//------------------------------// // Anthology: Friendship is Magic Pt.1 // Story: Shy and Aggressive // by Johng117 //------------------------------// It was the early morning. Twilight Sparkle yawned as she rubbed the sleep out of her eyes. She spent her time in the shower, scrubbing herself from head to toe. With that through, she emerged with a towel wrapped around herself. She stood at the sink and began to brush her teeth. With her breath bearing a minty freshness, Twilight returned to her bedroom, which was decorated in blue sheets and curtains. There was a desk with a computer monitor resting, and there were book shelves around the room. Twilight began to dry her body as well as dress up, with clothes that were recently ironed. Twilight hummed to herself as she slipped on knee socks. She then began to set her hair up in a pony tail and looked herself over a mirror. "Showered, check. Teeth brushed, check. Fully dressed, check. Good mood, check," said Twilight, smiling as she buttoned up her shirt. She then looked to her cell phone. "And with time to spare," said Twilight. She slipped on her shoes and grabbed her back pack. The petite girl made her way down stairs, finding a foyer down below. Her footsteps echoed out with every step she took. The smell of eggs reached her nose. "Good morning~!" Twilight entered the kitchen, finding an older woman with long white hair with violet highlights. "Morning, dear. Breakfast is ready for you at the table," said the woman. "Thank you, mother!" Said Twilight as she made her way to the table, where a man with well down silky dark blue hair sat, looking through a tablet. A young boy with green hair in a Mohawk-like fashion sat, eating. "Someone's in a good mood," said the boy as Twilight took a seat. "Oh, I'm just looking forward to today. We've recently gotten a new member for the club and I have ideas on helping him feel welcome with the group," said Twilight as she took her fork. "Geez. Our tax dollars keep going to them and they don't seem to be doing anything," said the man to himself in annoyance. He read through an article on colonizing other planets. His wife approached, sitting next to him. "Night Light, honey. We discussed not having electronics at the table," said the woman in mild disapproval. "Oh, sorry Velvet," said Night Light sheepishly. Velvet looked to the boy. "Spike, did you finish your homework, last night?" asked Velvet. The boy sighed. "Yeah," said Spike tiredly. The woman smiled in approval. "Twilight, you mentioned having a new member for your school club?" asked Velvet. "Yeah, just some guy. Though I hope that I can pull off what I have planned. I think he's pretty shy," said Twilight. "Or totally embarrassed at being in a club filled mostly with girls," muttered Spike, to himself. "I wouldn't worry, dear. Our Twilight can win anyone over," said Velvet with a sweet smile. Twilight bore a bashful look. She then felt her phone vibrate in her skirt pocket. "Uh oh! I'm wasting time!" said Twilight as she quickly scarfed her breakfast down. She wiped her lips and rushed to her parents, hugging them and planting kisses. "Bye mom and dad! Bye Spike!" said Twilight as she ruffled the boy's hair before taking off. "Hmm. I think it was good idea to transfer her to Ponyville High. Wouldn't you agree?" asked Velvet. "She seems much chipper ever since we did late last year," Night Light nodded in agreement. Twilight was strolling away from her home. The house stood at two stories, in the middle of a nice neighborhood. This was where more of the "high earning" citizens tended to live. The teen began to hum to herself as she left her neighborhood, a spring in every step that she took. Twilight eventually reached her destination, Ponyville High. "Good morning, Twilight!" greeted a girl that passed by. "Good morning!" greeted Twilight warmly. "Yo, Twi!" greeted a passing boy. "Yo!" greeted Twilight with a giggle. She gasped as she was suddenly glomped from behind. "Gooooood morning, Twilight~!" Pinkie Pie sang, a grin on her face. Twilight grunted as she forced a smile. "Good morning to you as well, Pinkie." "So, did you still need me after school?" asked Pinkie. "Yeah, I hope it's not too much trouble," said Twilight as the hyperactive girl released her. "Silly Billy! It sounds like it could be fun! I'll see you later!" said Pinkie as she rushed into the school building. Twilight began to jog after her, climbing up the steps until she reached the doors. Once she entered, she found students hanging out in the main foyer, conversing with one another on this morning. Some