A New Boy From Another World

Astral Shadow had just arrived at Canterlot High School. He looked at his waist, more specifically at the brown belt around his pants. He took a deep breath and said, "Calm down man, nobody's gonna ask. You're not back home anymore. And you're finally away from her..." He walked into the school where a few students waved at him, and he politely waved back. He didn't really want to make any friends, but he should at least try, considering Canterlot High School was meant to teach you about friendship.

He walked towards the principal's office and knocked on the door and heard a voice say, "Come in." He walked in and saw a woman in a beige suit sitting behind a desk. She asked him, "You must be our newest student, Astral Shadow, correct?" The boy simply nodded his head, not saying a word. She looked at him sympathetically and said, "I understand how hard it must be adjusting to a new school, and not having any friends, but I'm sure you'll make friends very quickly. In fact, I know the perfect group of students to help you get started."

The boy looked up from the floor and said, "R-Really? I appreciate the offer, but I'm not much of a people person. But... I suppose... Ok, I'll meet them at least, it'd be rude to shoot them down without meeting them first..."

The principal pressed a button on her office phone and said into it, "Could you all come to my office? There's a new student I want you all to meet." She looked back to the boy and said, "They'll be here shortly."

As if on cue, 12 girls arrived in the office, and Celestia motioned her hand to the girls from left to right saying, "This is Twilight Sparkle, Sunny Flare, Lemon Zest, Sugarcoat, Indigo Zap, Sour Sweet, Sunset Shimmer, Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy, Rarity, and Applejack."

Twilight Sparkle adjusted her glasses and said, "It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance."

Sunny Flare waved at him, her fingers fluttering, saying, "I look forward to being your friend dearie."

Lemon Zest gave him a devil horns sign saying "Whazzup!?"

Sugarcoat rolled her eyes at Lemon Zest's response and said simply, "Hello."

Indigo Zap extended a fist, to which the boy nervously bumped back and she said, "Nice t' meet ya man."

Sour Sweet smiled at him and said, "You seem sweet, hope you don't turn out to be sour." The sudden shift in her voice surprised the boy and she grinned sheepishly saying, "S-Sorry, bipolar disorder..."

Sunset Shimmer smiled brightly at him and said, "It's nice to meet another new student."

Rainbow Dash said, "You look pretty cool squirt"

Pinkie Pie said, "Hi there! I can't wait to throw you a welcoming party! My parties are the best!"

Fluttershy said quietly, but loud enough for him to hear, "Hello..."

Rarity looked over him questioningly and said, "I'm charmed to meet you darling, but I must say, you're quite bold wearing that outfit in public. Although now that I take a closer look at it, I must say it does suit you. The red pants go well together with the white shirt, and that shoulder pad is an interesting accessory. And that brown belt ties it all together."

As Rarity was about to continue on, Applejack interrupted saying, "Ah think that's enough Rarity, he doesn't seem like the kind of guy who worries about fashion. Nice t' meet ya partner!"

Astral Shadow gave a polite bow and said, "It's nice to meet all of you. My name is Astral Shadow."

Celestia told them, "I'd like you to give Astral Shadow a tour of the school, and then see him home, considering the day is almost over. I think that should give you a chance to bond."

The girls walked out of the office and showed Astral around. They seemed nice, and Astral Shadow said to them, "Back home, nobody was ever really out to make friends. Not even couples really loved each other, they just got together for the sake of preserving their bloodline. My parents weren't really any different..."

Twilight raised an eyebrow and asked, "That's quite odd, speaking of which, where are you from?"

Astral looked to the ground and said, "I don't really like talking about home, it just brings up bad memories..."

Applejack put a hand on his shoulder saying, "Don't worry 'bout it sugarcube, we won't pry. If you don't want t' talk 'bout it, you don't have t''."

Astral looked up at her and said, "Thanks Applejack." As the final bell of the day rang, he got a bit nervous. "I-I guess I should be getting home. I know the Principal wanted you to walk me home, but I'd rather go alone. Not that you aren't great friends, it's just... my home isn't really built for so many people..."

Applejack said to him, "Don't lie about it sugarcube, tell the truth. I can sniff out a lie from a hundred yards."

Astral looked around to see if nobody else was there and he finally said, "The truth is... I just arrived in Canterlot, and... I don't have a home..."

Their faces turned sad and Rarity said, "That's horrible! I can't believe you're homeless!"

They all were about to offer to let him stay with them, but Indigo Zap beat them to the punch saying, "You can crash with me if you'd like. I don't mind having a roommate."

Astral smiled at her and said, "I guess it's better than sleeping behind a dumpster."

As they were about to leave the school, a large boy came up to them and said towards Astral, "Hey runt! Think you can hog the girls to yourself? I'm gonna teach you a lesson you'll never forget!"

Before the girls could intervene, Astral said, "Let me handle this girls. This lady doesn't know who he's messing with."

Fluttershy covered her eyes as the boy said, "Did you just call me a lady!? Why you!"

The boy delivered a punch to Astral's gut, but to everyone's surprise, Astral looked down at the fist that was still in his stomach, then back to the boy and said, "Tell me, was that supposed to hurt? Cause if it was, and that was your best punch, let me tell you, you're gonna be in a world of pain in five seconds." He clicked his feet together and did a back flip, slamming his feet into the boy's chin.

The boy fell to the ground in one blow and the girls stood in shock. Astral smiled at them and said, "So, Indigo, you gonna stand there trying to catch flies or are we going to your place?"

Rainbow Dash shook her head and said, "What!? Why!? How!? I have so many questions!"

Astral chuckled saying, "What can I say? I'm a natural born fighter, just like everyone back home."

As the girls split up, Astral followed Indigo back to her place and said, "You still surprised at how fast I took that punk down?"

Indigo nodded and said, "I've never seen Buff Biceps get beaten so easily. You must work out a lot, like, more than me and Dash combined."

Astral had a light blush on his face and said, "Well, it's more like natural instinct. I never back down from a fight. While getting into a fight with that guy might scare some people, it actually gets me excited. Gotta say though, he was a pushover. Maybe you can put up more of a fight?"

Indigo laughed and said, "No way man, I wouldn't stand a chance against you. But I gotta say, seeing Buff Biceps get his butt kicked like that, makes me think you're my type of guy."

As they arrived at her house, Indigo said, "It ain't much, but it's home. I got a convertible couch you can use, and I've got a spare set of my brother's old pj's he gave me before I moved out."

As Astral thanked her and started taking off his cape and letting it fall to the floor, it landed with a heavy thud. He said, "Man, it feels good to stretch out a bit. Those clothes may look like a fashion statement, but they're actually training clothes."

Indigo looked up from the dresser and said, "Training clothes? What's that supposed to mean?"

As Astral stretched his arms he explained, "Back home, lots of people wear weighted clothing, it makes the workouts tougher and more rewarding."

Indigo tried to hide her blush as she said, "Based on those guns of yours, they must be doing wonders." She thought to herself, "Handsome, feisty, and strong. The perfect boy...."

Astral blushed lightly at the compliment and said, "Thanks, I guess we should be getting to bed. It is a school night." He didn't start changing until after Indigo had left. His belt unraveled from his waist, revealing that it wasn't a belt at all, but a tail. He tucked it under the pj's she gave her, pulled out the bed from the couch and went to sleep.