke started to clear up, and Lightning Dust saw where I was. She found her switchblade and started to race towards me, only to be stopped when Sunset grabbed her arm and twisted it, causing Dust to lose her blade again. Sunset did a sweep kick on Dust’s leg, causing her to be knocked down on the ground. Then Sunset placed her foot on Dust’s chest, holding her down. Angry as she was, Sunset said, “No one, and I mean NO ONE tries to harm me, my boyfriend, or any of my friends EVER!!!” Trying to breath, Dust yelled back, “I swear…you are dead…BITCH!!!” Sunset pressed her foot on Dust’s chest harder. “HEY!!!” We all saw where the call came from and noticed five girls coming our way. “Great. Who invited the Elite 5 here?” asked Rainbow Dash. Sunset released her hold of Lightning Dust, allowing her to catch her breath. Me, Sunset, and Coco started to pull back to our group. When the five girls got to the other group, Dust said to the one with the goggles, “Nice to see you show up, Indigo. Maybe now you can teach these troublemakers a lesson.” “No problem,” Indigo said, and she threw a punch at Lightning Dust’s cheek. “What the hell was that for?” Dust responded. Indigo grabbed her by her collar and yelled, “What you think it was for, jerk!” “But we was just…” “SHUT UP!!!” The girl with the freckles and ponytail named Sour Sweet interrupted Lightning Dust. Then spoke in a calmer tone. “You weren’t told to speak up, miss. SO ZIP IT!!!” “We know you tried to break in to do damage and sabotage the school and get back at some rival students just to win a game,” said the girl with pigtails and glasses named Sugarcoat. “And you know how much I hate cheaters,” Indigo added. “And you think I was in charge of all of it, right?” Dust asked. Another girl with a sun hairpin walked towards Dust. “Dearie, you might have fooled my mother,” Sunny Flare said before she changed her tone. “But don’t think that you can fool me or my friends as well.” Brick Wall started to get up from the blows that I handed to him, and said, “Even if your mother is the principal of our school, that doesn’t mean that you can boss us around.” Sugarcoat looked at Brick Wall, adjusted her glasses, and said, “Then maybe you should explain it to him,” pointing at the guy walking this way. From the looks of it, it was Long Shot walking our way. “Long Shot, I…” “I don’t even want to hear it, Brick Wall,” Long Shot replied, cutting him off. He got in front of Brick Wall, pointed on his chest and yelled, “How many times have I told you maintain your focus. Instead, you had to go off and pull a dumb-ass stunt that cost us about a third of our team. Or did you forget what happened last night when we almost lost to Cloudsdale because we had to step up to make up for our losses.” He started to look at the other players who were injured earlier. “You all are a disgrace to the team. I expect all of you to be at practice tomorrow.” “But we were placed on suspension from the team,” said one of the players. Long Shat looked at them and said, “Well guess what? You just volunteer for the practice squad…all of you. Now get out of here. I expect every one of you to be at school tomorrow.” As the guys were trying to get on their feet, Indigo had one more thing to say. “Dust, you try to pull another stunt like this again, and you can kiss your basketball career goodbye. I plan to be the next captain of the team, and I don’t want players like you trying to damage our team like you did for the football team.” She let Lightning Dust go so she and the rest of the group can leave the area. But as everyone was leaving, they forgot one person who was recovering from Coco’s attack, and a green haired girl with her headphones around her neck make sure they know it. “Hey dudes, you forgot someone,” Lemon Zest said, pointing to Suri still on the ground. A couple of the girls ran back and carried Suri away with them, still feeling the pain in her neck. Now it was Long Shot and the Elite 5 standing in front of us. Long Shot had his hand on his forehead, frustrated as to what was going on before he spoke. “Thanks for calling me, Indigo. I should have known that he was doing this kind of stuff.” “No problem,” Indigo replied. “I knew they were causing trouble, but didn’t expect to drag one of our classmates into the mix.” Long Shot turned around and looked at us, mainly Shining Armor. “I see that your shoulder is getting better.” “Give it some rest, and it will be ready for the rematch,” he replied. “Depends on who’s in charge for the rematch,” Long Shot said as he looked at me. “That’s for the coach to decide,” I said. “At least you’re doing what you can to keep them in line.” “I guess I need to do harder than that,” said Long Shot. “Long, do me a favor,” Indigo said. “See to it that Fleur gets home safely. We have some…business to discuss.” Fleur heard her name and looked up. I decided to walk towards her and said, “Go on ahead. You’ll be safe with him.” Fleur nodded. “While you’re at it, see if to can talk to him. Maybe he’s a good choice to look into, if you know what I mean.” Fleur took a moment to think about it before she spoke. “I will. Thanks.” She started to walk towards Long Shot. As Fleur and Long Shot started to walk away, Long Shot looked back and yelled, “Hey Jack. You remind me of myself from a year ago when I had to take over for our star quarterback. I hope I see you in action again this coming Friday.” Then they started to walk away and out of view. Now the Elite 5 was all that was left. Rainbow Dash walked up next to me and said, “Alright, Indigo. What brings you and your friends here? Want to cause your own trouble against us?” “We’re only here to talk, Dash. But only to him,” Indigo said, pointing at me. “If you want to talk, partner, then you can do it in front of us,” Applejack responded. “I don’t think you have a say in this,” said Sugarcoat. “You do know who you’re talk to, miss know-it-all,” said Twilight. “You must be soooo smart,” Sour Sweet said kindly. Then she forcefully said, “SO SMART THAT IT COMES FROM YOUR SMART ASS MOUTH!!!” “Now that wasn’t nice,” said Fluttershy. “Miss, you need to just chill out,” Tree Hugger added. “Hey, you don’t need to tell what my friend needs to do,” said Sunny Flare. “Excuse me, dear, but your friend needs to learn some manners in respect,” said Rarity. “And if you’re just acting like it, then go back to school,” Trixie added. “Oh wait, you are in school.” “Dude, it’s you who needs to show some respect,” said Lemon Zest. “This coming from someone who can’t win first place in a school that only focuses on first place,” said Vinyl. “Yea, unless second place is another saying for first loser,” Pinkie Pie added. Both sides started to stare at each other, waiting for one side to strike. Indigo and me responded at the same time. “THAT’S ENOUGH!!!” Indigo was getting frustrated at the issue. With my arms crossed, I was able to display two fingers for Indigo to noticed. She saw it and gave a small nod, knowing what to do. “OK, if you care about your friend, then I’ll make an exception. Two of you can come along, that’s all.” Sunny Flare said, “Indigo, we were given instructions to…” “I’m making an exception, Sunny,” Indigo snapped at her. “If two others can come along, then I’ll be one of them,” Applejack said. “Sorry, farm girl, but I get to choose,” Indigo replied. “The little fashion girl up front, and the bookworm with the glasses at the back.” She was pointing at Coco and Moon Dancer. “Sorry Indigo, but that’s not going to happen,” said Rainbow Dash. “Stand down, Dash,” I said. “Just leave this to us, OK?” “But…” “You heard him,” Chrysalis said. “They can handle this themselves. Let’s just leave it at that.” I replied, “Thanks, Chrysalis. Coco, Moon Dancer, you’re with me.” Sunset stopped me for a moment. “You sure you want to do this?” “I don’t think we have much of a choice,” I said. “If they carry what we think they have, then they could be looking for answers. And it’s possible that Coach Fleetfoot is pulling the strings on this meeting, if you heard what the principal’s daughter was trying to say. Look, tell the others about the story that we heard earlier today while I take care of this, OK?” She looked at the Elite 5, then back to me. “OK. Just make sure you stay safe.” “I will.” I looked at Coco and Moon Dancer, then turned to Indigo and said, “OK, lead the way.” Ch. 33 - The MeetingMe, Coco, and Moon Dancer went with the Elite 5 to a heavily forest area where we were out of view from everyone else, including our friends. The three of us were on one side, where I was leaning on a tree behind me. The other five were on the other side just staring at us. It was silent for a while before I broke the silence. “OK, you wanted to talk. So what do you want to talk about?” I said. Indigo snapped her fingers in the air, and Sugarcoat walked up to us with an envelope. “Read this first,” she said and she handed me the envelope. “What’s this about?” I asked. “We were given orders to hand you this first, then we’ll talk,” Sugarcoat responded and walked back to the others. I opened the envelope and pulled out the letter that was inside. Jack, The five girls that are with you each carry the same gift that you have, or at least similar to what you have, if what Coach Spitfire has told me is true. I have given them instructions to work with you in understanding what they are capable of doing. They will ask you questions, and are well aware that you will do the same. I’m aware that there will be conflict between these girls and your friends, but rest assured that they can be trusted. See to it that Principal Celestia gets this letter and understands what is going on. Coach Fleetfoot I put the letter away and looked at the five in front of us. “OK, what is it that you girls wanted to ask me?” Sunny Flare spoke up first. “We want to know what this gift is that we carry.” Moon Dancer asked, “It says that what you have is similar. Can you explain what you have that you believe is the same with all of you?” The girls just stared at her, so I had to make sure that they needed to work with her on this as well. “She’s studied the book that could explain what you have, so it’s best that you work with her as well.” Indigo looked at Sugarcoat and gave her a nod. “We can…sense strange feelings from other people. Usually, it’s anger, sadness, greed, or distrust; mostly negative feelings. And we can react easily to anything that could at least startle us.” Sour Sweet went behind Lemon Zest and tried to slap the back of her head, only for Lemon to duck the slap from Sour. “See what I mean?” Sugarcoat continued. “Then these are common signs of soul resonance,” Moon Dancer explained. “It focuses on negative emotions that others would try to hide from plain sight. This can be used to find people who are corrupt or hurting from within.” “Like hiding BS behind a smile?” asked Sour Sweet. Moon Dancer said, “To put it bluntly, yes. And as to how you react to incoming threats, that’s know as Soul Sense, a common soul power to learn. Kind of like a self-defense system inside yourself. When did you start to experience this?” “Happened about a month since we started to attend Crystal Prep two years ago,” Sunny Flare explained. “And it was last year around the same time when Indigo transferred here.” “So any student that started to attend the school started to show these powers in a month,” I said. “Well, it’s not every student that experiences it,” Sugarcoat added. “Is there anything different between each of you?” I asked. “I have seen…visions whenever I touch certain things, and it’s clearer when I touch someone,” Sugarcoat explained. “What you have is Soul Reading,” Moon Dancer explained. “It allows you to see anything that could be painful from someone else. It can be blurry on objects, but will only last for a short time, so touching the person makes it easier to see.” “I first learned this after I touched Sour Sweet’s knuckles,” Sugarcoat said. I walked up to Sour Sweet and asked to show me her knuckles. When she shows them to me, I touched them and saw visions of her fighting off other students who were bullying her when she was younger. She was full or rage at that time. That’s when I let go of them. “You saw the rage inside of her when you touched them,” Sugarcoat told me. “She started to experience it stronger when she acquire these powers, like she was powerful, but out of control.” “I’m glad that Sunny Flare has helped keep me in check so that it doesn’t happen again,” Sour Sweet said. “Soul Rage,” Moon Dancer said. “A deadly power to have, if not kept in check.” “How come I haven’t experienced it?” I said. “Actually, you came close to experiencing it. Remember the time when Twilight accused Sunset of what happened in the gym?” Moon Dancer asked. I nodded. “You came close to entering into Soul Rage before I stopped you in doing so.” “We’re lucky that didn’t happen,” Coco added. She looked at Sunny Flare and asked, “How were you able to control her rage?” “I’ve been friends with Sour Sweet for a long time, and I’m aware that she has…two sides to her mental state, so to speak. I just do what I normally do to clam her down.” “If it’s because you share a close bond with each other, then,” Moon Dancer looked at Coco and said, “you might be able to do the same if Sunset cannot do so.” “I’ll keep that in mind,” Coco said. “Sunny Flare and Lemon Zest haven’t learned anything special, but they are able to react in unique ways,” Indigo explained. “It’s possible that they know what is called Soul Release. It allows them to react in ways that they cannot normally do,” Moon Dancer explained. “It was how I caught on to Jack’s gift. It’s best you keep track on what you can normally do and look for signs that you did something that you cannot do in the past.” “What about you, Indigo? Anything unique that you can do, or have you not reach the level that the others have,” I asked. Indigo started to scratch the back of her head. “Well…” “She’s able to teleport from one area to another area nearby,” Sugarcoat said bluntly. “That was one time, Sugarcoat,” Indigo responded to her. “Wait, you’re able to Soul Shift?” I asked. “How long ago was this?” “Early into basketball season,” Sugarcoat responded. “The five of us were at Coach Fleetfoot’s place where they were playing some two-on-two while I watch. Sour Sweet swatted the ball out of Lemon Zest’s hands and went straight towards me. I couldn’t react fast enough, but Indigo Zap just came out of nowhere and took the blow for me.” “That’s because I felt dizzy after I got in front of you before I could get hit by the ball,” Indigo added. “It was that point that we started to ask ourselves about what we were experiencing as well,” Sunny explained. “When Coach Fleetfoot requested to speak to us about what we saw and if we experienced the same thing, that’s when we started to worry about what was going on. Luckily, we were all on the same side and wanted some answers ourselves.” “When I saw articles about you online, I asked Sunny to look you up,” Lemon Zest said. “Turns out you were a nobody on the football team over in Manehattan who became a somebody over here…Trader Jack.” “I can guess you girls also found out about me on the DJ boards,” I asked. “Helps if you could keep a lower profile in front of Vinyl.” “Dude, she should do the same,” Lemon Zest responded. “She’s lucky to get Neon Lights’ autograph.” “And I was able to lure him and Sapphire Shores to our homecoming with my mix track,” I said. “YOU WHAT???” Lemon Zest responded with her jaw left open. “Wow. About time someone out did her in the music area,” Sour Sweet said. “At least it’s better than hearing her noisy music.” “OK, can we get back on track for a moment,” Moon Dancer said. “Indigo, you said that you felt dizzy when you shifted. Has this happened every time?” “I only did it once, and never felt like doing it again,” Indigo replied. Moon Dancer asked, “Can you do it again? Maybe it’s because you were experiencing something challenging while still learning your soul powers.” “When I first did it, I was in complete focus, never dizzy,” I said. Indigo said, “OK, I’ll try.” “Indigo, do or do not. There is no try,” Sugarcoat said. Indigo started at Sugarcoat and said, “Don’t get me started.” Giggles came from most of the girls in the area, causing Indigo to roll her eyes. “Sugarcoat, do you have something that she can catch from afar?” Moon Dancer asked. “If so, throw it for her to catch. I did the same with Jack one time.” Sugarcoat went up to Indigo and asked for her goggles. When she had them in her hand, she threw them towards a tree that was farther away from the group. This caused her to react and executed a soul shift towards where the goggles were about to hit. When she appeared on the other side, she was able to grab and fumble with the goggles in her hands as she was trying to maintain her balance. As she was about to fall to the ground, I shifted my body towards her location and caught her before she fell. She looked up, saw me, and said, “Thanks.” “I can see what you mean by the dizzy spells when you shift,” I said. I looked at Moon Dancer and asked, “You think she could still be having the same problems for a year with soul shift?” “It’s still hard to say,” Moon Dancer responded. “Luna and me didn’t go through the diary as much when you called us a week ago.” She looked at the others and said, “Has this happen to…you…before?” We noticed that the other four were just staring at us in a stunned state. I realized that I was still holding on to Indigo from falling and got her back up. “Sorry about that.” “It’s nothing,” Indigo said as she was back on her feet. She looked at the others and noticed they were still in a stunned state. “I said IT’S NOTHING!!!” “That’s…not it,” Sunny said, coming back to reality. “Dude, didn’t you even sense him?” Lemon added. “I was still dizzy when it happened,” Indigo replied. “We sensed you when you went from here to there, but he just came…out of nowhere,” Sugarcoat explained. This raises questions as to what just happened. Then I remembered something. “Indigo, I’m about to try something, so stay alert.” I looked at Lemon Zest and shifted right behind her and slapped my hand on the back of her head. “Ouch! Dude, what was that for?” Then Lemon realized what just happened. Indigo responded, “What the…? I couldn’t sense anything as well.” “OK. Are you even human?” Sour yelled. I was puzzled at to what was going on and looked at Moon Dancer for an explanation. “I don’t think I recall anything from Star Swirl’s journal that could explain this,” Moon Dancer explained. “Unless…” She took out her cell and said, “I hope Miss Luna has gone through Master Blades’ diary some more to explain this.” “WAIT!!!” Sunny ran up to Moon Dancer and said, “Please don’t let them know about me.” “Sunny, we had a guess that the five of you would carry these soul powers,” Coco explained. “And I can guarantee you that once they understand that you’re are on our side, they will keep it a secret. Me and a few of my friends back in Manehattan had to do the same when we learned about it.” “If it’s because your mother is the principal, then don’t worry,” Moon Dancer explained. “I don’t think they would want her to know just for your safety.” Sunny looked at Indigo, which she nodded back at her. “OK, go on ahead.” Moon Dancer placed the call on her cell and put it on speaker. “Hello, this is Celestia. What is it Moon Dancer?” “Principal Celestia, I’m with Jack and Coco. Is Miss Luna around?” “She’s looking over the diary at the moment. Why?” Sugarcoat looked at Moon Dancer, requesting for her to answer. She nodded. “Principal Celestia. This is Sugarcoat from Crystal Prep. We have been sent to meet with Jack, by Coach Fleetfoot’s request.” “I’m assuming that the others there are Indigo Zap, Lemon Zest, Sour Sweet, and Sunny Flare. Am I correct?” “That is correct,” Sugarcoat answered. “Celestia, we have confirmation that the Elite 5 do carry soul powers that I have. But it’s a bit more completed than expected,” I said. “Explain Jack.” “It will take some time to explain, but we have a bigger issue to discuss,” I said. Moon Dancer explained. “This is going to sound strange, but while the girls can sense each other, they can’t sense Jack’s presence. I need to talk to Miss Luna about this and see if there was something in Master Blades’ diary that can explain this.” “Hang on. I’ll go get her.” “Forgive me for asking, but who’s this Master Blades person?” Indigo asked. I explained. “He’s Luna’s kendo master, who also bared the same gift that we have. But he started to slowly lose his powers before he passed away weeks ago. Miss Luna has acquired all of his training materials, including a diary that could explain some of its origins, once translated.” “This is Luna speaking. Did I hear that the Elite 5 can sense each other, but not Jack?” “That is correct,” Moon Dancer said. “Then I’m lucky enough to come across this entry.” After all this time, I now understand what my gift is. He calls it “soul resonance.” The reason he knows that I carry it is because he cannot sense my own soul and its actions. This could explain why I couldn’t sense his presence like everyone else. I plan to go with him tomorrow to the temple that he stays for training in hopes to understand how it works better. Maybe I can understand this gift more when I’m there. “This could explain the differences between what you have and what they have.” That got me to thinking about our first discussion about Crystal Prep. “Celestia, remember what we talked about after I joined the football team?” “I do. And you could be right for once. Someone could be injecting them with these powers without their knowledge.” “You mean we’re being treated as lab rats?” Sour yelled. Sunny told her, “Easy there, Sour.” Luna spoke again. “There’s another entry that was written days later that’s important as well.” I just finished my first day of training. I was surprised that I was the only guy in the group of students. The other 14 students are girls around my age. Also, my master is the one male teacher in the temple. The other 9 teachers are female. He said that it’s rare for a guy to have this gift, but believes that any guy that carries it could become someone special, if the legend is true. He wouldn’t tell me about this legend at the time, just to believe that I can do what I can do and learn from the best in the temple. The only other guys and ladies around the temple are just the scholars who keep up with all the info of what goes on. They are the only ones that we can sense. It was at that point that I started to sense something wrong from Sugarcoat. “Sugarcoat, do you know something that could be related to this,” I asked her. “I think so. When I was studying the football team this year, all the guys acted like they had this gift. But they started to act more like everyone else, expect for Long Shot.” “I heard that he hasn’t been sacked on the field,” I said. “Could this be said of the same during practice?” “Maybe. All the others guys that I thought had it had to make hits or take hits, expect for Long Shot when he started to become the new QB.” I asked, “What about during basketball season? Anything like that happening in that sport?” “Not that I know of,” Sugarcoat answered. “Jack,” Celestia said. “From what we heard from this entry, if we’re dealing with genetic enchantments, then there’s a good chance that it might work better on girls than boys. But we won’t know until that time comes. Sunny Flare? I hate to tell you this, but your mother could be in on this. I can’t rule her out until I know more, so I hope you understand.” Sunny took a moment to think about it. “I’m aware about the Crystal Prep scandal that your mother exposed, and what happened to your father before you were born,” I said. “If it has any connection to this, then you have to understand what must be done.” Sunny said, “How did you…” “A vendor nearby told me the story. It must be hard, not knowing who your father was,” I said. Sunny explained, “I didn’t know about it until I saw my mother acting strange at times. So I had to look up any past info about her, my father, and Crystal Prep.” She sighed and said, “I understand what you must do. Just make sure I don’t lose her like I did my father.” “I understand,” Celestia said. “For now, you girls need to take caution in the matter. Your lives could be in danger with where you are attending.” “We will,” Sugarcoat answered. “Miss Celestia, this is Indigo Zap. Coach Fleetfoot told us that you have been looking for someone who could have helped Lightning Dust in your school’s break-in. Have you found anything on that person?” “Not really. What about your end?” “Nothing. And we can’t force it out of them without giving ourselves away.” “We’ll worry about finding the insider,” I said. “You girls just keep an eye on them and make sure they don’t try anything on us.” “Don’t worry, girls. If you’re lucky, you might stumble on the insider without alerting them. Moon Dancer. Fill me in on the details about what you learned from the girls so we can decide on how to handle this issue. Girls, let Coach Fleetfoot know that we’ll keep in touch if you need to know anything. Celestia out.” “Well, we know what we need to do,” Indigo said. “Girls, head back to the cars and wait for me. I need to discuss some things with Jack, personally.” The girls looked at each other, like it was something they didn’t expect to happen. “You heard what I said. Now MOVE!!!” The four girls left us until they were out of sight and out of range. That’s when Indigo decided to drop her guard. “Man, it’s not easy keeping my guard up so that they don’t catch on to us,” Indigo said. Moon Dancer told her, “You’re doing a good job, Indigo.” “Thanks. I’m guessing that you found out about me in the first place.” Moon Dancer explained, “When Jack brought you up, I thought your name sounded familiar. We’re all glad that you’re on our side.” “I doubt that the others are ready to trust us, especially Rainbow Dash,” Indigo explained. “I think I first caught on to the importance with this scholarship that she wants from day one,” I said. “But for you to be competing for the same thing was a surprise for me.” “I know. And I’m starting to regret having to go through with this against her, with my so-called gift and all. But there’s something bigger going on, and I think it has to do with Principal Cinch.” “What do you mean?” I asked Indigo. “Well, remember when Sunny Flare said that she doesn’t want to lose her mother?” We nodded. “Well, there’s something strange about her, and I don’t think Sunny, or any of the others have even caught on to this, but I’ve been sensing something…strange coming from her. Problem is that I can’t make it out. And I don’t want to tell this in front of her until I can get a better idea of what’s going on.” “Is it possible that she could have a wall around her soul?” Moon Dancer asked. Indigo asked, “What do you mean?” I explained, “When I first came across Sunset Shimmer, I sense what felt like a wall around her emotions. It took weeks to break that wall of hers, and what Lightning Dust and her crew did might have help take down the final layer of her wall. But it was more of pain and sadness from her. Do you think you could have an idea what it could be from Principal Cinch?” “I don’t know, but it felt like…bad karma coming from her.” Just hearing the words, “bad karma,” were the two words that Coco and me did not want to hear, and Indigo caught on to Coco’s panic. “OK missy. You know something about this?” Indigo asked Coco. “Something we wish we didn’t want to find out.” I asked, “Coco, did you get the letter from Chrysalis earlier?” “I do.” Coco brought out the letter from her pocket and handed it to Indigo. “This could explain what we mean.” Indigo looked over the letter before she spoke. “Metal paper as cards? You must be a lucky guy to have friends that can provide you with your own gear. But what is it about this lady he speaks of?” Coco explained, “Happened about this time two years ago back in Manehattan. We were to meet Professor Digger at the museum to help out with some of his work. We became friends with him very fast, and he does research on ancient items, including weapons. But on that day, we saw two guys standing outside his office. They looked like formal bodyguards of some sort. We heard the professor talking to someone inside and just waited for his meeting to end before we entered. Soon then, a lady came out of the office and walked by us with the two men that were with him.” “Any idea who she was?” asked Moon Dancer. “Nope. She was dressed with a long coat, big hat, and sunglasses. Only best features we could make out what that she was young, maybe middle age, and had a pinkish skin tone.” Coco explained. “But one thing caught my attention,” I said. “We somehow made eye contact, even with her shades on, and I had a strange feeling coming from her, like it was bad karma. When we asked the professor what went on, all he said that she was looking into some special weapons for research. Nothing else.” “We already learned about his gift before this happened, and worried that she could catch on to what he carries,” Coco said. “We knew that we had to do what we can to keep his gift a secret, so we created the Manehattan Knights as a way to masked his powers from everyone else. This allowed us to help out others in times of need.” “I can see what you mean,” Indigo said. “But Jack, how did you acquire some blades that were said in this letter? I never recall you owning anything like that.” “They were a gift from Professor Digger. Their names are Masamune and Muramasa.” Indigo responded, “NO…FREAKING…WAY!!! I thought those exist in a video game. They’re real?” “You need to get out more,” I told Indigo, causing her to roll her eyes. “But we just learned a few weeks ago that they could be the last blades created by the creator of the same name, and could carry their own soul in them. I don’t know if it’s true, but with all that has gone on these past few months, I worry that these events could be connected.” “In what way?” Indigo asked me. “I rather not say at the moment. Will Principal Cinch be at the championship game this week?” “Yep. You want to get a reading on her and see if there’s anything that could connect her with this lady, right?” Indigo asked. I nodded. “Then I’ll leave that to you for now. No sense getting in your way unless you want me to.” Indigo handed the letter back to Coco. “If I need your help, I’ll let you know,” I said. “Sure thing,” Indigo replied. She started to scratch the back of her head, saying, “There’s one more thing I wanted to tell you about.” I started to sense that Indigo was nervous about something. “What is it?” “Well…” She rushed up and kissed me on the lips for a moment. When she pulled back, she said, “That…was for our time back in the 8th grade. I…never had the guts to tell you how I really felt about you back then, not knowing if you would be moving again like you always tell me. I figure I get that off my chest, now that you have an actual girlfriend.” “Wish I knew that back then, but you have a future career ahead of yourself, and I know you can do it with or without your gift,” I said. We then sense some jealously coming from Coco, so we looked at her. “Missy, don’t tell me you had feelings for him as well?” Indigo asked Coco. Coco was shocked and said, “No, no, no, no. I’m just…well…I mean…that is…OH TO HECK WITH IT!” She rushed up and kissed me as well, just like Indigo did. “I had the same feelings as well, but I didn’t want to hurt our friendship that we made back then. Just don’t tell anyone, OK?” “Our lips are sealed,” Indigo replied. “I’m surprised that he didn’t catch on to that for all these years,” Moon Dancer said. “But it’s not anything negative, so that makes it harder to catch on.” “Agreed.” I looked at Indigo and said, “Well, you better not keep your friends waiting. We’ll work on explaining all this to the others.” “Good. I’ll keep an eye on things on my end. If there’s anything I need to know before the big game, let me know. I want to be ready in case things go downhill with all this,” Indigo said. “We’ll keep you posted. Take care.” I waved at Indigo as she started to leave the area. The three of us looked at each other. Coco started to explain. “First, that mysterious lady, then you have two blades that could contain souls.” “Then we’re dealing with enhanced students at a perfect school and a principal that is more of a mystery on the inside,” Moon Dancer added. “Throw in Master Blades’ history, and the secret of the Equestrian Knights and Riders from the Great War, and you have to wonder if all of this is connected,” I said. “With all of these cases involving a person’s soul, I’m wondering…?” I started to think about all this, and I had a feeling I was going to need some expert help in piecing all of this together. I know I had to do what needed to be done. “Coco, I’m issuing a Code Black.” “Code Black?” Coco responded. “But the others are back…” “In Manehattan, I know,” I said. “Professor River Song told me she would have something in place if this was issued. Just let Double Diamond know to get together tonight. He’ll get us setup in a private chat room. Just make sure you have a web cam ready.” “Forgive me for asking, but what are you talking about?” Moon Dancer asked. Coco explained. “A Code Black means that a serious threat or issue is upon us, so the six of us have to get together and explain the situation before taking action. It was something that we put in place when we created the Manehattan Knights as a way to stay alert, since we encountered that mysterious lady. We don’t let anyone else in on this unless requested.” She turned to me and asked, “I’m guessing that Professor River Song is now part of this Code Black.” “Since she became our adviser to the Manehattan Knights after you left, she is. And I’m adding two more to the meeting, Chrysalis and Moon Dancer. If the two of you don’t have each others contact info, then make sure you do. We’ll be given info on accessing the private chat room when it’s ready. We’ll need to explain all of these cases in hopes we can piece it all together. River Song is a history professor, so she might know about some of history’s secrets. Until then, we don’t discuss any of this to anyone else for now.” “Well, we might as well head back and explain to the others about the Elite 5,” Moon Dancer said. We agreed and made our way back to the others. Sunset already explained the story about the Crystal Prep scandal and Principal Cinch’s history. We showed them the letter we got from Indigo and told them what we just learned from Miss Luna that explains the difference between what they have and what I have. “I think I understand what’s going on,” Twilight said as she handed the letter back to me. “I just wish they came to our aide sooner, or at least see Principal Celestia about all this.” “If they have been using these talents just to get an edge in winning, wouldn’t that be cheating?” Rainbow Dash asked. “If a player was using steroids, then he or she would get caught from testing. But you can’t get caught if you were using magical powers,” Moon Dancer explained. “She’s right,” said Twilight. “Convincing someone that they’re cheating using powers like what Jack has would be hard to prove.” “At least we have one of our own on our team,” Flash added. “But I’m just one person. Crystal Prep is a big group of people,” I said. “But they only have one student who still has what you have, so that should level the playing field, right?” Thunderlane explained. “Think about the other sports. We can’t expect Jack to be in all of them. Plus there’s the women sports that we have to deal with,” Twilight explained. “Let’s just get through football season before we worry about everything else,” Shining Armor said. “You’re sure that Indigo Zap is worried about Long Shot?” Applejack asked me. “Not to mention Sunny Flare,” Rarity added. “She is…about both. And if I was to take a guess, I think her gift could be growing too fast for her than everyone else’s. With the fact that her soul shift leads her to be dizzy, and that she can only sense the wall from Principal Cinch’s soul, there’s no telling what she could be getting into.” “Then why does she still want to go forward with all of this?” Dash asked. “She wants to find the same answers that we’re looking for,” Coco explained. “And she’s in enemy territory.” “You know what I want to find out?” Pinkie Pie asked. “WHO HELPED CRYSTAL PREP BREAK IN AND DESTROY MY PARTY PLANS???” “She’s right,” said Twilight. “We still need to find the insider before the big game. Otherwise, Brick Wall will want to do damage to the team. And we saw what he did to my brother at the last game.” “Then we should be focusing on Jack’s mental state,” Tree Hugger said. “You will be at the school tomorrow, right?” “Along with Sunset,” I said. “We’ll be using Miss Luna’s office to mediate. Just make sure that we don’t fall asleep with what you use. What I heard last week could put anyone to sleep.” Fluttershy said, “I might have something that can help with that…um, if you don’t mind.” “Whatever works,” Sunset said. “Then we all know what we each have to do,” Twilight said. “Focusing on Jack’s training comes first. Those who are not part of the team and are unable to help with Jack’s training will focus on finding the insider.” “And what about the trio of troublemakers?” Applejack asked. “Coach Fleetfoot and the Elite 5 have that covered,” I said. “They want this game to be a fair fight, since everyone on their team, expect for Long Shot, doesn’t carry the gift. Twilight, Moon Dancer, you two need to find a way we can work around that issue. Talk to coaches Iron Will and Spitfire for any ideas.” I looked at everyone and said, “We have less than a week to pull this off. Let’s show them what Wondercolts can really do!” “YEAH!!!” Author's Note Get ready, because we're about to learn more of the Manehattan Knights origins in the next couple of chapters. Ch. 34 - Putting Together the PiecesAfter dropping Sunset off, Chrysalis and me made our way home and waited for a time for the knights to meet online. We received an e-mail to meet in the evening, and details to access a private web chat room along with a request for Doctor Whooves to join the meeting as well. I agreed with the decision, since I called for the CODE BLACK in the first place. So we were able to have dinner with the family before going back up to my room and closing the door so we can have a meeting in private. Coco and Moon Dancer had their own place to chat, while Professor River Song and the other four members, Double Diamond, Night Glider, Party Favor, and Sugar Belle, met in one location. Turns out that it was my old home in Manehattan, which Double Diamond bought and made into his own private home and base of operations. We explained everything that we learned so far; the Equestrian Knights and Riders that helped in the Great War, about the students of Crystal Prep being enhanced with soul powers, the fact that someone on the outside could be helping the school, the story about Masamune and Muramasa, and the Temple that Master Blades was being trained and some of it’s origins. I wanted to see if we could piece any of this together and see if it connects to the mysterious lady we saw two years ago. “Just hearing about all this would raise some concerns,” River Song said. “And hearing about the Equestrian Knights and Equestrian Riders during the Great War would be news to me, but…” “But you already know about them, do you,” I said. “Spoilers,” was her response. “But in truth, it seams that there might be a connection between the knights and the scholars at the temple. When I went on my trip, my…” We were interrupted when my cell rang, which I looked at it. “It’s Luna. She might have more on the diary if she’s calling me this late.” “Everyone, kill your mics,” River Song said. “Jack, put it on speaker. I want to listen in.” I answered my cell and placed it on speaker. “I’m guessing you learned something important that you had to call me this late.” “I did. And it involves what happened years later after he arrived at the temple.” “How far ahead are we looking at?” I asked Luna. “About a decade. I wanted to find out when he started teaching on campus before I met him, maybe when he met Professor Star Swirl. And I found a couple of articles that might be of importance.” I was about to speak when Professor River Song waved at the screen. “Luna, can you hold on for a moment?” “Sure.” River Song held up a piece of paper that said, “Let me speak to her. Just make something up.” “Luna, I was having a video chat with Professor River Song at the moment before you called and…” “You have her online? Put her on, please.” “I was thinking the same thing. Hold on.” I waited a moment for River Song to turn on her mic to speak. “Miss Luna, can you hear me?” “Just about, River Song.” “Same here.” “Did you find anything on your search over the summer?” “I was about to explain that to Jack as well. And I think what both of you are looking for might be a connected lead that we have been seeking. But I’m guessing that you have something important to tell Jack?” “I did, and it might help you as well. My former master at college attended a temple to train for the same soul powers that Jack has for 10 years. But something happen that changed everything.” The temple was attacked last night and I was lucky enough to escape and make it to one of the scholars that live in the town to the south of the temple. I told him that some unknown group raided the temple. We didn’t even sense them coming. My master warned me when they started to break in and escort me to an escape route. I only had time to grab my diary in a bag. I don’t know if anyone survived, but he told the other scholars to scout the temple area and make sure it was safe before we can return to see what happen. Until then, I’ll have to wait. “A group that they couldn’t sense? That doesn’t sound right,” I said. “I was thinking the same thing, he wrote in the next entry a week later that is was safe to enter and that they were going to the temple to see what all happened. The next entry explains what he saw.” The temple had burn marks, but the structure was still intact. When we entered, we say dead or burned bodies of all the scholars that were at the temple, but no sign of any of the students or masters. The scholar that I was with followed me to my master’s room to find him dead. But the block in the wall wasn’t moved since I went through it to escape. The scholar asked me to touch his body, where he was stabbed. When I did, I was able to see what happened during his last moments before he was killed. I saw some mysterious woman in black, along with some others dressed in black with their faces hidden. I was told that even in death, a part of their soul would remain for others to obtain. This was something that is left when a person travels to the afterlife. I took the chance to see if this would work on the dead scholars, and while it was weaker than my master’s, it was enough to paint a picture of what happen. While the scholars were getting killed, the students were being captured from behind and taken away. Same for the masters which they were trying to fight off. All of the invaders were covered in black. Another scholar found something that was left on one of the walls, a message to others. “He draws on the next page what looks like a black star around a circle.” “Like a witch’s pentagram?” River Song asked. “I believe so. But there’s more.” The old scholar that was with us remembers seeing this symbol before, back from the last Great War. He said that they were called the Dark Star Organization, and that they were a threat back during the Great War. He decided to make plans for me to go somewhere where I can be safe. “I think this scholar knew something during the Great War. And he planned to come and seek a younger Star Swirl over here.” “Have you heard about the Equestrian Knights and Riders from that war?” I asked. “Yes. Coach Iron Will and Coach Tirek once told us about this back then.” “Same here,” I said. “Do you think this scholar might have been a solider in the Great War?” “Maybe. And I was hoping that River Song would have an answer.” “I think so,” River Song said. “If the symbol that I saw at the temple that I visited is the same as what you saw, then I might have found the place that we have been looking for. Send me a scan of the symbol. I want to get in touch with my contact again and double-check some things before I can explain. Do you have any names that can help?” “No, just my master’s name. Saw Blades. Maybe that would help.” “I’ll let my contact know and see if he can use that to get some more info. Is that all?” “I think so. I hope that helps in our search. I just think whoever took these students and masters might have taken Star Swirl as well.” “Thanks for telling us this,” I said. “Whoever this group is that raided the temple might be connected with Crystal Prep, I hope.” “I was thinking the same thing. I’ll see you tomorrow, Jack.” “You too. Bye.” I made sure the line was closed before I spoke again. “OK everyone. Mics on.” “What’s going on with you and Luna tomorrow,” River Song asked with a sly look on her face. “Mental training,” I said. “Miss Luna believes that the tenth soul art could be usable for the championship game,” Moon Dancer explained. “But so far, he’s only gone up to the seventh art.” “Think you can explain what this art is that he needs to learn?” asked River Song. “It’s supposed to be a way to boost his soul powers, giving him an edge in the game without anyone noticing,” Coco explained. “But it involves the body, mind, and soul to be as one,” Moon Dancer added. “And the only student in our school that could help him with that is…” “TREE HUGGER!!!” Chrysalis, Coco, Moon Dancer, and I said together. “Ah, the art of meditation,” Doctor Whooves said. “I’ve heard that there are various cultures that rely on meditation to clear their minds, like the one you visited, Miss River Song.” “Oh Doctor. You sure know how to catch on,” River Song replied. “In fact, the temple that she was describing was the one that I visited. And what brings the connection with this and the Great War was that the guy who told Luna’s master about Dark Star was a member of the Equestrian Knights.” “You were about to say that before we were interrupted, right?” I asked. “Yes. At this time, his son is in charge of the restoration project at the temple. Only a few of the living scholars’ children look over the place at this time,” River Song explained. “I hope there’s a story in all this,” said Coco. “There is,” River Song replied. “Turns out that after the Great War was over, it was believed that the Dark Star Organization disappeared when the axis nations surrendered. One of the Knights decided to retire from the military, after seeing the gruesome effects that were being done on children. He came up to one of the masters who sense what was wrong with him and invited him to the temple. After he learned about the temple’s history, he felt that the students that they were teaching were just like what Dark Star was trying to create. He decided to be a scholar and live in the town nearby, along with a few other scholars, as a way to have a safe place should the temple would be attacked, based on what he saw during the war.” “And if it wasn’t for him in the first place, we wouldn’t have known anything about my gift from the start,” I said. “You said that his son is in charge of the temple. Any reason why?” “Maybe. And that’s why I need to get in touch with my contact again,” River Song said. “The temple was never attacked again, and there hasn’t been any sign that the Dark Star Organization in action since that time, from what I know. Jack, I want him to know that you carry this gift that Blades once carried. If I’m lucky, we might be able to get more support in all of this.” “Tell him everything that we discussed, including Masamune and Muramasa and the story that connects them,” I said. “I want to know if they know more details about the story and the swords.” “There is one more thing that I need to know,” said River Song. “The scrolls that you are studying, do you know the condition of the paper that these scrolls are?” “For its age, still in good shape,” answered Moon Dancer. “It must have been handled with care while he had them.” “Because, and if I remember this correctly, Blades was able to find a set of 20 scrolls that survived the raid in a secret compartment. I think there could have been more, but those were lost in the raid,” River Song explained. “I think those scrolls that Luna has once belong to Blades’ master back in the temple. He must have been allowed to take them in hopes to continue studying on his own.” “And now I have to study these same scrolls with Luna’s help,” I said. I placed my hand on my chin and said to myself, “This just keeps getting deeper and deeper.” “I’ve seen that look before,” Coco said. “Something’s going through that mind of yours. I know it.” I said, “Applejack once told me to be careful about ‘digging a hole that I can’t get out of” when I was dealing with Sunset at the time. Now with the Dark Star Organization and Crystal Prep, we could be in a deeper hole than we really know of as of now.” “Applejack is known to be smart and careful about others,” said Doctor Whooves. “But I don’t think we can walk away from this issue if you’re in the center of it.” “I have to agree,” said River Song. “We need to get them to show themselves to us, and that means you have to come out in some way without the whole world noticing.” “And how do we do that?” I asked. “I might have an idea, if some of the pieces connect to each other,” said Moon Dancer. “If our mysterious lady was looking for ancient weapons, and Professor Digger gave those two blades to keep them safe, and if Principal Cinch is linked to our mysterious lady, then…” “He’ll have to display the weapons for her to see,” Coco finished. “Why don’t I just carry them around during the championship game for her to see. Maybe that will get their attention,” I said sarcastically. “Sounds like a good idea,” said Night Glider. “That was a joke, Nights,” I replied. “And still, it’s a great idea,” she said. “Why do I have a feeling that you’re about to take this to where we don’t want this to go to?” said Coco. Night Glider said, “Look Coco, you and Jack are now together in the same school. This is a good time to issue a challenge.” “We had this discussion before, Nights,” Coco yelled. “And it’s something that Jack doesn’t feel like doing.” “But still, he has the power to issue it,” Double Diamond added. “And with you there, you can agree to have the challenge go forward.” “We only added that in case we were accused of fixing the debate,” Coco said. “If Jack does this and it goes south after the review, it could be the end of the Manehattan Knights.” “Forgive me for interrupting, but what are you guys talking about,” Chrysalis requested. Before one of us could answer, Moon Dancer responded. “It’s the Order of the Manehattan Knights law.” We all had blank stares at the response. “I better explain. When Coco told us the story about how the Manehattan Knights, I remember reading about a new law in place to help balance out the use of power, so to speak. I looked it up and found the law that was listed online. Jack, you’re the main founder of creating this law.” “Only because Double Diamond help get the connections to discuss it after we talked about it one time,” I said. “And while I like what you did to help resolve issues that involve those with power just to make things fair, the challenge part is more of a safety measure on your part,” Moon Dancer explained. “And I have to agree with all of you on this. Jack might have to issue the challenge, but the timing has to be right.” “I have to agree with Moon Dancer on this one,” said Doctor Whooves. “Since we have yet to find the insider, and three key students are off the hook, plus the fact that Principal Cinch will be at the championship game, she could accuse CHS for sabotaging the team by placing players on suspension if we win. And since we might have proof that the three students were a part of the break-in, we could accuse them of letting one of their players to play when he should be on suspension.” All of us had blank stares before Party Favor broke the silence. “That’s a lot to take in when you say it all at once.” “But that still leaves us with the type of challenge you plan to issue,” Night Glider explained. I took a moment to think before I spoke. “How many cases have been made in total since we started doing this?” “Twelve, all of which were successful,” replied Double Diamond. “We finished one a week ago, but none of them have had challenges issues from us.” “So we haven’t had anyone reach the higher ranks as of yet?” Coco asked. “Not really,” River Song answered. “We have one reach the 3rd star rank, but that doesn’t qualify him to issue challenges as of yet, as it was placed in the law.” “That means I would be handling the 13th case, which would be my first one, not to mention the first challenge…if it went there,” I said. “I’ll need time to figure this out before going forward with this.” “Well don’t wait too long,” Moon Dancer said. “I know Twilight has yet to find out about this, but if she sees this, she will go off on you and Coco.” “Thanks for the heads up,” said Coco. “Let me give you a piece of advice. Principal Cinch does have a weakness, and I think it would have shown after you handed their first lost in years,” Doctor Whooves explained. “Pride,” I said. “I’ll keep that in mind. I think that’s all that we can talk about on this issue. If there’s nothing else to add to this, then…” “I have one more thing to say,” said Night Glider. I asked her, “What is it?” “It’s a different topic, but it’s something that you need to know. A week after you left, we had some unexpected visitors come to the city at night. We believe that it could be gang related.” “Is Scar causing trouble again?” I asked Night Glider. “Not this time. And I’m not dating him again. He has a new girlfriend, by the way.” “That better be true,” Coco responded. Night Glider continued. “Anyway, Scar’s gang isn’t much of a gang anymore. It’s more of a night watch group, but he still keeps in touch with other gangs in other cities so that everything stays in line. The deal is that he came to me so that the Knights can keep an eye out as well if they were to show up. They only had a patch design to go on when he brought this to my attention.” A picture of a talon claw in a circle patch was displayed. “Since then, none of us have seen this gang again in the city. We thought it could be a new gang forming, and we were right. Turns out from his connections that they are called the Talons, and they were being formed in Ponyville. It’s still new, but we think they could be recruiting before they could expand to other turfs. We don’t have an exact location, but it’s believed to be lead by a female member.” “Jack, if this was a gang for hire, they could be the inside source to the break-in. But I doubt that Crystal Prep would go to a gang that they don’t know about,” Moon Dancer explained. “It’s a good idea. Keep that in mind, just in case,” I said. “And Night Glider, if he finds out more about this gang, see to it that I know about this as well.” “Will do,” she responded. “And one more thing,” I said. “Make sure that Scar learns how to defend himself. I’m sure he doesn’t want another kick to the head like last time.” Night Glider said, “Oh we already started training him. I needed a new sparing partner since you left.” “I figure that as much,” I said. “If there’s nothing else to discuss, then this meeting is concluded. Keep me in touch if anything happens in Manehattan.” “Yes sir!” Everyone, including me, left the chat room. I looked at Chrysalis and saw that she wanted to ask me something. “You want to know what the Order of the Manehattan Knights law is about, right?” “Just so I can get a better understanding on it,” she said. “How did it start?” “After we created the Manehattan Knights, it was just a small group to help watch over those that needed help, so we didn’t have any real power. The six of us were up on the roof of my family’s house, looking over the city. Night Glider brought up the fact that we should be doing more to help out the city. With officers and politicians having more power than everyone else, she wanted to level the playing field when there were conflicts that were going on. Sugar Belle agreed, since she felt that there were people who felt powerless. “Well, Double Diamond’s family has connections with some good politicians who were willing to hear us out. The idea was to have people request our aide to resolve any issue with someone would have greater power than the other. We would listen to both sides and decide who was in the right and who was in the wrong. We would even find some middle ground for both sides if that were possible. We wanted to make sure that every major issue that was requested would be resolved in a fair manner that would avoid a major conflict in the area. What we wanted to create went straight up to the top.” Chrysalis was surprised and said, “You mean…Mr. President himself?” “Yep. He was able to draft a bill to make things official, once it was approved in a vote,” I said. “What about the challenge part?” Chrysalis asked me. “That was something that Party Favor brought up, in an odd way. He wondered ‘What if they didn’t trust us in our judgment? Do we have to have a dance-off or something?’ We thought is sounded silly, but it did give us an idea. So we decided to add a challenge amendment, allowing us to challenge the other person who decided to make a claim on us for fixing the decision that was made. Another knight had to be there the agree to the challenge issued, and only 4 or 5-star ranking knight can issue a challenge.” “And I’m guessing that you’re a 5-star ranking knight?” Chrysalis asked. I took off my shirt and showed her my backside, pointing to a tattoo of a shield with a knight’s helmet on it, and the words “MANEHATTAN” on the top and “KNIGHTS” on the bottom outside the shield. At the bottom of the tattoo was a ribbon with the word “FOUNDER” on it. “This is our badge of honor as a Manehattan Knight. To be listed as the founder is the same as a 5-star rank. An adviser, like Professor River Song is the same as a 4-star rank. But it gives us command to all other ranking knights. Once you reach a 5-star rank, it gives you the right to be as captain or second of command with the knights if the honor is given to them. I’m listed as captain of the knights, and since I have reconnected with Coco Pommel, she has regained her part as second in command. I had the professor take it for the moment before I could decide who it should be. With the e-mail and cell phones, we can keep up on activates within the knights.” As I put my shirt back on, Chrysalis said, “Going back to the challenge. How do you issue your challenge? Is it the same for all knights?” “No. We would make our challenge something that we would be able to achieve. It could be a race, sport, or some kind of talent. And if someone were to intervene, they would be willing to take the place of the person that is being challenged. Double Diamond and Night Glider thought about having a race or skills competition. Sugar Belle wants a cook-off, which would be strange. Coco thought about her challenge in a game of chess. It was something she got hooked on since our freshman year.” “And yet, you haven’t thought of a challenge if you had to do one at the time,” she said. “More like I didn’t have a talent worth issuing,” I said. “I was an organizer and hard worker. Just being called the ‘Jack of Trades’ was a title that I was average at about everything and was willing to do anything that needed to be done. But when I think about it now, I think the only challenge that I can issue is one not worth the risk.” I looked at the blades on the rack. Chrysalis saw what I was looking at and realized what I meant. “I see. And I can guess the review after the challenge would be the big risk, if I heard correctly.” “It is,” I said. “Each challenge that’s completed must be review by the politicians up at the top to see if the right course of action was taken. And being the founder of the knights would mean betting the entire group on a challenge that I would have to make. It was something that I wanted to avoid since it was officially created. I wanted to give all future knights a chance to make a difference for the world. And now I might have to put it on the line to stop Crystal Prep, or even bring anyone from the Dark Star Organization out in the open.” I let out a long, deep sigh. “I never thought I would be making the big decisions just because I carry this gift that no one else has.” Chrysalis made her way to the door and said, “We all have to make big decisions in life. I started to do that after you got me out of that falling house that I had to live in. And right now, you got through all the tough decisions so far. Now’s not the time to give up because of your own pride. I know you can do it. Everyone that’s been on your side knows it as well. Just keep going forward, never look back.” She opened the door and said, “I’m going to get some sleep. You might want to do the same. You have some mental training tomorrow. Maybe that can help clear your head and help decide what you need to do. Night.” As she left my room, I got up and closed the door. I got changed into my PJs and got ready for bed. It was then that my cell went off. “Now who would be calling me this late,” I said. I looked at my cell and saw that it was Fleur de Lis, so I decided to answer my cell. “Hey Fleur. How are you feeling?” “Better, that’s for sure. I took your advice and tried to talk to Long Shot, but I just couldn’t keep a conversation going on the ride home.” “That bad?” “For the moment. But when I got to the gate, I got out so I can enter my pass code, which I plan to have changed during the week. Once I was back in his car, he asked me if I just live by myself. I told him that my mother hired caretakers during the week while I’m at school and a driver when I need him. Other than that, I’m usually by myself, as you would have known. When he asked what I do for meals, I told him that I just fix simple stuff when I’m by myself. He asked me if he can come in and help fix a decent meal for lunch.” “And you decided to bring him in, right?” “I did. When we went into the kitchen, he asked me if I was a vegetarian, which I am, so he was able to fix me a grilled cheese sandwich and tomato soup. During that time, he was explaining to me some of the health benefits of having a good meal. It sounded like he was a health expert or something. I got out some iced tea, and we shared the meal together. So I took the time to talk about other healthy ideas to enjoy, hoping I could keep things going, and we just started to talk about random things. He found out that my mother’s a model, and I decided to show him some pictures of us in my room. Although, I didn’t finish taking down your…shrine.” “I would have figured that you already took it down.” “I’m sorry, but things have been…hectic after what has happened before. I had to explain to him the reasoning for it, and I was surprised that he understood what I was doing. He was surprised to find out that you were a part of the Manehattan Knights after seeing the article that I found about it. So he took the paper clippings and was able to put them in an envelope for the time being and said that it should be in a scrap book for…you.” “Now this is a surprise. I would think he would be turned off by it.” “I was thinking the same thing. But he understands that having a mother as a famous model could make it harder for me to find a possible boyfriend, and maybe more. He said that he has been thinking about being a health and nutrition expert, and that it can help others stay healthy and not become fat…or thin.” “Models in the past have gone to extremes for modeling. Some have demanding that it stop. I think having him as a future husband would please your mother, knowing that you’re staying healthy and still look like a model like your mother.” “Oh please. I don’t want to think that far ahead. But it helps that there may be a chance to make it work. He plans to come over tomorrow after practice with some cookbooks and food supplies and show me how to fix some good meals by myself.” “Just make sure you don’t act like a creep like you did with me.” “I promise. And…I’m glad that you were able to understand what I was doing at the time. It has helped me reflect on my past actions and what I need to be doing for myself instead of my mother.” “Well, you get your beauty sleep. You want to make a big impression on him tomorrow when he shows up.” “I will. Night.” “Goodnight.” I hung up and though to myself, “I wonder if I should tell Indigo about this?” So I sent a text to her about the possible couple, hoping that she would understand what I meant. To my surprise, she decides to call me back. “Dude, are you saying that Fleur and Long Shot are now dating?” “Not really, but it could happen if she plays her cards right.” “Now I have to know the details if I plan to help.” “Sure. But you would have to do something for me.” “And that would be?” “Just got some more info on Blades’ diary. I think your team might be able to look for some more details about a certain group.” “Then let’s start there first. Let me get a pen and paper so I know what we need to do.” “Good idea, because I hope this can be the break we have been looking for on what’s going on with Crystal Prep.” Author's Note Now we're getting serious in the story. And it's going to get more serious as we come close to the end of the first book. Ch. 35 - On the HuntI spent Sunday in Luna’s office as I was mediating with Miss Luna, Tree Hugger, Fluttershy, and Sunset. Tree Hugger decided to use whale sounds to mediate to while we all sat in Indian style with our eyes close. This let me to start falling asleep and almost hitting the floor. But someone else beat me to it with the floor, and she was right next to me. The big thump, following by an “Ouch” from Sunset was proof of that, which snapped me out of my daze, along with everyone else. “I knew this was going to put me to sleep,” said Sunset. “Same here. At least you beat me to it,” I said with a laugh. “But this is to help you to be one with your inner self,” Tree Hugger explained. “With whales? I don’t think so,” said Sunset. “Is that all you have?” “I think we have some other CDs for this,” Fluttershy said as she got up, stopped the CD playing, and went to her book bag. We all decided to get on our feet and see what she had. But somehow, my legs wouldn’t work with me, and Luna noticed it. “Looks like your legs went to sleep instead,” Luna said with a laugh. “Very funny,” I said. “And to think that Little Strongheart handled it well back then.” Luna grabbed my hand and helped pull me up off the floor. “I had to do the same in front of my master back then. I got used to it after a few sessions.” “I just don’t see how this would help him in learning the tenth art,” Sunset explained. “It’s about being what’s inside yourself, not outside,” Tree Hugger replied. “Sounds like your session’s going well.” We noticed Applejack at the office door with Rainbow Dash with her. Both of them had smirks on their faces. “I don’t see you in here with us,” Sunset said as she placed her hands on her hips. “What’s wrong Sunset, you plan to drop out?” Dash taunted her, which lead Sunset to respond with a stare. “Drop out?” Luna had something go through her mind and went straight to the cabinet drawers in her office. “Why didn’t I think of it sooner.” She opened the drawer and started going through some of the folders. “Dash, you still remember that friend of yours during your freshman year?” “You mean Gilda? Yea. She stopped showing up during the spring semester of our freshman year.” “Who’s Gilda?” I asked. Applejack responded, “An old friend of Dash’s. Well, she was a friend of hers.” “She was from Cloudsdale, but we never met until the 7th grade when she moved to Ponyville,” said Dash. “She was a nice girl, but she changed when we got here. Haven’t heard from her since she dropped out.” Luna found the file she was looking for and pulled it out. She looked at the paperwork and said, “Gilda Griffon. Grades started to show signs of failing late in the fall; started to miss classes early in the spring; and then dropped out. Nothing after that.” I asked Luna, “Who does she look like?” She handed me a head shot of her. Dark tan skin, short white hair, and it looks like she’s wearing what looks like a pilot’s jacket. The mean look on her face is a dead giveaway that she would be trouble. I handed the picture back to Luna. “You don’t think she’s the inside source we’ve been looking for, do you?” asked Dash. “It’s possible,” Luna replied. “And if she was from Cloudsdale, I wouldn’t be surprised if Lightning Dust knew her as well. It’s a guess, but it could be our best lead we have. I just hope her contact info is still the same.” Luna sat down next to her desk and picked up the phone. She dialed the first number, and then hanged up. She did the same process with the second number. “Both numbers are dead.” “Maybe she moved away at the time and never told anyone,” said Sunset. “If that was the case, I would have gotten a call from the new school she was attending asking for our records,” Luna explained. “So we’re back to square one,” I said. All of us looked down at the end result. That’s when someone out of nowhere showed up. “Hey guys, what’s shaking?” It was Pinkie Pie, carrying some goods with her. “Nothing, Pinkie. Just trying to get our heads out of the gutter,” Applejack replied. “Well, I have the perfect remedy. Tada!!!” Pinkie pulled out a plastic bag of cookies. Tree Hugger looked at them and said, “Are those…?” Pinkie replied, “Yep. Gingersnaps, your favorite.” “Pinkie, like, you are nature’s gift to us,” said Tree Hugger, causing Pinkie to display a smile from ear to ear. “I never tried gingersnaps,” said Sunset. “Same here,” I added. “Well, there’s more than enough for all of us.” Pinkie opened the plastic bag and said, “Take one.” We each took one and took a bite. It tasted great. The positive reaction from all of us was proof enough for Pinkie to know that we liked them. Pinkie placed the rest of the cookies on Luna’s desk. She saw the file folder on Gilda and her mood changed. “Gilda? Now there’s a party pooper if I ever knew one.” Dash explained. “We thought that she could have been the inside source, being from Cloudsdale and dropping out of school. Turns out that she no longer lives in her old home.” “Well dud! Of course she no longer lives there,” Pinkie said. “I saw her a couple of weeks ago while making a delivery for Mrs. Cake.” “You mean she still lives in Ponyville?” Luna asked Pinkie. “Well, I saw her while driving to make my delivery, which wasn’t far. I never spoke to her because she was hanging out with some weirdos.” Luna asked, “When and where?” Pinkie pulled out her cell and pulled up the map. “I saw her on the day before the dance with the group. And I still remember the place, since Mrs. Harshwhinny also likes to help out in that neighborhood. Here it is.” She pointed out the area on the map. “Isn’t that the affordable housing district?” asked Applejack. Pinkie nodded. “Can you explain what you mean by that?” I asked. “It was something that Mayor Mare put into place back then,” Luna explained. “Most families or residents of Ponyville that have hit on hard times are placed here when they have nowhere to go, if they qualify. Mrs. Harshwhinny has been a big support of the project and helps out when she can. The only problem they have over there is the crime activity that happens over there. Not a good place to be at on your own.” “Luckily, my Pinkie Sense lets me know if something bad was about to happen when I was there. Good thing it didn’t go off, which means it was safe for me to travel,” said Pinkie. “Then we might just have the lead we’ve been looking for,” I said. This displayed confused looks on my friend’s faces. “Something I picked up on back in Manehattan. If there’s crime in the area, there’s bound to be someone who would do something if the price was right.” “But how do we know if she still lives there?” asked Sunset. “I think we have a way,” Applejack responded. “Pinkie, I think it’s time for ‘Operation Bonbon’ again.” “Awesome!” Pinkie replied as she jumped in the air. “Operation Bonbon? Again?” Sunset had a concerned look on her face. “By any chance…” Before she could finish, Applejack said, “Yea, I know. This was done last time when you were the problem that we were dealing with.” Sunset sighed and said, “That’s OK, AJ. That was the old me back then. You girls had the right to do…whatever it was that you needed to do. But I was wondering what it means? Does it involve Sweetie Drops?” “Yep,” Pinkie replied. “And Lyra as well. They are the masters of stealth and recon.” “You didn’t get a chance to see them in action when we were breaking into Crystal Prep, since it wasn’t needed. But we had them in case,” said Dash. “And trust me, they were really helpful last time. No offense.” Sunset just waved it off. “We’ll call them up and have them check the area out and see if she’s there, just to be sure,” said Applejack. “If so, then have them bring Mrs. Harshwhinny as well,” Luna said. She pulled out a small piece of paper and wrote something on it before handing it to Applejack. “Here’s her number. Since she knows the area well, explain to her what’s going and see if she can help out the other two before you decide to move in. If Gilda is the one we’ve been looking for, then see to it that you bring her in. I want to talk to her about why she dropped out back then anyway.” “Will do,” Applejack responded. Applejack, Pinkie Pie, and Rainbow Dash left the room to take care of business. That left us to deal with the music issue for our meditation session. Fluttershy went back to her book bag and looked over what they had. “Let’s see. I have signing birds, rainfall, ocean surf, tropical forest…” I sighed and said, “What I wouldn’t do to be on the rooftop of my home back in Manehattan.” Tree Hugger said, “Not to be rude, but all that negative noise disturbs my aura, you dig?” “Actually, it’s ambient noise that I hear in Manehattan. As long as you are at the right spot to hear it,” I said. “The sound of a motor engine, the untimed mixture of the sounds below…it’s that kind I like to hear whenever I needed to clear my head.” “What about…something from our hometown in Vanhoover?” Sunset asked. “Um, are both of you born in Vanhoover?” Fluttershy asked. Both of us replied, “Yes.” “We were a bit surprised to know that we were born and raised in the same city,” Sunset explained. “I’m not sure if we could have crossed paths back then.” Luna started to access her office computer to look something up. “Fluttershy, I might have an idea that could help with our sound problem. Have any of you played video games when you grew up? More likely role playing of adventure games?” “I played some old 16-bit emulated games on my computer back then,” I said. “My mother was able to get a used 16-bit system and some games that we both played on rainy days, but I haven’t touched it in years,” said Sunset. “I’m surprised that she still holds on to it.” “Maybe she hopes the two of you will play it again,” I explained. “The 8-bit and 16-bit eras were easier games to play, compared to the current games that are out.” “Well, I was a gamer during my younger years,” Luna explained. “I liked fantasy games a lot. But it wasn’t just for its storyline or game play, but it was also for its music. Fans were able to make remixes of popular tracks back then. I even have all three CD sets from Project Majestic Mix that were made by fans before the man in charge decided to retire to focus on personal issues. At least he was able to get other fan artists to get their works out there and made their own CDs. I remember some of those tracks that I have had a bit of the winter feel to the music, kind of like Vanhoover. Maybe that can help, if Tree Hugger doesn’t have a problem with them.” “As long as it doesn’t disturb my vibe, then I’m fine with that,” Tree Hugger replied. So we spent another hour of meditation with music that had more of a rhythm. It took a while for Tree Hugger to understand, but at least it wasn’t sounds that put you to sleep. I started to find the rhythm and beat of what I heard, just like back in Manehattan. But for some reason, I started to feel…I don’t know…in tune with myself. But our session was interrupted when Applejack came by the office again. We needed to report with the recon team. They found Gilda, but there are some questions about whom she’s with. I told Luna to e-mail the links to the music that I heard so I can try to do this again back home. Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, Applejack, and Sunset Shimmer rode with me in my truck as we made our way to the meet-up point. Lyra Heartstrings, Sweetie Drops, and Mrs. Harshwhinny met us at the place to discuss the situation. “We found Gilda, just like you told us,” said Sweetie Drops. “But she’s not alone.” She showed us a zoomed in video of the group on her cell. “Girls, that’s not just any group she’s with. That’s a gang,” said Mrs. Harshwhinny. “How do you know?” asked Rainbow Dash. “Because of this.” Lyra had her cell out and displayed a picture that looked familiar. “I had to get a good view of the patch that all of them have on their vests and jackets.” “I haven’t heard of any gang forming in the area, but they could have been staying under the radar. And I don’t even know what this gang is,” said Mrs. Harshwhinny. “I do.” Everyone looked at me as I was pulling out my cell and pulled up the same picture of the claw patch. “Night Glider gave me a heads up on a new gang that tried to show up in Manehattan. She said from her source that they came from here. They’re called the Talons. And if her info is also correct, the girl we’re looking for might be the leader of the gang.” “I don’t like the sounds of that, partner,” said Applejack. “I’m guessing that Night Glider was part of a gang back then.” “Yea,” I replied. “After what Coco and me did to them in the park, she decided to leave the gang and join us.” “You think she would know more about how we can handle this gang?” Mrs. Harshwhinny asked. “It’s worth a shot,” I said. “Hey. It’s better to be prepared than going in blind, right?” said Dash. So I decided to call Night Glider on my cell. “Hey, Night Glider here. What’s up?” “It’s Jack Diamond. Need your assistance on something.” “What you need?” “Remember the info you told me on the Talons? Spot on.” “You found them?” “Better. The insider that we’re looking for might also be the leader of the gang. We need to figure out how to handle the gang members.” I had to make sure she understands that there are others listening in. “I see. Let me get my ‘inside source’ to help.” She yelled away from her phone. “Hey Scar, got someone who needs help talking care of the Talons you told me about.” I said to my friends, “Oh this is going to be good.” A guy with a rough voice spoke. “I’m told that you found the Talons and need some help, right?” “Damn right I did.” “JACK!? What the…? Why didn’t you tell me it was him?” “Because I wanted to see the reaction on your face. It’s priceless,” Night Glider said as she laughed. “Damn it. You’re lucky to be a knight and not part of my gang,” replied Scar. “HEY! I though it was a night watch group?” I said. “It is, damn it,” replied Scar. “And why should I help you anyway, since what you did to my face.” “Oh, I can answer that,” said Night Glider. “They’ve been looking for someone who helped another school break in to their school, and it my be the leader of the Talons.” “You’re lucky that I’m doing this for you,” Scar said. “We have one main rule that I have to remind my members. Never do any damage or harm to any school. I’m sure you can understand why I have this rule.” “I can think of several reasons, but we can just leave it at that,” I said. “OK then. If you plan to face this gang head on, I need details. Member descriptions, area layout, whatever you can fill me in on,” Scar explained. “I’ll let my teammates fill you in,” I said. I looked to Mrs. Harshwhinny to start. “The area is an affordable housing district. Brick buildings with ten condos each, backs to each other.” “Almost sounds like where my grandmother lives on the outskirts of Manehattan. People who fall on hard times would be willing to join a gang just to get by. And each gang will have their own set of rules.” Scar said. “Scar cares about his grandma, so don’t let that be a sign of weakness,” Night Glider explained. “As long as he makes sure she fine, I don’t have a problem with it,” I said. “Thanks,” said Scar. “What about members?” “Seven guys and four girls, including the leader,” Sweetie Drops explained. There was a brief pause before Scar spoke. “That doesn’t sound right. To have that few and send a couple up to Manehattan to scout is taking a risk. If they haven’t bother coming back with more, then it’s possible that there’s twice of what you see there, and they’re still recruiting before expanding.” I said to Scar, “Playing it safe, I assume?” “Now you’re thinking. Any of the ones that you see stick out?” “One of them is big. And I mean BIG,” Lyra answered. “As in someone who you will find at the night club doors?” asked Night Glider. “Yep.” “We call that the heavy hitter; tough, but slow. It’s like taking on a giant,” Scar explained. “I think I have someone who can handle that,” I said as I looked at Applejack. “Good luck then. There’s one thing you need to know, Jack. If you can take down the leader, you might be able to take control of the gang,” Scar said. “Gangs call it the ‘Law of the Land.’ It’s a way to show superiority in the group. Not every gang follows this law, so take note,” Night Glider explained. “We’ll keep that in mind,” I said. “Thanks for your help. And Scar, make sure you protect that pretty face of yours.” “Ha, ha, very funny. I have to deal with Night Glider in that department.” “Jack, take care. And let me know the outcome…if you survive. Night Glider out.” I put my cell back in my pocket. “She knows that we can pull this off, as long as we know what to expect.” “If you don’t mind me asking, but is Scar his real name?” asked Sunset. “He has a scar on his cheek that’s close to his eye. Got it when he was younger, or so I heard. Never really asked about his real name, and I doubt I want to anyway.” “Well, I think it’s time to pay Gilda a visit,” said Applejack. “Good, because she’s got a lot of explaining to do here,” Rainbow Dash added. I looked at Mrs. Harshwhinny and asked, “If you want to stay out of this, then that’s alright for us.” She started to flex and loosen up her arms and said, “I think I can take on a few troublemakers myself. I grew up on streets like this one, so I know how to survive.” So we decided to leave our vehicles in the parking lot and made out way down to where Gilda was with her group. It wasn’t long before she could recognize Rainbow Dash from our group. Gilda walked up and said, “Well, well, well, if it isn’t my old friend, Rainbow Dash. And she brought the dweeb squad.” “Shut it, Gilda,” Dash snapped at her. “We know you took part in helping Crystal Prep break in to our school overnight.” Gilda put her hands up, shook her head, and said, “I don’t know what you’re talking about.” That set off red flags that she was hiding something. Applejack looked at me, and I nodded back. “Now you can do better than that,” Applejack said. “We can see a lie a mile away.” “Hey Dash. Why don’t you tell your farm girl friend to shut her beak,” Gilda replied. Since that how she wanted to play, I decided to take it to another level. I grabbed one of my metal cards from my deck and threw it towards Gilda, going by her and sticking to the brick wall. She looked at what went by and started back at us with a mean glare. Before she could respond, I spoke. “We can do this the easy way…or the hard way. And I’ll be surprised that your gang can survive the hard way.” “Is that a challenge,” Gilda replied. She looked at her gang and said, “Saber, Knives, why don’t you welcome our new guests.” Two guys got up, both with average builds, ready to fight. A hand was placed on my shoulder. I look and saw that it was Sweetie Drops. “Leave these two to us.” She started to walk forward, with Lyra next to her. They stopped in front of the two guys, who were taller that the girls. One of the guys said, “Does the cutie want to play?” as he decided to place his hand next to Sweetie Drops’ cheek. She grabbed his arm before he could lay a finger on her and said, “You might want to rethink that statement.” That’s when she decided to move and twist his arm, causing him to yell in pain. The other guy looked at them and started to go to his aid, only to be stopped when Lyra grabbed him by the collar and thrust her knee into his stomach. “I’m sorry, did that hurt?” she playfully said. Then she rotates her body and tossed the guy over her shoulder, slamming him to the ground hard. Sweetie still held on to the first guy’s arm and pinned him behind his back. “Lyra, want to do the honors?” “With pleasure, my Bonbon.” Lyra got in front of him and swung her leg at his face, knocking him to the ground as Sweetie let go of him. Both of them celebrated with a brohoof. This got Gilda upset. “Rocky, teach these girls a lesson!” The big guy in the group began to walk towards them. This was the heavy hitter in the gang. Applejack said, “I got this,” and started to walk up to the others. Lyra and Sweetie Drops saw her and started to fall back to give Applejack some room. Both of them were staring at each other when the big guy tipped her hat off of her head and spoke. “Does the farm girl want to dance, because I’ll be happy to-” He was cut off when Applejack gave him a knee below the belt, causing him to groan in pain. Applejack turned around and said to Sunset, “Is that how you did it to Tenderhoof?” “Just like that,” Sunset responded. “Good,” Applejack said. Then she bends down on her hands and shot her feet at his face in a bucking motion, knocking him down and out. She wipe her hands together, picked up her hat, walking back to us, and said, “Boy talks too much.” Now Gilda was furious. And it was this that got Pinkie Pie’s pinkie sense going off. Pinkie walked up to me and said, “Trouble’s coming.” “THAT’S IT! NOW YOU’RE ASKING FOR IT!” Gilda made a loud crow’s call, and what Pinkie said was right. I started to sense trouble all around us. Guys and girls started to show up, each with the Talons patch on them, some with chains and pipes in their hands. It was more than double from what we were expecting. “Jack, I think this was more than we bargain for,” Applejack said as she walked back to our group. Rainbow Dash looked at me and said, “If you have a plan, now’s the time to use it.” “We’ll just have to fight our way out of this,” said Sunset. We were surrounded, three to one. And Gilda was smiling from ear to ear. We needed to level the playing field. Actually, I needed to level the playing field. And just like before, when things are at their worst, something new happens to me that gets us out of it. I felt what I needed to do, and it was one that I have been trying to learn. I clinched my fist and reacted. “SOUL ART #8: EARTH BREAK!!!” With one move, I slammed my fist into the ground, causing the road in front of me to crack. This created a wave that went towards some of the guys in front of me, causing them to almost lose their balance. I took this opportunity to knock them down in one attack. “SOUL ART #7: WIND SLASH!!!” I had my arms crossed together and waved them out to my sides, creating a strong wave of wind towards them. This blew them back and knocked them down. I turn my gaze at Gilda and stared at her, saying, “That…was the hard way. You still want to go through this?” Gilda was slightly stunned. She shook it off and yelled, “KILL THEM!!!” As the gang members started to make their way towards us, Mrs. Harshwhinny said, “Time to clean house.” All of us started to fight against the gang that was still standing. Rainbow Dash was able to dodge and use their size to her advantage. Pinkie Pie just hopped over each one and force them to fall forward. I was helping Sunset with a few of them. The others were able to take down some of the others. Applejack yelled to me, “You got another skill you can use?” And that’s when it hit me. Another feeling went through me again, and I knew how to do it. “Hey AJ? Think you can give me a boost?” Applejack nodded and faced towards me with her hands together. I started to run to her and placed my foot on her clasped hands. In an instant, she tossed me into the air. “SOUL ART #9: SPIN STRIKE!!!” With my eyes closed and my arms stretched out, I started to spin like a tornado, letting my senses guide me to my targets. I knocked out several guys before I came to stop. Almost two-thirds of the gang was knocked out. This caused Gilda to panic and run away. Rainbow Dash saw this and yelled, “HEY! YOU GET BACK HERE!” Applejack and me saw what was going on. “Jack, take a couple and go after her. We should be able to clean up from here.” I nodded and said, “Sunset, Pinkie, you’re with me.” And the three of us started to chase down Gilda between the buildings. We could see Gilda from the distance, knocking down trashcans and anything to slow us down. We were able to leap and dodge the obstacles, but it didn’t get us any closer. I saw an open gap on both sides from the row of buildings and signaled the others to split up and surround her. Pinkie took the left side and Sunset went right. I stayed on Gilda’s trail, hoping that they will make it to the next gap before Gilda. She kept knocking things down, which was slowing her down, but I had to dodge them, which wasn’t getting me any closer. I could see the next gap coming up and tried to sense if one of them finally got there to cut her off. Before I could sense anyone, Gilda made it to the gap, only to be tackled by Sunset from the right. Gilda was struggling with Sunset on the ground, and knocked her off. She got up and went towards the other gap, only to be startled by Pinkie Pie. Gilda was trailing backwards and started to turn around. That when she saw Sunset on her feet and up close. Sunset threw a fierce punch in Gilda’s face, knocking her down with a bloody nose. I finally got up to the others and asked Sunset, “You OK?” “Yea,” she replied, shaking her right hand in pain. “I’ll be fine. Good job, Pinkie.” “No problem. Everyone loves a surprise,” she replied, just staring at Gilda. Gilda was still holding her nose from the bleeding. I grabbed her arm and pulled her up, and Pinkie took out a tissue, tore it in two, and stuffed them into her nose. We took Gilda back to the others, when they just finished up the last of the gang. They saw us, and Applejack said, “Glad you can make it back.” “So who gave her a bloody nose?” Mrs. Harshwhinny asked as she saw Gilda’s busted up face. “That would be me,” Sunset replied. “And it hurts like hell.” “You’ll get use to it in time,” said Applejack. Rainbow Dash walked up to Gilda, grabbed her by her collar, and said, “All right, Gilda. We know you helped Lightning Dust break in to our school and take her to the science lab. So I want to know why you did it?” “Miss Luna told us about how you started to fail in your classes during your freshman year,” said Applejack. Gilda responded, “Because I had to help out my family, OK?” “You call this your family?” Rainbow Dash was pointing to the fallen gang members. “No, my actual family,” Gilda replied. “You wouldn’t even understand.” Mrs. Harshwhinny walked up and placed her hand on Dash’s shoulder. Dash looked at her teacher, then back to Gilda and let go of her. “Why don’t you at least try to explain?” Mrs. Harshwhinny responded. Gilda started to look away when she talked. “My mother can’t have a job because of her medical condition. And my father lost his job when he got injured and was put on disability leave, only to be cut when he knew it would take weeks, maybe months to recover before going back to work. We had to leave our old home and stay here, since we were able to qualify for the program. But money was a struggle. I had to drop out and focus on a job to keep up the payments for mother’s medicine and father’s recovery, which was becoming harder. And you can’t get far in this neighbor, so I was able to start a gang. Lightning Dust was able to find out about me and offered me a job to break in to my old school, find a bunny in the science lab, and get out. I made sure she paid up front with a lot of money. It has helped my family so far, but we still have a long way to go.” Dash responded, “Why didn’t you tell me this in the first place? Do you know that Lightning Dust is bad news since we lived in Cloudsdale?” “I was desperate,” snapped Gilda. “You wouldn’t even understand what I had to go through.” It was then that Sunset slapped her in her face. “You think you had it rough? I had to go through hell with what I did to the school. And just when Jack here started to get me out of that hole, you had to help put me back in there.” She slid up one of her sleeves, revealing the scars she still had. “Look at these. This is what I had to do to myself after experiencing the pain and suffering that I went through. I’m just lucky enough to now have friends that understand the fears that I went through in my past.” Gilda looked at the scars on Sunset’s arm, and then looked at her. She wanted to say something, but couldn’t and looked down in shame. Sunset slid down her sleeve and placed her hands on Gilda’s shoulders, causing her to look at Sunset again. “There’s still time to fix the damage you caused. And there’s always a way to get over the problems that hunt you if you just ask your friends.” “Our school has a program that can help with students that struggle through something like this,” Mrs. Harshwhinny explained. “If you want to, we can talk to Miss Luna about it and see what we can do. Get you back in school, and find a way to help your parents. What do you say?” Gilda looked at each of us and said, “What do you want me to do?” “First you can surrender your gang to us,” I said. “You sent two of your members to Manehattan in hopes to expand. The…gang’s leader has been keeping it peaceful over there and wasn’t pleased with the Talons’ arrival. And as a member of the Manehattan Knights, we have been able to help keep an eye out for any threats. We don’t like to work with gangs, but the leader wants to make some…changes to the group, so I’m willing to give them a chance.” “Gangs have what is called The Law of the Land,” Dash explained. “If someone takes you down, you have to surrender your gang to the winner. And…since Sunset gave you a bloody nose, I’m guessing you got knocked down and out, right?” “Oh, she punched her in the face, knocking her to the ground and giving her a bloody nose,” Pinkie explained. “And with your members knocked out,” said Applejack, “I think you can guess the end result to this.” Gilda looked at the others, who were started to recover from getting a beat down. “Talons, listen up,” she yelled, in which some that were aware looked at her. “From this point forward, this girl here is your new leader. Um…” “Sunset Shimmer,” she replied. “Sunset Shimmer will be issuing the orders for the Talons now,” Gilda continued. “And if anyone wants to challenge her, you have to get through us,” Applejack said and she was pointing between her and me. “So go home and rest up. No sense staying here,” said Gilda. All the members started to get up and either walk away or help someone back to their home. Gilda looked at Sunset and asked, “I’m guessing you’ve never run a gang, have you?” “Well, nothing of this size, but still…” She started to trail off from the topic. “Whatever. What else do I need to do?” Gilda asked. “We need you to confess that you helped Lightning Dust and her friends break in to our school,” I said. “You’ll have to explain it to Principal Celestia or Miss Luna so they can handle the issue.” “They got off lucky when the other students who helped got suspended from the team,” Dash said. “We want to make sure they share the same punishment as the others, before we face them this coming Friday.” “If that’s what I need to do to get them to take me back, then I’ll do anything to fix this,” Gilda explained. “Just make sure you can help me with my family.” “We’ll need to take you back to the school so we can explain it to them,” said Mrs. Harshwhinny. “I’ll need to tell my parents first before we go,” Gilda replied. Mrs. Harshwhinny nodded and walked with Gilda to where she was staying. I looked at the others and said, “Thanks for your help.” “It was no problem,” Lyra responded. “We’re happy to help.” “I hope this will get Brick Wall off your back,” said Applejack. “One less worry for us.” “I hope so too,” I said. “I hope so too.” Ch. 36 - There's a Time to Think...We returned to our school with Gilda in tow, making our way to Miss Luna’s office. Lyra and Sweetie Drops already decided to head home. When we arrived at Miss Luna’s office, Fluttershy and Tree Hugger already left for the day. Gilda sat down at one of the seats in front of the desk, while Mrs. Harshwhinny explained to Miss Luna about Gilda’s problems that lead her to drop out back then and decided to help break in to the school weeks ago. Luna was not pleased with what has happened, but knowing what Sunset has gone through before, she can understand Gilda’s reasoning for her actions. “Look, I can understand why you did all this,” Luna said. “But if you just come to one of us to explain the problems that you were having, none of this would have taken place.” “I know,” Gilda replied. “But I didn’t know what to do, being felt like an outcast at this school.” “That still doesn’t excuse you for what you did, Gilda,” Rainbow Dash responded. “Plus, we have been friends since the 7th grade. You could at least come to me to talk. We always watch each others back, remember?” “I know, I know. You don’t have to remind me. I just…panicked when it all happened.” “Well now you can get back on track after all that’s happened,” explained Mrs. Harshwhinny. “I think it’s possible to get you in the same classes during the spring semester that you decided to drop out of. This way, you can pick up where you left off.” “I noticed that you gotten C’s and D’s during your fall semester in your classes. That would still count as a passing grade for now,” explained Miss Luna. “But if you want to make sure your freshman year comes out good, you need to do a better job in your classes and build those grades up.” Gilda sighed to Luna’s explanation. “Look at it this way. At least you have us to help tutor you if you need it,” said Dash. “Twilight’s the smartest friend we know. I’m sure she can get you back on track.” “So…I’m guessing you would want a confession of my involvement with the students of Crystal Prep if I plan to come back to school with this…program you have that can help me?” Gilda said. “Well, that would be a good place to start. Maybe it would get Principal Cinch off my back.” We all looked at the doorway and saw a gray man with a goatee, dressed in a tacky shirt and pants and wearing a bucket hat. “Mr. Discord. I’m glad you could make it here,” replied Luna. “I hope you weren’t busy with anything?” “Oh please. I was just having a nice glass of iced tea and watching the downtown scenery when you called me,” Discord replied. “And Miss Dash, I’m sorry for not getting a replacement coach sooner than I had planned. I know you have been trying hard to earn that scholarship next year. I hope you didn’t…freak out at what happened.” Rainbow Dash let out a sheepish laugh while scratching the back of her head. “You know Dash. She knows how to freak out when she wants to,” Applejack said while slapping her hand on Rainbow Dash’s back. Mr. Discord let out a chuckle. He then turned his attention to me. “And this must be the spotlight student that everyone’s talking about.” “Yes he is,” Luna replied. “Jack, this is Mr. Discord, former principal and current board director.” “It’s nice to meet you,” I said as I shook his hand. “The honors all mine, Jack,” he replied. “And I’m glad you were able to find the one who helped in trashing a part of this school,” as he was staring at Gilda. He looked back up and said, “But for now, I need to discuss some…matters with Miss Luna in private.” “Agreed. Will you excuse us for a moment,” Luna said to us. “Mrs. Harshwhinny, would you be so kind to explain to Gilda about our support program.” She nodded and guided Gilda out of the room. The rest of us decided to do the same until Luna stopped us. “Jack, can you stay here as well?” I looked at Luna, then back to the others and asked Sunset, “Why don’t you see if you can talk to Gilda as well and learn more about how the Talons operate. I’ll catch up with you later.” She nodded and they left the room. I closed the door and walked back up and took a seat in front of Luna’s desk. Mr. Discord sat down in the other seat next to me. “So, is he the one with the…gift?” Mr. Discord asked Luna. “He is, Discord. And so far, he’s been doing well, but we think he still has a good ways to go before Friday.” “I’m guess he’s part of your group?” I asked. “More like the one who started the group,” Luna replied. “I’m sure that Celestia or Luna have even brought this up,” Discord said to me, “but I’m Star Swirl’s younger brother. And by younger, I mean over a decade younger. Don’t even ask why my parents waited longer to have a second child.” “Yet, it’s Coach Tirek who’s in charge, right?” I asked. “He’s a good friend of mine. And he has better resources than I do, so it was best that he lead the team instead of me,” he said. “I’m sure you heard about the Crystal Prep scandal,” said Luna, to which I nodded. “Well, it was after that took place that Star Swirl went missing.” “That could explain why you didn’t want to take the new director’s job at the time, right?” I asked Discord. “Indeed. When Celestia told me about receiving my brother’s journal, I had to find out what happened to him. I went to his home to find it completely empty, as if he just moved out. Then I went to see Tirek about what happened so he could look into it further. He found out that he…retired from his job, which I find it hard to believe. So we decided to start working together and looking for allies who we could trust. Tirek believed that taking the director’s role might help find our answers better, because he thought that Crystal Prep could have had a part in all of this before. I thought it was a silly idea to go on, but I went and took the spot and handed the principal’s title to Celestia.” “And now you think there could be a connection to all this.” I said. “That’s right,” he replied. “In fact, that’s the reason I’m here. Well, one reason.” Luna said, “Ever since you came here, Jack, we have slowly started to believe that Crystal Prep have been working on students to make sure that they have these…gifts that you have. And after yesterday’s encounter, we can believe that they have. But how is another issue.” “But that’s not the only problem,” Discord said. “Principal Cinch called me yesterday asking that she let her suspended players play again at the championship game, thinking they served their punishment. I declined her offer, saying that it was an ongoing investigation, and that if these crimes were true, she would be forced to surrender the championship title if her school won this coming Friday. She was furious at what I told her and just hung up. I doubt she’s the same lady that came to me for help back then.” “And you could be right about that,” I said. “How come?” Luna asked me. “Indigo talked to me in private after you were on the phone with us. She’s been sensing something…strange about Cinch. Almost like what I was sensing with Sunset when we first crossed paths. But this felt like bad karma to her. Something must have happened to her after losing her husband back then that made her change to the way she is now. If I can get some kind of reading on her, I might have an idea what she’s talking about.” “Well, getting a confession from that girl you found might not help our case anyway,” Discord said. “With the attitude she’s displaying, it would be like adding fuel to a fire. Unless…” I looked at him with a worried look on my face. “Unless?” He gave me a sinister glare at me, and that made me really worried. “Why do I have a feeling that the only other option is one I won’t like to hear?” Luna spoke up. “Jack, I heard from Professor River Song that you had a hand in creating a special law to help the Manehattan Knights in resolving issues based on common sense.” I placed my hand on my forehead and said, “When did you heard about this? Last night?” “Actually, it was the last Christmas break when she visited us, like she always does,” Luna said. “When you decided to have her as your adviser, she told me and my sister about what you have done with the group, including the Order of the Manehattan Knights law. I never really thought about it when you came here, not even knowing that Coco was also a knight. Since you now have a group in place, we remembered about the law you put in place and wonder if it could be of any use. We just didn’t feel like bring it up until now.” “You felt like we could solve this problem without the law, right?” I said. “That was the plan,” Discord answered. “But we could be running out of time…and options at this point.” “I’m guessing that River Song wasn’t the only one you were talking to last night, right?” Before I could answer, Luna raised her hand and continued. “You don’t have to give any names to me. I can only guess that Coco would be one of them.” “If you think I would use the law’s challenge amendment with Coco’s support, it’s not going to happen,” I said. “I’m not one who would use the law for my own advantage, and Coco knows it. And I don’t want to take any chances in destroying the Manehattan Knights just for something like this. It’s too much of a risk that I want to take with all that’s going on between this school and Crystal Prep.” “I can understand what you mean, Jack. And we can’t bring up anything about Crystal Prep creating gifted students in their school, since it’s more of a private matter that we’re dealing with,” Luna explained. “But with what’s coming up this Friday, we need to deliver a blow to them that could open a way to finding out what they are hiding.” “And you’re hoping that if they were a second placed team, then it would raise concern about the experiments going on with the students, right?” I asked. “That’s what we’re hoping,” Luna answered. “And if using the law won’t help, then what will?” I started to think about that. Then I remember something that was brought up yesterday. When I was studying the football team this year, all the guys acted like they had this gift. But they started to act more like everyone else, expect for Long Shot. All the others guys that I thought had it had to make hits or take hits, expect for Long Shot when he started to become the new QB. “What if there was a way to remove Long Shot’s gift? Maybe with a…heavy hit on the field,” I said. “But we know that he can sense them coming and dodge it. How can we apply this hit on him?” Luna asked. “You’re looking at him,” I said. “If the girls can’t detect me coming to them, then it goes the same for him.” “But you never played on defense. And you have yet to learn the remaining arts to execute the tenth art,” Luna explained to me. “I do now. I don’t know how it happened, but it happened when I needed it the most. That must be the only way it would truly work.” “Miss Luna, this might be the only other option we have at the moment,” Discord said. “Perhaps Coach Iron Will would be willing to look into this if you explain it to him. Let him decide if it’s worth trying.” “I guess it’s worth looking into,” Luna said. “I’ll talk to him tomorrow about it. You just see if that confession helps us out before Friday’s game. I don’t want things to be harder than they are now after what’s happen.” “I will.” Discord got up off his seat and said, “It was nice meeting you, Jack.” “Same here,” I said as I got up and shook his hand again. “I just hope we can get through all this. I would like to take a break after the big game and relax before we have to make our next move.” “Can’t argue with you there,” Discord said. “I like to have a clear head before basketball season starts.” I was in the principal’s office Monday afternoon, helping Celestia getting some files organized and filed away. She learned from her sister about Crystal Prep’s insider and our plans for Friday’s championship game. “So you think a well placed hit on their QB would make him lose his gift?” Celestia asked me. “That’s the plan,” I said. “What does Indigo have to say about it?” she asked. “I talked to her last night about the idea,” I said. “She thinks it could be risky for both of us, but it’s our best bet. Based on what Sugarcoat explained to us Saturday, our guess is that it doesn’t stay stable in boys than it does in girls. It’s possible that whatever is put into the male students doesn’t hold up to the male DNA structure, if that’s how they are giving them this gift.” “If they are doing the same experiments like what the Dark Star Organization did during the Great War, then it’s possible that they could be using genetics, which I don’t think any of us could understand in detail,” Celestia explained. “I think the only ones that come close to understanding that are Twilight Sparkle and Moon Dancer,” I said. “They think it could be tied to the X/Y chromosome part, but they need time to look into it better. The only thing we know is that guys can’t maintain this gift. And if you take the fact that the girl to boy ratio that carry this gift naturally would be, I don’t know, 20 to 1, maybe 50 to 1, then you can guess that if the Dark Star Organization were taking it from those who have it only have female genetics to go on. Master Blades was able to escape while his master sacrificed his own life in the process. I can only guess that they needed these gifted people alive to learn what they carry. How they process it is another story.” “Well, once football season is over, we can put our focus on that,” said Celestia. “But I’m worried about having you play defense for the first time.” “I was thinking the same thing. But Coach Iron Will said that Thunderlane has some experience in the defensive line and might put him in a defense play with me, once he gets something worked out. I’ll know more tomorrow when I see him.” It was then that her office phone started to ring. Celestia went to answer it and heard Mr. Discord was on the other line. The conversation was the usual, but it soon started to change when I could hear the worried tone in Celestia’s voice. When she was done talking to him, she hung up and gave me a worried look on her face. “We might have a problem,” she said. “Why do I have a feeling that Gilda’s confession didn’t help us out,” I said. “Kinda,” she replied. “Mr. Discord talked to Principal Cinch about this new evidence, and she has concerns about this and wants to wait for the investigation to be complete before handing out any more punishments, which could take weeks before it’s complete.” “Excuse my language, but it sounds like nothing but BS coming from her,” I said. “Agreed. We’ll need to talk to the others tomorrow about this and start weighting our options. For now, you’ll have to deal with this while Brick Wall is on the team,” she replied. “You might want to have Indigo know about this, if she know by now.” “Knowing her, her hands would be tied in solving this.” We all met Tuesday in the gym during free study to explain the new set of problems that we are now facing. And the reactions were mixed. “If you want my opinion, I think it’s nothing but BS to me,” said Rainbow Dash. “That’s what I said,” I replied. “But not only will Jack have to deal with Brick Wall this Friday, but you’ll have to deal with Lightning Dust when basketball season starts,” Sunset said as she was looking at Dash. “LD is the least of my worries when that happens. I’m more worried about the other girls that have that ‘gift’ with them. And that includes Indigo Zap,” Dash explained. “Look, I know that they have what Jack has,” Moon Dancer explained. “But I’m sure they are willing to work with us. They might have to play their own part like usual, but with the fact that we now know one difference between what that have and what Jack has might give us a better idea how it works. We just need to find a way to work around it if we can find a way.” “We can worry about that when the time comes,” said Spitfire. “At least there’s one good piece of news to look at. Coach Fleetfoot told me last night that Brick Wall just had his ‘A’ patch striped from him, thanks to Long Shot.” “Um, I don’t know if that’s a good idea,” said Fluttershy. “I mean, didn’t you see how mean he was Saturday at the park? Wouldn’t that make him…meaner?” “I hate to say this, but Fluttershy’s right,” said Rarity. “I’m sure that Long Shot can keep him in check, but once on the field, that might be a different story.” “I have to agree,” said Cadence. “We saw what he did to Shining Armor the last time we faced them. What if he decided to do that to Jack Friday?” “Not going to happen,” I said. “I’ll be able to sense him when he comes for me. And since Shining Armor is back as the QB, just coming towards me and only me will draw flags for the team. And they can’t afford to lose when that happens.” “Iron Will agrees with you,” he said, crossing his arms. “It’s become more of a challenge for Crystal Prep this season than it was last season.” “What about having Jack play on defense? Do you think it will work?” asked Shining Armor. “Hey! Iron Will has done it before. Iron Will can do it again. Thunderlane, you and Jack will be working on some new defensive plays this week.” “No problem, coach. I can help Jack with the basics before we can learn them,” Thunderlane replied. “I’m just worried about Jack,” Sunset said. “Having to make a well-placed hit on Crystal Prep’s QB? What if he gets hurt in the process?” Applejack nodded. “I’m with Sunset on this. I know Jack can be tough to handle anything, but we can’t afford his gift to be shown to everyone on the field. That would make him vulnerable on defense. Is that the only option we have to level the playing field in Friday’s game?” Everyone in the group started to mumble about the question before Twilight spoke up. “There is another idea that could work. One that I wish we knew about in the first place.” She got out a piece of paper from her notebook, got up from the bleachers and walked on the gym floor to face us. I looked at Coco and had a feeling that Twilight just found out what we didn’t want her to find in the first place. “I found something online called the ‘Order of the Manehattan Knights’ law. It says that all official ‘Knights’ that have been created from the high ranking counsel are allowed to help resolve any issues that take place between two or more party members, as long as one of party members requests for their aid. All ‘Knights’ must rely on common sense while working with the laws of our nation to make sure that any issues can be resolve peacefully without the need of taking their complaints to court. “Now this part really caught my attention. If one of the arguing party members is in disagreement with the ‘Knights’ decision and accuses them of taking sides, based on their rank, they can issue their own challenge to the party member as an act of pride and honor in upholding the decision that was made. The ‘Knight’ must explain what their challenge is and must be approved by a second ‘Knight’ before going forward with the challenge. If the second ‘Knight’ does not approve of this challenge, the challenge can be changed or another ‘Knight’ can be called upon to help resolve the issue. Otherwise, the decision must be voided and handled by the court legal system. “Now, if I read this correctly, it was signed by the President and members of the Government, along with the six founders of the Manehattan Knights, two of them being Jack Diamond and Coco Pommel.” Twilight looked at me, then looked at Coco when she called out our names. “Now can one of you please explain to me why you didn’t bring this up in the first place?” Before I could say anything, Coco spoke up. “Let me handle this, Jack.” She got up and off the bleachers to explain. “This law is something we don’t take lightly. The decisions that are made by this law have to be handle with care. We know there are those who think they have more power out there than others, and this law was designed to help level the playing field between those who have power and those who don’t. The last thing we want for people to think of is that we, as knights, have more power than any other. Our plan was to rely on common sense, something that has been lacking in this world as of late.” “Then why create a law like this?” asked Twilight. “So that we can do what is right for all to see, a chance to bring others together and work out our differences without conflict,” I answered. “Then why don’t we take what we have here and use it towards Crystal Prep,” asked Twilight. “Twilight, I have to be rude, but maybe it would help us if we had a better explanation about this group,” said Applejack. “I mean we know how it was created, but we don’t have a clue as to how it operates. What is it about this ranking system that this group has?” Before Coco could say anything, I raised my to her and said, “Let me explain this.” I took a deep breath before I spoke. “It wasn’t until after the Thanksgiving weekend when we started talking about it. It was Night Glider who felt like we should do something better to help out those that needed our help. It was something she noticed when she was a part of Scar’s gang back then. Since Double Diamond has connections with some good politicians, they were able to draft a law and make our group something more than what it was. When we came back from winter break, we started to add members to our group. We had over 20 members who wanted to become a knight, but after going thought the one-month trial session, we had 12 members become first star knights.” “What happen to the others that didn’t make it?” asked Rainbow Dash. Coco explained. “Some were given a second chance later on after seeing how we played a role in the city. Others didn’t bother trying out again, due to various reasons. We explained to those who didn’t pass the trial period the reason they we’re not fit to become a knight, and they agreed on our decision.” I continued. “Anyway, we have this 5-star ranking system. One-star rank is a sign that you are a knight and the basic role is to help others out where it’s needed. Once you reach two-star rank, you have the power to help resolve issues, as the law states. But you can’t issues challenges or take part in regular meetings unless you are a three-star rank. Once you reach a four-star rank, that’s when you become part of the council and adviser to other knights. Professor River Song is the only one of that rank at the time. Then there’s the five-star rank, which is just all six founders at the moment. That’s when you take care of the serious stuff, like making the tough choices, including if someone is ready to go to the next rank. Only the captain and second-in-command can be a five-star rank. Right now, that’s me and Coco, respectively.” “So, you’re the captain, and Coco’s the commander?” Rarity asked me, in which I nodded. “That’s a lot of responsibility to take on, isn’t it Jack?” “It is. And using this law to take on Crystal Prep means a huge risk on my end,” I said. “How can it be a huge risk when you have that kind of power?” Twilight asked. “You can finally put Crystal Prep in its place. What’s the worst that could happen?” “It could mean the end of the Manehattan Knights,” answered Coco. “The role of the knights is to make sure others don’t abuse their power that they carry. And you’re asking us to do that.” “But do you see what Principal Cinch is doing at Crystal Prep? It’s why you can level the playing field and take away any power they have,” explained Twilight. “See? This is why you don’t even think about the downside to every decision that you make, Twilight. If this goes south, Jack’s life will be a complete disgrace in front of everyone,” explained Coco. Twilight knew where this was going. “Oh no. We are not having this discussion again.” “Yes we are,” replied Coco. “For once can you think about everyone else instead of what you want done?” Twilight started to get furious before Sunset stepped in. “Coco’s right, Twilight.” “Oh don’t you even dare try to-” “WILL YOU JUST LISTEN FOR ONCE?” Sunset yelled at Twilight, cutting her off. “Go back to homecoming week. Remember when you accused me of destroying the gym and taking Angel away, asking the team to forfeit the game? We learned that it was Crystal Prep who did all that and tried to place the blame on me. What if Jack wasn’t around to clear my name? And what if someone else found out the truth after the game. How would that look on you when you screwed up because you placed the blame on me because of my past actions? Have you ever thought about that?” Twilight opened her mouth to respond, but then closed it and thought it over. “Sure, you might have your friends still at your side, but that’s just a small group compared to the big group that’s out there. Will you still be able to hold the title that you have now? Will you have a future worth perusing afterwards?” “I just…I…I don’t know.” Twilight felt defeated as she looked down towards the gym floor. Moon Dancer decided to step in on the conversation. “Twilight. Remember when we became friends, and we decided to play chess together when we had nothing else to do at school?” “Yea. We always wanted to understand how each strategy was played out and which one can overcome the other. Why?” “Well, I have read this law as well, and while I understand what you are trying to do, but we have to treat Crystal Prep like a chess match. We know what we need to do, but we can’t rush into this, or we’re leaving our king open for the attack. We have to wait for the right time to go forward with this idea. Until then, we have to just take what we have and work with it.” “So all we can do is sit back and wait? How will we know when to act?” asked Applejack. She was right. There’s no telling when it will happen. I needed some time to think about what I needed to do about all this. So I got up and started to walk out of the gym. Twilight stopped me and asked with a concerned tone, “Where are you going?” “To go clear my head.” I left the gym, walked to my locker to grab my jacket, and went outside to where the bleachers were, where everything started. “We know why I called you all here,” “SUNSET SHIMMER!” It was here that I learn about Sunset from the others, before I learned the truth from her. From that point forward, it felt like a whirlwind to me. Everything happened so fast that I didn’t know what to expect. And just learning about my gift was just the start. I wasn’t sure if being the center of attention was good or bad. “Still trying to think about what to do?” I was surprised to see that Coach Spitfire was nearby. “You surprised me, coach,” I said. “I’m surprised that you didn’t sense me coming,” she replied. “I guess doubt is clouding my powers. Another weakness to my gift.” Spitfire sat next to me. “How do you know what is the right thing to do when it needs to be done?” “Good question, Jack. Too bad I don’t have the answer to that.” “Its just that I’m not used to being the center of attention. It’s like a ton of weight has been placed on me.” “I would figure that it would be easy after what you did for the Manehattan Knights.” “It wasn’t,” I replied. “The main purpose of the knights was to just keep my gift a secret. They always helped me out when I needed it. This way, no one was able to learn about my gift that I possessed.” “But now, you know more about your powers, became a key player on the football team, helped Sunset with her problems, got Twilight to understand what she’s been doing wrong with Sunset, and a whole lot more that I can guess on that list.” She patted my back and said, “You did a lot more and got through it all. And everyone looks up to you for what you have done.” “But is it worth it? I mean, Crystal Prep is on my case, and the only ones from that school that’s on our side are the members of the Elite 5. And I’m not sure if the others are ready to fully trust them. I don’t even know if I should tell them about the connection between me and Indigo Zap.” “Jack, I think that is what’s bothering you. You’re thinking too much. Let me give you a piece of advice that Coach Tirek gave to me. There’s a time to think, and a time to act. When I started to coach at Equestria University and got word on the Crystal Prep opening, just making the change would create problems with what’s going on. So I did some thinking and called up Fleetfoot to see if she can take the spot. She did, and so far, she has tried her best, but was getting nowhere. When the opening for Coach Goalkeeper opened up, I wasn’t sure if I should take it, but Tirek told me to do so. After getting up to date with you, I had to think about what all was going on. When you and your friends decided to come out in the open, I just decided to do the same without thinking about what would happen.” “So what are you trying to tell me?” I asked her. “What I’m trying to say is that there are times when you just need to let instinct take over and do what needs to be done. The more you think about it, the harder it can be to focus on what needs to be done. Everything happens for a reason. You just have to wait until it happens.” “So it’s just a waiting game?” “Not really. You do what you can do, and let the rest play out. You know what you need to do when the time comes. Maybe it’s best to focus on the ‘now’ and not on the ‘later’.” For some reason, I couldn’t figure out what I should be doing. And she could see it on my face. “I know that it can become a challenge to face, but once you start to understand what I mean, you will know what you need to be doing.” She started to get up and said, “Come on. It’s almost lunchtime. Let me help you out with getting some tacos before everyone else.” “Really?” “Yea. I can talk to Granny Smith in getting you some before they open up to the others. Maybe it can help get you mind off some things for now.” So I decided to get up and walk with Coach Spitfire, saying, “That would be nice.” Ch. 37 - ...And a Time to ActChrysalis and me arrived at school Wednesday morning, and I still had my head wrapped around what we all talked about yesterday. I already worked on defensive plays yesterday with Thunderlane, but the other issues that plagued me were something that I couldn’t shake. And while I tried to hide it from most of the classmates that I come across, Chrysalis knew that I was distracted. “Still can’t figure out what to do about Crystal Prep?” she asked me. “I wish this was easy, but it’s not. Even Indigo knows this.” “Were you talking to her last night?” “Yep. They’ve been watching the group and noticed that Brick Wall is getting into his prime for Friday’s game. No doubt he wants to knock me down after what’s happen this week.” “Well, don’t worry about him. Just focus on the game with the team. I’m sure Coach Iron Will has a plan in place for the big game.” Both of us walked inside a decided to part ways. “See you at lunch.” “Same here.” I went straight to my locker where the others were already at their lockers waiting for me. “Morning Jack,” said Sunset as she gave me a kiss on the cheek. “Feeling any better?” “Not really,” I said. ‘Not really!?” Rainbow Dash responded. “Come on. This is the big game we’re talking about. Sure it’s in a couple of days, but you should be excited to be a part of something big here.” “Dash is right,” Rarity added. “Everyone is talking about it online and believes that we can finally win the championship Friday.” “Yep. And I’ve already talked to Principal Celestia about having a HUGE pep rally Friday during school. I even have signs being made for the pep rally and game,” said Pinkie Pie. “And we saw how well you adapted to the defense yesterday. I’m sure your plan to remove Long Shot’s powers will work,” said Flash. “That’s the least of my worries,” I said. “Jack, if you’re worried about Brick Wall getting in your way, then forget it,” said Twilight. “I’m going to make sure he doesn’t cause any trouble for you or the rest of the team. I’ve spent my free time last night coming up with ways to put a stop to their defense. Once coach sees what I’ve come up so far, he can decide which ones we think could work. For now, let’s just focus on school. Otherwise, you’re never do well in your classes if you’re distracted.” She was right about one thing. I needed to focus on school, since that’s the only thing that’s going on. I tried to put my problems behind me during class, but whenever I came across my classmates showing their support for the up coming game, the thoughts about my problems tried to come back in my mind. It was after my 2nd period history class that Lyra and Sweetie Drops wanted to talk to me before I went to my next class. “So what is it that you wanted to talk to me about?” I asked. “More like what we wanted to show you,” replied Sweetie Drops. We were in front of their lockers, where Lyra brought out what looked like a briefcase. When she opened it, there were devices in there that looked like it was from a spy movie. “We used this gear when we went on recon back on Sunday.” “It’s different from what Pinkie has with her,” Lyra explained. “You have your spy goggles, mini cameras and microphones, and other useful gear. We didn’t have it when we were breaking in to Crystal Prep because they were getting some upgrades to the gear.” “We got the call to pick it up over the weekend. So we stopped by last Sunday to get it when Applejack called us about our recon mission, which was a good chance to test some of the new gear,” explained Sweetie Drops. “How were you able to get this stuff?” I asked. They looked over to a group of geeks, I believe. “See the boy with the lavender skin, dark hair, and black-framed glasses,” Lyra said as she pointed to the boy. “That’s Micro Chips. His father runs a local tech security business, supplying people with remote mini-camera and other security items for homes and businesses.” “Most of the security tech that is used in the neighborhood where Fleur lives comes from his father,” said Sweetie Drops. “We could have asked for his help in getting in, but we hate to get him caught up in all this.” “How come?” I asked again. Sweetie Drops responded. “Besides his father’s business, he’s not as brave in front of others, like the old Sunset Shimmer. He didn’t even have the courage to ask Moon Dancer out to the Nightmare Night dance. And we tried his best to help him, but he wouldn’t budge.” “Plus, we did get caught up in what you were doing when we learned about your gift,” Lyra added. She closed the case and placed it back in her locker. “We better get to our next class. If you ever want to know more about him, maybe see if he could be of any help down the road, let us know.” “Sure. See you later.” I parted ways with them and made my way to my next class. When I was finished with my 3rd period Algebra class, Trixie decided to talk to me between classes. “There’s someone who I wanted to point out.” Trixie point to the group of hippies or Eco-kids that Tree Hugger and Fluttershy were with. “See the guy with the green dreadlocks and the recycle badge on his brown vest? That’s Sandalwood. He’s in charge of the ‘Eco-Squad’ group. They deal with a lot of nature related issues. He’s the one who gave us the idea with the smoke capsules.” “Really?” I said to her. “That’s right. I was invited to an event that he was holding, and it was at one point that they were working with these colored smoke bombs. He made some that were in eggshells, which I thought were regular eggs. I asked him how he was able to do it and he showed me one that wasn’t broken yet. They took a part of the shell, emptied the insides out, and filled it with some kind of powder. I was able to bring this up with Moon Dancer, and she liked the idea, but wanted it to be smaller. After weighing our options, we were able to come up with what we needed to make it happened. We were glad that it worked this past Saturday.” “I’m surprised that you went to one of those events. Wouldn’t that be messy with all the colored smoke getting on your clothes?” I asked her. “I know. I was a real mess afterwards. But I like the idea that he had going. Tree Hugger told me that he always comes up with some idea that works. And a lot of them do work. Creativity like his could be helpful with the group if he was willing to help.” “What else was he able to do?” I asked. “Perhaps you should ask them that question.” Trixie was looking at where the group was and saw that Fluttershy and Tree Hugger were walking our way. “Um, hi Trixie. Hi Jack. What’s going on?” said Fluttershy. “Well, Trixie was having a nice chat with Jack here,” Trixie replied in her third person style. “Now if you will excuse me, but Trixie must be traveling to her next class.” And she left the group with a boasted attitude. I started to walk with Fluttershy and Tree Hugger to our science class. So I decided to ask the girls, “Trixie was telling me about your friend, Sandalwood. What do you know about him from your point of view?” “He’s a spirited man,” Tree Hugger replied. “I think what she means is that he’s kindhearted guy to have around,” Fluttershy explained. “I remember during my freshman year when Tree Hugger and a few of her friends staged a protest on a dead tree that was on the school grounds. Principal Celestia was having a hard time getting them to understand what needed to be done. Then he stepped in, but not to support the protest or go against it. He believed that if cut just right, the wood could be used for school projects in shop class. It turned out to be a win-win for all of us. I even have some of that tree as a wooden bench in front of my home. He does a really good job at it, and it saved the school money of wood supplies.” “What about the trunk of the tree. They would have to dig that part up,” I said. “It was cut up and spread as a dry mulch for the other trees planted here,” answered Tree Hugger. “Something I never really knew about at the time. I can see the positive aura around him when he makes something happen for all to see.” “He also keeps up with events in school and around the city,” Fluttershy added. “He’s always positive in front of others and just help lift their spirits when they need it.” “Sounds like a good friend to have around,” I said. Both of them nodded in agreement. We made it to our science class and I was able to rejoin with Sunset at our table. “So I’m guessing that you were shown around to others that have been a part of the school, right?” she asked me. “You could say that,” I replied. “It’s like there are others who have been helpful with what we are trying to do here.” “Like trying to catch me in doing all the bad things to Twilight?” she whispered. I nodded. “But that was the old you. Now you have a new life ahead of you,” I whispered back. “But I get the feeling that there are some who still don’t trust me, or don’t believe that I have changed for the better.” “All in good time. As long as you stick with me, and the others, I’m sure you will finally gain the trust of the school again. Just not as the popular one around.” Sunset let out a quiet chuckle. “There was something I wanted to ask you. Would it be OK with your parents if me and my mother come over for dinner tomorrow?” “I can ask them, but why tomorrow?” “I just…want to make sure you are feeling better before Friday night. I heard that they might let the school slide with assigning homework so that everyone can get ready for the game on Friday. The school hasn’t been this hyped up about all this unlike last year. And it’s the first to be played at our school. Plus, it feels like we haven’t spent some alone time since the science project that we did weeks ago.” “Well, I’ll talk to them tonight and see what they say. You might as well have your mother call mine after school. I think she should have her numbers with her.” “I will. And thanks for making this work.” After coming home, finishing my homework, and dinner, I spent the evening on the computer with Vinyl on the other end, listening to some created tunes. “I swear to you that the bass is too loud in his piece. He needs to back off some of it so that the rhythm comes out better,” I said. “I thought the bass was fine in that piece,” Vinyl replied. “Fine enough that you could go deaf when it’s played on the big speakers,” I said. “You remember Neon Light’s rules.” “Know when to drop the bass!” both of us said. “OK, I see what you mean,” Vinyl said. It was then that there was a bleep on Vinyl’s end. “Oh now come on!” “What?” “Lemon Zest just sent me a PM.” “And?” “She’s listening to the same piece that we are and asked if the bass a bit of an overkill…dude.” “I told you so.” “Whatever!” There was silence before Vinyl spoke again. “How are you feeling about Friday?” “Still unsure. I mean, it’s like everyone is relying on me to make it happen.” “That’s because you’re like the miracle maker to the school. You made the impossible…possible.” “You’re not helping.” I sighed as I placed my hand on my face. It was then that my cell buzzed, revealing a text from Indigo. Call me. “I’m going to call it a night, Vinyl. That OK with you?” I was only saying that because I needed to respond to Indigo’s message. “Sure thing. Look over some more tomorrow night?” “Not this time. Sunset and her mother are coming over for dinner.” “Looks like someone wants to score some wubs soon.” “Shut up, Vinyl.” “OK, OK. I’ll see you tomorrow in class. Night.” We both logged off. So I grabbed my cell and placed a call to Indigo. “How are you feeling, bro?” “Same as always.” “Still that bad?” Silence was my only answer. “So what if you have to face Brick Wall. He doesn’t bear the gift that we both have.” “It’s not just that.” There was a brief pause. “Is it about Long Shot, since he has his gift? Or does it have to do with facing Principal Cinch afterwards?” I sighed before I responded. “You heard about the Order of the Manehattan Knights law?” “Not really. But that kind of stuff is something I don’t focus on. I’m guessing that by the name, you had a part in it, right?” “Yep. And now I feel like being pressured by this. We both know what Principal Cinch is doing, but I can’t rely on that law to solve this problem.” “What’s it about? Actually, I’ll ask Sunny Flare about it. She’s more into this stuff. Plus she has a way for me to understand it.” “You sure?” “No problem. I can have Coach Fleetfoot do it for me. It can be in connection with Coach Spitfire’s request. They won’t know about our connection.” “OK then.” There was another pause before I spoke again. “Can I ask you something?” “Shoot.” “When you started to attend Crystal Prep, how did it all begin? Did it took you some time to make any friends, if that was possible?” “Glad you ask. I became friends with Lemon Zest on day one. We had a few classes, and she decided to place her earphones on my head to listen, and the music she had was awesome. It was like we were on the same level. She even helped me find a rhythm to move to while playing basketball. That’s when I knew she was going to try out for the basketball team.” “I’m impressed. I’m guessing it took longer with the other three?” “Yep. It wasn’t until basketball season that I met them, plus Lightning Dust, who I could see had an attitude. What about you? Who were your first friends?” “Too many to list. It started with Twilight before school started. Then Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, Rarity, and Applejack. It was followed by Flash and Soarin, then the list goes on and on and on. You saw the group this past Saturday.” “Could explain how you got popular fast.” “More like Sunset Shimmer got me popular fast. It was my encounter with her on day one that made it happen. But it was more like it was staged for me anyway.” “Well Jack, you were never one who gave up before, and I know you won’t give up now. Not in front of your classmates, and not in front of your girlfriend. Look, we’ll talk with Sunny Flare about that law and see if we need to take notice in the matter. I’ll keep you posted on it.” “I’ll have my girlfriend and her mother here tomorrow night, just so you know.” “I’ll keep that in mind. You just focus on what you have to do and let everything else play out, OK?” “OK. Take care.” “Bye.” I hanged up and decided to get some sleep and just let the next two days play out. As Thursday went by, everyone was still talking about Friday night. Students were planning on getting together and making signs and banners for the game. And like Sunset told me before, we were given a break from homework so that everyone can prepare for Friday. Twilight decided to have a one-on-one chat with me during free study out on the bleachers near the field, but wouldn’t say why. “OK, what do you want to complain about this time,” I said, guessing that she was going to pull another stunt on me like before. Twilight looked down and said, “Actually, I wanted to say sorry…for all the times I acted in front of you without thinking about what you were trying to do all this time. I can see how tough this week has been for you, with the big game and all.” “Is that all?” I said plainly to her. Twilight looked at me to respond. “Look, I never knew about your gift from the start and never saw the signs the way Moon Dancer did. My mind was caught up with the old Sunset Shimmer, the one who wanted to ruin my life. I wanted to live a normal like when I came here. But it all felt like a roller coaster when she interfered. At the time, I sometimes asked myself if dating Flash was worth it. I even asked Moon Dancer that question, since she was the first friend I made before I met Flash, Soarin, and even Cadence during my brother’s practice.” “What about the others?” I asked her. “Well, I’ve seen some of them in some of my classes, but never really talked to them at the time. It was some of the girls in my science club early on. You know, Lemon Drops, Twinkleshine, Minuette, and even Lyra at times. I guess along with Moon Dancer, we were like a group of lab geeks. And after learning about Sunset’s past, there were times I asked myself what I was really doing.” “And then you found out about the law I had a part in, right?” “I did, Jack. And with what I started to know about you gift and all about Crystal Prep, I just wanted to end all this and finally live a normal life. I was hoping that with what you did for Sunset would make life easier…for all of us. But now I see that living a simple life can never happen. You just have to face every challenge that comes to you, because it’s the only way to learn in life.” Twilight let out a quick laugh. “I still remember a professor from my last town telling me that. I never really knew what he meant…until now.” I decided to ask. “Where did you live before coming here?” “The same place you did, Manehattan. Lived there most of my life, before my dad got a new job here. I still miss the library and museum there. They were so big and had lots of study material for me to rely on. I even helped someone out in the museum to help me learn about some things about history.” “Was his name Professor Digger?” I asked her. Twilight looked at me with shock. “Yea. How did you know?” “Because me and Coco worked with him during our freshman year,” I said. “The two blades I have were a gift from him before I left. It was something he acquired before we showed up.” “He never gives away anything that would be a part of the museum. Was there a reason at to why he did that?” “Not really at the time. But as I’ve learned more about them, I think he might have a reason for doing so.” “What, what? I have to know.” Twilight was acting like a child in a candy store, wanting to know more. “I can’t say just yet. I’m still putting the pieces together,” I said. “Maybe after the big game, I can put my focus on those blades to understand them better…with your help.” “I’ll hold you to that,” she responded. “So, would you and your brother attended West End High if you were still in Manehattan?” I asked her. “Not really,” she said. “My brother started attending Mane Coast Academy for his freshman year. I would have attended there the following year, but we soon moved here instead. We did look into Crystal Prep, but with their idea of being the best, it just didn’t feel like a challenge for me. Mane Coast also had its best, but focus on making its students challenge themselves. And if they don’t do their best, they learn from it and move on.” “It’s a good thing you attended here,” I said, “otherwise, you and your brother would have been guinea pigs for their pet project.” “And we would have never met Twilight here.” It was then that we saw Pinkie Pie who spoke. Applejack, Rarity, Fluttershy, and Rainbow Dash were with her. “We figure that you two would be out here,” said Applejack. “So we thought that you could use some support from us as well,” Rarity added. “We know that you have some tough decisions to make, and we just wanted to say that whatever happens, we’re with you no matter what,” Fluttershy responded with a nod. “So what if Crystal Prep is a threat to us. We can handle whatever they throw at us. No doubt this is the year for us,” said Rainbow Dash. “If they’re looking for a fight, then we’ll be happy to give them one,” said Applejack. “I for one would like to see them as a second placed school for once,” Rarity recommended. Twilight stood up and said, “Then I say we give it our all Friday night, and do what we can do to make it happen, right Jack?” “If you think we can pull this off, I’ll do what I can to make it happen.” After coming home from our last practice session with everything planned out for Friday night, Chrysalis and me saw Ms. Shimmer’s car parked on the curb. We knew that they would arrive before I got home from practice. We went into the home and saw my mother talking to Ms. Shimmer. “Hello mom.” “Hey Jack. Practice went well?” my mother asked me. “Yep. Ready for the big game. Where’s Sunset anyway?” “She went up to your room,” answered Ms. Shimmer. “I hope that’s OK with you.” “I don’t have a problem with that,” I said. “Is dad going to be home soon?” “Just waiting to hear that he’s coming home before I start cooking dinner,” my mother replied. “We don’t have any homework tonight. Well, Chrysalis might still want to do some studying for a quiz tomorrow.” “My math teacher wants to quiz us on what we’ve learned the past couple of weeks. Some of my classmates were having a hard time understanding the problems in that chapter.” Chrysalis rolled her eyes. “Well, I’ll be happy to quiz you if you want me to,” my mother requested to her. “Thanks, but I think I can handle it. I have been doing better since Twilight has helped me whenever she finds the time to do so,” Chrysalis responded. “Well, I’m going to check up on Sunset,” I said, and made my way upstairs and into my room. When I went in, I saw her sitting on my bed, looking at some of my pictures from a box that I had placed in my closet. “Already snooping around?” “Maybe,” she said. “Couldn’t help but seeing the pictures of you when you were younger.” She held up one of me from the 4th grade with Little Strongheart. “I can’t believe that she was the one that I ran away from when she went to see my future. Does she still look the same now?” “A bit older, and more lovely than before,” I said. “But if anyone ever wants to ask her out, they would have to get her father’s approval first.” “Can’t argue with that. I saw the picture of her with her father. He must be tough.” “Tough and wise,” I corrected Sunset. She brought out another picture. “Who’s the dark boy in this one with you? I think I might has seen him before.” “That’s Artemis from Trottingham. He came with the team last week when we faced them.” “The boy you were talking about on the first day, right?” I answered her question with a nod. She placed the box to her side and thought for a moment. “Can’t believe it’s been that long. We crossed paths as rivals, and I was upset that I had you and Twilight in the same four classes. Then you decided to confront me every time from that point on. I should be glad that you didn’t stop until my walls came down. It’s thanks to you that I was given a second chance in my life.” I sat down next to her and asked, “Did you ever think it would end up like this?” “No. I figure you would have gone with Applejack. But I can see that she was watching over me as well, looking over both our backs. I’m glad to have you in my life now.” I placed my hand around her shoulder as she leaned her head on my own. “I’m just glad that you opened up to me about you past problems that you tried to hide.” “Speaking about the past…” She sat back up and grabbed another picture from the box. “Think you can tell me why you were hanging out with this young girl?” When I saw the picture, I knew she found the one I didn’t want her to find. “I think you have some secrets that you should be telling me.” “I was hoping you wouldn’t find that one,” I said. “Look, I was able to trust you with my secrets. Now I need you to do so to me.” She looked me straight in the eye and asked, “How do you know Indigo Zap? Was she your former girlfriend you couldn’t tell us?” I sighed and said, “She…was my first training partner. It was her that helped me get stronger. Made me the person I am today. Well, physically.” “What do you mean by physically?” she asked me. “It started with a group of bullies that were picking on some weak kids, one boy in particular. Since I started to learn about the basics of my gift, I was able to use it to my advantage. But I wasn’t strong enough to stop them, even if I could dodge them. When Indigo saw what I was doing, she stepped in and left some marks on them that they ran away. We had the same mindset about bullies, and she offered to train me so that I could fight back. It also gave her an excuse for her to train herself harder. She wanted to be one of the best athletes out there, maybe in the Olympics. But even she had her own dark side.” “It’s because she wanted to be the best, like how she’s trying to be better than Rainbow Dash?” she said. “No,” I replied. “It’s how she saw what bullies become when they get older. She saw the stories about high school students committing crimes, carrying guns, harming or almost killing people, joining gangs…just about every bad thing that was in the news. Some of them hit close to home when she was younger. It’s why she hates them. When she saw how I was fighting back, it was her chance to step in and do something about it. “But that all changed when we learned of the boy’s attempted suicide in his own room. Parents were lucky enough to save him from hanging himself, but it left him with brain damage. When we learned about it in school, we knew who pressured him to do it. So the two of us went to look for them and began to take them down. We took some blows, but we make sure they paid for what they did. We even took the guy in charge and decided to make him experience what the boy went through. Indigo took a belt and wrapped it around his neck and went to where a metal bar was and used it to as leverage for the belt. She held it long enough until he decided to give up and gave in.” “But something tells me that she didn’t stop,” she said. “It was the bloodshot in her eyes that told me that she wanted him dead. The rage inside of me masked my gift, but when I started to see what she was doing, my gift was back in focus and I can sense the rage inside her. It was so strong that I had to stop her. Once I snapped her out of it, she was able to let him go. The group ran away, afraid of the monster that she became. She explained to me the reason she hated bullies, and it made me understand why she stepped in. So we made a promise. As long as we trained together, we would follow one rule, never cross the line unless they cross it first. And killing them was out of the question unless that was the case. We crossed the line when the gang did so first, but no one died as the end result. So she would have been crossing a new line that they didn’t cross first.” “Didn’t both of you get in trouble?” she asked me. “Not really. They had gotten into trouble in the past and going to the police wouldn’t help because of their ties with a gang that they were a part of. It would have been their word against ours. So we got lucky on that. As for them, they decided to make up for what they did and confessed to the boy’s parents and requested that they help out with the boy’s recovery and some of the family chores. As long as the police didn’t know about it, it would be kept off any records. They hoped that the good deeds that they would be doing would help make up for the crimes they did in the past. And they knew it would take years before things would be normal again for all of them.” “Sounds like everything came out good in the end,” she said. “Did Indigo know about your gift?” “No.” I replied. “And I never told her about it because it was still new to me.” “And what about her having the same gift that you had? You sure she never had this before coming to Crystal Prep?” “If she had it before, I would have sense no presence from her back then. Somehow, someone is injecting it into her, which could explain why I can still sense her, but she can’t sense me. But I worry about her.” “Why is that?” “When we had our private meeting, we learned that she could soul shift, but it left her dizzy afterwards. And she’s only had it for a year while the other four have had theirs for two years, but they haven’t soul shifted as well. I think what she could be exposed to might be an improved version to the others, or her powers are rapidly developing in a rate that could put her in danger.” “I’m guessing that when she asked for Coco and Moon Dancer to the meeting, they were the only ones that knew about the connection, right?” “That, and Chrysalis,” I said. “She gave me a heads up about the meeting, but our encounter with LD and crew was not on the list.” “At least everything came out well in the end,” she said. When she placed the picture back, she saw one that had another familiar face and pulled it out. “Isn’t that Coco with you and the others?” “Yep. Those are the Manehattan Knights. You never did hear the story when we started having our meetings for homecoming?” “Not until I heard about the law you had a part of. So I decided to ask Coco if she could tell me about them while you were trying to clear your head elsewhere.” She looked at the picture again. “Which one is Night Glider?” I pointed to the dark blue girl with the slick white hair. “That’s her, wearing the dark rebel clothing. And the tall guy in all white is Double Diamond. He’s part of a rich family who owns a winter cabin up north.” “And the other two?” “The cyan guy with dark blue curly hair and tacky clothing is Party Favor. He likes to make balloon shape characters, like his father. And the pink girl in the purple dress with the long purple hair is Sugar Belle. She can cook lots of treats like Pinkie Pie, but can also cook quick meals for the homeless.” “You must have some great friends that helped keep your gift a secret,” she said. “Just like Twilight and her friends,” I said. “And both of us have made more friends in our group, including you, Sunset.” “And yet, we have those that want to make it harder for us to live a normal life,” she added. “Twilight said the same thing.” As she put the picture away, things went quiet before she spoke again. “I know you don’t like to talk about it, but I need to know. If you had to issue a challenge, what kind of challenge would it be?” I wished she didn’t ask that question, but if she’s going to be in my life for the long run, I might as well say it. “I’m not sure. I mean, I’m more of an average person with a gift that has to be kept secret, but I don’t have any natural skilled talents like everyone else. I wouldn’t know what kind of challenge to make in the process.” She gave me a stern look and asked, “Does Coco know about this?” I shook my head. “Then I can see why you don’t want to go through it. The only real talent you have is the one you want to keep hidden. And it’s the same gift that they have been trying to create in their students. There has to be a way to force them to…surrender to our request or something. If they keep bending the rules to their favor, then it will never stop for them.” “And how do we plan to stop them. All we have left is to beat them at the championship game tomorrow night. And we have to do with what we have right now.” Sunset placed her hand on her chin and thought for a moment. Then she looked over to where my blades were at on the rack. “I might have an idea. You can fight, right?” I nodded. “What if you took things to another level. I mean, they have crossed the line before, so you had to do the same. Perhaps you need to do the same as well.” “What are you trying to say?” I asked her. “I’m saying that-” We were interrupted by my mother’s voice downstairs. “Jack, your father’s on his way home. Could you help set the table?” I yelled, “Sure mom. Be right there.” I got up and made my way to the doorway before I stopped and looked back at Sunset. “Want to help?” “Sure.” She got up and made her way to me. “Just do me one favor, bring your blades to school tomorrow.” I had a confused look on my face. “Trust me. I know what I’m doing. I’ll just fill Miss Luna in on the details and see if we can make it work.” “OK, if you know what you are doing.” So we made our way downstairs and help set up dinner. Once dad was home, we ate dinner and talked about some things to lighten the mood. After that was done, Sunset and her mother had to leave, since it was getting late. So after we said our goodbyes, I went back to my room to relax for a moment. That’s when I got a text from Indigo. She learned about the law and is unsure how it could help in our problem, but did understand that it could put the Knights that I helped created at risk. The best we could do was to go with the plan that we have on removing Long Shot’s gift and hope all comes out well in the end. As I was getting ready for bed, I received a notice on my cell. When I looked at it, I saw that I have received an e-mail from one of my friends in Manehattan marked “IMPORTANT!!!” When I opened it on my cell, I noticed that it was another e-mail that was forwarded to me. After looking it over, I was shocked at what I saw. “I can’t believe it that he has gotten this far over there,” I said to myself. “I think I now know what I need to do.” Ch. 38 - All or NothingToday was the day. Everyone at school was waiting for this day to happen, a chance to defeat the Shadowbolts of Crystal Prep. Pinkie’s decorations were already hung up in the hallways, with Cheese Sandwich’s help. And everyone was showing their school colors. Cadance already made sure the cheerleaders had their faces decorated for tonight. As for me, with my school jersey on, I was finally ready for tonight. I just had one thing that I needed to request. When I arrived at my locker, I saw the others there, minus Sunset. “Looks like someone had a great time last night,” Applejack said about me. “OOOOHHHHHHH!!!” Pinkie replied. “What was it?” The girls sighed and face-palmed at Pinkie’s comment. “Pinkie, he just spent the evening with Sunset. What do you think happened?” said Rainbow Dash. “That is true, but that’s not it.” I looked around and asked, “Where’s Sunset anyway?” “I think she went to see Miss Luna about something,” Twilight answered. “She wouldn’t say what it was about.” Rarity noticed something behind me and said, “Here they come.” Both Sunset and Miss Luna were walking up to talk to us. “Sunset might have come up with a plan that could help us out with all our problems, if we play our cards right,” said Luna. “And what would that be?” Twilight asked. Sunset waved her finger in the air and said, “Sorry. Can’t ruin the element of surprise, now can we.” “I’m assuming that you brought the case, right?” Luna asked me. “Blades and all. And I would like to bring them to the pep rally later today.” “Well this would come as a surprise. And for what reason would you need them?” Luna glared at me for an answer. “I would say, but I don’t want to ruin the surprise, now do I?” I looked at Twilight and asked, “Can you get in touch with your brother for me. I need to say something at the pep rally, if he will let me.” “I pass by him after my second period class,” Flash answered. “I can let him know.” “Thanks Flash. I figure that if everyone is relying on me, I might as well have something to say about it.” “OK then. We’ll be having it during free study, so come see me before we pick it up,” Luna explained. I left 4th period and mad my way to Miss Luna’s office so we could make our way to my truck and grab my case. Everyone else was making their way to the gym for the pep rally. As we were making our way to my truck, Luna asked me a question. “So why the change in attitude? You were worried about what to do for tonight.” I answered, “Well, I can take a guess that Sunset has something planned that involves my blades, the law, and Indigo.” “That is correct. But from what I’m hearing, you have a different reason for bringing your blades.” “That is correct.” We arrived at my truck, and I opened the driver’s side doors where my case was laying. I opened it to reveal both blades and a folded piece of paper. “I received this just last night from Double Diamond. It was an e-mail that he forwarded to me from someone I met back in Manehattan who attended Mane Coast Academy. We were both bench warmers last year. It seams that I’m not the only one who had changed in football.” I closed the case and let Luna take it for me. “I’m hoping this can boost our moral for tonight.” “I’ll believe it when I see it,” Luna said. “Let’s go.” We made our way back in t the school and towards the gym. We could hear the pep band playing and everyone making noise as we made our way in. Luna went to join Celestia with my case while I joined my fellow players. “Hey Jack,” said Shining Armor, in which we exchanged brohoofs. “Flash tells me that you wanted to speak in front of the others.” “Yep. I hope you don’t have a problem with that,” I said. “No problem here. I mean everyone is looking up to you.” “I know, I know. I just hope everyone understands what’s at stake.” Celestia tapped on the mic, trying to get everyone’s attention. “Welcome Wondercolts. Tonight, we will be having our championship football game here at Canterlot High. I would like to hand the mic to our captain, Shining Armor.” Celestia handed the mic to Shining Armor so he could speak. “Alright Wondercolts. Tonight’s the night. And it will be my last night playing for this team. But instead of giving you a speech, I would like to let Jack Diamond do it for me.” He handed the mic to me, and I nodded to Luna to bring my case over. “This week has been a tough one for me. It’s an experience that I never had at my last school last year. I wasn’t sure what to do about tonight with all these feeling inside of me. But last night, I received an e-mail from someone that I only met once last year. And I would like to read it to you all.” Luna opened the case so that I could take out the letter that was in it to read out loud. Hey Jack. I was wondering where you were at the Knights vs. Dragons game. One of your knights told me that you moved to Ponyville and that you have become a big name over there. I guess that makes two of us, a pair of bench warmers one year, and big name players the next. Yep, I became the starting quarterback for the Dragons after the first game. Our last QB graduated and I was planned to be the backup QB. But and early injury to our new starter on the first game forced me to take the role and lead the team to our regional championship game Friday night. Now I have been told that you are facing a school that has a perfect record in their region, and that you helped in delivering their first lost this season. And I’ve also been told that you have been going through a lot of pressure for this game. I know the feeling. When Fillydelphia High came over to face Mane Coast Academy, we were on our way to finish our perfect season. But we lost to them by a point, forcing us to the second seed in the playoffs, by tiebreaker of course. They took a loss to Baltimare to open the season, so they don’t have a perfect record either. But at the time of our loss, I thought I let my team, and school, down against our best rival. And this was to be the year that we would break the regional football record in championship wins. It was then that I learned that everyone was still supporting me, even if we loss a part of home field advantage. The truth is that no matter what happens, as long as you are still fighting, everyone will be there for you. Remember what both our schools represent. As knights, you represent honor. As dragons, we represent respect. And while we have our own hometown rivalry, we learn that we both honor and respect each other, before and after the game. Your rival bench warmer and friend, Blaze Lionheart. I put the letter away and turned my attention to the crowd. “Last year, I was just some backup kicker who didn’t get much playtime but a few field goals. And the only reason I played for them was that they needed someone to help complete the team roster. And while the team wasn’t as great as most schools in that region, I learned that they kept fighting, even if they were going to lose. But that one time we faced the Mane Coast Dragons on the other side of the city, I learned that the dragons keep their rivalry on the field. What happened before and after the game was different. They treated us as allies, and we did the same. Before the fans show up, the guys would exchange stories, pass the football, even a few would play with a soccer ball just to keep their skills up. “As for me, I was just sitting on the bench just waiting for the game to come and go. That’s when Blaze came and joined me. He was a sophomore 3rd string quarterback that they needed to have around, since their starter was a senior and their backup was a junior. He never had any game time that year and was only active during practice. And the reason they had three quarterbacks was that they wanted to make sure the next ones were ready for the next season, which would explain why they have been one of the best in their region. Now, he holds a big weight on his shoulders. His school’s football team has won the championship for the last six seasons, which has been the record in their school’s history. They, or even any school in that region, haven’t won seven straight seasons in high school football. “Now since I’ve come to Ponyville, I’ve heard about another school that is known to be the best in the region. In fact, all they like to do is trample their rivals into the ground, because they believe that they are the best. They don’t care about honor. They don’t care about respect. They don’t care about any of that expect their own bucking PRIDE!!!” That got the crowd going. So I went and grabbed Muramasa from my case to show to the others. “Now I’m sure that anyone who takes Dr. Whooves History class would know what this is. But for those who don’t, what I hold here is Muramasa, also known as the blood-thirst blade. It can cut anything without even moving. And it requires for blood to be spilled before it can be sheathed. This is what Crystal Prep represents. They like to take down their rivals without lifting a single finger. They believe that being the best is how you survive in the real world. The problem is that they won’t put the blood, sweat, and tears to get the job done. This is what a Shadowbolts represents.” I placed Muramasa in the case and grabbed Masamune to show them. “This is Masamune, a holy blade if you want to call it. It doesn’t cut down anything unless it is needed to defend itself. This is what we represent. We don’t go striking down our rivals at anytime unless we have no other choice to do so. That’s because we work long and hard to make us who we are. And no matter what they throw at us, we come back stronger than before. And tonight with be the first time they will have to defend their title on our turf. And we will prove to them that it takes blood, sweat, and tears to be the best…BECAUSE THAT’S WHAT WONDERCOLTS DO!!!” The crowd started to get louder than before. “TONIGHT WE PLAN TO SHOW THOSE SHADOWBOLTS WHAT IT MEAN TO BE REAL WINNERS! BECAUSE WE’VE WORKED LONG AND HARD TO MAKE IT THIS FAR! AND WE DON’T PLAN TO STOP UNTIL WE GET THE JOB DONE!!!” The crowd went crazy, shouting “Wondercolts!” all together. I handed the mic back to Shining Armor, who responded, “Good job, Jack. Couldn’t have done it better myself.” I replied, “Thanks, Shining.” I went back to my case and placed Masamune back in its slot and closed the case. All that was left was tonight’s game. It was almost game time, and the team was getting ready in the locker room. I was in front of my locker with my case in it, holding to Masamune as I placed my head next to the hilt mediating. “Nervous?” I looked over to see Shining Armor standing next to me. “No. Just clearing my head,” I replied. He sat down next to me and said, “I know the feeling. I had to focus on what I was getting into before it started. But this is the last game of the season. After that, we can rest easy with Crystal Prep.” “For the time being,” I added. “That’s true. But no matter what happens, we had a great run this season. Even better than last year.” That’s when we got the call from Coach Iron Will to go to the field. I placed Masamune in my locker and closed it, grabbing my gear and joining the team on the field. When I made it to the field, we saw the other team warming up. We decided to keep our distance from them after all that has happened this past week. After I was finished with warm-ups, I sat on the bench to drink some water when I heard a familiar voice behind me that I haven’t heard in a while. “Hey there, Jack.” I looked to see Apple Bloom and her fellow Crusaders with her; Sweetie Belle, Scootaloo, and Babs Seed. But they were with three boys with them. One was a white boy with brown hair, and another was brown boy with tan hair wearing a red and yellow striped cap, and the third was gray with slick dark blue hair. “Hey, Apple Bloom. Been a while since I’ve seen you girls around. I see that you’ve made some friends.” “Yep. This here’s Pipsqueak.” Apple Bloom placed her hand on the white boy’s shoulder. “He moved from Trottingham a few years back.” “Nice to me you,” he replied as we exchanged handshakes. “The girls tell me that you lived in Trottingham back then.” “Yep. It’s a nice town. Just wish it didn’t have its bullying problem when I was there,” I said. “Well, you were able to make some changes to solve that since then, from what I have heard,” Pipsqueak replied. Sweetie Belle was the next to speak. “This is my sweetheart, Button Mash.” She had her arm wrapped around the brown boy’s arm. “S-s-sweetie Belle?” he responded with his cheeks turning red. This made the others giggle at his response. “Don’t mind them. They share a few classes together,” Babs Seed responded. “And this here is my pal, Rumble,” Scootaloo said as she was pointing to the gray boy. “It’s nice to meet you, Jack,” he said as we exchanged handshakes. “My brother has told me much about you.” “Your brother?” “That’s right.” I turned around and saw Thunderlane walking up to us. “How’s my little bro doing?” “Just fine, T,” responded Rumble. “We figure we introduce the boys to Jack before the game started,” explained Apple Bloom. “Yea. We were moved by Jack’s speech earlier today,” added Rumble. “Well, I’m glad that it helped,” I responded. “Well we won’t know for sure until after the game, now will we.” Applejack was able to join us with Sunset nearby. “Now you kids go on up and find yourself a seat. We’ll be joining y’all shortly.” “OK sis,” Apple Bloom replied, and they all left to the bleachers. “Seems like a small world out there,” I said. “I know,” Thunderlane replied. “My little brother used to look up to me until you came along. Now he’s like your number one fan.” “Really?” “Yep. He plans to try out for the team next year, and I’ve been helping him get ready whenever I can.” “Seems like everyone is looking up to you, Jack,” Sunset added. “By the way. Diamond Tiara wanted me to give this to you.” She pulled out a small pink letter from her pocket. “But I don’t think it’s from her.” I took the letter and took a whiff of it. “Pink Rose Petals. Just like the candles that Fleur has. Fleur must have asked Diamond Tiara to deliver this to me in secret.” I opened the letter and read it. I’m sorry for all the trouble that I have gotten you into the past weeks. I decided to give you some space so that you would be ready for the big game. During that time, Long Shot has come by to fix dinner for me after he came back from practice. He even invited me to his parents’ house. Now I know that he learned from his mother in cooking. His parents are really nice. Now if I can convince my mother the same thing, maybe everything would be easy for me. But, if that’s going to be the case, then it’s her loss. Coach Fleetfoot and Indigo Zap have been watching over me, making sure I don’t get caught in any trouble with the others again. I know this game is going to be a challenge for you, but no matter what happens, you will always be a good friend to me. Thanks. Fleur De Lis “Nice to see that things are looking up for her,” Applejack said. “And I will say this. If the guy can cook, then he’s a keeper.” “Wow. Good thing I went for Sunset instead of you,” I said sarcastically. “Hey, I would have help teaching you how to cook if you wanted to,” Applejack replied. “AJ, if you can teach both of us how to cook, then I’m all in on that,” said Sunset. “Well, we better join up with the girls. You teach those Shadowbolts a lesson, you hear.” “Will do AJ. Sunset?” She looked at me and quickly gave me a kiss on the cheek, knowing what I was expecting. “Good luck Jackie.” And the two girls left to join the others. Thunderlane looked at me and said, “Jackie?” “I’m as surprised as you are. Maybe she wanted to get back at me for calling her Sunny.” We joined up to the others to get ready for the game. When we went up for the coin toss, Brick Wall wasn’t with the others. I guess Long Shot kept to his word on striping the “A” patch from him. They won the coin toss and asked for the ball first, so we pick our side so that we were ready for anything during the 2nd and 4th quarters. When they started their drive, it wasn’t long before they would score the first touchdown. Then we took the ball and did the same thing during our drive, scoring a touchdown and tying the game. As Crystal Prep started their next drive, the chance that we have been waiting for came up. Two failed rushing plays led to a 3rd and twelve play. It would have been here that they would try for a pass play like in their last drive. That’s when Thunderlane and me were called for the blitz play. Coach gave us our instructions, and we went to our spots. Thunderlane took the side closest to the visitor’s sidelines, while I took the other side. We knew this had to count if we really want to level the playing field. If Sugarcoat was right about the guys that she noticed, it had to work. Long Shot snapped the ball and begin looking for his targets. Thunderlane and me made our blitzes to him. He picked up on Thunderlane and looked to see him coming. Long Shot started to run the other way with the ball, hoping to find a hole and work on getting a first down. But his attention was on Thunderlane and not on me. I started to make my way to him on the other side. I needed to make the hit hard and still stay active. But somehow, the one art I needed wasn’t working like the others. In an instant, just as he moved his head to look ahead, I was inches close to tackling him. But at that point, our helmets hit each other full on. The impact was so hard that it knocked us to the ground, shaken up. My senses were blurred and shaken. I couldn’t know what was going on. All I could see was Coach Spitfire checking up on me before I blacked out. When I started to come through, it looked like I was someplace else. I let out a groin and started to barely hear Sunset’s voice. It wasn’t wrong before I could see Miss Luna, Sunset, and Applejack looking over me. “What…happen?” I tried to get up, but so much pain was felt in the attempt. “Don’t move,” said Luna as she placed her hand near my shoulder. “You were shaken up in the hit. We’re back in the locker room on one of the medical rooms. Nurse Redheart checked on you and thinks you might have badly injured yourself. She already placed a neck brace on you just to be safe.” It was then that I heard someone entered the room. I was able to move my eyes to see and nurse in white with red hair. It was our school nurse, Nurse Redheart. “How are you feeling?” “I can barely get up.” “Can you move your arms or legs?” I tried, but there was too much pain to do so. All I could do is slowly move my left arm. “I don’t think so.” “I should have guess. You might have injured your neck or spine. I’ve already alerted the hospital, but they already called a ‘Code Black’ over there, so there’s not much that can be done at the moment. I’ll be at my office nearby in case they call back. If you need anything, let me know.” And she left the room. “So…what happened after I blacked out?” Applejack spoke. “Well, Long Shot also went out and dropped the ball in the process. Thunderlane was able to get on the ball and gain possession. Somehow, he was able to recover and was taken to the sidelines to be looked at. As for us, we were able to score a touchdown and take the lead.” “And where do we stand now? Do you know?” “Hang on.” Applejack took out her cell to look something up. “Sweetie Drops says that it’s 24 to 13 at the half. Long Shot did return to the game, but he hasn’t played as he used to. It looks likes the plan worked. He doesn’t have his powers anymore, if that’s true.” “Then he’s done what he needed to do, right?” asked Sunset. “I’m guessing so,” Luna answered. “But we won’t know if it worked until the end of the game.” “As long as they know what to do, then we should be OK,” I said. “I just wish you didn’t hurt yourself,” Sunset replied. “Yea, what happened anyway? Wouldn’t the tenth art helped you avoid injuring yourself in the process,” Applejack added. “I…don’t know. I tried to execute it, but nothing happened. All I could do was make an extremely hard hit at him. I’m not sure what went wrong in the process.” “We’ll worry about that after you get better,” Luna said. “For now, you just get some rest.” But that would have to wait, because we heard a commotion going on outside. “I better go check and see what’s going on,” Applejack said and made her way to check on the commotion. It wasn’t wrong before she hastily came back. “LUNA! YOU NEED TO COME QUICK!” “I’ll go check. You stay with Jack, Sunset.” She nodded and Luna followed Applejack. “I hope it’s not to serious,” Sunset said. “Do you sense anything?” “No. I think it’s the pain that I’m feeling that’s blocking my gift again. Anything that negative that’s coming from me blocks my powers from working, remember?” “I see. I guess the pain that you are dealing with is affecting your gift. I hope it’s not as bad as it seems.” Luna returned with a disappointed look on her face. “Miss Luna? Is something wrong?” asked Sunset. “That was Shining Armor they brought in. Turns out Brick Wall sacked him hard on the first play, giving him a sprained ankle and dislocated shoulder. And it’s the same shoulder that was injured last time. Applejack is trying to pop his shoulder back in place. Nurse Redheart is calling the hospital again about this.” It was then that we heard a scream. Then it went quiet again. Luna looked at the direction of the scream, then back at me. “Can you sense anything?” “I’ve already asked him that,” Sunset said. “Because of his injury, it’s masking his gift.” Luna looked down and said, “I’ve should have known.” She looked back up and said, “Sunset, can I talk to you for a moment?” “Sure.” Sunset looked at me and said, “I’ll be right back,” and got on her feet and walked out with Luna. I just knew something went wrong in all this. If Brick Wall went straight for Shining Armor, it had to be in retaliation of what I did, but worse. Sunset returned feeling defeated. “Looks like things aren’t going as we planned it. They just scored a touchdown.” “That means it’s 24 to 20. It’s in Thunderlane’s hands now.” “Let’s pray that they could make it through.” It wasn’t long before another scoring update came through. This time, Sunset got the text. She sighed and said, “It just got worse. Twilight just text me saying that they just scored again on a defensive touchdown after taking down another one of our players. Now they lead 27 to 24.” Sunset sat back down next to me and grabbed my left hand with her left hand, not knowing what to say. When I saw this, I was able to find something to say to her. “Remember that promise that we made?” “That you would be at my side as long as I didn’t harm myself?” She noticed how we were holding hands. “I guess it looks like I have to be at your side this time, since you harmed yourself in all this.” “The irony of it all,” I said. “I guess we have to go back to square one again. Maybe we can find our answers when basketball season starts, if I’m ever better than I am now.” Sunset smiled at me and decided to lay her head on my chest, closing her eyes. “At least you were there to get me through the pain that I faced in the past.” I squeeze her hand and said, “I know. I guess that’s the best I can do.” I decided to close my eyes as well and just rest, waiting for all this to be over. Author's Note If you think this is where the first story ends, then you're wrong. Jack and Sunset are about to get a surprise that might answer all of their questions that they have been looking for. And it's a game changer. Ch. 39 - Destiny's PathJack … Jack … Jack I don’t know who was calling me while I was asleep, but I decided to open my eyes and see who was calling me. But once I did, all I saw was an empty, white space. I decided to rub my eyes to make sure I wasn’t seeing things, but realized that I was using my right arm to do so. I soon then noticed that I wasn’t wearing a neck brace or pads. The only other thing I was feeling was Sunset’s hand on my own. She was still sleeping on my chest. “Sunset, wake up.” I shook her in trying to wake her up. She slowly opened her eyes. “What is it, Jack.” Her eyes went wide open in shock at what was around her. “What the…where are we?” The realm of souls She started to look around. “Who’s there?” We started to hear footsteps from afar. Sunset started to get up. I decided to do the same, which surprised her. She noticed that I wasn’t wearing my neck brace. “I’m guessing that we are not in our own world,” she said. “I was thinking the same thing,” I replied. It was then that we noticed a shadowy figure coming into view. It took a while before the figure became clear to us. It was a white man with red hair in a small ponytail and a red goatee, who was dressed as a kendo master. He had a white kimono top and black hakama pants and split toe socks. “You’re not, Jack.” I asked him, “How do you know me?” “A former student of mine told me about you not too long ago.” It was then that I remember Luna telling me about her master who once bear the same gift that I now have. “Master Blades.” “It is an honor to meet you, Jack. I’m glad that Luna would tell me about you when I confess to her about my gift, not to mention that you carry the last two katanas that were ever made.” “I’m surprised that you once had the same gift that I have,” I said. “A gift that I no longer bear,” said Master Blades. “And you must be Sunset Shimmer. Luna has told me how she has been using Jack’s gift to help you overcome your problems.” “And I’m grateful that he didn’t give up on me. But how come we are here. I mean, what is this realm of souls place, and how did we get here?” Sunset asked him. “The realm of souls is a…bridge point between the real world and the afterlife.” Sunset was nearly shocked. “Wait. We’re not dead, are we?” Master Blades let out a hearty laugh. “No, that’s left to Death and Fate to deal with. It is here that souls are sent to be reborn. But only those that bear soul resonance when they die.” “If that’s the case, then why are you still here?” I asked. “Because my passing was after my gift faded away. If you bear the gift of soul resonance until it is gone before you die, then you have fulfilled your life in its purpose. Those who die while bearing the gift are sent to be reborn so that they can fulfill their journey. And you, Jack, are one of them.” “But why are we here. I mean, I bear the gift, but Sunset doesn’t. I don’t understand.” “Look at your scared hands.” We both looked at our left hands to notice that the scar that we made from our pact was glowing. “What you are experiencing is soul bonding. It means that you share a strong, special bond with each other. Come with me and you will understand.” He started to walk away from us, so we decided to follow him. As we were walking, I decided to ask him a question. “Can you explain this…soul bonding and how it works? I mean we just made a blood pact during that time by using Masamune and Muramasa. How is it that it brought us here?” “You will see soon,” he replied. “What I can tell you is that your bond has grown stronger than when it started, enough that it finally brought you to this realm.” “But all we did was go to sleep at that time,” explained Sunset. “Now that is something you should ask Luna about when you return to your world. I believe it is known as dreamscaping.” “Dreamscaping?” “It was a special profession that she worked on while she was with Professor Star Swirl. She did research on dreams when she was in collage. She even used some of my meditation practices to help her learn. She said that by dreamscaping, she could enter other realms that are from other beings.” “Like entering another person’s dream?” I asked. “I believe so. I never could understand it the way she does. But I was able to learn from it in hopes that I could get in touch with my master’s spirit at the time. But I was never able to do so.” “She told me that you had Professor Star Swirl study your own powers because of sensing that they were fading. Do you know whatever happen to him?” He stopped for a moment before he responded. “I wish I knew. When I first heard that he…retired, I wasn’t sure that he did so, because he never talked about it. But when I saw Luna and her sister come to check up on him, they thought that something happened to him and that they received a book from him. That’s when I learned that something bad must have happened to him. So I decided to retire myself and leave before someone decided to look for me as well.” “The Dark Star Organization.” “You are aware of them, right?” he asked me. “From what Coach Iron Will told us, they were a part of the axis group during the Great War. And Luna might have read in your diary that they could have been at the temple that you were staying at later on.” “Indeed. They came out of nowhere, and all I was ordered was to escape before they could find me. I don’t think they even knew that I exist. But that no longer matters now.” We continued walking to where he was taking us. It was then that we walked up to what looked like a crystal tree with six gems on it. On each main branch were five separate gems that had the colors of red, blue, orange, pink, and purple on them. And at the center of the tree was a magenta six-pointed star shaped gem. “We have arrived,” he said. “What is this?” I asked him. “The Tree of Harmony. I’m sure you’ve heard of the legend.” “It was something that was displayed in the school library about the Guardians of Harmony and how they helped the Knights of Canterlot,” Sunset explained. “Well that legend is real,” he said. “And it’s that the Dark Star Organization has been looking for all this time.” “Then why is it here?” I asked him. “It is waiting…for the awakening.” We had confused looks on our faces. “You will learn in time. But for now, you must look into your souls past. Place your scared hand onto the tree where the star gem is.” So I did what he told me. “Now Sunset Shimmer, place your scared hand on top of his. This will cause the tree to react, and allow you to see what Jack sees in his past life.” Sunset decided to place her hand on top of mine. At that point, the tree started to glow, and our vision became so blight that everything disappeared in front of us. ----------10 Years After The Great War---------- “How much longer before we arrive?” “Not much longer. Once we clear the forest, you’ll see it from the hillside.” We cleared the forest and made our way to the top of the hill. The view in front of us was a huge rock wall that had holes in it. “Is that where you stay?” “It’s not just our home, but our school, garden, and training center. It’s a town by itself.” We made our way to the gate inside the rock wall. The bell was rung and the gates open, with two more gates already opened. Once we passed all three gates, each one was closed and locked to keep the temple safe from intruders. An older scholar greeted us. “Master Edge, we were **cough** worried that **cough** you wouldn’t **cough** make it back.” “Here, Dr. Remedy. This should take care of that throat of yours.” I handed him a small bottle of medicine, which he removed the cork and took it in one gulp. “Damn that’s bitter. A little strong, but you did a good job,” he replied. “Thank you. I had to rely on what Blitz Wing had at his home.” I pulled out a small bag to hand to him. “Here are the herbs that you wanted. Used a bit for what you just drank.” “At least he’s doing well. Just be careful on the strong stuff that you use. I wouldn’t offer it to any of the young ones here. Make sure Master Moonlight talks to me before she takes any on my supplies again.” “I’ll see to it that she understands.” He looks at the kid next to me. “And who do we have here? Another scholar in training?” I placed my hand on the kid’s shoulder. “No, this is our new student, Saw Blades. He’s the reason I couldn’t return yesterday.” Dr. Remedy had a shocked look on his face. “You mean…” “Yes. I’m guessing Master Flare is training with our students?” “She is. Shall I have the scholars prepare a room for our new student?” “Please do, Dr. Remedy.” He left us, calling a couple of scholars to follow him. I took Saw Blades to the training room doors. “Tell me, what can you sense behind this door?” “Only a few people. I don’t think they pose a threat. Why?” I opened the doors, which revealed 14 girls and two masters, one with lavender skin and purple hair, and another with orange skin and red hair. A few scholars were watching and taking notes on what was going on. The one with the red hair saw me and clapped her hands, ordering her students to each side of the training center, 7 students on each side. It was then that both masters came towards us. “Master Edge, I see that you are still alive,” said the red haired lady. “Very funny, Master Flare. I see that practice is going well?” “It is,” replied the purple haired lady. “Good. I was able to pick up the herbs that the doctor needed, since someone wanted to take the last of them without asking, Master Moonlight.” She rolled her eyes and said, “Fine. I’ll remember to ask next time.” It was then that their attention was turned to Saw Blades. They were able to catch on to what he possessed and looked back to me for an answer. “This is Saw Blades, a homeless kid who’s been able to survive on the streets at the town I was visiting, thanks to his gift.” “Then I guess he will be our newest student here?” asked Master Flare. “In a few days. I want to get him adjusted before we start training him. If you will please.” Master Flare bowed to me, then turned around and clapped her hands, ordering her students to continue practice with her watching over them. “Excuse me, but how come I can’t sense them that are practicing?” asked Saw Blades. “Because they bear the same gift that you do,” I answered. “But they’re all…” “Girls?” Master Moonlight finished his sentence. “That is true. Only girls can possess this gift. But it is rare for a boy to possess it as well. Both you and Master Edge are proof of that. Even his late master was also a guy.” “I see.” It was then that Dr. Remedy came in the training room. “His room is almost ready? Shall I have the boy examined?” “Yes please. He has been living on the streets for a long time. I want to make sure he is in well shaped before we continue.” Dr. Remedy nodded and escorted the boy with him. “You not going to poke me around, are you?” “Don’t you worry, boy. I’m just going to make sure you don’t have any illnesses and such. Besides, you get to see where I work my craft…as long as I still have something to work on.” Master Moonlight slapped her palm in front of her face in disgust. “Alright already. I’ll ask next time.” Both of them left the room. It was then at Master Moonlight who spoke up. “I’m going to have to live through this, will I?” “Perhaps what you did was a matter of fate. