A Peregrine Falcon, high within the tropopause, cried as she tore through the sky. Her majestic yet piercing voice reached down to the many specs and dots down below, enabling some to gaze at her sight. The brave falcon swooped, swapping from gracefully flapping her wings or gliding in the wind, making a beautiful spectacle. It flew towards a large building with a glass dome, circled carefully around it three times while giving away her majestic cry for the people below. The next landmark to fly over was a street located nearby the building, recognised by the bird to where a manor-like hostel made its home. Once getting the attention to the people around the street, the Falcon made her descent to the troposphere in a circular motion and focused on its landing point; A school much bigger than the manor, where a statue of an Alicorn stood proud and majestic like the Falcon itself. With one final sweep and cry, the Falcon made her landing on the school's roof and gazed upon what looked to be seven human figures, waving their arms at two other figures approaching their midst.
"Sunset! Twilight! Everyone!!!" A girl adorned a daisy flower clown walked as fast as she could towards her welcoming party,
"Gloriosa!!!" The seven girls exclaimed as they kindly embraced their former camp counsellor of Everfree, now a student of Canterlot High School.
"Welcome to Canterlot High School!!!" Pinkie yelled in greeting, pulling out a large welcome banner that spelt in green 'Welcome Everfree Counsellors!' and decorated with trees, rocks and everything that reminds the group of Camp Everfree.
"It's great to see you again." Rarity greeted, "now I'm not trying to worry you, but are you sure that Camp Everfree will be safe and sound without their counsellors?"
"It's in good hands." A boy's voice called from behind, "ever since you've left, we've connected a lot with our parents' friends, and thanks to them, we've been hard at work to set a lot in stone so that we'll be able to be away for this. Course, that's not the only thing that's improved."
"Timber!" Twilight waved to the Beaning-wearing rugged bloke approaching behind Gloriosa. "We're not leaving you out... Are we?"
"Naw it's okay," Timber chuckled, placing a hand on his sister's shoulder. "I'm more than excited to explore living in a normal town and studying in an actual school. Course, it would be more than wonderful if I would explore it with you Twi."
"Well aren't you a loverboy!!!" Applejack teased, and the girls laughed.
"Well, at least you're more sincere and charming than... Him." Rainbow grumpily moped. "Good thing he's not here."
"We'd be more than happy to show you around!" Sunset suggested, "and you'll be staying in a dorm right?"
"Yes. I believe it's the... Koro Gardens? We'll be going there right after school." Gloriosa asked with confusion. "I'm quite puzzled... It sounds like a made-up word."
"Ahh... Right." Applejack remembered, "the dorm is Neighponese-inspired... You know... The land that has a red dot fer a flag?"
"That's... Very interesting! Why the sudden... Diversity?" Timber scratched his head,
"Let's just say..." Rainbow responded, "... When we were introduced to the Neighponese subject, we got more than we wanted."
"But we'll be more than happy to show you later." Fluttershy jumped in, "for now, why don't we get you settled in class?"
"That sounds like a good idea!" Gloriosa clapped her hands together, "I'm so excited!!!"
"It's funny..." Timber laughed, "back then, we made sure you had fun in our Camp. Now, you're making sure we're going to have fun here!!!"
"Absolutely!" Fluttershy laughed nervously as the group began walking, "Let's just hope it won't be too 'fun' like last week."
The Everfree Siblings marvelled at the dazzling and shining architecture of the main entrance lobby, yet they had no time to bask in the marvel. In an orderly manner, they first made their way to the Vice-Principal's room, where they dropped of their suitcases and collected their timetables and locker keys. Next, they went to their lockers to drop all their textbooks and schoolbags. Thankfully, they were able to get through a tour of the school made directly on the spot by the one and only Pinkie Pie. They were shown the giant cafeteria, the two-story library, the wide soccer pitch, and the vast gymnasium to name a few structures. By the time they returned to the main entrance lobby, the Everfree siblings were rendered dizzy and woozy, shown by their slow rotating heads and spinning eyes.
"Right. Is there anything else we can introduce them to?" Pinkie asked the girls,
"Well, we can check your timetables." Twilight adjusted her glasses, "Can you tell me what subjects you have for today? We can guide you there."
"The two of us are in the same class for almost all our days, except for our History and Physical Education subjects." Timber analysed his timetable as well as his sister's, "for this morning: It's English and Maths."
"I'm in your Maths class!" Pinkie jumped,
"And I'm in English." Applejack responded.
"For the middle periods... Chemistry and Neighponese!"
"Chemistry for me!" Twilight jumped up,
"Flutters, Pinkie and I are in your Neighponese class!" Rainbow chirped, patting Fluttershy's shoulder, "oh and word of warning? Don't tick off the teacher!"
"If he's a strict teacher, that's not going to be fun." Timber pouted,
"Well..." The seven girls tensed up their faces and quivered (except Fluttershy and Pinkie) in unison,
"Let's just say it won't be fun at ALL if you do goof off in Sensei's class if I were to put it in related wording," Fluttershy responded.
