The Blue Thunder Strikesby HandsomeChaptersThe First StrikeThe Second StrikeThe Third StrikeThe Fourth StrikeThe Fifth StrikeThe First StrikeAuthor's Note This is a thing now. Enjoy! The First Strike -Hotel Room- “Ah man!” I said to myself as I strolled through the hotel door. “I’m beat, comic-con was rather intense this time around. Seems all that talk of people disappearing has made it even more crowded than one would expect.” I walked to my bed and placed a long box and my bag on its surface. Free of my purchased burdens I rose my arms into the air and stretched for all my worth, the sleeves of my white uwagi falling down my arms a bit. After stretching I finished off with a roll of my shoulders and started unpacking the box I brought with me. I smiled when I saw what was inside of it, a simple kendo bokken. I managed to get it practically dirt cheap from some guy at a stall, he didn’t even seem to care. I picked the wooden sword up and examined it closely, it really went well with the cosplay I went as to the con. Tatewaki Kuno is suppose to be a master at kendo after all. I raised the bokken to the light of the ceiling, I probably looked like I was trying to copy Thor. As I looked at the bokken a while longer lightning flashed outside. When I looked at the window to try and see if the weather was turning bad the world started spinning. I stumbled a bit to try and get my balance back but it was a futile effort. “Wha-What’s happening?” As I fell over unconscious I barely gave recognition to the fact my voice changed. Once blackness hit, I knew no more. -Sidewalk of a Bridge- “Aahhh~!” Sighed a rather happy man as he walked down a deserted bridge. He was clutching a rather large leather briefcase, a dreamy smile on his face. “I can’t believe I won two million dollars cash in the lottery.” The man gave another dreamy sigh, “Brian, this could be your turning point in this bad luck spell of yours!” Suddenly the front of his shoe caught a raised section of the bridge’s concrete, tripping him. He was caught off guard so he accidentally flung his briefcase in the air. “No!” He desperately shouted, trying to catch his now airborne briefcase. Unfortunately he couldn’t catch himself from his fall, the briefcase went flying over the railing and Brian smacked his head on a signpost. He was out cold and out two million dollars. -Unknown Area- I woke up with a groan. My eyes slowly cracked open, only to be instantly shut when a blinding light shined into them. I immediately knew it was the sun, the light felt too warm for indoor lighting and a breeze rolled past me as I lay down in the grass. With another groan I did a sit up and brought a hand to my forehead, in an attempt to stifle the small headache coming. After a few seconds I felt the headache slowly ebb away into nothingness. I gave a brief sigh in relief once that was gone and picked myself up from the ground, I dusted myself off and finally looked around to get a feel for my surroundings. To my right I saw a small riverish looking thing that also could’ve been a bayou. There were concrete stairs to my left that ran up a steep hill and a bridge behind me. I also took note of my bag and bokken that were on the ground, I picked up my backpack and put it on. Somehow I managed to go from my hotel room to this rather remote area. I scratched my head in confusion. “Where the hell am I?” After I finished that sentence I knew something was off. Alarm bells rung and I rushed to the nearby water source for confirmation. I gazed at my reflection and stood flabbergasted at what I saw. Somehow, in someway, I managed to turn into Tatewaki Kuno. I backed up from the water, not sure if I really am seeing this or if it's some sort of incredibly elaborate prank. I shook my head. “This can’t be-” I cut myself off when I tried to step backwards in surprise, I tripped over a small rock and landed on my butt. Groaning lightly in pain I looked to my right and noticed I was next to my newly bought bokken. Deciding that I should at least keep some sort of weapon on me I grabbed it. The second my hand touched the wood the area where my hand met it glowed and information rushed into my head. Techniques, skills, everything that the original Kuno knew, I now knew as well. I gripped my head, a new headache was forming and I felt like I was getting sick. Thankfully I did not puke, and the new headache eventually settled down to a manageable and dull pain. I took a deep breath and released it slowly. I heard some sort of shout from the bridge. I looked up and my face was immediately assaulted by a briefcase. I fell to the ground, the briefcase firmly sitting on my face, somehow not dislodging from the impact. “Grr.” I sat up quickly, the briefcase comically sliding off my face as what I assume to be a very annoyed face showed itself from hiding, I could practically feel the tick mark on my forehead. “What’s the big idea?! Who dares challenge the Shooting Star of Kendo, Tatewaki Kuno?!” I shouted to the heavens, a fist shaking at the sky. It was then that I realized what I said and blanched, “Gah! Why did I say that? ...Maybe this whole situation is messing with me in more ways than one.” I shook my head and rubbed the sore spot where the briefcase landed. I looked down at the offending object and, after setting my bokken under my belt, decided to see what was inside it. I crouched down and unlatched it, as I opened it it seemed to shine with light as the contents were revealed. My eyes practically shot out of their sockets, “Whaaaat?! There’s got to be at least one to two million dollars in here!” My jaw dropped at this unexpected turn of events. I rubbed my eyes, maybe I was seeing things. But when my hands moved again the money was still there and still practically shining. I probably looked like a fish right now and I snapped myself out of it. I slammed the briefcase shut and hugged it against my chest. I looked around to make sure no one saw any of this. When I made sure no one was around I sprinted off with the money in tow. “Ah hahahaha!” I laughed boisterously, “I’m rich! I’m rich!” I’m well aware that I am not a good person, the thought of returning all this money never even crossed my mind and I swear I managed to kick up a dust cloud as I ran away. At the moment I didn’t care about where I was or who I was. I was really bloody rich right now! I managed to get up the steps and continued to run down the sidewalk, I got about three blocks before I heard someone shout at me. “Hold it kid!” I stopped in my tracks and turned around to see a police officer flagging me down. I began to sweat bullets when I thought about a possibility, “Maybe he knows about the briefcase and wants me to return it to its rightful owner? And I just got it too!” The policeman jogged up to me, a stern glare on his face. “Oh no! He does know about the briefcase!” I was about ready to bolt but the policeman spoke up before I could lift a leg, “What are you doing out of school young man?” The policeman continued with the glare and put his hands on his hips. I was caught off guard to be honest. But at least this is a better alternative. I grinned awkwardly at the policeman and rubbed the back of my head sheepishly. “Uh, a school project?” I said rather lamely. He clearly did not buy it and simply rose an eyebrow in a “Really?” kind of look. I just laughed nervously, it sounded bad even to my ears. The policeman just sighed. “Look kid you can’t just ditch school like this. Education is important after all. Now how about I bring you back to school and you can have a long talk with the principle. Luckily you didn’t get too far.” He waved for me to follow him and I went along with it. We walked down the sidewalk in silence. Eventually the policeman broke the silence with a question. “So… what’s with the getup?” This was something that I knew. I was always a fan of kendo, so I told the policeman all about it. We continued this little talk until the school was in our sights. It was an interesting school all right. It clearly had a horse theme, if the statue, horse heads on top of the school building’s corners, and a giant horseshoe welcoming plaque didn’t say that then I was a monkey’s uncle. I looked at the horseshoe plaque and saw “Welcome to Canterlot High” written on its pedestal. “Canterlot… such an odd name.” Shrugging I looked around the courtyard, there were various students eating or wandering around. It must’ve been lunch time. There was one thing that bothered me though, everyone was brightly colored. I didn’t notice with the policeman earlier because I was afraid he knew about the briefcase. I saw a guy that was blue… I shook my head and kinda zoned out for the rest of the walk. Taking only small note of the brief stares the policeman and I were getting. We reached a door that had the word principal written on it and I zoned back in. The policeman knocked and after a few seconds the door opened and revealed a tall, multi hued haired, white woman. Honestly, I thought she was kinda pretty. “Hello ma’am, I caught this young man trying to skip out of school.” He placed a hand on my shoulder and smiled at the principal, “Try not to be too hard on him though, I think he realizes his mistake.” The principal smiled at the man, “Thank you officer. I’ll take it from here.” The policeman tipped his police hat and started off towards the exit. I watched him leave before turning back to the principal. “So…” I started awkwardly. The principal giggled, “Yes, I’m aware you aren’t actually a student here. I think I’d recognize someone that looks so… unique.” She said unique as she examined my state of dress. I nervously laughed, “Yeah… well I guess I should be going then.” I was about to turn around and walk off but the principle stopped me. “Now what’s the rush? You’ll just eventually get caught for suspected truancy anyway. How about you come inside my office and we can talk about enrolling you here. Oh, and my name is Celestia. But you can call me Principal Celestia, everyone else does.” The principal stepped to the side and waved her arms as if to invite me into her office. Since I had no idea about where I was, I was in a completely different body with completely different skills, and two million dollars richer, I decided to give this a shot. I can work on getting myself home some other time and if I can’t do that then I should at least have an option two to fall back on. I walked through the doorway and as I passed the principal I said, “Well, I hope you're ready for a very special case of enrolling. I don’t have any paperwork that would normally be used to enroll anywhere else.” She giggled again, “Oh don’t worry about that, I’ve dealt with a similar case two years ago. A girl named Sunset Shimmer just appeared out of the blue on school grounds. Maybe this time things will freshen up around here!” The principal closed the door and my enrollment into Canterlot High began. The Second Strike-The Cafeteria- I pushed the doors to the cafeteria open, lunch started only twenty minutes ago so I thought I was very lucky. Hungry as well. I stood in the short line for food and thought about how Principal Celestia got everything in order rather quick. It was probably the quickest enrollment I have ever seen, and to be honest I always thought enrolling in a school was suppose to be far more difficult. All this has been moving so fast. I was in my hotel room at night, then I passed out and somehow found myself under a bridge. Even more strange than that was the fact I was an anime character now. And now, not even an hour later, I’m enrolled into a random school I never heard of. Seriously, who names their school Canterlot High? Still in a bit of a daze I barely registered what I was ordering as I passed the… green old lunch lady. I made it to the end of the lunch line and paid for the food, I was glad my wallet was in my bag. I wouldn’t have to pay for a school lunch with one of the hundreds in my new leather briefcase now. Though the look on the cashier’s face would've been priceless. I exited the line and looked for a place to sit. I spotted an empty table and headed to it, after I sat down I immediately began to eat. All that has happened in this short time has made me a bit ravenous. I polished off the last of my burger, and then suddenly the doors to the cafeteria burst open. I will forever deny that I jumped just