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// Chapter 2-Birthday Excitement 
// Story: I'm on a Master Quest 
// by Purple Pony 
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	I woke up at around 4 in the morning and immediately proceed to take a shower and brush my teeth. The pony looking back at me through the mirror has a storm-cloud gray coat with a wild, teal mane. My black as night wings are folded against my sides, and my turquoise eyes almost glow with excitement.
Heading down to the breakfast table sees my mother, Sky Song, making pancakes. Her coat is almost exactly my color, and her mane is a sky-blue, which is how she got her name. She has emerald eyes and the normal purple bat-wings that most thestrals have. She is a guard for Hollow Shades, and one of the best, but her normal job is Gym Leader of the Gym here in Hollow Shades. No surprise, as she is the best thestral trainer. A title I hope to take for myself.
Helping her is Flareon, my mother’s first Pokemon. Flareon is also the mother of my merry band of troublemakers (not a title I want). Right now, Flareon is keeping the stove lit as mom works on pancakes. However, I can tell they are somewhat…nervous? Apprehensive? Scared? Whatever it is, they aren’t exactly as relaxed as normal. 
Probably due to the fact that this is my tenth birthday. I can get my license and go out on a journey to collect badges and compete in front of all of Equestria. Why ten? Flurry Heart was ten when she won her first of five titles. 
Sky turns around and sees me coming down the stairs. “Oh! Good morning Cloud.”
“That it is. Good morning, Mom.”
“I thought I told you that you could sleep in. I did say that, didn’t I?”
“Yes, you did. You know I can’t sleep past four, and I can’t just lay in bed on my birthday when I have a license to get.” The best part about being a thestral? We don’t need a lot of sleep, since we are still kinda nocturnal.
My mother, however, is probably wishing I slept in more. She gave me my pancakes with a side of unamused glare, and then sighed in defeat. This was pretty much a normal morning for us. Meanwhile, Flareon is busy waking up her children, still sleeping (except for Umbreon, but he’s probably buried under Espeon) in my room. A few minutes later, the rest of them come down the stairs (or in Vaporeon’s case, sliding down them) and sit in their chairs, fighting a battle against sleep.
It’s a losing battle, but one thing turns the tide in their favor. Sky Song’s Pancakes (Trademark Pending). After a meal that resembles a war zone (seriously, the only polite one is Leafeon), they seem awake enough to at least come with me to the Pokemon Center. 
“Don’t leave right away when you get your license.”
Oh, right, mom’s here. “Okay, I guess I could come back and deal with being crushed to death in a ViceGrip-like hug,” I say in the most snarky tone I can muster. Said tone is the same one my mom hates.
“No, that happens right now!” And she pounces and proceeds to squeeze me in a hug that for the past ten years, I haven’t been able to escape. After about fifteen minutes (and three more pancakes), she lets me go and kisses me on the forehead. I’m not going to fight it, since today is going to be the last day she sees me in a while. She then says, “Go on, get your license, and come back here. We still have a birthday to celebrate.”
“Roger Roger, Captain.” 
“You do realize that you have taught my second in command that phrase, and now she says that all the time. It irritates me.”
“At least you’ll remember me when she says that. Bye!” and I’m out the door. 



You shouldn’t antagonize Sky like that, Cloud. Umbreon says. She worries, like any other parent.
“Maybe. But messing with her is much more fun.” I say to him as he rides on my back. It’s usually him or Vaporeon who does that. Jolteon can’t sit still long enough, Espeon says walking is more relaxing (I don’t question her, she’s usually right), Glaceon gave me a cold when she did it the first time, and Leafeon has to keep Jolteon and Espeon from fighting. 
I have their pokeballs, but I don’t force them to go in them all the time. I think of them as friends, not just awesome pets. Which they greatly appreciate. 
The Pokemon Center is about twelve blocks away, almost in the center of town. Across the street, the Hollow Shades Gym looms, the columns and giant doors having scared most challengers off before they go in the doors. Inside, the hallway leading to the arena features pictures of the Leader when she was a competitor in her prime. How do I know? My mom is the Leader, and she has the toughest Gym in all of Equestria, having only handed out 5 badges in the past two years out of over 200 challenges. No one has ever beaten her on their first try, and since being in a town of thestrals is unsettling to say the least for most ponies, she messes with their heads and sneaks up behind them in the hallway. 
