//------------------------------//
// Lessons & Memories Part 1 
// Story: Surviving Saiyan in Equestria 
// by bcmorgan96 
//------------------------------//

After helping a bit with repairing the damage the battle caused to Ponyville, Twilight, Chrysalis, the Young Six, Rainbow Dash, and Gine sat in the meeting chamber of the castle with Gine rubbing her new timberwolf pet, Huck, on the head. 

At the moment, they were all waiting for Thorax to arrive as Twilight wrote to him to visit, leaving out how Chrysalis had finally reformed. Gine thought it'd be best to leave that as a surprise.

However, to Twilight's confusion, the Saiyan also asked her to invite the other land rulers to the castle as well, but for what reason, Twilight did not know. All Gine told her was it had to do with how she planned to train the students, Spike, and Scootaloo. This at least explained why she wanted Rainbow Dash there as well, with her looking after the filly while her aunts and parents were still out of Ponyville. But that still didn't explain what else Gine needed from the rulers since they already gave the approval to train the students.

Twilight's thoughts were interrupted when she heard knocking on the door.  "Come in."

The door soon opened and revealed Thorax, Novo, Ember, Gilda, and Rutherford. Since it was just a quick visit, they had not brought their guards with them. Twilight was the first to stand and bow to the five rulers. "Welcome everyone. I apologize for asking you to come on such short notice, but there are some things we wanted to discuss with you all."

"It's quite alright Princess Twilight," Novo said. "To be honest, things haven't been that exciting lately, I don't mind taking some time to visit."

The rulers were then met with each of their respected students and shared their usual greeting with them: Novo and Thorax sharing a hug with Silverstream and Ocellus, Gilda and Ember sharing a fist bump with Smolder and Gallus, and Rutherford and Yona having a friendly butting of horns. "Yona doing good. Rutherford happy to see that," Rutherford said with a smile.

After greeting the students, Thorax noticed Chrysalis smiling to him nervously, the king of Changelings raising an eyebrow in confusion, unknown to who he was seeing. "Ummm... Twilight? Who's this? I've never seen her before."

Twilight smiled sheepishly before responding, "Actually, you have Thorax, just not like this?"

This statement only furthered Thorax's confusion before Chrysalis decided to finally speak, "Long time, no see Thorax. I'm starting to understand why you showed our hive this new transformation."

Though her voice sounded slightly different from her new look, it was still one Thorax recognized and made his eyes widen in shock. "C-Chrysalis?"

"In the flesh, and with a new look," Chrysalis said with a smile.

"But... How?"

"You can thank our new friend for it Thorax," Ocellus said as she smiled to Gine with Thorax looking to the Saiyan in surprise.

"You?"

"Guess it just took someone who knew what she's been through to show her what needed to be done," Gine said as she continued petting Huck's head. "And like her, I knew what it was like to be alone and helped her realize she wasn't as alone as she thought."

Thorax took a moment to take in what they had told him before Chrysalis spoke, "Now that I've seen what I've missed. I only ask that you allow me to return to the hive." Chrysalis stood up and bowed to Thorax with respect. "Under your ruling of course."

This caught Thorax by surprise more than anything. He tried to see if there was any deception in her voice but found nothing but sincerity. With that, Thorax made his choice. "Alright, Chrysalis. You've learned the error of your ways, and if Starlight and her friends are willing to give you another chance, I don't see any reason not to do the same."

Chrysalis rose back up before smiling with a small tear in her eye which she quickly wiped away. "Thank you Thorax. After all, I've done to you, I couldn't be more grateful."

"Well," Thorax said as he smiled to Gine. "She's the one who deserves the most thanks."

"It was no problem Thorax."

"You should've seen her though!" Silverstream shouted with her usual giddy attitude. "Ponyville was being attacked by two magic copies of Princess Celestia and Princess Luna, and Chrysalis had the Alicorn amulet on her. They were tearing apart the place and then Gine showed up out of nowhere. Even against them together, Gine was strong enough to take down the copies and then took down Chrysalis after she absorbed their magic with the amulet and got some really evil armor. Gine got so strong that she had no trouble doing it. It was awesome!"

Silverstream's words caught all of the rulers' attention. "Is she serious?" Ember asked in surprise. "You really took something that strong down all by yourself?"

Gine rubbed the back of her head humbly before replying, "Yeah. It wasn't quite easy at first, but when I went all out, I kept Ponyville safe."

"This incredible. Yaks would definitely want Yona to learn from you if you get this strong."

"Actually," Gine started, "that's the reason why I asked Twilight to invite you all here. I have one more matter to discuss with you and your students before I can begin training them."

This seemed to gain the rulers' attention as everyone sat back down again. "What else is necessary? You already have our approval to train them," Novo said with curiosity.

Gine looked to the students before looking to their rulers again. "Yes. I know that, but first I need yours and the students to take this into consideration. In order for me to get them ready, it's going to take a while."

"How long is a 'while'?" Ember asked.

"Well... It took me about a month to get to where I am now. But unlike the students, I already knew how to use my ki. My body and senses were already capable of handling it. However, the students aren't at that basic level yet, so before I can start teaching them ki, I have to get them both physically and mentally strong enough for them to use and control ki. And since they're beginners, it'll take more time for their training than it did mine."

"So how long it take us to get strong enough?" Yona asked with concern.

