NO POV.
Magic. A fundamental key aspect that is present in all living things in this world. With it, a single person can shape their future. In this world magic is but a tool to reach greater heights, and pave the way to greatness.
Wealth, status, and power, these are needed to climb the ranks in society and have a luxurious life. However, the ultimate goal isn't merely to become the most rich and powerful. The more ambitious mortals of this world are known as Celestial Candidates. These individuals all have but one desire. To reach the Celestial Realm, and attain GodHood.
To train the next God of the Celestial Realm, special schools are made to teach their students. Students are able to learn how to fight, create magical tools and weapons, and increase their magical abilities. All to train them for a tournament.
For one to raise their ranking as a candidate, special tournaments are held throughout the year for anyone to participate in. These tournaments are observed by the Gods themselves and can determine who shall receive a higher rank. The journey of a thousand steps always begins with one.
Today is the day of the new year for the freshman entrance exam. Over 1,000 candidates from across the land have gathered here in order to enroll in one of the few magic schools, Canterlot High. All the candidates gathered in a massive arena that was levitating over five feet off the ground. The arena itself was the size of four football statues in width and length. The exam will be monitored by the school's headmistresses Celestia and Luna, as well as other examiners posted in the viewing platforms hovering over the arena.
As preparations were made and the last groups of candidates gathered. One young woman was mentally preparing herself for the exam. She had long purple hair with a hot pink highlight tied in a ponytail. Her skin was fair, and she had amethyst eyes. She wore a purple tracksuit and white running shoes. Perched on her shoulder was a small dragon, with purple scales and green spikes along its spine and purple wings. Her name was Twilight Sparkle and her familiar was named Spike.
“Yo, Twi! Over here!” A raspy voice called from the distance, catching Twilight’s attention. She saw that a group of her friends were waving her over. The one who called out had prismatic hair, tan skin and a toned body, and magenta eyes. She wore a skintight workout bra and shorts with lightning bolts on the side. On her hips were two short swords. The one who called was none other than Rainbow Dash.
Twilight rushed over, happy to see that her friends were able to make it to the exam. As she got closer, she saw that closest to Dash was a girl with long blond hair tied in a bun at the end, and a seton hat on her head. She had skin that was slightly tanner than Dash’s, freckles on her cheeks and light green eyes. She wore a pair of jean shorts and leather boots, with her light orange plaid shirt tied in a knot at the bottom. On her back was a large Warhammer with an apple on the side and the words, “Apple Juicer” written in red lettering. “Howdy, there sugarcube, glad ya made it here.” Applejack spoke in a Southern accent.
Twilight’s shoulders relax as she lets a breath of relief out. “Glad to see you girls here, I was getting nervous thinking about the exam. So, are you girls ready?” She asked to check to make sure that everyone had their gear and equipment while storing Spike’s chin.
“Well of course silly, why else would we be carrying weapons and wearing protective gear heh?” A girl with big puffy hair braided into a ponytail. Her skin was slightly tanner than Twilight’s, with baby blue eyes. She wore a light blue vest with chainmail over it, along with blue shorts and pink leggings that went up to her knees. However, she wore rollerblades instead of shoes and had glowing bracelets on each wrist. Pinkie Pie was the oddball of the group.
“I-I’m just glad to not be alone here.” A soft and almost quiet voice spoke up. The sweet gentle voice belonged to a girl with long light pink hair that nearly covered half her face. She had piercing emerald eyes, tan skin, and wore a dark green turtleneck sweater, and light brown jeans. In her hands she held onto a wooden staff with a gemstone at the end shaped like a beautiful rose.
“Fluttershy there is no need to worry darling, besides had none of us shown up you always have your familiars.” With an elegant voice Rarity reassured her nervous friend. This young woman had skin that was fair and smooth, and eyes that sparked light blue, like gems in the moonlight. She had long violet hair that curled near the end. She wore a breastplate over a black long-sleeve shirt with metal gauntlets on each arm, along with black skinny jeans with metal shin guards. Her weapon of choice was a rapier. “Hopefully we don’t end up with any filth or grime from this physical exam, I simply detest getting all sweaty.”
“Well I don’t know about the rest of you girls, but I’ve been itching to try out my new spells and moves.” The final girl had a mix of red hair with yellow highlights tied in a neat bun, almost looking like the color of fire. Her skin was tan and she had teal blue eyes. Like Pinkie Pie, she wore a chainmail vest over a red and yellow tank top and a black leather jacket over that. She had leather shin guards over her light blue jean pants and steel-toed boots. Sunset Shimmer was raring to go for a fight, with her broadsword strapped to her back.
"Attention candidate, may I have your attention please!!"
From the center of the arena, a voice was projected over loudspeakers that filled the air. Standing in the center was a slender man wearing a black two-piece suit, with sunglasses. "We will now be announcing the rules for this year's freshman entrance exam!" Hearing the announcement every candidate was on edge, many were eagerly waiting to start while others were nervous and even a little scared. Rainbow Dash and Applejack both glanced at each other smirking as they started to stretch.
"I bet I can take down more monsters than you, AJ." Rainbow Dash said while stretching her legs.
"Whoever beats the most monsters wins thirty bits." Applejack said as she cracked her knuckles.
Twilight stroked Spike's head as a way to calm her nerves, while she prepared herself both mentally and physically for the exam. Fluttershy audibly gulped and pulled the neck of her sweater to try and cover her face, peeking her eyes out just a bit to at least see and hear the announcer.
Pinkie Pie was shaking with excitement; her entire body was vibrating while having a massive smile on her face "I can't wait to get this party started!" She giggled as she bounced on the toes of her feet, warming herself up.
Rarity was a little preoccupied as she found herself examining the announcer's attire and mumbling notes about it to herself. “Hmm not a bad style, but it could definitely use a few accents here and there.”
Sunset took a deep breath and slowly exhaled, steading herself and listening to the announcement. “I got this; I've been training for this day.”
A window made of pure magic slowly manifested high above the arena. Soon images of monsters could be seen. "This year's exam shall be like the last two years before. Magical beasts of different shapes and sizes will be summoned into the arena. The goal is to defeat or tame as many as you can before the allotted time runs out."
A digital clock with 60 minutes was set above the monitor. "Now to earn points is as I said before, you can do so by defeating or taming monsters. Other means to earn points are to show off your combat abilities and magical prowess." The MC pointed to the spectators in the stands. "Of the one thousand candidates here, only one hundred shall be accepted. Your goal is to prove your worth to those watching."
"Now for the more important rules." The MC called out. "The use of weapons and items brought in is allowed and candidates are permitted to work together in groups. However, candidates are forbidden from harming other candidates or sabotaging each other." The MC said while wagging his finger.
"Has that happened before?" Fluttershy asked her friends while hiding deeper into her sweater.
"Unfortunately, yes, but don't worry. The headmasters will catch anyone violating that rule in an instant and make an example of them. Publicly humiliating them and punishing them, helps with making sure no one tries it, it's rare but some idiots still try their luck." Sunset told Fluttershy to give her a sense of assurance.
"And finally, should a candidate be knocked out of the ring or rendered unconscious, they shall be disqualified and forced to leave." A stick figure showing being knocked out of the ring and knocked unconscious played on the monitor.
"Heh, as if anything they throw at me could take me down. They'll have to catch me first." Rainbow Dash boasted as her friends rolled their eyes.
"Oh and one last bit of warming." The MC pointed upwards to the clock. "The moment the clock reaches the last 10 minutes of the Exam, a boss monster will be unleashed. This particular beast will be ten times stronger than all others summoned, so do keep that in mind."
“A boss monster?" Spike spoke up, for the first time somewhat nervously, but was calmed down when Twilight gently scratched under his chin to ease his worries.
"I hope it's not anything ghastly like a giant slug or a slime monster." Rarity shivered in fear and disgust at the idea of such a disgusting creature, and while her friends did find her idea over dramatic, they secretly wished that it wasn’t either of the two either.
The MC jumped high in the air, as a floating platform appeared for him to stand on. "Are our Celestial Candidates ready?!" He called out looking to see if all were prepared.
The candidates all erupted into roars of cheers as they were all ready to prove their worth in the exam, and take their first steps to Godhood.
"Then let this year's extreme exam begin!!" The MC shouted out, raising his hand into the air.
The moment the clock started ticking, magical circles appeared in the arena. From them, magical beasts of all shapes and sizes were summoned.
Massive red boars with large tusks that had fire emitting from their hooves, and flames in their mouths squeaked as charged.
Golems that stood nine feet tall, made of stone, with glowing red eyes towered over the student, and began to toss boulders.
Thick turtle-like creatures covered in slimy seaweed and webbed feet, marched onwards spitting jets of water from their mouths.
Some of the candidates were frozen with fear, for some this was their first time seeing battle and knowing their futures depending on how well they did. But for others, they quickly charged headfirst ready to put all their training to use. Spells were unleashed, spells and skills tossed around.
Charging forward, Twilight summoned a bright purple scythe construct made from her magic and ran forward. Spike jumped off her shoulder and took a deep breath before firing multiple balls of fire at a rock golem that was charging from her right, blinding it while Twilight ran to the flame boar that was charging towards her, and began slashing away at it. Twirling her magical scythe in her hands without any effort, before decapitating the boar’s head in one clean slice. All the while her familiar torched the rock golem into a molting puddle.
Checking to see if her friends were doing okay, she saw that Rainbow Dash had taken off like an arrow from a bow. A green light was emitting from her shoes as she suddenly took to the sky, flying high up over a rock golem. Drawing her blades, she smirked as they glowed a bright green, twirling the blades in her hands, she crossed them over her chest and dived down.
Wind began to spiral along her blades as she came diving down. “Wind-Slicer!” She shouted as her blades carved through the golem’s arm off in a single slice, slowly it crumbled apart to the ground.
The golem spun around trying to swat at Rainbow Dash, until a loud thundering crack rang out. Behind the golem Applejack had swung down her hammer covered in an orange aura straight down on the golem’s right leg, shattering the leg into pebbles. This forced the rock golem down onto its last knee before the two candidates came from behind and smashed the rock giant into dust.
“My kill!” Both girls said in unison before looking at each other angrily. “No, that was my kill, I got the last hit in!” They shouted in unison again looking frustrated.