that noticed her gave friendly waves and smiles. Twilight returned the gestures. Even though she's only been at this school for about a year, she has made acquaintances with decent folks, even good friends. "Hey, Twi!" Rainbow greeted as she, Rarity, and Applejack arrived behind her. Twilight grinned as she approached the girls, greeting them with hugs. "Good morning!" Said Twilight. "Heh. You seem to be in a mighty good mood today," said Applejack in amusement. "Yeah, I've been getting that a lot today," said Twilight with a sheepish smile. The girls began to converse as they made their way to their lockers. Life was good in Ponyville High. Twilight made good friends and met a lot of friendly kids that welcomed her with open arms, but she came to realize that it's not always sunshine and rainbows. "Uh oh. Check this out," said Rainbow, as the girls stopped in their tracks. They found a Neighsian boy, who bore a grand stature that isn't typically present by average with his ethnicity. His dark spiky unkempt hair reflected his aggressive nature along with the dark clothes he sported. The boy had another in a head lock, both growling. "Looks like Takeshi is at it again," deadpanned Rainbow. "Ugh. It's barely even 1st period!" said Rarity in exasperation. "Hm. Wonder what could've set him off this time," said Applejack. Twilight gasped as Junior forced the other boy into a locker and closed it. "Dickweed," spat Junior as he rubbed his neck. He glared at everyone that stared, prompting them to disperse from the area. "Heh. You sure it was a good idea to let him into your club?" asked Rainbow. "Shh! He's coming! Quick, act natural!" whispered Rarity as she quickly pulled out a mirror and began to hum as she pretended to look herself over. Twilight merely watched as Junior walked by. "H-Hey!" called Twilight. Junior stopped to glance at her. Twilight felt some intimidation. Not only was Junior a pretty imposing guy with his height and build, he had a rather stern face that made it hard to maintain eye contact with. Like a submissive animal, Twilight found herself glancing away. "Is everything OK?" asked Twilight, a bit hesitant. "Ah. You know, it was just some jerk wanting to prove something," said Junior as he shrugged. "OK. Hey, you know that we're meeting today, right?" asked Twilight. "Oh, right. Forgot I joined the club," said Junior to himself. "Well?" asked Twilight. "I may have to take a rain check on that," said Junior. Twilight forced a chuckle. "Heh. Very funny. But seriously, we have a special meeting today," said Twilight. "That's too bad. I'll have to miss it," said Junior with a shrug. "but..." Twilight began to grow disheartened. It has been a couple days since Junior joined the Friendship Club. While the club barely managed to get the boy to come to help Fluttershy at the animal shelter, Junior began to make excuses as to not meet up on other days. Twilight had hoped that this time, Junior would actually participate. But that seemed to not be happening anytime soon. Her friends began to take notice in her shift in mood. "Gojira, surely you can spare time to participate in your club's activities," said Rarity. Junior bore a thoughtful look. "Ehh. I don't think so," said Junior. Rainbow rolled her eyes. "Oh please. Like you have anything better to do," scoffed Rainbow. "Um... Y-Yeah, I do. You just don't know," said Junior, trying to think up ways to deflect. He looked away as the girls gave him deadpanned looks. "I'm just gonna go. So..." Junior awkwardly walked away. In his mind, that retreat was quite tactful. Twilight sighed in disappointment as the boy left. Later that day, Twilight was in the club room during lunch. She was looking through a handbook that she had. She scratched the butt of her pen against the side of her head, pondering. "How can I get him to come?" asked Twilight to herself. She heard the door opening, prompting her to turn and find Mosura Yasu and Sunset Shimmer to be entering. Twilight straightened up as these two greeted her. "Hey, Twilight!" greeted Sunset as she and Mosura took a seat. "H-Hey! Glad you could make it!" said Twilight. She still wasn't used to these two. They have only recently joined this club, which wasn't even that old to begin with. Yet she imagined that it'd be too silly for them to even participate. After all, two of the most popular girls surely had better things to do. Twilight felt herself grow insecure at just how lovely they were compared to herself. What with Sunset's long fire-like hair, and her teal eyes; Mosura's short hair, as white as snow, and