a bit. I looked at the doors to see who made that dramatic entrance. It was a, I can’t believe it, girl that had amber skin and hair that looked like bacon. I think my jaw dropped at how unbelievably weird that color scheme was. I needed to know who this was. “Sunset Shimmer.” A girl behind me growled softly, as if she didn’t want this Sunset to hear her. The newly dubbed Sunset Shimmer strutted into the cafeteria, two little lackies followed behind her. They looked more stupid than intimidating though so I quickly brushed them off the threat list. Though judging by the silent glares being sent their way the students really do not like these three. Or maybe it’s just Sunset Shimmer, the other two looked like they just followed the next big thing blindly. Sunset smirked as she looked around the room. But that smirk dropped when she bumped into a yellow girl with pink hair that didn’t seem to notice Sunset since her back was turned. “Gah!” She said, nearly falling over. “Watch where you’re going!” She pushed the other girl down and threw her hands on her hips. Her two lackies backing her up. It seems that this Sunset was a bully. And truth be told I don’t like bullies. The other girl ran off, nearly in tears. Sunset straightened up and loudly exclaimed, “So, I heard through the grapevine that there is a new student in this school.” “Yeah! And that grapevine was us!” Shouted the shorter minion enthusiastically. “Yeah!” Agreed the taller one. Sunset glared at the two for interrupting her and they back off sheepishly. She turned her attention back to us, “And so it falls to me to teach this new student all about our… traditions.” So far I really did not like this Sunset girl. So as she started walking around to try and find me I decided to take action. If there was one thing more irritating than a smitten Kuno, I would have no clue what it was. With a mental smirk, I was about to unleash upon this bacon-bitch what many, mostly two, people dread. I made sure to secure my new briefcase to my backpack, it had these nifty little straps to do that, before standing up. I made sure to make a show of it, in order to catch the most attention. Before Sunset could say anything when she turned and saw me I loudly said in my most flowery voice, “Ah, alas tis not everyday that one so fiery seeks the warm embrace of a man.” I had a hand resting lightly on my face. From somewhere I managed to pull out a rose, don’t ask me how. I walked to Sunset, head held high, posture straight, and a gentle smile on my face. When we were close to each other I slowly opened my eyes to meet her gaze, a kunoism I recalled on my tongue, “Ah, light seeking light of light doth light beguile… the damnedest creature, am I not?” I lightly flicked the rose at sunset, amazingly she managed to catch it despite the complete and utter perplexed look on her face. The face of her lackies and every single student in the cafeteria matched each other. I gave a light and short laugh, smile still tugging my lips as I closed my eyes once more. “Yes, I can now see that you have become smitten with my graceful charm. Very well!” I nearly shouted the last two words. “I shall give thee the honor of dating me!” Sunset looked taken aback, a look of horror struck her face, “No! No you idiot! Why on earth would I ever want to date you?!” Sunset started slowly backing away, the look of horror never leaving her even as she raised her hands in front of her, as if to push my presence away. I shook my head in clear amusement for her to see, a smile still tugging my lips. “Wh-What?! What’s so funny?!” She shouted at me. By now the entire cafeteria was completely fixated on us. I slowly started to walk to her another kunoism on my tongue, “Fire that’s closest kept burns most of all… those who show their love, love least.” These were too natural to be comfortable. Sunset’s eyes widened even more so for every inch I closed. “No! Nonononononono! You’re wrong!” Sunset waved her hands frantically in front of her, trying to keep the distance between us, her little lackies following behind as they too were scared. Little did she know she was being slowly pushed out of the cafeteria. “Hush now my beautiful flower…” I began, “Now… let me show you the power of my love!!!!” I shouted as I leaped into the air, arms wide open, and with plenty of time for Sunset to dodge and run off. As predicted Sunset screamed and bolted off while yelling, “Snips! Snails! Come here!” The three stooges were gone, I was kneeling on the floor, and I felt both better about myself and worse. Acting anything like Kuno isn’t something to be proud of after all. I stood up straight and looked at the other students in the school. I laughed and rubbed the back of my head nervously. After a few more seconds of silence the crowd of students burst into cheers. I felt myself lifted up a bit and paraded around the school cafeteria. The rest of lunch was spent with everyone in a jovial mood. -Sunset Shimmer- Sunset, Snips, and Snails panted tiredly, hands and knees on the ground of the hallway. Sunset still looked a bit horror stricken from her ordeal in the cafeteria. “What… What is up with that guy.” Sunset said rhetorically. “He’s freaking insane!” Snips, still recovering from their sprint said, “I dunno Sunset. That was really weird.” Snails decided to give his input on the situation despite his panting, “Hey, *pant* well maybe he really does like you? *pant* I mean, you are the most beautiful girl in the school after all.” He continued to breath heavily. Sunset, who has mostly recovered by now, put a finger to her chin as she thought about what Snails said. “Hmm, while that is true. I don’t see what use he could be to me, I’m already guaranteed to win the fall formal this year.” Snails seemed stumped but Snips had other ideas, “Wait! When we saw him he did have some sort of wooden sword strapped to his belt!” Snails got the idea, “Yeah! And he looked really well muscled too!” Sunset was still in thought as she took all this information in. She smirked evilly when it all clicked together. “Heh, I see now… He’s all muscle and no brain. It’ll be a piece of cake to pretend to date him, while only using him to get what I want.” “Uh huh! And since Flash Sentry broke up with you last week you’re a free woman too!” Snips brought up. He immediately wished he hadn’t opened his mouth when a mad Sunset Shimmer turned her face in his direction. He gulped audibly. “Mommy.” Was his last thought before Sunset’s wrath came down. Author's Note Who wants to help with future kunoisms?! If so then please leave one in the comments whenever you so please! If or when I use one you could get yourself featured here in the author's note of the chapter it's used in! No seriously help me out here, the stupidity of original kunoisms isn't a one man job here! The Third Strike-Kuno- The rest of the day went by smoothly. I got a few strange looks, probably the clothes, and I also got a few shoulder claps from some of the students. Scaring off Sunset like I did during lunch won me a lot of brownie points with the various teenagers here. She must be a real menace to the school populous if this is how everyone reacts to her "defeat". One negative thing I have to say about this school is it's policy about not giving a slight care in the world if one of it's students carries around a wooden sword all damn day. Seriously, I walked into every classroom and not a single teacher even so much as batted an eye at the bokken on my waist. I really shouldn't complain though, I paid good money for this thing even if it was a cheap deal from a shady merchant. Putting that aside, the final bell of the day rang and everyone got up and rushed for the doors. I was not in any real hurry so I calmly packed my stuff up and swung my backpack over my shoulder. I left my final class, math if you must know, and calmly walked down the hallway greeting anyone who greeted me first. I pounded more fist on that trek down the hall than I ever did in any other point in my life. I was not used to being a celebrity, and I don't know if I really like it. I was never one for the spotlight, even if I could act if I really tried. I pushed the main school doors open and I was met with the sight of the school courtyard still packed with students doing various things. I walked down the steps and stood off to the side. I realized that while I had money I still did not have a place to stay. I couldn't get an apartment, because I was pretty sure a minor can't lease one. A motel would be a temporary fix, but eventually people would wonder where I was getting the money to stay there when I was in the body of a seventeen year old. I put a hand to my chin and rubbed it in thought. I was broken out of my thoughts by a voice, "Did you have a good first day of school here at Canterlot High?" I turned around and saw Principal Celestia standing on one of the steps. Her sister, Vice-Principal Luna, standing off to the side of her. I smiled when I saw the pair, "Yes in fact. Thank you for getting me enrolled so quick Principal Celestia." She laughed lightly, "It's no trouble. Now, I have to ask you two questions." I nodded to her, "Ask away." Principal Celestia nodded back and asked, "Do you have a place to stay? And if not, would you like to stay at my sister and I's house? I assure you it's big enough, you won't take up much room at all. I asked Sunset this question when she first came here to CHS but she turned down the offer for some reason." She shrugged and awaited my answer with a smile. Honestly the questions she asked surprised me. But it conveniently solved my housing problem, but I had to wonder why she asked. We didn't even know each other that well, she must be some sort of saint if she is offering housing to some random guy. The fact that I'm a teenager again not withstanding. I doubt she has any ulterior motives though, if she asked Sunset of all people to stay with her then she is probably looking out for me. I smiled at her and said, "I accept." I mean.... why wouldn't I take her up on the offer? My answer seemed to please her and she replied, "Wonderful!" She clapped her hands together. "Luna can drive you to our house, it isn't far from here. Walking distance really. I still have a few more things to work out here in school, I'll be home by dinner." Principal Celestia turned to her sister, "See you later sister." Vice-Principal Luna smiled back at her sister, "You too sister." She looked at me, "Come now Mr. Kuno, the sooner I get you to your new home the sooner you can get your homework done." I mentally groaned at the thought of doing homework all over again. At the very least I already know most of the material, so it hopefully won't be too bad. I followed the Vice-Principal as we headed to the teacher's parking lot. -Celestia and Luna's Home- The drive to the house was mostly made in a comfortable silence, we clearly did not have much to talk about and accepted it. But I imagine lengthy conversations will come later when we actually have some sort of relationship. Luna parked in the driveway of the two story home and turned off her car, it was a nice car in my opinion. It kinda looked just a tad like the Batmobile, but dark blue instead of black. It also had a weird black blob with a crescent moon on the hood of the car. I didn't question her decor. "Well, here we are. I assume that backpack and briefcase of yours are the only possessions you own?" Inquired the Vice-Principal. "Yes Vice-Principal. I was thinking of going shopping for some more clothes after I put my things away." She smiled and said, "Please, just call me Luna outside of school. Or if you want, Ms. Luna is also fine. Do you need a lift to the store?" I shook my head, "No thank you. Walking will help me get the lay of the land so to speak. Plus the exercise is always good." Luna shrugged and we got out of the car. Once we made our way to the front door she pulled out a set of keys and we entered the rather spacious home. To be honest, I think a two story house is a but much for just two people. Pushing aside that thought Luna showed me to my room on the second floor. Thanking her I put my two bags down and started to get settled in. Which was mostly just laying in my new bed and thinking. Luna had gone off to do some sort of work or just goof off, but not before leaving a spare key on the top of the