//------------------------------// // Prologue // Story: Future Card Buddyfight: Seeker of a New Dawn // by Darkened Paradise //------------------------------// Prologue Sunset blinked as she suddenly came to, holding her forehead to hopefully hold back the headache that was coming. The headaches had been more consistent recently, amongst other things. Before she could even begin to process, she was pushed over, sending her sprawling over the school’s steps. “Looks like she never changed.” “Shoulda known she was just faking it.” “Can’t believe we bought her act.” “Hope she gets whats coming to her.” Sunset froze at that last one. Ever since a the ‘Anon-A-Miss’ web page had started spreading rumors and airing out the dirty laundry of the many students of Canterlot High, using her face no less, any good will she had built up was thrown out away. Ignoring her bleeding knee, she reached for her things, only for various students to get in her way or kick it out of reach. Sunset groaned quietly, pulling herself to her feet with the available handrail, holding herself steady as she was shoved and pushed around. After what seemed like forever, the flow of students slowly dwindled, leaving Sunset alone. With a pained grimace, she went about collecting her things, sighing as some of her books and whatever assignments she had done were ruined. What a good way to start the weekend, right? To make matters worse, the late bell’s shrill alarm signified that she was also late to Home Room. Biting back the urge to yell in frustration, Sunset turned away from the school. There was a limit how much she could take, and today just about brought that limit to its peak. Snarling in frustration, she threw her bag into the nearest trash can and limped away. “Forget them,” she mumbled to herself, limping to the nearby bus stop and ignoring the biting pain on her knee. “They don’t want me there? Fine, I didn't want to be there anyways.” Getting on the next bus that arrived, she sighed as she took a seat, resting her head against the cold window. A hot tear crawled down the window as she cried herself to sleep. ---------------------------------- “Sunset didn’t show up today,” Sweetie Belle said, finishing up another Anon-A-Miss post. This one was about Vinyl Scratch of all people; apparently, before she was a high-school DJ, she used to be a grade school ballerina dancer. That, while hilarious to think of on the surface, did nothing for Vinyl’s reputation. “Have you seen how people are these days?”  she continued, looking around the cafeteria. All the students were either glaring at each other, staying away from each other, or laughing at the latest target of their web page. “To be honest, I wouldn’t be surprised if she took off for the rest of the semester.” “...Do you think we took it too far?” Sweetie Belle asked her friends, picking at her fruit salad. Scootaloo shrugged and Apple Bloom said nothing but ate her lunch. The school, once warm, vibrant, and, more importantly, united thanks to Twilight Sparkle, had gone back to its old self. People were angry at each other and no one rarely anyone smiled, despite Pinkie Pie’s efforts. The three sighed as another fight in the cafeteria broke out. ---------------------------------- Sunset was woken up by an elderly woman. Coming to, Sunset found herself in the bus station within the City of the Big Apple. Glad her legs were no longer in pain, she thanked the older woman, helping her exit the bus before making her way out into the city proper. She winced at the bombardment of foul smelling odors that wafted over her, but all the lights and the sounds seemed to move that sensation to the back of her mind. She walked into the crowded streets, keeping her eyes forward, but was occasionally drawn to the bright flashing lights of the various signs and music of the different street performers. Everything was just so overwhelming. ‘I wonder if I could move here,’ Sunset thought to herself, looking around at the high rise apartment buildings. ‘I’ve still got a good chunk of money and bits saved up, and these places don’t look that expensive.’ (If only she knew..) As she continued to make her way down the snowy streets, taking in the sights, the sounds and the smells, her eyes came across a corner shop, named ‘C3’. The inside was brightly lit, with wall displays of various kinds of trading cards. There were a few kids inside, already deeply into a game by the looks of it. With a shrug, and eager to get out of the cold, she walked in, dusting off the snow from her head and shoulders. A small grey cat with a dark red bandanna approached her, circling her a few times before sitting in front of the red head. Confused, Sunset reached down to pet the cat, only for said feline to jump up her arm and curl up on her neck. It purred contentedly as it nuzzled her cheek. “Well that's a surprise,” said a woman’s voice. Looking up, Sunset saw a young woman dressed in a long black skirt and matching blouse approaching her. She wore a dark red apron with the emblem of the storefront on a chest pocket, and a lighter red bandanna over her light blonde hair. She smiled as she offered a hand to Sunset. “Welcome to the Card Capital of Collectibles!” she said with a smile. “The names Quick Play, the owner and manager of the shop! Can I help you with anything?” “Oh, no, I’m just browsing to get out of the cold,” Sunset said, taking her hand. “Oh, and who is this?” she continued, pointing at the cat happily purring on her shoulder. Quick Play chuckled at that. “That’s Selene, the co-manager of the shop. It’s a rarity that she approaches anyone on her own.” Sunset smiled a little as she brought up a hand to lightly rub her fingers against Selene’s chin. The cat purred and, in return, brought her tail under Sunset’s cheek. “Just give me a call if you need anything,” Quick Play said with a smile, turning around to the where the other players were. Sunset let her small smile grow a little more, idly gently scratching Selene’s skin as she walked further into the shop. Looking at the walls, her brow furrowed as she squinted, taking in the sight of the quite colorful artwork and the small lines of text. She looked up at the name of the game, and nearly laughed at the given name. “‘Future Card Buddyfight’?” Sunset said to herself, her voice a mix of amusement and confusion. Intrigued, she continued reading down the list of cards, not quite understanding all of the effects, but drawing educated guesses based on context. Suddenly, Selene hopped off of Sunset’s shoulders and walked off towards the counter. She picked up a pack of unopened cards and walked back over to Sunset, looking up at the red head with an expectant look in her eyes. “You want me to take this?” Sunset asked, kneeling as took the pack from the cat. Selene retook her perch on Sunset’s shoulder, as the girl looked the gift. “Is it okay for me to open this here?” Selene ‘meowed’ back. With a sigh (and making a silent mental note to pay for this pack later), Sunset tore open the pack. Before she could react, her vision was engulfed in a harsh bright light. ...and there was nothing left except the wrapper. “Miss Quick Play! It happened again!” one of the boys said from the play area called out. “Again!?” Quick Play exclaimed, running out from the back, picking up the wrapper “Oh for-! The least they could do is pick up after themselves!”