her eyes blue as a clear sky. To top it off, they seemed like kind girls. "You said that you had something planned today, right? I'm curious to know," said Mosura, taking a seat. "Yeah, but I'd like for the rest to get here to catch everyone up to speed," said Twilight. The door opened up, revealing a Neighsian girl with short hair that was green like the earth, and with eyes that were like emeralds. This was also a new member. She joined shortly after Sunset Shimmer. This was Erika Shiragami, Sunset's close friend. From what Twilight saw, she was a bit shy, or at least reserved. Not so much as Fluttershy, of course. "Sorry, I'm late!" said Erika as she took a seat. "Don't worry, you're right on time. Now all that's left is Fluttershy." Twilight began to look through her phone. "Isn't Goji coming?" asked Mosura. Twilight was silent for a brief moment. "W-Well..." Twilight looked to the side. Suddenly, the door opened. Fluttershy appeared from behind the door, appearing to be pulling something along. "Come on." said Fluttershy with an encouraging smile. The rest of the girls looked on in confusion as they heard an annoyed groan. "Just, come on," said Fluttershy as she pulled Junior into the room with her. "Alright, fine," said Junior in dismay. Twilight's expression brightened. "You came!" said Twilight. "Looks that way," said Junior with a grimace. "Hey, Goji~!" waved Mosura sweetly. Junior cleared his throat. "Hey..." greeted Junior, a small blush on his face. "Well, since we're here, we can get started!" said Twilight as Fluttershy and Junior took a seat at the table. Erika noticed Mosura tapping her shoulder. "Psst. Mind trading seats with me?" whispered Mosura. "Sure?" Erika got up and got out of her seat and sat at Mosura's. The white haired girl sat down, finding herself sitting next to Junior. The boy merely glanced at her as she gave him a sweet smile, prompting the boy to look away as he blushed. He noticed Fluttershy doing the same to him. 'Great. Sandwiched between adorable girls,' thought Junior as his face grew more red. "Now, I've been thinking up ways to make this club a fun experience for all of its members. While it's a good cause to do some community work, I know that every once in a while, kids just want to relax and do something fun. It'd be a good way to get to know each other better, while enjoying ourselves," said Twilight. "What did you have in mind?" asked Sunset. "Well, I have a couple activities that I came up with to get us started. This will be trial and error, so please bear with me. For our first activity, I propose we introduce ourselves," said Twilight. She began to motion to all of the other club members. "We'll go clockwise. One by one, each club member will have a chance to introduce themselves. They'll tell us some facts about them that include anything they want," said Twilight. "That's your idea of fun?" asked Junior. He didn't like the idea of being put on the spot like this. After all, he only joined this club because he kept getting pestered. "What's wrong? Got a few things you like to keep secret?" asked Sunset teasingly. "As a matter fact, I do," said Junior. "No one's asking you to spill everything about yourself. It's just a friendly introduction game," said Twilight, reassuringly. Fluttershy gave Junior an encouraging smile. He sighed. "Fine," said Junior, crossing his arms. "Great! I'll go first," said Twilight, before clearing her throat. "Hello! My name is Twilight Sparkle. My middle name is 'Tara', believe it or not," said Twilight with a throaty giggle. "I didn't know that about you," said Fluttershy in surprise. "It's a little bit embarrassing. I don't know why. Anyway, this is my second year at Ponyville High. I used to attend, Crystal Prep," said Twilight. "Crystal Prep? You mean that snobby academy for rich brats?" asked Junior. Twilight gave a titter of discomfort. "Yeah... It was a prestigious school, but yes. A lot of kids that attend that school come from upper middle class or high class families," said Twilight. "Hm. And you came to this dump?" asked Junior with a snort. He could see Twilight being from a rich family. After all, she carried herself with a kind of etiquette that would be seen as higher than the average joe or lower. "Gojira," said Sunset, a look of disapproval. "What?" asked Junior, shrugging. Sunset shook her head with a sigh. "Go ahead, Twilight," said Sunset. "Right. A-Anyway, I have hobbies." Twilight squeaked, though it sounded more of statement rather than giving away facts. "And?" Asked Mosura, bemused. "Oh! Uh... I enjoy studying," said