Across the battlefield, Rarity stabbed her rapier into the ground and summoned a shield made from gemstones, blocking a barrage of paralyzing water from a group of kappa. Rarity held out her rapier and shattered the shield into multiple smaller shards of gemstones. "Dazzling Gem Storm!" The gems fired rapidly, cutting down the kappa as they were shredded apart like paper.
A golem roared and charged towards Rarity. She scoffed and waited for the monster to get closer towards her. With a raised fist the golem slammed its fist down towards Rarity, but she twirled to the right narrowly dodging the attack, before thrusting her rapier into the shoulder of the golem, soon shards of emeralds spouted from the golem. As Rarity then pulled her Rapier out and jumped over the golem, she winked at it before thrusting her rapier into its head, with a strong thrust the golem’s head exploded and its body crumbled into chunks of stone and emeralds.
During the battle many candidates that hadn't fully prepared for a battle on this scale were either knocked out of the ring or beaten unconscious, others running away from the magical beasts.
The examiners in the stands watched as many candidates fell in battle, crossing names of the lists. While others paid special attention to certain individuals.
Amid the chaos, Pinkie Pie was humming a song while casually skating around without a care in the world, two kappas saw her and cackled as they ran towards her. The two jumped up into the air before turning themselves midair to crush her with their shells, but upon impact they just... bounced? The kappas both curiously looked down and saw they did land on Pinkie Pie, but her hair just... stopped them and now held onto their bodies? Pinkie giggled and shook her hair, shaking the two monsters out of her hair.
"Hehehe, silly kappys. It's gonna take a lot more than that to stop me. But to stop you two, on the other hand?" Pinkie smiled and her bracelets grew to the size of hula hoops, that shined bright pink. Pinkie then used her bracelets to cut the kappas down in one swipe, their bodies bursting into confetti.
"Who wants to party!" She giggled bouncing up and down, before spinning like a top at an incredible speed, her bracelets stretched out as she became a whirlwind of pink lights. Her body started spinning around the arena, cutting down monsters left and right.
A golem charged up to her, raising its fist over its head before slamming them both down on top of her. Slowly it pulled its arms up and looked down at the crater it made to see Pinkie Pie turned into a pancake. But what shocked it the most was that Pinkie Pie just stuck her thumb in her mouth and blew herself back to normal. Looking up at the golem with glee, Pinkie laughed.
"My turn." Pinkie slammed her bracelets together, making them combine and morph into a large snake. It hissed at the golem before wrapping around it, slowly squeezing and crushing it. The golem tried to break free but was slowly being crushed. Pinkie Pie ran up to the head of the giant and smiled, booping it on the face, causing crackles to start forming along its body before crumbling into pieces.
Over with Fluttershy and Sunset, the two were battling against a small horde of kappas as they fired their paralyzing water balls at them. Sunset used her sword to deflect the attacks back at them while Fluttershy ducked behind trying to avoid the frighting monsters.
"I can't do this; I can’t do this!" Fluttershy cried as she ran off avoiding the attacks of the spitting kappas.
"Fluttershy, you need to calm down! If you don't then you'll get-WATCH OUT!" Sunset darted towards Fluttershy and tackled her down as a fire boar was launched at them like a projectile, and exploded upon impact.
The two looked over and saw three golems using the fire boars as projectiles while stomping about. The sight of the boars squealing in terror and being used so cruelly made something snap inside Fluttershy. Her grip on her staff nearly snapped it in half as she got up, a yellow aura surrounding her, as her eyes turned white "How DARE YOU USE THEM LIKE THAT?!" Fluttershy slammed her staff to the ground as a green rune symbol appeared under her.
Pointing her staff at the golems, she cast a spell. "Rose Thorns!" Two large roses sprouted from the ground and a dozen vines with sharp thorns along with them. With a stomp of her staff, the vines whipped and slashed the kappas down that tried to jump her. The golems started throwing more boars their way, but the flowers stopped and caught the boars in midair, before lowering them down to Fluttershy. They squealed and squirmed in the flora’s grasp as Fluttershy approached and raised her staff. The gem at the end of her staff began to glow a gentle yellow as she spoke her enchantment. "Beast Taming!" The two boars' eyes turned yellow as they all slowly stopped struggling and were set down. Both faced the woman and kneeled to her. She smiled and petted them both as she spoke. “Aww did those mean golems throw you?”
Pointing her staff at the golems, the two boars turned to face them. “Go get 'em.” The boars squealed with rage before charging forward like runaway trains. The two beasts crashed through the golems' legs and knocked them down before they began trampling them into dust with their hooves.
Sunset watched in stunned amazement as she started to tame more and more boars, and began riding them through the battlefield. She couldn’t help but laugh a bit as she watched the stampede plow through monsters left and right.
"Always the quiet ones." She said as she held up her sword and she smirked "I won't let you have all the fun!" Sunset charged ahead using her sword to cut down a few kappas that had charged her.
One kappa tried swiping at her head, but Sunset used her sword to block the attack. The attacking kappa was using all its strength to try and overpower her, but Sunset stepped back, before sidestepping to the right letting the kappa fall forward.
Using this opportunity Sunset lunged forward and plunged her blade into the kappa's head killing it instantly. Two golems stomped towards Sunset arms raised poised to attack. Holding her blade up, her body began to glow red before enveloping the blade in this aura and igniting it into flames. "Inferno Blade!" One golem brought down its arms toward Sunset, but her reflexes were faster as she swung her sword cutting off its arms, her flames igniting what remained causing it to melt the stone. The giant roared in pain but quickly followed up with another attack by swiping at Sunset. Twirling her sword Sunset sliced the golem along the waist cutting it down, as she pointed her sword, and took aim at the second golem.
A large fireball building up at the top of her sword. "Solar Burst!" Slashing her sword through the air, Sunset launched the fireball at the giant, the attack exploding upon impact as a large cloud of smoke and rubble covered the area.
The golem was covered in flames, its body flailing around trying to put out the flames. There was a red flash and slowly the golem’s torso slid off as it slowly began to melt into magma. When the dust settled Sunset slowly walked away with a confident smirking as she sought out her next target.
High up in the main spectator stands, Celestia watched with a soft smile as she saw her two students battling it out on the field. “Hard to believe those are the two little girls that you took under your wing eight years ago.” A voice pulled Celestia’s attention away from the exam, and she saw her sister standing beside her. “Both were so interested in magic that they snuck into a library at night so they could have it all to themselves.”
Celestia giggled as she watched her sister take a seat next to her. “Yes, I remember when the guards brought them in, calling them the mischievous bookworms.” Both laughed as they could see it as though it happened just yesterday. “I think it was that day I decided to keep a close eye on them, before offering to be their tutor.”
Luna nodded her head and sighed. “Mmm and now look at them, once fledgling now learning to take flight.” Slowly Luna shook her head as she tried to focus, she pulled out a clipboard and examined it carefully. “The number of promising candidates this year seems fairly low compared to recent years. We may be able to reach our one hundred free spaces, but I’m afraid that most will be lackluster.” Luna sighed before passing the list to her sister.
Celestia took hold of the list and examined it. The list was connected to the clipboards of the examiners, which showed the names of the candidates as well as their scores. Whenever a name would black out it meant the candidate had been either knocked out of the arena or knocked unconscious. Sighing Celestia rested her head on one hand. “Hmm, some of these candidates have either low scores, or are being taken off the list faster than they can earn points.”
As she examined the list, she saw two names with zero scores. She pointed the name out to her sister. “What of these two here?” She asked Luna, passing the clipboard.
Luna examined the two names and looked out to the arena and seemed confused. “I don’t see them, but this shows they haven’t been knocked out or thrown from the ring. Perhaps they are late, should I cross them off the list sister?”
Celestia shook her head. “No that won’t be necessary, if the time runs out and they haven’t earned a high enough score that will be on them.” She glanced at the names and smiled. “Cheeky little boys aren’t they, being late to chance to rise to Godhood.”
Outside of the stadium, two figures were running up along the stone stairs that started at the foot of the mountains. Both were male and each one panting as they ran. “I told you to set an alarm before bed last night banana brains!” One shouted.
“Oh don’t put this on me, if you weren’t too busy flexing with your shirt off all last night, you would have woken up before me!” The second argued back.
“Yeah, well we would have made it for the opening ceremony this morning had you not stopped to stare at the fruit lady’s melons for five minutes this morning!” The first voice shot back.
“Oh, shut up, they were big and round and she let me feel them up!” The other laughed. “Besides I never saw watermelons as big as hers, and I didn’t hear you complaining when I shared the one I bought with you on the way here!”
The second voice remained silent for a moment before sighing. “Well, I hope we aren’t too late to get a few points in.”
“Don’t worry about it, at this rate we’ll make it just in time for the big boss, besides don’t you know it’s badass to show up fashionably late?” The second voice teased.
“Whatever! Just hurry your monkey ass up!!”
Over forty-five minutes had passed, and nearly half of the candidates had been either knocked out of the ring or rendered unconscious. Now candidates started to become desperate as it was only five minutes till the large boss monster was summoned.
Twilight and her friends all gathered into a defensive circle formation, each helping to fend off any magical beast that came their way.
"Keep it up, girls! We're almost near the end!" Sunset said as she held up her sword "Sunlight Flash!" A bright light emitted from her sword, blinding some of the kappas.
This caused them to accidentally hit some of the golems with their attacks, paralyzing them which allowed Pinkie Pie to throw her bracelets at them, slicing them all in half as they crumbled away.
Applejack raised her hammer and slammed her feet hard on the ground, an orange aura surrounding her hammer as she brought it down "Seismic Earthquake!" The force of her hammer shook the ground causing it to tear open, which allowed some of the flame boars and golems to fall in.
Rainbow Dash crossed her blades together and winds swirled around her swords. "Whirlwind Slash!" Rainbow Dash then sent two small tornados towards the monsters, lifting them up and trapping them, before the wind blades began slicing them into pieces.
Fluttershy summoned a shield made out of thick vines, she took a deep breath and focused her magic into her staff, the gem shined bright, and she slammed it down, she summoned two large grizzly bears each one unleashing a powerful roar. Both attacked four golems, the bear's strength far surpassed the golem’s strength.
Rarity deflected as many attacks as possible from the kappas and then summoned a golem of her own made out of ruby. The ruby golem charged through the water demons, easily steamrolling them. It charged towards the normal earth golems, grabbing their arms and tearing them off with ease. The ruby golem then used the stone arms as clubs and began beating down on the other golems and boars.