I’ve seen my mom fight several times (since she doesn’t want to hire a babysitter, it’s either go with her when she is in the Gym, or go with her on her guard duties), and it scares me to think she was only top-32 in the competition. However, I have plenty of time. The last PLC just ended, so we have two years to get stronger. 
The Pokemon Center is much more inviting, with its red roof and white siding. However, it sticks out in Hollow Shades, as the whole town looks like it came straight from Roam. As my destination approaches on the left, I see Night Shade, my mother’s second in command, standing guard in front of the center. As the furthest north town in Equestria minus the Crystal Empire, we have some monsters coming in from the north. Thus, the local guard here in Hollow Shades is second only to Canterlot’s Royal Guard. And since my mom is the captain, and I’m with her all the time, I know most of the guard by name. I even run messages back and forth, and for my eighth birthday, they gave me my own set of armor. Seriously, the armor is totally awesome. It’s a deep purple, with gold trim on the edges, and it matches the rest of the guard. I also got my cutie mark that day, a shield with a pokeball in the center. 
Anyways, Night Shade is the only guard who treats me with some respect, while the other guards treat me like a little colt, which I do not appreciate. He is a bit of a father figure, since my father is nowhere to be found (not for lack of asking, but Sky doesn’t tell me anything. It sucks). As the second in command, he gets to deal with taking orders from my mom and subordinates that don’t follow orders well. He definitely has my respect. 
“That day already!! You sure are growing fast, Cloud.”
And he knows what day my birthday is (he planned my eighth birthday party). Which is not creepy at all. Nope, definitely not creepy. “That I am, Night, that I am. Station 7 today?”
“Yup, which means standing here by myself to prevent defacing to the Gym and the PC. Also, no lunch break.”
My stomach rumbles at the thought of going without lunch. I tell it to shut up. “Well, it could be worse. Border patrol is nasty this time of year.”
“At least Charmeleon can help me keep warm.”
“True. Well, carry on, Shade. Posture is as good as ever.”
“Roger Roger, Cloud Song.”
“My mom hates that phrase now.”
“Good, she’s such a downer when she works, now I can get under her skin.”
“Don’t do it too much, or she’ll blame me for teaching you that phrase. At least not until I leave.”
“Okay, take care.”
“Always.” I look back at my group, and see Jolteon and Espeon are fighting, Vaporeon is napping, Leafeon is trying to stop the fight, but that hasn’t panned out yet, and Glaceon is meditating (it’s her hobby, and her way of getting rid of stress. Or so she says). “I can’t take you guys anywhere, can I?”
And yet you keep trying. Glaceon says without looking.
“Yeah, not a great decision. HEY!!!” with that shout, everyone freezes, and sees that I’m done talking with the guard. They then proceed to get back into orderly fashion, to no avail.
The only way you could keep them from fighting every five seconds is the balls, but we know you don’t use them very often. Umbreon points out helpfully. 
“Don’t remind me. Now, time to get the license, so we can go see new stuff and fight new Pokemon.” A chorus of cheers erupt around me, and we enter the PC with all the grace of a terrible dancer. 



Paperwork is terrible. I now realize that. No wonder my mom is crazy. She has to deal with this stuff all the time. I sure couldn’t. 
After about 3 hours of paperwork and tests, I emerge from the PC with a card about the size of a library card. It says a bunch of jibberish, but the jist of it is, simply, I can go collect badges and compete on the highest level of competition. 
On my way back, I’m practically bouncing I’m so excited. I would fly home, but that would leave my team behind. So I settle for walking as fast as I can. Barely. Jolteon is dashing about, unable to keep in his excitement. Vaporeon and Glaceon, on the other hoof, are calmly walking, but with huge smiles on their faces. Leafeon is actually having a conversation with Espeon, so she’s happy. And Umbreon is dancing. Yes, you heard me right. He’s dancing in the middle of the street, not caring how stupid he looks, and showing that he takes dance lessons every weekend.
As I get home, I see the lights are off, which would concern me if I couldn’t see in the dark. I wonder what’s going on though. Mom doesn’t like leaving the lights off. So, somewhat cautiously, I open the front door.
“SURPRIIIIIISE!!!!!!!!!!!!”
Leafeon runs away screaming, as I just smile and say, “You really need to work on your subtlety, guys.”