dresser. I meanwhile got up from my new bed and unpacked my backpack. Once it was nice and cleared up I took some money from the briefcase and stuck it in my wallet. Since my kendogi doesn't have pockets I stuffed my wallet in my bag. I put the briefcase in the empty dresser and headed out of the house, making sure my bokken was still at my waist and grabbing the spare key just in case. For some reason I did not want it to leave my side. I called a goodbye to Luna, told her I'll be back soon, and did my shopping. -Two Hours Later- I walked down the driveway of my new home, my backpack filled with various items. I had bags of stuff hanging on my arms while I awkwardly held them out to hold them. Opening the door to the house was a challenge in of itself but I managed. Principal Celestia greeted me and generously helped me carry some of my bags to my room. I thanked her, and we started putting everything down on the bed, all that was left was putting everything away. Once the last bag was situated the Principal turned and said, "We have pasta ready for dinner, come join us when you're ready." I said alright and started setting my new room up. Various knickknacks on various shelves, clothes in the dresser, etc. It took me only a few minutes at the most and the only thing left to do was eat dinner. I went downstairs and sat at the dining table with the two sisters. I started feeling a bit awkward now, everything has finally caught up to me and I realized that I'm now basically staying with two people I barely even know. I looked out the window and examined their backyard in order to look like I wasn't feeling awkward, the other two didn't even look bothered. The backyard was rather empty to be honest. No flower beds, barely any bushes, and a single tree. It was kinda depressing but they probably don't have a lot of time to dedicate to gardening. However, it did look like a good place to practice kendo. Now that I have all the knowledge of the real Tatewaki Kuno I might as well practice those skills. And get even better than the original as well. Kuno has speed, and if my body works like it would in the Ranma 1/2 world then I could learn to utilize Ki. The first thing I should work on is physical strength, kuno might be stronger than the average human but compared to Ranma his arm strength probably isn't up to par. I had no reservations I'd get as strong as Ryoga though, I can hope but I won't hold my breath. Speaking of Ryoga I should try and learn the Bakusai Tenketsu, or the Breaking Point in english, the toughness is always handy and the technique itself would be useful if I ever lose my bokken. As I matter of fact I'm going to try and learn as many Ranma 1/2 techniques I can remember. This might be my only chance at learning something new and exciting, a few things I have dreamed to learn and use ever since I first read the manga. But while it would be fun to have and use whenever I want I really have to ask why it would be necessary. It's not like my life will somehow turn into any sort of resemblance of Ranma 1/2 anyway... Despite the uselessness... I'll teach myself these things anyway. "You've been staring into space for a while now Tatewaki. Is there something on your mind?" Asked a curious Celestia. I realized I've had my head rested on my hand while I stared at the backyard, for quite some time too if the worried look on the Principal's face is any indication. I shook my head, "No no. I'm fine, I'm just thinking about school stuff. Making friends and all that jazz." Luna was clearing the table as Celestia and I spoke. "Oh? Well that's always a good thing. Friends are a very important part of a students, especially a teenagers, life!" Celestia seemed happy about the thought of me making friends. I'm starting to think she has some sort of need to act motherly. Weird, but I could live with it. I nodded, "Yup." I paused a bit before continuing, "Now I think I'm going to see if I want to move anything around in my room." With a small good night I parted ways with Celestia and we each went to do our own thing. ... I poked my head around the corner with a hand at the back of my head, "Uh... What's the wifi password?" Author's Note I'm thinking of making some sort of master list of kunoisms. Just typing a few down here and there when they come to me. The Fourth StrikeIt turns out that the day I arrived was a Friday of all days. I figured this out because Principal Celestia stopped me from walking out the door with my school supplies the following day, a good thing too since that would have been embarrassing to the nth degree. I was glad that I was saved from that but I had to wonder why yesterday was a Friday, because I came into this whole odd predicament on a Tuesday night. Of course this was not necessarily a bad thing though, it meant that I had a potential two days of uninterrupted training that I can get done. Like right now, a Sunday mid-afternoon with a pleasant breeze, and me in the backyard doing handstand pushups while balancing a large boulder on my feet. This was obviously not an easy task, my arms were burning from the strain and I needed to rest soon. I just needed to finish ten more. Though I admit that the exercise was not the actual hard part of this training. The real challenge was lugging the boulder from a nearby forest and into the backyard. People would not get out of the way, even when I politely asked. They just stared at me like I was crazy, and I had to talk my way through several police officers. I wasn't doing anything illegal, at least I didn't think so anyway. The Vice Principal nearly threw a fit when she saw the huge ass boulder in the backyard. I hadn't a clue why, not like there was anything else there. Principal Celestia managed to calm her down, but looked dubiously at the rock all the same. I didn't know why though, it was barely a third the size of a car and about as tall give or take. It took a while but I got them to accept the boulder, and when asked about why I needed it I simply replied with a happy "It's for training!" and a bright grin. I think that was what won them to my side. "Two." I grunted, pushing up from the ground. Beads of sweat dripped down from my chest, I had abandoned the soaked shirt I previously wore. It stopped keeping sweat from trying to hit me in the eye a long time ago, it was probably helping with the sweat dripping at that point. Right now I was only wearing underwear and grey track pants. I slightly adjusted the positions of my hands and breathed. "One." I did the final pushup and held my form straight, simply to bask in the glory of finishing my strength training for today. I moved my legs forward and let the boulder drop in front of me before pushing my freed body upwards into the air. I did a flip for style and landed perfectly on my feet. I rolled my shoulders and stretched to help relieve the tension. I saw the Principal walk out the back door and set a tray on the table. When I began my trek back to the house the Principal looked over and said, "Luna and I will be leaving to finish a few more errands. I made you some lemonade to help with your... training." She looked over at the boulder for a second before returning her gaze to me and smiled, "Regardless of how I find it odd you use a rock instead of weights I wish you well with whatever you are trying to accomplish. And take a break, you look tired." I smiled back at her, "Thanks Principal, I will." I took a glass of lemonade as she turned to leave with her sister. I sat in a chair close to the table and simply relaxed. A good twenty minutes went by, time flies when you're having fun and it flies even faster when you're relaxed. Or at least that's the case with me. I was about to get up but I heard the bushes in front of the fence to my right rustle and a muffled voice come from it. "Who's there?" I picked my bokken up from where it rested against the house wall. "Show yourself knave!" As soon as I said that a form forced itself out of the confines of it's bush. I blindly charged at the intruder, bokken raised and a war cry in my throat. I leapt into the air, ready to dish out a powerful down slash when I saw who the mystery person was. I was shocked and didn't have the reaction time to properly form a response. So naturally I managed to somehow trip in the air and slam face first on the ground behind the person, my bokken still raised like I was about to attack despite my now prone form. I turned my head to watch as Sunset Shimmer dusted herself off and pulled twigs out of her hair, not knowing how close she came to death. Once finished with her pat down she looked around the backyard, confusion on her face. "Huh? Kuno, where are you?!" She yelled, not seeing me on the ground next to her feet. Receiving no answer she huffed, "Weird, I could've sworn he was here a second ago." I finally regained my wits enough to figure out she wants something. Standing up quickly, making sure to stay behind her and unnoticed, I walked up close to her. I put my hands around her waist and rested my head on her shoulder, "Ah, my wonderful Tiger Lily. What brings your ever burning flame to the doorsteps of my home?" Sunset stiffened and immediately spun around and used her hands to shove me away, keeping me at arms length. "Whoa! Slow down there bucko! I-ah... I-" She seemed to slow down and stop her speech the longer she stared at me. I looked at where she stared and remembered I just finished training and was still shirtless. Lucky for Sunset though I was dry now and no longer soaked in sweat. I looked back at Sunset and said, "Ah, my apologies fair Sunset. I just finished with some training out here in the yard. Would you like to come in and enjoy some lemonade while I get refreshed?" I picked the tray up and held the backdoor open for her. She shook herself from whatever thoughts plagued her mind and strutted into the house like she owned it. I walked in behind her and set the tray down on the small, living room table a few feet from the couch, Sunset sat on the couch with her arms and legs crossed. "Might as well see what she wants." I thought to myself as I walked upstairs. About fifteen minutes later I came back down stairs, my hair still slightly damp from the shower. A pair of tan cargo pants and a simple black t-shirt on. Sunset was laying on the couch, the TV now on, and had an empty glass of lemonade sitting on the tray. She noticed my arrival and turn the TV off. I sat in one of the comfy chairs across from the couch. I decided to speak first, "So what may I do for such a lovely maiden? Has your honor been smirched? Need I bring the hammer of justice down on one who would dare insult you?! If so, I, the great Tatewaki Kuno, the Blue Thunder of Canterlot High shall deliver post haste!" I balled my fist up and suddenly stood up, my body in a dramatic pose, lightning flashed outside despite that fact it was a clear day. Sunset quizzically looked outside, brow furrowed before shaking her head in dismissal. She turned to me, shook her head, waved it off and said, "No. None of that." I breathed a sigh of relief and sat back down, "Good. Now what may I, Tatewaki Kuno, age seventeen, the Blue Thunder of Canterlot High, do for you dearest Shimmer?" I could see her struggling not to laugh at my self imposed title. I could relate, every time I read or heard the real Kuno say it I cracked a smile as well. Getting herself under control she put on an air of haughtiness and I felt just a tiny bit of dread prick my heart. Sitting up straight she looked at me with complete confidence and said, "Take me on a date." It did not sound like a request. That prick of dread turned into a spike of complete and utter fear that was slammed into my chest, like a giant had slammed a hammer onto that spike. Time seemed to stop for the briefest of moments and I weighed the balance. On one hand if I refused then she might be able to see that I'm just doing all this to annoy her away from the other students. On the other she might get used to my antics if I agree, we'd be spending a lot of time together after all. "But I can always up the ante if it come down to it. I hope it doesn't." I thought. I stared into Sunset's eyes. She stared into mine. A small pause went by until I leapt over the small, living room table at Sunset. "Oh my darling wildflower! I knew you could not resist the temptation that is I!" My