"If I had to guess," Gine said before sighing, "I'd say around three months in total."

This caused the students' eyes to widen before Smolder asked, "Three months!? Seriously!?"

"How are we gonna keep up with our stuff here at school and do training with you for three months at the same time?" Gallus asked.

"Well that's one of the reasons I wanted you six here along with the others," Gine said as she looked to the table for a moment in thought. "Twilight's informed me that your summer vacation will be in a couple of weeks. I was hoping you and the others I'm going to be teaching would be willing to stick around here through the summer, it'll be much easier."

This statement made the students a little concerned with Gine looking to them understandingly. "I know I'm asking you to sacrifice time with friends and family back home. If you say no, I won't hold it against you and will try to work something out with you when you come back from the summer. The choice is yours."

The students all looked at each other unsure for a moment. Sure they wanted to head home, some more than others, but they did enjoy spending time with each other as often as they could. Not to mention, after seeing what Gine could do after training for a month, they could definitely learn some cool things from her. And they were eager. After a moment, they looked to one another with smiles before looking to Gine with a look of determination.

"Okay. We're all in," Gallus said.

Gine smiled at their choice before saying, "Good to hear. Now that that's over, go enjoy the rest of your day while I finish talking with your rulers."

The students nodded before heading out. Gilda then turned back to Gine with a questioning look. "So now that you know their choice in the time your training is gonna take, what else do you need to talk to us for?"

"There's one more matter I need all of your approval on before I can completely start training them."

Twilight looked to Gine in confusion. "And that would be?"

"If I'm going to get them to the point where they can handle ki, I need to get them somewhere away from distractions. Somewhere their minds and bodies are really pushed."

"You talk as if you already have some place in mind for their training," Novo said with interest.

Gine took a moment to figure her words out, "Yes. I do... The same place I trained myself."

The rulers were confused at this but those words made Twilight and Rainbow Dash widen their eyes.

"You cannot mean the Everfree Forest," Rainbow said with concern.

"Yes. I do," Gine said with determination.

This then caused the rulers to grow concerned as well. "You mean the forest in Ponyville full of those dangerous animals?" Novo asked.

The "dangerous animals" comment seemed to aggravate Huck a bit, due to him gritting his teeth a bit. To calm him down, Gine rubbed his head a little. "Easy Huck. She didn't mean you. And yes, I do mean there."

"Why Saiyan want to take Yona and friends to dangerous area?"

"Because, it's an area with few distractions," Gine said. "The forest is dangerous, yes. But in order for them to learn to tap into their power, they need an area where they can focus. The castle and school have too many distractions that would make it more difficult for them to focus. The forest is full of nothing but natural areas that aided me in focusing some of the new things I've learned."

"What kind of new things?" Ember asked.

"Well, for example, I can now sense energy without having to rely on my scouter," Gine said as she pointed to a door to the chamber's bathroom. "Like Pinkie Pie is hiding in there."

The moment she said that the door slammed open and Pinkie fell face first onto the floor from the bathroom, surprising everyone except Gine. Pinkie was the most shocked. "You? You knew I was there?"

"Yeah," Gine said as she held her hand out to help her up, "you popped up out of nowhere and I sensed your hyper self in there not long after."

This really caught everyone's attention, especially Twilight and Rainbow Dash. They knew how good Pinkie was in hiding and popping out of any random spot without anyone knowing. 

This made Gine smile a bit before she spoke again, "This is why I want to train them there. The forest does have some dangers, but it also has some calming atmospheres that can help the students focus during their training. Not to mention, surviving in that forest can also sharpen their senses, and help them learn to become reliable on what's provided by nature itself. And while we're out there, I give you all my word, I will keep them safe with my life from whatever dangers we come across. So? For about three months, do I have your permission to train the students, Spike, and Scootaloo in the Everfree Forest?"

The rulers looked to each other before looking at Twilight and Rainbow and after a couple of minutes of thinking, they all came to their decisions.

"Alright, Smolder can go through it if she wants."

"Yona able to stay too."

"You have my trust Gine, so I know you can be trusted to keep Silverstream safe."

"And I know you can teach Ocellus a lot as well."

"Gallus is a tough kid. I have a feeling he'll be okay with you looking out for him."

Gine smiled before she looked to Twilight and Rainbow. "Are you two okay with this?"

"Gine, you're the girl who managed to turn a timberwolf into a pet. If anypony can keep Scootaloo safe and teach her at the same time in the Everfree Forest, it's you."

"And I know Spike and Sandbar will be okay in your hands Gine."

Gine nodded to them all with a smile. "I promise I'll bring them all back safe and sound. Not to mention stronger."

The rulers, Twilight, and Rainbow Dash all nodded to Gine before they all began leaving with Chrysalis following Thorax. However, before Twilight walked out, Gine stopped her with a hand on her shoulder. "Before you go, I have a small request for you."

Gine then leaned over and whispered into the alicorn's ear, where her secret caused Twilight to gain wide eyes and a big smile. "Really? You're serious?"

"Yeah," Gine said. "Do you think you and Rarity can get it done in the two weeks before the summer break?"

Twilight winked and smiled. "No problem. We should have no trouble with it after how we did it for you."

Twilight then walked off while Gine looked to Huck as he followed her. "Come on Huck. How's a quick nap sound?"

The timberwolf happily nodded and followed the Saiyan to her room.