Twilight. "That's a hobby?" Junior whispered to Fluttershy with a raised brow. The rose haired girl gave a forced small chuckle. I also like to read. Whether it's fiction, non-fiction, horror, slice of life, adventure... Romance." Twilight slightly blushed with an embarrassed smile. "Cool. You really get around in literature," said Sunset with a smile. "Do you enjoy any shows?" asked Mosura. "I don't really watch a whole lot of TV. But sometimes I'll watch some anime," said Twilight. "Ahem- Weeb." Junior coughed under his breath. He noticed glares of disapprovals from the other girls. Twilight bore a disheartened look. "Oh come on, I was just teasing. Look, I'll stop," said Junior. "Twilight, do you have any crushes?" asked Sunset. "Wha- Me? No! Not at all!" said Twilight with an embarrassed laugh, though that was a lie. She had one, but she couldn't tell Sunset of all people. After all, she was going out with him. "Let's move on! Sunset, go ahead!" said Twilight. Sunset smiled in amusement. "Hi. I'm Sunset Shimmer. I've been here since freshmen year. I like making things. Whether its painting, cooking, and I've gotten into metal shop," said Sunset. "Are you looking into getting a career out of metal shop?" asked Twilight curiously. "I don't know. I was kinda inspired by my dad. He used to do stuff like that. But we'll see," said Sunset with a shrug. "I also like movies. Mostly action and adventure. That's all for me." "Oh. I guess I'm next," said Erika, clearing her throat. "I'm Erika Shiragami. Uh... I've known Sunset since Junior High. We've been good friends ever since," said Erika, growing a bit shy as all eyes were on her. "I like to garden. Ever since I was little, I would watch my mom garden. I picked up on her skills and it became my passion," said Erika. "What sort of plants do you garden?" asked Fluttershy. "Flowers. Mostly roses. My mother really liked them," said Erika, a slight frown on her face. She then lifted up her mood. "I mean, who wouldn't? They're pretty. That's all I have to say." Mosura cleared her throat as she placed on a friendly smile. "Hey, everyone! My name is Mosura Yasu. I've been going here since freshmen year. I was named after an old legend that my parents knew from Neighpon. About a goddess that protected the land from evil," said Mosura. 'Huh, you too?' thought Junior. The boy had thought that her name was unusual. The fact that she was named after an old legend from Neighponese folklore, much like himself, was interesting. "I like to cook, read, and converse with anyone that I find interesting," said Mosura, glancing at Junior with a coy smile. Junior looked away. Fluttershy raised a brow at his behavior, while Sunset was smirking. She knew flirting when she saw it. "Your turn," said Mosura as she turned her attention fully on Junior. The boy noticed that everyone had their attention on him. He felt discomfort as they anticipated his next words. "Pass." Junior said flatly. "Pass?!" Twilight asked incredulously. Fluttershy sighed as Sunset glared at the boy in disapproval while Mosura bore a light frown. "You don't get to weasel out of this!" said Sunset. "I just don't feel like sharing," said Junior as he crossed his arms. "Goji, just share a little. Just a few things, that's it," said Fluttershy. "Please?" asked Twilight softly. Junior found her pleading eyes staring into his. He grimaced as an uneasy feeling was in his stomach. He gave a sigh of defeat. "My name is Gojira Takeshi Junior. My father was named after a mythical dragon of the sea from Neighponese lore. I've been here in this school since freshmen year and it sucks," said Junior, crossing his arms. His tone flat. "Well, that's a start," said Sunset with a sigh. "Do you have any interests?" asked Twilight, growing a bit eager. "Let me think. I guess I like art. I sometimes doodle when I'm bored. Other times I'm just watching people paint on the internet. I'm not great at it myself, though," said Junior, scratching his head. "Do you have any favorite foods?" asked Mosura, catching the boy's attention. "Eh. I'll eat whatever," said Junior. "Do you have any other interests? Like do you read, or maybe play any video games? Or something?" asked Twilight. "Once in a while I'll read. I have a couple of consoles at home that I... What are you doing?" asked Junior, his face turning to confusion. Twilight was feverishly writing in a handbook. She perked up once she realized Junior's question was directed at her. "Hmm?" Twilight hummed innocently. "Oh, don't mind me. Keep going!" "Uh..." Junior bore an unsure look. "What kind of movies do you like to watch?" asked Sunset, curious. "Oh uh... I'll watch anything if I think it's good. Especially the 80s action films," said Junior, though he kept getting distracted as he noticed Twilight jotting more things down on her notebook. "Um... Goji, do you like animals?" called Fluttershy. It was here that Junior noticed that he was getting a lot more questions than the others had gotten. "Huh? They're alright. Some are delicious," said Junior with a chuckle. However, he noticed that Fluttershy was forcing a smile at that statement. 