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have found the boy in the streets.” Master Moonlight let out a small grin. “Maybe so.” But her face showed that she was worried. “But what about them. I mean, we haven’t heard anything since that ex-solider talked to us about them.” “And so far, he hasn’t seen anything that could resemble the threat that he told us about. He’s grateful that I was able to find the boy. Otherwise, he could have been a victim to them if they showed up.” “But what if they no longer exist? Then what?” “They do exist, Master Moonlight. Remember that I was able to see the pain and suffering that he saw during the Great War. Being a member of the Equestrian Knights might have gave him painful experiences, but it’s that knowledge that will help us stay alert in the future, if they find this place. Besides, the scholars that were left with him have become helpful in their own studies. We just need to make sure that we are all ready for the worst to happened.” “I just hope it never happens. This is the only temple that we know of that carries gifted students.” “Saw Blades has become a fast learner than I first remember. And it’s been about 2 years since he came here,” said Master Moonlight. “It has. This is a good sign,” I said. “But I’m worried about some things about him.” “He feels different about having fun and interacting with the other students, right?” asked Master Flare. “It’s because he’s a boy, and they’re girls. He feels like it’s a distraction to him,” I responded. “But he doesn’t behave that way during training,” explained Master Moonlight. “That’s because he’s going through training with the other students,” Master Flare added. “This is different. He needs someone who can help bond with him if he wishes to succeed.” “What about that one student that you have been helping in private? Wind Breaker, I believe?” I asked. “She has high potential, but I’m not sure she’s ready for that,” answered Master Flare. “I believe that was the same for you and Master Edge,” responded Master Moonlight. “And look at the both of you. You share a bond that would make both your masters proud.” “Remember, it took much longer than that before I started to share a bond with Master Flare,” I responded. “I think it doesn’t mater if it’s age or experience. As long as they start to develop that bond, then both of them can succeed to greater things,” explained Master Moonlight. Our students were sparring with our warrior scholars so that they can develop their senses against their opponents, plus make sure our scholars are ready to defend the temple should the worst happen. Saw Blades was the latest to step on the practice mat with another scholar, both armed with bo staffs. As they were sparring, it was in one point that the scholar decided to do a strike from above with his back towards him. We were expected for Saw Blades to block the attack, but something happened that I didn’t expect to see so soon. He got a glance at his opponent and decided to dodge the attack, but this led to him transporting farther away from his opponent, letting him strike the floor and breaking his staff. “HOLD!!!” I walked towards Saw Blades, who was in shocked and confused as to what he just did. “Master, what just happened?” “What you just did was a soul shift. This skill can be used to help evade your opponent when you need it the most.” “But…how does it work? I don’t even know how I did it.” I looked at Master Flare and gave her a simple nod. Then she turned to the other students. “Wind Breaker!” A girl with sky blue skin and green hair stepped forward with her bo staff in hand. “Saw Blades. I want you to spar with Wind Breaker. You will see what I mean,” I said. Saw Blades got up and made his stance in front of Wind Breaker. “BEGIN!!!” Both of them sparred against each other, relying on their other senses. One thing that Wind Breaker can do is relying on her other senses should her gift fail on her. At one point, Saw Blades decided to attack from behind, only for Wind Breaker to shift to his backside and tap her staff on his shoulder. This was a sign that he was defeated. Both of them faced each other and bow to each other. “Don’t worry. I was surprised when I did it for the first time,” said Wind Breaker. “I’m sure you will understand how it works as you experience it more.” Saw Blades said, “Thank you.” I saw him looking over some books as he was studying more about the history of the place. “You’re not playing with the others,” I said. “It feels different playing with girls. I’m just a boy,” replied Saw Blades. “But you train with them, right? Having fun with them is another reason to learn about everything. It’s all about interacting with them, working as a team. Besides, I think there was someone who was worried that you would stress yourself out in your studies. You have time to study on other things, but you should learn to relax and remember what your purpose is in life.” Saw Blades nodded and decided to leave his room. It was Master Flare who saw this and enters the room. “So, you finally got him to play with the others?” asked Master Flare. “I think so,” I replied. She went over to the window that looked over the field where the other students were playing. I joined her and saw my student join them. I can see Wind Breaker smile and waving for Saw Blades to join them in playing with a rubber ball. “You think they can bond with each other?” asked Master Flare. I wrapped my arms around her from behind and said, “If we could, I’m sure that they will do the same.” “It’s been, what, nine years since I brought you here?” “It has, master. And I’m glad that you brought me to this place. It’s too bad that Dr. Remedy is no longer around. I still have much to learn from him.” “Don’t worry, I have learned much from him since I gave him a second chance in life by helping out here. Plus he did leave all of his notes to use so that we can learn more about his practice.” “I’m glad that Wind Breaker is helping me in his late teaches. It’s like we share some kind of…bond with each other.” “I was hoping that you would be able to bond with her. Both of you have great potential in your gift. Perhaps it is almost time for the two of you to learn one of our biggest secrets, the Soul Arts.” “What are those?” “Powers that can be used to protect others, as long as both of you use them wisely. I will discuss this with Master Flare about this before we proceed.” It was then that Master Flare came running towards us. “Master Edge, we might have a problem.” She guided upstairs to where Master Moonlight was looking outside towards the forest that leads to the entrance. It was night outside, and the moon was shining bright outside. “Master Moonlight, what’s wrong?” “I thought I saw movement outside, but I can’t make out anything in the forest.” “Were you able to sense anything?” I asked. “No.” We were looking out the windows to see anything, but couldn’t make out any movement. “Master, over there.” Saw Blades pointed to one area for me to see, and that was when I could make out a shadowy figure close to one of the trees. “Master Flare? Bow please.” She handed me a bow and arrow. I took my stance and made the shot, hitting the shadowy figure. Sparks came shooting out of it, and it disappeared. That’s when I know that the worst has finally come. “Master Moonlight? Notify the scholars to prepare themselves and take the students into the training room. They’re here.” She looked out the window. Then she looked at me and nodded and made her way downstairs. “Master Flare, we need to get him out of here.” All three of us made our way downstairs and started to make our way to my room. “How were they able to find us?” asked Master Flare. “I’m not sure, but I don’t even think they are human,” I said. “Master, what’s going on?” “It’s the Dark Star Organization,” I said. “They’ve been looking for people who bear the gift that we have.” “What for?” “To create their own super soldiers. It was something they did back during the Great War.” “You mean like the stories that Blitz Wing told me about?” “Yes.” “Then why do I have to escape alone? Why won’t the other students come with me?” “Because they don’t even know that any guys bear it. We want to do our best keep that a secret,” explained Master Flare. “Then are you coming with me, master?” “I’m sorry, but I have to secure your safety first. Don’t worry. I’ll make sure they don’t take me alive.” “Wait, what about my diary? I should take it with me, right?” We stopped for a moment. I knew I asked him to write down all that went on, but I couldn’t let that fall into their hands. “Master Flare, begin the preparations. I’ll join you shortly.” Master Flare went on ahead. I went with Saw Blades to his room so that he can take his diary. I grabbed a bag and asked him to take it in there so that it would be protected from the water during his escape. We left and made our way to my room, where Master Flare was placing boxes into the secret passageway. “How many have you placed?” “Just two. I’m on my third one.” “Saw Blades, take this passageway where the boxes are. It will lead you to the back of the temple. You will come across a waterfall that leads to a river in some forest. It will help you make your way to the town. Go to Blitz Wing’s place and let him now that the temple is no longer safe. He will understand. Once they see that it is now safe to return, come back here and retrieve these boxes. They hold the Soul Arts that we just discuss. You will have to learn these on your own from here on out.” “Yes Master.” It was then that we hear noise that was coming from the entrance. Master Flare just got the fourth box into the passageway. “They’re in. You must leave now.” “I understand. Thank you for all that you have done for me. Until we meet again.” “Until we meet again.” I closed the passageway and looked at Master Flare. “I guess this is it.” She had two katanas with her and handed one of them to me. “I guess so. We never had a chance to have children, did we?” “Our students were our children. Remember that.” “I know.” She let out a smile. “You were thinking about teaching him the Soul Arts, right?” “Yes. But it looks like he will have to learn them on his own.” There was a banging from the door in front of us. That’s when we decided to draw our blades. The door came crashing down, and what look like ninjas entered and surrounded us. That was when we sense someone coming this way, someone evil. It was a woman in black with white skin and blonde hair. “Well, well, well. Look at what we have here. I was wondering if there would be a guy who was…gifted. It’s been hard to find one, and my master was getting tired of looking for one. They are so rare these days.” Master Flare yelled, “What do you want with us?” The mysterious lady waved her finger and said, “Tsk, tsk, tsk. Is that how you greet someone?” “We know you work for the Dark Star Organization, and that you have been taking people for your experiments,” I said. “So you do know about us. That makes things easier for me to explain.” She pointed at us and said, “Capture them!” The ninjas threw chains to tie us up, be we shifted ourselves away from them. I slashed one of them, cutting its head off. Sparks flew out of its body before it fell. “An automaton?” “So that’s what you call them? I’m impressed. But they are really called cyber mechs. And they are far advanced than you will ever know.” The others continued their assault, but we attack and took down each one of them. The mysterious lady became angry at the end result. Master Flare pointed her blade at the lady and said, “Give it up. There’s nothing you can do to stop us.” “Well, I didn’t want to get my hands dirty, but you left me no choice.” That’s when a green flame consumed her and revealed her true self. She had dark skin and a purple suit and green hair that had a life of its own. “A Soul Eater.” “Oh, now I’m really impressed. But you can call me…the Mane-iac.” He hair started to come towards us, but we cut them down with ease. “Damn it. No one chops up my hair. NO ONE!!!” “Too bad, because it needed a heavy trim,” taunted Master Flare. “I’ll show you!” She began growing more hair like vines and started to attack us, which we were able to defend ourselves. Master Flare saw an opening and decided to charge towards her, but was knocked down and slammed towards the wall. “I’m sure that my master wouldn’t mind if one lady was disposed.” That’s when one of her strands of hair turned into a spike and lunged it into Master Flare. I saw was about to happen and shifted my body in front of her, taking the damage myself. “NNNOOOOOO!!!” “Master Edge!!!” The spike was withdrawn from my body, causing me to fall on Master Flare’s body. My life was slowly fading. “I guess…I’ve done…my part.” “Don’t you dare leave me, Edge,” she said as she held me in her arms. “I’m sorry, but you know…that I can’t…let them…take me alive. Just…do me…one favor? Kill that bitch for me.” “I will. Until we meet again.” “Until…we meet…again…” Everything faded to black. My vision came back to normal, and I saw our hands on the Tree of Harmony once again. We took our hands off of the tree and looked at Master Blades once again. “You mean I was your master in a past life?” I asked him. “Yes, which would explain how you started to execute the Soul Arts before I was able to deliver the information to you. A part of him started to awaken inside of you, which I was able to find out from this realm.” Sunset asked, “So he knew that if he died, he would be reborn once again?” “That is correct.” “So…you were able to return to the temple later on when it was safe to return,” I said. “I’m guessing that he was the only master’s body that you could find.” “Almost. A day later, they were able to find Master Flare’s body outside of the temple in some bushes. She was holding on to both blades at that time. I can only guess that she battled the soul eater and died trying. A day later, we found one who was barely alive walking into town. Master Moonlight. She was able to escape, but was attacked in doing so. She found a place to hide until they gave up looking for her. Once so, she was able to make her way to the town. All the others were stilled captured when she escaped. She was grateful to see that they didn’t find me, but was sadden to learn of Master Edge and Master Flare’s death. She told me that they needed to be alive so that they can collect their soul powers to use on their test subjects, like the ones at your rival school, Crystal Prep, I believe.” “Then that means that there is a connection between the organization and the school,” I said. “There is, but it is just a fraction so far. The problem is that I cannot sense where they are doing their experiments.” “I’m guessing that Master Moonlight didn’t make it, right?” I asked him. “Her last words were to look of the three of them in their new life. And now I have found one of them.” “So it’s possible that the other two are out there?” asked Sunset. “Maybe, but I have no idea where to find them. While we cannot sense their soul in the real world, we are able to find them from the realm of souls. That how I was able to find you, Jack. And with Sunset’s bond to you, it was enough to bring you here. What is worse is that I am unable to find any of the other students that were captured.” I asked, “What about Professor Star Swirl? We can guess that he’s no longer alive, right?” “That’s a bigger mystery. I was able to meet up with Blitz Wing and Dr. Remedy in the afterlife, but not Professor Star Swirl. And I cannot find Wind Breaker’s soul anywhere, even if I was able to share a bond with her. It is unclear if she is dead or not. She would have aged like I did, but I have not come across her in this realm, or find her soul reborn. It troubles me.” “So what can we do now?” I asked him. “Only one thing, bring the Dark Star Organization out of hiding. And beating Crystal Prep in this game of football might be the best way to do so.” “It might not be the only thing,” I said as I placed my hand on my chin. “What do you mean?” asked Sunset. “Indigo Zap told me that she sensed something odd about Principal Cinch, like a wall around her soul.” “You mean the same thing that you felt from me, Jack?” “Yes…and no. It was more like bad karma that she felt.” “And you might be right,” explained Master Blades. “She is the one who’s in charge of this Crystal Prep?” We nodded. “I have been sensing something strange from that person as well. But it is hard to make it out from here.” “If I was able to encounter her, I might get a better reading on her,” I said. Sunset panic. “Oh my gosh. I just remembered. The game was in the third quarter when we came here. It might already be over, which means…” “Do not worry,” explain Master Blades. “Time flows differently here. When you return, only a few seconds would have passed.” “But Jack is in no condition to play again,” explained Sunset. “Not without this gift.” He turned to the tree, raised his hands, and said, “Tree of Harmony, grant these two the power to be as one.” It was then that the tree glowed, and streams of lights that matched each gem and journeyed their way to our scared hands. A new glow came from them. “Since you share a bond with each other, you can now use the power of Soul Link.” “Soul Link?” “It allows you to share your powers with each other. Sunset can lend her strength to you and help active some of the soul arts that you have yet to possess, like the tenth art that you couldn’t execute before. And Jack can share his powers to you, Sunset, so that you can fight in sync with him against your enemies. I’m sure there is more that you want to have answered, but for now, this should be your primary focus. Just tell Master Luna to help in your training and learn how to dreamscape. Once you return here again, I will do what I can to answer your questions. And maybe you will have a better idea on who this Principal Cinch really is.” “Wait,” I said. “Did you just say…Master Luna?” “Yes. Tell her that she has earned the right to be known as master in your presence, as well as her friend, Master Spitfire. They both have earned the title. I also have one more request for you. Find allies who can help you, those who can be trusted.” “We do have some friends who have been helping us already,” said Sunset. “I am aware of this, but you will need more. Blitz Wing has told me that they had a big group to help stop the Dark Star Organization.” “The Equestrian Knights and Equestrian Riders,” I said. “Yes. And it was that group that helped turn the tide of battle against the axis nations. And in this day and age, you will need more help than ever. Some will have to battle in the front lines. Others will have to work behind the scenes. And if they are working on your nation’s soil, then it can be worse that we have thought.” “I might know some who can help us, but we will need to discuss this with Luna and Twilight before moving forward,” I said. “Do so. I’m sure they will agree with your decision. Now, grasp your scared hands together and say SOUL LINK and you will be able to return to your world fully healed. Once so, you can use it to turn the tables against Crystal Prep. NOW GO!!!” I looked at Sunset and asked her, “Ready?” “Does it look like I have a choice? Let’s do this.” So we both took a deep breath and clasped our left hands to each other. “SOUL LINK!!!” At that point, we started to glow and were engulfed in a blight light. Author's Note We are close to the end... ... ... ... ... ...of the first book. Ch. 40 - Never Leave a Job UnfinishedAuthor's Note This just became the longest chapter to date. I didn't think it would take this long to finish it, but I did it. Enjoy. Ch. 40 - Never Leave a Job Unfinished I started to wake up, wondering if I was just dreaming just now. I could see Sunset starting to wake up as well. “Jack, are you awake?” “I am.” “Tell me, was it all just a dream? I mean, were we in the realm of souls?” “If you’re telling me about what I saw, then I don’t think it was a dream. How much time has passed?” Sunset got out her cell and looked at the time. “Just about a minute has passed since we went to sleep.” “Then maybe he was right about time being different between realms.” I started to get up and realized that all the pain was gone. “Hey, look.” Sunset clasped her hands in front of her mouth in shock. She removed them from her mouth and said, “You’re moving again.” I was able to move all my limbs to make sure I was fine. It was then that Luna and Applejack came rushing in to our room. Luna said, “Applejack said that she saw a glow coming…from…here?” They were shocked to see me moving again. Applejack asked, “What the hay just happened here?” “Have you heard about the realm of soul?” I asked Luna. Luna was really shocked when I mention that. “I’ve read theories during my college years about that. How were you able to know about that?” “Master Blades told us,” answered Sunset. “He said that we were able to enter that realm through dreamscaping.” “You mean you were able to dreamscape to enter the realm of souls?” asked Luna. “Um, forgive me for asking, but what are you all talking about?” asked Applejack, who was confused. “Dreamscaping is where you travel to other realms or dreams,” explained Luna. “And the realm of souls is supposed to be a bridge point between here and death, I believe.” “It is,” I said. “But it’s used to send gifted souls to be reborn.” “And Jack’s one of them,” Sunset added. “He was once Master Blade’s original master.” “I know there’s a lot to explain, but we have a bigger issue to deal with,” I said. “Master Blades believes that Crystal Prep is connected to the Dark Star Organization. And the only way to bring them out of the shadows is to beat Crystal Prep. It’s the only way we can find out how the students are receiving these gifts and where they could be located.” Nurse Redheart came in and saw that I was moving again. “What the…how can…I don’t even understand?” Luna tried to diffuse the situation. “How can I explain this?” “Tell her everything,” I said. Luna was confused for a moment. “Master Blades told us that we would need more allies to help up in stopping the Dark Star Organization. And with Nurse Redheart medical experience, we could use her help…Master Luna.” Now all of them were confused. “Did you just call her…Master?” asked Applejack as she pointed to Luna. “Master Blades has declared you and Coach Spitfire the title of Master,” Sunset responded. “And if you don’t mind, we would like you to help in our training.” Luna let out a chuckle. “If that is what he wants, then I’ll be happy to fulfill his wish.” “Hey, if that’s the case, then count me in as well. We are part of the upcoming samurai club, right?” said Applejack. “If that’s the case, do you have your gloves that Spitfire gave you?” Luna asked us. “Mine’s in my locker,” Sunset said. “Same here,” Applejack added. “I have mine with my gym bag,” I said. “Then I go with you so you can get them. I want to know what happened while you were in the soul of realms.” Luna looked over and said, “Nurse Redheart, I need you to clear Jack to play. Now!” Nurse Redheart went over and checked my neck, back, and arms. “I don’t see anything wrong with him now, so he’s cleared to play once again. I just don’t understand how this happened.” “If you will come with me, I’ll be happy to explain as we learn what Sunset saw,” said Luna. All four of them left the locker room, leaving me to grab my gloves. That’s when I remember that I had both blades with me. I started to recall all that happened before. “Jack might have to issue the challenge, but the timing has to be right.” “How can it be a huge risk when you have that kind of power? You can finally put Crystal Prep in its place. What’s the worst that could happen?” “There’s a time to think, and a time to act.” “Well Jack, you were never one who gave up before, and I know you won’t give up now. Not in front of your classmates, and not in front of your girlfriend.” “You know my dad’s motto. Never leave a job unfinished.” “That’s right. I started this. Now I need to finish this…my way!” I grabbed my gloves and put them on. Then I grabbed both blades and closed the locker. As I was making my way out, I came across the room that Shining Armor was in. I knocked on the door and walked in. “How you feeling, Shining?” “Hurts like hell. But I’ll be fine. Shoulder’s popped back in place and on ice, but I can’t use it. Plus they placed ice on my ankle as well. At least you’re back up again.” “Back and ready to teach them a lesson. It’s time someone puts them in their place.” “Then do me a favor and give them hell. Just go easy on Long Shot. We know it’s not his fault for all this.” “I’ve done my part against Long Shot. Now I need to do the same with the others.” I started to walk out, but looked back and said, “Time I followed my destiny.” “I’m sure that this will be just the start of it.” Shining Armor gave a thumb up with his good arm. I grinned and returned the response before I left. Once I walked out of the locker room, I saw Sunset and Applejack with their gloves on. Master Luna and Nurse Redheart were also there. “Miss Luna and Sunset has told me things that even I can’t believe,” said Nurse Redheart. “But I have read miracle stories while I was in medical school. And this qualifies as one of them. I may not know the science of what you are dealing with, but if they are dealing with some kind of genetic enhancement, I might be able to find the signs of them doing it from the outside. I’ll be happy to help your team.” “Well, that’s one new member,” said Sunset. “And more to come,” I added. “Here.” I tossed Sunset her blade, Muramasa. “I think I can guess why you wanted me to bring them. And I think Master Blades saw it as well.” “Then I think it’s time we bring them out of hiding,” said Sunset as she strapped her blade on her back. “Then what are we waiting for? We got a team to take down,” yelled Applejack. But before we can make our way outside, Lyra and Sweetie Drops ran straight inside. “Nurse Redheart, Coach Spitfire needs your help,” Lyra said in panic. But they were stunned when they saw me on my feet. ‘Yes, I’m healthy and cleared to play,” I said. “But what’s going on out there.” “We’re losing players and need Nurse Redheart to help check on them,” explained Sweetie Drops. Nurse Redheart asked, “How many?” “At least eight,” answered Lyra. Luna asked, “What’s the score?” “Crystal Prep leads 45 to 24. They scored a field goal, then two touchdowns. One of them added a two-point conversation to the touchdown,” explained Sweetie Drops. “So they have a 21 point lead,” I said. “We have our work cut out for us.” “Can one of you stay and watch over Shining Armor? He’s OK, but I hate to leave him here alone,” said Nurse Redheart. “I’ll stay. Bonbon can go with you,” Lyra said as she was pointing to Sweetie Drops. “Good. Make sure you check on his ice packs, in case they need to be replaced,” Nurse Redheart ordered. Lyra nodded and made her way to where Shining Armor was located. The rest of us made our way outside and headed towards the football field. Sweetie Drops got her cell out and made a call. “Hello, Twilight? Sweetie here. I have Nurse Redheart with me…Shining Armor’s out.” Applejack looked at her and signaled for her cell. “Hang on. Applejack wants to talk to you.” Applejack was able to take Sweetie Drops cell. “How many players are out…now at ten…where are we at the game…OK…don’t worry, we have a plan in place…trust me, you’re in for a surprise.” Applejack hanged up the cell and handed it back to Sweetie Drops. “Ten players are injured. Everyone’s been working double time. And what’s worse is that it’s now fourth and long. They’re letting the third quarter wind down so they can punt the ball with the wind’s help.” “Not going to happen,” I replied. “We need three touchdowns in one quarter. That means that we need to have the ball the entire time.” Applejack stopped me for a moment. “Now wait just a minute. Sounds like you want to run the gauntlet in this.” “You have a better idea?” Sunset asked Applejack. “Now I’m not saying I hate the idea. But how in the hay are you going to pull this off?” I decided to take off my left glove and looked at the scar on it. Sunset saw this and did the same. At that point, our scars started to glow once again. “Now I’ve seen it all,” said Nurse Redheart. “This must be the bonding thing you were telling us about?” Sweetie Drops started to have a confused look on her face, so Luna had to explain. “We got Nurse Redheart up to speed on Jack’s powers, as well as the bond they made when they got the scars.” “Wait a minute. We thought it was a kitchen accident that led to those scars?” said Applejack. “We lied,” answered Sunset. “I wanted to cut myself during our science project, and he decided to make a blood pact instead. We’re guessing that this was the start of our soul bonding.” “And since we have Nurse Redheart on our team, we’ll be needing more allies who can help us. Think you and Lyra can find us more members that we can trust?” I asked Sweetie Drops. “If that’s the case, I think I have a few leads on who can help us. As long as it’s OK with Miss Luna, then leave it to us to recruit.” “I can trust in your judgment on who can join,” replied Luna. “Just make sure I meet them before we go forward.” “Thanks, Sweetie Drops. We’re glad that you’re helping us out with this,” said Sunset. “No problem. And you can call me Bonbon. My real friends like to call me that, and the two of you have finally earned the right to do so.” “Then thanks…Bonbon,” I said. “This might take me a while to get used to it.” “We better hurry. If we want to stop them from punting the ball, we need to act fast,” Luna said. “Then we have one thing to do,” I said. Sunset and me clapped our left hands together to show them our new power. “SOUL LINK!!!” At first our hands glowed. Then it spread to our bodies. We felt our bond getting stronger. Once it was completed, we let go of each other. I could feel a new form of energy flowing through me, and Sunset felt the same thing in her. We put our gloves back on after that. “So that’s the new power that was given to you,” said Luna. “What all can it do?” asked Applejack. Sunset replied, “We’re about to find out.” All of us rushed over to the football field where the others were. The third quarter just came to an end, and our side of the stands felt defeated, while Crystal Prep’s side was filled with excitement. The only catch was that no one noticed me walking onto the field, with Sunset on one side, and Applejack on the other. Applejack looked up at the stands, trying to find Pinkie Pie. She was able to find her deflated and decided to put her finger and thumb between her lips and whistled, getting Pinkie’s attention. When she looked our way, I waved my finger in the air, asking to get the crowd rallied up. Pinkie’s hair became full of puffiness once again as her eyes went wide open. “HEY EVERYONE! JACK’S BACK!!!” That got everyone’s attention. The crowd slowly started to make some noise, then it got louder and louder. Some even started to call out my name. “Time to show them what you made of, Jack,” said Applejack. And show them, I did. I drew my blade and raised it into the air for all to see. The crowd on our side got louder than before. Then I pointed my blade to Crystal Prep’s side, showing them that this battle isn’t done yet. With one quick slash into the air, I sheath my blade and handed it to Applejack to hold. Soarin and Rainbow Dash came running up to us. “About time you got back,” said Rainbow Dash. “We’re getting beat down here.” She handed me one of the ear coms for me to wear. I said, “I need one of these for Sunset, Applejack, and Miss Luna. NOW!” Rainbow Dash had a case with a few more ear coms and bracelet transmitters for use. As Sunset and Applejack took their ear coms, I noticed Luna, Bonbon, and Nurse Redheart talking to Cadence and Roseluck next to the track area. Cadence must have wanted to know how Shining Armor was doing. Cadence was exchanging glances and nods with the others before going with Bonbon back to the locker room where he was. Nurse Redheart went on to see Coach Spitfire and check on the injured players. Dash made her way to where Luna was to hand her an ear com as well. I started to walk with Soarin, who had my helmet with its own transmitter in it, to see the rest of the team. “Welcome back, Jack,” said Thunderlane. “Yea, we could really us you right now,” added Flash. “I’m already aware of the situation, guys, and ready to go,” I said. “Well, you might have to wait until later. We’re about to punt the ball back to them,” explained Iron Will. “Sorry, but we’re down three scoring plays. We’re going to have to take a gamble from this point forward,” I said. “Well, you’re not the coach here, Jack. Iron Will is.” “Twilight, is this line secured?” said Luna. “Yes. Why?” responded Twilight. “Get my sis on here as well. I want her to hear this.” Celestia was sitting in front of the booth that Twilight was, and handed her an ear com for her to use, explaining the reasoning. “I hope you have a reason for all this,” said Celestia. “First off, Jack’s right. We have to take a chance in this game.” “Give Iron Will one good reason.” “The Realm of Souls.” Spitfire said, “Wait a minute. Did you just say…” “Yes. Jack and Sunset has been there,” explained Luna. “And with new orders from Master Blades.” “Hold on. Isn’t he dead?” said Rainbow Dash. “The realm of souls is a different place, Dash,” said Celestia said. “I hate to interrupt, but we do have a game, and mission, to finish,” said Applejack. “We’ll explain this later. Let’s focus on what’s in front of us,” said Luna. “OK, tell Iron Will what we need to do?” I said, “Fill them in, Sunset.” “Crystal Prep has ties to the Dark Star Organization. Don’t ask us why, we just know. And it’s up to us to bring them out of hiding.” “And beating Crystal Prep is what we need to do to make it happen,” I said. There was a moment of silence before Celestia spoke. “Coach Iron Will, Twilight Sparkle, work with Jack on this. If we have to expose his gift, then do so.” Sunset said, “Don’t worry. We have a new power that might make it easier for us. Just trust me on this.” Iron Will nodded. “What do you want to do here?” I asked, “Where do we stand on center?” “We’re down to just Bulk Biceps in that spot. And he’s been working both sides this past quarter,” Thunderlane explained. “You mean the big, white guy with the yellow buzz cut?” I asked Thunderlane. “That’s him.” “Good. I need someone to match up with Brick Wall,” I said. “We’re going to use his anger to our advantage.” “Then let’s get set up.” Iron Will looked to the others and yelled, “Listen up. Change of plans. We’re going for this.” The others were confused to his decision. I yelled, “Listen, if we don’t make a move now, we’ll never catch up with them.” One of the players asked, “How can we be able to catch up to them?” “Hey, they haven’t been as perfect as before. There’s still time to do this,” explained Flash. I said, “They already took down Shining Armor. Do you think he wants us to give up? NO!!! Follow my lead, and we’ll teach Crystal Prep a lesson they won’t forget. Let’s show them what real Wondercolts are all about.” Iron Will yelled, “You heard the kid. Now MOVE!!!” With the team excited, I went out with Flash, Thunderlane, and what was left of the offensive line. Once we were huddled up, I gave out my orders. “OK, here’s the plan. Double Dash Decoy. Flash Sentry, you take the right side. Thunderlane, you take the left. See if you can get double coverage on each of you. I want to make it easier for the rest of the line. Bulk Biceps, I want you to put your focus on Brick Wall. Keep him contained until I say so. Once I do, let him go. If he wants to take me down, it’s going to bite him back…hard. I want to create an opening in the line for me to pass through. If we don’t do this, then it’s all over. So let’s do this.” “YEAH!!!” Once we broke the huddle, I told Twilight to give me a ten count once I snapped the ball. The line was set up and Bulk Biceps grabbed the ball ready to snap it. Brick Wall was giving me the mean stare, but that didn’t phase me. I looked to the left and right as I was making my call, checking on Thunderlane and Flash to see if they were ready. They each gave a nod. That’s when I called for the snap. Bulk snapped the ball to me and started to take on Brick Wall. Flash and Thunderlane started to make their way forward, Flash being father ahead than Thunderlane. They each had one defender at the start, but a second one that was at the ends of the main line started to follow them, creating double coverage. I could hear Twilight counting up to ten. Once she reached ten, I gave the command. “BULK, NOW!!!” Bulk Biceps let Brick Wall go so that he could run up to me. I prepared myself to make my move, but Sunset was able to do something better for me. “SOUL ART #10: CHI BOOST TIMES TWO; TRANSFER!!!” A boost of energy came rushing into me, improving my reflexes. Just as Brick Wall was inches close to me, I pivoted my right foot and began to spin backwards, letting Brick Wall go right by me like a matador would do to a raging bull. Once I complete my turn, I was able to bump my elbow into Brick Wall’s back, causing him to go crashing down. Not only did my reflexes were improved, but so was my strength. With Brick Wall out of the way, I saw the hole I needed in front of me. I began my run straight through the hole, carrying the ball with Bulk Biceps following behind me. It felt like my speed was also improved as well. With all the other players behind me, I was left with the four that was covering Flash and Thunderlane. They saw me running forward and diverted their focus towards me. As they were running to me, Flash and Thunderlane did the same and tackle one of the two in their own group, leaving me with two defenders. The one that was with Thunderlane was coming close to me, but Bulk Biceps saw this and went past me and tackle him. That only left the one that was with Flash. This time, I decided to do what I needed to do. “SOUL ART #10: CHI BOOST TIMES THREE!!!” This time, I was able to execute the art myself, improving myself more than before. This gave me enough power to tackle into the last defender, knocking him down while I was still standing and holding the ball. With no one else left in front of me, I was able to run straight into the end zone, scoring the touchdown. Flash and Thunderlane were able to catch up with me to celebrate what I just did. Bulk was able to join up to us to do the same. The crowd on our side went crazy, while Crystal Prep just went silent, wondering what just happened. Coming from fourth and long to scoring a touchdown would be just pure luck in most eyes, but if the Dark Star Organization was watching, then they would start to catch on that I was gifted. As we started to run to the sidelines, special teams started to run up, with Swift Kick to do the extra point. Thunderlane decided to join them to help with the extra point. The rest of the team was able to celebrate with me at what I just did. I decided to ask for some space so I can join up with Sunset after what she just did for me. But as I joined her, Twilight decided to step in. “Can someone explain to me what the heck just happened there?” “Was there anything in the book about soul link?” I asked. “Not that I can recall,” Moon Dancer responded. “I think it’s because it’s more of a dual power than anything else,” explained Luna. “And Professor Star Swirl was only able to work with Master Blades on solo powers,” Celestia added. “Looks like we might have to add some new notes to that book later on.” “At least Jack can finally do the tenth art like we wanted him to,” said Applejack. “With or without Sunset’s help?” said Rainbow Dash. “That’s a good question. How were you able to do that?” Twilight asked Sunset. “I remember when Master Blades told us how I could support Jack by lending him some of my energy to boost his own, including activating some of his powers. And since I tried my best working with Jack on mediating, I decided to focus on myself and use the bond that we share to make it happen. The rest was just easy.” Rainbow Dash started to display a sly grin as she was rubbing her chin. “You know…” “Here we go. Dash have some crazy idea going through her head,” explained Applejack. Rainbow Dash said, “Oh come on. They’re not all crazy. Besides, if Jack can perform that well on offense, how well can he do on defense…or even special teams?” “She might be on to something.” I looked over to where Coach Iron Will was at and said, “Coach, can you come here for a moment?” He got my message and made his way over to our area. “Iron Will heard what you said. It’s risky, but if we plan to bring our enemy out of hiding, we might as well take a gamble. Plus, Crystal Prep knows how to kill time. And since we need two scoring plays, I would rather cut it down to one before handing the ball back to them.” “So we need to find a way to strip the ball from them,” said Twilight. “Hey Jack, if you can strip the ball from the return man, I might be able to pick it up and get us that touchdown we need,” said Flash. “They might expect something like that when they see him on the field,” said Moon Dancer. “But if we’re short staffed right now, maybe we could pull it off.” I decided to look over at Thunderlane after finishing the extra point and knew that he was able to listen in. I yelled, “Hey Thunderlane, you look a bit tired. Why don’t you sit this one out?” “Good idea,” he replied, giving a wink at me and sat down on the bench. “Let’s hope they were able to hear that,” said Twilight. “Coach, I’m going to need Swift Kick to do the kickoff here. Flash and me will work on taking the ball away from them.” “Go for it,” replied Iron Will. “Wait!” Sunset took off her left glove to inspect the scar. We could see that it was barely glowing. I did the same with mine and saw the same result. “I thought something felt odd.” Luna saw this and said, “Soul Link must only work for short amount of time. I wonder why?” “You think we need to do this again, just to be safe?” asked Sunset. “I don’t know,” I said. “But I don’t like to do it in front of the crowd.” “I have an idea. Give me your hand.” I lend my hand out to her, and when she took it, she pulled me in for a hug, with out left hands sandwiched between our bodies. “Soul Link” I felt our bond renewed between us, and no one was able to see what was really going on. “Go get them, Jack.” We let go of each other, and I was able to make my way to the field. I went up to Swift Kick at told him, “Listen up, I need you to keep the ball in the field of play, but make sure it’s in a spot where the return player will run towards my way.” “You want to try and strip the ball from him?” asked Swift. “I’m hoping that I can. We need to get another scoring play fast, and Flash my have the best chance to grab it once it’s lose.” Swift looked out at the field and said, “I might have an idea. Wind’s been light most of the game, so I can use that to our advantage. Besides, I think you might have broken their morale on that last play. If this doesn’t go as plan, we have to hope that our defense can stop them fast before they can recover.” “Then make it count.” We all lined up, with Swift at the center. Flash and I took opposite sides of the field. Swift looked at both sides before giving the signal. He kicked the ball high in the air, with little wind to support it. The return kicker was near the 15-yard line when he saw the ball coming down to him. He was ready to catch the ball, but misjudged the catch, causing it to bounce off his body and land in front of him, making it a live ball. In a panic, he rushed to grab the ball and started to run with it. I saw him run towards my area. As I was coming close to making contact, Sunset was able to execute another art. “SOUL ART #6: NEEDLE SHOT, TRANSFER!!!” I wasn’t expecting this, but somehow, I was able to lock on to the ball and threw my fist into it, knocking it out of his hands like it was being stripped. Flash was nearby and saw this and was able to pick up the ball while it was bouncing off the ground. Then he started to run towards the end zone. I was able to stay on my feet and ran just behind him. We started to notice a couple of players coming towards Flash, and only one thing came to mind. “Sunset, let’s do this together.” “I thought you never ask.” “SOUL ART #10: CHI BOOST TIMES FIVE!!!” I felt a major boost of energy coming into me. This allowed me to run faster and hit the first player in Flash’s way, knocking him back. I was still on my feet and was able to do the same to the second player. This cleared the way for Flash to run into the end zone, scoring a touchdown for the team. As we celebrated our latest touchdown, Swift Kick came up to us. “How the heck did you pull that off?” I asked him. “Give Moon Dancer some credit. While you were out, she noticed something odd about how the kick return player and filled me in during halftime. During the third quarter, I was able to see it from my angle and noticed that he wasn’t on target in his catches without much of the wind’s help. I figure if I can make a trick kick, like I do in soccer, and the fact that there morale was down, it might be enough to make him panic and throw him off so you can strip it from him without him knowing that it was coming.” “Kid, I might make you the best kicker on this team ever next season.” “Thanks,” said Swift. “Jack, you better get back here…fast,” said Applejack. “On it,” I said. “Swift, need you to handle the extra point for me.” “Already on it.” Thunderlane was able to join Swift while I made my way back to where Applejack was calling me. “What is it, AJ?” She moved out of the way to reveal Sunset looking drained. I went to her and ask, “You OK, Sunset?” “I…think so. Just…a bit…tired.” “After the two of you executed a chi boost, she started to feel dizzy and almost fainted,” explained Luna. “Jack, I need you to use your soul reading power, but this time look into her own soul,” explained Celestia. I took my gloves off and did the same with her gloves. I clasped my hands around hers and closed my eyes. What I sensed next worried me. “It’s…weak.” “I was afraid of this.” “What do you mean, sis?” “Best to let Twilight explain.” “Since I had a chance to look over the book with Moon Dancer, I noticed that Star Swirl had this…theory about a person’s soul, and it’s been racking my brain this past couple of weeks. It said this: “A person’s soul is life. In theory, if a person’s body is drained, as long as their soul is strong, they will live on.” “If I’m reading this right, and I’m understanding this Soul Link power, Sunset has been lending you her own soul to boost your power. And since she doesn’t bear the gift that you have, it’s becoming harder for her to recover.” Luna replied, “Of course. Why didn’t I think of this sooner? This bond that they shared should have worked between two gifted students. That’s why soul link only works for a short time. It was to allow Sunset time to recover better. If she uses Soul Link more often with Jack, then…” “She could be killing herself in the process,” I said. I then thought about what Master Blades told us about it working both ways. So I decided to use Soul Link myself, but in reverse. I started to transfer my own power back into her, causing her to recover. “There. You feel better?” Sunset started to show signs of recovery and said, “Yea. Thanks.” “How were you able to do that?” Luna asked me. “I remembered Master Blades saying that Soul Link can work both ways, allowing me to lend my power to her so that we could be in sync during battle. I figure I could transfer my soul energy to her, since I’m gifted.” “How do you feel?” “Still fine, but I didn’t transfer much to Sunset, just enough to help her recover on her own.” “I think that would work, since he can last longer than any other person,” explained Twilight. “Jack, you might want to sit this one out for a while,” said Coach Iron Will. “Best to let the defense take over so you can rest and get ready for the next comeback.” “Agreed. I’ll leave it to you for now.” I decided to sit down next to Sunset so I can rest for a moment. Now we were down by a touchdown, as long as the defense can hold them at bay, we should be able to strike back and tie up the game. But that was not the case here. Crystal Prep’s offense was taking their time going down the field, and that allowed them to use up a good part of our time. All of the plays were rushing plays that stayed inbounds. This was the same tactic that they used the last time we faced them. But the only difference was that Long Shot wasn’t his usual self because he had a few sacks made at him. But by the time they made it to the red zone, our defense was able to hold them back. This allowed them to set up for a field goal. This would put more pressure on us, but something about the special teams was off. So I had to ask the question. “Does anyone know how many time-outs we have?” “Just one,” replied Rainbow Dash. “They used up the others in the last quarter.” “One you say?” If that was the case, I had to act fast. “Coach! Ice the kicker!” “But we only have…” “JUST DO IT!!!” Coach Iron Will went up to the ref and called our last timeout, just before they could get the snap off. I took my helmet and ran up to coach. Flash and Thunderlane joined up to us. Coach started at me and said, “I hope you have a damn good excuse for using our last timeout.” “Tell me, has Brick Wall been working on both sides?” Thunderlane said, “Yea. Since some of the players were suspended. Why?” “How come he hasn’t been on special teams?” “They still have their center for special teams,” explained Coach Iron Will. “They prefer it that way.” “Do you think that Bulk Biceps can pierce through that offensive line without Brick Wall?” Coach Iron Will started to catch on to my thinking. “You think you can get through that line if he can make that hole for you?” “If he can take down one player, I can get through and stop their kick from happening.” “I’ll go get him,” said Thunderlane and left the group. “Jack, I hate to say this, but you would have to time that opening just right. And we can’t rely on Sunset’s help with Soul Link,” said Twilight. “I’m aware of that,” I said. “I think I can handle this on my own from here on out.” Thunderlane returned with Bulk Biceps in tow. “Hey Jack, T said that you need another hole in the line again,” said Bulk. “Yea, but not like last time. You think you can take down their center so I can get through. I just need to get by and see if I can stop them from scoring a field goal.” Bulk said, “With that small guy? YEAH!!!!!” “Then we haven’t a moment to lose. Thunderlane! Flash! I’ll need your help with this. Need to make them think one of you are planning to run to the kicker from the side.” “I’ll get the rest of the line set up,” said Thunderlane. Thunderlane was able to get a custom special teams line made up, with him, Flash, and Bulk along with me. Flash and Thunderlane went to take the ends of the line, while Bulk went to the center. I was behind him, but added some distance from him. I knew I was going to have to rely on my own powers to pull this off. I’ve gotten used to the game since I started, but this plan was going to be something new for me. But it has been awhile since I relied on the first power that I learned about back during tryouts. Soul Release. As both sides were ready to go, I closed my eyes and took a few deep breaths before I opened my eyes. My focus was on the ball and nothing else. Instinct started to take over. The ball was snapped and went to the placeholder. Our line started to push forward, with extra effort on the ends. I started to run towards Bulk as he was busy pushing their center back. As I came close to him, he was able to push him back enough to open a hold for me to leap over. It was small, but it was enough for me to jump over. As their kicker kicked the ball into the air, I landed on the other side for their line and made a leap to swipe the ball. My fingertips were able to touch the ball, but couldn’t stop it. But it was enough to redirect the ball. As I landed on my feet again, I looked back and saw that it was heading towards the right goal post. It soon then past the goal post, and the ref was able to wave it off, saying that it went wide right of the goal post. That was enough to deny them the field goal and get us the ball where the kick started. I rejoined the rest of my team as we celebrated our achievement. Now we needed to make our way back down the field and score a touchdown in hopes to tie the game. Since Crystal Prep was able to use up most of the clock, and since we no longer had any timeouts, we only had less than four minutes to score. Everything was riding on this drive. We were able to push forward, but any effort to go out of bounds wasn’t going to happen. This caused us to either do a hurry-up play, or spiking the ball after reaching a first down. As we finally go into the red zone, we were down to just less than a minute left in the game. We were able to push forward some more and get what would be the last first down before scoring. I was able to spike the ball at that point and stopped the clock with 16 seconds remaining. That left me with maybe three plays to score, none of which could be rushing plays. Our first effort left us with our key players being covered, causing me to throw the ball away, leaving me with 12 seconds left. My next attempt was just like before, but when I tried to throw it to Flash, it was swatted away from him, stopping the clock at just 6 seconds left. With one last play remaining, Thunderlane had one play left in our back pocket that we have yet to execute this season. And now was the time to put it to the test. As we lined up, Thunderlane was able to start running to my backside. The ball was snapped to me and I was able to toss it back to him. Flash still had someone on him, so it was up to me to run forward to the end zone. Brick Wall saw this and started to follow me to my spot. Thunderlane make a fake throw to Flash, but held the ball and looked at my direction. There was still some space between Brick Wall and me, so he threw it straight to me. Instinct took over once again. I was able to read where it was going to land, but I would have to move the other way into Brick Wall to get it. I let my senses help me in knowing where he was while I had my eye on the ball. At just that moment, I was able to spin dodge him like before, letting him by me and was able to catch the ball in the end zone, scoring the touchdown as the clock hit zero. All that was left was getting the extra point and forcing the game into overtime. We started to run off the field as the extra point unit came on to the field. Then an idea just hit me. “Coach, do they still have a time out with them?” “Yea, why?” Before I could answer, he knew what I was starting to think. “Give them the signal.” Both of us held up two fingers, issuing a 2-point conversation. They were confused at the moment, but Swift Kick caught on and called the team back to the sidelines. He believed that we wanted to go for it, which is what I wanted to do. But I needed them to panic and use their last timeout so we can setup a play better. I issued my line in a hurry-up offense in hopes that they would take the bait. They did and called their last timeout because they didn’t have the right players on their side for what was to come. Now that we showed our hand in what we were doing, we had no choice but to go with it. We got together with the coach and talked about what our best plan would be. I wondered if we could go with the same play as before, but with one more twist. The main part was to get the guys off of Flash so that he could catch the ball. We agreed and went up to the field to line up. I knew that this was now or never, and I plan to finish it no matter what. I explained to the rest of the team what we were doing and telling them that it all came down to this. Once we got setup, I made the call to both sides. Then the ball was snapped. Flash went forward, causing one of the opposing players to follow. Thunderlane went up behind me, so I was able to toss the ball and started to make my move slightly forward. Once I saw the other player leave Flash to assist in taking me down, I shifted backwards so that Thunderlane would pass the ball backwards to me. He did, and I caught it. Seeing Flash in the open across the field to the other corner, I tossed the ball into the air in his direction. When the other player saw what was happening, he diverted back to where Flash was. As Flash was able to grab the ball in the air, he was tackled by the opposing player, causing his body to land out of bounds. It wasn’t long before the ref was able to lift his hands up in the air, calling it a good catch. Flash was able to hold on to the ball and keep both his feet inbounds as he came down. The whole team erupted, as we were able to win the game, 46 to 45. Everyone was able to run up to the field to join us in the celebration. Thunderlane and me were able to join up with Flash. As we celebrated, the team started to lift Flash and me up on their shoulders in victory. As that was going on, Flash pointed me to someone on the track. It was Lyra, Bonbon, and Cadence with Shining Armor, who was in a wheelchair. Shining was able to give a thumb up to us in our victory. The guys were able to put us back down on the ground as our friends came running up to us. It was Twilight who went up to Flash while Sunset just ran and jumped on to me in a great big hug. “You did it!” Sunset said to me. “We did it…as a team,” I corrected as I gave Flash a brohoof. Mr. Discord started to walk up to the center of the field. Carrying the trophy was a big red guy with white hair and beard, wearing a black tracksuit. He was just as big as Coach Iron Will. Flash nudges his elbow at me and said, “Hey, that’s Coach Tirek. He’s the head coach at Equestria University and is part of the high school sports council in the nation.” “So that’s the guy that Coach Iron Will was telling me about.” Mr. Discord grabbed the microphone and tapped on it to make sure it was on. “Ladies and gentlemen, it is time to award the winning team of the regional high school football championship. Tonight, this trophy goes to the new champions, the Canterlot High Wondercolts.” The trophy was handed to Coach Iron Will for him to hold up in the air for all to see. “Now I hand the mic to Coach Tirek of the sports council to award the MVP of the game.” The mic was handed to Coach Tirek for him to speak. “Thank you, Mr. Discord. I now would like to hand the award to the MVP. Usually, I would chose one player, but this is the first time that two MVPs will be chosen. The MVPs of tonight’s game goes to Jack Diamond and Flash Sentry.” Both of us walked up to him to hold up a plaque for the MVP award. “Congrats on winning the MVP. I’ll see to it that you each get a plaque later on.” We thanked him back and raised the plaque high for all to see. The entire crowd of students were yelling and screaming in victory. But it was about to be short lived when my senses started to go off. The students of Crystal Prep were still in the area, and in front of the group was a cyan lady with dark purple hair with a dark blue suit and flat-rimmed glasses. Celestia and Luna saw this and started to walk in front of our group as they walked up as well. “So, Principal Cinch. Here to congratulate us on our win?” said Celestia. “Hardly,” she replied with a stern tone. “The only reason that you won was that we were short on players on our side.” “Hey,” replied Rainbow Dash. “We started to lose players as well while you started to take a big lead.” “That’s because we had players suspended from the playoffs while yours were getting injured,” said Brick Wall. “Because they destroyed the gym for homecoming!” yelled Pinkie Pie. “And those meanies stole one of our pets as well,” added Fluttershy. “Not to mention pin the blame on Sunset here,” said Applejack. Cinch sighed and said, “Again with the so-called claims on our school. This is all just a ploy so that you can finally win a championship.” “Need we remind you that we also beat you a couple of weeks ago before all this happened,” said Luna. “And we have proof that three of your students were in charge of all this, one of which was still active on your team,” explained Twilight. “And all this started with their appearance about a month ago.” Before Cinch could respond to this, Coach Fleetfoot walked up to her to speak. “They might have a good excuse for all this.” She pulled out a piece of paper to show to her. “I heard from a source that those three students did skip out on their last two classes about a month ago. So I requested the attendance records from their classes and saw them absent from those classes.” Indigo Zap and Sour Sweet each had Lightning Dust and Suri Polomare with them, dragging them in from of the group. Sunny Flare and Lemon Zest was able to grab Brick Wall and bring him up as well. Sugarcoat was able to join them as well. Fleetfoot continued. “If what they say was true, then they could have skipped classes to plan something like this. Maybe even more than these claims alone.” “It still doesn’t prove that they had any part of it. But to skip out on classes would deserve a day of after school detention, nothing more,” replied Cinch. “So you’re just going to turn a blind eye to what all they did?” yelled Sunset. “I had to go through hell thanks to those three. You just want to do whatever it takes to win, not carrying about what happens to anyone else.” Cinch was shocked to hear this and responded. “Principal Celestia! I think it is wise to keep your students in check. Such outbursts are uncalled for here.” It was then that I was at my tipping point. That’s when I remember Moon Dancer saying: “Jack might have to issue the challenge, but the timing has to be right.” If I was to issue the challenge, I needed to push Principal Cinch to that point. “Who should keep whose students in check?” My outburst placed everyone in shock. “If I’m seeing this right, you’ve been overlooking your students’ activities out of school so that they can do whatever they want because they think they can get away with it. Either you’re not doing anything about it…or you’re a part of it.” ‘How dare you accuse me of such…treachery,” she replied. “And to think this would come for some so-called M-V-P.” “Did you just…call me out?” I went and took off my jersey and pads, leaving my t-shirt on that had my tattoo shown under my neck. I walk to where Applejack was, still holding my blade. “I have you know that you have insulted a member of the Manehattan Knights. The tattoo on the back under my neck is proof of that. And all you have been doing is denying any truth to the claims that have been placed onto you. I hope one of your students know about the Order of the Manehattan Knights law that was put into place for us.” “I do,” replied Sunny Flare. “Simply, it allows any knight to resolves issues in an equal manner once requested.” “And I should thank Twilight for making that request earlier this week,” I said. “But since your mother wouldn’t come to terms with the result, and the fact that she just insulted me in my judgment, I am left to do one thing.” I faced them once again, drew my blade, and said, “I’m executing the Order’s challenge amendment.” I pointed my blade and said, “Principal Cinch! As the captain and founder of the Manehattan Knights, I hereby challenge you to a one-on-one sword duel, until first blood has been drawn. Sunset, hand your blade over to her.” Sunset drew her blade and carried it flat on both of her hands. When she came close to Cinch, she took the blade in inserted it into the ground before returning to my side. It was then that Sugarcoat spoke up. “The only problem to the challenge is that you have to have another knight to second the challenge before it could go forward, which I don’t see how that could-” “I SECOND THE CHALLENGE!!!” It was Coco who interrupted Sugarcoat. “As second-in-command and co-founder of the Manehattan Knights, I hereby agree to the captain’s challenge against Principal Cinch.” Cinch was shocked once again. “Why you…Mr. Discord, are you going to let this person do this to me?” “I’m sorry, but once a knight issues a challenge, I have no power in this issue,” said Discord. “If I intervene, I’ll be forced to take your place in the challenge.” “THAT’S RIGHT!” I knew whose voice it was. The crowd looked back to see who said that and separated, opening a pathway for the group. Coco and me were surprised at who was walking forward: Night Glider, Double Diamond, Sugar Belle, and Party Favor. And at the center of that group was a lady with curly tan hair, wearing a button-up shirt, jeans, and a denim jacket. Professor River Song. It was her that spoke earlier. She looked at me and said, “Excuse us for showing up, but we figure that you would take this course of action.” She turned her attention to Principal Cinch and said, “Whenever an official knight issues a challenge, if anyone intervenes in the challenge, they are forced to cover or assist the challenger. That is the Order’s law.” Cinch asked, “And you are?” “River Song, adviser to the Manehattan Knights. And for the record, we received this request on the issue from Miss Luna a few days ago.” “We looked at all the data about what all went on, and believe that Jack’s decision is reasonable,” said Double Diamond. “But your response is an insult to all knights.” “And since Jack issued the challenge to you, we all agree that his challenge should go through as plan,” said Night Glider. Sugar Belle said, “If you don’t think that you can handle the challenge issued, then either you can agree to Jack’s judgment, or…” “Or you can have someone take your place,” finished Party Favor. “We’re sure that one of your students is willing to step up for you.” “Your school only honors its pride in what it does. Perhaps it’s willing to sacrifice some blood to prove that it is willing to do whatever it takes to get the job done,” I said. “And just so you know, the blade in front of you is called Muramasa, also known as the blood-thirst blade,” said Sunset. “Since it has been drawn, it requires the blood of another before it can be sheath.” “So, what is it going to be?” I asked. Before she could speak, Sunny Flare ran up and took the blade from the ground. “I’ll fight for my mother.” “Sunny, what the heck are you doing?” yelled Indigo Zap. “Fighting for my mother. I lost a father that I never knew. I’m not going to let anything happen to my mother as well.” “Are you crazy?” replied Indigo. “Sure we trained together, and I’m glad that you became my sparring partner, but you don’t even know how to handle a sword.” “Well, I don’t recall you ever training with this guy,” said Sunny as she was referring to me. “All he’s doing is showing off. Like he would know how to wield a sword.” Indigo face-palmed at the response. “What’s the first rule in dealing with troublemakers?” “I’m sure you want to remind us about that rule,” said Sour Sweet, “but I don’t think it applies to what’s going on here!” The only reason she would ask that question meant that it was time for everyone to know about us. “Never cross the line unless they cross it first.” This had the girls on the other side in shock. “Dude, how do you know that?” asked Lemon Zest. “Because it was a rule we made back in the 8th grade,” answered Indigo, getting the others to look at her. “Jack here…was my first training partner back then. We made that rule after…after what I did that almost cost another person’s life.” “And these past weeks, I have seen some people cross that line too many times that I have yet to respond,” I said. “So I’ve decided to cross that same line and see if I can put an end to this before it goes too far.” “But we promised that we would never kill anyone.” “That’s why it’s a duel until first blood is drawn.” “That’s not how I see it. You’re relying on a blade instead of your fist.” “YOU HAVE A BETTER WAY OF HANDLING IT, BECAUSE I’M RELYING ON THE KNIGHTS’ ORDER TO SOLVE IT…MY WAY!!!” “But…” “BACK OFF!!! Ever since I’ve come here, all I’ve heard about this school is their damn pride. And for that, they think they can get away with whatever they want to do. It’s time they learn what happens when they let it go through their heads.” I was furious at to what was going on. I knew that something needed to be done. And this time, I wasn’t holding back, and Indigo saw it in my eyes. She knew she needed to stop this, and fast. That’s when she went up to Lightning Dust and grabbed her by her shirt. “See what you have done?” “Why are you pinning this on me?” Lightning Dust panicky replied. “You damn well know why! Take a good look at him. See the blood-shot eyes? That’s not anger or hatred, that’s vengeance. The same look that I once had years ago. And he’s not going to stop until it’s done.” “So?” “So…let me make this simple, all that you have done up to this point has helped Sunny Flare sign her death wish. And if she dies here and now…I will be the last face you ever see in your life.” Silence came on the field. The two of us were staring at each other with our blades ready to strike. This was one bluff I could not make like last time. If Lightning Dust was going to stop this from happening, it had to be now. … … “WAIT!!!” Lightning Dust panicked. “Principal Cinch! The alibi that Fleur gave…was a lie.” “What!? Explain what you mean,” asked Cinch. “We forced it on to her to tell you that alibi,” replied Lightning Dust. Indigo yanked of her shirt. “Everything! Tell us everything!” “OK, OK. When we all learned about Jack in the newspapers, Fleur wanted to have a meeting with him, just to chat. Suri had an idea what was going through her mind and explained it to me. We figured that we could use this chance to plan for the school prank before the big game, and maybe take out the competition at the same time. We did our research and found out how to find him. But having that Goth girl with him might have complicated things. When the other girl showed up, we had no choice but to flee. We figure that we get back at her by destroying the homecoming decorations and taking the bunny and placing the blame on her. We asked for help in getting in and finding our way in the building and were able to pull it off, but problems came up when the bunny was later gone. When we learned that suspensions were being handed out, we threaten Fleur to give you an alibi to keep the three of us in the clear so we can find a way to get back at them for spoiling our plans. After what happened a week ago, I figure that it was enough fuel to help get back at Jack and Sunset.” “So all you were doing was using Fleur as some…pawn?” asked Indigo. Dust rapidly nodded. “Indigo, you can let her go,” requested Cinch, in which she did. “I’ve heard enough. After hearing all this, I am shock at what you three have done to damage the repartition to our school. Since the football season is over, I have no other choice but to have all three of you suspended next week, followed by detention until the end of the semester. Lightning Dust, because of this, you will not be allowed to try out for the basketball team this school year.” River Song went to clear her throat and said, “I believe an apology is in order?” Cinch adjusted her glasses and said, “I guess it does. Jack Diamond. I’m sorry for the actions that these three students have done to you and your classmates. I hope the punishment that I have given will do.” “I will.” I sheath my blade and said, “I withdraw my challenge against you, Principal Cinch, and agree to the actions that you have done to resolve this issue.” “Then if you will excuse me, I have other business to take care of.” As she was leaving, she looked at Sunny Flare and said, “We will discuss your actions later.” As she was leaving, Discord stopped her and said, “I expect you in my office tomorrow…at noon. We need to discuss your schools’ policy so that this doesn’t happen again.” She stared him for a moment, and then went on her way. There was a lot of talking as to what just happened. Sunny Flare was still holding Muramasa, not knowing what to do with it. Sunset Shimmer walked up to her and held out her hands, asking for the blade. She gave it to her, to which she replied, “I offer my own blood to this blade for you.” She took the blade and cut her hand on the same scar like before. Sunny Flare took out a small handkerchief and used it to wipe the blood off the blade before it can be sheath, then tied it around Sunset’s hand to stop the bleeding. “Th-thank you,” replied Sunny Flare. She looks towards the students of Crystal Prep and yelled, “Alright, losers. Time to go home. There’s nothing else to see here.” “You heard her, boys. Time to leave,” yelled Long Shot. He walked up to me with Fleur next to him. “I don’t think I could have done what you have just done on, and off, the field.” “I’ve been staying in the shadows for far too long. It was time for me to step up and do something to fix all this.” I looked at Fleur for a moment, then back to Long Shot and said, “You take care of her. I hate for her to get caught up in this mess again.” He looked at her, then back at me and said, “I will. And I hope we face each other again later on.” Fleur looked at me and just gave a simple nod, which I replied the same. Then they left together, along with the rest of the students of Crystal Prep. After they all left, all the students from our school started to leave, with only several waiting behind. Within that group were my parents with Chrysalis next to them, who walked up to join some of us. “Well, I never would have expected something like that to happen,” my mother said. “We were worried that bad things were going to happen after the game,” my father added. It was River Song who walked up behind me and said, “When we received the info and figured out the possible outcome, we figured that Jack needed some backup for what was to come. I was able to get these four out of school early so that we can make our way here. We’re just glad that it came out good at the end. And that was our 13th issue to resolve.” “Hey, I’m sure you want us to stay for a while, but we have a long road back home, and we need to make sure that we are ready for anything back there,” said Double Diamond. “Well, you guys take care. And keep me in the loop if anything is happening that I need to know,” I said. “Oh we will,” said Night Glider. “And make sure you tell that one girl, Gilda I believe, to be careful when entering into other people’s turf.” “Don’t worry. Ms. Harshwhinny and me have that covered,” said Sunset. As my fellow knights left, my parents decided to take Chrysalis home as well, since I needed to return to the locker room and get changed. I was able to talk to some of the others before all of them started to leave. Twilight and her parents planned to take Shining Armor to the hospital to have his injuries looked at. Nurse Redheart said that he would be fine, but he needed to have the shoulder looked at better. Sunset handed me Muramasa before walking with the group out of the stadium. I walked with Flash and Thunderlane back to the locker room. Epilogue“Hey Jack, see you next time.” “You too, Flash. Get some rest. You earned it.” “Same for you.” Flash was the last to leave, with the exception of Coach Iron Will in his office. I was able to place both blades back in its case and closed the locker. All of my gear was already placed in a storage bin to be cleaned next week. I walked towards the coach’s office and knocked on the opened door. “I’m the last one out coach.” “OK.” I started to walk away before he caught my attention. “Hold up, Jack.” I went back to see what he wanted. “There was something I wanted to ask you.” “Seeing that you just said ‘I’ could only mean that it must be personal.” “It is. When I heard that you and Sunset went into the Realm of Souls, I knew that you would be able to make anything happen. I’m just wondering what it was like in there.” “It was all…white. Nothing else. But it’s only a bridge point that allows the gifted to be reborn.” “Are you sure that was all you saw, besides Master Blades in that realm?” “There was one other thing there, but I rather not say for now.” “The Tree of Harmony?” When he said that, I was a bit shocked. He continued. “The legend in the library isn’t just some legend, but the truth. All of us know this.” “As in all of the staff members in our group?” “Yes. Including Coach Tirek. Remember the story I told you about how the Dark Star Organization was trying to make a god? One of the things that the Equestrian Knights and Riders knew was that they were looking for some magical tree that could give them the power to complete their experiments.” “That could explain why they have yet to perfected the process, even if they are still around now. Maybe lacking a male victim isn’t enough to complete what they were doing.” “Maybe so, but we still don’t know how they are doing it. And we’re not sure what the Tree of Harmony has a role in all this.” “There was one thing that Master Blades told me when I asked him why it was there. He said that it was waiting for ‘The Awakening.’ Would you know anything about that?” “Not really. Unless what’s in the library could explain its meaning. I’ll talk to Tirek about this. Maybe he would have an idea about this, once he speaks to you.” “You mean he wants to talk to me?” “You and the rest of the group. He’ll let us know when the best day and time is to meet. For now, you need to relax for a while. Clear your head, and be ready for what’s to come.” “If that’s the case, I want Professor River Song on this as well.” “Already on it. Now go home and get some rest. You earned it, Jack.” “Thanks coach. I’ll see you on Monday.” I left the locker room and out the school door with my case in hand. I went up to where my truck was and saw six girls waiting next to it. I was shocked to see Sunset with the Elite 5 next to my truck. “Took you long enough to get here,” said Indigo Zap. “Just had a quick chat with the coach before I left,” I replied. “So what does the Elite 5 want now?” “Nothing much. Just your support,” said Sunny Flare. “We understand why you and Indigo decided to keep your friendship a secret from us, and we understand.” “We don’t hate her for doing so,” said Sour Sweet, “but we wish she just told us sooner!” Sunny glared at her. “Sorry.” “We can guess that Long Shot no longer has his gift, but it doesn’t answer our question as to why we have these gifts,” said Sugarcoat. I said, “We’ll find out in due time. For now, we need to take it easy until then.” “Dude, can’t argue with you there,” said Lemon Zest. Indigo said, “Well, we need to head on back. Talk to you later.” “Same here,” I said. As the Elite 5 started to leave, Indigo looked back and yelled, “You better take good care of him, girl. You hurt him, and we’re coming for you, you hear?” “Don’t worry, I will,” replied Sunset. Once they were out of view, I looked at Sunset and said, “I would have guess that you would have gone with your mother afterwards.” “I thought that too, but since you were going to be here a bit longer, I figure I stick around a bit longer. Besides, I needed to talk to Indigo anyway, since she and her group decided to stay as well.” I asked, “So were they all part of your plan?” “Just Indigo. Sunny was shocked when we told her about the plan. We hoped that she would step in for her mother. That was all that we need to get Lightning Dust to confess.” “You just waited for me to issue the challenge first so you can get the wheels turning.” “Yep, but I wasn’t expecting your fellow knights to show up to help.” “I know. At least Coco decided to step up and support me in my decision.” She started to wrap her arms around my neck. “So what happens now?” I decided to wrap my arms around her waist. “We relax…for now.” “So…I’m guessing that things will never be normal, will they?” “Do you want them to be?” “I know that Twilight would, but we all know that it would never happen, after what you did tonight.” “What happened tonight was just the beginning. What happens next is anyone’s guess.” “Then how about you take me for a ride.” “Home?” “Actually, I was hoping you take me to that same spot we went to after homecoming.” “It’s going to be chilly this time of the year.” “I’m fine with that. Besides, we may never get another chance for some quiet time again. My mother did say that you should live your life like there’s no tomorrow.” “Wise words. Well, if we plan to go, can you text my dad for me. I want to make sure he knows that I’ll be late.” “Agreed.” And with that, we got into my truck. As I started it up, she took my cell and sent a text to my dad that I would be running late coming home. With that out of the way, we drove off to where the sparks went off for the two of us, never knowing what would happen next. Author's Note And with that, we come to the end of the first book. Be on the lookout for the next book in the Equestria World saga. "The Rise of Harmony" Ch. 25 - Samurai and Demon (Part 6) - RedemptionWe made our way towards Fleur’s mansion to find Octavia at the pick-up spot. We saw Octavia at an intersection, waving at us. Once she was in the truck, she told us that Angel and the trio that we encountered were at Fleur’s place, but something wasn’t right about the group. She directed us to where the team was located. “Rarity, we were told that something was wrong about the group,” I said. “Can you explain?” “It’s best that you hear it yourself,” she replied. “Vinyl was able to record much of the conversation.” Vinyl handed us some earphones for Sunset and me to listen to, as she started to replay the conversation. “I don’t understand why I have to keep this bunny,” Fleur said. “Why can’t you keep it in the first place?” “Fleur, none of our parents will allow us to bring any pets home without them talking about it first,” Lightning Dust replied. “And we can’t afford to leave it at the school. Someone will get suspicious about it.” “And we all know that you live by yourself, so that makes it easier for us,” Brick Wall added. “The only thing I’m interested in is Jack, not some lucky bunny from that school,” Fleur responded. “What is it with you and those Wondercolt losers,” Dust asked. “Last year, it was their star quarterback, Shining Armor. Then you went for their top guy, Flash Sentry. Now it’s this newcomer on their football team. Their from our rival school.” “Yea, aren’t there any guys at our school that are more interesting,” Brick Wall added. Fleur said, “All the rich guys are total snobs, which is just boring. The smart ones keep their heads in their books. And all the jocks just like to show off their talents. No offense.” “None taken,” Brick Wall responded. “I can understand how some of the guys on the team want to prove themselves to everyone. But not everyone can’t be what you think they are.” “Then name one who can also model for someone like Rarity,” Suri asked. “To find out that the new guy on the team can also be Rarity’s only male model makes me jealous. I can’t even find one guy at our school who can model for me.” “That’s what makes him interesting,” Fleur said. “A guy like him is who I need to impress my mother that I also like. And maybe, I can convince him to attend our school instead. Then we all can have what we want from him.” “I still don’t trust him,” Dust said. “He’s already friends with Rainbow Dash and Rarity. And he hangs out with that troubled girl at their school. If it wasn’t for her, this would have gone without any problems.” “What about that dark girl that was with him,” Suri asked. “I don’t know who she is, but she’s just as much a problem as the other girl. And she’s with Rarity.” “All you need to do is just leave the bunny here until we trash the Wondercolts tomorrow night,” Brick Wall said. “Then you don’t even have to worry about it after that.” “Maybe we should have her return it to them the day after,” Dust said. “Then the newcomer would see her as the hero and both will start dating.” “Like that’s going to happen,” Brick Wall said as he laughed. “I just hope he calls today, saying that he wants to meet me somewhere romantic,” Fleur said. “It would be a dream come true.” “Like he’s going to have the time to do that when he has to play tomorrow night,” Dust said. “Just meet him Saturday.” “They have…homecoming that day,” Fleur responded. “It’s not like he has time for me that day.” “Trust me, after what we did there, they will have to cancel their homecoming,” Dust responded. “There’s no way they can recover from that.” We removed the earphones when the recording ended. “I think Fleur is only interested in you and nothing else,” Rarity responded. “The trashing of the gym and stealing of Angel must have been Dust’s plan.” “Hey Jack, that girl’s still waiting for you to call her. Maybe you should give her a call and see if she can help us out,” Vinyl said. “Vinyl, it’s not like she can hand Angel to us on the spot,” Octavia said. “I think Vinyl might be on to something here,” Moon Dancer said. “Jack, since you have her address, why don’t you plan a visit to her place?” Sunset replied, “They’re just going to hide the bunny someplace else,” “And where’s the only place you would hide the bunny at this time?” Moon Dancer asked. A light bulb just went on inside Sunset’s head. “The school. And the others are getting set up as we speak. It doesn’t have to be right away, but plan to do so later on at an unknown time. They’ll panic in what’s being planned.” “Moon Dancer, what do you think about if I tell her that we just getting homecoming fixed up, and that someone is look for the bunny, like they didn’t see the note in the first place. Think that would make them panic better?” I asked. “It risky, but it might just work. And I need you to call her anyway. If I’m going to hack into her calls, I need a signal identifier to lock on to,” Moon Dancer recommended. So I got out my cell and made the call, waiting for her to answer. “Hello. Fleur? It’s Jack. “Jack! I wasn’t sure you were going to call me.” “Had to find some time to do so. Is it OK with you if I come by your place later tonight? I’m busy helping the others with fixing up the gym for homecoming right now.” “Isn’t…there a place we can meet after you’re free?” “I don’t know how late I’ll be working. Some of my friends are busy looking for a pet rabbit from the school that got out, so we were limited in the gym. I was thinking of coming by your place afterwards. It would be a safer opinion to go on. Some places could be busy or closed later tonight.” “Well…I guess that would be fine. Just make sure you call before coming over.” “I will. Bye.” I ended the call and went back to the group to listen in. Fleur panicked. “Not good, not good, NOT GOOD!!! They know the bunny is missing, and they almost have homecoming fixed up. And he’s coming over.” “What were you thinking,” Dust yelled. “You could have just canceled the whole thing.” “But they still plan to have their homecoming, after what you guys did,” Fleur responded. “This is the only chance I get to have some time with him.” “But we still have their bunny here,” Dust added. “If he sees it here, we are all dead.” “Then find another place to take it. I don’t care where, just do so for the night,” Fleur requested. “I’ll take it to the school’s locker room, since we have finished practice for the day,” Brick Wall said. “Since the students and staff will be out for the evening, it shouldn’t be a problem until morning. It’s not like they plan to break in with the security measures in place.” “Then do it and leave. I need the place to myself when he comes over. I’m going to make him mine, no matter what,” Fleur replied. Sunset, Rarity, Moon Dancer, and me removed our earphones. “We better make our way to the school before they get there,” I said. “Make sure that Twilight knows what’s going on, and keep a watch over her place until after we rescue Angel.” “On it,” Moon Dancer replied. “And Jack, Sunset, good luck.” We ran back to my truck and made our way to the school. Rarity sent us a text to look for Trixie near the school to meet up with the other group. Once we found her, she wanted us to park my truck in the nearby parking lot before joining up to the group with our blades. We saw that Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Lyra, And Sweetie Drops were wearing black, ready to go in. I also saw Twilight’s group looking over the school, along with Coach Spitfire and another blue woman with white hair. Spitfire said, “Jack, Sunset, this is my friend, Coach Fleetfoot of Crystal Prep. She’s helping us with our mission.” “It’s nice to finally meet a person with some real soul powers,” Fleetfoot responded as she shook my hand. “I’m hoping you can help find out about this school’s secret, but for now, we need to focus on rescuing your bunny.” Twilight said, “I got the info from Moon Dancer. We’re still trying to hack into the school cameras before they get here.” She handed me the same box from before that had the ear coms in them. “We made a total of six sets. The others have theirs on, so what’s in the box are for the two of you. It’s linked to my laptop so I can talk to you.” As we equipped our ear coms, Fleetfoot joined us with her cell towards her ear. “Twilight. Let me see your laptop.” She entered some commands that were being given from her cell. Just then, the school camera views showed on the screen. “Alright, we’re connected.” “Good job.” A masked voice came into our ear coms and Twilight’s headset. “Who is this?” Twilight asked. “You may refer to me as Shadow. That’s all you need to know.” “I asked…Shadow to help hack into the system, in case we have problems,” Fleetfoot explained. “Fill them in on what you have done so far.” “We already have prerecorded each camera view that looks empty, but we can replace one of the camera views with a recording. The school has only one guard, who does his rounds before making sure to lock up and move to the security desk near the entrance.” “Shadow, they plan to hide our bunny in the men’s locker room. Can we make our way in there without being detected?” I asked. “The door to the locker room will be locked from the outside, once he goes through his rounds. The best way will be through the air duct system on the roof of the locker room. Look at the screen.” Shadow showed us the pathway to the roof that leads to the air duct system. There was a ladder at the back of the school that leads to the roof over the locker room that we needed to take. We would have to enter the air duct, which would be almost narrow and a one-way trip inside. There were no cameras in the locker rooms, and we would have to make our way out through the hallways with their help. Getting past the guard will be the tough part, because all the other doors to the outside will send off a silent alarm expect the main door. We finally saw Brick Wall come up to the school with a school bag. Angel has to be in the bag. We looked at the cameras and saw him with the guard going to the men’s locker room. Once he came out of the locker room, his bag looked empty, and the guard locked up the room. Then we saw Brick Wall outside, leaving the school while the guard finished up with the outside rounds. “Once he finished with searching outside, he’ll go back in and do a quick check inside before going to his desk. You can make your way to the roof around that time.” “On it, Shadow. We’ll start getting ready. Just give us the word,” I said. Spitfire handed us some black clothes to change into. I went out of site to change while Sunset changed in front of the girls. That’s when my powers went off. I looked and saw Sunset’s jacket was off, and Twilight was making her way towards Sunset. “What is this?” Twilight said as she was pointing to Sunset’s scars on her arms. “It’s none of you business,” Sunset replied. Well, it is now.” Sunset started to turn away when Twilight grabbed her by the arm and turned her back around. “I asked you what is this?” I can see Sunset wanting to lash out at Twilight. AJ and Dash was about to intervene when I waved them off. This was between Twilight and Sunset. Twilight was holding on to Sunset’s arm, and Sunset’s hands turned into fist, ready to hit Twilight. It only took a moment before Sunset eased up on her fists and looked down. Twilight soon then realized that she was grabbing the spot that harmed Sunset the most. “I’m…I’m sorry. That was uncalled for,” Twilight responded. “I forgot about what happened to you when you were young, on that spot.” “It happened over the summer,” Sunset said, causing Twilight to look confused. “I made the cuts on my arms over the summer. I wanted to make the pain inside me go away, after all that has happened.” She looked at Twilight and said, “Look, when this is all over, I’ll be happy to answer any question that you want to know. Deal?” “Deal,” Twilight responded and shook her hand. “Get geared up. We got a bunny to rescue.” After getting dressed and geared up with our blades on our back, we made our way close to the school, but out of sight until the word was given. Twilight told us that the guard was inside and decided for us to make our way to the ladder at the back of the school. We saw that the ladder was covered with a metal fence and a lock, preventing anyone to enter. Sunset broke out some pick lock tools that she used to enter our school back then. She was able to open the lock, allowing us to climb the ladder to the roof. I made sure that the fence was closed and that we would have to place the lock back on it once we were done. The next step was to get inside through the air duct. But when we came up to it, we came across a problem. I said, “The air duct is sealed, well-designed bolts in place. Anyplace else that we can get in?” “Spitfire here. I had a feeling that this would be the case. That’s why you needed your blades. Can you slice through the metal?” “Looks like I’ll have to use the Blade Cutter art,” I said. “Applejack, if this goes through, you have to catch it so we don’t make any sudden noises.” “Got it,” Applejack replied. I started to grab my blade, but decided to go another option. “Sunset, draw Muramasa. It should be sharper to cut through it than Masamune.” “But I can’t do any of those soul arts, remember?” Sunset said. “Just trust me on this. I’m going to try something.” She drew her blade and had it ready to slash against the metal. I got up behind her and slid my arms underneath hers, placing one hand on the handle and the other with the palm on the blade. I closed my eyes, hoping that the same thing I did today would happen now. It was a small moment, but I started to feel it tell me what to do. That’s when I opened my eyes and said: “SOUL ART #3: BLADE CUTTER!” The blade quickly glowed, and we executed a forward slash through the metal, making a clean cut. Applejack was able to grab it as it fell off and laid it to the side. “We did it. I can’t believe it,” Sunset said as she sheath her blade. “I knew it would work,” I said. “Alright, we’re going in.” I went in first, landing inside the air duct. Three pathways were in front of me. Shadow told me to take the path to my right. I started to crawl, while the others started to come down, one at a time. I soon then came across an open vent that showed what looked like a locker room. I could see the door with the word “Men’s” in reverse, telling me that this was the room to go to. I was able to flip open the vent and slid out, feet first, landing on the floor. Since it was narrow, I can understand why it would be hard to get back in, so I used my blade to close the vent, knowing that the hallway was our only escape. We started to look through the locker doors, quietly calling Angel’s name. Sweetie Drops heard the thumping and found the locker he was in. Sunset went to pick the lock, removing the lock and opening the locker. We saw Angel unharmed and I was able to pick him up and placed him inside my shirt. With the locker closed and locked, it was time to make our escape. Shadow instructed us when and where to go, making sure that we were not spotted in the cameras as we made our way out. When we came up close to the main hallway leading outside, we needed a plan to get pass the guard. Twilight said that Fluttershy and Tree Hugger were making their way towards the school, hoping to get the guard to come outside and help them find Angel. When the guard saw the two outside, he made his way to the door and yelled at them, asking why they were here. When he heard what was going on, he maintains a clam manner and went outside to help. That was when we made our way to the exit. As we came close to the door, I raised my fist, telling the others to hold. I saw that the guard wasn’t far away enough for us to make our escape. I decided to ask Angel to help us out, seeing if he can lure them farther away to right of us so that we can make our way out through the left. Angel saluted and made his way out. By the time he made his away pass the bushes next to the building, he was able to get their attention and lured all three of them to that side. I signal my team to move on ahead to the left, seeing that Fluttershy and Tree Hugger kept the guard’s attention towards them and away from us until we were out of view. Once in the clear, Sunset made her way back to the ladder that we took and placed the lock back on it before rejoining us. With Angel safe with Fluttershy, we rejoined the others and waited for Fluttershy and Tree Hugger to join us before we left. Shadow told us that their work was done, and if we needed their help to let them know. Shadow said that it’s best to “not go into the battle alone.” I started to take a guess who Shadow really was, but didn’t want to say anything in front of the others. We were able to hand the ear coms back to Twilight, knowing that they worked well on this mission. She was hoping to attach them to the helmets for us to use at tomorrow’s game. Once Fluttershy and Tree Hugger joined us, we called Rarity on Twilight’s cell. Twilight said, “Rarity, we have Angel with us. Everyone is safe and sound. Meet us back at the school.” “That is good to hear, Twilight. But we might need to handle one more issue here.” I said, “Why do I have a feeling that this involves me with Fleur?” “It does, Jack. Moon Dancer, will you please explain?” Moon Dancer came to her cell. “Fleur just got a call from Brick Wall, saying that the bunny was dropped off. She requested that they leave her alone for the night, waiting for you to call and come over.” Rarity came back on the cell. “I think it’s wise not keep a lady waiting, now is it?” “That’s a good idea, Rarity,” Twilight responded. “Maybe we can get some more info about what they were trying to do last night.” “Plus, we can find out why Fleur is really interested in you,” Sunset added. I can see everyone giving me those evil stares. “You just wanted to get back at me after all that I’ve done to you, right?” Everyone nodded. Twilight said, “I think after keeping your gift a secret, you can handle some punishment.” “And this would be a good chance to understand how to confront a lady that’s interested in you for once,” Applejack added. “I did hear that she was hoping to take your V-card along with hers,” Vinyl yelled on the cell. “Vinyl, please don’t give him any ideas,” Octavia said on the cell. “You do know that I have a blade, and I have yet to use my Shadow Slash art,” I said. Fleetfoot placed her arm on my shoulder and said, “Look, I have had Fleur in my gym class the last two years. During her freshman year, she always came out, trying to get the attention of the guys in class. It didn’t work out well most of the time, but I though it was normal of her. When her sophomore year came around, she was doing the same thing again in my gym class, getting the same result. “I decided to have a talk with her about what she was doing in my class and how I wasn’t pleased with her actions. I knew that she was a foreign exchange student at the school, but didn’t know that she was living by herself in a mansion that her mother owned. When I asked her why she was doing this, it was because she was hoping to have someone in her life, and at such a young age. I told her that those actions are not allowed at the school and that she should remember that. Perhaps you can get her to understand the right and wrong way to approach a boy of her liking.” I sighed and said, “Fine, I’ll do it.” Twilight told Rarity, “We’ll be over there shortly. Maintain watch until then.” “Will do, Twilight.” I decided to call Fleur and tell her that I was on my way. When we went to our cars, I took Sunset’s blade with my own, and requested that Twilight should ride with me this time. I knew I needed to have a talk with her about some personal issues while heading down there. “You must be really enjoying this, Twilight,” I said. “Who, me? NNNNOOOOOOOO!!!” she replied. “Well, don’t be so sure about that.” “Come on. Maybe Fleur would be the girl just for you,” she responded with a giggle. “So I should just give up on Sunset and Applejack?” Her mood changed in an instant. “After AJ talked to you about me, and then you find out that I’m interested in her and Sunset, you just had to get Sunset’s side of the story, didn’t you.” “I just asked her if she had feelings for you, which she does. I wanted to make sure your feeling aren’t hurt.” “And you had to tell her about AJ after she asked, right?” She let out a sigh. “Sunset wants me to NOT get into a relationship with her and just ask AJ out to homecoming. Now tell me you really don’t want my feelings hurt.” “I guess I’d screwed up again, didn’t I? Ever since I took you on that tour, you seemed like a nice guy who needed help making friends. I figured that wouldn’t be a problem, until you decided to get into Sunset’s business. I was hoping that it would be easier to get you out of it, even AJ wanted to help make sure you were safe. Now that I understand the reason you were doing what you were doing, I guess I went overboard with all of this.” “If you want to blame someone, then take it out on Principal Celestia. She was able to plan all this from the start of school…with help from Professor River Song.” “I won’t. I think I can understand why she would want all this to happen in the first place. I just didn’t see it in the first place. I need to start asking more before making judgment calls in the first place.” “Well, at least you made a good judgment call yesterday. If anyone from Crystal Prep has a similar gift like my own, it’s the team’s quarterback. The way he can avoid being sacked would have to be from powers like my own. We just need to find a way to stop him tomorrow night.” “I just thought of something. Can I see your cell?” I nodded, and she grabbed my cell in my cup holder. “I’m going to change my name on here to ‘Mom’ so that if I need to send you a warning, she won’t know that it’s me.” “Good thinking. I know you plan to listen in, but if you have access to her cell signal, you can let me know anything that comes through her cell.” “Just do me one thing? Just be yourself towards her. She might try to come on strong to you, but you can detect anything from her. Go with the flow and see if you can get her to understand what she’s been doing.” “I’ll do my best,” I said before we made it to the meet-up point to drop Twilight off before I head to Fleur’s mansion. I drove up to the gate and pushed the buzzer. The gates opened and I drove up the driveway to the front of the mansion. When I got out of my truck, the door opened, with Fleur walking out to greet me in a white fur coat. “Sorry it had to be so late, but I felt like it would be easier to do this,” I said. “That’s fine,” Fleur replied. “I’m guessing you had to make sure that your school’s homecoming was ready for Saturday, right?” “Well, it was a mess this morning. I’m guessing that Crystal Prep decided to pull their prank overnight in the gym. We never saw that coming.” “Oh my. That sounds like it was a dirty prank that they wanted to pull. Why can’t they just let the games prove who’s best, instead of this stuff?” “Because Crystal Prep wins every game, from what I have been told.” “Well, let’s go inside. It’s a bit chilly out here.” So we walked inside, and I was surprised to see how big the main room was. “I’m surprised that you live in a place like this by yourself. How do you keep up with it?” “My mother owns the place. She likes to come here whenever she wants some R&R from modeling. She made sure I have workers to maintain the place on the weekends and a driver to take me to school. I like to have my parties here, but the students are not much of the fun type, and I want to make sure nothing gets damage in here as well.” “So you just have the place to yourself at night?” I asked her. “Why yes. But I like to spend it in my room. I’ll show you where it is.” I noticed that she put her coat away and was wearing a light pink silk dress. If she was trying to impress me, I guess it’s a start. When we walked to her room, which was to the right of the main room, I saw a lot of pink everywhere. I also noticed some cheese and crackers, and what looked like fruit punch in a pitcher and a pair of wine glasses on a table. “I wasn’t sure if you ate,” Fleur said. “I hope cheese crackers and fruit punch will do?” “In a wine glass?” I asked. “Well I don’t intend to drink, but I figure the wine glasses would be a nice touch,” she said as she poured fruit punch into the wine glasses and handed me one of them. I took a sip of the punch. “You used the powdered stuff, right?” “How did you know?” “Too much in the punch. But it’s good anyway.” “I’ll remember to use a bit less than before. I’m used to just using the single packs that they sell and pour them into a water bottle. You’ve seen them, do you?” “We use those a lot back in Manehattan. My dad did construction work over there. It was easier to have something good to drink in the summer heat.” I sat down and took a bite of the cheese crackers. “At least these are good. I’m usually a light eater at times.” “That’s good to hear.” She sat down across from me and took a bite as well. “I hope I’m not keeping you late here.” “Oh, I didn’t have any homework today. It might be because of the big game tomorrow night. I do need to be back home before ten.” “Oh, I can understand. We have at least an hour before you have to head back. I just can’t believe that we have to face each other tomorrow. You did bring up that your friends were looking for their bunny. Any luck there?” “I haven’t heard anything about their search at the time. I guess this week has been strange as ever. So, I’m sure there must have been a reason you wanted to meet in person.” “Well, I wanted to get to know you better. Not on the phone, but in person. I was just hoping that it would be someplace…romantic.” I looked around the room and said, “I think you might have done so here. You have better control here than out there. Plus,” as I scratched the back of my head, “I’m not used to the dating world. I hope you can understand.” “Oh, I can help you with that, if you like?” as she was giving me the bedroom eyes look. Then her cell went off. She answered it, yelling, “What is it? Can you see that I’m busy…what do you mean…look, this is your problem, not mine…fine, just don’t bother me again.” She ended the call and was frustrated. “Something wrong?” I asked. “It’s…it’s nothing.” Then my cell went off. I saw that it was “Mom” calling. “It’s my mom. Let me take this.” I answered my cell, expecting Twilight on the other line. “Yes mom?” “That was Brick Wall on the line.” “Yes?” “He went back to the school and found that Angel was gone.” “Yes.” “He was trying to tell her about it.” “I know.” “We might have to get you out of there.” “I should be back in 30 to 45 minutes.” “Understood. We’ll make sure that no one interferes.” “OK, bye.” I ended the call and look back at her. “Sorry about that. My mother can worry at times. You understand, right?” “I do. Mothers can be so protective of their kids at times.” She took a sip of her drink, then got up and sat down on the end of the bed. She patted to her side and said, “Come over here.” I knew that she was really trying to pull off her charm, so I decided to play along and went over to her. She said, “You know, I’ve always wanted to know what’s it like to be with a guy like you. I mean, I’ve tried to find one, but haven’t had any luck in doing so.” She placed her hand on top of mine. “You’ve been the first guy to spend some time with me since I’ve been living here. I was hoping…” That’s when she decided to make her move and jumped on top of me, laying down on the bed. “That you would be mine forever,” she finished. I decided to make a counter move and rolled her over, putting me on top. “Sorry, but I don’t like to rush things here,” I said, and got up off from her. I started to walk away from her, when she said, “I’ll have you know that whatever I want, I GET!!!” and started to run towards me. I sensed her coming and went to my side, letting her pass me and run into one of the curtains, tearing it off. What I saw next was a bigger shock than I expected. “Is that what I think it is?” I asked her. “Oh, this? It’s…it’s not what you think it is. I mean, it is, but it isn’t. I mean…” “It’s a shrine of me, isn’t it,” I asked her. She took a moment to compose herself and said, “Yes. But I can explain.” I looked and saw the news articles from the games I’ve played, some pictures that Rarity took of me in what Chrysalis created, and something that really caught my eye. “Where did you find this article from Manehattan?” “I…looked it up online, after you told me that you were from Manehattan that day. I never knew how special you were over there with the Manehattan Knights. I was hoping…” I placed a finger on her lips, stopping her from talking. “Hold on.” I walked towards the window and said, “Girls, I think that’s enough for tonight. I need to talk to her…alone.” Fleur was confused as to what I was saying, until my phone went off. I didn’t recognize the number, but took a guess as to who it could be and answered it with the speaker on. “Coach Fleetfoot here. The girls have begun to pack up and plan to head out. She’s all yours, Jack. I’ll be staying with Coach Spitfire until you leave her place. And Fleur, we’re going to have to talk about your actions in this matter…again. Fleetfoot out.” “You…you were spying on me?” Fleur asked me. “In a way, yes,” I said. “After what happened with my encounter with Lightning Dust and her friends, we couldn’t take any changes.” “Then, it was your friends who found the bunny at the school, right?” “Yep, with my help. I have a rule about that. Never cross the line unless they cross it first. They broke in to our school to take the bunny; we broke in to yours to recover the bunny. Plus, Lightning Dust decided to make a mess in our gym, trying to destroy our homecoming event and placing the blame on Sunset Shimmer, the troubled girl that got in Dust’s way.” “You mean, she wanted to place the blame on one of your classmates? I thought she went to capture the bunny and did some damage to the gym in the process. She never said that she was going to destroy the gym and place the blame on one of your classmates.” “Well she did. And Dust also tried to blame my classmate about taking the bunny, since Dust knew about how she got the name ‘Fire Demon’. Does that ring a bell?” “No. All she told me was that they were planning to take Canterlot’s good luck bunny and leave it with me. She said that some of the guys did some damage to what was displayed in the gym when they entered. They even asked for some extra money from me to hire someone who knew the school layout. I don’t even know who it would be. All they said that it was a part of their yearly prank.” “Then maybe you can start from the beginning, like how you started with this shrine, and why you were interested in me in the first place.” She got up from the floor and pointed to one of Rarity’s pictures. “It started with this one. I was coming in to our fashion club meeting about a month ago, and Suri was having a fit to what she found on Rarity’s page. When I looked at them, I saw you in a butler’s suit, but it wasn’t a typical butler that I have seen. All I had on your picture was ‘Jack as a bodyguard butler’, nothing else. I never knew that butlers could double as bodyguards.” “That happened centuries ago, a lost art that only lives in TV shows. It was Chrysalis’ idea. She’s the dark girl that Suri mention.” “I guess you’ve heard us talking when they were here before you called me hours ago.” She started to point to the local articles. “It was these articles that Lightning Dust brought up that made me think that you were the same guy. I usually read the main and local sections of the newspaper, while I give the sports section to Lightning Dust and the living section to Suri for them to read. Dust was shocked when Canterlot’s win against Cloudsdale was the top high school story instead of Crystal Prep’s big win. Canterlot was the big story the next two weeks, and all three brought up your name. That’s when I wanted to meet you in person. I asked Suri if she can make it possible, which she took Dust and Brick Wall for protection.” “And it didn’t go as planned when Chrysalis and Sunset intervene,” I said. “You might have not known this, but Chrysalis lost her mother, trying to fend for herself. My family stepped in and took her in to our family. So she’s always with me after school.” “I see. Well, I wanted to meet you, and I figure that this would be the best idea. But since that failed, I had to come up with another idea. Suri told me that they were going to stake out the school, trying to think of a prank to pull on them, when they saw you helping out on something, then leaving to head to Sugarcube Corner. I figure this was my best chance to meet you, but when I got there, you were with those girls. I was hoping that I could talk to you alone, which happened when you walked up to the counter. You know what happened after that.” “What about the Manehattan article on here?” I said as I pointed to that article. “When you said that you came from Manehattan, I did some looking up, but couldn’t find anything about you on the football team, or any side career. All I could find was this article about the Manehattan Knights, who were created to help others in need. I remember seeing this girl before,” as she was pointing to Coco in the picture, “knowing that she was coming to our school, but changed her mind and went to Canterlot High. She must be a good friend to you.” “Best friend I’ve ever made,” I said. “And I’m glad to have her on my side again. She’s a tough girl who can handle herself.” I picked up one of the pink candles that she had on the shrine and sniffed it. “Do you know where you got these candles?” “Ordered it online. Queen of Hearts was the online store’s name. That one’s…” “Pink Rose Petals.” Her jaw dropped when she heard my response. “I think I remember seeing your address before. You like to order shades of pink candles the last two years.” She was still stunned at my response. “I helped my mother with packaging on the weekends and during the summer. She’s the one who owns the website.” That’s when she fell back on her knees in shock. “I’m sorry. Didn’t mean to surprise you.” I picked her back up and took her to a nearby chair to sit in. “I must really feel like a creep to you, do I?” she said. “Well, I don’t know who’s more of a creep, you or Tenderhoof,” I said with a chuckle. She chuckled and said, “Good point. Who’s he stalking now?” “Remember the farm girl that I sat next to back at Sugarcube Corner?” She nodded. “That’s the girl, Applejack. But I found a way to scare him away for a long time, with Sunset’s help.” “You must have a great batch of friends over there. I guess I can’t convince you to transfer to Crystal Prep,” she responded, looking down. “Not really.” I walked up to her and placed my hands of her shoulders. “But that doesn’t mean you still can’t find the right guy at your school.” She looked up and said, “How can I find one that I would like, who can also impress my mother?” “Is there a reason you need a man to impress her?” I asked as I took a seat across from her. “When I was younger, there was this cute boy that I met back in my homeland. We had lots of fun, until my mother found out that his family was part of the lower class. She didn’t want me to see him again. I had to find a way to sneak out at night just to see him for a while. The last time I saw him, he said that he was moving away to live with relatives. I gave him a kiss on the lips as a going away present. I never heard from him again. I know I plan to start a career in modeling and business, but I wanted some adventure in my life. And most of the students don’t hold that kind of excitement that I seek. But I needed someone who would have a big career in his future. You just fit the mold that I was looking for. But I can now see that you’re better than that, someone who’s out of my reach.” I said, “Fleur, you need to focus on what you want, not what she wants you to have. If it’s excitement that you want, then just look for one who has that kind of excitement that you want to enjoy. If your mother doesn’t like him, tough, it’s her loss. A guy like that can have a big future down the road. Bold men can take risk to get what they want, but the reward will be greater than the risk. She just has to see it from a different view.” She stood back up with a new tone. “You’re right. I need to take charge in my life. And if she doesn’t like it, she’s just going to have to deal with it.” She took a moment to herself before she spoke again. “Jack, can you ask Coach Fleetfoot that I would like to get our talk over with now, please?” I nodded and took out my cell to redial the last number that was sent to me. I asked them to drive on up so that she could get this chat over with. She went to the main room to open the gate, and grabbed her coat to go outside with me. When they got out of their car, Fleur and Fleetfoot had their talk while Spitfire and me watched over. When they were finished with their chat, they walked back up to us. “I think Fleur might have learned her lesson,” Fleetfoot said. “I plan to keep an eye on her, just to make sure she’s safe, after what has happened today.” “That just leaves us with the guy who broke in through the window,” I said. “Well, if he tore his track jacket, I should be able to find him,” Fleetfoot said. Fleur asked, “Wait, you said that the guy ripped his jacket?” We all nodded. “Someone came up to Suri, asking if she can get his jacket fixed up before tomorrow night’s game. It looked like a clean rip on his side. I should be able to point him out, if that helps.” “You do that, and I’ll make sure to go easy on you,” Fleetfoot requested. “Thanks, Coach Fleetfoot. And I’m sorry that I created all those distractions before. I should get some rest.” Before Fleur went back inside, I went up to her and said, “Look, if you need to talk to someone, you have my number. Just give me a call, and I’ll be happy to talk to you. And if you feel like you’re about to get into a problem, just remember that you don’t have to go into it alone. That’s the keyword that you should use if you have to warn me or request for my help.” “Thanks, Jack. There’s just one more thing I want to give you.” Before I could respond, she planted her lips onto mine in a passionate kiss. When she broke from our kiss, she said, “Good luck beating Crystal Prep.” She went inside, closing the door. I walked back down with a puzzled look on my face. “You really do know how to score with the ladies,” Spitfire said with a grin. I replied, “Don’t get me started, Coach. That’s the second time today that I have been kissed without knowing it, and the third during this semester.” “If the other two are AJ and Sunset, then along with Fleur, who’s the better kisser?” Spitfire asked. I rolled my eyes and said, “You’re just as bad as Twilight. But one thing stands out when she was making her confession. She said that Lightning Dust asked for some money to hire someone who knew the school layout. You think we might have a mole inside our school?” “That’s the last thing I want to think about,” Spitfire said. “We might have to tell this to Celestia and Luna. They might be the only ones who can find out who’s giving Crystal Prep info, if that’s true.” “And we would have to tell Celestia about what we did in the process,” I said. “And she won’t be happy about it.” “I’ll keep an eye on Crystal Prep and let you know who you need to look for,” Fleetfoot said. “You’re going to have to catch him during the game tomorrow night if you want this to be resolved.” “There’s one more thing you need to know,” I said. “Lightning Dust, Suri, and Brick Wall were at our school on the Monday a couple of weeks ago just as classes ended. If they tried to skip class at your school, you might be able to use that to your advantage.” “Thanks for the info, Jack,” Fleetfoot said. “I can see why your school believes that you’re special. Gift or no gift, you have a way to help others who need it.” “Thanks. Just tell Indigo Zap and her Elite 5 that it was nice of them to help us,” I said. Fleetfoot was puzzled as she said, “How did you know it was them?” “Indigo and me have one main rule when going into battle, never go into a battle alone. I figure it was her helping us. And Sugarcoat was the one who did the hacking, right?” “Her and Sunny Flare as well,” Fleetfoot responded. “Indigo saw the news articles about your school and saw your name on them. She talked to me in private about you, hoping that you can help her with a problem that her team has been handling. I don’t think she knew that you have the same gift as her until tonight, after the way you cut open the air duct.” “So all of the Elite 5 has this same gift?” I asked Fleetfoot. “They do, but it’s best that they explain it to you later on, just to understand. The rest of the group doesn’t even know that you and Indigo are friends.” “Besides the sisters, Coco, Chrysalis, and Moon Dancer are the only ones that know this,” I said. “I want to leave it that way. But should we tell Celestia that the Elite 5 bear this same gift?” “Not yet,” Spitfire recommended. “The less they know, the better. And it will give them time to find a way to explain it to you later on. Plus we’re still waiting for Master Blades’ items to arrive at Luna’s. It could fill us in on some of your powers, or at least your arts.” “I can fill Indigo in on the details,” Fleetfoot said. “I’ll also have them keep an eye on Fleur as well. Lightning Dust and Suri might still use her for anything.” “Then we know what we have to do. Fleetfoot, thanks for all your help,” I said as I shook her hand. “No problem. I prefer a fair game instead of students cheating to win.” And with that, we all left Fleur’s mansion and made our way back to our own homes. We all know that tomorrow would be the big day for everyone, and we had to be ready. Author's Note That's the final chapter in the Samurai and Demon saga. Six parts in all. Now the team has been formed, ready for what's to come. Ch. 28 - A Date With DestinyMy clock was buzzing at seven o’clock on a Saturday morning. I was still feeling sore after last night’s game. But a warm shower was what I needed to take care of that problem. After my usual morning routine, I was able to join my parents for breakfast. “So how’s the school hero doing this morning?” my mother said to me. “Very funny, mom. This just happened last night, so I don’t think I’m a big hero.” “That’s because you didn’t see the morning paper,” my dad said. He handed me the sports section, where the local sports page was shown. And the headliner just said it all. “The Big Streak Comes To An End” “Well, looks like someone made a huge impact to everyone.” I looked to see Chrysalis behind me. “Morning Chrysalis,” I said. “Yea, I guess I did make an impact after last night’s game. They already say how I was able to take over after Shining Armor’s injury and made the game winning field goal.” Chrysalis asked, “What about the Cloudsdale vs. Trottingham game? Does it say who won that one?” I looked at the same page and found the article about that game. “Looks like Cloudsdale won it in overtime, very tight game. I guess we’re facing Trottingham on Friday.” “I’m sure the coach will have a plan in place by Monday,” Chrysalis said. “But for now, it’s homecoming time.” “Trixie coming by to pick you up?” I asked Chrysalis. “Yep. We’re supposed to meet up with Vinyl and Mrs. Rich to get the sound system and food ready for tonight.” “And what do you have planned, Jack,” my mother asked me. “Going to drive to Sunset’s place, stop at the costume store, then grab a bite to eat.” “Oh, did my little Jack finally got himself a girlfriend?” my mother said with a cutesy voice. Chrysalis and me looked at each other and said together, “Yes.” Chrysalis said, “Perhaps you should let him have his moment by himself. He’s gone through a lot to make it happen.” “Well, I’m sure that her mother will be happy that you’re taking care of her,” my mother said. “She’s told me much of what she had to go through with her daughter.” “And I promise to help her get through all of this.” I finished my breakfast and said, “I better go pick her up. I want to make sure that we’re ready for tonight.” I went back up to my room to get my light jacket before heading off. Chrysalis was able to join me in my room. “I was meaning to ask you, but were you able to make contact with Indigo last night?” she asked. I showed her the small note that I found on my truck from last night. “Right here. Maybe we can get some answers from her about what’s going on. But I want to keep things under wraps until we can make an official meeting with her group. I want to play things safe for her sake.” “Well, let me know if you need my help for this. I need to get ready for Trixie to pick me up. Good luck on your date.” So I got into my truck and made my way to Sunset’s place. I sent her a text that I was here, and she came out running from the apartment complex and entered the passenger side of the truck and gives me a kiss on the cheek before we left to go to the costume shop. I followed the directions that Pinkie gave me days ago and found the place: Fun House Studios. And to our surprise were a few friendly faces that drove up as well: Shining Armor, Cadence, and Applejack. “Well look who decides to show up at the last minute,” Applejack said. “We should be telling you the same thing,” Sunset said. I saw that Shining Armor had one of his arms on the inside of his jacket instead of through his sleeve. I asked him, “How’s the shoulder?” “It’s not as bad as it should be. I’ll have to take it easy for few days before it’s fully healed. Coach might put me as backup.” “Which means you’ll have to take charge next Friday,” Cadence added. “I don’t think I have much of a choice, since I’m in the news again,” I said. “Besides, I thought the two of you got your costumes last week?” “We had to have adjustments made to them,” Cadence said. “We were just told that they were ready.” So the five of us went in to the shop and were met by a skinny, yellow guy with brown, curly hair. “Well hello there. Welcome to the Fun House, home of all your costume needs.” “Hello, Cheese Sandwich,” Cadence said. “Is our costumes ready?” “Why yes they are.” He turned to the back and yelled, “Sassy, our prince and princess need their clothes.” And to our bigger surprise was Sassy Saddles with two costumes for them. “Well bust my buttons. It’s been weeks since I’ve seen the three of you before.” “Sassy, since when did you start working here?” Applejack asked. “Oh, only when they need my services. Rarity let’s me work on adjustments with the custom costumes when the shop calls us for it. It’s a good way to get some extra money and to learn how to improve my craft. By the way, Jack. Your mother’s store looks fabulous. It gives me a chance to find the right candles for me to have at home.” “Thanks. I’m glad that you were able to find what you like,” I said. “Well, let’s make sure these costumes fit.” Sassy noticed that something looked off from Shining Armor. “Did something happen to your arm?” “Let’s just say he took one for the team at last night’s game,” Cadence answered for him. “I just saw that in today’s paper,” Cheese said. “Are you keeping it on ice?” “At times,” Shining Armor said. “Well, I fixed the shoulder pads on the suit,” Sassy said. “But if you think you need an ice pack for tonight, you can make a quick adjustment if you need to.” Sassy got the jacket piece off the hanger and showed him what he could do with it. He was able to try on one side, just to make sure it fitted right, in which it did. “Well, if that’s out of the way, I need to make sure Cadence’s dress fits as well.” Sassy placed the jacket back on the hanger and grabbed the dress and requested Cadence to come with her to the dressing rooms to try it on. Shining Armor asked, “Hey Cheese. Did it say who we would be facing Friday?” “I already looked it up before coming here,” I said. “Trottingham. Cloudsdale won in a close battle, but not like what we faced.” “Looks like the bully boys are going to have there hands full again with Crystal Prep this year,” Shining Armor said. “Let’s just see what happens after Mr. Discord leaves his mark with the team,” I said. Cheese got out a western hat and talked with his western accent. “Well, if them preppies want to play dirty, then we’ll play dirty.” “I don’t think we need to be doing that to them,” Applejack said. “Besides, we ladies already left our mark with them girls last night, since they wanted a piece of Jack here. And I don’t mean kisses.” “Them sounds like fighting words,” Cheese replied with his accent. “Oh, they got our message, loud and clear,” Sunset said. “But I have say, I never seen Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie act so mean.” “Hey, I’ve seen how Pinkie acts towards party crashers, but Fluttershy…you have to be kidding,” Cheese said. “You bring up animal haters like Pinkie does with party crashers, and you have yourself a monster,” Applejack said. “Good thing I treat Boneless with respect,” Cheese said and he brought out a rubber chicken. “If he has his accordion with him, I’m gone,” Sunset said. “Accordion’s being repaired,” Cheese responded. “Starting to show it’s age, since it did belong to my father…and his father…and his father.” “Wow. I would have never knew that it was that old,” Sunset said. “Now I’m starting to regret trying to avoid you when you have it.” “Well, I can see why you didn’t want to pick on me like everyone else,” Cheese said. “Pinkie told me that you were making a change, and I’m guessing it’s starting to show.” “Give Jack all the credit for that,” Shining Armor said. “He has that effect on everyone.” “Well, why don’t we get down to costumes. I’m guessing you waited the last minute to get one, and we have a huge selection still around,” Cheese said and as he stretched his arms wide, showing the rows of costumes and accessories. “Might as well get mine out of the way while we’re waiting for Cadence to return,” Applejack said. “Since you’re an expert of the western genre, got anything like that?” Cheese went back to his western accent. “What will it be? Lone Ranger? The Rifleman? Or something more science western, like Brave Starr?” “Paladin,” said Applejack. “Have gun, will travel,” I responded. “Didn’t know you were a fan of that.” “Why do I have a feeling you learned about the show while living in Appleloosa,” Applejack said. “Before the first Indian festival, Little Strongheart and me spent some time watching re-runs of old western shows. It was that one that I was interested in from all westerns,” I said. “My parents were able to get the DVD set of that show for my birthday a couple of years ago.” “I have been trying to get the girls together for a western marathon, but for some reason, it hasn’t peaked their interest,” Applejack said. “I might have to get you to help me with that.” “Westerns have started to fade away, unless you find a way to mix it up,” Cheese said. “Let me go and see if I have what you need.” Cheese Sandwich made his way from the counter to one of the rows of costumes to look for what Applejack needed. It wasn’t long for him to return with a matching black, western shirt, pants, boots and hat, along with a prop gun in a black holster. “See if this will fit ya.” Applejack took the costume to another one of the changing rooms to try it on. Cadence and Sassy just came out of the first changing room with her princess dress on a hanger. “Costume’s a perfect fit,” Sassy said. “It looks like my work here is done.” Both of them were looking around before Cadence spoke. “Where’s Applejack?” “In the changing rooms,” Shining Armor said. “She’s trying on a costume that she wants to wear.” “Hey Cheese, this costume fits me like a glove. I’ll take it,” Applejack said from the changing rooms. “Good it hear,” Cheese replied. “Just bring it to the counter when you’re ready.” He looked at us and asked, “So, what costume are you two looking for?” “I don’t know. Maybe something that doesn’t show my dark side like before,” Sunset replied. “Hey Jack, since you have those katanas at home, maybe something more samurai related for us?” “That’s sounds good. You have something like that?” I asked Cheese. “I think we have several ideas in that isle over there,” as Cheese pointed to one of the isles that has a variety of armor related costumes and robes. We made our way to the isle and started to look through the selection of costumes that were around. I was able to find a samurai robe that had a white top with the ying yang sign on the back and a black, long skirt with an elastic band on it. Sunset was looking at the kimonos, trying to find one to go with what I had. That’s when I saw one that got me an idea. I pointed to the short, white kimono with the black belt that had pink on the ends of the belt. She felt nervous with wearing it until I took out my cell and looked up the picture that I was talking about. It was from the same anime that the dress from Rarity’s place came from. She decided to go along with the idea, hoping that her mother could make some additions to it. She did notice the weapon that the character was holding, a battleaxe with a long handle. So we made our way back to the counter to ask Cheese Sandwich about it. That’s when we saw Applejack finalizing the sale for her costume. “Find something that will impress the samurai club?” Applejack asked. “You could say that,” I replied. “Well, we’re going to head out. See you two at the dance tonight.” And all three of them had their costumes with them and left the store. “Hey Jack, I’m going to try this on just to make sure it fits.” Sunset went with the kimono to the changing rooms. “Hey Cheese, you have a prop like this?” I showed him the weapon that was displayed on my cell. “I might have something close to it. Let me go to the back and see.” He went to the back of the store and came back out with a black battleaxe prop with red on the edges. “Good enough,” I said. “We might just pull this off for tonight.” Cheese leaned towards me a whispered, “So how were you able to make Sunset change for the better?” I whispered back, “Let’s just say I have to repair a burning bridge between her and Twilight, causing both of them to change their ways towards each other.” “I guess Pinkie was right about you. You are something special around the school. There’s been talks that you could be the homecoming king tonight.” “You don’t say,” I replied sarcastically. “I’ve heard about that before.” “Well, after last night, let’s just say your chances of winning went through the roof.” “If that’s the case, then I better get something made for Vinyl to play tonight. She’s been expecting me to finish a longer mix tape, and I just got it ready days ago.” Sunset just came out of the changing rooms with her costume in hand. “Jack, this will do.” She saw the axe I had and ask me, “Is that to go with the costume?” “Yep,” I replied. “Ready to check out?” She nodded and placed the items on the counter. I went to pay for all the items and we left the store, letting Cheese know we’ll see him tonight. We got in my truck and drove to a local burger restaurant to have some lunch. We decided to sit in the stools at the counter and placed our order. While we were waiting, we decided to talk for a while. “How do you feel so far?” I asked her. “Like a huge weight has been lifted off my shoulders. I just can’t believe this is happening. We started to get at each others throats since Day 1, and look at us now. Dating, just the two of us. Do you think we can make this work?” I placed my hand on hers and said, “We made promises to each other weeks ago. I know we can make this work.” “But what if things get…I don’t know, challenging?” “So what if there are bumps in the road. We just face them head on and keep moving forward.” Our orders came, and we decided to start eating. After we finished eating, she decided to ask me something. “Do you think that diary that Luna is receiving will give us the answers we need? I mean I know we’ll be facing Crystal Prep again in a couple of weeks, and we’re still trying to figure out what they’re doing to their students, if they’re doing anything at all.” “I’m hoping so. But I want to find out about those Soul Arts. The first three were designed for battle. You think this could be something bigger than just facing a school of gifted students.” “Depends on how many gifted students there are from all the rest of the school,” she responded. “And we still need to find out who helped them get into the school and find the science lab.” “We might as well worry about all that Monday. At least it will give Miss Luna time to look over the diary and find any key notes to discuss to us about.” I decided to leave some money for the bill, tip included, and we went back to my truck and drove Sunset back home so she can get ready for tonight. Once I returned back home, I was in for a surprise. There was a mini house that was attached to a black pick-up truck in the lot next to ours, and I saw Mr. Fix-It with my parents. My mother asked, “So how was your date?” “It was great, mom. So what’s going on here?” My father said, “My boss was transporting the first of a few mini homes to have around on the lot next to us.” “This is just the first,” Mr. Fix-It explained. “I still have to get the utilities added for this lot, but I plan to have maybe four mini homes around, maybe more down the road. I wanted to give this sub-division a mix of families, retired couples, and younger people to live in. And this one here is going to belong to your friend, Chrysalis.” “You mean she’s going to have her own place to live in?” I asked. “That’s right,” my father replied. “I told my boss about what happened to her old home, and he decided to help out while working on a new project at the same time. It will be a few months before it can be livable, but we figure that she would want to see it to get an idea of the place. Maybe see if she wanted any changes to the place.” “She…is going…to FREAK when she sees this,” I said. Just then, Trixie and Chrysalis were driving up to our house. Both of them got out of the car to see what was going on. Trixie just started at the mini home and said, “Is that a mini house over there.” “It is,” my mother replied, “and it belongs to Chrysalis now.” “You mean…I get my own home?” Chrysalis said in shock. “No way. Trixie is jealous of this. Trixie has always wanted to live in a mini house after high school.” “It’s not livable at the moment, but in a few months, she can move in to the place,” my father explained. “For now, she can look it over and see if any adjustments need to be made.” Chrysalis looked at Trixie and said, “We might have to get Rarity and Sassy to help look it over on the inside. Maybe it can give you ideas for your own mini house in the future.” “Trixie will be glad to help out.” “I do have one more thing to take care of.” Mr. Fix-It threw a set of keys to me. “Jack, this black truck is all yours.” I was shocked at what I just heard. “I figure you could drive something better than old rusty over there.” “So I guess rusty is going to be retired once again?” I asked my father. “I was thinking about giving it to Chrysalis, as soon as she can get her driver’s license.” My mother said, “I can take Chrysalis on over sometime next week to get a learner’s permit so she can start learning to drive. We can plan a date and time for it tomorrow.” “Thanks,” Chrysalis replied. “Although I don’t have a problem with Jack taking me to and from school, it would help if I ever need to visit Rarity for anything.” “Well, Trixie needs to get a bit of rest before tonight. Shall Trixie pick you up in a few hours?” “Since I know that Jack would want to spend his time with Sunset, I think it’s wise for you to transport me back there when you’re ready,” Chrysalis replied. “Then Trixie will call later on.” She got back into her car and drove off. Chrysalis and me decided to retire for the day until the dance tonight. I got dressed in my costume and packed a spare set of clothes in case I wanted to change. I decided to take Masamune with me, but place a zip tie on it to hold it in place. I also grabbed the custom CD I made for Vinyl to play later on. Chrysalis already left with Trixie to the school dance in their costumes. Both of them never planned to have dates, which was fine for them. They just wanted to see Nightmare Night to be a success. I got into my new truck with my things in the back seat and made my way back to Sunset’s place. When I got there, I placed a call on my cell to hers. “Hey Jack. You on your way?” “I’m already here.” “Where? I don’t see your truck anywhere.” I flashed my headlights of my truck. “Wait, is that you?” “Are we going to the dance or not?” “Be right down.” She came out of the apartment with her costume on, carrying a bag of clothes and her prop axe. She threw her items in the back seat and got in the front seat. No doubt her mother was able to make some add-ons to the costume. Added a pink sash to the black belt, and black hair ribbons, making her wear pigtails. She asked, “How did you get a new truck? I know it’s not your dad’s.” “A gift from Mr. Fix-It. He used it to deliver a mini home for Chrysalis to live in later on,” I said. “Looks like your father’s boss is a generous man. More room in the back than the old truck…and a CB radio?” “My dad has one in his truck. This way, if your mother’s car breaks down, I can call my dad to come by and help out.” “Very funny, Samurai Jack. So, you plan to take the fire goddess, Efreet, to the dance?” Sunset asked. “I was waiting for you to say that. Let’s go then,” as I started the truck up and drove us to the school. We arrived at the school as other students were walking inside with their friends or dates in costumes. We got out of my truck and grabbed our props when Sunset noticed what I had. “Is that…?” “It is, but I have a zip tie on it,” I said. “Most comic conventions have a safety crew to check weapons, and place zip ties saying that they have been cleared to have. Sometimes the zip ties will hold the weapon in place so the blade isn’t shown.” Sunset replied, “One step ahead, aren’t you?” “Like always. Come on. I’m sure the others are waiting for us inside.” I made sure I had the CD inside my top piece to give to Vinyl later on. Both of us decided to head inside. We saw everyone dancing and having fun in the gym. Vinyl, who was dressed as a new age vampire with fangs, glow-in-the-dark bands, and mini flashlights on her head, was playing the music loud, but not deafening loud. We were looking for any signs of our friends when one of them called out to us. “Jack, darling. You and Sunset made it.” It was Rarity who was calling towards us. She was wearing a toga with a green leaf headpiece. “I love your costumes. A samurai and a warrior priestess, right?” Rarity asked. Sunset replied, “Doesn’t Venus, the love goddess, recognizes Efreet, the fire goddess?” “Oh my. Forgive me, goddess of fire.” Rarity let out a small giggle. “I must say, it fits you well, Sunset.” “I should be saying the same thing. Trying to get a date at the dance?” “I’m trying, but I think the principal has me beat.” Rarity looked over to where Celestia was, who also wearing the same costume, but had a sun necklace with hers. She was talking to Trixie, who was dressed as a wizard, and Chrysalis, who was dressed as a black witch. “Rarity getting beat by the principal? That’s a laugh.” It was Rainbow Dash who spoke. She was with Soarin, who both were dressed as fighter pilots. Fluttershy and Tree Hugger were with them, dressed as fairies. “I figure the two of you would make a great couple,” I said to Dash. “Don’t…get…me…started, Jack!” “What’s wrong, Dash. Don’t want to admit it?” It was Twilight who sneaked up to Dash in a scudded voice, which spooked Dash. Dash responded, “Really, Twilight? Not Funny.” Twilight was dressed as an older style vampire, with fangs, cape, and dark dress. Flash was with her, dressed as a werewolf. “The night’s young. You should at least enjoy it,” Flash responded. “Flash is right. It’s not often that we get to wear costumes to a dance.” Coco appeared in a blue Chinese fighter’s dress, and Moon Dancer was with her as a mad scientist. Sunset looked around and asked, “Any sign of the others?” “Well, Pinkie is with Cheese at the food table helping out,” Dash replied. “No sign of Applejack as of yet, but most of the others are around the area.” We saw Pinkie dressed as one of those western dancers, and Cheese with his renegade western clothes. Just then, I felt a tap of a sword on my shoulder. “I hope you’re ready to face your destiny, Samurai Jack.” It was Luna’s voice. I said, “Oh, I’m ready. But maybe you should be watching your back.” “Partner’s right. You should be watching your back.” Applejack said and I heard something click behind us. “Well played, AJ. Well played,” Luna replied as she withdrew her sword, followed by Applejack putting her gun away. Luna was dressed as a samurai warlord, and Applejack was dressed as a gunslinger in black. “Nice to see you made it back in time,” I said. “Anything worth knowing about from Master Blades’ place?” “A lot of things. There were a variety of kendo equipment, practice and real weapons, and some display scrolls. I also found the Soul Arts scrolls and his diary. I’ll need some time to get those translated and ready for you to learn, but I’ll start with his diary tomorrow and see if it can give us some answers.” “At least we’re getting somewhere,” Twilight said. “Forgive me for asking, but was there, like, peace and tranquility at your master’s place?” Tree Hugger asked Luna. All of us were wondering why she asked a question like that, but Luna already had an answer for her. “Of course, Tree Hugger, there was. And I’m glad that he lived a grand life that was in front of him.” “Even if he couldn’t find Professor Star Swirl like we’re trying to?” Moon Dancer asked. Fluttershy answered, “It’s not that you can’t have everything as planned, but as long as you have left something behind for the next one to finish, then a person can believe that he or she can live a great life, knowing that someone will be able to finish what they started.” Everyone was speechless at what she said. “Um, did I say something wrong?” “Oh no. I understand what you mean by that,” Moon Dancer explained. Pinkie Pie was able to join us in her cheery self. “Hey there, ready to party?” She looked around as said, “Did Tree Hugger give her peace and tranquility talk for Luna’s master?” Twilight sighed and said, “Yes Pinkie, she did.” Pinkie responded. “That’s good, because it’s time to PARTY!!!!” So we decided to dance and have fun, because that was what this dance was for. And for once it was nice to see Sunset smile in front of friends that care for her. People were placing their votes for homecoming king and queen in the box next to the stage. After an hour of fun, Principal Celestia went up to the stage with Shining Armor and Cadence. Their prince and princess costumes looked great. Celestia tapped on the microphone and said, “If I have your attention please. It is time for our crowning of this fall’s homecoming king and queen.” Cadence continued. “We have tallied the votes tonight, and a majority of you have decided on who should be our new king and queen.” Shining Armor took over. “So tonight’s new king and queen are…” They looked at the card that they were holding and said together, “JACK DIAMOND AND TWILIGHT SPARKLE!!!” Twilight and me were looking at each other, surprised that it was the two of us who won. “Well, what are you waiting for?” Sunset said. “Go on up there,” Flash said, as both of them pushed us forward. The two of us went up on the stage in front of everyone. Shining Armor placed his crown on my head, and Cadence placed her crown on Twilight’s head. Twilight whispered to me, “This is a bit awkward.” I whispered back, “Because we’re not with our dates up here?” “Yes.” Cadence spoke into the microphone. “And now with that out of the way, HIT IT, DJ!!!” There was silence. “I said, hit it, DJ.” And that’s when it hit me. I took out the CD in my top and whispered, “Shoot. I forgot to give Vinyl my mix CD.” Pinkie saw what I had and rushed up to me, placing her hand out. I handed the CD to her, and she zoomed on to where Vinyl was to hand it to her. Vinyl gave me thumbs up and started to play the CD that I had created. And the dancing continued. It was 15 minutes into the CD when a familiar song played. “Hey Jack, isn’t that Neon Lights playing on that track,” Twilight asked me. “Sure is. Got his OK on the boards to add one of his tracks and remix it on there. Haven’t heard if he has finally heard what I made on the boards.” After a few more minutes of dancing, Sunset noticed something going on and said, “Hey, I think Vinyl’s trying to get your attention. I looked and saw that she was pointing towards the entrance like crazy. I turned around towards the entrance and saw a pale blue guy with short black hair and small shades. I looked at Vinyl again and moved my mouth to say “Neon Lights?” And she nodded her head like crazy. “Oh my gosh. That’s Neon Lights. What’s he doing here?” He was with a pale yellow lady with fancy blue hair. Miss Luna walked up to them, in which they were exchanging conversation. Rarity walked up to me and said, “Do you see whom he’s with? That’s Sapphire Shores, one of the big name singers out there. Come on. Let’s see what they’re doing here?” Rarity and me walked up to them to see what was going on. “Excuse me,” I said, “but are you Neon Lights?” “Yes I am, dude. I was passing by and thought I heard one of my tunes over here. I’m guessing that’s DJ PON-E over there, right?” He was referring to Vinyl at the DJ booth. “That’s her. And what you heard was from my mix CD. You might know me on the boards as Trader Jack.” “You’re Trader Jack? I was shock when I learned that DJ PON-E was a girl, but seeing how young you are is another big surprise.” Neon responded. “Yea, we were surprised when we first met at the beginning of the semester.” Rarity interrupted. “Forgive me for stepping in, but you wouldn’t happen to be Sapphire Shores, would you?” “Why yes I am, dear.” Sapphire replied. Rarity just let out a cute giggle, and then said, “I’ve have some of your CDs back home, and I must say that your music is inspiring. My name is Rarity, future fashion designer.” “Rarity…” She started to think about the name for a moment, and the said, “Would you be the rightful owner of Carousel Boutique in Manehattan?” “Why yes, yes I am. Just took ownership this year for my parents.” “Well I’ll be,” Sapphire responded. “I’ve bought some of your fashions at that store in the past. I heard that the family just transferred ownership to their daughter a few months ago. Can’t believe that the new owner is a student here.” “So why are you two doing together?” I asked Neon. “Oh, we just finished working on a new music project for my upcoming album, and just came from Sugarcube Corner for a quick treat before heading back to the hotel. We heard a loud noise and stopped to hear one of my tunes nearby and had to check it out.” “Hey Neon. Why don’t we play that track here for the students,” Sapphire recommended. “As long as I can use the DJ booth,” Neon said. We looked at Luna for her approval. “As long as it’s fine to play here, then I don’t see any problem with it.” “If you can get Sapphire set up on the stage, I’ll take Neon on over and get him set up,” I said. So I took Neon Lights to Vinyl and explained what he was going to do. Vinyl was able to get Neon ready for a special event to happen on the stage. Luna walked on the stage with microphone in hand. “If I may have your attention please. We have some very special guests here who wish to perform a new song for us. I present to you Sapphire Shores and DJ Neon Lights!” Luna handed the microphone to Sapphire. “Thank you. I have been work with Neon Lights on a new song that he has planned for his future project, and I would like to perform our new song to the crowd here.” Just then, the lights faded a bit, and the song began to play. As the song went on, the crowd got into the song and started to move with the tune. I had my arms around Sunset from behind as we listened to the song. And I could see the same with Flash and Twilight. After the song ended, Vinyl resumed her usual music for another hour. Sapphire was able to talk with Rarity, Chrysalis, and Coco about fashion ideas that she would want their help on in the future. I was with Sunset, talking to Neon and getting his opinion on my newest mix CD, and he gave me a few ideas on how to make it better. We exchange e-mail address, including Vinyl’s e-mail, so we can keep in touch and plan on attending next year’s music contest, which I would want to compete next year. As the dance was dying down, everyone was starting to head on out, either running by Sugarcube Corner, or catch a movie, or just head home. The staff and crew planned to clean up the gym mess, and we planned to take care of the other stuff on Monday during our club meeting. We got into my truck, and I decided to take Sunset to a special place that I just learned about from Twilight. It was on a hillside that looked over the downtown lights. When I drove up to the place, her eyes lit up. “Look at the view.” She looked at me and asked, “If you don’t mind, I want to get changed so I don’t feel cold.” I agreed and stepped outside, grabbed my jacket from my bag, and closed the door to give Sunset some privacy. I was looking out to the downtown view and it reminded me of the view that I saw on the rooftop back in Manehattan. I heard the passenger side door close and saw Sunset in her usual clothes and leather jacket. Both of us went and leaned on the front of my truck to look at the view, with my arms wrapped around her from behind. “The view looks beautiful,” she said. “Is this what it looked like when you looked out on the rooftop like you told me a week ago?” I responded, “Minus the white snow, but yea. I hope your mother doesn’t mind if we’re out this late.” “I told her that we could be out late, but not way late. I think she wants me to enjoy this moment.” “Same thing with my parents,” I said. We just stood there in silence before she spoke again. “Jack, thanks…for sticking with me and saving me from…well, everything.” “What would you expect from the Jack of Trades?” “I was thinking about calling you the Soul Guardian instead,” she said. “And why is that?” I asked. She turned around, wrapped her arms around my neck, and said, “Because you have the power to read and protect the souls of others. And that’s what I like about you.” That’s when we kissed for several seconds before we broke our kiss, and she laid her head on my chest. No doubt we were destined to be together, no matter what happens. Author's Note First off, if you want to get the reference for Efreet, then look into Date-A-Live for more. The ideas were also used back in "A Rare Sight". As for the "Surviving (Centerscore) High School" references that were used: 1) Rival school steals pet mascot, you and teammates go to rescue him back. (Used a few chapters ago) 2) Your school's team beats rival's team (Used in last chapter) 3) You get new car to replace old car 4) You get chosen as homecoming king, with some girl that's not your girlfriend as queen 5) Music group who you listen to shows up after playing their CD, plays unreleased song (I chose "ZEDD - Clarity" for this song) This results in the perfect ending to "Surviving High School". But in this story, Jack's job is not done yet. There's still a few more issues left to deal with. But this time, he has friends on his side. PrologueThe alarm clock was buzzing loudly next to my bed. I open my eyes and hit the snooze button to shut it off. “5 AM already?” I said as I was looking at the clock. I started to get out of bed and look out the window to see that the sun was barely rising. “Well, I have to get to school early if I want to make sure everything is laid out for my junior year.” I got up and made my way to the bathroom. Got undressed and went into the shower so that I could scrub my gray body and crimson red hair clean. Turned off the shower and wrapped a green towel around me and went to the sink to finished up before returning to my bedroom to get dressed. I went through my closet to grab a pair of jeans, the through my dresser for the rest of my clothes, including my favorite shirt, a white shirt with four cards printed on the corner of the shirt where my heart would be. Each one of the cards was a Jack, with the Jack of Diamonds in the front of them. My name is Jack Diamond. My family just moved to Ponyville a couple of weeks ago, out of short notice. We just moved from Manehattan because of my dad’s new job. He works for D.I.Y. Inc. It’s the biggest construction company in the nation, and they just built a new store in Ponyville. My father, Ace O. Spades, is a master construction foreman for the company. Now he’s the manager of the new D.I.Y. Home store in Ponyville. Now some may think that’s a step down in the company, but for D.I.Y., it’s a step up. Not only does he manages the store, but also oversees all home construction plans in Ponyville. The reason for all this is that the CEO of D.I.Y. respects his talents well in past projects in the company. That also means that we have moved from city to city about every year for the next project. We were living in Manehattan the last two years on a big project that my father was in charge of, which was done in a year and a half, just before I turned 16. This finally gave us some family time working on an old truck that I would be using to drive my way to and from school. My father then got word from the CEO, Mr. Fix-It, on a new store that they were building in Ponyville, and needed help in looking into some issues in it’s construction. You can guess what happened next. As I’m cleaning up, I hear a voice from behind the door. “Jack, make sure you hurry up and get ready for school.” “Yes mom,” I replied. That’s my mother, Candle Heart. She runs an online store called “Queen of Hearts.” She works on candles and scented items for her clients online. With all the moving that we have been doing, she felt best to just start an online business, which has grown big, in a way. She works with clients from each and every city to help send her products to their customers. One of her clients just happens to live here in Ponyville. I believe her name was Twilight Velvet. I do know that she has a son and daughter that attend the school I’m going to, Canterlot High. They were able to help out on getting me enrolled into school on such short notice. I’m just hoping I have the same classes that I was able to enroll from my last school. With everything done, I grabbed my backpack and went downstairs to the kitchen, to which my mother already had some blueberry muffins ready for me. “Here you go, son. Blueberry muffins with butter in them. Just how you like them this Monday morning.” “Thanks, mom.” “And you do remember to meet up with Twilight Sparkle at school. She’s supposed to help you meet up with the principal at school.” “I know, mom. I know.” I sat down at the table, laying my backpack to the side, and had my breakfast. When I was finished with breakfast, I noticed that it was 5:40 in the morning. I got up, grabbed my book bag, and made my way out of the house. I saw my father next to the old truck that we worked on months ago. Somehow, I figure that he was double-checking the engine one last time before I drove it to school. “Dad, we made sure it was in running condition yesterday. Why are you looking over the engine again?” “Just making sure it doesn’t break down,” my father replied. “You know how old “Rusty” is, right?” Rusty is what we named the white truck that I now own. “I know, dad.” I rolled my eyes after saying this. “You drove this truck when you were my age. About over 30 years ago, right?” “Yes. And it has held up for all this time with the work I spent on it to keep it running.” When my dad got a new truck back in Manehattan a year ago, as a gift from Mr. Fix-It for all the work that he has done, he decided to let me have his truck when I turn 16. He was a natural in his craft, and the tattoo of the “Ace of Spades” card on his right arm was proof of that. I got into my USED truck and started it up. The engine started like any truck did, loud enough to wake the neighborhood. Good thing we are the only house in this new sub-division that Mr. Fix-It just purchased to help start building new homes on. Our house was near the entrance to the sub-division, with other houses being built in the process. My dad came up to the window and said, “Still runs as it always does.” “Yea, as loud as a dragon.” I gave a small laugh after saying this. I then asked my dad, “How much longer do you have before the store opens?” “About a month before it is ready. Then, the boss has to look at it to get his final approval. So my guess would be mid to late September,” my dad said. “I’m sure the school would love to have a store that has what they need for all those floats and formal events and everything else,” I said sarcastically. “Don’t worry. Maybe during that time, you can finally find yourself a girlfriend.” “Really, dad? I got enough going on as is.” My mother heard us talking and joined in the conversation. “Ace, he needs to be making friends first before looking for a girlfriend. Plus there’s college down the road, so he has time to find one.” “Mom, you’re not helping.” “What about that girl you were friends with during your freshman year?” my mother said. “I know she moved a year ago, but were you able to keep in touch with her?” “No, mom. And she wasn’t my girlfriend. We were more like brother and sister during that year.” “OK,” my mother said. “We better not hold you up any longer.” “Bye, mom. Bye, dad. I’ll make sure I let you know how my first day goes when I get home.” I started pulling out of the driveway and made my way towards Canterlot High School. Author's Note If you haven't noticed, but Twilight attends Canterlot High, not Crystal Prep, as we find out in "Friendship Games." That's because there is no pony based world or magic mirror that connects both worlds. This takes place in a world by itself. This is also new to me, and I'm trying to read some good fanfics out there to get an idea on how I can write mine without any problems. If you have any ideas how I ca do better, let me know. Hearing from others that have done this would be great. Ch. 1 - Welcome to Canterlot HighI come up to Canterlot High’s parking area and saw a lavender girl with purple hair waiving me down “Looks like Twilight got here early.” Twilight Sparkle. One of the smartest and friendliest students at the school, or so I have been told. Her mother worked with my mother in getting me enrolled to this school while she showed me around the place so I know where every room was located. She’s a junior, just like me, and has a brother who is now a senior at this school. I went to park my truck next to where Twilight parked her car, or I think it was her car. I never knew what car she was driving in the first place. “About time you got here, Jack,” said Twilight just as I was getting out of my truck. “Sorry. My parents held me up a bit.” As I came up to her, I saw a white guy with blue hair and a Letterman jacket coming out of the driver’s side of the car. “Oh, I never had a chance to introduce you to my brother. Jack, this is Shining Armor.” “Nice to meet you, Jack,” said Shining Armor as he shook my hand. “My little sis told me much about you.” “She told me a bit about yourself as well,” I said. “You’re part of the school’s football team, right?” “Quarterback and co-captain last year.” “He’s also a bit of a geek as well,” Twilight whispered to my ear. “Only because I get that from you, Twilight.” “So, Twilight,” I asked, “Has the Principal arrived?” “Principal Celestia? I haven’t seen her, yet. She should have been here right about now.” As we were wondering why it was taking her so long to get here, a dark sedan came driving up the parking lot. Ah, that’s Vice Principal Luna’s car,” said Twilight. “Maybe she knows, since they are both sisters.” “You mean both the Principal and VP are sisters, Twilight?” I said. “Oh yes,” as she was pointing to the parked sedan, “she’s the younger of the two.” Went the sedan was parked, a dark blue lady came out. “Twilight Sparkle. Shining Armor. It’s nice to see you two here early.” She soon noticed me and said, “And you must be Jack Diamond. Principal Celestia told me about you transferring to our school, and on such short notice.” Twilight asked, “Miss Luna, is Principal Celestia on her way here?” “She’s going to be running a little late getting here,” said Luna. “But she should be here before classes begin. She wanted me to make sure that our new student is all set with his classes today. She said something about having to take care of some last minute replacements in the staff. I think it was with Coach Goalkeeper having to retire due to family related issues.” Shining Armor hit his hand on his forehead and said, “Of course. I heard that Coach Goalkeeper had some family emergency to take care of and decided to retire so she can focus on her family.” Twilight went into shock and yelled, “ARE YOU KIDDING ME? Tell me Rainbow Dash knows about this!” “I’m not sure,” he replied. “YOU’RE NOT SURE?” Twilight looked like her head was about to explode. “Rainbow Dash is going to freak when she hears about this. She was supposed to help Dash in earning her college scholarship next year. I have to find her and make sure she doesn’t freak out.” “Why would that be the case?” I asked. “Trust me, Jack. You do NOT want to see her freak out. It’s like a disaster when she freaks.” She then turned to her brother and said, “You have to help me find her. I know she likes to come early to workout, so she has to be here.” “Maybe she’s on the track around the football field. We can check there, Twilight.” They both decided to run towards the track field. “Jack, I’ll see you later. I have to take care of this.” “OK, Twilight.” I sighed knowing that this was going to be a crazy first day. “Don’t worry, Jack. Twilight has a way of handling these issues, no matter how strange they are.” I turned around to Miss Luna as she signaled me to follow her. “Let’s make sure we got everything settled while there’s still time.” We walked into the school and made our way the school office. “My sister…I mean, Principal Celestia should have your paperwork in her office.” Miss Luna got out some keys and went to unlock the Principal’s office. Once inside, Miss Luna went to the desk in front of her to look for the paperwork. I noticed a picture of Miss Luna with another lady. I asked Miss Luna, “Is this your sister, Principal Celestia?” She looks and said, “That’s her.” She went back to the desk and found the folder with the paperwork on me. “Here it is. Why don’t you take a seat while I look over this.” I sat down in one of the chairs with the office door behind me. Miss Luna looked through all the paperwork and said, “Looks like some of your core classes from the first two years are covered so far. That’s good.” She placed the folder on the table and looked at me with her hands together on the desk. “I know most of the school standards that go on out there. And at Canterlot High, we run things slight differently.” I was wondering what she meant by that as she continued. “Classes start at 7:00, with each class period lasting about an hour for six periods. Each class ends at the top of the hour and you will have 10 minutes between classes.” That seems common like my last school, with the fact that I was having 50-minute classes, but what could be different at this school? “The only difference from most schools is that we have a 2 hour break between 4th and 5th periods. The first hour is what we like to call Free Study. It’s a chance for students to get with clubs, practice, or just study. Lunch is held during the second hour.” So that’s what she meant by being different from most schools. “We never had a Free Study back in my last school,” I said. “I know,” she said. “Manehattan schools can be somewhat strict, but the schools in Ponyville want to make sure that students don’t burn out in classes. Mr. Discord, our Student Board Director, believes it’s the best for our students. He calls it his ‘Chaos Theory’ before he took over the seat decades ago.” She then pointed to another picture with Principal Celestia and a gray man with a goatee. “That’s him when he was the Principal and my sister was the VP of this school back then.” “Chaos Theory?” I said. “Don’t ask. I have no idea why he called it that.” She rolled her eyes after saying that. She went back to the folder looking for another page in the paperwork. “Here we go. Your class schedule.” She was looking over the list before she spoke again. “Let’s see. You have English Lit 3 for your 1st period class, History 2 for your 2nd, Algebra 2 for your 3rd, Science 2 for your 4th, Music Lit for your 5th, and…” She paused for a moment with a puzzled look. At that moment, the door behind me opened, then slammed shut. “I swear, Discord can be such a pest at times.” The woman who walked in was Principal Celestia with a furious look on her face. “I ask him days ago to find a replacement for Coach Goalkeeper, and he’s still busy looking for one. How hard can it be to find a coach?” “Well, you worked under him decades ago,” replied Miss Luna as she was getting up from the Principal’s seat. “You should know him better than me. By the way, this is Jack Diamond, the new student you told me about.” Principal Celestia walked to my side for a moment. “Sorry for the outburst. Just all this last minute stuff I have to take care of. And I’m not talking about your transfer happening weeks before school starts.” She went to shake my hand and said, “My name is Principal Celestia.” “I’m glad to meet you,” I said standing up. “And don’t worry, I’m used to all this late transfer issues I keep going through. Been through it about every year.” “I know, your mother told me about it when we first met. I’m glad that Twilight’s mother was there to help.” She looked around and said, “Where is Twilight, anyway? “She went with her brother to find Rainbow Dash before she freaks out, Tia.” “Please don’t call me that in front of the students, Luna. We’re grown adults, not kids.” She sat down in front of her desk and continued, “I knew I was forgetting something. Dash has been working with Goalkeeper in hopes of earning an athletic scholarship for college. I’m sure Twilight can handle it for me.” “I hope you are right about that,” said Miss Luna. “By the way, I was looking through Jack’s class schedule, and you left 6th period blank.” “That’s something I wanted to talk you about, Jack. Thanks for your help anyway, Woona.” “What was that about being adults, Tia,” she replied as she was staring at her sister. “I’ll see you later.” She opened the door and left the office, closing the door. “I guess the two of you must be close,” I said. “She can be a pain, but she is my younger sister. I guess it’s in our blood. Now, about that last class you wanted to take. Auto Mechanics class. Coach Iron Will runs that class but only in the spring, and the other class you wanted to take is not available at this school. I was looking through the list of semester only classes and was not sure which ones are to your liking that are still available.” She sighed after saying all that to me. Great, I did not see this coming. I’m not even sure what other classes that she had thought of that I would be able to take. I wanted to take the Auto Mechanics class soon after working on the truck with my father early this year. As I was thinking, the door behind me burst open, and a blue girl with rainbow hair came flying in. “Tell me it’s not true, Principal Celestia. Tell me that Coach Goalkeeper didn’t quit,” said the light blue girl. Principal Celestia got up and slammed her hands to her desk. “Do you have to rush in here without knocking, Rainbow Dash. I’m busy with a new student here.” I saw Twilight come in looking a little out of breath. “Sorry. I tried to tell her in a clam manner, but she decided to freak out like always.” “You know how much this scholarship means to me, Twilight. How am I supposed to earn it now without Coach Goalkeeper around to help me make it happen? I was also going to be a teacher’s aide with her in 6th Period gym class.” She fell on her knees and said, “How am I supposed to get my scholarship now?” “Well, I know that Coach Iron Will can cover for most of her classes expect for 6th Period,” replied Principal Celestia. “For now, I will be taking over her 6th Period gym class until a new female coach comes in.” “Um, Principal,” Twilight interpreted. “Are you able to do so?” Rainbow Dash stood back up with a confused look. “Of course. It’s been a while since I had to sub for one of the coaches in gym class, but I still remember how to teach in that class.” She then looked at me, and an idea came to her head. “And Dash doesn’t have to be my only aide in gym class.” All three of us had a puzzled look on our faces when she said that. She grabbed he folder on me to look something up. “Good. Jack, I think you qualify for our teacher’s aide program with the grades you have. When a student enters their junior or senior year, if a student maintains a 2.5 to 3.0 average, based on attendance, they qualify for the program for only one semester. This can help fill in the blank on your 6th Period class for this semester. You want to give it a try?” “I guess I don’t have much of a choice in the manner, now do I.” “Then it’s settled. I have you and Dash as my aides in 6th Period until I hear more on a new female coach to teach here. Let me make a copy of your schedule so you know where to go for your other classes.” She took my schedule and went out of her office to make a copy of it. The three of us followed behind her. “Good morning, Principal Celestia.” “Good morning, Ms. Raven.” “Good morning, Twilight Sparkle.” The white lady with her brown hair in a bun looked at Rainbow Dash and said, “Let me guess. Dash decided to run through the door like a crazy girl, right?” “Something like that,” replied Twilight. “Jack, this is Principal Celestia’s secretary, Ms. Raven.” She turned to Ms. Raven and said, “Jack just moved here a couple of weeks ago from Manehattan.” “Nice to meet you, Ms. Raven.” “Same here,” replied Ms. Raven. “I can already tell you that you will like it here. Manehattan can be a busy city with tough schools. But here, it’s a bit easier to get through day by day.” “You’ve been to Manehattan before?” “Been there? I grew up there before I went to college. After that, I got a job in this school in Ponyville. It’s much more peaceful here. Unless you’re near Rainbow Dash.” “Hey!” replied Rainbow Dash. “I don’t make that much noise.” Twilight rolled her eyes and said, “Really? Then what just happened minutes ago?” “That was just a-a-a, an emergency. Yea, an emergency.” Twilight just stood in disbelief after she said that. Principal Celestia came back to me with a copy of my schedule and said, “Here you go, Jack. I think you and Twilight have the same four classes this year.” Twilight came by to look at my schedule and said, “She’s right. We share 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and 4th Period together. This will make it easy to get around school early on.” She looked at the clock and noticed that it was a quarter til seven. “We might as well head on to our first class.” She looked at Rainbow Dash and said, “You’re coming, Dash?” “Just a moment. Let me run to the restroom and get changed out of my gym clothes.” Dash grabbed her blue gym bag and ran out of the school office. Twilight and me decided to leave as well and meet up with Dash in the hallway. Ch 18 - Diamond in the RoughWe just finished with Science class for Monday, now knowing that our group project will be assigned next week. Each table will have a different project to do, and we have to write out the details of the project. Timing couldn’t have been better for me, because Sunset was willing to work with me without any problems. Both of us packed up our books and decided to go to the library, since the volunteer club doesn’t have to meet on Mondays for now because all five of us in the club meet every Saturday for meetings until after homecoming. As we were walking down the hallway, we were met by Applejack. “Hey there, Jack. Sunset,” Applejack said. “Hey AJ,” I replied, while Sunset just lower her head. Applejack looked over and said, “Sunset, you could at least say hello. It’s not like we have a grudge against ya now. Just going with the silent treatment ain’t going help ya case.” “Give it some time, AJ,” I responded. “There’s no need to rush it.” “Well, I’m guessing you be heading to the library, right?” Applejack asked. “Yep,” I said. “You going to see Miss Cheerilee there?” ‘Eeyep,” Applejack replied. “Mind if I join ya?” “Don’t see why not,” I replied. “By the way, my cuz, Braeburn, called me yesterday. Said that it was nice to finally meet ya, even if it was short.” “It was nice to meet him…and reacquaint myself with Little Strongheart,” I said. “He told me that as well,” Applejack said. “You never told me you lived in Appleloosa.” “You never asked,” I said. “It was back when I was in the 4th grade. Only stayed one year, but it was related to that farm-building project I told you about back on your farm. Where my dad met the barn expert.” “I remember you saying that. I’m just surprised that you knew Little Strongheart. I mean, she’s from the Buffalo Indian Tribe.” “Well, she was in the same classroom with me in school. We were good friends that it caught the eyes of both sides to resolve a pressing issue.” “I remember hearing about that long ago. The Buffalo Tribe can be hard to convince when you want something done. I was younger when members of my family had a dispute with their apple farm expanding onto the tribe’s land. Took the taste of apple pie that helped then changed their mind, with a few strings attached from them.” “Well, Indian tribes aren’t all teepees and hunting with bow and arrows,” Sunset explained. Applejack looked over to her and said, “Bout time you said something. And what do you know about Indians?” “Besides the fact that they also can use either a spear or tomahawk to defend themselves, they like to focus on the spirits of the departed for guidance or healing, if you believe that sort of thing. And they have a unique way of harvesting certain kinds of food and creating jewelry.” Applejack was at a lost for words. “What. My mother took me on a trip over there for their first annual Indian culture festival. Felt like she wanted me to get away from the comforts of home.” “First annual?” I said. “That happened after the agreement was made when I was with Strongheart. It was after that time that the citizens of Appleloosa decided to have a festival with the Buffalo Tribe in charge of the event as a way to help others understand their culture. I was there when the festival happened. But I don’t think I ever saw you or your mother there, or I would have recognized you with that hair of yours.” “Very funny, Jack,” Sunset responded. “Besides, it was…OK…for once. I doubt I’ll ever go back there again.” “Well, at least you did something different in your time,” I said. As the three of us started to make our way to the library, we heard a couple of familiar voices arguing. “We’re supposed to be working together on the assignment she gave us, not leaving the work to me.” “Sounds like Apple Bloom over there,” Applejack said. “Well, if you could at least work harder, we wouldn’t have a failing grade.” “And Diamond Tiara,” we all said. “Might as well see what the problem is,” I said. We walked over to find Apple Bloom and Diamond Tiara arguing. Silver Spoon, Sweetie Belle, Scootaloo, and Babs Seed were watching it unfold, not knowing how to resolve the issue. “How do you expect me to work that hard if I don’t have your input in the story. That’s what we were supposed to do,” Apple Bloom said. “I gave you enough info to help you write it out, so you shouldn’t have a problem with that,” Diamond Tiara responded. “Well, it wasn’t enough to get it done, because you wouldn’t come over and discuss it together,” Apple Bloom responded. “Well, I couldn’t let you come over because you would just get lost in it. And your place is a mess to enter,” Diamond Tiara responded back. I decided that I had to break it up. “Then why don’t you find a place to get the assignment done together?” Diamond Tiara looked over to see me and panicked. “Oh, um, Jack. I-It’s nice to see you.” She started to back away, saying, “I-I guess I need t-to get to our club m-meeting, right?” only to be stopped by Sunset behind her. “We don’t have a club meeting today, D.T. Unless you’re trying to run away from us,” Sunset said. “Care to explain what was going on between the two of you?” Applejack asked the two of them. Apple Bloom said, “We were supposed to have a discussion on a short story that Miss Cheerilee assigned to us to read. She wouldn’t come over or invite me over so we can go over the story. All she did was write her opinion and ask me to just add my opinion to hers without any discussion. Now we got a failing grade for our assignment.” “Diamond Tiara, I hope you can explain this,” Sunset asked her. She couldn’t find a reason to explain for this to happen. “Jack,” Silver Spoon said, “can I talk to you for a moment?” I knew this was going to take some time to resolve this, so I asked Babs Seed to let Octavia know that Apple Bloom will have to skip meeting her club, and that she can come to me later today for an explanation. Then Silver Spoon and me walked away from the others while Applejack and Sunset watch over the other two. “The reason they won’t meet is because of this issue of their social status, which I’m starting to get tired of. Diamond Tiara and me are in the high status rank, and Apple Bloom is, well, the low rank. And both of them got assigned together for this instead of me. I had Sweetie Belle as my partner, who some would consider her between the middle and high status because of her sister, Rarity.” “And whose idea was it to add this ‘social status’ labeling?” I asked her. “Diamond Tiara’s mother, Mrs. Spoiled Rich. I think her father is starting to see the issue because of what your father did to help, after hearing that story back at Rarity’s. But I don’t think she sees it, and Diamond Tiara doesn’t have the courage to face her about it. And I’m not sure I can be of any help either.” “Silver Spoon, you might have just helped out after all.” She had this confused look on her face. “Trust me. When I hear what the issue is about, I can find a way to resolve it. I just hope I can play my cards right.” I took out my phone and called Miss Luna’s office. Hearing that she wasn’t busy, I explain the latest problem that I have encountered and that I might need her to help me convince Miss Cheerilee on resolving the issue. I asked the others to come with me to the library, where Miss Luna was there with Miss Cheerilee waiting for us. I asked Sunset to keep an eye on the kids while Applejack and me went to talk to them. “Miss Luna told me about the social status issue between the two,” Miss Cheerilee said. “I was hoping it wouldn’t come to this.” “So you know about this in the first place?” I said. “Most of the staff knows about it,” Miss Luna answered. “My sister had to wait in the school board meeting for Mrs. Rich to finish talking about this and that and so on. She was in charge of the PTA during their time when Diamond Tiara started school until after 6th grade. Tia was glad that she didn’t have to go through all that the last two years, until now.” “I was hoping that by putting the two together, she could understand that our teaching practices should be more important than her personal teaching ways,” Miss Cheerilee said. “Looks like that fail. I’m hoping that their failing grade would send a message to her mother, since they were the only ones with a failing grade in my class.” “So my sis has to suffer just to get your message across to Mrs. Rich?” Applejack asked Cheerilee. “I didn’t want to do this, AJ, but I had no other choice.” I placed my hand on my chin, thinking of a way to solve this. “Miss Cheerilee, would you be willing to give them one more chance to fix the assignment.” “I doubt that it will help solve this issue,” Miss Cheerilee said. “Hold on, Cheerilee. Let’s hear what he has to say,” Luna requested. I said, “What if we had them together at a neutral site, like my place. I don’t have football practice today, so I have all afternoon and evening to help.” Miss Cheerilee thought about it for a moment. “If that’s the case, they have to have it done and ready for me tomorrow morning. And that’s something they could have done in the first place, if it wasn’t for all this…mess.” “I’m sure he can make it happen with the arrangements,” Miss Luna said. “And while most teachers don’t like to hand out second chances in assignments, I’ll be willing to make an exception to this teaching practice. I just wish you have told me that you were going to do something like this in the first place.” So we explained to Apple Bloom and Diamond Tiara what we had planned out. Knowing that they would only have tonight to fix this, they agreed to stay at my place to work. Diamond Tiara was able to get the OK with her father, but Silver Spoon would have to come with us as well. Applejack decided to transport Apple Bloom to my place as long as she knew when she was ready to be picked up. With what time they had before lunch and 5th period, Sunset decided to take the two to one of the listening rooms to get them started on what they needed to do before coming over to my place. Miss Cheerilee said, “I might have to tell you this, but even if they get it done right, they would have to be lucky to get an A on this assignment. Best they would get is a B, and Mrs. Rich might not like it.” “As long as my little sis and Diamond Tiara gets a good grade, I’m fine with that,” Applejack said. “I rather not deal with Mrs. Rich,” Luna said, “and I’m sure Tia would want to avoid her as well.” I said, “Let her come if she wants to. I might be a student, but I’m willing to take a chance in putting her in her place…peacefully, I hope.” “I’ve seen you take risk, partner. But this might be the biggest risk you could be taking,” Applejack told me. “My sister tells me that you’re trying to resolve an issue between Apple Bloom and Diamond Tiara,” Celestia told me in her office during 6th period. “Well, this is the first time I’m hearing about this ‘social status’ stuff that’s out there. Must be the worst idea of labeling out there to date.” “That’s Spoiled Rich for you. I wish she could just accept everyone as the same. I’m even surprised that she didn’t have her attend Crystal Prep.” “Applejack said I would be taking a big risk in this, so it’s best I ask you now. Would the aftermath in all this lure Mrs. Rich to our school, or would she stupidly take it to the school board?” Celestia laughed for a bit and said, “And already I’m starting to like the way you think. I think she would stomp her way here and hunt down Miss Cheerilee if it’s not an A on this, if you like to see a dramatic setting play out. But seriously, she’s going to create some trouble here unless Diamond Tiara can get her mother to realized what’s more important.” “Looks like I have my work cut out…again.” “As always,” she said. “But I know you can handle it.” I told my mother that we were going to have company for schoolwork, and she decided to pick up some pizza after she left her store for us to have while I get Apple Bloom and Diamond Tiara on track with their assignment. Chrysalis, Silver Spoon, and me decided to worked on our own homework until the pizza arrived. I could see that the two were making better progress than before, and that brought a smile to Silver Spoon’s face. They were able to take a small break when dinner arrived. “Jack, can I asked you something?” Apple Bloom said. “Shoot.” “Have you ever worked on an assignment with a partner like we do?” “Well…first, I did work on an assignment like you are doing in my freshman year back in Manehattan, but I was able to have Coco as my partner. Downside of it was that we had different reasons with the story that we were given.” “When I heard them arguing, I though it was something personal. Turns out that it was just related to their assignment. I was grateful to listen to both sides and give them a third opinion to what they told me that got them thinking better,” my mother said laughing. “Thank goodness for mothers,” I said. “And second, I’m about to work on a science project next week with the person who sits at the same table with me, without knowing what we plan to work on.” “So you have to work with Sunset without having to chose your partner?” Diamond Tiara asked me. “I don’t think I had a choice since day one. But I think we’ll be OK working together.” “Well, I think we need to get back to work, while there’s still time to work on it,” Apple Bloom said. “Agreed. I would like to get this done and out of the way,” Diamond Tiara added. Chrysalis took the two girls back up to me room to help finish up the assignment, while my parents cleaned up in the kitchen. Silver Spoon and me just sat in the living room, watching some weather science show on TV just to pass the time. I asked Silver Spoon, “So what made you think that you wanted this social status issue to end?” “I just felt like it wasn’t the way to make friends. I mean, you spend time with older, rich people, and it just…gets old. No pun intended. I think getting dragged into the volunteer club, followed by what I heard at Rarity’s, just made me change my mind about the world around me. My parents are handling with business overseas, so I have to stay with Diamond Tiara’s parents for some time. I’m hoping they come back at some point next year. Just being around Mrs. Rich is making me feel worried about myself and Tiara.” “She’s the only friend that you have in your life?” I asked her, in which she replied with a nod. “I can understand why you needed help in the first place. Do your parents think the same way about others?” “I’m not so sure. I don’t get to spend a lot of time with them as of late. I just hope Tiara can change and make her mother change as well,” she said. “I hope so too, before things go south.” I thought. A couple of hours later, Apple Bloom and Diamond Tiara came down with their assignment finished. They already called their families to come pick them up. Big Mac was the first to arrive to pick up Apple Bloom. The other two were waiting for Mr. Rich to pick them up. With Apple Bloom out of view, Diamond Tiara started to question her views of others. “Jack, do you think I act like some kind of queen…well, you know.” “Bitch?” I said, finishing her sentence. “Well, I don’t think you come as close to what Sunset was last year. I mean, you might have done some bullying, but you have yet to cross that line like Sunset has done. And just remember that Apple Bloom and Scootaloo have lost something close to them when they were young.” “Like a mother and father,” Diamond Tiara responded. “Is there time for me to change?” “Maybe, but you have to make that decision. I have been trying to help Sunset make a change for herself that others can see. Just remember, if you ever think you’re taking the wrong path and question what you’re doing, you just go to someone you know who can listen. They can help you with the rest if they can. And it doesn’t have to be Spoon here. It could be Miss Cheerilee, Miss Luna, or even Principal Celestia. Even Cadence and Twilight would be willing to listen to you if you like. Just don’t wait until it’s too late.” We were waiting some more, and the thought occurred to me that Celestia said. “Tiara, do you think things would be better for you if you attended Crystal Prep?” “That school? Please. Even my parents hate it because of their strict standards.” “My parents don’t like how they take control of what students have to do there to be the best,” Silver Spoon added. “And since they travel on business trips every now and then, it leaves little control in my life. Plus, both our parents knew some of the other parents who have students in that school. We’ve only met them in one of the Rich’s formal events. And we were still in junior high when we met them.” “So who all have you met from that school?” I asked them. “You really want to know?” Diamond Tiara asked me. “Entertain me.” Diamond Tiara started. “Well, there’s Royal Pin. I swear to you he looks like some fancy composer’s son, always talking about the ‘high life’ as he would call it. At least talk about something better than yourself.” Oh, and there Jet Set and Upper Crust,” Silver Spoon added. “They’re like the high school couple, but they act and dress way too preppy. It’s like they got that look from both of their parents. I wouldn’t know if they were really rich, or just want to act the part.” “I know one who likes to blend in,” Diamond Tiara added. “Tenderhoof. He was there to write an article for the Crystal Prep newsletter, from what I was told. But all he likes to talk about is all the girls that he has met. Gross.” “Come on, Tiara. I thought he was nice. He couldn’t be that bad. “Spoon, if you haven’t forgot, he even brought up Applejack’s name. I mean, really. I would have been impressed if he mentioned Sweetie Belle’s older sister, Rarity. But to bring up Apple Bloom’s sister makes them look like an odd couple.” I said, “What about Suri, you know, Rarity’s rival?” Silver Spoon said, “Her? I can understand why Rarity hates her and was able to save Coco from her. She likes to claim every fashion like it was her own. Like mother, like daughter.” “But there’s one student who’s more of a bitch,” Diamond Tiara said. “Her name is…Fley de Lee?” “It’s Fleur de Lis,” Silver Spoon corrected. “And yes, she must be the worst of the worst in that group of people. She thinks she the queen of the school. I just think she’s just full of it.” “Well, I never expect to see you both act like this,” I said. “And what made your parents think that our school was better than theirs?” Diamond Tiara took a moment to think of an answer. “I guess so that she can raise me the way she wants me to be.” “I would figure it would be to give us some freedom to do what we wanted to do,” Silver Spoon said. “Well, I’m at least glad that you came to our school instead of theirs,” I said. Mr. Rich was now showing up to pick them up. As they started to head to the car, Diamond Tiara looked back at me and said, “What you said before? Give me some time to think about it.” With them now heading home, Chrysalis came up next to me outside. “What do you think will happen now?” “I don’t know, but if Mrs. Rich decides to show up as a problem, I’ll have to go back to my old ways to solve this. Something I don’t want to do, but might have to if I plan to send a message to her,” I said. Chrysalis said, “Let’s hope it doesn’t come to that.” “There’s one other thing that needs to be done,” I said. “Finding out who this Fleur de Lis is.” “What makes you say that?” she asked. “They brought up some of the rich students in that school, and I think her name sticks out like a sore thumb. And I can also guess that rich people are ones who want what power they need to achieve their goal. And having powers like mine would be one of them.” After Apple Bloom and Diamond Tiara turned in their assignment, Sunset and me decided to check up with Miss Cheerilee during free study to see if she looked it over, since she only has two classes to teach before headed to the library. Turns out we were not the only ones who wanted to know. Both girls, along with their friends, wanted to see if they did better than before. Seeing Apple Bloom’s smile meant that it had to be good, but there was a faint smile on Diamond Tiara’s face. This told me that an A was out of the question. Now I knew I had to be on guard if what I heard about her mother was true. On the next day, I was staying alert for anything bad that would happen. And it wasn’t until the end of the day before I would head to practice that it was about to play out. My friends and me were busy getting ready to head to our after-school activates when Silver Spoon and the Crusaders came running towards us. Silver Spoon said, “Jack, Mrs. Rich just pulled up, and I don’t think it was to take us home.” “I knew it would happen after seeing my sis’ grade,” Applejack said. I just finished getting my things ready and slammed the locker door. “It’s time I met Mrs. Spoiled Rotten,” and started making my way outside. “He’s not going to do what I think he’s about to do,” Twilight said. “I think so, and knowing him, he ain’t holding back,” Applejack responded. I went outside to see Diamond Tiara trying to stop her mother from storming into the school. I knew she was not happy with the grade her daughter got. Even if it was a passing grade, she wanted it to be better than that, and I knew she wanted to talk to Miss Cheerilee about it. “Mother, you don’t have to do this,” Diamond Tiara said. “I’m fine with having a B on the assignment.” “The only reason you got a B was having to be pair up with that low life farm girl,” Mrs. Rich responded. “This is something that’s unacceptable in the family. I spent money on everything to make you the best student in school, and getting just one B in class is one reason I’m here.” Applejack was also outside and heard what she had to say. “If she thinks my sis is a low life to her, I rather give her a piece of my mind also.” I held Applejack for a moment to see if she can diffuse the issue. Diamond Tiara continued. “But this is high school. You can’t expect me to get straight A’s in every class.” “Our family strives to be the best out there,” Mrs. Rich said. “And just settling for second best is not enough in my book. That’s why I’m here, to get all this fixed the way I want it to be.” “That’s all you ever wanted it to be,” she yelled. “It’s always you, you, YOU!!! I…I…I HATE YOU, MOTHER!!!” At that point, my powers just kicked into high gear and it was pure anger coming form Mrs. Rich. If she was about to do something worse, I need to stop her NOW!!! Mrs. Rich started to put her hand up, ready to slap her daughter… …Only to be stopped when I ran up and grabbed her arm. She looked at what I was doing and ordered, “You let me go this instant, you ruffian.” I replied, “If you dare harm your daughter in that matter, then you’ll have a cast as you newest accessory.” “Are you trying to threaten me?” “I’m making sure you don’t make the biggest mistake in your life.” I let go of her arm at that point. “I don’t need to be lectured by some low life student like you,” she replied. “Then how about I lecture you instead.” A hard slap in the face came from Sunset’s hand, shocking everyone who just saw it. Mrs. Rich responded, “How dare you hit me like…” “SHUT UP YOU SPOILED BITCH!!!” Sunset yelled, cutting her off. “If you think this is the way to make your daughter smart and popular, then forget it. I done that in the past, and it destroyed my life. And all you’re doing is destroying your daughter’s life as well, because you’re too blind to see how much of a bully you are to her and everyone around you.” “I should call the cops for this insult,” Mrs. Rich replied. “Then call the cops,” Sunset said. “I hope that when they see how you harmed you daughter, they lock you away just like they did with my so-called father after what he did. Because that’s where you belong, BITCH!!!” She paused a moment before she continued. “By the way, that guy who just stopped you from doing something stupid is the son of the man that saved your family from losing a ton of money down the hole.” Mrs. Rich started to go into shock. “You…you mean he’s…” “That’s right,” I responded. “I’m Mr. Spades’ son. And the last thing I need now is a parent trying to be a bully to her daughter, not to mention making her worst than what Sunset was. No offense.” “None taken,” Sunset replied. “Besides, I think it’s best that Diamond Tiara stay with your family instead of her own, until this bitch gets her act together.” “I would like to see Mr. Rich’s reaction to all this, since I have noticed that he’s started to have a change of heart after what my father did to help him out. But it’s hard to tell who controls the family, him…OR YOU!!!” I looked over to the group and said, “Chrysalis, would you do me a favor and watch over Tiara and Spoon until after practice. I want to make sure they stay safe for once.” “Now that I can do,” she replied. “WAIT!!!” Everyone noticed that Mrs. Rich was in a panicked state. “Look, I just wanted her to be the best, not lose her from me because of what I want her to be.” That’s when I noticed Twilight and Rarity walk on up so they can add their take to the situation. Rarity placed her hand on Mrs. Rich’s shoulder and said, “Look, dear. I can understand why we do what we do to be the best. But being the best overall is never easy to do. Even Sweetie Belle can’t get great grades all the time, but she’s trying her best, and that’s all that matters to me and my parents, even if they are away.” “And I might have the best grades in my class so far, but that’s because I study a lot, and not everyone can maintain all that info in their head like I have,” Twilight added. “I already know that Jack is good in Math, but struggles in English. That doesn’t stop him from trying to do what he can. Even I have helped him when he needs help.” I said, “If you want to do something right, then let her make her own choices. Sure you can teach her what she needs to know, but she needs to make her own choices and find her own path, not to be forced in the path that you take.” Mrs. Rich took a moment to take in all that we said to her before she can respond. “You’re…you’re right. I have been forcing my daughter to follow in my footsteps. And today’s the first time that she has gone against me. It means that she’s ready to take on whatever she can handle.” “And what about all the labeling of others. You know, a person’s social status?” Applejack added. “You’re right. All that does is to add insult to injury.” She looked at Applejack and said, “I’m sorry that I called your family a low life. I forget that both the Rich family and Apple family played a role in the founding of Ponyville over a hundred years ago. Otherwise, we wouldn’t be where we are today.” “Mrs. Rich,” said Sunset. “I’m sorry for hitting you like that. I lost my cool after seeing what looked like an image of my former self. One that I want to forget,” she said as she looked away. “It’s OK. I needed a wake-up call like that.” Mrs. Rich felt where the slap happened. “But you might want to work on how hard you plan to slap someone in the face. It really hurt.” “Easier said than done,” I said. “At least I don’t see a mark on your face.” “Jack, I did not slap you that hard during that time,” Sunset told me. “Yes you did. Principal Celestia freaked when she saw it later that day. Just be lucky that I was able to make sure you didn’t take the blame for your actions.” “I think I’ll take Tiara and Spoon home and leave you kids to yourself. I need to start re-evaluating what I need to do to support my daughter’s future, before my husband decides to lecture me on raising a daughter.” Mrs. Rich started to head back to her car with Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon with her. Both girls looked back and gave us a smile before getting into the back of the car. Once they have left to school, the girls gave Sunset strange looks after what just happened. “What. You want Jack to take the fall for all this?” Sunset said. “When you put it that way, I guess I can’t blame ya for what you did,” Applejack responded. “If that’s it, then I’m heading home. I’m tired of having to remind myself of who I was every single time.” Sunset started to walk to her car, but stopped and said, “Don’t forget football practice.” “OH CRAP!!!” Twilight reacted. “We need to get going before we’re late.” Most of the guys started to make their way to the football field. Flash looked back and said, “You coming, Jack?” “Be right there,” I responded. I went to Applejack and asked, “Did you hear what Sunset said earlier?” “Bout her father and the cops? You think what her father did could be related to her past actions?” “Well, she never wanted to bring her father up for discussion, and we just heard her bring him up when she was angry at seeing an image of herself. Look, I need to get to practice. If you can think of any ideas about this, text me,” I said. “Will do,” Applejack responded. Author's Note After seeing Spoiled Rich in Crusaders of the Lost Mark, I was able to make this chapter more interested than what I had planned before.