Two Weeks Later

The second year of the School of Friendship came to an end. Most of the students at the school had left for their homes as they had plans to enjoy the summer in their own way... All except for six students.

Gallus, Smolder, Ocellus, Sandbar, Silverstream, and Yona all stood in the library waiting for Twilight. Normally they all would be eager to head home after school is over. However, given what they sacrificed their summer break to do, they couldn't help but be even more excited.

"Yona can't wait. Yona is so excited," said Yona as she hopped up and down a bit, making the floor shake a little.

"Okay. Okay. Yona we get it," Gallus said as he tried to calm the yak down a bit. "We're all excited for what's about to go on."

"You bet we are!" Silverstream stated as she flew around in circles with her giddy personality. "I can't believe it's finally happening. We're going to learn how to do all kinds of stuff like Gine!"

Smolder smugly folded her arms as she smirked out the window. "Yeah. I've seen what some of the strongest dragons in the Dragon Lands. And Gine makes them look like the acts of a hatchling. I'm pumped to see what I'm gonna learn from her."

"You and me both Smolder," said Sandbar. "I always idolized what Twilight and the others did saving Ponyville and always wanted to be like them, then I got to experience it the time we took down Cozy Glow. Now we may be able to have a chance to do it again someday. Only next time with what we learn from Gine."

Ocellus was excited as well. "Yeah. Not to mention, I'm kinda excited to learn a bit about Gine's race a bit more too. I mean I'm excited to learn how to use ki, but I'm also interested in learning more about where she came from and what her world was like before that Frieza guy destroyed it."

The students were then interrupted by Twilight entering the room with Spike and Scootaloo behind her. The two were also carrying a strange backpack, Spike's being blue and Scootaloo's being pink. What made it more confusing is the that Twilight held six more packs, two blue and four pinks in her magic as well before passing them to the students, with Smolder, Silverstream, Yona, and Ocellus's being the pink ones with the remaining blue ones going to Sandbar and Gallus.

"Headmare Twilight? What are these?" Ocellus asked curiously.

"That's what I'm wondering," Spike said as he looked over his pack. "Wow. Well whatever it is, it sure does feel light."

Twilight grinned a bit before looking to them all. "For now, it's a surprise. But I can tell you that it's a gift that Gine came up with. You'll get to see what they are when we meet up with her."

Silverstream hugged her pack tightly with a giggle. "Wow. You mean she really had something made for us?"

"You could say something like that. But for now, I'm going to take you to meet up with her. She'll explain everything to you later."

They all looked to one another before nodding to her. "Alright then. Follow me."

They all then walked out of the library and after moving through the school, they all came out the entrance where they found some familiar faces. Sandbar's parents, Silverstream's parents and brother, Thorax, Ember, Gilda, Gabby, Rutherford, and finally Scootaloo's friends and Rainbow Dash.

Silverstream was the first to walk up to her parents, Skybeak and Ocean Flow, and hugged them before hugging Terramar. "I'll write to you guys whenever I get the chance, I promise."

"We know you will sis," Terramar said. "Just make sure you make the summer break away from home worth it."

Smolder walked to Ember before the two locked hands and bumped shoulders. "Good luck kid. Make the Dragon Lands proud."

"You know I will Ember."

Ocellus shared a quick hug with Thorax with him rubbing her head a bit. "I know you'll do great Ocellus."

"I'll see you when we get back Thorax."

Rutherford approached Yona with the two bumping horns a bit. "Rutherford know Yona do Yaks proud."

"Yona will come back as strongest yak ever."

Sandbar hugged his parents before his father said, "Be safe out there son."

"You know I will dad."

Gilda's fist pumped with Gallus. "Stay strong Gallus."

"You bet I will-ah." Gallus was cut off by Gabby pulling him into what was considered a death hug.

"Be careful Gallus. I'll miss you!"

"I'll... Miss you t... Too Gabby. Can I have my lungs back now?"

Scootaloo shared hugs with her friends as well. "Good luck out there Scootaloo," Silver Spoon said.

"Hope you get what you want," Diamond Tiara said. "We really hope you do."

Sweetie Belle hugged Scootaloo next. "We'll be ready to go crusading again as soon as you get back."

"Yeah. Just wait for what we do once you learn all kinds of stuff from Gine," Applebloom said.

Scootaloo smiled to her friends before she approached Rainbow and shared a hug with her with the older mare rubbing her head. "Whenever your aunts get back, we'll make sure to let them know you're in good hands."

Scootaloo nodded before Twilight used her magic to make small mirrors appear in the hands of each student's respected visitors. "If any of you have concerns and would like to contact one of us here at the castle or simply check on your student's progress, simply use these mirrors. Okay?"

The visitors all nodded before moving away from the students, with them going to Twilight. "Alright. Is everyone ready?"

The group all nodded to the alicorn before they began heading to the Everfree Forest, waving goodbye to the others. The students, Spike, and Scootaloo were all still very eager on what was coming up. They soon arrived at an opened spot where they found Gine sitting with her legs under her and Huck sleeping beside her. Huck sat up a bit when he saw the others approach and they became confused at what Gine was doing.

"Ummm... Headmare Twilight?" Silverstream asked curiously.

"She's meditating," Twilight said.

"You mean that thing where you pretend to sleep while you sit up?" Gallus asked.