Soon the final second ticked as the last ten minutes began. All the magical beasts vanished, as a summoning circle as large as the arena itself glowed.
The candidates shielded their eyes as the light was brighter than the sun itself. The ground beneath their feet rumbled and shook, nearly knocking everyone off balance.
From the summoning circle, they saw a monster that stood 80 feet tall, the monster walked on all fours with razor-sharp claws and a massive tail. The beast’s scales were a grayish-brown color, it didn’t just have one dragon-like head, but four of them. The candidates were now facing a massive hydra. The sight of such a monster terrified nearly all the candidates down to their very cores. In a last act of panic and desperation, the candidates began unleashing their strongest spells and attacks on the beast. Fire, lightning, water, and earth spells struck the beasts, but none seemed to affect the hydra enough to show pain. The monster opened its four mouths before unleashing a deafening bellow, which paralyzed the candidates with fear, some losing the will to fight while others willingly ran out of the arena.
"And there it is folks, the boss monster for this year is a hydra!!" The MC called out over the speakers as he watched the match from above. "This is your last chance to get whatever points in, especially to any candidates who didn't earn enough points to make it into the top one hundred."
Twilight gasped for a moment, her body froze in terror, along with most of her friends. She looked up at the monster and quickly steadied her mind and summoned her courage. "Rainbow, Spike! You two fly high and distract the Hydra in the air, aim for the eyes! Applejack, Fluttershy, Rarity, you three aim for the legs, if we can halt its movement or at least slow it down we can stand a chance! Pinkie, you and I will try and work on cutting off the heads, Sunset you use your fire magic to burn the wounds to keep it from growing more heads!" Twilight ordered her friends as they all were now filled with hope and determination as they moved to enact Twilight's plan
Both Rainbow Dash and Spike took to the sky as per Twilight’s instructions, Spike took aim before launching fireballs at the Hydra's faces, while Rainbow Dash used her wind magic to blitz the Hydra, slashing at its head and neck.
Fluttershy moved behind the beast and raised her staff, causing it to glow before slamming down. "Vine Prison!" Fluttershy used her magic to bind Hydra’s back legs in thick vines, holding them in place.
Applejack charged at the right leg as an orange aura engulfed around her. "Charging Bull!" She dashed forward and raised her hammer, with a single swift and powerful swing, she slammed into the back of the right leg.
Rarity moved on to the left leg and used her rapier to rapidly slash away at the leg, a light blue aura surrounding her blade. Widening her stance, she began to glow. "Dazzling Slash!" Her speed began to speed up, doubling her attacks and making it look like there was a second Rarity fighting.
Holding out her hands, Twilight used her magic to create two battle axes taking one in each hand. Pinkie twirled her bracelets around before combining them together to create a massive buster sword that she wielded with ease. Using her magic, Twilight created glowing pink platforms for her and Pinkie to jump on slowly making their way to the hydra’s heads.
Two of said heads saw the oncoming attack and roared, the force of which was nearly strong enough to blow them back, had Sunset not fired two fireballs straight into their mouths stalling them. The fireballs explode in the beast's mouths, backing their heads reel back in surprise.
"Aim for the closest one!" Twilight said as she and Pinkie Pie both charged towards the nearest head. However, one of the heads immediately swatted them away, causing them to crash into the ground.
"Twilight!" Spike yelled out in panic.
"Spike, look out!" Rainbow Dash flew towards Spike and grabbed him, pulling him away just in time before one of the heads could eat him.
Twilight and Pinkie Pie both groaned as they pushed themselves up, holding their weapons and prepared to attack again. "Sunset! On my mark, use flash!" Twilight said as she used her magic to create more platforms "Pinkie, we'll have to move fast! Follow me!" The two ran up through the platforms while the others continued to attack the Hydra.
Other candidates joined in on the attack desperate to rid themselves of the monster that could easily knock them out of the arena. Twilight and Pinkie jumped from one platform to the next drawing closer to one of the heads.
The Hydra was bombarded by spells from all directions, as well as being attacked by Spike and Rainbow Dash who continued to aggravate it. Twilight constructed two sunglasses to shield her and Pinkie's eyes with her magic before looking to Sunset. "Sunset, now!"
Sunset held up her sword and imbued it with Light Magic. "Flash!" The bright light shone like the sun as it blinded the Hydra forcing it to shut its eyes, giving Pinkie Pie and Twilight both the chance to lunge forward and attack the nearest head.
"Buster Barrage!" Pinkie Pie wielded the giant sword as if it weighed nothing and delivered multiple slashes along the neck.
“Guardian Striker!" Her axes glowed brighter infused with more magic, as she started slashing down along the beast's neck hacking away at the flesh.
As the examiners watched the seven girls fight, Celestia stood up looking concerned. "Somethings wrong. This beast is much too strong, compared to all the others we summoned years prior."
She watched as the hydra would knock out all other candidates out of the arena left and right. "This beast has exceeded the normal parameters, shall I stop the match sister?" Luna asked, standing up as well.
As Celestia watched, she couldn't help but think to herself, as much as she wanted to stop this fight, she had to allow tough battles to happen. Begrudgingly she sat down. "No. They need to survive, if they can't handle themselves against this, then they will have a difficult time at our school." Luna, despite her reservations, sat down and watched the match unfold.
After a good amount of time, Twilight and Pinkie Pie both turned to look at the damage they inflicted on it, only to be met with shock and fear. Their attacks only left a handful of scratches on the neck, even the attack from their friends and other students had little to no effect on it!
The Hydra roared and stood up on its hind legs, towering over the students and nearly reaching the spectator stands of the arena, before suddenly slamming down both feet to the earth. The impact unleashed a massive shockwave sending hundreds of students flying across the arena or knocked off completely.
Fluttershy and Rarity were thrown back by the force of the shockwave, but Rarity quickly summoned a wall of sapphire to catch the two of them just before they could get knocked off, with Fluttershy summoning bushes against the gem wall to act as a cushion.
Applejack used her magic to plant her feet to the ground like a tree but still skidded back. The vines ensnaring the Hydra's legs were snapped off as it swiped its tail at Applejack, sending her flying back. A loud crack was heard and a scream of pain cried out from Applejack as she flew back.
Fluttershy aimed her staff which glowed brightly. "Sunflower!" Using her magic she summoned a massive sunflower to gently catch Applejack before she could be knocked back.
Applejack groaned in pain as she held her right arm. "M-My arm!" Applejack winced and groaned in pain, her right arm broken from the attack.
Rainbow Dash saw this and growled in frustration as she increased her wind magic to fly faster, using her swords to hack and slash at the Hydra, even stabbing one of its eyes. "I'll make you pay for that, you oversized lizard!" Rainbow Dash aimed for another one of its eyes but was immediately swatted away by another head, sending her hurling down to the ground. She hit the ground hard and skipped like a pebble on water, landing in front of Rarity and Fluttershy as she groaned, sitting up and holding her left side.
Twilight panicked as she trembled in fear "T-This wasn't supposed to happen. The plan should've worked!" She tried to quickly think up another plan, unaware of her surroundings as a tail was hurling towards her.
"Look out!" Pinkie Pie jumped and pushed Twilight off the Platform to save her as she took the hit instead, falling down towards the ground in a crater as she winced in pain, opening her eyes as she weakly stood up only to fall to her knees.
Twilight gasped in horror as she now found herself falling, she tried to summon another platform, but Spike had grabbed her and lifted her by her shirt, just strong enough to slow her down, and give her time to catch her breath and have a clearer head.
Summoning up some platforms she slowly caught herself, while her familiar looked at the beast worried about what to do next. "Twilight, what's the plan?" Spike asked
"I-I... I-I don't know. I don't know, the plan should've worked!" Twilight said, shaken up by the events that transpired, to make matters worse she was burning through more magic than she had planned, and she knew her friends wouldn’t be far behind.
Glancing around she saw that Sunset had been knocked down, but was slowly standing back up. Her sword was stretched out with a massive fireball building up at the tip. Twilight could feel the intense heat from where she stood, and saw that her friend could barely stand. Quickly she ran to stand behind her and off her body support.
Feeling her friend support her from behind, allowed Sunset to focus her magic before casting her spell."Dual Ballista!" Two large flaming ballistas appeared next to Sunset and took aim at the Hydra.
"Solar Burst!" Sunset then fired her attacks, with Twilight adding her magic to the attack to increase its power. The fireball took off with the two ballistas spiraling around it. The attack swiftly slammed into the beast’s torso creating a massive explosion that kicked up dirt and smoke, blinding everyone.
As the shockwaves from the attack began to fade, the spot where the hydra stood was still covered in smoke. There was a moment of silence as the candidates thought that the monster was finally defeated, that the exam was finally over. That is until fear sunk in once more as they saw the beast’s silhouette.
Out of the corner of Twilight's eyes, she saw the massive tail coming down on them, aiming to crush them. "Bubble shield!" Twilight stood in front of Sunset and created a shield over the two, the tail crashed down like the force of a frattrain, but the shield held.
Twilight groaned as she poured all her magic into keeping the shield up, trying to buy them as much time as possible, hoping to run down the clock. However, when she saw the timer she saw there was still five minutes left on the clock. Her heart began to sink.
The Hydra growled and used its tail to blow away the smoke, all eyes glaring down at the two. It then raised one of its legs up high over the shield. Twilight and Sunset's eyes both widened in fear, the force along with its weight would crush them!
The Hydra brought down its foot on the shield and it shattered in a matter of seconds. Twilight fell back and into Sunset's arms as the Hydra raised its foot up once more. Sunset and Spike stared up at the Hydra and held on to each other, waiting for the end.
Twilight caught one glance as the foot came down and flinched. She flinched as she felt a wave of wind and thought she’d feel pain shortly after.
For a moment she didn’t feel a thing and had thought they died and were killed instantly, but she could still feel the pain she had taken prior and thought that she was still alive. Slowly she began to open her eyes to see what had happened, perhaps the beast was sent back before it could kill them. However, she could still hear the beast growling.
When her eyes opened fully her mouth fell open at what she saw. The hydra’s foot was just hovering over them, not because it stopped but because it was being stopped. Two men had their arms stretched out holding the foot back.