Ch. 2 - Morning ChallengesTwilight and me were outside the girls’ restroom looking over my schedule while waiting to Rainbow Dash to finish changing clothes. Twilight wanted to make sure I know where to go after the lunch hour for 5th Period. “So your 5th Period class is in the music room that’s across from the band room.” “The band room is next to the basketball gym with the low stage, right?” “That’s correct, Jack. I think Octavia takes that class as well this year.” “Octavia? She’s a friend of yours?” “You could say that. We have had some classes together in the past two years. You’ll notice her when she’s carrying her cello on her back. She always takes it with her, most of the time.” “Let me guess, she OWNS her own cello, right?” “WOW! Great guess. You must be into a lot of music.” “You could say that.” I let out a small laugh after saying that. “I like listening to various kinds of music, depending on my mood.” “Then you are going to like her a lot. Once you get her to start talking about music, she never stops. Oh, I even need to return some of her CDs she let me borrow over the summer.” I soon then heard a soft voice nearby. “Um, hello, Twilight.” I saw a shy, yellow girl with pink hair approach us. Twilight looked over and said, “Hello, Fluttershy. I’m glad you made it.” She looked over to me and continued. “This is Jack. He just moved here.” “Um, hello…Jack.” “Hello, Fluttershy?” I noticed she was acting a bit shy and I wasn’t sure how to react. In fact, I can just sense that she was afraid from within her. Twilight whispered into my ear and said, “She’s always like this to new people. Just give her time and she’ll open up to you.” “Um, Twilight, is there a reason you and your friend are standing outside the girls bathroom, if you don’t mind.” Twilight replied, “Oh, it because we’re waiting on-” “Waiting on the awesome ME to appear!” said Rainbow Dash as she jumped out in front of Fluttershy. Fluttershy was surprised when Dash came out, but then caught her breath and said, “Dash, you scared me. You know how I don’t like that.” “Come on, Flutters. You need to loosen up. It’s the first day of school and the gang’s getting back together.” “Then I guess you’re not worried about Coach Goalkeeper leaving, right?” Twilight waved her hands like crazy, trying to stop Fluttershy from bringing up the coach, but it was too late. Dash’s high spirit disappeared in an instant, like a dagger to the heart. “Oh, I’m sorry, Dash. I didn’t mean to bring her up.” “It’s OK, Fluttershy. I’ll just have to start over again and hope I can make it to college with what I need.” “Maybe Coach Spitfire will come in and take over for Goalkeeper. You know you liked her since we both lived in Cloudsdale years ago.” “Are you kidding me, Fluttershy? She coaches at Equestria University. It’s not like she’s going to just quit her job, move to Ponyville, and take over for Goalkeeper.” Dash looked down and said, “It’s hopeless. I’m never going to get that scholarship that I wanted.” Just at that point, I started to have this feeling that someone was hiding somewhere and was about to just pop out of who-knows-where. “What you need is a PARTY!!!!!” A pink girl with puffy reddish hair popped out of the girls’ restroom behind Rainbow Dash. “PINKIE PIE! I didn’t see you in the restroom.” She spoke in a whispered tone, “I was hiding like a ninja.” She stuck her head out to look at the rest of up, saying, “Hi, Fluttershy. Hi, Twilight. Hi, um, mystery man.” “Pinkie Pie,” said Twilight, “he has a name, you know.” “I know. I’m just waiting for you to introduce him to us.” She let out a squeal with a grin after that. Twilight let out a sigh and said, “Pinkie Pie, this is Jack. He just moved here.” “Oh, oh. Let me guess.” Pinkie Pie took a glance at me, then said, “You’re from Manehattan and moved here on short noticed because your father just became the new manager at the new store that he’s overseeing and don’t have any friends here because you keep moving from city to city to city a lot because of what your dad does for a living and that’s why you are new attending our school.” –takes a deep breath- “Am I right?” I was stunned for a moment before I could speak. “I believe so,” I said. “Darling, whenever Pinkie Pie makes a good guess, she’s always right.” “At least I know who to go to if I need some building supplies for the farm now.” I saw two more girls walking towards us. The white casual girl with purple hair to my left, and an orange country girl with a blond ponytail to my right. “Rarity, Applejack, I’m glad you could join us,” said Twilight. “This is Jack Diamond.” “Nice to meet ya, partner.” The orange girl reached out to shake my hand. “Name’s Applejack, but you can call me AJ if you like.” “Nice to meet you too, AJ.” “I’m guessing’ ya father is the manager of the new D.I.Y. Home store that’s being built here?” “That is correct. My father said it would be open in about a month.” “Well, you’ll have to invite me to the opening when that happens. I want to see what they have that can help me out on the farm before winter comes. I’m not sure if the old barn can hold up any longer.” “If you like, I can have my father come over one day to take a look at it. He’s also an experienced foreman and construction worker. He can figure out what needs to be done to your barn.” “That be great, sugercube.” The white girl decided to come up to me and place her hand on her chin while she was studying me all over. “Rarity, what are you doing?” said Twilight. She paused for a moment, gave me a big stare, and said, “Your not here to take away Flash’s girlfriend, are you?” “RARITY!!!!” Twilight yelled. “What? I’m trying to make sure that no harm comes between you and Flash, since you are both an item anyway.” Twilight told me about her boyfriend, Flash Sentry while she was giving me the tour of the school last week. She said that he’s on the school’s football team and that they have been dating for about a year and a half. “He’s NOT my new boyfriend, Rarity. What gave you that idea?” “Well, I noticed last week while I was in the fashion club’s room that you were walking around the school with some new guy, Twilight. I figure it was him.” “I was showing him around the school while my mother and his mother worked with Principal Celestia on getting him registered.” “And how does your mother know his mother in the first place?” as Rarity stared at Twilight. “Maybe he was your old boyfriend before you came here.” Twilight flew her hands in the air, and then said, “Because his mother makes the candles you like that you order from my mother.” Rarity pulled back after hearing that. “You mean, from the Queen of Hearts online store?” “Yes, Rarity.” She looked at me a said, “So you’re not her…?” “Yes,” I said. She then looked at Twilight. “And you were just…?” “Yes,” said Twilight. “So you two are just…?” We looked at each other, then looked at Rarity and said, “YES!!!” Rarity took a moment to process all this and replied, “OH MY GOODNESS!!!” –repeated bowing- “I’m so sorry, I’m so sorry, I’m so very, very, sorry.” Applejack decided to step in. “I think that’s enough, Miss Drama Queen.” “Really, Applejack? Miss Drama Queen? I am NOT a Drama Queen.” “Well, ya sure sounded like one a moment ago.” Twilight sighed and shook her head. “Come on. We got eight minutes before classes start. I would like for all of us to make it to English class early so we can make sure we sit close to each other.” “You mean your friends are in the same English class as the both of us?” I replied. Pinkie Pie came right between us and said, “That’s right. We’re, like, the bestest of friends.” “And any friend of Twilight’s is a friend of ours,” said Applejack. So my first new friends that I was able to make in this school are six girls. No doubt my dad is going to ask which one is my new girlfriend, not counting Twilight because she was already taken. But maybe this could be a good thing. We make it to our first class with five minutes to spare. And it looked like two of the guys there were already saving some of the seats for us. I recognized the light orange guy with the blue spiked hair as being Flash Sentry because Twilight showed me a picture of them on her cell phone, and the Letterman jacket he was wearing proved that he’s part of the football team. But the light blue guy in the gym suit was new to me, but I can only guess that Rainbow Dash knows him best. “Morning, Twilight,” said Flash. “Morning to you too, Flash.” Twilight went up to him and gave him a kiss on the cheek. “This is why they are an item, darling,” whispered Rarity. “I heard that.” Rarity’s eyes went wide open when Twilight glanced straight at her. Note to self, Twilight has great hearing reception. “Flash, I told you about Jack, right?” “You sure did, Twilight.” Flash came up to me a shook my hand. “It’s nice to meet you, Jack. Twilight told me about your move here.” “Thanks,” I replied. “And Twilight told me about you too. Maybe a little too much.” I decided to shoot a look at Twilight about that comment. Twilight twirled her finger around the tips of her hair and said, “I…might have gotten carried away about that.” “Gotten?” I said. “More like you couldn’t stop talking about him every time you bring him up.” “OK, OK, OK. I guess I did get carried away about us.” I heard the other girls giggle when she admitted that, expect for one. Rainbow Dash just decided to sit down in one of seats in the front row, still feeling bummed out. No doubt she’s still dealing the Coach Goalkeeper ordeal. “I guess what you told her was true, right Twilight?” The light blue guy came up to us, worried about Rainbow Dash. “Yea. I wish she didn’t, just, freak out about all of this. I know how important it is to her. Her future. Everything.” Twilight just realized that she never introduced me to the other guy. “Oh. Jack, this is Soarin. He’s a good friend of Dash’s.” “Nice to meet you, Jack” “You too, Soarin.” I placed my focus back on Rainbow Dash. “You were there when it all went down?” “Yea,” replied Soarin. “We always been there for each other since 7th grade when she moved from Cloudsdale. We both promised that we would be the best soccer players in Equestria University when we got there.” “I guess you two were best friends and teammates at the same time,” I said. “I can understand how that feels.” “I think we all know as well, sugercube,” said Applejack. Just then, we heard the one-minute bell ring, so we decided to take out seats. Twilight recommended that I sit somewhere besides her, in case I needed any help. So I decided to sit in the front row next to the wall, with Twilight sitting at the desk to my left. I saw that Rarity sat behind me, and Applejack sat behind her. Flash went to sit behind Twilight and Fluttershy went to sit behind Flash. No doubt Rainbow Dash was next to Twilight, so Soarin decided to sit behind her, and Pinkie Pie went to sit behind him. Everyone else in the classroom was going to his or her seats as the orange teacher was walking in. Her name was Mrs. Harshwhinny, and I was told that she was more of a professional in her teaching job than any other teacher in the school. As the final bell rang, an amber girl with fiery hair was just walking in. She had this glare in her eyes that made everyone scared. Well, not quite everyone. But there was something different about her, something that came…from within. “Psst,” whispered Rarity. “That’s Sunset Shimmer. And just so you know, she’s bad news around the school.” “How bad?” I replied. “Very bad. When we find some time away from her, we can tell you all about it. For now, just stay away from her if you know what’s best for you.” Twilight was able to hear what she said and gave me a nod. The others were able to look at me to agree on the issue. I was most curious about her and wonder why everyone believed that she was nothing but trouble. When Sunset Shimmer went to sit down in the back corner of the room, I noticed that she was glancing at the other students in the classroom. Soon then, she stopped and looked straight at me. At that point, I started to get the strange feeling coming from her. Something that was very strong. But I couldn’t figure out what it was. It was much stronger than Fluttershy’s shyness or Pinkie Pie’s surprises, or anything else I have felt in the past. All I know is that there was some strong feeling that she was hiding, but behind a brick wall. If that sounds strange, then it isn’t. You see, I have this ‘gift’ that came to me back when I was in the 7th grade. I’m not sure how I got it. All I know is that it just happened. It doesn’t have a name that I could find, but all I know is that I can sense kinds of feelings that are hiding in plain sight, so to speak. It took me some time to understand this ‘gift’, and by the time my freshman year in high school came around, I started to understand how to use it. If someone was scared, but tried to act normal, or if someone had evil feelings but tried to keep a straight face, I can sense it. It’s like having red flags going off inside my head. I can even sense when someone is behind a wall or corner and plans to do something when me or someone else was about to come by. I’ve never told anyone, even my parents, about this gift expect a few trusted friends who were willing to keep it secret so that I would be safe from those would use it for the wrong reasons. They even tried to find out what I had, but came up with no info about it. The best thing to do was go with the flow and make sure no one else realized about this ‘gift’. My focus on what I was feeling got sidetracked when someone spoke on the intercom speaker. “Good morning, Wondercolts. This is Principal Celestia welcoming you back. And for all you freshman students, welcome to Canterlot High.” She went through her morning announcements, and then said something that I wasn’t expecting. “And I want to welcome a new transfer student to our school, Jack Diamond. Please give him a warm welcome to our school.” I slammed my head to the desk. Twilight leaned next to me and said, “This happened to me and my brother when we moved here 2 years ago. I think she likes to do this because we get to see new faces after moving.” “You could have given me a heads up about that.” “Better to be surprised about it. That’s what happened to me.” One more announcement came through the intercom. “We also have some sad news. Coach Goalkeeper had to resign a week ago after finding out that her only daughter was diagnosed with breast cancer and has to go through therapy. Coach Goalkeeper wanted to put her focus on family first. Please keep her and her daughter in your prayers. That is all.” We all went silent for a moment before Mrs. Harshwhinny broke the silence. “Can’t believe what I’m hearing. I’m guessing her 2 grandchildren are going to some hardships with this.” “Um, excuse me,” said Fluttershy, “but how old are they?” “I think they are in their teens, Fluttershy.” I can see that Rainbow Dash was trying to take it all in, wondering how to react to all of this. I remember a classmate years ago that when through this and figure if I can tell this story, maybe she can finally understand. “Mrs. Harshwhinny, I remember someone who when through this phase back then. If it’s OK, I would like to tell the story to the class.” “Certainly, Jack.” I told my story of a classmate I knew back in the 6th grade who lost his mother to breast cancer just weeks before the end of the school year. He was one who had a hard time in school with the fact that he had been bullied because he had a “learning disability” and his mother was a volunteer helper at school. Turns out that his mother was fighting cancer for 13 years. “13 years?” said Rarity. “If your friend was 12 years old, wouldn’t that mean that she was diagnosed before he was born?” “That’s right,” said Twilight. “And she would have to make a choice on the birth of her son, knowing that he would be born with some kind of birth defect.” Rainbow Dash started to understand and said, “So that could explain why Coach Goalkeeper had to resign. Her daughter would need help with the grand kids while she went through therapy. I guess family is the most important thing to her, and I’m just going to accept that.” “Rainbow Dash, I know how important she was in helping you with your future scholarship,” said Mrs. Harshwhinny. “I can ask the principal for the coach’s contact info and she if she can still help out as a reference when the times come.” “You mean it? That’s awesome.” I figured that story would help get Dash back on track. Twilight looked at me and gave me a wink and a thumb up for what I have done. “Now that we have gotten that out of our way, let’s get class started.” Mrs. Harshwhinny handed out books and some paperwork on what we would be reading during the school year. Afterwards, she took us to where our lockers would be for the year. Our class got lockers 1 thru 30, which was near the entrance and across the school office. All of the lockers were single stack lockers, while my last school was dual stack lockers. “All right, everyone. Which lockers do we want to be close to?” said Twilight. Twilight wanted Applejack, Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy, Rarity, Rainbow Dash, Soarin, Flash, and me to have our lockers close to each other. “Since Jack’s the new guy here,” said Rainbow Dash, “why don’t we let him pick the area?” “Well, how about the ones closest to the lobby entrance?” “I got number 7. I got number 7.” Pinkie Pie was excited as she went to locker #7. “Um, I’ll go with number 8,” said Fluttershy. If you’re taking number 8, I’ll take number 9,” said Dash. “And Soarin can take number 10, right?” “As always,” replied Soarin. “I might as well take number 6, if you want number 5, Rarity,” said Applejack. “Number 5 will do just fine, darling,” replied Rarity. “Twilight, you want to take number 4, I’ll take 3, and Jack can have 2?” said Flash. “Sure, Flash. I can handle Rarity better than you or Jack,” said Twilight. “Then I guess we have out lockers selected,” I said. As we were putting away some of our stuff into our lockers, we noticed that Sunset Shimmer was being called to the school office. “Looks like someone’s in trouble, again,” said Rarity. “I think she’s just being called in as a reminder about what would happen if she causes any more problems again,” said Applejack. “By the way, I would figure you go for number 1, Twilight.” “I’m not one who likes to stand out like a drama queen,” as Twilight was staring at Rarity. “Ha, ha, ha,” Rarity replied in a sarcastic tone. “I was not acting like some drama queen earlier.” The girls and me stared at Rarity, trying to make her admit that she was acting like one. Rarity noticed the glares and said, “OK, maybe I was acting like one. But that was just out of panic. I didn’t know all the details in the first place.” Flash and Soarin were wondering what we were talking about, and Flash asked, “Can someone fill us in on what you girls are talking about?” “I’ll fill you in on the details later, Flash,” said Twilight. “And I’m sure one of the other girls can explain to you, Soarin.” As we were finishing up on out lockers, the others decided to head off to their classes expect for Twilight and Applejack. I asked Applejack, “Are you in our history class, AJ?” “Yep, I hope you don’t mind my company a bit longer.” “Not at all, AJ. Not at all.” “Well, Twilight and I are going to the restroom for a bit. Think you can wait for us?” “Sure. I’ll be here.” While Twilight and Applejack went to the girls’ restroom, I started to think who was taking locker number 1, since the class was full in the first place. Then I remember that Sunset Shimmer didn’t get her locker selected before hand. I had a feeling that his would be her locker, if no one else chose it. I soon then heard a voice behind me. “Hey, if you’re done with your locker, maybe you can get out of the way so I can get to mine.” Yep, I was right. “I think you can get to your locker without a problem, Sunny.” Sunset went to her locker, flew the door open, and said, “Don’t call me Sunny, Jack.” “Wow, you already know my name before I can give it to you. I’m impressed.” Sunset looked straight at me, pointed her finger, and said, “Look, I don’t care if your new to this school or not. I’m not here to be your friend. I just want to get through school and get out of here.” “Because you caused a lot of trouble in the past?” “I see those girls told you everything about me.” “Just the cover of the book. I just don’t know whose version to listen to, you or them.” She slammed the locker door and said, “Does it even matter? Look, I got to get to my next class, so if you are done chit-chatting with me, I’ll be on my way.” She started to walk away and dropped a small piece of paper. I picked it up and noticed it was her class schedule, which looked very familiar to me. “Hey, Sunny,” I yelled. “You dropped this.” She stomped her way back to me with an angry face, took the paper from my hand, and said, “Don’t…call…me…SUNNY!!!” She started walking away, and I said, “OK, Sunny.” She stopped for a moment to let off some steam, and then continued on her way. Twilight and Applejack just saw her walk away before coming out of the restroom to talk to me. “I hope you didn’t have any problems with her, sugercube,” said Applejack. “She’s just looking for trouble.” “I think I can handle her just fine,” I replied. By the way, Twilight, can I see your schedule.” “Sure,” as Twilight was getting out her schedule, “but why do you need to see it. We have the same first four classes.” “I saw her schedule, and guess what I saw.” I took her schedule, looked it over, and covered up the last two classes to show her. “This.” Twilight and Applejack looked at what I was showing, and Twilight was in shock. “ARE YOU KIDDING ME???” “If this ain’t bad karma, I don’t know what is,” said Applejack. Twilight continued, “How can we have the same four classes as her,” as she was referring to Sunset. “I can’t believe this is happening to me.” “Well, you got your friends by your side, Twilight,” said Applejack. “And you also have Jack to back you up, if that’s OK with you, sugercube?” “No problem here,” I replied. “Let’s just go to class and we’ll deal with her if that happens, Twilight.” “Thanks, AJ. And you too, Jack. I’ll just have to deal with her if it happens, when it happens.” So we decided to make our way to history class, waiting for what’s to come. Author's Note I wanted to think of something to explain why Goalkeeper had to leave, and the idea of her daughter having breast cancer was a good segway to the story that was told. And just so you know, the student whose mother died from breast cancer is ME. I lost my mother back in 1990. Proof that I have my own struggles to go through.
Ch. 3 - Sunset MadnessTwilight was still worried about the fact that Sunset Shimmer was in the same first four classes that she was in, not to mention that I was also in those same four classes. Applejack and me have been trying to calm her down, but it hasn’t been easy. “Look,” said Applejack, “so what if Sunset is in your next class, and the one after that, and the one…after…that. Anyway, you can handle whatever she throws at you, because you’re better than her.” Twilight had a concerned look on her face and said, “Really? I mean she has been on my case since the last school year, maybe before that. I just feel like she wants revenge on me for stopping her on her last attempt.” Applejack let out a big sigh. “Jack, can you at least help me out here.” “I would if I knew the full story. But Rarity was going to tell me later when Sunset wasn’t around. Think you can fill me in?” “You want the long version or the short version?” “Since we don’t have much time, the short version.” “Sunset Shimmer was one of the popular girls here as she starting her freshman year. And she was dating Flash around that time. Well, Sunset and Flash decided to break it off, and that’s when he started dating Twilight. She starts getting more attention than Sunset and decided to cause some trouble during her sophomore year to get back at her. We start helping Twilight out with what Sunset was doing, she finally gets caught near the end of the year, and everyone now hates her after she reveals her true colors.” “And now she wants to be that bully behind me after all that has happen to her,” Twilight concluded. “This is not a good first day coming back to school.” “Well, now that I got an idea about her,” I added, “I think I can deal with her if she causes any problems.” “I don’t know if that would be a good idea, sugercube,” said Applejack. “You really don’t know her well. Plus, you’re a guy, and she’s a girl. That would be an issue that everyone would be talking about if you got involved.” “Well, she doesn’t know me well, either. And I have a way to deal with bullies and troublemakers, even if I have to take the blows myself.” The girls gave me a confused look. “Don’t worry. I have dealt with my own problems in the past, and that has developed who I am now. I can handle people like her.” I say this because my ‘gift’ is what has helped out, but I don’t want to tell them about it. I just want Twilight to be worry-free here. She helped me get adjusted here, so it’s best I return the favor. “Look, I know what you are trying to do, Jack,” said Twilight, “but this is something I have to deal with.” “You’re a little late for that,” I said. Applejack let out a big sigh. “Let’s just get to history class. Maybe some of our other friends will be there to help us.” As we arrive at our next class, two girls waved at us. One of them was a yellowish girl with blue and pink hair, and the other was a mint green girl. “Hey, Twilight,” said the mint green girl. “Hey, Lyra. I’m glad you and Sweetie Drops are in our class.” Twilight turned to me and said, “Jack, this is Lyra Heartstrings. She’s a member of the science club that I’m a part of. And that’s…” “My own Bonbon,” Lyra interrupted. “That’s Sweetie Drops. She just likes to call me that.” She looked to Applejack and said, “By the way. How’s the farm, Applejack.” “Doing very well. Just made another shipment of apples last week. We should be done with this year’s crop by the end of next month. And this guy here,” as she wrapped her arm around my shoulder, “is going to help me in getting the barn fixed up to help store some of the remaining apples for ourselves over the winter, right?” “As soon as I get with my father about it. I’m sure he would like to talk to your fa-” Twilight put her hand on my mouth, cutting me off. “Excuse us for just one moment.” Twilight grabbed me to the side, away from the others. “I’m sorry to bring it up without telling you sooner, but Applejack’s parents died several years ago.” “Really?” I said. “Yes. Rarity wants us to make sure we never bring up her parents after what happen. She’s in our next class, so we can have her explain it to you. She knows the story better than me.” “Well, she has some other things to explain to me as well, so I hope she can make a list of what all I need to know. But thanks for stopping me for saying something that I shouldn’t bring up in the first place.” We started going back to the others when a gray girl with blonde hair bumped into me as she was walking into the room. I was able to catch her from falling down and noticed that her eyes were cross-eyed. “You OK there?” I told the gray girl. “I’m fine. I was just spaced out for a bit.” “Derpy, you really need to watch where you’re going,” said Twilight. “It’s OK, Twilight,” I said, “I’m usually quick to react.” “That should be a good thing, Jack,” said Sweetie Drops, “because she has a habit of spacing out.” “Oh, you’re the new student that I heard about this morning?” said Derpy. “Yes, and it’s nice to meet you too, Derpy.” She let out a big smile in response. “It’s nice it have a good distraction around here,” said Lyra, “unlike a certain someone in our class.” She was referring to Sunset Shimmer in the corner seat of the room. “We know,” said Twilight. “We have to deal with her for the first four periods. Ugh.” She pointed to the two of us having to deal with her. “First four periods?” said Sweetie Drops. “That means we have to deal with her in our science class in 4th period.” “Cadance is not going to like this,” Lyra added. “You mean Cadance was able to get her science class after last year’s computer error, and is in the same class as us?” Twilight asked. “That’s right,” replied Lyra. Twilight felt a sigh or relief after hearing that. Somehow I felt out of the loop here, but that’s only because I’m still new here. Twilight looked at me and said, “Oh, Cadance is the student body president, and my brother’s girlfriend.” “And Twilight, here, is our new student VP,” Applejack added. Twilight continued, “Somehow, she got caught in my mess with Sunset. Something I don’t feel like talking about in public at this time.” “By the way, are you going to be at the science club today?” Lyra asked Twilight. “Afraid not. As the student VP, I have to attend to meetings every Monday during free study and watch over all the clubs to make sure they are up to school standards. But I’ll try to find some time to attend the club meetings. I already asked Moon Dancer to take over as temporary club president until after the club recruitment week has passed. She knows what needs to be done for the time being. Besides, she has wanted to take that active role, so I’m sure it would be a learning experience to try out.” “I think so too,” added Lyra. “She has the same qualities as you do in the club. And I’m sure the others will agree.” “I hope so,” added Twilight. “With my role as VP, and the fact I still have to deal with Sunset nearby, If would be nice for Moon Dancer to take over the club for the entire school year.” “Hey, I know something that can make you feel better, Twilight,” said Derpy. “Our teacher.” “That’s right,” said Lyra. “We get to have the coolest teacher EVER!” “DOCTOR WHOOVES!!!” both Twilight and Lyra said and squeal together. “Dr. Whooves? What makes him special?” I asked. “He’s, like, the coolest teacher ever,” said Lyra. “Not only is he a history teacher, but he teaches astronomy at this school. Which I was able to get into his class this semester.” “That’s great, Lyra,” said Twilight. “But I think Moon Dancer will be jealous of you.” “Not really. I was able to catch her before coming here, and she’s got in to his class for next semester. She can hardly wait.” “OK, now I’m really lost,” I said. “What makes his astronomy class so special?” Twilight explained, “This is his 3rd year teaching in this school, and it was him who wanted to add an astronomy class last school year for anyone needed to fill in their extra school credits, which always fills up because he only has that class during 5th period. I was able to take his class last semester.” Just then, her eyes just lit up. “I just thought of something. Since one of your classes that you wanted to take from your last school is not at this school, why don’t you think about signing up for his class next school year. I might be able to get you in without any problem of finding another class to take.” I started to think about it, then said, “I guess so. I mean, I know what main classes I want to take for my senior year, but the extra classes to fill in could be up in the air at this time.” “Well, Twilight, looks like you going to have to pull some strings on this one,” said Applejack, “because here he comes.” We saw our history teacher enter the room and walking this way towards us. “Good day, Twilight. Nice to have you in another one of my classes again,” said Dr. Whooves. “Good morning to you to, Doctor,” replied Twilight. “I hope you don’t mind me asking, Twilight, but have you planned on being a Teacher’s aide this year?” “Not really. But I do plan on doing so next school year. How come?” “I was talking to Principal Celestia on bringing me an aide to help in my astronomy class, but she doesn’t have any available at this time. I never expected to have both semesters filled up for two years in a row.” “I might be able to help out next fall, if you can help a friend of mine getting into your class.” It looks like Twilight was already pulling the strings in this task. But that was going to have to wait, because the one-minute bell rang at that moment. “Looks like your request will have to wait, Twilight,” said Dr. Whooves. “See me after class so you can explain it to me.” “Thank you, Doctor.” Twilight went to her seat, as did everyone else. “Jack, looks like I got my foot in the door, if you know what I mean.” “I guess I’ll have to repay you again for making this happen, if it goes through.” “Jack, if you plan on making sure Sunset doesn’t get on my case, then you already did.” I don’t know about what she meant by that, but we shall see how it plays out. For now, I’ll just focus on my history class. “Good day, students. My name is Dr. Whooves, and this is History 2, also known as World History.” He wrote it on the whiteboard as he was saying it. “Since I’m assuming that everyone here has taken National History, this class will focus on the history of the world since the dawn of time, if there were any true records that prove it.” The class laughed at his joke. During class, we received our class books and what we plan to cover for this semester. Once the bell rang, Twilight and me went to see Dr. Whooves. “OK, Twilight. What’s this request that you wanted to explain to me?” “Well Doctor, Jack just transferred here, and Principal Celestia had to make some last minute changes in his class selection. We got it covered by having him as a teacher’s aide for 6th period, but we think what classes he would like to take next year may not be available that his old school. I was wondering, and this might sound too early to make it happen, if you can have him in your astronomy class next fall. I do plan to work as a teacher’s aide next fall, and maybe I can help you in the same class if you can make it happen.” “Well, it’s not a wibbly wobbly, timely wimey issue, but I think I can make it happen.” I had to double-check what I just heard. “Did you just say ‘wibbly wobbly, timely wimey’?” “Why yes, Jack. Why do you ask?” replied Dr. Whooves. “The only other history teacher I knew who liked to say that was Professor River Song.” “Ah. You must have come from West End High in Manehattan, where she teaches. We were classmates since our high school years. Does she still like to say ‘spoilers’ at times?” “Only when she plans for a test or exam. Everyone in class just loses it when she says that. Like she wants us to just guess what’s on it.” “Well then, when I get a chance to talk to Principal Celestia, I’ll see if she can keep it in mind when the time comes.” “Thanks, Doctor,” said Twilight. “We better head to our next class. Thanks for your time.” We headed off to our next class, hoping for good things to come. But a blue girl with white hair decided to stop us in our tracks. “Twilight, if you are planning to attend Algebra 2 class, then you must face the Great and Powerful Trixie to enter.” She spoke like some actress in third person. “Hi, Trixie,” Twilight replied with a dull tone. “Twilight, you can at least play the part. Trixie demands it.” “May I?” I asked Twilight. She nodded her head, so I decided to play my part in this. “Trixie, if you wish to challenge Twilight, then you must face her worst enemy in that next class.” “If that is the case, then Trixie shall…” She stopped for a moment and realized what I was talking about. “Wait, you mean SHE’S in our class?” Twilight nodded her head. “Well, I didn’t see this coming.” “Try being in four classes,” Twilight added. “It feels like a nightmare.” “Can’t argue with that,” said Trixie. “She’s just nothing but trouble. She had to help out during summer school as her punishment for what she did back then.” “Um, is this the same Trixie that we are talking to, Twilight?” I asked. “Oh, I’m sorry, Jack. The only time she doesn’t talk in third person is when she’s serious about what’s going on.” “The Great and Powerful Trixie always talks this way,” -changes her tone- “but when it comes to stuff like Sunset Shimmer, then I just cut with the acting talk. By the way, that was some good acting you did there. Jack, is it?” “Yep. Just transferred from Manehattan. And I also share the same four classes that Twilight and Sunset have.” “Sounds like Flash has giving Twilight a bodyguard to watch over her in this journey,” said Trixie. “You could say that,” replied Twilight. Have you seen Rarity? She’s in our class.” Trixie started to look around. “I don’t think so. Wait a minute, here she comes.” We saw Rarity casually run her way up here. “There you are,” she said. “I was coming up to our class when I saw…” All three of us cut her off and said, “Sunset Shimmer.” “How did you know?” Rarity replied. “You can thank Jack for the heads up,” said Twilight. “By the way, he almost brought up Applejack’s parents if I haven’t pulled him away from her. Think you can fill him in on what happen to her parents, Rarity?” “Since the younger freshmen are now here, now might be the best time, but not out here. I saw Roseluck and Thunderlane in our class. Might help if they watch over us so that Sunset doesn’t listen in. I don’t want to give her any ammo for her cause.” “Thanks, Rarity,” said Twilight. We went into the classroom where Rarity pointed out a yellow girl with rose-red hair, and a dark gray guy with a light blue buzz cut. “Jack, this is Roseluck and Thunderlane.” “Nice to meet you, Jack,” said Thunderlane. “Let me guess, you’re on the football team with Shining and Flash.” “I guess the Letterman jacket gave it away.” Rarity looked to them and said, “Can you two make sure Sunset doesn’t listen in. I need to fill Jack in on Applejack’s parents.” “I guess you almost brought them up in front of her,” said Roseluck. “Twilight was able to stop me from doing so,” I said. “Well, we were able to save an area of seats away from Sunset. I think she won’t bother us here.” We went to sit down in the area close to the front of the classroom, which was far away from Sunset. Rarity started to tell me about Applejack’s parents. “OK, back in the 4th grade, me and my younger sister, Sweetie Belle, were riding home with our parents in some heavy rain. Dad saw someone hanging on a branch that was over a flooded river. When we pulled up with the lights towards him, Sweetie Belle noticed that it was Scootaloo hanging on to the branch. She was scared and my parents couldn’t reach out to him. So we tried to call for emergency help, but couldn’t get anyone on the phone, so they called Applejack’s parents for their help. They were able to bring some rope and try to go out and grab her. Once they got to her, the branch started to break. They were able to grab her and passed her to my parents safely. Before they could get off, the branch broke, throwing them into the flooded river away from us. We were helpless in saving them. When we arrived at Sweet Apple Acres, my parents told Granny Smith what happened before telling Applejack and her big brother, Big Mac, and little sister, Apple Bloom. When they saw Sweetie Belle, Scootaloo, and me, they just came running to us crying and just holding on to us. They found Applejack’s parents the next morning, and Scootaloo’s parents’ car later in the day. None of them survived. Turns out that Scootaloo’s family was driving home in the dark storm when they hit some deep water that carried their car away. Scootaloo was the only one to get out before it was flooded. She would have gone to an orphanage if it weren’t for Babs Seed’s parents who decided to take her in as a foster family. “Ever since that day, we became very close. And I make sure no one ever brings up Applejack’s parents, or even Scootaloo’s, since she now attends this school.” “Now I see why you don’t want us to mention about them,” I said. “It could bring up some old wounds.” “There have been times when Applejack had to act like a mother figure to Apple Bloom,” Twilight added. “I’ve seen that when I have been on their farm.” Rarity added, “As long as they are happy, I’m happy. That’s all that matters at this time.” Just then, the one-minute bell rang, and our math teacher, Mr. Tom Neighrer, started to get up and walk to the whiteboard for the start of class. As before, we got our class books and details before the end of class. After class, I thanked Rarity for telling me about Applejack’s parents, giving me a better understanding of her. Twilight and me left the classroom and went to our 4th period science class. “Well, three down, one to go,” I said. “So far, Sunset hasn’t done anything to cause any trouble. Maybe Principal Celestia just wanted to warn her if she caused any trouble in school.” “I hope you are right. With Cadence in our science class, I really don’t want anything to go wrong. Fluttershy will also be in that class as well.” We went upstairs to where our next class was. When we arrived at the science classroom, I noticed that there were tables with two seats at each table. I already saw Lyra and Sweetie Drops at one of the tables. Twilight noticed a few others in the class, maybe from the science club. One of them coming this way was a yellowish girl with red and purple hair and glasses. “Hey, Twilight,” said the yellowish girl “Hey, Moon Dancer,” replied Twilight. “Ready to handle the science club in my place?” “Just about so. I’m just not sure I’m up to the challenge.” “Come on, Moon Dancer. This is a good learning experience. And it’s just for a couple of weeks, until the recruitment period has passed.” Lyra, Sweetie Drops, and three other girls came up to us. One was yellow with blue hair, another was white with pink hair, and the third was blue with bluish hair. “This is the guy I was talking about,” Lyra was telling the other girls. “Jack, this is Lemon Drops, Twinkleshine, and Minuette. And I can see you already met Moon Dancer.” The others waved and said hello to me. Twilight was looking around the classroom, trying to find someone, and I think I know which two she was looking for. “Has anyone seen Cadence or Fluttershy?” asked Twilight. “Oh, here comes Fluttershy right now,” said Moon Dancer, “and she brought Tree Hugger as well.” –rolls eyes- “Not what I was expecting to see here.” I guess the green girl with the red-orange long hair and hippie clothes was Tree Hugger. “Come one, Moon Dancer,” said Sweetie Drops. “At least you can be nice to her just once.” “With a hippie? You have got to be kidding me.” “Um, hello Twilight. Jack,” said Fluttershy as she was coming towards us. “How’s everything so far?” “Well, I’m still alive so far,” said Twilight. “If I can get through this class, then I might just get through the rest of the day without trouble behind my back.” “I see that your aura is caught between positive and negative vibes,” said Tree Hugger. “Is it because of that one whose aura is like some kind of demon?” “If you mean Sunset Shimmer, then yes. I just know she’s up to something to get back at me.” “Well, just keep positive thoughts in your mind, and nothing will come to ruin your vibe.” Tree Hugger looked at me and said, “You must be the one that Fluttershy was talking about. Jack, right?” I nodded. “It’s nice to meet you. Already I can feel strange, but positive thoughts from your aura.” “I’m flatter,” I replied. “That must be a special talent of yours.” Tree Hugger nodded. “I can't believe I have to go through this,” Moon Dancer whispered. Lyra heard what she said and nudged her elbow at her. “Ouch. What was that for?” “Just act nice for once,” said Lyra. “I hope Cadence can get here soon,” said Twilight. At that point, and older, pink girl came sneaking up to Twilight, covering her eyes. “Guess who?” “Really, Cadence. Is that how you sneak up on my brother every time?” Cadence removed her hands from Twilight’s eyes. She turned around and said, “It’s nice to see you.” “Same here. And I don’t usually do that unless your brother is really distracted,” said Cadence. “And you must be Jack. I’ve heard so much about you from Twilight. I’m guessing that your first day here must have been crazy.” “Depends on how you define crazy, Cadence,” I replied with a simple laugh. “I know. Crazy can come in different ways from different people. Right now, I’m just glad to finally get this class in the books after last years glitch in the system.” I one-minute bell rang, so we decided to take our seats. I took one of the two seats next to the wall. Twilight and Cadence sat at the table next to me. I saw Lyra and Sweetie Drops at the table behind me, Moon Dancer and Minuette took the table behind Twilight, Lemon Drops and Twinkleshine took the next table down the row, and Fluttershy and Tree Hugger went for one of the back tables. As I was looking around, all the seats were being filled up expect the extra one at my table. I looked again to see where Sunset was at, but couldn’t see her. “Twilight,” I said, “this is the only Science 2 class at this time, right?” “I believe so, why?” “Does something seem…out of place?” Twilight looked around, and then looked at me with a confused look. She then noticed the empty seat next to me, and it hit her like a ton of bricks. “Oh my god, what was I thinking.” “What’s wrong, Twilight?” asked Cadence. “There’s one student missing from this class,” whispered Twilight. “Who?” As the class bell rang, someone came through the intercom. “Mr. Bill Neigh?” “Yes?” “This is Miss Luna. Please excuse Sunset Shimmer from being tardy in your class. I held her up in my office and is on her way.” “Thank you.” No doubt red flags went up when the class herd her name on the intercom. “You mean she’s in our class?” whispered Cadence. “Yes,” whispered Twilight, “and guess who has the only empty seat next to them?” Cadence looked at the seat next to me and almost went into shock. “I’m sorry, Jack,” whispered Twilight. “I just forgot that she was in this class and didn’t realized she hasn’t shown up.” Somehow, everyone must have been thinking ‘Its doomsday for the new kid.’ But I knew that it was time to get some answers about what I was feeling from her back in 1st period. If there was ever a time, it was now. Sunset just walked into the room and went up to the teacher. He explained to her what Miss Luna told him and for her to take a seat. When she saw that the only seat was in the front row just next to me, she just gave me a furious look. I decided to play it cool and stare right back at her with a smile. Twilight was worried that I was about to do something stupid towards her, but I had other plans. Sunset sat down in the empty seat next to me and placed her books to the side of the desk. She didn’t bother to look, or even a glance, at me. Twilight and me were able to look at each other. She was wondering if I was OK, so I gave her a wink, and she responded with a nod, knowing that I would be all right. We got our class books and were told about what was being planned for the semester. The one thing that stood out was the fact that we would have to do a group project with the other person sitting at your table. No doubt Sunset and me will have to work together, even if she likes it or not. Once the class bell rang, I knew it was time for free study. This was a first for me because my last school never had a free study session. “Jack?” said Twilight. “Cadence and I have to go to our student body meeting with Principal Celestia. OK if I catch up with you later at lunch?” “Sure Twilight.” “Great. If I get out early, I’ll send you a text. Do you plan to do anything until then?” I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do at this time, being my first day at school. Then I remembered when we took the tour, the library was locked, and so I never got a chance to see what it was like. I heard that it was unlike any other school library out there. “Maybe I’ll stop by the library this time.” “Sounds like a good idea. At least it’s not locked like the last time we went by there.” Twilight looked towards Moon Dancer and said, “Are you going to be OK with the science club? You still look nervous.” “I’ll be fine,” said Moon Dancer. “I have my friends there with me to bail me out, as long as Lemon Drops doesn’t try to stick her head in the big glass beaker.” “That was just an accident,” said Lemon Drops. “OK, I’ll catch you all later.” Twilight and Cadence got up and left the room. “I’m guessing the science club meets in this room,” I said. “It does,” said Sweetie Drops. “Lyra, I’ll see you at lunch. I have to catch up with Fluttershy.” “OK, Bonbon,” said Lyra. Fluttershy and Tree Hugger were waiting for Sweetie Drops to catch up with them before leaving the room. As I was gathering my books, I saw Sunset walking out of the room in haste. I got my books and made my way out of the room to catch up with her. “Hey Sunny, wait up.” Sunset was trying to ignore me until I caught up with her. “What do you want, Jack?” she said in a grumpy voice. “Look, since I know we are going to have to work together when the group project comes up, I figure it would be nice to get to know each other.” “Why should I even care? I just want to pass my classes and just get on with my life. I don’t need YOU helping me out, or even trying to be my friend.” “Is it because everyone at school hates you for what you did in your past?” Sunset came to a complete stop. “I told you that I just read the cover of who you are. At some point, I’m going to have to know all the details as to why everyone hates you for whatever it was that you did.” Sunset turned around, pointed her finger at me a said, “Look, just because you’re the new student here doesn’t mean you can invade my entire private life, so just BACK OFF!” She started to go down the stairs that were close to our lockers, and I decided to grab her arm, stopping where she was, just half way down the stairs. “Let go of my arm,” she said with a snarl. “Look,” as I got into her face, “I don’t know all the details, but if you want to keep living in the past with what you did, then fine. But if you want to bury all that you did and move one with your life, then I’m the only chance you got. I have helped people that needed help at my old school, and if you want, I can help you too.” “I don’t need your help. So just stay out of my life.” She broke free of my grip and continued down the stairs. As she went up to her locker, I came up to mine that was next to her locker and put my books away. “At some point, it’s going to come back and bite you hard, and no one is going to come to you to bail you out. So keep that in mind.” She slammed her locker shut and said, “Just leave me alone!” She started to leave, then came back and yelled, “AND DON’T CALL ME SUNNY AGAIN!!!” and decided to walk away and headed straight to the girls restroom. Two girls were just coming out when they noticed Sunset walking in. “What are you looking at?” as she glared at them, scaring the girls away. After she went in, I turned my attention to Principal Celestia in the school office, just as she was about to start her meeting with student board. She gave me a momentary glance, and then went in to her office. “She knows something about Sunset,” I thought. “There has to be a reason Twilight, Sunset, and me are in the same morning classes.” Author's Note The reason I came up with Mr. Tom Neighrer as a math teacher comes from the first video that I liked when I started to get into MLP, based off of the New Math by Tom Lehrer New Math by Tom Neighrer
Ch. 4 - Two Hours to KillWith an hour before lunch, I had some free time to relax and do…something. I never had a “free study” time in my old school, so this felt like something new to me. So I decided to go to the library to see what it looked like, as soon as I figure out which way I was supposed to go. “I think I’m supposed to go around the corner and look to the left, I think.” I realized that it could be tough to get your bearings when you are by yourself on your first day. As I was making my way down the hallway, I heard some voices behind me coming this way. “Come on, Crusaders. The library’s this way.” Just then, one of them bumped into me from the back, falling to the ground. I looked back to see that it was a younger yellow girl with a bow tied on to her red hair. “Sorry, mister. I guess I didn’t see where I was going,” said the younger girl. “Can you hurry up, Apple Bloom?” said the white girl that was with her. I helped her get up and asked, “Are you Applejack’s sister?” “Sure am, mister. You in one of my sis’ classes?” “That’s right,” I replied. I looked at the other girls that stopped to wait for Apple Bloom and said, “Then you must be Rarity’s sister, Sweetie Belle,” as I pointed to the white girl, “and I’m guessing you’re Scootaloo,” as I pointed to the orange girl. “That’s right,” said Sweetie Belle as Scootaloo nodded her head. “And this here is my cuz, Babs Seed,” said Apple Bloom and she was putting her arm around the other orange girl with the short red hair. “We were heading to the library, until Apple Bloom ran into you,” said Scootaloo. “Then maybe you can help me find my way there. I’m still trying to get my bearings around here.” “You must be the new guy here,” said Sweetie Belle. “Jack, was it?” I nodded my head in response. “You would think Twilight would have shown you around this school earlier.” “She did,” I replied, “but the library was closed at the time of my tour.” “Then as Crusaders, we’ll help finish your tour with the library visit for Twilight,” said Apple Bloom. And Apple Bloom dragged me to the library with the others following us. As we were going down to the library, I asked Apple Bloom, “Why do you call yourselves the Crusaders?” “Because we like to help others in need as a team,” she replies. “And we have been close to each other for a long time because of what we have gone through as a group,” added Scootaloo. “Even during bad times?” They all stopped when I asked that question. With the exception of Babs Seed, they looked down, unable to speak. “Yep,” said Babs Seed. “Even during the…worst of times.” I realized I just messed up, and laid my back to one of the lockers and said, “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have asked that.” “I’m guessing that my sister told you about what happen that night,” said Sweetie Belle. I nodded. “It’s OK. We learned how to be stronger than before since that night. That’s why we call ourselves the Crusaders.” I looked at Apple Bloom and Scootaloo and said, “Your parents should be proud that you remained strong since then.” The girls looked up, smiled and nodded at me. “Well, the library’s not going to come to us by itself, right?” said Apple Bloom. “RIGHT!!!” We arrived at the library, with the double doors wide open. As we entered the library, a reddish purple lady greeted us. “Hello there, Apple Bloom.” “Hi, Miss Cheerilee,” she replied. “Jack, this is Miss Cheerilee, the school’s librarian.” She whispered into my ear, “And my big brother’s girlfriend.” Miss Cheerilee was able to hear Apple Bloom say that and called her out. We giggled after she got busted. “Miss Cheerilee,” said Sweetie Belle,” can we borrow some headphones for one of the computers here?” “Sure, let me get them from the back.” She went to the back of the library to grab some headphones. Apple Bloom pulled me over to the other side of her desk to point out what looked like a prom picture of her with a light reddish guy with orange hair. “That’s my big brother, Big Mac, with her during her senior prom.” “Her senior prom?’ I asked. “Eeyep. She’s a few years older than him. You might have to either ask her or my sis for the story.” “I hope you have a reason you’re behind my desk.” We saw Cheerilee return with a couple of headphones. “I’m just showing Jack who my big brother looks like.” Cheerilee handed her the headphones. “Thanks for the headphones. We’ll make sure we don’t make a lot of noise.” They went to one of the computers to plug in the headphones, having to share then in groups of two. “Can’t believe they are now freshmen here at this school. Still remember when they were much younger when Big Mac was a freshman here and I was a senior.” “Really?” I asked. “Yep. I was surprised when I learned that he was a freshman after I came across him a few times before I decided to approach him. But that didn’t stop me from dating him. He’s a kindhearted man, that’s for sure.” “And he still is, Cheerilee.” A voice came from behind us. When we turn around, we found out that the voice we herd was Applejack. “Applejack,” I said, “you’re not part of any of the clubs here?” “Nope,” she replied. “When I don’t have anything to do, I just come here to chat with Cheerilee and help out. She might be my future sister-in-law one day, if my brother can find the time to ask for her hand in marriage.” “I’m not in any hurry in starting my own family, Applejack. And neither is he.” “I know, I know,” replied Applejack. We paused for a moment, and then Cheerilee asked Applejack, “You still miss them?” “I do,” she replied. “But I remain strong, not just for me and my friends, but for my little sis and her friends as well.” She looked at me and said, “I’m guessing you didn’t know that I lost my parents years ago before Twilight pulled you away from me to warn you, right?” “How did you know,” I asked. “I’d catch on quick when my friends are trying to protect me, not knowing that I can handle myself, physically and emotionally. And I can guess Rarity told you the story as well later on.” I nodded. “She was there when it happen, and somehow believes that she regrets not doing enough to save them. I can tell her not to worry, but she won’t listen.” “Well, I need to make sure the new books are in their proper location and update the library database,” said Cheerilee. “I left a couple of headphones if you need them.” “OK,” said Applejack. “I’ll make sure the little ones don’t cause any trouble.” Cheerilee took a cart of books and went to work. “If you plan on using a computer, you don’t mind if I join you?” “No problem here,” I said. “Just be ready if you see or hear something you don’t like.” “With the friends that I have, I doubt there’s anything I don’t like, Jack” So we grabbed the headphones, went to one of the computers across from the Crusaders, and she let me take control of the keyboard and mouse while she gave her sister a wave. “So what do you plan on going to, Jack?” “Since I moved here, I haven’t had time to check the DeeJay boards.” She gave me a confused look and said, “Say again?” “I’ll show you.” I went to the DeeJay website where the message boards were at and logged in my user name. “I see what you talking about, partner. You must have done some DJ work in your free time.” “Not really. Just some music creating works online. I’ve only done this for a couple of years and made my first 10-minute mix track, which got some good reviews from some amateurs and experts, including the site’s admin, Neon Lights.” “So you go by the name Trader underscore Jack. Trader Jack?” “Yep. Some of my friends call me the Jack of Trades. Maybe because I know how to handle any kind of situation.” “Looks like you have a message from someone.” She pointed to the open mail icon at the top of the scene. I clicked on the icon and read the sent message. Hey Trader_Jack, Just came back from the EDM amateur contest and guess what, I got third place. Pretty good start for my first time. Thanks for letting me use your mix track. I made sure you got credited for it. I hope you finished your move that you said you had to do, because you need to come next year and give it a shot, man. Maybe you can make it far in the contest. Well, not as far as me, because I plan to get first place next year and make my way to the pros so I can compete in front of Neon Lights. Showing some wubs, DJ-PON-3 There was a picture of a small, third place trophy attached to it. “D J Pon three?” Applejack said confused.” “The three is like a reverse ‘e’,” I said. “So it’s pronounced ‘DJ Pon-E’” “Man, how do ya come up with these weird online names.” “You might have to ask him, if you ever get to meet him.” “You never met him in person, or any of the others that are on here?” “Never could get the chance. Maybe next summer, I can get the chance to make the road trip there to attend. Not sure if I would compete in the amateurs over there. I would let you and your friends come if you like, but I know all of you will have other plans.” “Maybe. But you never know. I’m sure we could use a group road trip together, if you don’t mind have several girls tagging along.” “What about the farm?” “We have some hired help there. Plus me and the girls just worked at a summer camp this past summer. If you are up to it, maybe we can ask Miss Luna to have you come along. That’s where she in charge during the summer.” “If you and the girls are up for my trip, I’ll be happy to help out with you girls anytime.” “That be great, sugercube.” Just then, both our cell phones were vibrating in our pockets. We both got them out to check on our own messages. Jack Just got out of meeting. Can you meet at track field. Talk about Sunset. Others will be there. Twilight “Looks like Twilight wants to meet me at the track field,” I said. “Cadence just texted me and my friends to meet us there as well. I guess now’s the time we filled you in on Sunset Shimmer. Ready?” “Sure. Just let me text Twilight.” With AJ. Heading to track now. Jack After sending my text to her, we placed the headphones back on Cheerilee’s desk and made our way to the track field. Looks like I’m about the get the full story about her at this time. Maybe I can find out why my ‘gift’ was going off the radar in the first place. Once we made it to the track field, only Flash, Soarin, and Rainbow Dash were there. “Guess we’re a bit early,” said Applejack. “Depends on how you want to define ‘early’, Applejack,” said Rainbow Dash. “Ha, ha. Very funny, Dash,” Applejack sarcastically replied. We noticed Fluttershy, Tree Hugger, Rarity, and Trixie walking towards us. “I hope we’re not late,” said Rarity. “Trixie wanted to join us in the discussion.” “Um, so did Tree Hugger,” added Fluttershy. “If it’s about Sunset Shimmer, then Trixie wants to make her opinion known.” “Your aura is filled with negativity, Trixie. But if it’s because of some demon, then I can totally understand.” “It is, Tree Hugger, and Trixie will have none of it.” “Sounds like we’re on the same page,” said Applejack. Just then, Twilight, Cadence, and Moon Dancer came walking towards us. Moon Dancer saw that Tree Hugger was here as well and almost wanted to say something about her before Twilight glanced at her, making her hold on to her own comments. “Is everyone here?” said Twilight. “Shining Armor and Thunderlane had to stay with the athletic club,” said Flash. “Um, so did Roseluck and Sweetie Drops with the nature club,” said Fluttershy. “I’ve already ask Lyra to take over the science club for me,” said Moon Dancer, “so we don’t have to worry about her being here.” Twilight looked around and asked, “Where’s Pinkie Pie?” “Right HERE!!!” Pinkie Pie popped her head out of the top of the bleachers. “And I brought company.” A blue haired, white girl with purple shades and headphones around her neck popped up. “What’s up!” Just then, she started to wobble and fell out of view, crashing behind the bleachers. “Ouch. Why you do that Tavi?” “Why? You should know why, Vinyl.” Another voice came from behind the bleacher. No doubt she was holding Vinyl up on the bleachers. When she came out, I noticed a black haired, gray girl carrying a Cello on her back. I now knew that it was Octavia that Twilight told me about at the beginning of the day. “Octavia,” said Twilight, “I was hoping to meet you sooner. I got the CDs that you let me borrow back in my brother’s car.” “That’s great. You want me to meet you there after school?” “If that’s OK with you.” “It is, Twilight.” Everyone that was able to make it went to sit in the bleachers. “We know why I called you all her,” said Twilight. “SUNSET SHIMMER!” Twilight continued. “And as I know she’s at least in one of our classes, if possible. But she’s in the first four classes with me.” “And that creates a problem that we don’t want to have repeating like last year,” said Cadence. “So why do you think this is a bigger problem than before?” asked Octavia. “Because the new guy here is also in the same four classes,” said Applejack as she’s pointing at me. “Cadence and me asked Principal Celestia about the situation before our student board meeting, and she was unaware that it was set up that way. And she can’t make any changes to get us out of it.” “Can’t make any changes,” I thought. “I doubt that’s the case.” “Right now, since Jack is new to this issue, I figure that we fill him in on the blanks so that he can understand our problem with Sunset Shimmer, and why she would still hate me.” “I’d already told him the short version,” said Applejack. “Rarity, I’m sure you can give him the longer version better than me.” “With pleasure, Applejack.” “I’m sure you know that Sunset was one of the popular ones here. She was even popular back in junior high. And she was dating Flash around, was it in the 8th grade?” Rarity asked. “Yes, around the spring semester,” said Flash. Rarity continued. “By the time we all got to high school for our freshman year, Twilight and her brother were new to both the school and the city. Flash was one of the football equipment managers with Soarin during the fall. It was around that time that Flash and Sunset decided to ‘take some time off’ if you know what I mean.” “Sunset felt like I was more focused on the football team than on her,” said Flash. It was that time I met Twilight’s brother, Shining Armor, who was the backup QB on the team at that time. Twilight was around during practice, waiting around for his brother.” “I was able to have a few chats with Flash and Soarin during that time,” said Twilight. “It was, I believe, as we were going into our third game that Flash told us about the so-called break up. By that time, my brother had to take over as the new starting QB after an injury from the original QB that he got in the last game got worse. Shining ask me to help out with the team from above, and that’s when I became their…tactician, if you wanted to call it that. By the time we were heading into the last game of the season, my brother started dating Cadence.” “When I saw Twilight and Flash talking at times, I asked her if he was cute,” said Cadence. Twilight started to blush. “She said yes, so I was able to find a way to hook them up. After our team made it to the playoffs for the first time, and lost, Sunset wanted to get back together with Flash.” “I told Sunset that I was dating Twilight, and we got into a heated augment. She asked what made Twilight better than her, and I just told her that we just like to spend time together when we get the chance, knowing that school and such would be more important for us to focus on. But she kept getting on our case that I just finally told her to just stay out of our lives and find someone else to be with.” Rarity took over the story. “When she learned that Cadence help in hooking these two up, that’s when she started to get jealous. She even became more jealous when Cadence and Twilight were getting more popular than her, with Cadence’s charm and Twilight smart and friendly personality. By the time our sophomore year, Sunset started to trash and sabotage anything that would involve Twilight or Cadence.” “And she had help with her to do her bidding,” said Trixie. “Two new freshmen names Snips and Snails. I did started to have a bit of a rivalry with Twilight because of our grades, but when I started to hear about what was being planned for the Fall Homecoming, I had to warn Twilight.” “With the fact that we were rivals in class, I knew she would never go that low like Sunset was trying to do. But I knew I was going to need some help in stopping her.” “And that’s where we come in,” said Rainbow Dash. “Soarin introduced me to Rainbow Dash, and her friends, Applejack, Rarity, Pinkie Pie, and Fluttershy. Some of their friends, like Octavia, Vinyl, Trixie, Thunderlane, Roseluck, Lyra, Sweetie Drops, and Tree Hugger, wanted to help out. Even Moon Dancer in my science club wanted to help.” “We knew that we just couldn’t leave Twilight hanging,” said Applejack. “But catching her in the act was the tougher part.” “We were able to stop some of her plans in the process,” said Rarity, “but without and proof to show Principal Celestia that she did it, we knew that she wasn’t going to stop.” “That’s when Cadence and me had an idea. Because we were working together for the craft fair late in the spring, we decided to set up some mini cameras to catch her in the act.” “And it almost worked,” said Pinkie Pie. “But they dressed like ninjas.” “She means that they were wearing black all over. They damaged or destroyed all the other craft tables expect ours, trying to pin it on us. But when we showed the video to Principal Celestia, she knew that the three in the video didn’t look in any way like us.” “The only other chance to catch them was during my junior prom, which I was able to help set up,” said Cadence. “We knew that she would target whatever Cadence was doing as well. While they were doing the main set up, I got the others to make a fake set up that would somehow trap them when they try to damage it. Luckily, Applejack had what was needed to make it happen. So while the real set up was kept hiding from site, we set up the trap and waited for them to come.” “And when they did,” say Applejack, “the stage came tumbling down on her two partners. Sunset ran off scared leaving her partners behind. Principal Celestia was soon there to see that it was Snips and Snails that were trapped.” “She made them confess that they were doing what Sunset wanted them to do. They got a lighter punishment while Sunset was called in to the Principal’s office. Her punishment was much harsher that Snips and Snails. By that time, everyone her was she had done and now she’s the most disrespected student in this school.” “But even though we stopped Sunset,” Rarity added, “she still wants to do something to hurt her again for knocking her down several levels.” “And now I’m worried that having her in the same four classes is just the beginning,” Twilight said sacredly. “I don’t think you have to worry about her much longer,” I said. The others had puzzled looks on their faces. “Let’s just say that she’s going to have to worry about me being her science partner than what she would want to do with you, Twilight.” “Why do I have a feeling that you did something that would cross the line,” said Applejack. “You wouldn’t have tried to harm her, would you?” said Rarity with a concerned voice. “If you mean the fact that I grabbed her arm and got in her face after 4th period,” I said. Fluttershy replied, “Oh…MY!!!” “Why the hay did you do something like that, Jack,” yelled Applejack. “Yea, that’s just like signing your death certificate,” added Rainbow Dash. I got up from the bleachers and turned around. “Think about it this way. Why do you think I was put in the same classes as Twilight and Sunset? Anyone want to answer that?” Everyone looked at each other, trying to find an answer. “Everyone knows Sunset and everyone HATES Sunset. But I’m the new kid here. I bet you that Principal Celestia and Miss Luna had something to do with this.” “How could they have a part in this, Jack?” said Cadence. “Why do you think Miss Luna held her up in her office before 4th period?” “I just had this crazy idea,” said Tree Hugger. “What if everyone knows everyone else expect Jack in our class?” “I hate to say it, but she right,” said Moon Dancer. “You know you have to be paired up with someone in that class because each table has two chairs.” “But I could have paired up with him, or even Fluttershy could have done the same,” said Twilight. “But you didn’t,” added Moon Dancer. “You went for Cadence, and Fluttershy went with Tree Hugger. The rest was simple math. All that needed to be done was to make sure all the cards were in place, in which they are. Now Sunset has to deal with Jack instead of you, Twilight.” “So Jack has to deal with whatever Sunset throws at him?” said Applejack. “That’s just crazy.” “Crazy enough that it might just work,” I said. “Beg ya pardon?” “I’m just going to take a stab at this, but I wonder if she collected any info on me from my last school, and I don’t mean my grades and attendance. More of what I have done at the school outside of class.” Twilight asked, “Like what?” “That’s something I have to find out.” “I know what we can do?” We looked at Pinkie Pie for her answer. “Let’s eat. I’m starving.” “Leave it to Pinkie Pie to start thinking about food,” said Applejack. “Well, it’s already twenty after,” said Octavia as she was looking at her watch. “Then let’s go. I’m sure the others will be there,” added Rainbow Dash. “I’ll race you,” said Soarin. “You’re on.” Rainbow Dash and Soarin started to make a mad dash to the cafeteria, while the rest of us decide to walk. Twilight grabbed Octavia and me so she can talk to us. “Octavia, you’re in Music Lit next period, right?” “That is correct. Why you ask?” “Jack’s in your class, so can you help him make sure he knows where the classroom is at. I have a different class to go to after lunch.” “Sure. Better me than Vinyl or Pinkie Pie. Their in the same class.” It didn’t take us long to get to the cafeteria, grab some food, and join up with the others who couldn’t make it to the meeting. “So, Jack,” said Shining Armor, “you now have an idea about Sunset Shimmer?” “Yep. And we might have a reason why Twilight and me share the same classes at her.” “That’s good. I’m sure she’ll fill me in later after school.” He looked at his sister, Twilight, and said, “And I’m sorry you had to put up with Sunset for most of the day, sis.” “It’s OK. I think I’ll be fine as long as Jack is around to keep her busy.” “Wow, you must have guts to take her on,” said Sweetie Drops. “But you do have to work with her in science class, so might as well be now than later.” “Oh, oh, oh.” Pinkie Pie was jumping up and down wanted to get our attention. “Vinyl as something she wanted to show us.” She looked at Vinyl and said, “Show them what you showed me.” Vinyl brought out her cell phone and showed us a picture of a trophy. “Take a look at this.” Rainbow Dash got right up to her cell and said, “3rd Place, EDM Amateurs.” She looked at Vinyl. “That’s awesome. Not as awesome as getting 1st place, but it’s a big step for your first time there. Give me a brohoof.” Vinyl and Dash punched their fists to each other. “Brohoof?” I asked. “What’s a brohoof?” “It’s like our school’s greeting or handshake,” said Applejack. “Whenever we like to show our school spirit, we brohoof. Here, let me show you.” She grabbed my hand and put it in a fist. “Now you tap your fist with mine.” So I touched my fist with her fist. “That, partner, is a brohoof.” “A brohoof? I like it.” I looked at Vinyl and asked, “Can I see that pic?” Vinyl handed me her cell and Applejack and me looked at the picture. “Hey,” whispered Applejack. “Isn’t that the same pic in that message you got from that DJ?” “I think so,” I whispered. “Just play along. I want to surprise her.” I handed the cell back to Vinyl and asked, “How were you able to get that?” “Well, I had some online help with one of the tracks that he let me use, with his permission. The rest was simple planning.” Octavia interrupted. “You spend all day and night finishing what you were doing that I couldn’t get any sleep. And that was when my parents were on vacation.” “Tavi, how are you able to put up with Vinyl’s…noise every day since she moved in with your family?” said Rarity. “I ask myself the same thing.” Octavia looked at me and said, “Jack, just don’t get attached to her. Her music is nerve-racking at times.” “Come on Tavi. My music rocks, and I’m sure he can handle it,” said Vinyl. “Oh, I’m sure I can handle D J Pon E,” I said. “See, Tavi. He can handle…” Vinyl paused for a moment and said, “What did you call me?” “You know you heard Trader Jack, girl.” Vinyl paused for a moment again to gather her thoughts. Then it hit her hard. “No. Freaking. WAY!!! You…you…you… I thought you were older.” “I thought you were a guy,” I replied. “So does everyone else. And I like to keep it that way until their ready to accept having a girl as a DJ.” “Now that I can agree on. When they soon find out, no doubt jaws will drop to the floor that a girl just owned them. Brohoof.” I tapped my fist with Vinyl’s fist. “I think girls need the same respect as guys. Even as DJs.” “I agree. But it’s hard to convince that girls can make good DJs as well as guys. And if you plan to stay for a long time, you need to come with me next year. The place is electric.” “Well,” added Applejack, “you might have to make room for several more. I promised Jack that me and the girls will take a road trip to the place if he helps out with summer camp next year, and we could use a good road trip.” “I guess I better start planning for next year’s contest,” said Vinyl. The bell rang, telling us that it was time to go to our 5th period class. Twilight came up to me and said, “We’ll see you after school, OK.?” “Sure, Twilight.” I looked at Rainbow Dash and said, “Dash, meet in front of the school office before 6th period, right?” “That’s right,” Dash replied. Octavia came up to me and said, “Ready for music lit?” I nodded, and with Vinyl and Pinkie Pie in tow, we made our way to our next class.
Ch. 5 - A Change of PaceAfter gathering all I needed to know about Sunset Shimmer, I knew what I needed to do to find the answers that explain what the connection to my ‘gift’ and Sunset are. But that was going to have to wait for about an hour. Octavia, Vinyl, and Pinkie Pie were escorting me to our Music Lit class, when we started to talk about…music. “So what kind of music do you listen to?” Octavia asked me. “It can’t all be like what Vinyl has.” “Yea, you were creative in that mix track that you created,” Vinyl added. “I have a variety of music back home. From pop, rock, electric, light. I mean I have a good mix of music that I would like to listen to that helps me be creative in what I create.” “What about classical?” “Come on, Tavi. Who else would like to listen to the old stuff, besides you and Twilight?” “If you’re talking about the current classics, then I have a few of those. I’m not big on the really old stuff. No offense.” “That’s OK. I like the old classics, but the current classics are nice to.” “Oh, oh,” interrupted Pinkie Pie. “What about party music?” “Which kind? EDM or R&B?” I asked. Pinkie Pie had a confused look on her face. Vinyl was also confused and asked, “Wait a minute. There’s R&B that can be used at parties?” “It depends on the party. The key factor to know is that they always use the old records to play them, not like CDs or digital music. Adds an old, smooth feel to it. No flashy stuff. Used to hear some of it when I was back in Manehattan. But I don’t know if I can get into it. One of the guys I met said that you need to feel the soul of the music to understand it.” “Wow. That’s deep,” said Vinyl. As we were walking into class, I noticed a dark girl in green in the back. “Great,” whispered Octavia. “Chrysalis is in our class.” “Who’s she?” I asked. “Let’s sit down in the front, and I’ll tell you.” As we started to take our seats, she added, “Pinkie Pie, you sit behind Jack.” “OK!” Pinkie Pie said as she went to sit behind me. “I hope you have a reason for this,” I said. “If you plan to deal with Sunset, then you’re going to have to deal with Pinkie’s antics,” Octavia added. Pinkie smiled with a squeal, while Vinyl went to sit behind Octavia. “Chrysalis is a student who has, what others believe to be, fallen behind. She doesn’t hang out with anyone, and no one ever approaches her.” “Some say she’s a witch,” whispered Pinkie Pie. “I recommend you just don’t bother her at all.” added Octavia. “She just doesn’t like to talk to anyone.” I looked at Chrysalis and started to get that weird feeling. It wasn’t as strong as with Sunset, but I was able to recognize it. What I felt was fear. “What are you afraid of?” I thought. Our music teacher, Mr. Frederick Horseshoepin, walked in, so I turned around and focused my attention to the class. After getting our music books for the class, I waved the girls goodbye as I was gathering my things together to meet back at Principal Celestia’s office. As I got up, I bumped into Chrysalis, knocking some of her stuff to the ground. “I’m sorry there. Let me help.” I bended down to help her get her things, and she almost try to stop me, but couldn’t. I was able to gather her items and handed them to her. “Her you go.” “Um, thanks,” she replied. “You’re not like the others that I have met in this school, are you?” I asked. She didn’t bother to respond. “Well, if you ever feel like talking, just let me know.” At that point, she got up and left the classroom. “She’s afraid of something, but what?” I thought. As I was making my to the school office, I hear a familiar voice behind me. “You ready to work at the gym?” It was Rainbow Dash, already changed back to her gym clothes that she was wearing in the morning. “Maybe, but I don’t know if I can do so in these clothes.” “Well, maybe Principal Celestia can find some workout clothes to wear, like mine. Come on.” We walked into the office to hear Principal Celestia talking to another person behind her office door. We heard Principal Celestia say, “I’m glad that you decided to come on such short notice, but you really didn’t have to do this.” “It was no problem. When she called me after she had to retire, I decided to turn in my notice to the university and make my way here. I’ve already got an apartment to live in and just got with Discord today about coming here. I knew he was going to have a hard time finding a replacement.” “I recognized that voice,” said Rainbow Dash. The office door just opened up and Principal Celestia stick her head out. “Dash, Jack, you’re both here. Come in. There’s someone I want you to meet.” We walked into her office, and Rainbow Dash’s jaw dropped in shock. “Coach Spitfire?” “It been some years since I’ve seen you back in Cloudsdale. And you’ve grown since then,” said the yellow lady with the two-tone orange hair. “I figure you would be surprised,” said Principal Celestia. “Jack, this is an old classmate and friend of mine, Coach Spitfire. She’s going to take over for Coach Goalkeeper.” “Wait a minute,” said Rainbow Dash. “I though you were still coaching at Equestria University.” “I decided to resign. The money might be good, but I can’t leave my friends hanging. Plus I have a promise to fulfill for Goalkeeper. And that’s to help on you’re future scholarship.” Rainbow dash jumped up in excitement. “AWESOME!!!” “Jack,” said Principal Celestia, “you will still be my staff aide this semester. For now, I want you to work with Coach Spitfire today, since she just got here. Make sure you see me before the period is over.” I nodded towards her. We started to make our way to the gym court, and Coach Spitfire decided to strike up a conversation. “So Dash, is Soarin and Fluttershy around here as well?” “Yep. Right now, Soarin is working for Coach Iron Will at the gym as well. He’ll be surprised to see that you are here.” “That big coach is still teaching here? Does he still prefer to teach P.E. in the fall, and Auto Mechanics in the spring?” “From what my friends have told me, he still does. Me and Soarin will be taking his Auto class next semester along with Jack.” “You never told me about that,” I said. “You never asked,” replied Rainbow Dash. “Then I can guess you and Soarin are finally dating, right?” said Coach Spitfire. Rainbow Dash was shocked and blushing as she was trying to respond. “W…w…we’re not dating. We’re just friends. What gave you that idea?” “Because you always like to hang out and work out together since the two of you played soccer back in Cloudsdale.” “Looks like someone’s got a secret crush,” I said with a sneaky look. “S…shut up.” Rainbow Dash turned her head away just to hide her blushing face from us. “I’m just joking, Dash,” said Coach Spitfire as she was patting her back. “No need to turn all red on us.” “Just don’t do that again.” We walked in to the gym, and all the students were divided between the boys and girls. We could see a big bluish gray man with the students waiting for us. Coach Spitfire yelled, “Coach Iron Will. Guess who’s here?” “This is a surprise to see,” said Coach Iron Will. “What brings you here at CHS?” “I’m taking over for Coach Goalkeeper. Celestia said you had the student lists for the other classes you had to fill.” “Iron Will does. Remind me after class so Iron Will can give those to you. Iron Will was about to ask Soarin to check up on the P.E. equipment. Think your aides can help him out?” “No problem.” Coach Spitfire looked at us as said, “Make sure all the equipment is in good condition. I want to know if I need to make any request for replacement gear soon.’ “We’re on it,” replied Rainbow Dash. We made our way with Soarin to the equipment room. “I can’t believe Coach Spitfire is here,” said Soarin. “I thought she was working at Equestria University.” “Coach Goalkeeper called her up and asked if she could take over for her. And, now, she’s going to help me work on my future scholarship. This is turning out to be awesome.” “That’s great to hear. We better start checking up on the gear here.” Soarin looked to me and handed me a clipboard. “Think you can write down everything as we go through it?” “No problem,” I said. I started to write down all that we had, and made a list of what was in good condition, what needed to be looked at, and what needed to be replaced. As we were doing this, I wanted to ask them something. “Do any of you know of a student named Chrysalis?” “The one people like to call the witch?” said Soarin. “Yep, I’ve heard of her. I think this is her 5th year here. Did you have a class with her?” “Just last period in music lit class,” I replied. “I don’t understand why they call her a witch,” Rainbow Dash added. “She’s just a student who’s fallen behind, yet she doesn’t want to drop out of school.” “You think that someone would be willing to help her out,” I said. “Everyone is too scared to approach her,” said Soarin. “But she’s no Sunset Shimmer, that’s for sure.” We finished with the inventory, with time to spare, and handed it to Coach Spitfire to look it over. “Thanks, you guys. We’ll look it over and see what needs to be done. Jack, if you want to head back to Principal Celestia, you can. Just let her know I might be making a list for her sometime this week.” I agreed with Coach Spitfire and told Rainbow Dash and Soarin that I’ll see them at the lockers in a little while. When I got back to the office, I filled the principal in and ask if there was anything else to do before school was over. She wanted to talk to me about something about my time back in my old school that she wanted to understand. “I read from your old school that you have help some of your classmates who have had problems in their lives and brought it to the teachers attention. I was wondering how you were able to help them out.” To tell her about my gift would be a surprise for her, in which she wouldn’t understand. So I had to come up with something to explain this. “I just see someone who is worried and is scared to tell someone and see if they could open up and tell me what is wrong. Everything else just happens as is. Why do you ask?” “I’m guessing you heard from Twilight and her friends the ordeal they had to go through with Sunset Shimmer and that I can’t do anything to help her with the four classes that they have to share.” I crossed my arms and had to ask. “Is this why I also share those same four classes, to make sure no trouble comes between Twilight and Sunset?” “Close,” she replied. “I have a favor to ask, and I normally don’t do this, but I think you might be the best bet in doing this.” I wonder what she met by that, and then remembered our talk earlier today with Twilight’s friends. “Why do you think I was put in the same classes as Twilight and Sunset?” “What if everyone knows everyone else expect Jack in our class?” “All that needed to be done was to make sure all the cards were in place, in which they are. Now Sunset has to deal with Jack instead of you, Twilight.” I think I was about to get some of the answers that I needed, as she was about to speak. “I want you to help Sunset Shimmer open up and believe that she can change her ways in her life.” “But even if I could do that, everyone else hates her. If I did, how can I make them realized that she’s changed for the better?” “That’s where Twilight comes in. If she believes from you that Sunset has changed, she might be able to convince the school the same thing. I know it’s a tall order, but I believe in second chances, and this might be the only second chance that she can get. Do you think you can do this, just like you can back in your old school?” I thought for a moment about what I was going to really get myself into. I soon then remembered that we would have to work together in our science class at some point. “Did your sister have a part in setting us up in science class?” “I believe so. Does she share the same table as you?” “Yes.” After hearing this, I decided on what I needed to do. “I’ll give it a try. I can’t promise that it will work, but I’ll try.” “Thank you. I know you can do this. Just one thing, you can’t tell anyone what you are trying to do. I need them to see it for themselves that Sunset has changed.” The final bell rang, telling us that school was over. I waved at Principal Celestia as I was heading out. I left the office and went straight across to my locker. As I was grabbing my stuff, the others started to show up. “So Jack, what do you think about school here?” said Twilight. “It’s…interesting. That’s for sure,” I replied. “Just ya wait til you see the events that we have, partner,” said Applejack. “Some of them are marvelous,” Rarity added. “I can hardly wait to see what they are,” I said. “Oh, it’s going to be a blast,” Pinkie Pie said as she threw confetti in the air. “Well, some of us need to head on home,” said Rainbow Dash. “Fluttershy, Soarin, you coming?” “Yep,” said Soarin and Fluttershy nodded. As most of them left, Twilight was waiting for his brother to come, while Applejack and Rarity waited for their sisters and rides to show up. I decided to wait for a bit as well. We heard a group of young girls coming this way. I recognized the voices from before. “Hey, Jack. You still here?” It was Apple Bloom and her friends. “Yes. Just taking in the view.” “All of us saw you in the gym with Rainbow Dash. Were you working with her?” she said. “Yep. Coach Spitfire just showed up and needed some extra help for today. Do you have her for 6th period?” All four of them nodded. “Girls, look like our rides are here,” said Applejack. Two old trucks started to drive up. I recognized the driver in the red truck as Big Mac, but I didn’t know who the female driver in the orange truck was. “About time my sister got here,” said Babs Seed. Applejack whispered, “That’s Sunflower, Babs’ sister. She graduated the same time as Big Mac. After what happened back then, Scootaloo lives with them for now.” She looked at the girls and said, “Time to go, girls.” As Babs Seed and Scootaloo got into Sunflower’s truck and Apple Bloom and Applejack got into Big Mac’s truck, Apple Bloom turned around, waved and said, “It was nice knowing you, Jack. I hope we get to see each other again.” The other two girls also waved at me and I returned the wave. “Twilight, Jack, Rarity,” we heard behind us. We turned to see Shining Armor with Cadence and Octavia walking towards us. “Oh, Octavia. I need to make sure you get those CDs back to you,” said Twilight. “I already told your brother about it,” said Octavia. “Shall we go get them now?” Twilight nodded. “I’ll see you tomorrow, Shiny,” Cadence said as she gave him a kiss on the cheek. “You too, Cadence,” replied Shining Armor. “Come on, Twilight. Let’s get Tavi’s CDs to her and head home.” Twilight waved at me as they were heading back to their car. “How did your first day felt like, Jack,” said Cadence. “It was good. I hope the remaining days are as good as today.” “I’m sorry you have to worry about Sunset sitting next to you, but if she causes and problems, you know who to go to.” “Don’t worry, Cadence. I think I can handle her. I’m ready for a challenge.” “Just don’t push your luck.” Cadence started walking towards the parking lot and said, “It was nice to meet you. See you tomorrow.” I waved my hand towards her. “I hope he’s not running late.” Rarity and Sweetie Belle were still waiting for their ride. “Who, your dad?” I asked. “Oh no, our hired driver. Our parents like to travel around Equestria,” answer Rarity. “They travel a lot, but try to find time to stop by every now and then. Otherwise, they call us once a week,” said Sweetie Belle. “That must cost a lot of money for all that travel,” I said. “Nonsense,” replied Rarity. “Our family has earned a lot of money from the family businesses that they own. They just decided to do all the traveling to see what’s out there and still keep up with some of the work on the road.” Just then, their car finally drove up. “It looks like our ride is here. I’ll see you tomorrow.” “Rarity, wait. You got a moment to talk?” I asked. She nodded and asked Sweetie Belle to wait in the car. “What is it, dear?” “You told me to never bring up AJ’s parents in front of her, right?” She nodded. “I don’t think you need to worry about her with that. She’s tough and has a good eye, and no doubt the girls are strong as well.” “Applejack talked to you about that.” I nodded. “I just wish I could have…” I placed my finger on her lips, stopping her mid sentence. “You don’t need to be blaming yourself for something you couldn’t do. These things happen. And sometimes we can’t do anything to stop it from happening. The best thing to do is not blaming ourselves for not doing enough. I can understand that it’s not easy, bust the best thing to do is just move forward and put all the dead weight behind us.” Rarity sighed, lower her head, and said, “I understand, dear. I guess I’m doing too much in protecting my friends that I’m putting all that weight on me.” She looked back up to me with a smile on her face. “Thanks. It’s feels like a huge weight was lifted from me. I better be going. Don’t want to keep my sister waiting.” She starts walking to the car, giving me a wave of her hand. I noticed that everyone has left school and I was still outside the main lobby. As I was staring to head to my truck, one more person was walking out of the doorway, and it was a surprise to see that she was still here. “I’m surprised that you’re still here,” said Sunset as she was giving me an evil grin. “I would have figured you sneak out the back door without being noticed,” I replied with a grin. “Look, if you want to get in my face, then so be it. I’ll be happy to knock you down in your place, if you like.” “Challenge accepted. Just remember that we have to work together in science class.” “Oh, I haven’t forgotten about that. I just hope you can keep up.” “Oh, I can keep up. I just hope you can do the same.” “Whatever. I’m out of here.” Sunset started to walk down the stairs and toward the parking lot. I yelled, “See you later, Sunny.” She paused and yelled back, “Don’t call me Sunny,” and then left. “You know what?” I thought. “I think I’m going to like it here.” I decided to head to my truck and drive on home. Author's Note This is where the first day ends. I hope you like it so far.
Ch. 6 - Of Heart and SoulIt’s Tuesday Morning, 5:45 AM. I’m just now getting up, able to get a bit more sleep than yesterday. After having a crazy first day, I felt like it should be smooth sailing from here, as long as I can out-do Sunset Shimmer. I go through my morning routine before going downstairs and meeting up with my mother. As I walk in to the kitchen, some pop tarts popped up from the toaster, and a glass of orange juice was next to it that my mother prepared. “Good morning, son.” “Good morning, mom.” I went to grab one of the pop tarts and orange juice and asked, “Do you have the money for my school lunch pass that I need to turn in to Miss Luna?” “Right here, son.” She hands me a check that’s made out to the school to cover my lunch meals for the semester. “And I also have something else that I need you to give to Miss Luna as well.” She pointed out to a small bag on the table. I walked over to it, and I can recognize the scent coming from the bag. “Is that what I think it is?” “You bet, son.” I shook my head in disbelief. “I can’t believe that she’s the only one in Ponyville that orders this type from you. I mean, people in the big cities like to order this kind to help them sleep with all the noise around them. But it’s more peaceful that anyone ever orders them expect for one person.” “And to think that person is your Vice Principal who orders them, since I did create those candles to help you sleep when you were young.” “Well, I’ve better get to school.” I grabbed the bag and exchanged my byes with my mother. My father was about to head out to work when he reminded me about meeting with AJ at the farm this weekend. Once I made it to school, the first place I went to was to Vice Principal Luna’s office. She was inside with the door open. “Miss Luna?” “Jack, what brings you here?” she replied. “I’m here to purchase a lunch pass.” I handed her the check, and she handed me a lunch pass so I don’t have to worry about having to pay for lunch every day. She noticed the bag that I was holding and asks, “Who’s the bag for?” “Oh, my mother wanted me to give this to you. I’m guessing you must have ordered it last week.” “I did. My sister told me that your mother created the candles that I like to order.” “I’m surprised to find out that you’re the only one in Ponyville who orders this kind. I wouldn’t think you would have a hard time sleeping.” “There are times when I have trouble sleeping. But this helps me a lot.” She pulls out of the bag a round lavender candle. Both of us were able to gather its scent that was coming from it. “I guess you have had a hard time sleeping as well.” “Back when my family was living in the big cities. Now that I live here, I can just use it to help me relax. I have worked with my mother on some of her candles during the past summers.” “Well, send your mother my thanks.” I left her office and went to my locker, where my new friends were already there. “Jack,” said Twilight. “Good thing you’re here. My friends were hoping to share contact information with you. I only have your cell number, but not your e-mail address.” “Oh, sure. Let me get my phone out of my bag.” I grabbed my phone and we exchanged numbers and e-mail addresses so we can keep in touch with each other. “Trixie and Moon Dancer wanted to keep in touch with you as well,” said Twilight. “Sure. I can take care of that when I see them in their classes. I need to do the same with Vinyl and Octavia when I see them.” I looked at Applejack and said, “AJ, I talked to my dad about your farm, and he says that he can come by sometime Saturday if that’s OK.” “That be mighty fine, partner. Since Granny Smith works at in the cafeteria, I can tell her later today.” After putting away some of our stuff and grabbing our books, we started heading to class. No doubt, Sunset was already at her seat in the back corner. I’m guessing she came here early to avoid us in the morning. “You can evade us anytime, but when science class comes, you will have to deal with me again,” I thought as I stared at her. She saw my stare and decided to look away. The day went by like any normal day, even in science class when Sunset tried her best to ignore me. By the time free study came, Principal Celestia came by my locker and asked me to come by her office. I looked at the others, wondering why I was being called, before heading into her office. “Sorry if I had to call you over, but there was something I wanted to talk to you about from our conversation yesterday.” “If you mean about helping ‘her’ make a change, it is going to take some time.” “Actually, it’s something else. Take a seat, please.” She closed the door to her office, then went up to her desk and brought out a book from her desk drawer. “I want you to look at this.” I took the book and noticed that it was some old journal that belongs to someone. The name inside the journal said Professor Star Swirl. I looked back at her and asked, “What is this about?” “Go to the page that I have marked in the book and read it to me.” I went to the page that she was talking about and read it out loud. It is believed that there are those who bear special gifts that they are born with and awaken when the time comes. The first time they experience this is when waves of emotions come from other people. It takes months to control and focus on these waves of emotion; otherwise, they would think they are crazy. Once they have control of this gift, they can focus on those who hide their true feelings. This gift has been around for thousands of years, and at this day of age, is rare to find those who have it. But it has given those who bear it an advantage against their enemies. They call it ‘soul resonance.’ I gathered my thoughts after reading this. “Soul resonance? Is this what I have been experiencing these past few years? Why I sense these emotions that I feel others? How come she has this info and no one else? Does she know about my ‘gift’? What does it all mean?” I looked back at Principal Celestia with a confused look. “I don’t quite understand. Is there a reason for showing me this?” “Look, I haven’t been fully honest with you, and I wanted to make sure I knew who I was looking at before I brought this up. Tell me, have there been times when you felt like that there was something different about someone that you question who they really are?” I paused for a moment, and then answered, “I have, twice; two students that I share classes with.” I looked at Principal Celestia. “We can guess that Sunset Shimmer is one of them, and would explain why you wanted me to help her.” “Do you know what it was that you felt?” “I’m not sure. It felt…strong. But it felt like there was a wall trying to block it or mask what it truly is.” “What you felt was that person’s soul, the true feelings that they try to hide.” “If you knew about this, why bring this up now and just on my second day here?” “I had my doubts at first, but I felt like it was better that you know now than later, after having to put you up to the task that I asked of you yesterday. For now, I want you to keep it a secret from everyone, even your friends. When you come back here for 6th period, I’ll be happy to answer all of your questions that I can answer. Deal?” “Deal!” I replied, shaking her hand. I started to get up and headed out of her office when she stopped me for a moment. “You said there was another one. Who was it?” “Chrysalis, from my Music Lit class.” She paused for a moment before she could speak. “What did you feel from her?” “Fear. It was easier to read from her than from Sunset.” I looked back at her and said, “If you want me to help Sunset, then let me start with helping Chrysalis. If this gift, this ‘soul resonance’, is what the book says it is, I would like to know more about her first and see if what I felt was right. Maybe I can understand what she’s afraid of if I knew more about her past. I can understand that you can’t reveal a person’s personal history, but…” She stopped me and said, “I can see what I can do. This would be a good test of your gift that you have.” “Thank you.” After saying that, I left her office. “Soul resonance?” I thought. So that’s what is called. I could never find info on it online, or anywhere in museums and books. Even those that kept it a secret couldn’t find any info on it. Maybe fate led me here to answer the questions I’ve been looking for. Who knows? For now, it’s best to keep it hidden from everyone, like I did before at my last school. But I will need friends that can help me keep it a secret, but who?” I got with my friends at lunchtime. And no doubt it was ‘Taco Tuesday.’ I learned that Pinkie Pie and Rainbow Dash love that day, because they race to see who can finish all 3 tacos first. “I WIN!!!” said Pinkie Pie. “I was so close,” said Rainbow Dash, as she was about to take her last bite of tacos. “Dash,” said Applejack, “you might be fast on ya feet, but when it comes to food, only Pinkie can pull it off.” “I sometimes wonder how she can eat that much and still look so marvelous,” added Rarity. “I might have an answer to that,” I said. Everyone looked at me, waiting for my answer. I cleared my throat before I spoke. “She has a way to burn off all the weight with all the energy she has.” Pinkie Pie grinned as she nodded her head. “I guess that’s reasonable enough,” replied Rarity. Twilight decided to change the subject. “So why did you get called to the principal’s office.” Everyone stared at me again, waiting for my answer. I knew I had to keep it a secret from them, so I had to come up with something. “Um, just what I was going to be working on with her in 6th period. She wanted me to…make sure I know what I needed to bring when I come by.” “You not going to help us in gym class today?” Rainbow Dash asked. “I’m Celestia’s aide, while you’re Spitfire’s aide and Soarin is Iron Will’s aide. If she wants me to help one of the other teachers, she would let me know.” “He does have a point,” added Soarin. Luckily, everyone was able to believe me, expect for Applejack. I could see that look in her eyes that she believes that I was hiding something. That didn’t bold well with me, and I might have to tell Principal Celestia about that. I needed to change the subject again. “Can I ask you a question? Do any of you know much about Chrysalis?” Everyone went stunned and silent, before Cadence broke that silence. “Everyone thinks she’s a witch, but I don’t even buy it. I think she’s more of a student who has been struggling with school, but has no where else to go to.” “You had a class with her before?” I asked. “Back in my freshman year. I tried to befriend her, but she just remained quiet. I just couldn’t break through that wall of hers.” “Did you come across any of her parents?” “Only her mother, but that was years ago. I’m not sure what has happen since then.” “I still think she’s a witch,” Pinkie Pie added. “Pinkie Pie,” said Twilight, “you just like to believe whatever you hear.” “I know,” she replied with a smile. Soon then, the bell rang, and it was time to head to our next class. Applejack stopped me and asked in private, “Just to be sure ya being honest. Are you sure that’s the reason you were called to her office?” “I’m sure. Why? You think I’m making it up?” “Maybe. I can tell when someone’s lying to me. You really sure that’s what happen?” I let out a big sigh and said, “Look, it’s better you not know. I have my reasons, and I like to keep it that way.” “Well, if that’s the case, I can’t force it out of you. Just be careful about what you try to keep from other, ya hear?” I nodded. “Good. Well, I talk to you later.” “That was a close one,” I thought. “I better let the principal know that AJ might be hard to keep a secret from.” After 5th period, I was able to catch Chrysalis and talk to her. “Chrysalis, you got a moment?” She didn’t answer. “Look, I can see that you don’t like to talk to others, but it wouldn’t hurt to at least speak and make some friends.” She kept silent, and then decided to speak. “You shouldn’t be talking to me. No one here likes me anyway.” “I like you,” I replied. “At least I would like to know you more.” “Why?” she asked. “I’m just curious. I respect who others are, even if they are different.” “It’s better you don’t. Now if you will excuse me, but I need to get to my next class.” She started to walk out of the classroom. “I hope the principal has some info on here,” I thought. “I know she’s hiding something.” I arrived at the principal’s office to find that Principal Celestia and Miss Luna inside. “I’m glad you made it,” said Principal Celestia. “My sister was able to bring up Chrysalis’ records.” “I can understand that she has fallen behind,” said Miss Luna, “and the last time we sent a letter to her mother last school year, she said she couldn’t make it because of working a double-shift.” “When was the last time you saw her mother in person?” I asked. “Didn’t we see her two years ago, Tia?” “I think so, but her mother wasn’t in good shape at that time.” Celestia looked at me and asked, “Think that’s why you felt fear from her?” I looked up, worried about the fact that Miss Luna was here as well. “Don’t worry about my sister. She’s on the same page about your gift.” Hearing that lifted my worries so I can answer. “Well, I’m only going on theories here, like I did at my old school, but it’s possible that her mother could be a part of it. Wasn’t in good shape at one time, then working a double-shift the next. That just doesn’t sound right.” “Well, now I see why you were able to help those who needed help,” said Miss Luna. “Thanks, Miss Luna. I do what I can to help. Get that from my parents.” “There’s no need to address us with our titles, Jack,” said Miss Luna. “At least in private.” “O…k. Might have to give me some time to get used to that,” I replied. “So, with that out of the way for now, I was hoping you could…” “Answer your questions that you wanted answered?” Celestia responded, cutting me off. “I think with your theories about Chrysalis in proving what your gift told you, you earned it.” I sat down in front of Celestia’s desk as she pulled out the same book that she showed me earlier. “You know that this book belong to Professor Star Swirl. But there’s more to it.” “He was our college professor and mentor at the time,” said Luna. “Tia and me are three years apart, so she was in college while I was in high school. By the time I entered college, she was in her 4th year of college and introduced me to Star Swirl after having a couple of classes with him.” “Luna was able to take his classes after I graduated from college, but she was able to spend some time with me on some research that he was working on so she can continue working after I left.” “Soul resonance,” I answered. “That’s right,” Celestia replied. “And there’s more to your gift than you know, but it’s possible you have yet to tap into that kind of power.” “But we might be able to help you to discover it in due time,” added Luna. Celestia continued. “But until that happens, I can’t reveal that info to you until it happens.” “I can understand,” I said. “Best to let it happens when it happens, than to force it to happen. Otherwise, it could go bad on me and others.” Celestia and Luna agreed with that comment. “So, did you notify Professor Star Swirl about my gift?” “That would be a problem,” Luna said, with a concerned voice. “A year after I graduated, he disappeared. And on that same day, that book came in the mail with a note.” “It said that if we were to receive this book, it means something bad was about to happen to him,” Celestia said. “When we got the book, we tried to call him to make sure he was fine, but they said he passed away without notice.” “But somehow, you didn’t believe that was the case, right?” “That’s right,” replied Celestia. “And I have a feeling that your life could be in danger because of your gift.” “Back in my old school, I had a few trusted friends who helped keep it a secret. They felt like someone can find a way to use it for the wrong reasons.” “Sounds like you had some great friends who protected you,” Luna replied. I nodded. “I don’t know who would want the professor or his research, but after seeing you here, I know there’s more to this,” said Celestia. I started to think, and then asked, “Have you thought about letting Twilight in all of this?” “I wanted to,” Celestia replied, “but with her problems with Sunset, I can’t afford to do so.” “And that’s why you wanted my help with her.” Celestia nodded. “Now some of the pieces are coming together,” I thought. “I hope you can understand what we are asking you to do,” said Luna. “It’s a start in the right direction, that’s for sure. But I might have a problem?” Both of them had a concerned look on their face. “They asked me why you called me to your office earlier, and I had to make something up. But somehow, Applejack wasn’t buying it.” “Should have known,” said Luna. “She has a sharp eye when someone is lying.” “That’s what she said,” I replied. “At some point, I’m going to need some trusted friends here to help keep my gift a secret. And so far, Twilight might be my best hope in helping me here.” “I can understand,” Celestia said. “If you can help reform Sunset Shimmer, then that can take a lot of weight off of Twilight. Once so, we can fill her in on your gift.” Celestia looked at the clock to notice that is was 2:30PM. “Well, we still have some time before school is over, so maybe you can help me get some of the locker data into the computer, because the program that I have to used is DRIVING ME CRAZY!!!” I laughed and said, “Now that I can work on. Let me take a look at it and see what’s wrong with it.” I looked at what was wrong with her computer and realized that’s she’s not used to working on Excel. It was a good thing that my mother showed me Excel so that I can help with a record of sales and customers for her. We used the first ten lockers as a way to show her how to use the program, since I knew who has those lockers. Luna looked out the window seeing some dark clouds coming our way. “Looks like the rain is coming sooner than expected,” said Luna. “I thought it was going to be in the evening for the rain to arrive,” I said. “The weatherman wasn’t sure in the timing. Maybe it’s just a light shower and not the heavy stuff. I don’t see anything to indicate a storm.” The final bell rang. “You might as well head home, Jack,” said Celestia. “We can finish this up tomorrow.” “No problem. And, thanks for filling me in. Now I have a path in front of me that I must journey.” As I looked at the coming rain, I ask, “Do you know if Chrysalis drives?” “She never came to get a parking pass, so I’m guessing that she walked to and from school,” said Luna. She looked, and then realized why I asked the question. “You think this incoming rain could help you out?” “I gotten lucky before at my old school. And it looks like luck might be on my side in helping Chrysalis.” “Just keep an open eye and ear around here, and we’ll fill you in on whatever is needed,” said Celestia. “And leave Applejack to me,” added Luna. “I’ll find a way to make her understand without her knowing what our goal is.” I started to make my way to my locker, got what I needed to take home with me, and tell my friends to drive safe as they got home. I got into my truck just as a light shower started to come and started to make my way home. As I was driving, I noticed Chrysalis walking home with a small, black umbrella. Somehow, the answers that I wanted to seek on her might come sooner than I have planned. I slowed down and lower my window to call her out. “Chrysalis, you need a ride home?” She didn’t bother to answer. “It’s going to get worse if you don’t make it home soon. And I’m one who won’t take no for an answer, even it that ‘no’ means the silent treatment.” She stopped, looked at me, looked down, and then responded. “Fine.” I unlocked the passenger door as she ran to that side to get in. “I’ll tell you where to go.” She told me where her house was located, and when we got there, it looked like a death hazard, and not even a single car was around the driveway. “That’s where you live?” I said. She nodded as she started to get out. I grabbed her arm and asked, “Are you serious? How do you and your parents survive here?” She looked down in silence, and then answered, “I no longer have any parents.” She then looked at me. “I’m a legal adult, so I can handle everything by myself.” “In this place? I don’t think so. What if something was to happen to you? What then?” “Why should you care? You don’t even know me at all.” “Because it’s my job to care for those that need help, no matter what.” At that point, she just sat there and slowly shed a tear. “You don’t even know me, yet you still want to help me? Why?” “Because that’s what friends do.” I got my cell out and made a call to my dad. “Hey, Jack. Is everything OK?” I figured he would see my name on his cell. “Dad, I need you to come by a house that a classmate lives at. I’ll explain the details later. I just need you to do a quick safety inspection of the place.” “Sure. Text me the address, and I’ll there as soon as possible. Just make sure you let your mom know. You know how she worries about you in bad weather.” “Thanks, Dad.” I went to text my dad the address. Then I text my mother what was going on. She replied that I should be careful while waiting for my dad. After waiting for 30 minutes, my father showed up to see the bad house in front of us. “Is this the house that you were talking about?” said my father. “That’s the one,” I replied. “My classmate here lives in this place…alone.” “Miss, you have the keys to the house.” She nodded. “Then come with me.” We both got out of my truck and made our way into the house while it was raining. When we got inside, it looked like a mess. Electricity was out, ceiling was crack and leaking, furniture was in bad shape; it looked like it was abandoned for years. The one item that sticks out was a picture of her younger self with another woman, maybe her mother. “Chrysalis,” I said, “is this your mother with you?” She nodded. “What happened to her?” “She passed away about a year ago.” “How come you didn’t tell anyone? I’m sure Principal Celestia or Miss Luna would have helped out.” She stayed silent as she was hanging her head. “Son, grab what clothes that she has and take her to our house. I can get a codes inspector over here tomorrow to take a look at the place. Until then, she stays with us. I’ll let your mother know that we will be having company.” As my dad was making the calls, I went with Chrysalis to grab any clothes that she had, clean or dirty, into a couple of bags that my father had in his truck. I decided to grab the picture that stood out with us, since that looked like the only priceless item worth saving. After we loaded her items in my truck, I went on home while my dad went back to the building to finish up things down there before coming home. She was quiet as we were making our way back to my place, so I really need to break the silence. “Chrysalis, what happened to your parents? I know you told us about what happen to your mother, but what about your father?” She was silent once again. “Look, you can’t keep up with the silent treatment forever.” After a brief pause, she spoke. “My parents divorced when I was little, so I hardly knew my father. Actually, I didn’t even cared about him. He never cared about me anyway. It was just my mother and I throughout the years. The past few years were hard. Mother lost her job, started to get sick, then passed away about a year ago.” “How were you able to survive all this time? You had to find a way to get something to eat.” “The lunch lady there was able to help me with any leftovers that she had after lunch. She was nice enough to help me, at least.” “You must mean Granny Smith, Applejack’s grandmother.” “I believe that was her name. She started to save some food for lunch, and any leftovers for me to take home for dinner, if she had any. I never was able to get any for tonight.” “Because is was Taco Tuesday. Well, when we back to my place, I’m sure my mother can make a good meal just for you.” “Thanks…for caring about me.” We finally arrived back home, with rain starting to die down for a bit. I figured that was the calm before the storm. My mother just came out to greet us. “Jack, I’m glad you made it back home,” my mother said. “And is this our new guest?” “Yes, mom. This is Chrysalis. Dad wants her to stay with her for the time being. We were able to bring her clothes along, but some of them could use a good wash.” “Son, go on ahead and take all the clothes to the laundry room while I’ll take our guest and get her cleaned up. Will spaghetti be fine tonight?” “That will be fine. I told her she was going to get a good meal.” My mother took Chrysalis upstairs to get cleaned up while I grabbed both bags of clothes and went to the laundry room that was next to the garage. I figure that my mother would take care of it, since I’m sure there are some things I don’t need to see at this time. I went back to my truck to grab both of our book bags and went back inside before it started raining again. Once back inside, Chrysalis had more of a fresh look to her. “I placed her clothes in the laundry room,” I said. “Thanks, dear. I’ll get started on those now before starting on dinner. Why don’t you take her up to your room to work on homework until I get some time to get the guest room ready.” “Sure, Mom,” I replied. “Come on. I’ll show you my room.” I handed Chrysalis her book bag and took her to my room. When we went in and turned on the lights, her eyes lit up in awe. “Your room looks nice. A bit to bright for me, but nice.” “I guess this room would make you stand out, right?” She nodded. “Well, lets get some homework done until dinner is ready.” We started to focus on our own classes at first. I lay on the bed while she just sat on the floor beside my bed. There were times when she asked for my help on a few things, and I tried my best to answer them, but told her that maybe Twilight could help her better than me. I decided to give her a call and hope she can help, knowing that she would be shocked at what was about to come. “Hello, this is Twilight Sparkle speaking.” “Twilight, its Jack.” “Oh, hey, Jack. What’s up?” “Oh, trying to get Chrysalis some help on her homework.” “You’re kidding, right?” “This is no joke. She’s right here next to me.” There was a small pause. “You still there?” “I am. I’m just…shocked.” “I figure that would be the case.” “How did this happen, if you don’t mind me asking?” “Can I e-mail you the details later. It’s a long story, and there’s no telling when dinner will be ready.” “Sure. Well, let me speak to her.” I handed my cell to her, and she started asking the questions and getting an idea of what she needed to know. After a while, she handed my cell back to me. “Were you able to help her out?” “Sure did. I think she understands what she needs to know. I can help her later on during free study tomorrow if she needs it.” “Thanks, Twilight. I’ll make sure I e-mail you later today.” “Sure thing. Bye” As I finished up my call, Chrysalis said, “She’s nice. I’m glad she was able to explain some of this to me in a better detail.” “That’s because she’s one of the smartest students in the school, and she’s also the student body VP.” A thought just came to mind at that point. “How would you like to join me and my friends at lunch tomorrow. I have a lunch pass, but I can have my mother fix you something to eat for lunch.” “That would be nice.” She smiled. “Thanks again. It’s nice to know when someone cares for another, even if that person is different than the rest.” “That’s what friends are for.” I soon heard my mother call. “Son, your father’s home, and dinner I almost ready. Can you help set the table?” “Sure mom. Just give me a minute.” I looked at Chrysalis as said, “Hungry?” She replied, “You bet,” and made her way out the door. I got out of my bed and thought, “Helping her went faster than expected, but that’s how it was back in my old school. Helping Sunset will be more of a challenge, and if I need to find out about my gift, then taking on Sunset might be the only way.” Chrysalis popped her head in the door and said, “You coming?” I snapped out of my thoughts. “Oh, sure. On my way.” Author's Note Jack starts to understand the meaning of his gift, and while helping Chrysalis was easy, finding a way to help Sunset will be more of a challenge. If you think this is going too fast for Jack, you have yet to get the whole story. And part of that involves his role at his last school.
Ch. 7 - Making FriendsI was able to meet Twilight this Wednesday morning with Chrysalis at my side. After e-mailing her last night about Chrysalis, she was able to understand the true situation about her dilemma. “I haven’t had a chance to talk to Principal Celestia last night, since you waited until 9PM to e-mail me,” Twilight said to me. “Sorry. We were still finishing up our homework assignments,” I responded. “Well, I can reason with that.” Twilight looked at Chrysalis and said, “If you need any help today, just let me know before free study, and we can go over it in the library.” “Thanks, Twilight,” said Chrysalis. “I’m glad you were able to help me understand the problem last night.” “Hey, that’s what friends do. Right, Jack?” I nodded. “Well, I need to go to my locker on the other side. Is there someplace you want me to meet up after 4th period?” I pointed to our lockers across the main office and said, “Just meet us over there where our friends are.” She agreed and went on her way. Twilight and me went to our lockers where our friends were. All of them were just staring at us. “Why are you guys looking at us like that?” I asked. Pinkie just went straight up to me, inspected me all over, and asked, “Did you get put under a witch’s spell?” “PINKIE PIE!!!” Twilight yelled. “He’s not under any spell.” “And how do you know, dear?” asked Rarity. “Jack sent me an e-mail last night. I believe I forwarded it to all of you.” They all were confused in all this, causing Twilight to raise her hands in disbelief, saying, “For crying out loud. Were you all asleep when I sent it.” “Well, I did send the e-mail to you after 9PM,” I added. Fluttershy replied, “Here it is. You sent it around 10PM,” as she was holding out her cell. Everyone else grabbed their cells, looked for the e-mail, and read it. “Well, I’ll be,” said Applejack. “And to think I had to deal with the loss of my parents.” “And to think she would be living in such filth,” Rarity added. “This is uncalled for.” “Then she must be a…OUCH!!!” I slapped my book on Pinkie’s forehead, shutting her up. “Pinkie,” I said, “it’s you who’s acting like a witch.” “Look’s like someone put Pinkie in her place for once,” said Applejack. When 4th period ended, Twilight and me went to our lockers and saw Chrysalis waiting for us. All three of us went to the main office to see Principal Celestia, who was available at the time. We told her the complete story, explaining what happen to her mother, her living conditions, and why she didn’t want anyone to know about it. Principal Celestia understood the situation and called Miss Luna, asking if she can give her a lunch pass, which Celestia would happily pay for. After that, Twilight took Chrysalis to see Miss Luna while Celestia wanted me to stay to talk to me. “Looks like you were able to solve one problem in one day, Jack.” “You should be thanking the rain for making it happen,” I said laughing. “But thanks, anyway.” “You haven’t heard anything from your father about her home.” “Not yet, but the codes inspector should be there right now.” My cell just buzzed in my pocket, allowing me to pull it out to see if it was a text from my father. Codes inspector came. Said that house needs to be destroyed. Nothing worth taking since yesterday. Our home is her home now. “Looks like her home is no longer safe to live in,” I said. “Then I shall leave her in your care, so to speak.” “I can understand that. Maybe spending some time with her can help me in finding a way to break down Sunset’s defenses, if I can find a way.” “And maybe, if you can gain her trust, we might have a friend that can help make sure your ‘gift’ is kept secret.” “You mean my soul powers,” I added. “So you decided to give it an easier name to call it? I think that works better than before. Plus, some of those powers will have different names and meanings.” “Powers that I have yet to discover.” “I guess you still have a long way to go in finding all the answers.” I nodded. “I’ll see what ideas I can come up with that might help unlock your soul powers that you have yet to tap into. For now, you might as well enjoy the rest of the week. I might have something planned when club recruitment week happens next week.” I agreed and started to walk out of her office, when I looked back and said, “You sure have a way in giving me tests to take. And you know what, I think it’s worth the effort.” We were able to have Chrysalis join my friends and me for lunch. And for some reason, we were all getting strange looks all around. Even our friends were worried that she was with us. “Does anyone think it’s weird that Chrysalis is sitting with us for lunch,” Rainbow Dash said. “Um, it’s a bit…embarrassing to be stared at,” added Fluttershy. “Let me try something.” Applejack got up and yelled, “Does anyone here have a problem with who sits with who around here?” At that point, everyone went back to doing their own business during lunch. Applejack sat down, saying, “That’ll shut them up.” All of us were left silent, trying to think of what to say to get Chrysalis to open up more. Twilight had an idea and whispered to Moon Dancer what to do. She agreed and said, “So, Chrysalis, how are your…classes going so far?” “Really, Twilight. That’s the best you can come up with?” I thought. “Classes are OK. Just…trying to…catch up on my…failed classes.” “And we are back to the awkward silence…again. Think, think, think.” I was looking around, trying to think of something, and then I saw her notebook in her book bag, opened to what looked like a drawing of some person. “Chrysalis, what drawing is that in your notebook?” ‘Oh this?” as she was pulling out her notebook. “It’s just some drawing I was making.” Rarity was able to see what was drawn on her notebook and said, “Can I see that, dear?” Chrysalis handed her notebook to Rarity, and she looked at the drawing, and then found a few more drawings that caught her eye. “This work is remarkable. Have you ever thought about fashion designing?” Chrysalis shook her head. “I can not believe this. This is talent that is just being…wasted.” “Rarity,” said Applejack, “think ya can fill us in on what ya talking about?” “This is designer quality art. Talent like this can be use for other artist to create in real life. I have done work like this when making my clothes line, and what you have here,” –points to Chrysalis- “is something that I can see a model wear down a runway. Can you sew?” Chrysalis shook her head. “Well, I might be able to help you make it happen, with enough practice. You need to join the fashion club next week. The designers that I’m with would love to see some of your talents in action.” Trixie stepped in on the conversation. “And think about it, you can come up with costume designs that can help the theater club. The fashion club always helps out with creating our costumes; once we have selected what play we plan to perform.” “Please say you’ll join the fashion club next week. PLEASE???” Chrysalis looked back at her drawings and said, “I’ll…think about.” Rarity was about to squeal until she heard her response. Then she just calmed down and replied, “OK. There’s no need to rush right now.” “Wow,” said Twilight. “I never had seen you act like that. You always pressure anyone as much as you can.” “Well, there comes a time when you can’t rush everything,” replied Rarity. “Plus, next week is recruitment week, so there’s time for her to think about it. But I better have an answer from you when it comes, dear.” “Now there’s the Rarity we know,” Twilight responded. “Speaking of which,” interrupted Rainbow Dash, “Jack, do you plan to join a club?” “I don’t know,” I replied. “I only know there’s an athletic club, science club, nature club, fashion club, and theater club. Any other clubs that I need to know?” “There’s the music club,” Octavia recommended. “Vinyl and me are part of that club.” “And there’s the PARTY CLUB!!!” Pinkie responded. “That’s where we get to work on all the party events, like the fall homecoming later this semester.” “I do know there’s also a computer club, math club, history club, and others out there,” said Twilight. “Maybe once next week comes along, you can get a look at what’s available.” “I guess I’ll be the only non-freshman looking into clubs when that happens,” I said. “Well, the only non-freshman that we know of, beside Sunset Shimmer, is Applejack,” said Rainbow Dash. “OK, Applejack,” I asked, “how come you haven’t join a club?” “I spend my free time either helping out Granny Smith or Miss Cheerilee,” said Applejack. “I prefer to stay active than hang out with other clubs. Plus I’ve never could find a club that be right for me since my freshman year.” “I think I can understand that,” I said. “I prefer to be active than just sitting and listening.” “I can see why,” Applejack replied. “You almost started to fall asleep in history class if it wasn’t for me poking you in the back before you went out.” “And I should be thanking you for that. Professor River Song somehow caught on and decided to try a different approach, which helped me stay awake in her class last year. I’m surprised that Dr. Whooves hasn’t tried something like that.” “What kind of approach?” Twilight asked. “It’s hard to explain. If he’s still able to contact her, maybe he should just ask how she did it. But as long as AJ keeps poking at me, that would do. I’ve already gotten used to Pinkie Pie doing so in Music Lit…since that’s all she ever wants to do.” I stare straight at Pinkie Pie, getting a ‘Who, me’ look from her. “Now you know why I asked her to sit behind you,” added Octavia. “The only catch is that I don’t have Sunset poking me in science class.” “Speaking of which,” Cadence interrupted, ‘how are you going to handle working with her when we start working on our science projects? I doubt that spending time with her during free study won’t be enough to get it done. I know Twilight and me will spend some time at one of our places. Getting Sunset to work with you after school will be a challenge.” “I know,” Pinkie Pie said with excitement. “We can knock her out, tie her up, throw her in the trunk, drive back to your place, splash water on her to wake her up, and leave a ball and chain on her until you get the project done.” “There are times when I wonder how that brain of yours work,” I responded. Pinkie Pie just gave a big smile. “If you ever feel like doing brain surgery on her, let me know because I want to find out the same thing,” added Moon Dancer. “But seriously, how do you plan to get her to work with you on your terms?” That was a good question. She’s not going to be easy to convince. I started to think about how I was going to pull this off when I remember what Celestia told me earlier. “I might have something planned when club recruitment week happens next week.” I responded, “We’ll just cross that bridge when we get there. There’s still time before it comes up. I just need to get an idea of getting through to her, if I can.” I only said this because I had a feeling that Celestia might have something ready for me that would involve the clubs and Sunset. After saying that, the bell rang. We put up our lunch trays and decided to part ways to our next classes. This time, Chrysalis was able to join Pinkie Pie, Vinyl, Octavia, and me to Music Lit class. When we got home from school, Chrysalis and me went up to my room to work on our homework. This was going to be done more often, now that she was living with us. Plus, I was the only one with a cell that had my friend’s contacts on them, since she didn’t have a cell of her own. As we were studying, she decided to bring something up. “I’m glad you were able to help me make some friends, even if it felt a bit weird. But how were you able to realize that I was struggling on my own?” I had a feeling that she was going to want some answers, since we told Celestia the whole story about her and what we discovered. But I knew at some point, I was going to need allies to help out with my soul powers, and since she’s still new in making friends, and started to open up to me after getting her out of the mess she was in, she might be the best bet I have to getting somewhere on keeping my powers a secret…and finding a way to break through Sunset Shimmer. “If I tell you, can you keep it a secret from everyone?” She nodded. “Tell me, before you started to live with us, did you felt afraid about what would happen if they knew you were living by yourself with your mother was gone, no way to pay the bills or live in the house?” “I knew that if others found out, I would be taken to some orphanage, or at least thrown out of the house. I was scared that no one would be able to help me. That was until you stepped in.” “The reason I’m asking you that is because I felt it inside you, without you showing it on the outside.” She gave me a confused look on her face. “I have this ‘gift’ that has helped me in my last school. Whenever someone tries to hide any feelings that people can’t see on the outside, I get this strange feeling. It could be anger, sadness, or in your case, fear. I use my gift to help others open up, or let the teacher look into that person to see if something is wrong. And I wasn’t alone in this. I had a few friends who helped me keep it a secret from others for my own safety. Since I’m new here, I was hoping you could help me in making sure no one knows about this. Can I trust you in this?” “If you can tell me one thing. Does this gift have a name?” “From what I just now learned, I call it my soul powers. I know there’s more to it than what I have experienced, maybe something that I haven’t discovered. All I know is that it involves with a person’s soul.” “And to think people call me a witch. But with the gift you have, and the so-called rumors about me, I think I can provide a good distraction away from your soul powers, if it ever comes up. No sense in letting you have all the fun.” Both of us laughed. “Now that we can agree on.” I was glad to finally have a friend that can help me keep my soul powers a secret. I knew that I would have to fill Celestia and Luna in on our new ally, even if they like it or not. Then I just remembered something. “Chrysalis, I have to ask you something.” She looked at me, wanted to know what I was about to ask. “Do you know Sunset Shimmer?” “The fire demon? I’ve heard about her and what she did back in the spring.” “Now that’s new to me. Why do they call her the fire demon?” “Because she’s a bully, and has a fiery look to her. Is there something special about her?” “That’s what I’m trying to find out. Just like I sense fear from you, I sense something strong from her, but I can’t understand what it was. It was like a wall was over her soul, trying to come out. It’s the first time I felt something that strong from someone.” Chrysalis started to think about what I said. “That would be a challenge. And if I heard correctly, you have to work on a science project with her later on. Sounds like you have your hands full.” “I know. And who knows what else will show up.” “Well then,” she said as she was getting up and getting close to my face, “it’s a good thing that you were able to fill me in on all this. All you need is a woman’s touch to help you win her heart…and soul.” She planted a kiss on my check. “What was that for?” “A real thank you…for what you have done for me. I’m glad to have you as a friend.” She sat back down on the floor and grabbed her book that she was studying on. “Same here. Just one thing, how would know what I need to do to win her heart?” “My mother did raise me well, and that would include what to look for in a true man. And for the record, I’m not sure you would be the idea guy to go for, with my past and all. Just saying.” “I guess I can agree with that…for now.”
Ch. 8 - More Than Just ApplesSince Chrysalis joined our ranks, so to speak, Celestia agreed to let her in to the group, and it was Luna who got her up to speed on what we know. To avoid any unwanted attention, Chrysalis decided to report to Luna if anything odd would come up, since I always meet up with Celestia. Now the foundation was made for what the four of us would be researching on; understand my soul powers and trying to reform Sunset. Chrysalis decided to attend to Rarity’s place this Saturday, The Carousle Boutique, so that she can decide if she wanted to join the fashion club or not. Luckily, my mother was able to take her there, since she wanted to see on of her customers herself. While they went to the Boutique, I went with my father to Sweet Apple Acres to take a look at the barn that Applejack was talking about. Rarity and Applejack was able to help us with where both locations were at, so we were able to keep those in our address book for later on. My father’s GPS was able to help direct us to Sweet Apple Acres, where we were able to see Applejack’s house and the barn behind it, through the main gate. Already, Applejack and her family and workers were unloading bushels of apples off Big Mac’s truck and loading them to an open transport truck. As we pulled in to park, Applejack saw and waved at us. “Bout time you got here,” Applejack said as we were getting out of the truck. “I wasn’t sure ya weren’t going to make it.” “Had to make sure my mother and Chrysalis knew where Rarity’s place was before leaving home,” I said. “We only have one GPS, and my father likes to keep it in his work truck.” I pointed to the truck that we just got out of. “Let me run in and get Granny for ya.” Applejack went into the house to get Granny Smith. We went up to Big Mac’s truck as they were still unloading the last bushel. “Making a delivery run for the food stores?” I asked Big Mac. “Eeyep,” he replied. “Got one more batch to pick up, and we’re done for the day.” My dad was looking at his truck and asked, “What model year is this?” “85 Taurus,” he said. “I noticed your son drives one as well.” “78, slightly used when I bought it. Got the engine updated a bit to help last longer so that my son can drive it.” “Done the same with mine. Coach Iron Will let me use his class to work on this truck’s engine, when it wasn’t in use.” “I plan to take his class next semester,” I said. “Does he always take that class in the spring?” “Eeyep. He does P.E. in the fall while coaching the football team, and puts his focus on Auto Mechanics in spring.” “Hey, maybe you can join the football team like last year,” my dad added. “Dad, I got forced into the football team because they needed more players for special teams. And I didn’t do much but punt because of how bad we were.” “You did get a couple of field goals that time, son.” I shook my head in frustration. My last school’s football team was one of the worst, and they needed a few more players in order to play last year and thought it was going to be OK. But in reality, it was just a waste of time. I did get a couple of long field goals, but even those didn’t matter. We were the worst team ever. “I played both defense and kicker back in Canterlot High,” Big Mac said. “If you know you mechanics as a kicker, I’m sure Iron Will would like to have you on his team. Hasn’t had a good field goal kicker since I graduated. And I was one of the best. Record 55 yards, eeyep.” “I rather NOT relive those times, so I’ll just pass,” I said. Applejack came out of the house with Granny Smith, the school’s lunch lady, to meet us. “You must be Jack’s dad…um?” “Ace Spades, miss,” my dad responded. “I heard to you need to have your barn looked at for repairs?” “Darn right is does,” she replied. “Let me show ya, mister.” “Granny, we need to go get the last batch of apples,” Applejack said. “You go ahead, dearie. I need a couple of the workers with me to help explain the barn details,” said Granny Smith. “OK if I join you and help?” I asked. “Sure, get on board,” Applejack replied. As I got into the back of the truck, my dad said, “Take your time if you want to. I have a feeling this could take some time to sort it all out.” “OK, dad.” Applejack, Apple Bloom, and me were in the back of the truck while Big Mac drove all the way to where the last batch was. “So, how many acres of farm land do you have?” “Oh, over 20 acres,” said Applejack. “And that don’t count the home and barn.” “That’s a lot of land,” I said in surprise. “How do you keep up with all the trees here?” “Oh, big brother takes charge of the workers, while granny take care of the bills,” said Apple Bloom. “We suppose to have one more harvest of apples ready in a couple of weeks before calling it quits for the year,” said Applejack. I noticed that there were still some apples that have yet to ripen on the trees. “You notice the few trees at the side of the house, right?” I nodded. “We keep the ones there for our own home, while producing the rest.” The truck came to a stop. We got off the truck and started to load up the last bushels of apples onto the back of the truck. Big Mac and Apple Bloom got into the truck, while I waited for Applejack to get in. “You coming, big sis?” said Apple Bloom. “If it’s fine with you, I would like to walk back to the house, if Jack is willing to walk with me.” I had this concerned look on my face. “Sure, I guess,” I replied. As they went off back to the house, Applejack and me decided to walk back. Something told me that she wanted to talk to me about something in private. “Hope you don’t mind me doing this. I just needed to get some things off of my chest,” said Applejack. “Like what?” I asked. “Well?” She was hesitant to speak. It was like she wanted to say something, but couldn’t say it. I could only think of one think that went through my mind. “Just to be sure ya being honest. Are you sure that’s the reason you were called to her office?” “I can tell when someone’s lying to me.” “Is it about what happened Tuesday after lunch?” I asked. She let out a sigh and said, “Yes, it is.” “Look, I know you want to make sure I’m OK, with Sunset and all, but…” She cut me off and said, “No, it’s me who’s at fault.” I had this puzzled look on my face. “I don’t need to be getting in ya business where it don’t be. I was worried you get caught up with Sunset that you be in trouble. But after what you did with Chrysalis, I know you can handle whatever Sunset throws at ya.” “You must be that protective of those around you like Rarity is towards you.” “Yep. I guess it runs in the family. My parents were the same way.” “You miss them?” She looked down for a moment, and then said, “I do…a lot.” She looked back up at me and said, “I do my best to make sure my little sis is happy, cause she never had enough time with them like I did.” “And somehow, it hasn’t been easy, has it?” “Darn right it hasn’t! There were times when she was bullied because she never had ma and pa, and I couldn’t be there to help. I just…I just…” She fell to her knees and punched one of her fist into the ground. “I just wish none of it ever happen.” I got on my knees next to her and place my hand on her shoulder. “Not everything can go the way you want it to. Bad things happen, and it becomes a test in moving forward.” I can see Applejack shed a tear in her eyes. “Then why does it happen to me, to Apple Bloom, to everyone around me?” “Because…forgive me for my foul language. Because shit happens! Does that mean we just give up and throw our lives away as well? HECK NO!!! I’ve only known you for a week, and already I know a lot of your past problems. Have you even stopped moving forward since that day? No. You’re Applejack, the best, hardest working girl out there. And a great friend to have at my side.” Applejack wipes the tears from her eyes and said, “You’re right. I am the best out there, and there’s nothing that can stop me.” She reached out and gave me a tight hug. “And I got my friends to help me, friends like you.” “Thanks,” I said. Applejack released her hug on me and we both got back up. “Come on. The others are going to wonder where we wander off to.” We started to walk back to the house when I decided to ask her something else. “I was wondering if you ever had a…boyfriend. Or had your eyes on one. Or…” Applejack giggles as I was trying to get the words out. “If you mean if I was ever into someone, then nope. I’ve been living the single life for as long as I remember. Doesn’t mean I’m not looking for someone. I’m guessing you’ve been living the same way, with the fact that you have moved from city to city every year.” “You could say that.” Both of us laughed. “I just knew that I would be moving to another city the next year, so I never had any childhood crushes during those years.” “But you did stay in Manehattan for two years, right?” “I did, but never even focused on that because I felt like I was going to be moving again. I wasn’t sure what would happen, but I now know I would be staying here for my last two years in high school, which could be the best years of my life, before college.” “Well, Jack. What do you look for in a girl?” I let out a sigh and said, “I don’t know. I’m not really sure what to look for. What about you, AJ?” “Well, someone who’s strong, honest, faithful…” “I guess I could come close to that,” I thought. “…And knows how to cook,” Applejack finished. I raised my hands and said, “That’s it. Now I’m done.” She stopped and looked at me and asked, “What, you can’t cook?” “All I can cook is just a grilled cheese sandwich. Otherwise, it’s either simple sandwich foods or whatever I can throw in the microwave.” “Well…” She started to walk towards me, causing me to walk backwards until I was next to one of the trees. She started to give me this gaze as she came up to my face and, in a sexy voice, said, “I might make an expectation, sugercube.” “Um, AJ? W-what are you d-doing?” I replied nervously. I had no idea what she was doing or how to react to what was happening. The next thing that happen was that she pecked me on the cheek and said, “GOT YA!!!” “Really, AJ. What was that all about?” Applejack laughed and said, “You should see the look on your face. It’s priceless.” I shook my head in disbelief. “You know what your problem is?” “What?” I replied. “You don’t know how to approach girls that you are interested, or even react to those who are interested in you.” “Welcome to my life,” I said as I rolled my eyes. “Sorry. I didn’t mean to struck a nerve.” “That’s OK. I’m still learning. Not sure if I ever find one, because the few girls that I knew were just friends.” “And now, most of the friends that you have made this past week are girls, right?” Applejack finished. I nodded. “Give it time. Someone will notice you when the time comes. And by the way, if Rarity acts the way I did moments ago, run like there’s no tomorrow.” “So that’s how you acted in that manner. I thought that gaze looked familiar.” “Like the first time we all met you. She was wondering if you were Twilight’s new boyfriend. Boy was she wrong.” We laughed and decide to finally make our way to the house and see if my dad got an estimate on the repairs. “About time you two got back here,” my father said. “We had a long talk,” I replied. “Finished with the barn estimate?” “Yep. Looks like all it needs is a new roof cover and siding. The framework is in good condition. Just weather wear.” “He said that it be couple of weeks before he get the supplies and skilled help for the barn,” Granny Smith said. “I’m guessing you’re going to call Mr. Fix-It and request his farm expert, right?” I said. “Just like that time in Appleloosa,” he replied. “You mean your dad won’t be in charge of it?” Applejack added. “I was a bit younger back then, but when we were in Appleloosa, my dad was working with a farm building expert on one of the jobs there. Dad worked on the foundation, while his partner worked on the barn design. It was his first time learning about barn designs, which is different for home or building designs.” “I want to make sure I got the right siding for this job,” my father said. “You ready to go, son?” “Yep.” I looked at Applejack and said, “It was nice spending some time with you.” “Same here, partner. Just don’t be a stranger around here. You welcome to come by anytime, just call before coming over.” “Sure thing.” I got in my father’s truck, and we headed on back home. Once we made it home, we noticed that mother and Chrysalis were already home from Rarity’s place. “So how did everything go at Applejack’s home?” my mother said. “Just fine,” My father replied. “Just need to make a couple of calls Monday.” “Good. Jack, I hope you don’t mind if Chrysalis uses your computer.” “That’s fine, mom. I told her that she can use it if she needs to.” I went up to my room to see Chrysalis looking for some designs online. “How did it go at Rarity’s?” “Well, I’m going to have to work on sewing, but the designs she has are great. I think I might just give the fashion club a try this coming week.” “That’s good to hear.” I went to lie down on my bed. “How did it go with Applejack?” Chrysalis asked. “Well, dad believes that the barn repairs will be simple,” I replied. “As for Applejack herself, she’s really trying her hardest for the family.” “It’s because of the loss of her parents.” I nodded. “I can understand part of that.” “What surprised me is that her little sis was bullied back then. And during the times when they were not in the same school at those times.” She stopped working on the computer and looked at me. “Did you ask who the bully was?” “I didn’t want to ask at the time. Not in front of the others. Usually, the only people you know would be in the same grade before coming to high school. How much do you want to bet that her bullies would be there, still trying to cause trouble to them?” “Sounds like you want to create your own challenge with your powers.” “I’m not sure if I will be needing my powers. But it’s worth a try. And as for trying to win Sunset’s heart and soul; I’m going to need your help with that.” Chrysalis just stared at me with a confused look. “Let’s just say that AJ believes I don’t know how to approach a girl, relationship wise, and she’s right about that.” “I guess we are going to have our work cut out with what you have to do, Jack.” “I guess so, Chrysalis. I guess so.”