"Yeah," Twilight said with a giggle. "She told me it helps her focus her energy better and clear her mind."

Right after Twilight said that Gine's body soon began to get covered in a small flare of the basic energy aura, amazing everyone. It repeatedly ran over her while remaining in a stable size. The younger ones of the group were stunned by the display. 

"Wow," Ocellus with the light of the aura reflecting off her eyes. "She's... She's incredible. Gallus, what are you doing?"

Gallus had picked up a small pebble in his talons and smirked a little. "I wanna see how intense that power of hers is. So I'm gonna see what happens if this pebble touches it."

"Try it, and you lose your chance to learn ki permanently Gallus," Gine said, startling the griffon into dropping the pack and the pebble. Gine then opened her eyes and stood up before doing a couple of stretches. She then turned to face everyone before walking up to them with a smile. She looked to Twilight before saying, "Alright Twilight. Thanks for bringing them. I'll take it from here."

Twilight nodded before looking to Spike and hugging him tightly for a moment. "Alright, Spike. I'll see you when this is all over. If you or any of the others need me, you know how to reach me."

"Don't worry Twilight. We'll be fine here," Spike said as Twilight looked to Gine one more time with the Saiyan nodding to her. Twilight then stepped back from Spike before, with a flash of her horn, she teleported away.

Huck ran up to Gine's side while Gine looked to everyone with a smile. "Okay. I hope you're all ready."

The group nodded with respect before Gine continued with, "Okay. Before we start things off, any questions?"

Silverstream was the first to raise her hand catching the others off guard. "I do."

"Yes, Silverstream?" Gine asked with a point to the hippogriff.

"Yeah? What are these for?" Silverstream asked when she held up her pink backpack.

"Of course," Gine said as she rubbed Huck's head as the timberwolf rubbed against her a bit. "You can call those packs the start of your training. Open them up and find out what's inside."

The students seemed confused for a moment but did as the Saiyan said and opened the back. Inside each one of them, the teens found what appeared to be Saiyan armor that came with a black, sleeveless jumpsuit, and boots with each one. The ones the girls had were pink and designed as the pink armor Gine wore with the skirt design with white gloves while the boys' had upper armor with waist pads and gauntlets.

"Wait," Smolder said. "Is this... Saiyan armor?"

Gine smiled at how impressed they all seemed. "Yeah. Well, its closest to it. I asked Twilight and Rarity if they could do me a favor and they managed to make more copies of my new armor. And luckily, in the size most teenage Saiyans wore."

"Ummm, Ms. Gine?" Yona asked looking over hers.

"Yes, Yona?"

"Yona may have small problem." Yona held up her armor in front of her, showing that is was definitely smaller than her full body.

Gine couldn't help but chuckle a bit before waving her hand. "Don't worry Yona. I made sure it was as close to the original armor as possible."

"And that helps her how?" Smolder asked.

"Because," Gine began as she reached for the shoulder straps of her armor and pulled them up a little until her arms were fully extended before releasing the straps to allow them to shoot right back into place with an audible pop. "Saiyan armor is designed to be super flexible and extendable. Remember how I turned into my Great Ape form? It completely expanded to my size."

Yona took in Gine's words before pulling on hers a bit to find it stretched as well. "Oh. Yona sees now."

"Good. Now then, time to get changed." Gine then pointed to two ends that were covered in by the forest. "Boys on the left, girls on the right. I hear any commotion or see anyone try anything "funny", you lose the armor and you lose the right to participate in the class."

The boys and girls tensed a bit before walking off to their respected changing areas. Gine simply sat back down with her legs under her and waited patiently. 

After a few moments, Gallus, Spike, and Sandbar walked out in theirs.

"Wow. I gotta admit, this armor is a lot lighter than it looks," Sandbar said as he moved around in it.

"Yeah. I know what you mean," Spike said as he looked over the gauntlets he wore. "It's no doubt stronger Royal Guard armor, but only a bit of the weight."

Gallus also looked over it but realized it seemed to be designed differently than Gine's due to how different they looked from one another. "Hey, Gine? This armor wasn't made after yours was it?"

"No Gallus, it isn't," Gine said as she smiled a bit at the armor the boys wore. "The armor the girls are going to wear is designed after mine. But yours, Spike's, and Sandbar's... Is based on Bardock's. I asked Twilight and Rarity to design it that way to make it easier to distinguish between the boys and girls and also... In a way, I see it as an honor to Bardock since what I'm about to teach you all is everything I learned from him."

"That is awesome!"

They looked back to see the girls all dressed in the pink Saiyan armor they were provided. Gallus for some reason, couldn't help but keep his eyes on Silverstream as the girls stopped by them. The Saiyan armor suited her fur color and also seemed to fit her perfectly. It also seemed to contrast nicely with her feathers one the tips of her wings as well, causing them to stand out a little more. This caused the griffon to blush a bit.

When Ocellus walked out she seemed a little shy as well. So shy that she didn't notice Sandbar eyeing her as well. Like Gallus did with Silverstream, Sandbar blushed a little at how well the Saiyan armor seemed to suit Ocellus. It contrasted with her blue skin and red, scale-like hair, but it also allowed them to stand out more.

The sight of the two blushing made Gine smile a little at the sight.

Smolder seemed to be tugging at hers a bit with a somewhat annoyed look. "Ugh... I'm okay with how it feels and all but... Did it have to be pink?"