arms flung wide open, in preparation of a hug. Her foot met my face and I dropped to my knees in front of her, all forward motion somehow gone. "First rule, no touching." She glowered at me. "Now, get up. We have a date to go to!" Sunset turned on her feet and marched out the front door. I stayed on the floor wondering if I really made the correct choice and if I had any chance to take it back. I got back on my feet and cracked my neck, quickly walking to where Sunset left I grabbed the spare key from the bowl next to the door and left the house. "Hurry up!" Sunset demanded. "Oh god, this won't end well." I grimly thought as I locked the door and walked next to Sunset as we walked down the sidewalk to wherever she was taking us. Author's Note Another strike! Hopefully the story can pick up in pace now. The Fifth StrikeSunset and I walked down the streets of Canterlot City in relative silence. Despite that this whole little affair was suppose to be a date, Sunset seemed to be keeping a fair distance from me. A good three feet to be exact. “I wonder why she seems so determined to date me? I’d have thought she’d have wanted to keep a lot more distance between us than this.” I silently contemplated my newfound situation for the next few minutes. Then a horrible thought struck me with the force of Ryoga. “What if… What if she really did fall for me? Did she fall for those fake Kuno charms I threw haphazardly around? What if she’s the type to fall for those that don’t immediately bend to her will?!” I swallowed some spit as I looked over at the girl in my left peripheral vision. “While that line of thought is disturbing, I have to say… poor girl. She doesn’t know this whole thing I’m doing is fake.” I bit my lip, “Geeze, that just makes this whole thing kinda hard for me. I don’t want to be responsible for utter heartbreak like this, even if the girl is a bully.” We walked in silence for a while longer, at this point I couldn’t take much more of the silence. I cleared my throat into a fist, looked over at her and said, “So, my fairest, fieryest Tiger Lily, where perchance are we going for our date?” Her eye twitched, but she sighed and said, “There is a carnival not too far from here. We can do stuff over there.” She was silent for a moment before adding something, as if almost in afterthought, “And as the guy you need to pay for it.” She also muttered something under her breath that sounded suspiciously like “I don’t have the money for frivolous things like this right now anyway.” I hummed in response, before suddenly announcing to the world, “Then I shall strive to make sure you, Sunset Shimmer, have the grandest time!” I seemed like I paid no attention to the passerbys that looked at me oddly, or even the ones that snickered silently behind a hand. I mentally smirked as Sunset’s face was burnt crimson now, my boasting and yelling was probably embarrassing her. Not to mention the fact that I also shouted her name with it. “Stop with the random shouting and declarations! It’s embarrassing to look at you when you do it. Let alone be in your close proximity!” She whisper shouted at me as she grabbed my collar, pulling me down to her eye level. I had to admit she was stronger than her skinny frame made her out to be. She released me and I bowed slightly to her, “My deepest apologies my fair, fiery rose, I did not mean any embarrassment on your part. I only wished to show the truest depths of my love for you.” Not surprisingly enough this only made her face redder as a lot of other pedestrians, mostly women and one purple dude with a really orange and twisty moustache, ‘awwed’ when they heard my statement. Sunset released her grip on my collar and stormed down the road, nearly stomping holes in the pavement. I could’ve sworn I saw steam rise from her head, it was probably just a trick of the light. I stood on the sidewalk for a moment before shrugging and jogging forward. I quickly caught up to her and we resumed our silent walk, but this one seemed just a bit different than the last. I couldn’t put a finger on it though. I looked over at Sunset in the corner of my eye, she seemed to be walking a tad closer now, by at least an inch or two. The two of us arrived at the entrance of the carnival thing that was going on. Naturally Sunset was true to her word and had me pay for the tickets. I was silently miffed on that but I hid it well enough, plus it wasn't like I had a shortage of money or anything. I grudgingly paid anyway and we made our way inside. To be honest I was expecting my time here with Sunset to be mildly unpleasant. But she seemed to be determined to make this whole thing work out alright, she didn’t seem to be acting like some sort of she-demon bully, and I could happily say that I actually had fun, which was weird since I never liked carnivals. Even more odd since she still managed to keep a good distance between us and made it work despite that this whole thing was suppose to be a date. During our wandering of the carnival, during which we played many generic carnival games and ate plenty of unhealthy food, we eventually came to stop in front of a booth. It was one of those booths where you had to throw a ball at some sort of stacked bottles, I was mildly surprised we hadn’t found it sooner since we came to that hoop-bottle thing not too long ago. This game was probably rigged, I never trusted games like these, but I figured my enhanced strength could more than make up for it. The top prize looked to be a large, stuffed pony thing. “What the hell is up with all of the pony themes in this town?” I asked myself. Deciding to not bother myself with a question like that any further I turned to Sunset and said, “My fair Tiger Lily, please wait whilst I procure a gift for thee.” I did a gentleman's bow, a stuffed monkey I obtained not long ago that had those velcro hands nearly falling off my head that I attached it to. I watched Sunset cross her arms and huff a bit, turning her head to the side. I mentally rolled my eyes, turned on my heels and headed straight to the booth. “One please.” I said to the man behind the counter. “Certainly sir!” The man cheerfully said as he took my offered money and handed me a ball. I threw the ball in the air and caught it as I tried to judge how much power I'd need to throw this with. I was still getting used to my newfound strength and figured this would be some good training to help that along. I caught the ball one last time and reared my arm back, I threw it in a typical fast ball throw that I had just simply copied from watching a lot of baseball on the television. The ball flew from my hand and struck the stack of bottles before immediately flying straight through them. The two bottommost bottles had their base still stuck to the shelf as the rest blew away in chunks. It seemed I needed more training in controlling my strength, that was way too hard of a throw. But it seemed I was right in my guess that this game was rigged. The man behind the counter gulped at the accidental display of strength and shakily said, “H-Heh, sorry buddy. The entirety of the bottles have to be off the shelf for it to count.” That was complete bullshit. And it seemed Sunset agreed. “Yeah right! How can they be knocked off when they were obviously stuck there on purpose! This is a scam and we should report you!” She yelled as the man began to sweat. The man raised his hands and hurriedly said, “N-Now wait just a second! I’m just trying to make some money here you see! Do you know how hard it is to make money off a game like this when you could be giving out prizes left and right?! Impossible!” Sunset growled, I was beginning to think this whole thing might’ve been a pet peeve of hers. Perhaps she doesn’t like that games can be a scam? It’s also weird that she’s the one getting angry at this but I was the one that paid for and actually played the game. But as I watched the two argue I had to admit it was genuinely amusing to see the smaller girl talk down the tall, lanky man who had to be a good half foot taller than her. I watched as the man grabbed the biggest, most colorful stuffed animal and hurriedly hand it over to Sunset in fright. When she turned back around and marched back over to me I saw that the animal was a pony, I wasn’t surprised. Deciding that we should take a break I asked Sunset a question as she neared, “Want some funnel cake?” She was silent for a second before replying with a nod, “Yeah. Funnel cake sounds good.” A quick walk to a small booth in an area that seemed to be reserved for food and the like got us two small plates of funnel cake. We set all of our new stuff on the picnic table and set to work on eating our fried treat. We spent a minute in silence, after a minute I stabbed a piece of my cake and said, “Fairest Shimmer, I must admit I am having quite the grand time. I’ve never been fond of these types of festivities myself, so it must be because I have accompanied you here.” Sunset’s face grew a touch red, and she muttered something off to the side though I was not able to catch what it was. She glared at me, a glare that was easily put off by the embarrassed blush on her face. She pointing her plastic spork at me and said, “Flattery will not get you anywhere with me mister.” “Judging by your face, I’d beg to differ.” I thought to myself. I straightened up with resolute confidence and said, “Of course! I do not expect your burning passion to be so easily quelled! You need not worry, I shall put forth all of my effort to woo thee!” I raised a passionate fist in the air and brought it down in a single, powerful fist pump. She groaned lightly and her head dropped a bit in exasperation. She faced the table’s surface now, the hand still holding her spork hung in the air. I believe I heard something along the lines of “I should’ve known he’d say something like that.” be muttered after her head dropped. I couldn’t help a smile grow on my face, I was having a lot of fun right now. Maybe all of these new things happening to me wasn’t going to be all that bad? Sunset lifted her head back up and glared harder at me, her blush gone now. “I’m done with this carnival now. Let’s go, I want to be home before it gets too dark.” She threw away her plate and grabbed some of the stuff we gathered throughout our stay here. I did the same and we began our walk out of the carnival. I looked over at a bush when I thought I saw something move. I stopped in my tracks and stared at the bush, slightly narrowing my eyes. I took a step forward until I heard Sunset yell back at me, “Well?! What are you waiting for?! Come on, I haven’t got all evening!” Begrudgingly I looked away from the bush and jogged back over to Sunset, the colorful monkey on my head bouncing in tune with my jog. “My apologies fairest Sunset. I was distracted by something.” She rolled her eyes, shrugged, and said, “Whatever.” Sunset continued forward and I kept pace, only momentarily looking back at the bush. When nothing seemed to move the longer I stared I simply shrugged and looked forward again. “Must’ve been my imagination.” I thought to myself as I walked next to Sunset Shimmer. I looked over at her and said, “It seems our date is almost over. A shame, but some things must come to an end no matter how much we might beg them not to. I suppose the only thing left is taking you back home.” Sunset’s eyebrow twitched before she elbowed me in the ribs. It didn’t hurt as much as I thought, but it certainly caught me off guard. She glared at me and said, “Nuh-uh. I’m not letting you know where I live just yet. I’m taking you home.” I scratched my cheek, “I see. Odd role reversal but I see no harm in it if you so deeply wish it. To make up for not bringing you home I shall be even more on guard during this trip!” I made karate chop hands and looked around completely serious like. What I didn’t expect was a laugh, a laugh that was surprisingly angelic. I looked over at Sunset and saw that she covered her mouth in surprise. Her face grew red and she immediately stormed back down the sidewalk in the direction of my new home. I blinked a bit before shaking off the surprise and jogging down the sidewalk to catch up with her. “Didn’t think she was even capable of laughing. Just glares and caught-off-guard blushes.” I muttered to myself as I eyed Sunset with a bit of renewed interest. Author's Note Finally, after a long break of laziness, I wrote the next chapter of this story.