"Ooh! And don't talk about death or violence around him either!" Pinkie chimed in,
"Man, this teacher sounds like a killjoy." Timber moaned, "he or she will definitely be on my hate list."
"A 'he' that everyone likes to call 'she'." Fluttershy clarified. "On the bright side, his lessons are extremely fun and exciting to learn, so you might be surprised."
"We'll see." Timber scoffed, "I'm not going to let a boring teacher like him ruin our normal lives here."
"And our afternoon?" Gloriosa continued, "It's Art and Geography!"
"Geography is for me," Rarity gestured to herself,
"Well lucky! I'm in art!" Sunset smiled, "looks like you're ready to know the locations,"
"That's wonderful." Timber rubbed his hands, "now one last thing... Extracurricular activities and clubs."
"Yes, both of us are so excited about it!" Gloriosa added, "do you know what clubs there are?"
"Well, there are a few for sport," Twilight listed out, "then you've got the music club, science club, choir club, movie club, drama club, quiz club, special tutorship, agriculture... All sorts of clubs that tie into our interests. Then there are small groups that discuss political, religious or whatever beliefs... So, what are your preferences?"
"Well... I want to find a club where I can better myself... Like you know, be more noticeable around here, to be more accepted?" Timber responded,
"What? You're a chill guy you know." Rainbow chuckled, nudging his shoulder. "Sure, we initially had bad impressions of you in the beginning due to you and your sister's relationship, but they were all misunderstood, and you guys reconciled! That's the word, right? Reconcile?"
"Besides, I've never heard Twilight complaining about you to us..." Pinkie grinned smugly,
"Argh... Stop it." Twilight bared her teeth at Pinkie with a red-hot face.
"Anyway," Fluttershy shared, "if you still want to go that way, you've got an open invitation to see the Vice-Principal. Not only is she the disciplinary staff member around, but she's also the councillor for us. On the other hand, there is a new club that does exactly what you want."
"And that is?" Gloriosa asked,
"The Special Tutorship Club." Pinkie answered,
"Wait, what?" Timber's face went blank with disbelief,
"I know! I know! It may sound anything but lame and boring, but it's superly-duperly the opposite!" Pinkie jumped in, "And believe you and me, there's a guy in our school that was really really mean, but he's beginning to get along with the other members of the club, as well as the teachers there! I'd love to show you for myself, I am part of that club after all! So is Flutters!"
"Huh..." Timber responded, "okay, I'll think about it."
Before the next person spoke, the school bell rapidly rang, ready to start a new day of school.
"Well then," Pinkie hopped ecstatically, "Let's go!!! We've got Maths!!!"
The two siblings went through a rather interesting ordeal of class lessons. The two were settled in with their Maths teacher first, named Mr Mel. His teaching was very whimsical, humorous, and very laid-back. Despite that, the siblings could not express their disbelief through words when he displayed his knowledge of Maths questions, formulas, and answers without using a textbook for reference. Whenever someone asked a question, he'd respond without giving any thought or hesitation. Not to mention when he writes on the board to give visual examples of a maths formula, he writes and moves so fast, that it looked like he was at multiple places at the same time.
Then there was Ms Playwright. Judging by the name, she would be very theatrical or heavily using Swishspearan language. In all fairness, Applejack did say she was like that, but only when she's in the mood for theatres. Otherwise, the only resemblance of being an organised thespian is her strong guidance through a lesson or comprehension exercise, and constant metaphor of rehearsal is harshly implemented in any sort of reprimand for not remembering any form of application or definition in regards to weekend homework.
The siblings met up with the girls at the courtyard, eager to share what their first two classes of high school were like.
"You know, talk about having a memorable time, your teachers were totally not what I was expecting," Timber shared, "talk about a contrast to the Principal and Vice-Principal."
"Mr Mel is outright savage and frank when it comes to checking our homework and our classwork, and juuust dense and borderline creepy... But he came from therapy, and he's managed to control himself... With a few leaks. Other than that, he's far better than the other Maths Teacher." Rainbow Dash responded,
"Has the other Maths teacher done worse?"
"Nah," Rainbow chuckled, "he's mediocre and boring to the bone. It's as if he has done nothing else but teaching and studying his whole life. Good thing I'm not in his class!"
"But hey, at least you got Ms Playwright!" Rarity answered, "then again, I do believe classes are assigned by the student's ability in academics. And the teacher for the advanced class, well... That's Ms Lita. She is... How do you say it? Absolutely political to a point that even students are getting sick of it."
"Anyway, you guys ready for the next two subjects?"
"Of course!" Gloriosa answered,
"Chemistry yeah." Timber nodded, "but Neighponese not so much... It's hard to believe that a teacher so strict is liked by you guys."
"High School isn't easy, that's for sure." Sunset answered, "and the same goes with life. We can't all have a good time. But hey, the more we can go through with life, the better we end up in the future."
"By the way, I was wondering..." Gloriosa pointed at the crowd in front of them. "That guy surrounded by girls and guys... Isn't he one of the campers who came with you guys? If I recall, you've talked with him a lot Sunset,"
"That's Flash Sentry." Sunset pointed out, "he's just like every other student enjoying school, but is known to be an excellent guitarist."