The first man had a lean muscular build, tanned skin, with black hair, and was wearing a black shirt with black leather armor, with a red Gi jacket over it, black baggy pants with black leg armor, and a katana strapped to each side of his hip.
The second wore a white T-shirt with a yellow jacket over it, black fingerless gloves. Around his neck was a long red scarf that flowed in the wind, and along his forehead was a black headband with a golden crest. His pants were also black and baggy, black running shoes with a yellow X across the side, and as well as….
“Is that a monkey tail?” Twilight asked, baffled as she saw along with his brown hair he had a long brown monkey tail coming out of his backside.
“Looks like we made it with time to spare.” The one with the tail said cheerfully as he and his companion held the beast back. “You owe me a bushel of apples after this.”
“First let’s ace this test, then you can have your apples. Are you ready?” The one with jet black hair asked his friend before seeing him nodded. With that both men reeled back a fist each, then quickly thrusted forward slamming them into the hydra’s foot.
Results were immediate as the foot rippled before the foot was sent flying back, forcing the hydra to fall backwards onto its back.
As the beast’s body dropped down, so did the candidates’ jaws at what they just witnessed. The very beast they were struggling against was now suddenly knocked backwards.
Twilight stared up at the two men as they began stretching their limbs. “Any ideas on how to beat this thing, Wu Kong? I forgot how we killed the last one before.” The man with jet black hair asked his hands resting on the handles of his swords.
“Hmm, last time we had to cut the heads and followed up by….um…..” The one with the monkey tail who now was known as Wu Kong, scratched his head while balancing on his tail. “Sorry Ryu, I kinda forgot.”
Twilight was still left shocked, mouth still open before Wu turned around and bent his knees so he was at eye level with her. “Um hey sorry to bother you, but you wouldn’t happen to know a way for us to beat that thing?” The monkey-tailed boy asked with a friendly smile. “Also if you leave your mouth open like that, a bug might fly in.”
Shaking her head to snap back to her senses, Twilight closed her mouth and tried to focus. “The best thing you can do is chop the heads off and burn the wounds shut before they can grow back.”
Wu snapped his fist into his free palm happily. “Oh yeah, that’s right, hey thanks. Guess pretty girls can also be really smart too.” He laughed as he jumped to his feet and turned to face the hydra. “Hey Ryu, did you catch that?”
The one known as Ryu nodded as he drew his swords to make sure they were sharp. “Yep I got it, so you do the cutting and I do the burning?” He asked as he and his companion started walking to the now-rising beast.
“You already know my answer to that man.” Wu Kong held his hand out as a small red poll suddenly appeared in his hand, before suddenly growing in length till it was a foot taller than himself. “Alright, shall we begin?” He smiled while twirling his bo staff.
“Wait!” Twilight called out, stopping the two who turned around when she called. “I don’t know where you two came from, but that thing is way too strong.” Despite seeing them knock the hydra back she was still worried for their well-being.
Both men looked at each other then smiled before looking back to her and spoke in unison. “Thanks but don’t worry because so are we.”
These words sent a wave of calmness throughout Twilight's body, the rush of fear she felt moments ago now washed away.
On the far side of the arena, the hydra slowly righted itself, roaring in frustration its four heads now locked on the two upstarts that struck. The nostrils flared and the jaws snapped in the air menacingly as they prepared to charge.
Ryu and Wu Kong both smiled as they got into a runner's stance and were smiling smugly. Soon their bodies were covered in thick auras, Ryu’s a crimson red, and Wu’s a golden brown.
“GO!!” They spoke in unison before taking off causing a shockwave.
In the blink of an eye, the two closed the distance between themselves and the hydra, both slammed their feet into one of the heads making it explode on contact. The headless neck spurted blood before Ryu ignited his blades and prepared to strike. “Hellfire Slash!” As he swung his swords twin waves of fire burned the beast’s wounds closed preventing a head from growing back in its place.
The hydra roared in pain and frustration, the remaining three heads preparing to chomp down on the two humans in midair. But the two smiled and kicked each other out of the way, sending them flying in opposite directions, and on either side of the now three-headed monster.
Wu Kong started to bounce on the toes of his feet while rolling both arms. “Hey ugly you gonna just stand there while we make a monkey out of you?” He began to chuckle to himself. “Haha get it? Monkey, because of my tail?” He twirled his tail in his hand. The hydra snarled as one of its head coiled back, before launching forward jaws wide open.
The monkey boy smiled before back flipping out of the way, letting the dragon's head slam into the ground, hurting itself with its own force. He stabbed his staff into the ground before pole-vaulting himself onto the neck while it lay on the ground and running up along it. As he ran along the neck of one head, a second darted forward to try and bite the filthy primeape and rid itself of a pest.
However, Wu Kong merely jumped over the oncoming head. His arms glowed brightly as his aura took the shape of a mighty gorilla, and raised both arms over his head and clasped them together. “Gorilla Smackdown!!” Pushing off the air he jetted himself over to the hydra-head with its mouth still open wide and slammed his arms down on the back of the head.
The impact sent the open jaw down onto the fallen head’s neck, forcing it to bite down. The two heads screeched in pain, as it was forced to bite itself. “Yo Ryu, help it chomp down!” Wu Kong shouted out.
Ryu was already running in, as he came from the side and launched himself forward slamming his head into the under jaw of the biting hydra. The force of impact caused the hydra to bite all the way through the neck in its maw.
The second head fell to the ground lifeless making the remaining two heads roar in agony. As they did Ryu drew both blades and ran to the neck where the second head was decapitated, crossing his blades together he ignited them with burning blue flames. “Flaming Dragon Claws!! He unleashed a fury of flaming slashes along the neck stub Cauterizing it. “Hey, Wu Kong how do you like your hydra steak, well done or charred?!” The man laughed before kicking away from the third head that tried to bite down on his body.
Wu Kong smiled as he appeared behind the third head that tried to bite Ryu, twirling his staff he slammed it down knocking it down. “Come on Ryu, you know I like my steaks cooked medium rare!”
From behind the fourth head closed in jaws wide open, Wu Kong was still in midair making those spectating gasp in fear believing he’d be eaten for sure. But the monkey smiled as his body glowed. “Eagle!” He shouted as his body changed to a red and white eagle and flew out of the way just as the jaws snapped. He shouted as his body changed to a red and white eagle and flew out of the way just as the jaws snapped. He flew over the snapping jaws and over to the back of the neck before shapeshifting again, only this time into a tiger.
The jungle cat ran along the hydra’s neck till it reached the base where the body and neck met, before shapeshifting into his human form. Raising his arm up his aura took the form of a tiger’s paw and claws. “Slashing Tiger Claw!”
With a strong slash of his arm, Wu Kong split the neck from the body of the hydra and fell along with the decapitated head and neck, arms folded in victory.
Everyone's jaws dropped once more, while Ryu shook his head smiling. “Show off.” Not wanting to waste any time he bolted forward, igniting both fists with burning crimson flames, he jumped high into the air before aiming. “Hellfire Barrage!!”
Ryu began to unleash a rapid barrage of fire blast at the stump of the hydra’s neck, the sound of sizzling flesh could be heard as the last head bellowed in furious pain.
Landing beside his friend, Wu Kong looked at the timer and saw there was only a minute left on the clock. “Hey, we need to end this quickly.” He said while holding up his left fist which began to glow a golden brown. “You thinking, what I’m thinking?”
His friend smiled as he raised his right fist as it burned a crimson red. “Oh yeah, combo finisher.” Both turned to face the hydra which was now charging at them like a stampeding bull, a look of rage and hatred in its eyes as it charged.
Both boys reeled their first back together and waited for the hydra to get close, their fists glowing more intense with every second that passed. When the hydra was only half a yard away both thrusted their fists out, shouting their final attacks.
"Burning Dragon Fist!" Shouted as a blast of fire shaped like the head of a massive dragon launched from his fist at blazing speed.
"Jungle King Fist!!" Wu Kong called out punching his fist through the air, as his attack took the shape of a massive gorilla head.
Both attacks flew side by side, jaws open. The hydra had no time to react as the attacks bit down on the remaining head and neck, causing a massive explosion of magic and energy to erupt. Dust and smoke filled the arena blinding everyone as the powerful winds from the explosion blinded the spectators and candidates. There was a brief few seconds of silence before the timer ran out, and a buzzer went off signaling that time was up.
Celestia stood up and used her magic to create a gust of wind to blow away the dust and smoke. The winds howled and did their job, as the results became clear to see.
Both Ryu and Wu Kong now stood on the body of the dead hydra, their arms folded as they stood side by side, each bearing a smug expression on their faces. When they saw Celestia they smiled and held up their hands. “So did we make the cut?” Ryu asked on behalf of the two.
Author's Note
Just in case for an added reference for Wu Kong, here is a photo of him
Welcome to Highschool of the Gods
Silence fell over the teachers, faculty, and all the remaining students inside the arena, their eyes glued to the two newcomers that had taken down the monstrous Hydra. Stunned to see such power and skill in two young men, but that silence was quickly broken by the outburst from one teacher
"Outrageous! You two have been gone for nearly the entire exam!" The teacher exclaimed
"Such reckless and uncouth behavior will NOT be allowed in such an honored tradition!"
"You two are nothing more than hoodlums!" Multiple complaints and insults were hurled at the two boys.
"Tough crowd, huh?" Ryu said while picking his ear.
"Meh, we should be used to it by now." Wu shrugged while balancing on his tail. Their attention was drawn back to the teachers when they felt the powerful magic aura from one teacher. A man with black and gray hair that reached down to his shoulders, a goatee, dark blue eyes, and pale white skin. He wore a red cloak with black robes and had an amulet with a green gem in it
"This exam is for students that have the potential and skill to enter Canterlot High, we only accept the elite into our school. Not common thugs." The man said while glaring down at Ryu and Wu.
Just as the two were about to voice their opinions, an even greater magical aura spiked making everyone in attendance silent.
The source of the magic came from the headmistress herself, Celestia. " Enough!" Her voice boomed filling the air and making many flinch.
"Have you ever seen Celestia snap like that?" Sunset whispered to Twilight
"Handful of times. Each time is always scary." Twilight whispered back as the two helped each other up.
"But they only showed up at the very end! All of us were fighting for our lives this entire time!" A student voiced his issues "Why should they be allowed to still be counted in?"
