//------------------------------// // Shirou's Home // Story: The Fifth Holy Grail War: A Pony's Perspective // by Evowizard25 //------------------------------// Twilight hadn’t found anything out of the ordinary in this school. For the most part, it was like any school she could find in Equestria. Well for big cities. Small towns usually just threw kids of all ages together to give them a decent education. It still worked since the teachers had cutie marks for the profession like her own town’s Cheerilee. It was comforting to see so many similarities but she was eager for some differences. “Whoa~” Which is why when she saw ‘cars’ for the first time, she was ecstatic. She squealed as she rubbed her hands over the surface. It was so smooth to the touch. A little hot from the sun above too reflecting off the surface. “And you say these things run on oil?” Twilight asked. It was a disgusting prospect some in Equestria thought about using. Coal was used for trains but most modes of transportation were guided by other ponies or through wind energy. Though some were against the idea back in her own world due to the possibility of polluting the sky. Coal burning sometimes had to be cleared away by pegasi when it became a problem. Shirou nodded, “Yeah. You don’t have cars where you live?” Twilight froze up a bit. It sounded like these things were everywhere in this world. That exited her. The thought of such machines could really help Equestria and show off the advancement of this world. Yet she had walked into a bit of a problem. If she said ‘no’ then he’d be curious and suspicious. She turned around and laughed nervously, “Well… no. I lived a sheltered life and we used ponies to get around.” Sakura smiled, “Ah, so you lived out in the countryside.” “Yes,” Twilight pointed at her. “Yes, that is exactly it. Just a country gal at heart. That’s me.” Sakura frowned but said nothing. Shirou just chuckled, “You don’t have to be nervous about that. We get a few people from out in the fields now and again. Not everyone uses a car and they are sometimes a pain to fix.” Twilight’s eyes lit up, “You’ve fixed them? So that means you know how they work.” “Well-” Twilight grabbed his hand and brought it to her chest as she stared up at him hopefully, “Teach me.” Seeing his hand pressed up against her breasts, Sakura angrily pouted. Twilight again didn’t really notice. Shirou gulped nervously and nodded, “Yeah, I’ll teach you a few things. Let’s do that later though.” “Right,” Twilight nodded and let go of his hand. “Lead the way.” “Hey, Shirou!” A familiar and demanding voice called out to them. They looked over to see Sunset Shimmer walk on over to them with the new girl, Mei Day. Sakura let out an eep of surprise and fear and hid behind Shirou. Twilight felt a twitch of anger. Sakura was just like Fluttershy and making Fluttershy cry out in fear was a crime. Sunset truly was a villain. Putting on a brave face, Twilight reaffirmed her mission. She would protect the cute Sakura and reform Sunset. “Hey Sunset,” Shirou smiled as he met her halfway. “What did you need?” Sunset crossed her arms, “My freezer broke again. I was hoping you’d come over and fix it for me.” She pointed at him aggressively, “And that’s not a request. That’s a demand. You know I can’t live without that thing.” Shirou chuckled and nodded, “I’ll come over tomorrow to check it out.” “You better,” Sunset looked around Shirou to spy Sakura and Twilight. She narrowed her eyes. “I see you’ve been hanging around with one of the new girls.” “So have you,” Shirou pointed out. Sunset moved her jaw side to side slightly in agitation, “Yes, well. I knew her beforehand. She though,” she pointed at Twilight. “She’s new.” “It’s nice to meet you face to face, Sunset” Twilight lent out her hand, hoping to at least make a good impression on her soon to be friend. “We’ve got a lot to talk about.” Sunset just stared at the hand before rolling her eyes, “Yes we do, but later. Just don’t get too cozy with my fixer upper, Twilight Sparkle.” She turned and left. “She’s so mean,” Sakura piped up. “She has her moments,” Shirou stated before they departed. _______________________________________________________________________ Twilight had to admit, aside from the cars and paved roads, the houses didn’t look all that different from some city housing. The larger cities were honestly more advanced with even electrical wiring being implemented for some machines and phones. While she preferred using Spike to talk to others and letters as she loved paper, she could see why phones had caught on recently. So when she came to Shirou’s