'Oh right, she's that kind of vegetarian,' thought Junior with an awkward smile. "Has a sense of humor..." muttered Twilight to herself. Junior bore an annoyed look. "I think I'm done. You're next, Fluttershy," said Junior. "Oh! W-Well, I'm Fluttershy. And... I'm shy," said the girl with a forced giggle. "I-I like animals. Sometimes I like to be around them instead of people. N-Not that I dislike people. It's just that it's easier for me to be around animals," said Fluttershy. "I also want to do something later in life that involves working with-" With the 'Introduction Game' out of the way, Twilight was looking through her notes with a smile. She then turned to her other ideas. "OK. We won't be able to do the rest of these until after school. But I hope to see you all here when that time comes," said Twilight. "Sure! What do you have planned next?" asked Mosura. "We're still gonna keep the 'Ice Breaker' theme. But instead we'll mix it up into a game that my friend Pinkie will assist with," said Twilight. "Oh God, not that hyperactive weirdo..." muttered Junior to himself. He then turned to Twilight. "Look, is it really necessary to make a game out of it? I mean, can't we just talk like normal people instead of trying to make it 'fun'?" asked Junior. "Where's the fun in that?" asked Mosura, snickering as Junior scowled. Later that day, Twilight was stacking up a tower of jenga blocks on the table. She turned to find the rest of the Friendship Club to be present. Pinkie stood next to her with a grin. "Pinkie has been so kind as to lend us her jenga blocks and has marked them with questions of her own. The goal is like your typical jenga game. But every time you take a block, you have to read off and answer the question that you end up with," said Twilight. "I have a lot of questions! Don't be shy and take a block!" said Pinkie. "This sounds like it could be fun," said Erika as she reached for a block. She carefully took it out and began to read. "What was the stinkiest thing you've smelled? Hmm. I'd say that had to be the fertilizer I've used for the garden," said Erika as she placed the block on top. Sunset took a block, wincing as it she nearly caused it to tumble. "OK. Name three of your favorite films. Star Wars, Daring Doo, and Terminator," said Sunset as she placed a block on the top. Fluttershy took a block that slipped out easily. "Oh. Um... Gee, this one is personal," said Fluttershy, blushing. "You gotta read and answer it, Fluttershy!" said Pinkie. "Oh great, we're playing with those rules? What the hell did you write?" asked Junior. "It says, 'do you have a crush on someone? Name is optional'. Oh, well, thank you Pinkie," said Fluttershy, clearing her throat. "Hey, I exercised some sensitivity!" said Pinkie. Junior sighed. "Well... I don't at the moment. But..." Fluttershy glanced at Junior, who was staring off into space with a bored look. The girl blushed intensely as she placed the block on top. "I-I don't!" "Alright, it's your turn!" said Twilight, looking to Junior. The boy merely reached to one of the blocks and attempted to tug at it. "Stuck in there tight," said Junior as he searched for another looser block. As he took one out, he began to read the question. "How many friends do you have? None." Junior answered flatly before stacking the block. There was an awkward silence as the girls stared. "Stop staring," said Junior in annoyance. "I guess it's my turn." Mosura reached for a block. She gasped as it nearly toppled over the tower, causing the other girls to giggle. "Careful!" said Sunset. "Man, jenga's fun," said Mosura, grinning. She managed to pull out the block and began to read. "What is your greatest fear?" Mosura paused for a brief moment. Junior raised a brow as he noticed a slight hesitant look on her face. "Oh! Spiders! I hate spiders! They're all so hairy and creepy! Bleh!" Mosura shuddered. She then placed the block on top. Twilight went next and took a block. "OK. Do you have any siblings? Yes, I do. I have an older brother named Shining