The First StrikeAuthor's Note This is a thing now. Enjoy! The First Strike -Hotel Room- “Ah man!” I said to myself as I strolled through the hotel door. “I’m beat, comic-con was rather intense this time around. Seems all that talk of people disappearing has made it even more crowded than one would expect.” I walked to my bed and placed a long box and my bag on its surface. Free of my purchased burdens I rose my arms into the air and stretched for all my worth, the sleeves of my white uwagi falling down my arms a bit. After stretching I finished off with a roll of my shoulders and started unpacking the box I brought with me. I smiled when I saw what was inside of it, a simple kendo bokken. I managed to get it practically dirt cheap from some guy at a stall, he didn’t even seem to care. I picked the wooden sword up and examined it closely, it really went well with the cosplay I went as to the con. Tatewaki Kuno is suppose to be a master at kendo after all. I raised the bokken to the light of the ceiling, I probably looked like I was trying to copy Thor. As I looked at the bokken a while longer lightning flashed outside. When I looked at the window to try and see if the weather was turning bad the world started spinning. I stumbled a bit to try and get my balance back but it was a futile effort. “Wha-What’s happening?” As I fell over unconscious I barely gave recognition to the fact my voice changed. Once blackness hit, I knew no more. -Sidewalk of a Bridge- “Aahhh~!” Sighed a rather happy man as he walked down a deserted bridge. He was clutching a rather large leather briefcase, a dreamy smile on his face. “I can’t believe I won two million dollars cash in the lottery.” The man gave another dreamy sigh, “Brian, this could be your turning point in this bad luck spell of yours!” Suddenly the front of his shoe caught a raised section of the bridge’s concrete, tripping him. He was caught off guard so he accidentally flung his briefcase in the air. “No!” He desperately shouted, trying to catch his now airborne briefcase. Unfortunately he couldn’t catch himself from his fall, the briefcase went flying over the railing and Brian smacked his head on a signpost. He was out cold and out two million dollars. -Unknown Area- I woke up with a groan. My eyes slowly cracked open, only to be instantly shut when a blinding light shined into them. I immediately knew it was the sun, the light felt too warm for indoor lighting and a breeze rolled past me as I lay down in the grass. With another groan I did a sit up and brought a hand to my forehead, in an attempt to stifle the small headache coming. After a few seconds I felt the headache slowly ebb away into nothingness. I gave a brief sigh in relief once that was gone and picked myself up from the ground, I dusted myself off and finally looked around to get a feel for my surroundings. To my right I saw a small riverish looking thing that also could’ve been a bayou. There were concrete stairs to my left that ran up a steep hill and a bridge behind me. I also took note of my bag and bokken that were on the ground, I picked up my backpack and put it on. Somehow I managed to go from my hotel room to this rather remote area. I scratched my head in confusion. “Where the hell am I?” After I finished that sentence I knew something was off. Alarm bells rung and I rushed to the nearby water source for confirmation. I gazed at my reflection and stood flabbergasted at what I saw. Somehow, in someway, I managed to turn into Tatewaki Kuno. I backed up from the water, not sure if I really am seeing this or if it's some sort of incredibly elaborate prank. I shook my head. “This can’t be-” I cut myself off when I tried to step backwards in surprise, I tripped over a small rock and landed on my butt. Groaning lightly in pain I looked to my right and noticed I was next to my newly bought bokken. Deciding that I should at least keep some sort of weapon on me I grabbed it. The second my hand touched the wood the area where my hand met it glowed and information rushed into my head. Techniques, skills, everything that the original Kuno knew, I now knew as well. I gripped my head, a new headache was forming and I felt like I was getting sick. Thankfully I did not puke, and the new headache eventually settled down to a manageable and dull pain. I took a deep breath and released it slowly. I heard some sort of shout from the bridge. I looked up and my face was immediately assaulted by a briefcase. I fell to the ground, the briefcase firmly sitting on my face, somehow not dislodging from the impact. “Grr.” I sat up quickly, the briefcase comically sliding off my face as what I assume to be a very annoyed face showed itself from hiding, I could practically feel the tick mark on my forehead. “What’s the big idea?! Who dares challenge the Shooting Star of Kendo, Tatewaki Kuno?!” I shouted to the heavens, a fist shaking at the sky. It was then that I realized what I said and blanched, “Gah! Why did I say that? ...Maybe this whole situation is messing with me in more ways than one.” I shook my head and rubbed the sore spot where the briefcase landed. I looked down at the offending object and, after setting my bokken under my belt, decided to see what was inside it. I crouched down and unlatched it, as I opened it it seemed to shine with light as the contents were revealed. My eyes practically shot out of their sockets, “Whaaaat?! There’s got to be at least one to two million dollars in here!” My jaw dropped at this unexpected turn of events. I rubbed my eyes, maybe I was seeing things. But when my hands moved again the money was still there and still practically shining. I probably looked like a fish right now and I snapped myself out of it. I slammed the briefcase shut and hugged it against my chest. I looked around to make sure no one saw any of this. When I made sure no one was around I sprinted off with the money in tow. “Ah hahahaha!” I laughed boisterously, “I’m rich! I’m rich!” I’m well aware that I am not a good person, the thought of returning all this money never even crossed my mind and I swear I managed to kick up a dust cloud as I ran away. At the moment I didn’t care about where I was or who I was. I was really bloody rich right now! I managed to get up the steps and continued to run down the sidewalk, I got about three blocks before I heard someone shout at me. “Hold it kid!” I stopped in my tracks and turned around to see a police officer flagging me down. I began to sweat bullets when I thought about a possibility, “Maybe he knows about the briefcase and wants me to return it to its rightful owner? And I just got it too!” The policeman jogged up to me, a stern glare on his face. “Oh no! He does know about the briefcase!” I was about ready to bolt but the policeman spoke up before I could lift a leg, “What are you doing out of school young man?” The policeman continued with the glare and put his hands on his hips. I was caught off guard to be honest. But at least this is a better alternative. I grinned awkwardly at the policeman and rubbed the back of my head sheepishly. “Uh, a school project?” I said rather lamely. He clearly did not buy it and simply rose an eyebrow in a “Really?” kind of look. I just laughed nervously, it sounded bad even to my ears. The policeman just sighed. “Look kid you can’t just ditch school like this. Education is important after all. Now how about I bring you back to school and you can have a long talk with the principle. Luckily you didn’t get too far.” He waved for me to follow him and I went along with it. We walked down the sidewalk in silence. Eventually the policeman broke the silence with a question. “So… what’s with the getup?” This was something that I knew. I was always a fan of kendo, so I told the policeman all about it. We continued this little talk until the school was in our sights. It was an interesting school all right. It clearly had a horse theme, if the statue, horse heads on top of the school building’s corners, and a giant horseshoe welcoming plaque didn’t say that then I was a monkey’s uncle. I looked at the horseshoe plaque and saw “Welcome to Canterlot High” written on its pedestal. “Canterlot… such an odd name.” Shrugging I looked around the courtyard, there were various students eating or wandering around. It must’ve been lunch time. There was one thing that bothered me though, everyone was brightly colored. I didn’t notice with the policeman earlier because I was afraid he knew about the briefcase. I saw a guy that was blue… I shook my head and kinda zoned out for the rest of the walk. Taking only small note of the brief stares the policeman and I were getting. We reached a door that had the word principal written on it and I zoned back in. The policeman knocked and after a few seconds the door opened and revealed a tall, multi hued haired, white woman. Honestly, I thought she was kinda pretty. “Hello ma’am, I caught this young man trying to skip out of school.” He placed a hand on my shoulder and smiled at the principal, “Try not to be too hard on him though, I think he realizes his mistake.” The principal smiled at the man, “Thank you officer. I’ll take it from here.” The policeman tipped his police hat and started off towards the exit. I watched him leave before turning back to the principal. “So…” I started awkwardly. The principal giggled, “Yes, I’m aware you aren’t actually a student here. I think I’d recognize someone that looks so… unique.” She said unique as she examined my state of dress. I nervously laughed, “Yeah… well I guess I should be going then.” I was about to turn around and walk off but the principle stopped me. “Now what’s the rush? You’ll just eventually get caught for suspected truancy anyway. How about you come inside my office and we can talk about enrolling you here. Oh, and my name is Celestia. But you can call me Principal Celestia, everyone else does.” The principal stepped to the side and waved her arms as if to invite me into her office. Since I had no idea about where I was, I was in a completely different body with completely different skills, and two million dollars richer, I decided to give this a shot. I can work on getting myself home some other time and if I can’t do that then I should at least have an option two to fall back on. I walked through the doorway and as I passed the principal I said, “Well, I hope you're ready for a very special case of enrolling. I don’t have any paperwork that would normally be used to enroll anywhere else.” She giggled again, “Oh don’t worry about that, I’ve dealt with a similar case two years ago. A girl named Sunset Shimmer just appeared out of the blue on school grounds. Maybe this time things will freshen up around here!” The principal closed the door and my enrollment into Canterlot High began.