small house, it seemed nice. The doors were weird since they didn’t use door knobs and just slide back and forth but that was okay. “So do you want me to walk you home, Sakura?” Shirou asked at the front door. Sakura shook her head with a sweet smile, “No. I want to make sure Sparkle warms up to your home.” “Thank you so much,” Twilight smiled. Sakura was so sweet, polite and kind. She really was like Fluttershy. They were going to be the best of friends. Maybe she could bring her along to Equestria one day. She might love it there. Twilight failed to notice the look Sakura gave her. Which would translate into the cutest ‘I’m making sure you don’t touch my man’ look in history. Of course, it wasn’t as chilling as the look Rarity had secretly given her when she found out that Twilight had a handsome brother who was Captain of the Royal Guards who she never told her about. The trio entered the house and quickly found themselves looking at a chipper Taiga Fujimura sitting at a small table. She eagerly waved at them, “Heyo kiddos!” “Eh?” Twilight quirked an eyebrow. “What’s our teacher doing here?” “She’s my guardian and sort of big sis,” Shirou said. “She also always comes here to eat since she can’t cook by herself.” Sakura giggled, “Shirou is her personal chef.” Taiga pouted and crossed her arms, “Hey, don’t be like that. You come over to eat with us all the time so I could say the same about you. Besides, I love spending time with my little Shirou.” Twilight blinked at this. So Taiga couldn’t cook or liked to have other people cook for her? Well it seems she wasn’t a perfect copy of Pinkie like she thought. Pinkie wouldn’t stand by and just let other people do the cooking. She’d jump right into the kitchen and make something. Well it was always baked and sweet goods but still. Still though, Taiga’s energy was just as infectious as her pink friend. “Oh you’re going to love his cooking,” Taiga snapped Twilight out of her little imposed daze. Shirou had walked off into the kitchen. “Shirou’s a master cook. It’s why I don’t go out to eat anymore. None of them can compare.” “Or you’re just stingy with your money,” Shirou called back, causing Taiga to go ‘ack’ and topple over onto her side. “So Sparkle,” Taiga said to her. “How’re you liking it here so far?” Twilight’s smile grew, “I love it here. There’s just so much in Japan I’ve never seen or heard of before. I can’t wait to tell everyone back home all about it.” “That’s great to hear,” Taiga gave a thumbs up. “I’m sure you’ve enjoyed spending time with our cute Shirou over here.” Twilight blushed and played with a lock of her hair. Ugh, why did she have to feel so flustered about that guy. She must met the cute, sensitive, nice, caring, helpful, muscular guy today. She was just hot is all, “He’s nice.” Taiga smiled and chuckled before she eyed Sakura, “Maybe you should try harder, Sakura. Things won’t stay the same forever you know~” Twilight blinked in confusion and turned to look at Sakura who was pouting, “What is she talking about?” Sakura quickly smiled, “Oh it’s nothing to be worried about. I’m just happy to have Shirou as my best friend.” Twilight nodded, “I know the feeling. It’s nice to have some best friends. I didn’t really know that until recently.” “Ah the loner type,” Taiga nodded. “Sorry to hear that but that’s changed.” She put a hand on her chest, “Why, you can consider me your friend too.” Twilight’s smile only grew further, “That’s wonderful.” It didn’t take long for Shirou to cook up something. He brought forth some cooked noodles of some kind. When she asked what it was, they called it ‘Soba’. Twilight was more then eager to try some food from a new world. So she eagerly took a bite. Then her body froze. The moment it touched her lips her taste buds exploded with flavor. It was so rich and delicious that she couldn’t stop crying as she smiled, chewing and savoring every ounce of the food. Taiga and Sakura both chuckled at the display while Shirou looked on with delight. Twilight then surprised them when she threw her head down and started to devour the food like an animal. To be honest, even amongst Equestrians, Twilight was a messy eater. Anyone who had seen her scarf down hayburgers knew that well enough. She really never cared for her appearances since as long as she got no food on her books, everything was good. Then she pulled her head back after finishing the bowl with a wide smile on her face. Her eyes glittered in delight as she started up at the cook. “You… I…” She was at a loss for words. She felt her heart beating faster as she looked up at him. As it would appear, it’s