"Not as excellent as me!" Rainbow interrupted,
"Aside from that, he's also my Ex-boyfriend. He wanted to re-start a friendship again during our time at Camp Everfree." Sunset continued,
"Did you accept?" Gloriosa asked,
"Despite accepting the offer while I was distracted, we properly worked it out when we returned. I... Admit in good honesty after doing so, I feel closer to him now than we were before." Sunset nodded, "and I know he feels the same way."
"I beg to differ," Timber frowned, "just look at him! He's got all the girls... And guys upon him! A player for both teams... Wow!"
"About that!" Fluttershy hastily turned to Timber looking embarrassed, "it's more of an affirmation of respect for what he did last week."
"That's right. He kicked the ass of a man who almost blew up the entire school." Rainbow laughed, "How awesome was that!? And people said 'Good Boys' were boring."
The group continued watching Flash surrounded by his fellow students, trying to give respect or get on his good side. Flash just chuckled and gave a 'cool' or goofy response like "no problem" or "thanks"; But he felt so much pressure, embarrassment and nervousness deep within his soul, and was trying very hard not to blush or break into nervousness. He ended up thinking things like "leave me alone", "I-It's nothing really" or the best place to hide during recess or lunchtime. Timber looked at him with a dubious face and dug further.
"Say," Timber popped up "how did he beat this man? And what club is he in?"
"He knows and practices Taekwondo," Rainbow answered, "and it's not part of the school curriculum or its extra. But if you want to know what club he's in, he's in the Special Tutorship Club, though if you've seen him play, he would have been cool in the music club too."
"You guys seem to know a lot about this 'Special Tutorship' Club." Gloriosa spoke up, "what's it about?"
"Our marks and academic scores are gradually falling with this term being the breaking point." Twilight continued, "the Principal and Vice-Principal were willing to establish some after-school classes or tutors to counter this decline. Then all of a sudden, a new teacher decided to form a club that does exactly that, the Special Tutorship Club."
"Huh... Do they do anything more than just studying?"
The girls froze. Should they talk about the other activities?
"We do!" Pinkie spoke up, "They're really fun activities we do if we do great after hard and rigorous tutoring. P.E, English you name it!"
"Y-Yes!" Fluttershy nodded, "That's right." To be fair, there was a little bit of fun when they were training with firearms, setting traps or swinging knives... Despite being violent. "But I think it's best if you experience it yourself if you find it interesting."
"Suppose I should, who should I find for more information?" Timber asked,
"Did you forget?" Rarity happily placed a hand on Pinkie and Fluttershy's shoulder. "Fluttershy was the first member of the Special Tutorship Club, or rather the one who inspired the teacher to form it!"
"Okay then. Who's the teacher?" Timber continued,
"皆さん、おはようございます！(Good Morning Everyone!)" Nagisa greeted loudly,
"おはようございます、せんせい！(Good Morning Sir!)" The Class responded back while standing up. Timber looked in shock as the teacher in charge of the Special Tutorship Club is revealed to him.
"すわってください (Sit down please)," Nagisa replied, and the class sat down. The siblings were unsure of how to respond so they just copied what their fellow classmates did and sat down.
"Timber Spruce and Gloriosa Daisy. Am I right?" Nagisa turned to them and ticked their names off the list. "Welcome to Canterlot High School!"
"The Neighponese teacher... How... Why???" Timber's curiosity of the club dropped at the sight of the beaming Neighponese Teacher; Lapis Lazuli in colour, and shorter than every student in the classroom. The girls must be really perceptive when they decided not to mention the supervising teacher only in name, and not by his job description until Fluttershy and Rainbow revealed it when they entered the Neighponese classroom for said subject.
"Now don't let six full weeks of missed Neighponese intimidate you," Nagisa continued, "we're just learning the alphabet, greetings, and terms that make up your self-introduction."
"Don't worry," Fluttershy sat next to the siblings, "I can help you with that,"
"Today, I have a special assistant for today's learning," Nagisa announced, gesturing to the Purple-eyed Palomino Teacher standing beside him.
"To new kids like you, Gloriosa and Timber, I am Ms Yada, the general substitute teacher of CHS. Wonderful to meet you!" Yada bent over with a smile. Gloriosa smiled normally, while Timber moved back a bit, looking very disturbed and disgusted.
"It's just a playful ruse. Don't react to it." Fluttershy sighed, "the more you stay here, the more she'll act like a normal teacher."
"So anyway, Ms Yada and I will be holding a conversation and..." He connected a cable onto his laptop. Enabling the projector to display a slide presentation. "If you ever get lost in translation, the slides will help you refer to what we're talking about visually."
"Just remember that if you do so," Yada added, returning to her normal and mature state, "do pay attention to how we're pronouncing our words so you can do it yourself."