"Sorry Smolder. But it's the best I could do. Who knows, if you do good in my teachings, I may have you get your own colored armor."

Smolder still felt upset with the armor color but let it go as they all then stood side by side as Gine approached them all. She looked them all over before stopping right in front of them.

"Okay. I know you all are a little bummed out that you lost your summer vacation to be here to learn what I can teach you. So to make up for it, I'm going to make sure your time with me is worth it. However, that doesn't mean what I have planned won't challenge you. Some of what I have planned will be difficult and there will be times I'll be hard on you to get you through the tests. And if any of the challenges I give you prove to be more than you can handle, then you're welcome to leave and return to your homelands. Quitting won't be held against you either and if you ever want another chance, you can talk to me when the rest of us return. Also, if you happen to struggle at one point but don't feel like quitting, let me know and I'll see what I can do to help you. I may be your trainer and teacher, but I'm also your friend and I'm here to listen if you need someone to talk to. My job is not only to teach you about ki and how to use it, but I'm also going to teach you how to have full trust in yourselves and each other. Something someone who uses ki needs to have. Understood?"

The group remained silent for a moment before nodding to Gine with a determined look with her returning an equally determined smile. "Alright then grab your packs and we'll get started."

The teens all grabbed their respected packs and circled around Gine. "Okay Ms. Gine, what's the first thing to do?" Ocellus asked.

"For your first test, I'm trusting you all to find us a camping area for us to stay at through the months of your training."

"Wait," Gallus interrupted. "You mean we're not going to go back to the castle when we're done today?"

"No," Gine started, surprising everyone. "Look, I know we didn't tell you this, but for the next three months of your training, you're going to be living out in the camping spot you find. I know it seems a little overkill, but if you're going to learn ki, your body, mind, and senses need to be greatly sharpened. For tonight, Twilight provided enough supplies for you for the first day in those packs, but after that, you'll have to resort to surviving out here only on what this forest provides. Doing so will get you to the point where you'll be ready to learn more advanced stuff," Gine explained seriously.

"You mean like those energy attacks?" Smolder asked.

"And getting stronger?" Yona asked.

"And flying?" Scootaloo asked.

"Yes. The stronger your mind, body, and senses are, the quicker you'll advance to those types of techniques. And to help you feel more comfortable, I'll also give you the same promise as I did your guardians when I discussed this matter with them. I give you my word, I will not let anything happen to you while you're out here. Sound fair."

Once again, the group nodded to Gine after thinking for a moment or two. "Alright then. Like I said, finding a spot to make camp is your first test. I'll follow your lead and keep watch for anything that is considered dangerous. You all get to work and I'll follow when you start moving," Gine said as she ascended a little higher to see what is in the forest areas around them.

"So anyone got a good idea on where we should make camp?" Sandbar asked.

"Well... We need a place that can give us some decent cover from dangerous animals for when Gine isn't around," Gallus said.

"And maybe a place with cover from bad weather," Scootaloo said.

"And a place with stairs!" Silverstream said with her giddy attitude.

Ignoring Silverstream's comment, the group began to think harder until one place managed to come to mind that they all knew of.

"The Castle of the Two Sisters!"

Gine heard the group shout before lowering down a bit. "You have an idea for a spot?"

"We sure do Ms. Gine," Ocellus said.

"Just call me Gine. As I said, I may be your instructor for your training, but I'm also your friend," Gine smiled as she hovered back up. "Lead the way, everyone."

They all nodded and took off running with Huck following on the ground and Gine from the sky. After about an hour, they came up to the abandoned castle where the Young Six was the first to admire the place.

"Man. This sure brings back memories huh guys?" Smolder asked.

"Yeah. Like how determined we were to stick together and stay friends," Ocellus said.

"And now friendship even stronger than before," Yona said.

"What do you think Gine?" Gallus asked. After no response, he looked to see Gine was gone. "Gine?"

They were all startled when out of nowhere, a large pile of fruit fell to the ground right in front of them with Gine soon landing down beside it before she turned to the abandoned castle. "So this is the place huh?"

The students looked to Gine nervously before Spike asked, "It doesn't count as cheating does it?"

"Of course not," Gine said with a chuckle. "It's a part of the forest. By the looks of it, it's strong, fortified, and with this much vegetation around it, there should be a good source of water nearby. I'd say you passed your first test."

This made everyone happy before Gine picked up her pile of fruit. "Now then. Let's get settled in and start a fire. The sun's going to be down soon so we should get it done quickly."

The teens nodded before following Gine.

[A few hours later]

Gine and her students sat in front of a nice, calming fire as they all ate what was provided to them by Twilight from their packs and Gine was finishing off the pile of fruit she gathered for her and Huck, with her hand feeding the last of the fruit to the timberwolf, who happily ate away at it. 

Scootaloo watched in admiration as Gine fed her new pet. "You know Gine, it's still incredible you managed to make Huck your pet. I mean nopony has ever been able to make a timberwolf into a pet before. How do you do it?"

After Huck finished the fruit being fed to him, he laid his head on Gine's lap and began to fall asleep a bit with Gine rubbing his head. "I know it may seem tricky Scootaloo. But if you want the creatures of a wild environment to give you its trust and respect, you have to do the same in return. It's just a matter of which is willing to take that step first. Believe me, I learned that from my first time starting with Bardock and the rest of my old squad. Before I met them all, I began to wonder if trust between Saiyan squads was even possible."