Ch. 9 - Join the ClubWe just finished up classes and started to collect our things. We knew that tomorrow would be the start of club recruitment days, which would be held this Tuesday thru Thursday. I decided to look over what clubs the school has before deciding. They do it for three days to make sure that students have some time before joining, and it only happens during free study and lunch. “I just talked with Chrysalis, and she plans to join the fashion club and give it a chance,” Rarity said with excitement. “The other members didn’t have a problem with her joining, knowing they can have more designer artist in the club.” “Don’t those girls be able to design themselves?” replied Applejack. “Working with the fabric designing is what they can do,” Rarity said. “But just drawing up the early concept is rare in our club. I’m just one of a few who can do this. And it’s the drawings that are created that others can use to bring it to life.” “It’s all about inspiration, isn’t it,” said Twilight. “That’s right,” Rarity replied. As I was closing up my locker, I heard a commotion just from the lobby. “Clubs are not some joke. They’re a way to work on your talents.” I can hear that it was Apple Bloom talking, with her Crusaders with her. “Like you have any talents for anyone to see. You’re still a bunch of losers.” I saw a pink girl with the violet and white hair and a tiara hairpin in the back say that. She was with a gray girl with glasses. “And what talents do you have, if you have any,” said Scootaloo. As the argument went on, Applejack and Rarity came up to me to see what was going on. “Darn it. I wish those two girls would just stop bugging them,” said Applejack. “Well, she is Mr. Rich’s daughter, so what can we do,” added Rarity. “Which one?” I asked. “The pink one,” Rarity replied. “Her name is Diamond Tiara, and her friend is Silver Spoon. She’s been staying with Diamond Tiara while her parents are overseas with some business partners.” “And you can’t do anything because of her father?” I said. Both of them nodded. “Let me try something.” Rarity stopped me and said, “Oh, you don’t want to get involved with them, dear.” “Don’t worry. I got an Ace up my sleeve,” I said. “Rarity, I think I know what he means by that,” said Applejack. I decided to walk up behind the two girls, waiting for my time to strike, which was very soon. Diamond Tiara said, “You’re just a bunch of losers.” “No we’re not, and we can prove it,” Apple Bloom replied. Diamond Tiara continued. “You got nothing to prove. How can you even prove anything when you don’t have…” “HAVE WHAT, MISS!!!” I said, cutting off Diamond Tiara. The two girls turned around to look at me slightly hovering over them. “Do you know who you are talking to?” said Diamond Tiara. “I’m sorry. I have a hard time remembering a bully’s name,” I responded. “Excuse me, but did you just call me a BULLY?” she replied. “I have you know that my father has lots of money, and resources to put you in your place. I am to be treated like a princess.” “Would that money be used to help in the funding of a new D.I.Y. Home store, and the resources used to file a lawsuit against some businessmen who was trying to sell another piece of land for the store on an unstable ground that lead to a sinkhole forming after the settlement was settled, meaning that lots of money would have been lost if someone didn’t caught it in the first place?” “Why yes, it was,” said Diamond Tiara. “And it was thanks to a smart man from Manehattan who caught it in the first place. What was his name?” I replied, “Ace O Spades. My FATHER!!!” “Why yes it was,” she stopped for a moment as her eyes just went wide open, realizing what I just told her, “your…father?” I remember when my father told me about what happen when he was called to Ponyville during the winter. I figure I use that as my ‘ace’ up my sleeve. I looked straight at her and said, “Who need to respect whom now, miss?” “Um…Oh look, my ride is here. We need to be going, right Silver Spoon?” She grabbed her friend and made a mad dash to the door, leaving the lobby. “Wow. What happen to her?” said Sweetie Belle. The girls started to join us in the lobby after seeing what just happen. “When you said ‘ace’, I knew you were talking about your father,” said Applejack. “Granny told me that he knew Mr. Rich, whose family has ties with the Apple family.” “I just remember what my father told mother and me that lead us to our move here. When you said Mr. Rich, I knew what I needed to do.” “Looks like someone is full of surprises,” Twilight added. “Must be a good thing to have you here when others need help from someone like you.” “I know.” I looked at the Crusaders and said, “If they try to cause any trouble, let me know. Any bully who messes with my friends, have to deal with me. I’m one who doesn’t like bullies who get to have it their way.” “Thank you, Jack,” all four Crusaders said together. “Well, I need to head off. Don’t want to keep Chrysalis waiting.” I saw her just waiting for me at the door. As we were making our way to the car, Chrysalis said, “Nice ace you pulled there. Those girls were scared stupid when they ran off.” “Well, there’s more to me than just my powers. But I have a feeling I’m about to get my next test from Celestia tomorrow.” It was the first day for club recruitment, and I wanted to see what clubs were out there. But I knew Celestia had something planned for me, and it started after 4th period when I heard from the intercom. “Sunset Shimmer and Jack Diamond, please report to the principal’s office.” Sunset just looked at me with disgust when she knew I was called with her. As she walked off, I started to follow, but stopped and whispered to Twilight, “Keep your phone handy, in case something bad happens.” She nodded in response. I just knew that this would be Celestia’s next test for me. But if it involves Sunset in person, I need to be ready to warn Twilight if it becomes a problem. When we arrived in the principal’s office, Celestia was there, waiting for us. “Please close the door and take a seat.” I went to close the door while Sunset took one of the seats. I sat down afterwards. “Now I know that club week just started, and I’m in a good mood about this. Sunset, since you have never joined a club in the past 2 years, I want you to join one of the clubs this year.” “WHAT?” Sunset replied. “You have got to be kidding. No one is going to want me in their club, and I’m not even interested in any of them anyway.” “I’m not requesting it, I’m demanding it,” said Celestia. “This is a good chance to make amends for what you have done in the past.” Sunset asked, “And how do you plan to make them accept me into their club?” Celestia answered, “With Jack’s help.” “I knew something like this would happen,” I thought. Celestia continued. “You will be joining the same club that he will join, in agreement.” “OK, I did not see that coming,” I thought again. Sunset replied, “You mean I have to stick with the new guy? No way that’s going to happen.” “If you don’t want to join one of the clubs,” Celestia stared straight at Sunset, “I’ll be happy to place you in detention during free study for the rest of the semester…with me.” “Wow,” I thought. “She’s really pushing the limits with her.” “Fine,” Sunset replied. “But what would happen if we can’t find a club to join?” “I think there shouldn’t be a problem in joining one,” I said. “See, he can help you out,” said Celestia. “Now go on and check out the clubs that are available.” As the two of us were leaving, I looked back at Celestia with a concerned looked. She replied with a wink and a thumb up. I just rolled my eyes and started to walk out of the office. I knew I needed to warn Twilight about this, but not with Sunset nearby. I only had one option to go on, so I was able to slightly get my cell out, look up and selected Twilight’s number, and made sure the speaker was very, very low. Once I saw that she picked up, I decided to talk to Sunset, in hopes that Twilight would catch on. “So, how come you never decided to join a club?” I asked Sunset. “Because I was never interested in them. They were just boring.” “But you wanted to be popular before your problems surfaced. Wouldn’t joining a club help out with that in the first place?” “Why do you care,” she snapped at me. “Now that you’re new here, I’m being forced to join a club with you for the rest of high school.” “Well, now’s the time to finally clean up your act. And I did offer to help you in starting a new life back when school started. Plus, we will be working together in science class when that project comes up. So, what’s it going to be? You want the past to drag you down in failure, or are you going to let me help you in moving forward?” Sunset just stood in front of her locker, silent. I started to put my books away in my locker when she spoke. “I heard what you did with scaring off that rich girl from what she was doing towards the other girls. That took guts to do that, and towards a freshman.” “I just got lucky with what info I had going on,” I replied. She paused again before she spoke. “You don’t plan to stop bugging me until I give in, do you?” “You want me to answer that, because you should already know the answer.” I felt my pocket vibrate. When I slightly took out my cell, I saw a text message from Twilight. Got the warning. Look for AJ. Twilight I hear Sunset closed her locker, so I put my cell back in my pocket. “Let’s get this over with, OK?” she said. “Twilight, I hope you have a plan ready,” I thought. We made our way to the gym, where they were holding the clubs for recruitment. Just outside the gym was Applejack. “I was wondering when you show up.” “AJ, what are you doing here?” I asked. “I figure I look into joining one of them clubs they be having. You did bring up about this place as being the last two years of high school to enjoy. So I figure that it’s best to enjoy every day of it.” “I’m surprised that you would join some club when you didn’t find a club that you liked back then,” said Sunset. “Well…that was then, and this is now,” said Applejack. “Maybe a club out there be more interesting than before.” “Fine. Let’s just get this over with,” said Sunset. As Sunset made her way into the gym, Applejack whispered, “Twilight warned all the clubs about her arrival with you.” I whispered back, “Let’s hope this works.” We walked in and saw rows of tables with one of the clubs at each table. Freshman students were walking around; looking into which club they wanted to join. Twilight and Cadence were watching over the area, helping students with whatever questions they wanted answered. “Why don’t we start over there?” I pointed at the science club, where Moon Dancer and Lyra were. We walked up to the science club, and Lyra introduced to us. “Hello, Jack. Thinking about joining the science club?” “Just looking for now. How have you been handling the club in Twilight’s place?” “Just fine,” said Moon Dancer. “We had a few who are thinking of joining our club so far. And we have a lot of ideas for club activities later on.” “And we’re sure that joining our club can be helpful with your science project coming up,” said Lyra. “You’ll have more time and access to the items needed for your project, plus help from other members if you start coming up with problems. The more you learn, the better you can be.” She finished with a grin. I saw Sunset roll her eyes as her response, so I said, “We’ll think about it. Thanks anyway.” We started to walk to another table when I looked back and saw both Lyra and Moon Dancer give thumbs up. We came up to the nature club, where Roseluck and Sweetie Drops were. “Rose, Sweetie, how’s the club going?” said Applejack. “Club’s doing fine,” said Sweetie Drops. “Too bad Fluttershy couldn’t help out.” “Well, she can be shy in front of so many people here, and Tree Hugger would be hard for people to understand,” said Roseluck. “I know,” replied Sweetie Drops. “By the way, do any of you plan to join us?” “Maybe,” Applejack responded. “I’ve been meaning to understand more about improving my work on the apple trees, if that’s possible.” “Oh it is,” replied Roseluck. “It’s just not looking at nature, but knowing how to improve it. Having healthier fruit trees, like your apple trees, is what makes the nature club great.” “That’s great to hear.” Applejack looked at us and said, “What do you guys think? Want to join?” Sunset and me just looked at each other with concerned expressions on our face. “We might be on the fence with this club. Give us some time to think about it.” We decided to make way to the theater club when I saw Chrysalis in front of the fashion club, which was next to the theater club. Rarity and another girl was at the fashion club table, while Trixie and another guy was at the theater club table. “So you’re going along with the fashion club, Chrysalis?” I said. “I am. I can learn a lot from them, and they might do the same from me,” she replied. “I just know that you belong in this club after looking at your drawings,” Rarity said. “Trixie agrees with your decision. Trixie believes that you can make nice costume designs for our club’s next play.” “Just make sure you let us know what play you will be doing so we can start doing the research,” Rarity replied. “Trixie agrees.” She looks at us and asks, “And will you be joining the theater club? Trixie was impressed with your acting last week.” “While I might be good at that style of acting, remembering lines and playing the requested roles is more of a challenge,” I said. “I like to do things on the fly.” “Well, you know where to find Trixie if you change your mind.” As we were leaving, I could hear Sunset mumbling something. “Did you say something, Sunny?” She just gave me a mean look, and then said, “It was nothing.” I whispered, “For a moment, you said something about having to go through all this. If that’s the case, then just deal with it.” I saw the athletic club up ahead, and Soarin and Rainbow Dash were running the table. Applejack whispered, “Looks like they got someone to take over for Flash.” I whispered back. “Good idea. No telling what would happen between those two.” I was pointing to Sunset. “Hey there Jack, AJ, and…Sunset,” Rainbow Dash said. “Plan on joining the athletic club. I know I’ve been trying to get Applejack to join every time.” “That’s because I’m no athlete, Dash,” Applejack replied. “But I might think about joining if these two were interested.” “I’ve seen Dash run, and I know I can’t keep up with her at all,” I replied. “Big Mac told me that you used to play the foot…” I placed my hand on Applejack’s mouth so she didn’t bring that up. Last thing I wanted others to know is my football past. “I did some sports in P.E., but didn’t do well in any sport,” I said. They gave me a weird glance, and then Rainbow said, “OK. Whatever floats your boat. But you don’t have to be an athlete to join. There’s more to it than just sports.” “Well, let us think about it,” I said. I removed my hand from her mouth as I was pulling her away. “What the hey was that for?” she whispered. “I rather not get dragged into football again like last year,” I whispered back. “Fine, but why bring it up in the first place Saturday.” “That was my dad who brought it up, not me.” After telling her that, we came up to the party club, where Pinkie Pie and Vinyl were. Pinkie Pie said, “Hey there. Plan to join the party club? It’s going to be crazy fun. We get to plan events like both fall and spring homecoming, and even other events that the staff want us to work on, even the prom.” Applejack was trying to tell her with her hands to shut up, but it was too late. I can see Twilight put her hand on her face in disgust. “I think I’ll pass,” said Sunset, and started to walk away. Applejack got close to Pinkie Pie and whispered, “What was that for? You know she did all those bad things last year, so why bring those events up?” “I’m just doing what I always do towards everyone,” Pinkie Pie replied. I just shook my head and decided to go to another club. The next one we came up to was the music club, where Octavia was by herself, talking to the Crusaders. “Hey, girls. What’s up,” I said. The girls turned around, and Apple Bloom said, “Howdy, Jack. Big sis. Looking for a club to join?” “You could say that,” I replied. “Are you planning to join the music club?” “That’s right,” said Sweetie Belle. “We want to start our own band, and we were hoping that the music club can help us with that.” “Well, you’re in good hands with Octavia. Just make sure you follow her lead. Otherwise, you might disgrace the club all together.” All of them replied, “We will.” “Well, we might look around some more. I can see that Octavia is busy anyway,” I said. “Here, take this,” Octavia said as she handed me a piece of paper about the club. After looking at all the remaining clubs, Sunset and me decided to talk about the clubs tomorrow in private. After she left, Twilight joined Applejack and me. “That was a close one,” said Twilight. “Tell me about it,” I replied. “I’m just glad you caught on to our conversation.” “Is this why the two of you were called to Principal Celestia’s office?” she asked. “That’s right. She’s trying to give her a second chance, but knows that would be impossible without my help.” “From the looks of what happen, I think she wants both of ya to join the same club, right?” Applejack said. “That’s also right.” “What is she thinking?” Twilight asked. “This is just crazy that she’s putting all this on you. I’m going to have a talk with her when I get a chance.” “Don’t,” I said. “Let me deal with this.” “Sugercube, I think you should let Twilight handle this,” said Applejack. “I said I’d deal with this!” I said angrily. “My problem, my responsibility.” I didn’t want to get them involved in all of this, because there are some things they don’t need to know. This was my test from Celestia, and I intend to pass it my way. Author's Note At first, I thought about adding more, but I decided to divide it up into two chapters, making the next chapter more interesting.
Ch. 10 - Helping OutThe bell rang, ending 5th period classes. After walking around with Sunset looking at clubs earlier today, I needed to talk to Celestia about why she wanted this to happen. Ever since we looked over all the clubs, it felt like we were undecided about what to choose. And it wasn’t the fact that she didn’t like the clubs. It was more on my end. I wasn’t much into clubs in the first place at my old school, because the only thing I felt like doing was helping others out that needed help. Some of those times involved my soul powers. I never had any other special talents that any of the clubs could provide. I might just have been in the same boat as Applejack the past two years. I went into the school office and saw that the principal’s door was closed. “Is Principal Celestia in her office?” I asked Ms. Raven. “She is, but she’s in the middle of an important call. You can wait until she’s done.” “Thanks,” I replied. I sat down at one of the chairs next to the wall, looking up in the ceiling. “Something wrong?” Ms. Raven asked me. “You look out of it today.” I sighed and said, “Just trying to figure some things out. That’s all.” “Does it involve Sunset?” I looked at her, shocked at her guess. “Figured that was the case.” “I don’t know why the principal wants the both of us to join the same club. Both of us feel undecided in the choices.” “Is it that she feels that way more, or you?” I started to think about what she was asking, when the door open, snapping me out of my thoughts. Celestia was coming out of her office in haste. “Jack, I need to head to the school board building and get some things cleared up with Coach Spitfire teaching here so she can get her paycheck before the end of the week. I want you to check up with Miss Cheerilee in the library.” She paused to look at me and said, “Is something on your mind, Jack?” “Nothing important. I can talk to you about it tomorrow. I don’t want to hold you up.” “OK…we can talk about it tomorrow if you like. I need to head on down there.” Celestia made her way out of the office. Ms. Raven noticed that I couldn’t explain to her about what was going on. “Why don’t you talk to Miss Cheerilee about what’s going on,” she said. “Maybe you can talk to her about all this. She is a good listener, and might have an idea of how best to solve your problem.” So I decided to follow her advice and make my way to the library to help Miss Cheerilee. She needed help putting some books away on the shelves in various areas of the library. As I was putting some of the books away, I still had all those thoughts going through my head from today. Miss Cheerilee saw that something wasn’t right about me and called me over. “Looks like you got a lot on your mind,” she said. “Care to talk about it?” I gather my thoughts and said, “Principal Celestia wanted me to help Sunset in finding a club to join together. So far, we don’t know what club to join out of what this school has. And if she doesn’t join a club, she would have to be placed in dentition. And I’m caught in the cross hairs.” “Well, is there a club that you wanted to join?” I was about to answer until I noticed that she was talking about me and not Sunset. “I know it would be hard to get Sunset to join a club with her past actions. But if you don’t know what club you want to join, then there’s your problem.” “Well…I don’t know what club that I fit in,” I said. “That was Applejack during her freshman year,” Miss Cheerilee responded. “She couldn’t find a club that would fit her. But since Granny Smith and me work here, she decided to just spend her times helping one of us out. Was there any clubs that you tried out at your old school?” “Not really. I never really felt like joining any club, fearing that after the school year, I might have to move to another city. And I never had any special talents or skills that fit any of the clubs they had. I just like to help out others that needed help, whenever it happen.” “Are you and Sunset going to go over the clubs tomorrow?” Miss Cheerilee asked. “We plan to meet here during free study to go over the list of clubs that we looked at. Would at least help to keep all the stares away from us.” “We have some listening rooms that students can use to discuss with other students or play tapes or CDs as a group. Why don’t you use one of those tomorrow? That might help you focus on what you need to do with your club selection, without all those stares focused on both of you.” “Thanks, Miss Cheerilee. That would help a lot. We need to make a decision by Thursday.” “No problem, Jack. Just let me know that you need one of the rooms when you get here. By the way, I heard that someone stood up to Diamond Tiara yesterday, helping Apple Bloom and her friends. Did you see what happened?” “Why do you ask?” I said. “Well, I do teach Freshman English for the first 2 periods before coming to work in the library. And those four Crusaders are in the same English class as Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon that I teach.” “How do you teach and work in here at the same time?” I asked. “I worked as a substitute teacher when I started working here. This is my first year teaching a couple of classes for the original English teacher, who could be looking into retirement. So I might be looking into a full teacher’s license next semester to replace my substitute teacher’s license. And you still haven’t answered my question.” “You’re looking at him.” She looked at me, thinking I was joking. “It’s no joke. I knew that her father was the same man who my father helped out with some business problems. I just used that to my advantage.” “Well, you might have helped me out, because Diamond Tiara has been quiet before and during class, maybe wondering if you’re watching over her.” Both of us giggled quietly. “She’s been all talk the first week, bragging about how she’s part of a rich family and have been bugging Apple Bloom, until today.” “I’m just one of those who can’t stand bullies. Or in Diamond Tiara’s case, becoming the next Sunset Shimmer. That’s the last thing this school needs.” I felt better after talking to Miss Cheerilee and we finished putting the books away before the final bell. It was Day 2 of club recruitment, and Sunset and me decided to meet in the library. She wasn’t happy about all of this, but she felt like she didn’t have much of a choice, and I was the only leverage she had. I was going to make an effort to make this happen, no matter what. I asked for one of the listening rooms that Miss Cheerilee talked about yesterday, and she gave us access to one of them for us to use. Once we were inside, we laid out all the clubs that were available. “I still can’t believe I have to go through this,” Sunset said. “You want to spend your time in detention with the principal?” I asked. She rolled her eyes and said, “Like I have a choice.” “Well, there’s the science club.” I brought the club’s paper towards us. “They did say it would help out in our science project when it comes up.” “Well, I’m not much of a science person. And it’s not my best class.” I sighed. “Science isn’t my best class either. Same goes for English.” “Well, we can throw out the Literature club from the list. I placed both clubs to the side and pulled up the Math club. “Well, Math is my strong suit.” “Math can be easy, but try all those word problems. I have a hard time understanding what it’s trying to say.” “I prefer visuals to help in math classes. Otherwise, I just get the idea wrong.” “Is there something else to go on?” I placed that club aside and grabbed a few more. “Well, there’s the Nature club, Athletic club, and Theater club.” “I’ll just be labeled as the villain in the Theater club. Plus, I don’t think I can handle the Nature club members, and I rather stay away from the Athletic club.” “Tree Hugger and Flash Sentry, right?” I recommended. “Do I even need to answer?” she responded with an evil glare. “Forget I brought it up. And we can scratch out the Fashion club.” I placed those clubs aside and brought up a couple more. “There’s the Music club and Computer club. What about those?” “I know those girls you know will be in the Music club, and I doubt anyone with want me to play with them. And I can never understand all the nerd talk with computers.” “I don’t have much in music talents, and I can understand the computer basics. That’s what I use to make musical mix tracks. But if there’s work on customizing computers or programming, then that’s out of my league.” “Might as well put those ones aside,” she said. After doing that, I was worried about the Party club I saw. “I’m guessing I should forget about this one.” “Which one is that?” She looked and saw what it was. “Oh, that one. I’ll just get blamed for any screw-ups there.” After looking at what clubs that was left, we were left in the same state as before. “It’s like there’s not a club that’s out there for both of us,” I said. “This is just…stupid. Why did she put us up to all this?” she replied. “I knew this was going to happen,” I said. “Just like the clubs at my old school, I couldn’t find one that I was interested in.” “You mean you never joined a club before?” I nodded. “Then why the heck are we even doing this? She’s just looking for some excuse to put me away. It’s like the entire school is against me.” “You only have yourself to blame for that, Sunny. And I’m trying to find a way to fix that.” “Why do you even care!” she yelled. “There’s nothing you can do to help me!” “At least I’m helping you get a second chance when no one else will. Isn’t that what you want?” “Like anyone cares about me. All they care about is burying me into the ground. I even had to spend my entire summer working here and being grounded back home.” “That’s because you had to have a grudge with Twilight and her friends last school year.” At that point, she slapped me on the face…HARD!!! “WHY DON’T YOU JUST LEAVE ME ALONE!!!” She grabbed her things and stormed out of the room. After she left, I just sat down, rubbing my hand on the cheek that she slapped, just trying to gather my thoughts. “Why is it that I have to put up with this? I know I like to help others when they need it, but how can I help her if she won’t let me. Am I just being used just so they can find an excuse to get her out of this school?” “I know everyone hates her, sugercube, but finding an excuse to get her expelled is just out of line, if you know what I mean.” I looked at the doorway to see Applejack there. “Looks like she hit you hard there.” “Yea,” I said as I was still rubbing my cheek. “Saw Sunset running like a fireball while I was talking to Cheerilee,” Applejack said. “She told me that she was with you in here. Looks like club selection isn’t going so well.” “It’s not,” I said. “I don’t know anymore. I try to help others back at my old school, and hardly get any thanks for my efforts. I don’t have a problem with that, but it feels like I’m just being used when I try to help.” “Now I don’t buy that one bit,” Applejack responded. “Look at what you’ve done in over a week. You helped Chrysalis out of that dump and got her to open up to us. And you went out of your way to help my little sis against that so-called bully that she has been dealing with. Not to mention giving Rarity and me a better outlook at what we should be doing with our lives now than focusing on our past.” “How would you know about what I told Rarity?” “Because she came to me on Monday and decided to forgive me for being so over-protective about what happen that day.” She came in front of me, bended down and put both hands on my shoulders. “It’s like you helped remove the guilt that both of us have been dealing with. You’re like the light at the end of the tunnel. And if Principal Celestia had a reason for doing this, it’s not to find some darn excuse to get her expelled, or at least throw her in detention. She would never go that low for this school.” She got back up and said, “Look, let me talk to Principal Celestia. I might have a way to solve both your problems.” “This is my problem,” I said. “I caused this mess, and I’ll find a way to fix it.” “Not this time, partner,” she said. “You helped me back on the farm, so it’s time I repay the favor. And us Apples always repay in full.” As I went through the rest of the day, trying to hide the mark that Sunset left on me, I was able to meet up with Celestia for 6th period. I can see that she was looking over some notes when she heard me walk in. “Hello, Jack. How has your – GOOD LORD!!!” She looked up to see the mark on my face. “What happened to your face?” I just sat down, feeling drained. “Did Sunset do this to you? If that’s the case, then…” I held my hand up to make her stop talking so I can say what I wanted to say. “You know when you see a panel of buttons that you can push, but told not to push the big, red button?” She nodded. “Well, I pushed the big, red button in Sunset’s brain, and this is what I got.” I pointed to the spot on my cheek. “Then I can guess she doesn’t want to join any club out there,” Celestia said. “More like I can’t find any clubs worth joining,” I responded. “I never joined a club back at my old school because none of them interested me. The only talent or skills I had back then was helping others out. Now I’m not sure if I can help anyone here. Sunset is like a…complex puzzle, and I can’t even find the pieces to put it all together.” Celestia went up to the door and closed it. Then she went back to her desk and sat down. “I thought this would work, but maybe I jumped the gun on this test. And I can guess there are some things that you or your friends don’t know about her.” “Well, she said that she had to spend her summer working here as punishment and was grounded back home.” “I figure her mother would do something like that after I met with her about what her daughter did after prom.” “What about her father? Did he have a say in this?” She shook her head and said, “Never met him. I think Sunset’s mother is divorced. And she’s an only child, just like you.” “Sounds more like Chrysalis’ family,” I said. “Her father left the family, leaving just her and her mother. You know what happened next.” “I know. And I can see what you are talking about. Maybe there’s more to her past that none of us even knows.” “Remember when I said that I felt something from her but couldn’t figure out what it was?” She nodded. “I wonder if she’s been trying to hide the emotional scars from everyone else?” “Looks like you have a longer road ahead of you than I thought it would be. Take a break for today, and let’s see if we can get some ice for your cheek. It must still hurt.” “It does,” I said as I was rubbing my cheek again. “And just a heads up. Applejack is going to see you sometime about an idea that might help our problems. She didn’t say when or what it was, just that she wants to repay for my help towards her back on her farm.” “She’s honest about repaying her debts, Jack. And if she has an idea that can work, I’ll be happy to hear what she has to say.” It’s Thursday, the last day for club recruitment, and my hands were tied about what I was supposed to do. I was already in my English class sitting in my seat, feeling disappointed. Sunset walked in and didn’t bother to glance at me. I didn’t even feel like looking at her anyway after what happened yesterday. Applejack and Rarity saw that I was down and walked up to me, trying to make eye contact. “Don’t worry, sugercube. I plan to talk to her today before free study about all this,” said Applejack. “We plan to help get you through all of this, dear,” Rarity added. “We?” I thought. “What’s this about we?” At the time, I just didn’t want to think about it and hope Applejack will be able to fix this. When I was at my Science class, it was evident that Sunset and me didn’t want to look at each other. Once class was out, we saw Ms. Raven asking for the two of us to come with her. We arrived at the principal’s office and saw Celestia, Luna, and Applejack in the room. Celestia told us to take a seat, and we did, not wanting to look at each other still. “Applejack was telling Luna and me about an idea for a new club. Since you might be having a hard time finding a club to join, like I asked, I realized that I was taking the wrong approach in all of this. I know you would like to help others when needed, so we have decided to create the volunteer club, with Applejack as the president of the club.” “That’s just great,” said Sunset, “but there’s just one problem. You can’t have a club unless you have at least five members, and there’s only three. “It’s a good thing that I found two more members to join your new club.” We glanced back to see Miss Cheerilee with two girls, Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon. “I’m glad that Applejack told me about creating a new club, and these two decided to ‘join’ the new club.” “No we didn’t,” said Diamond Tiara. “You just forcing us to be a part of this so-called club.” “Well, you didn’t bother looking over all the clubs that were available, so I’m helping you out, since there’s not much time to decide,” Miss Cheerilee said. “If that’s the case, then I believe we have ourselves a volunteer club,” said Applejack. “And I already have our first volunteer request from Rarity. She needs some people to help be as models for some new ideas that Chrysalis has drawn up. And all five of us are going to help them out.” “Wait, all five of us?” Diamond Tiara said. “No way what-so-ever. I am not doing it.” “Looks like a few freshmen have heard about Sunset’s past,” Luna said. Sunset rolled her eyes in disgust, but I decided to correct Luna’s comment. “I don’t think she was talking about Sunset.” I got out of my seat and went straight to Diamond Tiara. “If I heard correctly, you thought that joining a club was a joke, right?” I knew she would remember me from Monday after school, because she started to feel nervous, not knowing what to say. Luna giggled, and then said, “I stand corrected.” “I guess this is how you handle bullies that bully others back at your old school,” Celestia said. Diamond Tiara said, “Hey, I am not a…” I stared straight at her. “Never mind.” “Good,” I replied. “Because we really don’t need another Sunset look-a-like at this school.” I looked at Sunset, saying, “No offense.” She replied, “None taken. Besides, I don’t think all that money can save you from dentition, anyway.” “Well then. I better let Rarity know that she will be having five volunteers this Saturday,” Applejack said. “I’m guessing you know where her store is, right?” “Mr. Rich knows where it is, so he can take us there,” Silver Spoon said. Diamond Tiara wanted to say something, then stopped, knowing there was no stopping what was about to happen. “I have to take Chrysalis over there, so I can have her show me where it is,” I said. We looked at Sunset, waiting for her response. “I…could use some help getting there,” she said, scratching the back of her head. Luna said, “Sunset, why don’t you meet at school and one of us can take you there from that point, OK? We can work it all out tomorrow.” We all came to an agreement on the new club and left the office to enjoy some free time before lunch. Applejack and Cheerilee took the two girls back up to the library to make sure they know what they would be doing. That left Sunset and me right outside our lockers. “Look,” said Sunset, “I’m sorry for slapping you in the face yesterday. I know you were trying to help.” “No,” I replied. “It was me who should be sorry. I crossed the line with that last comment I said back in the library. My actions were out of line and I deserved it.” She placed her hand on the same spot where she slapped me yesterday. “You did cross the line, but I overreacted to what you said. It was just as stupid as what you did yesterday.” She moved her hand away from my cheek and pointed at me, saying, “That’s doesn’t me we’re friends, OK?” “As long as you can handle me bugging you until you give in, Sunny.” She started to get mad and said, “Don’t call me…never mind,” and started to walk away. Once she was on the other side of the lobby, she stopped and glanced back at me. I could see a faint smile before she looked away and walked off. “If I have to travel the long road to earn your trust, I’ll take it.”
Ch. 11 - A Rare SightI’m driving my way to Rarity’s place with Chrysalis giving me the directions this Saturday. Rarity told us that she was in need of some volunteers to help in modeling some new designs that Chrysalis actually drew. Luna decided to pick up Applejack, because Big Mac was going to be using the truck this weekend, and then help Sunset in how to get to her place. The reason Luna is joining us is because she is our supervisor of the volunteer club, since we only have five members and is also a new club. We started to pull up to Rarity’s place, and I noticed that the sign looked similar to one I saw back in Manehattan. “Carousel Boutique?” I said. “That’s right,” Chrysalis replied. “Rarity both lives and works here.” I had a confused look on my face. “You’ll see.” We got out of my truck and a few cars that I recognized were parked there. When we walked up and opened the door, I heard the bell on the inside above the door ring. “Jack. Chrysalis. I was wondering when you would get here.” Rarity was able to greet us as we came in. When I walked in, it looked like a small fashion store with dresses hanging on racks all around. There was a classy mint lady working behind the counter. “Oh, where are my manners,” Rarity said. “This is Sassy Saddles, my associate manager of my fashion business.” “And minor fashion designer,” Sassy added. “It’s nice to meet you, Jack. This is a first time we had a male model for Rarity’s store.” “Unless you want to count Applejack with men’s clothing,” Rarity added. “I HEARD THAT!!!” Applejack said behind the black curtain in the shop. “I’m guessing the others are in the other room of the shop?” I asked, pointing to the black curtain. “Oh yes,” Rarity replied. “Sassy, will you escort Jack to the dressing area. I need to look over Chrysalis’ designs before we begin.” Sassy took me to the dressing area, where I saw Applejack, Sunset, Silver Spoon, and Diamond Tiara in black tights. Luna and Mr. Filthy Rich were also there to watch. “Mr. Rich, it’s been a while since I saw you before,” I said. “Hello, Jack,” Mr. Rich replied. “How has the pass few weeks been since you moved here?” “Crazy, but great. I think I’m going to like it here.” Sassy handed me some similar tights that the girls were wearing. “You can change in that small room there.” I went on in and begin getting my clothes changed. “Mr. Rich, has my father kept you up to date on the store progress?” “From what I heard, the store should be open in a few weeks. We already posted job openings for the store, and hope to have some future employees training in a week. By the way, any new houses being built in the new subdivision you live at?” I replied, “Just starting to see a few lots getting the foundation being built, so I know that someone has bought those to move in later on. If I was to take a guess, we might have several neighbors in a couple of years.” “I guess having neighbors is better than living by yourself,” Applejack replied. I can hear some people come walking into the dressing room. “Jack, if it feels too tight, let me know so I can give you the next size up,” Rarity said. “OK,” I replied. “Can I ask you a question?” “What is it, dear?” “Do you have another store in Manehattan?” “Why yes I do. I also have one in Fillydelphia. Have you gone by the Manehattan store when you lived there?” “With a friend of mine during my freshman year. She was amazed by what she saw there and has wanted to make dresses like that, just like her mother.” “Was she a former girlfriend?” “Rarity, he never had a girlfriend in his life,” Applejack interrupted. “That’s right,” I said. “We were more like brother and sister, being the fact that we were just ‘only child’.” “That’s nice,” Rarity said. “What was her name?” “Coco Pommel,” I said. “She moved during the summer last year on short notice. Didn’t know where she moved to, but she was a good friend to have around.” “Oh, I’m sure you’ll meet up with her someday,” she replied with a giggle. With the fact that I was behind a curtain, not being able to see anything, when she giggled, my senses started to go off. I knew that I was able to sense this kind of thing when it’s someone who I can’t see in front of me. Another part of my soul powers that I do know. Let’s just say the curtain makes it hard to see what someone is feeling in some way that I need to be known. And so far, Rarity is planning some kind of surprise for me, but what. So I decided to play along for now. I was almost finished changing when I heard the doorbell ring. “Sorry I’m late. My mother was holding me up.” “That can not be who I think it is?” I thought. No doubt, I recognized the voice of who just came in, and that Rarity must thought of this when I said her name before. “Is our male model around? I only see the female models who volunteered.” I decided to surprise her and see if she still remembers me. “I just about finished changing, Coco. Can you give me a moment?” “Wait a minute. Is that…?” I opened the curtain and said, “The Jack of Trades is here.” The whitish girl with the light blue hair saw me with her eyes wide open, surprised at what she saw. “JACK!!!” She came running to me and jumped at me with a big hug, knocking me to the floor with her. “Coco, you really need to control yourself when you decide to go in for a hug,” I said. “Sorry,” Coco replied. She got off of me and helped pull me off the floor. “When I heard you name on the first day, I thought it was you who came here.” “Yea,” I said as I rubbed the back of my head. “It’s kind of a long story. I just want to know why you’re here in Ponyville?” “That’s a long story too,” she said with a laugh. Rarity cleared her throat and said, “Well, the two of you can start catching up after we get your measurements for what we have to create.” The girls went to get our measurements, picked out the fabric, and started to work on the designs. We sat down and waited for the basic patterns to be ready and decided that Coco and me needed to do some catching up. “OK, Coco. I need to know why your parents moved here.” “It’s Rarity that played a role in this move, Jack.” “OK, OK. I did play a role in all this,” Rarity said. “I was opening our new downtown display location over a year ago to help sell more of the dresses that we have here. Sassy was looking over the other stores and learned that her mother wanted a job at our Manehattan location. So, she called her up and asked if she was willing to work at our new display store downtown. We knew it was on short notice, but Sassy was able to find place for them to move in that they can afford at this time.” Coco added, “We hope to find a nice house at a good price, but for now, we’re staying at a nice apartment with good rent. My father was able to find a job here as well, so we are doing fine and are in no hurry of moving.” “Well, maybe my father can help with moving into a house on our subdivision, if your parents are interested,” I said. “His boss owns the area.” “I’ll make sure they keep that in mind,” Coco replied. “Besides, Rarity convinced me on attending Canterlot High as well.” Rarity said, “When I met Coco, she was going to attend Crystal Prep. I stopped them right there and told them to look into Canterlot High. When they asked why, I told them that I was a student there. They were shocked to learn that the co-owner, at the time, was a student there. Plus, talent like hers doesn’t need to be used for Suri Polomare. All she cares about is taking all the credit to her own self. That is just a disgrace to the fashion world.” “I’m glad that I now did, or I wouldn’t have reunited with you, Jack,” Coco said. “Fate has a way of bring people together,” I said. I can see Sunset rolling her eyes, wanting to say something in response. “Sunny, don’t even say it.” She looked straight at me. “I can see that look of yours, so you just deal with it, OK? That goes double for you, Diamond Tiara.” “What? I didn’t say anything,” she replied. Luna and me glared straight at her, making her nervous. She looked at her father, hoping he can bail her out. “Don’t look at me,” he said. “Miss Luna already told me what I needed to know, and you need to learn from all of this.” She looked down, knowing that she wasn’t getting any help at all. “Looks like you still have that touch with dealing with bullies,” Coco said. “I’ve already heard the story about Sunset. But I’m wondering about the other girl.” “I guess it has a connection to my reason of being here,” I said. “Before you go there,” Rarity interrupted, “I need to get these fitted on you. Sunset Shimmer, Diamond Tiara, the two of you are up first.” Both Sunset and Diamond Tiara went up to the staging area to have the fabrics fitted and adjusted on them. “OK, if we continue?” I said. Rarity nodded. “Mr. Rich, do you want to tell the story about how my father helped out with the store location? You know it better in detail than me.” “Thank you, Jack,” he replied. “I was working with Mr. Fix-It on having his business brought to Ponyville. We found some land that we worked on purchasing, and got started on the foundation for the new store. In a month, we came across some problems with the ground and needed someone to double check the ground. He recommended Jack’s father, Mr. Spades, to look at it.” I continued. “My father just finished on the Manehattan project before Christmas, leaving the interior work to another department from the company. This gave us some time to work on the truck, since my 16th birthday was a month away. We got the engine work completed when Mr. Fix-It and Mr. Rich came to our place. When they explain the problems that was going on, my father thought something wasn’t right with the foundation info listed.” Mr. Rich continued. “He came with us, with some equipment that he needed to inspect the area. Turns out that the ground had unstable limestone under the soil. And there was no mention about it on the land details. It would be a month or two before a sinkhole could be formed. The sellers of that piece of land never did their research of the ground like they should do.” “Forgive me for asking,” said Silver Spoon, “but how does limestone have an effect on creating sinkholes? “I think I can answer that,” Applejack said. “I learned that limestone can break apart after enough rain water goes through the soil. And it was Mayor Mare that created the Foundation Research Act after some sinkholes showed up after that great rainstorm happened years ago. Somehow, those sellers tried to work around that bill to get away with making some profits.” “And we took them to court and got the payment back, with interest,” Mr. Rich said. “But we still needed a location to build the store. All of us looked over the locations and prices that were out there, and we found one that cost a bit more, but the location was the best option to go with. After all that went through, we figure that Mr. Spades would be useful working here, so we asked him to be the new manager at the new store.” “Wouldn’t that be a step down from what his previous title?” Rarity asked. “Maybe,” I answered, “but in this case, it’s a step up. He’s not just a manager, but he also oversees all building projects in Ponyville, including all homes in the subdivision that we live on. The only catch was that our new house was ready to move in with two weeks left before school starts. Twilight and her mother helped out in getting me enrolled in school.” “And let me take a guess,” Coco said. “You addressed that to Miss D.T. here, putting her in her place.” “Girl hit the nail right on the head,” Applejack said. She looked at Diamond Tiara. “And that’s what you get for messing with my little sis, missy.” Once Sunset and Diamond Tiara were done getting fitted, they wanted Silver Spoon and me to come up next. “Jack, how are the others doing back in Manehattan,” Coco asked. “Well, Party Favor and Sugar Belle are now dating.” “I figure they would make a great couple, even if they can be silly,” Coco said. “What about Double Diamond and Night Glider?” “Same as usual,” I replied. “Still competing as to who the better extreme athlete is?” “Yep. We even recorded both of them as they raced down one of the difficult mountain paths. D.D. on skis, and Nighty on snowboard. Still have a copy of the video on my computer.” “You didn’t ski again, did you?” I shook my head. “That’s good. The last time we went, it was an embarrassment for the both of us.” “This time, I stayed on the helicopter with Party Favor, doing the multi-recording so we could make a side-by-side video of it. Do not ask me who was better, because I have no clue from what I saw.” Luna asked, “So what was wrong with the both of you two skiing last time?” Both Coco and me answered, “We fell down.” “Basically, I fell first, and when she tried to help me up, she forgot that she had her skis on and fell on top of me, with her head in the snow,” I said. “We just knew it wasn’t for us.” “I just wanted to enjoy the view, since the snow white mountains looked nice from the bottom,” Coco said. “I think that should do it for both of you. You want me to start sewing while you get Applejack fitted?” “If you don’t mind,” Rarity replied. Coco and Sassy went to work on the sewing while Rarity and Chrysalis finished fitting Applejack before joining the others. After a couple of hours of work, the clothes were ready for us to display. I had a white dress shirt with a gold band around each arm, purple vest, and gray dress pants. I was able to get a purple tie and white gloves to go with the set. I had to stick with my dark shoes for now. When I walked out, some of the girls were in their outfits. Diamond Tiara wore a pink classic dress with white trimmings, while Silver Spoon wore a black classic dress with white trimmings and long, white sleeves. “Chrysalis,” Silver Spoon asked, “how do you put this small hat on?” Chrysalis grabbed some hairpins and attached them between her hair and the mini-hat. “That should do it. You look like a real Lolita girl.” “Lolitia? What is that?” Diamond Tiara asked. “A fashion style that’s popular overseas,” I said. “From what I remember, it’s based on the Victorian Era clothing. Popular with anime titles, which I can guess is where you got the idea from, right Chrysalis?” “As Rarity would say it, ‘Guilty as charged.’” Chrysalis said. “Silver Spoon, yours is gothic lolitia. Diamond Tiara, yours is sweet lolitia.” “Oh look, D.T. You’re sweet,” Silver Spoon said. “As if!” Diamond Tiara replied. “Sunset,” Rarity spoke, “are you ready? “I look silly in this. Do I have to come out?” “YES!!!” Sunset came out in a Lolita dress made of crimson and black frills and a crimson net bow on her head. “This is stupid,” she said. “I don’t know. If you have some old style pistols, you might look like a bad-ass,” I added. “Looks like you know which anime I got that idea from,” Chrysalis said. “At least I was able to find these.” She brought out a small, black box. In it were three prop knives. “Good thinking, Chrysalis,” I said. I took out the knives and placed each one between the fingers of my right hand. “What do you think?” “Is there a reason for those?” Luna asked. “Hundreds of years ago, there were butlers who also doubled as skilled bodyguards. Knives like these, which are props anyway, are used to take out thieves and intruders that threaten their masters. It’s one of the few weapons that they use. Another type of weapon can be just a single wire thread. If done just right, you can do harm to your enemies up close. But this kind of practice in the real world is long gone.” “Well, at least the business attire for women is growing.” Applejack walked out of her changing room, wearing a black blazer and matching dress pants, a white buttoned shirt, and a red cravat. “This must be what a business woman with a mean streak look like.” “Why it sure is, Miss Applejack,” I said with an accent. ‘Well then, I think we need to take some pictures of this,” Rarity said. “Then we can have some pizza for your reward.” So we followed Rarity’s lead for the pictures while Mr. Rich went to pick up some pizzas for us afterwards. She took several pictures of us in multiple group sets. After she was finished with the pictures, we got changed back into our regular clothes and handed them to Sassy for display. We looked at all the pictures on Rarity’s computer while waiting for the pizza to arrive. We all picked our favorites, and Silver Spoon and me picked the same picture from the set, which was the one where I used the prop knives for that picture. When the pizza arrived, we ate and talked a lot before we decided to leave. Coco decided to pull me aside to talk to me in private. “Jack, do you still use your…gift…around school?” I answered, “Yes, and I just learned more about it.” I gave a nod to Chrysalis and Luna to come over. “Applejack, Sunset, can you wait for me in the car?” Luna said. “I’ll be there shortly.” Both of them came on over to meet with us. “Luna,” I said, “Coco is one of my friends who helped keep my powers a secret. Can you give her a quick update on what you’ve told me? I need to take care of some unfinished business.” I looked over to where Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon were. “I think I know what you plan on doing,” Luna said. “Will take care of Coco.” I went on over and asked Mr. Rich if I can talk to the two girls for a moment. “OK, you two. Since you are now in the same club as me, I expect that the two of you stop bullying anyone else, including Apple Bloom and her friends. If I catch you acting like that again, and I with come on to you like a hawk. Am I clear?” “Yes, sir!” Silver Spoon said. I looked at Diamond Tiara, wanting a response. “I guess,” she replied. I stared at her, wanted a better response. “I mean, yes sir!” “Good. Now get out of here and be thinking about what I have said.” Diamond Tiara went into the car, but Silver Spoon stayed and said, “I think it was nice what happened today. Just give her time, and I think she will understand like I did.” She soon went to car to join her friend. They pulled out of the driveway and went on their way. Luna also went into her car and made her way out back towards the school. Chrysalis and Coco went to join me. Coco said, “My mother still has a couple of hours before she has to close up. Think you can give me a ride downtown?” I replied, “Sure thing.” We all got in to my truck and made our way downtown. “Luna filled me in on the basic details,” Coco said. “I can’t believe it’s related to a person’s soul.” “If it wasn’t for his powers, I wouldn’t be where I am today,” Chrysalis added. “Well, he does care about others a lot that he doesn’t stop helping,” Coco said. “Thanks for the support,” I added. “But seriously, you and the others did the right thing to keep things a secret.” “Are the four others that both of you brought up helped out?” Chrysalis asked. “Yes,” Coco replied. “And when it comes to Manehattan, no telling who would want to use powers like that for their own advantage. Do you think Professor Digger would know about this if we asked?” “I rather leave him out of it until we know more about what we are dealing with.” I said. “Besides, he did give me a parting gift before I left. And I think he had a reason for giving me those swords.” “Masamune and Muramasa.” Coco said. “You really liked those swords when he displayed them to us. He did say that those were the last swords that were created by their creator of the same name.” “And now that I know more about my powers, I wonder if the legend of those swords are true,” I said. “What is this legend that you are talking about?” Chrysalis asked. “Legend has it that when Masamune and Muramasa each created the last blade to battle each other, the battle lead into a stalemate, with the only proof was just the blades by themselves in the ground. There was no sign of their creators, and the two blades were kept together as a reminder of the two sword maker’s craft and to remember them with honor.” “After hearing that, you think that maybe a part of their soul would live on in the swords,” Chrysalis said. “I’m starting to think the same thing,” I added. “But so far, I haven’t felt anything from them. Could be because they are just a weapon and not a living human being. My powers don’t even work on animals.” “And what about Sunset?” Coco asked. “I was told that you sense something from her, but don’t know what it is. That’s a first for all of us.” “I know, and I hope as my powers grow, I can get my answer about what Sunset could be hiding,” I said. “Only time will tell,” Coco said. “Oh, here we are. Can you want a moment, I want to get my mom to come out and see you.” I pulled up to the side of the store so Coco could get out, run into the store, and bring her mother out. “There he is,” she said, pointing at me. “Well, I’ll be. I’m surprised that you become friends with my boss and a friend of Coco’s.” “It’s nice to see you too, Mrs. Pommel,” I replied. “So where are you living at?” Mrs. Pommel asked. “You know where the new subdivision is at. It’s the one that my dad’s boss owns.” She nodded. “That’s where we live. It’s the only house in the area at this time.” “Oh, we need to exchange contact info so we can keep in touch.” I shared my contact info with Coco, and she did the same for me. “Thanks, Jack.” “No problem,” I replied. “You should come by when you get a chance. I’ll let me parents know you’re here.” “Well, I’ll have to plan that out next time,” Mrs. Pommel replied. “Thanks for bring Coco by.” “Well, I’ll see you sometime Monday, Coco. Bye.” We started to drive our way home, seeing Coco and her mother waving their hands bye to us. “Well, I guess we have another ally with us,” Chrysalis said. “Think this is an improvement in getting our answers?” “We each have our own questions that need answering. And no doubt we will find the answers together, in time.”
Ch. 12 - Field TestCelestia was now aware of Coco knowing about my soul powers when I arrived to work with her for 6th period. Knowing what we are dealing with, having another friend that we can trust really helps. But so far, I haven’t experienced anything new about my powers in the two weeks that I have been here. Celestia would have figured that at least one new power would come out, with all that has happened. “So you have been dealing with the same effects and never experienced anything new since you were at your old school,” Celestia said. “It’s just been the same,” I said. “Even Coco doesn’t see anything new about how I have acted since I last saw her. And this is the first time that a lot has happened in a two-week span. Coming here, helping Chrysalis, joining a club; I mean this is so much that I would discover something new about my powers.” “Luna told me the two of you had four other friends that hang out with you. Did they do the same thing that Coco did back at your old school?” “Yes. I already e-mailed them that Coco was attending here. And I told them what my gift was called, but nothing more. Not until more comes out.” “And that’s all who knows about your powers?” She glared at me, believing that someone else knows about my powers. “One other. She’s a professor who filled Coco’s space, so to speak. But don’t expect me to reveal any ‘spoilers’ about her.” If she didn’t know what I was talking about, then that’s better for me. “Professor River Song?” I sighed. “I’ve met her when she comes to visit Dr. Whooves over the winter break. She does some traveling during the summer and has been helping me find any info in finding Professor Star Swirl.” “And so far, no luck.” She nodded. “And now that I’m here, you were hoping to find some answers in his research. Did you ask her about it?” “No. I didn’t want to bring her in on that because I didn’t think it would be important. But when she e-mailed me that you were coming to Ponyville and plan to look into our school, she wanted me to watch over you when you attended here. It was luck that your mother and Twilight’s mother knew each other.” “What all did she tell about me?” “She said that you were ‘special’, that you like helping others in needed. After what happened with Sunset, I was hoping someone new can help her in making a new path, since no one else cares about her.” “So you planned to make sure Twilight, Sunset, and me were in the same classes, in hopes to fix the damage that was caused, making me the peace-keeper.” “When Twilight and Cadence came to me, complaining about her being in the same classes as the two of you, she was more concerned about you than herself after Sunset sat next to you in Science class. I knew that this was the only chance for you to help her open up and become a new person. I started to wonder if you bear the gift of soul resonance, so I took a chance the next day and see if I was right. And we know what happened after that.” “Now I’m trying to learn more about my powers. And so far, nothing new has come to it.” “She did bring up one thing.” I raised my eyebrow, wondering what else she told Celestia. “That you also played on the football team as their kicker.” I rolled my eyes. “Did she really have to bring that up? That’s the last thing I wanted to be a part of.” “Well, it brings me to your next test. I want you to try out for the football team.” “This has got to be a joke. I was hardly useful last year. What good will I do this year?” “She said you made a couple of field goals, and that they were long ones. And our team could use another kicker. But I want to see what other talents you have on the field before going through this. Do you think you can stay after school tomorrow? I want to see what you can do with my own eyes.” “I can let my parents know. By I don’t think this will be any good for either of us.” “Trust me on this. I have my reasons for putting you through this.” So I stayed after school the next day and walked down with Celestia and Chrysalis to the football field. When we got there, Luna, Soarin, Rainbow Dash, Applejack, and Big Mac were waiting for us. Chrysalis sat next to the stands to watch while waiting for me to finish. “I’m guessing that with Big Mac here, it could be the passing of the torch,” I said. “Maybe,” Celestia said, “but lets see what you can do before we go forward on that.” As we walked up, Big Mac told Soarin and Rainbow Dash to get the net in place behind the goal post. “Where’s Apple Bloom?” I asked. “She went with Babs back to the farm, since Big Mac wanted to help here.” Applejack said. “Figure I see how well you can kick a football,” Big Mac said. “You up for it?” “I’ll give it a shot,” I answered. Big Mac and Applejack had footballs set up on each hash mark on the 20, 30, 40, and 50-yard lines. We stated on the left hash mark of the 20-yard line. “We’ll start here, then try the other side,” he said. I went to set up for the kick, like I did when I played on the team last year. When I kicked the ball, it went through the center of the goal posts. I did the right hash mark the same way, but adjusted my kick to go the other way. It went through, but was close to the right goal post. “Looks like you do better on the left side than the right.” “I still have a hard time getting the angle right, since I kick with my right foot,” I said. “Let’s focus on the left hash mark to work on distance, then the right for accuracy,” Luna said. We tried the left hash mark on the 20-yard line again to see if anything stood out. I did fine with the 20 and 30-yard marks, but the 40-yard mark came closer to the left goal post. By the time I got to the 50-yard line, the ball barely made it over the cross bar next to the left goal post. “Barely made it,” Big Mac said. “What’s your longest?” ’44-yards,” I said. “And yours was a record 55-yards, right?” “Eeyep.” We started on the right side to work on some mechanics. After kicking from the 20-yard line, Big Mac told me on how to improve the angle of my kick. This was an improvement at the 30-yard line, but when I kicked the 40-yard line, it barely made it, like I did at the 50-yard line on the left side. That worried me about kicking at the 50-yard line, and I was right, because I came up short of the goal post. “I guess that’s the best you got,” Big Mac said. “Can I see how well you can putt?” I agreed with him, and we just kicked it from the 35-yard line on the other side. Since all I have to do was a straight kick, I got the ball to land around the 20-yard line on the other side, about the same distance as my field goal kicks. “I don’t think I can come close to what you had,” I said to Big Mac. “But it’s better than those that were after me,” Big Mac replied. “I’d think you might have a chance with the team.” As Rainbow Dash and Soarin were coming back with the footballs, Dash decided to throw one my way and said, “JACK, CATCH!!!” When I say the ball coming my way, I saw it was about to go over me. At that point, I felt like I knew what I needed to do and just started to run backwards and jump to catch the football as it came over me, landing on my feet with ease. “HEY, NICE CATCH!!!” I started to run back when Luna stopped me. “JACK,” she yelled, “THROW IT STRAIGHT TO BIG MAC!!!” I never threw a football, but decided to do so anyway. For some reason, I just felt what to do. I just grabbed it, pulled my arm back, and tossed it in a near perfect spiral for Big Mac to catch. “Well I’ll be,” Applejack said. “If I didn’t know better, I’d think you give Shining Armor a run for his money.” “If not him, then maybe Thunderlane,” Soarin added. “He plans to be the backup QB this year.” “What about that run and catch?” Dash said. “It could come close to Flash or Thunderlane in the skills department.” “Well, I don’t want to take Shining Armor’s or Flash’s job, but what does Thunderlane do on the team before?” I asked. “He did the same position as Flash on the team, but became the new backup QB halfway last season when our backup QB got hurt really bad,” Soarin said. “Was he the same QB who was also the starter two years ago?” They nodded. “His chances of getting a football scholarship and career ending badly last year,” Soarin added. “He went in for Shining at one point during the first game, and that’s when it happen. And it was worse than the hit two years ago. Shining recommended that Thunderlane be his new backup because he has done some passing during practices. And his skills were average for a QB.” “Well, I don’t want to compete with him, if Shining Armor feels he’s the best fit as backup,” I said. “He might have to be the starter next year when Shining graduates.” “Well, we need to head on back,” Applejack said. “I’ll see you tomorrow.” “Nice to meet ya again, Jack,” Big Mac said. “Same here,” I replied. “Thanks for the help.” “We need to do the same,” Rainbow Dash said. “Don’t want to keep Fluttershy waiting on us.” All of them left expect Luna and Celestia. Chrysalis walked up to the field to meet us. “You looked great out there,” Chrysalis said, poking her elbow into my ribs. I didn’t reply, thinking about what just happened. It was Celestia who broke the silence. “Did something happen earlier?” I said, “For some reason, my instincts took over when Dash threw that ball to me. And again when I threw it to Big Mac. I never did anything like that before.” “I figure that something happened when you went to catch the ball,” Luna said. “That’s why I needed to see if it would happen when you throw it as well.” “That could only mean that a new power has unlocked,” Celestia said. “Let me look through Star Swirl’s book to see if something explains what you just experienced. For now, go on home and get some rest.” “Thanks,” I said. “And maybe what just happen here today might have been worth it.” When I came the next day, some of the students were looking at me, exchanging whispers. I came up to my locker with my friends already there. I was about to find out what was going on. “Hey Jack,” Twilight spoke, “did I hear that you could be looking into joining the football team?” “Where did you hear that?” I asked. Flash answered, “Some of the students are talking about the ‘new kid’ having some skilled talents that can compete with me or Shining. Maybe even Thunderlane.” I stared at Applejack, Rainbow Dash, and Soarin. “Don’t look at me,” Rainbow Dash responded. “I didn’t say anything either,” Soarin added. “Not me either,” Applejack answered. “But I think I saw some girls looking at what was going on. They could be some cheerleaders, but I’m not sure.” “If that’s the case, then Cadence might have some answers,” Twilight said. “She was the co-captain of the cheerleader team last year, and was helping out with the tryouts that happened yesterday.” “Looks like someone is getting really popular around here, including the ladies,” Rarity said. “Even the girls in the fashion club wished they met you over the weekend after seeing the picture that we took. And it’s just the third week of school.” I let out a sigh and said, “Really, Rarity. Like I need all the attention.” “Well, you did help out Chrysalis, who we thought was a witch but learn that she wasn’t, stood up towards Diamond Tiara, from the richest family in Ponyville, because you wanted to help Apple Bloom, walked around with Sunset during club recruitment, got slapped in the face by her the next day,” Pinkie takes a deep breath, “and it all started when you decided to take on Sunset for Twilight.” “Pinkie, do you have to explain everything in one breath?” Rainbow Dash asked. Pinkie Pie rapidly nodded her head. Fluttershy added, “Wouldn’t that make, you know, Sunset Shimmer…jealous?” A locker door slammed very hard, revealing an angry Sunset. She heard everything that we all said. “Jealous? You think I’m JEALOUS?” she said towards Fluttershy, causing her to hide behind Pinkie Pie. Rainbow Dash stepped forward and said, “Hey, you have no right to yell at Fluttershy.” “Oh, I’m shaking in my boots,” as she was taunting Rainbow Dash. “I’m still surprised that you have to keep protecting a scared little girl who can’t stand up for herself.” Rainbow Dash was ready to do something drastic until Applejack stepped in. “Look, you have been nothing but trouble after what you did in the past. I can’t toss you out of our club, but I’d be happy to put you in your place, if you like.” “Try me!” Sunset taunted. I can see that Flash was about to have enough of what Sunset was doing, so I put my hand on his shoulder, showing him to stand down so I can handle her. I walked up to her and said, “Sunny, if want to start some trouble, then start it with me.” Sunset turned around, stared in my face, and said, “Oh, you plan to hit a girl? Why don’t you do that right now!” “I’m sure we can handle that for him.” Sunset looked at who spoke, only to be stunned by seeing Chrysalis, with Coco standing next to her. “Anyone who wants to mess with our friend, messes with us,” Coco replied. “And don’t let this cute little face fool you. I can take you down in one blow.” “And for the record, I have seen her do that with my own eyes,” I added. “Don’t ask me how she does it, but the last time she did, the girl was stuck with neck pain for a few days before the pain went away.” Sunset knew that she had enough of this and decided to walk away, but stopped and yelled, “AND FOR THE LAST TIME, STOP CALLING ME SUNNY!!!” She then walked away, heading to class. “Sorry, but we had to step in,” Chrysalis said. “We were planning to talk to Rarity before all this happen in front of us. “Maybe we can talk later, after everyone has cooled down,” Coco added. “That’s fine, dear,” Rarity replied. “See me during free study.” “We better head to class,” Twilight said, “and lets hope that Sunset can back off for the day.” When I met up with Celestia later in the day, she has heard that I have started to get popular, maybe too popular. I told her that Cadence was at cheerleader tryouts, and some of the girls went to see what was going on at the field after tryouts were over. She also heard what was going on outside the office, surprised that the outcome was a safe one. After getting all that out of the way, she brought out Star Swirl’s book and opened it to a page that she wanted to show me. “Soul Release” There is a way to tap into your own soul, letting it guide your actions the way you want it to be. But to do this, you must know what must be done, then clear both your mind and body to let the soul take over at the same time. Once this is done, anything is possible. “So that’s how I was able to make the catch easily, as well as throwing the ball to the target. How come when I went to kick the football, it never happened?” “Maybe because you know how to kick the football,” she answered. “And what you did when it happened was close to perfect.” “So it’s a work in progress,” I said. “Do you want me to still try out for the team?” “I don’t want to take this route if it would damage the friendships that you have made, but I want you to tryout for quarterback instead of kicker.” My eyes went wide open after what I heard. “I know it’s a big risk, but with what some people that have seen what you have done, and word going on about you, we might have to take a chance.” “Football tryouts are tomorrow, right?” She nodded. “Then I need to find out how to recreate what I just did to make sure it can still work. If it happens when I do something I have no experience about it, I might have an idea back home.” When we got home, I noticed that there was no car in the driveway. When we went into the house, I saw a note on the table that was left for me. Gone out with Twilight’s mother. Looking for a new location for business. Back around 5. Mom She did say that she wanted to look into a place to run her business so she doesn’t have to work up in the extra room all the time. And she felt like it would help business if people came to her instead of going online all the time. This might be the only chance I get to put my theory to the test. I asked Chrysalis to meet me in the backyard while I get something from my room. I went up and looked under my bed, grabbing a long, narrow wooden case. I took it with me as I came back down and showed Chrysalis the two swords that I talked about Saturday. “So these are Masamune and Muramasa,” she said. “You think your theory of recreating ‘soul release’ will work?” “Only one way to find out.” I grabbed only Masamune to work with for now. I kept my distance from the house in the backyard so Chrysalis can monitor what was going on. “I know about swordplay, but handling a sharp blade like this can be deadly.” “Let’s just hope I don’t have to rush you to a hospital, because I don’t even have a license.” I pointed the blade forward and closed my eyes. At that point, I just relax and waited for it to happen. Nothing happened for at least 10 minutes before Chrysalis broke the silence. “Are you just going to stand there like a statue?” I opened my eyes to respond. “For some reason, its not working.” Chrysalis started to think, then had an idea. She went into her bag and brought out a butterfly knife. “Don’t tell me you carry that around school,” I said. “Nope, I just leave it in the glove compartment of your truck,” she replied. She revealed the blade and said, “Think fast.” She threw the blade at me like a throwing knife to a target. At that point, it happened. I knocked down the knife in one swing. “I knew it. It only works when something happens at the last second. Then it creates a reaction that you wish you could do, and it does it.” “So just wanting to do what I want to do doesn’t work. I just wish there was a way to test is more,” I said. “Hang on. I’ll be right back.” She left for a few minutes, and then returned with some small rocks. “Had to find the right size rocks to used. Ten will have to do.” She decided to throw the rocks at me, one at a time. Each rock that came to me, I struck it down. When she collected the rocks, she threw them at different locations, with me knocking them down again. She collected them again, and as she was walking back to the table, I sensed something from her, trickery. She plans to do something I won’t see coming, but what. When she started to throw the rocks again, she did more randomly than before. By the time she threw the tenth rock, she grabbed the other sword on the table, drew its blade, and threw it at me like a lance. In an instance, I was able to dodge and grab the handle of the sword without knowing what to do. I looked at Chrysalis and said, “Can I start calling you a witch again?” She smiled and said, “Just wanted to see how you would react to that.” “That was a big risk there. But I knew you were scheming something before that last set.” “So your ‘soul resonance’ went into effect before your ‘soul release’ does its part.” She paused for a moment, and then asked, “Are you thinking what I’m thinking?” “I think so. But I’m going to have to be lucky to pull this off at the tryouts.” It was Thursday after school, and tryouts were being held on the football field. This was the big test for me to take. Chrysalis walked with me to the field, making sure we have everything planned out. When we arrived, I can see Shining Armor, Flash Sentry, and Thunderlane among the students that were trying out. Rainbow Dash and Soarin were also there, getting the equipment set up, while Twilight was getting her notes ready to take down what’s needed for the selection of the team. Chrysalis went up to the stands to join the small group of girls that decided to stay and watch. Most of them were ones that I have met before. I couldn’t see Celestia and Luna around the area, but I saw Big Mac walking towards me from the field. “Wanted to make sure I do well in tryouts?” I asked. “Eeyep,” he replied. “Think you ready for this?” “I’ll do my best.” “So, do you plan to tryout for kicker, or are you going with somewhere in the offensive line?” “Well, Celestia thinks I should tryout for quarterback, but I don’t want to create any problems with my friends.” “After what I’d see Tuesday, I think it’s worth a shot. Shining would like to see Thunderlane have some competition for QB.” “Did you tell him about what happened?” “Eeyep. And he’s not sure if Thunderlane is ready to be backup. You give it a shot, and maybe it can motivate him to do so. And you can tryout for multiple spots. I was both in the defensive line and kicker roles. So you can focus on QB and kicker roles, maybe wide receiver after that catch you made.” I started to think about my options when we saw Shining Armor and Twilight walking towards us. “Hey, Twilight, Shining,” I said. “Glad to see that you made it,” Shining Armor said. “Big Mac told me about what happened with you Tuesday. Could explain why the rumor mill went off the wall yesterday.” “And the fact that Sunset went insane as well,” Twilight added. “Don’t even remind me,” I said. “Just so you know,” Shining said, “Thunderlane is trying out for backup QB, but has been either running back or tight end on the team because of his agility. Flash has been my go to wide receiver on the team, but has also worked as a running back because of his speed. And if you plan to compete for the backup, then you have to work with our big center over there, Bulk Biceps.” He pointed to the big, white guy on the field that stood out from the others. “And where do you stand on kickers?” I asked. I can see that he had no answer to that. “That bad.” “Big Mac has decided to help out with the new kickers, since that’s our only option that we have,” Twilight said. “And we’re not sure who else will try out for quarterback. I can talk to Coach Iron Will about what we plan for you to do, if you’re up to it.” “You tell me what I should do, and I’ll see what I can do about it,” I said. Coach Iron Will blew his whistle to call us over. He went on with his motivation speech to the students. Before starting tryouts, Twilight call him over to explain a few needed details. He looked at me first, then at Thunderlane. So he called out to everyone to pick either offense or defense to see which spots will fit them best. He called Thunderlane and me over with Shining Armor. “So both of your want to try out as Shining Armor’s backup?” We both nodded. “From what Iron Will has been told, Thunderlane has played on the offensive line, and Jack has played as the kicker. Iron Will wants to make it interesting. So Iron Will wants both to tryout as quarterback, offensive line, and special teams. Iron Will will decide what fits best for who.” We started with our roles in the offensive line. Thunderlane knew how to play the role as the running back and tight end. I focused on being the wide receiver, and tried for running back as well, making it easier for Shining Armor to have more options on the field. I was on target as a wide receiver, which Flash was glad to see. He said that it would help to get the ‘bulls eye’ off his back at times. But running back was more of a challenge. I had a hard time dodging because I wasn’t fast or agile with the ball. Shining Armor thinks part of that role could still be used with the secondary quarterback role in certain plays. Our next role was for the quarterback. Thunderlane was agile with the ball, avoiding defensive players in finding his targets when he throws, and was able to hand off the ball or take the ball himself for rushing plays. But when a few of the plays involved a blitz play, he couldn’t react fast enough before getting sacked. When I took over, my passing plays were good, but couldn’t go far and long like Thunderlane did. I was able to hand off the ball for rushing plays, but taking the ball was the same as being a running back. But I did have one advantage from blitzes, I was able to sense when someone was coming my way before I could see them, causing me to dodge them in time before I can throw. I knew that if I couldn’t see them, my power will tell me. Otherwise, I couldn’t react to what I was able to see. When it came time to look into special teams, Thunderlane was able to work on punting, but couldn’t do much with field goals because the kicking motion was different between the two. But he was able to work on receiving punt balls without any problems. My punting was also good, and my field goals went better than before when Thunderlane was my placeholder. Before tryouts were over, Iron Will wanted to try to test our kicker skills in distance. Thunderlane decided to be the placeholder for all the kickers. All the new kickers, along with myself, went to kick from the 20-yard line, and then backed up every five yards. Those who missed kicking the football through the goal posts were out. It was by the time we cleared the 40-yard line that me and another player were left to kick. He went to the 45-yard line and just cleared the crossbar. Before I went to kick, Twilight stopped me. “Coach, I want to see him kick it from Big Mac’s record distance,” she said. I was shocked when she pulled this on me. As they were setting up the spot, I went up to Twilight and ask, “What are you thinking? I can’t kick that long. My best was around 44 yards.” “I know,” she said. “But did you ever worked towards or against the wind?” “I don’t think there was any wind at the game that I made those field goals. And the football field was facing North to South, so wind wasn’t much of an issue.” “The field here faces almost East to West. And the direction you are about to kick is with the wind, which is about 10 to 12 miles per hour at this time. That should be enough to reach the goal post, if you can kick it at a 45 degree angle.” “I kicked around a 40 degree angle for my longest kick,” I replied. “So it will need to be a bit higher for the wind to catch it.” “Now you’re catching on,” she said. So I went to where the ball was and set myself up for the kick. I just needed the wind to help me here. I caught a quick breeze before it stopped, giving me an idea of what to expect. I made a few quick adjustments before making the kick, waiting for the wind to come again. Just as I was taking a deep breath, I felt the wind again, stronger than before. I started to feel like my soul was taking over for me. With no time to wait, I went to kick the ball before the wind died down again. As the football was in the air, I saw that it went faster across the field than I remembered. It was enough to barely make it across the crossbar. “Did I just see what I think I saw?” Thunderlane said. “I think so,” I replied. We heard a voice in the crowd say, “He just tied Big Mac’s kicking record.” Everyone was in an uproar from what I just did. All the students that were trying out or helping out came rushing towards us in excitement. “Twilight was right,” I thought. “I just needed to make the adjustments and let the wind do the rest.” “Hey Jack. That was great,” Flash said. “That was not great,” Rainbow Dash said, quieting the crowd. “That…was…AWESOME!!!” The crowd was in an uproar again. “I think you know how to work the field in your favor,” Shining Armor said. “Give your sister some credit,” I replied. “I can see why she’s the tactician on this team.” Coach Iron Will blew his whistle. “Listen up. You all did great. Iron Will is impressed in what you did. Iron Will shall post results tomorrow after 4th period. Go home, study, and rest.” I looked around to see all the students in the stands starting to head out. I saw Chrysalis point to what was behind her. I looked farther up to the booth where I saw Celestia and Luna. Both of them gave a thumb up. So far, I knew I have made some progress, but how much progress did I get will have to wait until tomorrow.
Ch. 13 - The End ResultThe bell just rang, signaling the end of 4th period. We started to grab our things and made our way to the announcement board to meet up with Flash and Thunderlane. “Twilight, Cadence, Fluttershy, Jack,” said Flash, “you made it.” “Have they posted the player’s list?” Twilight asked. “We just got here,” Thunderlane replied. “Waiting for the crowd to thin out so we can see.” As students were looking at the list, some were excited to make the list, while others were not. Once we were able to see the list, we were all shocked at the four on the top. Shining Armor (QB) – Captain Flash Sentry (RB/WR) – Alt. Captain Thunderlane (QB/RB) – Alt. Captain Jack Diamond (QB/WR/K) – Alt. Captain “Am I seeing this?” I said. “All three of us are alternate captains?” “That’s just the half of it,” Flash added. “This is the first time we get to have three quarterbacks in the school’s history.” “That’s right.” We turned around to see Shining Armor behind us. “Coach Iron Will was impressed at the talents and leadership that you all have. With all of you in the front line, we have a balanced team to take on anyone.” The rest of our friends showed up to see what the results were. “So, did you guys made it?” Rainbow Dash said. “Take a look,” I replied. They looked at the list and saw what was on the top of the list. “Well I’ll be,” Applejack said. “Congrats to ya all.” “So how many games are there in the season?” I asked. “Five games total,” Flash replied. “And the first one that we play is against Cloudsdale.” “The other teams in our region are Appleloosa, Dodge City, Trottingham, and Crystal Prep in Downtown Ponyville,” Shining Armor added. “Crystal Prep has been the most hated team in our region,” Rainbow Dash said. “They have won every championship in every school sport for over 10 years. “Not to mention that they like to brag about it,” Soarin added. “We can worry about them later,” Shining Armor said. “For now, we start practice next Monday, and our game with Cloudsdale will be next Friday.” “But first, we get to PARTY!!!” Pinkie Pie said with excitement. “Everyone on the team will be on the farm tonight,” Applejack said. “Think you can be there at five?” “All of the cheerleaders will be there as well,” Cadence added. “Cadence, you might be regretting bringing that up to him.” “Why?” She asked. “Remind me to tell ya later, when he’s not around,” Applejack answered, referring to me. “I’ll have to check with my mother first,” I replied. I took out my cell and called my mother about tonight. Turns out that my mother and Twilight’s mother will be there to help set up the food for the party. So we were fine with going. “I’m glad that our parents will be helping out with the food there,” Twilight said. “Both of them were busy looking for a new place to open up a new local store.” “My mother told me about it Wednesday,” I said. “She wants to move the online business to a bigger place with some local support.” “Oh that will be great,” Rarity said. “Now I can look and smell for new candles so I can buy what I like.” “Ever since I saw those candles that you had at your house, Rarity, I have been wanting some for myself, but never had a chance,” Fluttershy said. “Well, I guess we all know what we’re doing tonight,” I said. “I’ll make sure that Chrysalis comes along. It will be a nice change of pace for her.” So we all plan to go to Applejack’s farm for the football party. But first, I need to talk to Celestia and ask about Crystal Prep. Hearing about having a perfect record doesn’t sound right. Back when I was in Manehattan, I attended West End High, but there was another school that was like Crystal Prep, called Mane Coast Academy. It was a top ranked school, but it wasn’t perfect because it had a big rivalry with Fillydelphia High, which was also a top rank school. Not every school can be perfect without a reason for it. I just hoped she has an answer. “I can understand your concern, Jack,” Celestia said, “and it has been crossing my mind. After seeing what you could do on the field, I have been wondering if there are players at Crystal Prep that have the same gift that you have.” “You are just full of surprises, Celestia. But for one school to have several gifted players for about 10 years doesn’t sound right.” “I know, Jack. But there has to be a reason they are perfect. And I don’t trust Principal Cinch handling that school like that.” “Sounds like she only cares about being the ultimate…principal.” “Or a bitch, if that’s what you wanted to say.” We laughed. “But in all seriousness, I think there must be a way to develop those powers without being born with them and having them awaken just like you.” “So we could be looking at some special pill, or maybe genetic enchantments.” “Well, Jack, I wouldn’t have thought of those ideas being used on students, but they are some good ideas to look at. But right now, we need to find out who bears similar gifts that you have when we face them at the end of the football schedule. And we hope that each game you play could help develop your powers, without letting anyone else notice.” “Then we need someone to find a way to get the players’ stats and background info so we can look for any red flags. Otherwise, we’ll be walking in that game blind.” “I can have my sister, Luna, look for some help on the outside. As for the player stats, Twilight looks into that over the weekend so she can help plan our next game. You’ll have to get those from her.” ‘I can work with that.” I pondered for a moment, and then said, “You know, this is the first time I had this much excitement in my life.” “Well, don’t get carried away with it. I need you ready for anything.” I saluted and said, “Yes ma’am.” It was 4:30, and Chrysalis and me started to drive on down to Sweet Apple Acres. Both of my parents already plan to be down there getting the food set up. As were on our way, we saw a broken down car facing towards us and two people looking over the engine. Somehow, they looked alike, but very recognizable. “Is that…Sunset over there?” Chrysalis said. “I think one of them is her,” I replied. We pulled up besides them and asked, “Is everything OK, Sunny?” When both of them looked up, one of them looked older than the other. The older lady looked back to Sunset and said, “Classmates of yours?” She let out a sigh and said, “Yes mom, he’s in four of my classes.” “Well don’t get too excited,” her mother replied. She looked at me and said, “My car broke down. You think you can help us?” “Let me turn this around so I can get on the other side,” I said. Once I turned my truck around and parked it behind hers, I got out to see what was wrong. It looked like her engine overheated, so I called my dad up to explain the situation. He was on his way with Big Mac in his truck to meet us here with a car trailer, in case we needed to bring it back to the farm. “Looks like the engine did overheat. Might need to have the oil changed and spark plugs either cleaned or replaced.” My father said. “Big Mac, you have some tools back on the farm to help fix this?” “Eeyep.” he replied. “Son, help me load it on the trailer, will you?” “Sure, dad.” As we were loading the car onto the trailer, Chrysalis decided to ask Sunset’s mother a question. “So Mrs. Shimmer.” “Ms. Shimmer,” she corrected. “Sorry. Ms. Shimmer, where were you going to at this time?” “We were going to get something to eat, since I got home late,” Ms. Shimmer said. “Now I don’t know if that would happen.” “My wife is helping out with the food for a party at Sweet Apple Acres,” my father said. “If you want, you can join us and get something to eat while we get you car up and running. Should take a few hours to work on.” “That would be nice,” Ms. Shimmer replied. “Save us from going somewhere else to eat, right Sunset?” All Sunset did was grunt and roll her eyes in response. We had the car hooked up to be taken back to the farm for repairs. Sunset decided to ride in Big Mac’s truck because she was hoping to not be seen when the car is taken to the shed. Ms. Shimmer rode in my truck. I knew that there was some info I needed about Sunset’s past, and her mother might have the answers I need. I asked, “So Ms. Shimmer, is it just you and your daughter who live together?” “Yes,” she replied. “Why do you ask?” “Well, you corrected Chrysalis on your title, and Sunset has never mention anyone else in her family,” I said. “I doubt she ever does. I’ve given her a hard time after what she did months ago,” she said. “Well, I just moved here over the summer, so I have only heard about the stories about her, but I’m not sure I really believe them.” I lied about the last part so she doesn’t know that I believe them. “So you’re Jack, the one she keeps bring up every now and then.” After hearing that, I guess I can throw the lies out the window. She continued, “I’m glad someone is making sure she doesn’t cause any trouble.” “And what has she told you about me?” I asked. “How you always watch over her about everything,” she answered. “I just hope that you can keep her out of trouble. I don’t want her expelled from school. I got enough to deal with keeping everything together.” I decided to push the envelope on the family. “If you don’t mind me asking, but what happened to her father?” “I…rather not get into that. I just want to leave it in the past.” Just as she answered that, my soul powers went active. She’s scared of her past. No doubt she’s trying to keep her emotional scars hidden. That makes me wonder if Sunset has any emotional scars on her. “What happened to her during the summer?” Chrysalis said. “I heard that she got punished at school.” “I grounded her, took away the car keys, and drove her to school so the principal can put her to work,” Ms. Shimmer answered. “That must have taken a lot out of you, juggling between your job and managing Sunset’s work,” I responded. “I know,” she said, “but it had to be done. She needed to understand how it affects the family as a whole.” We finally arrived at the farm. Big Mac drove around the back to where the shed was, while I parked at the front. I can see my friends there with confused looks on their faces. I knew they were going to need an explanation of Sunset being here. “Ms. Sunrise Shimmer. I’m surprised to see you here.” Twilight’s mother came walking towards us, recognizing who Ms. Shimmer was. “Sorry if I’m getting in your way, Mrs. Twilight Velvet. My car broke down, and I’m thankful one of Sunset’s classmates was willing to help me out.” “That’s my son. Always willing to help.” My mother walked towards Ms. Shimmer to greet her. “Mrs. Candle Heart. We moved here over the summer.” “Your son told me about it,” she replied. “If you don’t mind, but I want to check on my car to see how long it will take to get it fixed.” “Hold on.” Twilight’s mother looked over to her son and said, “Shining, do you think you and your Coach can see if Jack’s father needs any help. You did take the coach’s auto class.” “Yes I did, mother,” Shining Armor replied. “I’ll get Coach Iron Will to help out. Just let us know when food is ready.” Shining Armor got Coach Iron Will and went with Ms. Shimmer to the shed where my father and Big Mac was working on the car. Twilight pulled me over to her friends to talk to me. “I guess you had no choice in the matter, did you?” Twilight asked. “What, you want me to leave them stranded on the road?” I replied. “I’m just surprised that your mother knows her mother,” Rarity said to Twilight. “She said that they came across each other in the grocery store one day over the summer,” she replied. “Well, as long as she stays away from us, that’s fine with me,” Rainbow Dash added. “I agree. The last thing we need is a party pooper,” Pinkie Pie said. We spent a couple of hours getting to know each other on the team before food was ready. Ms. Shimmer and the guys made their way back from the shed with the car’s engine cleaned and fixed. But Sunset decided to stay in the shed. So her mother went to get some food for her. I decided to take the food for Ms. Shimmer and let her stay and enjoy some time with both Twilight’s mother and my mother. When I went to the shed with both of our food, she was sitting in the back of the shed. “Here you go, Sunny.” I handed a plate of food to her. She looked at me and asked, “Do I get a drink?” I pulled out a can of soda to give to her. “Thanks.” I pulled out my can of soda from my other pocket and sat next to her. “You don’t have to stay here with me,” she said. “You are the popular one on the team.” “Couldn’t care less,” I replied. “No sense eating alone.” She took a sip of her soda and said, “I can never understand you. You try to be protective one minute, and caring the next. You’re just…I don’t know, a mystery.” “I should be saying the same thing about you,” I said before taking a sip of my soda. She gave me a curious look. Then she looked away and said, “Why do you even want to know about me? You heard from the entire school, so why ask me when you know the answer.” “I like to think there’s more to you than what everyone else knows.” “Well, good luck in finding out, because you’re not getting it from me.” “Even if it means finding out about your father?” “I don’t even want to go there, so stop asking.” I can see that she was rubbing her arm when I brought that up, and it was the same spot where I grabbed her on the first day. “Look, just because you’re the new student here doesn’t mean you can invade my entire private life, so just BACK OFF!” “Let go of my arm.” “I don’t need your help. So just stay out of my life.” “I didn’t hurt you there back on the first day, did I?” I asked. “No, it’s nothing to worry about,” she replied. “Just…nothing.” “You still remember about that science project that we will have to work together later on. “I don’t even know why you want to bring that up every time.” “Let’s just say I’m trying to break the ice.” “Good luck trying.” I stayed with her until we were finished with our food. By that time, her mother showed up in the shed. “Ready to head home, Sunset?” “About time,” Sunset said. She got up, threw away her plate and soda, and got into the car. Once she got into the car, her mother came up to me and whispered, “Thanks for watching over her. I just hope you can help her for me.” She got into the car, and drove off the farm. I walked up back to the front of the farmhouse. “What ya been doing, sugercube?” Applejack said. “You be missing out on all the fun.” “I had…more important things to deal with,” I replied. Applejack pulled me to the side and said, “Like bothering Sunset? I know it be dangerous dealing with her, after what she tried to do to Twilight. Are you sure you want to dig yourself a hole you can’t get out of?” “Can I ask you something?” I said. “Shoot.” “Have you ever learned about her past? I don’t mean the past few years, but her far past.” Applejack took some serious thought on the question before she spoke. “Man, I never really thought about that. But I don’t think she’s willing to talk about it anyway. Why you ask?” “I think the reason all this that has happened could involve going far back into her life.” “You think she was nothing but trouble all this time?” “Not really. Just…think about what I just asked. Maybe you can help me find the answer I’m looking for.” “Well partner, I already know what I need to know, but I’ll keep that question in my mind for now. Come on. We need to enjoy the night while it’s still young.” “Can’t argue with that, AJ. Can’t argue with that.” So I spent the rest of the evening with the rest of the team before heading home for the night to get some rest. I might have a lead to follow on Sunset, but going through with that lead will be more of a challenge.
Ch. 14 - Touch and GoAfter spending the weekend working out and voluntary practice with Shining Armor and friends, I return to school ready to take part of the school’s football team. But when I entered the school, I saw a scene that looked familiar to one last week. I just knew the rumor mill was going on again, and it was all on me, again. “Good morning, everyone,” I said. I got what sounded like lazy responses from my friends, which I didn’t like. “OK, what’s the deal here?” “Jack darling. The deal is with you and Sunset,” Rarity said. “Everyone here is talking about how you like to hang around with that trouble-maker.” “And it’s not because she sits next to you in Science class,” Fluttershy added. “Yea,” Rainbow Dash replied. “First, you stand up to her for Twilight. Then, you and her are together in club recruitment week. And just when you join the football team as the talk of the town, you decide to spend some time with her. That’s so not cool, man.” Flash added, “Jack, trust me when I say this, but it’s not worth wasting your time with her.” Twilight just looked at me when she saw someone else coming. “Speaking of which, here she comes. Everyone, just act normal.” I don’t know how everyone would act ‘normal’, but I just went about my business as usual when she came to her locker next to me. As I was putting my stuff away, a sealed card was shown in front of me that Sunset was holding. “Here you go. My mother wanted me to deliver this to you and your parents.” I took the card and placed it in my book bag. She finished taking care of her things and closed her locker door. “Now if you will excuse me, I’ll let you continue talking bad things about me while I’m not around.” She started to walk away from our area. Rainbow Dash said, “I swear, I’m going to give her a piece of my mind with my…” “DASH!!!” Twilight said, cutting Rainbow Dash off. “You don’t need to go there, OK?” “See. This is what I’m talking about,” Flash said. “And how long have you known Sunset?” I asked. “Since I met her when 7th grade began,” he answered. “And she wasn’t the person that you see now.” Applejack had something on her mind, and Rarity noticed. “Applejack dear. You’ve been quite all this time. Don’t you have anything to say about what Jack is doing?” Applejack looked at me, wanting to say something, but couldn’t. I knew she was taking the question I asked her Friday night to heart, but wasn’t sure if she wanted to bring the others into the conversation. “Go on ahead and tell them, AJ,” I said. Everyone else was confused at what I was talking about. “Jack got me to thinking about how much we know about Sunset.” “AJ, we already know all that we need to know about her,” Rainbow Dash added. “I mean when she was younger, Dash,” Applejack corrected. “Back then, it was just me, Rarity, and Pinkie Pie. We met Dash and Flutters in 5th grade, and Soarin later in 6th grade. Flash was in the same junior high school when we started to attend for 7th grade, but it wasn’t til high school that we met. And you know about when Twilight came in.” “What are you trying to say, Applejack?” Twilight asked. “I’m saying that we only known her well from high school. And if Flash knows her since junior high, then we don’t have any info on her before that.” “Flash, since everyone has come together after moving, do you know if Sunset moved here when you met her?” I asked. “I never really asked her at that time,” Flash answered. “What about her father?” “Didn’t see or hear anything about him from her.” “Jack, you think all this could be connected with her time before 7th grade, or even her father?” Applejack asked. “I have to ask her about that, and I can already guess that she won’t talk about it anyway,” I said. “Well, good luck with that,” Rainbow Dash said. Everyone finished putting away their items, grabbed their books, and headed to class, expect for Applejack. She came up to me and said, “Look, I told you about digging a hole you couldn’t get out of. If you think there’s more to all this, then be careful. Don’t want you getting hurt out there.” “Thanks for watching out for me,” I said. “And also for taking what I asked you to heart. It’s good to get a friend’s opinion on something.” “No problem, sugercube. I’m glad I could help.” When I went to see Principal Celestia later today, she said that she had some important calls to take care of and requested me to help out Miss Luna on an event project that she’s working on. When I arrived in front of her office, I noticed the very dim lighting in the room. “Miss Luna,” I said, “you wanted my help on a project?” “Oh, Jack. Sorry if I didn’t notice you. You can turn on the lights if you like.” I turned the light on and asked, “How do you deal with working in an almost dark room. What a minute. Don’t answer that. I rather not know.” She giggled and said, “It’s a habit I had back in college. Even Tia still wonders why I keep doing it.” “So what’s this project that you need help on?” I asked. “It’s for the fall homecoming. We just got the theme selected and need to figure out how to display it next week. Think you can help?” “I can give it shot,” I answered. “But why start now on homecoming, and why does it have a theme?” “We always do a theme for the fall homecoming. Last year’s theme was disco night. Cadence and Shining Armor were rocking the look when they were selected as homecoming queen and king. This year’s theme is Nightmare Night, which will be held close to Halloween, after the regular football season ends. Speaking of which, have you thought about looking for a date for homecoming?” I rolled my eyes and said, “Oh great. Now you sound like my parents. My dad has been asking me if I ever found a girlfriend after having more female friends than male friends.” “Well, you have been the talk of the school for various reasons,” she said. “And is the latest about me involve Sunset?” I asked. “Let’s see. Most are talking about how you are making sure she doesn’t cause any trouble, which could be good. Some think you want to give her a hard time that would make her cause trouble to you.” “That’s a first,” I added. “And a few think you are secretly in love with her,” she finished. “I guess the card she gave me from her mother is fueling that rumor,” I said. “You got a card from her mother?” I nodded and took the sealed card out of my book bag. “So you haven’t even opened it?” “Well it’s also for my parents, so I figure I wait until I get home.” As I was tapping it on my other hand, I felt something shift in it. “That’s strange.” “What is it?” she asked. I felt it in detail and noticed that there was something thick in the card. “I’m not sure, but something else is in here besides the card.” I handed it to Luna for her to inspect it. “Feels like there’s a folded piece of paper in there, maybe a note. I have a letter opener if you want me to open it for you.” I nodded and went to stand beside her while she opened it with her letter opener. When she pulled the card out, a folded note fell out with my name on it. When I went to pick it up and open it, I felt a wave of images go through my head, enough to drop the note and make me almost lose my balance. “Jack, are you OK?” “Yea,” I said as I was regaining my balance. “Just had this weird feeling when I opened that note, that’s all.” She picked up the note and handed it to me. Wondering if the same effect would happen, I braced myself for the same side effects, only to find out that nothing happened. “So what does the note say?” she asked me as I looked at the note. Jack, I’m glad that you are looking out for my daughter, Sunset. I know she has done some bad things in the past, and that Twilight will not give her another chance, even if her mother believes that she made some mistakes in the past. She’s gone through enough and needs someone to help her realized that there’s someone who cares for her and will help her move forward. I can’t watch her all the time with work and all, and I feel that without any good friends at her side, she could be heading down a dark path, one that I wish to not see in the future. You’re mother said that you have helped others back at your last school. I’m hoping that you can help Sunset follow the better path and help her make friends that believe that she has changed. Thanks, Ms. Sunny Shimmer “Now I understand why she hates being called ‘Sunny’,” I said. “You said that something happened when you touched the note,” Luna said. “What was it?” “I saw these…images…in my head.” “Can you remember what you saw?” “I saw…two people. One looked like Sunset, or maybe her mother. It looked blurred. There was auguring. Then fighting. That’s it.” Luna started to think, and then said, “I think I know what you just experienced, and it’s the one gift I have been waiting for you to unlock. Soul reading.” “So this is another one of my soul powers?” I asked. She nodded. “What makes this one important?” “Well, some of your powers react to negative feeling: greed, anger, fear, sadness. What you experienced is another person’s ‘scars’ that come from them. It’s possible that the scars that she felt while writing that note transferred onto the note.” “But it happened the first time I touched the note. After that, nothing happened,” I said. “I think the book might explain it in detail, but what I can remember about this power is that if a fragment of a person’s scar gets onto something and is sealed away, it’s trapped in there until it is released. So you only experience it for a short time. If you were able to touch the person where they feel the scar the most, it becomes clearer to sense.” “Luna, back on the first day of school, I grabbed her by her arm, which got her mad.” She gave me a strict stare. “I know, it might have been wrong to do, but I had to get her to listen at that time. But last Friday, she rubbed on that same spot. I asked her if I hurt her there, and she said that it was just nothing. I think something happened to her in the past, and that spot might hold the answer.” “And if you have started to learn to use soul reading, you might be able to read it, if you can get her trust,” she said. “Which is not going to be easy,” I added. “But what makes you think that it has something to do with her past?” she asked. “I asked Ms Shimmer about Sunset’s father, and the same to Sunset. Both of them didn’t want to talk about it. And Flash only knows her since 7th grade. Everyone else just knows her from high school. Otherwise, I’m in the dark before that time.” “Well, it looks like you are starting to become a soul detective. Maybe in time, you might find the answers that you are seeking.” “I hope so,” I said. “I don’t want all these rumors controlling my life.” “Too late for that,” she said and laughed. “Well, can we focus on the project that you need help in the first place? Would be nice to get my mind off all these rumors,” I said. “Good enough. Let me show you.” So the project involves creating a poster and fliers for Nightmare Night. We looked into ideas and decided the best one for the poster would be to get some people to dress up as Halloween characters, with help from the fashion, theater, photography, and volunteer clubs. Luna would make sure all four clubs meet in the fashion room during free study. With that out of the way, we had one other matter to take care of. We made our way to the Principal’s office to explain to Celestia what just happen. Understanding the situation, she brought out Star Swirl’s book and looked up what happen to show to me. “Soul Reading” A person’s soul can be felt with a simple touch. But when negative energy (i.e. greed, anger, sadness, fear, distrust) is released, it can attach to an item that they touch, but can fade away when in open air. Entrapping that item can contain a fraction of that energy until it is released. While it is not clear what is sensed, it is enough to learn what negative emotion is felt. It is possible to read a clearer image at the source of the energy, but must be at the spot on the body that is impacted the most. “So something must had happen in Ms. Shimmer’s past that she cannot shake,” I said. “That is correct,” Celestia replied. “And if Sunset has experienced this kind of scar, it must be hunting her all this time.” “You think that trying to be popular in the past years was a way to hide the pain she has felt in the past?” I asked. “It’s possible,” Celestia replied, “but trying to move forward to hide your past is never easy. Not when anyone else knows how you really feel.” “Well, they will have to get used to her being with the others when we work on the event poster,” Luna said. “That’s not good,” Celestia said. “Twilight and Cadence would like to be there to see what’s being done.” “Put Sunset into the mix, and you got a cat fight ready to go wild,” I said. “Who’s in charge of the event? Twilight?” Celestia answered, “She hasn’t decided who should take charge, but is thinking about either Trixie or Chrysalis.” “If Chrysalis is in charge, then they will have to do what she wants done, right?” I said. Both of them nodded. “That would include asking Sunset to help out where she is needed.” “I think I can convince Twilight to let Chrysalis take charge of the event,” Luna said. “After working on the fashion project back then, she would have the best knowledge for a Halloween theme event. Plus, it will give her a chance for others to see how good her talents are in the school.” “If a cat fight decides to break out, leave it to me to get in between them,” I said. “Would be a good, but crazy, idea. Could help give you some popularity points with the students,” Celestia said. “Oh, thanks,” as I rolled my eyes, “that’s all I need right now. Well, I better get ready for football practice. Pray that I can get through all this that you got me into.” “Don’t worry. You’ll do fine,” Celestia said. I went to the football field where all the other players were waiting for practice to start. When Coach Iron Will showed up with Soaring, Rainbow Dash, and Coach Spitfire, we started to go through training drills. After over an hour of practice, Coach Iron Will requested that Shining Armor, Thunderlane, and me work with Twilight on working out some of the plays while he kept working on the other players in drills. “Ready to lay out some play formations for the team?” Twilight asked. “You know I am, sis,” Shining Armor replied. “Hope you don’t have a problem with her helping out,” he asked me. “I know she’s good at tactics, so it would be nice to see how it all works out on the field.” So we looked through all the old plays, threw some plays out, changed some other plays, and created new plays. After 30 minutes of work, we had everything ready for tomorrow’s practice. With a little time before practice was over, we decided to talk about the homecoming event. “We already have our theme selected for homecoming,” Twilight said. “What’s that?” Thunderlane asked. “Nightmare Night. Since it will be held close to Halloween,” Twilight answered. “So my little sis wants to dress as a vampire and suck on Flash’s blood,” Shining Armor said. “Very funny, Shiny. I’m just waiting on how we will promote the event.” Twilight said. “Already covered,” I replied. “Miss Luna plans to do a photo shoot for the poster, so she’s getting the fashion, theater, photography, and volunteer clubs together tomorrow.” Twilight replied, “That’s great. I’ll be glad to see…wait, did you say the volunteer club will be there?” I let out a sigh and said, “Yes, Sunset will be there as well, if that’s what you are wondering. You just let me worry about Sunset. You just focus on yourself, Twilight.” “OK,” she replied with a monotone. “If you know what you’re doing, I won’t complain.” The volunteer club and photography club met with the fashion club in their workplace during free study. Trixie from the theater club and Twilight and Cadence were also there. “OK, we have decided to make this year’s homecoming theme to be Nightmare Night,” Cadence said. “Miss Luna, do you want to explain what we are doing for the poster?” “Thank you.” Luna stood up. “We decided to have students dress up in Halloween costumes and have pictures taken of them. I’m sure the fashion club can make some quick costumes and Trixie has allowed the theater club to borrow props. The photo club will work on the pictures and editing. I don’t know if we will have it done today, so we might have to meet again tomorrow.” “As long as I have ze pictures by Thursday, then it is fine,” said Photo Finish, the white haired, blue girl with the fancy glasses. “My partners shall work on ze setting and ze makeup when they are ready.” “Well, if our volunteers are ready, we would like to get started on the costumes,” Rarity said. “Trixie, have you brought the props to add to the costumes?” “Trixie always brings what they need.” She sets a few boxes on the table. “Just give Trixie time to find the right ones for our volunteers.” So work began on the costumes with the five of us being worked on at the same time. Diamond Tiara, Silver Spoon, and Sunset were dressed as different vampires, while Applejack and me dress up as vampire hunters. Trixie was able to find fangs for the vampires, a whip for Applejack, and a crossbow for me. We had the pictures taken of us separately and as a group. The work was completed as it went into the lunch hour. Luckily, Luna and Cadence were able to bring us some tacos and drinks from the cafeteria before students went to lunch. “So, do we know who’s going to be in charge of homecoming?” Coco asked. “Trixie hopes to be in charge this year. Trixie knows how to do Halloween.” “Well, Luna thinks Chrysalis can make this year’s homecoming theme become a reality,” Twilight said. Both Trixie and Chrysalis’ eyes went wide open in surprise. They both looked at each other. “HER???” Trixie pointed at Chrysalis. “ME???” she said as she pointed to herself. “I’m sorry, but…I don’t think I can handle something like that.’ “I think you can,” Luna said. “You did a good job with your fashion designs weeks ago. I think it’s a good chance to show the school what you are made of.” “Trixie does not understand this. People still think of her as a…” I cut her off and said, “You say that word, and you will regret it. Besides, I think it’s worth a shot. And maybe Twilight can find someone who can help you out.” “You know, I might know one person who can help.” Twilight glared at Trixie. Trixie saw what Twilight was planning and said, “Wait, you’re not thinking…NO!!! Trixie will not work with…” I gave her the same glare. “Fine, Trixie will do as Twilight requested. But Trixie does not like this.” “Well, Trixie can come to Jack’s place and work with Chrysalis on Nightmare Night,” I said, mocking her. “Besides, the D.I.Y. Home will be having their grand opening, and the two of you can talk with my father about any supplies needed to make it happen.” “Maybe Pinkie Pie should join the two of you so that she knows what party supplies are needed for homecoming,” Twilight added. “As long as Jack doesn’t mind the company, I’ll do it,” Chrysalis said. “Then how about this,” I requested. “All of you come to the grand opening this Saturday morning, look around and see what the store has, and anyone else who wants to help work on homecoming can come to my place later on in the day. Bring anyone else that wants to attend.” “What, you plan to have a lot of people helping out? Think your house can hold a lot?” Cadence said. “You have yet to see the garage,” I said. “It’s more like a tool shed in there.” “Well, I don’t think they have any fabrics there, now will they,” Rarity said. “Unless you want to decorate your home or garden,” Coco replied. “I’ve been into one back in Manehattan. Mother likes to buy some nice plants during the springtime. So it wouldn’t hurt to take a look.” “Since you put it that way, I might as well bring Sassy along,” Rarity said. “She always likes to have the right display for every dress that we make. And I’m sure she would like to see what they have for home decor.” “Perhaps we should have some fliers around the school,” Luna recommended. “A lot of people love to do projects for the school. And having a place that they can rely on will be nice.” “Then I guess we have a plan laid out for this Saturday,” I said. “I’ll ask my dad tonight if he has any to bring tomorrow.” “And we can spread word to our friends about this as well,” Twilight added. “You can expect us to be there anyway,” Silver Spoon said as she grabbed Diamond Tiara next to her. “Her father will be at the ribbon cutting ceremony.” Diamond Tiara was annoyed, but kept her mouth shut. “Well, lunch is almost over, so maybe you all should head on to your next class,” Luna said. Everyone started to grab their books and whatever they brought over and started to walk on out. “Sunset, can I talk to you for a moment?” I said. Everyone paused for a moment to look. “Alone?” as I stared at the others. That’s when everyone started to leave, expect for Sunset and me. Luna looked at me and gave me a nod before she left as well. “So what do you want to talk about?” Sunset said. I went into my bag and brought out a couple of items. I handed a card to her and said, “This is for your mother, from my parents. And this,” as I showed her a folded note, “is for you. You can read it now, later, or never if you like. Choice is yours.” I went back to my bag to close it up when I heard her open the note and quietly read it. Sunset, If you think that everyone is against you and doesn’t care for you, then you’re wrong. You may not see it, but your mother cares for you deeply. She worries that you will go down the wrong path. But I believe that there’s still a chance to win back the trust that you lost. I know there’s more to you than anyone else knows. So I need you to trust me on this if you want your life back to normal. If you still remember what I ask you on the first day, my offer still stands. Jack “Is this supposed to be some kind of trick you’re trying to pull on me?” She yelled at me. I got out the note that her mother wrote and said, “If you don’t believe me, then read this.” She took the note and read it. When she glanced at it, she sat down and handed me back the note, not knowing what to say. “Now you understand why I wrote that note to you.” As I put the note away, she said, “You said that if I want to bury all that I did and move one with my life, that you would help, right?” I nodded. “Give me…give me some time to think about it, OK?” I said, “Don’t take too long. We have…” “…A science project to work on.” She finished. “I know, I know. You don’t have to remind me.” I grabbed my bag and started to make my way out, but looked back and said, “Are you going to your next class?” “Yea. No sense staying here.” She grabbed her bag and made her way out, with me behind her.
Ch. 15 - Game TimeOur first game was just days away, and while the team was doing fine, our kicking game needing work, as in our backup kicker. His name was Swift Kick, who was a member of the soccer team last semester. It was Soarin who asked him, plus a few other good kickers, to try out for the kicking position. While I’m listed as the main kicker, I’m also a backup QB and could play at times with the offensive line. So I needed Swift Kick to be ready if he needed to step in. His long kicks were fine, but something felt off with his high kicks. Twilight asked Moon Dancer to come to practice and use one of the tablets to record and analyze the kicks to find anything wrong, since Twilight has to focus on the rest of the team for data analysis. “OK. Let’s see what we have on each high kick,” I asked Moon Dancer. She played back the videos and said, “Looks like he’s not timing his kicks with where the ball is in the air.” “Swift, give yourself another second before letting go of the ball when you start to kick,” I requested. Swift held the ball and started to swing his kicking leg forward, and then released the ball a second more than planned. The football hit the top of the net as planned, which was a better improvement than before. “Judging by the angle, that works better for high, short range kicks,” Moon Dancer said. “We just need to worry about the wind conditions.” “Because the wind can hold the ball back or send it out of bounds,” Swift added. “I remember about taking wind conditions into account.” We heard the coach’s whistle blown from afar. After a moment, Coach Iron Will called to us. “Jack, Swift, ready to test some field goals?” “Ready when you are, coach,” I said. This is when we test out the range and distance of each field goal, plus how special teams can hold back the defense. With Thunderlane as the holder, I started to do some field goals, putting the focus on special teams. When I made my first attempt, one of the defensive players at the end got through and blocked the kick. “Hey, who was supposed to cover the end?” Iron Will yelled, “Boys, the middle needs to hold on to two players at least, not the ones at the end. Do it again.” The guys did better after a few more attempts, and my kicks were good enough to work. It was Swift’s turn to kick. Moon Dancer got her tablet ready while I looked from the back to see the direction of each kick. There were good kicks and bad kicks. Swift’s angle was good, but had some problems with the directions on one side, which required me to show what needs to be corrected. Once we were done with our kicks, coach went back to the main groups while we rested our legs and looked at the video recording to see if any improvements were needed. “So far, your best is around the 40-yard line,” Moon Dancer said. “Is there any way we can get to the 50-yard line, or at least the 45,” I asked. “Maybe,” Moon Dancer replied, “but we will need the right wind and holding down the defense so they can’t get a tip of it.” “I can work on the angle a bit down more, but that will be the best I can do,” Swift said. “And if the wind is blowing at me, then it will be a wasted kick.” “Agreed. Anything past the 40-yard line will have to be put into question for now,” I said. Soon then, we heard a voice from the playing field. “INCOMING!!!” We saw a football flipping in the air, coming down on us. My soul release powers kicked in, but this time, it felt like time was slowing down, allowing me to learn where the ball will land before time went back to normal. Moon Dancer went to cover her head, but I was able to catch it with one hand, a foot above her head. She looked up and was surprised at how I was able to catch it. “Hey, next time, know where you’re aiming, or at least where it will bounce off the player.” I took the ball and threw it back to Shining Armor. “I can’t believe how you can catch a ball like that without panicking,” Moon Dancer said. “I guess it’s just instinct,” I said. “Not everything can be based on instinct alone,” she replied. “True, but there are some thing that might be a mystery to others,” I said. “Maybe there’s luck to it as well.” “I’ll believe it when I see it,” she said. With practice coming to an end, I put up my equipment and started to make my way to the truck. I knew Chrysalis was with Rarity after school and that she would help take her home for me. As I was coming up to my truck, Moon Dancer stopped me. “Jack, I need to ask you something,” she said. “Has there been anything strange happening to you?” “Not really,” I answered. “Why do you ask?” “Well, I find it…strange to see how you can pull off those catches with ease. Not everyone can do something like that. And with the way you have helped out at school…it’s just not natural. There’s no science or theories to explain it.” “Not everything is based on science,” I said. “It just happens when it happens.” “Still, I just find it strange, and I think Twilight thinks the same, but won’t admit it,” she said. “Well, just focus on the data that we need and forget the strange events that happen. I’ll see you tomorrow, OK?” She nodded and went on her way. I got into my truck and drove back home. “So time just slowed down when your soul release power went active,” Celestia said. “That’s what I believe happen, unless this is a new power that I have unlocked,” I said. I knew that something strange and new happened to me yesterday, and needed to find out about what did happen. Celestia got out the book and flipped through the all the pages in the book. “I can’t find anything about what you just experienced,” she said. “Maybe your soul release powers have either evolved, or that it’s natural and was never mention.” “So there are some things that Star Swirl has yet to discover, or he never got all the details on some powers,” I said. “I wish I could have Twilight look all this over, but until we get Sunset on the right path, and have Twilight gain her trust, I can’t bring her in to all this,” she said. “Maybe not.” She raised her eyebrow, wondering what I was talking about. “Moon Dancer might be able to understand this stuff as Twilight would. She asked me if there was something strange happening to me yesterday. I lied to her about it, but I think she could be on to me. If she can understand these powers, she could be able to help us.” “As long as she can keep your powers a secret. Something I can’t risk at this time. I’ll have my sister look into her. If your powers are evolving, then we need someone with the smarts to understand this, and that’s something that Luna or me can work on, even if we spent some time with Star Swirl.” “Well, with our first game coming up this Friday, I’ll know I can find out if time slows down when I’m on the field,” I said. It’s Friday evening on the football field. Cadence was working with the cheerleaders getting everything ready. Twilight and Moon Dancer were up in the booth. And I was with the team getting ready for pregame warm-ups. Shining Armor called me over to where he, Flash Sentry, Thunderlane, Soarin, and Rainbow Dash were at, which was near the 50-yard line. Three players from Cloudsdale were on the other side. “Jack,” Shining Armor said, “say hello to, who we like to call, the bully boys. Hoops, Dumb-bell, and Score.” “I was hoping for some cool dude as the new guy, not some Average Joe,” Dumb-bell said. “DB, lets not judge him until we see him in action, if he gets any,” Hoops said to Dumb-bell. “Don’t let these boys fool you with their attitude,” Rainbow Dash said. “They let all that out during the game. Otherwise, they are good friends of ours.” “There’s only one team we all hate the most,” Soarin added. “Crystal Prep.” “Those hot shots like to show off to everyone that they’re perfect in every way,” Score said. “That’s what I have heard,” I replied. All of us started to do our stretches. Rainbow Dash helped with getting my legs loose for kicking. “So tell me…about…Crystal Prep,” I said as Dash was pushing my legs towards my chest. “Crystal Prep has been getting the best students from several cities besides Ponyville,” Hoops said. “It’s like they’re recruiting students to bring them to their school.” “You would think they would leave it to colleges to do that,” Score added. “Mane Coast Academy doesn’t do that for their school.” The others gave me a confused look, so I clarified my statement. “I came from Manehattan and attended at West End High. Mane Coast Academy is like Crystal Prep, but they don’t like to show off their wins to everyone.” “How do you know that?” Shining Armor asked. “I had a nice chat with their backup quarterback after we faced them one day. Both of us didn’t get much in playtime because we were backups in our area. They like to show other teams with respect, even if that team lost badly. Hopefully, he’s now the starting QB, because he said that their starter was graduating this past spring.” “Makes you wish that Crystal Prep can show that same respect to other schools, but they only care about themselves,” Hoops said. I decided to raise the issue that I talked about with Celestia. “Do any of you think that there could be something…strange with Crystal Prep? I mean, they’re perfect in every way. You would think they would find ways to, I don’t know, cheat to get what they want.” “That would be a first,” Dumb-bell responded. “If the did, then the school board would be on their case.” “And the guy in charge of the school board was a former principal of this school,” Flash added. Knowing that the only new info was the recruiting that they did, I was in the dark on how they remained perfect in everything. We finished up warm-ups and started making our way to the locker room for a pep talk when Luna asked Iron Will for me to talk with her. “So I see you talked to a few players from Cloudsdale,” Luna said. “Anything to take note, or was it just a casual conversation.” “Have you heard about Crystal Prep recruiting students from outside Ponyville?” I asked. “Don’t think I have. You think that would have anything to deal with Crystal Prep’s perfect record?” “Well, it’s a starting point, if we had a way to access their school records, finding out where they came from. But as of now, there’s nothing else that we can look into to confirm our suspicions.” “At least you tried to get a lead on them. For now, lets work on developing your powers.” “What about Moon Dancer?” I asked. “I’ve looked into her, and can see that she can be curious about some things. If I can talk to her before the end of the game, I can get a better idea of her.” “I saw that she’s up with Twilight in the booth. She’s going to be working on special teams from above, which is a plus for the team.” “Then I’ll look for her at half-time during the game. You might as well join the team right now. Just be ready for Iron Will’s motivation speech. He loved to give one.” So I made my way into the locker room just as Coach Iron Will was giving his speech to the team. No doubt, Luna was right about it being motivational. The team was fired up and ready to play. And with that, we made our way back to the field. As one of the alternate captains, we made our way to the center of the field for the coin toss. They won the toss and wanted the ball first. We were able to pick the side needed to give us the wind advantage in the 2nd and 4th quarters. With that set, it was time for the kickoff. I set the ball in place to be kicked, went back and looked at the players to my left and right. Seeing that they were ready, I proceeded to kick the ball to the other team. They got the ball, but didn’t get much after we chased them out of bounds. Leaving it to the rest of the team, I went and sat down and got in touch with Moon Dancer. “Didn’t feel much in the wind speed,” I spoke into the headset. “I already looked into the wind conditions. Very light winds, so it won’t play a factor in the game tonight. By the way, good job in sending the receiving player out of bounds.” “Guys saw which way he was planning to go, and was able to close any holes that were there,” I replied. “You don’t sound excited about the game.” “Let’s just say I’m not sure how much game time I will get tonight. Even if I’m more than a kicker.” And I was right. I didn’t get much play time expect for when I had to punt, or on the extra point after a touchdown, which we got two in the first half. With three seconds left in the half, and the score tied at 14 each, coach called me up to score a field goal to end the half. It was a 38-yard kick, which made it through with ease, giving us a 17 to 14 lead. As we made our way off the field for halftime, I looked up to see Luna and Celestia watching the game. When they looked at me, they were not pleased with the effort that was given to me. I just gave them the “what were you expecting” look. Luna decided to do what she planned to do with discussing with Moon Dancer. “Good job on giving us the lead with that field goal,” Shining Armor came up to me. Seeing that I wasn’t impressed in what I have done, he asked, “Something wrong, Jack?” “It just feels like how I was used last year with the last team,” I said. “I’m surprised that I’m listed as a backup QB and alternate captain. But for some reason, I still feel like the same old kicker that I was before.” “I’m aware that Principal Celestia wanted you on this team for a reason, and your kicker skills are a part of that,” he said. “Than why place the other titles for a reason when you already have those filled by others?” I asked. “I can see what you mean,” he responded. “Just give it some time.” After hearing the coach’s halftime update, it was back to the playing field. I noticed Shining Armor talking to Coach Iron Will about something before coming to see me. “Ready for the second half?” Shining Armor asked. I only let out a sigh, not wanting to answer. “Don’t worry, you’ll get a chance soon.” At first, I didn’t understand what he was talking about. But when the coach requested for me to return the ball from kickoff, I was more surprised that I would be doing this instead of Flash, who’s faster than me. I told Swift Kick to find time to warm up, in case something was to happen to me. I got on the field, waiting for the opposing team to kick the ball. Once they kicked the ball my way, the same effect I had when I grabbed the ball over Moon Dancer took effect again. Time slowed down for me to see where it would end up. I caught the ball and started to run. I was able to dodge some players, which forced me to run close to the edge to the playing field. When two more players were making their way towards me, closing any chance to move around them, I sense someone coming my way from my blind side. It was Thunderlane, making his way to tackling one of the opposing players, causing both to lose their footing. This opened the door for me to make it to the end zone, scoring a touchdown on the return play. Seeing as what just happened, I was hoping that would get everyone’s attention. Already, Thunderlane was making his way towards me as I was heading of the field. “About time you got some more action on the field,” Thunderlane said to me. “If you didn’t make that tackle, I would have been chased out of bounds,” I replied. We saw Shining Armor and Swift Kick coming our way. “We got the extra point covered. You go and take a quick break on the bench,” Shining Armor said. We made our way to the bench, getting thanks for what I did. As we were catching our breaths, Thunderlane said, “Think Shining knows how to place the ball for the kicker?” “AND THE EXTRA POINT IS GOOD!” “That answers your question?” I said to him. I requested that Swift Kick do the next kickoff this time so I can still recover from what just happened. It would be later on in the game that I would do some work on offense and leave the kicking duties to Swift Kick, unless I’m needed to make a long kick. Throughout the second half, I had the ball handed to me on several plays, which helped Flash get the bulls-eye off his back at times until both of us became random targets to our opponents. At the end of the game, we won the game, 38 to 21. Coach Iron Will was impressed with how I was able to handle on the field and decided to have me on the offensive line through the rest of the season, as long as I work with Swift Kick on improving his kicking game. As everyone started to leave the game, some of the students that were there gave me praise for what I did on the second half. Even some of the girls were interested in me. But my mind was focused on other things. It was when Moon Dancer wanted to talk to me in private. “First, you caught the ball over my head with ease. Now, you impress everyone on the field during the second half of the game. How are you able to do all this?” she asked. “Maybe I didn’t know that I had it in me,” I said. “Then tell me this. Did time slow down for you to react the way you did?” I gave a confused look, just knowing that she would be on to me. “Look, Miss Luna wanted to find out if there was anything that I saw that stood out, and I brought up your name and how it was weird to be this on target.” I said to her, “You asked me if there was anything strange happening to me.” She nodded. “Well, what did Luna say to you?” “She said that you were something special and that I should talk to you to get your side of the story,” she said. “And if I believed what you are saying, that I can’t tell anyone else about it.” “I have this gift that allows me to sense feelings and such. When I got here, I learned that it was called soul resonance. It’s the ability to sense other people’s souls, for strange reasons. We have old notes about it, but what happened this week, about time slowing down, was something new. I would like for Twilight to help understand all of this, but…” “But Twilight still has to deal with Sunset, and the only other person that’s as smart as Twilight is me,” Moon Dancer finished. “I can see now what makes you special. But this could make you a target to others, maybe even a threat. Who else knows about this, beside Miss Luna? I can guess the principal is on this as well.” “Besides those two, Coco and Chrysalis. Coco knew able my gift back at my last school, and Chrysalis caught on after I helped her out with her big problem this year.” “So you’re just trying to figure out how your gift works and unlock new powers to your gift. Is that all?” she asked. “Almost,” I said. “Part of my gift involves Sunset Shimmer. I can explain about it in detail later on. For now, I need to put my equipment away and make my way home. You plan to come to the grand opening tomorrow.” “I do. There was some planting items I wanted to get there,” she said. “Then we can talk sometime tomorrow, if we get the chance,” I said. “Agreed,” she responded. “And your secret is safe with me. If there’s any questions needing answers, we’ll find them together.” After putting my equipment away and cleaning up, I made my way to my truck. I knew that Chrysalis and my parents had to stay home, finishing up things for tomorrow. I noticed someone leaning on the back of my truck. As I got closer, I can make out a familiar girl with fiery hair, in a black leather jacket. “Looks like someone just got more popular as the night went on. You must be some hero to everyone now.” “I’m surprised that you came to the game, Sunset,” I said. “Well, that’s not the reason I’m here.” She looked down and said, “I thought about what you said in the letter you gave me. And the only problem I see in all this is that everyone loves you, and everyone hates me. How are you able to help me when no one else cares what I do?” “Because I believe in second chances. And right now,” as I placed my hand on her chin, raising her head, “you’re one who deserves it more than ever.” She grinned and said, “Well, we do have to work on a science project together.” “I though you didn’t like to bring that up,” I said. “I’ll make an exception.” She started to stand up straight and continued. “You understand why I hate being called Sunny, right?” “Because that’s your mother’s name,” I said. “Well, I’ll make another exception on that. Just don’t do it in public, please.” “Can’t make any promises on that, Sunny.” “Man, I’m going to regret doing this. But if I’m going to put up with you, Jack, might as well be now.”
Ch. 16 - Second ChancesIt was the grand opening of D.I.Y. Home in Ponyville, and my father’s boss, Mr. Fix-It, was there along with my father, Mr. Rich, and Principal Celestia. Celestia never told me that she had a part in all of this until today. She said that one of the reasons that they needed a store like this in Ponyville was the added support and resources for the school projects that go on there. Somehow, my dad didn’t even know about this until weeks ago as the store was in the completion phase. Everyone that I knew from school, plus some that I haven’t met in the first place, was there. It looks like Twilight and Cadence really got the word out in hopes that we can get enough helpers to make Nightmare Night a big event. My mother and Twilight’s mom were there so that they can get supplies for their new local building to hold the “Queen of Hearts Candles” store. Twilight and me have yet to see the new building, but with Shining Armor and Cadence with us, we promised that we would help in getting the supplies needed. Shining Armor was able to ask some of his friends if they could help out with some of the work tomorrow, since we plan to meet at my place later today to work out the details for homecoming. “So you made sure those who wanted to help know where to find my place, right?” I asked Twilight. “Yes. And once we drop off the building supplies, we’ll stop by the grocery store to pick up some drinks while you go back to the house and get everything ready,” Twilight said. “Trixie hopes that there will be enough room to hold everyone who plans to attend.” “You have no idea how big his garage is,” Chrysalis told Trixie. “Not to mention the tools they have in there.” “Well, our school has enough tools for the job,” Twilight said, “as long as we ask Coach Iron Will for them.” As we were waiting for the Mayor Mare to show up for the opening, Rarity was looking around for someone. “Rare, you still looking for Sassy?” Applejack said. “She said she was going to be here, dear,” Rarity said. “I know she thinks that we could use some natural lighting, but I don’t know what the big deal is with a change of light bulbs.” “Rarity, trust me on this. When you see the difference, you’ll be wondering if you were still outside,” I said. Rarity replied, “I’ll believe it when I see it. Oh, here she is.” “Pins and needles, Rarity. I hope I’m not late,” panicked Sassy. “No, Sassy. We’re still waiting for the mayor to show up,” Rarity said. “I just hope this lighting idea is worth coming here.” Sassy started to look worried. I whispered to Sassy, “Don’t worry. Once she sees the small lighting display, she’ll be pleased with the results.” That took the worry away from her face. “Hey, you can’t have a show without the right lights.” We were surprised when Vinyl popped in between us. “Vinyl, what are you doing here,” I asked her. “Besides getting some colored lights, I need to get some new power cords for my gear,” Vinyl said. “My last ones are getting worn out after performing at the EDM contest.” “You were using heavy duty cords when you went there, right?” I asked her. “Umm, kinda?” I gave her a stern look. “Hey, I could only find the best ones that were around. If I’m going make homecoming a big party, I need the best that there is to make it happen.” “Just make sure you talk to my dad about what you need them for. He knows how much power goes through them and can recommend the right ones to use…without burning out your gear.” “I’m just lucky that my gear still works,” Vinyl added. We all noticed that the mayor finally arrived for the store opening. After the speech and ribbon cutting, everyone started to enter the store. Before we made out way in, my mother noticed someone coming our way. When Twilight and me looked at who it was, Twilight started to get that worried look again. “Ms. Shimmer, it’s nice of you and your daughter to come,” my mother responded. “I wanted to pick up some orchids for the apartment. It’s been looking a bit dull as of late,” Ms Shimmer said. “Will your daughter be coming over to help out with the others later today?” my mother asked. “She didn’t tell me about that. But I’m sure she’s willing to help, since she’s part of the volunteer club,” Ms. Shimmer added. Twilight started to feel scared, Cadence started to worry about Twilight, and Sunset decided to look away after they all heard that. I just knew I was going to have to step in before it got worst. “Oh, I’m sure my daughter would love to have Sunset’s help, right Twilight,” her mother asked. “Oh, I think we can hand-mmph.” I placed my hand on her mouth; cutting off what Twilight was about to say and said, “Sure Sunset can help out, can she?” I shook her head up and down, but Twilight was trying to object to this. “Twilight, can we talk for a moment?” I stared at Cadence as a way to tell her not to interfere. I took Twilight away from the group and removed my hand from her mouth. “Jack, what was that for?” she said angrily. “The last thing I need is her trying to ruin homecoming again.” “Is that what you want to keep doing, just trying to stay away from her?” I said. “All this time, you and your friends, as well as the entire school, wants to think she’s nothing but trouble.” “Because she is, Jack. And that’s what she’ll ever be.” “Whatever happened to second chances? At least you can give her a second chance to set her on the right path.” “Like she deserves one. She had those chances before she got caught.” “That was before, and this is after. At least give her a chance.” “That’s never going to happen.” “So is that how it’s going to be, Miss Student VP!!! Do you want to be looked that the next student president who wants to treat bad students with disrespect. Since I’ve gotten ‘popular’ in school, I wouldn’t mind running against you for that spot and leave you as Student VP again for another year if you like.” “You wouldn’t dare.” Both of us started at each other, waiting for one of us to break. But it was Twilight who broke as she started to think of the situation that was going on. “You think she can change?” “It doesn’t hurt to try,” I said. “Besides, have you seen how her mother acts towards her, or even towards your mother?” She looked towards them, then back to me. “I guess…I can give her a chance. But if this goes south, then I expect you to take the blame for all this, clear?” “Crystal,” I replied. Twilight and me started to walk back to the group. I saw Sunset gave a glance at me, in which I nodded back to her, understanding that everything’s going to be all right. We were looking over the list that my mother made on what they need for the new store. We started to look into shelving to put on the walls. That’s when we saw Applejack, Rainbow Dash, and Soarin looking at the same thing. “You looking into some new shelves?” Twilight asked. “Well, Apple Bloom and her friends wanted to add some shelves for their clubhouse. But we don’t know what would be best to work with,” Applejack said. “So who built the clubhouse?” I asked. “You’re looking at them,” Rainbow Dash answered, “with Big Mac’s help.” “Girls wanted a place to have their Crusaders meet-up, and we built it during the summer before we started high school,” Applejack said. “We wanted to build wooden shelves, but we can’t figure out what all we need to make sure they hold in place.” Shining Armor and me were looking at the selection around when we saw our mothers pick out some of the wire shelving for the store. Shining Armor asked, “Soarin, you still have some of those wooden strips that we used in the past?” “Yea, why?” he replied. “What do you think, Jack? Attach the strips to the clubhouse…” “And attach the wire shelving to the strips to hold it in place,” I said, finishing Shining Armor’s comment. “It will give them some shelves to use for hanging as well. And there’s a complete wire shelving kit to use, with all the pieces to build it. Good thinking.” Applejack looked at the wire shelves as said, “You know, that might just work. The girls are going to like this.” “Where are they, anyway?” Cadence asked. “Oh, they wanted to look at the upcoming store projects listed,” Rainbow Dash said. “They always wanted to try something new every time,” Cadence responded. “Well, we need to finish getting the supplies needed for the store. See you at Jack’s place.” The next thing we needed was some indoor work lights, and a good amount of them. “You’re sure we need this many,” I asked my mother. “Yes we do, son. Only a few of them were working when we got there. The place hasn’t been used for over two years, from what the building owner told us.” “Mrs. Candle Heart, did it have some cooling units in there?” Cadence asked. “Yes it did, why do you ask?” “I think I know which store you bought,” Cadence answered. “It was a flower store before the owner decided to close it up over two years ago. The previous owner passed away six months later. Everyone in Ponyville loved the place before it closed down. I don’t think anyone wanted to buy it because of what it meant to everyone and would be hard to find someone to replace it.” “You know, we have been thinking about working on some flowers to use for some new projects to go with the candles you sell,” Mrs. Twilight Velvet said. “Maybe we can fill the void that this town needs, with some hired help.” “I’ll keep that in mind, Velvet.” When we arrived where the lights were at, Rarity, Sassy, and Vinyl were picking up some light that each one wanted. Rarity noticed and waved at us. “Take a look at this,” as Rarity was pointing to the display. “I can’t believe that these lights give the room more of a natural look. And they have the energy saver models of them as well. I think the Carousel Boutique is about get a new look now.” I whispered to Sassy, “Told you it would work.” I looked at Vinyl as she was grabbing some colored lights. “You got the power cord that you needed?” I asked her. “Sure did,” she responded. “But I’m going to have to talk to Principal Celestia if I need a different cord to use.” “Different ports, I presume?” Vinyl nodded. “Well, I’m sure my dad can get you set up on what you need before homecoming. He also has a portable generator if we have to go with that.” “Well, I hope you don’t mind me if I bring my speaker over to your place. I have to replace the torn one.” She brought out another power cable with one of the ends exposed. “I should have known,” I said. “Just be lucky that my father taught me how to replace power cables.” “Rarity, you still remember the old flower shop that closed down?” Cadence said. “How can I not forget about that place? My parents loved going there.” “Guess who now has it?” Cadence pointed to our mothers. Rarity gasped and said, “Really? This might be a good thing, giving that store a new life. The only difference would be that it would have scented candles instead of flowers.” “Well, we have been thinking about working on some flowers, if we knew someone with that kind of experience,” Twilight Velvet said. “I just saw Tree Hugger join Fluttershy in the planting area,” Rarity said. “Maybe she knows someone who can help out.” So Twilight, Rarity, and me went to see Fluttershy and Tree Hugger while Cadence and Shining Armor stayed with our mothers in getting the items purchased and loaded. “Fluttershy dear. Do you and Tree Hugger have a moment?” Rarity asked. “I think so. What is it?” Fluttershy responded. “Guess who’s moving into the old flower shop?” Rarity looked as us with excitement. “Our mothers just got the shop to operate Mrs. Candle Heart’s online business as a local business,” Twilight said. Fluttershy became excited. “That’s great. I mean, it’s good to see that building get some new life. And with someone that is close to us.” Twilight asked, “Tree Hugger, do you know someone who is experienced with flowers? Our mothers are looking for someone who can help out with that.” “I can feel good vibes from this,” Tree Hugger responded. “I’ll talk with some members in the nature club Monday and see who can help.” “Thanks, Tree Hugger,” Twilight said. She looked over to her side and noticed Moon Dancer looking over several pots. “What’s she doing?” “Oh, Moon Dancer was going to grow some tomatoes at home,” I said. “Looks like she’s having a hard time choosing a pot,” Fluttershy said. “Tree Hugger, you grew tomatoes before. You think you can help her out.” Twilight interrupted. “Fluttershy, you know that Moon Dancer and Tree Hugger have not been on good terms.” “I can help, but her vibes conflict with mine at times,” Tree Hugger responded. I thought of an idea that could help with this ‘conflict’ she was talking about. “Come with me, Tree Hugger. I think I can fix your problem. We walked to where Moon Dancer was to see if we can help her out. She noticed us and responded, “Hello, Jack…and Tree Hugger.” “Something wrong,” I asked her. She let out a long sigh and said, “I can’t decide which pot I can use for my tomatoes.” “Let me ease out your troubles with this.” Tree Hugger grabbed one of the pots with a removable bottom pan to recommend to Moon Dancer. “This will let the roots be free to spread. You have the right soil to give it life. Just need the right pot to keep it alive. All you need is proper water and sunlight, and it will have life in itself.” “How you know all this?” Moon Dancer asked. “I created some in the past. Still have the notes on its progress to look back. You can look them over if you like.” Moon Dancer scratch the back of her head and said, “I guess it could help. Can you bring them to science class Monday?” Tree Hugger nodded. Moon Dancer looked at me and said, “Why do I get the feeling that you had this planned out?” “Just came to my head and figure it could break the ice between the two of you,” I said. “Well, I need to get back to my mother and make sure she has everything needed for her store. If you’re coming to my place later on, I’ll see you there.” I went back with Twilight to the front of the store when she asked me, “How are you able to get others to like each other when they have some kind of conflict between them?” “I just try to find a way that the two would have in common. Moon Dancer wanted to try out with tomatoes, and Tree Hugger has knowledge on that. If one person can help with another person on the same problem, they might be surprised at how they can get something done right.” “Why do I have a feeling that’s what you’re trying to do between me and Sunset?” Twilight recommended. “I think there’s more to you than you think you know,” I said. “How do you think you made all those friends that helped you in stopping Sunset from what she was doing to you.” Twilight stopped to think about it. “Well, it started off with meeting Rainbow Dash, then she introduced me to Fluttershy, then Applejack and Rarity, who introduced me to Pinkie Pie. The others just followed along after seeing the six of us working together. Lyra and Sweetie Drops are friends with Applejack, Octavia with Rarity, Vinyl with Pinkie Pie, Roseluck and Tree Hugger with Fluttershy, and Thunderlane and Soarin with Rainbow Dash. And you can understand that Moon Dancer and Trixie are friends with me. Everything just fell in place. They started to call the six of us the ‘Mane Six’.” “Main 6?” I said. “Mane. M-A-N-E. I think it’s a Wondercolt thing.” “Is it because the six of you are always together?” I asked her. “Well, that’s part of it. I don’t think you’ve heard of the Guardians of Harmony?” “I have heard of the legend. They were the peacekeepers to the Knights of Canterlot, the lost kingdom that our school was named after. What about it?” “Well, I can see that you read the scroll that they keep in the library on display. Some of the students compared us to that legend’s elements: honesty, kindness, laughter, generosity, loyalty, and friendship. Well, Applejack is always honest in what she has to say that’s on her mind. While Fluttershy is nervous in front of others, she has a kind heart to those who need it. Pinkie Pie might be strange with what she does, but she always brings a smile or a laugh to anyone’s face. Rarity is always generous in offering her designer clothes and whatever she thinks we need. Rainbow Dash is always loyal to her friends and would turn her back on them. And, well, I know how to make friends with everyone that are willing to be good friends with me.” “So they decided to compare you six to the legend, and Sunset had to play the part of the villain,” I said. “We were just tired of what Sunset was trying to do to ruin our lives. All because she was jealous of us…of me.” “And you, for once, never thought about giving her a second chance after what she did. And don’t tell me she had chances before she got caught, because I don’t believe that in the first place.” “Look, can we just drop it for once, Jack. I’m just tired of having to go through all this in the first place.” “Fine,” I said. “But don’t think I’m going to let this go. This is the last thing I need to see going on around school.” We met up with the others, who had everything loaded up and ready to go to the old store. I planned to head back to the house and wait for the others that wanted to help for homecoming to show up later today. Before I headed to my truck, Mr. Rich was waving me down. “Jack, can I ask a favor of you,” Mr. Rich said to me. “What is it, Mr. Rich.” “My wife is still out on business and I still have some business here to finish up, which could be a while. Do you think you can keep an eye on Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon for me?” “Oh, I’m sure he can handle it, with my help.” I looked to see Coco right behind me. “My mother had to head to work after stopping by here, and I was hoping you can give me a ride to your place for the meeting. Think your truck can hold four?” “I think the four of us can fit in there, so I’ll be happy to keep an eye on them until you come by to pick them up,” I told Mr. Rich. We were able to fit into the only seat in my truck and made our way back to the house. Diamond Tiara wasn’t pleased that she wanted to ride in my truck, but she knew to keep her mouth shut when I’m around. But she had different thoughts when she saw the house. All four of us decided to relax in my room until the others showed up for the meeting. And already, Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon became curious about the wooden box under my bed. Since I have planned to show them to Coco at some point, I might as well show it to them now. “Are those the swords that you were talking about?” Coco asked me. “Yep. Those are the ones he gave me.” Silver Spoon’s eyes went wide open when she noticed one of the swords. “Is that a Masamune katana that you have there?” “That’s right. You heard about it?” Diamond Tiara answered, “Please. We’ve been overseas to see all of that.” “You wanted to see all the jewels that they had. I was more into the shiny stuff, and their weapons was just part of it,” Silver Spoon said. “But the story of Masamune it what got me hooked. Basically, he made his katana to be used by those who wanted to protect themselves and those around them, like the samurai. I’ve always dreamed of being rescued by a samurai.” Diamond Tiara rolled her eyes and said, “Here we go again.” “Come on. A girl can dream.” Silver Spoon looked at the other sword and asked, “What’s this one below it?” “That’s Muramasa, what people believe is the opposite of Masamune,” I said. “They called it the blood-thirst katana, designed for those who want to kill. There have been many versions of Masamune and Muramasa that people are not sure which is true and which is not.” Just then, I heard the door open and close downstairs, followed by a voice. “Jack, we’re back early.” “We’re upstairs, Chrysalis. Just give us a moment.” I went to put away the case of swords while Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon made their way downstairs to see Chrysalis and Trixie. Coco was still in my room, wanting to ask me something. “Is it true that Sunset will be coming over?” “I know this is going to be a problem. But this needs to change. You know how I hate bullying and labeling.” “Just like you did freshman year,” Coco responded. “Things never change with you around.” “And as long as that still goes on, I plan to never stop doing what needs to be done. You know my dad’s motto.” We said together, “Never leave a job unfinished.” “But now we have a new group to keep your gift a secret. Besides you and me, there’s Principal Celestia, Miss Luna, Chrysalis, and now Moon Dancer. What if someone gets suspicious about what you possess? You’re already popular, and that was something you didn’t want to be back at your old school. Is that something that Celestia and Luna wanted?” I said, “They think that with each problem I come across, new powers would come alive when they happen. And so far, I have learned a few things. What else I learn is up in the air.” “And that’s the only way to find out more about your gift.” We looked to see Chrysalis at the doorway. “Hopefully, we’ll find the answers that we all seek. But for now, we need to focus on what Sunset is hiding.” “And to do that is by getting everyone to at least give her a chance that she can change,” I said. “If that can help lower her guard in her soul, then I can help where she needs help the most.” I soon heard the honk of a car horn. Looking outside, I saw my mother and the others show up. “Jack, can you help me with the drinks here?” “Sure thing, mom.” As I stepped away from the window, I said, “We better get ready for company showing up, not knowing what will happen.” So we went downstairs and I helped my mother with the drinks while Chrysalis went to the garage to get it ready for the meeting. As I was carrying drinks into the house, I noticed Miss Luna walking to the house for her car parked on the side of the road. “Am I early?” Luna said. “Just about,” I said. “Chrysalis is getting the meeting area ready in the garage, if you want to help.” I went up to Luna and whispered, “Sunset and her mother are coming here as well.” “OK. If anything goes wrong, I’ll do my best to help you out,” whispered Luna. As I was getting everything ready in the kitchen, everyone else started to show up to help out with homecoming. Everyone, expect Sunset. I was told that her mother wanted to drop off what they bought before coming over. And it was only a matter of time when everyone knew that she was attending this meeting. “WHAT!!!” “IS THIS A JOKE?” “WHY DO WE WANT HER HELPING OUT?” I knew I needed to make them understand why this is happening. I went into the storage room connecting the kitchen to the garage when I heard Twilight speak. I stranded next to the door to listen in. “Listen. I know we all don’t like Sunset helping out after what she has done in the past.” “Because she ruins everything that we get done,” Rainbow Dash spoke. “Dash, let me finish. So far, she hasn’t done anything wrong this semester.” “Plus, my sister has her on thin ice with what she has done,” Luna added. “That being said, I think it’s worth a shot to give her another chance to show her that she doesn’t have to be this way in the first place.” “Dear, is this your idea or Jack’s?” Rarity asked Twilight. “It’s Jack’s. But there’s a reason I’m going along with this. Even as the student VP, I would be setting a bad example to everyone if I don’t give a troubled person another chance to make a change.” “Well…it wouldn’t hurt to give her another chance…I mean, she hasn’t done anything wrong,” Fluttershy added. “But what is she plans on doing something bad,” Pinkie Pie spoke. “She could be gaining our trust in helping out on to set up traps and smoke bombs which could go off and scare everyone away in fear as a way to get back at us and do bad…” Applejack put her hand on Pinkie’s mouth and said, “I think we get the idea, Pinkie. But why would Jack want her here anyway?” “Twilight dear, AJ’s right,” Rarity spoke. “I can understand Jack has helped out with some of our problems, and he has been very helpful. But this is Sunset we are talking about. She’s more of a complex problem that no one can handle.” “That’s right,” Rainbow Dash said. “He’s taken this whole ‘being popular’ thing straight to his head.” Rarity added, “I don’t know if it’s a thing he’s gotten used to in Manehattan, but this is Ponyville. We know not to let that go to our head. No offense, Coco.” Coco replied, “Actually, I take great offense with that comment. Not everyone in Manehattan is like that.” “Excuse me, but this Jack we’re talking about, not the power hungry people of Manehattan,” Rainbow Dash said. “And that’s my point,” Coco responded. “Jack’s not like those people. And for the record, I know him longer and better than anyone else in this place. He never cared about being popular in school or anywhere else. All he cared about is helping those in need.” Applejack said, “Maybe it would help if ya start in the beginning, sugarcube.” “It started back in 8th grade, when we moved to Manehattan so my mother can take fashion study classes. I was just new around the area, and I never could make any friends during the 8th grade. When I got to high school, some ‘cool kids’ picked on me because of how I dressed or what I was into. I felt embarrassed in front of everyone else, until I met Jack. He was new to the area and didn’t have any friends either because his family always moves from one city to another every one to two years because of his father’s job. I remember seeing him in two of my classes, English and Algebra. He was able to help me in Algebra class, and I helped him out in English class. He was a good friend to have around. “But one day, he saw those same ‘cool kids’ laughing at me again and again. Jack decided to do something that I would never expect him to do. He walked up to them and said something that they didn’t like to hear. When I asked him what he said to them, his reply was that he wanted them to stop the teasing on me. He says that it’s something that he gets tired of seeing all the time. “One day, we decided to hang out in the park to relax and enjoy the view. I used that time just coming up with ideas while he uses it to clear his head. That’s when those ‘cool kids’ showed up once again. This time, they wanted to pick a fight with Jack because they didn’t like him. But every time they threw a punch at him, he was able to dodge it and counter the other guy’s attack. While dodging each of the guys’ attacks, one of the girls decided to create a distraction to throw him off guard. That’s when I went up to stop her. I just got behind her, grabbed her underneath her shoulders, and just flipped her over onto her head. It wasn’t a hard hit, but it just stunned her enough to get everyone else’s attention. That’s when he struck down the one who started the fight. He sent a message to the others that he disliked bullies and has dealt with them in the past schools. It was that point that I decided to stand up against bullying and was at his side. Everyone else just ran away at that point.” “Well, it’s a good thing you were able to chase those bullies away,” Rainbow Dash said. “But what does that have to do with helping Sunset out. She was also a bully.” “Well, on the following day at school, one of those cool kids came up to us, but it wasn’t to cause any trouble. She realized that she was hanging out with the wrong people to begin with and wanted to be our friend.” “What was her name?” Twilight asked Coco. “Night Glider.” “That was one of your friends that you mention back at my place a couple of weeks ago?” Rarity asked. “That’s right. And she learned that her true loyalty was with friends who cared for others. And that was just the beginning. We met up with Sugar Belle when she was asking for help with the homeless community when everyone else wouldn’t. She was kind to others and always like to cook food to give to the homeless, but needed help with delivering her food, so we decided to help her out. “Then Party Favor was working on the fall homecoming, but was working by himself with the balloons and decorations with a week remaining. The four of us decided to help him out. People thought that it was going to be boring, but Party Favor made it fun that it gave us a few laughs along the way. By the time we were close to finishing, we learned that we were short on budget for homecoming. Sugar Belle made treats from home, and the rest of us work on the lighting and remaining supplies. The only problem that we had was getting a DJ to play for us. Jack was willing to give it a shot, but all he had was his laptop. That’s when Double Diamond heard about our problem. He was generous enough to pay to hire a DJ or rent the turntable for Jack to use. But we found out that there weren’t any DJs available and no gear to rent. But Double Diamond knew someone who was selling an old vinyl turntable for cheap. Night Glider looked at it and believed that there could be a way to make adjustments to add Jack’s laptop to the turntable. Plus some of us found some vinyl records that would work with homecoming as a backup. “When homecoming came, everyone was shocked to see what all was done with just six people working together. Everyone saw how much of a success it was to happen. People asked how we were able to work together when we were all different. We wanted to give Jack the credit for bringing us together, but he didn’t want to take all the credit. He knew we came together when others needed the help. People started to call us…well, the same legend that our school here holds in the library…The Guardians of Harmony. I was honest to tell everyone that we didn’t want to be compared to that legend, even if we bared the same elements in the legend, so Jack decided to call us the Manehattan Knights, because we were willing to help those in need. And with the talents that Jack displayed, we started to refer him as the Jack of Trades. The rest is history.” Twilight said to Coco, “Let me get this straight. Night Glider represented loyalty, Sugar Belle represented kindness, Party Favor represented laughter, Double Diamond represented generosity, and you represented Honesty.” “From what everyone was telling us after telling the same story I told you,” Coco responded. “But like I said, we didn’t wanted to be compared to that legend.” “Well, just go with me on this.” Twilight said. “If you were compared with those elements, then Jack represented…” “Friendship,” I said as I walked through the door. “Just as you and your friends were called the ‘Mane 6’ here, we were called the Manehattan Knights over there. Both of us were compared to the legend, but in different ways. And to this day since I left, Professor River Song has kept the group going after she decided to fill the void that Coco once held. She made sure that the group was a reminder that everyone can work together, no matter how different we were.” “But we came together because of what Sunset was doing to the school,” Rainbow Dash said. “To the school, or to Twilight?” I responded. Twilight said, “He’s right. We came together because of a threat towards me, with the school in the cross hairs. Jack brought his friends together to complete a job at their school.” She looked at Luna and asked, “You and your sister know the legend better than any of us. Which one represents the Guardians the best?” “That’s something for you to decide, Twilight. Perhaps you were following the Guardians’ path. Or you could have followed the knights path, and Jack’s here to be your Guardians. No one knows the true answer.” Twilight looked down, trying to find the answer. That was when I felt a tap behind my shoulder. It was Ms. Shimmers standing behind the doorway where I once stood. She had a concerned looked on her face. When I saw this, I knew what needed to be done. “Ms. Shimmers, perhaps you can help Twilight find the answer she’s looking for.” Everyone started to notice that she was here as well. Twilight got up and turned to face her saying, “Ms. Shimmers, how long have you been here?” “Long enough to see that worried look on your face, Twilight. Look, I know what my daughter did in the past was wrong, and there’s nothing I can do to fix that. But I can’t be there to help her find the path she needs to take, and I don’t know anyone else who can do that for me. Jack has tried so far, but he’s just one person.” “Where’s Sunset now?” Twilight asked. “In the guest bathroom. I think she’s been in there for a while,” said Ms. Shimmers. “Jack, can I talk to you…in private?” Twilight started to walk through the doorway. As I was about to join her, I said, “Sir Coco, see to it that we’re not disturbed.” She replied, “As you wish, Captain Jack.” I raised my eyebrow and said, “Did you just combine two fandoms into one sentence?” Coco replied with a grin. “Never mind.” We decided to go to the backyard to talk in private. “Jack, if I was one of the knights and you were one of the guardians, then it’s my job to come to you for advice when I need it the most.” “So you’re going with the lather of the two that Miss Luna mention.” “Look, I’m serious about this.” She took a deep breath as said, “You might be right. I am running away…from my own demons. I just don’t know what to do.” “Twilight, look at you. You’re smart, friendly, and open-minded. I’m sure there are others who would love to be in your shoes. And don’t even think you’re the only one who has to deal with your own demons. Applejack, Rarity, Fluttershy, even Sunset has their own. Heck, even I had to deal with them myself.” Twilight gave a quick laugh. “You have your own demons? That’s a first.” “It’s true. You remember on that first day when I told that story about what happened in the 6th grade? That boy was a friend of my. Both of us got bullied around. But when my friend was getting bullied the most, I stood up and took the fight to them. It’s not the right thing to do, but I wasn’t going to let it go unpunished. That’s was when I decided to stand up against bullies and make sure they knew what they were doing was wrong. I didn’t want anyone else getting hurt by them. It wasn’t until Night Glider stopped being a bully and became a friend. That’s when I knew that was another way to solve my problems with bullies. And right now, I’m doing so with Sunset, hoping she could change as well.” Twilight thought for a moment, and then said, “If I want to be the ‘Guardian of Friendship’, then I need to give her another chance, if she’s willing to take it. I just…need you to help bridge that gap between us, like you did to so many others.” I nodded and we made our way back inside. Sunset was still in the guest bathroom, so it was no doubt that she was scared of facing us. I knocked on the door and said, “Sunset, it’s me, Jack. Can we come in for a moment?” She opened the door to see that Twilight was with me. She motions us to come in before closing the door. Before Twilight could speak, Sunset said, “Look, I know you don’t like me as well as the rest of the school. And if you don’t want me to help, just say so and I’ll just leave.” “Actually, it’s not about that.” Sunset had a confused look on her face as Twilight continued. “I haven’t been giving you a proper second chance to prove yourself that you can change. I was hoping that you would last school year, but I was wrong to believe that. I should have thought this over better, but I didn’t. Now I feel like I’m running away from my own problems instead of solving them. So I’m giving you another chance to show the school that you can change for the better and just…put everything in the past.” Sunset sat down, trying to take everything that Twilight just said. “Look, I’m an idiot for what I did.” “If you’re an idiot, then so am I,” Twilight responded. “I can’t forgive what you did, but I’m willing to overlook it and just focus on the future, as long as you let me give you this chance.” Sunset wasn’t sure what to do, so I said, “Twilight’s opening the door for you, Sunset. All you need to do is walk through it.” She looked at me and said, “If I’m walking through that door, I want you to walk with me, Jack.” “I’ll be more than welcomed to do so,” I said as I grabbed her hand. It was from that point that Twilight was willing to get Sunset another chance. All three of us went back to the garage to tell the others what was going on between the three of us. Not everyone was happy with the decision, but I told them that I would watch over her so that she doesn’t become a problem to anyone. With that out of the way, we were able to start our meeting. Well, almost. “Hey Jack, think we can get this speaker fixed first before we start,” Vinyl asked me. “If you going to delay the start of this meeting, then I hope you don’t mind if the others saw Masamune and Muramasa that you have up in your room,” Silver Spoon said. “Wait, you have a Masamune katana? Trixie demands to see it now.” I knew this was going to be a long day. “Coco, run up to my room and bring my case down. Shining, you can help me in getting Vinyl’s speaker fixed.” Author's Note This is by far the longest and most challenging chapter I have ever did. Took me a while to create when more ideas came in to my head while I had little time in front of the computer. I figure I bring some of Jack's back story into play, and the "Elements of Harmony" into the story, since it will come in to play in one of my later books. I hope you like it so far. The next chapters should be easier so far.
Ch. 17 - Past and FutureEver since our first homecoming meeting, I knew it was going to be tough for everyone to trust Sunset. But I had to give it some time to make it happen. Chrysalis and Trixie decided to have the update meetings every Wednesday during free study, with some of us being there, and full group meetings at my place every Saturday, working on display parts and checking on what we have and what we need. We had least than four weeks to get it done, but we knew it could be done. And Miss Luna would make sure that we have the gym the week before homecoming. It was Friday, meaning that it was time for our second game, and the first road game for this season. So I had to stay after school to get our gear together and get on the bus to Appleloosa. It has been so long since we lived there that my teammates wanted to know why we lived there that one time. I was just a little boy in elementary school, but I remember my father working on building a farm that some big time farmer businessman wanted. It was that time we brought in a barn building expert for open space buildings. The only problem is that there was a conflict with the Buffalo Indian Tribe on land claims. One of the students that I became friends with was from that tribe named Little Strongheart. We became good friends that both sides noticed it. So they were able to work out their differences and come to an agreement with the land. That’s when I knew that I wanted to help out others with their problems when they needed it the most. My teammates were impressed with my story. They even told me that Applejack had a cousin living there name Braeburn. I doubt I ever met the guy when I was there. Since I had to keep my soul powers a secret, I never had them when it happened. But I did spend some time with the tribe to learn about their culture. It was also the time that Little Strongheart felt that I was something special. I never knew what she meant by that during that time, but when my powers came to life, I slowly understood what she finally meant by that. We grabbed our own equipment and started heading outside. Me, along with Shining, Flash, Thunderlane, and Swift, were met by two cheerleaders: Cadence and Roseluck. “You boys ready for game number two?” Cadence asked. “You know we are,” Shining Armor replied. “Twilight already on the bus?” “With Moon Dancer, of course,” Roseluck said. “By the way Jack, you have a fan club waiting for you.” She pointed to the other cheerleaders up ahead. “Really?” I said as I rolled my eyes. “Don’t tell me they’re single.” “Maybe,” Cadence said. “You never know.” “And where’s our fan club?” Thunderlane asked. “You should know that they have to deal with the captain if they want me,” Shining said as he was pointing to Cadence. “And I don’t think they want to mess with Twilight for Flash.” “Yea. And you have Roseluck with you, so you know they don’t want to cross that line,” Flash said. “Hey, we are not in a relationship,” Thunderlane said. “We’re just friends.” “Tell that to Soarin and Dash,” I said. “I think they would be in the same spot as you to are.” “Then I guess you never heard about what happened last semester,” Swift said. “Oh, this is going to be good,” Flash said. “Tell him what happened between the two of them.” “I was playing with them on three on three soccer with a few other students. I was the goalkeeper while they were kicking the ball between the two of them. It’s what happened after we won the game that was interesting. Soarin gave Dash a victory slap on her rear, and she just change in an instant. When Soarin realized what just happened, he just bolted with Dash chasing him down.” Flash continued. “I was with Twilight and her friends waiting for them when Soarin starts blazing though saying ‘GET OUT OF THE WAY! MAD GIRL ON THE LOOSE!’ Then Dash is running after him cursing like a lunatic. Took a while to realized it was all because he slapped her butt.” “Oh, you should tell Coach Spitfire this. I have a feeling she will get a laugh out of it, since she thinks they make a great couple,” I recommended. “Well, I better get the girls on the back of the bus before you guys get in.” Cadence starts running up to the other girls and orders, “Alright ladies, on the bus. Don’t need to give these guys any distractions right now.” “Jack, you might want to brace yourself after the game, if you know what I mean,” Roseluck said with a wink before joining the girls. “Does this happen to every single popular guy?” I asked. “YES!!!” “Forget I asked.” So it was cheerleaders in the back, players in the middle, and captains and staff in the front on the trip. We were busy with Twilight and Moon Dancer on what we needed to know before the game. And it was a good thing for us because we won, 38 to 7. Shining Armor only played three quarters before Thunderlane took over, which allow me to take his spot. The only down side was the crazy wind. I caught on to it on the kickoff, and Swift was one for three in field goals. I told him that I missed four field goals when West End High played Fillydelphia High last year in crazy wind, just so he didn’t feel bad. As we took our equipment off and headed back to the bus, I can see why Roseluck warned me about the cheerleaders, because they were all waiting outside the bus. “Looks like someone has his own fan club,” Spitfire said jokingly. “Brings back old memories in high school.” “Very funny, coach,” I said. “How am I supposed to handle THAT?” “Like a man,” Soarin said. “Unless you’re chicken,” Dash added. “Already pressuring the players, Dash? You’re lucky my cuz ain’t around.” We looked around to see a yellow guy with orange hair and farm clothes that are similar to Applejack’s. “I was hoping that you would see us before we left,” Soarin said before turning to me. “Jack, this is Braeburn, Applejack’s cousin.” “So this is the guy that Applejack has been talking about on the phone. Nice to finally meet ya,” Braeburn said as he shook my hand. “I’m glad I was able to stop by and see you guys for a moment. I’m waiting for one of the school’s cheerleader to meet up with me.” “Babysitting already, Braeburn?” Rainbow Dash said. “Only because she’s the daughter of the Buffalo tribe’s chieftain.” He looked back to see an orange girl with long, golden hair coming to us. “Was hoping you get here. Everyone, meet Little…” “…Strongheart?” I said. She took a moment to look me over before she recognized whom I was. “Jack Diamond? Is that you?” I nodded to her, in which she placed her hands on her mouth in shock. “I can’t believe it. You’ve grown since I last saw you.” “I should be saying the same thing about you too,” I said. “At least your father is still letting you attend school.” “It’s because I’m working on student relations with the Buffalo tribe, helping out by bridging the gap between both sides.” “With my help, of course,” Braeburn added. “I didn’t know you were on the visiting school’s football team,” Little Strongheart said. She came up to me and felt my arm. “You even worked out a bit.” “Well, I had someone help me with that back in the 8th grade in Fillydelphia. And did some football playing in the 10th grade in Manehattan. Now my family is living in Ponyville, which I hope is our final move between cities.” “Yea, this guy been very helpful around us that his popularity sky-rocketed in school,” Rainbow Dash bragged about. “You just had to say that, Dash,” I replied. “Hey, the cheerleaders behind you is just proof of that,” she said as she pointed at the group next to the bus door. “I knew you were special, but not like this,” Little Strongheart said as she giggled. I scratched the back on my head and said, “Yea, I know. I just wish I didn’t hear you tell me that when I was living here. But we need to head on back home. Can’t hold up the bus now, can we?” “Well, at least I know where you are living, in case I want to come and visit one day,” she responded. “Just have Braeburn get my address for his cousin Applejack,” I replied. We said our goodbyes before they left. Then I still saw the group of cheerleaders waiting for me. “So, are you man enough to face them or what?” Dash was egging me on. Twilight and Moon Dancer walked up to us as they heard Dash’s dare. Twilight said, “Give it up, Dash. He doesn’t need to go through that if he doesn’t want to.” “But where’s the fun in that?” Dash replied. “Forget about it,” Moon Dancer said. “Besides, I need to talk to him on the way back, so those girls have to wait another day to sit with him.” Rainbow Dash was disappointed in seeing that her dare just failed on her. So I walked up behind Rainbow Dash and said, “Besides, would a chicken do this to you?” I gave her a big slap on the butt, causing her to react in shock and embarrassment. “And if you try to chase me, I’ll knock you down on the spot.” She started to look at me with those angry eyes. Then turned her stare at the other guys who were on the bus and yelled, “You are so going to get it for telling that story to him.” After saving me from the group of cheerleaders, Moon Dancer wanted us to sit in the back of the bus, since everyone else would take a quick nap while she wanted to look over some videos and images of the game. I just used the time looking out the window, trying to clear my head of all that has been going on around me. It was when she got a text on her cell that caught my attention. “Who’s it from?” I quietly said to her. “Twilight.” She opened the text and saw a picture of Thunderlane sleeping on Roseluck’s shoulder. We tried to contain our laugh when we saw it. “At some point, they are going to have to make it official,” I quietly said. “I can never understand why a boy and girl just want to be friends in front of others when they’re afraid of taking their friendship to the next level,” she quietly responded. “You ever thought about finding a boyfriend?” “Not really. I’m not much into having a relationship.” “So you’re one of the single types?” “You could say that. I just don’t see how I can handle that stuff like Twilight does with Flash.” “Well, what kind of guy would you go for, if someone peaked your interest?” “Someone who can hold an intelligent and challenging conversation, which I don’t think you can even come close, Jack.” “Ouch. You know how to go below the belt,” I sarcastically said. “Well, at least I saved you from those cheerleaders. I know you have more important things to focus on.” “Like Sunset,” I said. It was quiet again before Moon Dancer decided to put her tablet down to speak. “Coco said that you were tired of dealing with…bullies, I guess, before you met her. It’s been bugging my mind, but when did you start dealing with them?” “Back in the 6th grade, before I acquired my gift. I was tired of being picked on, not to mention seeing others do the same. Someone needed to step up and do something. I just needed to find a way how.” “Makes me wish I had you around as well,” she said. I asked her, “You were bullied back then?” “Yep. But I just ignored them and went about my business. And that was before I met Twilight. She was just as smart as I was. And we both needed new friends to make, since I never really had any back then. But you look like someone who doesn’t get bullied by others.” “I wasn’t like this before,” I said. “When my gift started to show up in the 7th grade, I thought I was going crazy. Then Little Strongheart, the girl that was with Braeburn, told me that I was somewhat special. She’s a member of the Buffalo Indian Tribe and the chief’s daughter. Remembering what she told me, I thought more about what was happening to me. So I started to understand my gift. Most of the focus was on either bullies or those being bullied. “By the time I started the 8th grade, I saw some kids picking on one kid a lot outside of school. I decided to take a stand and make them stop what they were doing. They decided to start a fight with me. Somehow I was able to dodge their attacks, but I struggle fighting back because I wasn’t strong enough. That’s when she came along and joined the fight. She was tougher and quicker than the guys and started to put them in their place before they ran off. I remember seeing her in my homeroom class. She hated bullies a lot and felt like others weren’t doing enough to fix the problem. See how I wasn’t strong enough to take them on; she decided to help me get better in handling them. We spent every weekend training and sparring against each other in martial arts, something she picked up years ago. That’s how I got better when someone wanted to pick a fight with me. And we had one rule. Never go into a fight alone.” “I’m impressed. What was the girl’s name?” I took a moment to think before I remember her name. “Indigo Zap.” She put her hand on her chin and started to think. “Indigo Zap, Indigo Zap. Where have I heard that name before?” “Well, she was hoping to be the best athlete out there, kind of like Rainbow Dash.” “I might need to look her up when I get a chance this weekend. But…as for the fact that you were able to dodge any attack in that fight, do you think it has something with your gift that helped?” “Now that you think about it, I was able to sense when some…threat was coming my way without seeing it. You would think it was part of my gift. I don’t see that it was a part of the ‘soul release’ power that I learned.” “I don’t think so either,” she said. “Celestia let me look over her book so I can keep an eye out of anything new showing up from you. I think you might have already unlocked one of your powers long ago, but we haven’t noticed it at the time. And I want to think it’s one that she might have overlooked. I’ll let her know about this and see if she can come by tomorrow at the meeting with her book. We need to discuss all this after everyone else leaves the meeting.” When we had our next group meeting at my place, it was to start working on some of the display props that we can carry there on the week of homecoming. This time, Principal Celestia was able to come by to see the progress that we have done. When we were done for the day, Celestia, Luna, Coco, and Moon Dancer stayed with Chrysalis and me. That’s when Celestia brought out the book from her bag. “So what is it that you said I might have overlooked?” as she was handing the book to Moon Dancer. “Some of the pages listed in the book described a list of soul battle skills. It could also be a reason for his powers to awaken, but that would be hard to prove at this time. It does explain how he has been able to avoid any attack against any bullies that he has faced.” Moon Dancer was flipping through each page before she came to the one that she was looking for. She adjusted her glasses to make sure she found the right page. “Here it is, Soul Sense.” She handed the book to me to read over the page listed. “Soul Sense” A person can dodge any attack that it cannot see coming. This can allow an opening to execute a counter attack. It can also allow them to detect any threat that someone cannot see behind a wall or around a corner. This is a common battle skill to know, but comes with a downside. If one cannot control its own emotions, it can mask any hostile attack with its own negative power. Celestia asked me, “Was there ever a time when you got hurt buy any bullies that you faced?” “It was back in the 8th grade when a group of bullies kept picking on the same kid. I was with my friend, doing our best to get them to stop. It was at one point when the same group of bullies crossed the line. The kid they picked on almost committed suicide by hanging himself, but his parents were lucky to save him, but it left him with brain damage. My friend and I knew who was responsible for all this and decided to confront them. When they didn’t care what happened to him, that was the only time I lost my cool. I didn’t care what happened to me, as long as they paid for what they did to him. We even crossed the line ourselves and made them experience what that kid was going through before they gave in. It wasn’t the wise thing to do, but someone had to send a message, even if there were risk in what we did.” “Sounds to me that you were more of a bully than they were,” Celestia said. “Then I wasn’t clear about how we took care of bullies. We had one rule. Never cross the line unless the bullies cross it first. When the picking never stopped and he decided to commit suicide, we knew we would have to cross that line and make sure they paid for what they have done. At least they gave up and gave in before it got worse.” “I’m surprised that you would confess something like that and didn’t get caught,” Luna said. “Well, turns out they had some past criminal history with who they were hanging out with. Some gang, I believe, so going to the police would be pointless to them. After what they experienced, they decided to make up for what they did and offer their services to help care for him until he was able to recover, which could be a few years, maybe more. Doctors couldn’t give a timetable on his recovery.” “Well, I hope he recovers back to his normal self, I hope,” Coco responded. “And it looks like you were lucky in what you did.” “Fate has a way of making these events happen,” Luna said. “Just like they have now.” “Well, I’m not sure fate has a way of dealing with this. Remember when you told me her name? I looked her up online and found a news article on her.” Moon Dancer brought out a piece of paper from her book bag and handed it to me. “Indigo Zap is a student at Crystal Prep.” I looked at the paper, seeing that it was about Crystal Prep’s top ranked athlete from last semester, Indigo Zap. “Started attending in her sophomore year…starter in the girls’ basketball team…top track athlete…ranked in the Top 5 of all Crystal Prep students in her class.” I looked up and asked, “She did all this?” “Yep,” Moon Dancer responded. “Then what the boys at Cloudsdale said could be true,” I said. “What do you mean?” Celestia asked me. “I asked them before the first game about Crystal Prep, and they said that the school has been getting the best students from outside Ponyville.” “You think she would have this gift as well?” Moon Dancer asked. “Hard to say,” I replied. “All I know is that she works hard to be the best. So if she has the same gift as me, hers would have awakened after I left Fillydelphia.” “Unless someone in Crystal Prep has done some kind of enhancement on them,” Celestia said. “And if that’s the fact, we might not be able to trust her at all.” I looked back at the paper and noticed something at the end of the article. “Hold on for a moment. She brings up how a friend of hers was able to train with her back in the 8th grade to keep her on track. And I was the only one who trained with her, so she must still remember me.” “We don’t know for sure,” Luna said. “But for now, we can’t tell anyone that you know her, including Rainbow Dash.” “Why is that?” I asked. “Remember when she crashed into my office on the first day?” Celestia said. “Yea. She panicked about losing help with her scholarship.” That’s when I knew that Rainbow Dash and Indigo Zap had something in common. “OH HECK NO!!! You cannot tell me that they are fighting for the same scholarship.” “They are,” Celestia responded. “And that’s not the only real rivalry out there.” Luna brought out some more info to show me. “When Moon Dancer told me about Indigo, I figure you need to know some others that have caught our eye.” I saw some of the girls from the basketball team in action. “The bluish girl with white pigtails and glasses sitting on the bench is Sugarcoat. She’s on the same level as Twilight and is also fighting for the same Dean’s scholarship. She also works on the game plays just like Twilight.” “Brains and tactics,” I said. “How interesting.” Luna continued. “The yellow girl with the reddish ponytail is Sour Sweet. She’s more of an aggressive girl on the team. And the reddish girl with the long green hair is Lemon Zest. She has this ritual of listening to loud music before every game.” “Lemon Zest. Why does that sound familiar?” I asked myself. “Well, she’s kind of like Vinyl, but into rock instead of electronic,” said Moon Dancer. “Oh crap,” I said as I hit my forehead with my hand. “After I learned that Vinyl got 3rd place in the amateurs this past summer, I looked up to see who beat her, and the one in 2nd place was ‘DJ Lemon Lime’. We have a way of using stage names instead of our own names, and if I remember seeing who it was, it almost looks like Lemon Zest in this picture.” “Let’s hope that’s not true, because she would freak if she heard that she got beat by a Crystal Prep student in disguise,” Chrysalis said. “Look at the next picture that you have,” Luna said. “The mint girl with the mixed yellow hair is Lightning Dust. Coach Spitfire once knew her when she coached back in Cloudsdale in junior soccer with Dash and Soarin. She was more of a troublemaker back then. Don’t know why she attends Crystal Prep now.” “And the mint girl with the short violet hair is Sunny Flare, Principal Cinch’s daughter,” Celestia said. “Don’t let that poised look fool you. She can manipulate others easily, and is just as athletic as the others. Plus she’s the only one I have seen with those electronic bracelets on her.” “They’re data pad bracelets,” I said. “I read about them on an online magazine. They’re very expensive from most portable technology out there, and have all the advanced features than any other that’s out there. Looks like someone’s been spending a lot of money to get these for her.” “Jack, there’s one other you should know, although I don’t think she would be like the others,” Coco said as she got out her cell. She pulled up a picture of a light purple girl with violet hair. “Suri Polomare, I assume. I remember Rarity said something about her,” I said. “We doubt she’s like them, but we can’t take any chances,” Chrysalis said. “What about the guys on the football team? Anything that stands out from them?” I asked. “Still haven’t gotten anything on them yet,” Luna said. “So we are still in the blind on them.” “Then the only best hope I have is with Indigo Zap,” I said. “And I hate to get her involved in all this when she could be put in the line of fire.” “Then it’s best that we don’t get anyone else involved until further noticed,” Celestia recommended. “And if Indigo notices you and is willing to help, I might accept her help in this.” I said, “I can live with that. And if you find out anyone else that stands out, I want to know as soon as possible.” Author's Note When I read Of Wondercolts and Shadowbolts - Rarity and Sunny Flare, I read how he heard about the theory of Sunny Flare being Principal Cinch's daughter. Someone did a picture of Principal Cinch and Sunny Flare, and the part between the two during the Midnight Sparkle scene might be another reason for this theory.