"Y-Yeah, he's right! All of us have been working our asses off for this day and spent the entire time proving ourselves! Why should they still be counted in?"
"It must've been a fluke! There's no way these two defeated the Hydra, they must've cheated!"
"Be that as it may, the rules of the exam state to pass you must score points to make the top one hundred. The rules do not state that late entries are not permitted, only that once you step into the ring if you are knocked out you are disqualified." Celestia said sternly. She looked to the examiners who spoke out recently.
"Hehehe, suck it!" Ryu laughed while flipping off the students who wanted them to be disqualified. Ryu and Wu started to walk off the dead Hydra and looked up at the teachers
"Is there anything else you all want to say? Or are we done here?" Wu asked with a smug grin on his face.
There was another flux of magical aura as Celestia stared down at the boys. "Don't think you two are off the hook. You two should have been here on time like every other candidate here."
"I fucking told you to set that damn alarm." Ryu whispered to Wu.
"Well maybe if you didn't spend so much time admiring your reflection, you could have done it yourself." Wu Kong whispered back.
Celestia stared at the two boys before settling down and pulling up the two boy's files. "If I'm not mistaken you are Ryu and Wu Kong?"
"Uh, Y-Yeah. I mean, yes ma'am. I'm Ryu Tsuchi." Ryu said while clearing his throat.
Putting his hands together, the boy with the tail bow. "I'm Wu Kong. We are really sorry for being late."
The headmistress took a moment to examine the two before her fingers tapped their photos. "Well putting the late arrival aside, you two showed both great strength and skills. I'm willing to award you two points based on what I saw."
With that, a magical monitor was projected for all to see. One hundred names were listed, and at the bottom Ryu and Wu's names could be seen. "You earned enough points to pass this year's exam."
Seeing their names appear on the screen filled the Ryu and Wu with great joy and a sense of pride. Ryu couldn't contain his excitement as he jumped with joy, flames appearing around him like a scarf
"WOOOOOOOOOOOHOOOOOOOOOO! YEAH, BABY! LET'S GO!" Ryu cheered, completely forgetting that the headmistresses, the teachers, and other examiners were still there.
"Oh boy, that's gonna inflate his ego even more now." Wu Kong said while equally as excited, holding his hand to his chest and letting out a shaky breath. "For a second I thought we were out of here." He said silently.
"To those who passed you shall be expected on campus in two days!" Luna spoke out her voice echoed along the arena. "Know that the path ahead is filled with difficulties, that would make the hydra seem insignificant!"
Many of the now new students gulped in mild fear, while others were excited by the idea. "This concludes this years entrance exam!" Luna called out.
With that many students let out a sigh of relief that they were holding in and had their own small bits of celebration, talking with friends and congratulating each other on passing the exam.
"Twilight!" Spike flew straight towards Twilight and tackled her into the ground, hugging her while nuzzling her chest "I thought we were gonna lose you!" He said, clutching her tightly. Twilight gasped for air and looked down at Spike, smiling as she hugged him back just as tight.
"I know, Spike, and I'm so sorry. I'm so glad to see you." Twilight said, looking up to see the rest of their friends all running to her, hugging her.
"So good to see you two still kicking, I feared the worst when that hydra was bringing down his foot." Applejack said, her arm was wrapped in a sling made of sticks and vines, courtesy of Fluttershy.
"I was this close to slicing that overgrown lizard to minced meat!" Rainbow Dash said while glaring at the dead hydra.
"Let's just be thankful that you two are safe and sound." Rarity said while crying, being the most emotional, and dramatic, one of the group.
"I nearly had a heart attack when your shield broke, I don't think I ever saw it break before. Even Applejack couldn't break it." Pinkie Pie pointed out.
"She's right, but a hydra is one of the stronger creatures in the world." Fluttershy stated.
"Yeah, but something felt... Off about it." Sunset said.
"Different how?" Rainbow Dash asked.
"I can't say for sure, but that hydra just felt stronger. Like something was powering it up." Sunset looked over at the hydra, suspicion in her eyes.
"It's dead now, no point in looking a gift horse in the mouth." Applejack said while standing up "But I reckon we should be giving those two a big thank you for what they did." Applejack pointed over at Ryu and Wu who were currently dancing with each other and cheering 'We did it!' Over and over.
"Alright let's celebrate our victory with some ramen!" Wu Kong shouted while doing backflips.
"Listen, we just wanted... We wanted to say thank you for saving us." Twilight said while bowing her head.
"Yeah, if it wasn't for you two me and Twilight would've been a messy stain under that hydra's foot." Sunset said, bowing her head as well. The rest of the girls bowed their heads as well as a sign of thanking Ryu and Wu for saving their friends.
"It's no trouble at all, and you don't need to bow. It kinda feels a little weird." Ryu smiled at them "We're just glad you two are safe. I'm Ryu Tsuchi, this is my best friend, Banana Brain."
Ryu received a quick slap to the cheek from Wu Kong's tail, sending the black haired boy flying. "That's Mr. Banana Brains to you punk." Wu Kong smiled back at the girls. "My real name is Wu Kong, but feel free to call me Wu."
"Is... He gonna be okay?" Applejack pointed at Ryu who had landed near the edge of the arena.
"Meh, he's felt worst. Oh hey we were about to grab some grub to celebrate our passing of the exam, would you guys want to join us?" Wu asked curiously.
"Only if you're buying. You stole my kill!" Rainbow Dash said while crossing her arms, Rarity quickly shoved her with her elbow.
"Behave yourself. Sorry, Rainbow Dash can be a bit brash at times. We would love to join you." Rarity smiled, she then gasped as she came to a realization "Where are my manners, my name is Rarity."
"Twilight Sparkle. This is my familiar, Spike." Twilight waved with Spike perched on her shoulder.
"Yo!" Spike smiled and held up a peace sign.
"I'm Rainbow Dash, the fastest mage in the world!" Rainbow introduced herself while hovering in the air.
"Applejack, pleasure to meet you." Applejack tipped her hat at Wu.
"Sunset Shimmer, but you can call me Sunset or Sunny." Sunset smiled at Wu.
"F-F-Fluttershy..." Fluttershy said, her voice barely above a whisper. Pinkie Pie rushed forward and grabbed Wu into a tight hug, lifting him up off the ground.
"HiImpinkiepiethankyousomuchforsavingourfriendsyouguysarereallystringhowdidyougetsostringdoyoulikecakeilovecakewhatsyourfavoriteflavor." Pinkie's words all mashed together into a jumble mess of a sentence.
Twilight quickly stepped up to defend Pinkie's actions "I am so sorry about Pinkie, you don't have to answer. Nobody can really understand her when she gets like this." Twilight apologized.
"Well it's no trouble, me and Ryu were happy to help. As for how I got so strong, I just trained really hard. And far as cakes go I do like them, my favorite is anything banana flavored." Wu Kong answered without hesitation.
"Like I said, you don't..." Twilight stopped after her ears fully registered what she just heard. Wu understood Pinkie Pie. Someone ACTUALLY understood Pinkie Pie. The sudden realization made Twilight's jaw drop, and not just her own. The others all had their jaws drop to the floor.
"YOU CAN UNDERSTAND HER?!" They all exclaimed in unison.
Wu looked mildly confused as he backed up a bit. "Ugh yeah? I mean she was speaking pretty clear just now, and she didn't mispronounce anything."
"But... How? Pinkie Pie's mouth moves faster than my dog when she hears it's supper time!" Applejack said. Pinkie Pie just squealed with excitement as she happily jumped in place, finally letting Wu go.
"We are going to be the bestest of friends!" Pinkie Pie declared. Before Wu could respond he was sent flying by a kick to the face by Ryu.
"Then how about you understand my foot in your face, you damn monkey!" Ryu shouted angrily.
Wu Kong's body slammed into a nearby wall, his head stuck inside while the rest of his body dangled.
Ryu couldn't help but laugh and mock Wu's current state "Hahahahaha! How'd that feel, you bastard!" He taunted. The girls all watched as Ryu laughed after he attacked Wu.
"Is this normal for them?" Spike asked out loud.
"Don't worry about him. Banana Brain over there can take a beating." Ryu told them "Like Wu said, we would love to have you guys join us. It isn't a party unless some beautiful women are there." Ryu smirked and winked at them. Making some of them blush.
Ryu's flirting was cut short when Wu Kong leaped onto his head, and began biting down. "I'll show you banana brains, you self indulging pretty boy!"
"Aaaaaahhhhhhh!" Ryu screamed in pain as he started running around the arena with his arms flailing about, Ryu then glared at Wu and lit himself on fire "Try this on for size, fur for brains!"
Wu Kong immediately released his mouth off Ryu's head, his tongue bright red as it took the heat. "Hot hot hot!"
He howled before jumping on top of his head and grinning. "Oh hey bud let me put that fire out for ya." With a mischievous smirk Wu Kong started to tap his feet down on Ryu's head, as he began to riverdance.
"Hey, ow! Ow! Damnit, ow! Quit it!" Ryu groaned as he felt the weight of Wu dancing on his his. Ryu reached up and grabbed Wu's tail, biting down on it.
"Yeow! Why you little!" The tailed boy jumped down and began to exchange punches with his friend. Both of which kicked up dust around them, making it hard to see what was going on inside. With only the original foot or fist pulling out before going back in.
Over with Twilight and her friends they all stood by and watched as the two boy who had saved their lives continued to beat one another.
"We sure that them beating the hydra wasn't a fluke?" Rainbow Dash questioned.
"I'm still questioning that." Sunset said "But they seem nice enough."
"Uh... So do you guys wanna come and eat with us?" Twilight asked them, making Ryu and Wu stop with Wu pulling Ryu's hair while Ryu bit his arm.
Both took a moment to meat each other's gaze before looking back to the girls. "Sure." They both said in unison.
"Woohoo!" Pinkie Pie immediately grabbed Ryu and Wu into a hug and jumped with joy.
"We actually know this really great ramen shop in the city. We can give you all the address and you can meet us there." Ryu suggested.
"Sounds like a good idea to me, need to get my arm checked out, anyways." Applejack said while pointing at her injured arm. Ryu got loose from Pinkie's strong grip and dusted himself off.