Ocellus bit into some fruit before looking to Gine with a look of curiosity. "You know Gine, that's something I've been wondering about."

"Yes, Ocellus?"

"What... what were Bardock and his squad like all of those years ago?" Ocellus asked as she looked to the fire. "If you don't mind me asking a bit. I just got curious about what your life was like on your old homeworld."

"Yeah," Gallus said as he also became interested. "From what we saw that time we were in Canterlot, Bardock was a really tough guy and I wouldn't mind hearing about what kind of stuff he did before Frieza came along and... Oh. Sorry."

"It's fine Gallus," Gine said with a controlled look on her face. "I've learned to accept what's happened to my home. I'm at peace with it and I don't mind sharing what my old life was like before I came to this world. Ask me anything. I'll answer any questions you have about Planet Vegeta, Bardock, anything."

"What was it like?"

"How tough were most Saiyans?"

"Were there stairs on your world?"

"What kind of things did they do for fun? Break stuff? Fight for competition?"

"How did you and Bardock meet?"

"What was planet ruler like? Was he tougher than yaks to other Saiyans?"

"Did you guys do anything besides eating and train?"

"Did you guys ever run out of food on your world? You know since you all eat so much and train really hard to burn off what you ate?"

"Okay. Okay. One at a time right now. We'll have plenty of time while we're out here to answer all of your questions, but let's not rush right through them," Gine said as she looked at her students. "I think tonight, we'll start with..."

Gine scanned through the group before pointing out to Ocellus. "You Ocellus. Now, what was your question again?"

"If it's not too much of a delicate topic," Ocellus started with slight nervousness as she didn't want to bring up any sore topics. "How exactly did you and Bardock meet each other?"

Gine smiled before chuckling a bit. "Ah. Now there is a story to tell. Bardock and I started out very differently. It's a tale I'm sure you'll all love to hear. It started out with me getting kicked off another squad."

Flashback

Gine sat in the military office of the high commander of the Saiyan military. However, she wasn't in here for a good reason. She had just be kicked off another squad and was facing what a lot of Saiyans considered consequences for her "irresponsible actions".

"This is the fifth squad that you've been removed from Ms. Gine!" The head Saiyan was sitting in front of her with a data pad in his hands. He had the basic male Saiyan armor, with one hip pad on his left side, and had a cape on his left side. "You put the mission in jeopardy! You always seem to lose focus of why you're there!"

"I didn't lose focus Paragus, sir!" Gine said as she looked him dead in the eye. "I was being overrun by multiple inhabitants and I got injured and had to get clear for a moment so I could-."

"How many times do we have to go over this? Those squads you're put on are sent to take out planets no matter what is thrown at them. If you aren't strong enough to take a hit, then they're better off leaving you behind," Paragus said as he crushed the datapad in his hands. "Our squads are built to be strong. If you can't handle a few hits, then you shouldn't be on the battlefield, let alone return to Planet Vegeta."

"But sir-!"

"But nothing Gine!" Paragus shouted, making Gine sit down with a glare to the wall. "You need to learn the Saiyan race is meant for only those who are strong!"

Gine remained silent as Paragus sat down and glared at her. "If it were up to me, I'd have you pulled from our armies and have you cleaning battle pods," Paragus started before rubbing his temples a bit. "However, the Queen believes you should have one more chance. One! So tomorrow, you'll be reassigned to another squad. And this time, if you mess up again, then you'll be stripped of your title as a soldier and your job. Understood?!"

"Yes sir," Gine said with a silent but serious voice.

"Good. Now get out of my sight!" Paragus yelled before slamming his fist onto his desk.

Gine stood up and walked out of the room, growling a little. "I need a drink."

[Planet Vegeta, Local Bar]

("I was frustrated. So I went to my favorite spot to blow off some steam and try to relax.")

Gine sat at the bar's counter with a light drink in her hand. Paragus was right about one thing, no squad respected her. She had a power level barely above 2000. It was what made her seen as one of the weakest soldiers in all of Planet Vegeta. She also had what could be seen as a compassionate side. Did she get involved in the cleansing of planets? Yes. However, unlike most Saiyans, she didn't see the enjoyment of making the victims they kill suffer. She does her best to at least make the deaths she causes quick and painless. Because of this trait, most Saiyans see her as a weakling. And because of her low power level, every squad she had been on had no respect for her. In battles, they'd watch one another but never care about her. She was always left on her own when it came to missions and she felt she never was really a part of a squad. She sipped her drink through a straw while she let her thoughts run through her mind.

'Why is it no other Saiyan can see where I'm coming from?' Gine thought as she stirred her drink with her straw. 'Sure I don't get a kick out of making those we kill suffer. But what's wrong with that. I still do what I'm told to even though I hate it.'

"Penny for your thoughts?"

Gine stopped sipping her drink for a moment to see a male Saiyan approaching her with a drink in his hand. The guy had his armor on with a sleeveless jumpsuit under it with some green pads where the bronze colored pads on the basic Saiyan armor would be. He also had curved spikey hair and  Gine rolled her eyes before looking to the side away from him as he leaned on the counter. "You seem to have some things on your mind. Care to share?"

"Why do you even care?" Gine asked. "It's not like you're really interested."