Ch 19 - Answering QuestionsIt was Friday night, and we just finished another football game with what would have been a shutout, if special teams didn’t drop the ball in the 4th quarter that one time, resulting in a field goal. But beating Dodge Junction at home with a score of 44 to 3 was big enough. Swift Kicks got a few field goals in, and I took the QB role in the 4th quarter, resulting in two touchdowns. Coach Iron Will said that next week would be more of a challenge, because we plan to go to Trottingham, who made it to the playoffs last year, only to lose to Crystal Prep. I only hoped that tonight’s win would grab Crystal Prep’s attention, because I want to see what they really are, if Celestia is right about them. Already changed and cleaned up, I left the locker room and made my way to meet up with Chrysalis at my truck. As I walked up to her, I noticed that she had company with her, and I was surprised to see who it was. It was Mrs. Rich, with Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon with her. “Jack,” Chrysalis said, “I was just talking with Mrs. Rich on homecoming, and she wants to help out with some of her connections.” “She was telling me about how much has progressed with your Saturday meetings,” Mrs. Rich said. “I know a catering service that does the best for any theme party or event, because I have had them whenever I have an event that involves most of the…high society.” She hesitated for a moment. “Sorry about that. I’m trying to get used to avoiding with the social status issue that you brought to my attention.” “It’s OK, Mrs. Rich. I’m sure it will take some time to get used to the change, since most of your rich friends have students that attend Crystal Prep,” I said. “I know,” she replied. “There have been times when I wonder if I made the right choice between here and Crystal Prep.” “Mother, you felt that Crystal Prep was too strict for me to handle,” Tiara said to her. “That was only because I felt like you wouldn’t be able to follow our family traditions,” she looked down and continued, “which I now know were wrong to follow.” “Jack, Chrysalis said that you have issues with Crystal Prep’s perfect record,” Silver Spoon said. “That’s right,” I responded. “Having a school that’s perfect is too good to be true. I mean, I attended West End High in Manehattan the last two years, and Mane Coast Academy on the other side of the city is known as one of the best, but it’s doesn’t believe in being perfect. From what I heard, they just do what is right for their students. And right now, I’m trying to find out on some of their students that would be on the football team.” Mrs. Rich responded, “Well, I don’t think any of the rich students that I have met would be on the football team, but we did get several issues of the Crystal Prep newsletter from Tenderhoof when he was at one of our social events writing some articles on people like us. If you like to, I can bring them over to the meeting tomorrow for you to look at. I need to talk to…Pinkie Pie was it?” We all nodded. “Good. I wanted to see if the catering service would be of some help for homecoming.” “That would be nice,” I said. “If you don’t mind me asking, but has there been any students, or even staff members, of Crystal Prep that you have met that felt…I don’t know, not normal. Some kind of reason that made you fell like Crystal Prep wasn’t the right school for your daughter to attend.” Mrs. Rich thought for a moment before she spoke. “Now that you think about it, when Principal Cinch gave us the tour, I felt a bit…uncomfortable around her. I just shook it off and went along the tour with her. Why?” “I just have my…suspicions about them. That’s all,” I said. “Well, we’ll see you tomorrow at your place. And I’ll make sure I bring those newsletters as well,” Mrs. Rich said. Mrs. Rich came by for the meeting, with the newsletters that she promised to bring. As we were getting more prepared for homecoming, new ideas came across for the Halloween theme, and we knew that we would be on track to have everything ready before the week of homecoming. After everyone left for the day, Chrysalis and me spent the evening after dinner looking over the newsletters of Crystal Prep. “Find anything interesting so far?” I asked Chrysalis. “Just rich students, smart students, athletic students…nothing that really stands out. Although, Tenderhoof’s poems are just…weird.” “I can see that,” I said. “Found any that relate to Applejack?” “Nope. Maybe scared to bring up a student from Canterlot High in a Crystal Prep newsletter.” Both of us laughed. I was looking at the last issue of the school year and found an article on Indigo Zap, explaining how she helped lead the girls’ basketball team to the championship, filling the void of some of their graduating students. “Hey Chrysalis, take a look at this.” I handed the issue to her with the article shown. “Wow. I can see what makes her one of the special ones at the school, and a good friend of yours. Do you think she can help us in finding out about Crystal Prep?” “Not sure. Only time will tell,” I said. Chrysalis grabbed another issue to look at, and noticed an article that required my attention. “Jack, there’s an article on Fleur de Lis. Says that her mother’s a famous model overseas, and she’s here as a foreign exchange student for all four years, this being her third year. She’s working on being a business model, I believe.” “How much you want to bet that she has to spend her time with Suri a lot?” “Oh that would be a good one, Jack. I wonder if Rarity has heard of Fleur?” “Well, you can call her tomorrow and ask. I have to take Applejack to the school workout room with me. She said that she wants to get back to working out, since they are done with apple harvesting.” It was raining Sunday morning. I went to Sweet Apple Acres farm to pick up Applejack, who made a mad dash into my truck in her own tracksuit, carrying a small gym bag with her. Applejack let out a sigh of relief and said, “Sure nice of ya to take me to school so I can workout once again.” “No problem. I never knew you like to workout on your down time,” I said to her. “Well, have to stay in shape. Working on the farm helps, but when the work’s done for the year, need to find another way to stay in shape. And I have to bring my gear to help me out on the punching bag.” “Can’t argue about that, AJ.” “Darn right. I mean, how do you expect me to keep this well…toned…body,” she said in a sexy voice. “Not to mention these strong…built…arms, and those sexy…sculpted…abs.” I was catching on to what she was trying to get to, so I had to get to the point. “You tried to pull a ‘Rarity’ last time, so I don’t see why you’re doing it now.” She went back to her serious tone of voice. “That’s just it. You got all these girls interested in you, and with two weeks til homecoming, you ain’t even asked one of them out. Rarity already told me that members of her club have been hoping you ask one of them out ‘cause you’re cute, and that makes Rarity unsure if she wants to pursue you, not making others jealous. And she heard from Roseluck that the cheerleaders were also interested in you ‘cause you’re handsome. Heck, even Tavi might be interested in you also.” “All this coming from what Rarity has heard, right?” I asked her. “Darn right it is. I’m even temped to throw my hat in the ring.” “Is there a reason you’re bring all this up? I mean, I’m popular and all, but I can sense there’s something else about all this.” “You want to know why? It’s because everyone says you been interested in Sunset all this time.” “Is that supposed to be a joke?” I ask. “I’m serious, Jack. I know you been helping her change, but everyone still thinks she’s bad news, and that makes them unsure how to make you out. You need to think about yourself, not everyone else.” I pulled up to the school and parked my truck, shutting it off before saying, “If people want to know me well, they should be asking Coco, not taking guesses about myself. I do what I believe needs to be done. Nothing more, nothing less. That’s how I live my life.” “You’re stubborn, ya know that,” she said. I just let out a huff in response. She rolled her eyes and said to herself, “Forgive me for doing this, but,” she grabs the sides of my face and pressed her lips onto my own. I was shocked as she was trying to kiss me. Once she removed her lips from mine, I yelled, “What the heck was that for?” Her response was, “What any girl would do, showing that they care for ya. I only did that to make you understand. Nothing personal. But you tell me, would Sunset do this to ya, or just give you another slap in the face?” “Only if I bring up her so-called father,” I said, “or did you forget about that?” Applejack looked away from me and through the rainy window. “No, I haven’t.” She looked back at me and said, “Just comparing him with the cops could say that he had a criminal record, but we don’t know what crimes they are.” “Her mother didn’t want to talk about him as well. And it doesn’t mean that she was involved in any crimes as well. You think it could be family abuse?” “I was thinking about that option as well, seeing how Mrs. Rich was treating her daughter in front of Sunset. But how can that still be haunting her if it was long ago?” I started to recall my conversation with Sunset while her mother’s car was being fixed. “I didn’t hurt you there back on the first day, did I?” “No, it’s nothing to worry about. Just…nothing.” “Have you noticed Sunset rubbing the same spot on her arm as of late?” I asked her. “Well, after what happened with Mrs. Rich, she has been more quiet so far. And I did notice that in our classes. You think that she hurt herself on that spot?” I said, “I think she was harmed on that spot long ago, and that could be what’s haunting her to this day. With the science project being assigned to us tomorrow, it might be the only chance to get her to open up with what’s been bugging her. And I can guess that she doesn’t want to talk about it to anyone else, after what she has done at school in the past.” “If you can get her to talk and believe what she has to say, then let me know. If I believe you, then maybe I can get the girls to listen. That’s the best I can do,” Applejack said. “Well, we can’t get our workouts done while sitting in here,” I said. “Can’t argue with that. You have an umbrella in here?” “Should be under your seat,” I told her. She looked down to find the umbrella underneath the seat. “Got it. I’ll run to your side so you can get under it. And Jack, don’t tell anyone that I kissed you.” “Wait a minute, when did you kiss me? I don’t recall you doing that,” I said jokingly. “Nice one, Jack. Nice one.” We made our way through the rain and into the school, walking towards the workout room. “Bout time you got here, Jack.” I looked to see Coach Spitfire in the room next to Rainbow Dash and Soarin behind the counter. I can already see Shining Armor, Flash Sentry, and Thunderlane on some of the workout machines, along with some of the others players elsewhere, while Twilight and Cadence were jogging on the treadmills. “Don’t worry about him, Coach. He had to pick me up, and we had a lengthily discussion while getting here,” Applejack said. “Hey Dash. Think you can hold the punching bag for me. I need to get some issues out of the way.” “No problem, AJ.” Dash made her way to the punching bag as Applejack removed her tracksuit, wearing just her sports bra and shorts, like she was going into an MMA ring. “You do martial arts?” I asked Applejack. Rainbow Dash decided to answer the question for her. “She just likes to let out some punches and kicks just to stay in shape. Although, I would like to see her in the MMA in the future, just so she can whip some…” “Alright, Dash. I think he gets the message,” Applejack said, cutting Dash off. I went to the leg press to set up some weights to work with, when I noticed Twilight and Cadence looking at me from the mirror in the room. “I’m guessing the rain forced you to work out in here, right?” “That’s right, Jack,” Twilight said. “Cadence got me hooked on jogging last year, and the only times we jog in here is when it’s raining or when it gets cold. It’s a good thing Dash and Soarin monitor the room on most of the weekends.” “Yea, unless they’re trying to get their boyfriends’ attention as a distraction,” Dash replied. “Very funny, Dash,” Cadence replied. “Hey Soarin. Think you can spot me for now? I don’t see Swift anywhere,” I said. “Sure thing,” Soarin replied. “Swift had to do some family errands anyway.” “I can understand that,” I said. Soarin came by to make sure the machine was ready for me; quietly asking me, “So, asked anyone to homecoming?” “I had to go through that discussion with AJ getting here,” I quietly said. “I just don’t feel like focusing on that right now. Besides, when are you going to ask Dash out?” “I don’t know, Jack. I really don’t want this to feel like a date.” “Like it has to be a date. Just escort her to homecoming and see where it goes. It’s not like you’re going to ruining your friendship with her anyway.” Twilight caught on to our conversation and decided to take a break on her jog to grab a small towel and her water bottle, while walking towards us. “I can hear what you are talking about, and Jack’s right. It doesn’t have to be a date like it is with me and Flash. Just be her escort and let it play out from there.” “Well, I thought Jack was going to make a move on her,” Soarin recommended. “If you mean the slap on the rear after our road game, that was just a response to her calling me chicken,” I said. “Besides, I bet you did it wrong that one time.” “How would you know?” Soarin asked me. “Did you cup the hand when you did it?” Soarin had a worried look on his face. “Thought so. That’s why she decided to hunt you down after that happen.” “He does have a point,” Twilight added. “And Jack, now’s a good time to look for a girlfriend.” I just stared at her as my response. “I mean it. About every single girl I know or come across is interested in getting to know you more. Not to mention that I’ve seen you stressed out at times. Whenever I see Flash stressed out, I help him to relax, and he does the same thing to me when I’m stressed out. Unless you’re interested in Moon Dancer, then…” I held up my hand to hold her response. “We’ve talked about that, and she’s not interested in one, unless it’s someone who can challenge her. So you can scratch that name off your list.” “Well, just think about it for once, Jack,” Twilight told me. She went back on to the treadmill to resume her jog. I got on the leg press and began my workout routine. After switching to a few more stations, I finished my workout on the bench press when I saw a familiar DJ walk in. “Hey Dash. I brought those CDs that you wanted to use in here,” Vinyl said. “Good. Just put…them on the…counter and…pop one into…the player,” she replied while bracing for more of Applejack’s punches. Vinyl placed them on the counter and selected one for the CD player. “Hey Jack. Let’s see if you remember this one.” Once I heard the music play, I knew which artist it was. “Neon Lights. Surprised you still have his first CD.” “Well, guess what? Now it’s a signed copy,” Vinyl responded. “No way. You got to meet him in person when you were at that contest?” I asked her. “That’s right,” she said. “Just after getting my 3rd place award. He’s a really nice guy in person.” “Now I have to enter next year,” I said. “Already around the 20 minute mark in my 30 minute mix tape. Been thinking about adding a remix of one of his works, if he’ll let me.” “I’ll PM him when I get back home. I’ve been meaning to tell him that we now live in the same town, so to speak.” Then Vinyl’s tone changed. “But if you’re going to enter, then you’ll have to face another local.” “Do not tell me that she found out who Lemon Lime is,” I thought. “So there’s another amateur DJ in Ponyville?” I asked her. “Yea. It was Firecracker who won this summer, allowing him to enter the pros next year. Lemon Lime won 2nd place. Turns out that her real name is Lemon Zest.” Everyone stopped what they were doing for a moment when they heard the name. “You mean from Crystal Prep?” Rainbow Dash said with a shock on her face. Vinyl just nodded in response. “And to think she would only play basketball. I never knew she was working on being a DJ.” “That’s Crystal Prep for ya, trying to one up us in everything,” Applejack said, following with a heavy punch on the punching bag. “Easy there, AJ. What’s got you beat?” Dash asked her. “Take a good guess,” Applejack said, following another few heavy punches. “Tenderhoof,” I said. Applejack stopped for a moment and started at me. “Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon told me about him. And yes, he does sound like a creep from DT’s point of view.” Applejack responded, “Darn right he is. Decided to go to Sugarcube Corner for a shake after our meeting and guess who shows up. Decides to sit next to me, trying to hit me up again. I just wanted to buck him in the face right on the spot, just to shut him up.” “I’m guessing about everyone here has a problem with certain Crystal Prep students, right?” I said. “I mean, Rarity and Coco have brought up Suri. Whom else should I be worried about?” Dash started first. “Well, there’s Lightning Dust that we knew from Cloudsdale. She’s one who likes to break the rules. How she ended up in Crystal Prep, I have no idea.” “Wait, she’s at Crystal Prep?” Coach Spitfire asked. “You mean Coach Fleetfoot hasn’t told you?” Soarin asked Spitfire. “I haven’t been in touch with her since I was coaching college. Last thing I knew was that she got the coaching job at Crystal Prep. Guess we haven’t kept in touch since that day. How can she keep that girl in check over there?” “Maybe you should ask Principal Snitch.” Dash ranted. “Besides,” Twilight spoke, “they have Sugarcoat helping out with the plays, making sure they get it right. If it’s not her brains that keep them in check, then it’s her attitude. She always think up all the plays for all the teams like she’s a pro.” “Twilight, don’t forget the principal’s daughter, Sunny Flare,” Dash added. “Like mother, like daughter. She’s like a hawk on the basketball team.” “And then there’s Sour Sweet,” Soarin said. “Every time I see them play, she always finds a way to stir up some trouble. Nice one minute, ugly the next. She’s even got in Dash’s head one time.” “And it was not cool what she did,” Dash added. “She even treated Fluttershy badly one time, and it almost hurt her feelings. Flutters can be very sensitive about some things.” “Along with Lemon Zest, they make up four of the ‘Elite Five’ at Crystal Prep,” Twilight said. “The Elite Five? Just like the Mane 6 at this school?” I asked. Twilight answered, “In a way, yes. They are known as the best of the best at that school. And in various ways.” “So…Lemon Zest, Sour Sweet, Sunny Flare, and Sugarcoat are part of the Elite Five.” I said. “Is Lightning Dust a part of it or not?” “Lightning Dust doesn’t even come close to them,” Dash said. “That honor belongs to their top athlete, Indigo Zap. It was her that gave them that name. And they like to show it off wherever they go.” “Indigo Zap created the Elite Five? Now I’m worried about her,” I thought. Dash continued, “For once, I would like to beat their basketball and soccer teams and rub it in her face. She’s even working on getting the same scholarship that I want for Equestria University. Not cool.” “Then I guess you would have to step up your game to compete with her,” I said. “Anyone else I should be concerned about?” It was quiet for a moment before Shining Armor broke the silence. “Cadence, I recall you having an issue with one foreign exchange student over there that you have crossed paths a few times.” Cadence sighed before she spoke. “If Rarity hasn’t brought her up, then I might as well say it. There’s one student who comes from Prance overseas. Her name is…Fleur de Lis. She’s been Suri’s model for her fashions, hoping to become what her mother is back home. And she’s one smart student in the school; so don’t let her looks fool you if you come across her. She always treated like she’s a princess, trying to get any guy that she thinks is worth taking.” “Sounds like this Fleur and Suri have one thing in common; like mother, like daughter,” I said. “She’s a senior at Crystal Prep, right?” “Nope, she’s a junior,” Cadence responded. “And she doesn’t care how old, or young, the guy is, or even where they are from. If she wants him, she’ll do anything to get him, right Shining?” as she stared at him. “Well,” as he cleared his throat, “she did make some passes by us before. And to be honest, she did catch my eye with her walk, which Cadence didn’t like. But I would have to agree that being one of the popular ones at the time could have that effect. And I didn’t know that she was the daughter of a foreign model until afterwards, which could explain her actions towards me. That’s when you know that she’s just there for show.” “And he’s glad that it happened to him, because that gave us a heads up about her,” Flash added. “Tried to do the same to me in front of Twilight a couple of times. I could see why we were warned about her.” “I saw him look at her, and his reaction was, ‘is that how models walk?’” Twilight said. “But in seriousness, if Crystal Prep has finally heard about you, she’s going to make her move at some point. And since you still don’t have a girlfriend, you’ll be an easier target than Flash and Shining.” “That’s what I’ve been trying to tell him,” Applejack added, “but he’s too stubborn to listen. And with homecoming being two weeks away, and several girls at school interested in him, he just wants to avoid the issue.” “I am not stubborn,” I replied. “I have more important issues to focus on. Plus, I’ve only been here for over two months. I haven’t had time to get to know about everyone in the school expect for what problems that keep appearing every now and then.” “Like Sunset Shimmer?” Applejack added. I sighed and rolled my eyes. “Look, if you don’t put your priorities in check, you’ll be in a sinkhole so deep that it’ll swallow you whole.” Something tells me this is not going to stop unless I do something. So it was time I used my gift in hopes to send a message. “OK, AJ. Then lets do this. Since I’m in need of a sparing partner here, let’s see how well you can do in a one-on-one match. I beat you, and you become my sparing partner for the school year, and this conversation that everyone keeps bring up comes to an end. You beat me, and I’ll put my focus on Sunset aside, with the exception of our science project, and start looking for a girlfriend.” “Hold up, partner. Let’s make it this. I beat you, and you get to become my date to homecoming, then you can look into finding a girlfriend after that. You still got two more football games to go before playoffs begin, and that should be your focus at this time.” Coach Spitfire intervened. “If you two are going to make bets in a fight, I want to see what he’s made of. I am a black belt in martial arts, and I hate to see Applejack damage you without my OK. I have better control than she does, after seeing how she’s been acting.” “I hate to say this, but she’s right,” Soarin said. “I’ve seen her at some karate classes, and she’s good at what she does, without hurting her opponent.” “OK, let’s do this,” I said, and got up to get ready to spar with Coach Spitfire. I just hope that my gift, plus the training I had with Indigo Zap and sparing with Night Glider, will help out. Everyone went to the sides of the room to watch. I made sure to loosen up before battling. I haven’t done this in a while, and since this was no bully like before, this could be a challenge. Dodging was one thing, but striking would be the bigger challenge in this. When she saw that I was ready, we both made our stance to attack. Spitfire made the first move, throwing a punch at me. I dodge her attack and threw a counter-punch, which she was able to avoid. She countered by throwing her rear leg and swinging it around to strike my backside. My gift allowed me to sense and block her kick. That’s when she went and threw her other leg into the air to make an upper kick strike. Another part of my gift went into effect, allowing me to drop on the floor to avoid the second kick. I rolled underneath her and got back up, just as she landed on her feet. “Well, you know how to dodge my attacks,” she said, “but I’m still waiting for you to strike.” “If that’s the case…” I said, before taking my stance and throwing my first punch. She avoided the hit and grabbed my wrist. I threw my other fist at her, but she grabbed my other wrist. Sensing that she was about to do a leg attack, I went to do a full 360, lifting my arms upward in the turn. This caused her to follow along, unable to execute her leg move. Once fully rotated, I was able to keep the crossed arms in the center. That’s when I pulled her towards me. As I landed on my back, I used my feet to flip her over me, causing her to land on her back and losing her grip on me. As I got back up, she jumped back up with her back towards me before turning around. “I think you proved your point, Jack.” Spitfire decided to stop the battle and stepped aside. “Applejack, you’re up.” “Bout time.” Applejack walked up to where Spitfire once stood, making her stance. “Hope you ready to be taught a lesson.” “Your lesson or mine,” I said, making my stance. When we were ready, she made her first move and threw a punch at me, allowing me to dodge like before. But when I went for a counter-punch, it made contact it the lower side of her body, allowing her to flinch. “You call that a punch, partner?” as she taunted me. She threw more punches and kicks at me, but I was able to dodge or block them. But every punch or kick I threw either missed her or barely bruised her on contact. When she pulled back from a blow, she taunted me again. It lasted 10 minutes before I noticed what she was trying to do. Knowing that she was well built from all the work and training that she did, all she needed to do was wear me down, which was slowly starting to take effect. I had enough stamina to last longer than that, but she’s one who doesn’t give up. I had one option left to rely on. Something that Indigo taught me when handling bullies. Let their attacks become their downfall, and taunting her was the only way to get it started. “You seem to take a hit, but can’t even make a blow on me. Is that the best you can do?” I said. “Oh I’m just warming up, sugarcube,” she said. She threw more punches and kicks at me. I dodged the punches and blocked the kicks, looking for an opening. I said, “Come on, AJ. Stop trying to hit me and HIT ME!!!” That’s when she started to fight harder than before. I kept up the same defense before, until I saw the opening. Or so I thought. I was about to do the same flip I did with Spitfire by grabbing her wrist, but she saw it coming and released my grip on her. I sense that she was going straight into me while I lost my balance. She grabbed my shoulders and flipped me over her with her feet, causing me to land on my back. That’s when she went in for the kill. She flipped over to land on me, pinning me on the ground. “Time to end this, partner.” She threw a final punch at my chest. But that’s when my crucial gift came into play. With time slowing down, I was able to grab her fist. When she threw her other fist at me, I grabbed it with my other hand. While holding on to her fists, I pushed and slid myself out from under her, letting go of her fist. With my legs free, I used my feet to push her back on the ground, stunning her in the process. I rolled myself on top of her and threw my fist to her, stopping inches from her face. When she regained her focus, she saw how close my fist was to her, shocking her. “Tag, you’re it.” Spitfire stepped in and said, “I think that’s enough for this match. Jack’s the winner.” “WHAT!?” is what everyone said in the room. Spitfire said, “Jack was able to halt Applejack’s final strike and held restraint to his own. I think that’s enough to prove who won.” Applejack relaxed herself and said, “Fine. You win. I’ll be your sparing partner for the school year.” I got off of her and reached for her hand. “And what about me looking for a girlfriend?” “Yes, we’ll stop talking about it from this point forward,” she said and she grabbed my hand, letting me pull her up off the floor. I went to grab some bottled water from the cooler and sat down to relax myself with a drink. Everyone else was still wondering what just happened. I responded, “What? How do you think I dealt with bullies in the past?” Spitfire snapped everyone else out of it. “All right everyone. Give the kid some space and get back to work. Coach doesn’t want any slackers on his team.” Everyone else resumed their workout, while Dash and Soarin went back to the counter. Applejack went to grab herself some bottled water and sat down next to me. Twilight and Cadence also sat down next to us. Cadence said, “I know we don’t need to talk about it any more, but what about Fleur? When she knows you’re still single, she’s going to make her move. How are you going to deal with her?” I answered, “Let me just say that Sunset isn’t my only focus. I still don’t trust Crystal Prep’s perfect record, and I plan on making sure that it comes to an end. And if anyone from there interferes, I plan to make sure they regret it.” “Well, I hope you know what you are doing…about Crystal Prep, that is,” Twilight said. “I hope so too, Twilight. I hope so too.” I looked at Vinyl and said, “As for Lemon Zest, once I get my mix tape done and enter that contest, she’s going to be waiting another year to join the pros. And I’ll make sure it gets played at homecoming.” “Now that’s what I’m talking about, bro,” Vinyl responded, giving me a brohoof. After finishing with our workout, and the rain stopped, I took Applejack back to her farm. “I still can’t believe you beat me,” Applejack said while looking away from me. “That’s because I caught on to your strategy.” She looked at me, wondering what I was talking about. “You were trying to wear me down because you can take the blows I was giving to you.” “Darn it. Can’t believe you caught on to that. I’m guessing you had more stamina than I thought you would have.” “Well, that and the fact that I used your attacks to my advantage,” I said. “Say again?” she replied with a confused look on her face. “Well, after you tried to taunt me, I decided to taunt you so you can attack harder, hoping to find an opening. After you tried to take me down and placed the finishing blow, I used that to stop your attack and free myself to counterattack and finish you off.” Applejack said, “You just full of surprises, partner. So when do we plan to start sparing?” “Whenever we have any free time during school or on the weekends, if that’s OK.” “No problem there,” she answered. “I’ll make sure I ask Coach Spitfire for some extra protective gear, just to make sure you don’t get bruised up.” We finally pulled up to her place. “Well, thanks for taking me over there and back. See you tomorrow.” “Wait,” I said. She stopped from getting out of the truck. “I have one more thing for you.” “What’s that, sugarcube?” I grabbed her face and planted my lips on hers, putting her in shock. When we separated our lips, I said, “Now we’re even.” “You know, you’re the first guy who made a move like that to me that I really enjoyed,” Applejack said. “Maybe you can handle finding a girlfriend on your own, whenever you’re ready to look for one. Just make sure you see me or my friends if you’re unsure if that girl is worth chasing.” I let out a little chuckle and said, “I thought we were done talking about it. But I’ll let you know if I need your help. And if Tenderhoof gets on your case when I’m around, leave him to me to chase him off. I can be full of surprises.” “I’ll hold you to that,” she replied before getting out of the truck and heading into the house. As I left the farm, I said to myself, “Wow, can’t believe I had the guts to do that. Now I don’t know who to go for, just to get my parents off my back.” Author's Note First time I added a fight scene into the story. I know more of this will happen in the future, so let's hope I do a good job on them.
Ch. 20 - Samurai and Demon (Part 1) - HopeToday’s the day where we get to start on the science project. The only catch is that we don’t know what project we plan on doing because each group will have a different project to work on. But that’s not the only thing going on. Doctor Whooves wanted me to bring my swords that I have with me on a special history lesson, and Miss Luna plans to help out on this, since Doctor Whooves learned from her that I own a Masamune and Muramasa sword. He’s heard of some of the various stories about the two, and wanted to show them to his classes on understanding the possible truth between the two. I just pulled up to the school parking lot early to meet up with Miss Luna and hand her the swords for the time being, due to school rules. “Thanks for bringing the swords to me. I’ll make sure I hold on to them and bring them to Doctor Whooves’ class,” Luna said. “Well, I would have never known that the doctor would be interested in the blades’ history,” I said. “This might be a good learning experience.” “At least I was able to make sure I remember some of its history after my time in the kendo club,” Luna said. “I still can’t believe that you were in the kendo club and Coach Spitfire was in the karate club back then,” I said. “Well, when the kendo club was declining in members, Spitfire decided to merge both clubs into the samurai club. Having to learn control in karate and focus in kendo helped improved the joined club to winning several championships in college. It has got me thinking about creating a samurai club here, with the fact that you can work with your fist and blades, Applejack is good at controlled fighting, and I believe that Silver Spoon has learned a bit of its history, which is also a big factor for the club. Speaking of which, I heard that you had a sparing match with AJ, with a bet in place that you and AJ each had. I’m guessing that you used your gift to get the upper hand.” “I was getting tired of all the girlfriend talk everyone was giving me,” I said. “I’m not one who goes through this kind of thing.” “And to think that you would have AJ as your girlfriend if you lost,” Luna said. “Would have made it easier for the two of you to get together more often.” “It’s because I’m trying to help Sunset out, which everyone is concerned about. And what do you mean that it would have been easier between AJ and me?” I asked after hearing her last comment. “You mean you haven’t noticed every time you’re with her?” I shook my head. “She hasn’t been interested in a boyfriend before, and no boy in the school has had the guts to ask her out. And that’s because of what she has to do for her family. You’re the first guy she has been interested in. She told me about this because it felt like a new experience to her and wanted my advice on the matter.” I asked Luna, “What did you tell her?” “Just to follow her heart, and let the rest play out. I guess she still haven’t found a way to do so.” “And I though she was pulling a ‘Rarity’ on me before,” I said. “And she did it twice.” “Would her version of Rarity is to display a sexy look and voice?” I nodded. “She should have just been herself, or just come out and say it. I’m guessing she’s trying to see if you would catch on, which you haven’t.” “Well, she believes that I’m too focused on Sunset all this time,” I said. “Plus she said that maybe Rarity would be interested in me, but doesn’t want to get her club members jealous of her. Even Octavia might be interested in me, and Rarity’s not the only girl to tell AJ this. Vinyl has messaged me about hooking me up with Octavia because she thinks I’m nice and cute, but doesn’t have the courage to ask me. I’m just not one who is interested in a relationship at this time.” “I’m surprised that Trixie has yet to come forward.” I gave her a confused look. “You mean you haven’t noticed her either. She’s been eying you at every meeting. I even overheard her asking Chrysalis about you. Did you make some kind of first impression towards her?” “Well, I did pull some acting for Twilight when we met her on the first day of school.” And that’s when it hit me. “Wait, you mean she likes a guy who knows how to act?” “More like playing the part with her,” she responded. “You really have no experience with girls, do you?” I stopped and let out a sigh before I spoke. “It’s because I move from city to city every year or two.” “Feel like talking about it? We have some time before classes start.” “Sure,” I said, “but not out here, please.” So we went to Miss Luna’s office to talk about my problem with relationships. “Back when I was in the 4th grade in Appleloosa, I was friends with Little Strongheart. Basically, it was both of us who helped resolved an issue that was going on, which led to the first annual Indian culture festival. We spent some time together when it was going on, and even though we were young, both of us felt this…connection that we had. But we knew there would be problems, with her being the chief’s daughter and me always on the move, so we just stayed as friends. Then it was to Trottingham for the 5th and 6th grades. That was when the bullying started. It became the only focus that I had. Then it was to Fillydelphia for the 7th and 8th grades. That’s when I started to discover my powers…and met Indigo later on. All the times that we have done training in the 8th grade to deal with bullies together, and I never had the courage to ask her to be my girlfriend.” “You mean that you were interested in her back then?” Luna asked me. “I…I was. But I felt like if I had to move again, I would break her heart in doing so. So I became a friend to her instead. Then it was to Manehattan for the big project that my dad was working on. I had to leave Indigo behind and move on. I’m sure you know the rest from that point from Coco.” “What about Coco? Have you ever thought about being more of a friend to her? I mean, the two of you were close at the time,” Luna asked me. “I had the same thing going through my head about her, and I think it was the right thing to do, since she left after the 9th grade. I just felt like that it would be pointless in having a relationship with someone when I’m always moving from city to city. I guess that’s why I have no experience in this matter.” “But here you are now. You’re back with Coco, and Indigo goes to Crystal Prep. Think that would be more of getting a second chance with one of them again?” “I’ve thought about that, but Coco told me when we were reunited that one day I might find a girl that I can spend my time with, maybe in college, and I wouldn’t have to be moving from city to city ever again. So I knew that Coco was out of the question because I didn’t want to hurt our friendship that we have. And you can understand with Indigo being at Crystal Prep that’s a no go there.” “So you never had any feeling for any of the girls that you have met since you’ve gotten here?” It took me a moment before I could answer. “Well, only two that I know of. Applejack is one of them, but I wasn’t sure if she was serious of just joking towards me.” “And the other one?” she asked me. “Sunset. I felt like that there was some pain in her from her past that needed to be healed. AJ and me think her father could have abused her, after seeing how she reacted towards Mrs. Rich and bringing him up. But I still won’t know until I get her to open up about her past. And yes, I can understand if others think I doing something stupid being with her. But that’s who I am. I can’t change that.” “Well…” Luna took a moment before responding. “I can’t tell you what you should and shouldn’t do about having a relationship. That’s something for you to find out on your own…with your heart,” as she pointed at my chest. “But don’t be afraid to talk to me if you need to get something off your chest that’s bugging you. Remember that.” “Thanks.” I looked at the clocked and noticed that classes would be starting soon. “I better get to class. I’ll see you in 2nd period with my swords.” By the time 2nd period came, I saw Luna in my history class with my swords. Both of us talked about the history of Masamune and Muramasa, explaining in detail what made both blades different, answering questions from my classmates. It was at one point that got heads turning when Sunset asked her question. “Why is the Muramasa called the blood-thirst blade?” Everyone turned and stared at her. “I mean, is there a reason they call it that?” Luna was able to step in and answer her question. “That’s a good question to ask, and I think I have the answer to that.” She placed one of the blades back into the case and went up to the whiteboard. “It started off as a challenge between the two on who can made the finer sword. When they finished their swords, they decided to test the results in a small creek, which I’ll draw on the board. The top line represents Masamune, and the bottom is Muramasa. When the leaves came towards them, it traveled to the side of Masamune’s blade, while others that came to Muramasa’s blade were cut in half. This also had the same effect on the fish that came by. Muramasa felt like his blade was the better of the two. But a monk who saw what went on gave his opinion on both swords. He believed that the Muramasa, while being a fine blade, was a bloodthirsty, evil blade, because it would cut anything in it’s path, and believed that the Masamune was the purer sword because it would not cut down anything that was innocent. “It would be later on that lords and noble captains would request a Masamune blade to help protect themselves and those they cared or wish to protect. But evil warlords and assassins would request a Muramasa blade so that they can kill anything that would stand in it’s way. They even believed that if a Muramasa blade was drawn, that it must draw blood before it can be sheathed, if you believe in superstitions. That’s why it’s been called the blood-thirst blade.” Derpy raised her hand and asked, “Is there a reason that those are listed as the last blades ever made?” “Now this one I can answer,” I said. “Because of the clients that they encounter, Muramasa decided to challenge Masamune to a duel, by creating a blade that themselves will use to battle each other. The battle was to be held in an unknown location so that no one would interfere. No one really knew what happened when they haven’t seen or heard from either of them for days. A villager was walking through a forest until he came up to an opening. He saw two blades that were stuck into the ground, and no blood or person around. When he saw the engravings on both blades, he made his way back to the village elder about what he found. Unknown of what happened to them, they took the blades and placed them on display together, as a way to honor them for their craft, even if it was for different reasons.” Another student wanted to know how I got them. I told them that it was a give from a museum collector, but didn’t have time to explain because the bell just rang. I made sure that they were placed in its case so that Luna and Doctor Whooves can show them to the next two classes before placing them back to her office. Twilight, Applejack, and Sunset all came up to us for a moment. “I hope my question wasn’t uncalled for,” Sunset said. Twilight stepped in and said, “I think that was a good question to ask. I would have never known that it was a monk’s opinion to give it that title. While it might be a superstition, there are those who believe in those kind of beliefs.” “Indeed it is, Twilight,” Luna said. “And since I have you here, I’ve been thinking about something that I want to discuss with the club. Jack, AJ, Sunset. Can the three of you meet me in my office during club activities? I’ll notify Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon to meet up with us as well.” “Sure thing,” Applejack responded, while we nodded our heads. 4th period was coming to an end, and everyone in class got their science project assignments. Sunset was confused as to what we had to do. “The science of…weather? What’s that supposed to mean?” “Is that what you two have to work on?” Twilight asked us. “Yep,” I responded. “Oh, that’s a good assignment to work on.” Sunset just glared at Twilight, but didn’t want to say anything just yet. “With the way the weather works, scientists have been working on understanding weather better as the technology has evolved for its use.” “I saw a show with Silver Spoon about this last week,” I said. “I’m sure we can get this done.” The bell just rang, signaling the end of class. Everyone grabbed their books and left the classroom. Sunset was still worried about the assignment that we had to do. Applejack was able to join us in the hallway, but unlike her usual hello, she could see the worry on Sunset’s face. “Something wrong, Sunset?” she asked. Sunset let out a huff, not knowing what to say. I said, “We have to work on the science of weather for our class project.” “The science of weather?” Applejack said with a confused look on her face. “Well, I can see why she has that look on her face. Even I wouldn’t understand all of the details about weather. We just follow the Farmers’ Almanac we get before the end of the year to help plan for next year. Those guys do all the science stuff just to help us prepare for the farm season. Plus they have some interested tidbits in the book as well.” Sunset asked, “So there is some science to the study of weather?” “Depends on what ya looking at. The book only explains the possible outcome of what we need to look for. None of the mumbo jumbo stuff that people like Twilight would really know,” Applejack responded. “Well, let’s worry about that later and see what Miss Luna wanted to talk to us about,” I said. When we arrived to her office, Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon were there, waiting for us. Miss Luna spoke. “I guess you wanted to know why I wanted us to meet today. I have been doing some thinking earlier today after our morning chat with Jack, and I was wondering if everyone would be willing to be part of a new club at school, the samurai club.” “That’s an odd club to have,” Diamond Tiara said. “Are we supposed to wear armor and carry blades with us?” “The samurai club is a combination of the karate club and kendo club, allowing members to learn strength, discipline, and focus.” We looked behind us to see Coach Spitfire at the doorway with a bag in her hand. “Sorry if I’m a bit late, Luna. Had to make sure the sports equipment was put away.” “Thanks for showing up, Spitfire.” We turned our attention back to Miss Luna. “During our college years, I was part of the kendo club and Spitfire was part of the karate club. When the kendo club’s numbers were on a decline, Spitfire convinced the karate club to join the kendo club, creating the samurai club.” Spitfire added, “Since both clubs come from the same origin, we figured that we can use both teachings to improve both sports whenever we had to compete. This showed a major improvement in both sports, allowing us to win in most of the tournaments that we have competed. And since I have seen Jack and AJ in action, plus the fact that Jack, along with Silver Spoon, have some historic knowledge about the weapons that they used, it’s a good starting point for the club.” Luna continued. “This will be a test phase until the end of the school year before we can make it an official club. But I need to know is all of you will be on board with this.” All five of us looked at each other before making our decision. “I’m in,” said Silver Spoon. “I guess I can give it a shot,” said Diamond Tiara. “Count me in, partner,” said Applejack. “I can use something new to practice,” I said. We all looked at Sunset, waiting for her answer. I can see that she was debating about it in her mind. “Sunset, I’m going to need an answer from you before we move forward,” Luna said. I knew I needed to help her with her decision. “Can I talk to her for a moment in private?” Luna nodded her head, so I took Sunset outside the office to talk. “Sunset, is there something wrong about this decision?” “Well,” she was hesitant for a moment, “I really don’t know. I’m not good at this kind of fighting, but if I refuse, then the club won’t be created because of my actions. And everyone knows about my past.” “Look, it’s just a trial run, and there’s time to learn the sport. Just give it a shot. Maybe this is the change that you need in your life.” She though about it for a moment, before looking at me and giving me a nod. We went back to Luna’s office so she can give her answer. “Miss Luna, I’ll give it a shot.” “Good,” Luna responded. “I work on getting everything prepared for our new club. I hope that by the time football season has ended, we can find time to make it possible.” “Until then, I have something to get you started.” Coach Spitfire got into her bag and brought out some pairs of red, fingerless gloves, and handed each one of us a pair. I noticed the symbol on the glove was a ying yang design. “Forgive me for asking, but what’s this thing on these gloves?” Applejack asked. “It’s a ying yang symbol,” Spitfire answered. “It represents the merger of the kendo and karate clubs; the light and the dark, the white tiger and the black dragon. While both styles are different, where they come from is the same as always. It’s the symbol that we used to represent our club back then during our college years.” “By the way, Jack. I realized that you didn’t have anything to display your blades back home. So I did some looking around and found an old, two blade stand to use with them.” Luna brought out a box with pieces of the blade stand in it. “It should be easy to assemble when you get home. I’ll leave it with your blades in my sister’s office. So if there are not any other questions, you’re dismissed.” As everyone left, Sunset and me decided to make our way to the library for resource materials, while there was still time. “Sunset, do you think you can come by my place tonight so we can get some of this done?” I asked her. “I’ll have to discuss that with my mother. We only have one car, which we share. I have it for today, but I’ll have to run by my mother’s workplace to pick her up.” “What do you do when she needs it?” “She drops me off in the morning, and I take the bus after school, if possible.” “You must have it rough.” “I wish things were easier, but…” I placed my hand on her shoulder and said, “We’ll do what we can on this project. Even if it means through the phone.” She let out a giggle and said, “Thanks.” “So she’s slowly opening up,” Celestia said to me. “So far. But it’s a long way to go. And we think we might know the problem with her,” I said. “Something to do with that fight that you saw in your vision?” “Close,” I replied. “Last week when Mrs. Rich came by, she came close to hitting her daughter before I stopped her. Sunset made a harsh reaction and brought up her father and the cops in the same sentence. I want to think it’s family abuse, but I’m not sure.” Celestia started to have a worried look on her face. “Why do I get a feeling that you need my help with something here?” “Her mother has only one car, which Sunset has at this time. This could create a problem with working together more often if she has to go and pick her up, or have to take a bus home while waiting for her to come home.” “When do your parents get home?” “Mom gets home after five o’clock. Dad is after six. So it’s just Chrysalis and me for the time being.” “Let me see what I can do on that.” So Celestia called my mother first, then Ms. Shimmer later on. She was hoping that they could talk to each other about getting the two of us to meet together at home. All I can do now is wait for the results. “I’ve done what I can do,” she said. “If you do get to work at home with her, how do you plan to get her to open up?” “I might have an idea, but I’ll have to call an old friend of mine,” I said. “She met someone while waiting for me, and I think it could have been Sunset when her mother took her there. If I’m right, her words could be the wake-up call that she needs to help her change.” “Then let’s hope you’re right about this.” Chrysalis was able to help me after school with carrying the box to my truck, while I was carrying the case with the blades. As we were walking to my truck, I saw a guy and two girls looking over the parking area. Chrysalis noticed something about them and pushed me behind one of the cars far from them. “Did you see the girl with the violet hair banded in the back?” Chrysalis asked me. “That’s Suri Polomare.” I took a quick glance before ducking out of sight again. “And if I’m right, the girl with the slick, golden hair is Lightning Dust. But who’s the big blue guy that’s with them?” “I don’t know, but my guess is that they’re looking for you, I assume.” “I guess I got Crystal Prep’s attention. Let’s play along for now until we can find out what they are here for.” Both of us got back up and started walking towards them next to my truck. “Hey,” I yelled. “I hope you’re not messing with my truck.” “Oh, sorry. I was just noticing how old it was,” Dust said. “I don’t think I’ve seen you before. Are you new here?” “Yea, transferred over the summer. I don’t think I’ve seen any of you around here. But I haven’t met all of the students here anyway.” I looked at Chrysalis and said, “Could you put that box in the back of the truck.” “Sure,” she replied and placed the box in the back of the truck, while I placed my case on the corner of the back of the truck. I continued. “This truck might look old, but it’s been well maintain. My father helped me in fixing it up.” “Wish they could have fixed the body,” Suri mumbled to herself. “Hey, you could at least show some respect,” Dust said to Suri. I nodded to Chrysalis that it was time to make our move. “Yea, Suri. Show some respect,” Chrysalis said. Suri caught wind in what she said. “Suri, who’s that?” Chrysalis responded. “Oh, cut the act, Suri. We know who you are and where you’re from, fashion has-been.” Suri started to get furious. “What did you just call me?” “You heard what she said, since you like to hang out with Lightning Rust,” I said. “That’s Dust, you jerk.” Her face went from furious to cocky. “I guess Dash and Rarity filled you in on us, meaning you’re the new player that’s been showing off here.” “More like doing a better job than what your lazy school is doing,” as I was taunting her. “Oh, you are so going to regret saying that,” Dust said before her group started to back up and into the open. As we started to make our way towards them, I said, “If it’s trouble that you want, then it’s trouble you get.” “Three on two? My kind of odds,” said the big guy. “Make it three on three.” We saw Sunset walking towards us. “Well, well, well. Look who shows up, the fire demon herself,” Dust said. Sunset responded, “Look, anyone who wants to mess with my partner, has to mess with me…BITCH!!!” Dust had a mean look on her face. “What did you just call me?” “You heard me…BITCH!!!” “THAT’S IT!!! Brick Wall, take care of the guy, we’ll deal with the bitches ourselves.” All of us got into a big fight. Sunset made her way to Dust with fist flying. Chrysalis and Suri got into what looked like a cat fight. And the guy named Brick Wall came charging towards me. I dodged his charge towards me and bumped into my truck, knocking my sword case to the ground with it opened. He looked towards me and started to make a swing at me, only that I grabbed his fist to stop his punch. He threw his other fist at me, only for me to stop it with my other hand. That’s when he started to put his weight towards me, trying to push me back. “Come on, loser. Is that the best you got?” as he taunted me. “Oh, I’m just getting started.” I gave him three knee kicks to his gut, causing him to go to the ground for a moment. I noticed that Suri has knocked Chrysalis to the ground, shaking her up for a bit. Sunset was able to push Dust far back. That’s when Suri went towards Sunset’s back and grabbed her under her shoulders. Brick Wall started to recover, so I gave a swift kick to his face, shaking him up. Dust started to get up and drew a switchblade. “I think its time for a bloody makeover, bitch.” I knew I needed to level the playing field. With my case open, I went and grabbed Masamune and drew its blade. With the girls farther away, and little time to react, I knew that I needed to make a mad dash towards them. That’s when my soul powers kicked in. For some reason, I was able to make myself end up behind Suri. Not knowing how, I put it behind me and focus on the matter at hand. I placed the blunt edge on the blade to Suri’s neck. “You dare cut her up, and I’ll be happy to end her career.” “You’re bluffing,” Dust said to me. “You want to bet her life on it?” I can sense confusion in Lightning Dust, but it faded when she put a grin on her face. That’s when I sense someone coming behind me, maybe Brick Wall. But that came to an end when I heard a thud behind me. “Sorry if I’m late to react. The bigger they are, the harder they fall.” It was Chrysalis who stopped Brick Wall from advancing. Now the fear of panic came back to Dust again. “So, what’s it going to be?” I said. It was deadlocked for a moment before we heard a voice behind her. “HEY!!! WE GOT COMPANY HERE!!!!” Dust looked back and said, “Damn it. It’s Dash.” She looked back at us. “Let her go. We’re out of here.” Suri threw Sunset to the ground and made a mad dash with Dust. Chrysalis let go of Brick Wall, allowing him to escape. Dust looked back and said, “This isn’t over, fire demon,” and got into the car and drove off. Several of our friends came running towards us. I went and grabbed Sunset’s hand, pulling her up. “You OK, Sunset?” “Yea,” she responded, wiping the dust from her jacket. Twilight was the first to join us. “Sunset, are you trying to cause trouble again?” Before I could respond to Twilight, Rainbow Dash stepped in. “I don’t think so, since it was Lightning Dust that she was facing. I recognize the slick golden hair anywhere.” “That’s not the only one we were facing,” Chrysalis said. “Suri was with them.” “I can’t believe this,” Rarity said. “I know she likes to take credit for anyone’s work, but this is the lowest of the low from her.” “What about the guy that was with them?” Shining Armor asked me. “Brick Wall. Name rings a bell?” “Crystal Prep’s big guy on the team,” Shining Armor replied with his arms crossed. “Looks like they’re trying to start the prank wars early.” “Prank wars?” I asked. “They start their prank wars with us on the week of our match-up with them,” Flash said. “But this is early for them to do this.” “Because this wasn’t a prank,” Chrysalis responded. “They were after Jack.” “Looks like ya got their attention, Jack,” Applejack said. “Let’s just hope I was able to send them a message back to them.” “I hate to interrupt all this, but I need to go and pick up my mother from work,” Sunset said. “Go on. We’ll be fine here,” I said to her. She started to make her way to the car and drove off. “So does anyone here have an idea why Crystal Prep would go after Jack?” Applejack asked. We took a moment to think about it, while I went to put my blade away. Pinkie Pie started to wave her hand like crazy. We just started at her, waiting to hear her answer. “It’s because he’s popular at school and great on the team and gets the girls attention and everyone must be telling about him online and…” “Wait,” I said, cutting Pinkie off. “Does a lot of info get out on social media sites?” The girls nodded. “We always like to tell our experiences to our friends online. Well, ones that we feel like telling,” Fluttershy said as she was blushing. “But if Crystal Prep is looking into our social accounts, then…” Twilight stopped and grabbed her phone to look up online. “Of course. It looks like Jack’s the trending topic for quite some time around our school.” “That could explain why some of them would be scared of you,” Rainbow Dash said. I decided to think some more before coming up with another reason. “Twilight, is there anything that would be different from this football season and last year’s?” “Expect for the fact that we made three straight wins in a row twice, I wouldn’t know. I have both last year’s and this year’s stats on my computer. I can look into it and see if something stands out. But what makes you think that would be the reason?” “Would you be scared if your perfect record was about to come to an end by some rising star?” I said. “I see your point,” Twilight said. “I’ll check on it and let you know tomorrow.” “Thanks,” I said. “And let’s make it known to them that their attempted prank failed, but no names online. I want to see what their next move would be and who could be behind it.” “Oooooo…we get to taunt them,” Pinkie Pie said. “I like that.” “Let’s just hope it doesn’t backfire,” Applejack added. Author's Note I decided to go with the title of the Samurai (Jack) and the Fire Demon (Sunset) as both of them plan to face their own challenges as the story finally reaches its climax. This is in multiple parts, with this being the first part.
Ch. 21 - Samurai and Demon (Part 2) - FearChrysalis and me finally got home after a crazy, but interesting day. We finally took our items inside and placed them up my room. It was when I got a call from my mother. “Hello mom. What is it?” I said. “Dear, I just got a call from Ms. Shimmer. She was hoping that she could bring her daughter over to our house for dinner. She said that you and Sunset were working on a project together this week.” “That’s right. And they only have one car, which makes it a problem for us to find more time to work together.” “Then I’ll let her know that they can come over. Do we have enough spaghetti for six?” “Hold on. Chrysalis, can you check the kitchen if we have enough thin spaghetti and meat sauce?” “On it,” Chrysalis replied. “Mom, did she say when they could get here?” “I think she said it could be around 5:30, but I’ll check to make sure.” I heard Chrysalis from the kitchen. “We have an unopened jar of meat sauce, but we’re low on the thin spaghetti.” “Might as well pick up some thin spaghetti, mom.” “I’ll run by the store to pick some up when I close up shop.” “OK. Text me when you get a time from her.” “I will. Bye.” I went downstairs to talk to Chrysalis. “It looks like Celestia was able to pull it off. Sunset and her mother are coming by for dinner.” “Looks like things are looking up for you,” she said. “I know. Now I need to do one more thing, and that’s a call from an old friend.” I went back up to my room and sent a text to Braeburn that I needed to talk to Strongheart soon. While waiting to hear from them, I got a text from my mother, saying that they will be here before around 5:30. That was enough time to get things set for my help with Sunset. That’s when I got a call back from Braeburn. “Hello,” I said as I answered the call. “Jack, that’s you?” “Little Strongheart. Glad you were able to call back.” “I know. I was with Braeburn as we were leaving the school when he got your text. What do you want to talk about?” “Need you to refresh my memory from the fair that we went together. Did you say that you met someone who was there and later ran off while you were waiting for me to show up?” “That’s right. While I was waiting for you, I saw a girl who was a bit down. She let me see what to look for in her future, just like I did to you before you moved away. It wasn’t good, but she ran away before I could finish telling her what she needed to know. It’s still been in my mind all this time, hoping I would come across her once again.” “She had fiery red hair, right?” -Gasp- “Did you find her?” “If it’s the same girl, then yes. She’s in the same school with me. And I think she needs help.” “I know what to tell her to look for, if I could just talk to her.” “Would it help if I record this conversation for her.” “If you can do it, then that would be great.” “Hang on. Let me get set up here.” It was coming up on 5:30, and we decided to get the table ready for six people. We could have used the dinning room, but mother felt like the eating table next to the kitchen would do, as long as we added the sleeve to it. We were used to the old style, small area whenever we ate. I heard the doorbell and went to check. It was Sunset and her mother who showed up. “Good evening, Ms. Shimmer. Why don’t you both come in.” “We’re not early, are we?” Ms. Shimmer said. “Oh, mom had to pick up some pasta for spaghetti. I hope that’s OK?” “That would be fine, Jack. If you and Sunset want to get some work done until dinner time, you can go on ahead,” she said. “Thanks,” I replied. “Chrysalis is in the kitchen, getting the table ready.” “OK. I can spend some time with her until your parents get home.” Sunset and me went up to our room to get to work on our assignment. Sunset was stunned when she saw my room. She saw that I finally got my blades on display in my room, and saw some of the dragon posters and figures that I have. “OK, should I start calling you a geek with all the dragons that you have?” “Don’t push it, Sunset.” “It was a joke, Jack. I’m just impressed with the type of dragons that you have; both medieval and oriental. Do you believe in them?” “More like what they represent. Power. Wisdom. Courage.” “That sounds like it comes from a classic video game,” she replied with a laugh. “And who should be called a geek in here?” I said with a raised eyebrow. “Now don’t get me started.” I sat down next to my laptop and invited her to sit on the bed next to me. We got out the books that we checked out from the library and decided to get to work on the project. I heard my parents walk in a little after six o’clock, and by the time it was close to seven, we were called to dinner. After we finished dinner, Sunset and me went back up to our room, so we can get some more work done. It was coming up to nine o’clock when we decided to call it a day. I asked her, “So, try to pick up where we left off tomorrow at school?” “That would be nice. I’m…glad that we got some of this done.” “Sunset, ever since Twilight gave you another chance, you’ve made an improvement towards others, even if some of your methods are a bit odd.” “Maybe you’re starting to rub off of me.” Her tone changed as she started to rub her arm in the same spot as before. “Speaking of which, I never thanked you for saving me earlier. I though…that she…” I placed my hands on her shoulders and said, “You came to help us out. If you weren’t around, it could have been a different story for us. We just have to keep fighting.” “You weren’t going to cut that girl that held on to me, were you?” “How can I when it was the blunt side towards her neck.” She punched me in the shoulder. “Damn, you were bluffing to her, and she fell for it.” “Well, she didn’t have to know.” Both of us laughed before we left my room. When we came downstairs, both our parents were talking for a moment before they saw us. Ms. Shimmer spoke first. “Sunset, I was talking to Jack’s mother about this week. I’m going to be very busy and might need the car. Would it be OK if you stayed here until Friday? This will help you work on your project with Jack more than before.” Sunset looked at me for a moment, then turned back to her mother and nodded. My mother responded. “Great. I’ll make sure you have a place to sleep in tomorrow.” “I’ll make sure she has everything packed and brought with her to school,” Ms. Shimmer. “If she needs to, she can leave it with Principal Celestia until after school,” I said. Sunset replied, “I can do that. Thanks.” “Well, we better head on home so she can start packing,” Ms. Shimmer said. As they made their way to the car, Ms. Shimmer told her daughter to head to the car while she wanted to talk to me for a moment. “Jack, I’m glad you’re making an effort on helping my daughter with her problems. I hope that things would be better for her after what she has gone through.” I asked, “Ms. Shimmer, I was talking to Applejack about what could be bothering her, and we think we might know the reason. And I can guess it’s something you don’t even want to talk about as well.” “Her father,” she responded. She let out a sigh before she continued. “I figured that was the reason she’s been that way. And it’s something I don’t want to relive again. I’m sorry, Jack, but that’s something even I don’t want to talk about. I hope you can understand.” “I see. I’ll do what I can to help her then,” I said. “So she’s going to stay with your family for the rest of the week?” Celestia asked me. “Yep. Her mother might be working late this week, so I can be able to spend more time with her on our project together.” “Look’s like luck must be on your side this time,” she responded with a grin. Just seeing that grin tells me that she had something to do with this. I just glared at her, trying to get her to confess. “OK., you win. I talked to her about the project the two of you have to do, and that you are also trying to help her out with her problems as best as you can. She felt like if she could stay with your family, she can see what she’s been missing out in her life.” “A family that cares,” I said. “And her mother can’t be there all the time to help.” “I’m guessing you have a plan in place?” “Yes, but not tonight. My parents have to meet with the boss and his wife for dinner somewhere. And I asked Chrysalis that I’ll need time with her alone, so she plans to stay with Coco to work on some ‘designs’ while over there. And I have what I need from my friend for her to listen. Let’s just hope it all plays out as I want it to be.” “I’m sure it will be, Jack.” Celestia leaned back in her chair with her hands clasped together. “Now for something else that we need to talk about.” I rolled my eyes and said, “I should have seen this coming. How did you know about it?” “Heard it from Luna, who heard it from Chrysalis. I’m surprised that some students of Crystal Prep would make a bold and dangerous move. But that’s beside the point. Chrysalis said that she saw what couldn’t be possible to do.” “Well, since you brought it up, something happened that felt odd. I knew Sunset was in danger when the girls plan to physically harm her, and I was too far away to make it there in time. That’s when it happened. One second I’m far away from them, the next I’m right behind them with my weapon drawn. Any idea what happened?” “Luna knows what you just experience, and it’s one that she wished you didn’t learn at this time.” Celestia brought out the book and opened it to another page to show me. “Soul Shift” Desperate times call for desperate measures. When danger is present, and time is short, a person can shift time and space to get from one area to another, but only in short distances. This can allow the person to get to its target, or escape the target attacking it. “I can see why she can be concerned about this,” I said as I handed the book back to Celestia. “We’re still in football season, and if people see you do a soul shift, it could be bad for all of us,” Celestia said. “Well, I haven’t been desperate about my actions, but it might be wise to let Moon Dancer know about this.” “My sister already has that covered. And what about the three that were there?” “Well, I don’t think they’re gifted, and they would have been too distracted to see me do a soul shift. So we can scratch Dust and Suri off the list, not to mention Brick Wall from their team. He didn’t sense Chrysalis coming to knock him down.” “That still leaves us with the Elite 5,” Celestia added. “I’m more concerned about the fact that they made this move on me with less than two weeks before we face them.” “You’re right about that,” Celestia said with a worried look on her face. “I’m aware about the ‘Prank Wars’ that happen between us and them. I can’t get Cinch to fix the issue because she thinks that they’re not capable of doing something like that. Last year, they dressed up the horse statue to look like a clown.” “I asked Twilight to do some stat comparisons between last year and this year, but she’s still trying to get all the data together. I’m hoping that some major difference in those stats, plus my popularity, could have raised a red flag on their end.” “Well, you were able to get their attention, like you wanted to,” Celestia said. “But if its just some normal students acting on this, it’s possible that someone is pulling the strings. But that’s just a theory.” “I’ll keep that in mind, Celestia.” After finishing up with practice and coming home, we took Sunset’s bags to the guest bedroom before going up to my room to work on some homework and our project. After a few hours of work, my mother brought up a small meal for the two of us to eat. That gave us a bit of a break, not to mention that I was able to pull up the national weather show online to help pass the time while seeing what else we needed to cover. “Question. Have you ever been hooked on the weather?” Sunset asked me. “Answer. Yes,” I replied. “But in all seriousness, it helps pass the time when there’s nothing better to watch. I always like to watch ‘Storm Watchers’ online, even if it’s an old show. Just seeing how it’s formed is one reason I like to watch it. And then there’s the fact that Mother Nature can have an effect on the homes and buildings that get damaged.” “I think the only time I got hooked on a weather related event was the flood of Ponyville that happened 7 years ago,” Sunset said. “And I wasn’t even living in the town back then.” “That was the year Applejack, Apple Bloom, and Scootaloo lost their parents from an overflowing river,” I said. “I never knew they lost their parents during that flood. But I’m sure they had their reasons for not telling me, with my past and all.” “Well, I was living in Appleloosa at the time when I heard about what happened. Around 30 dead, and almost two-dozen homes and buildings flooded. Dad got word about the damage and went down there for a week to see what repair supplies needed to be sent to the town. D.I.Y. has a weather recovery program that gets donations to help out victims of tornadoes and floods. And my dad is one of the few company workers who respond to gather damage assessments in the town.” “Sounds like your family’s life is like an adventure,” she said. “You always go to a new place and get to see what it has to offer.” “Well, I haven’t been anywhere to the north or west of here. So there’s still a lot to explore.” I started to lie down on the bed with my legs hanging on the side of the bed, remembering one of my past moments. “I still like living in Manehattan, and it’s not because of the big city lifestyle. It was more of what happened during the nighttime.” “Well, it is one of the busiest places to live and work,” Sunset added. “What made the nighttime better for you?” I told her, “We lived in a three story building, when the garage was on the bottom floor. The second and third floors were like a regular house. I had access to the escape stairs outside, which also went up to the rooftop. At night, when I needed to clear my head, I go up to the roof and look at the night sky above while the mixed lights and sounds kept me at ease. Ambient sounds were something that I like to listen to a lot. And when it snowed, the lights look a lot brighter, but not a lot of sound went on, because everyone wanted to stay inside from the cold.” Sunset started to law down next to me in the same position. “I prefer the winter time myself, when I was younger. When the ground was filled with snow and the moon was out, it made the area look brighter in night.” She turned her head towards me. “It must be great to have everything. A family that gets to go to places, see new things, make new friends, just about everything.” “Not everything,” I said. “Friends come and go in my life, not to mention I can’t get a girlfriend, knowing that I might have to move again.” “But look at you. Your family has now settled down, so you can finish up high school at its prime. Plus, you’ve become popular at the school and got most of the girls interested in you, so finding a girlfriend shouldn’t be a problem for you.” “I though you would still be jealous of me being popular, thanks to you,” I said. “I was, but I can’t compete with that anymore,” she said. “Besides, you got all those girls out there waiting for you to ask one of them out.” I just let out a huff and sighed. She got back up and said, “Oh come on. You haven’t even bothered to ask one of them out, have you?” “That’s the least of my worries,” I said. Looking straight into my eyes, she said, “And what’s holding you back in doing so?” “I’m staring at it.” She pulled back and started to look away. “What…what’s so important about me?” I sat back up and said, “I don’t know. Why don’t you tell me?” “Jack, you should know everything about me from everyone else, remember?” “Unless there’s something you’re not telling us.” She got up and walked to another window in my room, rubbing the same upper arm as before. “The last thing I want to talk about is my past, so just…” “Zip it. I know, I know. But at some point you going to have to tell me. You can’t keep it bottled up inside you. Or would you rather keep the title of fire demon with you?” Sunset started to ball up her fist, wanting to just lash out, but she then put it aside. “Please, just…give me some time, OK? I’m not ready for this. I’m not ready to relive my past.” I got back up and grabbed the empty plates and glasses. “You want some more fruit punch?” “If you will, please.” I left my room for a moment to put away the dishes and refill our glasses. When I got back up to my room with our drinks, I saw that she was reading some of the newsletters from Crystal Prep. “Still can’t believe he writes this crap,” she said to herself. “What, Tenderhoof?” I said, startling her. “Gosh, you scared me there,” she responded. “How did you get your hands on these newsletters?” “You can thank the two rich girls in our club. Met some of the students while they were still in junior high.” “Well, I can see why Tenderhoof is a creep. His poems suck.” “You came across him?” I asked. “Came across and brought him to his knees. The creep just wants to stalk any girls that catches his eye.” “And how did you handle him before?” “You really want to know?” I nodded. “Goes back to my freshman year. I was pissed after my fight with Flash. So I decided to just chill out at Sugarcube Corner, and guess who walks in. Tenderhoof himself. And just so you know, I didn’t know that he was a student at Crystal Prep when he showed up. Decides to sit next to me and flirt with me. So my response was a knee below the belt, causing him to fall down in pain. I left after that and never crossed paths with him again.” “Maybe that’s what AJ needs to do.” I said. “You mean he’s been stalking on her as well?” “Came across each other at Sugarcube Corner after Saturday’s meeting. And she did not like it one bit.” “Well, if he shows up to AJ again, I’ll be happy to give him a boot to the head,” she responded. “I’ll hold you to that, Sunset.” “So what’s the point in having these newsletters?” she asked. “You’ve heard about Crystal Prep’s perfect record?” She nodded. “I don’t buy it one bit. I mean, being the best is fine, but perfect is hard to pull off. Even Mane Coast Academy can’t be perfect all the time.” “I have always though they were a bunch of spoiled rich kids and really didn’t want to bother about it. But when you think about it now, it does seem odd to maintain a perfect record.” “I thought the same thing.” We heard the voice coming from the doorway and noticed that it was Chrysalis. “Thought I check up on you two. Your towels are in the guest bathroom whenever you are ready, Sunset.” “Thanks, Chrysalis. Must be hard not having a family of your own.” “I can understand. But this is my family now, and I make sure I embrace every day of it. And I can see you found the newsletters that we had.” “Jack told me how you got them,” Sunset responded. “So far, she’s learned more about Tenderhoof,” I added. “Oh, you have yet to see the real treasure.” Chrysalis went and grabbed the issue that had Fleur on it and showed it to Sunset. Sunset looked at the name and had a hard time pronouncing the girl’s name. “How do you even say this girl’s name?” “Fleur de Lis,” Chrysalis responded with an accent. “I know it’s a foreign name. Why they like those names is beyond me. And I’ve been meaning to tell you this, Jack, but she’s Suri’s own personal model to her fashions.” “Ugh, can’t believe she works for that bitch,” Sunset said. “Depends on which bitch is working for who,” Chrysalis added with a laugh. “Wouldn’t mind getting back at her for what she did yesterday.” “Can’t argue with you there,” Sunset added. “Well, I need to go back down and finish up on some remaining homework. I’ll let you get back on your project.” And that’s when Chrysalis let my room. We decided that we had enough of our break time and went back to work. Well, after she saw the video about how a fire tornado was created, which she felt like we should add to our project details. For some reason, she started to create an interest in the subject as it went on. As it was getting late, we decided to call it a day so she can go wash up before getting some rest downstairs. I went to my bathroom to get myself ready for bed. At that time, I could hear Sunset yelling. “Can you at least knock before entering?” I heard Chrysalis respond. “Sorry, but it sounded quiet in there. I thought you were done in there.” “Well I’m not, OK?” Followed by a slamming of the door. “Looks like Chrysalis caught Sunset in a bad moment,” I thought. As I came out of the bathroom, I saw Chrysalis nearby. “Not used to having another guest in the house at night?” I said. “Maybe. But something didn’t look right on her.” “What do you mean?” I asked. “Well, it’s the first time that I, or even anyone, have seen her bare arms, since she wears that jacket all the time. And I though I noticed scars on her lower arms, as if she was trying to cut herself in the past.” “Suicide or just harming herself?” “Well, I can noticed what looks like a true suicide, and with several markings, it looks like she wants to harm herself instead.” “But she was scared when Dust wanted to cut her up with her knife. Something’s not right about this,” I said. “Well, I’m going to stay with Coco tomorrow after school. And with your parents out on dinner, this could be the only chance to find out what’s she’s doing to herself.” “I’m done with the bathroom,” Sunset yelled from downstairs. Chrysalis told me, “Better get some rest, Jack. Tomorrow’s going to be a long day.” Twilight was still working on compiling the data from last year and this year. She said that it’s been harder to work on than expected. She was also looking into other ideas that Crystal Prep could have gotten their info about me. Until then, it was business as usual. I told Celestia about the possible scar marks on Sunset’s arms that Chrysalis saw, which was new to her. She hasn’t heard anything like this from her mother before, which raises more questions about her past. And I haven’t sense any change with that wall of hers. After practice, I took Sunset back to my place, while Chrysalis planned to stay with Coco tonight. My dad got home early before heading out to pick up mom for dinner with his boss. This left me with Sunset for the evening, working on our project some more. “So if the forest lacks rain water for days, maybe weeks, then it will be dry enough to become a wildfire waiting to happen?” Sunset asked me. “Yep. And if that were to happen, then they would have to fight fire with fire, so to speak. And high winds can make it harder to stop.” “Mother Nature can be brutal at times. Good thing Appleloosa and Dodge City don’t have to deal with that issue. Most of it is open land anyway.” “I have to ask you this. Back in the 4th grade, you weren’t living in Ponyville, and I know you didn’t live in Appleloosa when you went to the fair. So where did you live at that time?” “Would you believe Las Pegasus? Mother wanted to take the long trip to Appleloosa when she heard about the fair at that time. Got everything planned out in advanced. She felt like I needed a change of scenery to make me feel better.” “But something happened that you wished didn’t happen, right?” Sunset had this confused look on her face. I figure it was time she knew. “I’m aware that you came across an Indian girl about your age at the fair, and something she said scared you away.” “Let me guess. Little Strongheart.” She sighed for a moment. “Look, I really don’t want to talk about it.” “No need to,” I said. “I just want you to listen to this.” I went to my laptop and started to play an audio file on there. “OK., I’m recording. Now tell me what happened that day.” “Well, I came across this girl who felt down, so I decided to talk to her and maybe lift her spirits. She was dealing with some past issues that she felt like she didn’t want to talk about. It wasn’t my place to ask in the first place, so I asked her if she would let me look into her spirit and see what her future holds. It’s like the time I did this to you before you had to move again. She went along, feeling that it would hurt to try. And it was my first attempt in this task. When I looked into her spirit, I felt pain and suffering. I told her that her journey would take her down a dark path, and that she would have to face what’s to come.” Sunset went to stop the recording. “Please Jack, I don’t want to be reminded of all that.” I said, “Wait. There’s more that you need to know.” I started the recording again. “That’s when she just ran off in tears, not letting me finish what I saw.” “And what was else did you see in her?” “I saw a light in the darkness. It was a light that she couldn’t reach alone. I can see a figure that would take her to that light. Seeing that meant that someone would be there to take her on the path that she needs to go, after having to suffer the pain that she would go through. I wanted her to know that she needed to be strong through this dark path, in hopes that the figure I saw would appear to be at her side and bring her out of the dark. When I told you that you would be special, and was able to find her, I think that figure that I saw might have been you.” I stopped the recording. “You ran off, not hearing the whole story. She has been hoping to meet you again and tell you what you need to know. And to hear that I might have been that figure that she saw was a bit of a surprise to me.” Tears started to come on Sunset’s face. “You’re making this up, just to make me feel bad about my actions.” “That’s not true, and you know it.” I placed my hands of her shoulders and said, “You’ve been living with your demons for a long time and been trying to hide it all this time. And it has to do with what your father did to you.” She started to rub the same spot on her arm again. “What makes you think it has to do with my father?” “Because you brought it up during your argument with Mrs. Rich about the cops. And I like to think it comes from this spot here.” I placed my hand on hers that was on her arm. “Can you at least show me what it looks like?” “OK.” She slid down her jacket, exposing her upper arm. I can barely see a bruise mark that was there. When I placed my hand on it, she flinched. I started to see the images that I saw from the letter I touched from Ms. Shimmer, but clearer. I saw her mother arguing with a man, maybe Sunset’s father. The arguing gets intense. Then he slaps her in the face hard, causing her to fall down. Then Sunset appears and starts to fight the man. He grabs her on the arm hard, almost breaking it, and tosses her to her mother. The door busts open, revealing a big man. The other man decided to run, but is taken down by the big guy. He tells someone something, but I can’t make out any of the words. All I can hear is Sunset in pain. That’s when the images came to an end. “Sunset, I know you don’t like to talk about, but the longer you keep it bottled up, the more painful it will be.” She looked at me and said, “Promise you won’t tell anyone about it?” I nodded. Both of us sat back down on my bed. “It started back when I was in Kindergarten, up in Vanhoover. That’s where I was born. My parents got into a heated argument. Mom was doing all the work, while dad was lazy and couldn’t keep a job. She felt like he wasn’t doing enough to support the family. That’s when he slapped her in the face, knocking her to the ground. I was mad and started hitting dad, causing him to grab my arm, almost breaking it. I was tossed towards my mother in pain. Next thing that happened was the door busting open. It was our neighbor, who heard it next door. My dad tried to run, but was taken down by our neighbor. He told his wife to call the police and ambulance. Doctor said that it was a fracture, and would have to be in a cast for weeks. With dad locked up for a while, mom wanted to file for a divorce and have full custody of me, which was granted. “After being laughed at in my class with the cast on me, we decided to move away to Las Pegasus, with our neighbor’s help. She wanted to leave the past behind and move on. With a new job and new home, we thought everything would be fine. But I had a hard time making friends because I felt like an outcast. Mom said to give it time. She even thought the trip to Appleloosa would do some good. “It wasn’t until the 6th grade that everything started to fall apart. The welfare checks stopped coming in. She made a call to look into my father as to why it stopped. Turns out that he committed suicide. Cops were there to make sure he was still there, only to find him with a gun. He pointed the gun to the cops, causing them to open fire. Turns out than the gun wasn’t even loaded. Suicide by cop, they said. Couldn’t keep a job, and his bank accounts were empty and closed. Guy didn’t even have the guts to pull the trigger. We knew we couldn’t stay in Las Pegasus for long because of rent. The company that my mother worked for said that they were opening a branch in Ponyville. Rent would be easier on us, and they promised to help us move at no cost. She felt like the small town life would be much easier for us. That’s when I met Flash in the 7th grade at my new school. “I’m sure you know the rest of the story from the others. The reason I dated Flash when he started getting popular in the 8th grade was to just cover up my past. I felt happy at the time, until we took a break from dating. I thought I would get by on my own.” Her tone changed from sorrow to anger. “But Twilight and Cadence both stole the show from me. I didn’t want to fall back in that same hole that I was able to crawl out of. I…I WANTED THEM TO PAY!!!” I intervened. “Sunset, look at me.” She turned towards me. “I know you felt mad, but did you ever thought about talking to them about the pain you were feeling?” “I thought that if I told them, that they would laugh at me. I can still hear it; the laughing, the taunting. I just wanted it to end.” She covered her face with her hands, crying. “Sunset, I need you to do me a favor.” She looked at me with sadness and fear. “I need you to take off your jacket.” She looked away, crying some more. “Please…please, don’t make me go through this.” “Look, if you want me to help you, you have to trust me in this,” I said to her. She finally took off her leather jacket. And on her lower arms were knife marks all over, just like Chrysalis said. “When have you been doing this?” “Over the summer,” she replied. “I just wanted it all to go away. It’s not like anyone ever cares about me anymore.” “That’s a load of bull, and you know it. There’s always someone out there who still cares for you.” “Name one person who does. I dare you,” she said still crying. “You mother.” She froze right there after I said that. “You may not know it, but she cares for you deeply. And yes, I know she can’t be there all the time. But you still don’t have to be alone. Why do you think I’m trying to help in the first place?” “So you’re doing this for her?” I’m doing this for all of us,” as I placed my hand on hers, “because I care for you as well. I know we had a rough start on the first day, but when I saw the letter that your mother wrote, I knew she wanted me to help. And during that time, I felt like you needed someone at your side when times are rough.” With tears still in her eyes, she started to stare at the stand of blades that I had displayed. As she was staring at them, I had a feeling what was going through her mind. I placed my hand on her cheek and turned her gaze towards me. “Don’t you even dare think about doing it. You’ve done enough damage to yourself.” “Jack, you said that if the blade of Muramasa was drawn, blood must be spilled. Does the bearer of the blade have to do so to itself as well?” “What are you getting at, Sunset.” “Just let me draw the blade myself. I want to ease the pain in me again.” I knew that she wouldn’t stop if I tried, and I needed to find a way to make her stop doing this to herself. Then something came to mind that I remember hearing about in past ancient stories. “Then do me one thing.” “What?” she said. “Come with me.” I grabbed both blades, grabbed a first aid box from my bathroom, and took her to the sink in the kitchen. “I want you to make a promise to me, and I plan to make a promise with you. If you promise you will stop harming yourself in any way, I’ll promise to be by your side through the good times and the bad.” “And how do you plan to keep this promise?” she said to me. I turned the water on, then gave her Muramasa, and took Masamune in my hand. “Draw your blade.” Both of us drew our blades. “Now, slowly slide the blade on your left hand.” Both of us took the blade side to our hand until a bit of blood was shown. Sunset flinched as she did this. I set my blade down on the counter, and she did the same. “Now, give me your wounded hand.” When she brought it to me, I grabbed it with my wounded hand and placed our hands over the running water. “This is my promise to you, that I will be there at your side at all times, no matter what happens.” “And I promise to you, that I will never harm myself ever again, and be at your side, no matter what happens to us.” She looked at our hands and realized what just happened. “Did we just make…a blood pact?” “In a way, yes. Do you feel better?” She nodded. “Now lets get these patched up before we go back to work.” So I went and used rubbing alcohol on her cut before covering it up with some gauze. She flinched again like before. “You’ve been scared of having to deal with physical pain, have you?” “Depends. But maybe this is the start of the healing process for me.” She decided to use rubbing alcohol on my cut and covered it up with some gauze as well. I went and cleaned the blood off the blades before sheathing them. After going back to my room, I placed the blades back on the stand. As we started to get back to work, she gave me a big hug and said into my ear, “I sorry I put you through this, but thanks for listening to me.” It was that point that I started to feel a crack in the wall around her soul. It felt like worrying, but I wasn’t sure. I just knew I’ve finally got her on the right path that she needed to be on. Author's Note First, I wanted to point out that harming yourself or committing suicide is not an option. If you ever feel like doing so, then talk to someone first. Getting it out of your system and letting a friend listen to your problems might be better than just letting it be kept bottled in. Us bronies have to stick together. Second, don't even think of doing something like what Jack and Sunset just did with a blade. I needed to add something like this to play a part later on in this story and the next stories, and this one was the safest way to do so. The next chapter will help clear up the reasoning for this, since it just came to mind.
Ch. 22 - Samurai and Demon (Part 3) - TrustThe next morning, I walked with Sunset towards our lockers, where the others were already there. “Jack, I’m glad you’re here,” Twilight said. The group stopped and noticed the bandages on our hands. “What happen to you?” “Just call us butterfingers,” I said. “Happened when we were fixing dinner for us. But something tells me you have something to tell me.” “Well, I do. I finally got the results that you wanted about the team average stats.” She brought out a piece of paper with several columns on it. All of us, including Sunset, went to look at the paper. “See the first column. It’s the stats from last year. The second column is this year’s stats without Jack. The third column is this year’s stats with Jack. While there’s a slight difference between the first and second columns, the third column shows a big difference.” She turned to her side and said, “Pinkie, do you have those newspaper clipping you collected over the weekend?” “Sure do,” Pinkie said. As she started to look in her book bag, I said, “You keep newspaper clippings?” “Oh yes,” she replied while looking in her book bag. “The Cakes get a newspaper everyday at Sugarcube Corner, and I look for any Canterlot High articles, and clip them, and have a scrapbook made from them, because I want us to remember our memories while here since our first year,” and pulls out the clippings, “like these ones.” She handed us one and said, “This one is from Saturday’s paper.” The headliner on the article said Wondercolts’ Almost Pull A Shutout. As we read the article, I came across my name and some of the stats that I made in the last game. “Look at that,” I said, pointing to where my name was. “And there’s my name, plus Thunderlane and Shining Armor’s names as well,” Flash said. “Looks like Jack stands out more than the others,” Applejack said. “As long as y’all don’t have a problem with it.” “No problem here,” Flash replied. “If you like that one, then check this one from Sunday’s paper.” Pinkie handed us another article. New Student At Canterlot High Surprises All was the headliner listed. I read out some of the pieces of the article that stood out. “Started as a kicker, Jack Diamond shows in the past three games that he can cover the offense wherever he is needed. – Almost as fast as Flash Sentry. – Can move like Thunderlane. – He could be next season’s key starting quarterback.” Then one line stood out the most. “Might give Crystal Prep a run for the money.” I stopped reading and said, “Who writes this stuff?” “Ponyville’s best sports writer, Play Maker,” Flash said. “He played high school football, basketball, and baseball back in his time. He started to play college football before an injury ended his sports career. That’s when he started to write sport articles for his college. The Ponyville Express newspaper hired him when he finished college for his expert knowledge of sports.” “And if he thinks that you can challenge Crystal Prep, he might be right,” Soarin added. “I bet you that when someone saw this article, they felt worried about having their perfect record coming to an end,” Twilight said. “Well, fear can make people panic,” Sunset added. Everyone just stared at her. “What? I know I’ve done bad things before, but some Crystal Prep students would do the same thing I do if I was in their shoes.” “I hate to say this, but she’s right,” Rarity said. “But this was in the Sunday paper. Who from Crystal Prep would read the Sunday paper?” Dash asked. Twilight asked Sunset and me, “Did anything stand out when you faced them?” “Lightning Dust was the one calling the shots when they decided to attack,” Sunset said. “And I think they could have been at Jack’s truck for quite some time before I saw Jack walk up to them. It made me suspicious about what was going on. Once I saw the slick golden hair, like Dash did, I knew trouble was coming and had to intervene.” “Not to mention that Suri was with them,” Rarity added. “I recall that she’s either with her designers or high society students. Being with a football athlete and a female basketball athlete is an odd pairing.” “Wait, you said that they were around my truck for some time,” I said to Sunset, in which she nodded. “Did anyone take a picture of my truck before?” “I think my big brother did when you were after the team party at my place,” Applejack said. She took out her cell and started to look for the picture online, before showing it to me. “Here it is. You were with Sunset at the time it happened.” It was a picture that Big Mac took of both of our trucks. The caption read, “Looks like Jack’s older truck still has more life than mine.” “Looks like someone had to do some research before planning this,” I said. “Think Sugarcoat would have something to do with this?” “As a member of the Elite 5, they only care about who’s in their group,” Twilight said. “If you’re not in the Elite 5, you’re on your own. And they don’t ask for anyone to do anything for them. That’s what makes Crystal Prep who they are.” “Then how did they know about Jack in the first place?” Applejack asked. We started to think of any option that could explain all this before Fluttershy broke the silence. “Um…what if…maybe…someone else wanted to…you know…ask them to do this for them.” “Not to be rude, but we thought about that before, Flutters,” Dash said. “Who said it had to be from the Elite 5?” Sunset said. “What if someone else wanted to have this done?” “Sunset, you might be on to something,” Twilight said. “I hate to make you the villain on the spot, but give me an idea of who it would be and what would be done.” Sunset put her finger on her chin, trying to get an idea in her head. “Well, for starters, I don’t think they would have counted on me to show up. Three on two wouldn’t be a problem for them, but that changed when I showed up and taunted Dust, who was calling the shots.” “Plus, Brick Wall started to distanced me from the girls as we fought. What would that say to you?” I asked Sunset. “If I wasn’t there, it would have been two on one with you, leaving Suri with Chrysalis. Unless?” Sunset paused for a moment before she continued. “What if Dust and Suri paired up, leaving Chrysalis in a disadvantage? Brick Wall was big enough to handle himself against Jack. And what would be the reason to keep the guys and girls distance from each other.” Just then, Rarity looked like a bright idea came to mind. “I just thought of something. Soarin, have you even come across Fleur before, even with Rainbow Dash?” “I believe we have a couple of times, but it didn’t look like she was trying to show off like she would have towards Shining or Flash,” Soarin said. “Wait a minute. Someone was trying to show off…to Flash?” Sunset said. “Like a runway model should,” Rarity said. “I would have made her black and blue if I was still with him,” Sunset said. “Can’t blame you for that one,” Flash said. “Twilight is one who wouldn’t go that far.” “Don’t be so sure about that,” Twilight corrected. “But what are you trying to say, Rarity?” “Flash and Shining were popular before Jack came here. Now that Jack’s the popular one, what if Fleur was interested in him in the first place. She’s the only connection with Suri. Plus she’s one who will do anything to get what she wants.” “Chrysalis told me a bit about her last night,” Sunset said. “And if what you say about her is true, she would be the right girl to do this.” “If that’s the case, what would be her next move?” I asked. “Sunset,” Rarity said, “I hate to say this, but I might need your help in understanding what Fleur is planning.” “I was thinking the same thing, Rares. Besides, I have no clue what else could go through a model’s head,” Sunset said. “Then both of you try to figure out what she’s trying to do, if you think it’s her,” Twilight said. “Last thing I need is to have Jack out of the game.” I told Celestia and Luna about what I learned from Sunset’s past. It could also explain why her mother never brought it up. And with the fact that she’s still scared to come forward about her past in front of the others is a big problem to overcome. But they believe in time, she will overcome all this and things would get better. But the issue of the cuts on our hands was mixed when I explain it to them. Celestia was worried that I was doing something reckless, but Luna had a different idea. “I think what they did is a big step for him, and it’s not just the blood pact that they made,” Luna said. “Does this involve the call you made a couple of days ago?” Celestia asked Luna. “Yes,” Luna replied. “Jack, after you had the blades over here on Monday, I decided to call up an old friend, and mentor, of mine from the kendo club: Master Blades. I told him that you had the last swords ever made and used for their challenge. Turns out that there was an unaccounted story that they kept as some wise tale. “A young boy was collecting wood in the forest when he came across the battle going on. When the two were tired, what he saw next was something no one would even believe would happen. He saw a glowing woman in white showing in front of the two fighters. He couldn’t hear what was being said, but he saw the two placed their blades into the ground, kneeling like a knight would to his king. Then a bright light flashed around them, and all three disappeared. The boy ran off back to the village, not telling anyone what happen. When word went around about someone finding the blades, the boy told her grandfather what he though he saw, not sure if anyone would believe him. The old man told the village elder in private the same story, believing that a strange event happened to them, but would be hard to prove it happen. Because of the scene there the blades looked strange, they decided to call it a wise man’s tale, hoping that someone later on can prove it to be real. “If I was to take a guess, that mysterious woman that showed up must have taken their souls and placed them in their own blades. And not just a piece of their soul, but their entire soul, sealed into the blade, unable to be released. It’s possible that what you and Sunset did was making a blood pact to the blade’s creator living in the blade.” “You mean I made a pact with Masamune, and Sunset made hers with Muramasa?” I asked Luna. “That is correct. And this might be the first step in awakening them. But don’t expect you to sense them coming to life. It’s possible that there are other steps in awaking them. But this isn’t the only thing that I learned.” “What do you mean, sis?” Celestia said. Luna took a deep breath before answering. “Master Blades is on his deathbed. While his spirits are high, his body is weakening. He made a confession to me saying that he was helping Star Swirl in some research, the art of soul resonance.” Celestia reacted to this. “You mean…” “Yes sis. He bears the same gift that Jack has, or he used to. Before I met him, he worked with Star Swirl on understanding this power, because he sensed that his power was slowly fading, due to age. Blades wanted to make sure that Star Swirl could get an idea of what each skill could do from another point of view. That’s what led to the book that we have now. He also had a set of ancient skills that are not in the book, called Soul Arts. He has already planned to send me all of his works and teachings to me before he passes away, including the Soul Arts, since he has no one else to pass it along to. Jack, I think these would be useful to you in your training in the future.” “You didn’t tell him that I had these powers, did you?” I asked Luna. “In fact, I did. He lost his powers a few years ago, and with him being on his deathbed, it wouldn’t matter either way. He did ask me if you knew how to Soul Shift, in which you have. He said that if you can understand how to use the blade, then you would be able to learn the first three Soul Arts, which he said would be easy to work on. The others would require more skill and training. I’ll know more when his stuff arrives.” “I guess I have my work cut out for me,” I said. “I’m guessing that Sunset will have to know my secret, since she must have made a pact with Muramasa.” Luna replied, “You are right, Jack. And Applejack will have to know this as well. It looks like we can’t keep this secret from your friends for long.” “Then you need to make sure that they can trust each other and are willing to forgive their past actions if we plan to do this,” Celestia said. After another afternoon of practice, we all went back home. Sunset and me went to work on finishing up on our project, which all we had to do, was write it up from what we had researched. Once we finished creating the report on our project, we looked it over to make sure it was good before calling it finished. We took the rest of the time working on what little homework that we had before relaxing in my room. “So, feel better after getting that out of the way?” I said. “Actually, I’m feeling a lot better than before,” she responded. “Maybe it’s because of getting all that…stuff out of me last night. It’s too bad your mother almost panic when she saw the bandages that we had. Now I have a to deal with a scar that I can’t hide.” “That scar is a reminder of the promises that we made, remember?” “I know. You don’t have to remind me.” It went quiet for a moment before she spoke again. “Can I ask you something?” I looked at her, waiting for her question. “Has there been anyone that caught your interest? I mean, someone who would be your girlfriend down the road.” “I have…two. But I rather not say who at this time,” I said. “I’m still not sure how to make of it.” “I can only guess that Applejack is one of them.” “And what makes you say that?” I said to her. “Because you spend a good amount of time with her. Plus, I think you and her have something in common. Not sure what at this time.” “OK, you win on that guess,” I said. “Then why haven’t you asked her out in the first place?” “Over the weekend, we had a fighter’s duel, with each one making our own bet. If I win, she would have to stop bring up the girlfriend issue and become my sparring partner. If she won, I would have to be her date for homecoming. Then I would have to find a girlfriend afterwards.” “And who won that bet?” she asked. “You’re looking at him.” “Oh come on. You could have had a date easily without all the other girls feeling left out, and you passed up on the offer.” “Then I would have to give up on helping you, leaving you with all the pain buried inside you,” I said. “I guess you might have a point about that. Otherwise, I would have felt like crap for a long time. Now I see what makes you special. You do all you can to help others in need, when they need it. And you don’t care about what the critics say. But it does leave us with one problem.” “Fleur de Lis,” I said. “You think she would have something to do with what happened Monday afternoon?” “Maybe,” she responded. “When I was talking to Rarity about her, we think that her motivation would be to get you to go for her. They might have been hoping that you would be by yourself so they can take you to her, but didn’t expect Chrysalis to be with you, not to mention me showing up. That is if she’s the one behind all this. We still don’t have enough proof that says that.” “Then we wait for the next move to be made. Who makes it is up in the air.” “I do have one request to make, and it’s going to sound weird to you.” Sunset started to look away, almost blushing. “Can I…sleep with you for the night?” “OK, that does sound weird from you. Is there a reason you’re asking this?” “I’ve been having…nightmares in the past. Not every night, but every now and then. I was hoping that if you were there to…hold me, maybe the nightmares would go away. I hope your parents don’t have a problem if I did this.” “Then let’s do this. If you feel scared later at night, just come up to my room and we can go from there.” “Thanks,” she said as she grabbed my hand. “And who would the other girl be that peaked your interest?” “If you can’t figure that out, then I’m not telling,” I said. “I’m starting to hate you again for that.” It was Friday, and we were done with school for the day. Sunset was able to go back home with her mother today, and it was time for the team to head to our next game in Trottingham. Everything was the same as before with the last road game that I had to face. And when we arrived in Trottingham and started to warm up and stretch, I saw a dark purple guy behind the low fence where the track was located, waving at me. It took me a moment to realize who it was. Since Rainbow Dash was helping me with my stretches, I decided the have her walk with me and introduce her to the guy. “Artemis, are you still here,” I said. “Can’t believe you still remember me after so long,” Artemis replied. “How’s everything with you?” “Well, after moving to Fillydelphia for two years, then to Manehattan for another two years, it’s now Ponyville as my new home.” I turned and said, “Dash, this is my friend from the 6th grade, Artemis. He’s the one from that story I told you on the first day.” She shook his hand, saying, “It’s nice to meet you. Name’s Rainbow Dash. I’m sorry about what happened to your mother.” “It’s no biggie. I’m used to it,” Artemis said. “A coach from our school had to retire weeks before school started. She has an only daughter who was diagnosed with breast cancer. I had to tell your story to her because her coach was supposed to help her with her future scholarship,” I said. “Well, I hope things get better for her daughter,” Artemis said. “At least the former bullies are helping me out whenever needed. Some of them play for the football team.” “Oh this is going to be interesting,” I said. “At least they have changed their ways.” “Well, we have been working on an anti-bullying movement here, after hearing a story about someone trying to end his life in Fillydelphia. Trying to get new laws passed in the town,” Artemis said. “Guess I must have that effect on others from afar.” Artemis had a confused look on his face after what I said. “He went to the same junior high school that I was. Had to teach some bullies a lesson after hearing what happen to the victim. Now they are helping out with the family in taking care of the kid.” “You never cease to amaze me,” Artemis said. “Yea, he has that effect on everyone at school,” Dash added. “Well, I need to get back with my friends,” Artemis said. “Hey, do you think you can do me a favor?” I asked Artemis. “Is there some way you can send me anything from your match with Crystal Prep. It can be videos, stats, anything.” “We plan to face them next week, and word back home is that our superstar here,” as Dash placed her hand on my shoulder, “can help hand Crystal Prep their first loss.” “And already they made a move on our school, mainly towards me. Still not sure what their motive is, but we don’t want to take any chances,” I added. “Well, they did give us a beat down two weeks ago, so why not. I’ll tell our former bullies about this. I’m sure after what they did to us, and trying to do to you, I’m sure they would like to help. Just give me your e-mail and I can have them send whatever they have on them.” Dash said, “Jack, I still have my cell with me, with all of your contact info on it. I’ll exchange it with him and send it to you after the game, OK?” “Sure thing, Dash. Artemis, I hope to see you next time.” “You too, Jack.” So I rejoin our team while Dash went and exchanged my contact info with his. I was hoping that if we can get some more info on them, maybe we could have a slight advantage against them. It made me think if we can get some help from Little Strongheart in Appleloosa and the Bully Boys in Cloudsdale, maybe we can find a way to beat them for once. And maybe we can also find out who could be carrying the gift as well. As for the game, it was more of a hard fought battle, but we were able to win the game, 30 to 27. A missed field goal on Trottingham at the end of the game helped us from sending the game to overtime. I think I came across one of the former bullies during one of my rushes that made me go out of bounds, just short of a touchdown. Can’t have all of the attention all of the time, now can I. When we started to head back to the bus, Artemis and some friends that I recognized caught up with us. Dash and me decided to introduce him to Twilight, Flash, and Soarin, who also heard his story. He also told us that one of his friends could get some videos sent to me from their match with Crystal Prep, but will need the whole weekend to get it produced and sent. Twilight decided to give him her e-mail address and to have them sent to her as well so she can review them. When we took the bus drive back, I was able to sit with Moon Dancer in the back like last time. She wanted to talk about our science project and my time with Sunset. “So, think you did good on your project?” Moon Dancer asked me. “I believe so. Sunset started to get into the assignment that we were given. What about you?” “Minuette had a hard time understanding what we had to work on for a moment, but we caught on afterwards. Twilight and Cadence should be the lucky ones. They had a hard one, but it was easy for them.” “Well, what would you expect from the current and future Valedictions,” I said. “What about Sunset? Luna told me what happen between you her, plus learning about her past. But I would like to hear your side of the story.” “Well, besides the fact that she learned a lot about the weather, she’s starting to open up. I was able to fill Applejack in about her past this afternoon in private, and she plans to keep it quiet until the right time, since Sunset still feels a bit scared of telling everyone. She’s trying to find a way to bury the hatchet between the two.” “Twilight still doesn’t trust Sunset,” Moon Dancer said. I just let out a sigh as my response. “After seeing what you have done with Sunset, Twilight needs to put all this aside. You might have to tell Twilight about your gift sooner than expected.” “Luna thinks I’ll have to tell Applejack and Sunset about my gift before we all start with her training,” I said. “This might sound odd, but why not tell Sunset about your gift now?” “Her wall is starting to fade, but if I tell her that, I may never help her bring her wall down,” I said. “Besides, last night might have weakened that wall of hers some more.” Moon Dancer just stared at me. “She had a nightmare that almost scared her badly. So she came up to my room, like I requested her if this happened, and slept next to me. When she laid her head on my chest, she said that she could hear my heartbeat. She felt better when morning came.” “Sounds like she’s making a connection with you,” Moon Dancer said. “I’m guessing you’re not ready to tell her that you have feelings for her, do you.” I stared at her. “Luna told me that you had feelings for her and AJ, and I can see why you’re torn between the two.” “I was at first. I mean, Applejack is a nice girl to be with. We always like to talk and think about everything around us, and I think she might be interested in me, but I can’t make heads or tails about that. But with Sunset on my mind as well, I’m worried that no one else would be willing to spend any personal time with her. And I’m not sure if she’s starting to have feelings for me after last night, especially with her troubled past with the other students.” “Well, just remember that you have me around,” Moon Dancer said. “Plus Coco and Chrysalis will be around to back you up if problems occur with the others.” “I just hope we can get everyone on the same side for once. With our match-up with Crystal Prep coming next week, I would like everyone to help in finding out what is making them the prefect school.” Saturday came around, and it was the last meeting before homecoming. This time, we started to move all the props and such to the school gym. Took us a few trips to get all of it there, but we got it done. But making additional work in the gym was impossible, because Miss Luna was a no show today, and we couldn’t get anyone else to come help for her. With no access to the supply room in the gym, we couldn’t get all of it done today, so we planned to work on the gym Monday during free study. Twilight made sure that club meeting will be canceled Monday to focus on helping with final homecoming preparations. With more free time today, Twilight and the girls wanted to get together at Sugarcube Corner, and they invited me to join them. Without them knowing, I decided to bring Sunset along. She wasn’t sure if it was a good idea, but I told her that we need to put this rivalry in the past, and this was the best way possible. When we showed up, the girls saw that I brought Sunset with me and started to worry. I can see it in their faces at the corner booth, so I glared back at them. Applejack was fast to catch on and made sure to defuse the situation. “I knew I shouldn’t have come with you, Jack,” Sunset said. “Look, we are going to resolve this one way or another. Just trust me,” I said. We placed our milkshake orders and got them a minute later. We made our way to the corner booth, where Applejack was on the end that was looking towards the window. Twilight was at the following side next to Applejack, looking straight at us, with Rarity next to her. Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy were at the side next to the window, and Rainbow Dash was next to Fluttershy, with her back towards us. I sat next to Applejack and let Sunset sit next to Rainbow Dash. That’s when it got really quiet in our booth. Applejack gave Twilight a nudge, hoping she could break the ice around us. “Um, well, it was nice to meet your friend in Trottingham, Jack. It looks like he’s doing better after what happen years ago,” Twilight said. “You’re right about that. And I hope he gets to send us some videos when they faced Crystal Prep. Would be nice to have a heads up about them.” Dash looked at me and said, “You did get his contact info from me this morning.” “Saw it before our meeting today,” I said. “I like to find out how they can maintain a perfect record every year.” “Oh, you met the kid over there?” Rarity asked. “Sure did. Got a picture with him last night.” Dash took out his cell and pulled up the picture to show to Rarity. “Oh, he’s a cutie,” Rarity responded. “That’s what you always say about the young guys,” Twilight said. “What can I say? I like them cute and handsome.” Rarity added. “Speaking of which,” Applejack said, “with the exception of Jack and Twilight, has everyone else found dates for homecoming?” All of us just stared at Rainbow Dash, waiting for her to answer. “What?” Dash was trying to hide it, but had to say it. “Fine. Soarin asked to take me to homecoming. Happy?” “Details, Dash. Details.” Rarity said. “Look he’s just escorting me to the dance, so it’s not a date,” Dash replied. Twilight said, “It’s a date.” “No it’s not.” Rarity added, “It’s definitely a date.” “No it’s not.” Sunset decided to push it some more. “Dash, it really is a date.” Dash got up and yelled, “IT IS NOT A DATE!!!” The whole room went quiet as everyone was staring at Rainbow Dash. Realizing the embarrassment, she held a fake grin and sat back down. The room went back to it’s usually noisy self. Rarity said, “Dashie dear. You and Soarin have been hanging out a lot these past few years. I think it’s safe to say that it’s time to take it to the next level.” Twilight said, “She’s right. He does have feelings for you. He just doesn’t know how to say it to you.” “Come on, Dash. The two of you were made for each other,” Applejack said. “And what about the rest of you girls?” Dash said. “Well…um…I’m just going by myself…if that’s alright,” Fluttershy said. “Dear, no one’s going to ask you out if you keep hiding from them,” Rarity said. “You know, you can ask one of the guys out,” Sunset recommended. “I’m sure there are some guys out there who are scared to ask a girl out themselves. Maybe you can ask on of those geek or nerd types. They have no confidence in approaching any girl out there.” “Maybe because you always pick on them,” Twilight added. “Look, I know those guys can be weak,” Sunset said, “but if a girl like Fluttershy goes up to one of them she likes, she might make them feel like they have a chance with a girl like her. I say, go for it.” “She might be right about that,” Rarity said. “Some guys have a hard time coming up to a girl and asking her out. Maybe she should come up to one of them instead.” “And what about you, Rarity. Have you gotten a date?” Twilight asked. Rarity slammed her head on the table, saying, “NNNNNOOOOOOOOO!!!!!” “Look at you. Rarity, one of the most beautiful girls in school,” Dash said. “You should be able to get a date easily.” “But no one hasn’t come to ask me out in the first place,” Rarity said while her face is on the table. There was a silence before she spoke again. “I know you have something to say, Sunset, so just say it.” “I don’t like to say this, being that it might be too much, but you are a bit, I guess, high maintenance.” Rarity sighed and said, “You might be right. Besides being a fashion designer, I do come close to being a model when displaying my wares, which could explain why others are scared to ask me out.” “At least I got a date,” Pinkie Pie said with excitement. Everyone was waiting for her to say who her date is, but she kept grinning. “Um, Pinkie. We’re waiting for you to say who he is,” I said. Her smile went to a frown when she said, “I was hoping you would know by now.” “No, Pinkie, we don’t,” Twilight responded. “It’s Cheese Sandwich…from my party club.” Sunset almost chocked on her shake when she heard the name. “You mean the one who plays the accordion?” Pinkie replied, “Yep.” “Who also likes to wear the western renegade clothes at times?” “Yep.” “And carries that rubber chicken he calls ‘boneless’?” “Yep.” Sunset just face palm on the spot. “You know the guy?” Applejack asked Sunset. “You mean none of you girls have met the guy…besides Pinkie.” The rest of us shook our heads. “No offense, Pinkie, but he is the most annoying guy in the school.” “Oh come on, dear. He can’t be that bad,” Rarity said. “Unless you like polka music,” Sunset responded. Rarity just cringed. “Yea. That’s why I just stay away from him. Well, in the past years.” “Oh he’s not that bad. He works at the costume shop on the weekends,” Pinkie said. “If you still need costumes for the Nightmare Night dance, he can help you find the best one. Oh, since I remembered this, he has the costumes for Cadence and Shining Armor, Twilight. You might want to let them know later on.” Twilight responded, “Thanks Pinkie.” “So AJ, you find yourself a date?” Rainbow Dash said. “No, and I rather not talk about it.” “Um, is it because of that Tenderhoof guy?” Fluttershy asked. “Darn right it is!” Applejack snapped, scaring Fluttershy. “I’m sorry, Flutters. The guy just won’t let up.” Twilight said, “Looks like he won’t stop, because he just walked in.” A tall, slender brown guy with blonde hair and glasses, dressed in his Crystal Prep uniform, came walking towards us. Applejack just covered her face. “Well, hello my lovely Applejack. Nice day it is,” Tenderhoof said. “Tenderhoof, will you just leave me alone. I’m trying to spend some time with my friends, and which you’re not a part of,” Applejack said. “Oh, you wound me, Applejack. I can see the mean look on Sunset’s face. I tapped my shoe on hers to get her attention. I showed her that I was pointing between Applejack and me. Sunset nodded with a grin, ready to play the part. “Excuse me, but I don’t believe we met.” I said to him. “The name’s Tenderhoof.” “Jack. Jack Diamond. I’m AJ’s boyfriend,” I said as I placed my arm around the back of her neck. “I am?” Applejack said. “She is?” the other girls responded. “Wait, since when did you get a boyfriend?” Tenderhoof asked Applejack. Sunset responded. “Oh, ever since he won that bet against AJ a week ago, right Dash?” “Um, yea, YEA! They had a sparing match, in which if Jack won…um…oh, he would have to be Applejack’s boyfriend, right?” “I believe so,” Sunset replied. “It’s a surprised that you would have the balls to hit on the most popular guy on the football team’s own girlfriend.” Sunset stared and grinned at Tenderhoof. It took a moment before it all sank in. Then I can sense the fear forming inside him. “Oh. OH!!! Um, excuse me, but I need to, um, go and, um, write on some, um, stuff. Yea, stuff.” Tenderhoof started to walk backwards away from us, colliding with the stool, then end up to the wall, then hit the door frame before he finally left and started to run across our window view. Dash started to say, “That…was…” Only to be cut off by Sunset. “Wait for it.” That’s when we saw Tenderhoof running the other way from our view. “Now you can say it.” “TOTALLY AWESOME!!!” “Oh my,” Fluttershy said. “Did you, um, come across him before?” “Oh I did a couple of years ago,” Sunset replied. “Let’s just say that he got a little too close for comfort, in which he got a blow where the sun don’t shine.” “Dang. You must be bold to do that.” Applejack said. “Well, I never knew he was a student at Crystal Prep. Plus, I wasn’t in a good mood at the time,” Sunset said. “I was hoping he would remember the girl who destroyed him in this shop.” “Sorry if I came up with this on the spot. I knew that Sunset would be able to play along, after her experience with him,” I said. “Well, I should thank you both for getting rid of that fool,” Applejack said. “I guess you have some good uses around here,” Twilight said to Sunset. “I’ll take that as a complement.” We spent some more time at our table, before another Crystal Prep problem showed up. Rarity said, “Oh great. Look who now just walked in.” We looked to see a white girl with light pink hair walked in and towards the counter. But she was wearing a pink dress that matched her hair instead of the usual Crystal Prep uniform. “Is that Fleur de Lis?” I asked. “Yes dear,” Rarity responded. “I hope she’s not here because of you.” She tried her best to see if she was trying to look at me, but with no luck. “Rarity, you have a compact with you?” Sunset asked. “Why yes,” she said as she got out her own compact to hand to Sunset. “But why would you need it?” “Watch and learn.” Sunset opened the compact and started to fix her hair, but she was trying to get a good view without tipping Fleur off. “Should have known. She’s been giving quick glances at Mr. Popular over here. Looks like she must know about you after all, Jack.” “Perhaps I should introduce myself to her,” I said. “Wait.” Twilight brought out a black box. In it looked like ear buds and wristbands. “Moon Dancer and me have been working on something for the football games. We call them ear coms. There are only four ear buds and two wristbands.” She handed me an ear bud and a wristband. “The ear bud is a two-way speaker and the wristband is the transmitter. It’s only short range for now, but this would be a good chance to test it out before we can make more. Sunset, Rarity, you take an ear bud to listen in with me. Let’s see if we can find out what her motive is.” “Oh. Jack, Mrs. Cake should still be cooking some sugar cookies,” Pinkie said. “From the smell, should be seven minutes.” “I’ll use that to my advantage,” I said. I made my way to the counter next to her and got Mrs. Cake’s attention. When she called out my name, I asked her for some sugar cookies for my friends. She said that it would be six minutes before they would be ready. So I decided to wait for them. “Off a minute, but that would do,” Twilight said through the ear com. “Forgive me for asking, but you wouldn’t be the Jack that’s been in the newspapers, now would you,” Said the girl with an accent. “Why yes. Yes I am. And you would be?” “Fleur. Fleur de Lis.” “At least we can hear everything going on,” Rarity said. “It’s nice to meet you, Fleur. Sorry if I don’t pronounce your name right.” “Oh please. I think you almost got it right. Not everyone can get it right at first.” “Suck it up, bitch,” Sunset said. “So, you go to Canterlot High?” “Oh, I’m sorry, but I attend Crystal Prep. I’m a foreign exchange student over there, and, well, it’s the only school that my mother would allow me to attend.” “Not even Mane Coast Academy in Manehattan?” “Oh no. She thinks it’s not good enough of a school for me. Did you live in Manehattan before?” “Last school year. My family moved here late this summer.” “Oh. Vous êtes vraiment mignon, mon ami.” “Excuse me?” “I’m sorry. I said that must be tough, my friend.” “Liar. She said, ‘you’re really cute, my friend.’ Good thing I can speak her language,” Rarity said. “I know. But I’m used to moving from city to city.” “So I can guess that you don’t have a girlfriend?” “Not really, but I’m not worried at the moment.” “Oh. Je vais te manger, mon ami. I’m sorry, I said that you must be lonely, my friend.” “That’s ‘I’m going to eat you up, my friend.’” Rarity said. “That is just sick,” said Sunset. “I’m used to it. Why, are you trying to hit on me like every other girl out there?” “Oh, I didn’t know that every girl was trying to be your girlfriend.” “I guess it comes with being popular. Beside, it would be odd to be dating a girl from a rival school.” “Now we’re getting somewhere,” Twilight said. “That is true. I can never understand all the rivalry stuff that goes on. Especially since all the guys I see are total snobs. The rest are either focused on being really smart or athletic. It’s hard to find a nice guy that can respect a girl easily.” “This girl really sounds like a bitch,” Sunset said. “Now that we can really agree on,” Twilight said. “Well, give it some time. I’m sure you’ll find the one that’s right for you.” “I hope so.” Mrs. Cake just brought out some fresh sugar cookies for my friends and me. I knew it was time to rap this up. “Well, I need to rejoin my friends. Is was nice to meet you, Fleur.” “Oh wait. Let me give you something.” She wrote something on a piece of paper, folded it up, and gave it to me. “My number, in case you want to talk some more. I haven’t had a nice conversation in quiet some time.” “Well, maybe I’ll call you sometime later on. Bye.” That’s when I left her and rejoined my friends. “I want to eat you up? Really? Talk about being a total flirt while trying to cover it up.” “You don’t plan to call her, are you?” Rarity asked. “Let’s just say I might use her the way she’s trying to use me.” I took out my ear bud and wristband and gave them back to Twilight. “Those are some useful tools that the two of you have made.” “Good. I’ll let Moon Dancer know to make some more transmitters to go with the ear buds,” Twilight said. “As for her, no doubt she wants you. Enough to send some allies to bring you to her.” “Then I hope that bitch will lead me to the bitch that wanted to cut me up. I own her some payback for what she did,” Sunset said. “Be patience, dear,” Rarity said. “They’ll get want they deserve soon enough. No one messes with my friends and gets away with it.” I said, “Looks like next week is going to be interesting.” Author's Note This is, by far, the longest chapter I have ever made.....EVER!!! There was more I wanted to add, but figure I leave it out and maybe put it in the next chapter, which will test everyone. And I decided to use the name, Artemis, the boy who represents myself, if you go back to Chapter 2. Artemis (who has been know as the male pony version of Luna) was what I wanted to be as a somewhat O.C. for me, which I would use in a story that has been in my head for a couple of seasons. That was before I decided to create this story at the time.
Ch. 23 - Samurai and Demon (Part 4) - RespectIt was a Sunday night, and with the fact that Sunset wasn’t around my room, I decided to put my focus on why Fleur de Lis was interested in me. So with her number in my hand, I decided to call her. We were talking about what have gone on in our lives. Where I have been in all my moves, and all the international places that she has been to. It was a good way for her to open up to me. It was then she brought up an article in today’s paper. “Did you read the sports article about our schools having the rematch from last year,” Fleur said. “I read that as well. It looks like they were trying to sell it to the readers,” I said. “I believe so, since last year felt dull for the readers. I like to think that our school doesn’t hold any competition with ever other school out there. Maybe it has to do with you.” “As if. I mean, Crystal Prep is the best of all schools out there. So why sell it. Besides, did you read the article below it?” “No. Hold on.” There was a brief pause before she came back. “You mean the Cloudsdale vs. Trottingham article?” “That’s the one. Cloudsdale knocked Appleloosa out of the playoff hunt, setting them up for a battle for the #3 Seed. It’s like, you want to win, but…” “You don’t know who you want to face,” she finished. “You can guess that Crystal Prep will be first, and Canterlot would be second, like last year. So winning the game makes you feel better as to whom you want to face. But since the media is trying to sell it…” “You don’t know if you want to win or lose when you have no clue where the other game stands when both games play at the same time,” I finished. “It’s like playing a game of chance.” “Just like how you’re taking a chance with me.” “Let’s not get too far ahead, Fleur. Besides wasn’t it you who took a chance in talking to me…and giving me your number. How do you know I’m not just using you just to get an edge against Crystal Prep?” “Maybe I’m just doing that to you.” She giggles. “If that’s the case, I better just hang up and never call again.” “I’m just teasing you. Don’t tell me you take things seriously?” “I always take things seriously. Just not the last one, since I can hear you giggle after saying that. Why, is that a turn off for you?” I head a sigh before she spoke. “Just like most of the students I come across. We have to be the best if we want to survive the real world. That’s what Principal Cinch says.” “And do you take that for granted?” “Well, it is what my mother wanted for me, to be the best. Oh, look at the time. I need to get some sleep.” “Same here. Have a lot to work on.” “Just to be sure, this is your cell, right?” “Yes. Why do you ask?” “Oh, you’ll see. Bye.” And that’s when she ended the call. So I stopped the recording of our conversation and looked at Chrysalis. “Well, she knows how to sell it, I’ll give her that,” Chrysalis said. “She really does,” I said. “At least I was able to sense the deception in her. But that still doesn’t explain why she would be interested in me, or even sent those three to confront me, if that’s true.” That’s when my cell buzzed. I looked to see what text came to me, only to find that Fleur sent me her address. For some reason, I know I’ve seen this address before. “I see that she sent you her address. Maybe she wants you over sometime,” Chrysalis said with a giggle. “Very funny. But I know I’ve seen this address before. Maybe it’s from one of my mother’s orders that she received. I’ll have to look into it.” “Well, if I recall, that might be located in the upper class area. Show Rarity that to make sure I’m right. She knows the big streets better than me.” Just then, she sent a picture text with the words “Come to my place sometime.” When I clicked on the attachment, both of us were surprised and shocked to see the picture that I laid my cell on the table, face down. “I’m going to pretend that I didn’t see that in the first place,” I said. Chrysalis said, “From the looks of it, she just wants you in her bed and…you know.” “Don’t even go there,” I said, pointing to her. “That’s the last thing I want to think about. I got enough trying to decide which girl to go for.” “I still don’t get it. Out of all the girls out there, you’re undecided between Applejack and Sunset. I mean, AJ has made advances on you that were almost like she was joking about it without coming out and saying it. And Sunset just made an unexpected move on you just days ago, not knowing if she really has feelings for you or just needed some comfort from her own demons.” “I know. I just…don’t have much experience in the matter. You already know why.” “Well, you better make a choice soon, because homecoming is a week away, and rumor has it that you might be the best choice for homecoming king.” I rolled my eyes and said, “It’s because I’m the popular one at school.” I let out a sigh and continued. “I sometimes wonder how I get dragged into all this.” “To me and the few others, it’s because of the gift that you have. To everyone else, it’s because they see how special you are; how you affect the lives of others. You’re not in Manehattan anymore, so you might as well live up to the legend.” “Some help you are, Chrysalis.” “Well, at least you can enjoy that picture of her.” “WILL YOU JUST GET OUT!!!” I was able to chase Chrysalis out of my room and closed the door. I sat back down and just stared at my cell that I laid on the table. I decided to plug it in to my computer and transfer the picture over so that I no longer have it on my cell. After finishing with that, I decided to send her back a text. You must be bold to send that pic. But it’s going to take more than that to impress me. After sending that, I plugged my cell into my charger and turned off the lights. Before I can go to sleep, my cell buzzed again. Oh there’s more to show you. But if it’s words that work, then call me tomorrow evening. Bye, sweetheart. I said to myself, “Something tells me I’m about to dig myself into another hole.” When I got to school, I asked Rarity if she recognized the street address that Fleur sent me. “Oh I remember that street address. It’s near where Mr. Rich lives. Not sure what her house would look like. I’m surprised that she sent it to you after chatting with her last night.” “I’m surprised as well, since she tried to add some flavor to the bait,” I said. “Flavor? Oh please, do tell,” Rarity asked. “Well, I already deleted the one text that she sent, since it’s…not worth seeing here.” “Uh oh. If it’s what I think it is, then it sounds like she’s trying to capture you; hook, line, and sinker,” Applejack said. “The only reason that would happen is if she was more of a slut than a bitch,” Sunset added. “Jack, if it’s a juicy pic, then I must have it. I wouldn’t mind having some blackmail material for Suri and her top model,” Rarity said with a giggle. “Consider it done,” I said. “Just brace yourself when you see it. I think Chrysalis and me were shocked when we saw it. Can’t understand why girls like her would do this kind of stuff.” “Jack, you really need to start learning about them girls out there if you plan to keep coming across them hunting you down,” Applejack said. “I’m sure we can teach him a thing or two about them,” Flash said, while grabbing Soarin to his side. “Flash, you better not put any dirty ideas into his head,” Twilight responded with a glare. As we finished getting our books in order, Celestia came from her office and called me over. None of us had any idea for her calling for me, until Pinkie Pie brought up Miss Luna’s name. We all forgot that she didn’t show up over the weekend, and I think I know why. “I’m guessing this is about Luna, is it,” I said. “It is, Jack,” Celestia replied and requested for me to take a seat. “She’ll be here later today, but you might have an idea as to why she couldn’t show up this weekend.” “Master Blades.” She nodded. “She found out Saturday morning about his passing and decided to go to his home to honor him before they take his remains back to his homeland to be buried. She called me yesterday that she was busy gathering all of his kendo equipment and training lessons to bring back home. This including the Soul Arts and he was able to set aside for her to give to you, if you are willing to learn them.” “If Luna can help teach me these arts, I’ll be happy to learn them. She said that the first three would be easy to learn, so that might be a starting point to see if I’m ready for these Soul Arts. What about getting homecoming ready? We’re a bit behind because we didn’t have staff that can access some equipment to finish setting up.” “I’ve already asked Coach Spitfire to help you guys out so that it can be ready before Friday, since we also have the big game coming up. She understands why Luna had to leave, since Spitfire knew him as well.” “I’ll make sure word is spread that we plan to meet during free study today. Twilight wanted all club activities to be canceled for this.” “She made a wise choice. I just hope that with what you have doing with helping Sunset out; we can finally get everyone working together peacefully. And maybe start letting others we can trust about your gift. We need all the help we can get to find out what Crystal Prep is doing with their students, if that’s still true.” 4th period was just about to wrap up when we got the results from our project assignments. Sunset was speechless when we saw the grade and gave me a big hug. “I can’t believe this. We got a 92 on our project,” Sunset said. “Well, I guess we miss a few details. But he was surprised at the new research that we found. I guess that was a win-win for us,” I said. As we started to pack up our books, our friends wanted to compare how we all did on our own projects. Twilight and Cadence got a 100 on theirs, like usual. Fluttershy and Tree Hugger got an 85, noting that they missed some details of what could kill forest life. We should have told them about the wildfire info that we had in our report. Moon Dancer and Minuette got a 93 on theirs, and Lyra and Sweetie Drops got an 88 on theirs, feeling like they could have done more, but didn’t have enough time to find more info for their project. Everyone put away their books and made way to the gym to begin setting up for Saturday’s homecoming. Sunset felt a bit nervous about joining us, so I asked her to look for Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon before coming. Everyone else made their way to the gym to resume work from Saturday, with Coach Spitfire giving us access to the supply room. As we were busy getting the lights and decorations in place, Sunset showed up with the girls. And everything almost went quiet, as she was getting the glares from every student that she went by. I can understand why she was nervous about being here, after what she tried to do last year. Not everyone is willing to forgive her, something that I plan to change. Luckily, Diamond Tiara noticed the glares and decided to make a point about it. “Excuse me. But last I checked, the volunteer club always helps out. And anyone who wants to help the volunteer club, has to be working, not acting like statues.” Silver Spoon added, “So if anyone doesn’t want to help, I’m sure the school doesn’t need you around, if that’s what you want.” Applejack decided to make a say in all this. “Alright boys, you heard the girls. We’re already behind, so we need everyone to make up for lost time. So let’s get to it.” Everyone got the message and went back to work. Sunset felt relieved of having to face everyone who hated her. Sunset said, “Thanks, DT. Wasn’t sure if I would felt welcomed here.” “After what you did to make my mother understand what she was doing, I figure it was best to return the favor,” Diamond Tiara said. “If there’s one thing I’m good at, that’s to make sure I get what I ask for. And that includes respect.” “At least she’s reminded about what happened last year,” Twilight mumbled. I slapped my hand on the back of her head and glared at her, just to remind her about giving Sunset a second chance in all this. We started to work on the stage when Rarity remembered something. “DT, do you recall this address?” She pointed at me, in which I brought out my cell to pull up the address in question. “Of course. It’s a couple of blocks down from where we live. It’s a fenced-in white house with pink curtains. Don’t know who lives there, since I don’t see any cars parked outside. Why do you ask?” Rarity said, “Miss Fleur de Lis lives there.” “So that’s who lives there. Forgive me while I gag myself,” Diamond Tiara said. “So you heard of the girl?” Rarity asked. “When you’re part of a rich society, you come across all the rich students of Crystal Prep when Mr. And Mrs. Rich hold a formal party. And she qualifies as one of them,” Silver Spoon said. “How were you able to get her address?” We told them about what happened a week ago, followed by the encounter on Saturday. Plus we told them the theories that were going through our mind, trying to get a motive. “Well, since you put it that way,” Silver Spoon said. “What do you think, Tiara?” ‘Let’s see,” Diamond Tiara said, as she started to think. “She’s interested in Jack; wants to meet him, but not at our school; asked Suri and others to request a meeting; didn’t expect Chrysalis and Sunset; fights and retreats back to her place. Takes a new approach; possible the trio watched afar; saw him go to a neutral site; decided to watch him; he walks up to her; conversation begins; numbers exchange; and the trap is set.” “And since you said about what her mother wants and what she sees and wants, it’s possible that she wants him more as a trophy boy than a boyfriend,” Silver Spoon added. “What makes ya think she wants him all for herself?” Applejack asked. Diamond Tiara said, “Well, her mother wants the best for her daughter as a future model. And not to offend you Twilight, but bookworm people wouldn’t come close to her mother’s standards, not knowing what their future in life would be. Athletes would be a hit-miss, unless you’re more of a future big league athlete, which would be hard to know from a high school level. Plus they only would be trying to just show off their talents. No offense.” “None taken,” Dash, Soarin, and Flash replied. “And seeing how all the rich students that we have come across last year act like total snobs, which would be a turn off for a future model, it would be hard to find a gentleman who can go far in life, able to earn fame and money in the future,” Silver Spoon added. “She did say a quote from Cinch about how their school works,” I said. “We have to be the best if we want to survive the real world. That would mean that being second best doesn’t cut it in real life. And she does read the newspaper. I’m guessing besides the local news and sports, she wants to keep up in what’s going on in the world, mainly her own home. That could be how she caught on to me.” “Well, maybe we should keep close tabs on her, just to be safe,” Twilight recommended. “Perhaps you should focus on now instead of later.” We saw Coach Spitfire with some tools needed for the lighting. “Just saw Miss Luna drove up. It won’t be long before she comes here. Jack, I know what happened, and maybe it’s best that we give her our support when she walks in.” “Um, does anyone want to fill some of us in on why Miss Luna wasn’t around before?” Rainbow Dash said. “I think it’s best to tell everyone at the same time.” I cleared my throat, getting everyone’s attention. “Listen up. The reason Miss Luna couldn’t help out this past weekend is because an old friend, and kendo master, from college passed away. She had to leave to show her respect to her master, before he would be sent back to his homeland. I would like it if we showed her our respect to her in honoring her master. She has arrived at the school and it won’t be long before she shows up in the gym. Coach Spitfire, will you show us how we can show our respects to her?” Spitfire agreed and showed everyone a proper bow, like how two noble fighters would respect each other before battle. I decided to have our samurai club gloves on us and bow to her in a special way; both hands together, with one hand open and one hand closed. When Luna showed up, Spitfire issued the commands for all the students to show their respect to Luna, which brought tears to her eyes. “I’m grateful that all of you are able to continue in my absence. Now I believe that we have a homecoming dance to prepare, and we’re running out of time to get it ready.” Everyone went back to work, and Luna joined us. “Jack, I’m guessing my sister filled you in on my absence.” “That is correct,” I said. “And Twilight, I’m glad to had club meetings canceled to get this done.” “Doing all that we can. I’m hoping to have this done by Wednesday.” “Then let’s see if we can make up for lost time,” Luna said. Celestia wanted me to work with Luna in catching up on today’s stuff during 6th period. This was a good time to get her caught up on what we learned in connection to last week’s actions. “So it was all to get you to meet with her, and everything didn’t go as planned,” Luna said. “I can only guess that her mother has a similar mindset to Mrs. Rich, and she’s trying to find a way for both of them to agree on something.” “A man to impress her mother, and willing to respect her as well…or just to have a trophy boy on her shelf,” I said. “But maybe I can use her to get some inside info about Crystal Prep. She can be deceptive and clever, but I don’t think she’s interested in me because of my gift. Which could explain why she sent over those that aren’t gifted.” “So it’s just something personal for herself,” Luna said. “Maybe you should forget about AJ and Sunset, and just go straight for her. If you’re lucky, you can get her to spy on the school for us.” “I think she just wants me in her bed every night,” I said. She gave me a confused look on her face. “Let’s just say she sent me more than just her number and address. Much more.” She had a stunned look on her face as she said, “As in…” “Yep,” I responded, knowing what she was about to ask me. “I am really not used to all this.” “Get used to it, because there’s going to be more strange things coming your way, starting with those Soul Arts.” “I’m guessing you have all of his things that he plans to give to you accounted for?” “Already listed. But I’ll have to wait until his will is finalized before I can receive them. His caretaker plans to send them over when that happens, and any more if there’s anything that I missed. As for the Soul Arts, I’ll need time to translate them so you can understand what each one means.” “I guess it’s going to get worse for me before it gets better,” I said. “If it even gets better. You’re going to have to be on your guard for anything that comes your way, including Fleur.” After spending some time after school with Chrysalis getting more work done for homecoming, we made our way home to rest and get some homework done. That’s when I got a call from Rarity. “Got the files you sent me. The two of you really had a nice conversation that time. As for the picture, well…” “I warned you about it.” “Well, she does have her mother’s looks…and style. Just make sure you’re ready for…you know.” “Rarity, you’re just as bad as Chrysalis.” “Well, Applejack did say that you have little experience with the ladies. If you ever want my advice, just let me know, because I think she might be really interested in you. She’s just taking the wrong approach in doing so.” “You think so?” “Well, if you plan to call her tonight, and you can send me a recording like before, I might be able to get a better idea on this. I just hope that if I’m right…well, she could be with the wrong kind of people, as in the two athletes that came over.” “Kind of like how Night Glider was with the wrong crowd before she became friends with us.” “Well, I’ll let you get back to your studies. Until next time.” It was later on, after she hung up, that I got a text from Fleur. “I’m lonely. Call me.” “She must really be desperate,” I thought. I got to my computer to record and decided to give her a call. “Jack, is that you?” “Yes it is. I got your text. Is it always like this where you live?” “That’s a strange way to say hello. But you do bring up a good point. It is like this most of the time.” “Don’t you at least have any friends to spend some time with or call up?” “I do, but…everyone’s busy. With school; with work; with almost everything.” “And what do you do, focus on your homework?” “Well, I do. I mean, my mother wants me to do so. And there are times when I work with Suri on her fashions. You’re heard of her, right?” “From Rarity, I do.” “And they’re not good, are they. I mean, Rarity and Suri are known to be rivals. It’s all she talks about.” “That depends on what you’ve heard. But maybe we should talk about something else. I sure don’t want to bore you with this stuff. You do feel lonely, right?” “Well, at least you care about my well being.” From that point on, we just talked about random stuff for a while before I was called to dinner. I let her go for now and stopped the recording. After dinner, I went back to my room and noticed another text from Fleur, with a new picture. Ready for another shock, I opened the file to see something that wasn’t a shock to see. This time, she was in her school uniform, but placed her hands together in a heart. She also had a sign saying “Sorry if my last pic was over the top.” For some reason, I didn’t know what to make of this girl. I was able to send our conversation and picture to Rarity, noting that something wasn’t right about her and all this, and that I would like her opinion about her actions. It wasn’t until I started to go to bed, that I got a reply from Rarity. I looked at my e-mail through my cell to see what it was. Jack, this is odd of her to do this. Either she’s playing you for a fool, or she’s really interested in you and wants to prove it. I’ll need some time tomorrow to think this over and see how you should respond to this. Twilight is right to be concern about you, since someone from Crystal Prep is making this move, with the big game this Friday. For now, if she wants to talk, then talk to her. Maybe this can be a learning experience about girls. I know you don’t like us to talk to you about it, but sometimes it helps to look for the warning signs. The last thing we want to have happen to you is for someone to use you for her own use. Where have I heard this before? As the day went on, we were able to make more progress in the gym during free study, enough to have it done after school today with a small crew, since some of us will be at football practice. It was after practice that Chrysalis came to get me. She took me to the gym to show me the finished work for homecoming. I noticed that Rarity and Fluttershy were still here waiting. Rarity said, “Jack dear, can I talk to you for a moment?” “Is it about…her?” I asked. “It is, dear. I was just talking to Fluttershy about her actions, and I think she might have an idea of what could be going through her mind.” Rarity nudged Fluttershy. “Go on. Tell him what you told me.” Fluttershy responded in a shy manner. “Well, um, it’s possible that she’s nervous in meeting you when she a student at Crystal Prep. And maybe, um, coming to Sugarcube Corner would have been the best way to meet you, hoping she can get you to notice her. She might be…nervous in dating someone from a rival school, that is, if she couldn’t find someone from her school.” Rarity added, “If she’s nervous because our schools have this hated rivalry going on, maybe you could ask her to the homecoming dance this weekend, and she could just be in disguise so no one will recognize her here. Fluttershy plans to be wearing a mask with her costume, since she’s shy around others and likes to blend in with the crowd.” “I’m surprised that you want me to do this,” I said. “Well, it’s possible that she’s been taking to wrong approach because her relationship with her mother is similar to Diamond Tiara and Mrs. Rich back then,” Rarity said. “She wants a guy that she really likes, but one who would impress her mother at some time later on. And if it were someone who would have lots of money, or plan to have a major league career in the future, then he would be one to impress her mother. And from what we know so far, you might just fit the mold.” “It’s possible that she knows Suri and asked her to bring you to her,” Fluttershy said. “I mean, I would do the same, since I’m…really shy.” “And Suri just wants some added protection, so those two came with her to make sure all would go as planned. But we all know that it didn’t,” Rarity said. “If that’s the case, then maybe I should have kept my mouth shut,” Chrysalis said. “No dear. You did the right thing to do. None of us knew what the motive was at the time,” Rarity said. “If she wants to talk to you again tonight, do so and find out why she’s being acting like this. Get her to confess her reasons to you. I’m sure she would open up to you easily. You have that effect on people anyway.” “So just go along with her and see what happens.” I sighed. “OK, I’ll do what you say. Let’s just hope this ends in a good way.” So we went back home and focus on our homework, have dinner, and do more homework. Chrysalis did come to check up on me to see if Fleur called, but no such luck. I planned to let her call, or text, me first. I’m not one to call someone out of the blue with nothing to talk about. As I was about to go to bed, my phone started to buzz. It was Fleur. “You do know it’s late, right?” “And good evening to you too.” I just stayed silent. “Alright, I know. It is pretty late to call. I was just busy.” “With homework, or trying to think up of something to talk about.” “Yes…I mean no…I mean, well, maybe.” “You’re a bad liar, you know that.” “Guilty as charge. I’m just…well…you know.” “Fleur, why don’t you just go on ahead and say it instead of acting like I don’t know.” “I don’t understand what you’re talking about, Jack.” “There’s a good amount of people that know about you, just like any kind of personal rivalry between the schools.” “I guess I stand out like any other student at Crystal Prep.” I stayed silent again, while she let out a sigh. “I admit that do like to show off in front of others. I am a daughter of a famous model overseas. But it’s because of how all the students around Crystal Prep are just strict about everything. I don’t have a problem with the school’s academics, that’s for sure. It’s just that…well…” “You don’t like to be single and alone.” “Oh please. It’s not about being single, that’s for sure.” “Liar.” “Hump. Fine, it is. Happy?” “Now we’re getting somewhere. Would have been easier if you just say it in the first place.” “Well, I wanted to see who you were after reading about you in the paper. Rich students don’t get noticed in the paper, but athletic students do. And I figure that if I had a boyfriend that was popular enough to have a big career in their future, I can finally impress my mother with him. All the rich students are just boring.” “I figured that’s what it was about in the first place. All you had to do was come forward with it.” “I guess you don’t like me anymore, do you?” “Now I didn’t say that. You just took the wrong approach in the matter. Plus, I have a…hard time understanding girls, so that makes us even.” “Well, maybe we can meet this weekend and sort things out. At least it will be after the game.” “I doubt that. We have homecoming Saturday, and I will be working out Sunday, like always.” “And you don’t have a date for homecoming, now do you?” “Sounds like you’re catching on.” “Well, let me think about what to do with that, and I’ll let you know. Unless you have a better idea.” “Maybe, but I’ll have to get back with you on that.” “Don’t wait too long. Bye.” I knew that it would be too soon to ask her out. I still needed to make sure this isn’t some kind of trap. All I needed to do was take it one step at a time. There’s still the prank war, and so far, Crystal Prep hasn’t made its prank on us. I told Rarity about my late night call with Fleur. Rarity’s starting to understand why Fleur was acting that way in the past, but with the fact that we still haven’t seen a prank happen around the school, we still needed to be cautious at all this. If Fleur wants to meet in person, then Rarity wants to have Twilight around with her and her ear coms to make sure Fleur isn’t pulling some stunt on me. As for Twilight, she wanted to meet with me in the library study rooms with her tablet on the videos that she looked over between Trottingham and Crystal Prep. Twilight said, “As I was looking over the videos, I saw that Crystal Prep has a tough defense. And the guy you met last week, Brick Wall, made a lot of sacks in the defense. But that not the only thing I noticed.” Twilight showed me a few videos where the quarterback made his own rushing plays when he was under pressure, able to dodge the defense and either make it safely out-of-bounds or scoring a touchdown. “Doesn’t it look odd for a quarterback to move like that? Not even my brother can pull that off easily.” “You might be right,” I said. “And while this is a few weeks old, Trottingham is a good team. We might have to avoid blitz plays early on, and hope he can pass the ball to someone else until we can find a way to get to him. Looks like you’re going to have to plan on the fly. Think you can do that?” “Who do you think you’re talking to, Jack,” Twilight said. “But that’s not the only thing I wanted to talk to you about.” “Why do I have a feeling it goes back to the girl issue I have?” I said. “Well, most of the girls have decided to give up on waiting for you to ask one of them out and went with someone else as their date. They all think you’re putting your focus on Friday’s big game, which we hope we can finally win. So you might be off the hook until spring homecoming comes around. But Fleur is still a big concern. I hope your talent in helping others is not being misused just to take you away from the game.” “I’m well aware about all this. For now, we plan to play this like a chess game, trying to outsmart your opponent,” I said. “I’m sure you know the game better than me.” “Chess is a challenging game. But maybe you should treat this as a tactical strategy game instead of a game of chess.” “True enough. At least you’re not talking about who I should be asking out for homecoming.” “Well, about that.” Twilight was hesitant to respond. “There is someone who’s still waiting.” I rolled my eyes and said, “Who, Rarity? Octavia? Maybe Fluttershy?” She responded in a stern tone. “You know who I’m talking about, Jack.” Only one girl came to mind, and Luna told me about it last week. “You’re the first guy she has been interested in. She told me about this because it felt like a new experience to her.” “Applejack, isn’t it,” I said. “Yes. She called me yesterday wondering why you haven’t even bothered to ask her out, if not anyone else. I told her that she should just confront you personally and just say it. She was hoping that you would have lost in that sparring match over a week ago just to make it easy on herself. She still prefers to the old tradition of having the guy ask her out. Why don’t you just ask her out and be over it. Or are you now interested in Fleur from Crystal Prep?” I sighed and said, “Well, there is another that I’m interested besides AJ, and it’s not Fleur.” “Who else could you be interested in that I know you have been with expect?” Her eyes went wide open. “No. Heck no. You have got to be kidding me. HER???” I had a feeling she knew who I was talking about. “Yes, her.” “Are you kidding me? You are not got to date her, or even ask her out. I won’t allow it.” “You don’t even understand what Sunset had to go through in the past.” “I couldn’t even care less. I don’t mind giving her a second chance. But this is crazy. After what she went through with Flash, she’s just going to use you no matter what.” “See, that’s the problem,” I said with an angry tone. “You still have a problem with her and you won’t even let it go at all. How long are you going to keep this up with her, after high school? College? Maybe when she’s dead?” “Don’t even go there, Jack,” Twilight replied in anger. “I know you’re trying to help her, but this is going too far. I was hoping that things would be fine since you came here. But you started to get into so many things that you shouldn’t be in that it might just destroy the respect that you have earn from the entire school, just for one troublesome girl.” “Like I needed that kind of respect. I just do things because I know no one else is willing to do it themselves. That’s who I am, and what I do. If you have a problem with that, then deal with it. I can’t change who I am.” “Fine. Just don’t come running to me when it all falls down on you,” Twilight yelled and stormed out of the room. “And I thought this week was going to be interesting. Now it’s just crazy,” I said to myself. Author's Note I didn't have this planned at first, but I figure I added this into the story, since I already started it in the last chapter. And it really sets it up for the next chapter, which could be a game changer.
