Chronicles of Light I: The New arrival.

"OK, this is obviously fake," Rainbow Dash said staring at a video playing on her phone.

"To be fair, we have dealt with stranger things," Rarity piped up, watching the video on her phone as well. The Rainbooms were all gathered in the music room during a free period and were watching the video DJ P0N-3 had posted last night to EwTube.

"Rarity is right," Sci-Twi concurred. "The Fall Formal, the Battle of the Bands......"

"Friendship Games, Camp Everfree..." Sunset trailed. "Velvet, am I forgetting anything?"

The girl in question, however, did not respond. She was too entrapped by the video. Especially when the stranger gave off that golden glow.

"Velvet? Earth to Velvet Breeze," Sunset said, trying to get her attention.

She shook her head and looked at Sunset, showing a dusky blue face framed with shoulder-length hair in shades of teal and grey, held out of her eyes with a hair clip that was shaped like an inverted letter ‘V’. She wore a long white hooded coat with a red scarf wrapped around her waist. Underneath the coat, she wore simple a simple white t-shirt, as well as blue jeans and sneakers.

"What is it?" Velvet Breeze asked.

"We want to know what you think of the video. And what other strange stuff we have dealt with," Sunset explained.

"Oh. Uh. Let's see. The Assassin-Templar war," Velvet began.

"That was an interestin' time," Mused Applejack.

"The Grineer Invasion," Velvet recalled.

"Oh, that was exhilarating!" Pinkie said. "I wonder how those Tenno are doing?"

"I think that's all," Velvet said.

"Yeah, so we have dealt with stuff stranger than some glowing dude and a few guys with wings," Sunset said.

"Yeah yeah, I guess so," Rainbow Dashs shrugged.

"As for what I think on it, that glow......it seems......familiar in an eerie sense." Velvet said.

"How so?" Sunset asked.

"It reminds me of....of the sword," Velvet said.

"What sword?" Sci-Twi asked.

"Wait, the sword? As in...Excalibur?" Sunset asked, her voice becoming a whisper as if someone was listening in on them.

Velvet nodded. "Yes. I know that it is probably a coincidence, but it seems similar."

The group was interrupted when Principal Celestia's voice came over the PA.

"Sunset Shimmer to the Principal's office. Sunset Shimmer to the Principal's office," Celestia said before switching the PA off.

"Wonder what that's about," Sunset sighed, putting her phone in her pocket and heading to the office.

Sunset pushed the entryway door to Canterlot High School open, walking into the courtyard and seeing her goal immediately.

He was standing next to the Wondercolts statue and examined it.

"Hello," Sunset greeted, catching his attention.

"Hello there," he smiled. He had strange skin, a sort of pale-pink, and he dressed in simple clothes. Blue jeans and a blue polo, with a trench coat that was tied closed. He had sea-green eyes and dirty blonde hair. His chin had some stubble, and his cheeks were dotted with pimples.

"My name is Sunset Shimmer, yours?" Sunset asked, presenting her hand.

"Kurtzman. Marc Wayne Kurtzman. Nice to meet you, Madmoiselle Shimmer," Marc greeted, shaking her hand.

"Nice to meet you, too. Welcome to Canterlot High!" Sunset said jovially. "Want to take the tour?"

"Yes," Marc nodded calmly.

"Then, follow me!" Sunset said, leading Marc into the school, pushing the twin glass doors open and showing him the spacious foyer.

Marc let out a whistle as he drifted towards one of the trophy cabinets, seeing a picture of the baseball team before looking around some more.

"What happened there?' Marc asked, pointing to above the doors, the entirety of the bricks and stone used to make it up seeming newer than the others on the rest of the walls.

Sunset blinked, staring at the entrance before realizing it. That was the part of the school she destroyed when she went demonic. "Oh. Um.....construction accident. I wasn't here when that happened. I'm a...recentish transfer. "

Marc looked skeptical but dropped the subject, allowing Sunset to take him further into the school. They passed various classes as they went through high school, Sunset naming them as they did.

"Mr. Discord's science class," She pointed out the first class, the door opening to revealing a strangely dressed man with smoke lulling from the classroom, no doubt from his latest in-class science accident, grumbling about mixtures and bonding agents and the like.

"Is he...OK?" Marc asked, jabbing a thumb at the teacher.

"Eh. He's been in worse. Don't worry, his class is fun if a bit...chaotic," Sunset said with a chuckle.

However, Marc seemed skeptical, but he once again dropped it.

"I'll take your word for it," He said in the end. "Shall we continue?"

"Yes." Sunset nodded before taking him deeper into the school, passing various other classes. The computer class, formerly taught by one Pierce Network, who died of mysterious circumstances. The English class, taught by the strict Mrs. Harshwhinny. History class, taught by Time Turner, as well as various others.