The Guard, including Night Shade, are all in my living room, looking somewhat insulted at the fact that I wasn’t surprised in the slightest. Nonetheless, my mom comes over and proceeds to squeeze me again, also ruining my reputation in the guard in the process. 
“Hey, mom, kinda (wheeze) need to (cough) breathe.” I manage to get out, as she attempts to crush my ribs into dust. Fortunately, she lets go. “Thanks, mom. Jolteon, could you go get Leafeon? She ran away at the opening.”
Sure thing, boss. He then proceeds to stick out his tongue and run off. 
“So, we have several presents, a few cards, and a mango-flavored cake.” Sky says. My eyes start to dart around the room, searching for the most delicious item in existence. Then, I see it. A four-foot long cake that smells of mangoey goodness. Have I said I love mangoes with a passion? Well, there, I said it. The cake said “happy birthday Cloud Song,” but I didn’t appreciate that. I slice half the cake for myself, and leave the rest of the guard to fight for the other half.
Jolteon leaps through the window (with Leafeon on his back), bounces off of mom’s head, and lands in front of me. Package delivered, ready to-GET BACK! he screams as he runs to the other side of the room. 
The cake didn’t stand a chance. My piece was gone in about 30 seconds. There was frosting everywhere, including on the guards who didn’t get the memo and stood too close. Everyone stared at me as frosting dripped from the ceiling. “Weeeeeeeeellllllll, should’ve seen that one coming. Alright Cloud, come over here and open your presents.” Mom says.
Opening presents was a much more subdued affair. There was some stuff that I should’ve seen coming, like pokeballs, mangoes, posters, mangoes, and more mangoes. The last present, however, was super special. It was about three feet long, quite narrow, and screamed awesome. I opened it up and saw some wingblades, just like the ones the rest of the guard have. My cheer broke a few windows, and I quickly went to my room to get my armor and put on my wingblades. I come back down, and I feel like I fit right in. My wingblades feel just right, hiding from plain sight under my wings, clicking out when I flick my wings. I could probably join the guard right now, but I’m about to go on a journey. 
My mom, however, is currently asking (and by asking, I mean yelling at) Night Shade, who just sits there and takes it like a stallion. Eventually, I walk over and shove my mother away from him before she pulls rank and strips him of his. 
Finally, the cards. Mostly just a bunch of cards saying “Happy Birthday Cloud” and similar things. I see my mother got me a card, and decide to open it last. Eventually, I get to the card, and after opening the envelope, I read the cover. “Dear son, I wish you the best on your journey. You sure have grown up. Maybe I need to let go and accept the fact that you are an adult. Nonetheless, this is the only gift that I could think of that would help me know you are alright. Love, Mommy.”
Whistling appreciatively at the words, I open up the card and something falls out. Something golden. I pick it up and read it. “You have been accepted into Flurry Hearts School of Trainers located in the Crystal Empire. You will have 3 months to learn the nuances of being a trainer here in the academy located on the outskirts on the beautiful Crystal Empire.” I read it again. And again. Finally, I look up at mom and see the gigantic smile on her face. 
“This had better not be some sort of elaborate prank, or I might have a use for these wingblades before I even leave town.” I say seriously.
“It isn’t a prank, Cloud, why would I prank you about something like this?” Sky asks me.
The rest of the windows were obliterated by this scream of joy. I charge my mother and hug her like she hugs me. After about thirty seconds, I go over to my team and tell them the good news. 



1 hour later
“Don’t worry, mom, I’ll write. Seriously, you don’t need to come with me. I’ll be fine getting settled in.” I tell mom at the station.
“On the contrary, I know that. I’m just visiting a friend from when I was a guard for the Empire. Though helping you settle in is a bonus.” My mom says to me.
The guard is seeing us off, both of us in our armor, and Night Shade is in charge for the next few days until mom comes back. I got to him before mom did, and I told him to keep the city standing until I got back. He said his job would be easier with me gone, and I slugged him in the shoulder. We said our goodbyes, and then mom and I got on the train headed for the Crystal Empire. It was an overnight train, so we got a sleeper car (how mom has the bits, I will never know). I got in my bed and all the Pokemon climbed in with me, nearly burying me. I go to sleep quickly, ready to see the Crystal Empire tomorrow.