not just men who can be won through food. “I get that a lot,” Shirou chuckled. “I’m just happy you enjoyed it.” “I loved it,” Twilight fought the urge to tackle and cuddle this man for giving her such a good meal. Truly if she was going to live here with him, she’d never go hungry or wanting. “That was my first reaction when I had his cooking,” Taiga said with a chuckle. “You can’t go wrong with our little chef here.” ______________________________________________________________________ There was no way this day could have gone as well as it did. Well it could have gone better if she had found the crown, but besides that, it was great. She had made new friends, found Sunset Shimmer, and learned a bunch of new things about this world. Oh there was just so much that she could write a book about when she went back home. Maybe she could spread more of the magic of friendship here. Sakura and Taiga had left a while after they finished eating. Twilight couldn’t wait to meet them again, but her mission came first. Sunset had to be stopped. This world didn’t deserve to face the wrath of whatever monstrosity she’d unleash. Of course in the meantime, that meant she was alone… With Shirou… Who was a cute boy her age… In the same house… Well, she was not going to fall for it. She was a grown mare. He was a human. This was just her new body playing tricks on her. Yeah, that was it. She just needed to keep that in mind and she wouldn’t fall asleep thinking about snuggling up to him. “So,” Spike was the one snuggling up to her tonight. She had to admit, having a puppy version of him was nice. “What are we going to do?” “Confront Sunset about the crown,” Twilight firmly said. “That’s the first thing I’m going to do tomorrow.” “You know she won’t give it to you,” Spike said. “I know that,” Twilight huffed and sat up. “Which is why we’re going to have to work our way through this. I’m sure Sunset can be reasoned with.” Spike raised an eyebrow, “Okay, maybe not. Still, I’m strong enough to kick some sense into her. I don’t want to go that way, but Rainbow Dash is right. Fighting can solve some problems.” “But you’re going to have to train,” Spike pointed out. “You’re not used to this new body.” “Well I can still use magic well enough,” her hand glowed red as she levitated a few objects around herself. “However, moving around is a bit wonky still. So maybe I do need to train myself.” “Well that and you suck at fighting,” Spike deadpanned causing Twilight to roll her eyes. “Anyways, I think the shed would be a good place to do that. It’s nice, quiet, and out of sight.” Twilight nodded, “Good idea.” _____________________________________________________________________ Caster sighed as she idly watched her master break her freezer. It was almost as entertaining as the romance novel she had in her hands. Apparently, there were quite a number of them available and Caster had been stockpiling some for personal research, “And pray tell, why are you doing this?” “I have to make sure he doesn’t fall into that grubby Princess’s hands,” Sunset smiled as she moved away from her hard work. “Shirou Emiya is mine. I’ve spent years trying to get that thick headed idiot to do what I want, whenever I want. I’m not going to let some floozy get their hands on him.” Caster quirked an eyebrow, “And you’re sure you’re not into him?” Sunset blushed but scoffed at the idea, “Bah, he’s too stupid and trusting for my tastes. No, I just like the thought of having him in my pocket when I need him.” “If this princess is such a burden,” Caster said. “Why don’t we eliminate her right now?” “Not happening,” Sunset scowled. “I want to beat her, not kill her. I want to do it with my own hands and with her special crown. As I ascend into alicornhood, she will watch in despair as I take everything back that she stole from me.” Magic poured out in waves around her as she scowled. “I understand the desire for revenge,” Caster said, really meaning it this time. “But please, don’t let it cloud your judgement. We’re still in a war if you don’t remember. Lancer is out there and he is formidable. We don’t know about the others and that’s honestly worrying.” Sunset rolled her eyes, “We can take them. You’ve got the strongest magic user in the world with you. Some sickly magic humans aren’t going to bring us down.” Caster frowned, “I just hope you’re right.” “Oh quit doubting me and read your trashy novel.” Caster scowled, “It’s not trashy!” “It’s basically porn!” “It is not porn. Maybe if you read it, you’d help bag that boyfriend of yours.” “He’s not my boyfriend!” And so the duo argued and laughed into the night.