"And here is the music room. It has no real teacher as of late, but it is here for the various school bands to practice their various musical skills," Sunset explained.

"Hmm...is this where the famous Rainbooms I've heard about practice?" Marc asked curiously, examining the door critically.

Sunset nodded in affirmation. "Indeed! I'm actually a back-up guitarist for the band."

"Really?" Marc asked, stars in his eyes. "I admit, I've always had a passion for music. I actually sing pretty well, but I can't play an instrument to save my life, save for some rusty recorder skills."

Sunset chuckled before replying.

"Sorry. Um, the band is full, but it's always nice to meet a fan. Wanna meet them?" Sunset asked.

"Yes please!" Marc said with excitement.

"I like that enthusiasm," Sunset said approvingly, pushing the doors open.

The Rainbooms were finishing up their practice, and packing up the instruments they could, with Velvet Breeze doing some unplugging and the like, her eyes falling on Marc as he walked in a looked around.

"My my....." Marc whistled. "Never thought I'd be here."

"Well, who is this handsome young man?" Rarity asked Sunset.

"Oh, he's the new student! I'm showing around the school, and I thought we'd stop here," Sunset explained.

"Marc Kurtzman. Charmed," he said, taking her right hand and plating a small kiss on it.

"My my.....certainly a gentleman," Rarity blushed, taking her hand away. "My name is Rarity, Darling. Pleasure to meet you."

"Believe me, the pleasure's all mine," Marc smirked, before his eyes locked with Velvet Breeze's. She suddenly felt cold, like a hare staring into the eyes of a hawk. His eyes. His piercing, sea-green eyes. They seemed to be piercing her very soul. Yet, she pierced his as well. She didn't see much, except the eyes of someone who had killed. "And who are you, Mademoiselle?'

"Me?" Velvet asked neutrally. "Nobody, really. The name's Velvet Breeze."

"Marc Wayne Kurtzman," Marc said, walking up to her and shaking her hand, allowing her to feel it. It was rough like he would often hold something heavy, with callouses and the like. His grip was firm and formal, almost militaristic. And his smirk. He looked like a fox in a henhouse. And while shaking his hand as his sleeves moved about, she could swear she saw something metal resting in them.

Could those be....hidden blades?

"Nice to meet you, Mr. Kurtzman," she said carefully, retracting her hand. "What brings you to Canterlot? You don't look like, nor sound like, to be from around here."

"Nah. I recently moved here from somewhere else in the state. And I was raised in New Jersey, so that's prolly some of my accent from there slipping through. Never really get ridda that sort of stuff." Marc shrugged, putting his hands behind his back and holding his left wrist with his right hand. "You don't seem to be from 'round here either."

"No, admittingly. I moved over from the Hollow Shades," Velvet said carefully, subtly activating her Eagle Vision and looking him over. The world turned gray, and her friends around her turned blue.

"Oh really?" Marc asked, seeming gray at first before a subtle gold hue took over his body. So he was a person of interest, but not an enemy. That's good. "May I ask as to why?"

"To get away from some family. You?" Velvet asked, deactivating her Eagle Vision.

"The exact opposite. To get closer to my family. Well, on my mum's side." Marc shrugged. "And the school system here. Way better than Jersey."

"Really?" Velvet asked. She was about to ask more, but the bell rang.

"Oh my! Look at the time!" Sunset said, stepping between the two. "Uh....to get your schedule, head down the hall, to the left. The first door on your right is Princess Celestia's office."

"Got it! Thanks for the tour!" Marc said, jumping on his heel and walking out of the room, closing the door behind him.

"What the' hay was tha' about!?" Applejack asked after he left.

"Yeah....what was going on there?" Twilight asked.

"It was like they were dueling with their eyes!" Pinkie said.

"Perhaps sparks were flying?" Rarity asked before everyone stared at her. "Sorry...."

"Its fine Rarity...." Sunset sighed. "But, I agree what was with all....that? And, did you look him over with your Eagle Vision?"

Velvet sighed. "Yes. But he turned up yellow. Which means he's a person of interest. At the moment. But....there's something about him I can't put my finger on. And I think, I think he had hidden blades under his sleeves."

"Hidden blades? You mean the knives you Assassins used for stealth kills?" Rainbow Dash asked.

"Yes! But, I don't remember hearing about him. Not from the storied of Masyaf, nor seen him in the Trottingham Buerue." Velvet sighed.

"Hmmm.........you think he's a survivor?" Sunset asked. "From the war, I mean. I know the Assassins were pretty spread out."

"Maybe...I need to do some investigating on him later," Velvet sighed. "For now....school."

With that, the band left the music room, the lights flickering off as they did.