Ch. 24 - Samurai and Demon (Part 5) - ForgivenessSo far, this week has been crazy. I’ve fallen in love with two girls, and have a third girl have interest in me. And with the big game coming up, and my encounter with a few Crystal Prep students last week, I’m starting to feel like the target on my back is getting bigger than I have hoped for. I went to Celestia and explained all that has happened so far, hoping for her advice. “I can understand why she’s angry with you, Jack. Even I didn’t expect for you to fall for Sunset, not to mention Applejack. And with Fleur wanting you as well, it’s dividing the group than bring them together.” “I’m starting to think that this was a waste of my time to begin with. I wanted to understand my gift more, but dealing with all that comes my way that I don’t know how to handle was something I wasn’t expecting,” I said. “I didn’t want to do this too soon, but with time running out, I’m going to have to tell Twilight about your gift. I’m hoping that she can understand why I wanted you to do this,” Celestia said. “And hope that she doesn’t think that either of us are crazy. I don’t think anyone would believe that I have these mysterious powers. Well, expect for Coco, Chrysalis, and Moon Dancer.” “Well, at least you believe that Crystal Prep’s top QB might be bearing the gift. If this is true, then maybe we can find a way to expose the school for what it truly is.” “That’s just one student,” I said. “We need a lot more before we can expose them.” “And we need a lot of help to make it happen. Students that we can trust,” Celestia requested. “For now, let me focus on Twilight. I’ll tell her about all this tomorrow, once she’s cooled off. Let’s just hope that this doesn’t go downhill fast.” After coming home from practice, I needed time to myself to clear my head. I opened the window and sat on the rooftop, looking at the downtown area from afar. As I sat and watched, my cell buzzed. It was a text from Fleur. Busy tonight, but wanted to see if we can meet somewhere tomorrow. Fleur I sent a text back to her. Not sure about tomorrow night. But I’ll call you if I’m free at some point. I knew I wouldn’t be able to talk to her tonight, which is somewhat of a relief for me. I felt like I have a lot on my plate that I couldn’t handle. I just hope that Celestia can resolve all this so that we can get back on track. I was starting to hate having to keep my gift a secret. But Coco was right in the first place about doing this, there were others who would like to have my talents for their own gain, and Crystal Prep would be one of them. I was able to get a good night’s sleep before getting up and doing my usual morning routine. When I went back to my room and looked at my cell, I noticed a text sent to me just minutes ago. Jack, bring Chrysalis ASAP We have a problem. Luna This was the first time I’ve received an emergency text from her, and I knew it wasn’t good. I went down to the guest bathroom to get Chrysalis’ attention. When she cracked the door, I showed her Luna’s text. Both of us rushed to get dressed and hastily make our way to the school. When we arrived, we saw Coco waiting for us. “We got Luna’s text. What happened?” I asked Coco. “It’s the gym. It looks like a tornado went through the area. And there’s a fabric sign with the ‘Fire Demon’ on it.” “I don’t like the sound of this, Jack,” Chrysalis said. “Me either. Last thing I need is for all our hard work to go downhill fast,” I said. We saw Luna running towards us in a panic. “We got a bigger problem. Twilight and Applejack just saw the damage and found Sunset and took her to my sister’s office. And I don’t think anyone is happy about it.” “Does Moon Dancer know about this?” I asked. “I don’t think so,” Coco said. “She might have gone to the science lab to look over some things before school starts, like she usually does.” “Chrysalis, Coco, head to the gym and try to survey the damage,” Luna said. “I’ll take Jack to Celestia and see if we can stop this before it gets worse.” Luna and me made our way to Celestia’s office, hoping that Twilight isn’t making a terrible mistake. Once we made our way into the main office, Sunset burst out of Celestia’s office in tears, bumping into me. That’s when I heard it. “Forgive Me.” It was as if her wall finally came down in defeat and spoke to me. Twilight walked out and yelled, “You better run, because you’re not coming back here again.” She turned back to me and said, “Jack, come with me. It’s time you see the truth about her for once.” She grabbed my hand and dragged me to the gym, with Applejack following along. When we arrived at the gym, it was a mess. Rarity, Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy, and Trixie were with Chrysalis and Coco, looking over the room. Everything that we worked on was destroyed. “You tell me she’s not capable of doing this,” Twilight yelled at me. “All of our hard work, gone. This is a disaster,” Rarity said as she placed her arm on her forehead, wanting to faint. “Trixie knew that she would do this at some point. And that sign proves it.” She pointed to a sign that said, “Good luck with homecoming, losers. Fire Demon.” “Anyone can make that sign and make sure that Sunset took the blame,” I said. “What makes you think she would do all this?” Twilight started to get angry. “What makes me think? YOU SHOULD KNOW WHAT THIS MAKES ME THINK!!! SHE WANTED TO DO THIS IN THE FIRST PLACE!!!” I wanted to vent out to Twilight about making these claims. But that stopped when Moon Dancer and Tree Hugger ran in. “Fluttershy, it’s Angel. He’s missing from his cage,” Tree Hugger said. “We found an envelope next to the cage,” Moon Dancer said as she held up the envelope. “Let me see it,” Fluttershy said in a panic. She went to take the envelope from Moon Dancer, but she pull back from Fluttershy. “Hold on there, Fluttershy.” Moon Dancer went up to me and said, “I need to talk to you, NOW.” We went away from the rest of the group. Moon Dancer said, “It’s not open, so there’s a chance that a fragment of the person’s soul could be in here. I need you to stay clam and focus on what you sense.” I took the envelope and opened it, taking out the note. That’s when I started to sense it. A blurred image of a blue-green person with orange like hair, filled with vengeance. The image faded before I could sense more of it. Twilight stomped up to me and took the note from my hand to read it. “If you want to see your lucky bunny again, forfeit Friday night’s game. Signed, The Fire Demon.” She crumpled up the note and said, “I knew it. She just had to go this far to make a point. If she wants to be expelled, then I’ll be happy to toss her out MYSELF!!!” My anger started to came back to me. I looked at Twilight and yelled, “That’s all you ever think of, just wanting the get rid of Sunset so you can enjoy your own life in peace.” “Don’t get me started, Jack. This is who she is and what she does. There’s no way you or anyone can change her.” “Really? The only person you care about is yourself. You don’t even care about your friends in the first place.” “Don’t you DARE bring them into all this. I care about them more than anyone.” “Then why do you even want to prove you’re the best in this school? Better than anyone else around?” “You’re really pushing it, Jack. I don’t even know why I became your friend in the first place. You’re just as stubborn as ever.” “Stubborn? You want to see stubborn? How about I just knock you out, RIGHT HERE, RIGHT NOW!!!” “TRY IT!!! I DARE YOU!!!” “STOP IT!!!!!!!!!!!!” Everyone looked a Coco, as she was furious about what was going on. “The both of you are acting like babies, fighting over something pointless.” “Pointless? You think Sunset is pointless? Try telling that to…” “SHUT UP, TWILIGHT!!!” Coco yelled to her, causing her to go into shock. “I don’t even want to hear it.” Coco went up to me and said, “Jack, this isn’t like you. I know you never lose your temper about anything that happens with you.” “Well, it looks like he just lost it completely,” Twilight said, looking away with her arms crossed. Coco started to stare at her before someone else spoke. “Twilight!” She looked over to who was calling her, only to get a slap in the face. “Moon Dancer? What is wrong with you?” Twilight asked her. “What do you think?” Moon Dancer replied. “It’s because you still hold a grudge with Sunset.” “I do NOT hold a grudge with her,” Twilight responded. “He just wants to protect his new-found love, that’s all.” This shocked everyone in the room. “That’s right. He cares about her so much that he loves her.” “That’s not true,” Coco responded in my defense. “Then prove it,” Twilight said, challenging Coco. Coco looked down and said, “Jack, I’m sorry, but I can’t keep our promise about you any longer.” She looked up as said, “Remember the story about how I met Jack? There’s one more part that I have yet to tell you; something that I promised to keep a secret for his safety. The reason we were able to meet and help each other was because of his special gift, the power to sense people’s emotions. He can sense when someone is sad or in pain. He can sense when someone wants to cause trouble. It’s that gift that makes him special.” “Coco, I hate to tell you this, but that’s hard for anyone to believe,” Rarity said. Twilight added, “She’s right. No one can sense anything like that. It’s impossible.” “Actually, it is possible. And I’ll be happy to prove it.” Moon Dancer went up to Twilight and grabbed her cell from her pocket. “Maybe this will make you believe. Jack, fetch.” She threw Twilight’s cell far away from us, trying to break it. When I saw it, something in me just snapped, and told me what to do. And that’s when it happened. I braced myself to rush and grab her cell and commanded: “SOUL ART #1: SHADOW STRIKE!” From that point, I shifted myself all the way to the other side, grabbed her cell, and planted my feet on the wall before landing on the floor. Everyone was stunned at what they saw and noticed that I was holding Twilight’s cell in my hand, undamaged. “What the hay did we just saw?” Applejack asked. “A soul shift,” Chrysalis said, “but not the one I saw over a week ago.” “Say what?” Applejack said with a raised eyebrow. Chrysalis looked at Moon Dancer, asking for her to explain. “What Jack has is the power of Soul Resonance,” Moon Dancer said. “It’s the power to sense a person’s soul, their feelings and actions. It’s how he was able to help Chrysalis with what she was going through in her life. It also allows their own soul to do things that no human can even do, like how he was able to help the football team make those wins that created headlines in the paper.” “Moon Dancer, how do you know this?” Twilight asked. “Because it’s something that Celestia and Luna have known for a long time.” We saw that it was Coach Spitfire who spoke from the doorway. “If you going to come out, I might as well do the same.” I looked at her and said, “You’ve been watching me this whole time, haven’t you.” “That’s right,” Spitfire said. “Luna got me up to date days after coming here. Wanted me to keep an eye on you so that nothing bad would happen to you. And Twilight, the gift that he carries comes from a book that was written by Professor Star Swirl, who studied it from Master Blades, Luna’s mentor, and a good friend of ours. What I’m surprised is that you, Jack, would know the first Soul Art without looking at Master Blades’ scrolls.” I handed the cell back to Twilight and said, “Somehow, I heard a voice, telling me what to do, and did it. I think it has to involve the Soul Shift ability.” “That could only mean that your powers are growing better that expected since coming here,” Spitfire said. “Forgive me for asking this, coach, but who would want powers like his for?” Rainbow Dash said. “I mean, they look cool, but who would believe that they even exist?” “Someone who wants an edge against anyone else,” Coco said. “Manehattan does have its dark side, and having someone with powers like his could give them what they need to take over a city, maybe a nation. That’s why we promised to keep it a secret from everyone.” “But we’re in Ponyville. Who would want something like that?” Dash asked again. “Someone like…Crystal Prep,” Twilight said. “They’ve been known to be perfect. Wouldn’t having a student like that give them a bigger edge in almost everything?” “We think they already have that edge in the first place,” Spitfire said. “The problem is that we’ve been having a hard time proving it.” And that’s when it hit me. “Guys, I just thought of something. When I touched the note, my Soul Reading went off, showing me a blurred image of a blue-green person with orange like hair, filled with vengeance. And someone wanted to point the finger to the ‘Flame Demon’. Anyone from Crystal Prep fits that description?” Chrysalis snapped her fingers and said, “Lightning Dust. Since we confronted them last week, it’s possible that she wanted to get back at Sunset for getting in the way. And we have yet to see a prank being pulled on our school. They must have pulled their prank and decided to get back at her at the same time.” “But doing damage like this and stealing a rabbit is just criminal,” Applejack said. “No one in their rightful minds would dare to do something like that.” “And the doors are locked at night. How would they find a way to get in?” Twilight asked. “What about this opened window with a piece of fabric on it,” Pinkie Pie said as she pointed to the open window up high. Twilight asked, “How did you…?” “There was a draft coming towards me, so I looked and saw that it was open,” Pinkie answered. Everyone looked at the open window to see a small piece of fabric snagged on the edge of the window. Spitfire said, “Someone bring a ladder over here. Twilight, I need you to take a picture of it before you bring it down.” Applejack was able to bring a ladder from the supply room and placed it below the open window. Twilight went up and used her cell to take a picture of the fabric on the window before taking it and coming back down. She handed it to Spitfire for a better examination of the fabric. The color of the fabric was maroon, one of Crystal Prep’s school colors. And from the texture of the fabric, it would have come from a track suit, which if it came from the football team, it would have to be one of the equipment workers on the team. “Well, we now know that it was Crystal Prep that did this,” Rainbow Dash said, “but how were they able to pull it off? A football player couldn’t fit through the window. You have to be thin to make it through.” “There’s a door next to the back of the stage that leads outside. Someone could have let the others in through there,” Trixie said. Just then, my sensory powers went off the wall. “Guys, would most of the students be arriving at this time?” Twilight look at the time on her cell and said, “About so. Why do you ask?” “Because I just sense a ton of negativity around the school,” I said. Rarity, Trixie, and Pinkie Pie took out their cells and looked up on some of the social media sites. “Oh my. This is not good,” Rarity said. “Everyone’s talking about how someone broke in and trashed the gym.” “But we’re the only ones that have been in here,” Applejack said. “How would anyone else know about it?” “Trixie might have found the source…well, kind of.” She showed us a picture of the gym in a mess, with the fire demon sign shown. “Hey, look at that. It was taken at night,” Pinkie said as she pointed to the windows in view. “Crystal Prep must have stayed one step ahead of us, just to be sure,” I said. “And if Lightning Dust is the one planning this, she really wanted to get back at Sunset for what happened.” “Then all of you have a lot to do in little time,” Spitfire said. Twilight asked, “What do you want us to do?” “Twilight, take AJ and Jack with you and find Sunset. You’re going to have to make sure she understands that what you did was a mistake,” Spitfire said. “Everyone else, rumor control. Make sure everyone knows that Crystal Prep did all this. I’ll make sure no one enters the gym until later on, see if I can get rid of the false claims around here.” “But what about Angel?” Fluttershy said. “Crystal Prep has him, right?” “Look, we’ll find a way to rescue Angel, Fluttershy. They just need him, unharmed, to make sure we lose the game. That’s enough time for us to think up of something to rescue him,” I said. “What about homecoming?” Rarity said. “Wouldn’t have to be canceled with all this damage?” I thought for a moment and said, “Twilight, do you think we can get the entire school to help in cleaning up and trying to get homecoming back on track?” “If we can get everyone to believe that Crystal Prep did this, then it might be possible,” Twilight said. “If you can do that by free study, I can open up the gym for homecoming repairs,” Spitfire said. “Then what are we waiting for?” Applejack said. “We got work to do.” “Wait, how do you plan to find Sunset in a sea of negative emotions?” Chrysalis said. “So far, she might still have that wall still up?” Almost everyone was confused as to what she meant before I answered. “Not anymore. When she ran out of Celestia’s office and bumped into me, I heard two words from within her: Forgive Me. I think when Twilight pushed Sunset to her breaking point, that’s when it came down.” Twilight asked, “What do you mean about this wall and her asking to be forgiven?” “Twilight, I better explain it to ya as we look for her,” Applejack said. As everyone went off handle rumor control, the three of us went to look for Sunset. Applejack told Twilight about Sunset’s past. Twilight started to understand why Sunset acted the way she did from the very beginning. But we were having a hard time finding Sunset anywhere. And sensing the sadness that she started to display was becoming hard in a sea of anger. “You sure your gift isn’t broken?” Applejack asked me. “No it’s not. It might be hard to detect sadness over anger.” “But we looked everywhere inside the school.” Twilight said. “Maybe she’s not inside,” Applejack said. “Jack, if she was outside in the sports field area, you think you have a better chance to sense her?” “It’s worth a shot.” We made our way outside and came up to the practice track where we first got together to talk about Sunset on the first day. That’s when I was able to pick up her location behind the bleachers. “Sunset, what are you doing out here?” Twilight asked. “Why should you care? You just want me gone from here, don’t you,” Sunset said crying. “Look, I was wrong to accuse you of what you did,” Twilight said. “I rushed to judgment before looking at the big picture. I wish you told me about your past with your father. I can understand you were scared in telling anyone, and you were just trying to cover it up. And I’m sorry that I didn’t see the signs in the first place. I should have started to ask why you were doing all those bad things instead of just trying to take you down. I’m sorry, I’m so sorry.” “How…how did you know…?” Applejack answered Sunset. “Jack told me about it first a week ago. We figure on waiting til all the problems were resolved before doing so. But after this morning, I had to tell her.” Sunset looked up and asked, “If it wasn’t me, then who did this to me?” “Crystal Prep,” I answered. “Mainly, we believe it was Lightning Dust.” Sunset started to get up and said with a tougher tone, “So, that bitch was the one who wanted to do this to me. She’s going to pay for this.” “We’ll worry about that later. Right now, we need to make sure everyone believes that you didn’t do this,” Twilight said. “Social media’s going crazy about it,” Applejack added. “Twilight, Applejack, go check on the others and see what progress they have made on the issue,” I said. “I need to talk to Sunset for a moment.” Both of them started to make their way inside, leaving me with Sunset. “I guess you’re still trying to keep your promise you made to me,” Sunset said. “Don’t I always,” I said with a smile. “Besides, there’s more you need to know about me.” “Like what?” she asked. “It’s kind of a long story. Make you a deal. You stay with me through this, and I’ll tell you after science class.” She nodded, and we started to make our way to our first class. Twilight and her friends ran up to us with some bad news. Everyone still believed that Sunset was responsible for the damage in the gym. We needed a way to make them believe that it was Crystal Prep who did this. That’s when Rarity had an idea and asked Sunset to go in by herself to her seat, knowing that she was going to get mean stares at her. It was going to be up to us to talk about Crystal Prep’s prank war in our gym to get them to understand as we walked in. “Seriously, why would Crystal Prep decide to destroy the work that we have done this week?” Rarity said. “If you tell me, this must be the lowest prank they pulled on us,” Applejack added. “Yea. Dressing the horse statue into a clown might be funny, but destroying the displays in the gym isn’t,” Pinkie pie said. “Jack, do you think we can fix all the damage that Crystal Prep did?” Twilight asked me. “Well, I can ask my dad for replacement supplies, once we know what needs to be replaced. But getting it done in under two days will be a challenge,” I said. “I know my friends in Manehattan pulled it off two years ago, but this will be a challenge, with it being a theme as well.” “Hey, we’ve been through worse before and came out on top. I know we can do this,” Rainbow Dash said. “That’s right. I mean, we can’t let Crystal Prep bring us down…unless that’s what they wanted us to do,” Fluttershy added. “Then I say we give it our all and make it happen,” I replied. “I think it’s been a while since I’ve done a challenge like this.” Soon then, everyone in class started to talk about Crystal Prep’s prank, remembering that we face them tomorrow night. It wouldn’t take long before social media started to spread word about it and requested that they go to the gym to clean up the mess that was made. By the time we were done with 4th period, Twilight decided to lead the group in getting the gym cleaned up and finding out what we need to replace. I told her that I needed to talk to Sunset in private and ask that she tell Applejack to explain about Sunset’s past so that our friends would understand as well. I took Sunset to one of the rooms in the library and started explaining about my gift and why I was trying to find out what she was hiding with its power. She couldn’t believe it at first, but when I pointed out what I saw when I touched her arm where she kept rubbing on, she started to understand it better. I received a text from Twilight saying that they have a list and that Chrysalis was going to explain it to my father at work. She also said that Applejack, Rarity, and Rainbow Dash were coming to see me about rescuing Fluttershy’s bunny, Angel. I was able to guide them to the room that I was in with Sunset. “So, any ideas where we can find Angel?” I asked. “We might have some ideas, but we wanted to get some info from you before going forward,” Applejack said. “And part of it has to deal with Fleur,” Rarity added. “She wanted to meet you somewhere this weekend, and you told her about homecoming Saturday.” “I was thinking about that as well,” I said. “She sent me a text last night saying that she was busy, but wanted to meet somewhere tonight.” “Then we can guess who planned all this from the start,” Sunset said. “If you mean Fleur, I doubt that’s the case,” Rarity said. “She might have her intentions with Jack. But with you, Sunset, I just don’t think so.” “I have to agree with Rarity on this,” Dash said. “If she did plan this, she would have made sure that Chrysalis would have to share the blame, since she was known as the witch.” “Plus Chrysalis was in charge of homecoming, which I doubt they knew in the first place,” I added. “And when I sense the brief soul presence in the note when I held it. It looked like Dust, and there was anger and revenge. And if you recall, Dust yelled back at you as the fire demon, wanted to get back at you, if that’s what she meant before running off.” “So Fleur was more of a distraction in the group?” Sunset asked. “Maybe. But we’re not sure,” Rarity said. “Well, we can guess that Dust and Fleur are a part of the group,” Applejack recommended. “Suri and Brick Wall would be two others, plus we have an equipment worker who help get in through the window. No telling who else from that school would be a part of this.” “If you tell me, Lightning Dust would be the one in charge. If there was anyone out there would break the rules to get what she wants, it’s her,” Dash said. “That still leaves us with where Angel could be held.” Sunset said. “Well, the school would be one option, but Angel would make enough noise to get anyone’s attention who wasn’t a part of the group,” Dash said. “And they can’t take Angel to one of their houses, because it will be the same problems at school, but with their parents,” Applejack added. “But Fleur lives by herself, thanks to her mother. So that would be the best place to keep Angel until after the game,” Rarity said. “So, let’s break in to her place, grab the bunny, and get out,” Sunset recommended. “Oh no. We can’t do that. Her place would have burglar alarms and other security plans. Mr. And Mrs. Rich have that in place at their house, so Fleur would have the same,” Rarity said. “We don’t have to,” I said. “She wants me to meet her somewhere tonight, if I had time. So why not plan to meet her late in the night at her place.” “Do that and she’ll just try to refuse or work on hiding Angel until after you leave,” Dash recommended. “Unless you hide Angel back at school…at night,” Sunset said. “Exactly,” I replied. “The school would be empty, so they could hide Angel for the night somewhere in there, and get him out in the morning. They only need one night to do so.” “But how do we know where in the school Angel would be? We don’t know much of the inside of the school, unless Jack can sense Angel when we’re in there,” Applejack said. “My soul powers don’t work on animals,” I said. “That’s one of the drawbacks that I learned while I was in Manehattan. So there’s has to be another way.” “I have an idea,” Dash said. “Coach Fleetfoot. She’s been a coach who believes in fair play. And Coach Spitfire can help talk to her about all this. Both of them have been good friends before. And I already gave Fleetfoot’s number to Spitfire so they could reconnect. We can at start from there.” “We still have the issue of making sure that Angel is at Fleur’s place,” Applejack said. “I might have an idea.” Rarity brought out her cell and made a call. “Pinkie, it’s Rarity…Question. Do you still have that spy dish with you…Vinyl has it…hang on. Vinyl has some of Pinkie’s spy gear, we might have to bring her in on this.” “Maybe more than just her,” Applejack said. “Let me see your cell.” Rarity gave Applejack her cell to speak. “Pinkie, this is AJ. Is Twilight around…Twilight, we might have a plan, but we need the entire gang to help like before…I’ll explain later, just make sure Coach Spitfire is there as well…Alright, bye.” After handing Rarity back her phone, she said, “Well, it looks like we’re getting the gang together again to deal with this.” “Think they can keep my gift a secret, if possible?” I asked. “As long as Coco and Chrysalis are there, shouldn’t be a problem,” Applejack answered. “If it’s the same group of people that helped in stopping me last school year, then count me in,” Sunset requested. “Hold on, sugarcube. I know you’re not to blame for this, but I can’t drag you into this with what happened back then.” “Screw it. Maybe what I did was wrong before, but I’m not letting someone use my past for her advantage. Plus, you need someone who can pick a lock.” The girls started to stare at her. “I know it’s the wrong thing to do, but…” Applejack raised her hand and said, “You’re in. If Angel’s in one of the lockers, then we might need your pick lock skills to help out.” “Then let’s see Twilight and get her up to date on our plans,” I said. So we went to see Twilight and Coach Spitfire and explained everything that we discussed. Spitfire knew what she needed to do and asked that the most of the group should meet back at the gym after school, expect for the guys on the football team. Spitfire can get Twilight, Moon Dancer, and Rainbow Dash away from their roles on the team, but Soarin would have to stay with us for now. After practice, the guys walked back with me, where we met up with Cadence, Roseluck, and Miss Luna. “So I’m guessing that you’re going to help us out in some way?” I asked Luna. “With the planning at least. Shining, Flash, Thunderlane, and Soarin, you’ll go with Cadence and Roseluck and help Chrysalis with some of the repairs in the gym. I can’t afford to put members of the team at risk, expect for Jack. I know he has what it takes to get through this.” “Beside, Mr. Spades just brought the materials we need to make the repairs and replacements. And we could use some help with the hard work in there,” Cadence said. “Good enough,” Shining Armor replied. “Jack, you make sure you keep my sis safe, OK?” “No problem,” I replied, before they went off to the gym. “So what’s my role, Luna?” “You’re going to be the key player in this mission. I already talked to your father and asked that you spend some time with me for some ‘mental training’ before the game. You’ll going to need your blades, should they be needed. Spitfire told me about how you pulled off a Soul Art earlier.” “I was surprised myself,” I said. “Well, if you plan to invade Crystal Prep, it’s going to be entering the hornets’ nest, and you need to be ready for anything. You might want to read this later on.” Luna handed me an opened envelope. “Just came in the mail yesterday from Master Blades’ place. The letter will explain it all. For now, let’s fill you in on the rest of our plan. Moon Dancer is in charge of the spy team at Fleur’s place. Rarity, Pinkie Pie, Vinyl, And Octavia have gone with her, along with some of Pinkie’s spy gear. They plan to see if Angel, and maybe Dust and company, would be there. Twilight is in charge of the recon team at Crystal Prep. Trixie, Fluttershy, Tree Hugger, and Coco are with her. They plan to meet up with Fleetfoot and give them some info on the place.” “So Coach Fleetfoot believes that some students don’t like to play fair and wants to fix it?” I asked. “Besides that, she’s been our inside source on what we have been trying to discover from Crystal Prep.” “Finding out who could carry the gift that I have.” “She’s still trying to figure out what’s going on, but it hasn’t been easy. But for now, she’s helping out with rescuing Angel.” “And I’m supposed to go in alone if I have to?” “Well, not alone. These girls are going to help you out.” Luna pointed to five girls in front of me: Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Lyra, Sweetie Drops, and Sunset. “We’re not going to let our hero of the school do this alone, now will we,” Applejack said. “Guess not,” I replied. “Lyra, Sweetie Drops, think you can handle what we’re about to do?” “Oh, we’ve done similar stuff when we have to deal with…another problem before,” Sweetie Drops said, causing Sunset to look away in shame. “But with Sunset’s help, we know we can pull it off.” This made Sunset feel relieved. Coach Spitfire came out of the school to join us. “Just got the info that Fleetfoot sent me by e-mail. Looks like the one issue that we have at the school is the security there. They have most of the school locked up after 7PM, and only one security guard and lots of cameras at that time.” “Standard security issues. They want to make sure no damage happens there at night,” Luna said. “And if I remember correctly, anyone who has a valid school ID can get in there at night to get something, as long as the guard is with them.” “Fleetfoot is going to help Twilight in hacking into the camera system, get some eyes in the building,” Spitfire said. “Until then, we’re running blind.” “Sunset, go with Jack back to his place and pick up both blades before checking in. It’s unclear where you need to go to first, and I don’t want to take any chances on this mission,” Luna said. “The rest of you, head on to the school and wait until they join up. I have to stay with my sister tonight. If she found out what we’re doing, she’ll freak. I want to keep this under the radar until it’s complete.” As the rest of the group made their way to Crystal Prep to meet up with Twilight’s group, I let Sunset drive my truck while I looked over the letter that Luna gave me. Dear Luna, If you are reading this, it means I have passed on. After talking to you on the phone, I needed to make sure this was made and ready if you don’t reach me in person. I have enclosed a translated copy of the first three soul arts for your gifted friend. If he knows how to soul shift, then he is ready to be trained once you have received my remaining gear and teachings. I’m sure by now that Star Swirl has passed on. When, I don’t know. Whoever took him will come for your friend. He must be ready to face whatever threat is out there. I have faith that you will do what is right and prepare him for this. You were once a student to me. Now you need to be a teacher to your friend. Your Loyal Sensei Master Blades I was able to look over the second piece of paper, which explain the three Soul Arts mention. Soul Art #1 Shadow Strike Focus and shift your soul straight to the target. Soul Art #2 Shadow Slash Focus and shift your soul, striking each target in the path. Soul Art #3 Blade Cutter Focus your soul into the blade to strike through the target. I can understand how I pulled off the first soul art, so the second art should be similar. But I have a feeling that the third art will be key to this mission if no threats are around. “I know I can’t learn these soul arts, but with what we went through with our blood pact with the blades, do you think I will have to go through training with Miss Luna?” Sunset said. “The soul arts are meant for me alone at this time,” I said. “But both of us will have to go through basic training as part of the samurai club. And that includes in how to wield a katana. Applejack will have to go through this training as well.” “Speaking of Applejack, is it true that you have feelings for her?” she asked. “What are you saying?” Sunset took a deep breath before she spoke. “Twilight was asking me if I had feelings for you, which I said I did. I wanted to know why she asked me that, and she said that Applejack also had feelings for you too.” “I don’t know why she’s still getting into this after yesterday. Did she tell you anything else?” “That was it. She didn’t tell me anything else. I just want to know if you have feelings for AJ?” As we pulled up the driveway to my house, I said, “Can we talk about this later?” and went out to collect my blades. When I got back to my truck, we pulled out of the driveway and made our way to the entrance of the subdivision. She put it in park and asked, “I want you to answer the question. Do you have feeling for me or AJ?” “Do we have to go through this now?” I said. “YES!!! I need to know…right now.” “I don’t know how to explain it, but…” “Look, I know that homecoming is days away. If you’re trying to decide, then let me make it easy for you. Go and ask Applejack out to homecoming. Forget about me, OK? I know I’ve done bad things in the past, and AJ has been good to everyone that’s around her. She’s more of the girl you should be spending your time with, not me. All I’ll do is ruin your life in front of everyone that knows me.” “Sunset, you have started to show signs of change. You can’t just give up right…” She placed her lips onto mine, cutting me off. Her kiss was more passionate than I have even felt. When she broke away from our kiss, she looked me straight in the eye and said, “Jack, you’re like the samurai to everyone. I’m just a demon. It’s not going to work out. I don’t have a problem being your friend and helping me with my problems, but I don’t want to take it any further and risk all that you have earned from the school. Everyone sees who you are and what you can do. All I’ll do is make you lose it all. Please, just go with AJ, for my sake.” My cell started to go off. I saw that it was Rarity calling. “We’ll talk about this later.” I answered my cell on speaker. “What is it, Rarity?” “Jack, where are you?” “Just leaving my house.” “Good. Make your way to Fleur’s place. We’ve located Angel…and Lightning Dust. We might need your help.” “I know how to find her home, so send me a location where I should meet you.” “Will do. Be on the lookout for Tavi. She’ll help you get to us. Rarity out.” “Better let me drive, Sunset. Let’s focus on what we have to do now, and talk about you, me, and AJ later.” Author's Note The secret's now out. How all this will play out will happen in the last part of the Samurai and Demon saga.
Ch. 26 - We Work As OneWe all knew that we would have to face the music in front of Celestia today, but Twilight wanted to confront Celestia about what she had to go through since the first day of school. And she wanted Sunset and Applejack to be there as well. But for me, if there was ever a time that I needed a team on the same page for what we were about to face, that time was now. Coach Spitfire went to tell Miss Luna about what we discovered from last night; how someone knew about the layout of the school, from getting into the gym to finding the science room where Angel the bunny was located; that Lightning Dust and crew was in charge of the damage; how we had to break into Crystal Prep to rescue Angel; how I had to convince Fleur to come clean about her actions; everything. The only thing that I didn’t want to bring up is the Elite 5’s role in all this. Not until I talk to them in private about what they possess. That was the last thing I want for everyone to worry about. If they have the same gift that I have, I need to know what they know about it as well. It was after 4th period that Coach Spitfire came for me, Twilight, and Sunset. Luna went to get Applejack. We all knew that we would have to see Celestia at this time. Spitfire took the rest of our team from our class and made sure all members of the team would be at the gym, finishing up on some of the final touches for homecoming. I knew that Celestia would want to know who from the school knew about my gift. But when we arrived there to meet Luna and Applejack, Celestia went off the deep end. “What the heck were you thinking last night? To find out that you went to break in to Crystal Prep just to rescue a bunny from our school was crazy. What if you got caught while you were in there?” “I doubt it wouldn’t be a problem when you have someone who can sense trouble around every corner,” Applejack said. “Plus we had help from the outside getting us around the school,” Twilight added. “I don’t see how that can be a problem when YOU have been keeping secrets from us.” Celestia started to look at me, but Twilight slammed her hands on the desk, getting Celestia attention. “Don’t even think about going to him for anything,” Twilight yelled. “Do you know how much hell I had to go through since the start of the school year? You paired me up with Sunset for most of the classes, hoping that Jack here would help resolve all of our problems.” “And when things got to be their worst, I had to do whatever I can to fix Twilight’s problems that involved Jack and Sunset,” Applejack added. “And do you know how much pain I had to relive from all this?” Sunset asked Celestia. “I would have wanted to kill myself…AGAIN!!!” “At least you could have told us about Jack’s gift,” Twilight said. “Would have made things easier on all of us instead of having everyone as your own lab mice.” After hearing all this, Celestia sat down and pinched the bridge of her nose before she spoke. “Jack, who else knows about what you carry?” Before I could answer, a knock came to the door before it opened. It was Coach Spitfire. “We’re ready when you are.” I said, “Celestia, I think it’s best that you see for yourself.” As all of us left the office to make our way to the gym, Celestia grab Star Swirl’s book and whispered something to Ms. Raven before walking with us. When we arrived at the gym, she was surprised to see over almost two-dozen students in the gym. “You have got to be kidding me,” Celestia said in shock. Cadence walked in front of the group. “Principal Celestia, if Crystal Prep is trying to cheat to win, by any means, and if you plan to leave it up to Jack to deal with it, then he’s going to need an army, or at least a team, to stop them.” “She’s right,” Shining Armor added. “I know he has what it takes on the team. But if we’re facing a rival team who has what he has, then we need to find out how to stop them. And what has happened this week is just proof that they will try anything to get an edge on winning, with or without that gift.” “You got that right.” We all looked at the gym entrance to see Coach Iron Will who spoke. Mrs. Harshwhinny, Ms. Raven, and Doctor Whooves also walked in with them. “If you plan to take on Crystal Prep, then it’s wise to have us on your side,” Mrs. Harshwhinny said. “Students, meet the rest of the team,” Celestia said. All of us were surprised to see who all knew about my gift for so long. “I guess you all deserve to understand why we have been doing this from the start.” She looked at Mrs. Harshwhinny to begin. “It’s about how Professor Star Swirl learned about the power of soul resonance back in Equestria University. Just like how Coach Spitfire was the head female coach at EU, I was a professor there as well. I was also a good friend with Star Swirl at the time. I knew that he always like to learn and discover new and rare things and liked to talk about it with me. But one year, he didn’t show up for the start of the new college semester. All that the university would say was that he retired. I tried calling him, but got no answer. Since I have Celestia’s home number, I called her up and asked if she heard anything. That’s when I knew about the book arriving at their house. When I heard that she was selected for the VP position here, I decided to resign at the end of the college year and start working as an English teacher here. I wanted to find out what happen to Star Swirl just as much as they did.” Celestia took over the conversation. “When I went from VP to Principal, I knew I was going to be busy with the school. Mrs. Harshwhinny recommended that I hire Ms. Raven from Manehattan, who was once a student in her classes at EU. She knew that Ms. Raven would be able to help us during our off time in finding out about Star Swirl’s wear-a-bouts. And we were lucky that she did.” She looked at Ms. Raven to continue. “When Crystal Prep got a new principal, after hearing stories of problems in the school, they started to improve year by year. Then the perfect streak in every school challenge came into play. Somehow, Principal Cinch was able to make Crystal Prep as the best school to attend for the best and brightest students. As you would know, Jack, that Mane Coast Academy was also a top ranked school in the nation, their methods were different from Crystal Prep. When I brought it to Celestia and Luna’s attention, it raised some concern.” Spitfire took over. “An opening came up for a female coaching job. I was the new head coach at the time when Luna called asking me to take the job. I knew what was going on with their search, but I couldn’t take the job. So I recommended a friend of mine from Cloudsdale to take it for me, Coach Fleetfoot. I filled her in on what was going on, and she kept an eye on anything unusual there. But somehow they were having a hard time finding out what they were looking for. Coach Iron Will got in touch with the head coach of EU, Coach Tirek. That’s when Iron Will took over, in his method of speaking. “Celestia told Iron Will about the problems with Crystal Prep. Iron Will doesn’t like Crystal Prep to cheat, but Iron Will has no proof to show. Fleetfoot wasn’t much help in the position that she was in. So Iron Will called an old friend, Tirek. Tirek kept tabs on EU since Star Swirl’s disappearance, but nothing new showed up. Tirek has coached students from Crystal Prep, but they weren’t who they used to be since Crystal Prep. This raised many questions.” Spitfire said, “Tirek told me that they were getting nowhere in the team’s search. When I heard that Coach Goalkeeper was retiring, Celestia asked that I take over as the female coach here. I was hesitant at the moment, but Tirek said that I should go there and help out. Plus since Rainbow Dash needed help with her scholarship, there was no reason I should decline. Tirek said that he would find someone to take my place at EU. When Celestia later told me about your gift, Jack, she wanted me to keep an eye on you. Luna soon then had an idea of making it easier with the idea of the samurai club. I’m sure that you know the rest of the story.” “So Coach Tirek is also a part of this team?” Shining Armor said. “That’s right,” Spitfire replied. “And he hopes you would get the football scholarship after this year. He could use your talents. But that’s for another time.” “Then what’s Doctor Whooves story here?” Twilight asked. “SPOILERS!!!” I said. Everyone looked at me. “Professor River Song would have played a part in this.” “Indeed so, Jack,” responded Doctor Whooves. “Since Celestia and River Song have kept in touch with each other, thanks to me, for some reason the both of them, somehow, got me involved. Beside, since River Song is now aware of your gift, she’s been busy looking for anything that could be connected to it on her summer trips overseas. She’s still connecting the pieces since she now understands what’s going on.” “And until then, we’re in the blind about the bigger picture on my gift,” I said. “That’s right,” he responded. “By we do have one thing we need to focus on.” “CRYSTAL PREP!” “Twilight, tell Coach Iron Will you have something for tonight’s game,” Iron Will said. Twilight looked at me before answering to Iron Will. “Since I understand a bit about Jack’s gift, we might have come across something from the video we got, but it more of a long shot.” “We noticed that Crystal Prep’s quarterback has been able to avoid getting sacked against Trottingham, but that was weeks ago. If we had more up to date video, we could be certain,” I said. “Well, it really is a long shot, because that’s his name,” Spitfire said. “Wait, you mean last year’s backup QB is the starting QB for Crystal Prep?” Flash asked. “That’s right,” Spitfire responded. I looked at the guys for a better explanation. Shining Armor said, “Long Shot was just a backup QB until we faced them last year. We were able to do a number to their starter QB while we had the lead. When they put him in, he just broke through our defense without breaking a sweat, winning the game. They made him the starter during the championship game, and that’s when we got trashed big time.” “Sounds like a gifted student to me,” I said. “If I can dodge any defense that comes at me, then he could do the same.” “Is that the only player who stands out?” Luna asked us. “From what I saw, that’s the only one,” Twilight said. “We can rule out Brick Wall,” Chrysalis added. “If he had that gift, he would have dodged my leg sweep when he went running towards Jack from behind weeks ago.” “I hate to change the subject, but what about the woman’s basketball team,” Dash said. “The Elite 5 is a part of that team, and one of them acts as the tactician for both football and basketball teams. Wouldn’t they have something like that in them?” “The thought has crossed our minds, but we’re a long way from finding out at this time,” Celestia said. Coco asked, “Sunset, you fought against Lightning Dust before. Were you able to land any blows on her?” “Some, yes. But they didn’t do a lot of good when Suri came up from behind to hold me down.” “The we can rule Lightning Dust out as well, otherwise, she would have dodge every swing you would have thrown,” Coco added. “That’s a good point,” Applejack said. “Jack was able to dodge most of what I threw at him, unless I was able to pin him down. But he even found a way to stop any punch I threw at him.” “We had a feeling that not every student would bear this gift, otherwise, it would wave red flags at the school from everyone else,” Luna said. “Jack, when you were in the school, anything felt out of place over there?” “Nope. It was like any other school. I even didn’t sense anything bad from their guard,” I said. “I thought the school guard was nice when he tried to help us find Angel while we were outside,” Fluttershy added. “Then maybe some of the students there might bear the actual gift that Jack has,” Celestia said. “I wouldn’t go there, Tia,” said Spitfire. “Tirek did say that he had students from that school, and they weren’t who they were when they started college, so they must be finding a way to give them this gift.” “Oh, what if they’re part of some evil organization wanting to take over the world,” Pinkie said. “Oh maybe their aliens trying to infect the students without them even knowing it.” “Pinkie, I think you been watching too many spy movies and sci-fi shows,” Applejack told her. “Wait, Pinkie might be on to something,” Moon Dancer said. “If they were doing something at the school, wouldn’t the school board, or even the government look into it? Then they would find something that would require the school to be closed down. So it would be safe to do their operations someplace else and just test it on the students in hopes to give them an edge in what they can do before.” “Then we’re back to where we’ve started,” Twilight said. I looked at Coco; seeing that she wanted to say something to me, but I gave a silent signal to stay quiet for now. Twilight continued. “The only other issue we have is trying to prove that Lightning Dust was the one that planned the chaos in our school and tried to pin it on Sunset.” “Well, we know that someone knew the school layout to find a way into the school and make their way to the science lab,” Luna said. “But who would be willing to go back on our school to do this?” Coach Spitfire’s cell buzzed. When she pulled it out, she saw something on the screen. “Well, we can ask the student who left that piece of fabric at the window.” “I’m guessing that Fleur was able to identify who needed their track jacket fixed, right?” I asked. “Better. It’s someone that Fleetfoot knows in one of her classes,” Spitfire said. “And she says that if we can take him in, he should be easy to tell all who was a part of Dust’s group, with enough pressure.” “If you can pull this off, I’m treating you, Fleetfoot, and Fleur to shakes at Sugarcube Corner,” I said. “I’ll hold you to that, Jack,” Spitfire said. “So, Jack. Did you hit it off with the rival model that had the hots for you?” Rarity asked. “Let’s just say that if I can help Diamond Tiara and her mother change, I can do the same with Fleur,” I said. “So, how do we make sure he’s at the game tonight?” Applejack asked. “Leave that part to us,” Luna answered. “We’ll make sure we get him tonight.” “Miss Luna, perhaps we can use a few students to help…blend in with the crowd,” Mrs. Harshwhinny recommended. “Trixie, Rarity, you think the two of you would have something for this?” “Trixie knows we have something for this occasion, right Rarity?” “I believe we do. Who do you have in mind, Mrs. Harshwhinny?” Rarity asked. “If its students you need for the job, then leave it to us,” Lyra said, pointing to Sweetie Drops. “We can help find your target.” “Then count me in as well,” Octavia said. “You two might be able to blend in, but if it’s snobs that you have to face, then leave those ones to me.” “Then it looks like we got a plan in place,” Spitfire said. “Jack, I hate to say it, but it looks like you have your team to get it done,” Celestia said. “I’ll be impressed to see the final results after tonight, Captain Jack.” “Since when did I become the captain of this team?” “Since you created the Manehattan Knights, we think it’s deserving that you take charge of the team of students,” said Ms. Raven. “And I must say, Manehattan has improved since you created the group a couple of years ago.” I just placed my hands on my hips and shook my head in disbelief. “Coco, you want to do the honors?” “It will be my pleasure,” Coco answered. “As a member of the Manehattan Knights, if you want Jack to be the captain of this group, raise your hand.” And everyone in the gym raised their hand high. Pinkie decided to raise both hands. “I guess you’re our new team captain.” “And it all begins again,” I said to myself. “Miss Luna, any news on Master Blade’s items that he planned to give to you?” “The will just got finalized yesterday, and the caretaker is getting everything ready for me to pick up, since that’s the only way I can have it brought over. And she did find something that I overlooked: a diary. It’s in his own language and dates when he was younger, so it might shed some light on your gift’s origins. I plan to go there tomorrow morning and be back before the homecoming dance. For now, we just need to get through our match-up with Crystal Prep tonight. If we face them in the championship game, we might have a better idea about your powers.” I told everyone, “Well, what are you all waiting for? Let’s get to work. We got a rival school to deal with.” And everyone started to leave the gym to head on to lunch while they planned for tonight. Coco stayed for a moment, wanting to talk to me about earlier before. “Jack, I know you didn’t want me to bring it up, but what if it’s…her,” Coco said. “I mean you felt something bad about her when she left Professor Digger’s office in the museum, and that was when we were waiting for him during our freshman year. If someone on the outside is using the students of Crystal Prep for their own gain, wouldn’t she be the one to do so?” I said, “Ever since I learned more about my gift, and what I know about Crystal Prep so far, it would be something that she would do, if its her. But I need to talk to Indigo first before pointing fingers at others. I know the professor had concerns about her when she made that visit, and I think it’s the reason that he would give the two blades to me.” “How would we know if Indigo is on our side in the first place?” she asked. Then the answer just popped into her head. “Wait, was it her that helped us last night?” “It was her team, but they don’t know about the connection between me and her, so let’s leave it that way for now, until I find a way to talk to her in private. We can fill Moon Dancer and Chrysalis in on this later. Get with our team in Manehattan this weekend and see if they can look into her actions. I want to make sure I have my bases covered before making this kind of move. For now, our focus is on Crystal Prep.” “Agreed,” Coco responded. “Looks like we get to see some action again.” “And I wouldn’t do it without you, Coco,” I said. Applejack wanted to talk to me after school in private. She told me that there was something that she wanted to get off her chest. I did need to talk to her about something as well, so we went outside near the statue. Applejack said to me, “Before I let you have your say, let me get this out in the open with you. Ever since we had that talk on my farm months ago, I started to have these…feelings for you. It was something that I couldn’t understand because it was a new experience for me.” I wanted to say something, but she kept on talking. “Now I know you’re still new with being around girls in that kind of manner, and when I pulled that stunt on you on the farm, I was only joking. But after you left the farm, I started to have second thoughts and wished I went father with you when I had that moment.” I still tried to say something, but she still kept talking. “When I saw how you wanted to help out with Sunset, I started to feel jealous and needed to find a way to get ya to forget her, and that time you took me to the workout room was the only way to make it happen. I tried to give you signals on the ride there, but you were focused on helping Sunset, so that’s why I challenged you.” I wanted to say something, but I figure that I let her finish what she wanted to tell me. “When that failed, I talked to Miss Luna about how I should approach you about my feelings. But I had to put it aside when you and Sunset had that encounter with Lightning Dust and company. You had to save Sunset from Dust because she needed your help. After you finally learned about her past and told me, I had to start thinking about what I should be doing for myself. I even told Twilight that I had feeling for ya, but when she said yesterday that you had feeling for Sunset, I didn’t know how to respond. But after last night, I knew what I needed to do.” Finally, she was almost finished with what she wanted to say to me. “I know I gave you the wrong signals because I’m more old fashion, wanting the guy to ask me out. And I can guess you have feeling for both Sunset and me. But now I know I need to make the move up front instead of waiting for you to make this kind of move. So I’m asking you this…” She took a big breath before she spoke. “You need to ask Sunset out to the dance tomorrow.” I said, “I know and…wait, what did you say?” “You heard what I said, Jack. I want you to be Sunset’s boyfriend. She needs you more than I do, and I mean it.” I was now confused at what Applejack was trying to tell me, and she could see it in my face. “Wait a minute, did Sunset tell you that you should ask me out to the dance?” I nodded, and she just put her hand on her face in shame. “Damn it, Twilight. You just have to make it harder for all of us.” “I think she learned that last night when we were going back to Fleur’s place,” I said. “Well, let me make it easy for you. After what I experienced with you, I now know what I need to do in the first place. I’m sure to find another guy out there that would be right for me, and there’s the spring homecoming next semester, so there’s still time for me. But Sunset is never going to find herself a boyfriend with her past problems, and you’re the only guy that has gotten close to her. Right now, she needs someone to help heal the wounds that she has, and you’re the only guy who can do that. If she says that she’s not worth your time, then screw it. The two of you were destined to be together, and I’m sure Twilight will accept you to be with her.” I took what she told me to heart and said, “I’ll do it. Thanks, AJ.” She embraced me in a hug and said, “No problem, partner. Best I can do for ya.” As she released me from her hug, she said, “And if I ever need any help in how I should approach a guy better, I’ll come to you for advice, if ya don’t mind.” “I’ll be happy to help, as long as you can help me with Sunset’s training later on. I have a feeling she might need it.” Just then, I felt my cell buzz. I took it out and saw that it was a text from Fleur. Jack, can we meet before the game tonight. I don’t want to be alone there. “I figure you got everything resolved with her,” Applejack said. “I did, but that’s not what she’s saying. The second sentence is the code word that I gave her to warn me,” I said. Applejack asked, “You think Lightning Dust and company are behind this?” “I think Lightning Dust is just ticked off that I’ve been getting in her way with her plans,” I said. Just then, Twilight and company, along with Sunset and Chrysalis came out to join us. “I’m guessing that you two got everything taking care of with your…chat?” Rarity asked us. Applejack said, “We have, Rarity. But now we got bigger fish to fry.” “Just got a text from Fleur, wanting to meet me before the game. But her text was disguised as a warning for me.” I looked at Sunset and Chrysalis and said, “How do you girls feel like giving some payback from our last encounter?” Sunset and Chrysalis knew what I was talking about and nodded. “I’ve been meaning to get back at that bitch for what she did to me,” Sunset said. “And I have my own personal payment waiting for her.” “And I’ve been waiting to have another go with Miss I-take-all-the-credit after last time,” Chrysalis added. “Twilight, get the team together that’s not part of tonight’s game like before. I think it’s time we set our own trap for Dust and company. And this time, we make sure they regret messing with us from the start.” I made sure that Fleur knew to meet me at the school around six o’clock. This way, if it were Dust and company, Brick Wall wouldn’t be with them because of tonight’s game. I wanted to make sure my team had the advantage in this matter. I sat on the tailgate of my truck, waiting for her to arrive. That’s when I saw a black SUV pull up towards me. When it stopped in front of me, Fleur came out from the back of the SUV. “Jack!” Fleur said, running towards me. “I’m sorry for doing this.” “Is everything OK?” I asked Fleur. “Oh, everything is just fine.” I recognized the voice. It was Lightning Dust, coming out from the back of the SUV. Suri and a few other girls came out of the SUV from the other side and walked to Dust’s side. I stared at Dust for a moment before whispering to Fleur, “Go to the field entrance and look for Coco. Leave the others to me.” She acknowledges what I told her and went off towards the football field. Once she was out of range, I placed my focus on Dust. “I’m surprised you would show your face after you went running scared the last time.” “Shut it, Jack,” Lightning Dust yelled. “No doubt you helped get your lame bunny back from us.” “And you also got the gym cleaned up and back to normal,” Suri added. “We know you used Fleur to get back at us.” I replied, “Well, that’s because she was interested in me while you only cared about your DAMN SCHOOL’S PRIDE!!!” “THAT’S IT!!!” Dust yelled. “You’re lucky that Brick Wall and the guys couldn’t be here, but I’m sure us ladies can take you down easy!” “Ya sure about that?” Applejack started to come out behind one of the cars next to mine. “If ya want Jack, you have to get past us.” Dust said, “What the…you and what army?” “ALL OF US!!!” Rainbow Dash yelled as she made her appearance. Most of the other girls from our team made their appearance. Lyra, Sweetie Drops, and Trixie showed up to my left; Rarity, Vinyl, and Octavia to my right. Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy came out from behind me with Tree Hugger holding Angel on her hands. “What the heck?” Dust said as she started to back up to the SUV with the others, but Dust and Suri were bumped into someone else. Dust looked back to see Sunset, and Suri saw Chrysalis, who both grabbed the girl that was in front of them. Sunset said, “Hello, BITCH!!!” Chrysalis said, “I hope you’re ready for a rematch.” “Lightning Dust, I know you like to play dirty since we played together back in Cloudsdale,” Dash said. “But what you did days ago crosses the line.” “Now, now, Dash. Let’s not all start pointing fingers without proof,” Applejack said, then looked at Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie and gave them a nod. Fluttershy went and asked, “Angel, do you know who kidnapped you?” Angel pointed at Dust. Pinkie asked Angel, “And do you know who destroyed the gym?” Angel pointed at Suri. “Thank you.” At that point, Pinkie and Fluttershy walked up in front of us, and their mood greatly changed. Pinkie’s hair went flat, and Fluttershy’s eyes went wide, as both of them started to grin like crazy. “There’s something you need to know about them two,” Applejack said. “Pinkie hates party crashers.” “And Fluttershy hates animal abusers,” Dash added. Tree Hugger stepped in and said, “And when they come across haters like you, their aura gets very dark, like bad karma ready to strike.” “And it ain’t pretty.” Applejack finished. “Hey, Jack. Maybe we should leave it to them to handle this. We have a game to get ready,” Dash said. “Good point. I want to save my energy for Brick Wall…on the field,” I said. And I walked towards the field with Dash. “Wait, you’re leaving us with these psychos?” Dust yelled at us. I yelled, “Yep. Hope you survive.” As we were leaving the area, I asked Dash, “So how long do you think they can hold up?” “I say…five minutes tops.” Dash replied. That’s when we heard Fluttershy’s voice. “YOU’RE GOING TO RESPECT ME!!!” “Actually, make it three minutes,” Dash said. “Fluttershy’s a fast finisher.” Then there was a boom behind us. “Pinkie’s party cannon?” I asked Dash. She nodded. “That’s going to leave a mark.” We arrived at the field entrance, where Fleur and Coco were waiting for us. Fleur asked, “What was that?” Dash answered, “Oh, it just the girls doing damage control.” “Thanks for warning me in your text,” I said. “I’m just glad that you’re safe,” Fleur responded. “I’m sorry for dragging you into all this from the beginning.” “There’s no need for you to be sorry,” Coco said. “We all make mistakes, but that’s why we have friends around to get through them.” “You mean…I’m your friends?” Fleur asked. “Yea,” replied Dash. “But you might want to take the creepiness down some levels. Guys can be scared of creepy girls.” I almost wanted to slap my hand on the back of Dash’s head, but Fleur said, “I understand, and I plan to take a break from man-hunting for a while until I figure out what to do on my search.” We started to hear some tires squeal and saw the SUV driving off, breaking the speed limit. “Well, there goes my ride,” Fleur said. “If I see Diamond Tiara or Silver Spoon later on, I’ll see if they can help give you a ride home,” Coco said to Fleur. “Thanks again. It’s nice to have friends that truly care. I can now see what makes your school special.” “We should be thanking you, Fleur. If you didn’t know about the guy who needed his jacket fixed, we wouldn’t have planned to capture the guy and get all this resolved,” Dash said. “Well, if you’ll excuse me, I need to get ready for tonight’s game,” I said. “I’ll stay with Fleur until some friendly faces show up for her to stay with, or just make sure that we stay in the shadows for safety,” Coco said. “Jack?” I looked at Fleur and she gave me a kiss on my cheek. “For good luck.” And both of them made their way to the football field gate. “You really have a way with the ladies, don’t you,” Dash said. I glared at Dash and slapped her rear like last time, saying, “I guess I do.” Dash’s face went red for a moment before she said, “I swear I’ll get back at you for that.”
Ch. 27 - The Big GameThe big game was finally here, and I plan to send Crystal Prep a message that they will not forget. I knew that my soul powers will play a big role, but I will have to use them carefully. I don’t want Crystal Prep, or the rest of Canterlot High, to know what I carry inside me. After our usual locker room meeting, we made our way to the field to warm up. I walked out there with Shining Armor, Flash, and Thunderlane, making sure that we got Brick Wall’s attention. We found him talking to some of his teammates while warming up. Once one of the guys in the group pointed at us, he turned around and tried to hide his surprised look on his face. I just waved at him before we got to work on warming up. “So, you think he knows that his lady crew failed to take you out?” Flash asked me. “Maybe,” I said. “Oh, he knows. He just has a bad way of hiding it,” Shining Armor said. “So which one is Long Shot?” “See the gray guy with the black hair tossing the ball?” Thunderlane said, directing me towards him. “That’s him.” “Just out of curiosity, but is he a junior or senior?” I asked. “Junior,” Shining replied. “Last year’s starter that he replaced was a senior, so we know he graduated from Crystal Prep. It’s a surprise last year that a senior had to be replaced by a sophomore and help win the championship.” “Well, you did the same two years ago, and you finally got the school into the playoffs in the last 9 years,” Flash said to Shining. “But we still haven’t won a championship in over 10 years,” Thunderlane said. “Well, we might just have to change that, now will we?” I said. After going through our warm-ups, we were having our pep talk while students and their parents from both schools filled up the stands. This time, I knew my parents would be here for this game. All four of us made our way to the center of the field for the coin toss. And we already noticed that Brick Wall and Long Shot were co-captains. “Looks like someone got lucky tonight,” Brick Wall said to me. “Makes it easier for me to take you down.” “Brick, stay focused. We have a game to win,” Long Shot explained. “And I can guess this will be different from last year,” as he was staring at me. “Let’s see how different it will be,” Shining Armor said to Long Shot. The coin was flipped and Crystal Prep won the toss. They asked to receive the ball, and we chose to side going into the wind. As we were walking back to the sidelines, I took a quick glance at Crystal Prep’s side, and at the center top of the stands was four of the “Elite 5”, meaning that Sugarcoat was working with the team as told. Once we made it to the sidelines, Coach Spitfire handed us the ear coms that we would be using. Spitfire said, “Listen up. Twilight was able to place the transmitters into your helmets, so as long as you have them, your ear coms will work.” When I placed mine into my ear, I said, “Twilight, can you hear me?” “Loud and clear,” she replied. Everyone else tested theirs before I continue. “Twilight, take a look on the other side of the field, top center of the stands.” “See it. I’ll send a message to the team so they can steer clear of them. Sugarcoat is already with their coaching staff.” “I already explained to Luna who to look for,” Spitfire said. “Mrs. Harshwhinny is with her to help bring the kid in. The other three will be blending in with the crowd, looking for him as well. We hope to have him by halftime.” “Then we’ll put our focus on winning the game,” Shining Armor said. And so the game begins. We kicked the ball to Crystal Prep, which lead to the start of their drive. They were able to score a touchdown in around four minutes time. Now it was our turn. We made our move and scored a touchdown, which took nine plays to complete. It became a back and forth race throughout most of the first half until the final minute of the half. It was Crystal Prep, 28, and Canterlot High, 21. We had the ball, hoping to tie the game before halftime. After 5 plays, time was running out and we were forced to use our last timeout for the half. “Twilight, I hope you have a plan, because this looks like our last play of the half,” Shining Armor said. “Best time to use the Double Dash play. Jack, Flash, you think you can do your part?” I looked at Flash, and he gave me a nod. “Let’s do it.” We setup for the Double Dash play. Flash took the right side, and I took the left side. When the ball was snapped, Flash and me had two players on each of us as we were running towards the end zone. Shining Armor threw the ball towards Flash, in which he caught it and got rid of one of the players that were on him. But he still had another player on him and forced him to the center of the field. The two that were on me changed their direction towards Flash. I only know one option and made my way towards his direction, saying, “Flash, hot potato.” “Coming your way,” he replied, and was able to toss it back to me and strike the other players that were once on me. I was able to take the ball and make it to the end zone for the touchdown. Flash was able to get up and join me in the celebration. But it was short lived. “Jack, Flash, we got a problem.” It was from Thunderlane, who was back where the play started. We soon then noticed that Shining Armor was down. We made our way back to them as Coach Iron Will and Spitfire joined them. “What happened?” I asked. “Just after Shining threw the ball, he got hit by Brick Wall. Hit his throwing arm on the ground,” Thunderlane said. “Thunderlane, go get with Swift and prepare for the extra point,” Iron Will requested. “Shining, can you get up?” Spitfire asked. “I…think so.” he replied, and then started to get up. We made our way to the sidelines so Thunderlane and Swift can take care of the extra point to end the half while we checked up on Shining Armor. Rainbow Dash went to retrieve the school nurse, Nurse Redheart, to look over Shining Armor’s injury. Twilight and Moon Dancer joined us as well. “How bad is it?” Twilight asked. Spitfire was examining Shining Armor’s arm and shoulder, saying, “Well, I don’t feel anything broken,” then Shining felt pain when she checked his shoulder, “but he might have damaged his shoulder.’ Dash returned to us with Nurse Redheart. “What do we have?” Redheart asked. “Bad shoulder, maybe,” Spitfire replied. Nurse Redheart took a look at the injury and knew the answer. “Strained shoulder. It’ll need to be iced.” “I guess I’m done for the night,” Shining said. “It’s your show now, Jack.” “Leave it to me,” I said. Nurse Redheart took Shining Armor to have his shoulder taken care of. Now I had to take the role of QB. “Don’t worry, Jack. We’re with you 100 percent,” Flash said. “Then let’s get to work,” I said. “That’s what Iron Will want to hear. Listen up, Jack’s taking over for Shining. Follow his lead, and we can take Crystal Prep down. Now get out there and play.” Everyone started to make there way to the sidelines for the second half. The remaining few walked out with me. And that’s when we saw Miss Luna and Mrs. Harshwhinny with an officer and a Crystal Prep student. “Coach Spitfire, is that the guy we’ve been looking for?” I asked. “That’s the one,” she replied. “I guess it’s all going down soon.” “Then I think it’s time to give Brick Wall a double dose of failure from us,” I said. So the second half started with us receiving the ball. With my gift, Twilight’s tools, and my friends at my side, this was going to take everything that we got. Twilight walked me through each play, making progress as the game went on. We scored a touchdown, giving us the first lead of the game. But Crystal Prep would respond with scoring a touchdown of their own. It went back and forth throughout the second half with both sides scoring another touchdown. With the score being 42 all, we had the ball and scored another touchdown. But that’s when things changed. Crystal Prep was able to get a piece of the ball on the extra point, causing the ball to miss the uprights. With us leading, 48 to 42, and under six minutes left in the game, we knew that letting them get a touchdown and the extra point was not an option. But Crystal Prep was known to handle clock management, and they were able to milk up the clock. With less than two minutes left in the game, and them running the ball until time expired, I knew that we needed to take drastic measures. “Coach, I hate to say this, but we might have to execute a blitz play,” I said. “You said that blitzing was out of the question, and Iron Will had to use two of their timeouts.” “Coach, I think he’s on to something,” Twilight said. “If they plan to milk the clock, then we need to force them to make a touchdown fast.” “But…” “Just save that last timeout and have the defense blitz the quarterback. Force him to run to the end zone. It will be up to Jack to get the team in field goal range. That’s when we’ll use our final timeout.” Coach looked at me and said into his headset, “OK, we’ll go for it.” The team set up for a blitz play. I decided to focus my senses on Long Shot’s reaction to the blitz. When the play began, both our players were able to make their way to the quarterback. I started to sense Long Shot panic and react to the incoming players. He was able to dodge them and saw a hole in the defense, causing him to run towards the end zone, dodging players that were in his way, but not going out of bounds. While they scored, he felt the pressure that was coming to him, causing him to stop thinking and just act. After they scored the extra point, they had the lead, 49 to 48. “Twilight, I was able to sense Long Shot’s actions. It’s no doubt that he carries the gift that I have,” I said. “The way he moved on the field is just like what we saw on the video that we got. We’re going to have to take note on this later on.” Just then, I felt a strong breeze come through, the same breeze that I felt back on tryout week. “Moon Dancer…” “I saw the flags move as well. I was hoping that we would get a strong breeze later in the evening. Lyra and Sweetie Drops already came up here to help me out. They’re analyzing the wind right now.” “Flash, you might have to fair catch the ball on the kickoff,” Twilight said. “I’m hoping that the wind can give you better field position for Jack.” “On it,” Flash replied. And Flash did what Twilight asked for. He called for a fair catch, giving us a start near the 20-yard line. But we only had about a minute to get into field goal range. I got with the team and gave them my instructions. “Listen up. We need to get in field goal range. Focus your best on the left side, and try to get out of bounds. I know Swift Kicks can do a good job, but if it’s a long kick, I need it to be on that side for my best kick. Let’s make this happen.” When we lined up, I can see Brick Wall trying to taunt me, but that wasn’t going to happen. I made my first play by handing the ball to Thunderlane, who ran to the left side and was able to get out of bounds, just short of the first down. We decided to go with the same play, but this time I faked it to Thunderlane and handed it off to Flash. This time we were able to get a first down. We thought about doing it again, but I requested for a backup plan, which would involve me to run it down the center. When we begin to setup, I started to make my call, but that’s when I sensed something off. I changed the call to our backup plan. The ball was snapped, and I did a double fake and held on to the ball. Checking to see if there would be someone open, I gave Bulk the signal, allowing Brick Wall to go through him and towards me. Was he in for a surprise? He ran towards me, ready to tackle. But I was able to dodge him, allowing him to go past me and fall down. I saw my opening and ran towards the first down line before sliding down. We got the first down, but the clock was still ticking. I called everyone to the line so I can spike the ball, stopping the clock. This only left us with 25 seconds left, and we were still a good ways to go for a field goal. We knew that they were on to our plan, so I requested for Twilight to give us some new options. She had one idea, a modified Double Dash play. Thunderlane would have to take my spot, and I might have to throw it to the right side, so I requested Flash to take the left side, allowing Thunderlane to take the right. If I were right, they would focus on Flash, not realizing that I would be throwing to Thunderlane so he can get out of bounds. And it worked. Thunderlane got the ball and was able to go out of bounds, but was short the first down marker. That left us with 14 seconds on the clock. We only had enough time for maybe two plays, so I had to plan this right. We decided to execute a pass play, hoping to get out of bounds. Once the ball was snapped, I looked at my left and right. Both sides were covered. I had one option, and it was a risky one. I called for Bulk to give me my hole in the center. In doing so, I was able to dodge Brick Wall again and slide for the first down when I saw players from both sides coming towards me. Coach Iron Will was forced to use his last timeout, leaving us with three seconds left on the clock. And to make matters worse, it was placed on the right hash mark, and I was looking at a 45-yard field goal. I was close to making a field goal during tryouts around this spot. I knew I could make it before on the left hash mark, but that wasn’t the case. I waved Swift Kicks off, saying that I would make the kick. He hasn’t made a kick of this length before, and now wasn’t the time to test his skills for this. All I needed was the right wind direction to make it happen. Thunderlane was setting up as the placeholder for the kick. I was trying to time the wind gust so I could make this kick count. But my senses went off again. I looked at where it was and saw the head coach ready to use their last timeout. I told Thunderlane what I felt, and he recommended making the snap now so the coach can call the timeout. Thunderlane made the call, and the coach called his last timeout just as the ball was snapped, trying to ice the kicker. This gave me enough time to get a read on the wind. Moon Dancer was able to fill me in on what they discovered on the wind gust. It was going to be random, so I’ll have to rely on my instincts for this. We went back to setup for the field goal. I quickly discussed with Thunderlane how we were going to make it work, with or without the wind. With a possible plan in place, he got to his place to catch the ball. I got myself in place and took a few deep breaths. I felt a few quick breezes before I gave the signal. The ball was snapped, and Thunderlane had the ball in place. I kicked the ball into the air. As it was at the top of its arc, a strong wind gust came through, pushing the ball father ahead. As the ball came down, we all stared in hopes it would make it across the crossbar. The ball finally landed on the other side of the goal post, just crossing over the crossbar near the right goal post. The game ended with us winning, 51 to 49. For the first time in over ten years, Crystal Prep was handed their first loss, and it gave us the home field advantage in the two round playoffs. Everyone came running towards us on the field to celebrate the victory, while I was able to exchange a brohoof with Thunderlane. While everyone from Canterlot High was celebrating, the students from Crystal Prep were just standing there with confused looks on their faces. Twilight and Moon Dancer made their way down to meet all of us on our side of the field to join in on the celebration. “WE DID IT!!!” Twilight said in excitement. “Looks like the wind just saved us at the right time,” Moon Dancer said. “We got lucky this time,” I said. “It doesn’t matter if it was luck or not, a win’s a win.” We saw Shining Armor returned with an ice bag strapped to his shoulder and his arm in a sling. “How’s the shoulder?” Twilight asked. “It still hurts, but the ice is trying to numb the pain. Nurse Redheart said that it should be fine in a week. But we plan to run by the hospital to make sure. She’s already made her way to inform them of my arrival. I wanted to make sure I saw the rest of the game.” “Well, you might as well make your way on over there,” I said to him. “Don’t worry, I’ll take him over there for his parents,” Cadence said. “But for now, it’s your turn to shine for the fans.” I rolled my eyes and said, “Thanks a lot.” Shining Armor went with Cadence out of the playing field. As the rest of us were celebrating, we saw the Crystal Prep team walking out, giving us evil stares because of their loss. The students went to follow the team, and I was able to make eye contact with Indigo, who kept her stare, but gave a small nod and grin. Now I was certain that she remembered me and would be on my side. As everyone else were leaving the field, some of us stayed behind to iron out a few remaining details. We saw Fleur with Rarity, Coco, and Sunset, who stayed out of view, and walked towards them. “Did you get things worked out with a ride?” I asked Fleur. “We did. Coco was able to talk with Mr. Rich about taking me home, since we live close. I noticed that Diamond Tiara didn’t like me at first.” “She’s just felt out of place with the rich society and everyone else,” Rarity said. “Maybe she and her friend, Silver Spoon, will get to know you better on the ride home.” “Well, I better be leaving. I hope we get to meet again,” Fleur said and started to make her way out. “Well, we might as well do the same. We have a dance to host tomorrow,” Chrysalis said. “I’ll see you back at the house, Jack. “Same here,” I replied. “Sunset, can I talk to you for a moment.” I noticed that everyone was staring at Sunset and me. “In private.” “Oh, um sure,” Sunset replied and walk with me to the far side of the field. “So, what is it you wanted to talk about?” “I wanted to talk about us,” I said. “Look, we talked about this before. I don’t want you to throw away everything that you earned from this school just for me. I’m just a demon to this school. Not everyone’s ready to believe that I have changed.” “Sunset, I could care less about being popular here. There’s more things in life than being famous.” “But everyone still thinks I’m a…” I came up to her and planted my lips on hers, cutting her off with a kiss. When I finished our kiss, I kept my face close to hers and stared into her eyes. “You’re not a demon. You’re just as human as everyone else. Everyone makes mistakes in life. We just learn from our mistakes and move forward. And right now, I made a promise to be by your side, and I plan to keep that promise in one way possible.” I took a deep breath before I continued. “I’m asking you to be my date to the homecoming dance tomorrow night.” Sunset just stared at me with tears starting up in her eyes before she can give her answer. “You mean…” I gave a nod to her. “Then…yes, yes. I’ll go with you tomorrow night.” We can hear a squeal from the other side of the field. I looked to see what it was, but couldn’t see anyone. I can only take one guess. “They’re watching us from the other side of the stands,” Sunset said. “I think so. You have your cell with you?” I asked. She pulled it out and handed it to me. “I do have Twilight’s and AJ’s numbers with me,” she said. “I’ll use Twilight’s number and send her a message,” I said, and started to type a message. “If you don’t leave now, we will come over there and kill you.” “Oh, this is going to be fun,” she said as I sent the text. “They should be reading and reacting to it in 3…2…1.” Pinkie yelled, “THEY’RE GOING TO KILL US! RRRUUUUNNNNNNNNN!!!!!!” We looked over and saw the girls running away from the other side of the field and out of view. “Well, that was worth a laugh,” Sunset said. “I just remembered. We still need costumes for the dance.” “We can go to the costume store that Pinkie mention before. She told me where to find it.” She asked, “Tomorrow morning?” “Sure. Then we can grab a bite to eat and chat,” I said. “Are you asking me out on a date?” “I’m asking you to be my girlfriend, Sunset.” “But, I’ve never had an actual relationship before…well except for Flash, but that was a different reason.” “Well, neither did I. So it will be a first for the both of us,” I said. “And I’m hoping that it will be our best.” “I’ll hold you to it,” she replied. “I need to head home. My mother’s taking me home and is wondering where I am. You know where I live, right?” I nodded. “Then I’ll see you tomorrow morning.” As I saw her walk off, I thought to myself, “Thank god this week’s over. Earning a big win against CPA and getting a girlfriend might be the best reward I’ve ever got in my life.” I went to the locker room to get changed and made my way to my truck. Everyone else has left the school, expect for one, Miss Luna’s. “Are you glad that’s over with?” Luna asked. “For now. How did things go with our guest student?” I asked. “Fleetfoot was right. He was able to give us some names that took part in the break-in, including the trio that you have faced before. We plan to submit to Mr. Discord to look into them. It will be in his hands from there on.” “Well, that’s another issue off of our hands,” I said. “Good luck on your trip to Master Blades’ place.” “Thanks. I hope we can get some more answers before we face Crystal Prep again,” Luna said. “And good luck on your date with Sunset.” “How did you know that?” “I guess seeing that she was the last student to leave with a smile on her face was proof enough. I’ll see you tomorrow night.” And Luna got into her car and drove home. I walked up to my truck and saw a note on the windshield. I picked it up and saw that it was from Indigo, requesting to talk with me sometime this weekend, with her cell number. Now I knew that she was on my side. I hope that she has some answers for me as well. Author's Note Having to explain the game in detail was more of a challenge, but I think I pulled it off.
Ch. 29 - The Past is PresentI was able to get some extra rest after last night dance. When I finally woke up, I noticed that it was ten o’clock. I guess I was really tired. But waking up at this time really felt like a huge weight was lifted from me. Of course it’s because I was able to help Sunset open up and Twilight to accept Sunset’s forgiveness. I was able to bring everyone together in understanding my gift, and we were able to hand Crystal Prep its first loss. Having Sunset as my girlfriend and becoming the homecoming king was a bonus. Now I knew we would all be tested the next two weeks in hopes that we will face Crystal Prep, and we need to find a way to deliver a fatal blow to the school’s ego. Easier said than done. I heard a knock at my bedroom door to see Chrysalis standing there. “About time you got up,” she said. “You were out late with Sunset last night. Did fireworks go off between the two of you last night?” I threw my pillow at her, hitting her face. “Very funny. Like that’s going to happen anytime soon.” She grabbed my pillow from the floor and threw it back at me, allowing me to catch it. “I know, I know. One day at a time. At least you had a great time. Feeling better after all that?” “Better enough that I should enjoy today, because tomorrow’s a new mission.” “You plan to call Indigo today while you have it? I know you’ve been wanting to catch up with her.” Just then, my cell rang. I looked at it and said, “Might have to wait. Sunset’s calling.” I answered my cell and said, “Morning Sunset. Got a good night’s rest?” “After spending time with you last night, I did.” “So, checking up on me?” “Yea, and was hoping you have enough energy to hang out at the park today.” “What, another date?” “Kind of. I just know we’ll be busy the next couple of weeks, and it would be long before it gets cold outside. I was hoping that we could hang out there and maybe grab a bit to eat while we’re there. I know some food trucks that show up there every day.” “Even on a Sunday?” “Some of the people there live by themselves, having to earn a buck or two when they can. Beside, we may not get another chance to enjoy this moment in weather like this.” “I guess it wouldn’t hurt. It would help to relax and remember who I really am before I start losing my mind with Crystal Prep.” “Then be here in an hour.” “Make it an hour and a half. I just got up.” “Sure. See you then.” I hanged up and looked at Chrysalis. “Looks like Indigo will have to wait. I’ll try to call her tonight. Make things easier for the two of us.” “Well, good luck on your second date,” she said and left my room. I finally got to Sunset’s apartment to pick her up. By the time she got into the truck and give me a kiss on the cheek, my cell went off again. I rolled my eyes and said, “It’s Applejack. Better see what she wants.” I answered my cell and placed it on speaker, saying, “What is it, AJ?” “I’m sorry. Did you get a hangover last night that left you grumpy?” “Nice one, AJ,” Sunset said. “Oh, Sunset. I didn’t know you were with him.” “It’s OK. Any reason you decided to call him?” “I was hoping he could give me a ride to the workout room at school. Mac’s gone out with Cheerilee today, and I don’t have a ride to get there. Need to stay in shape again. But if you’re with Sunset, then don’t bother. I can wait another day.” I asked, “Did you call anyone else?” “Can’t get in touch with Twilight, Cadence, Dash, and Fluttershy. About everyone else is tired from last night.” I said, “Dash could be with Soarin at the workout room, but I’m sure not everyone will work out after last night.” “I was thinking the same thing, but I’m not sure.” “Hey AJ, if we come to pick you up, think you can train me on the basics. Would be nice to be able to defend myself,” Sunset recommended. “Heh. After seeing the way you fought Friday night, it wouldn’t hurt.” “Then we’ll be there shortly,” I said and hang up. Sunset said, “This will be great. I’m sure she hasn’t seen your new truck.” “I like what you’re thinking.” We drove to Sweet Apple Acres and pick up Applejack. When I honked my horn, she got out and stopped in shock at what she was seeing in front of her. Sunset got out and said, “Are you coming or what.” Applejack made her way and got into the back seat of my truck. “Now this is a surprise.” “That was my reaction last night when he picked me up,” Sunset said. I said, “Got it from my dad’s boss.” “Well, that’s mighty generous of him to do that.” Applejack said. “That’s just half of it,” I said. “I never had a chance to tell you, but Chrysalis is getting her own mini house next door.” “No way. Was Trixie with her at the time?” Applejack asked. I nodded. “She must have gone crazy at the sight. She always tells us that she wanted to live in one of those mini homes that she’s seen on TV.” “Well, Mr. Fix-It wants to add some mini houses on the subdivision. Get a mix in the area. We can talk about it later with the others.” And we drove from the farm and made our way to the school, stopping by a mini-mart to pick up some peanut butter crackers and juice for brunch. Sunset explained what we had planned before, but we agreed to take this route and use the time to prepare for next week’s challenge. And it was a wise choice, because when we arrived at the school, we saw Twilight and Coach Iron Will outside the workout room, looking over something in Twilight’s hands. “Hey Twilight. What’s going on here,” Applejack said. Twilight placed her finger on her lips and quietly said, “Quiet. They’re mediating in there.” “Mediating?” I asked Twilight. “Tree Hugger and Fluttershy are helping Shining Armor deal with his injury with mediation,” Iron Will said. “Cadence is with them in helping out. Flash and Thunderlane are also in there, but on the exercise bikes, which is the only quiet equipment to use.” “Dash and Soarin are also there, but decided to rest while it’s going on,” Twilight added. “Iron Will isn’t one for this mediation stuff. Iron Will prefers to motivate, not mediate.” “Is Coach Spitfire coming here?” I asked. “We hope so. Might change the pace in there,” Twilight said. “Seems like our plans keep changing every time,” Sunset said. “Might as well have our brunch while we wait.” We walked toward the gym, since it was near the weight room, and decided to sit on the bleachers. The gym was a bit cleaner since last night, so the crew was able to do their part very fast. Sunset explained to Twilight why our plans kept changing today, and she believes I’m starting to rub off on her. Twilight said, “Hey Jack. When you said that Crystal Prep’s QB was gifted, there’s a great chance that you could be right. We looked at the video from the game and noticed that he didn’t even look all around him when he ran for the touchdown. All he did was look straight ahead and just went, avoiding our players in the process.” “That’s just leaves the question of how to stop him in the process,” I said. “Let’s just hope that Blade’s diary could give us some answers, if there is any,” Twilight said. I was thinking for a while, and Sunset caught on to me. “Still think that there’s more to it than this?” This raises everyone curiosity. “Yea,” I responded. “I mean, what about the Soul Arts? You’ve seen the first art here, and the third one when we broke into Crystal Prep. I know the second one would be similar to the first. All three of those, if I were holding a blade, would be used for deadly combat. Add the fact that it can be used as a political tool, and you have yourself a future dictator, tyrant, or even…” “A God,” Iron Will finished. “I knew that my father’s stories would come to life once again. Forgive me if I talk like this, but when it comes to the serious, personal issues, I don’t like to act like I’m motivating others.” “I think we can understand that,” Twilight said. “Trixie can change like that when it comes to serious issues.” “So what did you father told you that would raise concern?” I asked. “I’m sure you have yet to come across the last Great War in your history class, but my father once served in the military when he was young. This was also the same with Tirek’s father. But they never met at the time. My father once told me stories years after he retired. It was a way to keep us talking on the weekends when I visited him. He told the best war stories that kept me motivated in what I do here. But it was one story that caught my attention. “His troop was paired with a special ops group on a special assignment to take out an axis military training center. The special ops group wanted to help with breaking in and sabotage. Then, with the help of my father’s troop, they were to take out any axis soldiers that were in the way, clearing the area out and leading the ops to setup and destroy the place. But my father came up to what was the captain’s meeting room and took out all forces. That’s when he saw something that was out of place. Most of the soldiers were ahead of him, but he was able to get the special ops captain’s attention to show what he found. Turns out they were experimenting on kids and teenagers to make them into super soldiers and generals. That’s what their real mission was. “He heard on the radio that they found kids in area rooms below. He agreed that this place needed to be destroyed, but he wanted to make sure that the kids were safe from axis control, and that they needed to be sure there are no other stations that do these cruel acts to kids. The captain knew that the axis army was doing experiments on others, but on kids was an act of desperation for them. The captain requested that all the captured kids would be escorted out of the station by my father’s troop, while they grab the locations of other stations that needed to be destroyed, and any records of the kids that they had. After the area was cleared, the station was destroyed. “My father was told that all this needed to be kept under wraps for the safety of his special ops group. In return, he would allow my father’s troop to assist them if heavy firepower was needed. This lead to the creation of two special groups: the Equestrian Knights and the Equestrian Riders. My father’s troop became the Riders, with him as their new captain. The special ops group became the Knights, lead by their same captain, who was Tirek’s father. That’s how they got to know each other, and how I got to know Tirek.” Twilight asked, “Wouldn’t some of this be in the history books, because I’ve read stories of past wars, and I don’t even heard of anything about these groups.” “That’s because it was never in the news reports.” We saw Coach Spitfire walked in. “Sorry if I’m late getting here. I guess you were busy telling your father’s war stories?” He cleared his throat and said, “Iron Will felt the need to tell them this.” “That’s good, because I recall Tirek telling me that story while I was teaching at EU,” Spitfire said. “So you father was part of a black ops group, right?” I asked Iron Will. “That’s right. A black ops group is a group of soldiers who are kept off the records. No one knows that they exist back then.” “So, you think this could be a repeat of what happen many years ago?” Applejack asked. “I hope not, unless they came across their research and decided to do so to the students of Crystal Prep,” Spitfire answered. “And that could explain Star Swirl’s disappearance, right?” I said. “Maybe, but that would mean that there’s someone connected to the old axis group on our nation’s soil doing all this,” Spitfire said. This made me wonder about what Coco and me discussed Friday during school about that one woman we came across. But I knew connecting the dots would be hard to prove. “I think we should take notice that someone must be experimenting on them and have yet to find the way to create the perfect student, since we know that they start to lose their gift when they arrive at college. And if there’s a connection to past events, then we’ll worry about that issue later. For now, we take this one step at a time. I’ve already had to jump several steps to get where we are now. I don’t want to jump several more at the same time.” “We’ll deal with the game planning,” Twilight said, “while you focus on finding our insider in the school who helped with the break in.” “Best you get with Pinkie on that,” Applejack said. “She might be able to point out any possible red flags in the school for you to focus on. Trust me, it’s worth it.” “And I’ll help Luna on the materials that she got from Master Blades,” Spitfire said. “This should make it easier on you, now that we have a big group to help you out.” She looked at Applejack and said, “Ready to get some training done?” “I was hoping to start training Sunset. Since I dragged them over here, she wanted to get some training done to improve her fighting skills, both offense and defense.” “The group’s been in there for over an hour. Iron Will wants to see that come to an end and start getting motivated.” All of us made our way into the workout room, where whale sounds were coming from the CD player. Rainbow Dash was reading a Daring Do book while Soarin was taking a nap. Flash and Thunderlane were on the exercise bikes on the other side. The remaining four were sitting in a circle near the CD player, focusing and stretching. Spitfire made her way to the CD player and pressed the stop button. Then she started to tap her fingers in the counter, getting the attention of Tree Hugger. “Wow. It’s like you calmly turned off our focus and help us regain concuss.” “Good,” Spitfire responded. “Because we need to get to training. Can’t rely on a perfect mind to stop a physical threat.” “That is true,” Tree Hugger responded. “How’s the shoulder?” Twilight asked Shining Armor. “A bit better.” “Well, let’s take it easy,” Iron Will said. “You can workout on the exercise bike for now.” So the workout room went back to being what it was meant to be. Twilight, Cadence, and Fluttershy with to jog on the treadmills, Flash and Thunderlane got to the weight equipment with Iron Will to spot them, and Applejack started training Sunset with Spitfire to watch over. I went to one machine to start working on my throwing arm, and Tree Hugger decided to join me. I can see that she wanted to ask me some questions. “So, these strange powers that you have, what does it feel like when you’re on the field?” I stopped for a moment and said, “It’s like a…sixth sense, without seeing dead people.” “And when you sense someone’s emotions, can it be any emotion?” “Only the negative ones. You know, like bad vibes. It doesn’t work when someone’s happy or excited, unless you plan to sneak up on someone.” And that got me to thinking. “Twilight, did you get a chance to look over Star Swirl’s book?” “Principal Celestia let me borrow it for the weekend, and Moon Dancer was able to come by yesterday to explain what she learned from it so that I was more up to date. She’s with Miss Luna today, helping her in taking notes on the new items she’s received. And I must say, I can see why you had to be put under those tests. Letting your powers awaken when they need to the most might be the best way to learn what you have. There were a few that I want to talk to Principal Celestia about that I think would be better if you learned instead of waiting for it to happen.” “Hey Tree Hugger, how would you like to see it in action,” Spitfire asked. “Why do I have a feeling that you want a rematch after last time?” I said. “Better.” Spitfire went to the counter and brought out a blindfold. “I want to see how you react while blinded. A real test as to how your powers have improved.” “Alright. I’ll give it a shot,” I said and went to get out my fingerless gloves out of my bag and walked onto the practice mat. Spitfire went and placed the blindfold over my eyes, leaving me in the dark. I just started to stretch and relax, waiting for someone to act. That’s when I felt my first incoming attack and just bended down to avoid it. “Reverse high kick swing. Nice start AJ.” “Now how did you know it was I?” Applejack asked. “Well.” Another attack came from my other side. I dodge and grabbed the attacker’s wrist. “Yours is more aggressive while Spitfire’s is more focused.” “So it can detect any attack that’s coming its way, even if it’s not negative?” Tree Hugger asked Spitfire. “Any attack can be sensed as a hostile attack. Doesn’t have to be negative. And from how he described the types of attack, it would give him an idea of the type of attacker he’s facing.” “And since Coach Spitfire has more training in this style, I have to be careful as to how to react,” I said. “AJ fights in a freestyle fighting form. And it’s more aggressive than others, because she still wants to get back at me after I took her down.” “Applejack, I need you to control yourself this time,” Spitfire requested. “I want to see if we can throw him off as to who his attacker is.” In a few seconds, Applejack’s anger started to die down, masking me of her location. “OK, I’ve lost where AJ is, so it must be working. Ready when you are.” And that’s when the testing began. I was able to sense every punch and kick, if it was high or low. I’ve dodge and blocked, and when I was able to grab their arm, it was the only way I can find out who it was. Applejack was firmer than Spitfire, but they were able to switch sides at times. As the fighting went on, it got more intense. While I was able to sense each attack, keeping up with two attackers became more of a challenge. And that’s when it happened again. That feeling inside of me that snapped, sending me a command to call on. “SOUL ART #5: SOUL SHADOW…TIMES 2” I felt my body split into two, yet I still felt like I was one person. I was able to take on both attackers and started to counter their attacks. It was enough to throw down Applejack first, and then take down Spitfire. When the attacks stop, I became one person again. I took off my blindfold and looked at both of them. Applejack tried to shake her head from the blow and asked, “What the hay just happened?” Spitfire asked, “Jack, was there anything similar to what just happened now?” “If you mean like what happen Thursday morning, then yea, there was,” I said to Spitfire while helping Applejack up on her feet. “This is twice that he executed a soul art that was new to us,” Twilight said. Spitfire asked Twilight, “Did you catch what soul art it was?” “The fifth soul art, soul shadow times two.” Spitfire got up and said, “Dash, hand me my cell. I need to tell Luna what just happen and confirm that soul art.” Dash grabbed Spitfire’s cell from her bag and handed it to her. Spitfire dialed Luna’s number for her to answer. “Luna, it’s Spitfire…Something new just happened…first, can you find soul art number five from what you have…I know, just find it.” She waited a moment before she spoke again. “You have it…OK, let me put you on speaker phone.” “OK, it says, Soul Art #5 Soul Shadow. Focus on splitting your body and soul into multiple forms. Multiple?” “This is Twilight. Jack was able to split into two. He mentions in his command ‘times two’. Could that have anything to do with it?” “A multiplier art, I presume. At his state, he might only execute up to times two. But it’s possible that he can go up to times five. But how is he able to know this without reading it?” There was some talk in the background. “Hold on. Moon Dancer has an idea. Let me put mine on speaker.” Moon Dancer spoke. “Twilight, is Tree Hugger still there?” “I am,” Tree Hugger replied. “You have better experience than me on this matter, but is it possible that a soul could be…reborn?” Tree Hugger thought for a moment. “I know that people’s spirits can be reborn when they die, but if a soul is similar to a spirit, then it’s possible.” “Isn’t that odd that we could be reborn whenever we die?” Applejack asked. “Well, there’s no scientific knowledge on this matter, but there have been strange theories on the matter in connection to history,” Twilight said. Spitfire asked, “You think his soul could have been a re-incarnation of a past person who carried this gift?” “I’m just taking an educated guess on this,” said Moon Dancer. “Perhaps Dr. Whooves would have an idea on this matter,” said Luna. “I’ll call him up and explain the details to him. If anyone knows about past history on this matter, it’s him.” “Tree Hugger, I want to throw some ideas towards you tomorrow before class,” said Moon Dancer. “Maybe we can get to the bottom of this if we work together.” “I’ll be happy to lend my knowledge if it answers all of our questions,” Tree Hugger said. “Looks like we have more tasks to work on,” Spitfire said. “Luna, I’ll talk to you later.” “Thanks for telling me this. I’ll see you all tomorrow.” Twilight said, “Jack, don’t worry about all this. We’ll take care in finding these answers for you. You just focus on school and Friday night’s game.” “Thanks. It’s nice for things to be easier on me.” I knew this because I need to start talking to Indigo and get her side of this, since I’m the only one who can talk to her. Author's Note I came up with that chapter after I finished the last chapter. I figure I add a connection between Iron Will and Tirek with some history. And raising new questions about what's been going on with Jack's powers was something else to add.
Ch. 30 - Old Friends, New ProblemsAfter dropping off Applejack and Sunset at their own homes, I came back home and lay on my bed, tired as ever. Realizing that my soul could have lived in a past life is just as bizarre, but with the fact that I may know some of these soul arts that I have yet to see is more puzzling. At least everyone else is handling all of my problems this time. But there’s one thing that I can only do, and I’m hoping that she can fill me in on what I really need to know. I decided to grab my cell and Indigo’s number and placed a call. “…………” “Hey! Who’s trying to call me on here?” “Is that how you greet your old training partner?” “About time you called, Jack. What took you so long?” “Oh, you know. First date. Crowned king at homecoming. Working out. Mysteriously finding new powers you don’t see coming. The usual.” “Forgot you had homecoming last night. So I have to ask, what led you to Ponyville?” “After my dad finished with his part of the Manehattan project before Christmas last year, we had some free time working on old Rusty for me to drive.” “I’m surprised that he gave you his old truck.” “Well, he did get a new truck after we moved to Manehattan. But I now have a new truck of my own, thanks to his boss.” “Why you little…” “Hey, now we can give that truck to Chrysalis, now that’s she’s part of the family.” “As soon as I get my license.” Chrysalis just walked into my room. “Is that Indigo?” “Yep,” I said. “Is that her?” “Sure thing,” I said to Indigo. “HEY! MAKE SURE YOU KEEP HIM OUT OF TROUBLE, YOU HEAR?” “Don’t worry, I will,” Chrysalis said towards my cell. “I’ll leave you two alone to talk.” And she left my room. “Tough girl, that’s for sure. So where were we?” “Still talking about my time at Manehattan. So while we were working on the truck, my dad’s boss comes over and requests his aid on some problems with the new D.I.Y. store location. Thanks to my dad’s help, they got it resolved and decided to have my dad become the new manager of the store. We relocated here, and with help from a friend of my mother’s, I was able to transfer to Canterlot High on short notice.” “Well you at least answered my next question. So where are you living at?” “If you find the new sub-division that was created earlier this year, we’re the only house in the area at the moment. My dad is looking over a few houses that are being built at this time, so we won’t be alone for long.” “You’re more lucky than anyone else that I know.” “So how did you come here as well?” “After having good grades during my freshman year at Filly high, and doing some out-of-school sports that lead to my local team winning championship games in basketball and soccer, my parents got a visit from Principal Cinch and Coach Fleetfoot from Crystal Prep. They heard how I want to go to college with an athletic scholarship that they hope that Crystal Prep will improve my chances in earning a scholarship. So I was able to transfer to Crystal Prep over the summer a year ago.” “So, where does you family living at?” “Parents still live in Fillydelphia. I’m living with Coach Fleetfoot until I graduate from Crystal Prep. I do get to see my parents during the summer, and they do come over here for Christmas. Coach loves my parents cooking.” “Who doesn’t love your parents cooking?” “I know.” “Well, since we got that out of the way, I think it’s time we got to what we really need to talk about.” “Why most of Crystal Prep carries these strange powers…including myself.” “Do you know when it started for yourself?” “About a month after I started attending Crystal Prep. It worried me for a while, but I started to just think I was either hearing things or that my time training with you was finally paying off. But when basketball season started. It started to get creepy for me. After a few games, it almost felt like my mind was in sync with most of my teammates. Three others in fact.” “Let me guess: Lemon Zest, Sour Sweet, and Sunny Flare.” “That’s right. And whenever we were looking over various plays with coach, I can sense what Sugarcoat was thinking, and somehow she knew the same with all of us. Coach looked at me with concern one evening over dinner, and I just told her what was going on with myself. I had a feeling that she would think I was crazy, but she was on my side. She wondered why her teams in past years have been perfect every season. And I have to agree with her. It’s not normal to pull off. I mean, where’s the fun in that?” “It’s like there’s no need to compete when you already know who will win and who will lose before it even begins.” “So coach asked me if there were anyone who I felt in sync with, and I told her about the four girls that we just brought up. She decided to talk to each one in private and see if they were feeling the same thing, in which they did. So all five of us got together at coach’s place to discuss what was going on. The others started to feel this way a month after they started their freshman year.” “I’m surprised that you got the principal’s daughter in all this.” “I know. We didn’t know what to do. So coach told us to do what we normally do and that she’ll deal with our problems in this matter. The best we could do is keep an eye out for each other.” “So how were you able to come up with the name ‘The Elite 5’?” “Well, we were the top five female students in the school in our sophomore class that time. So it just stuck with us. Jack, what is the soul…something that we have?” “It’s called soul resonance. It involves a person’s soul. It can sense other people’s negative emotions, and can also allow you to react without seeing it coming. It was awakened inside me during the 7th grade. I didn’t know what it was at the time, or how it work, but I took the time to understand what I was sensing with this gift.” “Could explain why you were able to find and confront those bullies. You even were able to dodge them before I stepped in to help out.” “But not the time when we decided to take the fight to them when they went too far.” “I know. We were full of rage when we did so. You took a good beating at the time, but it didn’t take you down.” “That’s because it was masking my gift’s powers. I think it’s a weakness to what I possess. So keep that in mind.” “I might have to tell that to Sour Sweet. She has bi-polar disorder. And she doesn’t like taking any meds for it. Look, Sugarcoat has been studying what’s been going on with us, and some of us have unique talents. I don’t know how to explain it.” “That’s OK. There are still questions on my end as well. We need to find a way to meet altogether. If I can get Coco and Moon Dancer to see what you have discovered, maybe we can get more answers than questions. Along with Chrysalis, they know about our past relationship.” “And I would like to keep it that way. While coach handles the group, I make the orders for the group, since I’m the one who brought it up in the first place.” “Good enough for me. It was Moon Dancer who found the article on yourself when I brought your name up. I’m just glad you’re on my side.” “If you don’t mind me asking, where does Coco come in on this? I heard that she was going to attend Crystal Prep, but Suri was pissed when Rarity took her away, which in my opinion is the best thing that ever happened towards her.” “First friend I made in Manehattan. She was one who felt like my gift needed to be kept in secret. And she’s the one who has kept me in check and got me out of some tight spots since I got here.” “Glad she’s there and not here.” “Now I have to ask you something.” “I knew this was coming. I know that Long Shot might be gifted like us, and that worries me.” “What makes you say that?” “First, he’s the only one who has kept his gift from what I know of.” “You mean the rest of the team had this gift?” “Yes, but for some reason, it didn’t last long as the first game was underway. We still won, but Sugarcoat hasn’t seen any signs of their gifts returning, which is puzzling for us.” “And what would be the second thing.” “Because he’s a good friend of mine since I came here. He has the talents that could get him far in college. But I don’t think he understands what he possesses, and I didn’t feel like telling him if it would crush his dreams.” “What, is he your boyfriend?” “HECK NO!!! I mean, he’s nice, but he’s a total health nut. Always complains about some of the foods I eat. I just don’t think he’s the one for me. But he’s nice to talk to when I need someone to talk to, since I didn’t have you around when I needed it the most.” “Well, at least you had a shoulder to lean on. I was able to get a training partner at my last school. And another at this school, Applejack.” “The farmer girl? Now that’s a laugh.” “Watch it. If it weren’t for your gift, she would kick your rear big time. I had to rely on mine just to beat her in a sparing match.” “OK, OK. I believe you. Just wish I didn’t have these personal rivalries between school.” “Like you and Dash. Or should I point out Twilight and Sugarcoat. Maybe Lemon Zest and Vinyl Scratch?” “Wait, what does Lemon Zest have against this Vinyl Scratch?” “Something about Lemon getting 2nd place while Vinyl got 3rd at the EDM contest.” “So that’s what she was bragging about all this time. And to think that Sour Sweet had to face off against some hippie girl for what Sour did to one of Dash’s friends.” “Now this is a first. That would be Tree Hugger. So, does Sunny Flare have any grudges with my friends?” “Ugh, the Great and Powerful Trixie is what I heard from her. Don’t even ask.” “I guess we all have our own personal grudges.” “The only grudge you had was against bullies, and not just one person.” “That changed when I got here. And now she’s my girlfriend.” “Now I’m curious. You might have to give me the full story later on. Look, I’m going to have to go. It was nice to hear your voice again. Just wish is was on better terms.” “I can understand. Just do me a favor. Keep an eye on Fleur. I want her to stay safe against those troublemakers that gave us a hard time last week.” “Already on it. And I’m sorry about Lightning Dust getting on your case. I hope when basketball season starts, I can keep her in line. I know she’s this close to getting a beat down…with my fists.” “Let’s just hope that the school punishes her and the others for what they did last week. You take care.” “You too. Bye.” I hang up on my cell and plugged it into my charger. I lie down on my bed and let out a big sigh. That’s when Chrysalis returned to my room. “Everything OK?” she asked. “Yea, just a lot of things going on with both schools. They’re worried about what’s going on there just as much as we are. I got lucky to get our friends working together when they learned about my gift. But adding the Elite 5 into the mix will be a bigger problem with the grudges that each one of them have.” “I’m sure you’ll find a way when the time comes,” she said. “Let’s just hope that a lot of Crystal Prep students are punished tomorrow,” I said. “Would be nice to get some of them off our backs.” “I’m hoping for the same thing,” she said. I was with the volunteer club, including Coach Spitfire, working on getting all the remaining props down and making sure it was preserved for other related events. The school likes to save some of this stuff for the theater club to use. The fashion club had a very short meeting, so Rarity, Coco, and Chrysalis were able to join and help us. By the time we finished up, Cadence, Twilight, and Principal Celestia were able to join us. Miss Luna let Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon go so the rest of us can discuss our next course of action with Crystal Prep. “We haven’t heard anything about punishments from the group who broke in here, have we?” Applejack asked. “Not yet,” Spitfire responded. “But Coach Fleetfoot will let me know before school is over.” “That just leaves us with Long Shot, which we know isn’t a part of the group,” Luna said. “Twilight has been telling me that Moon Dancer and Tree Hugger have been trying to come up with a theory as to Jack’s soul having to lived a past life,” Celestia explained. “To know about these soul arts without seeing it twice is very unusual.” “I can hardly imagine it,” Rarity said. “Maybe he was a great hero, or a king back then. OH, he could have been a knight of Canterlot back then.” After saying that, Rarity started to go off into her own world. “Um, Earth to Rarity. I think you’re overdoing it,” said Applejack, snapping Rarity back into reality. “Forgive me, AJ. I was just imagining what he could have been to produce these talents,” Rarity said. “But we don’t know how he’s executing them out of nowhere,” Sunset explained. “What if this happens during the playoff games?” “Sunset’s right. If it was to happen, people would notice, and every bad person out there would be coming for him,” Coco explained. “That’s why we kept his gift a secret back in Manehattan.” Then a question came to mind. “Luna, how many soul arts were there that you have from Master Blades?” “20. All of them are written in scrolls and kept in cases, five per case. After you guys called me, I went to look over the scrolls. I’ve only looked over the first ten, and from the looks of them, each soul art gets to be more challenging the higher the number. I know you just did arts one, three, and five. If that’s the case, the art number two should be easy at this stage, maybe art number four.” I asked Luna, “What’s art number four?” “Lightning Jab. It involves lightning fast punches. I’ll bring the scrolls tomorrow for you to look over. But there’s one that really caught my eye. Soul Art #10: Chi Boost. From what I read, it’s similar to Soul Shadow in the multiplier department, but it involves having your mind, body, and soul to be as one, which I don’t think you have yet to experience. It might be the only art that can be hard to notice on the field. But with it being the tenth art, it might be hard to learn and control.” “Maybe not,” Twilight said as she placed a finger on her chin. “I wonder if Tree Hugger would know something about this that could help Jack learn it better.” “It might sound like a long shot, no pun intended, but I’ll take any opinion there is,” I said. “With less that two weeks before we could be facing Crystal Prep, it’s going to take a team to pull off a big win.” “I’ll talk to Tree Hugger and see if we can set a date and time to work on, maybe this weekend,” Twilight recommended. “Works for me,” I said. The bell rang, signaling that it was lunchtime. Everyone in the gym left, expect for Coach Spitfire and me. Spitfire asked me, “Did you have a chance to talk to Indigo Zap.” “Just last night. She’s just as worried as we are, not just for her, but for her friend, Long Shot.” “So Long Shot is just caught in this mess without knowing it? That complicates things.” “I don’t know about that,” I said. “He’s not part of Dust’s group, and is focused on having a bright future in college. Plus, he’s the only one in the football team that would possess it. I don’t want to say that he could help us, but might be helpful from Indigo’s end.” “I hope you know what you’re doing.” I spent my time helping with Principal Celestia during 6th period. She said that it would help ease my mind from everything else, which was working. She wanted to know how my date with Sunset was before homecoming. After telling her the details, she was glad that I was able to help her and bridge the gap between her and Twilight. As the final bell rang, I was finishing up with filing away the papers that we were sorting out. As I grabbed my things and make my way to my locker, Coach Spitfire came in with my friends that were at our lockers in front of the office. “I just got a message from Coach Fleetfoot that you need to hear,” Spitfire said as she pulled her cell out of her packet to replay the message. “Spitfire, I just found out that Mr. Discord requested for Principal Finch to hand out two weeks of dentition to at least 11 boys and 8 girls, and gave our equipment worker who confessed a one week dentition. The 11 boys were on the football team and have been suspended for the remainder of the football session. But we have a problem. Lightning Dust, Brick Wall, and Suri Polomare got off the hook with some alibi that someone else confirmed, so nothing is being done to them. I’ll try to find out who gave this alibi and what it was. Make sure the others know about this.” “Not cool,” Dash said. “I know Dust would pull some stunt to get out of it. That’s her style.” Twilight said, “That means that the only one who can prove they were with the group is the insider that helped them get in here.” “But how do we find out which student did this,” Fluttershy said. “There’s a lot of students here, and it will be hard to find out who helped them.” “We’ll find a way to expose our mole in this school,” Applejack said. “We just need a plan to find him or her and get that person to confess.” “We might as well stay alert after school hours,” Sunset recommended. “There’s no telling if they decide to make this personal with Jack, or any of us.” “I have to agree with Sunset on this,” Celestia said. “While they can’t do anything on school grounds, what goes on out there is beyond my control. Try to stay in pairs as best as possible whenever you go out.” So we all started to head on home, realizing that the next two weeks would not be easy for us. As Chrysalis, Twilight, and Shining Armor were walking with me to our vehicles, my cell started to go off. I pulled it out and saw that it was Fleur. “I got a bad feeling about this.” I answered my cell and said, “Something wrong, Fleur?” “I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry!!!” “Alright, alright. Clam down. What’s going on?” I said as I was giving my friends a worried look. “Lightning Dust confronted me this morning at school and wanted me to tell Principal Cinch that her, Suri, and Brick Wall were with me on the night that they wanted to break in to your school. She said that if I told anyone what I was doing, that they would hurt me. I was scared and didn’t know what to do.” “Are you now by yourself?” “Yes I am. I’m in the car with my chauffeur going back to my place.” “OK, I want you to call Coach Fleetfoot about what happen. I’m assuming that you have her number?” “I do.” “Good. We’ll take care of Lightning Dust and her crew. You just take care of yourself, OK?” “I will. I’m sorry that I have to put you through this.” “It’s OK. We got this covered. Bye.” I hanged up and looked at the others. Twilight asked, “So, Fleur was responsible for all that?” “By force,” I replied. “Rainbow Dash was right, Lightning Dust would do anything to get out of trouble. Can you catch Principal Celestia and Coach Spitfire and tell them what we just learned? I need to head back and take care of things.” “Sure thing,” Shining Armor replied. Both of them went back into the school, while Chrysalis and me made our way to my truck. I decided to send a text to Indigo that I needed to talk to now. By the time we got into my truck, she finally called me. “Jack, I got your text. I had to step away from the others. Coach Fleetfoot is talking to Fleur right now.” “I asked her to do so. Lightning Dust forced Fleur to get her crew in the clear.” “Damn it. That bitch is toast.” “Keep it in check, Indigo,” Chrysalis said. “I don’t think you want her to catch on at this time.” “Sorry, Chrysalis. I just…” “It’s OK. We all have our moments.” I said, “Look, just keep an eye on Dust and the others, and make sure that Fleur is safe.” “I can see if Fleetfoot will let me stay with Fleur if it helps her. And we’ll make sure all eyes are on Dust, Suri, and Brick Wall. If they try something, we’ll do our best to intervene.” “Good enough.” “I wish I knew she was planning this in the first place.” “Well, if Dust wants to start a war, then I’ll be happy to give her one. And I’ll make sure she regrets it.”
Ch. 31 - Searching for SuspectsWith Lightning Dust getting off the hook, and using Fleur to make it happen, I knew that she would want some payback. It might have started with Sunset during our first encounter, but she decided to put her focus on me. Now I knew that I needed to step up my game, and I’ll need my friends to help me. We got together during free study on the next day. Twilight was able to find us an empty room for all of us to talk about our new problem. “How can they get away without any punishment while making the others take the blame?” Applejack said. “Shouldn’t they take the blame as well?” “That’s how Lightning Dust works,” Dash replied. “She might have forced the others to accept the blame while they got away with it.” “If they can force Fleur into doing what they want, then they don’t care about the other persons in all this,” Rarity said. “That’s more of Suri’s style, and why Lightning Dust has her along for all this.” “And with Brick Wall off the hook as well, it looks like those are the main three who control the group,” Flash added. “They’re looking for an excuse to get back at me, and taking away some of the players on the football team would be an easy excuse to do so,” I said. “And if they struggle and still win their match with Cloudsdale, it would be a bigger excuse to have,” Twilight added. “So, will they come for Jack now or after Friday’s game? Or maybe both and deal double damage,” said Pinkie. Applejack responded, “Let’s hope it doesn’t come to that, Pinkie.” “That leaves us with the insider that knew how to get in and out of the school.” Twilight looked at me and said, “Jack, have you been able to sense anything that would wave red flags around school?” “After what happened last Thursday, I haven’t been able to sense anything that would be alarming. Unless that person is really keeping themselves in check.” Twilight looked over and said, “Sunset, what about the two that were working with you last year?” “Snips and Snails? I doubt that would be the case. I haven’t talked to them since the prom. And I rarely see them. Plus, they got off easy while I got the bigger end of the stick as punishment. Not much of an excuse to try and back stab at me.” “Still, it wouldn’t hurt to check,” Twilight recommended. “The only problem is that they’re sophomores. Wouldn’t that make it harder to come across?” asked Dash. “Leave that to Trixie. I’ve seen them cross Trixie’s path most of the time.” “Trixie, let us know when you have them in your possession,” Sunset said. “I wouldn’t mind talking to them, just to be sure.” “Consider it done,” Trixie replied. While waiting for word about Snips and Snails, Luna was able to join Celestia and me about the scrolls that she brought during 6th period. Luna was able to lay the two boxes on the table and opened them, revealing five small scrolls in each box. I took out the first one and open it up, only to see it in an orient language. Luna said, “That says ‘Shadow Strike. Focus and shift your soul straight to the target.’ Just like it said on the letter that he sent me.” “I wish I learned this kind of language,” I said. “It would make things easier to understand.” I rolled the scroll up and placed it back in the box. “What about the tenth art?” Luna took out the last scroll in the other box and handed it to me. “Maybe seeing it could help unlock it, if it’s possible.” I opened the scroll and saw the same language as the last scroll. “I have no idea what it means. And all you told me is that it involves the mind, body, and soul. How?” “Look at it again,” Luna told me. As I was looking at it, Luna placed her hands on my shoulders from behind. Then somehow, I could see what it means. “Chi Boost. Focus as much energy into your body, mind, and soul as one.” I stopped for a moment to think about what just happened. When Luna removed her hands from my shoulders, I was no longer able to understand what I was reading. “What the heck just happened?” “Just what I was hoping you would have unlocked,” Celestia replied. “I’m glad to have the book back from Twilight and Moon Dancer. This way I can show you what just happened.” And she brought out the book and opened it to the selected page. “Soul Knowledge” By letting someone access your mind, a person can take the knowledge and understand what information they have to share. This can be used to translate any language. “So you opened your mind to me so I can read the language that I was seeing?” I asked Luna. “Yes Jack. I was hoping it would help if you see it with your own eyes. Do you think you can access this Soul Art?” I closed my eyes and tried to see if I was able to execute it, but nothing happened. “Nope.” “I guess we have to train you the hard way,” Luna said. “I’ll explain what the other scrolls say and mean.” Luna showed me the other scrolls that I have yet to learn or experience. Soul Art #4: Lightning Jab. Focus your fist on hitting the same spot in rapid secession. Sour Art #6: Needle Shot. Focus on hitting the target with any item. Soul Art #7: Wind Slash. Focus in turning a string of wind into a weapon. Soul Art #8: Earth Break. Focus your fist into breaking the ground below. Soul Art #9: Spin Strike. Focus on rotating your body without losing your balance. I can see how much of a challenge it would be to learn these arts if I plan to learn and execute the tenth art. This was going to be a challenge. I asked Luna, “Do you think Tree Hugger can find a way to help me with making my mind, body, and soul to work as one?” “The best time to do so would be this Sunday while the others workout. We can use my office to hold her session.” “Can we bring Sunset in on this?” I asked. “Why do you ask?” Luna said. “I was hoping that she could work on her training mentally, since Applejack has been helping her with the physical training.” “I think it wouldn’t hurt to do so, now will it, sis?” Celestia said. “With the fact that she could be bonded with Muramasa, just like you could be with Masamune, it might be wise to do so,” Luna said. “Maybe it could lead to unlocking their souls inside the blades, it the stories are true. Until then, we need to find a way to practice some of these arts without prying eyes watching us.” “Agreed,” I said. “Just let me know when and where you want us to meet. What about the diary?” “I’ve only gone through several pages before Spitfire called me. There’s still more to look over, and I’m trying to find the key pages that could get us somewhere.” “What about the ‘Trio of Trouble’ that didn’t get punished?” Celestia asked me. “If they wanted to make a move on me, our best bet would be after Friday’s game. Gives them a better excuse to take it out on me.” “That leaves us with the person who got them in and out of the school,” Celestia said. “We find that person, then we can force Principal Cinch to issue harsher punishments to those students.” “But who could have done this in the first place?” asked Luna. “We have one idea, but it’s just a guess. Once Trixie gets a hold of them, I’ll be able to find out if they did it or not,” I said. “I can take a guess who you’re talking about, so I’ll leave it to you to get the answers from them,” Celestia said. “We’ll look for other opinions to get this solved. I want this to be less of a problem towards the team, and you.” As classes were coming to an end, I received a text from Twilight, saying that Trixie has Snips and Snails with her, and was bring them to us. When I joined my friends at our lockers, we saw Trixie bringing two boys with her. One was a short with blue-green skin and orange hair. The other was slim with tan skin and green hair. “Jack, this here is Snips and Snails,” Trixie said. “It’s nice to see that the two of you were willing to come see me,” I said, while crossing my arms. Sunset placed her arm on my shoulder and gave a mean stare at the two. “It’s been a while.” “Um, h-h-hello,” Snips nervously replied. “Yea, h-h-hi,” Snails nervously added. Sunset asked, “Perhaps you can fill us in about what happen when the gym was trashed last week.” “W-w-what do you m-m-mean?” said Snips. “I think the two of ya know what we mean,” Applejack explained. “You helped Crystal Prep get into the school, trash the gym, and guide them to the science lab to take Fluttershy’s pet bunny.” The two looked at Fluttershy, who was staring straight at them. “W-we didn’t do anything like that,” Snips replied. Sunset walked up towards them. “Look, that group wanted to pin the damage on me. So if you had anything to do with it, then you better admit to it.” “We’re telling the truth,” Snails replied. “After what happen when we got caught, we just wanted to stay out of the spotlight, and away from you as well.” Sunset started to get angry, then calmed down and said, “I’ll take your word for now.” Snips and Snails felt relieved. “But if I find out that you been lying to me, we’ll be coming for you both. Now GET!!!” as she pointed to the main doorway. Snips and Snails made a mad dash out of the school. “Something tells me that they were telling the truth,” Applejack said. “I have to agree with you, AJ,” I replied. “Other than the fact that they felt a little bit scared of what Sunset would do to them, there was nothing that indicated that they were hiding something that could be connected to Crystal Prep.” “So we’re back to square one,” Twilight said as she pinched the bridge between her eyes. “This is going to be harder than we thought.” “I hear ya about that,” Applejack added. “You sure that you can’t sense anything that would raise red flags anywhere in the school?” she said to me. “Nothing really.” “Maybe his gift is broken,” Pinkie said. “Pinkie, he was able to sense some bad feeling from the two, but not enough to sound the alarm,” Rainbow Dash said. “I doubt it’s broken.” “Then maybe his gift needs more power,” Pinkie replied. “If your talking about learning to be as one with his mind, body, and soul, I don’t think that would help,” Applejack said. “Well, Tree Hugger is going to work with him in hopes that he can learn that one art that he needs before the final game,” Fluttershy said. “What was it called again?” “Chi Boost,” I replied. “And while I don’t see that to help in our search, it could help me in giving the team a better advantage against Crystal Prep, if that was to happen. Which leads me to this.” I looked at Sunset and said, “I want you to join me in our session Sunday.” “I don’t see the reason as to why I should be there?” asked Sunset. “We have our reasons, and maybe it can help you in performing better against others,” I said. “Just so you know, I might fall asleep when it’s going on,” Sunset replied. “Same here,” I said. “But for now, I need to work on the other soul arts before I can work on Chi Boost.” The next few days were spent working on private training with Miss Luna while Twilight and Moon Dancer looked me over. Free study was the only time to train, since I had to practice with the team after school. With some of my friends helping out in creating ways for me to react and execute each soul art, we were able to make little progress in those arts. By the time Friday came around, I was up to learning the first seven arts. Arts 8 and 9 were more of a problem. I couldn’t get enough force to crack the ground for Soul Art #8, and couldn’t get any spin to execute Soul Art #9. When it was time for the game, we noticed that Lightning Dust never made a move on us. Since Brick Wall was going to have to play tonight’s game at Crystal Prep, it would be too risky to strike on me now, even if the players that were suspended were of any help. My main focus right now was tonight’s game against Trottingham. When I arrived on the field with the rest of the team, an old friend greeted me again. “Artemis, you came with the team?” I asked. “That’s right. I’m surprised that my school has to face yours. Went we lost to Cloudsdale, we thought we would be facing Crystal Prep.” “Well, we were able to outsmart them in the 4th quarter,” I told him. “And it was thanks to the videos that your friends help send to us. It was all mind games that really counted.” “So, you going to be the starting QB for your team?” he asked me. “Yep. Starter has to take it easy tonight, so now I’m showing my stuff as tonight’s starter.” “Now I’m wondering who would have been better off facing Crystal Prep,” said Artemis. “We heard that several of their players were placed on suspension, but the details are not being revealed because it’s an ongoing investigation.” “Trust me when I say this, they deserve it once this is over.” I said. So we parted ways for now so I could get ready for the game. I knew we were lucky last time we met, but that was when Shining Armor was the quarterback. Now I’m the quarterback for the rematch, and I plan to send a message to Crystal Prep that we will not back down. Luckily, Shining Armor was going to help out with some of the plays with his ear com. We were given the ball at the start of the game. Most of the plays were passing plays that went to Flash or Thunderlane. They were able to execute a blitz play, but just like Long Shot, I was able to dodge the blitz and run the ball myself for a first down. To end it off, I was able to hand the ball to Thunderlane for a touchdown. And that was just the beginning. Our defense was able to limit the other team’s scoring plays, giving us a bigger advantage. At the end of the game, we pulled off a big win than before with a score of 35 to 16. Shining Armor was able to get his rest with this win. When we returned to the locker room, everyone was asking for me to lead again at the championship game. But I requested that if Shining Armor was healthy enough to play; then he needs to take the lead. If we plan to face Crystal Prep, we need all the weapons we have to beat them. After putting my things away and leaving the room, I met up with Sunset outside. “I hope you weren’t showing off, now would you?” she said. “I’m hoping that Crystal Prep gets my message when they see the headlines tomorrow, if they win.” “I think we might have our answer,” she said as she was pointing to Soarin and Rainbow Dash running towards us. Dash said, “Guys, we got a text from the bully boys. They lost to Crystal Prep.” “Well, that was easy to guess,” I said. “But the score will surprise you,” said Soarin. “31 to 30. They were able to get the winning field goal at the end of the game.” “Something tells me that we did some damage to their defense after those suspensions were handed out,” I said. “Then Brick Wall will want to handle the payback himself,” said Sunset. “All the more for Dust to join along,” I said. “Make sure the others are on alert. If this is an excuse to get back at me, they will take advantage of it.” “I’m guessing that a walk in the park would be out of the question,” Sunset said to me. I knew she would want to do something to make up for last Sunday’s change of plans. Luckily, Soarin had an idea. “Why not have Twilight and Flash join you along.” This started to worry Sunset. “Look, I know you and Flash were an item in the past, and that Twilight took him from you after the two of you broke up.” Sunset intervened. “We weren’t an item. I just wanted to be with him so my past would go away.” “Whatever. The fact is that maybe spending time with them could be…a learning experience for the two of you.” “I think what he means is that this is a way for you and Twilight get to know each other better,” Dash said. “She’s been able to stay with Flash during football season. Maybe she can show you how to do the same with Jack.” Sunset thought for a moment before she spoke. “I guess it wouldn’t hurt. Let Twilight know, Dash. And while you’re at it, see if she can find out what food trucks will be there. I know that it’s not the same selection everyday.” Dash saluted, saying, “Will do,” and went off. “Well, I better catch up with my mother,” said Sunset. “I’m sure that Chrysalis is waiting for you.” “You take care, Sunset.” She gave me a kiss on the cheek and said, “You too,” and left. I made my way to my truck, where Chrysalis was waiting for me. When we got in, I made sure the doors were lock. “Just found out about the other game,” I said. “31 to 30, Crystal Prep.” “I think we can take a guess on what would happen next,” she said. It was then that my cell went off showing that it was Indigo was calling me. I answered it and placed it on speaker. I said, “Speak to me, Indigo.” “I’m with Coach Fleetfoot on our way home.” “Chrysalis is with me as well. We just found out the score from your game.” “Not the kind of win we wanted, but a win’s a win. Any up coming plans?” “I’m taking Sunset to the park tomorrow. Twilight and Flash will be with us.” “And I’m guessing Lightning Dust will be on the hunt for you.” “More like Brick Wall, but that’s all the same.” “Then you better have more nearby, because Dust, Suri, and Brick Wall are not in a good mood. And there’s a good chance that more will be with them, after what happened tonight.” “Jack, this is Coach Fleetfoot. I’ve been talking to the others about what they posses, and they would like to meet you in person. I’ve already given them your address that I got from Spitfire. They plan to follow you in hopes to find a private location to talk to you.” “If my friends are nearby, that would make things harder for us to meet. They still don’t know that you were Shadow that helped us. And I don’t thing they are willing to trust you.” Indigo said, “What about the other two that know about us?” “This is Chrysalis. I just talked to Coco and Moon Dancer earlier in private and filled them in on the details. Think that can help you out?” “I’ll see what I can do. But Fleetfoot is calling the shots for this unscheduled meeting.” I said, “Then we’ll just go as usual and let it all play out. I’ve been training on my soul skills in hopes it can help out.” Fleetfoot said, “One more thing. Any news of the insider from last week?” “Nope. We’re in the dark here.” “That makes it harder to prove that they were a part of it.” “We’ll find out who did this. Just leave that to us. You just keep an eye on the trio over there.” Indigo said, “Will do. Take care, Jack.” “You too, Indigo. Bye.” “This year just keeps getting more excited by the day,” Chrysalis said. “If you don’t mind, but I want to make some calls for tomorrow.” “Dash has that part covered. But let Coco and Moon Dancer know what we just talked about. I want them to be around if our friends don’t trust the Elite 5. Besides, I’ve sure Coco would want a piece of the action for once. It’s been a while since I’ve seen her do that move on one of the troublemakers back in Manehattan. And you’ll be surprised to see what she can do.” Author's Note I was having writers block for some time for this chapter, but I was able to get something done. This will help set up for the next few chapters that I do have plan.
Ch. 32 - EncountersI got up this Saturday morning doing my usual routine before my date in the park with Sunset. As I was getting dressed, I heard my mother calling me. “Jack, a small package came in yesterday from one of your friends in Manehattan, Double Diamond.” I replied, “Thanks, mom. I’ll come down to look at it.” “I’ll bring it up to him, since I’m going that way,” Chrysalis said from downstairs. I heard Chrysalis coming up the stairs and making her way to my room, with the package that was sent to me. I took the package and opened it, revealing what looked like a deck of cards in a leather casing with a belt clip. There was a letter also in it. Hey Jack, Coco told me about the new problem that you are facing. I’m sure you can’t take your blades anywhere, so I decided to fix up some “special” cards to use. They all have the “Jack of Diamonds” on the front side of the card. Be careful, because they are sharp on the edges, like razor sharp. It’s a special kind of metal paper that Professor River Song was able to acquire. I was able to pay for the customization of the cards. This should help you out with your current problem at the moment. We have a few more surprises for you, but that will have to wait for later. As for your request that Coco told us to look into, no activity since you first encounter the lady two years ago. And we hope it stays that way. No sense having more problems on your plate. But if she shows up like before, we will let you know. Stay Strong, and Safe Double Diamond and Crew “Looks like you now have a backup weapon if you need it,” Chrysalis said. “And with the needle shot art that I can use, this makes it much more deadlier to use,” I added. “But what’s the lady that he’s talking about?” she asked. I let out a quick breath and said, “I’ll keep it simple. You understand that Sunset had some kind of wall around her soul months ago. Couple of years ago, Coco and me came across a lady that just didn’t feel right. She was having a meeting with one of the workers at the museum in Manehattan that we like to see on the weekends. She kept her face well covered, so we don’t know who she was. Since then, we’ve heard nothing about her seeing him again. All I know is that it has to deal with some ancient weapons, maybe the two blades that I have, I think. I’m still trying to piece everything together with Crystal Prep’s gifted students.” “So you think Crystal Prep had outside help from the beginning?” she asked. “If we’re talking about anything related to a person’s soul, then it’s possible, since there’s the story about the blades that I have containing the soul of their creators. But we’re a long way from finding out if they all connect in some way. I’m just trying to stay alert about what’s going on.” Chrysalis crossed her arms and asked, “Do you like to think about this kind of stuff at times?” “Only if it’s serious. And after hearing one of Coach Iron Will’s stories from his father, and the fact that having powers like what I have can make someone a…god, I have a bad feeling that this could be bigger than any of us even knows.” “Better to be safe than sorry, my momma always said,” Chrysalis said. “You plan to take me to Rarity’s before your actual big date?” “As long as you can show Coco this letter, sure. I want to make sure she understands what been going on as of late. If she feels like it, she can fill you in more about the issue. But that’s her call, OK?” “Agreed,” she replied. “We can guess that everyone will be at the park, at random areas.” “Knowing Twilight, she would want all the bases covered over there, and Rarity would grab you and Coco into it. If so, let Coco know what’s coming our way with Indigo’s group. This is the only chance we can get some answers to what Crystal Prep is doing.” So we left the house and I went to Rarity’s place to drop Chrysalis off before making my way to Sunset’s place to pick her up. Once she was with me, we made our way to the park to meet up with Twilight and Flash. Surprisingly, Cadence and Shining Armor were also there with them. I had to reassure Sunset that they would be there to patch up everything that has happened in the past. “Sorry, but my brother and his girlfriend wanted to come along,” Twilight said to us. “Its no biggie,” Sunset replied. “At least I can show you all what a friend of mine sent to me earlier this week.” I took out a few of the cards in its case to show to them. “Be careful. They’re sharp on the edges.” Twilight took one and recognized the texture of the card. “Metal paper? That’s hard to find and modify. How did your friend get this kind of stuff?” “Spoilers!” Twilight face-palmed and said, “God, you’re just as bad as Doctor Whooves.” “Well, the food trucks plan to be on the other side of the park, and I was able to find out which ones were going to be there today,” Cadence said. So all six of us decided to casually walk around the park as we made our way to the other side. Cadence showed us which food trucks would be around in a couple of hours on her cell phone. Sunset recognized the grilled cheese truck that was going to be there. She said that they have the best, and biggest, sandwiches there. As we were walking, we saw four familiar faces jogging our way: Rainbow Dash, Soarin, Thunderlane, and Roseluck. “Hi guys. Bye guys,” Dash said as they were passing us by. Sunset was stunned at first, but just shook it off. As we continued walking, we came across a row of trees and some benches. Sitting at one of the benches was Fluttershy and Tree Hugger with a large notepad. “Now I can see why you wanted to do your session on a Sunday,” I said to Tree Hugger. “I like to spend my Saturday’s being one with nature,” she replied. “Plus, it’s a chance to display my artistic side.” She showed us the colored drawing on her notepad. “It looks like the many colors of the fallen leaves in that picture,” Sunset explained. “Oh, while I like the spring season, she loves the fall season because of the many colors that appear,” Fluttershy explained. “I’m more of a winter person,” I said. “Just seeing the lights reflect off the snow at night is truly relaxing.” “I doubt you’ll find something like that here like you did in Manehattan,” Cadence explained. “Well, we’ll leave you to your art work,” Twilight said. The six of us kept on walking. As we were getting closer to the other side of the park, we heard someone calling from behind us. “Hey y’all, wait up.” We saw Applejack with Lyra and Sweetie Drops running towards us. “You wouldn’t be going to the food trucks, now would you?” Cadence replied, “Yep. Why do you ask?” “I was hoping that the dessert truck would be there,” Applejack replied. Cadence brought her cell out again to show Applejack the list of trucks that would be there. Applejack pointed at one of the listed trucks and said, “There it is. And the sub truck is planning to be there as well, Sweets.” “Cool,” Sweetie Drops responded. “We’ve been meaning to get a sub for us to share, right Lyra?” She nodded. “I guess the three of you are welcomed to come along,” Twilight said. “As long as no one else has a problem with it.” All of us shook our heads and agreed with Twilight’s decision. When we made our way to the other side, we saw the food trucks starting to open up. “Guess we’re a little early,” I said. “Why don’t we take a seat and give them time to get everything set up.” We took a seat at some of the nearby benches, when Applejack asked us, “So, was there a food truck you wanted to see?” “I’m only going for one of the salads from the green truck at the end,” Cadence said. “The others are going for the burger trucks.” “Well, Shiny wants to try the cheese stuffed burger,” Twilight said. “We just want a regular burger.” “We’re going for the grilled cheese truck over there,” Sunset said as she pointed to the yellow truck in the middle of the group. “They’re supposed to be big enough for two with how thick they make them.” “Hey, Jack,” Cadence called. “Were there food trucks back in Manehattan, or was it just small food vendors on the sidewalk.” “Just the sidewalk vendors,” I replied. “There wasn’t any room to park food trucks in the city, unless it was in the construction area with pre-made sandwiches. So vendors had to pull their food stations to the busy areas that were close to where they live. Those who lived near the park, museum, or courthouse had the best place to run their business. But the best thing about those guys was the fact that they love to talk about what was going on around the city. Coco and me would go to see a friend of ours who works at the museum, and when lunch comes around, a few vendors would be placed outside the museum, each one having different foods to sell. The three of us will get something to eat and exchange stories that each of us have heard around the town.” “You’ll be surprised at the stories that these vendors have heard.” We looked over to see Octavia with Vinyl and Pinkie walking towards us. “I traveled to Manehattan one time with my parents when I was younger, and we met a vendor who had his radio on listening to a mixture of news and light music. He was a nice guy to talk to while we had a quick bite to eat. He loved the entertainment back when he was younger, and is glad that some of it hasn’t died at the time.” “Can’t argue with you there,” I said. Sunset noticed what was going on and said, “Is there a reason that we keep coming across all of our friends in our group today?” Then she started to stare at Twilight, who quickly noticed. “Fine!” she said as she raised her arms into the air. “We were worried that the two of you would become easy targets after all that has happen this past week.” “Enough to have about everyone watching over the area for us?” Sunset asked in anger. “If Pinkie Pie’s Pinkie Sense is spot on this morning, then you sure need it,” Applejack answered. “Pinkie Sense?” I asked, raising an eyebrow. “That’s right,” Pinkie Pie replied. “Whenever my body twitches, it means something bad is about to happen. And this one was a doozie. Oh, don’t worry about asking Twilight about it. Just like your gift, she didn’t believe it at first.” “Pinkie Pie’s able to predict events that could happen in the current future,” Applejack explained. “You know, like a tree is about to fall on me in about an hour.” “I can guess what’s about to happen, but I can’t predict the future, if that’s what you’re wondering,” Pinkie Pie added. Sunset and I looked at each other. Then we both said, “Point taken.” “At least I have a weapon to use, should I need it,” I said as I patted my hand on the deck of cards on my belt. “That may not be the only thing you need,” said Lyra. “Moon Dancer and Trixie have been working on a new item the past few days, some kind of ‘magic trick’ for you to use.” “Well, I’ll take whatever resources I can use,” I said. We all noticed that the food trucks were ready to take orders, so we each made our way to the truck that we wanted to get our lunch from. Sunset and me went to the grilled cheese truck and placed our order. As he was preparing our sandwich on the grill, he asked us a question. “Say, you wouldn’t be the new guy from Canterlot High that’s been talked about in the newspaper?” I said, “From the football team? That’s me.” “Nice. Been years since I’ve seen Crystal Prep get taken down a notch,” he said. “You mean it’s happen before?” asked Sunset. “Yep. Long before you kids were born,” he said. “But it wasn’t in any sport.” “Think you can explain,” I asked. “Sure,” he replied while cooking on our food. “Happened over…25 years ago, I think, while I was attending Canterlot High. Crystal Prep was a complete private school during that time, but had to work with the school board in order to compete in sports. It was one time that one of Crystal Prep’s teachers notices bribes exchanging between the school and the board. And some of that money was from donations and yearly payments for the students. Someone needed to help expose these illegal actions to the public eye, and our principal at the time, Mr. Discord, was the only one who could help.” “Who was the teacher that reported this to Mr. Discord?” I asked. “The same person who’s now the principal of Crystal Prep, Ms. Abacus Cinch. She showed Mr. Discord what she found out. The problem they had was asking someone whom they could trust. Luckily, I was a neighbor with Mayor Mare, who was just a worker in the local town hall at the time. She’s wanted to get into politics for quite some time. I told the principal to talk to her and see if she had any connections that she could find to have this looked at. But the big surprise was that it went straight to the president himself. A major investigation was taken place, and in a year, charges were placed on the headmaster and the director of the school board and some of its members. The government took over until they find someone who would take over as the new student board director. Ms. Abacus Cinch was selected as the temporary principal of Crystal Prep, which later became permanent.” “I heard that Mr. Discord is the current board director,” I said. “That’s right,” he said as he flipped the sandwich on the grill. “They were interviewing candidates for the job, and he was selected as one of them. But he refused the offer at the time. I think that was when Miss Celestia started working as the new VP of Canterlot High. When they still couldn’t select one of the candidates, they went back to Mr. Discord once again. From what I heard, he talked to Miss Celestia if she would take over as the new principal if he were to take the job. She was only the VP for a couple of years before moving up in the school. I’m sure you can understand what happened after that. Our school was able to maintain its tradition since Mr. Discord left to take over the school board.” “What about Crystal Prep?” Sunset asked. “Not everyone likes them for being perfect.” “Good thing you ask that,” he said. He took our sandwich off the grill and on a paper plate, cutting it into two and handing us our drinks. “He you go.” I paid the man for our food before he continued. “Crystal Prep started to recover and became on of the best private schools to attend in the nation. As for Principal Cinch, she did get married to another teacher at the school who supported her against the headmaster and the recovery of the school. It was a fine school, until news went out 16 years ago when someone tried to break into the school. Her husband was working late after basketball practice ended and came across the burglars. All that we knew was that he was fatally shot in the struggle. Another staff member heard the shots, found him in the hallway, and called 911. He died overnight in the hospital, and the burglars were never caught.” “Was he a coach in the school?” I asked. “Nope. He just stayed after classes for Principal Cinch to monitor the after school activities. And she was already pregnant with their first child on the way. She never had a chance to see him before he died. After that, everything slowly started to change with the school. In about five years time, after the birth of her daughter, the school started to set an example that every student had to work hard to survive the outside world, and proved that it could be the perfect school for all its students that attended. Soon then, they started to win in every event against every other school out there. Been that way for ten years, until a week ago, when they received their first loss from you guys.” “I guess it could explain some things about how they became what they are now,” I said. I took a few bites from my sandwich and said, “This is a good grilled cheese sandwich you make, mister.” “Thanks,” he said. “If you don’t mind me asking, but I read that you were a transfer student this year. Where did you come from before here?” “Manehattan,” I replied. “Was there for two years. And before that, it was Fillydelphia for two years, and Trottingham for two years before that. I was even living in Appleloosa for a year and Baltimare for another year when I was much younger.” “Sounds like you’ve been everywhere,” he said. “Almost. I haven’t been to Cloudsdale, and we have a family friend who’s retired over there. There are a few places in the west that I haven’t been to either, since my dad was a construction foreman. It was in Baltimare that my dad started his first foreman job away from my hometown. He’s now the manager at the new D.I.Y. store over here.” “Where were you born?” he asked. “Vanhoover.” Sunset was surprised that I said that. “Spent my first…seven years, I think up there. The only thing I can remember up there was seeing the snow around the area during the winter. My memory was never that good at remembering everything else during that time.” “Well a few of the truck vendors around here have come from Manehattan, Fillydelphia, and Baltimare. We always like to talk and exchange stories that we hear from others in the area or news reports that we see or read. So if you ever want to talk about anything when we’re not busy, we’re always welcome to exchange stories or talk about events in the area.” “Sure thing,” I said. “Well, it was nice talking to you. And keep cooking what you serve to others. It’s really good.” As we waved goodbye and walked back to the benches, Sunset asked me, “You never told me you were born in Vanhoover.” “You never asked,” I told her. We continued to have our lunch as we rejoined the others who were having their own lunch. “Hey, guess what?” Sunset told the others. “We just learned about Crystal Prep’s and Principal Cinch’s history, which could explain how they became what they are now.” “Well, hold on to that story, because I just got a text from Moon Dancer,” said Twilight. “Her and Trixie are on their way over with the new ‘magic trick’ to display. I’m sure that Moon Dancer would want to hear about it as well, if it can help us.” My cell started to buzz in my pocket. When I got it out, I saw a text from Chrysalis. “Good idea,” I said. “Chrysalis, Coco, and Rarity are also on their way as well. We might as well get everyone together on this.” “On it,” Applejack said as she was sending out messages to the others. “We better meet elsewhere to discuss all this. Same place in the park like last year, Twilight?” Twilight nodded and we headed to another area where there was hardly anybody around, after finishing up our lunch. When we all got together at the area, we were waiting for Trixie and Moon Dancer to arrive, because Twilight told us how Trixie likes to make a dramatic entrance. And did she ever deliver. “Behold, the Great and Powerful Trixie is here to display her newest magic trick for all to see.” Twilight rolled her eyes and said, “Can we just see what you have to show us?” “Patience, Twilight, and you will see. In my right hand is a small orb that will make me…disappear.” “And how is one small marble supposed to do that?” Applejack asked Trixie. “Watch and learn. Now you see me, now…you don’t.” And Trixie smashed the small orb on the ground, creating a cloud of thick smoke. It was thick enough that everyone starting to cough. “Very (cough) funny Trixie.” Twilight said while coughing. She went up to wave the smoke away, only to see that Trixie was no longer there. Pinkie Pie expressed a shocked face, saying, “She’s gone.” But it faded when she looked at the back of our group. “Oh, wait. There she is,” pointing to her in the back. Twilight was confused and said to Trixie, “How did you get from here…to there without us noticing?” “She easily sneaked over there while we were focused on the smoke,” I said. “Leave it to Jack to sense Trixie’s direction,” Chrysalis responded. “OK, so how were you able to make those?” Rainbow Dash asked. Moon Dancer said, “Trixie and me worked on getting the ingredients together and placing them into empty orb shells that can easily break, with enough force.” Trixie explained, “We figure that some of the soul arts will acquire some stealth action, so this will make it easier to execute, like soul strike and soul slash.” Moon Dancer added, “You’ll only have a 15 second window to do this, but I can take a guess that time slows down when you execute those two attacks.” “I want to say that it does about two to three times its normal speed, but I’m not certain after practicing those moves this week,” I said. “But that can make things more discreet when I do so. How many were you able to make?” “Only ten,” Trixie said. “And since I used one, we only have nine left with us.” It was then that Pinkie started to twitch, and my soul senses started to go off. “Oh boy. Trouble’s coming,” said Pinkie Pie. “She’s right, and it’s a big group,” I added. “Trixie, hand me one of those and have the other eight ready, just in case.” Trixie was able to pass one to me to keep in my pocket. “Coco, you ready?” “I’ve been waiting for two years, Jack. I just hope they have someone to carry that person off after I take one of them down,” Coco said as she was loosing her arms. “Just as long as I get a piece of Dust myself,” Sunset added. No doubt coming into view was Lightning Dust, Suri Polomare, and Brick Wall, along with most of the guys that were placed on suspension and the girls that we met the last time at our school. But somehow, I overlooked one detail that was masked in the sea of anger, Fleur de Lis. Lightning Dust held a tight grip on her arm as they were making their way here. “This doesn’t look good, Jack,” said Rarity. “I hope you have a backup plan ready?” Applejack added. “Way ahead of you girls,” I said as I tapped my belt case with the metal cards. “Rarity, once she’s free, get her to come to you as fast as possible.” Rarity nodded in agreement. When the other group stopped within yards from us, it became a stare-off between both groups. “I was wondering when you were going to show your ugly face, Dust,” as I taunted her. “Laugh it up, asshole,” she replied. “You’ve really caused us a lot of trouble these past few weeks.” “That’s because you always create trouble, loser,” yelled Rainbow Dash. Lightning Dust yelled back, “SHUT UP, DASH!!! The only reason it’s happening is because someone in our group didn’t want to work with us from the start.” Fleur was struggling to break free at that point. “You better let her go, bitch,” said Chrysalis. “Or what, you plan to wave your hands at us like you can’t even fight?” Suri replied. “I’ll make it easy on you, Jack,” Dust said. “Either you take the pain from Brick Wall, or I’ll be happy to leave a few scars on her lovely face.” Lightning Dust drew out her switchblade from last time. “Do that, and I’ll break that arm of yours in two,” yelled Sunset. At that point, I was able to draw three metal cards without the other side noticing. “Oh, I like to see you try, BITCH!!!” Lightning Dust said as she started to bring her blade close to Fleur’s face. It was now or never. Ready to execute, I quietly said, “Soul Art #6, Needle Shot,” and tossed all three cards at Lightning Dust, striking her cheek, the hand that held her blade, and the arm that was holding Fleur in place. Dust dropped the blade and lost her grip on Fleur. “Fleur, over here!” Rarity commanded, causing her to run towards Rarity. “Shit!” Dust yelled in pain. “GET HER!!!” Suri started to run towards Fleur, causing Coco to react. Coco was able to get behind Suri and locked her arms under Suri’s shoulders. Coco kindly said, “I know you’re doing your job, but it’s wise to know that no one messes with my FRIENDS!!!” She flipped Suri backwards in a German Suplex, slamming Suri into the ground. Coco got back up and said, “Who’s next?” Fleur was able to make it to Rarity safely. Lightning Dust was getting pissed at what was going on. She yelled, “BRICK WALL!!!” “That’s it, you’re going down!” Brick Wall said as he was smashing his fist together. I yelled, “TRIXIE, NOW!!!” She threw all eight smoke bombs at the group, creating a huge cloud of thick smoke. I got out the last smoke bomb and looked back at Rarity, seeing that Fleur was holding on to her, looking away. Rarity nodded that it was clear to go, so I smashed the last orb and created a cloud of smoke around me. Now it was my time to strike. “SOUL ART #2: SHADOW SLASH!!!” Time started to slow down, and I was able to locate the football players in the smoke with my powers. I ran all to way around a knocked down each player in the group until the last one, making it look like something struck all of them at the same time, leaving Brick Wall in the center. When time resumed for me, I was in front of Brick Wall, still blinded by the smoke. “SOUL ART #4: LIGHTNING JAB!!!” I was throwing punches at Brick Wall’s body at lightning speed, shaking him up badly and causing him to fall to the ground in pain. The smoke started to clear up, and Lightning Dust saw where I was. She found her switchblade and started to race towards me, only to be stopped when Sunset grabbed her arm and twisted it, causing Dust to lose her blade again. Sunset did a sweep kick on Dust’s leg, causing her to be knocked down on the ground. Then Sunset placed her foot on Dust’s chest, holding her down. Angry as she was, Sunset said, “No one, and I mean NO ONE tries to harm me, my boyfriend, or any of my friends EVER!!!” Trying to breath, Dust yelled back, “I swear…you are dead…BITCH!!!” Sunset pressed her foot on Dust’s chest harder. “HEY!!!” We all saw where the call came from and noticed five girls coming our way. “Great. Who invited the Elite 5 here?” asked Rainbow Dash. Sunset released her hold of Lightning Dust, allowing her to catch her breath. Me, Sunset, and Coco started to pull back to our group. When the five girls got to the other group, Dust said to the one with the goggles, “Nice to see you show up, Indigo. Maybe now you can teach these troublemakers a lesson.” “No problem,” Indigo said, and she threw a punch at Lightning Dust’s cheek. “What the hell was that for?” Dust responded. Indigo grabbed her by her collar and yelled, “What you think it was for, jerk!” “But we was just…” “SHUT UP!!!” The girl with the freckles and ponytail named Sour Sweet interrupted Lightning Dust. Then spoke in a calmer tone. “You weren’t told to speak up, miss. SO ZIP IT!!!” “We know you tried to break in to do damage and sabotage the school and get back at some rival students just to win a game,” said the girl with pigtails and glasses named Sugarcoat. “And you know how much I hate cheaters,” Indigo added. “And you think I was in charge of all of it, right?” Dust asked. Another girl with a sun hairpin walked towards Dust. “Dearie, you might have fooled my mother,” Sunny Flare said before she changed her tone. “But don’t think that you can fool me or my friends as well.” Brick Wall started to get up from the blows that I handed to him, and said, “Even if your mother is the principal of our school, that doesn’t mean that you can boss us around.” Sugarcoat looked at Brick Wall, adjusted her glasses, and said, “Then maybe you should explain it to him,” pointing at the guy walking this way. From the looks of it, it was Long Shot walking our way. “Long Shot, I…” “I don’t even want to hear it, Brick Wall,” Long Shot replied, cutting him off. He got in front of Brick Wall, pointed on his chest and yelled, “How many times have I told you maintain your focus. Instead, you had to go off and pull a dumb-ass stunt that cost us about a third of our team. Or did you forget what happened last night when we almost lost to Cloudsdale because we had to step up to make up for our losses.” He started to look at the other players who were injured earlier. “You all are a disgrace to the team. I expect all of you to be at practice tomorrow.” “But we were placed on suspension from the team,” said one of the players. Long Shat looked at them and said, “Well guess what? You just volunteer for the practice squad…all of you. Now get out of here. I expect every one of you to be at school tomorrow.” As the guys were trying to get on their feet, Indigo had one more thing to say. “Dust, you try to pull another stunt like this again, and you can kiss your basketball career goodbye. I plan to be the next captain of the team, and I don’t want players like you trying to damage our team like you did for the football team.” She let Lightning Dust go so she and the rest of the group can leave the area. But as everyone was leaving, they forgot one person who was recovering from Coco’s attack, and a green haired girl with her headphones around her neck make sure they know it. “Hey dudes, you forgot someone,” Lemon Zest said, pointing to Suri still on the ground. A couple of the girls ran back and carried Suri away with them, still feeling the pain in her neck. Now it was Long Shot and the Elite 5 standing in front of us. Long Shot had his hand on his forehead, frustrated as to what was going on before he spoke. “Thanks for calling me, Indigo. I should have known that he was doing this kind of stuff.” “No problem,” Indigo replied. “I knew they were causing trouble, but didn’t expect to drag one of our classmates into the mix.” Long Shot turned around and looked at us, mainly Shining Armor. “I see that your shoulder is getting better.” “Give it some rest, and it will be ready for the rematch,” he replied. “Depends on who’s in charge for the rematch,” Long Shot said as he looked at me. “That’s for the coach to decide,” I said. “At least you’re doing what you can to keep them in line.” “I guess I need to do harder than that,” said Long Shot. “Long, do me a favor,” Indigo said. “See to it that Fleur gets home safely. We have some…business to discuss.” Fleur heard her name and looked up. I decided to walk towards her and said, “Go on ahead. You’ll be safe with him.” Fleur nodded. “While you’re at it, see if to can talk to him. Maybe he’s a good choice to look into, if you know what I mean.” Fleur took a moment to think about it before she spoke. “I will. Thanks.” She started to walk towards Long Shot. As Fleur and Long Shot started to walk away, Long Shot looked back and yelled, “Hey Jack. You remind me of myself from a year ago when I had to take over for our star quarterback. I hope I see you in action again this coming Friday.” Then they started to walk away and out of view. Now the Elite 5 was all that was left. Rainbow Dash walked up next to me and said, “Alright, Indigo. What brings you and your friends here? Want to cause your own trouble against us?” “We’re only here to talk, Dash. But only to him,” Indigo said, pointing at me. “If you want to talk, partner, then you can do it in front of us,” Applejack responded. “I don’t think you have a say in this,” said Sugarcoat. “You do know who you’re talk to, miss know-it-all,” said Twilight. “You must be soooo smart,” Sour Sweet said kindly. Then she forcefully said, “SO SMART THAT IT COMES FROM YOUR SMART ASS MOUTH!!!” “Now that wasn’t nice,” said Fluttershy. “Miss, you need to just chill out,” Tree Hugger added. “Hey, you don’t need to tell what my friend needs to do,” said Sunny Flare. “Excuse me, dear, but your friend needs to learn some manners in respect,” said Rarity. “And if you’re just acting like it, then go back to school,” Trixie added. “Oh wait, you are in school.” “Dude, it’s you who needs to show some respect,” said Lemon Zest. “This coming from someone who can’t win first place in a school that only focuses on first place,” said Vinyl. “Yea, unless second place is another saying for first loser,” Pinkie Pie added. Both sides started to stare at each other, waiting for one side to strike. Indigo and me responded at the same time. “THAT’S ENOUGH!!!” Indigo was getting frustrated at the issue. With my arms crossed, I was able to display two fingers for Indigo to noticed. She saw it and gave a small nod, knowing what to do. “OK, if you care about your friend, then I’ll make an exception. Two of you can come along, that’s all.” Sunny Flare said, “Indigo, we were given instructions to…” “I’m making an exception, Sunny,” Indigo snapped at her. “If two others can come along, then I’ll be one of them,” Applejack said. “Sorry, farm girl, but I get to choose,” Indigo replied. “The little fashion girl up front, and the bookworm with the glasses at the back.” She was pointing at Coco and Moon Dancer. “Sorry Indigo, but that’s not going to happen,” said Rainbow Dash. “Stand down, Dash,” I said. “Just leave this to us, OK?” “But…” “You heard him,” Chrysalis said. “They can handle this themselves. Let’s just leave it at that.” I replied, “Thanks, Chrysalis. Coco, Moon Dancer, you’re with me.” Sunset stopped me for a moment. “You sure you want to do this?” “I don’t think we have much of a choice,” I said. “If they carry what we think they have, then they could be looking for answers. And it’s possible that Coach Fleetfoot is pulling the strings on this meeting, if you heard what the principal’s daughter was trying to say. Look, tell the others about the story that we heard earlier today while I take care of this, OK?” She looked at the Elite 5, then back to me. “OK. Just make sure you stay safe.” “I will.” I looked at Coco and Moon Dancer, then turned to Indigo and said, “OK, lead the way.”