"If you want to write things down for reference, go ahead and write it down as if this was a dictation exercise!" Nagisa answered, "we'll be sure to take this slowly and repeat things twice. Highly recommended you write in Neighponese, but writing in English works too! So, be sure to ready yourself in 5 minutes."
The class did so without any word during the time given. Pens were on paper, textbooks and references sheets are wide open.
"Alright then, are you ready class?" Nagisa asked, and the class nodded.
"Alright, here we go..." Nagisa nodded back, readied a remote, and turned to Yada, "おはようございます！(Good Morning!)"
"ん? (Huh?)" Yada turned to Nagisa as if she heard someone unfamiliar call for her attention. Seeing his face, She beamed and broke into introductions herself, "ああ！はじめました！あなたのお名前は (Oh! Nice to meet you! What is your name?)"
"ぼくは, 潮田 渚。よろしくお願いします! (My name is Nagisa Shiota, please be nice to me(or nice to meet you)!)" Nagisa introduced himself with a hands-to-side bow (while changing the slides to match whatever he was saying). "ぼくはネイポンじん、二十六歳、カンテロ・ハイ・スクルで ネイポン語を教えています。(I'm from Neighpon, 26 years old, and I teach Neighponese at Canterlot High School)"
The class looked up with interest when they heard the name of their school sounding Neighponese.
"渚君、わたしは矢田 東花。(Nagisa-kun, my name is Tōka Yada.)" Yada bowed back with her hands in front, "わたしもネイポンじん、二十六歳、会社員です。(I'm also from Neighpon, 26 years old, and a Businesswoman!)"
"そうですか…あ！すみません、仕事に遅れます。じゃあね！(Is that so... Ah! I'm so sorry, but I'm late for work. See you around!)" Yada gasped and waved goodbye,
"あ、わかりました。またね！(Ah, I understand. See you!)" Nagisa nodded in response and waved back.
"And we're done!" Yada finished, and the class clapped in recognition of their fluency.
"Please, please... If only you could do the same for me when I had trouble learning on how to speak English." Nagisa laughed, "Now did any you guys understand? Of course, some words may sound new to you, and we can discuss that later."
"Umm..." Berry raised her hand, "I tried not to use the visual slides for help but... I know you introduced yourself, you talked about what I think is your age and where you're from... But the third part had something that sounded familiar to Canterlot High School."
"Ah right. I was talking about my current occupation as a Neighponese teacher at Canterlot High School."
"So did you actually say 'Canterlot High School' in Neighponese?" Another student spoke up,
"I'm glad you asked Ditzy." Nagisa responded, "I was. You see, some words are not fully given a Neighponese name, so for certain countries or locations, we use another alphabet, one specifically to tackle English words. This is a topic for the next term. And speaking of next term... I should remind you that there WILL be a Neighponese exam that will be happening... Next week."
"Aww..." The students groaned,
"O-On Friday!!!" Nagisa added, "and on the afternoon period. You'll have ample amounts of time to study. There's a copy of the information on my desk after the lesson, and there'll also be an online copy emailed to you. What you'll be tested on is all about what we've done since the beginning of the weeks. For a brief recollection, the test will involve translating English to Neighponese and vice versa. The last and trickiest part will be answering English questions in Neighponese writing, so study and remember your words like a spelling dictation. You'll be given a Hiragana alphabet to help you, but knowing what certain countries, location and objects in Neighponese will help you in the long run. If you'd like, I'll give you the exact time to write down a reminder for yourself."
"Yes sir," The students responded. Some groaned in disgust or exasperation, some backed it up with energy or joy. Then they all proceeded to write it down in their personal school diaries.
"It's not the end of the lesson by the way," Nagisa answered, "I'd like you guys to introduce yourselves to each other as a group, so you can practice your confidence in speaking and remembering on what defines you. わかりますか (Do you understand?)"
"はい！(Yes Mr Shiota!)" The class responded in perfect unison and got to business. Everyone but the two new students, who looked rather nervous and out of place.
"Now Timber and Gloriosa," Nagisa walked up to them, "since you two are new, you won't have to do the Neighponese exam in this term just to clarify. The school deems it unfair since both of you have no experience in a Neighponese class."
"Oh, that's a relief." Gloriosa sighed,
"Now as to start you off for learning, I'll team you up with Fluttershy. After teaching here for six weeks, I can say she's the most experienced student in this class."
"Really!?" Timber turned to the shy girl, "You're the top student of this subject!?"
"だいじょうぶティムバア、グロリオサ (Don't worry Timber, Gloriosa)." Fluttershy placed a hand on the two, "I don't know if I'm the best student since we never did an exam, but I've done a lot of study on speaking Neighponese on my own!"
"Woah!" Gloriosa turned around, "I have no idea what you just said, but it sounds really fluent!"
"She told you not to worry." Nagisa translated. Suddenly, he remembered something and turned to the students, "Which reminds me. If you want to know what a word is in Neighponese, do not hesitate to ask me, Ms Yada, or Coach Justice about it, whether in person or over email. I seriously encourage it as it will keep your interest and your focus on future exams."