Armor. He's a police officer in the city. And I have a little adopted brother, named Spike." Twilight placed a block on top. She gasped as it began to wobble a bit. She gave a laugh of relief. "Great idea, Pinkie," said Twilight in approval. "Hey, I'm having more fun watching and listening! I almost want to leave my club and join!" said Pinkie with a grin. The game went on. The group continued to remove blocks, read and answer the questions, then stack them. Every now and then, the tower would collapsed. Sometimes one of the teens would accidentally pull a block that caused the entire tower to fall, much to their amusement. "Your turn, Goji," said Mosura. Junior sighed as he took a block. "If you could live anywhere in the world, where would it be? Anywhere that people aren't around," said Junior, stacking the block. Again, he received stares. He furrowed his brows. "What?" "You're kind of a bummer," said Sunset. Junior shrugged. "I mean, your answers have been..." Sunset searched her mind for a word. "Sad?" asked Pinkie. "Sad?" Junior cocked a brow. "Yeah. Remember the last one? 'What's your favorite Holiday?' You said, 'Who cares?' And the other one that asked about how many friends you have, and the one that asked to describe yourself," said Sunset. "Tired, annoyed, indifferent, tall, and strong. Sounds like a good description to me," said Junior. Sunset sighed in annoyance. "Look, this is just dumb. I'm going home," said Junior as he took his back pack and began to walk off. "G-Gojira!" called Fluttershy. Twilight grunted as she shot out of here feet and followed the boy out of the room. She found herself jogging after the mutant as he walked through the empty hall. "Gojira, wait!" called Twilight as she caught up. "What do you want, shorty?" asked Junior. Twilight was taken aback by his tone, but mostly the name calling. But she kept herself composed. "Hey, what's going on? I thought we were having fun?" asked Twilight. "Jenga is fun when you don't have to add extra useless stuff to it," said Junior. "That stuff wasn't useless. I just wanted to make sure that we got to know each other. What was wrong with it?" asked Twilight, walking alongside the boy. Junior suddenly stopped and looked down at the girl. Twilight slightly recoiled, fully taking in his height. The fact he called her short was odd, since compared to him, everyone was small. "Well first of all, I've noticed how you started taking notes on me like some kind of lab rat for an experiment," said Junior, slightly narrowing his eyes. "But I..." Twilight looked away. "Second, that way of 'breaking the ice' may work on some people, but not me. It was more annoying if anything. Not to mention that you tried to make a game out of it. Again, why were you taking notes on me?" asked Junior, narrowing his eyes more. Twilight frowned as she rubbed her arm. "I just... I just wanted notes to use as a reference on how to get to know you better," said Twilight. "What?" asked Junior incredulously. Twilight flinched at his tone. "Y-You're just so quiet and... It's kind of hard to approach you," said Twilight. She twiddled her fingers as her frown deepened. "I-I didn't mean to make you feel that way. I just wanted..." Twilight muttered. Junior swore that she was about to tear up. This was a departure from how she presented herself earlier. She seemed rather timid and insecure. He started to feel bad for making a scene. "Twilight, let me ask you something," said Junior. "Yes?" answered Twilight, glancing at the boy. "Why did you set up this club?" asked Junior. "Huh?" asked Twilight. "It's just that, I don't get it. Most clubs are centered around a certain interest. Whether its sports, cooking, art, and even literature. I figured something like that would be what you'd be a part of. So why is your club, 'The Friendship Club'?" asked Junior. Twilight kept her eyes to the ground as she leaned her back against a wall. "Because being alone is miserable," said Twilight. Junior raised a brow. "Growing up, I never had friends. It wasn't because I was unpopular or that people didn't like me. It was because I kept myself sequestered day in and day out. Just studying," said Twilight. She closed her eyes as she reminisced her past. "I never cared for friendship. I never hung out with the other kids that wanted to play. I never talked to someone about something that wasn't academic related. I was alone," said Twilight. "Being alone isn't that bad. I mean, you sound like you did better off than me," said Junior. "It's not as cut and dry as you think. I always said that I didn't have time for