Ch. 33 - The MeetingMe, Coco, and Moon Dancer went with the Elite 5 to a heavily forest area where we were out of view from everyone else, including our friends. The three of us were on one side, where I was leaning on a tree behind me. The other five were on the other side just staring at us. It was silent for a while before I broke the silence. “OK, you wanted to talk. So what do you want to talk about?” I said. Indigo snapped her fingers in the air, and Sugarcoat walked up to us with an envelope. “Read this first,” she said and she handed me the envelope. “What’s this about?” I asked. “We were given orders to hand you this first, then we’ll talk,” Sugarcoat responded and walked back to the others. I opened the envelope and pulled out the letter that was inside. Jack, The five girls that are with you each carry the same gift that you have, or at least similar to what you have, if what Coach Spitfire has told me is true. I have given them instructions to work with you in understanding what they are capable of doing. They will ask you questions, and are well aware that you will do the same. I’m aware that there will be conflict between these girls and your friends, but rest assured that they can be trusted. See to it that Principal Celestia gets this letter and understands what is going on. Coach Fleetfoot I put the letter away and looked at the five in front of us. “OK, what is it that you girls wanted to ask me?” Sunny Flare spoke up first. “We want to know what this gift is that we carry.” Moon Dancer asked, “It says that what you have is similar. Can you explain what you have that you believe is the same with all of you?” The girls just stared at her, so I had to make sure that they needed to work with her on this as well. “She’s studied the book that could explain what you have, so it’s best that you work with her as well.” Indigo looked at Sugarcoat and gave her a nod. “We can…sense strange feelings from other people. Usually, it’s anger, sadness, greed, or distrust; mostly negative feelings. And we can react easily to anything that could at least startle us.” Sour Sweet went behind Lemon Zest and tried to slap the back of her head, only for Lemon to duck the slap from Sour. “See what I mean?” Sugarcoat continued. “Then these are common signs of soul resonance,” Moon Dancer explained. “It focuses on negative emotions that others would try to hide from plain sight. This can be used to find people who are corrupt or hurting from within.” “Like hiding BS behind a smile?” asked Sour Sweet. Moon Dancer said, “To put it bluntly, yes. And as to how you react to incoming threats, that’s know as Soul Sense, a common soul power to learn. Kind of like a self-defense system inside yourself. When did you start to experience this?” “Happened about a month since we started to attend Crystal Prep two years ago,” Sunny Flare explained. “And it was last year around the same time when Indigo transferred here.” “So any student that started to attend the school started to show these powers in a month,” I said. “Well, it’s not every student that experiences it,” Sugarcoat added. “Is there anything different between each of you?” I asked. “I have seen…visions whenever I touch certain things, and it’s clearer when I touch someone,” Sugarcoat explained. “What you have is Soul Reading,” Moon Dancer explained. “It allows you to see anything that could be painful from someone else. It can be blurry on objects, but will only last for a short time, so touching the person makes it easier to see.” “I first learned this after I touched Sour Sweet’s knuckles,” Sugarcoat said. I walked up to Sour Sweet and asked to show me her knuckles. When she shows them to me, I touched them and saw visions of her fighting off other students who were bullying her when she was younger. She was full or rage at that time. That’s when I let go of them. “You saw the rage inside of her when you touched them,” Sugarcoat told me. “She started to experience it stronger when she acquire these powers, like she was powerful, but out of control.” “I’m glad that Sunny Flare has helped keep me in check so that it doesn’t happen again,” Sour Sweet said. “Soul Rage,” Moon Dancer said. “A deadly power to have, if not kept in check.” “How come I haven’t experienced it?” I said. “Actually, you came close to experiencing it. Remember the time when Twilight accused Sunset of what happened in the gym?” Moon Dancer asked. I nodded. “You came close to entering into Soul Rage before I stopped you in doing so.” “We’re lucky that didn’t happen,” Coco added. She looked at Sunny Flare and asked, “How were you able to control her rage?” “I’ve been friends with Sour Sweet for a long time, and I’m aware that she has…two sides to her mental state, so to speak. I just do what I normally do to clam her down.” “If it’s because you share a close bond with each other, then,” Moon Dancer looked at Coco and said, “you might be able to do the same if Sunset cannot do so.” “I’ll keep that in mind,” Coco said. “Sunny Flare and Lemon Zest haven’t learned anything special, but they are able to react in unique ways,” Indigo explained. “It’s possible that they know what is called Soul Release. It allows them to react in ways that they cannot normally do,” Moon Dancer explained. “It was how I caught on to Jack’s gift. It’s best you keep track on what you can normally do and look for signs that you did something that you cannot do in the past.” “What about you, Indigo? Anything unique that you can do, or have you not reach the level that the others have,” I asked. Indigo started to scratch the back of her head. “Well…” “She’s able to teleport from one area to another area nearby,” Sugarcoat said bluntly. “That was one time, Sugarcoat,” Indigo responded to her. “Wait, you’re able to Soul Shift?” I asked. “How long ago was this?” “Early into basketball season,” Sugarcoat responded. “The five of us were at Coach Fleetfoot’s place where they were playing some two-on-two while I watch. Sour Sweet swatted the ball out of Lemon Zest’s hands and went straight towards me. I couldn’t react fast enough, but Indigo Zap just came out of nowhere and took the blow for me.” “That’s because I felt dizzy after I got in front of you before I could get hit by the ball,” Indigo added. “It was that point that we started to ask ourselves about what we were experiencing as well,” Sunny explained. “When Coach Fleetfoot requested to speak to us about what we saw and if we experienced the same thing, that’s when we started to worry about what was going on. Luckily, we were all on the same side and wanted some answers ourselves.” “When I saw articles about you online, I asked Sunny to look you up,” Lemon Zest said. “Turns out you were a nobody on the football team over in Manehattan who became a somebody over here…Trader Jack.” “I can guess you girls also found out about me on the DJ boards,” I asked. “Helps if you could keep a lower profile in front of Vinyl.” “Dude, she should do the same,” Lemon Zest responded. “She’s lucky to get Neon Lights’ autograph.” “And I was able to lure him and Sapphire Shores to our homecoming with my mix track,” I said. “YOU WHAT???” Lemon Zest responded with her jaw left open. “Wow. About time someone out did her in the music area,” Sour Sweet said. “At least it’s better than hearing her noisy music.” “OK, can we get back on track for a moment,” Moon Dancer said. “Indigo, you said that you felt dizzy when you shifted. Has this happened every time?” “I only did it once, and never felt like doing it again,” Indigo replied. Moon Dancer asked, “Can you do it again? Maybe it’s because you were experiencing something challenging while still learning your soul powers.” “When I first did it, I was in complete focus, never dizzy,” I said. Indigo said, “OK, I’ll try.” “Indigo, do or do not. There is no try,” Sugarcoat said. Indigo started at Sugarcoat and said, “Don’t get me started.” Giggles came from most of the girls in the area, causing Indigo to roll her eyes. “Sugarcoat, do you have something that she can catch from afar?” Moon Dancer asked. “If so, throw it for her to catch. I did the same with Jack one time.” Sugarcoat went up to Indigo and asked for her goggles. When she had them in her hand, she threw them towards a tree that was farther away from the group. This caused her to react and executed a soul shift towards where the goggles were about to hit. When she appeared on the other side, she was able to grab and fumble with the goggles in her hands as she was trying to maintain her balance. As she was about to fall to the ground, I shifted my body towards her location and caught her before she fell. She looked up, saw me, and said, “Thanks.” “I can see what you mean by the dizzy spells when you shift,” I said. I looked at Moon Dancer and asked, “You think she could still be having the same problems for a year with soul shift?” “It’s still hard to say,” Moon Dancer responded. “Luna and me didn’t go through the diary as much when you called us a week ago.” She looked at the others and said, “Has this happen to…you…before?” We noticed that the other four were just staring at us in a stunned state. I realized that I was still holding on to Indigo from falling and got her back up. “Sorry about that.” “It’s nothing,” Indigo said as she was back on her feet. She looked at the others and noticed they were still in a stunned state. “I said IT’S NOTHING!!!” “That’s…not it,” Sunny said, coming back to reality. “Dude, didn’t you even sense him?” Lemon added. “I was still dizzy when it happened,” Indigo replied. “We sensed you when you went from here to there, but he just came…out of nowhere,” Sugarcoat explained. This raises questions as to what just happened. Then I remembered something. “Indigo, I’m about to try something, so stay alert.” I looked at Lemon Zest and shifted right behind her and slapped my hand on the back of her head. “Ouch! Dude, what was that for?” Then Lemon realized what just happened. Indigo responded, “What the…? I couldn’t sense anything as well.” “OK. Are you even human?” Sour yelled. I was puzzled at to what was going on and looked at Moon Dancer for an explanation. “I don’t think I recall anything from Star Swirl’s journal that could explain this,” Moon Dancer explained. “Unless…” She took out her cell and said, “I hope Miss Luna has gone through Master Blades’ diary some more to explain this.” “WAIT!!!” Sunny ran up to Moon Dancer and said, “Please don’t let them know about me.” “Sunny, we had a guess that the five of you would carry these soul powers,” Coco explained. “And I can guarantee you that once they understand that you’re are on our side, they will keep it a secret. Me and a few of my friends back in Manehattan had to do the same when we learned about it.” “If it’s because your mother is the principal, then don’t worry,” Moon Dancer explained. “I don’t think they would want her to know just for your safety.” Sunny looked at Indigo, which she nodded back at her. “OK, go on ahead.” Moon Dancer placed the call on her cell and put it on speaker. “Hello, this is Celestia. What is it Moon Dancer?” “Principal Celestia, I’m with Jack and Coco. Is Miss Luna around?” “She’s looking over the diary at the moment. Why?” Sugarcoat looked at Moon Dancer, requesting for her to answer. She nodded. “Principal Celestia. This is Sugarcoat from Crystal Prep. We have been sent to meet with Jack, by Coach Fleetfoot’s request.” “I’m assuming that the others there are Indigo Zap, Lemon Zest, Sour Sweet, and Sunny Flare. Am I correct?” “That is correct,” Sugarcoat answered. “Celestia, we have confirmation that the Elite 5 do carry soul powers that I have. But it’s a bit more completed than expected,” I said. “Explain Jack.” “It will take some time to explain, but we have a bigger issue to discuss,” I said. Moon Dancer explained. “This is going to sound strange, but while the girls can sense each other, they can’t sense Jack’s presence. I need to talk to Miss Luna about this and see if there was something in Master Blades’ diary that can explain this.” “Hang on. I’ll go get her.” “Forgive me for asking, but who’s this Master Blades person?” Indigo asked. I explained. “He’s Luna’s kendo master, who also bared the same gift that we have. But he started to slowly lose his powers before he passed away weeks ago. Miss Luna has acquired all of his training materials, including a diary that could explain some of its origins, once translated.” “This is Luna speaking. Did I hear that the Elite 5 can sense each other, but not Jack?” “That is correct,” Moon Dancer said. “Then I’m lucky enough to come across this entry.” After all this time, I now understand what my gift is. He calls it “soul resonance.” The reason he knows that I carry it is because he cannot sense my own soul and its actions. This could explain why I couldn’t sense his presence like everyone else. I plan to go with him tomorrow to the temple that he stays for training in hopes to understand how it works better. Maybe I can understand this gift more when I’m there. “This could explain the differences between what you have and what they have.” That got me to thinking about our first discussion about Crystal Prep. “Celestia, remember what we talked about after I joined the football team?” “I do. And you could be right for once. Someone could be injecting them with these powers without their knowledge.” “You mean we’re being treated as lab rats?” Sour yelled. Sunny told her, “Easy there, Sour.” Luna spoke again. “There’s another entry that was written days later that’s important as well.” I just finished my first day of training. I was surprised that I was the only guy in the group of students. The other 14 students are girls around my age. Also, my master is the one male teacher in the temple. The other 9 teachers are female. He said that it’s rare for a guy to have this gift, but believes that any guy that carries it could become someone special, if the legend is true. He wouldn’t tell me about this legend at the time, just to believe that I can do what I can do and learn from the best in the temple. The only other guys and ladies around the temple are just the scholars who keep up with all the info of what goes on. They are the only ones that we can sense. It was at that point that I started to sense something wrong from Sugarcoat. “Sugarcoat, do you know something that could be related to this,” I asked her. “I think so. When I was studying the football team this year, all the guys acted like they had this gift. But they started to act more like everyone else, expect for Long Shot.” “I heard that he hasn’t been sacked on the field,” I said. “Could this be said of the same during practice?” “Maybe. All the others guys that I thought had it had to make hits or take hits, expect for Long Shot when he started to become the new QB.” I asked, “What about during basketball season? Anything like that happening in that sport?” “Not that I know of,” Sugarcoat answered. “Jack,” Celestia said. “From what we heard from this entry, if we’re dealing with genetic enchantments, then there’s a good chance that it might work better on girls than boys. But we won’t know until that time comes. Sunny Flare? I hate to tell you this, but your mother could be in on this. I can’t rule her out until I know more, so I hope you understand.” Sunny took a moment to think about it. “I’m aware about the Crystal Prep scandal that your mother exposed, and what happened to your father before you were born,” I said. “If it has any connection to this, then you have to understand what must be done.” Sunny said, “How did you…” “A vendor nearby told me the story. It must be hard, not knowing who your father was,” I said. Sunny explained, “I didn’t know about it until I saw my mother acting strange at times. So I had to look up any past info about her, my father, and Crystal Prep.” She sighed and said, “I understand what you must do. Just make sure I don’t lose her like I did my father.” “I understand,” Celestia said. “For now, you girls need to take caution in the matter. Your lives could be in danger with where you are attending.” “We will,” Sugarcoat answered. “Miss Celestia, this is Indigo Zap. Coach Fleetfoot told us that you have been looking for someone who could have helped Lightning Dust in your school’s break-in. Have you found anything on that person?” “Not really. What about your end?” “Nothing. And we can’t force it out of them without giving ourselves away.” “We’ll worry about finding the insider,” I said. “You girls just keep an eye on them and make sure they don’t try anything on us.” “Don’t worry, girls. If you’re lucky, you might stumble on the insider without alerting them. Moon Dancer. Fill me in on the details about what you learned from the girls so we can decide on how to handle this issue. Girls, let Coach Fleetfoot know that we’ll keep in touch if you need to know anything. Celestia out.” “Well, we know what we need to do,” Indigo said. “Girls, head back to the cars and wait for me. I need to discuss some things with Jack, personally.” The girls looked at each other, like it was something they didn’t expect to happen. “You heard what I said. Now MOVE!!!” The four girls left us until they were out of sight and out of range. That’s when Indigo decided to drop her guard. “Man, it’s not easy keeping my guard up so that they don’t catch on to us,” Indigo said. Moon Dancer told her, “You’re doing a good job, Indigo.” “Thanks. I’m guessing that you found out about me in the first place.” Moon Dancer explained, “When Jack brought you up, I thought your name sounded familiar. We’re all glad that you’re on our side.” “I doubt that the others are ready to trust us, especially Rainbow Dash,” Indigo explained. “I think I first caught on to the importance with this scholarship that she wants from day one,” I said. “But for you to be competing for the same thing was a surprise for me.” “I know. And I’m starting to regret having to go through with this against her, with my so-called gift and all. But there’s something bigger going on, and I think it has to do with Principal Cinch.” “What do you mean?” I asked Indigo. “Well, remember when Sunny Flare said that she doesn’t want to lose her mother?” We nodded. “Well, there’s something strange about her, and I don’t think Sunny, or any of the others have even caught on to this, but I’ve been sensing something…strange coming from her. Problem is that I can’t make it out. And I don’t want to tell this in front of her until I can get a better idea of what’s going on.” “Is it possible that she could have a wall around her soul?” Moon Dancer asked. Indigo asked, “What do you mean?” I explained, “When I first came across Sunset Shimmer, I sense what felt like a wall around her emotions. It took weeks to break that wall of hers, and what Lightning Dust and her crew did might have help take down the final layer of her wall. But it was more of pain and sadness from her. Do you think you could have an idea what it could be from Principal Cinch?” “I don’t know, but it felt like…bad karma coming from her.” Just hearing the words, “bad karma,” were the two words that Coco and me did not want to hear, and Indigo caught on to Coco’s panic. “OK missy. You know something about this?” Indigo asked Coco. “Something we wish we didn’t want to find out.” I asked, “Coco, did you get the letter from Chrysalis earlier?” “I do.” Coco brought out the letter from her pocket and handed it to Indigo. “This could explain what we mean.” Indigo looked over the letter before she spoke. “Metal paper as cards? You must be a lucky guy to have friends that can provide you with your own gear. But what is it about this lady he speaks of?” Coco explained, “Happened about this time two years ago back in Manehattan. We were to meet Professor Digger at the museum to help out with some of his work. We became friends with him very fast, and he does research on ancient items, including weapons. But on that day, we saw two guys standing outside his office. They looked like formal bodyguards of some sort. We heard the professor talking to someone inside and just waited for his meeting to end before we entered. Soon then, a lady came out of the office and walked by us with the two men that were with him.” “Any idea who she was?” asked Moon Dancer. “Nope. She was dressed with a long coat, big hat, and sunglasses. Only best features we could make out what that she was young, maybe middle age, and had a pinkish skin tone.” Coco explained. “But one thing caught my attention,” I said. “We somehow made eye contact, even with her shades on, and I had a strange feeling coming from her, like it was bad karma. When we asked the professor what went on, all he said that she was looking into some special weapons for research. Nothing else.” “We already learned about his gift before this happened, and worried that she could catch on to what he carries,” Coco said. “We knew that we had to do what we can to keep his gift a secret, so we created the Manehattan Knights as a way to masked his powers from everyone else. This allowed us to help out others in times of need.” “I can see what you mean,” Indigo said. “But Jack, how did you acquire some blades that were said in this letter? I never recall you owning anything like that.” “They were a gift from Professor Digger. Their names are Masamune and Muramasa.” Indigo responded, “NO…FREAKING…WAY!!! I thought those exist in a video game. They’re real?” “You need to get out more,” I told Indigo, causing her to roll her eyes. “But we just learned a few weeks ago that they could be the last blades created by the creator of the same name, and could carry their own soul in them. I don’t know if it’s true, but with all that has gone on these past few months, I worry that these events could be connected.” “In what way?” Indigo asked me. “I rather not say at the moment. Will Principal Cinch be at the championship game this week?” “Yep. You want to get a reading on her and see if there’s anything that could connect her with this lady, right?” Indigo asked. I nodded. “Then I’ll leave that to you for now. No sense getting in your way unless you want me to.” Indigo handed the letter back to Coco. “If I need your help, I’ll let you know,” I said. “Sure thing,” Indigo replied. She started to scratch the back of her head, saying, “There’s one more thing I wanted to tell you about.” I started to sense that Indigo was nervous about something. “What is it?” “Well…” She rushed up and kissed me on the lips for a moment. When she pulled back, she said, “That…was for our time back in the 8th grade. I…never had the guts to tell you how I really felt about you back then, not knowing if you would be moving again like you always tell me. I figure I get that off my chest, now that you have an actual girlfriend.” “Wish I knew that back then, but you have a future career ahead of yourself, and I know you can do it with or without your gift,” I said. We then sense some jealously coming from Coco, so we looked at her. “Missy, don’t tell me you had feelings for him as well?” Indigo asked Coco. Coco was shocked and said, “No, no, no, no. I’m just…well…I mean…that is…OH TO HECK WITH IT!” She rushed up and kissed me as well, just like Indigo did. “I had the same feelings as well, but I didn’t want to hurt our friendship that we made back then. Just don’t tell anyone, OK?” “Our lips are sealed,” Indigo replied. “I’m surprised that he didn’t catch on to that for all these years,” Moon Dancer said. “But it’s not anything negative, so that makes it harder to catch on.” “Agreed.” I looked at Indigo and said, “Well, you better not keep your friends waiting. We’ll work on explaining all this to the others.” “Good. I’ll keep an eye on things on my end. If there’s anything I need to know before the big game, let me know. I want to be ready in case things go downhill with all this,” Indigo said. “We’ll keep you posted. Take care.” I waved at Indigo as she started to leave the area. The three of us looked at each other. Coco started to explain. “First, that mysterious lady, then you have two blades that could contain souls.” “Then we’re dealing with enhanced students at a perfect school and a principal that is more of a mystery on the inside,” Moon Dancer added. “Throw in Master Blades’ history, and the secret of the Equestrian Knights and Riders from the Great War, and you have to wonder if all of this is connected,” I said. “With all of these cases involving a person’s soul, I’m wondering…?” I started to think about all this, and I had a feeling I was going to need some expert help in piecing all of this together. I know I had to do what needed to be done. “Coco, I’m issuing a Code Black.” “Code Black?” Coco responded. “But the others are back…” “In Manehattan, I know,” I said. “Professor River Song told me she would have something in place if this was issued. Just let Double Diamond know to get together tonight. He’ll get us setup in a private chat room. Just make sure you have a web cam ready.” “Forgive me for asking, but what are you talking about?” Moon Dancer asked. Coco explained. “A Code Black means that a serious threat or issue is upon us, so the six of us have to get together and explain the situation before taking action. It was something that we put in place when we created the Manehattan Knights as a way to stay alert, since we encountered that mysterious lady. We don’t let anyone else in on this unless requested.” She turned to me and asked, “I’m guessing that Professor River Song is now part of this Code Black.” “Since she became our adviser to the Manehattan Knights after you left, she is. And I’m adding two more to the meeting, Chrysalis and Moon Dancer. If the two of you don’t have each others contact info, then make sure you do. We’ll be given info on accessing the private chat room when it’s ready. We’ll need to explain all of these cases in hopes we can piece it all together. River Song is a history professor, so she might know about some of history’s secrets. Until then, we don’t discuss any of this to anyone else for now.” “Well, we might as well head back and explain to the others about the Elite 5,” Moon Dancer said. We agreed and made our way back to the others. Sunset already explained the story about the Crystal Prep scandal and Principal Cinch’s history. We showed them the letter we got from Indigo and told them what we just learned from Miss Luna that explains the difference between what they have and what I have. “I think I understand what’s going on,” Twilight said as she handed the letter back to me. “I just wish they came to our aide sooner, or at least see Principal Celestia about all this.” “If they have been using these talents just to get an edge in winning, wouldn’t that be cheating?” Rainbow Dash asked. “If a player was using steroids, then he or she would get caught from testing. But you can’t get caught if you were using magical powers,” Moon Dancer explained. “She’s right,” said Twilight. “Convincing someone that they’re cheating using powers like what Jack has would be hard to prove.” “At least we have one of our own on our team,” Flash added. “But I’m just one person. Crystal Prep is a big group of people,” I said. “But they only have one student who still has what you have, so that should level the playing field, right?” Thunderlane explained. “Think about the other sports. We can’t expect Jack to be in all of them. Plus there’s the women sports that we have to deal with,” Twilight explained. “Let’s just get through football season before we worry about everything else,” Shining Armor said. “You’re sure that Indigo Zap is worried about Long Shot?” Applejack asked me. “Not to mention Sunny Flare,” Rarity added. “She is…about both. And if I was to take a guess, I think her gift could be growing too fast for her than everyone else’s. With the fact that her soul shift leads her to be dizzy, and that she can only sense the wall from Principal Cinch’s soul, there’s no telling what she could be getting into.” “Then why does she still want to go forward with all of this?” Dash asked. “She wants to find the same answers that we’re looking for,” Coco explained. “And she’s in enemy territory.” “You know what I want to find out?” Pinkie Pie asked. “WHO HELPED CRYSTAL PREP BREAK IN AND DESTROY MY PARTY PLANS???” “She’s right,” said Twilight. “We still need to find the insider before the big game. Otherwise, Brick Wall will want to do damage to the team. And we saw what he did to my brother at the last game.” “Then we should be focusing on Jack’s mental state,” Tree Hugger said. “You will be at the school tomorrow, right?” “Along with Sunset,” I said. “We’ll be using Miss Luna’s office to mediate. Just make sure that we don’t fall asleep with what you use. What I heard last week could put anyone to sleep.” Fluttershy said, “I might have something that can help with that…um, if you don’t mind.” “Whatever works,” Sunset said. “Then we all know what we each have to do,” Twilight said. “Focusing on Jack’s training comes first. Those who are not part of the team and are unable to help with Jack’s training will focus on finding the insider.” “And what about the trio of troublemakers?” Applejack asked. “Coach Fleetfoot and the Elite 5 have that covered,” I said. “They want this game to be a fair fight, since everyone on their team, expect for Long Shot, doesn’t carry the gift. Twilight, Moon Dancer, you two need to find a way we can work around that issue. Talk to coaches Iron Will and Spitfire for any ideas.” I looked at everyone and said, “We have less than a week to pull this off. Let’s show them what Wondercolts can really do!” “YEAH!!!” Author's Note Get ready, because we're about to learn more of the Manehattan Knights origins in the next couple of chapters.
Ch. 34 - Putting Together the PiecesAfter dropping Sunset off, Chrysalis and me made our way home and waited for a time for the knights to meet online. We received an e-mail to meet in the evening, and details to access a private web chat room along with a request for Doctor Whooves to join the meeting as well. I agreed with the decision, since I called for the CODE BLACK in the first place. So we were able to have dinner with the family before going back up to my room and closing the door so we can have a meeting in private. Coco and Moon Dancer had their own place to chat, while Professor River Song and the other four members, Double Diamond, Night Glider, Party Favor, and Sugar Belle, met in one location. Turns out that it was my old home in Manehattan, which Double Diamond bought and made into his own private home and base of operations. We explained everything that we learned so far; the Equestrian Knights and Riders that helped in the Great War, about the students of Crystal Prep being enhanced with soul powers, the fact that someone on the outside could be helping the school, the story about Masamune and Muramasa, and the Temple that Master Blades was being trained and some of it’s origins. I wanted to see if we could piece any of this together and see if it connects to the mysterious lady we saw two years ago. “Just hearing about all this would raise some concerns,” River Song said. “And hearing about the Equestrian Knights and Equestrian Riders during the Great War would be news to me, but…” “But you already know about them, do you,” I said. “Spoilers,” was her response. “But in truth, it seams that there might be a connection between the knights and the scholars at the temple. When I went on my trip, my…” We were interrupted when my cell rang, which I looked at it. “It’s Luna. She might have more on the diary if she’s calling me this late.” “Everyone, kill your mics,” River Song said. “Jack, put it on speaker. I want to listen in.” I answered my cell and placed it on speaker. “I’m guessing you learned something important that you had to call me this late.” “I did. And it involves what happened years later after he arrived at the temple.” “How far ahead are we looking at?” I asked Luna. “About a decade. I wanted to find out when he started teaching on campus before I met him, maybe when he met Professor Star Swirl. And I found a couple of articles that might be of importance.” I was about to speak when Professor River Song waved at the screen. “Luna, can you hold on for a moment?” “Sure.” River Song held up a piece of paper that said, “Let me speak to her. Just make something up.” “Luna, I was having a video chat with Professor River Song at the moment before you called and…” “You have her online? Put her on, please.” “I was thinking the same thing. Hold on.” I waited a moment for River Song to turn on her mic to speak. “Miss Luna, can you hear me?” “Just about, River Song.” “Same here.” “Did you find anything on your search over the summer?” “I was about to explain that to Jack as well. And I think what both of you are looking for might be a connected lead that we have been seeking. But I’m guessing that you have something important to tell Jack?” “I did, and it might help you as well. My former master at college attended a temple to train for the same soul powers that Jack has for 10 years. But something happen that changed everything.” The temple was attacked last night and I was lucky enough to escape and make it to one of the scholars that live in the town to the south of the temple. I told him that some unknown group raided the temple. We didn’t even sense them coming. My master warned me when they started to break in and escort me to an escape route. I only had time to grab my diary in a bag. I don’t know if anyone survived, but he told the other scholars to scout the temple area and make sure it was safe before we can return to see what happen. Until then, I’ll have to wait. “A group that they couldn’t sense? That doesn’t sound right,” I said. “I was thinking the same thing, he wrote in the next entry a week later that is was safe to enter and that they were going to the temple to see what all happened. The next entry explains what he saw.” The temple had burn marks, but the structure was still intact. When we entered, we say dead or burned bodies of all the scholars that were at the temple, but no sign of any of the students or masters. The scholar that I was with followed me to my master’s room to find him dead. But the block in the wall wasn’t moved since I went through it to escape. The scholar asked me to touch his body, where he was stabbed. When I did, I was able to see what happened during his last moments before he was killed. I saw some mysterious woman in black, along with some others dressed in black with their faces hidden. I was told that even in death, a part of their soul would remain for others to obtain. This was something that is left when a person travels to the afterlife. I took the chance to see if this would work on the dead scholars, and while it was weaker than my master’s, it was enough to paint a picture of what happen. While the scholars were getting killed, the students were being captured from behind and taken away. Same for the masters which they were trying to fight off. All of the invaders were covered in black. Another scholar found something that was left on one of the walls, a message to others. “He draws on the next page what looks like a black star around a circle.” “Like a witch’s pentagram?” River Song asked. “I believe so. But there’s more.” The old scholar that was with us remembers seeing this symbol before, back from the last Great War. He said that they were called the Dark Star Organization, and that they were a threat back during the Great War. He decided to make plans for me to go somewhere where I can be safe. “I think this scholar knew something during the Great War. And he planned to come and seek a younger Star Swirl over here.” “Have you heard about the Equestrian Knights and Riders from that war?” I asked. “Yes. Coach Iron Will and Coach Tirek once told us about this back then.” “Same here,” I said. “Do you think this scholar might have been a solider in the Great War?” “Maybe. And I was hoping that River Song would have an answer.” “I think so,” River Song said. “If the symbol that I saw at the temple that I visited is the same as what you saw, then I might have found the place that we have been looking for. Send me a scan of the symbol. I want to get in touch with my contact again and double-check some things before I can explain. Do you have any names that can help?” “No, just my master’s name. Saw Blades. Maybe that would help.” “I’ll let my contact know and see if he can use that to get some more info. Is that all?” “I think so. I hope that helps in our search. I just think whoever took these students and masters might have taken Star Swirl as well.” “Thanks for telling us this,” I said. “Whoever this group is that raided the temple might be connected with Crystal Prep, I hope.” “I was thinking the same thing. I’ll see you tomorrow, Jack.” “You too. Bye.” I made sure the line was closed before I spoke again. “OK everyone. Mics on.” “What’s going on with you and Luna tomorrow,” River Song asked with a sly look on her face. “Mental training,” I said. “Miss Luna believes that the tenth soul art could be usable for the championship game,” Moon Dancer explained. “But so far, he’s only gone up to the seventh art.” “Think you can explain what this art is that he needs to learn?” asked River Song. “It’s supposed to be a way to boost his soul powers, giving him an edge in the game without anyone noticing,” Coco explained. “But it involves the body, mind, and soul to be as one,” Moon Dancer added. “And the only student in our school that could help him with that is…” “TREE HUGGER!!!” Chrysalis, Coco, Moon Dancer, and I said together. “Ah, the art of meditation,” Doctor Whooves said. “I’ve heard that there are various cultures that rely on meditation to clear their minds, like the one you visited, Miss River Song.” “Oh Doctor. You sure know how to catch on,” River Song replied. “In fact, the temple that she was describing was the one that I visited. And what brings the connection with this and the Great War was that the guy who told Luna’s master about Dark Star was a member of the Equestrian Knights.” “You were about to say that before we were interrupted, right?” I asked. “Yes. At this time, his son is in charge of the restoration project at the temple. Only a few of the living scholars’ children look over the place at this time,” River Song explained. “I hope there’s a story in all this,” said Coco. “There is,” River Song replied. “Turns out that after the Great War was over, it was believed that the Dark Star Organization disappeared when the axis nations surrendered. One of the Knights decided to retire from the military, after seeing the gruesome effects that were being done on children. He came up to one of the masters who sense what was wrong with him and invited him to the temple. After he learned about the temple’s history, he felt that the students that they were teaching were just like what Dark Star was trying to create. He decided to be a scholar and live in the town nearby, along with a few other scholars, as a way to have a safe place should the temple would be attacked, based on what he saw during the war.” “And if it wasn’t for him in the first place, we wouldn’t have known anything about my gift from the start,” I said. “You said that his son is in charge of the temple. Any reason why?” “Maybe. And that’s why I need to get in touch with my contact again,” River Song said. “The temple was never attacked again, and there hasn’t been any sign that the Dark Star Organization in action since that time, from what I know. Jack, I want him to know that you carry this gift that Blades once carried. If I’m lucky, we might be able to get more support in all of this.” “Tell him everything that we discussed, including Masamune and Muramasa and the story that connects them,” I said. “I want to know if they know more details about the story and the swords.” “There is one more thing that I need to know,” said River Song. “The scrolls that you are studying, do you know the condition of the paper that these scrolls are?” “For its age, still in good shape,” answered Moon Dancer. “It must have been handled with care while he had them.” “Because, and if I remember this correctly, Blades was able to find a set of 20 scrolls that survived the raid in a secret compartment. I think there could have been more, but those were lost in the raid,” River Song explained. “I think those scrolls that Luna has once belong to Blades’ master back in the temple. He must have been allowed to take them in hopes to continue studying on his own.” “And now I have to study these same scrolls with Luna’s help,” I said. I placed my hand on my chin and said to myself, “This just keeps getting deeper and deeper.” “I’ve seen that look before,” Coco said. “Something’s going through that mind of yours. I know it.” I said, “Applejack once told me to be careful about ‘digging a hole that I can’t get out of” when I was dealing with Sunset at the time. Now with the Dark Star Organization and Crystal Prep, we could be in a deeper hole than we really know of as of now.” “Applejack is known to be smart and careful about others,” said Doctor Whooves. “But I don’t think we can walk away from this issue if you’re in the center of it.” “I have to agree,” said River Song. “We need to get them to show themselves to us, and that means you have to come out in some way without the whole world noticing.” “And how do we do that?” I asked. “I might have an idea, if some of the pieces connect to each other,” said Moon Dancer. “If our mysterious lady was looking for ancient weapons, and Professor Digger gave those two blades to keep them safe, and if Principal Cinch is linked to our mysterious lady, then…” “He’ll have to display the weapons for her to see,” Coco finished. “Why don’t I just carry them around during the championship game for her to see. Maybe that will get their attention,” I said sarcastically. “Sounds like a good idea,” said Night Glider. “That was a joke, Nights,” I replied. “And still, it’s a great idea,” she said. “Why do I have a feeling that you’re about to take this to where we don’t want this to go to?” said Coco. Night Glider said, “Look Coco, you and Jack are now together in the same school. This is a good time to issue a challenge.” “We had this discussion before, Nights,” Coco yelled. “And it’s something that Jack doesn’t feel like doing.” “But still, he has the power to issue it,” Double Diamond added. “And with you there, you can agree to have the challenge go forward.” “We only added that in case we were accused of fixing the debate,” Coco said. “If Jack does this and it goes south after the review, it could be the end of the Manehattan Knights.” “Forgive me for interrupting, but what are you guys talking about,” Chrysalis requested. Before one of us could answer, Moon Dancer responded. “It’s the Order of the Manehattan Knights law.” We all had blank stares at the response. “I better explain. When Coco told us the story about how the Manehattan Knights, I remember reading about a new law in place to help balance out the use of power, so to speak. I looked it up and found the law that was listed online. Jack, you’re the main founder of creating this law.” “Only because Double Diamond help get the connections to discuss it after we talked about it one time,” I said. “And while I like what you did to help resolve issues that involve those with power just to make things fair, the challenge part is more of a safety measure on your part,” Moon Dancer explained. “And I have to agree with all of you on this. Jack might have to issue the challenge, but the timing has to be right.” “I have to agree with Moon Dancer on this one,” said Doctor Whooves. “Since we have yet to find the insider, and three key students are off the hook, plus the fact that Principal Cinch will be at the championship game, she could accuse CHS for sabotaging the team by placing players on suspension if we win. And since we might have proof that the three students were a part of the break-in, we could accuse them of letting one of their players to play when he should be on suspension.” All of us had blank stares before Party Favor broke the silence. “That’s a lot to take in when you say it all at once.” “But that still leaves us with the type of challenge you plan to issue,” Night Glider explained. I took a moment to think before I spoke. “How many cases have been made in total since we started doing this?” “Twelve, all of which were successful,” replied Double Diamond. “We finished one a week ago, but none of them have had challenges issues from us.” “So we haven’t had anyone reach the higher ranks as of yet?” Coco asked. “Not really,” River Song answered. “We have one reach the 3rd star rank, but that doesn’t qualify him to issue challenges as of yet, as it was placed in the law.” “That means I would be handling the 13th case, which would be my first one, not to mention the first challenge…if it went there,” I said. “I’ll need time to figure this out before going forward with this.” “Well don’t wait too long,” Moon Dancer said. “I know Twilight has yet to find out about this, but if she sees this, she will go off on you and Coco.” “Thanks for the heads up,” said Coco. “Let me give you a piece of advice. Principal Cinch does have a weakness, and I think it would have shown after you handed their first lost in years,” Doctor Whooves explained. “Pride,” I said. “I’ll keep that in mind. I think that’s all that we can talk about on this issue. If there’s nothing else to add to this, then…” “I have one more thing to say,” said Night Glider. I asked her, “What is it?” “It’s a different topic, but it’s something that you need to know. A week after you left, we had some unexpected visitors come to the city at night. We believe that it could be gang related.” “Is Scar causing trouble again?” I asked Night Glider. “Not this time. And I’m not dating him again. He has a new girlfriend, by the way.” “That better be true,” Coco responded. Night Glider continued. “Anyway, Scar’s gang isn’t much of a gang anymore. It’s more of a night watch group, but he still keeps in touch with other gangs in other cities so that everything stays in line. The deal is that he came to me so that the Knights can keep an eye out as well if they were to show up. They only had a patch design to go on when he brought this to my attention.” A picture of a talon claw in a circle patch was displayed. “Since then, none of us have seen this gang again in the city. We thought it could be a new gang forming, and we were right. Turns out from his connections that they are called the Talons, and they were being formed in Ponyville. It’s still new, but we think they could be recruiting before they could expand to other turfs. We don’t have an exact location, but it’s believed to be lead by a female member.” “Jack, if this was a gang for hire, they could be the inside source to the break-in. But I doubt that Crystal Prep would go to a gang that they don’t know about,” Moon Dancer explained. “It’s a good idea. Keep that in mind, just in case,” I said. “And Night Glider, if he finds out more about this gang, see to it that I know about this as well.” “Will do,” she responded. “And one more thing,” I said. “Make sure that Scar learns how to defend himself. I’m sure he doesn’t want another kick to the head like last time.” Night Glider said, “Oh we already started training him. I needed a new sparing partner since you left.” “I figure that as much,” I said. “If there’s nothing else to discuss, then this meeting is concluded. Keep me in touch if anything happens in Manehattan.” “Yes sir!” Everyone, including me, left the chat room. I looked at Chrysalis and saw that she wanted to ask me something. “You want to know what the Order of the Manehattan Knights law is about, right?” “Just so I can get a better understanding on it,” she said. “How did it start?” “After we created the Manehattan Knights, it was just a small group to help watch over those that needed help, so we didn’t have any real power. The six of us were up on the roof of my family’s house, looking over the city. Night Glider brought up the fact that we should be doing more to help out the city. With officers and politicians having more power than everyone else, she wanted to level the playing field when there were conflicts that were going on. Sugar Belle agreed, since she felt that there were people who felt powerless. “Well, Double Diamond’s family has connections with some good politicians who were willing to hear us out. The idea was to have people request our aide to resolve any issue with someone would have greater power than the other. We would listen to both sides and decide who was in the right and who was in the wrong. We would even find some middle ground for both sides if that were possible. We wanted to make sure that every major issue that was requested would be resolved in a fair manner that would avoid a major conflict in the area. What we wanted to create went straight up to the top.” Chrysalis was surprised and said, “You mean…Mr. President himself?” “Yep. He was able to draft a bill to make things official, once it was approved in a vote,” I said. “What about the challenge part?” Chrysalis asked me. “That was something that Party Favor brought up, in an odd way. He wondered ‘What if they didn’t trust us in our judgment? Do we have to have a dance-off or something?’ We thought is sounded silly, but it did give us an idea. So we decided to add a challenge amendment, allowing us to challenge the other person who decided to make a claim on us for fixing the decision that was made. Another knight had to be there the agree to the challenge issued, and only 4 or 5-star ranking knight can issue a challenge.” “And I’m guessing that you’re a 5-star ranking knight?” Chrysalis asked. I took off my shirt and showed her my backside, pointing to a tattoo of a shield with a knight’s helmet on it, and the words “MANEHATTAN” on the top and “KNIGHTS” on the bottom outside the shield. At the bottom of the tattoo was a ribbon with the word “FOUNDER” on it. “This is our badge of honor as a Manehattan Knight. To be listed as the founder is the same as a 5-star rank. An adviser, like Professor River Song is the same as a 4-star rank. But it gives us command to all other ranking knights. Once you reach a 5-star rank, it gives you the right to be as captain or second of command with the knights if the honor is given to them. I’m listed as captain of the knights, and since I have reconnected with Coco Pommel, she has regained her part as second in command. I had the professor take it for the moment before I could decide who it should be. With the e-mail and cell phones, we can keep up on activates within the knights.” As I put my shirt back on, Chrysalis said, “Going back to the challenge. How do you issue your challenge? Is it the same for all knights?” “No. We would make our challenge something that we would be able to achieve. It could be a race, sport, or some kind of talent. And if someone were to intervene, they would be willing to take the place of the person that is being challenged. Double Diamond and Night Glider thought about having a race or skills competition. Sugar Belle wants a cook-off, which would be strange. Coco thought about her challenge in a game of chess. It was something she got hooked on since our freshman year.” “And yet, you haven’t thought of a challenge if you had to do one at the time,” she said. “More like I didn’t have a talent worth issuing,” I said. “I was an organizer and hard worker. Just being called the ‘Jack of Trades’ was a title that I was average at about everything and was willing to do anything that needed to be done. But when I think about it now, I think the only challenge that I can issue is one not worth the risk.” I looked at the blades on the rack. Chrysalis saw what I was looking at and realized what I meant. “I see. And I can guess the review after the challenge would be the big risk, if I heard correctly.” “It is,” I said. “Each challenge that’s completed must be review by the politicians up at the top to see if the right course of action was taken. And being the founder of the knights would mean betting the entire group on a challenge that I would have to make. It was something that I wanted to avoid since it was officially created. I wanted to give all future knights a chance to make a difference for the world. And now I might have to put it on the line to stop Crystal Prep, or even bring anyone from the Dark Star Organization out in the open.” I let out a long, deep sigh. “I never thought I would be making the big decisions just because I carry this gift that no one else has.” Chrysalis made her way to the door and said, “We all have to make big decisions in life. I started to do that after you got me out of that falling house that I had to live in. And right now, you got through all the tough decisions so far. Now’s not the time to give up because of your own pride. I know you can do it. Everyone that’s been on your side knows it as well. Just keep going forward, never look back.” She opened the door and said, “I’m going to get some sleep. You might want to do the same. You have some mental training tomorrow. Maybe that can help clear your head and help decide what you need to do. Night.” As she left my room, I got up and closed the door. I got changed into my PJs and got ready for bed. It was then that my cell went off. “Now who would be calling me this late,” I said. I looked at my cell and saw that it was Fleur de Lis, so I decided to answer my cell. “Hey Fleur. How are you feeling?” “Better, that’s for sure. I took your advice and tried to talk to Long Shot, but I just couldn’t keep a conversation going on the ride home.” “That bad?” “For the moment. But when I got to the gate, I got out so I can enter my pass code, which I plan to have changed during the week. Once I was back in his car, he asked me if I just live by myself. I told him that my mother hired caretakers during the week while I’m at school and a driver when I need him. Other than that, I’m usually by myself, as you would have known. When he asked what I do for meals, I told him that I just fix simple stuff when I’m by myself. He asked me if he can come in and help fix a decent meal for lunch.” “And you decided to bring him in, right?” “I did. When we went into the kitchen, he asked me if I was a vegetarian, which I am, so he was able to fix me a grilled cheese sandwich and tomato soup. During that time, he was explaining to me some of the health benefits of having a good meal. It sounded like he was a health expert or something. I got out some iced tea, and we shared the meal together. So I took the time to talk about other healthy ideas to enjoy, hoping I could keep things going, and we just started to talk about random things. He found out that my mother’s a model, and I decided to show him some pictures of us in my room. Although, I didn’t finish taking down your…shrine.” “I would have figured that you already took it down.” “I’m sorry, but things have been…hectic after what has happened before. I had to explain to him the reasoning for it, and I was surprised that he understood what I was doing. He was surprised to find out that you were a part of the Manehattan Knights after seeing the article that I found about it. So he took the paper clippings and was able to put them in an envelope for the time being and said that it should be in a scrap book for…you.” “Now this is a surprise. I would think he would be turned off by it.” “I was thinking the same thing. But he understands that having a mother as a famous model could make it harder for me to find a possible boyfriend, and maybe more. He said that he has been thinking about being a health and nutrition expert, and that it can help others stay healthy and not become fat…or thin.” “Models in the past have gone to extremes for modeling. Some have demanding that it stop. I think having him as a future husband would please your mother, knowing that you’re staying healthy and still look like a model like your mother.” “Oh please. I don’t want to think that far ahead. But it helps that there may be a chance to make it work. He plans to come over tomorrow after practice with some cookbooks and food supplies and show me how to fix some good meals by myself.” “Just make sure you don’t act like a creep like you did with me.” “I promise. And…I’m glad that you were able to understand what I was doing at the time. It has helped me reflect on my past actions and what I need to be doing for myself instead of my mother.” “Well, you get your beauty sleep. You want to make a big impression on him tomorrow when he shows up.” “I will. Night.” “Goodnight.” I hung up and though to myself, “I wonder if I should tell Indigo about this?” So I sent a text to her about the possible couple, hoping that she would understand what I meant. To my surprise, she decides to call me back. “Dude, are you saying that Fleur and Long Shot are now dating?” “Not really, but it could happen if she plays her cards right.” “Now I have to know the details if I plan to help.” “Sure. But you would have to do something for me.” “And that would be?” “Just got some more info on Blades’ diary. I think your team might be able to look for some more details about a certain group.” “Then let’s start there first. Let me get a pen and paper so I know what we need to do.” “Good idea, because I hope this can be the break we have been looking for on what’s going on with Crystal Prep.” Author's Note Now we're getting serious in the story. And it's going to get more serious as we come close to the end of the first book.
Ch. 35 - On the HuntI spent Sunday in Luna’s office as I was mediating with Miss Luna, Tree Hugger, Fluttershy, and Sunset. Tree Hugger decided to use whale sounds to mediate to while we all sat in Indian style with our eyes close. This let me to start falling asleep and almost hitting the floor. But someone else beat me to it with the floor, and she was right next to me. The big thump, following by an “Ouch” from Sunset was proof of that, which snapped me out of my daze, along with everyone else. “I knew this was going to put me to sleep,” said Sunset. “Same here. At least you beat me to it,” I said with a laugh. “But this is to help you to be one with your inner self,” Tree Hugger explained. “With whales? I don’t think so,” said Sunset. “Is that all you have?” “I think we have some other CDs for this,” Fluttershy said as she got up, stopped the CD playing, and went to her book bag. We all decided to get on our feet and see what she had. But somehow, my legs wouldn’t work with me, and Luna noticed it. “Looks like your legs went to sleep instead,” Luna said with a laugh. “Very funny,” I said. “And to think that Little Strongheart handled it well back then.” Luna grabbed my hand and helped pull me up off the floor. “I had to do the same in front of my master back then. I got used to it after a few sessions.” “I just don’t see how this would help him in learning the tenth art,” Sunset explained. “It’s about being what’s inside yourself, not outside,” Tree Hugger replied. “Sounds like your session’s going well.” We noticed Applejack at the office door with Rainbow Dash with her. Both of them had smirks on their faces. “I don’t see you in here with us,” Sunset said as she placed her hands on her hips. “What’s wrong Sunset, you plan to drop out?” Dash taunted her, which lead Sunset to respond with a stare. “Drop out?” Luna had something go through her mind and went straight to the cabinet drawers in her office. “Why didn’t I think of it sooner.” She opened the drawer and started going through some of the folders. “Dash, you still remember that friend of yours during your freshman year?” “You mean Gilda? Yea. She stopped showing up during the spring semester of our freshman year.” “Who’s Gilda?” I asked. Applejack responded, “An old friend of Dash’s. Well, she was a friend of hers.” “She was from Cloudsdale, but we never met until the 7th grade when she moved to Ponyville,” said Dash. “She was a nice girl, but she changed when we got here. Haven’t heard from her since she dropped out.” Luna found the file she was looking for and pulled it out. She looked at the paperwork and said, “Gilda Griffon. Grades started to show signs of failing late in the fall; started to miss classes early in the spring; and then dropped out. Nothing after that.” I asked Luna, “Who does she look like?” She handed me a head shot of her. Dark tan skin, short white hair, and it looks like she’s wearing what looks like a pilot’s jacket. The mean look on her face is a dead giveaway that she would be trouble. I handed the picture back to Luna. “You don’t think she’s the inside source we’ve been looking for, do you?” asked Dash. “It’s possible,” Luna replied. “And if she was from Cloudsdale, I wouldn’t be surprised if Lightning Dust knew her as well. It’s a guess, but it could be our best lead we have. I just hope her contact info is still the same.” Luna sat down next to her desk and picked up the phone. She dialed the first number, and then hanged up. She did the same process with the second number. “Both numbers are dead.” “Maybe she moved away at the time and never told anyone,” said Sunset. “If that was the case, I would have gotten a call from the new school she was attending asking for our records,” Luna explained. “So we’re back to square one,” I said. All of us looked down at the end result. That’s when someone out of nowhere showed up. “Hey guys, what’s shaking?” It was Pinkie Pie, carrying some goods with her. “Nothing, Pinkie. Just trying to get our heads out of the gutter,” Applejack replied. “Well, I have the perfect remedy. Tada!!!” Pinkie pulled out a plastic bag of cookies. Tree Hugger looked at them and said, “Are those…?” Pinkie replied, “Yep. Gingersnaps, your favorite.” “Pinkie, like, you are nature’s gift to us,” said Tree Hugger, causing Pinkie to display a smile from ear to ear. “I never tried gingersnaps,” said Sunset. “Same here,” I added. “Well, there’s more than enough for all of us.” Pinkie opened the plastic bag and said, “Take one.” We each took one and took a bite. It tasted great. The positive reaction from all of us was proof enough for Pinkie to know that we liked them. Pinkie placed the rest of the cookies on Luna’s desk. She saw the file folder on Gilda and her mood changed. “Gilda? Now there’s a party pooper if I ever knew one.” Dash explained. “We thought that she could have been the inside source, being from Cloudsdale and dropping out of school. Turns out that she no longer lives in her old home.” “Well dud! Of course she no longer lives there,” Pinkie said. “I saw her a couple of weeks ago while making a delivery for Mrs. Cake.” “You mean she still lives in Ponyville?” Luna asked Pinkie. “Well, I saw her while driving to make my delivery, which wasn’t far. I never spoke to her because she was hanging out with some weirdos.” Luna asked, “When and where?” Pinkie pulled out her cell and pulled up the map. “I saw her on the day before the dance with the group. And I still remember the place, since Mrs. Harshwhinny also likes to help out in that neighborhood. Here it is.” She pointed out the area on the map. “Isn’t that the affordable housing district?” asked Applejack. Pinkie nodded. “Can you explain what you mean by that?” I asked. “It was something that Mayor Mare put into place back then,” Luna explained. “Most families or residents of Ponyville that have hit on hard times are placed here when they have nowhere to go, if they qualify. Mrs. Harshwhinny has been a big support of the project and helps out when she can. The only problem they have over there is the crime activity that happens over there. Not a good place to be at on your own.” “Luckily, my Pinkie Sense lets me know if something bad was about to happen when I was there. Good thing it didn’t go off, which means it was safe for me to travel,” said Pinkie. “Then we might just have the lead we’ve been looking for,” I said. This displayed confused looks on my friend’s faces. “Something I picked up on back in Manehattan. If there’s crime in the area, there’s bound to be someone who would do something if the price was right.” “But how do we know if she still lives there?” asked Sunset. “I think we have a way,” Applejack responded. “Pinkie, I think it’s time for ‘Operation Bonbon’ again.” “Awesome!” Pinkie replied as she jumped in the air. “Operation Bonbon? Again?” Sunset had a concerned look on her face. “By any chance…” Before she could finish, Applejack said, “Yea, I know. This was done last time when you were the problem that we were dealing with.” Sunset sighed and said, “That’s OK, AJ. That was the old me back then. You girls had the right to do…whatever it was that you needed to do. But I was wondering what it means? Does it involve Sweetie Drops?” “Yep,” Pinkie replied. “And Lyra as well. They are the masters of stealth and recon.” “You didn’t get a chance to see them in action when we were breaking into Crystal Prep, since it wasn’t needed. But we had them in case,” said Dash. “And trust me, they were really helpful last time. No offense.” Sunset just waved it off. “We’ll call them up and have them check the area out and see if she’s there, just to be sure,” said Applejack. “If so, then have them bring Mrs. Harshwhinny as well,” Luna said. She pulled out a small piece of paper and wrote something on it before handing it to Applejack. “Here’s her number. Since she knows the area well, explain to her what’s going and see if she can help out the other two before you decide to move in. If Gilda is the one we’ve been looking for, then see to it that you bring her in. I want to talk to her about why she dropped out back then anyway.” “Will do,” Applejack responded. Applejack, Pinkie Pie, and Rainbow Dash left the room to take care of business. That left us to deal with the music issue for our meditation session. Fluttershy went back to her book bag and looked over what they had. “Let’s see. I have signing birds, rainfall, ocean surf, tropical forest…” I sighed and said, “What I wouldn’t do to be on the rooftop of my home back in Manehattan.” Tree Hugger said, “Not to be rude, but all that negative noise disturbs my aura, you dig?” “Actually, it’s ambient noise that I hear in Manehattan. As long as you are at the right spot to hear it,” I said. “The sound of a motor engine, the untimed mixture of the sounds below…it’s that kind I like to hear whenever I needed to clear my head.” “What about…something from our hometown in Vanhoover?” Sunset asked. “Um, are both of you born in Vanhoover?” Fluttershy asked. Both of us replied, “Yes.” “We were a bit surprised to know that we were born and raised in the same city,” Sunset explained. “I’m not sure if we could have crossed paths back then.” Luna started to access her office computer to look something up. “Fluttershy, I might have an idea that could help with our sound problem. Have any of you played video games when you grew up? More likely role playing of adventure games?” “I played some old 16-bit emulated games on my computer back then,” I said. “My mother was able to get a used 16-bit system and some games that we both played on rainy days, but I haven’t touched it in years,” said Sunset. “I’m surprised that she still holds on to it.” “Maybe she hopes the two of you will play it again,” I explained. “The 8-bit and 16-bit eras were easier games to play, compared to the current games that are out.” “Well, I was a gamer during my younger years,” Luna explained. “I liked fantasy games a lot. But it wasn’t just for its storyline or game play, but it was also for its music. Fans were able to make remixes of popular tracks back then. I even have all three CD sets from Project Majestic Mix that were made by fans before the man in charge decided to retire to focus on personal issues. At least he was able to get other fan artists to get their works out there and made their own CDs. I remember some of those tracks that I have had a bit of the winter feel to the music, kind of like Vanhoover. Maybe that can help, if Tree Hugger doesn’t have a problem with them.” “As long as it doesn’t disturb my vibe, then I’m fine with that,” Tree Hugger replied. So we spent another hour of meditation with music that had more of a rhythm. It took a while for Tree Hugger to understand, but at least it wasn’t sounds that put you to sleep. I started to find the rhythm and beat of what I heard, just like back in Manehattan. But for some reason, I started to feel…I don’t know…in tune with myself. But our session was interrupted when Applejack came by the office again. We needed to report with the recon team. They found Gilda, but there are some questions about whom she’s with. I told Luna to e-mail the links to the music that I heard so I can try to do this again back home. Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, Applejack, and Sunset Shimmer rode with me in my truck as we made our way to the meet-up point. Lyra Heartstrings, Sweetie Drops, and Mrs. Harshwhinny met us at the place to discuss the situation. “We found Gilda, just like you told us,” said Sweetie Drops. “But she’s not alone.” She showed us a zoomed in video of the group on her cell. “Girls, that’s not just any group she’s with. That’s a gang,” said Mrs. Harshwhinny. “How do you know?” asked Rainbow Dash. “Because of this.” Lyra had her cell out and displayed a picture that looked familiar. “I had to get a good view of the patch that all of them have on their vests and jackets.” “I haven’t heard of any gang forming in the area, but they could have been staying under the radar. And I don’t even know what this gang is,” said Mrs. Harshwhinny. “I do.” Everyone looked at me as I was pulling out my cell and pulled up the same picture of the claw patch. “Night Glider gave me a heads up on a new gang that tried to show up in Manehattan. She said from her source that they came from here. They’re called the Talons. And if her info is also correct, the girl we’re looking for might be the leader of the gang.” “I don’t like the sounds of that, partner,” said Applejack. “I’m guessing that Night Glider was part of a gang back then.” “Yea,” I replied. “After what Coco and me did to them in the park, she decided to leave the gang and join us.” “You think she would know more about how we can handle this gang?” Mrs. Harshwhinny asked. “It’s worth a shot,” I said. “Hey. It’s better to be prepared than going in blind, right?” said Dash. So I decided to call Night Glider on my cell. “Hey, Night Glider here. What’s up?” “It’s Jack Diamond. Need your assistance on something.” “What you need?” “Remember the info you told me on the Talons? Spot on.” “You found them?” “Better. The insider that we’re looking for might also be the leader of the gang. We need to figure out how to handle the gang members.” I had to make sure she understands that there are others listening in. “I see. Let me get my ‘inside source’ to help.” She yelled away from her phone. “Hey Scar, got someone who needs help talking care of the Talons you told me about.” I said to my friends, “Oh this is going to be good.” A guy with a rough voice spoke. “I’m told that you found the Talons and need some help, right?” “Damn right I did.” “JACK!? What the…? Why didn’t you tell me it was him?” “Because I wanted to see the reaction on your face. It’s priceless,” Night Glider said as she laughed. “Damn it. You’re lucky to be a knight and not part of my gang,” replied Scar. “HEY! I though it was a night watch group?” I said. “It is, damn it,” replied Scar. “And why should I help you anyway, since what you did to my face.” “Oh, I can answer that,” said Night Glider. “They’ve been looking for someone who helped another school break in to their school, and it my be the leader of the Talons.” “You’re lucky that I’m doing this for you,” Scar said. “We have one main rule that I have to remind my members. Never do any damage or harm to any school. I’m sure you can understand why I have this rule.” “I can think of several reasons, but we can just leave it at that,” I said. “OK then. If you plan to face this gang head on, I need details. Member descriptions, area layout, whatever you can fill me in on,” Scar explained. “I’ll let my teammates fill you in,” I said. I looked to Mrs. Harshwhinny to start. “The area is an affordable housing district. Brick buildings with ten condos each, backs to each other.” “Almost sounds like where my grandmother lives on the outskirts of Manehattan. People who fall on hard times would be willing to join a gang just to get by. And each gang will have their own set of rules.” Scar said. “Scar cares about his grandma, so don’t let that be a sign of weakness,” Night Glider explained. “As long as he makes sure she fine, I don’t have a problem with it,” I said. “Thanks,” said Scar. “What about members?” “Seven guys and four girls, including the leader,” Sweetie Drops explained. There was a brief pause before Scar spoke. “That doesn’t sound right. To have that few and send a couple up to Manehattan to scout is taking a risk. If they haven’t bother coming back with more, then it’s possible that there’s twice of what you see there, and they’re still recruiting before expanding.” I said to Scar, “Playing it safe, I assume?” “Now you’re thinking. Any of the ones that you see stick out?” “One of them is big. And I mean BIG,” Lyra answered. “As in someone who you will find at the night club doors?” asked Night Glider. “Yep.” “We call that the heavy hitter; tough, but slow. It’s like taking on a giant,” Scar explained. “I think I have someone who can handle that,” I said as I looked at Applejack. “Good luck then. There’s one thing you need to know, Jack. If you can take down the leader, you might be able to take control of the gang,” Scar said. “Gangs call it the ‘Law of the Land.’ It’s a way to show superiority in the group. Not every gang follows this law, so take note,” Night Glider explained. “We’ll keep that in mind,” I said. “Thanks for your help. And Scar, make sure you protect that pretty face of yours.” “Ha, ha, very funny. I have to deal with Night Glider in that department.” “Jack, take care. And let me know the outcome…if you survive. Night Glider out.” I put my cell back in my pocket. “She knows that we can pull this off, as long as we know what to expect.” “If you don’t mind me asking, but is Scar his real name?” asked Sunset. “He has a scar on his cheek that’s close to his eye. Got it when he was younger, or so I heard. Never really asked about his real name, and I doubt I want to anyway.” “Well, I think it’s time to pay Gilda a visit,” said Applejack. “Good, because she’s got a lot of explaining to do here,” Rainbow Dash added. I looked at Mrs. Harshwhinny and asked, “If you want to stay out of this, then that’s alright for us.” She started to flex and loosen up her arms and said, “I think I can take on a few troublemakers myself. I grew up on streets like this one, so I know how to survive.” So we decided to leave our vehicles in the parking lot and made out way down to where Gilda was with her group. It wasn’t long before she could recognize Rainbow Dash from our group. Gilda walked up and said, “Well, well, well, if it isn’t my old friend, Rainbow Dash. And she brought the dweeb squad.” “Shut it, Gilda,” Dash snapped at her. “We know you took part in helping Crystal Prep break in to our school overnight.” Gilda put her hands up, shook her head, and said, “I don’t know what you’re talking about.” That set off red flags that she was hiding something. Applejack looked at me, and I nodded back. “Now you can do better than that,” Applejack said. “We can see a lie a mile away.” “Hey Dash. Why don’t you tell your farm girl friend to shut her beak,” Gilda replied. Since that how she wanted to play, I decided to take it to another level. I grabbed one of my metal cards from my deck and threw it towards Gilda, going by her and sticking to the brick wall. She looked at what went by and started back at us with a mean glare. Before she could respond, I spoke. “We can do this the easy way…or the hard way. And I’ll be surprised that your gang can survive the hard way.” “Is that a challenge,” Gilda replied. She looked at her gang and said, “Saber, Knives, why don’t you welcome our new guests.” Two guys got up, both with average builds, ready to fight. A hand was placed on my shoulder. I look and saw that it was Sweetie Drops. “Leave these two to us.” She started to walk forward, with Lyra next to her. They stopped in front of the two guys, who were taller that the girls. One of the guys said, “Does the cutie want to play?” as he decided to place his hand next to Sweetie Drops’ cheek. She grabbed his arm before he could lay a finger on her and said, “You might want to rethink that statement.” That’s when she decided to move and twist his arm, causing him to yell in pain. The other guy looked at them and started to go to his aid, only to be stopped when Lyra grabbed him by the collar and thrust her knee into his stomach. “I’m sorry, did that hurt?” she playfully said. Then she rotates her body and tossed the guy over her shoulder, slamming him to the ground hard. Sweetie still held on to the first guy’s arm and pinned him behind his back. “Lyra, want to do the honors?” “With pleasure, my Bonbon.” Lyra got in front of him and swung her leg at his face, knocking him to the ground as Sweetie let go of him. Both of them celebrated with a brohoof. This got Gilda upset. “Rocky, teach these girls a lesson!” The big guy in the group began to walk towards them. This was the heavy hitter in the gang. Applejack said, “I got this,” and started to walk up to the others. Lyra and Sweetie Drops saw her and started to fall back to give Applejack some room. Both of them were staring at each other when the big guy tipped her hat off of her head and spoke. “Does the farm girl want to dance, because I’ll be happy to-” He was cut off when Applejack gave him a knee below the belt, causing him to groan in pain. Applejack turned around and said to Sunset, “Is that how you did it to Tenderhoof?” “Just like that,” Sunset responded. “Good,” Applejack said. Then she bends down on her hands and shot her feet at his face in a bucking motion, knocking him down and out. She wipe her hands together, picked up her hat, walking back to us, and said, “Boy talks too much.” Now Gilda was furious. And it was this that got Pinkie Pie’s pinkie sense going off. Pinkie walked up to me and said, “Trouble’s coming.” “THAT’S IT! NOW YOU’RE ASKING FOR IT!” Gilda made a loud crow’s call, and what Pinkie said was right. I started to sense trouble all around us. Guys and girls started to show up, each with the Talons patch on them, some with chains and pipes in their hands. It was more than double from what we were expecting. “Jack, I think this was more than we bargain for,” Applejack said as she walked back to our group. Rainbow Dash looked at me and said, “If you have a plan, now’s the time to use it.” “We’ll just have to fight our way out of this,” said Sunset. We were surrounded, three to one. And Gilda was smiling from ear to ear. We needed to level the playing field. Actually, I needed to level the playing field. And just like before, when things are at their worst, something new happens to me that gets us out of it. I felt what I needed to do, and it was one that I have been trying to learn. I clinched my fist and reacted. “SOUL ART #8: EARTH BREAK!!!” With one move, I slammed my fist into the ground, causing the road in front of me to crack. This created a wave that went towards some of the guys in front of me, causing them to almost lose their balance. I took this opportunity to knock them down in one attack. “SOUL ART #7: WIND SLASH!!!” I had my arms crossed together and waved them out to my sides, creating a strong wave of wind towards them. This blew them back and knocked them down. I turn my gaze at Gilda and stared at her, saying, “That…was the hard way. You still want to go through this?” Gilda was slightly stunned. She shook it off and yelled, “KILL THEM!!!” As the gang members started to make their way towards us, Mrs. Harshwhinny said, “Time to clean house.” All of us started to fight against the gang that was still standing. Rainbow Dash was able to dodge and use their size to her advantage. Pinkie Pie just hopped over each one and force them to fall forward. I was helping Sunset with a few of them. The others were able to take down some of the others. Applejack yelled to me, “You got another skill you can use?” And that’s when it hit me. Another feeling went through me again, and I knew how to do it. “Hey AJ? Think you can give me a boost?” Applejack nodded and faced towards me with her hands together. I started to run to her and placed my foot on her clasped hands. In an instant, she tossed me into the air. “SOUL ART #9: SPIN STRIKE!!!” With my eyes closed and my arms stretched out, I started to spin like a tornado, letting my senses guide me to my targets. I knocked out several guys before I came to stop. Almost two-thirds of the gang was knocked out. This caused Gilda to panic and run away. Rainbow Dash saw this and yelled, “HEY! YOU GET BACK HERE!” Applejack and me saw what was going on. “Jack, take a couple and go after her. We should be able to clean up from here.” I nodded and said, “Sunset, Pinkie, you’re with me.” And the three of us started to chase down Gilda between the buildings. We could see Gilda from the distance, knocking down trashcans and anything to slow us down. We were able to leap and dodge the obstacles, but it didn’t get us any closer. I saw an open gap on both sides from the row of buildings and signaled the others to split up and surround her. Pinkie took the left side and Sunset went right. I stayed on Gilda’s trail, hoping that they will make it to the next gap before Gilda. She kept knocking things down, which was slowing her down, but I had to dodge them, which wasn’t getting me any closer. I could see the next gap coming up and tried to sense if one of them finally got there to cut her off. Before I could sense anyone, Gilda made it to the gap, only to be tackled by Sunset from the right. Gilda was struggling with Sunset on the ground, and knocked her off. She got up and went towards the other gap, only to be startled by Pinkie Pie. Gilda was trailing backwards and started to turn around. That when she saw Sunset on her feet and up close. Sunset threw a fierce punch in Gilda’s face, knocking her down with a bloody nose. I finally got up to the others and asked Sunset, “You OK?” “Yea,” she replied, shaking her right hand in pain. “I’ll be fine. Good job, Pinkie.” “No problem. Everyone loves a surprise,” she replied, just staring at Gilda. Gilda was still holding her nose from the bleeding. I grabbed her arm and pulled her up, and Pinkie took out a tissue, tore it in two, and stuffed them into her nose. We took Gilda back to the others, when they just finished up the last of the gang. They saw us, and Applejack said, “Glad you can make it back.” “So who gave her a bloody nose?” Mrs. Harshwhinny asked as she saw Gilda’s busted up face. “That would be me,” Sunset replied. “And it hurts like hell.” “You’ll get use to it in time,” said Applejack. Rainbow Dash walked up to Gilda, grabbed her by her collar, and said, “All right, Gilda. We know you helped Lightning Dust break in to our school and take her to the science lab. So I want to know why you did it?” “Miss Luna told us about how you started to fail in your classes during your freshman year,” said Applejack. Gilda responded, “Because I had to help out my family, OK?” “You call this your family?” Rainbow Dash was pointing to the fallen gang members. “No, my actual family,” Gilda replied. “You wouldn’t even understand.” Mrs. Harshwhinny walked up and placed her hand on Dash’s shoulder. Dash looked at her teacher, then back to Gilda and let go of her. “Why don’t you at least try to explain?” Mrs. Harshwhinny responded. Gilda started to look away when she talked. “My mother can’t have a job because of her medical condition. And my father lost his job when he got injured and was put on disability leave, only to be cut when he knew it would take weeks, maybe months to recover before going back to work. We had to leave our old home and stay here, since we were able to qualify for the program. But money was a struggle. I had to drop out and focus on a job to keep up the payments for mother’s medicine and father’s recovery, which was becoming harder. And you can’t get far in this neighbor, so I was able to start a gang. Lightning Dust was able to find out about me and offered me a job to break in to my old school, find a bunny in the science lab, and get out. I made sure she paid up front with a lot of money. It has helped my family so far, but we still have a long way to go.” Dash responded, “Why didn’t you tell me this in the first place? Do you know that Lightning Dust is bad news since we lived in Cloudsdale?” “I was desperate,” snapped Gilda. “You wouldn’t even understand what I had to go through.” It was then that Sunset slapped her in her face. “You think you had it rough? I had to go through hell with what I did to the school. And just when Jack here started to get me out of that hole, you had to help put me back in there.” She slid up one of her sleeves, revealing the scars she still had. “Look at these. This is what I had to do to myself after experiencing the pain and suffering that I went through. I’m just lucky enough to now have friends that understand the fears that I went through in my past.” Gilda looked at the scars on Sunset’s arm, and then looked at her. She wanted to say something, but couldn’t and looked down in shame. Sunset slid down her sleeve and placed her hands on Gilda’s shoulders, causing her to look at Sunset again. “There’s still time to fix the damage you caused. And there’s always a way to get over the problems that hunt you if you just ask your friends.” “Our school has a program that can help with students that struggle through something like this,” Mrs. Harshwhinny explained. “If you want to, we can talk to Miss Luna about it and see what we can do. Get you back in school, and find a way to help your parents. What do you say?” Gilda looked at each of us and said, “What do you want me to do?” “First you can surrender your gang to us,” I said. “You sent two of your members to Manehattan in hopes to expand. The…gang’s leader has been keeping it peaceful over there and wasn’t pleased with the Talons’ arrival. And as a member of the Manehattan Knights, we have been able to help keep an eye out for any threats. We don’t like to work with gangs, but the leader wants to make some…changes to the group, so I’m willing to give them a chance.” “Gangs have what is called The Law of the Land,” Dash explained. “If someone takes you down, you have to surrender your gang to the winner. And…since Sunset gave you a bloody nose, I’m guessing you got knocked down and out, right?” “Oh, she punched her in the face, knocking her to the ground and giving her a bloody nose,” Pinkie explained. “And with your members knocked out,” said Applejack, “I think you can guess the end result to this.” Gilda looked at the others, who were started to recover from getting a beat down. “Talons, listen up,” she yelled, in which some that were aware looked at her. “From this point forward, this girl here is your new leader. Um…” “Sunset Shimmer,” she replied. “Sunset Shimmer will be issuing the orders for the Talons now,” Gilda continued. “And if anyone wants to challenge her, you have to get through us,” Applejack said and she was pointing between her and me. “So go home and rest up. No sense staying here,” said Gilda. All the members started to get up and either walk away or help someone back to their home. Gilda looked at Sunset and asked, “I’m guessing you’ve never run a gang, have you?” “Well, nothing of this size, but still…” She started to trail off from the topic. “Whatever. What else do I need to do?” Gilda asked. “We need you to confess that you helped Lightning Dust and her friends break in to our school,” I said. “You’ll have to explain it to Principal Celestia or Miss Luna so they can handle the issue.” “They got off lucky when the other students who helped got suspended from the team,” Dash said. “We want to make sure they share the same punishment as the others, before we face them this coming Friday.” “If that’s what I need to do to get them to take me back, then I’ll do anything to fix this,” Gilda explained. “Just make sure you can help me with my family.” “We’ll need to take you back to the school so we can explain it to them,” said Mrs. Harshwhinny. “I’ll need to tell my parents first before we go,” Gilda replied. Mrs. Harshwhinny nodded and walked with Gilda to where she was staying. I looked at the others and said, “Thanks for your help.” “It was no problem,” Lyra responded. “We’re happy to help.” “I hope this will get Brick Wall off your back,” said Applejack. “One less worry for us.” “I hope so too,” I said. “I hope so too.”
Ch. 36 - There's a Time to Think...We returned to our school with Gilda in tow, making our way to Miss Luna’s office. Lyra and Sweetie Drops already decided to head home. When we arrived at Miss Luna’s office, Fluttershy and Tree Hugger already left for the day. Gilda sat down at one of the seats in front of the desk, while Mrs. Harshwhinny explained to Miss Luna about Gilda’s problems that lead her to drop out back then and decided to help break in to the school weeks ago. Luna was not pleased with what has happened, but knowing what Sunset has gone through before, she can understand Gilda’s reasoning for her actions. “Look, I can understand why you did all this,” Luna said. “But if you just come to one of us to explain the problems that you were having, none of this would have taken place.” “I know,” Gilda replied. “But I didn’t know what to do, being felt like an outcast at this school.” “That still doesn’t excuse you for what you did, Gilda,” Rainbow Dash responded. “Plus, we have been friends since the 7th grade. You could at least come to me to talk. We always watch each others back, remember?” “I know, I know. You don’t have to remind me. I just…panicked when it all happened.” “Well now you can get back on track after all that’s happened,” explained Mrs. Harshwhinny. “I think it’s possible to get you in the same classes during the spring semester that you decided to drop out of. This way, you can pick up where you left off.” “I noticed that you gotten C’s and D’s during your fall semester in your classes. That would still count as a passing grade for now,” explained Miss Luna. “But if you want to make sure your freshman year comes out good, you need to do a better job in your classes and build those grades up.” Gilda sighed to Luna’s explanation. “Look at it this way. At least you have us to help tutor you if you need it,” said Dash. “Twilight’s the smartest friend we know. I’m sure she can get you back on track.” “So…I’m guessing you would want a confession of my involvement with the students of Crystal Prep if I plan to come back to school with this…program you have that can help me?” Gilda said. “Well, that would be a good place to start. Maybe it would get Principal Cinch off my back.” We all looked at the doorway and saw a gray man with a goatee, dressed in a tacky shirt and pants and wearing a bucket hat. “Mr. Discord. I’m glad you could make it here,” replied Luna. “I hope you weren’t busy with anything?” “Oh please. I was just having a nice glass of iced tea and watching the downtown scenery when you called me,” Discord replied. “And Miss Dash, I’m sorry for not getting a replacement coach sooner than I had planned. I know you have been trying hard to earn that scholarship next year. I hope you didn’t…freak out at what happened.” Rainbow Dash let out a sheepish laugh while scratching the back of her head. “You know Dash. She knows how to freak out when she wants to,” Applejack said while slapping her hand on Rainbow Dash’s back. Mr. Discord let out a chuckle. He then turned his attention to me. “And this must be the spotlight student that everyone’s talking about.” “Yes he is,” Luna replied. “Jack, this is Mr. Discord, former principal and current board director.” “It’s nice to meet you,” I said as I shook his hand. “The honors all mine, Jack,” he replied. “And I’m glad you were able to find the one who helped in trashing a part of this school,” as he was staring at Gilda. He looked back up and said, “But for now, I need to discuss some…matters with Miss Luna in private.” “Agreed. Will you excuse us for a moment,” Luna said to us. “Mrs. Harshwhinny, would you be so kind to explain to Gilda about our support program.” She nodded and guided Gilda out of the room. The rest of us decided to do the same until Luna stopped us. “Jack, can you stay here as well?” I looked at Luna, then back to the others and asked Sunset, “Why don’t you see if you can talk to Gilda as well and learn more about how the Talons operate. I’ll catch up with you later.” She nodded and they left the room. I closed the door and walked back up and took a seat in front of Luna’s desk. Mr. Discord sat down in the other seat next to me. “So, is he the one with the…gift?” Mr. Discord asked Luna. “He is, Discord. And so far, he’s been doing well, but we think he still has a good ways to go before Friday.” “I’m guess he’s part of your group?” I asked. “More like the one who started the group,” Luna replied. “I’m sure that Celestia or Luna have even brought this up,” Discord said to me, “but I’m Star Swirl’s younger brother. And by younger, I mean over a decade younger. Don’t even ask why my parents waited longer to have a second child.” “Yet, it’s Coach Tirek who’s in charge, right?” I asked. “He’s a good friend of mine. And he has better resources than I do, so it was best that he lead the team instead of me,” he said. “I’m sure you heard about the Crystal Prep scandal,” said Luna, to which I nodded. “Well, it was after that took place that Star Swirl went missing.” “That could explain why you didn’t want to take the new director’s job at the time, right?” I asked Discord. “Indeed. When Celestia told me about receiving my brother’s journal, I had to find out what happened to him. I went to his home to find it completely empty, as if he just moved out. Then I went to see Tirek about what happened so he could look into it further. He found out that he…retired from his job, which I find it hard to believe. So we decided to start working together and looking for allies who we could trust. Tirek believed that taking the director’s role might help find our answers better, because he thought that Crystal Prep could have had a part in all of this before. I thought it was a silly idea to go on, but I went and took the spot and handed the principal’s title to Celestia.” “And now you think there could be a connection to all this.” I said. “That’s right,” he replied. “In fact, that’s the reason I’m here. Well, one reason.” Luna said, “Ever since you came here, Jack, we have slowly started to believe that Crystal Prep have been working on students to make sure that they have these…gifts that you have. And after yesterday’s encounter, we can believe that they have. But how is another issue.” “But that’s not the only problem,” Discord said. “Principal Cinch called me yesterday asking that she let her suspended players play again at the championship game, thinking they served their punishment. I declined her offer, saying that it was an ongoing investigation, and that if these crimes were true, she would be forced to surrender the championship title if her school won this coming Friday. She was furious at what I told her and just hung up. I doubt she’s the same lady that came to me for help back then.” “And you could be right about that,” I said. “How come?” Luna asked me. “Indigo talked to me in private after you were on the phone with us. She’s been sensing something…strange about Cinch. Almost like what I was sensing with Sunset when we first crossed paths. But this felt like bad karma to her. Something must have happened to her after losing her husband back then that made her change to the way she is now. If I can get some kind of reading on her, I might have an idea what she’s talking about.” “Well, getting a confession from that girl you found might not help our case anyway,” Discord said. “With the attitude she’s displaying, it would be like adding fuel to a fire. Unless…” I looked at him with a worried look on my face. “Unless?” He gave me a sinister glare at me, and that made me really worried. “Why do I have a feeling that the only other option is one I won’t like to hear?” Luna spoke up. “Jack, I heard from Professor River Song that you had a hand in creating a special law to help the Manehattan Knights in resolving issues based on common sense.” I placed my hand on my forehead and said, “When did you heard about this? Last night?” “Actually, it was the last Christmas break when she visited us, like she always does,” Luna said. “When you decided to have her as your adviser, she told me and my sister about what you have done with the group, including the Order of the Manehattan Knights law. I never really thought about it when you came here, not even knowing that Coco was also a knight. Since you now have a group in place, we remembered about the law you put in place and wonder if it could be of any use. We just didn’t feel like bring it up until now.” “You felt like we could solve this problem without the law, right?” I said. “That was the plan,” Discord answered. “But we could be running out of time…and options at this point.” “I’m guessing that River Song wasn’t the only one you were talking to last night, right?” Before I could answer, Luna raised her hand and continued. “You don’t have to give any names to me. I can only guess that Coco would be one of them.” “If you think I would use the law’s challenge amendment with Coco’s support, it’s not going to happen,” I said. “I’m not one who would use the law for my own advantage, and Coco knows it. And I don’t want to take any chances in destroying the Manehattan Knights just for something like this. It’s too much of a risk that I want to take with all that’s going on between this school and Crystal Prep.” “I can understand what you mean, Jack. And we can’t bring up anything about Crystal Prep creating gifted students in their school, since it’s more of a private matter that we’re dealing with,” Luna explained. “But with what’s coming up this Friday, we need to deliver a blow to them that could open a way to finding out what they are hiding.” “And you’re hoping that if they were a second placed team, then it would raise concern about the experiments going on with the students, right?” I asked. “That’s what we’re hoping,” Luna answered. “And if using the law won’t help, then what will?” I started to think about that. Then I remember something that was brought up yesterday. When I was studying the football team this year, all the guys acted like they had this gift. But they started to act more like everyone else, expect for Long Shot. All the others guys that I thought had it had to make hits or take hits, expect for Long Shot when he started to become the new QB. “What if there was a way to remove Long Shot’s gift? Maybe with a…heavy hit on the field,” I said. “But we know that he can sense them coming and dodge it. How can we apply this hit on him?” Luna asked. “You’re looking at him,” I said. “If the girls can’t detect me coming to them, then it goes the same for him.” “But you never played on defense. And you have yet to learn the remaining arts to execute the tenth art,” Luna explained to me. “I do now. I don’t know how it happened, but it happened when I needed it the most. That must be the only way it would truly work.” “Miss Luna, this might be the only other option we have at the moment,” Discord said. “Perhaps Coach Iron Will would be willing to look into this if you explain it to him. Let him decide if it’s worth trying.” “I guess it’s worth looking into,” Luna said. “I’ll talk to him tomorrow about it. You just see if that confession helps us out before Friday’s game. I don’t want things to be harder than they are now after what’s happen.” “I will.” Discord got up off his seat and said, “It was nice meeting you, Jack.” “Same here,” I said as I got up and shook his hand again. “I just hope we can get through all this. I would like to take a break after the big game and relax before we have to make our next move.” “Can’t argue with you there,” Discord said. “I like to have a clear head before basketball season starts.” I was in the principal’s office Monday afternoon, helping Celestia getting some files organized and filed away. She learned from her sister about Crystal Prep’s insider and our plans for Friday’s championship game. “So you think a well placed hit on their QB would make him lose his gift?” Celestia asked me. “That’s the plan,” I said. “What does Indigo have to say about it?” she asked. “I talked to her last night about the idea,” I said. “She thinks it could be risky for both of us, but it’s our best bet. Based on what Sugarcoat explained to us Saturday, our guess is that it doesn’t stay stable in boys than it does in girls. It’s possible that whatever is put into the male students doesn’t hold up to the male DNA structure, if that’s how they are giving them this gift.” “If they are doing the same experiments like what the Dark Star Organization did during the Great War, then it’s possible that they could be using genetics, which I don’t think any of us could understand in detail,” Celestia explained. “I think the only ones that come close to understanding that are Twilight Sparkle and Moon Dancer,” I said. “They think it could be tied to the X/Y chromosome part, but they need time to look into it better. The only thing we know is that guys can’t maintain this gift. And if you take the fact that the girl to boy ratio that carry this gift naturally would be, I don’t know, 20 to 1, maybe 50 to 1, then you can guess that if the Dark Star Organization were taking it from those who have it only have female genetics to go on. Master Blades was able to escape while his master sacrificed his own life in the process. I can only guess that they needed these gifted people alive to learn what they carry. How they process it is another story.” “Well, once football season is over, we can put our focus on that,” said Celestia. “But I’m worried about having you play defense for the first time.” “I was thinking the same thing. But Coach Iron Will said that Thunderlane has some experience in the defensive line and might put him in a defense play with me, once he gets something worked out. I’ll know more tomorrow when I see him.” It was then that her office phone started to ring. Celestia went to answer it and heard Mr. Discord was on the other line. The conversation was the usual, but it soon started to change when I could hear the worried tone in Celestia’s voice. When she was done talking to him, she hung up and gave me a worried look on her face. “We might have a problem,” she said. “Why do I have a feeling that Gilda’s confession didn’t help us out,” I said. “Kinda,” she replied. “Mr. Discord talked to Principal Cinch about this new evidence, and she has concerns about this and wants to wait for the investigation to be complete before handing out any more punishments, which could take weeks before it’s complete.” “Excuse my language, but it sounds like nothing but BS coming from her,” I said. “Agreed. We’ll need to talk to the others tomorrow about this and start weighting our options. For now, you’ll have to deal with this while Brick Wall is on the team,” she replied. “You might want to have Indigo know about this, if she know by now.” “Knowing her, her hands would be tied in solving this.” We all met Tuesday in the gym during free study to explain the new set of problems that we are now facing. And the reactions were mixed. “If you want my opinion, I think it’s nothing but BS to me,” said Rainbow Dash. “That’s what I said,” I replied. “But not only will Jack have to deal with Brick Wall this Friday, but you’ll have to deal with Lightning Dust when basketball season starts,” Sunset said as she was looking at Dash. “LD is the least of my worries when that happens. I’m more worried about the other girls that have that ‘gift’ with them. And that includes Indigo Zap,” Dash explained. “Look, I know that they have what Jack has,” Moon Dancer explained. “But I’m sure they are willing to work with us. They might have to play their own part like usual, but with the fact that we now know one difference between what that have and what Jack has might give us a better idea how it works. We just need to find a way to work around it if we can find a way.” “We can worry about that when the time comes,” said Spitfire. “At least there’s one good piece of news to look at. Coach Fleetfoot told me last night that Brick Wall just had his ‘A’ patch striped from him, thanks to Long Shot.” “Um, I don’t know if that’s a good idea,” said Fluttershy. “I mean, didn’t you see how mean he was Saturday at the park? Wouldn’t that make him…meaner?” “I hate to say this, but Fluttershy’s right,” said Rarity. “I’m sure that Long Shot can keep him in check, but once on the field, that might be a different story.” “I have to agree,” said Cadence. “We saw what he did to Shining Armor the last time we faced them. What if he decided to do that to Jack Friday?” “Not going to happen,” I said. “I’ll be able to sense him when he comes for me. And since Shining Armor is back as the QB, just coming towards me and only me will draw flags for the team. And they can’t afford to lose when that happens.” “Iron Will agrees with you,” he said, crossing his arms. “It’s become more of a challenge for Crystal Prep this season than it was last season.” “What about having Jack play on defense? Do you think it will work?” asked Shining Armor. “Hey! Iron Will has done it before. Iron Will can do it again. Thunderlane, you and Jack will be working on some new defensive plays this week.” “No problem, coach. I can help Jack with the basics before we can learn them,” Thunderlane replied. “I’m just worried about Jack,” Sunset said. “Having to make a well-placed hit on Crystal Prep’s QB? What if he gets hurt in the process?” Applejack nodded. “I’m with Sunset on this. I know Jack can be tough to handle anything, but we can’t afford his gift to be shown to everyone on the field. That would make him vulnerable on defense. Is that the only option we have to level the playing field in Friday’s game?” Everyone in the group started to mumble about the question before Twilight spoke up. “There is another idea that could work. One that I wish we knew about in the first place.” She got out a piece of paper from her notebook, got up from the bleachers and walked on the gym floor to face us. I looked at Coco and had a feeling that Twilight just found out what we didn’t want her to find in the first place. “I found something online called the ‘Order of the Manehattan Knights’ law. It says that all official ‘Knights’ that have been created from the high ranking counsel are allowed to help resolve any issues that take place between two or more party members, as long as one of party members requests for their aid. All ‘Knights’ must rely on common sense while working with the laws of our nation to make sure that any issues can be resolve peacefully without the need of taking their complaints to court. “Now this part really caught my attention. If one of the arguing party members is in disagreement with the ‘Knights’ decision and accuses them of taking sides, based on their rank, they can issue their own challenge to the party member as an act of pride and honor in upholding the decision that was made. The ‘Knight’ must explain what their challenge is and must be approved by a second ‘Knight’ before going forward with the challenge. If the second ‘Knight’ does not approve of this challenge, the challenge can be changed or another ‘Knight’ can be called upon to help resolve the issue. Otherwise, the decision must be voided and handled by the court legal system. “Now, if I read this correctly, it was signed by the President and members of the Government, along with the six founders of the Manehattan Knights, two of them being Jack Diamond and Coco Pommel.” Twilight looked at me, then looked at Coco when she called out our names. “Now can one of you please explain to me why you didn’t bring this up in the first place?” Before I could say anything, Coco spoke up. “Let me handle this, Jack.” She got up and off the bleachers to explain. “This law is something we don’t take lightly. The decisions that are made by this law have to be handle with care. We know there are those who think they have more power out there than others, and this law was designed to help level the playing field between those who have power and those who don’t. The last thing we want for people to think of is that we, as knights, have more power than any other. Our plan was to rely on common sense, something that has been lacking in this world as of late.” “Then why create a law like this?” asked Twilight. “So that we can do what is right for all to see, a chance to bring others together and work out our differences without conflict,” I answered. “Then why don’t we take what we have here and use it towards Crystal Prep,” asked Twilight. “Twilight, I have to be rude, but maybe it would help us if we had a better explanation about this group,” said Applejack. “I mean we know how it was created, but we don’t have a clue as to how it operates. What is it about this ranking system that this group has?” Before Coco could say anything, I raised my to her and said, “Let me explain this.” I took a deep breath before I spoke. “It wasn’t until after the Thanksgiving weekend when we started talking about it. It was Night Glider who felt like we should do something better to help out those that needed our help. It was something she noticed when she was a part of Scar’s gang back then. Since Double Diamond has connections with some good politicians, they were able to draft a law and make our group something more than what it was. When we came back from winter break, we started to add members to our group. We had over 20 members who wanted to become a knight, but after going thought the one-month trial session, we had 12 members become first star knights.” “What happen to the others that didn’t make it?” asked Rainbow Dash. Coco explained. “Some were given a second chance later on after seeing how we played a role in the city. Others didn’t bother trying out again, due to various reasons. We explained to those who didn’t pass the trial period the reason they we’re not fit to become a knight, and they agreed on our decision.” I continued. “Anyway, we have this 5-star ranking system. One-star rank is a sign that you are a knight and the basic role is to help others out where it’s needed. Once you reach two-star rank, you have the power to help resolve issues, as the law states. But you can’t issues challenges or take part in regular meetings unless you are a three-star rank. Once you reach a four-star rank, that’s when you become part of the council and adviser to other knights. Professor River Song is the only one of that rank at the time. Then there’s the five-star rank, which is just all six founders at the moment. That’s when you take care of the serious stuff, like making the tough choices, including if someone is ready to go to the next rank. Only the captain and second-in-command can be a five-star rank. Right now, that’s me and Coco, respectively.” “So, you’re the captain, and Coco’s the commander?” Rarity asked me, in which I nodded. “That’s a lot of responsibility to take on, isn’t it Jack?” “It is. And using this law to take on Crystal Prep means a huge risk on my end,” I said. “How can it be a huge risk when you have that kind of power?” Twilight asked. “You can finally put Crystal Prep in its place. What’s the worst that could happen?” “It could mean the end of the Manehattan Knights,” answered Coco. “The role of the knights is to make sure others don’t abuse their power that they carry. And you’re asking us to do that.” “But do you see what Principal Cinch is doing at Crystal Prep? It’s why you can level the playing field and take away any power they have,” explained Twilight. “See? This is why you don’t even think about the downside to every decision that you make, Twilight. If this goes south, Jack’s life will be a complete disgrace in front of everyone,” explained Coco. Twilight knew where this was going. “Oh no. We are not having this discussion again.” “Yes we are,” replied Coco. “For once can you think about everyone else instead of what you want done?” Twilight started to get furious before Sunset stepped in. “Coco’s right, Twilight.” “Oh don’t you even dare try to-” “WILL YOU JUST LISTEN FOR ONCE?” Sunset yelled at Twilight, cutting her off. “Go back to homecoming week. Remember when you accused me of destroying the gym and taking Angel away, asking the team to forfeit the game? We learned that it was Crystal Prep who did all that and tried to place the blame on me. What if Jack wasn’t around to clear my name? And what if someone else found out the truth after the game. How would that look on you when you screwed up because you placed the blame on me because of my past actions? Have you ever thought about that?” Twilight opened her mouth to respond, but then closed it and thought it over. “Sure, you might have your friends still at your side, but that’s just a small group compared to the big group that’s out there. Will you still be able to hold the title that you have now? Will you have a future worth perusing afterwards?” “I just…I…I don’t know.” Twilight felt defeated as she looked down towards the gym floor. Moon Dancer decided to step in on the conversation. “Twilight. Remember when we became friends, and we decided to play chess together when we had nothing else to do at school?” “Yea. We always wanted to understand how each strategy was played out and which one can overcome the other. Why?” “Well, I have read this law as well, and while I understand what you are trying to do, but we have to treat Crystal Prep like a chess match. We know what we need to do, but we can’t rush into this, or we’re leaving our king open for the attack. We have to wait for the right time to go forward with this idea. Until then, we have to just take what we have and work with it.” “So all we can do is sit back and wait? How will we know when to act?” asked Applejack. She was right. There’s no telling when it will happen. I needed some time to think about what I needed to do about all this. So I got up and started to walk out of the gym. Twilight stopped me and asked with a concerned tone, “Where are you going?” “To go clear my head.” I left the gym, walked to my locker to grab my jacket, and went outside to where the bleachers were, where everything started. “We know why I called you all here,” “SUNSET SHIMMER!” It was here that I learn about Sunset from the others, before I learned the truth from her. From that point forward, it felt like a whirlwind to me. Everything happened so fast that I didn’t know what to expect. And just learning about my gift was just the start. I wasn’t sure if being the center of attention was good or bad. “Still trying to think about what to do?” I was surprised to see that Coach Spitfire was nearby. “You surprised me, coach,” I said. “I’m surprised that you didn’t sense me coming,” she replied. “I guess doubt is clouding my powers. Another weakness to my gift.” Spitfire sat next to me. “How do you know what is the right thing to do when it needs to be done?” “Good question, Jack. Too bad I don’t have the answer to that.” “Its just that I’m not used to being the center of attention. It’s like a ton of weight has been placed on me.” “I would figure that it would be easy after what you did for the Manehattan Knights.” “It wasn’t,” I replied. “The main purpose of the knights was to just keep my gift a secret. They always helped me out when I needed it. This way, no one was able to learn about my gift that I possessed.” “But now, you know more about your powers, became a key player on the football team, helped Sunset with her problems, got Twilight to understand what she’s been doing wrong with Sunset, and a whole lot more that I can guess on that list.” She patted my back and said, “You did a lot more and got through it all. And everyone looks up to you for what you have done.” “But is it worth it? I mean, Crystal Prep is on my case, and the only ones from that school that’s on our side are the members of the Elite 5. And I’m not sure if the others are ready to fully trust them. I don’t even know if I should tell them about the connection between me and Indigo Zap.” “Jack, I think that is what’s bothering you. You’re thinking too much. Let me give you a piece of advice that Coach Tirek gave to me. There’s a time to think, and a time to act. When I started to coach at Equestria University and got word on the Crystal Prep opening, just making the change would create problems with what’s going on. So I did some thinking and called up Fleetfoot to see if she can take the spot. She did, and so far, she has tried her best, but was getting nowhere. When the opening for Coach Goalkeeper opened up, I wasn’t sure if I should take it, but Tirek told me to do so. After getting up to date with you, I had to think about what all was going on. When you and your friends decided to come out in the open, I just decided to do the same without thinking about what would happen.” “So what are you trying to tell me?” I asked her. “What I’m trying to say is that there are times when you just need to let instinct take over and do what needs to be done. The more you think about it, the harder it can be to focus on what needs to be done. Everything happens for a reason. You just have to wait until it happens.” “So it’s just a waiting game?” “Not really. You do what you can do, and let the rest play out. You know what you need to do when the time comes. Maybe it’s best to focus on the ‘now’ and not on the ‘later’.” For some reason, I couldn’t figure out what I should be doing. And she could see it on my face. “I know that it can become a challenge to face, but once you start to understand what I mean, you will know what you need to be doing.” She started to get up and said, “Come on. It’s almost lunchtime. Let me help you out with getting some tacos before everyone else.” “Really?” “Yea. I can talk to Granny Smith in getting you some before they open up to the others. Maybe it can help get you mind off some things for now.” So I decided to get up and walk with Coach Spitfire, saying, “That would be nice.”
Ch. 37 - ...And a Time to ActChrysalis and me arrived at school Wednesday morning, and I still had my head wrapped around what we all talked about yesterday. I already worked on defensive plays yesterday with Thunderlane, but the other issues that plagued me were something that I couldn’t shake. And while I tried to hide it from most of the classmates that I come across, Chrysalis knew that I was distracted. “Still can’t figure out what to do about Crystal Prep?” she asked me. “I wish this was easy, but it’s not. Even Indigo knows this.” “Were you talking to her last night?” “Yep. They’ve been watching the group and noticed that Brick Wall is getting into his prime for Friday’s game. No doubt he wants to knock me down after what’s happen this week.” “Well, don’t worry about him. Just focus on the game with the team. I’m sure Coach Iron Will has a plan in place for the big game.” Both of us walked inside a decided to part ways. “See you at lunch.” “Same here.” I went straight to my locker where the others were already at their lockers waiting for me. “Morning Jack,” said Sunset as she gave me a kiss on the cheek. “Feeling any better?” “Not really,” I said. ‘Not really!?” Rainbow Dash responded. “Come on. This is the big game we’re talking about. Sure it’s in a couple of days, but you should be excited to be a part of something big here.” “Dash is right,” Rarity added. “Everyone is talking about it online and believes that we can finally win the championship Friday.” “Yep. And I’ve already talked to Principal Celestia about having a HUGE pep rally Friday during school. I even have signs being made for the pep rally and game,” said Pinkie Pie. “And we saw how well you adapted to the defense yesterday. I’m sure your plan to remove Long Shot’s powers will work,” said Flash. “That’s the least of my worries,” I said. “Jack, if you’re worried about Brick Wall getting in your way, then forget it,” said Twilight. “I’m going to make sure he doesn’t cause any trouble for you or the rest of the team. I’ve spent my free time last night coming up with ways to put a stop to their defense. Once coach sees what I’ve come up so far, he can decide which ones we think could work. For now, let’s just focus on school. Otherwise, you’re never do well in your classes if you’re distracted.” She was right about one thing. I needed to focus on school, since that’s the only thing that’s going on. I tried to put my problems behind me during class, but whenever I came across my classmates showing their support for the up coming game, the thoughts about my problems tried to come back in my mind. It was after my 2nd period history class that Lyra and Sweetie Drops wanted to talk to me before I went to my next class. “So what is it that you wanted to talk to me about?” I asked. “More like what we wanted to show you,” replied Sweetie Drops. We were in front of their lockers, where Lyra brought out what looked like a briefcase. When she opened it, there were devices in there that looked like it was from a spy movie. “We used this gear when we went on recon back on Sunday.” “It’s different from what Pinkie has with her,” Lyra explained. “You have your spy goggles, mini cameras and microphones, and other useful gear. We didn’t have it when we were breaking in to Crystal Prep because they were getting some upgrades to the gear.” “We got the call to pick it up over the weekend. So we stopped by last Sunday to get it when Applejack called us about our recon mission, which was a good chance to test some of the new gear,” explained Sweetie Drops. “How were you able to get this stuff?” I asked. They looked over to a group of geeks, I believe. “See the boy with the lavender skin, dark hair, and black-framed glasses,” Lyra said as she pointed to the boy. “That’s Micro Chips. His father runs a local tech security business, supplying people with remote mini-camera and other security items for homes and businesses.” “Most of the security tech that is used in the neighborhood where Fleur lives comes from his father,” said Sweetie Drops. “We could have asked for his help in getting in, but we hate to get him caught up in all this.” “How come?” I asked again. Sweetie Drops responded. “Besides his father’s business, he’s not as brave in front of others, like the old Sunset Shimmer. He didn’t even have the courage to ask Moon Dancer out to the Nightmare Night dance. And we tried his best to help him, but he wouldn’t budge.” “Plus, we did get caught up in what you were doing when we learned about your gift,” Lyra added. She closed the case and placed it back in her locker. “We better get to our next class. If you ever want to know more about him, maybe see if he could be of any help down the road, let us know.” “Sure. See you later.” I parted ways with them and made my way to my next class. When I was finished with my 3rd period Algebra class, Trixie decided to talk to me between classes. “There’s someone who I wanted to point out.” Trixie point to the group of hippies or Eco-kids that Tree Hugger and Fluttershy were with. “See the guy with the green dreadlocks and the recycle badge on his brown vest? That’s Sandalwood. He’s in charge of the ‘Eco-Squad’ group. They deal with a lot of nature related issues. He’s the one who gave us the idea with the smoke capsules.” “Really?” I said to her. “That’s right. I was invited to an event that he was holding, and it was at one point that they were working with these colored smoke bombs. He made some that were in eggshells, which I thought were regular eggs. I asked him how he was able to do it and he showed me one that wasn’t broken yet. They took a part of the shell, emptied the insides out, and filled it with some kind of powder. I was able to bring this up with Moon Dancer, and she liked the idea, but wanted it to be smaller. After weighing our options, we were able to come up with what we needed to make it happened. We were glad that it worked this past Saturday.” “I’m surprised that you went to one of those events. Wouldn’t that be messy with all the colored smoke getting on your clothes?” I asked her. “I know. I was a real mess afterwards. But I like the idea that he had going. Tree Hugger told me that he always comes up with some idea that works. And a lot of them do work. Creativity like his could be helpful with the group if he was willing to help.” “What else was he able to do?” I asked. “Perhaps you should ask them that question.” Trixie was looking at where the group was and saw that Fluttershy and Tree Hugger were walking our way. “Um, hi Trixie. Hi Jack. What’s going on?” said Fluttershy. “Well, Trixie was having a nice chat with Jack here,” Trixie replied in her third person style. “Now if you will excuse me, but Trixie must be traveling to her next class.” And she left the group with a boasted attitude. I started to walk with Fluttershy and Tree Hugger to our science class. So I decided to ask the girls, “Trixie was telling me about your friend, Sandalwood. What do you know about him from your point of view?” “He’s a spirited man,” Tree Hugger replied. “I think what she means is that he’s kindhearted guy to have around,” Fluttershy explained. “I remember during my freshman year when Tree Hugger and a few of her friends staged a protest on a dead tree that was on the school grounds. Principal Celestia was having a hard time getting them to understand what needed to be done. Then he stepped in, but not to support the protest or go against it. He believed that if cut just right, the wood could be used for school projects in shop class. It turned out to be a win-win for all of us. I even have some of that tree as a wooden bench in front of my home. He does a really good job at it, and it saved the school money of wood supplies.” “What about the trunk of the tree. They would have to dig that part up,” I said. “It was cut up and spread as a dry mulch for the other trees planted here,” answered Tree Hugger. “Something I never really knew about at the time. I can see the positive aura around him when he makes something happen for all to see.” “He also keeps up with events in school and around the city,” Fluttershy added. “He’s always positive in front of others and just help lift their spirits when they need it.” “Sounds like a good friend to have around,” I said. Both of them nodded in agreement. We made it to our science class and I was able to rejoin with Sunset at our table. “So I’m guessing that you were shown around to others that have been a part of the school, right?” she asked me. “You could say that,” I replied. “It’s like there are others who have been helpful with what we are trying to do here.” “Like trying to catch me in doing all the bad things to Twilight?” she whispered. I nodded. “But that was the old you. Now you have a new life ahead of you,” I whispered back. “But I get the feeling that there are some who still don’t trust me, or don’t believe that I have changed for the better.” “All in good time. As long as you stick with me, and the others, I’m sure you will finally gain the trust of the school again. Just not as the popular one around.” Sunset let out a quiet chuckle. “There was something I wanted to ask you. Would it be OK with your parents if me and my mother come over for dinner tomorrow?” “I can ask them, but why tomorrow?” “I just…want to make sure you are feeling better before Friday night. I heard that they might let the school slide with assigning homework so that everyone can get ready for the game on Friday. The school hasn’t been this hyped up about all this unlike last year. And it’s the first to be played at our school. Plus, it feels like we haven’t spent some alone time since the science project that we did weeks ago.” “Well, I’ll talk to them tonight and see what they say. You might as well have your mother call mine after school. I think she should have her numbers with her.” “I will. And thanks for making this work.” After coming home, finishing my homework, and dinner, I spent the evening on the computer with Vinyl on the other end, listening to some created tunes. “I swear to you that the bass is too loud in his piece. He needs to back off some of it so that the rhythm comes out better,” I said. “I thought the bass was fine in that piece,” Vinyl replied. “Fine enough that you could go deaf when it’s played on the big speakers,” I said. “You remember Neon Light’s rules.” “Know when to drop the bass!” both of us said. “OK, I see what you mean,” Vinyl said. It was then that there was a bleep on Vinyl’s end. “Oh now come on!” “What?” “Lemon Zest just sent me a PM.” “And?” “She’s listening to the same piece that we are and asked if the bass a bit of an overkill…dude.” “I told you so.” “Whatever!” There was silence before Vinyl spoke again. “How are you feeling about Friday?” “Still unsure. I mean, it’s like everyone is relying on me to make it happen.” “That’s because you’re like the miracle maker to the school. You made the impossible…possible.” “You’re not helping.” I sighed as I placed my hand on my face. It was then that my cell buzzed, revealing a text from Indigo. Call me. “I’m going to call it a night, Vinyl. That OK with you?” I was only saying that because I needed to respond to Indigo’s message. “Sure thing. Look over some more tomorrow night?” “Not this time. Sunset and her mother are coming over for dinner.” “Looks like someone wants to score some wubs soon.” “Shut up, Vinyl.” “OK, OK. I’ll see you tomorrow in class. Night.” We both logged off. So I grabbed my cell and placed a call to Indigo. “How are you feeling, bro?” “Same as always.” “Still that bad?” Silence was my only answer. “So what if you have to face Brick Wall. He doesn’t bear the gift that we both have.” “It’s not just that.” There was a brief pause. “Is it about Long Shot, since he has his gift? Or does it have to do with facing Principal Cinch afterwards?” I sighed before I responded. “You heard about the Order of the Manehattan Knights law?” “Not really. But that kind of stuff is something I don’t focus on. I’m guessing that by the name, you had a part in it, right?” “Yep. And now I feel like being pressured by this. We both know what Principal Cinch is doing, but I can’t rely on that law to solve this problem.” “What’s it about? Actually, I’ll ask Sunny Flare about it. She’s more into this stuff. Plus she has a way for me to understand it.” “You sure?” “No problem. I can have Coach Fleetfoot do it for me. It can be in connection with Coach Spitfire’s request. They won’t know about our connection.” “OK then.” There was another pause before I spoke again. “Can I ask you something?” “Shoot.” “When you started to attend Crystal Prep, how did it all begin? Did it took you some time to make any friends, if that was possible?” “Glad you ask. I became friends with Lemon Zest on day one. We had a few classes, and she decided to place her earphones on my head to listen, and the music she had was awesome. It was like we were on the same level. She even helped me find a rhythm to move to while playing basketball. That’s when I knew she was going to try out for the basketball team.” “I’m impressed. I’m guessing it took longer with the other three?” “Yep. It wasn’t until basketball season that I met them, plus Lightning Dust, who I could see had an attitude. What about you? Who were your first friends?” “Too many to list. It started with Twilight before school started. Then Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, Rarity, and Applejack. It was followed by Flash and Soarin, then the list goes on and on and on. You saw the group this past Saturday.” “Could explain how you got popular fast.” “More like Sunset Shimmer got me popular fast. It was my encounter with her on day one that made it happen. But it was more like it was staged for me anyway.” “Well Jack, you were never one who gave up before, and I know you won’t give up now. Not in front of your classmates, and not in front of your girlfriend. Look, we’ll talk with Sunny Flare about that law and see if we need to take notice in the matter. I’ll keep you posted on it.” “I’ll have my girlfriend and her mother here tomorrow night, just so you know.” “I’ll keep that in mind. You just focus on what you have to do and let everything else play out, OK?” “OK. Take care.” “Bye.” I hanged up and decided to get some sleep and just let the next two days play out. As Thursday went by, everyone was still talking about Friday night. Students were planning on getting together and making signs and banners for the game. And like Sunset told me before, we were given a break from homework so that everyone can prepare for Friday. Twilight decided to have a one-on-one chat with me during free study out on the bleachers near the field, but wouldn’t say why. “OK, what do you want to complain about this time,” I said, guessing that she was going to pull another stunt on me like before. Twilight looked down and said, “Actually, I wanted to say sorry…for all the times I acted in front of you without thinking about what you were trying to do all this time. I can see how tough this week has been for you, with the big game and all.” “Is that all?” I said plainly to her. Twilight looked at me to respond. “Look, I never knew about your gift from the start and never saw the signs the way Moon Dancer did. My mind was caught up with the old Sunset Shimmer, the one who wanted to ruin my life. I wanted to live a normal like when I came here. But it all felt like a roller coaster when she interfered. At the time, I sometimes asked myself if dating Flash was worth it. I even asked Moon Dancer that question, since she was the first friend I made before I met Flash, Soarin, and even Cadence during my brother’s practice.” “What about the others?” I asked her. “Well, I’ve seen some of them in some of my classes, but never really talked to them at the time. It was some of the girls in my science club early on. You know, Lemon Drops, Twinkleshine, Minuette, and even Lyra at times. I guess along with Moon Dancer, we were like a group of lab geeks. And after learning about Sunset’s past, there were times I asked myself what I was really doing.” “And then you found out about the law I had a part in, right?” “I did, Jack. And with what I started to know about you gift and all about Crystal Prep, I just wanted to end all this and finally live a normal life. I was hoping that with what you did for Sunset would make life easier…for all of us. But now I see that living a simple life can never happen. You just have to face every challenge that comes to you, because it’s the only way to learn in life.” Twilight let out a quick laugh. “I still remember a professor from my last town telling me that. I never really knew what he meant…until now.” I decided to ask. “Where did you live before coming here?” “The same place you did, Manehattan. Lived there most of my life, before my dad got a new job here. I still miss the library and museum there. They were so big and had lots of study material for me to rely on. I even helped someone out in the museum to help me learn about some things about history.” “Was his name Professor Digger?” I asked her. Twilight looked at me with shock. “Yea. How did you know?” “Because me and Coco worked with him during our freshman year,” I said. “The two blades I have were a gift from him before I left. It was something he acquired before we showed up.” “He never gives away anything that would be a part of the museum. Was there a reason at to why he did that?” “Not really at the time. But as I’ve learned more about them, I think he might have a reason for doing so.” “What, what? I have to know.” Twilight was acting like a child in a candy store, wanting to know more. “I can’t say just yet. I’m still putting the pieces together,” I said. “Maybe after the big game, I can put my focus on those blades to understand them better…with your help.” “I’ll hold you to that,” she responded. “So, would you and your brother attended West End High if you were still in Manehattan?” I asked her. “Not really,” she said. “My brother started attending Mane Coast Academy for his freshman year. I would have attended there the following year, but we soon moved here instead. We did look into Crystal Prep, but with their idea of being the best, it just didn’t feel like a challenge for me. Mane Coast also had its best, but focus on making its students challenge themselves. And if they don’t do their best, they learn from it and move on.” “It’s a good thing you attended here,” I said, “otherwise, you and your brother would have been guinea pigs for their pet project.” “And we would have never met Twilight here.” It was then that we saw Pinkie Pie who spoke. Applejack, Rarity, Fluttershy, and Rainbow Dash were with her. “We figure that you two would be out here,” said Applejack. “So we thought that you could use some support from us as well,” Rarity added. “We know that you have some tough decisions to make, and we just wanted to say that whatever happens, we’re with you no matter what,” Fluttershy responded with a nod. “So what if Crystal Prep is a threat to us. We can handle whatever they throw at us. No doubt this is the year for us,” said Rainbow Dash. “If they’re looking for a fight, then we’ll be happy to give them one,” said Applejack. “I for one would like to see them as a second placed school for once,” Rarity recommended. Twilight stood up and said, “Then I say we give it our all Friday night, and do what we can do to make it happen, right Jack?” “If you think we can pull this off, I’ll do what I can to make it happen.” After coming home from our last practice session with everything planned out for Friday night, Chrysalis and me saw Ms. Shimmer’s car parked on the curb. We knew that they would arrive before I got home from practice. We went into the home and saw my mother talking to Ms. Shimmer. “Hello mom.” “Hey Jack. Practice went well?” my mother asked me. “Yep. Ready for the big game. Where’s Sunset anyway?” “She went up to your room,” answered Ms. Shimmer. “I hope that’s OK with you.” “I don’t have a problem with that,” I said. “Is dad going to be home soon?” “Just waiting to hear that he’s coming home before I start cooking dinner,” my mother replied. “We don’t have any homework tonight. Well, Chrysalis might still want to do some studying for a quiz tomorrow.” “My math teacher wants to quiz us on what we’ve learned the past couple of weeks. Some of my classmates were having a hard time understanding the problems in that chapter.” Chrysalis rolled her eyes. “Well, I’ll be happy to quiz you if you want me to,” my mother requested to her. “Thanks, but I think I can handle it. I have been doing better since Twilight has helped me whenever she finds the time to do so,” Chrysalis responded. “Well, I’m going to check up on Sunset,” I said, and made my way upstairs and into my room. When I went in, I saw her sitting on my bed, looking at some of my pictures from a box that I had placed in my closet. “Already snooping around?” “Maybe,” she said. “Couldn’t help but seeing the pictures of you when you were younger.” She held up one of me from the 4th grade with Little Strongheart. “I can’t believe that she was the one that I ran away from when she went to see my future. Does she still look the same now?” “A bit older, and more lovely than before,” I said. “But if anyone ever wants to ask her out, they would have to get her father’s approval first.” “Can’t argue with that. I saw the picture of her with her father. He must be tough.” “Tough and wise,” I corrected Sunset. She brought out another picture. “Who’s the dark boy in this one with you? I think I might has seen him before.” “That’s Artemis from Trottingham. He came with the team last week when we faced them.” “The boy you were talking about on the first day, right?” I answered her question with a nod. She placed the box to her side and thought for a moment. “Can’t believe it’s been that long. We crossed paths as rivals, and I was upset that I had you and Twilight in the same four classes. Then you decided to confront me every time from that point on. I should be glad that you didn’t stop until my walls came down. It’s thanks to you that I was given a second chance in my life.” I sat down next to her and asked, “Did you ever think it would end up like this?” “No. I figure you would have gone with Applejack. But I can see that she was watching over me as well, looking over both our backs. I’m glad to have you in my life now.” I placed my hand around her shoulder as she leaned her head on my own. “I’m just glad that you opened up to me about you past problems that you tried to hide.” “Speaking about the past…” She sat back up and grabbed another picture from the box. “Think you can tell me why you were hanging out with this young girl?” When I saw the picture, I knew she found the one I didn’t want her to find. “I think you have some secrets that you should be telling me.” “I was hoping you wouldn’t find that one,” I said. “Look, I was able to trust you with my secrets. Now I need you to do so to me.” She looked me straight in the eye and asked, “How do you know Indigo Zap? Was she your former girlfriend you couldn’t tell us?” I sighed and said, “She…was my first training partner. It was her that helped me get stronger. Made me the person I am today. Well, physically.” “What do you mean by physically?” she asked me. “It started with a group of bullies that were picking on some weak kids, one boy in particular. Since I started to learn about the basics of my gift, I was able to use it to my advantage. But I wasn’t strong enough to stop them, even if I could dodge them. When Indigo saw what I was doing, she stepped in and left some marks on them that they ran away. We had the same mindset about bullies, and she offered to train me so that I could fight back. It also gave her an excuse for her to train herself harder. She wanted to be one of the best athletes out there, maybe in the Olympics. But even she had her own dark side.” “It’s because she wanted to be the best, like how she’s trying to be better than Rainbow Dash?” she said. “No,” I replied. “It’s how she saw what bullies become when they get older. She saw the stories about high school students committing crimes, carrying guns, harming or almost killing people, joining gangs…just about every bad thing that was in the news. Some of them hit close to home when she was younger. It’s why she hates them. When she saw how I was fighting back, it was her chance to step in and do something about it. “But that all changed when we learned of the boy’s attempted suicide in his own room. Parents were lucky enough to save him from hanging himself, but it left him with brain damage. When we learned about it in school, we knew who pressured him to do it. So the two of us went to look for them and began to take them down. We took some blows, but we make sure they paid for what they did. We even took the guy in charge and decided to make him experience what the boy went through. Indigo took a belt and wrapped it around his neck and went to where a metal bar was and used it to as leverage for the belt. She held it long enough until he decided to give up and gave in.” “But something tells me that she didn’t stop,” she said. “It was the bloodshot in her eyes that told me that she wanted him dead. The rage inside of me masked my gift, but when I started to see what she was doing, my gift was back in focus and I can sense the rage inside her. It was so strong that I had to stop her. Once I snapped her out of it, she was able to let him go. The group ran away, afraid of the monster that she became. She explained to me the reason she hated bullies, and it made me understand why she stepped in. So we made a promise. As long as we trained together, we would follow one rule, never cross the line unless they cross it first. And killing them was out of the question unless that was the case. We crossed the line when the gang did so first, but no one died as the end result. So she would have been crossing a new line that they didn’t cross first.” “Didn’t both of you get in trouble?” she asked me. “Not really. They had gotten into trouble in the past and going to the police wouldn’t help because of their ties with a gang that they were a part of. It would have been their word against ours. So we got lucky on that. As for them, they decided to make up for what they did and confessed to the boy’s parents and requested that they help out with the boy’s recovery and some of the family chores. As long as the police didn’t know about it, it would be kept off any records. They hoped that the good deeds that they would be doing would help make up for the crimes they did in the past. And they knew it would take years before things would be normal again for all of them.” “Sounds like everything came out good in the end,” she said. “Did Indigo know about your gift?” “No.” I replied. “And I never told her about it because it was still new to me.” “And what about her having the same gift that you had? You sure she never had this before coming to Crystal Prep?” “If she had it before, I would have sense no presence from her back then. Somehow, someone is injecting it into her, which could explain why I can still sense her, but she can’t sense me. But I worry about her.” “Why is that?” “When we had our private meeting, we learned that she could soul shift, but it left her dizzy afterwards. And she’s only had it for a year while the other four have had theirs for two years, but they haven’t soul shifted as well. I think what she could be exposed to might be an improved version to the others, or her powers are rapidly developing in a rate that could put her in danger.” “I’m guessing that when she asked for Coco and Moon Dancer to the meeting, they were the only ones that knew about the connection, right?” “That, and Chrysalis,” I said. “She gave me a heads up about the meeting, but our encounter with LD and crew was not on the list.” “At least everything came out well in the end,” she said. When she placed the picture back, she saw one that had another familiar face and pulled it out. “Isn’t that Coco with you and the others?” “Yep. Those are the Manehattan Knights. You never did hear the story when we started having our meetings for homecoming?” “Not until I heard about the law you had a part of. So I decided to ask Coco if she could tell me about them while you were trying to clear your head elsewhere.” She looked at the picture again. “Which one is Night Glider?” I pointed to the dark blue girl with the slick white hair. “That’s her, wearing the dark rebel clothing. And the tall guy in all white is Double Diamond. He’s part of a rich family who owns a winter cabin up north.” “And the other two?” “The cyan guy with dark blue curly hair and tacky clothing is Party Favor. He likes to make balloon shape characters, like his father. And the pink girl in the purple dress with the long purple hair is Sugar Belle. She can cook lots of treats like Pinkie Pie, but can also cook quick meals for the homeless.” “You must have some great friends that helped keep your gift a secret,” she said. “Just like Twilight and her friends,” I said. “And both of us have made more friends in our group, including you, Sunset.” “And yet, we have those that want to make it harder for us to live a normal life,” she added. “Twilight said the same thing.” As she put the picture away, things went quiet before she spoke again. “I know you don’t like to talk about it, but I need to know. If you had to issue a challenge, what kind of challenge would it be?” I wished she didn’t ask that question, but if she’s going to be in my life for the long run, I might as well say it. “I’m not sure. I mean, I’m more of an average person with a gift that has to be kept secret, but I don’t have any natural skilled talents like everyone else. I wouldn’t know what kind of challenge to make in the process.” She gave me a stern look and asked, “Does Coco know about this?” I shook my head. “Then I can see why you don’t want to go through it. The only real talent you have is the one you want to keep hidden. And it’s the same gift that they have been trying to create in their students. There has to be a way to force them to…surrender to our request or something. If they keep bending the rules to their favor, then it will never stop for them.” “And how do we plan to stop them. All we have left is to beat them at the championship game tomorrow night. And we have to do with what we have right now.” Sunset placed her hand on her chin and thought for a moment. Then she looked over to where my blades were at on the rack. “I might have an idea. You can fight, right?” I nodded. “What if you took things to another level. I mean, they have crossed the line before, so you had to do the same. Perhaps you need to do the same as well.” “What are you trying to say?” I asked her. “I’m saying that-” We were interrupted by my mother’s voice downstairs. “Jack, your father’s on his way home. Could you help set the table?” I yelled, “Sure mom. Be right there.” I got up and made my way to the doorway before I stopped and looked back at Sunset. “Want to help?” “Sure.” She got up and made her way to me. “Just do me one favor, bring your blades to school tomorrow.” I had a confused look on my face. “Trust me. I know what I’m doing. I’ll just fill Miss Luna in on the details and see if we can make it work.” “OK, if you know what you are doing.” So we made our way downstairs and help set up dinner. Once dad was home, we ate dinner and talked about some things to lighten the mood. After that was done, Sunset and her mother had to leave, since it was getting late. So after we said our goodbyes, I went back to my room to relax for a moment. That’s when I got a text from Indigo. She learned about the law and is unsure how it could help in our problem, but did understand that it could put the Knights that I helped created at risk. The best we could do was to go with the plan that we have on removing Long Shot’s gift and hope all comes out well in the end. As I was getting ready for bed, I received a notice on my cell. When I looked at it, I saw that I have received an e-mail from one of my friends in Manehattan marked “IMPORTANT!!!” When I opened it on my cell, I noticed that it was another e-mail that was forwarded to me. After looking it over, I was shocked at what I saw. “I can’t believe it that he has gotten this far over there,” I said to myself. “I think I now know what I need to do.”
Ch. 38 - All or NothingToday was the day. Everyone at school was waiting for this day to happen, a chance to defeat the Shadowbolts of Crystal Prep. Pinkie’s decorations were already hung up in the hallways, with Cheese Sandwich’s help. And everyone was showing their school colors. Cadance already made sure the cheerleaders had their faces decorated for tonight. As for me, with my school jersey on, I was finally ready for tonight. I just had one thing that I needed to request. When I arrived at my locker, I saw the others there, minus Sunset. “Looks like someone had a great time last night,” Applejack said about me. “OOOOHHHHHHH!!!” Pinkie replied. “What was it?” The girls sighed and face-palmed at Pinkie’s comment. “Pinkie, he just spent the evening with Sunset. What do you think happened?” said Rainbow Dash. “That is true, but that’s not it.” I looked around and asked, “Where’s Sunset anyway?” “I think she went to see Miss Luna about something,” Twilight answered. “She wouldn’t say what it was about.” Rarity noticed something behind me and said, “Here they come.” Both Sunset and Miss Luna were walking up to talk to us. “Sunset might have come up with a plan that could help us out with all our problems, if we play our cards right,” said Luna. “And what would that be?” Twilight asked. Sunset waved her finger in the air and said, “Sorry. Can’t ruin the element of surprise, now can we.” “I’m assuming that you brought the case, right?” Luna asked me. “Blades and all. And I would like to bring them to the pep rally later today.” “Well this would come as a surprise. And for what reason would you need them?” Luna glared at me for an answer. “I would say, but I don’t want to ruin the surprise, now do I?” I looked at Twilight and asked, “Can you get in touch with your brother for me. I need to say something at the pep rally, if he will let me.” “I pass by him after my second period class,” Flash answered. “I can let him know.” “Thanks Flash. I figure that if everyone is relying on me, I might as well have something to say about it.” “OK then. We’ll be having it during free study, so come see me before we pick it up,” Luna explained. I left 4th period and mad my way to Miss Luna’s office so we could make our way to my truck and grab my case. Everyone else was making their way to the gym for the pep rally. As we were making our way to my truck, Luna asked me a question. “So why the change in attitude? You were worried about what to do for tonight.” I answered, “Well, I can take a guess that Sunset has something planned that involves my blades, the law, and Indigo.” “That is correct. But from what I’m hearing, you have a different reason for bringing your blades.” “That is correct.” We arrived at my truck, and I opened the driver’s side doors where my case was laying. I opened it to reveal both blades and a folded piece of paper. “I received this just last night from Double Diamond. It was an e-mail that he forwarded to me from someone I met back in Manehattan who attended Mane Coast Academy. We were both bench warmers last year. It seams that I’m not the only one who had changed in football.” I closed the case and let Luna take it for me. “I’m hoping this can boost our moral for tonight.” “I’ll believe it when I see it,” Luna said. “Let’s go.” We made our way back in t the school and towards the gym. We could hear the pep band playing and everyone making noise as we made our way in. Luna went to join Celestia with my case while I joined my fellow players. “Hey Jack,” said Shining Armor, in which we exchanged brohoofs. “Flash tells me that you wanted to speak in front of the others.” “Yep. I hope you don’t have a problem with that,” I said. “No problem here. I mean everyone is looking up to you.” “I know, I know. I just hope everyone understands what’s at stake.” Celestia tapped on the mic, trying to get everyone’s attention. “Welcome Wondercolts. Tonight, we will be having our championship football game here at Canterlot High. I would like to hand the mic to our captain, Shining Armor.” Celestia handed the mic to Shining Armor so he could speak. “Alright Wondercolts. Tonight’s the night. And it will be my last night playing for this team. But instead of giving you a speech, I would like to let Jack Diamond do it for me.” He handed the mic to me, and I nodded to Luna to bring my case over. “This week has been a tough one for me. It’s an experience that I never had at my last school last year. I wasn’t sure what to do about tonight with all these feeling inside of me. But last night, I received an e-mail from someone that I only met once last year. And I would like to read it to you all.” Luna opened the case so that I could take out the letter that was in it to read out loud. Hey Jack. I was wondering where you were at the Knights vs. Dragons game. One of your knights told me that you moved to Ponyville and that you have become a big name over there. I guess that makes two of us, a pair of bench warmers one year, and big name players the next. Yep, I became the starting quarterback for the Dragons after the first game. Our last QB graduated and I was planned to be the backup QB. But and early injury to our new starter on the first game forced me to take the role and lead the team to our regional championship game Friday night. Now I have been told that you are facing a school that has a perfect record in their region, and that you helped in delivering their first lost this season. And I’ve also been told that you have been going through a lot of pressure for this game. I know the feeling. When Fillydelphia High came over to face Mane Coast Academy, we were on our way to finish our perfect season. But we lost to them by a point, forcing us to the second seed in the playoffs, by tiebreaker of course. They took a loss to Baltimare to open the season, so they don’t have a perfect record either. But at the time of our loss, I thought I let my team, and school, down against our best rival. And this was to be the year that we would break the regional football record in championship wins. It was then that I learned that everyone was still supporting me, even if we loss a part of home field advantage. The truth is that no matter what happens, as long as you are still fighting, everyone will be there for you. Remember what both our schools represent. As knights, you represent honor. As dragons, we represent respect. And while we have our own hometown rivalry, we learn that we both honor and respect each other, before and after the game. Your rival bench warmer and friend, Blaze Lionheart. I put the letter away and turned my attention to the crowd. “Last year, I was just some backup kicker who didn’t get much playtime but a few field goals. And the only reason I played for them was that they needed someone to help complete the team roster. And while the team wasn’t as great as most schools in that region, I learned that they kept fighting, even if they were going to lose. But that one time we faced the Mane Coast Dragons on the other side of the city, I learned that the dragons keep their rivalry on the field. What happened before and after the game was different. They treated us as allies, and we did the same. Before the fans show up, the guys would exchange stories, pass the football, even a few would play with a soccer ball just to keep their skills up. “As for me, I was just sitting on the bench just waiting for the game to come and go. That’s when Blaze came and joined me. He was a sophomore 3rd string quarterback that they needed to have around, since their starter was a senior and their backup was a junior. He never had any game time that year and was only active during practice. And the reason they had three quarterbacks was that they wanted to make sure the next ones were ready for the next season, which would explain why they have been one of the best in their region. Now, he holds a big weight on his shoulders. His school’s football team has won the championship for the last six seasons, which has been the record in their school’s history. They, or even any school in that region, haven’t won seven straight seasons in high school football. “Now since I’ve come to Ponyville, I’ve heard about another school that is known to be the best in the region. In fact, all they like to do is trample their rivals into the ground, because they believe that they are the best. They don’t care about honor. They don’t care about respect. They don’t care about any of that expect their own bucking PRIDE!!!” That got the crowd going. So I went and grabbed Muramasa from my case to show to the others. “Now I’m sure that anyone who takes Dr. Whooves History class would know what this is. But for those who don’t, what I hold here is Muramasa, also known as the blood-thirst blade. It can cut anything without even moving. And it requires for blood to be spilled before it can be sheathed. This is what Crystal Prep represents. They like to take down their rivals without lifting a single finger. They believe that being the best is how you survive in the real world. The problem is that they won’t put the blood, sweat, and tears to get the job done. This is what a Shadowbolts represents.” I placed Muramasa in the case and grabbed Masamune to show them. “This is Masamune, a holy blade if you want to call it. It doesn’t cut down anything unless it is needed to defend itself. This is what we represent. We don’t go striking down our rivals at anytime unless we have no other choice to do so. That’s because we work long and hard to make us who we are. And no matter what they throw at us, we come back stronger than before. And tonight with be the first time they will have to defend their title on our turf. And we will prove to them that it takes blood, sweat, and tears to be the best…BECAUSE THAT’S WHAT WONDERCOLTS DO!!!” The crowd started to get louder than before. “TONIGHT WE PLAN TO SHOW THOSE SHADOWBOLTS WHAT IT MEAN TO BE REAL WINNERS! BECAUSE WE’VE WORKED LONG AND HARD TO MAKE IT THIS FAR! AND WE DON’T PLAN TO STOP UNTIL WE GET THE JOB DONE!!!” The crowd went crazy, shouting “Wondercolts!” all together. I handed the mic back to Shining Armor, who responded, “Good job, Jack. Couldn’t have done it better myself.” I replied, “Thanks, Shining.” I went back to my case and placed Masamune back in its slot and closed the case. All that was left was tonight’s game. It was almost game time, and the team was getting ready in the locker room. I was in front of my locker with my case in it, holding to Masamune as I placed my head next to the hilt mediating. “Nervous?” I looked over to see Shining Armor standing next to me. “No. Just clearing my head,” I replied. He sat down next to me and said, “I know the feeling. I had to focus on what I was getting into before it started. But this is the last game of the season. After that, we can rest easy with Crystal Prep.” “For the time being,” I added. “That’s true. But no matter what happens, we had a great run this season. Even better than last year.” That’s when we got the call from Coach Iron Will to go to the field. I placed Masamune in my locker and closed it, grabbing my gear and joining the team on the field. When I made it to the field, we saw the other team warming up. We decided to keep our distance from them after all that has happened this past week. After I was finished with warm-ups, I sat on the bench to drink some water when I heard a familiar voice behind me that I haven’t heard in a while. “Hey there, Jack.” I looked to see Apple Bloom and her fellow Crusaders with her; Sweetie Belle, Scootaloo, and Babs Seed. But they were with three boys with them. One was a white boy with brown hair, and another was brown boy with tan hair wearing a red and yellow striped cap, and the third was gray with slick dark blue hair. “Hey, Apple Bloom. Been a while since I’ve seen you girls around. I see that you’ve made some friends.” “Yep. This here’s Pipsqueak.” Apple Bloom placed her hand on the white boy’s shoulder. “He moved from Trottingham a few years back.” “Nice to me you,” he replied as we exchanged handshakes. “The girls tell me that you lived in Trottingham back then.” “Yep. It’s a nice town. Just wish it didn’t have its bullying problem when I was there,” I said. “Well, you were able to make some changes to solve that since then, from what I have heard,” Pipsqueak replied. Sweetie Belle was the next to speak. “This is my sweetheart, Button Mash.” She had her arm wrapped around the brown boy’s arm. “S-s-sweetie Belle?” he responded with his cheeks turning red. This made the others giggle at his response. “Don’t mind them. They share a few classes together,” Babs Seed responded. “And this here is my pal, Rumble,” Scootaloo said as she was pointing to the gray boy. “It’s nice to meet you, Jack,” he said as we exchanged handshakes. “My brother has told me much about you.” “Your brother?” “That’s right.” I turned around and saw Thunderlane walking up to us. “How’s my little bro doing?” “Just fine, T,” responded Rumble. “We figure we introduce the boys to Jack before the game started,” explained Apple Bloom. “Yea. We were moved by Jack’s speech earlier today,” added Rumble. “Well, I’m glad that it helped,” I responded. “Well we won’t know for sure until after the game, now will we.” Applejack was able to join us with Sunset nearby. “Now you kids go on up and find yourself a seat. We’ll be joining y’all shortly.” “OK sis,” Apple Bloom replied, and they all left to the bleachers. “Seems like a small world out there,” I said. “I know,” Thunderlane replied. “My little brother used to look up to me until you came along. Now he’s like your number one fan.” “Really?” “Yep. He plans to try out for the team next year, and I’ve been helping him get ready whenever I can.” “Seems like everyone is looking up to you, Jack,” Sunset added. “By the way. Diamond Tiara wanted me to give this to you.” She pulled out a small pink letter from her pocket. “But I don’t think it’s from her.” I took the letter and took a whiff of it. “Pink Rose Petals. Just like the candles that Fleur has. Fleur must have asked Diamond Tiara to deliver this to me in secret.” I opened the letter and read it. I’m sorry for all the trouble that I have gotten you into the past weeks. I decided to give you some space so that you would be ready for the big game. During that time, Long Shot has come by to fix dinner for me after he came back from practice. He even invited me to his parents’ house. Now I know that he learned from his mother in cooking. His parents are really nice. Now if I can convince my mother the same thing, maybe everything would be easy for me. But, if that’s going to be the case, then it’s her loss. Coach Fleetfoot and Indigo Zap have been watching over me, making sure I don’t get caught in any trouble with the others again. I know this game is going to be a challenge for you, but no matter what happens, you will always be a good friend to me. Thanks. Fleur De Lis “Nice to see that things are looking up for her,” Applejack said. “And I will say this. If the guy can cook, then he’s a keeper.” “Wow. Good thing I went for Sunset instead of you,” I said sarcastically. “Hey, I would have help teaching you how to cook if you wanted to,” Applejack replied. “AJ, if you can teach both of us how to cook, then I’m all in on that,” said Sunset. “Well, we better join up with the girls. You teach those Shadowbolts a lesson, you hear.” “Will do AJ. Sunset?” She looked at me and quickly gave me a kiss on the cheek, knowing what I was expecting. “Good luck Jackie.” And the two girls left to join the others. Thunderlane looked at me and said, “Jackie?” “I’m as surprised as you are. Maybe she wanted to get back at me for calling her Sunny.” We joined up to the others to get ready for the game. When we went up for the coin toss, Brick Wall wasn’t with the others. I guess Long Shot kept to his word on striping the “A” patch from him. They won the coin toss and asked for the ball first, so we pick our side so that we were ready for anything during the 2nd and 4th quarters. When they started their drive, it wasn’t long before they would score the first touchdown. Then we took the ball and did the same thing during our drive, scoring a touchdown and tying the game. As Crystal Prep started their next drive, the chance that we have been waiting for came up. Two failed rushing plays led to a 3rd and twelve play. It would have been here that they would try for a pass play like in their last drive. That’s when Thunderlane and me were called for the blitz play. Coach gave us our instructions, and we went to our spots. Thunderlane took the side closest to the visitor’s sidelines, while I took the other side. We knew this had to count if we really want to level the playing field. If Sugarcoat was right about the guys that she noticed, it had to work. Long Shot snapped the ball and begin looking for his targets. Thunderlane and me made our blitzes to him. He picked up on Thunderlane and looked to see him coming. Long Shot started to run the other way with the ball, hoping to find a hole and work on getting a first down. But his attention was on Thunderlane and not on me. I started to make my way to him on the other side. I needed to make the hit hard and still stay active. But somehow, the one art I needed wasn’t working like the others. In an instant, just as he moved his head to look ahead, I was inches close to tackling him. But at that point, our helmets hit each other full on. The impact was so hard that it knocked us to the ground, shaken up. My senses were blurred and shaken. I couldn’t know what was going on. All I could see was Coach Spitfire checking up on me before I blacked out. When I started to come through, it looked like I was someplace else. I let out a groin and started to barely hear Sunset’s voice. It wasn’t wrong before I could see Miss Luna, Sunset, and Applejack looking over me. “What…happen?” I tried to get up, but so much pain was felt in the attempt. “Don’t move,” said Luna as she placed her hand near my shoulder. “You were shaken up in the hit. We’re back in the locker room on one of the medical rooms. Nurse Redheart checked on you and thinks you might have badly injured yourself. She already placed a neck brace on you just to be safe.” It was then that I heard someone entered the room. I was able to move my eyes to see and nurse in white with red hair. It was our school nurse, Nurse Redheart. “How are you feeling?” “I can barely get up.” “Can you move your arms or legs?” I tried, but there was too much pain to do so. All I could do is slowly move my left arm. “I don’t think so.” “I should have guess. You might have injured your neck or spine. I’ve already alerted the hospital, but they already called a ‘Code Black’ over there, so there’s not much that can be done at the moment. I’ll be at my office nearby in case they call back. If you need anything, let me know.” And she left the room. “So…what happened after I blacked out?” Applejack spoke. “Well, Long Shot also went out and dropped the ball in the process. Thunderlane was able to get on the ball and gain possession. Somehow, he was able to recover and was taken to the sidelines to be looked at. As for us, we were able to score a touchdown and take the lead.” “And where do we stand now? Do you know?” “Hang on.” Applejack took out her cell to look something up. “Sweetie Drops says that it’s 24 to 13 at the half. Long Shot did return to the game, but he hasn’t played as he used to. It looks likes the plan worked. He doesn’t have his powers anymore, if that’s true.” “Then he’s done what he needed to do, right?” asked Sunset. “I’m guessing so,” Luna answered. “But we won’t know if it worked until the end of the game.” “As long as they know what to do, then we should be OK,” I said. “I just wish you didn’t hurt yourself,” Sunset replied. “Yea, what happened anyway? Wouldn’t the tenth art helped you avoid injuring yourself in the process,” Applejack added. “I…don’t know. I tried to execute it, but nothing happened. All I could do was make an extremely hard hit at him. I’m not sure what went wrong in the process.” “We’ll worry about that after you get better,” Luna said. “For now, you just get some rest.” But that would have to wait, because we heard a commotion going on outside. “I better go check and see what’s going on,” Applejack said and made her way to check on the commotion. It wasn’t wrong before she hastily came back. “LUNA! YOU NEED TO COME QUICK!” “I’ll go check. You stay with Jack, Sunset.” She nodded and Luna followed Applejack. “I hope it’s not to serious,” Sunset said. “Do you sense anything?” “No. I think it’s the pain that I’m feeling that’s blocking my gift again. Anything that negative that’s coming from me blocks my powers from working, remember?” “I see. I guess the pain that you are dealing with is affecting your gift. I hope it’s not as bad as it seems.” Luna returned with a disappointed look on her face. “Miss Luna? Is something wrong?” asked Sunset. “That was Shining Armor they brought in. Turns out Brick Wall sacked him hard on the first play, giving him a sprained ankle and dislocated shoulder. And it’s the same shoulder that was injured last time. Applejack is trying to pop his shoulder back in place. Nurse Redheart is calling the hospital again about this.” It was then that we heard a scream. Then it went quiet again. Luna looked at the direction of the scream, then back at me. “Can you sense anything?” “I’ve already asked him that,” Sunset said. “Because of his injury, it’s masking his gift.” Luna looked down and said, “I’ve should have known.” She looked back up and said, “Sunset, can I talk to you for a moment?” “Sure.” Sunset looked at me and said, “I’ll be right back,” and got on her feet and walked out with Luna. I just knew something went wrong in all this. If Brick Wall went straight for Shining Armor, it had to be in retaliation of what I did, but worse. Sunset returned feeling defeated. “Looks like things aren’t going as we planned it. They just scored a touchdown.” “That means it’s 24 to 20. It’s in Thunderlane’s hands now.” “Let’s pray that they could make it through.” It wasn’t long before another scoring update came through. This time, Sunset got the text. She sighed and said, “It just got worse. Twilight just text me saying that they just scored again on a defensive touchdown after taking down another one of our players. Now they lead 27 to 24.” Sunset sat back down next to me and grabbed my left hand with her left hand, not knowing what to say. When I saw this, I was able to find something to say to her. “Remember that promise that we made?” “That you would be at my side as long as I didn’t harm myself?” She noticed how we were holding hands. “I guess it looks like I have to be at your side this time, since you harmed yourself in all this.” “The irony of it all,” I said. “I guess we have to go back to square one again. Maybe we can find our answers when basketball season starts, if I’m ever better than I am now.” Sunset smiled at me and decided to lay her head on my chest, closing her eyes. “At least you were there to get me through the pain that I faced in the past.” I squeeze her hand and said, “I know. I guess that’s the best I can do.” I decided to close my eyes as well and just rest, waiting for all this to be over. Author's Note If you think this is where the first story ends, then you're wrong. Jack and Sunset are about to get a surprise that might answer all of their questions that they have been looking for. And it's a game changer.
Ch. 39 - Destiny's PathJack … Jack … Jack I don’t know who was calling me while I was asleep, but I decided to open my eyes and see who was calling me. But once I did, all I saw was an empty, white space. I decided to rub my eyes to make sure I wasn’t seeing things, but realized that I was using my right arm to do so. I soon then noticed that I wasn’t wearing a neck brace or pads. The only other thing I was feeling was Sunset’s hand on my own. She was still sleeping on my chest. “Sunset, wake up.” I shook her in trying to wake her up. She slowly opened her eyes. “What is it, Jack.” Her eyes went wide open in shock at what was around her. “What the…where are we?” The realm of souls She started to look around. “Who’s there?” We started to hear footsteps from afar. Sunset started to get up. I decided to do the same, which surprised her. She noticed that I wasn’t wearing my neck brace. “I’m guessing that we are not in our own world,” she said. “I was thinking the same thing,” I replied. It was then that we noticed a shadowy figure coming into view. It took a while before the figure became clear to us. It was a white man with red hair in a small ponytail and a red goatee, who was dressed as a kendo master. He had a white kimono top and black hakama pants and split toe socks. “You’re not, Jack.” I asked him, “How do you know me?” “A former student of mine told me about you not too long ago.” It was then that I remember Luna telling me about her master who once bear the same gift that I now have. “Master Blades.” “It is an honor to meet you, Jack. I’m glad that Luna would tell me about you when I confess to her about my gift, not to mention that you carry the last two katanas that were ever made.” “I’m surprised that you once had the same gift that I have,” I said. “A gift that I no longer bear,” said Master Blades. “And you must be Sunset Shimmer. Luna has told me how she has been using Jack’s gift to help you overcome your problems.” “And I’m grateful that he didn’t give up on me. But how come we are here. I mean, what is this realm of souls place, and how did we get here?” Sunset asked him. “The realm of souls is a…bridge point between the real world and the afterlife.” Sunset was nearly shocked. “Wait. We’re not dead, are we?” Master Blades let out a hearty laugh. “No, that’s left to Death and Fate to deal with. It is here that souls are sent to be reborn. But only those that bear soul resonance when they die.” “If that’s the case, then why are you still here?” I asked. “Because my passing was after my gift faded away. If you bear the gift of soul resonance until it is gone before you die, then you have fulfilled your life in its purpose. Those who die while bearing the gift are sent to be reborn so that they can fulfill their journey. And you, Jack, are one of them.” “But why are we here. I mean, I bear the gift, but Sunset doesn’t. I don’t understand.” “Look at your scared hands.” We both looked at our left hands to notice that the scar that we made from our pact was glowing. “What you are experiencing is soul bonding. It means that you share a strong, special bond with each other. Come with me and you will understand.” He started to walk away from us, so we decided to follow him. As we were walking, I decided to ask him a question. “Can you explain this…soul bonding and how it works? I mean we just made a blood pact during that time by using Masamune and Muramasa. How is it that it brought us here?” “You will see soon,” he replied. “What I can tell you is that your bond has grown stronger than when it started, enough that it finally brought you to this realm.” “But all we did was go to sleep at that time,” explained Sunset. “Now that is something you should ask Luna about when you return to your world. I believe it is known as dreamscaping.” “Dreamscaping?” “It was a special profession that she worked on while she was with Professor Star Swirl. She did research on dreams when she was in collage. She even used some of my meditation practices to help her learn. She said that by dreamscaping, she could enter other realms that are from other beings.” “Like entering another person’s dream?” I asked. “I believe so. I never could understand it the way she does. But I was able to learn from it in hopes that I could get in touch with my master’s spirit at the time. But I was never able to do so.” “She told me that you had Professor Star Swirl study your own powers because of sensing that they were fading. Do you know whatever happen to him?” He stopped for a moment before he responded. “I wish I knew. When I first heard that he…retired, I wasn’t sure that he did so, because he never talked about it. But when I saw Luna and her sister come to check up on him, they thought that something happened to him and that they received a book from him. That’s when I learned that something bad must have happened to him. So I decided to retire myself and leave before someone decided to look for me as well.” “The Dark Star Organization.” “You are aware of them, right?” he asked me. “From what Coach Iron Will told us, they were a part of the axis group during the Great War. And Luna might have read in your diary that they could have been at the temple that you were staying at later on.” “Indeed. They came out of nowhere, and all I was ordered was to escape before they could find me. I don’t think they even knew that I exist. But that no longer matters now.” We continued walking to where he was taking us. It was then that we walked up to what looked like a crystal tree with six gems on it. On each main branch were five separate gems that had the colors of red, blue, orange, pink, and purple on them. And at the center of the tree was a magenta six-pointed star shaped gem. “We have arrived,” he said. “What is this?” I asked him. “The Tree of Harmony. I’m sure you’ve heard of the legend.” “It was something that was displayed in the school library about the Guardians of Harmony and how they helped the Knights of Canterlot,” Sunset explained. “Well that legend is real,” he said. “And it’s that the Dark Star Organization has been looking for all this time.” “Then why is it here?” I asked him. “It is waiting…for the awakening.” We had confused looks on our faces. “You will learn in time. But for now, you must look into your souls past. Place your scared hand onto the tree where the star gem is.” So I did what he told me. “Now Sunset Shimmer, place your scared hand on top of his. This will cause the tree to react, and allow you to see what Jack sees in his past life.” Sunset decided to place her hand on top of mine. At that point, the tree started to glow, and our vision became so blight that everything disappeared in front of us. ----------10 Years After The Great War---------- “How much longer before we arrive?” “Not much longer. Once we clear the forest, you’ll see it from the hillside.” We cleared the forest and made our way to the top of the hill. The view in front of us was a huge rock wall that had holes in it. “Is that where you stay?” “It’s not just our home, but our school, garden, and training center. It’s a town by itself.” We made our way to the gate inside the rock wall. The bell was rung and the gates open, with two more gates already opened. Once we passed all three gates, each one was closed and locked to keep the temple safe from intruders. An older scholar greeted us. “Master Edge, we were **cough** worried that **cough** you wouldn’t **cough** make it back.” “Here, Dr. Remedy. This should take care of that throat of yours.” I handed him a small bottle of medicine, which he removed the cork and took it in one gulp. “Damn that’s bitter. A little strong, but you did a good job,” he replied. “Thank you. I had to rely on what Blitz Wing had at his home.” I pulled out a small bag to hand to him. “Here are the herbs that you wanted. Used a bit for what you just drank.” “At least he’s doing well. Just be careful on the strong stuff that you use. I wouldn’t offer it to any of the young ones here. Make sure Master Moonlight talks to me before she takes any on my supplies again.” “I’ll see to it that she understands.” He looks at the kid next to me. “And who do we have here? Another scholar in training?” I placed my hand on the kid’s shoulder. “No, this is our new student, Saw Blades. He’s the reason I couldn’t return yesterday.” Dr. Remedy had a shocked look on his face. “You mean…” “Yes. I’m guessing Master Flare is training with our students?” “She is. Shall I have the scholars prepare a room for our new student?” “Please do, Dr. Remedy.” He left us, calling a couple of scholars to follow him. I took Saw Blades to the training room doors. “Tell me, what can you sense behind this door?” “Only a few people. I don’t think they pose a threat. Why?” I opened the doors, which revealed 14 girls and two masters, one with lavender skin and purple hair, and another with orange skin and red hair. A few scholars were watching and taking notes on what was going on. The one with the red hair saw me and clapped her hands, ordering her students to each side of the training center, 7 students on each side. It was then that both masters came towards us. “Master Edge, I see that you are still alive,” said the red haired lady. “Very funny, Master Flare. I see that practice is going well?” “It is,” replied the purple haired lady. “Good. I was able to pick up the herbs that the doctor needed, since someone wanted to take the last of them without asking, Master Moonlight.” She rolled her eyes and said, “Fine. I’ll remember to ask next time.” It was then that their attention was turned to Saw Blades. They were able to catch on to what he possessed and looked back to me for an answer. “This is Saw Blades, a homeless kid who’s been able to survive on the streets at the town I was visiting, thanks to his gift.” “Then I guess he will be our newest student here?” asked Master Flare. “In a few days. I want to get him adjusted before we start training him. If you will please.” Master Flare bowed to me, then turned around and clapped her hands, ordering her students to continue practice with her watching over them. “Excuse me, but how come I can’t sense them that are practicing?” asked Saw Blades. “Because they bear the same gift that you do,” I answered. “But they’re all…” “Girls?” Master Moonlight finished his sentence. “That is true. Only girls can possess this gift. But it is rare for a boy to possess it as well. Both you and Master Edge are proof of that. Even his late master was also a guy.” “I see.” It was then that Dr. Remedy came in the training room. “His room is almost ready? Shall I have the boy examined?” “Yes please. He has been living on the streets for a long time. I want to make sure he is in well shaped before we continue.” Dr. Remedy nodded and escorted the boy with him. “You not going to poke me around, are you?” “Don’t you worry, boy. I’m just going to make sure you don’t have any illnesses and such. Besides, you get to see where I work my craft…as long as I still have something to work on.” Master Moonlight slapped her palm in front of her face in disgust. “Alright already. I’ll ask next time.” Both of them left the room. It was then at Master Moonlight who spoke up. “I’m going to have to live through this, will I?” “Perhaps what you did was a matter of fate. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have found the boy in the streets.” Master Moonlight let out a small grin. “Maybe so.” But her face showed that she was worried. “But what about them. I mean, we haven’t heard anything since that ex-solider talked to us about them.” “And so far, he hasn’t seen anything that could resemble the threat that he told us about. He’s grateful that I was able to find the boy. Otherwise, he could have been a victim to them if they showed up.” “But what if they no longer exist? Then what?” “They do exist, Master Moonlight. Remember that I was able to see the pain and suffering that he saw during the Great War. Being a member of the Equestrian Knights might have gave him painful experiences, but it’s that knowledge that will help us stay alert in the future, if they find this place. Besides, the scholars that were left with him have become helpful in their own studies. We just need to make sure that we are all ready for the worst to happened.” “I just hope it never happens. This is the only temple that we know of that carries gifted students.” “Saw Blades has become a fast learner than I first remember. And it’s been about 2 years since he came here,” said Master Moonlight. “It has. This is a good sign,” I said. “But I’m worried about some things about him.” “He feels different about having fun and interacting with the other students, right?” asked Master Flare. “It’s because he’s a boy, and they’re girls. He feels like it’s a distraction to him,” I responded. “But he doesn’t behave that way during training,” explained Master Moonlight. “That’s because he’s going through training with the other students,” Master Flare added. “This is different. He needs someone who can help bond with him if he wishes to succeed.” “What about that one student that you have been helping in private? Wind Breaker, I believe?” I asked. “She has high potential, but I’m not sure she’s ready for that,” answered Master Flare. “I believe that was the same for you and Master Edge,” responded Master Moonlight. “And look at the both of you. You share a bond that would make both your masters proud.” “Remember, it took much longer than that before I started to share a bond with Master Flare,” I responded. “I think it doesn’t mater if it’s age or experience. As long as they start to develop that bond, then both of them can succeed to greater things,” explained Master Moonlight. Our students were sparring with our warrior scholars so that they can develop their senses against their opponents, plus make sure our scholars are ready to defend the temple should the worst happen. Saw Blades was the latest to step on the practice mat with another scholar, both armed with bo staffs. As they were sparring, it was in one point that the scholar decided to do a strike from above with his back towards him. We were expected for Saw Blades to block the attack, but something happened that I didn’t expect to see so soon. He got a glance at his opponent and decided to dodge the attack, but this led to him transporting farther away from his opponent, letting him strike the floor and breaking his staff. “HOLD!!!” I walked towards Saw Blades, who was in shocked and confused as to what he just did. “Master, what just happened?” “What you just did was a soul shift. This skill can be used to help evade your opponent when you need it the most.” “But…how does it work? I don’t even know how I did it.” I looked at Master Flare and gave her a simple nod. Then she turned to the other students. “Wind Breaker!” A girl with sky blue skin and green hair stepped forward with her bo staff in hand. “Saw Blades. I want you to spar with Wind Breaker. You will see what I mean,” I said. Saw Blades got up and made his stance in front of Wind Breaker. “BEGIN!!!” Both of them sparred against each other, relying on their other senses. One thing that Wind Breaker can do is relying on her other senses should her gift fail on her. At one point, Saw Blades decided to attack from behind, only for Wind Breaker to shift to his backside and tap her staff on his shoulder. This was a sign that he was defeated. Both of them faced each other and bow to each other. “Don’t worry. I was surprised when I did it for the first time,” said Wind Breaker. “I’m sure you will understand how it works as you experience it more.” Saw Blades said, “Thank you.” I saw him looking over some books as he was studying more about the history of the place. “You’re not playing with the others,” I said. “It feels different playing with girls. I’m just a boy,” replied Saw Blades. “But you train with them, right? Having fun with them is another reason to learn about everything. It’s all about interacting with them, working as a team. Besides, I think there was someone who was worried that you would stress yourself out in your studies. You have time to study on other things, but you should learn to relax and remember what your purpose is in life.” Saw Blades nodded and decided to leave his room. It was Master Flare who saw this and enters the room. “So, you finally got him to play with the others?” asked Master Flare. “I think so,” I replied. She went over to the window that looked over the field where the other students were playing. I joined her and saw my student join them. I can see Wind Breaker smile and waving for Saw Blades to join them in playing with a rubber ball. “You think they can bond with each other?” asked Master Flare. I wrapped my arms around her from behind and said, “If we could, I’m sure that they will do the same.” “It’s been, what, nine years since I brought you here?” “It has, master. And I’m glad that you brought me to this place. It’s too bad that Dr. Remedy is no longer around. I still have much to learn from him.” “Don’t worry, I have learned much from him since I gave him a second chance in life by helping out here. Plus he did leave all of his notes to use so that we can learn more about his practice.” “I’m glad that Wind Breaker is helping me in his late teaches. It’s like we share some kind of…bond with each other.” “I was hoping that you would be able to bond with her. Both of you have great potential in your gift. Perhaps it is almost time for the two of you to learn one of our biggest secrets, the Soul Arts.” “What are those?” “Powers that can be used to protect others, as long as both of you use them wisely. I will discuss this with Master Flare about this before we proceed.” It was then that Master Flare came running towards us. “Master Edge, we might have a problem.” She guided upstairs to where Master Moonlight was looking outside towards the forest that leads to the entrance. It was night outside, and the moon was shining bright outside. “Master Moonlight, what’s wrong?” “I thought I saw movement outside, but I can’t make out anything in the forest.” “Were you able to sense anything?” I asked. “No.” We were looking out the windows to see anything, but couldn’t make out any movement. “Master, over there.” Saw Blades pointed to one area for me to see, and that was when I could make out a shadowy figure close to one of the trees. “Master Flare? Bow please.” She handed me a bow and arrow. I took my stance and made the shot, hitting the shadowy figure. Sparks came shooting out of it, and it disappeared. That’s when I know that the worst has finally come. “Master Moonlight? Notify the scholars to prepare themselves and take the students into the training room. They’re here.” She looked out the window. Then she looked at me and nodded and made her way downstairs. “Master Flare, we need to get him out of here.” All three of us made our way downstairs and started to make our way to my room. “How were they able to find us?” asked Master Flare. “I’m not sure, but I don’t even think they are human,” I said. “Master, what’s going on?” “It’s the Dark Star Organization,” I said. “They’ve been looking for people who bear the gift that we have.” “What for?” “To create their own super soldiers. It was something they did back during the Great War.” “You mean like the stories that Blitz Wing told me about?” “Yes.” “Then why do I have to escape alone? Why won’t the other students come with me?” “Because they don’t even know that any guys bear it. We want to do our best keep that a secret,” explained Master Flare. “Then are you coming with me, master?” “I’m sorry, but I have to secure your safety first. Don’t worry. I’ll make sure they don’t take me alive.” “Wait, what about my diary? I should take it with me, right?” We stopped for a moment. I knew I asked him to write down all that went on, but I couldn’t let that fall into their hands. “Master Flare, begin the preparations. I’ll join you shortly.” Master Flare went on ahead. I went with Saw Blades to his room so that he can take his diary. I grabbed a bag and asked him to take it in there so that it would be protected from the water during his escape. We left and made our way to my room, where Master Flare was placing boxes into the secret passageway. “How many have you placed?” “Just two. I’m on my third one.” “Saw Blades, take this passageway where the boxes are. It will lead you to the back of the temple. You will come across a waterfall that leads to a river in some forest. It will help you make your way to the town. Go to Blitz Wing’s place and let him now that the temple is no longer safe. He will understand. Once they see that it is now safe to return, come back here and retrieve these boxes. They hold the Soul Arts that we just discuss. You will have to learn these on your own from here on out.” “Yes Master.” It was then that we hear noise that was coming from the entrance. Master Flare just got the fourth box into the passageway. “They’re in. You must leave now.” “I understand. Thank you for all that you have done for me. Until we meet again.” “Until we meet again.” I closed the passageway and looked at Master Flare. “I guess this is it.” She had two katanas with her and handed one of them to me. “I guess so. We never had a chance to have children, did we?” “Our students were our children. Remember that.” “I know.” She let out a smile. “You were thinking about teaching him the Soul Arts, right?” “Yes. But it looks like he will have to learn them on his own.” There was a banging from the door in front of us. That’s when we decided to draw our blades. The door came crashing down, and what look like ninjas entered and surrounded us. That was when we sense someone coming this way, someone evil. It was a woman in black with white skin and blonde hair. “Well, well, well. Look at what we have here. I was wondering if there would be a guy who was…gifted. It’s been hard to find one, and my master was getting tired of looking for one. They are so rare these days.” Master Flare yelled, “What do you want with us?” The mysterious lady waved her finger and said, “Tsk, tsk, tsk. Is that how you greet someone?” “We know you work for the Dark Star Organization, and that you have been taking people for your experiments,” I said. “So you do know about us. That makes things easier for me to explain.” She pointed at us and said, “Capture them!” The ninjas threw chains to tie us up, be we shifted ourselves away from them. I slashed one of them, cutting its head off. Sparks flew out of its body before it fell. “An automaton?” “So that’s what you call them? I’m impressed. But they are really called cyber mechs. And they are far advanced than you will ever know.” The others continued their assault, but we attack and took down each one of them. The mysterious lady became angry at the end result. Master Flare pointed her blade at the lady and said, “Give it up. There’s nothing you can do to stop us.” “Well, I didn’t want to get my hands dirty, but you left me no choice.” That’s when a green flame consumed her and revealed her true self. She had dark skin and a purple suit and green hair that had a life of its own. “A Soul Eater.” “Oh, now I’m really impressed. But you can call me…the Mane-iac.” He hair started to come towards us, but we cut them down with ease. “Damn it. No one chops up my hair. NO ONE!!!” “Too bad, because it needed a heavy trim,” taunted Master Flare. “I’ll show you!” She began growing more hair like vines and started to attack us, which we were able to defend ourselves. Master Flare saw an opening and decided to charge towards her, but was knocked down and slammed towards the wall. “I’m sure that my master wouldn’t mind if one lady was disposed.” That’s when one of her strands of hair turned into a spike and lunged it into Master Flare. I saw was about to happen and shifted my body in front of her, taking the damage myself. “NNNOOOOOO!!!” “Master Edge!!!” The spike was withdrawn from my body, causing me to fall on Master Flare’s body. My life was slowly fading. “I guess…I’ve done…my part.” “Don’t you dare leave me, Edge,” she said as she held me in her arms. “I’m sorry, but you know…that I can’t…let them…take me alive. Just…do me…one favor? Kill that bitch for me.” “I will. Until we meet again.” “Until…we meet…again…” Everything faded to black. My vision came back to normal, and I saw our hands on the Tree of Harmony once again. We took our hands off of the tree and looked at Master Blades once again. “You mean I was your master in a past life?” I asked him. “Yes, which would explain how you started to execute the Soul Arts before I was able to deliver the information to you. A part of him started to awaken inside of you, which I was able to find out from this realm.” Sunset asked, “So he knew that if he died, he would be reborn once again?” “That is correct.” “So…you were able to return to the temple later on when it was safe to return,” I said. “I’m guessing that he was the only master’s body that you could find.” “Almost. A day later, they were able to find Master Flare’s body outside of the temple in some bushes. She was holding on to both blades at that time. I can only guess that she battled the soul eater and died trying. A day later, we found one who was barely alive walking into town. Master Moonlight. She was able to escape, but was attacked in doing so. She found a place to hide until they gave up looking for her. Once so, she was able to make her way to the town. All the others were stilled captured when she escaped. She was grateful to see that they didn’t find me, but was sadden to learn of Master Edge and Master Flare’s death. She told me that they needed to be alive so that they can collect their soul powers to use on their test subjects, like the ones at your rival school, Crystal Prep, I believe.” “Then that means that there is a connection between the organization and the school,” I said. “There is, but it is just a fraction so far. The problem is that I cannot sense where they are doing their experiments.” “I’m guessing that Master Moonlight didn’t make it, right?” I asked him. “Her last words were to look of the three of them in their new life. And now I have found one of them.” “So it’s possible that the other two are out there?” asked Sunset. “Maybe, but I have no idea where to find them. While we cannot sense their soul in the real world, we are able to find them from the realm of souls. That how I was able to find you, Jack. And with Sunset’s bond to you, it was enough to bring you here. What is worse is that I am unable to find any of the other students that were captured.” I asked, “What about Professor Star Swirl? We can guess that he’s no longer alive, right?” “That’s a bigger mystery. I was able to meet up with Blitz Wing and Dr. Remedy in the afterlife, but not Professor Star Swirl. And I cannot find Wind Breaker’s soul anywhere, even if I was able to share a bond with her. It is unclear if she is dead or not. She would have aged like I did, but I have not come across her in this realm, or find her soul reborn. It troubles me.” “So what can we do now?” I asked him. “Only one thing, bring the Dark Star Organization out of hiding. And beating Crystal Prep in this game of football might be the best way to do so.” “It might not be the only thing,” I said as I placed my hand on my chin. “What do you mean?” asked Sunset. “Indigo Zap told me that she sensed something odd about Principal Cinch, like a wall around her soul.” “You mean the same thing that you felt from me, Jack?” “Yes…and no. It was more like bad karma that she felt.” “And you might be right,” explained Master Blades. “She is the one who’s in charge of this Crystal Prep?” We nodded. “I have been sensing something strange from that person as well. But it is hard to make it out from here.” “If I was able to encounter her, I might get a better reading on her,” I said. Sunset panic. “Oh my gosh. I just remembered. The game was in the third quarter when we came here. It might already be over, which means…” “Do not worry,” explain Master Blades. “Time flows differently here. When you return, only a few seconds would have passed.” “But Jack is in no condition to play again,” explained Sunset. “Not without this gift.” He turned to the tree, raised his hands, and said, “Tree of Harmony, grant these two the power to be as one.” It was then that the tree glowed, and streams of lights that matched each gem and journeyed their way to our scared hands. A new glow came from them. “Since you share a bond with each other, you can now use the power of Soul Link.” “Soul Link?” “It allows you to share your powers with each other. Sunset can lend her strength to you and help active some of the soul arts that you have yet to possess, like the tenth art that you couldn’t execute before. And Jack can share his powers to you, Sunset, so that you can fight in sync with him against your enemies. I’m sure there is more that you want to have answered, but for now, this should be your primary focus. Just tell Master Luna to help in your training and learn how to dreamscape. Once you return here again, I will do what I can to answer your questions. And maybe you will have a better idea on who this Principal Cinch really is.” “Wait,” I said. “Did you just say…Master Luna?” “Yes. Tell her that she has earned the right to be known as master in your presence, as well as her friend, Master Spitfire. They both have earned the title. I also have one more request for you. Find allies who can help you, those who can be trusted.” “We do have some friends who have been helping us already,” said Sunset. “I am aware of this, but you will need more. Blitz Wing has told me that they had a big group to help stop the Dark Star Organization.” “The Equestrian Knights and Equestrian Riders,” I said. “Yes. And it was that group that helped turn the tide of battle against the axis nations. And in this day and age, you will need more help than ever. Some will have to battle in the front lines. Others will have to work behind the scenes. And if they are working on your nation’s soil, then it can be worse that we have thought.” “I might know some who can help us, but we will need to discuss this with Luna and Twilight before moving forward,” I said. “Do so. I’m sure they will agree with your decision. Now, grasp your scared hands together and say SOUL LINK and you will be able to return to your world fully healed. Once so, you can use it to turn the tables against Crystal Prep. NOW GO!!!” I looked at Sunset and asked her, “Ready?” “Does it look like I have a choice? Let’s do this.” So we both took a deep breath and clasped our left hands to each other. “SOUL LINK!!!” At that point, we started to glow and were engulfed in a blight light. Author's Note We are close to the end... ... ... ... ... ...of the first book.