"Sir!" Berry raised her hand,
"はい、ベエリ (Yes Berry)." Nagisa turned his attention to the student, leaving the new siblings with their student tutor.
"So... Let's try this." Fluttershy turned to the siblings, "do you know any form of Neighponese?"
"Maybe just hello... And yeah, I know it's not enough to start a conversation." Gloriosa answered,
"No worries, we can just start with saying hello, how are you, and goodbye." Fluttershy answered, "so why don't we start by just introducing ourselves in English? Once we recognise the sequence, we start learning the Neighponese words."
"Doesn't sound so hard." Timber shrugged,
"O-Oh it's not easy." Fluttershy responded, "Like how we say Good Morning or Good Evening, greetings differ depending on who we're talking to and at what time."
"Uhh..." Timber froze.
*Ring!* *Ring!*
"Alright, everyone! That's the bell. Be sure to write down the day of the Neighponese Exam. Expect me to remind you throughout the rest of the week." Nagisa answered, "さようなら皆! (Goodbye everyone!)"
"さようならせんせい! (Goodbye Sir!)" The students responded, with Gloriosa and Timber joining in with their newly-rushed Neighponese.
"Fluttershy, Pinkie, see you at the Tutorship Club... Do you still feel like coming along Rainbow?" Nagisa waved,
"Eh-heh..." Rainbow scratched her head with a blush, "... I think I've had my fun, but no hard feelings Mr Shiota. You are an organised teacher to set all that up, and the Club is really cool."
"None at all Rainbow, and thank you for your compliments too. But remember, you, as well as everyone else, are always welcome to come now and then." Then something hit him, "Speaking of which, Timber seemed to harbour an interest with our Special Tutorship Club, despite his grumbling face. Perhaps he'd like to come today?"
"He did show interest, but when we revealed that you were running it, alongside his first impressions of you, he was a bit bummed out," Fluttershy answered
"Let me guess..." Nagisa blinked, then spoke, "you told him and Gloriosa that I was a strict person, as well as someone who snaps at death threats?"
"We did say that you were a really fun teacher if you get on his good side!" Rainbow responded, "I mean, balance it out right?"
"Don't worry. What you say is true without any exaggeration or misinformation." Nagisa responded, "But no matter how many faces he makes to remind himself, the presence of me won't deter his reason for finding out about such a club. If he's still interested, he'll come. As for him joining well... That will be up to me..."
The two siblings made their way to the cafeteria, chose their lunches, then sat at the table where Sunset, Fluttershy and the rest were. They also happen to be joined by two unfamiliar students. One that seemed to have a teacher-student who Applejack and Rarity were familiar with, and another who seemed to have some medical eye patch on him.
"So, you must be the new students from Camp Everfree, as well as the new residents of the Koro Gardens. Nice to meet you! I'm Cheerilee, the student council leader, and announcer for CHS. I'm also a member of the Special Tutorship Club!" Cheerilee introduced herself,
"And I'm Noteworthy. A pianist who's not joined any CHS band or orchestra, and also a member of the Special Tutorship Club. That's all you need to know. Don't ask about the eye."
"If you want to know more about the club, then you can ask our new members!" Pinkie responded, "if anyone can give their first impressions without any form of bias, it's them!"
"Uh huh..." Timber nodded, "well then... Do you know what you guys do?"
"It's a simple tutorship club, nothing more and nothing less. Although the teachers in charge work very hard in consulting and finding a lot of knowledge on the school subjects around here. Maths, Science, even Religious Studies. It's as if they have access to all the questions and answers to the Equestrian school syllabus." Noteworthy briefed,
"But more importantly... Well... I think the best way is to find out for yourself." Cheerilee finished,
"Just tell me a little then." Timber demanded, "otherwise I may lose interest."
"Alright then, It involves the teacher in charge. I believe you would have known him as Mr Shiota, the Neighponese Teacher. Despite how scary some people say he might be, he's someone that you can really share or even trust in. Not just your studying issues but also... Your own issues."
"So he's the guy to go to if you have something troubling you?" Timber asked, "huh, he sounds more like the counsellor than the Vice-Principal you mentioned."
"You're not wrong there." Twilight answered, "but since he's working hard as a teacher, we'll take his word at being a teacher."
"Alright then." Timber nodded, "I'll come. Sure, I may not be a fan of him initially, but he's starting to be interesting. Where is it held?"
"The second half of Lunchtime." Noteworthy answered, "and we meet at his classroom. The Neighponese one."
"How about you Gloriosa?" Fluttershy turned to the Everfree sister, "would you like to come along too?"
"Sure!" Gloriosa nodded. "We'll stick together for the time being!"
Timber and Gloriosa moved onto other different conversational subjects, such as introducing their own selves to Cheerilee and Noteworthy, their time at Camp Everfree, and all matter of fun things until they heard the school bell ring. Pinkie gleefully picked up her lunch tray, as well as all her friend's, zipped over to the nearest tray cart, and back in time where Fluttershy and the rest just finished standing up. With Fluttershy leading the way, the club members walked towards the cafeteria's exit while the non-club members stayed behind.