"Applejack, right? Come here for a second." Ryu told her, Applejack was a little confused but did as he told and walked up to him. Ryu placed both of his hands on her injured arm and took in a deep breath, his hands igniting in flames. Applejack was about to pull away until she felt that the flames weren't burning her. They felt warm, like a warm blanket wrapping around her. The flames covered her forearm and Applejack could feel the bones in her arm somehow beginning to mend back together, not even feeling the slightest bit of pain in the process. Ryu then pulled away and panted a bit, smiling at her. Applejack took off the makeshift sling and rubbed her arm, it still felt sore, but now she could move it.
"H-How... How'd you?" Applejack gasped.
"Just a little thing I can do with my flames. It can take a lot out of me, but I can still patch up simple injuries." Ryu explained. Applejack smiled and flexed her arm.
"That's a mighty fine skill you got, Ryu." Applejack complemented him.
"Hey, it's the least I can do for someone as cute as you." Ryu winked, Applejack blinked a bit in surprise as her face got a little red, not expecting to be flirted like that. Ryu then told Applejack the address of the ramen shop to meet them later on.
"Alright Romeo let's move it before I lose my appetite." Wu Kong moved in from behind, and began to push his companion forward as they all left the arena.
"They definitely are interesting." Twilight said as they watched Ryu and Wu walk away.
"I think they're funny." Pinkie Pie giggled.
An hour later the girls met up at the address Ryu sent them. When the got there, they saw that the two looked more beaten up than when they had left. "Hey girls glad you can make it." Wu kong called out.
"Are you two okay? You look like you both were wrangling a couple of mad bulls while wearing all red." Applejack said as she noticed their appearance.
"Oh yeah yeah were fine, this is normal for us." Wu Kong smiled waving the situation off. "We were just settling our earlier dispute and came to a draw."
"So you two kicking each other's asses is normal?" Rainbow Dash laughed while taking a seat.
"Pretty much, that's how I got stuck with this dumbass." Ryu ruffled Wu's hair and chuckled.
"How did you two meet?" Twilight asked as she sat down, Spike resting on top of her head. Looking down at Ryu and Wu as he was intrigued to hear about how the two met.
"Well that's a story for a different time, right now it's ramen time!" Wu Kong held up the menu and looked to the shop keep. "Hey pops I'll have my usual. Niboshi ramen, with no green union, soft boil egg, extra chasu pork, and extra bamboo shoots."
"I'll have pork ramen with extra pork, fried egg, and soy sauce." Ryu ordered.
"Of course, boys. And you ladies?" The shopkeeper asked, the girls and Spike all gave the man their order and sat down at the counter. Taking this opportunity to learn a bit more about Ryu and Wu.
"So, why exactly were you two late for the exam? It's not something that can just slip your mind?" Twilight asked.
"There was a few reasons why, but the main reason was that we were too excited for the exam." Wu Kong added blushing slightly. "Either way we were lucky to have made it with time to spare."
"I know, right? I never ran faster in my life than today." Ryu chuckled "How's the arm?" He asked Applejack.
"Much better, it still feels a little sore, but nothing I can't handle. Working on my family's farm helped making me sturdy." Applejack flexed her arm, showing that she was well-toned.
"Thanks again for saving me and Twilight. We really appreciate it." Sunset thanked them and smiled.
"Always good to play hero." Ryu chuckled "Although good looks doesn't apply to Wu."
"Who needs good looks when you have charming personality?" Wu Kong smiled playfully, before eating his ramen. "So are you girls excited for school?"
"I'm pumped more than ever! Especially since I got the highest kill count!" Rainbow proudly boasted.
"Uh, I think you mean the SECOND highest kill count." Applejack smugly corrected.
"You're joking, right? Did you see how fast I was moving? I took down way more monsters than anyone!" Rainbow Dash argued.
"But did you see how many I took down with just one swing? I cracked down way more than you." Applejack countered. The two arguing with each other over who had the most kills.
"It's like the girl version of us." Ryu joked as he playfully shoved Wu.
"Yeah, my money is on the blue one though." Wu smirked as he nudge his friend with his elbow. "I already saw you hitting on the farm girl Casanova."
"And I saw you flirting with the dragon tamer." Ryu whispered, chuckling a bit.
"When did I do that?" Wu asked confused, looking skeptical at Ryu.
"Guess pretty girls can also be really smart too." Ryu quoted Wu's exact words he told Twilight back when they saved her and Sunset.
"Well I was just making an accurate statement, it's not flirting when you are speaking the truth." Wu Kong said with a shrug as he popped soft boil egg into his mouth. "So now what should we do bro?"
"Enjoy our celebration, my friend." Ryu said as he started eating his food. "What about the rest of you? Feeling nervous about entering Canterlot?"
"I have been preparing for it my whole life, I'm not nervous at all." Twilight claimed with a smile.
"She stayed up late for the past week constantly going over scenarios from bad to worse again and again." Spike said before digging into his own bowl.
"Spike!" Twilight shrieked in embarrassment. The others couldn't help but laugh at Twilight's flustered expression.
"I am a little nervous, but I've been training for this moment for years. I'm more excited than anything!" Sunset said as she thanked the shopkeeper for the food.
"I'm just worried about the ones that didn't pass. They all tried so hard and gave it everything they had, too." Fluttershy said while looking down at her bowl. "I can only imagine how they must feel."
Wu Kong moves his tail to gently pat the pink hair girl's back, trying to calm her down. "Hey don't feel too bad, it's not like their chance have been snuffed out."
"What do you mean? They won't be allowed to enter Canterlot again." Fluttershy said as her heart ached for the ones who failed.
"Not true, they can't enter Canterlot this year." Wu Kong added. "They lost their chance to enter this year, but until they turn 18, they can always try again next year. Plus even then they still have options available to them as of right now."
"B-But still, this could break a lot of people's spirits. How can you be so sure that they'll still be able to try again, if they even want to try again?" Fluttershy asked him.
Wu Kong slurped some noodles before answering. "Because if this failure is all it takes to wipe away their ambitions, they have no right to be considered God candidates."
"He's right. If we all gave up each time we faced an obstacle or failed, none of us would even be close to where we are today." Ryu added while wiping off some sauce from his lips.
Fluttershy pondered on their words and a smile slowly formed on her face. "I guess I never thought of it like that. Looks like I still got a lot to learn." She said, her mood is much brighter than before.
"Huh, you two are wiser than you look." Rainbow Dash blurted out, getting hit with an elbow by Twilight.
"Rainbow Dash!" Twilight scolded.
"What? I would've expected to hear that from a Headmaster or someone old and wise, not two random guys!" Rainbow Dash tried to defend before turning to Ryu and Wu. "No offense."
Both Wu Kong and Ryu waved their hands as if not bothered by the remark. "None taken. Anyway if they are smart they'll seek out a master to train under." Wu added.
"Wu has a point, while it may be difficult there are plenty of mentors that may take some candidates under their tutelage." Twilight explained.
"Plus we did see that many of the other candidates were taken out only when the hydra came. I saw plenty of people with great potential fighting." Sunset added.
Pinkie Pie slurped up her noodles which nearly emptied the entire bowl in one slurp, her cheeks puffed up like a chipmunk before swallowing with a satisfied smile on her face. "You said mentors, you mean like teachers at the school?" She asked, licking her lips clean.
Something like that." Wu jumped in again. "Mentors are people who either failed at their chance at Godhood, or weren't strong enough to reach for it."
He tapped his companion's shoulder. "For example say Ryu here has the strength of the physical body, but lacks the magic. If he wanted he could teach someone like say Twilight. If Twilight can have great magical power along with great physical power her odds are boosted. Plus there is a benefit for the mentor."
"Really? Like what?" Spike asked, requesting another bowl from the shopkeeper.
"Well for starters, they would receive not only prestige, but they would be made into a Demigod." Ryu added as he ate the meat from his bowl.
"A Demigod? That's amazing!" Applejack said with amazement.
"That does sound like an enticing reward for Mentors, even if they couldn't attain Godhood they would still receive something incredible." Rarity said while she carefully blew on her noodles before eating them.
Wu Kong nodded. "Agreed, while you may not receive power and strength equal to a god, you would attain riches and a body that would never age."
"To share this beauty with the world forever is alluring." Rarity giggled.
"Unless you stare in a mirror forever like a certain pretty boy God." Applejack giggled, making the other girls stifle a laugh as well, except for Rarity.
Ryu and Wu chuckled as well. "Well either way, the fact is those who didn't make it today aren't out of the running yet. There is only one way for that to happen." Wu took his bowl and began to drink down the remaining soup.
"And that is?" Pinkie Pie asked.
"If they lose against their opponent in the ascension battle. After that it's all over." Ryu said, drinking the rest of his soup.
"Nothing will stop me from reaching the very top!" Rainbow Dash claimed while slamming her hands on the counter and standing proud. "I'll earn Godhood and I'll make sure the world remembers Rainbow Dash!"
"I hope you can remember to have some table manners, Rainbow Dash." Rarity sighed but had a small smile hidden on her face.
"Well good luck to you Dash, because you guys aren't the only ones aiming for Godhood." Wu Kong said with a cheeky smile, as well as his best friend. "We won't settle for being Demigods. It's Gods or bust."
"Damn right! I'm going to make sure that the Heavens, Earth, and Hell know my name!" Ryu shouted while standing on the counter, laughing.
"Oh Gods, you're multiplying." The Shopkeeper groaned as he not only had to deal with Wu and Ryu being eccentric, but also Rainbow Dash.
"Hey paps let's have the bill will ya?" Wu called out to the shopkeeper after finishing his third bowl of ramen.
"Coming right up." The shopkeeper smiled as he went over to the register. After a few seconds he came back and handed Wu and Ryu the bill, but it seemed a lot less than the price for all the food added together.
"Uh, I know you're getting up there in years, but I think you got this wrong?" Ryu said before getting smacked in the head by the Shopkeeper.
"It ain't wrong, you little brat! It's just that you boys passed the exam, so I figured I'd lighten your tabs a little bit." The shopkeeper said, starching his neck while smiling proudly at Ryu and Wu.
Both boys looked to the shop keeper with looks of surprise. Soon they both smiled and bowed their heads to the shop keep and spoke in unison. "Thank you!"
The girls couldn't help but smile at the sight of Ryu and Wu showing their respect to the shopkeeper, not knowing their history together, but could clearly see the gratitude and respect they hold for one another.