Ch. 40 - Never Leave a Job UnfinishedAuthor's Note This just became the longest chapter to date. I didn't think it would take this long to finish it, but I did it. Enjoy. Ch. 40 - Never Leave a Job Unfinished I started to wake up, wondering if I was just dreaming just now. I could see Sunset starting to wake up as well. “Jack, are you awake?” “I am.” “Tell me, was it all just a dream? I mean, were we in the realm of souls?” “If you’re telling me about what I saw, then I don’t think it was a dream. How much time has passed?” Sunset got out her cell and looked at the time. “Just about a minute has passed since we went to sleep.” “Then maybe he was right about time being different between realms.” I started to get up and realized that all the pain was gone. “Hey, look.” Sunset clasped her hands in front of her mouth in shock. She removed them from her mouth and said, “You’re moving again.” I was able to move all my limbs to make sure I was fine. It was then that Luna and Applejack came rushing in to our room. Luna said, “Applejack said that she saw a glow coming…from…here?” They were shocked to see me moving again. Applejack asked, “What the hay just happened here?” “Have you heard about the realm of soul?” I asked Luna. Luna was really shocked when I mention that. “I’ve read theories during my college years about that. How were you able to know about that?” “Master Blades told us,” answered Sunset. “He said that we were able to enter that realm through dreamscaping.” “You mean you were able to dreamscape to enter the realm of souls?” asked Luna. “Um, forgive me for asking, but what are you all talking about?” asked Applejack, who was confused. “Dreamscaping is where you travel to other realms or dreams,” explained Luna. “And the realm of souls is supposed to be a bridge point between here and death, I believe.” “It is,” I said. “But it’s used to send gifted souls to be reborn.” “And Jack’s one of them,” Sunset added. “He was once Master Blade’s original master.” “I know there’s a lot to explain, but we have a bigger issue to deal with,” I said. “Master Blades believes that Crystal Prep is connected to the Dark Star Organization. And the only way to bring them out of the shadows is to beat Crystal Prep. It’s the only way we can find out how the students are receiving these gifts and where they could be located.” Nurse Redheart came in and saw that I was moving again. “What the…how can…I don’t even understand?” Luna tried to diffuse the situation. “How can I explain this?” “Tell her everything,” I said. Luna was confused for a moment. “Master Blades told us that we would need more allies to help up in stopping the Dark Star Organization. And with Nurse Redheart medical experience, we could use her help…Master Luna.” Now all of them were confused. “Did you just call her…Master?” asked Applejack as she pointed to Luna. “Master Blades has declared you and Coach Spitfire the title of Master,” Sunset responded. “And if you don’t mind, we would like you to help in our training.” Luna let out a chuckle. “If that is what he wants, then I’ll be happy to fulfill his wish.” “Hey, if that’s the case, then count me in as well. We are part of the upcoming samurai club, right?” said Applejack. “If that’s the case, do you have your gloves that Spitfire gave you?” Luna asked us. “Mine’s in my locker,” Sunset said. “Same here,” Applejack added. “I have mine with my gym bag,” I said. “Then I go with you so you can get them. I want to know what happened while you were in the soul of realms.” Luna looked over and said, “Nurse Redheart, I need you to clear Jack to play. Now!” Nurse Redheart went over and checked my neck, back, and arms. “I don’t see anything wrong with him now, so he’s cleared to play once again. I just don’t understand how this happened.” “If you will come with me, I’ll be happy to explain as we learn what Sunset saw,” said Luna. All four of them left the locker room, leaving me to grab my gloves. That’s when I remember that I had both blades with me. I started to recall all that happened before. “Jack might have to issue the challenge, but the timing has to be right.” “How can it be a huge risk when you have that kind of power? You can finally put Crystal Prep in its place. What’s the worst that could happen?” “There’s a time to think, and a time to act.” “Well Jack, you were never one who gave up before, and I know you won’t give up now. Not in front of your classmates, and not in front of your girlfriend.” “You know my dad’s motto. Never leave a job unfinished.” “That’s right. I started this. Now I need to finish this…my way!” I grabbed my gloves and put them on. Then I grabbed both blades and closed the locker. As I was making my way out, I came across the room that Shining Armor was in. I knocked on the door and walked in. “How you feeling, Shining?” “Hurts like hell. But I’ll be fine. Shoulder’s popped back in place and on ice, but I can’t use it. Plus they placed ice on my ankle as well. At least you’re back up again.” “Back and ready to teach them a lesson. It’s time someone puts them in their place.” “Then do me a favor and give them hell. Just go easy on Long Shot. We know it’s not his fault for all this.” “I’ve done my part against Long Shot. Now I need to do the same with the others.” I started to walk out, but looked back and said, “Time I followed my destiny.” “I’m sure that this will be just the start of it.” Shining Armor gave a thumb up with his good arm. I grinned and returned the response before I left. Once I walked out of the locker room, I saw Sunset and Applejack with their gloves on. Master Luna and Nurse Redheart were also there. “Miss Luna and Sunset has told me things that even I can’t believe,” said Nurse Redheart. “But I have read miracle stories while I was in medical school. And this qualifies as one of them. I may not know the science of what you are dealing with, but if they are dealing with some kind of genetic enhancement, I might be able to find the signs of them doing it from the outside. I’ll be happy to help your team.” “Well, that’s one new member,” said Sunset. “And more to come,” I added. “Here.” I tossed Sunset her blade, Muramasa. “I think I can guess why you wanted me to bring them. And I think Master Blades saw it as well.” “Then I think it’s time we bring them out of hiding,” said Sunset as she strapped her blade on her back. “Then what are we waiting for? We got a team to take down,” yelled Applejack. But before we can make our way outside, Lyra and Sweetie Drops ran straight inside. “Nurse Redheart, Coach Spitfire needs your help,” Lyra said in panic. But they were stunned when they saw me on my feet. ‘Yes, I’m healthy and cleared to play,” I said. “But what’s going on out there.” “We’re losing players and need Nurse Redheart to help check on them,” explained Sweetie Drops. Nurse Redheart asked, “How many?” “At least eight,” answered Lyra. Luna asked, “What’s the score?” “Crystal Prep leads 45 to 24. They scored a field goal, then two touchdowns. One of them added a two-point conversation to the touchdown,” explained Sweetie Drops. “So they have a 21 point lead,” I said. “We have our work cut out for us.” “Can one of you stay and watch over Shining Armor? He’s OK, but I hate to leave him here alone,” said Nurse Redheart. “I’ll stay. Bonbon can go with you,” Lyra said as she was pointing to Sweetie Drops. “Good. Make sure you check on his ice packs, in case they need to be replaced,” Nurse Redheart ordered. Lyra nodded and made her way to where Shining Armor was located. The rest of us made our way outside and headed towards the football field. Sweetie Drops got her cell out and made a call. “Hello, Twilight? Sweetie here. I have Nurse Redheart with me…Shining Armor’s out.” Applejack looked at her and signaled for her cell. “Hang on. Applejack wants to talk to you.” Applejack was able to take Sweetie Drops cell. “How many players are out…now at ten…where are we at the game…OK…don’t worry, we have a plan in place…trust me, you’re in for a surprise.” Applejack hanged up the cell and handed it back to Sweetie Drops. “Ten players are injured. Everyone’s been working double time. And what’s worse is that it’s now fourth and long. They’re letting the third quarter wind down so they can punt the ball with the wind’s help.” “Not going to happen,” I replied. “We need three touchdowns in one quarter. That means that we need to have the ball the entire time.” Applejack stopped me for a moment. “Now wait just a minute. Sounds like you want to run the gauntlet in this.” “You have a better idea?” Sunset asked Applejack. “Now I’m not saying I hate the idea. But how in the hay are you going to pull this off?” I decided to take off my left glove and looked at the scar on it. Sunset saw this and did the same. At that point, our scars started to glow once again. “Now I’ve seen it all,” said Nurse Redheart. “This must be the bonding thing you were telling us about?” Sweetie Drops started to have a confused look on her face, so Luna had to explain. “We got Nurse Redheart up to speed on Jack’s powers, as well as the bond they made when they got the scars.” “Wait a minute. We thought it was a kitchen accident that led to those scars?” said Applejack. “We lied,” answered Sunset. “I wanted to cut myself during our science project, and he decided to make a blood pact instead. We’re guessing that this was the start of our soul bonding.” “And since we have Nurse Redheart on our team, we’ll be needing more allies who can help us. Think you and Lyra can find us more members that we can trust?” I asked Sweetie Drops. “If that’s the case, I think I have a few leads on who can help us. As long as it’s OK with Miss Luna, then leave it to us to recruit.” “I can trust in your judgment on who can join,” replied Luna. “Just make sure I meet them before we go forward.” “Thanks, Sweetie Drops. We’re glad that you’re helping us out with this,” said Sunset. “No problem. And you can call me Bonbon. My real friends like to call me that, and the two of you have finally earned the right to do so.” “Then thanks…Bonbon,” I said. “This might take me a while to get used to it.” “We better hurry. If we want to stop them from punting the ball, we need to act fast,” Luna said. “Then we have one thing to do,” I said. Sunset and me clapped our left hands together to show them our new power. “SOUL LINK!!!” At first our hands glowed. Then it spread to our bodies. We felt our bond getting stronger. Once it was completed, we let go of each other. I could feel a new form of energy flowing through me, and Sunset felt the same thing in her. We put our gloves back on after that. “So that’s the new power that was given to you,” said Luna. “What all can it do?” asked Applejack. Sunset replied, “We’re about to find out.” All of us rushed over to the football field where the others were. The third quarter just came to an end, and our side of the stands felt defeated, while Crystal Prep’s side was filled with excitement. The only catch was that no one noticed me walking onto the field, with Sunset on one side, and Applejack on the other. Applejack looked up at the stands, trying to find Pinkie Pie. She was able to find her deflated and decided to put her finger and thumb between her lips and whistled, getting Pinkie’s attention. When she looked our way, I waved my finger in the air, asking to get the crowd rallied up. Pinkie’s hair became full of puffiness once again as her eyes went wide open. “HEY EVERYONE! JACK’S BACK!!!” That got everyone’s attention. The crowd slowly started to make some noise, then it got louder and louder. Some even started to call out my name. “Time to show them what you made of, Jack,” said Applejack. And show them, I did. I drew my blade and raised it into the air for all to see. The crowd on our side got louder than before. Then I pointed my blade to Crystal Prep’s side, showing them that this battle isn’t done yet. With one quick slash into the air, I sheath my blade and handed it to Applejack to hold. Soarin and Rainbow Dash came running up to us. “About time you got back,” said Rainbow Dash. “We’re getting beat down here.” She handed me one of the ear coms for me to wear. I said, “I need one of these for Sunset, Applejack, and Miss Luna. NOW!” Rainbow Dash had a case with a few more ear coms and bracelet transmitters for use. As Sunset and Applejack took their ear coms, I noticed Luna, Bonbon, and Nurse Redheart talking to Cadence and Roseluck next to the track area. Cadence must have wanted to know how Shining Armor was doing. Cadence was exchanging glances and nods with the others before going with Bonbon back to the locker room where he was. Nurse Redheart went on to see Coach Spitfire and check on the injured players. Dash made her way to where Luna was to hand her an ear com as well. I started to walk with Soarin, who had my helmet with its own transmitter in it, to see the rest of the team. “Welcome back, Jack,” said Thunderlane. “Yea, we could really us you right now,” added Flash. “I’m already aware of the situation, guys, and ready to go,” I said. “Well, you might have to wait until later. We’re about to punt the ball back to them,” explained Iron Will. “Sorry, but we’re down three scoring plays. We’re going to have to take a gamble from this point forward,” I said. “Well, you’re not the coach here, Jack. Iron Will is.” “Twilight, is this line secured?” said Luna. “Yes. Why?” responded Twilight. “Get my sis on here as well. I want her to hear this.” Celestia was sitting in front of the booth that Twilight was, and handed her an ear com for her to use, explaining the reasoning. “I hope you have a reason for all this,” said Celestia. “First off, Jack’s right. We have to take a chance in this game.” “Give Iron Will one good reason.” “The Realm of Souls.” Spitfire said, “Wait a minute. Did you just say…” “Yes. Jack and Sunset has been there,” explained Luna. “And with new orders from Master Blades.” “Hold on. Isn’t he dead?” said Rainbow Dash. “The realm of souls is a different place, Dash,” said Celestia said. “I hate to interrupt, but we do have a game, and mission, to finish,” said Applejack. “We’ll explain this later. Let’s focus on what’s in front of us,” said Luna. “OK, tell Iron Will what we need to do?” I said, “Fill them in, Sunset.” “Crystal Prep has ties to the Dark Star Organization. Don’t ask us why, we just know. And it’s up to us to bring them out of hiding.” “And beating Crystal Prep is what we need to do to make it happen,” I said. There was a moment of silence before Celestia spoke. “Coach Iron Will, Twilight Sparkle, work with Jack on this. If we have to expose his gift, then do so.” Sunset said, “Don’t worry. We have a new power that might make it easier for us. Just trust me on this.” Iron Will nodded. “What do you want to do here?” I asked, “Where do we stand on center?” “We’re down to just Bulk Biceps in that spot. And he’s been working both sides this past quarter,” Thunderlane explained. “You mean the big, white guy with the yellow buzz cut?” I asked Thunderlane. “That’s him.” “Good. I need someone to match up with Brick Wall,” I said. “We’re going to use his anger to our advantage.” “Then let’s get set up.” Iron Will looked to the others and yelled, “Listen up. Change of plans. We’re going for this.” The others were confused to his decision. I yelled, “Listen, if we don’t make a move now, we’ll never catch up with them.” One of the players asked, “How can we be able to catch up to them?” “Hey, they haven’t been as perfect as before. There’s still time to do this,” explained Flash. I said, “They already took down Shining Armor. Do you think he wants us to give up? NO!!! Follow my lead, and we’ll teach Crystal Prep a lesson they won’t forget. Let’s show them what real Wondercolts are all about.” Iron Will yelled, “You heard the kid. Now MOVE!!!” With the team excited, I went out with Flash, Thunderlane, and what was left of the offensive line. Once we were huddled up, I gave out my orders. “OK, here’s the plan. Double Dash Decoy. Flash Sentry, you take the right side. Thunderlane, you take the left. See if you can get double coverage on each of you. I want to make it easier for the rest of the line. Bulk Biceps, I want you to put your focus on Brick Wall. Keep him contained until I say so. Once I do, let him go. If he wants to take me down, it’s going to bite him back…hard. I want to create an opening in the line for me to pass through. If we don’t do this, then it’s all over. So let’s do this.” “YEAH!!!” Once we broke the huddle, I told Twilight to give me a ten count once I snapped the ball. The line was set up and Bulk Biceps grabbed the ball ready to snap it. Brick Wall was giving me the mean stare, but that didn’t phase me. I looked to the left and right as I was making my call, checking on Thunderlane and Flash to see if they were ready. They each gave a nod. That’s when I called for the snap. Bulk snapped the ball to me and started to take on Brick Wall. Flash and Thunderlane started to make their way forward, Flash being father ahead than Thunderlane. They each had one defender at the start, but a second one that was at the ends of the main line started to follow them, creating double coverage. I could hear Twilight counting up to ten. Once she reached ten, I gave the command. “BULK, NOW!!!” Bulk Biceps let Brick Wall go so that he could run up to me. I prepared myself to make my move, but Sunset was able to do something better for me. “SOUL ART #10: CHI BOOST TIMES TWO; TRANSFER!!!” A boost of energy came rushing into me, improving my reflexes. Just as Brick Wall was inches close to me, I pivoted my right foot and began to spin backwards, letting Brick Wall go right by me like a matador would do to a raging bull. Once I complete my turn, I was able to bump my elbow into Brick Wall’s back, causing him to go crashing down. Not only did my reflexes were improved, but so was my strength. With Brick Wall out of the way, I saw the hole I needed in front of me. I began my run straight through the hole, carrying the ball with Bulk Biceps following behind me. It felt like my speed was also improved as well. With all the other players behind me, I was left with the four that was covering Flash and Thunderlane. They saw me running forward and diverted their focus towards me. As they were running to me, Flash and Thunderlane did the same and tackle one of the two in their own group, leaving me with two defenders. The one that was with Thunderlane was coming close to me, but Bulk Biceps saw this and went past me and tackle him. That only left the one that was with Flash. This time, I decided to do what I needed to do. “SOUL ART #10: CHI BOOST TIMES THREE!!!” This time, I was able to execute the art myself, improving myself more than before. This gave me enough power to tackle into the last defender, knocking him down while I was still standing and holding the ball. With no one else left in front of me, I was able to run straight into the end zone, scoring the touchdown. Flash and Thunderlane were able to catch up with me to celebrate what I just did. Bulk was able to join up to us to do the same. The crowd on our side went crazy, while Crystal Prep just went silent, wondering what just happened. Coming from fourth and long to scoring a touchdown would be just pure luck in most eyes, but if the Dark Star Organization was watching, then they would start to catch on that I was gifted. As we started to run to the sidelines, special teams started to run up, with Swift Kick to do the extra point. Thunderlane decided to join them to help with the extra point. The rest of the team was able to celebrate with me at what I just did. I decided to ask for some space so I can join up with Sunset after what she just did for me. But as I joined her, Twilight decided to step in. “Can someone explain to me what the heck just happened there?” “Was there anything in the book about soul link?” I asked. “Not that I can recall,” Moon Dancer responded. “I think it’s because it’s more of a dual power than anything else,” explained Luna. “And Professor Star Swirl was only able to work with Master Blades on solo powers,” Celestia added. “Looks like we might have to add some new notes to that book later on.” “At least Jack can finally do the tenth art like we wanted him to,” said Applejack. “With or without Sunset’s help?” said Rainbow Dash. “That’s a good question. How were you able to do that?” Twilight asked Sunset. “I remember when Master Blades told us how I could support Jack by lending him some of my energy to boost his own, including activating some of his powers. And since I tried my best working with Jack on mediating, I decided to focus on myself and use the bond that we share to make it happen. The rest was just easy.” Rainbow Dash started to display a sly grin as she was rubbing her chin. “You know…” “Here we go. Dash have some crazy idea going through her head,” explained Applejack. Rainbow Dash said, “Oh come on. They’re not all crazy. Besides, if Jack can perform that well on offense, how well can he do on defense…or even special teams?” “She might be on to something.” I looked over to where Coach Iron Will was at and said, “Coach, can you come here for a moment?” He got my message and made his way over to our area. “Iron Will heard what you said. It’s risky, but if we plan to bring our enemy out of hiding, we might as well take a gamble. Plus, Crystal Prep knows how to kill time. And since we need two scoring plays, I would rather cut it down to one before handing the ball back to them.” “So we need to find a way to strip the ball from them,” said Twilight. “Hey Jack, if you can strip the ball from the return man, I might be able to pick it up and get us that touchdown we need,” said Flash. “They might expect something like that when they see him on the field,” said Moon Dancer. “But if we’re short staffed right now, maybe we could pull it off.” I decided to look over at Thunderlane after finishing the extra point and knew that he was able to listen in. I yelled, “Hey Thunderlane, you look a bit tired. Why don’t you sit this one out?” “Good idea,” he replied, giving a wink at me and sat down on the bench. “Let’s hope they were able to hear that,” said Twilight. “Coach, I’m going to need Swift Kick to do the kickoff here. Flash and me will work on taking the ball away from them.” “Go for it,” replied Iron Will. “Wait!” Sunset took off her left glove to inspect the scar. We could see that it was barely glowing. I did the same with mine and saw the same result. “I thought something felt odd.” Luna saw this and said, “Soul Link must only work for short amount of time. I wonder why?” “You think we need to do this again, just to be safe?” asked Sunset. “I don’t know,” I said. “But I don’t like to do it in front of the crowd.” “I have an idea. Give me your hand.” I lend my hand out to her, and when she took it, she pulled me in for a hug, with out left hands sandwiched between our bodies. “Soul Link” I felt our bond renewed between us, and no one was able to see what was really going on. “Go get them, Jack.” We let go of each other, and I was able to make my way to the field. I went up to Swift Kick at told him, “Listen up, I need you to keep the ball in the field of play, but make sure it’s in a spot where the return player will run towards my way.” “You want to try and strip the ball from him?” asked Swift. “I’m hoping that I can. We need to get another scoring play fast, and Flash my have the best chance to grab it once it’s lose.” Swift looked out at the field and said, “I might have an idea. Wind’s been light most of the game, so I can use that to our advantage. Besides, I think you might have broken their morale on that last play. If this doesn’t go as plan, we have to hope that our defense can stop them fast before they can recover.” “Then make it count.” We all lined up, with Swift at the center. Flash and I took opposite sides of the field. Swift looked at both sides before giving the signal. He kicked the ball high in the air, with little wind to support it. The return kicker was near the 15-yard line when he saw the ball coming down to him. He was ready to catch the ball, but misjudged the catch, causing it to bounce off his body and land in front of him, making it a live ball. In a panic, he rushed to grab the ball and started to run with it. I saw him run towards my area. As I was coming close to making contact, Sunset was able to execute another art. “SOUL ART #6: NEEDLE SHOT, TRANSFER!!!” I wasn’t expecting this, but somehow, I was able to lock on to the ball and threw my fist into it, knocking it out of his hands like it was being stripped. Flash was nearby and saw this and was able to pick up the ball while it was bouncing off the ground. Then he started to run towards the end zone. I was able to stay on my feet and ran just behind him. We started to notice a couple of players coming towards Flash, and only one thing came to mind. “Sunset, let’s do this together.” “I thought you never ask.” “SOUL ART #10: CHI BOOST TIMES FIVE!!!” I felt a major boost of energy coming into me. This allowed me to run faster and hit the first player in Flash’s way, knocking him back. I was still on my feet and was able to do the same to the second player. This cleared the way for Flash to run into the end zone, scoring a touchdown for the team. As we celebrated our latest touchdown, Swift Kick came up to us. “How the heck did you pull that off?” I asked him. “Give Moon Dancer some credit. While you were out, she noticed something odd about how the kick return player and filled me in during halftime. During the third quarter, I was able to see it from my angle and noticed that he wasn’t on target in his catches without much of the wind’s help. I figure if I can make a trick kick, like I do in soccer, and the fact that there morale was down, it might be enough to make him panic and throw him off so you can strip it from him without him knowing that it was coming.” “Kid, I might make you the best kicker on this team ever next season.” “Thanks,” said Swift. “Jack, you better get back here…fast,” said Applejack. “On it,” I said. “Swift, need you to handle the extra point for me.” “Already on it.” Thunderlane was able to join Swift while I made my way back to where Applejack was calling me. “What is it, AJ?” She moved out of the way to reveal Sunset looking drained. I went to her and ask, “You OK, Sunset?” “I…think so. Just…a bit…tired.” “After the two of you executed a chi boost, she started to feel dizzy and almost fainted,” explained Luna. “Jack, I need you to use your soul reading power, but this time look into her own soul,” explained Celestia. I took my gloves off and did the same with her gloves. I clasped my hands around hers and closed my eyes. What I sensed next worried me. “It’s…weak.” “I was afraid of this.” “What do you mean, sis?” “Best to let Twilight explain.” “Since I had a chance to look over the book with Moon Dancer, I noticed that Star Swirl had this…theory about a person’s soul, and it’s been racking my brain this past couple of weeks. It said this: “A person’s soul is life. In theory, if a person’s body is drained, as long as their soul is strong, they will live on.” “If I’m reading this right, and I’m understanding this Soul Link power, Sunset has been lending you her own soul to boost your power. And since she doesn’t bear the gift that you have, it’s becoming harder for her to recover.” Luna replied, “Of course. Why didn’t I think of this sooner? This bond that they shared should have worked between two gifted students. That’s why soul link only works for a short time. It was to allow Sunset time to recover better. If she uses Soul Link more often with Jack, then…” “She could be killing herself in the process,” I said. I then thought about what Master Blades told us about it working both ways. So I decided to use Soul Link myself, but in reverse. I started to transfer my own power back into her, causing her to recover. “There. You feel better?” Sunset started to show signs of recovery and said, “Yea. Thanks.” “How were you able to do that?” Luna asked me. “I remembered Master Blades saying that Soul Link can work both ways, allowing me to lend my power to her so that we could be in sync during battle. I figure I could transfer my soul energy to her, since I’m gifted.” “How do you feel?” “Still fine, but I didn’t transfer much to Sunset, just enough to help her recover on her own.” “I think that would work, since he can last longer than any other person,” explained Twilight. “Jack, you might want to sit this one out for a while,” said Coach Iron Will. “Best to let the defense take over so you can rest and get ready for the next comeback.” “Agreed. I’ll leave it to you for now.” I decided to sit down next to Sunset so I can rest for a moment. Now we were down by a touchdown, as long as the defense can hold them at bay, we should be able to strike back and tie up the game. But that was not the case here. Crystal Prep’s offense was taking their time going down the field, and that allowed them to use up a good part of our time. All of the plays were rushing plays that stayed inbounds. This was the same tactic that they used the last time we faced them. But the only difference was that Long Shot wasn’t his usual self because he had a few sacks made at him. But by the time they made it to the red zone, our defense was able to hold them back. This allowed them to set up for a field goal. This would put more pressure on us, but something about the special teams was off. So I had to ask the question. “Does anyone know how many time-outs we have?” “Just one,” replied Rainbow Dash. “They used up the others in the last quarter.” “One you say?” If that was the case, I had to act fast. “Coach! Ice the kicker!” “But we only have…” “JUST DO IT!!!” Coach Iron Will went up to the ref and called our last timeout, just before they could get the snap off. I took my helmet and ran up to coach. Flash and Thunderlane joined up to us. Coach started at me and said, “I hope you have a damn good excuse for using our last timeout.” “Tell me, has Brick Wall been working on both sides?” Thunderlane said, “Yea. Since some of the players were suspended. Why?” “How come he hasn’t been on special teams?” “They still have their center for special teams,” explained Coach Iron Will. “They prefer it that way.” “Do you think that Bulk Biceps can pierce through that offensive line without Brick Wall?” Coach Iron Will started to catch on to my thinking. “You think you can get through that line if he can make that hole for you?” “If he can take down one player, I can get through and stop their kick from happening.” “I’ll go get him,” said Thunderlane and left the group. “Jack, I hate to say this, but you would have to time that opening just right. And we can’t rely on Sunset’s help with Soul Link,” said Twilight. “I’m aware of that,” I said. “I think I can handle this on my own from here on out.” Thunderlane returned with Bulk Biceps in tow. “Hey Jack, T said that you need another hole in the line again,” said Bulk. “Yea, but not like last time. You think you can take down their center so I can get through. I just need to get by and see if I can stop them from scoring a field goal.” Bulk said, “With that small guy? YEAH!!!!!” “Then we haven’t a moment to lose. Thunderlane! Flash! I’ll need your help with this. Need to make them think one of you are planning to run to the kicker from the side.” “I’ll get the rest of the line set up,” said Thunderlane. Thunderlane was able to get a custom special teams line made up, with him, Flash, and Bulk along with me. Flash and Thunderlane went to take the ends of the line, while Bulk went to the center. I was behind him, but added some distance from him. I knew I was going to have to rely on my own powers to pull this off. I’ve gotten used to the game since I started, but this plan was going to be something new for me. But it has been awhile since I relied on the first power that I learned about back during tryouts. Soul Release. As both sides were ready to go, I closed my eyes and took a few deep breaths before I opened my eyes. My focus was on the ball and nothing else. Instinct started to take over. The ball was snapped and went to the placeholder. Our line started to push forward, with extra effort on the ends. I started to run towards Bulk as he was busy pushing their center back. As I came close to him, he was able to push him back enough to open a hold for me to leap over. It was small, but it was enough for me to jump over. As their kicker kicked the ball into the air, I landed on the other side for their line and made a leap to swipe the ball. My fingertips were able to touch the ball, but couldn’t stop it. But it was enough to redirect the ball. As I landed on my feet again, I looked back and saw that it was heading towards the right goal post. It soon then past the goal post, and the ref was able to wave it off, saying that it went wide right of the goal post. That was enough to deny them the field goal and get us the ball where the kick started. I rejoined the rest of my team as we celebrated our achievement. Now we needed to make our way back down the field and score a touchdown in hopes to tie the game. Since Crystal Prep was able to use up most of the clock, and since we no longer had any timeouts, we only had less than four minutes to score. Everything was riding on this drive. We were able to push forward, but any effort to go out of bounds wasn’t going to happen. This caused us to either do a hurry-up play, or spiking the ball after reaching a first down. As we finally go into the red zone, we were down to just less than a minute left in the game. We were able to push forward some more and get what would be the last first down before scoring. I was able to spike the ball at that point and stopped the clock with 16 seconds remaining. That left me with maybe three plays to score, none of which could be rushing plays. Our first effort left us with our key players being covered, causing me to throw the ball away, leaving me with 12 seconds left. My next attempt was just like before, but when I tried to throw it to Flash, it was swatted away from him, stopping the clock at just 6 seconds left. With one last play remaining, Thunderlane had one play left in our back pocket that we have yet to execute this season. And now was the time to put it to the test. As we lined up, Thunderlane was able to start running to my backside. The ball was snapped to me and I was able to toss it back to him. Flash still had someone on him, so it was up to me to run forward to the end zone. Brick Wall saw this and started to follow me to my spot. Thunderlane make a fake throw to Flash, but held the ball and looked at my direction. There was still some space between Brick Wall and me, so he threw it straight to me. Instinct took over once again. I was able to read where it was going to land, but I would have to move the other way into Brick Wall to get it. I let my senses help me in knowing where he was while I had my eye on the ball. At just that moment, I was able to spin dodge him like before, letting him by me and was able to catch the ball in the end zone, scoring the touchdown as the clock hit zero. All that was left was getting the extra point and forcing the game into overtime. We started to run off the field as the extra point unit came on to the field. Then an idea just hit me. “Coach, do they still have a time out with them?” “Yea, why?” Before I could answer, he knew what I was starting to think. “Give them the signal.” Both of us held up two fingers, issuing a 2-point conversation. They were confused at the moment, but Swift Kick caught on and called the team back to the sidelines. He believed that we wanted to go for it, which is what I wanted to do. But I needed them to panic and use their last timeout so we can setup a play better. I issued my line in a hurry-up offense in hopes that they would take the bait. They did and called their last timeout because they didn’t have the right players on their side for what was to come. Now that we showed our hand in what we were doing, we had no choice but to go with it. We got together with the coach and talked about what our best plan would be. I wondered if we could go with the same play as before, but with one more twist. The main part was to get the guys off of Flash so that he could catch the ball. We agreed and went up to the field to line up. I knew that this was now or never, and I plan to finish it no matter what. I explained to the rest of the team what we were doing and telling them that it all came down to this. Once we got setup, I made the call to both sides. Then the ball was snapped. Flash went forward, causing one of the opposing players to follow. Thunderlane went up behind me, so I was able to toss the ball and started to make my move slightly forward. Once I saw the other player leave Flash to assist in taking me down, I shifted backwards so that Thunderlane would pass the ball backwards to me. He did, and I caught it. Seeing Flash in the open across the field to the other corner, I tossed the ball into the air in his direction. When the other player saw what was happening, he diverted back to where Flash was. As Flash was able to grab the ball in the air, he was tackled by the opposing player, causing his body to land out of bounds. It wasn’t long before the ref was able to lift his hands up in the air, calling it a good catch. Flash was able to hold on to the ball and keep both his feet inbounds as he came down. The whole team erupted, as we were able to win the game, 46 to 45. Everyone was able to run up to the field to join us in the celebration. Thunderlane and me were able to join up with Flash. As we celebrated, the team started to lift Flash and me up on their shoulders in victory. As that was going on, Flash pointed me to someone on the track. It was Lyra, Bonbon, and Cadence with Shining Armor, who was in a wheelchair. Shining was able to give a thumb up to us in our victory. The guys were able to put us back down on the ground as our friends came running up to us. It was Twilight who went up to Flash while Sunset just ran and jumped on to me in a great big hug. “You did it!” Sunset said to me. “We did it…as a team,” I corrected as I gave Flash a brohoof. Mr. Discord started to walk up to the center of the field. Carrying the trophy was a big red guy with white hair and beard, wearing a black tracksuit. He was just as big as Coach Iron Will. Flash nudges his elbow at me and said, “Hey, that’s Coach Tirek. He’s the head coach at Equestria University and is part of the high school sports council in the nation.” “So that’s the guy that Coach Iron Will was telling me about.” Mr. Discord grabbed the microphone and tapped on it to make sure it was on. “Ladies and gentlemen, it is time to award the winning team of the regional high school football championship. Tonight, this trophy goes to the new champions, the Canterlot High Wondercolts.” The trophy was handed to Coach Iron Will for him to hold up in the air for all to see. “Now I hand the mic to Coach Tirek of the sports council to award the MVP of the game.” The mic was handed to Coach Tirek for him to speak. “Thank you, Mr. Discord. I now would like to hand the award to the MVP. Usually, I would chose one player, but this is the first time that two MVPs will be chosen. The MVPs of tonight’s game goes to Jack Diamond and Flash Sentry.” Both of us walked up to him to hold up a plaque for the MVP award. “Congrats on winning the MVP. I’ll see to it that you each get a plaque later on.” We thanked him back and raised the plaque high for all to see. The entire crowd of students were yelling and screaming in victory. But it was about to be short lived when my senses started to go off. The students of Crystal Prep were still in the area, and in front of the group was a cyan lady with dark purple hair with a dark blue suit and flat-rimmed glasses. Celestia and Luna saw this and started to walk in front of our group as they walked up as well. “So, Principal Cinch. Here to congratulate us on our win?” said Celestia. “Hardly,” she replied with a stern tone. “The only reason that you won was that we were short on players on our side.” “Hey,” replied Rainbow Dash. “We started to lose players as well while you started to take a big lead.” “That’s because we had players suspended from the playoffs while yours were getting injured,” said Brick Wall. “Because they destroyed the gym for homecoming!” yelled Pinkie Pie. “And those meanies stole one of our pets as well,” added Fluttershy. “Not to mention pin the blame on Sunset here,” said Applejack. Cinch sighed and said, “Again with the so-called claims on our school. This is all just a ploy so that you can finally win a championship.” “Need we remind you that we also beat you a couple of weeks ago before all this happened,” said Luna. “And we have proof that three of your students were in charge of all this, one of which was still active on your team,” explained Twilight. “And all this started with their appearance about a month ago.” Before Cinch could respond to this, Coach Fleetfoot walked up to her to speak. “They might have a good excuse for all this.” She pulled out a piece of paper to show to her. “I heard from a source that those three students did skip out on their last two classes about a month ago. So I requested the attendance records from their classes and saw them absent from those classes.” Indigo Zap and Sour Sweet each had Lightning Dust and Suri Polomare with them, dragging them in from of the group. Sunny Flare and Lemon Zest was able to grab Brick Wall and bring him up as well. Sugarcoat was able to join them as well. Fleetfoot continued. “If what they say was true, then they could have skipped classes to plan something like this. Maybe even more than these claims alone.” “It still doesn’t prove that they had any part of it. But to skip out on classes would deserve a day of after school detention, nothing more,” replied Cinch. “So you’re just going to turn a blind eye to what all they did?” yelled Sunset. “I had to go through hell thanks to those three. You just want to do whatever it takes to win, not carrying about what happens to anyone else.” Cinch was shocked to hear this and responded. “Principal Celestia! I think it is wise to keep your students in check. Such outbursts are uncalled for here.” It was then that I was at my tipping point. That’s when I remember Moon Dancer saying: “Jack might have to issue the challenge, but the timing has to be right.” If I was to issue the challenge, I needed to push Principal Cinch to that point. “Who should keep whose students in check?” My outburst placed everyone in shock. “If I’m seeing this right, you’ve been overlooking your students’ activities out of school so that they can do whatever they want because they think they can get away with it. Either you’re not doing anything about it…or you’re a part of it.” ‘How dare you accuse me of such…treachery,” she replied. “And to think this would come for some so-called M-V-P.” “Did you just…call me out?” I went and took off my jersey and pads, leaving my t-shirt on that had my tattoo shown under my neck. I walk to where Applejack was, still holding my blade. “I have you know that you have insulted a member of the Manehattan Knights. The tattoo on the back under my neck is proof of that. And all you have been doing is denying any truth to the claims that have been placed onto you. I hope one of your students know about the Order of the Manehattan Knights law that was put into place for us.” “I do,” replied Sunny Flare. “Simply, it allows any knight to resolves issues in an equal manner once requested.” “And I should thank Twilight for making that request earlier this week,” I said. “But since your mother wouldn’t come to terms with the result, and the fact that she just insulted me in my judgment, I am left to do one thing.” I faced them once again, drew my blade, and said, “I’m executing the Order’s challenge amendment.” I pointed my blade and said, “Principal Cinch! As the captain and founder of the Manehattan Knights, I hereby challenge you to a one-on-one sword duel, until first blood has been drawn. Sunset, hand your blade over to her.” Sunset drew her blade and carried it flat on both of her hands. When she came close to Cinch, she took the blade in inserted it into the ground before returning to my side. It was then that Sugarcoat spoke up. “The only problem to the challenge is that you have to have another knight to second the challenge before it could go forward, which I don’t see how that could-” “I SECOND THE CHALLENGE!!!” It was Coco who interrupted Sugarcoat. “As second-in-command and co-founder of the Manehattan Knights, I hereby agree to the captain’s challenge against Principal Cinch.” Cinch was shocked once again. “Why you…Mr. Discord, are you going to let this person do this to me?” “I’m sorry, but once a knight issues a challenge, I have no power in this issue,” said Discord. “If I intervene, I’ll be forced to take your place in the challenge.” “THAT’S RIGHT!” I knew whose voice it was. The crowd looked back to see who said that and separated, opening a pathway for the group. Coco and me were surprised at who was walking forward: Night Glider, Double Diamond, Sugar Belle, and Party Favor. And at the center of that group was a lady with curly tan hair, wearing a button-up shirt, jeans, and a denim jacket. Professor River Song. It was her that spoke earlier. She looked at me and said, “Excuse us for showing up, but we figure that you would take this course of action.” She turned her attention to Principal Cinch and said, “Whenever an official knight issues a challenge, if anyone intervenes in the challenge, they are forced to cover or assist the challenger. That is the Order’s law.” Cinch asked, “And you are?” “River Song, adviser to the Manehattan Knights. And for the record, we received this request on the issue from Miss Luna a few days ago.” “We looked at all the data about what all went on, and believe that Jack’s decision is reasonable,” said Double Diamond. “But your response is an insult to all knights.” “And since Jack issued the challenge to you, we all agree that his challenge should go through as plan,” said Night Glider. Sugar Belle said, “If you don’t think that you can handle the challenge issued, then either you can agree to Jack’s judgment, or…” “Or you can have someone take your place,” finished Party Favor. “We’re sure that one of your students is willing to step up for you.” “Your school only honors its pride in what it does. Perhaps it’s willing to sacrifice some blood to prove that it is willing to do whatever it takes to get the job done,” I said. “And just so you know, the blade in front of you is called Muramasa, also known as the blood-thirst blade,” said Sunset. “Since it has been drawn, it requires the blood of another before it can be sheath.” “So, what is it going to be?” I asked. Before she could speak, Sunny Flare ran up and took the blade from the ground. “I’ll fight for my mother.” “Sunny, what the heck are you doing?” yelled Indigo Zap. “Fighting for my mother. I lost a father that I never knew. I’m not going to let anything happen to my mother as well.” “Are you crazy?” replied Indigo. “Sure we trained together, and I’m glad that you became my sparring partner, but you don’t even know how to handle a sword.” “Well, I don’t recall you ever training with this guy,” said Sunny as she was referring to me. “All he’s doing is showing off. Like he would know how to wield a sword.” Indigo face-palmed at the response. “What’s the first rule in dealing with troublemakers?” “I’m sure you want to remind us about that rule,” said Sour Sweet, “but I don’t think it applies to what’s going on here!” The only reason she would ask that question meant that it was time for everyone to know about us. “Never cross the line unless they cross it first.” This had the girls on the other side in shock. “Dude, how do you know that?” asked Lemon Zest. “Because it was a rule we made back in the 8th grade,” answered Indigo, getting the others to look at her. “Jack here…was my first training partner back then. We made that rule after…after what I did that almost cost another person’s life.” “And these past weeks, I have seen some people cross that line too many times that I have yet to respond,” I said. “So I’ve decided to cross that same line and see if I can put an end to this before it goes too far.” “But we promised that we would never kill anyone.” “That’s why it’s a duel until first blood is drawn.” “That’s not how I see it. You’re relying on a blade instead of your fist.” “YOU HAVE A BETTER WAY OF HANDLING IT, BECAUSE I’M RELYING ON THE KNIGHTS’ ORDER TO SOLVE IT…MY WAY!!!” “But…” “BACK OFF!!! Ever since I’ve come here, all I’ve heard about this school is their damn pride. And for that, they think they can get away with whatever they want to do. It’s time they learn what happens when they let it go through their heads.” I was furious at to what was going on. I knew that something needed to be done. And this time, I wasn’t holding back, and Indigo saw it in my eyes. She knew she needed to stop this, and fast. That’s when she went up to Lightning Dust and grabbed her by her shirt. “See what you have done?” “Why are you pinning this on me?” Lightning Dust panicky replied. “You damn well know why! Take a good look at him. See the blood-shot eyes? That’s not anger or hatred, that’s vengeance. The same look that I once had years ago. And he’s not going to stop until it’s done.” “So?” “So…let me make this simple, all that you have done up to this point has helped Sunny Flare sign her death wish. And if she dies here and now…I will be the last face you ever see in your life.” Silence came on the field. The two of us were staring at each other with our blades ready to strike. This was one bluff I could not make like last time. If Lightning Dust was going to stop this from happening, it had to be now. … … “WAIT!!!” Lightning Dust panicked. “Principal Cinch! The alibi that Fleur gave…was a lie.” “What!? Explain what you mean,” asked Cinch. “We forced it on to her to tell you that alibi,” replied Lightning Dust. Indigo yanked of her shirt. “Everything! Tell us everything!” “OK, OK. When we all learned about Jack in the newspapers, Fleur wanted to have a meeting with him, just to chat. Suri had an idea what was going through her mind and explained it to me. We figured that we could use this chance to plan for the school prank before the big game, and maybe take out the competition at the same time. We did our research and found out how to find him. But having that Goth girl with him might have complicated things. When the other girl showed up, we had no choice but to flee. We figure that we get back at her by destroying the homecoming decorations and taking the bunny and placing the blame on her. We asked for help in getting in and finding our way in the building and were able to pull it off, but problems came up when the bunny was later gone. When we learned that suspensions were being handed out, we threaten Fleur to give you an alibi to keep the three of us in the clear so we can find a way to get back at them for spoiling our plans. After what happened a week ago, I figure that it was enough fuel to help get back at Jack and Sunset.” “So all you were doing was using Fleur as some…pawn?” asked Indigo. Dust rapidly nodded. “Indigo, you can let her go,” requested Cinch, in which she did. “I’ve heard enough. After hearing all this, I am shock at what you three have done to damage the repartition to our school. Since the football season is over, I have no other choice but to have all three of you suspended next week, followed by detention until the end of the semester. Lightning Dust, because of this, you will not be allowed to try out for the basketball team this school year.” River Song went to clear her throat and said, “I believe an apology is in order?” Cinch adjusted her glasses and said, “I guess it does. Jack Diamond. I’m sorry for the actions that these three students have done to you and your classmates. I hope the punishment that I have given will do.” “I will.” I sheath my blade and said, “I withdraw my challenge against you, Principal Cinch, and agree to the actions that you have done to resolve this issue.” “Then if you will excuse me, I have other business to take care of.” As she was leaving, she looked at Sunny Flare and said, “We will discuss your actions later.” As she was leaving, Discord stopped her and said, “I expect you in my office tomorrow…at noon. We need to discuss your schools’ policy so that this doesn’t happen again.” She stared him for a moment, and then went on her way. There was a lot of talking as to what just happened. Sunny Flare was still holding Muramasa, not knowing what to do with it. Sunset Shimmer walked up to her and held out her hands, asking for the blade. She gave it to her, to which she replied, “I offer my own blood to this blade for you.” She took the blade and cut her hand on the same scar like before. Sunny Flare took out a small handkerchief and used it to wipe the blood off the blade before it can be sheath, then tied it around Sunset’s hand to stop the bleeding. “Th-thank you,” replied Sunny Flare. She looks towards the students of Crystal Prep and yelled, “Alright, losers. Time to go home. There’s nothing else to see here.” “You heard her, boys. Time to leave,” yelled Long Shot. He walked up to me with Fleur next to him. “I don’t think I could have done what you have just done on, and off, the field.” “I’ve been staying in the shadows for far too long. It was time for me to step up and do something to fix all this.” I looked at Fleur for a moment, then back to Long Shot and said, “You take care of her. I hate for her to get caught up in this mess again.” He looked at her, then back at me and said, “I will. And I hope we face each other again later on.” Fleur looked at me and just gave a simple nod, which I replied the same. Then they left together, along with the rest of the students of Crystal Prep. After they all left, all the students from our school started to leave, with only several waiting behind. Within that group were my parents with Chrysalis next to them, who walked up to join some of us. “Well, I never would have expected something like that to happen,” my mother said. “We were worried that bad things were going to happen after the game,” my father added. It was River Song who walked up behind me and said, “When we received the info and figured out the possible outcome, we figured that Jack needed some backup for what was to come. I was able to get these four out of school early so that we can make our way here. We’re just glad that it came out good at the end. And that was our 13th issue to resolve.” “Hey, I’m sure you want us to stay for a while, but we have a long road back home, and we need to make sure that we are ready for anything back there,” said Double Diamond. “Well, you guys take care. And keep me in the loop if anything is happening that I need to know,” I said. “Oh we will,” said Night Glider. “And make sure you tell that one girl, Gilda I believe, to be careful when entering into other people’s turf.” “Don’t worry. Ms. Harshwhinny and me have that covered,” said Sunset. As my fellow knights left, my parents decided to take Chrysalis home as well, since I needed to return to the locker room and get changed. I was able to talk to some of the others before all of them started to leave. Twilight and her parents planned to take Shining Armor to the hospital to have his injuries looked at. Nurse Redheart said that he would be fine, but he needed to have the shoulder looked at better. Sunset handed me Muramasa before walking with the group out of the stadium. I walked with Flash and Thunderlane back to the locker room.
Epilogue“Hey Jack, see you next time.” “You too, Flash. Get some rest. You earned it.” “Same for you.” Flash was the last to leave, with the exception of Coach Iron Will in his office. I was able to place both blades back in its case and closed the locker. All of my gear was already placed in a storage bin to be cleaned next week. I walked towards the coach’s office and knocked on the opened door. “I’m the last one out coach.” “OK.” I started to walk away before he caught my attention. “Hold up, Jack.” I went back to see what he wanted. “There was something I wanted to ask you.” “Seeing that you just said ‘I’ could only mean that it must be personal.” “It is. When I heard that you and Sunset went into the Realm of Souls, I knew that you would be able to make anything happen. I’m just wondering what it was like in there.” “It was all…white. Nothing else. But it’s only a bridge point that allows the gifted to be reborn.” “Are you sure that was all you saw, besides Master Blades in that realm?” “There was one other thing there, but I rather not say for now.” “The Tree of Harmony?” When he said that, I was a bit shocked. He continued. “The legend in the library isn’t just some legend, but the truth. All of us know this.” “As in all of the staff members in our group?” “Yes. Including Coach Tirek. Remember the story I told you about how the Dark Star Organization was trying to make a god? One of the things that the Equestrian Knights and Riders knew was that they were looking for some magical tree that could give them the power to complete their experiments.” “That could explain why they have yet to perfected the process, even if they are still around now. Maybe lacking a male victim isn’t enough to complete what they were doing.” “Maybe so, but we still don’t know how they are doing it. And we’re not sure what the Tree of Harmony has a role in all this.” “There was one thing that Master Blades told me when I asked him why it was there. He said that it was waiting for ‘The Awakening.’ Would you know anything about that?” “Not really. Unless what’s in the library could explain its meaning. I’ll talk to Tirek about this. Maybe he would have an idea about this, once he speaks to you.” “You mean he wants to talk to me?” “You and the rest of the group. He’ll let us know when the best day and time is to meet. For now, you need to relax for a while. Clear your head, and be ready for what’s to come.” “If that’s the case, I want Professor River Song on this as well.” “Already on it. Now go home and get some rest. You earned it, Jack.” “Thanks coach. I’ll see you on Monday.” I left the locker room and out the school door with my case in hand. I went up to where my truck was and saw six girls waiting next to it. I was shocked to see Sunset with the Elite 5 next to my truck. “Took you long enough to get here,” said Indigo Zap. “Just had a quick chat with the coach before I left,” I replied. “So what does the Elite 5 want now?” “Nothing much. Just your support,” said Sunny Flare. “We understand why you and Indigo decided to keep your friendship a secret from us, and we understand.” “We don’t hate her for doing so,” said Sour Sweet, “but we wish she just told us sooner!” Sunny glared at her. “Sorry.” “We can guess that Long Shot no longer has his gift, but it doesn’t answer our question as to why we have these gifts,” said Sugarcoat. I said, “We’ll find out in due time. For now, we need to take it easy until then.” “Dude, can’t argue with you there,” said Lemon Zest. Indigo said, “Well, we need to head on back. Talk to you later.” “Same here,” I said. As the Elite 5 started to leave, Indigo looked back and yelled, “You better take good care of him, girl. You hurt him, and we’re coming for you, you hear?” “Don’t worry, I will,” replied Sunset. Once they were out of view, I looked at Sunset and said, “I would have guess that you would have gone with your mother afterwards.” “I thought that too, but since you were going to be here a bit longer, I figure I stick around a bit longer. Besides, I needed to talk to Indigo anyway, since she and her group decided to stay as well.” I asked, “So were they all part of your plan?” “Just Indigo. Sunny was shocked when we told her about the plan. We hoped that she would step in for her mother. That was all that we need to get Lightning Dust to confess.” “You just waited for me to issue the challenge first so you can get the wheels turning.” “Yep, but I wasn’t expecting your fellow knights to show up to help.” “I know. At least Coco decided to step up and support me in my decision.” She started to wrap her arms around my neck. “So what happens now?” I decided to wrap my arms around her waist. “We relax…for now.” “So…I’m guessing that things will never be normal, will they?” “Do you want them to be?” “I know that Twilight would, but we all know that it would never happen, after what you did tonight.” “What happened tonight was just the beginning. What happens next is anyone’s guess.” “Then how about you take me for a ride.” “Home?” “Actually, I was hoping you take me to that same spot we went to after homecoming.” “It’s going to be chilly this time of the year.” “I’m fine with that. Besides, we may never get another chance for some quiet time again. My mother did say that you should live your life like there’s no tomorrow.” “Wise words. Well, if we plan to go, can you text my dad for me. I want to make sure he knows that I’ll be late.” “Agreed.” And with that, we got into my truck. As I started it up, she took my cell and sent a text to my dad that I would be running late coming home. With that out of the way, we drove off to where the sparks went off for the two of us, never knowing what would happen next. Author's Note And with that, we come to the end of the first book. Be on the lookout for the next book in the Equestria World saga. "The Rise of Harmony"
Ch. 25 - Samurai and Demon (Part 6) - RedemptionWe made our way towards Fleur’s mansion to find Octavia at the pick-up spot. We saw Octavia at an intersection, waving at us. Once she was in the truck, she told us that Angel and the trio that we encountered were at Fleur’s place, but something wasn’t right about the group. She directed us to where the team was located. “Rarity, we were told that something was wrong about the group,” I said. “Can you explain?” “It’s best that you hear it yourself,” she replied. “Vinyl was able to record much of the conversation.” Vinyl handed us some earphones for Sunset and me to listen to, as she started to replay the conversation. “I don’t understand why I have to keep this bunny,” Fleur said. “Why can’t you keep it in the first place?” “Fleur, none of our parents will allow us to bring any pets home without them talking about it first,” Lightning Dust replied. “And we can’t afford to leave it at the school. Someone will get suspicious about it.” “And we all know that you live by yourself, so that makes it easier for us,” Brick Wall added. “The only thing I’m interested in is Jack, not some lucky bunny from that school,” Fleur responded. “What is it with you and those Wondercolt losers,” Dust asked. “Last year, it was their star quarterback, Shining Armor. Then you went for their top guy, Flash Sentry. Now it’s this newcomer on their football team. Their from our rival school.” “Yea, aren’t there any guys at our school that are more interesting,” Brick Wall added. Fleur said, “All the rich guys are total snobs, which is just boring. The smart ones keep their heads in their books. And all the jocks just like to show off their talents. No offense.” “None taken,” Brick Wall responded. “I can understand how some of the guys on the team want to prove themselves to everyone. But not everyone can’t be what you think they are.” “Then name one who can also model for someone like Rarity,” Suri asked. “To find out that the new guy on the team can also be Rarity’s only male model makes me jealous. I can’t even find one guy at our school who can model for me.” “That’s what makes him interesting,” Fleur said. “A guy like him is who I need to impress my mother that I also like. And maybe, I can convince him to attend our school instead. Then we all can have what we want from him.” “I still don’t trust him,” Dust said. “He’s already friends with Rainbow Dash and Rarity. And he hangs out with that troubled girl at their school. If it wasn’t for her, this would have gone without any problems.” “What about that dark girl that was with him,” Suri asked. “I don’t know who she is, but she’s just as much a problem as the other girl. And she’s with Rarity.” “All you need to do is just leave the bunny here until we trash the Wondercolts tomorrow night,” Brick Wall said. “Then you don’t even have to worry about it after that.” “Maybe we should have her return it to them the day after,” Dust said. “Then the newcomer would see her as the hero and both will start dating.” “Like that’s going to happen,” Brick Wall said as he laughed. “I just hope he calls today, saying that he wants to meet me somewhere romantic,” Fleur said. “It would be a dream come true.” “Like he’s going to have the time to do that when he has to play tomorrow night,” Dust said. “Just meet him Saturday.” “They have…homecoming that day,” Fleur responded. “It’s not like he has time for me that day.” “Trust me, after what we did there, they will have to cancel their homecoming,” Dust responded. “There’s no way they can recover from that.” We removed the earphones when the recording ended. “I think Fleur is only interested in you and nothing else,” Rarity responded. “The trashing of the gym and stealing of Angel must have been Dust’s plan.” “Hey Jack, that girl’s still waiting for you to call her. Maybe you should give her a call and see if she can help us out,” Vinyl said. “Vinyl, it’s not like she can hand Angel to us on the spot,” Octavia said. “I think Vinyl might be on to something here,” Moon Dancer said. “Jack, since you have her address, why don’t you plan a visit to her place?” Sunset replied, “They’re just going to hide the bunny someplace else,” “And where’s the only place you would hide the bunny at this time?” Moon Dancer asked. A light bulb just went on inside Sunset’s head. “The school. And the others are getting set up as we speak. It doesn’t have to be right away, but plan to do so later on at an unknown time. They’ll panic in what’s being planned.” “Moon Dancer, what do you think about if I tell her that we just getting homecoming fixed up, and that someone is look for the bunny, like they didn’t see the note in the first place. Think that would make them panic better?” I asked. “It risky, but it might just work. And I need you to call her anyway. If I’m going to hack into her calls, I need a signal identifier to lock on to,” Moon Dancer recommended. So I got out my cell and made the call, waiting for her to answer. “Hello. Fleur? It’s Jack. “Jack! I wasn’t sure you were going to call me.” “Had to find some time to do so. Is it OK with you if I come by your place later tonight? I’m busy helping the others with fixing up the gym for homecoming right now.” “Isn’t…there a place we can meet after you’re free?” “I don’t know how late I’ll be working. Some of my friends are busy looking for a pet rabbit from the school that got out, so we were limited in the gym. I was thinking of coming by your place afterwards. It would be a safer opinion to go on. Some places could be busy or closed later tonight.” “Well…I guess that would be fine. Just make sure you call before coming over.” “I will. Bye.” I ended the call and went back to the group to listen in. Fleur panicked. “Not good, not good, NOT GOOD!!! They know the bunny is missing, and they almost have homecoming fixed up. And he’s coming over.” “What were you thinking,” Dust yelled. “You could have just canceled the whole thing.” “But they still plan to have their homecoming, after what you guys did,” Fleur responded. “This is the only chance I get to have some time with him.” “But we still have their bunny here,” Dust added. “If he sees it here, we are all dead.” “Then find another place to take it. I don’t care where, just do so for the night,” Fleur requested. “I’ll take it to the school’s locker room, since we have finished practice for the day,” Brick Wall said. “Since the students and staff will be out for the evening, it shouldn’t be a problem until morning. It’s not like they plan to break in with the security measures in place.” “Then do it and leave. I need the place to myself when he comes over. I’m going to make him mine, no matter what,” Fleur replied. Sunset, Rarity, Moon Dancer, and me removed our earphones. “We better make our way to the school before they get there,” I said. “Make sure that Twilight knows what’s going on, and keep a watch over her place until after we rescue Angel.” “On it,” Moon Dancer replied. “And Jack, Sunset, good luck.” We ran back to my truck and made our way to the school. Rarity sent us a text to look for Trixie near the school to meet up with the other group. Once we found her, she wanted us to park my truck in the nearby parking lot before joining up to the group with our blades. We saw that Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Lyra, And Sweetie Drops were wearing black, ready to go in. I also saw Twilight’s group looking over the school, along with Coach Spitfire and another blue woman with white hair. Spitfire said, “Jack, Sunset, this is my friend, Coach Fleetfoot of Crystal Prep. She’s helping us with our mission.” “It’s nice to finally meet a person with some real soul powers,” Fleetfoot responded as she shook my hand. “I’m hoping you can help find out about this school’s secret, but for now, we need to focus on rescuing your bunny.” Twilight said, “I got the info from Moon Dancer. We’re still trying to hack into the school cameras before they get here.” She handed me the same box from before that had the ear coms in them. “We made a total of six sets. The others have theirs on, so what’s in the box are for the two of you. It’s linked to my laptop so I can talk to you.” As we equipped our ear coms, Fleetfoot joined us with her cell towards her ear. “Twilight. Let me see your laptop.” She entered some commands that were being given from her cell. Just then, the school camera views showed on the screen. “Alright, we’re connected.” “Good job.” A masked voice came into our ear coms and Twilight’s headset. “Who is this?” Twilight asked. “You may refer to me as Shadow. That’s all you need to know.” “I asked…Shadow to help hack into the system, in case we have problems,” Fleetfoot explained. “Fill them in on what you have done so far.” “We already have prerecorded each camera view that looks empty, but we can replace one of the camera views with a recording. The school has only one guard, who does his rounds before making sure to lock up and move to the security desk near the entrance.” “Shadow, they plan to hide our bunny in the men’s locker room. Can we make our way in there without being detected?” I asked. “The door to the locker room will be locked from the outside, once he goes through his rounds. The best way will be through the air duct system on the roof of the locker room. Look at the screen.” Shadow showed us the pathway to the roof that leads to the air duct system. There was a ladder at the back of the school that leads to the roof over the locker room that we needed to take. We would have to enter the air duct, which would be almost narrow and a one-way trip inside. There were no cameras in the locker rooms, and we would have to make our way out through the hallways with their help. Getting past the guard will be the tough part, because all the other doors to the outside will send off a silent alarm expect the main door. We finally saw Brick Wall come up to the school with a school bag. Angel has to be in the bag. We looked at the cameras and saw him with the guard going to the men’s locker room. Once he came out of the locker room, his bag looked empty, and the guard locked up the room. Then we saw Brick Wall outside, leaving the school while the guard finished up with the outside rounds. “Once he finished with searching outside, he’ll go back in and do a quick check inside before going to his desk. You can make your way to the roof around that time.” “On it, Shadow. We’ll start getting ready. Just give us the word,” I said. Spitfire handed us some black clothes to change into. I went out of site to change while Sunset changed in front of the girls. That’s when my powers went off. I looked and saw Sunset’s jacket was off, and Twilight was making her way towards Sunset. “What is this?” Twilight said as she was pointing to Sunset’s scars on her arms. “It’s none of you business,” Sunset replied. Well, it is now.” Sunset started to turn away when Twilight grabbed her by the arm and turned her back around. “I asked you what is this?” I can see Sunset wanting to lash out at Twilight. AJ and Dash was about to intervene when I waved them off. This was between Twilight and Sunset. Twilight was holding on to Sunset’s arm, and Sunset’s hands turned into fist, ready to hit Twilight. It only took a moment before Sunset eased up on her fists and looked down. Twilight soon then realized that she was grabbing the spot that harmed Sunset the most. “I’m…I’m sorry. That was uncalled for,” Twilight responded. “I forgot about what happened to you when you were young, on that spot.” “It happened over the summer,” Sunset said, causing Twilight to look confused. “I made the cuts on my arms over the summer. I wanted to make the pain inside me go away, after all that has happened.” She looked at Twilight and said, “Look, when this is all over, I’ll be happy to answer any question that you want to know. Deal?” “Deal,” Twilight responded and shook her hand. “Get geared up. We got a bunny to rescue.” After getting dressed and geared up with our blades on our back, we made our way close to the school, but out of sight until the word was given. Twilight told us that the guard was inside and decided for us to make our way to the ladder at the back of the school. We saw that the ladder was covered with a metal fence and a lock, preventing anyone to enter. Sunset broke out some pick lock tools that she used to enter our school back then. She was able to open the lock, allowing us to climb the ladder to the roof. I made sure that the fence was closed and that we would have to place the lock back on it once we were done. The next step was to get inside through the air duct. But when we came up to it, we came across a problem. I said, “The air duct is sealed, well-designed bolts in place. Anyplace else that we can get in?” “Spitfire here. I had a feeling that this would be the case. That’s why you needed your blades. Can you slice through the metal?” “Looks like I’ll have to use the Blade Cutter art,” I said. “Applejack, if this goes through, you have to catch it so we don’t make any sudden noises.” “Got it,” Applejack replied. I started to grab my blade, but decided to go another option. “Sunset, draw Muramasa. It should be sharper to cut through it than Masamune.” “But I can’t do any of those soul arts, remember?” Sunset said. “Just trust me on this. I’m going to try something.” She drew her blade and had it ready to slash against the metal. I got up behind her and slid my arms underneath hers, placing one hand on the handle and the other with the palm on the blade. I closed my eyes, hoping that the same thing I did today would happen now. It was a small moment, but I started to feel it tell me what to do. That’s when I opened my eyes and said: “SOUL ART #3: BLADE CUTTER!” The blade quickly glowed, and we executed a forward slash through the metal, making a clean cut. Applejack was able to grab it as it fell off and laid it to the side. “We did it. I can’t believe it,” Sunset said as she sheath her blade. “I knew it would work,” I said. “Alright, we’re going in.” I went in first, landing inside the air duct. Three pathways were in front of me. Shadow told me to take the path to my right. I started to crawl, while the others started to come down, one at a time. I soon then came across an open vent that showed what looked like a locker room. I could see the door with the word “Men’s” in reverse, telling me that this was the room to go to. I was able to flip open the vent and slid out, feet first, landing on the floor. Since it was narrow, I can understand why it would be hard to get back in, so I used my blade to close the vent, knowing that the hallway was our only escape. We started to look through the locker doors, quietly calling Angel’s name. Sweetie Drops heard the thumping and found the locker he was in. Sunset went to pick the lock, removing the lock and opening the locker. We saw Angel unharmed and I was able to pick him up and placed him inside my shirt. With the locker closed and locked, it was time to make our escape. Shadow instructed us when and where to go, making sure that we were not spotted in the cameras as we made our way out. When we came up close to the main hallway leading outside, we needed a plan to get pass the guard. Twilight said that Fluttershy and Tree Hugger were making their way towards the school, hoping to get the guard to come outside and help them find Angel. When the guard saw the two outside, he made his way to the door and yelled at them, asking why they were here. When he heard what was going on, he maintains a clam manner and went outside to help. That was when we made our way to the exit. As we came close to the door, I raised my fist, telling the others to hold. I saw that the guard wasn’t far away enough for us to make our escape. I decided to ask Angel to help us out, seeing if he can lure them farther away to right of us so that we can make our way out through the left. Angel saluted and made his way out. By the time he made his away pass the bushes next to the building, he was able to get their attention and lured all three of them to that side. I signal my team to move on ahead to the left, seeing that Fluttershy and Tree Hugger kept the guard’s attention towards them and away from us until we were out of view. Once in the clear, Sunset made her way back to the ladder that we took and placed the lock back on it before rejoining us. With Angel safe with Fluttershy, we rejoined the others and waited for Fluttershy and Tree Hugger to join us before we left. Shadow told us that their work was done, and if we needed their help to let them know. Shadow said that it’s best to “not go into the battle alone.” I started to take a guess who Shadow really was, but didn’t want to say anything in front of the others. We were able to hand the ear coms back to Twilight, knowing that they worked well on this mission. She was hoping to attach them to the helmets for us to use at tomorrow’s game. Once Fluttershy and Tree Hugger joined us, we called Rarity on Twilight’s cell. Twilight said, “Rarity, we have Angel with us. Everyone is safe and sound. Meet us back at the school.” “That is good to hear, Twilight. But we might need to handle one more issue here.” I said, “Why do I have a feeling that this involves me with Fleur?” “It does, Jack. Moon Dancer, will you please explain?” Moon Dancer came to her cell. “Fleur just got a call from Brick Wall, saying that the bunny was dropped off. She requested that they leave her alone for the night, waiting for you to call and come over.” Rarity came back on the cell. “I think it’s wise not keep a lady waiting, now is it?” “That’s a good idea, Rarity,” Twilight responded. “Maybe we can get some more info about what they were trying to do last night.” “Plus, we can find out why Fleur is really interested in you,” Sunset added. I can see everyone giving me those evil stares. “You just wanted to get back at me after all that I’ve done to you, right?” Everyone nodded. Twilight said, “I think after keeping your gift a secret, you can handle some punishment.” “And this would be a good chance to understand how to confront a lady that’s interested in you for once,” Applejack added. “I did hear that she was hoping to take your V-card along with hers,” Vinyl yelled on the cell. “Vinyl, please don’t give him any ideas,” Octavia said on the cell. “You do know that I have a blade, and I have yet to use my Shadow Slash art,” I said. Fleetfoot placed her arm on my shoulder and said, “Look, I have had Fleur in my gym class the last two years. During her freshman year, she always came out, trying to get the attention of the guys in class. It didn’t work out well most of the time, but I though it was normal of her. When her sophomore year came around, she was doing the same thing again in my gym class, getting the same result. “I decided to have a talk with her about what she was doing in my class and how I wasn’t pleased with her actions. I knew that she was a foreign exchange student at the school, but didn’t know that she was living by herself in a mansion that her mother owned. When I asked her why she was doing this, it was because she was hoping to have someone in her life, and at such a young age. I told her that those actions are not allowed at the school and that she should remember that. Perhaps you can get her to understand the right and wrong way to approach a boy of her liking.” I sighed and said, “Fine, I’ll do it.” Twilight told Rarity, “We’ll be over there shortly. Maintain watch until then.” “Will do, Twilight.” I decided to call Fleur and tell her that I was on my way. When we went to our cars, I took Sunset’s blade with my own, and requested that Twilight should ride with me this time. I knew I needed to have a talk with her about some personal issues while heading down there. “You must be really enjoying this, Twilight,” I said. “Who, me? NNNNOOOOOOOO!!!” she replied. “Well, don’t be so sure about that.” “Come on. Maybe Fleur would be the girl just for you,” she responded with a giggle. “So I should just give up on Sunset and Applejack?” Her mood changed in an instant. “After AJ talked to you about me, and then you find out that I’m interested in her and Sunset, you just had to get Sunset’s side of the story, didn’t you.” “I just asked her if she had feelings for you, which she does. I wanted to make sure your feeling aren’t hurt.” “And you had to tell her about AJ after she asked, right?” She let out a sigh. “Sunset wants me to NOT get into a relationship with her and just ask AJ out to homecoming. Now tell me you really don’t want my feelings hurt.” “I guess I’d screwed up again, didn’t I? Ever since I took you on that tour, you seemed like a nice guy who needed help making friends. I figured that wouldn’t be a problem, until you decided to get into Sunset’s business. I was hoping that it would be easier to get you out of it, even AJ wanted to help make sure you were safe. Now that I understand the reason you were doing what you were doing, I guess I went overboard with all of this.” “If you want to blame someone, then take it out on Principal Celestia. She was able to plan all this from the start of school…with help from Professor River Song.” “I won’t. I think I can understand why she would want all this to happen in the first place. I just didn’t see it in the first place. I need to start asking more before making judgment calls in the first place.” “Well, at least you made a good judgment call yesterday. If anyone from Crystal Prep has a similar gift like my own, it’s the team’s quarterback. The way he can avoid being sacked would have to be from powers like my own. We just need to find a way to stop him tomorrow night.” “I just thought of something. Can I see your cell?” I nodded, and she grabbed my cell in my cup holder. “I’m going to change my name on here to ‘Mom’ so that if I need to send you a warning, she won’t know that it’s me.” “Good thinking. I know you plan to listen in, but if you have access to her cell signal, you can let me know anything that comes through her cell.” “Just do me one thing? Just be yourself towards her. She might try to come on strong to you, but you can detect anything from her. Go with the flow and see if you can get her to understand what she’s been doing.” “I’ll do my best,” I said before we made it to the meet-up point to drop Twilight off before I head to Fleur’s mansion. I drove up to the gate and pushed the buzzer. The gates opened and I drove up the driveway to the front of the mansion. When I got out of my truck, the door opened, with Fleur walking out to greet me in a white fur coat. “Sorry it had to be so late, but I felt like it would be easier to do this,” I said. “That’s fine,” Fleur replied. “I’m guessing you had to make sure that your school’s homecoming was ready for Saturday, right?” “Well, it was a mess this morning. I’m guessing that Crystal Prep decided to pull their prank overnight in the gym. We never saw that coming.” “Oh my. That sounds like it was a dirty prank that they wanted to pull. Why can’t they just let the games prove who’s best, instead of this stuff?” “Because Crystal Prep wins every game, from what I have been told.” “Well, let’s go inside. It’s a bit chilly out here.” So we walked inside, and I was surprised to see how big the main room was. “I’m surprised that you live in a place like this by yourself. How do you keep up with it?” “My mother owns the place. She likes to come here whenever she wants some R&R from modeling. She made sure I have workers to maintain the place on the weekends and a driver to take me to school. I like to have my parties here, but the students are not much of the fun type, and I want to make sure nothing gets damage in here as well.” “So you just have the place to yourself at night?” I asked her. “Why yes. But I like to spend it in my room. I’ll show you where it is.” I noticed that she put her coat away and was wearing a light pink silk dress. If she was trying to impress me, I guess it’s a start. When we walked to her room, which was to the right of the main room, I saw a lot of pink everywhere. I also noticed some cheese and crackers, and what looked like fruit punch in a pitcher and a pair of wine glasses on a table. “I wasn’t sure if you ate,” Fleur said. “I hope cheese crackers and fruit punch will do?” “In a wine glass?” I asked. “Well I don’t intend to drink, but I figure the wine glasses would be a nice touch,” she said as she poured fruit punch into the wine glasses and handed me one of them. I took a sip of the punch. “You used the powdered stuff, right?” “How did you know?” “Too much in the punch. But it’s good anyway.” “I’ll remember to use a bit less than before. I’m used to just using the single packs that they sell and pour them into a water bottle. You’ve seen them, do you?” “We use those a lot back in Manehattan. My dad did construction work over there. It was easier to have something good to drink in the summer heat.” I sat down and took a bite of the cheese crackers. “At least these are good. I’m usually a light eater at times.” “That’s good to hear.” She sat down across from me and took a bite as well. “I hope I’m not keeping you late here.” “Oh, I didn’t have any homework today. It might be because of the big game tomorrow night. I do need to be back home before ten.” “Oh, I can understand. We have at least an hour before you have to head back. I just can’t believe that we have to face each other tomorrow. You did bring up that your friends were looking for their bunny. Any luck there?” “I haven’t heard anything about their search at the time. I guess this week has been strange as ever. So, I’m sure there must have been a reason you wanted to meet in person.” “Well, I wanted to get to know you better. Not on the phone, but in person. I was just hoping that it would be someplace…romantic.” I looked around the room and said, “I think you might have done so here. You have better control here than out there. Plus,” as I scratched the back of my head, “I’m not used to the dating world. I hope you can understand.” “Oh, I can help you with that, if you like?” as she was giving me the bedroom eyes look. Then her cell went off. She answered it, yelling, “What is it? Can you see that I’m busy…what do you mean…look, this is your problem, not mine…fine, just don’t bother me again.” She ended the call and was frustrated. “Something wrong?” I asked. “It’s…it’s nothing.” Then my cell went off. I saw that it was “Mom” calling. “It’s my mom. Let me take this.” I answered my cell, expecting Twilight on the other line. “Yes mom?” “That was Brick Wall on the line.” “Yes?” “He went back to the school and found that Angel was gone.” “Yes.” “He was trying to tell her about it.” “I know.” “We might have to get you out of there.” “I should be back in 30 to 45 minutes.” “Understood. We’ll make sure that no one interferes.” “OK, bye.” I ended the call and look back at her. “Sorry about that. My mother can worry at times. You understand, right?” “I do. Mothers can be so protective of their kids at times.” She took a sip of her drink, then got up and sat down on the end of the bed. She patted to her side and said, “Come over here.” I knew that she was really trying to pull off her charm, so I decided to play along and went over to her. She said, “You know, I’ve always wanted to know what’s it like to be with a guy like you. I mean, I’ve tried to find one, but haven’t had any luck in doing so.” She placed her hand on top of mine. “You’ve been the first guy to spend some time with me since I’ve been living here. I was hoping…” That’s when she decided to make her move and jumped on top of me, laying down on the bed. “That you would be mine forever,” she finished. I decided to make a counter move and rolled her over, putting me on top. “Sorry, but I don’t like to rush things here,” I said, and got up off from her. I started to walk away from her, when she said, “I’ll have you know that whatever I want, I GET!!!” and started to run towards me. I sensed her coming and went to my side, letting her pass me and run into one of the curtains, tearing it off. What I saw next was a bigger shock than I expected. “Is that what I think it is?” I asked her. “Oh, this? It’s…it’s not what you think it is. I mean, it is, but it isn’t. I mean…” “It’s a shrine of me, isn’t it,” I asked her. She took a moment to compose herself and said, “Yes. But I can explain.” I looked and saw the news articles from the games I’ve played, some pictures that Rarity took of me in what Chrysalis created, and something that really caught my eye. “Where did you find this article from Manehattan?” “I…looked it up online, after you told me that you were from Manehattan that day. I never knew how special you were over there with the Manehattan Knights. I was hoping…” I placed a finger on her lips, stopping her from talking. “Hold on.” I walked towards the window and said, “Girls, I think that’s enough for tonight. I need to talk to her…alone.” Fleur was confused as to what I was saying, until my phone went off. I didn’t recognize the number, but took a guess as to who it could be and answered it with the speaker on. “Coach Fleetfoot here. The girls have begun to pack up and plan to head out. She’s all yours, Jack. I’ll be staying with Coach Spitfire until you leave her place. And Fleur, we’re going to have to talk about your actions in this matter…again. Fleetfoot out.” “You…you were spying on me?” Fleur asked me. “In a way, yes,” I said. “After what happened with my encounter with Lightning Dust and her friends, we couldn’t take any changes.” “Then, it was your friends who found the bunny at the school, right?” “Yep, with my help. I have a rule about that. Never cross the line unless they cross it first. They broke in to our school to take the bunny; we broke in to yours to recover the bunny. Plus, Lightning Dust decided to make a mess in our gym, trying to destroy our homecoming event and placing the blame on Sunset Shimmer, the troubled girl that got in Dust’s way.” “You mean, she wanted to place the blame on one of your classmates? I thought she went to capture the bunny and did some damage to the gym in the process. She never said that she was going to destroy the gym and place the blame on one of your classmates.” “Well she did. And Dust also tried to blame my classmate about taking the bunny, since Dust knew about how she got the name ‘Fire Demon’. Does that ring a bell?” “No. All she told me was that they were planning to take Canterlot’s good luck bunny and leave it with me. She said that some of the guys did some damage to what was displayed in the gym when they entered. They even asked for some extra money from me to hire someone who knew the school layout. I don’t even know who it would be. All they said that it was a part of their yearly prank.” “Then maybe you can start from the beginning, like how you started with this shrine, and why you were interested in me in the first place.” She got up from the floor and pointed to one of Rarity’s pictures. “It started with this one. I was coming in to our fashion club meeting about a month ago, and Suri was having a fit to what she found on Rarity’s page. When I looked at them, I saw you in a butler’s suit, but it wasn’t a typical butler that I have seen. All I had on your picture was ‘Jack as a bodyguard butler’, nothing else. I never knew that butlers could double as bodyguards.” “That happened centuries ago, a lost art that only lives in TV shows. It was Chrysalis’ idea. She’s the dark girl that Suri mention.” “I guess you’ve heard us talking when they were here before you called me hours ago.” She started to point to the local articles. “It was these articles that Lightning Dust brought up that made me think that you were the same guy. I usually read the main and local sections of the newspaper, while I give the sports section to Lightning Dust and the living section to Suri for them to read. Dust was shocked when Canterlot’s win against Cloudsdale was the top high school story instead of Crystal Prep’s big win. Canterlot was the big story the next two weeks, and all three brought up your name. That’s when I wanted to meet you in person. I asked Suri if she can make it possible, which she took Dust and Brick Wall for protection.” “And it didn’t go as planned when Chrysalis and Sunset intervene,” I said. “You might have not known this, but Chrysalis lost her mother, trying to fend for herself. My family stepped in and took her in to our family. So she’s always with me after school.” “I see. Well, I wanted to meet you, and I figure that this would be the best idea. But since that failed, I had to come up with another idea. Suri told me that they were going to stake out the school, trying to think of a prank to pull on them, when they saw you helping out on something, then leaving to head to Sugarcube Corner. I figure this was my best chance to meet you, but when I got there, you were with those girls. I was hoping that I could talk to you alone, which happened when you walked up to the counter. You know what happened after that.” “What about the Manehattan article on here?” I said as I pointed to that article. “When you said that you came from Manehattan, I did some looking up, but couldn’t find anything about you on the football team, or any side career. All I could find was this article about the Manehattan Knights, who were created to help others in need. I remember seeing this girl before,” as she was pointing to Coco in the picture, “knowing that she was coming to our school, but changed her mind and went to Canterlot High. She must be a good friend to you.” “Best friend I’ve ever made,” I said. “And I’m glad to have her on my side again. She’s a tough girl who can handle herself.” I picked up one of the pink candles that she had on the shrine and sniffed it. “Do you know where you got these candles?” “Ordered it online. Queen of Hearts was the online store’s name. That one’s…” “Pink Rose Petals.” Her jaw dropped when she heard my response. “I think I remember seeing your address before. You like to order shades of pink candles the last two years.” She was still stunned at my response. “I helped my mother with packaging on the weekends and during the summer. She’s the one who owns the website.” That’s when she fell back on her knees in shock. “I’m sorry. Didn’t mean to surprise you.” I picked her back up and took her to a nearby chair to sit in. “I must really feel like a creep to you, do I?” she said. “Well, I don’t know who’s more of a creep, you or Tenderhoof,” I said with a chuckle. She chuckled and said, “Good point. Who’s he stalking now?” “Remember the farm girl that I sat next to back at Sugarcube Corner?” She nodded. “That’s the girl, Applejack. But I found a way to scare him away for a long time, with Sunset’s help.” “You must have a great batch of friends over there. I guess I can’t convince you to transfer to Crystal Prep,” she responded, looking down. “Not really.” I walked up to her and placed my hands of her shoulders. “But that doesn’t mean you still can’t find the right guy at your school.” She looked up and said, “How can I find one that I would like, who can also impress my mother?” “Is there a reason you need a man to impress her?” I asked as I took a seat across from her. “When I was younger, there was this cute boy that I met back in my homeland. We had lots of fun, until my mother found out that his family was part of the lower class. She didn’t want me to see him again. I had to find a way to sneak out at night just to see him for a while. The last time I saw him, he said that he was moving away to live with relatives. I gave him a kiss on the lips as a going away present. I never heard from him again. I know I plan to start a career in modeling and business, but I wanted some adventure in my life. And most of the students don’t hold that kind of excitement that I seek. But I needed someone who would have a big career in his future. You just fit the mold that I was looking for. But I can now see that you’re better than that, someone who’s out of my reach.” I said, “Fleur, you need to focus on what you want, not what she wants you to have. If it’s excitement that you want, then just look for one who has that kind of excitement that you want to enjoy. If your mother doesn’t like him, tough, it’s her loss. A guy like that can have a big future down the road. Bold men can take risk to get what they want, but the reward will be greater than the risk. She just has to see it from a different view.” She stood back up with a new tone. “You’re right. I need to take charge in my life. And if she doesn’t like it, she’s just going to have to deal with it.” She took a moment to herself before she spoke again. “Jack, can you ask Coach Fleetfoot that I would like to get our talk over with now, please?” I nodded and took out my cell to redial the last number that was sent to me. I asked them to drive on up so that she could get this chat over with. She went to the main room to open the gate, and grabbed her coat to go outside with me. When they got out of their car, Fleur and Fleetfoot had their talk while Spitfire and me watched over. When they were finished with their chat, they walked back up to us. “I think Fleur might have learned her lesson,” Fleetfoot said. “I plan to keep an eye on her, just to make sure she’s safe, after what has happened today.” “That just leaves us with the guy who broke in through the window,” I said. “Well, if he tore his track jacket, I should be able to find him,” Fleetfoot said. Fleur asked, “Wait, you said that the guy ripped his jacket?” We all nodded. “Someone came up to Suri, asking if she can get his jacket fixed up before tomorrow night’s game. It looked like a clean rip on his side. I should be able to point him out, if that helps.” “You do that, and I’ll make sure to go easy on you,” Fleetfoot requested. “Thanks, Coach Fleetfoot. And I’m sorry that I created all those distractions before. I should get some rest.” Before Fleur went back inside, I went up to her and said, “Look, if you need to talk to someone, you have my number. Just give me a call, and I’ll be happy to talk to you. And if you feel like you’re about to get into a problem, just remember that you don’t have to go into it alone. That’s the keyword that you should use if you have to warn me or request for my help.” “Thanks, Jack. There’s just one more thing I want to give you.” Before I could respond, she planted her lips onto mine in a passionate kiss. When she broke from our kiss, she said, “Good luck beating Crystal Prep.” She went inside, closing the door. I walked back down with a puzzled look on my face. “You really do know how to score with the ladies,” Spitfire said with a grin. I replied, “Don’t get me started, Coach. That’s the second time today that I have been kissed without knowing it, and the third during this semester.” “If the other two are AJ and Sunset, then along with Fleur, who’s the better kisser?” Spitfire asked. I rolled my eyes and said, “You’re just as bad as Twilight. But one thing stands out when she was making her confession. She said that Lightning Dust asked for some money to hire someone who knew the school layout. You think we might have a mole inside our school?” “That’s the last thing I want to think about,” Spitfire said. “We might have to tell this to Celestia and Luna. They might be the only ones who can find out who’s giving Crystal Prep info, if that’s true.” “And we would have to tell Celestia about what we did in the process,” I said. “And she won’t be happy about it.” “I’ll keep an eye on Crystal Prep and let you know who you need to look for,” Fleetfoot said. “You’re going to have to catch him during the game tomorrow night if you want this to be resolved.” “There’s one more thing you need to know,” I said. “Lightning Dust, Suri, and Brick Wall were at our school on the Monday a couple of weeks ago just as classes ended. If they tried to skip class at your school, you might be able to use that to your advantage.” “Thanks for the info, Jack,” Fleetfoot said. “I can see why your school believes that you’re special. Gift or no gift, you have a way to help others who need it.” “Thanks. Just tell Indigo Zap and her Elite 5 that it was nice of them to help us,” I said. Fleetfoot was puzzled as she said, “How did you know it was them?” “Indigo and me have one main rule when going into battle, never go into a battle alone. I figure it was her helping us. And Sugarcoat was the one who did the hacking, right?” “Her and Sunny Flare as well,” Fleetfoot responded. “Indigo saw the news articles about your school and saw your name on them. She talked to me in private about you, hoping that you can help her with a problem that her team has been handling. I don’t think she knew that you have the same gift as her until tonight, after the way you cut open the air duct.” “So all of the Elite 5 has this same gift?” I asked Fleetfoot. “They do, but it’s best that they explain it to you later on, just to understand. The rest of the group doesn’t even know that you and Indigo are friends.” “Besides the sisters, Coco, Chrysalis, and Moon Dancer are the only ones that know this,” I said. “I want to leave it that way. But should we tell Celestia that the Elite 5 bear this same gift?” “Not yet,” Spitfire recommended. “The less they know, the better. And it will give them time to find a way to explain it to you later on. Plus we’re still waiting for Master Blades’ items to arrive at Luna’s. It could fill us in on some of your powers, or at least your arts.” “I can fill Indigo in on the details,” Fleetfoot said. “I’ll also have them keep an eye on Fleur as well. Lightning Dust and Suri might still use her for anything.” “Then we know what we have to do. Fleetfoot, thanks for all your help,” I said as I shook her hand. “No problem. I prefer a fair game instead of students cheating to win.” And with that, we all left Fleur’s mansion and made our way back to our own homes. We all know that tomorrow would be the big day for everyone, and we had to be ready. Author's Note That's the final chapter in the Samurai and Demon saga. Six parts in all. Now the team has been formed, ready for what's to come.
Ch. 28 - A Date With DestinyMy clock was buzzing at seven o’clock on a Saturday morning. I was still feeling sore after last night’s game. But a warm shower was what I needed to take care of that problem. After my usual morning routine, I was able to join my parents for breakfast. “So how’s the school hero doing this morning?” my mother said to me. “Very funny, mom. This just happened last night, so I don’t think I’m a big hero.” “That’s because you didn’t see the morning paper,” my dad said. He handed me the sports section, where the local sports page was shown. And the headliner just said it all. “The Big Streak Comes To An End” “Well, looks like someone made a huge impact to everyone.” I looked to see Chrysalis behind me. “Morning Chrysalis,” I said. “Yea, I guess I did make an impact after last night’s game. They already say how I was able to take over after Shining Armor’s injury and made the game winning field goal.” Chrysalis asked, “What about the Cloudsdale vs. Trottingham game? Does it say who won that one?” I looked at the same page and found the article about that game. “Looks like Cloudsdale won it in overtime, very tight game. I guess we’re facing Trottingham on Friday.” “I’m sure the coach will have a plan in place by Monday,” Chrysalis said. “But for now, it’s homecoming time.” “Trixie coming by to pick you up?” I asked Chrysalis. “Yep. We’re supposed to meet up with Vinyl and Mrs. Rich to get the sound system and food ready for tonight.” “And what do you have planned, Jack,” my mother asked me. “Going to drive to Sunset’s place, stop at the costume store, then grab a bite to eat.” “Oh, did my little Jack finally got himself a girlfriend?” my mother said with a cutesy voice. Chrysalis and me looked at each other and said together, “Yes.” Chrysalis said, “Perhaps you should let him have his moment by himself. He’s gone through a lot to make it happen.” “Well, I’m sure that her mother will be happy that you’re taking care of her,” my mother said. “She’s told me much of what she had to go through with her daughter.” “And I promise to help her get through all of this.” I finished my breakfast and said, “I better go pick her up. I want to make sure that we’re ready for tonight.” I went back up to my room to get my light jacket before heading off. Chrysalis was able to join me in my room. “I was meaning to ask you, but were you able to make contact with Indigo last night?” she asked. I showed her the small note that I found on my truck from last night. “Right here. Maybe we can get some answers from her about what’s going on. But I want to keep things under wraps until we can make an official meeting with her group. I want to play things safe for her sake.” “Well, let me know if you need my help for this. I need to get ready for Trixie to pick me up. Good luck on your date.” So I got into my truck and made my way to Sunset’s place. I sent her a text that I was here, and she came out running from the apartment complex and entered the passenger side of the truck and gives me a kiss on the cheek before we left to go to the costume shop. I followed the directions that Pinkie gave me days ago and found the place: Fun House Studios. And to our surprise were a few friendly faces that drove up as well: Shining Armor, Cadence, and Applejack. “Well look who decides to show up at the last minute,” Applejack said. “We should be telling you the same thing,” Sunset said. I saw that Shining Armor had one of his arms on the inside of his jacket instead of through his sleeve. I asked him, “How’s the shoulder?” “It’s not as bad as it should be. I’ll have to take it easy for few days before it’s fully healed. Coach might put me as backup.” “Which means you’ll have to take charge next Friday,” Cadence added. “I don’t think I have much of a choice, since I’m in the news again,” I said. “Besides, I thought the two of you got your costumes last week?” “We had to have adjustments made to them,” Cadence said. “We were just told that they were ready.” So the five of us went in to the shop and were met by a skinny, yellow guy with brown, curly hair. “Well hello there. Welcome to the Fun House, home of all your costume needs.” “Hello, Cheese Sandwich,” Cadence said. “Is our costumes ready?” “Why yes they are.” He turned to the back and yelled, “Sassy, our prince and princess need their clothes.” And to our bigger surprise was Sassy Saddles with two costumes for them. “Well bust my buttons. It’s been weeks since I’ve seen the three of you before.” “Sassy, since when did you start working here?” Applejack asked. “Oh, only when they need my services. Rarity let’s me work on adjustments with the custom costumes when the shop calls us for it. It’s a good way to get some extra money and to learn how to improve my craft. By the way, Jack. Your mother’s store looks fabulous. It gives me a chance to find the right candles for me to have at home.” “Thanks. I’m glad that you were able to find what you like,” I said. “Well, let’s make sure these costumes fit.” Sassy noticed that something looked off from Shining Armor. “Did something happen to your arm?” “Let’s just say he took one for the team at last night’s game,” Cadence answered for him. “I just saw that in today’s paper,” Cheese said. “Are you keeping it on ice?” “At times,” Shining Armor said. “Well, I fixed the shoulder pads on the suit,” Sassy said. “But if you think you need an ice pack for tonight, you can make a quick adjustment if you need to.” Sassy got the jacket piece off the hanger and showed him what he could do with it. He was able to try on one side, just to make sure it fitted right, in which it did. “Well, if that’s out of the way, I need to make sure Cadence’s dress fits as well.” Sassy placed the jacket back on the hanger and grabbed the dress and requested Cadence to come with her to the dressing rooms to try it on. Shining Armor asked, “Hey Cheese. Did it say who we would be facing Friday?” “I already looked it up before coming here,” I said. “Trottingham. Cloudsdale won in a close battle, but not like what we faced.” “Looks like the bully boys are going to have there hands full again with Crystal Prep this year,” Shining Armor said. “Let’s just see what happens after Mr. Discord leaves his mark with the team,” I said. Cheese got out a western hat and talked with his western accent. “Well, if them preppies want to play dirty, then we’ll play dirty.” “I don’t think we need to be doing that to them,” Applejack said. “Besides, we ladies already left our mark with them girls last night, since they wanted a piece of Jack here. And I don’t mean kisses.” “Them sounds like fighting words,” Cheese replied with his accent. “Oh, they got our message, loud and clear,” Sunset said. “But I have say, I never seen Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie act so mean.” “Hey, I’ve seen how Pinkie acts towards party crashers, but Fluttershy…you have to be kidding,” Cheese said. “You bring up animal haters like Pinkie does with party crashers, and you have yourself a monster,” Applejack said. “Good thing I treat Boneless with respect,” Cheese said and he brought out a rubber chicken. “If he has his accordion with him, I’m gone,” Sunset said. “Accordion’s being repaired,” Cheese responded. “Starting to show it’s age, since it did belong to my father…and his father…and his father.” “Wow. I would have never knew that it was that old,” Sunset said. “Now I’m starting to regret trying to avoid you when you have it.” “Well, I can see why you didn’t want to pick on me like everyone else,” Cheese said. “Pinkie told me that you were making a change, and I’m guessing it’s starting to show.” “Give Jack all the credit for that,” Shining Armor said. “He has that effect on everyone.” “Well, why don’t we get down to costumes. I’m guessing you waited the last minute to get one, and we have a huge selection still around,” Cheese said and as he stretched his arms wide, showing the rows of costumes and accessories. “Might as well get mine out of the way while we’re waiting for Cadence to return,” Applejack said. “Since you’re an expert of the western genre, got anything like that?” Cheese went back to his western accent. “What will it be? Lone Ranger? The Rifleman? Or something more science western, like Brave Starr?” “Paladin,” said Applejack. “Have gun, will travel,” I responded. “Didn’t know you were a fan of that.” “Why do I have a feeling you learned about the show while living in Appleloosa,” Applejack said. “Before the first Indian festival, Little Strongheart and me spent some time watching re-runs of old western shows. It was that one that I was interested in from all westerns,” I said. “My parents were able to get the DVD set of that show for my birthday a couple of years ago.” “I have been trying to get the girls together for a western marathon, but for some reason, it hasn’t peaked their interest,” Applejack said. “I might have to get you to help me with that.” “Westerns have started to fade away, unless you find a way to mix it up,” Cheese said. “Let me go and see if I have what you need.” Cheese Sandwich made his way from the counter to one of the rows of costumes to look for what Applejack needed. It wasn’t long for him to return with a matching black, western shirt, pants, boots and hat, along with a prop gun in a black holster. “See if this will fit ya.” Applejack took the costume to another one of the changing rooms to try it on. Cadence and Sassy just came out of the first changing room with her princess dress on a hanger. “Costume’s a perfect fit,” Sassy said. “It looks like my work here is done.” Both of them were looking around before Cadence spoke. “Where’s Applejack?” “In the changing rooms,” Shining Armor said. “She’s trying on a costume that she wants to wear.” “Hey Cheese, this costume fits me like a glove. I’ll take it,” Applejack said from the changing rooms. “Good it hear,” Cheese replied. “Just bring it to the counter when you’re ready.” He looked at us and asked, “So, what costume are you two looking for?” “I don’t know. Maybe something that doesn’t show my dark side like before,” Sunset replied. “Hey Jack, since you have those katanas at home, maybe something more samurai related for us?” “That’s sounds good. You have something like that?” I asked Cheese. “I think we have several ideas in that isle over there,” as Cheese pointed to one of the isles that has a variety of armor related costumes and robes. We made our way to the isle and started to look through the selection of costumes that were around. I was able to find a samurai robe that had a white top with the ying yang sign on the back and a black, long skirt with an elastic band on it. Sunset was looking at the kimonos, trying to find one to go with what I had. That’s when I saw one that got me an idea. I pointed to the short, white kimono with the black belt that had pink on the ends of the belt. She felt nervous with wearing it until I took out my cell and looked up the picture that I was talking about. It was from the same anime that the dress from Rarity’s place came from. She decided to go along with the idea, hoping that her mother could make some additions to it. She did notice the weapon that the character was holding, a battleaxe with a long handle. So we made our way back to the counter to ask Cheese Sandwich about it. That’s when we saw Applejack finalizing the sale for her costume. “Find something that will impress the samurai club?” Applejack asked. “You could say that,” I replied. “Well, we’re going to head out. See you two at the dance tonight.” And all three of them had their costumes with them and left the store. “Hey Jack, I’m going to try this on just to make sure it fits.” Sunset went with the kimono to the changing rooms. “Hey Cheese, you have a prop like this?” I showed him the weapon that was displayed on my cell. “I might have something close to it. Let me go to the back and see.” He went to the back of the store and came back out with a black battleaxe prop with red on the edges. “Good enough,” I said. “We might just pull this off for tonight.” Cheese leaned towards me a whispered, “So how were you able to make Sunset change for the better?” I whispered back, “Let’s just say I have to repair a burning bridge between her and Twilight, causing both of them to change their ways towards each other.” “I guess Pinkie was right about you. You are something special around the school. There’s been talks that you could be the homecoming king tonight.” “You don’t say,” I replied sarcastically. “I’ve heard about that before.” “Well, after last night, let’s just say your chances of winning went through the roof.” “If that’s the case, then I better get something made for Vinyl to play tonight. She’s been expecting me to finish a longer mix tape, and I just got it ready days ago.” Sunset just came out of the changing rooms with her costume in hand. “Jack, this will do.” She saw the axe I had and ask me, “Is that to go with the costume?” “Yep,” I replied. “Ready to check out?” She nodded and placed the items on the counter. I went to pay for all the items and we left the store, letting Cheese know we’ll see him tonight. We got in my truck and drove to a local burger restaurant to have some lunch. We decided to sit in the stools at the counter and placed our order. While we were waiting, we decided to talk for a while. “How do you feel so far?” I asked her. “Like a huge weight has been lifted off my shoulders. I just can’t believe this is happening. We started to get at each others throats since Day 1, and look at us now. Dating, just the two of us. Do you think we can make this work?” I placed my hand on hers and said, “We made promises to each other weeks ago. I know we can make this work.” “But what if things get…I don’t know, challenging?” “So what if there are bumps in the road. We just face them head on and keep moving forward.” Our orders came, and we decided to start eating. After we finished eating, she decided to ask me something. “Do you think that diary that Luna is receiving will give us the answers we need? I mean I know we’ll be facing Crystal Prep again in a couple of weeks, and we’re still trying to figure out what they’re doing to their students, if they’re doing anything at all.” “I’m hoping so. But I want to find out about those Soul Arts. The first three were designed for battle. You think this could be something bigger than just facing a school of gifted students.” “Depends on how many gifted students there are from all the rest of the school,” she responded. “And we still need to find out who helped them get into the school and find the science lab.” “We might as well worry about all that Monday. At least it will give Miss Luna time to look over the diary and find any key notes to discuss to us about.” I decided to leave some money for the bill, tip included, and we went back to my truck and drove Sunset back home so she can get ready for tonight. Once I returned back home, I was in for a surprise. There was a mini house that was attached to a black pick-up truck in the lot next to ours, and I saw Mr. Fix-It with my parents. My mother asked, “So how was your date?” “It was great, mom. So what’s going on here?” My father said, “My boss was transporting the first of a few mini homes to have around on the lot next to us.” “This is just the first,” Mr. Fix-It explained. “I still have to get the utilities added for this lot, but I plan to have maybe four mini homes around, maybe more down the road. I wanted to give this sub-division a mix of families, retired couples, and younger people to live in. And this one here is going to belong to your friend, Chrysalis.” “You mean she’s going to have her own place to live in?” I asked. “That’s right,” my father replied. “I told my boss about what happened to her old home, and he decided to help out while working on a new project at the same time. It will be a few months before it can be livable, but we figure that she would want to see it to get an idea of the place. Maybe see if she wanted any changes to the place.” “She…is going…to FREAK when she sees this,” I said. Just then, Trixie and Chrysalis were driving up to our house. Both of them got out of the car to see what was going on. Trixie just started at the mini home and said, “Is that a mini house over there.” “It is,” my mother replied, “and it belongs to Chrysalis now.” “You mean…I get my own home?” Chrysalis said in shock. “No way. Trixie is jealous of this. Trixie has always wanted to live in a mini house after high school.” “It’s not livable at the moment, but in a few months, she can move in to the place,” my father explained. “For now, she can look it over and see if any adjustments need to be made.” Chrysalis looked at Trixie and said, “We might have to get Rarity and Sassy to help look it over on the inside. Maybe it can give you ideas for your own mini house in the future.” “Trixie will be glad to help out.” “I do have one more thing to take care of.” Mr. Fix-It threw a set of keys to me. “Jack, this black truck is all yours.” I was shocked at what I just heard. “I figure you could drive something better than old rusty over there.” “So I guess rusty is going to be retired once again?” I asked my father. “I was thinking about giving it to Chrysalis, as soon as she can get her driver’s license.” My mother said, “I can take Chrysalis on over sometime next week to get a learner’s permit so she can start learning to drive. We can plan a date and time for it tomorrow.” “Thanks,” Chrysalis replied. “Although I don’t have a problem with Jack taking me to and from school, it would help if I ever need to visit Rarity for anything.” “Well, Trixie needs to get a bit of rest before tonight. Shall Trixie pick you up in a few hours?” “Since I know that Jack would want to spend his time with Sunset, I think it’s wise for you to transport me back there when you’re ready,” Chrysalis replied. “Then Trixie will call later on.” She got back into her car and drove off. Chrysalis and me decided to retire for the day until the dance tonight. I got dressed in my costume and packed a spare set of clothes in case I wanted to change. I decided to take Masamune with me, but place a zip tie on it to hold it in place. I also grabbed the custom CD I made for Vinyl to play later on. Chrysalis already left with Trixie to the school dance in their costumes. Both of them never planned to have dates, which was fine for them. They just wanted to see Nightmare Night to be a success. I got into my new truck with my things in the back seat and made my way back to Sunset’s place. When I got there, I placed a call on my cell to hers. “Hey Jack. You on your way?” “I’m already here.” “Where? I don’t see your truck anywhere.” I flashed my headlights of my truck. “Wait, is that you?” “Are we going to the dance or not?” “Be right down.” She came out of the apartment with her costume on, carrying a bag of clothes and her prop axe. She threw her items in the back seat and got in the front seat. No doubt her mother was able to make some add-ons to the costume. Added a pink sash to the black belt, and black hair ribbons, making her wear pigtails. She asked, “How did you get a new truck? I know it’s not your dad’s.” “A gift from Mr. Fix-It. He used it to deliver a mini home for Chrysalis to live in later on,” I said. “Looks like your father’s boss is a generous man. More room in the back than the old truck…and a CB radio?” “My dad has one in his truck. This way, if your mother’s car breaks down, I can call my dad to come by and help out.” “Very funny, Samurai Jack. So, you plan to take the fire goddess, Efreet, to the dance?” Sunset asked. “I was waiting for you to say that. Let’s go then,” as I started the truck up and drove us to the school. We arrived at the school as other students were walking inside with their friends or dates in costumes. We got out of my truck and grabbed our props when Sunset noticed what I had. “Is that…?” “It is, but I have a zip tie on it,” I said. “Most comic conventions have a safety crew to check weapons, and place zip ties saying that they have been cleared to have. Sometimes the zip ties will hold the weapon in place so the blade isn’t shown.” Sunset replied, “One step ahead, aren’t you?” “Like always. Come on. I’m sure the others are waiting for us inside.” I made sure I had the CD inside my top piece to give to Vinyl later on. Both of us decided to head inside. We saw everyone dancing and having fun in the gym. Vinyl, who was dressed as a new age vampire with fangs, glow-in-the-dark bands, and mini flashlights on her head, was playing the music loud, but not deafening loud. We were looking for any signs of our friends when one of them called out to us. “Jack, darling. You and Sunset made it.” It was Rarity who was calling towards us. She was wearing a toga with a green leaf headpiece. “I love your costumes. A samurai and a warrior priestess, right?” Rarity asked. Sunset replied, “Doesn’t Venus, the love goddess, recognizes Efreet, the fire goddess?” “Oh my. Forgive me, goddess of fire.” Rarity let out a small giggle. “I must say, it fits you well, Sunset.” “I should be saying the same thing. Trying to get a date at the dance?” “I’m trying, but I think the principal has me beat.” Rarity looked over to where Celestia was, who also wearing the same costume, but had a sun necklace with hers. She was talking to Trixie, who was dressed as a wizard, and Chrysalis, who was dressed as a black witch. “Rarity getting beat by the principal? That’s a laugh.” It was Rainbow Dash who spoke. She was with Soarin, who both were dressed as fighter pilots. Fluttershy and Tree Hugger were with them, dressed as fairies. “I figure the two of you would make a great couple,” I said to Dash. “Don’t…get…me…started, Jack!” “What’s wrong, Dash. Don’t want to admit it?” It was Twilight who sneaked up to Dash in a scudded voice, which spooked Dash. Dash responded, “Really, Twilight? Not Funny.” Twilight was dressed as an older style vampire, with fangs, cape, and dark dress. Flash was with her, dressed as a werewolf. “The night’s young. You should at least enjoy it,” Flash responded. “Flash is right. It’s not often that we get to wear costumes to a dance.” Coco appeared in a blue Chinese fighter’s dress, and Moon Dancer was with her as a mad scientist. Sunset looked around and asked, “Any sign of the others?” “Well, Pinkie is with Cheese at the food table helping out,” Dash replied. “No sign of Applejack as of yet, but most of the others are around the area.” We saw Pinkie dressed as one of those western dancers, and Cheese with his renegade western clothes. Just then, I felt a tap of a sword on my shoulder. “I hope you’re ready to face your destiny, Samurai Jack.” It was Luna’s voice. I said, “Oh, I’m ready. But maybe you should be watching your back.” “Partner’s right. You should be watching your back.” Applejack said and I heard something click behind us. “Well played, AJ. Well played,” Luna replied as she withdrew her sword, followed by Applejack putting her gun away. Luna was dressed as a samurai warlord, and Applejack was dressed as a gunslinger in black. “Nice to see you made it back in time,” I said. “Anything worth knowing about from Master Blades’ place?” “A lot of things. There were a variety of kendo equipment, practice and real weapons, and some display scrolls. I also found the Soul Arts scrolls and his diary. I’ll need some time to get those translated and ready for you to learn, but I’ll start with his diary tomorrow and see if it can give us some answers.” “At least we’re getting somewhere,” Twilight said. “Forgive me for asking, but was there, like, peace and tranquility at your master’s place?” Tree Hugger asked Luna. All of us were wondering why she asked a question like that, but Luna already had an answer for her. “Of course, Tree Hugger, there was. And I’m glad that he lived a grand life that was in front of him.” “Even if he couldn’t find Professor Star Swirl like we’re trying to?” Moon Dancer asked. Fluttershy answered, “It’s not that you can’t have everything as planned, but as long as you have left something behind for the next one to finish, then a person can believe that he or she can live a great life, knowing that someone will be able to finish what they started.” Everyone was speechless at what she said. “Um, did I say something wrong?” “Oh no. I understand what you mean by that,” Moon Dancer explained. Pinkie Pie was able to join us in her cheery self. “Hey there, ready to party?” She looked around as said, “Did Tree Hugger give her peace and tranquility talk for Luna’s master?” Twilight sighed and said, “Yes Pinkie, she did.” Pinkie responded. “That’s good, because it’s time to PARTY!!!!” So we decided to dance and have fun, because that was what this dance was for. And for once it was nice to see Sunset smile in front of friends that care for her. People were placing their votes for homecoming king and queen in the box next to the stage. After an hour of fun, Principal Celestia went up to the stage with Shining Armor and Cadence. Their prince and princess costumes looked great. Celestia tapped on the microphone and said, “If I have your attention please. It is time for our crowning of this fall’s homecoming king and queen.” Cadence continued. “We have tallied the votes tonight, and a majority of you have decided on who should be our new king and queen.” Shining Armor took over. “So tonight’s new king and queen are…” They looked at the card that they were holding and said together, “JACK DIAMOND AND TWILIGHT SPARKLE!!!” Twilight and me were looking at each other, surprised that it was the two of us who won. “Well, what are you waiting for?” Sunset said. “Go on up there,” Flash said, as both of them pushed us forward. The two of us went up on the stage in front of everyone. Shining Armor placed his crown on my head, and Cadence placed her crown on Twilight’s head. Twilight whispered to me, “This is a bit awkward.” I whispered back, “Because we’re not with our dates up here?” “Yes.” Cadence spoke into the microphone. “And now with that out of the way, HIT IT, DJ!!!” There was silence. “I said, hit it, DJ.” And that’s when it hit me. I took out the CD in my top and whispered, “Shoot. I forgot to give Vinyl my mix CD.” Pinkie saw what I had and rushed up to me, placing her hand out. I handed the CD to her, and she zoomed on to where Vinyl was to hand it to her. Vinyl gave me thumbs up and started to play the CD that I had created. And the dancing continued. It was 15 minutes into the CD when a familiar song played. “Hey Jack, isn’t that Neon Lights playing on that track,” Twilight asked me. “Sure is. Got his OK on the boards to add one of his tracks and remix it on there. Haven’t heard if he has finally heard what I made on the boards.” After a few more minutes of dancing, Sunset noticed something going on and said, “Hey, I think Vinyl’s trying to get your attention. I looked and saw that she was pointing towards the entrance like crazy. I turned around towards the entrance and saw a pale blue guy with short black hair and small shades. I looked at Vinyl again and moved my mouth to say “Neon Lights?” And she nodded her head like crazy. “Oh my gosh. That’s Neon Lights. What’s he doing here?” He was with a pale yellow lady with fancy blue hair. Miss Luna walked up to them, in which they were exchanging conversation. Rarity walked up to me and said, “Do you see whom he’s with? That’s Sapphire Shores, one of the big name singers out there. Come on. Let’s see what they’re doing here?” Rarity and me walked up to them to see what was going on. “Excuse me,” I said, “but are you Neon Lights?” “Yes I am, dude. I was passing by and thought I heard one of my tunes over here. I’m guessing that’s DJ PON-E over there, right?” He was referring to Vinyl at the DJ booth. “That’s her. And what you heard was from my mix CD. You might know me on the boards as Trader Jack.” “You’re Trader Jack? I was shock when I learned that DJ PON-E was a girl, but seeing how young you are is another big surprise.” Neon responded. “Yea, we were surprised when we first met at the beginning of the semester.” Rarity interrupted. “Forgive me for stepping in, but you wouldn’t happen to be Sapphire Shores, would you?” “Why yes I am, dear.” Sapphire replied. Rarity just let out a cute giggle, and then said, “I’ve have some of your CDs back home, and I must say that your music is inspiring. My name is Rarity, future fashion designer.” “Rarity…” She started to think about the name for a moment, and the said, “Would you be the rightful owner of Carousel Boutique in Manehattan?” “Why yes, yes I am. Just took ownership this year for my parents.” “Well I’ll be,” Sapphire responded. “I’ve bought some of your fashions at that store in the past. I heard that the family just transferred ownership to their daughter a few months ago. Can’t believe that the new owner is a student here.” “So why are you two doing together?” I asked Neon. “Oh, we just finished working on a new music project for my upcoming album, and just came from Sugarcube Corner for a quick treat before heading back to the hotel. We heard a loud noise and stopped to hear one of my tunes nearby and had to check it out.” “Hey Neon. Why don’t we play that track here for the students,” Sapphire recommended. “As long as I can use the DJ booth,” Neon said. We looked at Luna for her approval. “As long as it’s fine to play here, then I don’t see any problem with it.” “If you can get Sapphire set up on the stage, I’ll take Neon on over and get him set up,” I said. So I took Neon Lights to Vinyl and explained what he was going to do. Vinyl was able to get Neon ready for a special event to happen on the stage. Luna walked on the stage with microphone in hand. “If I may have your attention please. We have some very special guests here who wish to perform a new song for us. I present to you Sapphire Shores and DJ Neon Lights!” Luna handed the microphone to Sapphire. “Thank you. I have been work with Neon Lights on a new song that he has planned for his future project, and I would like to perform our new song to the crowd here.” Just then, the lights faded a bit, and the song began to play. As the song went on, the crowd got into the song and started to move with the tune. I had my arms around Sunset from behind as we listened to the song. And I could see the same with Flash and Twilight. After the song ended, Vinyl resumed her usual music for another hour. Sapphire was able to talk with Rarity, Chrysalis, and Coco about fashion ideas that she would want their help on in the future. I was with Sunset, talking to Neon and getting his opinion on my newest mix CD, and he gave me a few ideas on how to make it better. We exchange e-mail address, including Vinyl’s e-mail, so we can keep in touch and plan on attending next year’s music contest, which I would want to compete next year. As the dance was dying down, everyone was starting to head on out, either running by Sugarcube Corner, or catch a movie, or just head home. The staff and crew planned to clean up the gym mess, and we planned to take care of the other stuff on Monday during our club meeting. We got into my truck, and I decided to take Sunset to a special place that I just learned about from Twilight. It was on a hillside that looked over the downtown lights. When I drove up to the place, her eyes lit up. “Look at the view.” She looked at me and asked, “If you don’t mind, I want to get changed so I don’t feel cold.” I agreed and stepped outside, grabbed my jacket from my bag, and closed the door to give Sunset some privacy. I was looking out to the downtown view and it reminded me of the view that I saw on the rooftop back in Manehattan. I heard the passenger side door close and saw Sunset in her usual clothes and leather jacket. Both of us went and leaned on the front of my truck to look at the view, with my arms wrapped around her from behind. “The view looks beautiful,” she said. “Is this what it looked like when you looked out on the rooftop like you told me a week ago?” I responded, “Minus the white snow, but yea. I hope your mother doesn’t mind if we’re out this late.” “I told her that we could be out late, but not way late. I think she wants me to enjoy this moment.” “Same thing with my parents,” I said. We just stood there in silence before she spoke again. “Jack, thanks…for sticking with me and saving me from…well, everything.” “What would you expect from the Jack of Trades?” “I was thinking about calling you the Soul Guardian instead,” she said. “And why is that?” I asked. She turned around, wrapped her arms around my neck, and said, “Because you have the power to read and protect the souls of others. And that’s what I like about you.” That’s when we kissed for several seconds before we broke our kiss, and she laid her head on my chest. No doubt we were destined to be together, no matter what happens. Author's Note First off, if you want to get the reference for Efreet, then look into Date-A-Live for more. The ideas were also used back in "A Rare Sight". As for the "Surviving (Centerscore) High School" references that were used: 1) Rival school steals pet mascot, you and teammates go to rescue him back. (Used a few chapters ago) 2) Your school's team beats rival's team (Used in last chapter) 3) You get new car to replace old car 4) You get chosen as homecoming king, with some girl that's not your girlfriend as queen 5) Music group who you listen to shows up after playing their CD, plays unreleased song (I chose "ZEDD - Clarity" for this song) This results in the perfect ending to "Surviving High School". But in this story, Jack's job is not done yet. There's still a few more issues left to deal with. But this time, he has friends on his side.
PrologueThe alarm clock was buzzing loudly next to my bed. I open my eyes and hit the snooze button to shut it off. “5 AM already?” I said as I was looking at the clock. I started to get out of bed and look out the window to see that the sun was barely rising. “Well, I have to get to school early if I want to make sure everything is laid out for my junior year.” I got up and made my way to the bathroom. Got undressed and went into the shower so that I could scrub my gray body and crimson red hair clean. Turned off the shower and wrapped a green towel around me and went to the sink to finished up before returning to my bedroom to get dressed. I went through my closet to grab a pair of jeans, the through my dresser for the rest of my clothes, including my favorite shirt, a white shirt with four cards printed on the corner of the shirt where my heart would be. Each one of the cards was a Jack, with the Jack of Diamonds in the front of them. My name is Jack Diamond. My family just moved to Ponyville a couple of weeks ago, out of short notice. We just moved from Manehattan because of my dad’s new job. He works for D.I.Y. Inc. It’s the biggest construction company in the nation, and they just built a new store in Ponyville. My father, Ace O. Spades, is a master construction foreman for the company. Now he’s the manager of the new D.I.Y. Home store in Ponyville. Now some may think that’s a step down in the company, but for D.I.Y., it’s a step up. Not only does he manages the store, but also oversees all home construction plans in Ponyville. The reason for all this is that the CEO of D.I.Y. respects his talents well in past projects in the company. That also means that we have moved from city to city about every year for the next project. We were living in Manehattan the last two years on a big project that my father was in charge of, which was done in a year and a half, just before I turned 16. This finally gave us some family time working on an old truck that I would be using to drive my way to and from school. My father then got word from the CEO, Mr. Fix-It, on a new store that they were building in Ponyville, and needed help in looking into some issues in it’s construction. You can guess what happened next. As I’m cleaning up, I hear a voice from behind the door. “Jack, make sure you hurry up and get ready for school.” “Yes mom,” I replied. That’s my mother, Candle Heart. She runs an online store called “Queen of Hearts.” She works on candles and scented items for her clients online. With all the moving that we have been doing, she felt best to just start an online business, which has grown big, in a way. She works with clients from each and every city to help send her products to their customers. One of her clients just happens to live here in Ponyville. I believe her name was Twilight Velvet. I do know that she has a son and daughter that attend the school I’m going to, Canterlot High. They were able to help out on getting me enrolled into school on such short notice. I’m just hoping I have the same classes that I was able to enroll from my last school. With everything done, I grabbed my backpack and went downstairs to the kitchen, to which my mother already had some blueberry muffins ready for me. “Here you go, son. Blueberry muffins with butter in them. Just how you like them this Monday morning.” “Thanks, mom.” “And you do remember to meet up with Twilight Sparkle at school. She’s supposed to help you meet up with the principal at school.” “I know, mom. I know.” I sat down at the table, laying my backpack to the side, and had my breakfast. When I was finished with breakfast, I noticed that it was 5:40 in the morning. I got up, grabbed my book bag, and made my way out of the house. I saw my father next to the old truck that we worked on months ago. Somehow, I figure that he was double-checking the engine one last time before I drove it to school. “Dad, we made sure it was in running condition yesterday. Why are you looking over the engine again?” “Just making sure it doesn’t break down,” my father replied. “You know how old “Rusty” is, right?” Rusty is what we named the white truck that I now own. “I know, dad.” I rolled my eyes after saying this. “You drove this truck when you were my age. About over 30 years ago, right?” “Yes. And it has held up for all this time with the work I spent on it to keep it running.” When my dad got a new truck back in Manehattan a year ago, as a gift from Mr. Fix-It for all the work that he has done, he decided to let me have his truck when I turn 16. He was a natural in his craft, and the tattoo of the “Ace of Spades” card on his right arm was proof of that. I got into my USED truck and started it up. The engine started like any truck did, loud enough to wake the neighborhood. Good thing we are the only house in this new sub-division that Mr. Fix-It just purchased to help start building new homes on. Our house was near the entrance to the sub-division, with other houses being built in the process. My dad came up to the window and said, “Still runs as it always does.” “Yea, as loud as a dragon.” I gave a small laugh after saying this. I then asked my dad, “How much longer do you have before the store opens?” “About a month before it is ready. Then, the boss has to look at it to get his final approval. So my guess would be mid to late September,” my dad said. “I’m sure the school would love to have a store that has what they need for all those floats and formal events and everything else,” I said sarcastically. “Don’t worry. Maybe during that time, you can finally find yourself a girlfriend.” “Really, dad? I got enough going on as is.” My mother heard us talking and joined in the conversation. “Ace, he needs to be making friends first before looking for a girlfriend. Plus there’s college down the road, so he has time to find one.” “Mom, you’re not helping.” “What about that girl you were friends with during your freshman year?” my mother said. “I know she moved a year ago, but were you able to keep in touch with her?” “No, mom. And she wasn’t my girlfriend. We were more like brother and sister during that year.” “OK,” my mother said. “We better not hold you up any longer.” “Bye, mom. Bye, dad. I’ll make sure I let you know how my first day goes when I get home.” I started pulling out of the driveway and made my way towards Canterlot High School. Author's Note If you haven't noticed, but Twilight attends Canterlot High, not Crystal Prep, as we find out in "Friendship Games." That's because there is no pony based world or magic mirror that connects both worlds. This takes place in a world by itself. This is also new to me, and I'm trying to read some good fanfics out there to get an idea on how I can write mine without any problems. If you have any ideas how I ca do better, let me know. Hearing from others that have done this would be great.
Ch. 1 - Welcome to Canterlot HighI come up to Canterlot High’s parking area and saw a lavender girl with purple hair waiving me down “Looks like Twilight got here early.” Twilight Sparkle. One of the smartest and friendliest students at the school, or so I have been told. Her mother worked with my mother in getting me enrolled to this school while she showed me around the place so I know where every room was located. She’s a junior, just like me, and has a brother who is now a senior at this school. I went to park my truck next to where Twilight parked her car, or I think it was her car. I never knew what car she was driving in the first place. “About time you got here, Jack,” said Twilight just as I was getting out of my truck. “Sorry. My parents held me up a bit.” As I came up to her, I saw a white guy with blue hair and a Letterman jacket coming out of the driver’s side of the car. “Oh, I never had a chance to introduce you to my brother. Jack, this is Shining Armor.” “Nice to meet you, Jack,” said Shining Armor as he shook my hand. “My little sis told me much about you.” “She told me a bit about yourself as well,” I said. “You’re part of the school’s football team, right?” “Quarterback and co-captain last year.” “He’s also a bit of a geek as well,” Twilight whispered to my ear. “Only because I get that from you, Twilight.” “So, Twilight,” I asked, “Has the Principal arrived?” “Principal Celestia? I haven’t seen her, yet. She should have been here right about now.” As we were wondering why it was taking her so long to get here, a dark sedan came driving up the parking lot. Ah, that’s Vice Principal Luna’s car,” said Twilight. “Maybe she knows, since they are both sisters.” “You mean both the Principal and VP are sisters, Twilight?” I said. “Oh yes,” as she was pointing to the parked sedan, “she’s the younger of the two.” Went the sedan was parked, a dark blue lady came out. “Twilight Sparkle. Shining Armor. It’s nice to see you two here early.” She soon noticed me and said, “And you must be Jack Diamond. Principal Celestia told me about you transferring to our school, and on such short notice.” Twilight asked, “Miss Luna, is Principal Celestia on her way here?” “She’s going to be running a little late getting here,” said Luna. “But she should be here before classes begin. She wanted me to make sure that our new student is all set with his classes today. She said something about having to take care of some last minute replacements in the staff. I think it was with Coach Goalkeeper having to retire due to family related issues.” Shining Armor hit his hand on his forehead and said, “Of course. I heard that Coach Goalkeeper had some family emergency to take care of and decided to retire so she can focus on her family.” Twilight went into shock and yelled, “ARE YOU KIDDING ME? Tell me Rainbow Dash knows about this!” “I’m not sure,” he replied. “YOU’RE NOT SURE?” Twilight looked like her head was about to explode. “Rainbow Dash is going to freak when she hears about this. She was supposed to help Dash in earning her college scholarship next year. I have to find her and make sure she doesn’t freak out.” “Why would that be the case?” I asked. “Trust me, Jack. You do NOT want to see her freak out. It’s like a disaster when she freaks.” She then turned to her brother and said, “You have to help me find her. I know she likes to come early to workout, so she has to be here.” “Maybe she’s on the track around the football field. We can check there, Twilight.” They both decided to run towards the track field. “Jack, I’ll see you later. I have to take care of this.” “OK, Twilight.” I sighed knowing that this was going to be a crazy first day. “Don’t worry, Jack. Twilight has a way of handling these issues, no matter how strange they are.” I turned around to Miss Luna as she signaled me to follow her. “Let’s make sure we got everything settled while there’s still time.” We walked into the school and made our way the school office. “My sister…I mean, Principal Celestia should have your paperwork in her office.” Miss Luna got out some keys and went to unlock the Principal’s office. Once inside, Miss Luna went to the desk in front of her to look for the paperwork. I noticed a picture of Miss Luna with another lady. I asked Miss Luna, “Is this your sister, Principal Celestia?” She looks and said, “That’s her.” She went back to the desk and found the folder with the paperwork on me. “Here it is. Why don’t you take a seat while I look over this.” I sat down in one of the chairs with the office door behind me. Miss Luna looked through all the paperwork and said, “Looks like some of your core classes from the first two years are covered so far. That’s good.” She placed the folder on the table and looked at me with her hands together on the desk. “I know most of the school standards that go on out there. And at Canterlot High, we run things slight differently.” I was wondering what she meant by that as she continued. “Classes start at 7:00, with each class period lasting about an hour for six periods. Each class ends at the top of the hour and you will have 10 minutes between classes.” That seems common like my last school, with the fact that I was having 50-minute classes, but what could be different at this school? “The only difference from most schools is that we have a 2 hour break between 4th and 5th periods. The first hour is what we like to call Free Study. It’s a chance for students to get with clubs, practice, or just study. Lunch is held during the second hour.” So that’s what she meant by being different from most schools. “We never had a Free Study back in my last school,” I said. “I know,” she said. “Manehattan schools can be somewhat strict, but the schools in Ponyville want to make sure that students don’t burn out in classes. Mr. Discord, our Student Board Director, believes it’s the best for our students. He calls it his ‘Chaos Theory’ before he took over the seat decades ago.” She then pointed to another picture with Principal Celestia and a gray man with a goatee. “That’s him when he was the Principal and my sister was the VP of this school back then.” “Chaos Theory?” I said. “Don’t ask. I have no idea why he called it that.” She rolled her eyes after saying that. She went back to the folder looking for another page in the paperwork. “Here we go. Your class schedule.” She was looking over the list before she spoke again. “Let’s see. You have English Lit 3 for your 1st period class, History 2 for your 2nd, Algebra 2 for your 3rd, Science 2 for your 4th, Music Lit for your 5th, and…” She paused for a moment with a puzzled look. At that moment, the door behind me opened, then slammed shut. “I swear, Discord can be such a pest at times.” The woman who walked in was Principal Celestia with a furious look on her face. “I ask him days ago to find a replacement for Coach Goalkeeper, and he’s still busy looking for one. How hard can it be to find a coach?” “Well, you worked under him decades ago,” replied Miss Luna as she was getting up from the Principal’s seat. “You should know him better than me. By the way, this is Jack Diamond, the new student you told me about.” Principal Celestia walked to my side for a moment. “Sorry for the outburst. Just all this last minute stuff I have to take care of. And I’m not talking about your transfer happening weeks before school starts.” She went to shake my hand and said, “My name is Principal Celestia.” “I’m glad to meet you,” I said standing up. “And don’t worry, I’m used to all this late transfer issues I keep going through. Been through it about every year.” “I know, your mother told me about it when we first met. I’m glad that Twilight’s mother was there to help.” She looked around and said, “Where is Twilight, anyway? “She went with her brother to find Rainbow Dash before she freaks out, Tia.” “Please don’t call me that in front of the students, Luna. We’re grown adults, not kids.” She sat down in front of her desk and continued, “I knew I was forgetting something. Dash has been working with Goalkeeper in hopes of earning an athletic scholarship for college. I’m sure Twilight can handle it for me.” “I hope you are right about that,” said Miss Luna. “By the way, I was looking through Jack’s class schedule, and you left 6th period blank.” “That’s something I wanted to talk you about, Jack. Thanks for your help anyway, Woona.” “What was that about being adults, Tia,” she replied as she was staring at her sister. “I’ll see you later.” She opened the door and left the office, closing the door. “I guess the two of you must be close,” I said. “She can be a pain, but she is my younger sister. I guess it’s in our blood. Now, about that last class you wanted to take. Auto Mechanics class. Coach Iron Will runs that class but only in the spring, and the other class you wanted to take is not available at this school. I was looking through the list of semester only classes and was not sure which ones are to your liking that are still available.” She sighed after saying all that to me. Great, I did not see this coming. I’m not even sure what other classes that she had thought of that I would be able to take. I wanted to take the Auto Mechanics class soon after working on the truck with my father early this year. As I was thinking, the door behind me burst open, and a blue girl with rainbow hair came flying in. “Tell me it’s not true, Principal Celestia. Tell me that Coach Goalkeeper didn’t quit,” said the light blue girl. Principal Celestia got up and slammed her hands to her desk. “Do you have to rush in here without knocking, Rainbow Dash. I’m busy with a new student here.” I saw Twilight come in looking a little out of breath. “Sorry. I tried to tell her in a clam manner, but she decided to freak out like always.” “You know how much this scholarship means to me, Twilight. How am I supposed to earn it now without Coach Goalkeeper around to help me make it happen? I was also going to be a teacher’s aide with her in 6th Period gym class.” She fell on her knees and said, “How am I supposed to get my scholarship now?” “Well, I know that Coach Iron Will can cover for most of her classes expect for 6th Period,” replied Principal Celestia. “For now, I will be taking over her 6th Period gym class until a new female coach comes in.” “Um, Principal,” Twilight interpreted. “Are you able to do so?” Rainbow Dash stood back up with a confused look. “Of course. It’s been a while since I had to sub for one of the coaches in gym class, but I still remember how to teach in that class.” She then looked at me, and an idea came to her head. “And Dash doesn’t have to be my only aide in gym class.” All three of us had a puzzled look on our faces when she said that. She grabbed he folder on me to look something up. “Good. Jack, I think you qualify for our teacher’s aide program with the grades you have. When a student enters their junior or senior year, if a student maintains a 2.5 to 3.0 average, based on attendance, they qualify for the program for only one semester. This can help fill in the blank on your 6th Period class for this semester. You want to give it a try?” “I guess I don’t have much of a choice in the manner, now do I.” “Then it’s settled. I have you and Dash as my aides in 6th Period until I hear more on a new female coach to teach here. Let me make a copy of your schedule so you know where to go for your other classes.” She took my schedule and went out of her office to make a copy of it. The three of us followed behind her. “Good morning, Principal Celestia.” “Good morning, Ms. Raven.” “Good morning, Twilight Sparkle.” The white lady with her brown hair in a bun looked at Rainbow Dash and said, “Let me guess. Dash decided to run through the door like a crazy girl, right?” “Something like that,” replied Twilight. “Jack, this is Principal Celestia’s secretary, Ms. Raven.” She turned to Ms. Raven and said, “Jack just moved here a couple of weeks ago from Manehattan.” “Nice to meet you, Ms. Raven.” “Same here,” replied Ms. Raven. “I can already tell you that you will like it here. Manehattan can be a busy city with tough schools. But here, it’s a bit easier to get through day by day.” “You’ve been to Manehattan before?” “Been there? I grew up there before I went to college. After that, I got a job in this school in Ponyville. It’s much more peaceful here. Unless you’re near Rainbow Dash.” “Hey!” replied Rainbow Dash. “I don’t make that much noise.” Twilight rolled her eyes and said, “Really? Then what just happened minutes ago?” “That was just a-a-a, an emergency. Yea, an emergency.” Twilight just stood in disbelief after she said that. Principal Celestia came back to me with a copy of my schedule and said, “Here you go, Jack. I think you and Twilight have the same four classes this year.” Twilight came by to look at my schedule and said, “She’s right. We share 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and 4th Period together. This will make it easy to get around school early on.” She looked at the clock and noticed that it was a quarter til seven. “We might as well head on to our first class.” She looked at Rainbow Dash and said, “You’re coming, Dash?” “Just a moment. Let me run to the restroom and get changed out of my gym clothes.” Dash grabbed her blue gym bag and ran out of the school office. Twilight and me decided to leave as well and meet up with Dash in the hallway.
Ch 18 - Diamond in the RoughWe just finished with Science class for Monday, now knowing that our group project will be assigned next week. Each table will have a different project to do, and we have to write out the details of the project. Timing couldn’t have been better for me, because Sunset was willing to work with me without any problems. Both of us packed up our books and decided to go to the library, since the volunteer club doesn’t have to meet on Mondays for now because all five of us in the club meet every Saturday for meetings until after homecoming. As we were walking down the hallway, we were met by Applejack. “Hey there, Jack. Sunset,” Applejack said. “Hey AJ,” I replied, while Sunset just lower her head. Applejack looked over and said, “Sunset, you could at least say hello. It’s not like we have a grudge against ya now. Just going with the silent treatment ain’t going help ya case.” “Give it some time, AJ,” I responded. “There’s no need to rush it.” “Well, I’m guessing you be heading to the library, right?” Applejack asked. “Yep,” I said. “You going to see Miss Cheerilee there?” ‘Eeyep,” Applejack replied. “Mind if I join ya?” “Don’t see why not,” I replied. “By the way, my cuz, Braeburn, called me yesterday. Said that it was nice to finally meet ya, even if it was short.” “It was nice to meet him…and reacquaint myself with Little Strongheart,” I said. “He told me that as well,” Applejack said. “You never told me you lived in Appleloosa.” “You never asked,” I said. “It was back when I was in the 4th grade. Only stayed one year, but it was related to that farm-building project I told you about back on your farm. Where my dad met the barn expert.” “I remember you saying that. I’m just surprised that you knew Little Strongheart. I mean, she’s from the Buffalo Indian Tribe.” “Well, she was in the same classroom with me in school. We were good friends that it caught the eyes of both sides to resolve a pressing issue.” “I remember hearing about that long ago. The Buffalo Tribe can be hard to convince when you want something done. I was younger when members of my family had a dispute with their apple farm expanding onto the tribe’s land. Took the taste of apple pie that helped then changed their mind, with a few strings attached from them.” “Well, Indian tribes aren’t all teepees and hunting with bow and arrows,” Sunset explained. Applejack looked over to her and said, “Bout time you said something. And what do you know about Indians?” “Besides the fact that they also can use either a spear or tomahawk to defend themselves, they like to focus on the spirits of the departed for guidance or healing, if you believe that sort of thing. And they have a unique way of harvesting certain kinds of food and creating jewelry.” Applejack was at a lost for words. “What. My mother took me on a trip over there for their first annual Indian culture festival. Felt like she wanted me to get away from the comforts of home.” “First annual?” I said. “That happened after the agreement was made when I was with Strongheart. It was after that time that the citizens of Appleloosa decided to have a festival with the Buffalo Tribe in charge of the event as a way to help others understand their culture. I was there when the festival happened. But I don’t think I ever saw you or your mother there, or I would have recognized you with that hair of yours.” “Very funny, Jack,” Sunset responded. “Besides, it was…OK…for once. I doubt I’ll ever go back there again.” “Well, at least you did something different in your time,” I said. As the three of us started to make our way to the library, we heard a couple of familiar voices arguing. “We’re supposed to be working together on the assignment she gave us, not leaving the work to me.” “Sounds like Apple Bloom over there,” Applejack said. “Well, if you could at least work harder, we wouldn’t have a failing grade.” “And Diamond Tiara,” we all said. “Might as well see what the problem is,” I said. We walked over to find Apple Bloom and Diamond Tiara arguing. Silver Spoon, Sweetie Belle, Scootaloo, and Babs Seed were watching it unfold, not knowing how to resolve the issue. “How do you expect me to work that hard if I don’t have your input in the story. That’s what we were supposed to do,” Apple Bloom said. “I gave you enough info to help you write it out, so you shouldn’t have a problem with that,” Diamond Tiara responded. “Well, it wasn’t enough to get it done, because you wouldn’t come over and discuss it together,” Apple Bloom responded. “Well, I couldn’t let you come over because you would just get lost in it. And your place is a mess to enter,” Diamond Tiara responded back. I decided that I had to break it up. “Then why don’t you find a place to get the assignment done together?” Diamond Tiara looked over to see me and panicked. “Oh, um, Jack. I-It’s nice to see you.” She started to back away, saying, “I-I guess I need t-to get to our club m-meeting, right?” only to be stopped by Sunset behind her. “We don’t have a club meeting today, D.T. Unless you’re trying to run away from us,” Sunset said. “Care to explain what was going on between the two of you?” Applejack asked the two of them. Apple Bloom said, “We were supposed to have a discussion on a short story that Miss Cheerilee assigned to us to read. She wouldn’t come over or invite me over so we can go over the story. All she did was write her opinion and ask me to just add my opinion to hers without any discussion. Now we got a failing grade for our assignment.” “Diamond Tiara, I hope you can explain this,” Sunset asked her. She couldn’t find a reason to explain for this to happen. “Jack,” Silver Spoon said, “can I talk to you for a moment?” I knew this was going to take some time to resolve this, so I asked Babs Seed to let Octavia know that Apple Bloom will have to skip meeting her club, and that she can come to me later today for an explanation. Then Silver Spoon and me walked away from the others while Applejack and Sunset watch over the other two. “The reason they won’t meet is because of this issue of their social status, which I’m starting to get tired of. Diamond Tiara and me are in the high status rank, and Apple Bloom is, well, the low rank. And both of them got assigned together for this instead of me. I had Sweetie Belle as my partner, who some would consider her between the middle and high status because of her sister, Rarity.” “And whose idea was it to add this ‘social status’ labeling?” I asked her. “Diamond Tiara’s mother, Mrs. Spoiled Rich. I think her father is starting to see the issue because of what your father did to help, after hearing that story back at Rarity’s. But I don’t think she sees it, and Diamond Tiara doesn’t have the courage to face her about it. And I’m not sure I can be of any help either.” “Silver Spoon, you might have just helped out after all.” She had this confused look on her face. “Trust me. When I hear what the issue is about, I can find a way to resolve it. I just hope I can play my cards right.” I took out my phone and called Miss Luna’s office. Hearing that she wasn’t busy, I explain the latest problem that I have encountered and that I might need her to help me convince Miss Cheerilee on resolving the issue. I asked the others to come with me to the library, where Miss Luna was there with Miss Cheerilee waiting for us. I asked Sunset to keep an eye on the kids while Applejack and me went to talk to them. “Miss Luna told me about the social status issue between the two,” Miss Cheerilee said. “I was hoping it wouldn’t come to this.” “So you know about this in the first place?” I said. “Most of the staff knows about it,” Miss Luna answered. “My sister had to wait in the school board meeting for Mrs. Rich to finish talking about this and that and so on. She was in charge of the PTA during their time when Diamond Tiara started school until after 6th grade. Tia was glad that she didn’t have to go through all that the last two years, until now.” “I was hoping that by putting the two together, she could understand that our teaching practices should be more important than her personal teaching ways,” Miss Cheerilee said. “Looks like that fail. I’m hoping that their failing grade would send a message to her mother, since they were the only ones with a failing grade in my class.” “So my sis has to suffer just to get your message across to Mrs. Rich?” Applejack asked Cheerilee. “I didn’t want to do this, AJ, but I had no other choice.” I placed my hand on my chin, thinking of a way to solve this. “Miss Cheerilee, would you be willing to give them one more chance to fix the assignment.” “I doubt that it will help solve this issue,” Miss Cheerilee said. “Hold on, Cheerilee. Let’s hear what he has to say,” Luna requested. I said, “What if we had them together at a neutral site, like my place. I don’t have football practice today, so I have all afternoon and evening to help.” Miss Cheerilee thought about it for a moment. “If that’s the case, they have to have it done and ready for me tomorrow morning. And that’s something they could have done in the first place, if it wasn’t for all this…mess.” “I’m sure he can make it happen with the arrangements,” Miss Luna said. “And while most teachers don’t like to hand out second chances in assignments, I’ll be willing to make an exception to this teaching practice. I just wish you have told me that you were going to do something like this in the first place.” So we explained to Apple Bloom and Diamond Tiara what we had planned out. Knowing that they would only have tonight to fix this, they agreed to stay at my place to work. Diamond Tiara was able to get the OK with her father, but Silver Spoon would have to come with us as well. Applejack decided to transport Apple Bloom to my place as long as she knew when she was ready to be picked up. With what time they had before lunch and 5th period, Sunset decided to take the two to one of the listening rooms to get them started on what they needed to do before coming over to my place. Miss Cheerilee said, “I might have to tell you this, but even if they get it done right, they would have to be lucky to get an A on this assignment. Best they would get is a B, and Mrs. Rich might not like it.” “As long as my little sis and Diamond Tiara gets a good grade, I’m fine with that,” Applejack said. “I rather not deal with Mrs. Rich,” Luna said, “and I’m sure Tia would want to avoid her as well.” I said, “Let her come if she wants to. I might be a student, but I’m willing to take a chance in putting her in her place…peacefully, I hope.” “I’ve seen you take risk, partner. But this might be the biggest risk you could be taking,” Applejack told me. “My sister tells me that you’re trying to resolve an issue between Apple Bloom and Diamond Tiara,” Celestia told me in her office during 6th period. “Well, this is the first time I’m hearing about this ‘social status’ stuff that’s out there. Must be the worst idea of labeling out there to date.” “That’s Spoiled Rich for you. I wish she could just accept everyone as the same. I’m even surprised that she didn’t have her attend Crystal Prep.” “Applejack said I would be taking a big risk in this, so it’s best I ask you now. Would the aftermath in all this lure Mrs. Rich to our school, or would she stupidly take it to the school board?” Celestia laughed for a bit and said, “And already I’m starting to like the way you think. I think she would stomp her way here and hunt down Miss Cheerilee if it’s not an A on this, if you like to see a dramatic setting play out. But seriously, she’s going to create some trouble here unless Diamond Tiara can get her mother to realized what’s more important.” “Looks like I have my work cut out…again.” “As always,” she said. “But I know you can handle it.” I told my mother that we were going to have company for schoolwork, and she decided to pick up some pizza after she left her store for us to have while I get Apple Bloom and Diamond Tiara on track with their assignment. Chrysalis, Silver Spoon, and me decided to worked on our own homework until the pizza arrived. I could see that the two were making better progress than before, and that brought a smile to Silver Spoon’s face. They were able to take a small break when dinner arrived. “Jack, can I asked you something?” Apple Bloom said. “Shoot.” “Have you ever worked on an assignment with a partner like we do?” “Well…first, I did work on an assignment like you are doing in my freshman year back in Manehattan, but I was able to have Coco as my partner. Downside of it was that we had different reasons with the story that we were given.” “When I heard them arguing, I though it was something personal. Turns out that it was just related to their assignment. I was grateful to listen to both sides and give them a third opinion to what they told me that got them thinking better,” my mother said laughing. “Thank goodness for mothers,” I said. “And second, I’m about to work on a science project next week with the person who sits at the same table with me, without knowing what we plan to work on.” “So you have to work with Sunset without having to chose your partner?” Diamond Tiara asked me. “I don’t think I had a choice since day one. But I think we’ll be OK working together.” “Well, I think we need to get back to work, while there’s still time to work on it,” Apple Bloom said. “Agreed. I would like to get this done and out of the way,” Diamond Tiara added. Chrysalis took the two girls back up to me room to help finish up the assignment, while my parents cleaned up in the kitchen. Silver Spoon and me just sat in the living room, watching some weather science show on TV just to pass the time. I asked Silver Spoon, “So what made you think that you wanted this social status issue to end?” “I just felt like it wasn’t the way to make friends. I mean, you spend time with older, rich people, and it just…gets old. No pun intended. I think getting dragged into the volunteer club, followed by what I heard at Rarity’s, just made me change my mind about the world around me. My parents are handling with business overseas, so I have to stay with Diamond Tiara’s parents for some time. I’m hoping they come back at some point next year. Just being around Mrs. Rich is making me feel worried about myself and Tiara.” “She’s the only friend that you have in your life?” I asked her, in which she replied with a nod. “I can understand why you needed help in the first place. Do your parents think the same way about others?” “I’m not so sure. I don’t get to spend a lot of time with them as of late. I just hope Tiara can change and make her mother change as well,” she said. “I hope so too, before things go south.” I thought. A couple of hours later, Apple Bloom and Diamond Tiara came down with their assignment finished. They already called their families to come pick them up. Big Mac was the first to arrive to pick up Apple Bloom. The other two were waiting for Mr. Rich to pick them up. With Apple Bloom out of view, Diamond Tiara started to question her views of others. “Jack, do you think I act like some kind of queen…well, you know.” “Bitch?” I said, finishing her sentence. “Well, I don’t think you come as close to what Sunset was last year. I mean, you might have done some bullying, but you have yet to cross that line like Sunset has done. And just remember that Apple Bloom and Scootaloo have lost something close to them when they were young.” “Like a mother and father,” Diamond Tiara responded. “Is there time for me to change?” “Maybe, but you have to make that decision. I have been trying to help Sunset make a change for herself that others can see. Just remember, if you ever think you’re taking the wrong path and question what you’re doing, you just go to someone you know who can listen. They can help you with the rest if they can. And it doesn’t have to be Spoon here. It could be Miss Cheerilee, Miss Luna, or even Principal Celestia. Even Cadence and Twilight would be willing to listen to you if you like. Just don’t wait until it’s too late.” We were waiting some more, and the thought occurred to me that Celestia said. “Tiara, do you think things would be better for you if you attended Crystal Prep?” “That school? Please. Even my parents hate it because of their strict standards.” “My parents don’t like how they take control of what students have to do there to be the best,” Silver Spoon added. “And since they travel on business trips every now and then, it leaves little control in my life. Plus, both our parents knew some of the other parents who have students in that school. We’ve only met them in one of the Rich’s formal events. And we were still in junior high when we met them.” “So who all have you met from that school?” I asked them. “You really want to know?” Diamond Tiara asked me. “Entertain me.” Diamond Tiara started. “Well, there’s Royal Pin. I swear to you he looks like some fancy composer’s son, always talking about the ‘high life’ as he would call it. At least talk about something better than yourself.” Oh, and there Jet Set and Upper Crust,” Silver Spoon added. “They’re like the high school couple, but they act and dress way too preppy. It’s like they got that look from both of their parents. I wouldn’t know if they were really rich, or just want to act the part.” “I know one who likes to blend in,” Diamond Tiara added. “Tenderhoof. He was there to write an article for the Crystal Prep newsletter, from what I was told. But all he likes to talk about is all the girls that he has met. Gross.” “Come on, Tiara. I thought he was nice. He couldn’t be that bad. “Spoon, if you haven’t forgot, he even brought up Applejack’s name. I mean, really. I would have been impressed if he mentioned Sweetie Belle’s older sister, Rarity. But to bring up Apple Bloom’s sister makes them look like an odd couple.” I said, “What about Suri, you know, Rarity’s rival?” Silver Spoon said, “Her? I can understand why Rarity hates her and was able to save Coco from her. She likes to claim every fashion like it was her own. Like mother, like daughter.” “But there’s one student who’s more of a bitch,” Diamond Tiara said. “Her name is…Fley de Lee?” “It’s Fleur de Lis,” Silver Spoon corrected. “And yes, she must be the worst of the worst in that group of people. She thinks she the queen of the school. I just think she’s just full of it.” “Well, I never expect to see you both act like this,” I said. “And what made your parents think that our school was better than theirs?” Diamond Tiara took a moment to think of an answer. “I guess so that she can raise me the way she wants me to be.” “I would figure it would be to give us some freedom to do what we wanted to do,” Silver Spoon said. “Well, I’m at least glad that you came to our school instead of theirs,” I said. Mr. Rich was now showing up to pick them up. As they started to head to the car, Diamond Tiara looked back at me and said, “What you said before? Give me some time to think about it.” With them now heading home, Chrysalis came up next to me outside. “What do you think will happen now?” “I don’t know, but if Mrs. Rich decides to show up as a problem, I’ll have to go back to my old ways to solve this. Something I don’t want to do, but might have to if I plan to send a message to her,” I said. Chrysalis said, “Let’s hope it doesn’t come to that.” “There’s one other thing that needs to be done,” I said. “Finding out who this Fleur de Lis is.” “What makes you say that?” she asked. “They brought up some of the rich students in that school, and I think her name sticks out like a sore thumb. And I can also guess that rich people are ones who want what power they need to achieve their goal. And having powers like mine would be one of them.” After Apple Bloom and Diamond Tiara turned in their assignment, Sunset and me decided to check up with Miss Cheerilee during free study to see if she looked it over, since she only has two classes to teach before headed to the library. Turns out we were not the only ones who wanted to know. Both girls, along with their friends, wanted to see if they did better than before. Seeing Apple Bloom’s smile meant that it had to be good, but there was a faint smile on Diamond Tiara’s face. This told me that an A was out of the question. Now I knew I had to be on guard if what I heard about her mother was true. On the next day, I was staying alert for anything bad that would happen. And it wasn’t until the end of the day before I would head to practice that it was about to play out. My friends and me were busy getting ready to head to our after-school activates when Silver Spoon and the Crusaders came running towards us. Silver Spoon said, “Jack, Mrs. Rich just pulled up, and I don’t think it was to take us home.” “I knew it would happen after seeing my sis’ grade,” Applejack said. I just finished getting my things ready and slammed the locker door. “It’s time I met Mrs. Spoiled Rotten,” and started making my way outside. “He’s not going to do what I think he’s about to do,” Twilight said. “I think so, and knowing him, he ain’t holding back,” Applejack responded. I went outside to see Diamond Tiara trying to stop her mother from storming into the school. I knew she was not happy with the grade her daughter got. Even if it was a passing grade, she wanted it to be better than that, and I knew she wanted to talk to Miss Cheerilee about it. “Mother, you don’t have to do this,” Diamond Tiara said. “I’m fine with having a B on the assignment.” “The only reason you got a B was having to be pair up with that low life farm girl,” Mrs. Rich responded. “This is something that’s unacceptable in the family. I spent money on everything to make you the best student in school, and getting just one B in class is one reason I’m here.” Applejack was also outside and heard what she had to say. “If she thinks my sis is a low life to her, I rather give her a piece of my mind also.” I held Applejack for a moment to see if she can diffuse the issue. Diamond Tiara continued. “But this is high school. You can’t expect me to get straight A’s in every class.” “Our family strives to be the best out there,” Mrs. Rich said. “And just settling for second best is not enough in my book. That’s why I’m here, to get all this fixed the way I want it to be.” “That’s all you ever wanted it to be,” she yelled. “It’s always you, you, YOU!!! I…I…I HATE YOU, MOTHER!!!” At that point, my powers just kicked into high gear and it was pure anger coming form Mrs. Rich. If she was about to do something worse, I need to stop her NOW!!! Mrs. Rich started to put her hand up, ready to slap her daughter… …Only to be stopped when I ran up and grabbed her arm. She looked at what I was doing and ordered, “You let me go this instant, you ruffian.” I replied, “If you dare harm your daughter in that matter, then you’ll have a cast as you newest accessory.” “Are you trying to threaten me?” “I’m making sure you don’t make the biggest mistake in your life.” I let go of her arm at that point. “I don’t need to be lectured by some low life student like you,” she replied. “Then how about I lecture you instead.” A hard slap in the face came from Sunset’s hand, shocking everyone who just saw it. Mrs. Rich responded, “How dare you hit me like…” “SHUT UP YOU SPOILED BITCH!!!” Sunset yelled, cutting her off. “If you think this is the way to make your daughter smart and popular, then forget it. I done that in the past, and it destroyed my life. And all you’re doing is destroying your daughter’s life as well, because you’re too blind to see how much of a bully you are to her and everyone around you.” “I should call the cops for this insult,” Mrs. Rich replied. “Then call the cops,” Sunset said. “I hope that when they see how you harmed you daughter, they lock you away just like they did with my so-called father after what he did. Because that’s where you belong, BITCH!!!” She paused a moment before she continued. “By the way, that guy who just stopped you from doing something stupid is the son of the man that saved your family from losing a ton of money down the hole.” Mrs. Rich started to go into shock. “You…you mean he’s…” “That’s right,” I responded. “I’m Mr. Spades’ son. And the last thing I need now is a parent trying to be a bully to her daughter, not to mention making her worst than what Sunset was. No offense.” “None taken,” Sunset replied. “Besides, I think it’s best that Diamond Tiara stay with your family instead of her own, until this bitch gets her act together.” “I would like to see Mr. Rich’s reaction to all this, since I have noticed that he’s started to have a change of heart after what my father did to help him out. But it’s hard to tell who controls the family, him…OR YOU!!!” I looked over to the group and said, “Chrysalis, would you do me a favor and watch over Tiara and Spoon until after practice. I want to make sure they stay safe for once.” “Now that I can do,” she replied. “WAIT!!!” Everyone noticed that Mrs. Rich was in a panicked state. “Look, I just wanted her to be the best, not lose her from me because of what I want her to be.” That’s when I noticed Twilight and Rarity walk on up so they can add their take to the situation. Rarity placed her hand on Mrs. Rich’s shoulder and said, “Look, dear. I can understand why we do what we do to be the best. But being the best overall is never easy to do. Even Sweetie Belle can’t get great grades all the time, but she’s trying her best, and that’s all that matters to me and my parents, even if they are away.” “And I might have the best grades in my class so far, but that’s because I study a lot, and not everyone can maintain all that info in their head like I have,” Twilight added. “I already know that Jack is good in Math, but struggles in English. That doesn’t stop him from trying to do what he can. Even I have helped him when he needs help.” I said, “If you want to do something right, then let her make her own choices. Sure you can teach her what she needs to know, but she needs to make her own choices and find her own path, not to be forced in the path that you take.” Mrs. Rich took a moment to take in all that we said to her before she can respond. “You’re…you’re right. I have been forcing my daughter to follow in my footsteps. And today’s the first time that she has gone against me. It means that she’s ready to take on whatever she can handle.” “And what about all the labeling of others. You know, a person’s social status?” Applejack added. “You’re right. All that does is to add insult to injury.” She looked at Applejack and said, “I’m sorry that I called your family a low life. I forget that both the Rich family and Apple family played a role in the founding of Ponyville over a hundred years ago. Otherwise, we wouldn’t be where we are today.” “Mrs. Rich,” said Sunset. “I’m sorry for hitting you like that. I lost my cool after seeing what looked like an image of my former self. One that I want to forget,” she said as she looked away. “It’s OK. I needed a wake-up call like that.” Mrs. Rich felt where the slap happened. “But you might want to work on how hard you plan to slap someone in the face. It really hurt.” “Easier said than done,” I said. “At least I don’t see a mark on your face.” “Jack, I did not slap you that hard during that time,” Sunset told me. “Yes you did. Principal Celestia freaked when she saw it later that day. Just be lucky that I was able to make sure you didn’t take the blame for your actions.” “I think I’ll take Tiara and Spoon home and leave you kids to yourself. I need to start re-evaluating what I need to do to support my daughter’s future, before my husband decides to lecture me on raising a daughter.” Mrs. Rich started to head back to her car with Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon with her. Both girls looked back and gave us a smile before getting into the back of the car. Once they have left to school, the girls gave Sunset strange looks after what just happened. “What. You want Jack to take the fall for all this?” Sunset said. “When you put it that way, I guess I can’t blame ya for what you did,” Applejack responded. “If that’s it, then I’m heading home. I’m tired of having to remind myself of who I was every single time.” Sunset started to walk to her car, but stopped and said, “Don’t forget football practice.” “OH CRAP!!!” Twilight reacted. “We need to get going before we’re late.” Most of the guys started to make their way to the football field. Flash looked back and said, “You coming, Jack?” “Be right there,” I responded. I went to Applejack and asked, “Did you hear what Sunset said earlier?” “Bout her father and the cops? You think what her father did could be related to her past actions?” “Well, she never wanted to bring her father up for discussion, and we just heard her bring him up when she was angry at seeing an image of herself. Look, I need to get to practice. If you can think of any ideas about this, text me,” I said. “Will do,” Applejack responded. Author's Note After seeing Spoiled Rich in Crusaders of the Lost Mark, I was able to make this chapter more interested than what I had planned before.