The Second Strike-The Cafeteria- I pushed the doors to the cafeteria open, lunch started only twenty minutes ago so I thought I was very lucky. Hungry as well. I stood in the short line for food and thought about how Principal Celestia got everything in order rather quick. It was probably the quickest enrollment I have ever seen, and to be honest I always thought enrolling in a school was suppose to be far more difficult. All this has been moving so fast. I was in my hotel room at night, then I passed out and somehow found myself under a bridge. Even more strange than that was the fact I was an anime character now. And now, not even an hour later, I’m enrolled into a random school I never heard of. Seriously, who names their school Canterlot High? Still in a bit of a daze I barely registered what I was ordering as I passed the… green old lunch lady. I made it to the end of the lunch line and paid for the food, I was glad my wallet was in my bag. I wouldn’t have to pay for a school lunch with one of the hundreds in my new leather briefcase now. Though the look on the cashier’s face would've been priceless. I exited the line and looked for a place to sit. I spotted an empty table and headed to it, after I sat down I immediately began to eat. All that has happened in this short time has made me a bit ravenous. I polished off the last of my burger, and then suddenly the doors to the cafeteria burst open. I will forever deny that I jumped just a bit. I looked at the doors to see who made that dramatic entrance. It was a, I can’t believe it, girl that had amber skin and hair that looked like bacon. I think my jaw dropped at how unbelievably weird that color scheme was. I needed to know who this was. “Sunset Shimmer.” A girl behind me growled softly, as if she didn’t want this Sunset to hear her. The newly dubbed Sunset Shimmer strutted into the cafeteria, two little lackies followed behind her. They looked more stupid than intimidating though so I quickly brushed them off the threat list. Though judging by the silent glares being sent their way the students really do not like these three. Or maybe it’s just Sunset Shimmer, the other two looked like they just followed the next big thing blindly. Sunset smirked as she looked around the room. But that smirk dropped when she bumped into a yellow girl with pink hair that didn’t seem to notice Sunset since her back was turned. “Gah!” She said, nearly falling over. “Watch where you’re going!” She pushed the other girl down and threw her hands on her hips. Her two lackies backing her up. It seems that this Sunset was a bully. And truth be told I don’t like bullies. The other girl ran off, nearly in tears. Sunset straightened up and loudly exclaimed, “So, I heard through the grapevine that there is a new student in this school.” “Yeah! And that grapevine was us!” Shouted the shorter minion enthusiastically. “Yeah!” Agreed the taller one. Sunset glared at the two for interrupting her and they back off sheepishly. She turned her attention back to us, “And so it falls to me to teach this new student all about our… traditions.” So far I really did not like this Sunset girl. So as she started walking around to try and find me I decided to take action. If there was one thing more irritating than a smitten Kuno, I would have no clue what it was. With a mental smirk, I was about to unleash upon this bacon-bitch what many, mostly two, people dread. I made sure to secure my new briefcase to my backpack, it had these nifty little straps to do that, before standing up. I made sure to make a show of it, in order to catch the most attention. Before Sunset could say anything when she turned and saw me I loudly said in my most flowery voice, “Ah, alas tis not everyday that one so fiery seeks the warm embrace of a man.” I had a hand resting lightly on my face. From somewhere I managed to pull out a rose, don’t ask me how. I walked to Sunset, head held high, posture straight, and a gentle smile on my face. When we were close to each other I slowly opened my eyes to meet her gaze, a kunoism I recalled on my tongue, “Ah, light seeking light of light doth light beguile… the damnedest creature, am I not?” I lightly flicked the rose at sunset, amazingly she managed to catch it despite the complete and utter perplexed look on her face. The face of her lackies and every single student in the cafeteria matched each other. I gave a light and short laugh, smile still tugging my lips as I closed my eyes once more. “Yes, I can now see that you have become smitten with my graceful charm. Very well!” I nearly shouted the last two words. “I shall give thee the honor of dating me!” Sunset looked taken aback, a look of horror struck her face, “No! No you idiot! Why on earth would I ever want to date you?!” Sunset started slowly backing away, the look of horror never leaving her even as she raised her hands in front of her, as if to push my presence away. I shook my head in clear amusement for her to see, a smile still tugging my lips. “Wh-What?! What’s so funny?!” She shouted at me. By now the entire cafeteria was completely fixated on us. I slowly started to walk to her another kunoism on my tongue, “Fire that’s closest kept burns most of all… those who show their love, love least.” These were too natural to be comfortable. Sunset’s eyes widened even more so for every inch I closed. “No! Nonononononono! You’re wrong!” Sunset waved her hands frantically in front of her, trying to keep the distance between us, her little lackies following behind as they too were scared. Little did she know she was being slowly pushed out of the cafeteria. “Hush now my beautiful flower…” I began, “Now… let me show you the power of my love!!!!” I shouted as I leaped into the air, arms wide open, and with plenty of time for Sunset to dodge and run off. As predicted Sunset screamed and bolted off while yelling, “Snips! Snails! Come here!” The three stooges were gone, I was kneeling on the floor, and I felt both better about myself and worse. Acting anything like Kuno isn’t something to be proud of after all. I stood up straight and looked at the other students in the school. I laughed and rubbed the back of my head nervously. After a few more seconds of silence the crowd of students burst into cheers. I felt myself lifted up a bit and paraded around the school cafeteria. The rest of lunch was spent with everyone in a jovial mood. -Sunset Shimmer- Sunset, Snips, and Snails panted tiredly, hands and knees on the ground of the hallway. Sunset still looked a bit horror stricken from her ordeal in the cafeteria. “What… What is up with that guy.” Sunset said rhetorically. “He’s freaking insane!” Snips, still recovering from their sprint said, “I dunno Sunset. That was really weird.” Snails decided to give his input on the situation despite his panting, “Hey, *pant* well maybe he really does like you? *pant* I mean, you are the most beautiful girl in the school after all.” He continued to breath heavily. Sunset, who has mostly recovered by now, put a finger to her chin as she thought about what Snails said. “Hmm, while that is true. I don’t see what use he could be to me, I’m already guaranteed to win the fall formal this year.” Snails seemed stumped but Snips had other ideas, “Wait! When we saw him he did have some sort of wooden sword strapped to his belt!” Snails got the idea, “Yeah! And he looked really well muscled too!” Sunset was still in thought as she took all this information in. She smirked evilly when it all clicked together. “Heh, I see now… He’s all muscle and no brain. It’ll be a piece of cake to pretend to date him, while only using him to get what I want.” “Uh huh! And since Flash Sentry broke up with you last week you’re a free woman too!” Snips brought up. He immediately wished he hadn’t opened his mouth when a mad Sunset Shimmer turned her face in his direction. He gulped audibly. “Mommy.” Was his last thought before Sunset’s wrath came down. Author's Note Who wants to help with future kunoisms?! If so then please leave one in the comments whenever you so please! If or when I use one you could get yourself featured here in the author's note of the chapter it's used in! No seriously help me out here, the stupidity of original kunoisms isn't a one man job here!
The Third Strike-Kuno- The rest of the day went by smoothly. I got a few strange looks, probably the clothes, and I also got a few shoulder claps from some of the students. Scaring off Sunset like I did during lunch won me a lot of brownie points with the various teenagers here. She must be a real menace to the school populous if this is how everyone reacts to her "defeat". One negative thing I have to say about this school is it's policy about not giving a slight care in the world if one of it's students carries around a wooden sword all damn day. Seriously, I walked into every classroom and not a single teacher even so much as batted an eye at the bokken on my waist. I really shouldn't complain though, I paid good money for this thing even if it was a cheap deal from a shady merchant. Putting that aside, the final bell of the day rang and everyone got up and rushed for the doors. I was not in any real hurry so I calmly packed my stuff up and swung my backpack over my shoulder. I left my final class, math if you must know, and calmly walked down the hallway greeting anyone who greeted me first. I pounded more fist on that trek down the hall than I ever did in any other point in my life. I was not used to being a celebrity, and I don't know if I really like it. I was never one for the spotlight, even if I could act if I really tried. I pushed the main school doors open and I was met with the sight of the school courtyard still packed with students doing various things. I walked down the steps and stood off to the side. I realized that while I had money I still did not have a place to stay. I couldn't get an apartment, because I was pretty sure a minor can't lease one. A motel would be a temporary fix, but eventually people would wonder where I was getting the money to stay there when I was in the body of a seventeen year old. I put a hand to my chin and rubbed it in thought. I was broken out of my thoughts by a voice, "Did you have a good first day of school here at Canterlot High?" I turned around and saw Principal Celestia standing on one of the steps. Her sister, Vice-Principal Luna, standing off to the side of her. I smiled when I saw the pair, "Yes in fact. Thank you for getting me enrolled so quick Principal Celestia." She laughed lightly, "It's no trouble. Now, I have to ask you two questions." I nodded to her, "Ask away." Principal Celestia nodded back and asked, "Do you have a place to stay? And if not, would you like to stay at my sister and I's house? I assure you it's big enough, you won't take up much room at all. I asked Sunset this question when she first came here to CHS but she turned down the offer for some reason." She shrugged and awaited my answer with a smile. Honestly the questions she asked surprised me. But it conveniently solved my housing problem, but I had to wonder why she asked. We didn't even know each other that well, she must be some sort of saint if she is offering housing to some random guy. The fact that I'm a teenager again not withstanding. I doubt she has any ulterior motives though, if she asked Sunset of all people to stay with her then she is probably looking out for me. I smiled at her and said, "I accept." I mean.... why wouldn't I take her up on the offer? My answer seemed to please her and she replied, "Wonderful!" She clapped her hands together. "Luna can drive you to our house, it isn't far from here. Walking distance really. I still have a few more things to work out here in school, I'll be home by dinner." Principal Celestia turned to her sister, "See you later sister." Vice-Principal Luna smiled back at her sister, "You too sister." She looked at me, "Come now Mr. Kuno, the sooner I get you to your new home the sooner you can get your homework done." I mentally groaned at the thought of doing homework all over again. At the very least I already know most of the material, so it hopefully won't be too bad. I followed the Vice-Principal as we headed to the teacher's parking lot. -Celestia and Luna's Home- The drive to the house was mostly made in a comfortable silence, we clearly did not have much to talk about and accepted it. But I imagine lengthy conversations will come later when we actually have some sort of relationship. Luna parked in the driveway of the two story home and turned off her car, it was a nice car in my opinion. It kinda looked just a tad like the Batmobile, but dark blue instead of black. It also had a weird black blob with a crescent moon on the hood of the car. I didn't question her decor. "Well, here we are. I assume that backpack and briefcase of yours are the only possessions you own?" Inquired the Vice-Principal. "Yes Vice-Principal. I was thinking of going shopping for some more clothes after I put my things away." She smiled and said, "Please, just call me Luna outside of school. Or if you want, Ms. Luna is also fine. Do you need a lift to the store?" I shook my head, "No thank you. Walking will help me get the lay of the land so to speak. Plus the exercise is always good." Luna shrugged and we got out of the car. Once we made our way to the front door she pulled out a set of keys and we entered the rather spacious home. To be honest, I think a two story house is a but much for just two people. Pushing aside that thought Luna showed me to my room on the second floor. Thanking her I put my two bags down and started to get settled in. Which was mostly just laying in my new bed and thinking. Luna had gone off to do some sort of work or just goof off, but not before leaving a spare key on the top of the dresser. I meanwhile got up from my new bed and unpacked my