"True," replied the Saiyan before sipping his drink. "But I need a break from my squad right now and feel like I could use some stories to entertain."

"You're a squad captain? Are you serious?"

"Yeah. What's wrong with that?"

"Great. Just my luck. I hate most squad captains. I know all about how you guys think."

This seemed to catch the man's attention before he looked at her with curiosity. "You hate squad captains? Why? What's your story?"

"What's yours about?" Gine asked as she sipped her drink a bit more causing the man to chuckle a bit.

"Alright, I got an idea on how to make this a bit more interesting," the man said as he put his drink down for a moment before looking at the bartender. "Hey, buddy? A bottle of scotch and two shot glasses."

The bartender nodded before the man looked to her and with a grin. "Alright every time I ask a question, I take a shot. Same goes vice versa for you."

Gine gave it a quick thought before nodding when the bartender left the drink and the glasses with them. The man then poured a drink in both glasses. "Alright. You say you know all about us squad captains. What do you mean by that?" He then picked up one of the glasses and drank it with one gulp.

"I mean that you're all just a bunch of power-obsessed morons who don't give a crap about those who have the weakest power levels on your squad. Like those with just a power level of 2000. Why? You think otherwise?"

"Yeah. Actually, I do," the man said as he filled the glass back up and pushed them both to Gine. "By the way, that counts as two questions."

"Damn it," Gine said with a small chuckle before drinking both glasses before pouring another. "So what do you mean by you think otherwise?" Gine then drank another glass for that question.

"I mean that I believe a bit more what you say," the man said, catching Gine's attention. "We all start with power levels that are low. It's how you work with your squad to work on improving it that counts."

The man's statement caught Gine's attention with him smirking a bit. "What? Yeah, most squad captains think that the team is only as strong as the weakest member, but we all have different ways of fixing that. Some choose to get rid of the weakest member. Others, well they improve on it. Anyways, see ya around," the man said before walking off.

"Where are you going?" Gine asked causing the man to stop.

"I was gonna leave you alone since you said you hate squad captains."

"I said I hated most of them," Gine said with a smile, which the man returned before he walked over to her again and held out his hand. "Bardock."

Gine happily shook his hand before replying, "Gine."

The then talked for a while before Gine felt she should head home before having too much. "Well. It was nice meeting you Bardock. But I should head home before I have too much to drink. Otherwise, I'll have a hangover when I meet the last squad I'll be assigned to."

Bardock laughed a little before nodding to her. "Yeah. Good luck with that."

Gine smiled before exiting the bar and flying off. 'Well... One more shot before I lose my title as soldier.'

[The Next Morning]

("The next day, I was walking with Paragus to meet the last squad I would be joining. And boy was I in for a surprise.")

Gine, wearing a green scouter, was walking through the halls of the Saiyan military base with Paragus leading the way. "Remember, this is your last chance. Mess up and there's no telling what King Vegeta will to do you," Paragus said as he came to a squad hanger with the entrance holding a sign that said "Five-Person Land-Shark Team" in the Saiyan language before knocking. After a moment the door opened and Gine heard a voice, "Yeah Paragus?" 

"That's Commander Paragus, Bardock!"

The moment that name left Paragus' mouth, she looked around him to see it was indeed Bardock, also wearing a green scouter, standing there before he spotted her. He gave a knowing smirk before looking to Paragus again. "This the newbie?"

"Yes. I should warn you though, she has a tendency to cost squads their missions. So I'd advice showing her how the job is done," Paragus said before glaring at Gine again as she walked around to approach Bardock.

"Don't worry about it. We'll get her up to speed," Bardock said as he side glanced to the still shocked Gine. Paragus took one more glare towards Gine before walking off. Gine then looked back to Bardock as he turned around and walked off. "You coming?"

Gine shook off her shock before following after him. "Well. This is unexpected," Gine said as she continued following Bardock.

"Yeah. I heard we were getting a new team member but I didn't expect it to be you," Bardock said as they soon came up arrived at the sight of three more male Saiyans and one female Saiyan, all of them wearing green scouters like Bardock. "Hey, guys! The new meat is here!"

The group then turned to Bardock and then spotted Gine before standing up and walking up to Gine. They looked straight at her which soon made her a bit uncomfortable. "Ummm..." Gine said as she became quiet and shy.

One of the guys, a man larger than Bardock with claw marks on his bald forehead and hair from both sides of his head, approached with his scouter scanning Gine. "Bardock? You can't be serious. Her power is only 2000."

"We'll compensate for it Borgos," Bardock said. "Besides, You started with only a power level of 1000. Remember?"

This caused another one of the men, a man about Bardock's height and size with spiked hair and a small ponytail, began to laugh a bit causing the one called Borgos to glare at him. "You think something's funny Tora?"

The third guy, the fattest of them all with short hair, snicked before saying, "Yeah it is Borgos. Because no matter what's happened you were still the weakest of us all when we first started this squad."

"Oh yeah. How about I show you how weak I am now, Shugesh!"

As the men continued arguing, Gine noticed the female looking to her with a stern expression. "Ummm... Hello?"

"New meat," the female said. "Name's Fasha. Let's get one thing straight. I don't tolerate failure. You mess us up. I bring the pain. Got it?"