"Thank you for the meal, as well." Twilight said, bowing her head. The others followed Twilight's lead and thanked the man for the meal.
After eating their fill and paying their tab, the group left the shop all with full bellies. "Phew ah man that was the best." Wu Kong sighed in relief as he rubbed his gut. "Well I don't know about you partner, but after today I'm feeling up for some hardcore training."
"Any excuse to kick your ass." Ryu joked while playfully shoving Wu.
"It was a real pleasure to meet you both, and thank you again for saving me and Sunset." Twilight thanked them once more. "I'm going to head back home, gotta prepare for Canterlot."
"I'mma head home, too. Gonna celebrate with my family." Applejack said.
"Me too, but it was an absolute delight to meet you two. It was... interesting." Rarity said while bowing her head.
"I need to get home and start planning." Pinkie Pie said.
"Planning what?" Ryu asked, but all he got for an answer was Pinkie Pie giggling while bouncing away. "Should... Should we be worried?"
"Nah, Pinkie Pie is just... Pinkie Pie." Rainbow Dash shrugged. "Hope to see you two at school, I still wanna test your strength myself." Rainbow smirked before she used her magic to take off into the air and fly off.
"The meal was delicious, I-I hope to see you two a-again." Fluttershy shyly bowed her head and hurried off.
"Guess I'm heading off too, you guys take care. And thank you again for... Y-You know, saving us." Sunset said while brushing her hair back, smiling and waving goodbye to Ryu and Wu as she walked away.
Both Ryu and Wu looked to each other and grinned. "Looks like we made some potential friends/ rivals huh Ryu?" Wu asked a smile on his face.
"We have been told we are both likeable and punchable." Ryu joked. "But I gotta admit, they seem nice."
"Hopefully we get to see more of them in the future." Wu and Ryu made there way to their training grounds preparing for their first day of school.
Two days passed, and the new school year had begun. Students from freshman to senior, climbed the steps leading to the school on top of the mountain.
Many students were anxious with every step they took, but all had a look of determination and pride on their faces. Taking the steps down the path to Godhood.
Twilight Sparkle reached the top of the steps and looked around to see many stone seats set up for students to sit down, courtesy of some of the teachers. Spike was flying beside her shoulder to stay close as Twilight looked around and saw her friends already sitting down together and rushed over to them.
"Hey, girls!" Twilight waved at them while taking a seat.
"Can't believe you're the last one here. Out of everyone I thought Rainbow Dash would be the last one here for oversleeping." Sunset joked.
"Hey! Even if I did I would still be the first one here!" Rainbow Dash retorted.
"Anyway, have any of you seen Wu or Ryu?" Twilight asked.
"You don't think they're gonna be late like at the exam, do you." Applejack asked out loud, also looking around for Wu and Ryu.
"I hope that won't be a recurring occurrence with them." Rarity said while fixing her hair.
"They didn't leave a good impression on the teachers last time they did that." Fluttershy shivered at the memory of the teachers all glaring the two boys while scolding them.
"I'm sure they'll be here, but if they are late we can expect a super duper cool entrance." Pinkie giggled.
The sound of a loud gong rang through the area, grabbing the students attention.
Standing on a podium was Celestia, her sister and a few members of the faculty. She made a gesture with her hand for all watching to sit down.
The students did so and all were quite as she began to speak. "Good morning my students, and welcome to the road to Godhood. Before we start, allow me to congratulate all one hundred students who passed the entrance exam."
Every student there cheered as all of them were proud to have passed the exam and begin their journey to Godhood.
Celestia held her hand up to politely silence the crowd. "Now that we've all gathered, we must go over some key facts."
A magical monitor slowly appeared next to the headmistress, she gestured to it as large letters came into focus, GP. "As you may have been wondering, the currency that can be used here at our school or outside of the school for candidates, is know as God Points, or GP for short."
Soon human shaped figures appeared on the screen, and each one had the letters GP above them as well as numbers. "Students here can earn GP through events or battle other candidates for GP."
She gave the crowd a stern look, which made many freeze in fear. "Now don't go thinking you can go brawling at my school. In order for students to challenge each other for GP, a faculty member must referee the match for it to be legal."
With this information the students began whispering to themselves, some were a little disappointed that they couldn't go the easy route and just beat up other students to earn more GP, but others were a little excited to be able to test their skills and powers against others. Seeing it as an opportunity to get stronger.
"W-W-We have to fight others? Even in class?" Fluttershy hid herself in her sweater and was shaking with fear.
"Relax, Fluttershy. Like Celestia said, a faculty member must be present and I'm sure that you can say no to a duel." Sunset tried her best to calm down Fluttershy's nerves.
"Further information about the earnings of GP and use will be discussed later on. However, as many of you may already know, the primary use for GP is simple." Many of the students smiled as it was common knowledge. "To purchase an entry ticket to a tournament of the gods. There you shall face other candidates eager to win themselves. It is this school's responsibility to train you for when you decide to take that first leap."
"You think it's true that the Gods actually help those candidates that they're interested in?" Rarity asked in a hushed tone to Twilight.
"Not in tournaments as they want to see if the candidate truly is worthy or not." Twilight explained just a tiny bit to satisfy Rarity's curiosity.
Celestia gave her hands a few claps to regain everyone's attention. "But as I said we shall go over that in time. For now, however, we will receive a speech from the VIP from this year's entrance exam."
The mention of a VIP caused a small commotion among the students, none of them hearing about a special speaker coming in for the ceremony.
"Did you know about a VIP?" Sunset asked Twilight.
"This is the first I'm hearing about it." Twilight told her, just as curious as the others.
"As to who I'm referring to, I speak of a candidate who participated in this year's entrance exam." Celestia clarified as she looked at the crowd of students.
"Someone from the exam? Was there some sort of secret candidate we didn't see?" Spike questioned.
"This suspense is killing me!" Pinkie Pie quietly shouted while gripping the stone seat, nearly cracking it by how strong she was.
"Actually this year we have two, both of whom defeated the boss monster this year. Shall we greet them?" Celestia points her hand upwards making everyone look up.
High in the sky they could see the outline of a large bird, before suddenly watching it dive down.
The students gasped as they watched the eagle suddenly combust into flames as it dived. Many thinking it was attacked. But their looks of fear turned into awe as just before the eagle could crash into the ground, it pulled up and began to fly in circles.
The eagle screeched as it flew faster and faster, creating a pillar of fire. The bird blended in with the flames, and soon two figures could be seen within the flames.
One of the figures snapped their fingers, and suddenly the spinning pillar of flames disappeared. Revealing both Ryu and Wu Kong, standing back to back both smiling.
"No fucking way..." Rainbow's jaw dropped as she was flabbergasted by the two's entrance. The girls and the rest of the students all stared at Ryu and Wu in disbelief, not thinking those two would be the VIPS today.
"Hold this pose for an extra ten seconds. Gotta reach maximum coolness." Ryu whispered to Wu.
"I would, but you accidentally set the tip of my tail on fire." Wu Kong whispered through clenched teeth as he tried to hide the pain. If anyone were to look they would see some smoke coming from behind the two.
Ryu used one hand behind him to try and put on the fire, still trying to keep up the pose while muttering under his breath. "Hold the fuck still, damnit." While trying to grab Wu's tail.
"Are... Are they okay?" Fluttershy whispered to her friends.
"I don't think so." Applejack said while holding back a giggle, able to see what was happening.
Celestia who could see the whole thing from the podium smiled, holding back a giggle of her own. She gently nudged her sister who nodded.
Luna carefully aimed her finger and fired a ball of water at the burning tail. Causing Wu Kong to sigh in relief.
"Well now that we have our VIPs with us, perhaps they would like to share a few words of encouragement, for their fellow students?" Celestia said gesturing to the two.
Ryu was the first one to step up and look over at all the students around them. All eyes on him, all ears awaiting to hear their words. Ryu cleared his throat and smiled.
"I just wanna say that from here on out, all of you are battling for second place. Because We're not stopping until we reach the very top!" Ryu laughed.
Wu Kong gently nudges his friend to take his turn. "We could give a heartwarming speech saying that we hope you all do well. But we aren't that sappy and wanted to let you guys know that this place , and all of you are just stepping stones to our path to Godhood."
Both then spoke in unison. "So come at us with all you got, because we ain't gonna lose!"
"... They've lost their minds." Twilight groaned while silently screaming into her hands. To the surprise of no one nearly every single student there roared out in anger and annoyance at Ryu and Wu's speech.
"You two are arrogant morons!" One student shouted.
"Just you wait till school starts, I'm kicking both of your asses!" Another student challenged.
"You two aren't worthy of becoming Gods with that shitty attitude!" One student shouted.
Ryu smiled and looked over at Wu. "I think that went well."
"Oh yeah, we secured our entertainment for the next couple of days." Wu Kong said with a cheeky smile.
As both boys left the podium to take seats next to glaring classmates, Celestia shook her head and sighed. "Well, that was definitely a um....encouraging speech. So with all that taken care of, you may all take your leave for your first classes."
"You think this was their whole plan? To piss off the whole school?" Sunset asked her friends.
"It looks like it, but I just can't comprehend it." Twilight groaned, rubbing her forehead. With the ceremony coming to a close every student began to stand and walk down the steps to start their first day of school. All while glaring daggers at Ryu and Wu, who were just having a casual chat together like it was no big deal.
Sunset and her friends all ran and caught up with them. "Are you insane or do you just get a kick out of making an enemy out of everyone?"
"Hmmm... No." Ryu shrugged.
"We just wanted to make sure that we wouldn't be bored here." Wu Kong sighed as he leaned back to lay on the now vacant seats. "See we wanted to make sure we didn't have to worry about a lack of potential rivals. Plus if some of them want to challenge us for GP, that would be an added bonus."
"I can't tell if the both of you are smart or evil. Or both." Sunset said before giggling.
"I don't think that Celestia and Luna are pleased with your speech. And probably none of the teachers, either." Twilight said, looking over and catching a few teachers glaring at Ryu and Wu.
"Well we aren't here to please anyone, we're here to grow stronger and learn." Wu Kong said with a smirk. "Besides regardless of our intro, I'm sure people still wouldn't like us, after we showed up late to the exam."
"What makes you say that?" Pinkie Pie asked as she bounced alongside Wu.
"Me and Wu aren't exactly what you would call the "popular kids"." Ryu vaguely explained.