backpack. Once it was nice and cleared up I took some money from the briefcase and stuck it in my wallet. Since my kendogi doesn't have pockets I stuffed my wallet in my bag. I put the briefcase in the empty dresser and headed out of the house, making sure my bokken was still at my waist and grabbing the spare key just in case. For some reason I did not want it to leave my side. I called a goodbye to Luna, told her I'll be back soon, and did my shopping. -Two Hours Later- I walked down the driveway of my new home, my backpack filled with various items. I had bags of stuff hanging on my arms while I awkwardly held them out to hold them. Opening the door to the house was a challenge in of itself but I managed. Principal Celestia greeted me and generously helped me carry some of my bags to my room. I thanked her, and we started putting everything down on the bed, all that was left was putting everything away. Once the last bag was situated the Principal turned and said, "We have pasta ready for dinner, come join us when you're ready." I said alright and started setting my new room up. Various knickknacks on various shelves, clothes in the dresser, etc. It took me only a few minutes at the most and the only thing left to do was eat dinner. I went downstairs and sat at the dining table with the two sisters. I started feeling a bit awkward now, everything has finally caught up to me and I realized that I'm now basically staying with two people I barely even know. I looked out the window and examined their backyard in order to look like I wasn't feeling awkward, the other two didn't even look bothered. The backyard was rather empty to be honest. No flower beds, barely any bushes, and a single tree. It was kinda depressing but they probably don't have a lot of time to dedicate to gardening. However, it did look like a good place to practice kendo. Now that I have all the knowledge of the real Tatewaki Kuno I might as well practice those skills. And get even better than the original as well. Kuno has speed, and if my body works like it would in the Ranma 1/2 world then I could learn to utilize Ki. The first thing I should work on is physical strength, kuno might be stronger than the average human but compared to Ranma his arm strength probably isn't up to par. I had no reservations I'd get as strong as Ryoga though, I can hope but I won't hold my breath. Speaking of Ryoga I should try and learn the Bakusai Tenketsu, or the Breaking Point in english, the toughness is always handy and the technique itself would be useful if I ever lose my bokken. As I matter of fact I'm going to try and learn as many Ranma 1/2 techniques I can remember. This might be my only chance at learning something new and exciting, a few things I have dreamed to learn and use ever since I first read the manga. But while it would be fun to have and use whenever I want I really have to ask why it would be necessary. It's not like my life will somehow turn into any sort of resemblance of Ranma 1/2 anyway... Despite the uselessness... I'll teach myself these things anyway. "You've been staring into space for a while now Tatewaki. Is there something on your mind?" Asked a curious Celestia. I realized I've had my head rested on my hand while I stared at the backyard, for quite some time too if the worried look on the Principal's face is any indication. I shook my head, "No no. I'm fine, I'm just thinking about school stuff. Making friends and all that jazz." Luna was clearing the table as Celestia and I spoke. "Oh? Well that's always a good thing. Friends are a very important part of a students, especially a teenagers, life!" Celestia seemed happy about the thought of me making friends. I'm starting to think she has some sort of need to act motherly. Weird, but I could live with it. I nodded, "Yup." I paused a bit before continuing, "Now I think I'm going to see if I want to move anything around in my room." With a small good night I parted ways with Celestia and we each went to do our own thing. ... I poked my head around the corner with a hand at the back of my head, "Uh... What's the wifi password?" Author's Note I'm thinking of making some sort of master list of kunoisms. Just typing a few down here and there when they come to me.
The Fourth StrikeIt turns out that the day I arrived was a Friday of all days. I figured this out because Principal Celestia stopped me from walking out the door with my school supplies the following day, a good thing too since that would have been embarrassing to the nth degree. I was glad that I was saved from that but I had to wonder why yesterday was a Friday, because I came into this whole odd predicament on a Tuesday night. Of course this was not necessarily a bad thing though, it meant that I had a potential two days of uninterrupted training that I can get done. Like right now, a Sunday mid-afternoon with a pleasant breeze, and me in the backyard doing handstand pushups while balancing a large boulder on my feet. This was obviously not an easy task, my arms were burning from the strain and I needed to rest soon. I just needed to finish ten more. Though I admit that the exercise was not the actual hard part of this training. The real challenge was lugging the boulder from a nearby forest and into the backyard. People would not get out of the way, even when I politely asked. They just stared at me like I was crazy, and I had to talk my way through several police officers. I wasn't doing anything illegal, at least I didn't think so anyway. The Vice Principal nearly threw a fit when she saw the huge ass boulder in the backyard. I hadn't a clue why, not like there was anything else there. Principal Celestia managed to calm her down, but looked dubiously at the rock all the same. I didn't know why though, it was barely a third the size of a car and about as tall give or take. It took a while but I got them to accept the boulder, and when asked about why I needed it I simply replied with a happy "It's for training!" and a bright grin. I think that was what won them to my side. "Two." I grunted, pushing up from the ground. Beads of sweat dripped down from my chest, I had abandoned the soaked shirt I previously wore. It stopped keeping sweat from trying to hit me in the eye a long time ago, it was probably helping with the sweat dripping at that point. Right now I was only wearing underwear and grey track pants. I slightly adjusted the positions of my hands and breathed. "One." I did the final pushup and held my form straight, simply to bask in the glory of finishing my strength training for today. I moved my legs forward and let the boulder drop in front of me before pushing my freed body upwards into the air. I did a flip for style and landed perfectly on my feet. I rolled my shoulders and stretched to help relieve the tension. I saw the Principal walk out the back door and set a tray on the table. When I began my trek back to the house the Principal looked over and said, "Luna and I will be leaving to finish a few more errands. I made you some lemonade to help with your... training." She looked over at the boulder for a second before returning her gaze to me and smiled, "Regardless of how I find it odd you use a rock instead of weights I wish you well with whatever you are trying to accomplish. And take a break, you look tired." I smiled back at her, "Thanks Principal, I will." I took a glass of lemonade as she turned to leave with her sister. I sat in a chair close to the table and simply relaxed. A good twenty minutes went by, time flies when you're having fun and it flies even faster when you're relaxed. Or at least that's the case with me. I was about to get up but I heard the bushes in front of the fence to my right rustle and a muffled voice come from it. "Who's there?" I picked my bokken up from where it rested against the house wall. "Show yourself knave!" As soon as I said that a form forced itself out of the confines of it's bush. I blindly charged at the intruder, bokken raised and a war cry in my throat. I leapt into the air, ready to dish out a powerful down slash when I saw who the mystery person was. I was shocked and didn't have the reaction time to properly form a response. So naturally I managed to somehow trip in the air and slam face first on the ground behind the person, my bokken still raised like I was about to attack despite my now prone form. I turned my head to watch as Sunset Shimmer dusted herself off and pulled twigs out of her hair, not knowing how close she came to death. Once finished with her pat down she looked around the backyard, confusion on her face. "Huh? Kuno, where are you?!" She yelled, not seeing me on the ground next to her feet. Receiving no answer she huffed, "Weird, I could've sworn he was here a second ago." I finally regained my wits enough to figure out she wants something. Standing up quickly, making sure to stay behind her and unnoticed, I walked up close to her. I put my hands around her waist and rested my head on her shoulder, "Ah, my wonderful Tiger Lily. What brings your ever burning flame to the doorsteps of my home?" Sunset stiffened and immediately spun around and used her hands to shove me away, keeping me at arms length. "Whoa! Slow down there bucko! I-ah... I-" She seemed to slow down and stop her speech the longer she stared at me. I looked at where she stared and remembered I just finished training and was still shirtless. Lucky for Sunset though I was dry now and no longer soaked in sweat. I looked back at Sunset and said, "Ah, my apologies fair Sunset. I just finished with some training out here in the yard. Would you like to come in and enjoy some lemonade while I get refreshed?" I picked the tray up and held the backdoor open for her. She shook herself from whatever thoughts plagued her mind and strutted into the house like she owned it. I walked in behind her and set the tray down on the small, living room table a few feet from the couch, Sunset sat on the couch with her arms and legs crossed. "Might as well see what she wants." I thought to myself as I walked upstairs. About fifteen minutes later I came back down stairs, my hair still slightly damp from the shower. A pair of tan cargo pants and a simple black t-shirt on. Sunset was laying on the couch, the TV now on, and had an empty glass of lemonade sitting on the tray. She noticed my arrival and turn the TV off. I sat in one of the comfy chairs across from the couch. I decided to speak first, "So what may I do for such a lovely maiden? Has your honor been smirched? Need I bring the hammer of justice down on one who would dare insult you?! If so, I, the great Tatewaki Kuno, the Blue Thunder of Canterlot High shall deliver post haste!" I balled my fist up and suddenly stood up, my body in a dramatic pose, lightning flashed outside despite that fact it was a clear day. Sunset quizzically looked outside, brow furrowed before shaking her head in dismissal. She turned to me, shook her head, waved it off and said, "No. None of that." I breathed a sigh of relief and sat back down, "Good. Now what may I, Tatewaki Kuno, age seventeen, the Blue Thunder of Canterlot High, do for you dearest Shimmer?" I could see her struggling not to laugh at my self imposed title. I could relate, every time I read or heard the real Kuno say it I cracked a smile as well. Getting herself under control she put on an air of haughtiness and I felt just a tiny bit of dread prick my heart. Sitting up straight she looked at me with complete confidence and said, "Take me on a date." It did not sound like a request. That prick of dread turned into a spike of complete and utter fear that was slammed into my chest, like a giant had slammed a hammer onto that spike. Time seemed to stop for the briefest of moments and I weighed the balance. On one hand if I refused then she might be able to see that I'm just doing all this to annoy her away from the other students. On the other she might get used to my antics if I agree, we'd be spending a lot of time together after all. "But I can always up the ante if it come down to it. I hope it doesn't." I thought. I stared into Sunset's eyes. She stared into mine. A small pause went by until I leapt over the small, living room table at Sunset. "Oh my darling wildflower! I knew you could not resist the temptation that is I!" My arms flung wide open, in preparation of a hug. Her foot met my face and I dropped to my knees in front of her, all forward motion somehow gone. "First rule, no touching." She glowered at me. "Now, get up. We have a date to go to!" Sunset turned on her feet and marched out the front door. I stayed on the floor wondering if I really made the correct choice and if I had any chance to take it back. I got back on my feet and cracked my neck, quickly walking to where Sunset left I grabbed the spare key from the bowl next to the door and left the house. "Hurry up!" Sunset demanded. "Oh god, this won't end well." I grimly thought as I locked the door and walked next to Sunset as we walked down the sidewalk to wherever she was taking us. Author's Note Another strike! Hopefully the story can pick up in pace now.