"You two have fun in the club. And your new home!!!" Rarity waved,
"We will Rarity. Bye now!" Gloriosa waved back.
The siblings followed the shy girl through the crowded hallways and noisy students, all the way to the familiar door that marks the Neighponese Classroom with its tinted window door.
"Are you ready to be amazed?" Fluttershy asked, "this is the club for students who will strive to find themselves at the top of the class, as well as their own soul!"
"Sounds like a nice story concept." Timber joked,
"Welcome..." Fluttershy slowly opened the door, "... To the Special Tutorship Club!"
A large ray of light broke through beyond the door, its radiance enveloping the two awestruck students. Beckoned by their kind friend, the two walked into the radiant light and into a room filled with... Regular Students and Teachers. The Neighponese teacher was busy at work reviewing what seems to be some type of classwork syllabus, while two other teachers joined the entire crowd of students around a Spiky Blue-haired boy.
"Come on Flash!!!" Pinkie moaned, "just play a small tune!"
"Like I said Pinkie, I only had one hour of practice! Don't you know I still have exams going!?"
"Then why d'you agree on doing this?" Big Mac asked,
"Because you guys won't shut up about it over the message board!" Flash yelled, "and I've already studied well enough in the weekend that I'm confident for my tests for today and tomorrow! That's why I only had one hour to do this!"
"Ease up you guys," Yada suggested, "Learning a Shamisen is pretty tough, especially on the fly."
"Adapting is way harder than it looks you know... Especially trying to deal with this oversized door stopper!" Flash responded, holding the 'oversized door stopper' in his right hand.
"If you can't adapt," Nagisa spoke, looking up from his papers, "then don't be afraid to take baby steps again, like a young child learning how to play the piano."
"If it helps, I've been to a shamisen class when I was still in primary school. Three techniques you should know." Kimura informed, "so starting off with the easy one, スクイ (sukui). You want to use the edge of the bachi to pluck the strings while holding the string down. You can tell the sound changes whenever you strike the string downwards, and upwards."
"Hmm..." Flash nodded. He looked back to his shamisen and grasped the bachi as accurately as possible. With a tight grip and a focused face, Flash pushed the bachi down, making sure the edge caught onto the thinnest string.
*Twang*
The little string vibrated, releasing the peculiar sound of the shamisen. It sounds almost like a guitar when plucked, but there was this additional tone that seems to act as a bass line for the instrument. The class responded with 'O' shaped mouths.
Flash followed it up by performing an upstroke, catching the thin string as it goes by.
*Twang* The same sound can be heard in the same volume. The class had an o-shaped face again,
"Just remember that the harder you strike, you'll hear that baseline. If you do it gently, you won't." Kimura continued his lecture, "now for the second and third technique, you'll be using your hand that pushes down the strings. They are called ハジキ (hajiki) and スリ (suri). The former involves you to pluck the strings on the neck, the latter is sliding your finger on the strings when you strum normally. Also, try moving the finger you are pressing on back and forth. It's like bending the notes."
Flash placed his middle finger on the string that he'd been plucking. It felt hard, like plastic mixed with metal, just like a guitar string. Flash remembered from his research that the strings on a shamisen were traditionally silk, so it was a bit of a bummer that he couldn't feel the smoothness of silk upon the stings. With his ring finger and a bead of sweat running down his head, Flash placed it next to the string he pushed down and gave it a swift pluck. A crisp, resonating sound sprang forth from the Shamisen, its vibrations loud for everyone to here.
"My goodness, it sounds... So mystical!" Fluttershy broke the silence, her eyes glued to the wonderous traditional instrument.
Wasting no time, Flash tried out the third technique. Using the Bachi once more, he plucked the thin string again. This time, with his left middle finger on the string, he slid it slowly away from him, then back towards him. Like a loyal dog, the shamisen increased its pitch in harmony with Flash's finger, moving back and forth like the waves. It was nothing, yet almost the class, including the Everfree siblings, were drawn by its sound. Pinkie gave a massive bout of applause.
"Okay guys," Nagisa stood up, "our tutor session is going to begin, and Flash needs to study for his exams for the next few days. So leave him be okay? Unless you're fine with it Flash."
"Yes sir," Flash nodded, packing up the Shamisen without hesitation and pulled out his textbooks and exercise books.
"Are you sure you're confident?" Cheerilee asked, seeing the hurried reaction.
"Before I forget, it's an honour to see our two newest students entering our club on their first day," Nagisa remarked, "I hope you two are enjoying yourselves?"
"Yep!" Gloriosa nodded, "we sure are living the city life!"
"Really?" Nagisa tilted his head, "your thoughts say otherwise..."
"I'm sorry... What?" Gloriosa tilted her head, "did you just say you can read my thoughts?"
"Trade secret Gloriosa," Nagisa answered, "in fact, you and Timber have quite curious histories that I'd like to clar--"
"Sensei," Fluttershy stood up, "let's not frighten Gloriosa and Timber. Okay?"