something that I thought was silly. But as time went on, I started to realize just how alone I was. I didn't really fit in with the other kids. When I got to Crystal Prep, it only got worse," said Twilight with a sigh. She shook her head. "Don't get me started on the annual 'Friendship Games' last year." "Ugh. I hate those. It's like a free day but everyone is still required to be in school. How the hell do they get two separate schools to do something like that annually anyway?" asked Junior. "I think it's a school district thing or something to seek out students worthy to attend Crystal Prep. Our school gets money out of it apparently," said Twilight. "Ah ,of course. That explains them being fine with our school humiliating itself with elitists," said Junior with an annoyed sigh. "I was one of the students that was convinced into participating in the games. They thought my academic skills would be valuable," said Twilight. Junior scratched his chin as he squinted. "Really?" asked Junior. "Yeah. But that's what all I was good for. I was mostly dead weight since I couldn't be athletic to save my life," said Twilight. "Hey, I think I remember you. Yeah, you were the girl that fell on her face during the track!" said Junior. Twilight grunted as she blushed in embarrassment. "I rather you not bring that up. Or anything that happened," said Twilight. "So, what's this got to do with the club?" asked Junior, growing curious. "Well, my team got fed up with me. I was yelled at, mocked and looked down at. I started to cry. Apparently, the other team took notice and stuck up for me," said Twilight, a small smile on her face. She recalled a rainbow haired girl standing in front of her, telling off the others. Meanwhile, a girl with puffy pink hair comforted her. "After the games, we decided to stay in touch. After school, we'd meet and hang out. They welcomed me with open arms. I practically begged my parents to transfer me to Ponyville High, just so I could be with them regularly. They made me realize that friendship is a wonderful and important thing," said Twilight, turning to Junior. The boy was silent and still, listening. Twilight noticed that he wasn't scoffing, rolling his eyes or mocking. He was actually listening to her. "That's... Touching." Junior simply said. Twilight smiled. "It's why I formed this club. Because I want to give people like me a chance. I want to share what I have with others," said Twilight. She rubbed her arm as she stared at her feet. "Gojira... I know that what we're doing isn't your thing. I get that you like to keep to yourself. In fact, I'm sure a guy like you finds this all so dumb and sappy. You probably don't even want to be in the club. But I just want to give you a chance to experience what I have. I want to be your friend," said Twilight. Junior gave a heavy sigh. 'Idiot. You can't just go and say that to someone,' thought Junior. "Yeah, it's sappy. But I think this gives me a better idea of the kind of girl you are. Something I wouldn't figure out by playing a Jenga game," said Junior. Twilight smiled to the boy, feeling that they were clicking on some level. "You're socially awkward, egg headed, self-conscious, emotional, and a dork," said Junior. Twilight slumped her shoulders as she frowned. "Oh..." said Twilight. "But, you have a big heart. And you're strong. You're willing to put up with my crap just to share your experience." said Junior with a nod. Twilight lightly blushed at his words. She looked away with a pleased smile. "I might take you up on your quest. Maybe I'll learn something. But work on your social skills. You're worse than I am. If you want to know me, just talk to me," said Junior. "Could you actually do me favor?" asked Twilight. "What?" asked Junior. "Could you maybe make an effort at interacting with others? Like in a friendly manner?" asked Twilight. "That's a tall request, Twilight," said Junior. "Not if you just try. Why not try getting to know some of my friends? They're nice. Maybe they'll like you," said Twilight. "Don't wager on that," said Junior. He noticed the girl lightly frowning. He sighed as he carried his bag over his shoulder and walked off. "I'll think about it," said Junior. "You're still leaving?" asked Twilight. "Yeah, I'm actually pretty tired. See ya," said Junior. "See you later, Gojira." Twilight warmly smiled. As she turned to walk away, Junior stopped and looked back. He found Twilight walking back to the club, with a spring in her step. The boy lightly frowned. He turned and continued to walk on. He was amazed at that girl's resilience.