The Fifth StrikeSunset and I walked down the streets of Canterlot City in relative silence. Despite that this whole little affair was suppose to be a date, Sunset seemed to be keeping a fair distance from me. A good three feet to be exact. “I wonder why she seems so determined to date me? I’d have thought she’d have wanted to keep a lot more distance between us than this.” I silently contemplated my newfound situation for the next few minutes. Then a horrible thought struck me with the force of Ryoga. “What if… What if she really did fall for me? Did she fall for those fake Kuno charms I threw haphazardly around? What if she’s the type to fall for those that don’t immediately bend to her will?!” I swallowed some spit as I looked over at the girl in my left peripheral vision. “While that line of thought is disturbing, I have to say… poor girl. She doesn’t know this whole thing I’m doing is fake.” I bit my lip, “Geeze, that just makes this whole thing kinda hard for me. I don’t want to be responsible for utter heartbreak like this, even if the girl is a bully.” We walked in silence for a while longer, at this point I couldn’t take much more of the silence. I cleared my throat into a fist, looked over at her and said, “So, my fairest, fieryest Tiger Lily, where perchance are we going for our date?” Her eye twitched, but she sighed and said, “There is a carnival not too far from here. We can do stuff over there.” She was silent for a moment before adding something, as if almost in afterthought, “And as the guy you need to pay for it.” She also muttered something under her breath that sounded suspiciously like “I don’t have the money for frivolous things like this right now anyway.” I hummed in response, before suddenly announcing to the world, “Then I shall strive to make sure you, Sunset Shimmer, have the grandest time!” I seemed like I paid no attention to the passerbys that looked at me oddly, or even the ones that snickered silently behind a hand. I mentally smirked as Sunset’s face was burnt crimson now, my boasting and yelling was probably embarrassing her. Not to mention the fact that I also shouted her name with it. “Stop with the random shouting and declarations! It’s embarrassing to look at you when you do it. Let alone be in your close proximity!” She whisper shouted at me as she grabbed my collar, pulling me down to her eye level. I had to admit she was stronger than her skinny frame made her out to be. She released me and I bowed slightly to her, “My deepest apologies my fair, fiery rose, I did not mean any embarrassment on your part. I only wished to show the truest depths of my love for you.” Not surprisingly enough this only made her face redder as a lot of other pedestrians, mostly women and one purple dude with a really orange and twisty moustache, ‘awwed’ when they heard my statement. Sunset released her grip on my collar and stormed down the road, nearly stomping holes in the pavement. I could’ve sworn I saw steam rise from her head, it was probably just a trick of the light. I stood on the sidewalk for a moment before shrugging and jogging forward. I quickly caught up to her and we resumed our silent walk, but this one seemed just a bit different than the last. I couldn’t put a finger on it though. I looked over at Sunset in the corner of my eye, she seemed to be walking a tad closer now, by at least an inch or two. The two of us arrived at the entrance of the carnival thing that was going on. Naturally Sunset was true to her word and had me pay for the tickets. I was silently miffed on that but I hid it well enough, plus it wasn't like I had a shortage of money or anything. I grudgingly paid anyway and we made our way inside. To be honest I was expecting my time here with Sunset to be mildly unpleasant. But she seemed to be determined to make this whole thing work out alright, she didn’t seem to be acting like some sort of she-demon bully, and I could happily say that I actually had fun, which was weird since I never liked carnivals. Even more odd since she still managed to keep a good distance between us and made it work despite that this whole thing was suppose to be a date. During our wandering of the carnival, during which we played many generic carnival games and ate plenty of unhealthy food, we eventually came to stop in front of a booth. It was one of those booths where you had to throw a ball at some sort of stacked bottles, I was mildly surprised we hadn’t found it sooner since we came to that hoop-bottle thing not too long ago. This game was probably rigged, I never trusted games like these, but I figured my enhanced strength could more than make up for it. The top prize looked to be a large, stuffed pony thing. “What the hell is up with all of the pony themes in this town?” I asked myself. Deciding to not bother myself with a question like that any further I turned to Sunset and said, “My fair Tiger Lily, please wait whilst I procure a gift for thee.” I did a gentleman's bow, a stuffed monkey I obtained not long ago that had those velcro hands nearly falling off my head that I attached it to. I watched Sunset cross her arms and huff a bit, turning her head to the side. I mentally rolled my eyes, turned on my heels and headed straight to the booth. “One please.” I said to the man behind the counter. “Certainly sir!” The man cheerfully said as he took my offered money and handed me a ball. I threw the ball in the air and caught it as I tried to judge how much power I'd need to throw this with. I was still getting used to my newfound strength and figured this would be some good training to help that along. I caught the ball one last time and reared my arm back, I threw it in a typical fast ball throw that I had just simply copied from watching a lot of baseball on the television. The ball flew from my hand and struck the stack of bottles before immediately flying straight through them. The two bottommost bottles had their base still stuck to the shelf as the rest blew away in chunks. It seemed I needed more training in controlling my strength, that was way too hard of a throw. But it seemed I was right in my guess that this game was rigged. The man behind the counter gulped at the accidental display of strength and shakily said, “H-Heh, sorry buddy. The entirety of the bottles have to be off the shelf for it to count.” That was complete bullshit. And it seemed Sunset agreed. “Yeah right! How can they be knocked off when they were obviously stuck there on purpose! This is a scam and we should report you!” She yelled as the man began to sweat. The man raised his hands and hurriedly said, “N-Now wait just a second! I’m just trying to make some money here you see! Do you know how hard it is to make money off a game like this when you could be giving out prizes left and right?! Impossible!” Sunset growled, I was beginning to think this whole thing might’ve been a pet peeve of hers. Perhaps she doesn’t like that games can be a scam? It’s also weird that she’s the one getting angry at this but I was the one that paid for and actually played the game. But as I watched the two argue I had to admit it was genuinely amusing to see the smaller girl talk down the tall, lanky man who had to be a good half foot taller than her. I watched as the man grabbed the biggest, most colorful stuffed animal and hurriedly hand it over to Sunset in fright. When she turned back around and marched back over to me I saw that the animal was a pony, I wasn’t surprised. Deciding that we should take a break I asked Sunset a question as she neared, “Want some funnel cake?” She was silent for a second before replying with a nod, “Yeah. Funnel cake sounds good.” A quick walk to a small booth in an area that seemed to be reserved for food and the like got us two small plates of funnel cake. We set all of our new stuff on the picnic table and set to work on eating our fried treat. We spent a minute in silence, after a minute I stabbed a piece of my cake and said, “Fairest Shimmer, I must admit I am having quite the grand time. I’ve never been fond of these types of festivities myself, so it must be because I have accompanied you here.” Sunset’s face grew a touch red, and she muttered something off to the side though I was not able to catch what it was. She glared at me, a glare that was easily put off by the embarrassed blush on her face. She pointing her plastic spork at me and said, “Flattery will not get you anywhere with me mister.” “Judging by your face, I’d beg to differ.” I thought to myself. I straightened up with resolute confidence and said, “Of course! I do not expect your burning passion to be so easily quelled! You need not worry, I shall put forth all of my effort to woo thee!” I raised a passionate fist in the air and brought it down in a single, powerful fist pump. She groaned lightly and her head dropped a bit in exasperation. She faced the table’s surface now, the hand still holding her spork hung in the air. I believe I heard something along the lines of “I should’ve known he’d say something like that.” be muttered after her head dropped. I couldn’t help a smile grow on my face, I was having a lot of fun right now. Maybe all of these new things happening to me wasn’t going to be all that bad? Sunset lifted her head back up and glared harder at me, her blush gone now. “I’m done with this carnival now. Let’s go, I want to be home before it gets too dark.” She threw away her plate and grabbed some of the stuff we gathered throughout our stay here. I did the same and we began our walk out of the carnival. I looked over at a bush when I thought I saw something move. I stopped in my tracks and stared at the bush, slightly narrowing my eyes. I took a step forward until I heard Sunset yell back at me, “Well?! What are you waiting for?! Come on, I haven’t got all evening!” Begrudgingly I looked away from the bush and jogged back over to Sunset, the colorful monkey on my head bouncing in tune with my jog. “My apologies fairest Sunset. I was distracted by something.” She rolled her eyes, shrugged, and said, “Whatever.” Sunset continued forward and I kept pace, only momentarily looking back at the bush. When nothing seemed to move the longer I stared I simply shrugged and looked forward again. “Must’ve been my imagination.” I thought to myself as I walked next to Sunset Shimmer. I looked over at her and said, “It seems our date is almost over. A shame, but some things must come to an end no matter how much we might beg them not to. I suppose the only thing left is taking you back home.” Sunset’s eyebrow twitched before she elbowed me in the ribs. It didn’t hurt as much as I thought, but it certainly caught me off guard. She glared at me and said, “Nuh-uh. I’m not letting you know where I live just yet. I’m taking you home.” I scratched my cheek, “I see. Odd role reversal but I see no harm in it if you so deeply wish it. To make up for not bringing you home I shall be even more on guard during this trip!” I made karate chop hands and looked around completely serious like. What I didn’t expect was a laugh, a laugh that was surprisingly angelic. I looked over at Sunset and saw that she covered her mouth in surprise. Her face grew red and she immediately stormed back down the sidewalk in the direction of my new home. I blinked a bit before shaking off the surprise and jogging down the sidewalk to catch up with her. “Didn’t think she was even capable of laughing. Just glares and caught-off-guard blushes.” I muttered to myself as I eyed Sunset with a bit of renewed interest. Author's Note Finally, after a long break of laziness, I wrote the next chapter of this story.