"Ah, okay then." Nagisa nodded. "Sorry Gloriosa." He bowed to them in apology,
"By the way," Fluttershy continued, "can you give us help for our Neighponese exam? I'm sure the class would like it!"
The club looked at each other with confused faces, then shrugged and nodded in agreement. It's the last exam, what's so wrong about it?
"Okay then. Timber, Gloriosa, I'm happy to teach you the basics if you still haven't already."
"About that Sensei," Fluttershy added with a small frown "can Pinkie and I talk to you for a moment outside?"
"..." Nagisa stared at Fluttershy, then reluctantly nodded, "okay then. Yada, Masayoshi, can you take over the class?"
"Gladly!" Yada rubbed her hands with a devious grin,
"I'll be sure to keep an eye on her," Kimura saluted,
"Alright, you guys..." Nagisa whispered, "judging by your grumpy face Fluttershy, it seems that I have overstepped my boundaries. What did I do?"
"Nothing really," Fluttershy shook off her grumpy face, "I just didn't want bad memories to spark up for the two of them."
"What do you mean?"
"Do you remember that CHS outing trip to Camp Everfree?" Pinkie asked,
"Yes. In fact, I was curious to ask because I know that those two were counsellors." He stopped for a moment to read the mood, "Oh... So an incident happened there huh?"
"Yep! And it's caused by them! Gloriosa mostly! And fixed by us!" Pinkie answered, "of course, we made up so we're all buddy-buddy!"
"Mmm..." Nagisa wondered,
"So... Yeah... Try not to disclose anything from reading their expressions and thoughts." Fluttershy answered,
"Alright then, It's true that I could tell they were harbouring some sort of fear, but I won't do that in front of their peers." Nagisa nodded with caution, "and in that case, I'll be a bit more open. Only then will she be confident in talking to me."
"Sensei, what did we just say?" Fluttershy raised her voice, "don't convince her to do that!"
"I'm not sure about that..." Pinkie countered, "Didn't you tell Sensei Shiota, of all people, YOUR dark memories before telling your best friends?"
"O-Oh yeah..." Fluttershy remembered, "I-I'm sorry..."
"I understand that you care for her..." Nagisa responded, "and thanks to your warnings, I'll know to be extra careful."
"O-Okay then." Fluttershy nodded,
"Not bad! Not bad!" Yada complimented Gloriosa after seeing her penmanship on the Neighponese alphabet, "you are certainly catching up!"
"Thanks, Ms Yada!" Gloriosa smiled back, happy that she's able to get a grasp on the syllabus.
"You're not doing so bad yourself Timber." Kimura responded, "but you've still got some glaring flaws when pronouncing the words and letters. Remember, tone and accents are important."
"Yes, Mr Justice." Timber sarcastically sighed, a bit tired from his lectures.
"Which reminds me... The dorm. We've packed your suitcases into the car Ms Yada and I share, and we'll be driving it to the dorm after school. If you want to, we can drive you back too! We'll meet at the front gates."
"Oh. Sure. Thanks." Timber answered, "By the way, do you know anything about Mr Shiota?"
"What about?"
"Just anything about him. Why is he such a big topic for the students here? I ask since you've been working with him in the class."
"Well... Mr Shiota's Junior High School life has rubbed off a lot on him." Kimura shared, "and so in his future, he dedicated that experience to become a Secondary Educational teacher himself."
"To be fair," Yada added, "that also goes with Coach Justice and me. The three of us attended the same Junior High School in Neighpon and used what we learned to progress through life."
"It sounds like your education was a pain."
"It is," Kimura nodded sternly, "because our school system has a philosophy that involves making a certain class inferior to the rest of the student body for motivation. Course, it means absolute crap for us three as we're students from that certain class."
"Now that is an interesting story." Timber leaned forward, "I'm interested."
"I am happy to tell the story," Yada smiled, "but maybe after school? We still have to get you settled in the dorm."
"Alright then..." Timber shrugged.
"That reminds me..." Fluttershy whispered as she, Pinkie and Nagisa peeked at the two siblings from the door. "Can you take care of the two of them back at the dorm? It WILL take some time for them to get used to city life, especially the heavy parts."
"That's our job... Or more correctly, Yada and Kimura's job. But I'll let them know." Nagisa responded,
"Oh and uh... I believe Zephyr moved in during the Weekend. Has he uh... Made himself at home?"
Nagisa's eyes went dark. "I was prepared for your warnings from you and your dad. It's manageable, but I'm not sure for future boarding students."
"... Sorry..." Fluttershy hung her head low.
"Actually, what I mean is that out of the blue, Yada received a call from him saying that he would be unable to move in the weekend. Instead, he'll be moving in by the end of this week with Thunderlane. Still, I worry about his tardiness and not keeping up with important dates."
"I... I see."
Despite being interested in the club, the activities seem to pass the time, just like the last two subjects, and now was the time to go home.
"Well?" Rainbow placed a shoulder around Gloriosa, "how was your first day?"
"It's certainly new! Staying in buildings instead of the outdoors for most of the day." Gloriosa answered, "but just for time's sake, I hope we get back to the dorm. We've actually never visited it yet."