Noticing Wu's tone and the atmosphere around the two boys the girls knew that it wasn't right to pry any further.
Here Twilight spoke up. "So, you guys know your first class?" She asked.
Both Wu and Ryu looked at each other and pulled out papers that told them their classes. "Looks like we both have magical studies with Professor Hooves." Ryu said.
"Really? So do we!" Pinkie Pie said gleefully.
"Guess we're still stuck with you two." Sunset giggled as she crossed her arms.
"Lucky you." Ryu chuckled "Now Wu is also your problem." He laughed.
Wu rolled his eyes as the group made their way to the school. Despite looking like an ancient Japanese temple, the inside of the school was modern, and long wide hallways for many of the students to pass through. Many of them shot glares at Ryu and Wu as they passed.
Soon they arrived at their destination, a large classroom built similar to a college lecture hall.
Ryu, Wu, and the girls all took their seats in the back row just as their professor came in.
The professor had light brown hair and wore a tan coat and dark brown pants. Setting his briefcases down at the desk that was facing the class, he turned to address the students. "Good morning students, I shall be your professor for this year's magical studies."
He walked to the blackboard behind him, picked up some chalk, and began to write a name. "My name is Professor Hooves."
"Hooves? What, are we learning about horses?" Ryu whispered, holding back a laugh.
"Horses?" Fluttershy perked up with sparkles in her eyes.
Rainbow, Applejack, and Pinkie Pie also laughed a bit at Ryu's joke.
Ryu received a strong jab to the side from Wu's tail as he hushed him.
"Now then since this is the first day of the new school year, you won't need to worry about homework. But we will go over the basics for anyone who has a possible question." The professor added.
"Why would we need to go over the basics if all of us passed the entrance exam?" One student asked while raising her hand.
"A very good question. To which I shall answer with another. Can anyone tell me what it means when I use the term, subclasses of elements?" Professor Hooves asked.
Twilight was about to raise her hand and answer but Sunset stopped her, reminding her to not take over a professor's class. Again. Other than Twilight nobody else answered the professor.
The professor sighed and shrugged his head. "May I please have Ms Applejack and Rarity please come to the front of the class?"
"Us?" Applejack and Rarity both looked at each other before shrugging and getting up to the front of the class.
Once the two girls stood in front of the class, Mr.Hooves cleared their throat. "Now class when it comes to magic what do these two have in common?"
The rest of the class all glanced away, looked at each other, or tried to hide themselves to avoid answering. Twilight once again tried to answer but was stopped by Sunset.
"The answer is that both use earth elemental attacks, my dear students." The professor answered with a smirk.
"Wait, back at the exam she used Gem magic and she used rock magic. How are they both the same? Last I checked a gem was valuable and a rock is a rock." One student pointed out.
The professor clapped his hands for a moment. "Very good observation, however, you'd be wrong in your reasoning."
He gestured a hand to Rarity first. "While it's true Rarity's magic looks a bit more glamorous than Applejack's, you failed to think what is a gemstone exactly."
He drew on the chalkboard to show a rock pointing to a gemstone. "A gemstone is just a refined piece of earth, for gemstones are minerals, and as we should all know, minerals come from what?" He asked enthusiasm.
"The ground?" A student asked hesitantly while raising her hand
Shaking his head and signing, the professor points to the drawing of earth on the chalkboard. "They come from the earth. Despite their appearance gemstones are a subclass of earth. Which is why we will be covering this subject."
With his explanation, many students actually sat up straight as this was actually knowledgeable information. Ryu and Wu were even a bit more interested than they were before.
"Now then, every element has its own subclasses, but I shall give another example for Earth." The professor drew something else, it looked like many smaller rocks grouped together. "Sand is another sub-class of earth that one could learn. Subclasses can be a valuable investment when studying new spells for your arsenals."
"Can anyone study any form of magic, even if it's something completely different from your main one?" Rainbow Dash asked while raising her hand.
"An excellent question my dear!" Professor Hooves said with pure delight. He turned to erase everything on the board but the symbol for earth. He drew a few more symbols next to it. "Now then as we all know there are different elements. Earth, Fire, Water, Air, Light, Darkness and more. And each of us is born with a natural affinity, for one of these. Now granted just because you are born with one element doesn't mean you can't learn another. "
Ryu looked at his hand and let out a few sparks of flames as he looked back at the professor, writing in his notepad to remember the lecture.
The professor summoned a ball of water hovering over his open hand. "Take myself for example, my birth element is water, however through extensive training I was able to learn a second."
Holding out his other hand a ball of fire was summoned. "I learned to use fire magic as well. With two elements at my disposal a new realm of possibilities has been opened."
He then looked to Ryu. "Mr. Ryu, might I have you come down to the front for a moment?"
Ryu looked back and pointed at himself to make sure that Hooves had called for him. Seeing that this is the case Ryu slowly got up and headed to the front of the class.
"Now then I shall demonstrate the usage of two elements on Mr. Ryu here." The professor took a few steps away from Ryu before holding his arms out. "I heard your early comment about my name, so I think it's only fair you be taught a personal lesson." He said calmly.
"And that lesson is a stand-up routine together?" Ryu chuckled while summoning a ball of fire in his hand.
"You have one shot to hit, if you can successfully land that punch on me, I'll give you 100 GP, but if your attack doesn't connect." The teacher smiled as he pulled a white cone hat out that had the word "Dunce" on it. "You'll wear this hat for the rest of the week in my class. Deal?"
"Oh ho, you got yourself a deal, Teach! Don't back down now!" Ryu grinned as he ignited his entire fist. He got into a stance, his left foot back with his right leg bent forward, his left hand extended outward and his right fist brought close to his chest. He took a deep breath and slowly exhaled.
"Fire Fist!" Ryu lunged forward and stretched out his clenched fist at Professor Hooves.
As everyone gasped that Ryu would attack without hesitation, the professor didn't move away. Instead he stood still hands behind his back with a smile.
Soon Ryu's fist would go through the teacher, shocking both him and his classmates. However, Ryu's fist didn't go through the man in a sense as he just killed him, but rather like there was nothing there to hit.
Ryu's body fell forward straight through Mr. Hoove's body.
Ryu face-planted the floor and slid a good foot before stopping. Laying there in silence for a few seconds before speaking.
"... Did I hit him?"
"I'm afraid the only thing you hit was air young man." The professor said as he placed the dunce hat on Ryu. "Care to take a guess as to why your attack phased through?"
"Uh... Magic?" Ryu slowly said while picking himself up.
"That much is obvious, my naive student." He then gestured for Ryu to sit back in his seat. "For those of you who didn't see, I used both fire and water magic, to create a mirage image of myself. That is what Mr. Ryu ended up attacking."
Ryu sighed and rubbed his head as he went back to sit down at his seat, Wu chuckling at him.
"Is it possible to combine other magic like that other than fire and water?" A student asked raising her hand.
"There is my curious student." The professor smiled as he erased all the symbols except fire and earth. "What do you think you would get from combining fire and earth magic class?"
"Rock candy?" Pinkie Pie blurted out, a bright look in her eyes.
Everyone turned to look at her with a deadpan look, causing her to blush and lower her head.
Twilight would raise her hand which did get the teacher's attention. "Yes, Ms. Sparkle?"
"Sir, the results of adding fire and earth magic will be magma." Twilight explained.
"Correct! Combining elemental magic isn't all that complex, you simply need to look at nature and you have a key point of reference."
The professor then clapped his hands, soon books were summoned on each student's desk. "These will be for you to keep. In these books are guides to learning an element that isn't your own. For the next month, we will work to help you develop your skills in using another element."
"Aw, man." Rainbow Dash grumbled under her breath. "It's the first day and we already have a month-long homework?"
"This information can be very helpful in our journey, Rainbow. Maybe you could add another element to your wind magic." Twilight told her.
"But it's still so booooooooring." Rainbow Dash buried her face in the book, grumbling.
"Ms Dash I believe you misunderstood this assignment." Professor Hooves spoke up. "As I said I'm not assigning you any homework on the first day." He held up a copy of the book he passed out. "If you wish to get stronger this book is something you'll need. Are you content with being overshadowed by others, who master more than one element, while you are left behind knowing only one?"
With those words repeating in her mind Rainbow Dash looked down at the book and held it, with new vigor and determination in her she saw it as more than just a boring book. This is a tool to help her ascend to Godhood.
"I'm not getting left behind." Rainbow Dash said, grinning.
Smiling Mr Hooves nodded his head. "That's good. If any of you truly wish to become gods, you require ambition. If you lack ambitions and determination you may as well sleep through my class."
From there the students all spent the rest of the time reading their new book. Most were eager to develop a second element, while others struggled to grasp the concept.
Soon the school bell rang signaling the end of first period. "Ah, that concluded our first class together. Be sure to practice when you can students, even a smig makes all the difference."
"Thank Gods he forgot about that wager." Ryu thought to himself as he gathered his books and stood up, walking towards the doors with Wu and their new friends.
"Oh and Mr Ryu." Professor Hooves spoke up stopping the young man before he could exit the door.
Ryu flinched at the sound of his name and slowly turned around, smiling nervously.
"Yeah, teach?"
"Even though you didn't wear that hat today, know that I'll have a new one waiting for you tomorrow." The professor shot Ryu a confident smirk. "Don't go thinking I've forgotten our bet that you lost."
Ryu slumped his shoulders and his head as Hooves in fact didn't forget the wager.
"Yes, sir." He groaned as he turned around and walked out. Leaning on Wu's shoulder. "Wu, my best friend, comfort you wounded comrade."
Wu Kong patted his friend's shoulder. "Don't worry buddy a week will fly by. Could have been worst, he could have forced you to wear it everywhere."
"Or he could've made you write "I will pay attention in class" a hundred times on the board." Rainbow Dash said, grumbling at her own memories of said punishment.
"Still, what Professor Hooves said is right. This book, his class, it can definitely play a vital role for all of us. We can all learn a thing or two." Sunset said, smiling while she was still reading her book.
"Hey Sunset, im curious. You already know two types of magic don't you?" Wu Kong asked curiously.
"Yeah, fire and light magic." Sunset told him while letting a few sparks appear in her hand.
"Guess the class won't be too boring." Ryu said with a goofy grin on his face, all of them heading off to continue their first day of school.