"Well, it seems you've arranged it already!" Pinkie jumped,
"Are any of you staying in a dorm too?"
"Nah..." Applejack and the other girls shook their head, "we live close by. No point."
"But sometimes after school classes can be run there. So the place will be frequently visited!" Fluttershy continued, "expect me to visit quite often!!!"
"We shouldn't keep you waiting," Twilight responded, "we can all see you tomorrow!"
Waving goodbye, the Everfree siblings made their way to their agreed destination. Sure enough, they saw a familiar Palomino woman waving at them while next to a Gleaming Silver Sedan.
"Welcome! Welcome!" Yada gestured them to an open door,
"Nice car." Timber complimented, "what type?"
"Neighponese brand, A Skyline Sedan!" Yada responded, "Masayoshi (who's driving by the way) wanted to get the one that was coloured 'Energon Blue', but it looked pretty ridiculous if you ask me!!!"
"Oh, I can imagine." Timber's mind wandered, "yeah... A jarring image."
"Well come on then!!!" Yada laughed, "your bags are in the trunk. Let's go!" The siblings quickly climbed in the car and drove off.
"Wow," Gloriosa blinked rapidly when they realised the trip was in less than five minutes. "I honestly thought it would be a long car trip."
"If it was," Kimura answered, parking the car within the mansion boundaries, "no one would want to board here."
"Fair enough," Gloriosa nodded as the four took off their seat belts, unloaded their suitcases, and entered their future home: A dormitory filled to the brim with the colour and culture of Neighpon.
"W-Wow!!!" Gloriosa gasped at the magnificent living room, "this is bigger than every cabin in Camp Everfree combined!"
"Feel free to explore around!" Yada responded while seeing Kimura pick up the siblings' luggage without a word and marched on up the stairs. "Masayoshi will take your suitcases up to your room. While the upper floors are structurally the same with a few distinct house decorations, there are showers and bathrooms, as well as a big bathroom on the ground floor! Actually, I shouldn't spoil things. Go wild!!!"
With an excited nod, the two began briskly exploring the area. Gloriosa stayed on the ground floor, whereas Timber went up the stairs, meeting Kimura on the way.
"Since you're coming up to explore, let me tell you your room." Kimura responded, "you'll be on the first floor closest to the staircase. Oh and there's another student boarding here that has the same floor as you do. You guys get along okay?"
"What about Gloriosa?" Timber asked,
"If I recall correctly, both of you stated and agreed to share a room together on your boarding applications. I've moved your bags there already. Is that correct?" Kimura clarified,
"Yep, all good." Timber nodded, "thanks for the help."
"By the way Yada..." Kimura walked down as Timber went up. "You've got some business meeting tomorrow morning right?"
"Yeah! And I'll need the car for that!"
"Right." Kimura sighed, "just want to remind you one thing. The meeting you're going to, it involves absolutely sketchy people. These people, whether they're representatives of a media-recognised organisation or not, are people who are not afraid to bloody their hands for any opportunity."
"Aww..." Yada teased, "you do care, don't you?"
"I do," Kimura responded, passing the car keys, "and as a member of the N-SAT, I want to make sure my people are safe from harm as much as I can act, especially you."
"You really are a sweet person." Yada giggled, taking the car keys, "Why don't you confess that you like me?"
"I... Well... Umm..." Kimura flushed red,
"I'll take that reaction as a yes." Yada laughed, "But you know what? Even if you're not being serious about it, I would say yes. But that doesn't mean I like you back though..."
"Y-Yeah, just stay safe... And take care of the car too..." Kimura whined. "It's going to rain tomorrow."
"Agent 194. Thank you for calling in."
"Yes, ma'am. What is the situation?"
"Your senior and mentor, Agent 102, is underway on a mission happening tomorrow but will be assisting you for a surveillance mission."
"And that is?"
"There is a target that is suspected to prove a threat to the national security of Equestria."
"With all due respect ma'am, isn't that what the SWAT team are for?"
"Information that we have concludes not to be terrorists. Rather, it's someone even more dangerous."
"How bad?"
"Recently police databases have been hacked, and the hacker had cunningly made sure to cover up any traces and signs. However, our intelligence division has made a breakthrough and discovered that the hacker in question is an extremely intelligent A.I., and has been transmitting information to the target."
"What was the information?"
"I'm... I'm afraid I can't say anything... As I said, this is an extremely intelligent A.I. If I talk about what had been accessed, the A.I. will know. But what I can say is that it is very much related to your current station."
"..."
"Good. Your silence tells me that you know. Anyway, I want you to keep an eye on the target, and whether or not they will be perceived as a threat."
"Is there a Codename for the target?"
"Yes, it shall assist you in identifying the target. The name is: Azure Flyer. I repeat, Azure. Flyer."
"Understood,"
"Oh, and Agent 102 wishes you luck."
"He'd better not be hitting on any women during his mission."
"If he didn't, he wouldn't be Agent 102 that you know closely."
"Of course."
"Are you ready to do this?"
"Yes Ma'am,"