Gine nervously nodded a little before their scouters all went off and showed a message. Bardock then slammed his fists together with a smirk. "Alright, guys. We got an assignment. Planet Claw, a world of nothing but savage animals with a good environment to sell. And we're getting paid a bonus since it's a world that's been causing problems for Frieza's other "personal" collections. How's it sound?"

The other Saiyans, besides Gine, all gave us excited and determined looks before flying for the hanger where the battle pods were. Gine was about to head that way until she was stopped by Bardock who looked to her with a serious look. "Hey. I was serious about part of what I told you about yesterday. This squad, unlike most, are trusting and reliable to everyone on it. You look out for us," Bardock said before walking ahead of her. "And we'll look out for you."

Gine watched as he continued to walk on as she let his words sink in. After a few moments of taking it in, Gine gained a look of determination before running off to catch up to him.

[Planet Claw]

("I had my doubts at first, but after we got there and started our mission, I could honestly say those doubts were put to rest.")

The squad had been doing their mission for hours now. The world may have been full of savage animals, but the report failed to mention the creatures did have decent power levels. However, this seemed to excite most of them as they fought off more and more of the creatures. Bardock caught what appeared to be a creature crossed between a tiger and a scorpion with the scorpion's tail and claws while walking on its four tiger legs by the neck before blasting it in the head and throwing it aside. 

Fasha caught another similar creature and quickly snapped its neck before throwing it into more of them charging at her. "This is too easy."

Tora went face to face with a reptilian vulture looking creature before grabbing on of it feet, ripped it off, and drove it through its chest. "I'd say this is a decent challenge Fasha. Though I can't wait to see what these things taste like when we're done."

Shugesh blasted multiple creatures before hearing one roar at him and looked to see what looked like an ape with the head and hind legs of rhino charged at him and brought its fists down on him. He caught the creatures fists and with a small struggle, and small smirk, he opened his mouth and shot a blast from it that went through the creature's chest, taking its life and causing it to fall to the ground, dead. "I'm with you Tora. I'm gonna be starving after this."

"That's because you're a pig Shugesh!" Borgos shouted as he grabbed a lizard creature with hawk wings by the back and then brought it down on his knee, causing a severe SNAP to be heard from it. "By the way, how's the rookie doing?"

With Gine, she was struggling a bit. She was able to catch a reptilian tiger-like creature with a blast through the chest only to have another managed to land a slash to her back that cut through her armor. Before she could fight back, another one pounced on her and began snapping at her with its mouth, only to be held back by her holding its neck. "Get off of me!"

Before the creature could finally reach her face, it was kicked off and blasted by Tora. The male Saiyan then held his hand out to help Gine back to her feet. "Come on rookie. You can do better than that."

Tora then flew back to fight off more of the creatures while Gine processed what had just happened. Sure Bardock said the team looked out for one another, but given her history with past squads, she had believed it was just talk. But now, she could see he was completely serious. She then spotted one tiger/scorpion-like creature was preparing to pounce on Fasha. Gine reacted quickly and shot out to kick it straight through the stomach before landing behind Fasha with the two being back to back. "Not bad, newbie. You do know how to watch another's back, I'll give you that," Fasha said before blasting more. "Hey, Bardock! Can we end this already!? It's night time after all!"

"Good call Fasha. Everyone! Eyes on the moon!" Bardock said as they all looked to the giant moon in the sky. After a few moments, the Saiyans all became Great Apes before glaring down at the creatures below. "Let's get this over with!" Bardock said in his Great Ape voice before firing a beam from his mouth.

[Three Hours Later]

The squad sat on what remained of the creatures of the planet after they were all wiped out by the combined efforts of six Great Apes. With a fire in the center of them all, Gine was holding some meat from some of the creatures over the flames before pulling them away from it and passing it to the others and herself. "Alright. Dig in."

The Saiyans all took their food in hand and bit down. From one bite they all couldn't believe how tasty it was. Sure they all knew how to cook the leftovers of life forms they've slaughtered. But Gine knew how to give it even more flavor.

"Wow. I'll admit one thing Gine. What you lack in fighting, you make up for in cooking," Tora said with a smirk and his ripped and chewed more of the meat.

"I'll say. I've eaten a lot of things, but never anything this good!" Shugesh said and he already finished his first piece and grabbed another.

"I'll admit, not bad, newbie. I'll give credit where credit is due," Fasha said with a serious face.

"Wow. I think that's the first time Fasha gave one of us... Somewhat of a compliment," Borgos said.

"Th... Thanks, guys," Gine said, grateful that the squad seemed to accept her.

"You did decent enough today Gine," Bardock started as he ate his piece. "But be ready for next time. You were easy on today because it was your first mission. But from here on, we're going to be pushing you as hard as we can. And if you wanna stay on the squad, you gotta be ready for it. Understood?"

"Yes... Yes sir!" Gine said with a determined look.

"Good." Bardock then looked to the others with a serious look. "Eat up and get some sleep. We head back for Vegeta in the morning."

The whole squad nodded before continuing with their business.

Flashback Ends

"And that's how I met Bardock and his squad," Gine said as she petted Huck on the as he fell asleep.

"Wow. And I thought dragons were put through tough times," Smolder said, having even more respect for Gine after hearing what she went through during her time as a soldier.

"So what happened next? Huh? Huh? Huh? Huh?" Silverstream asked with excitement.

Gine couldn't help but laugh at Silverstream's attitude. "That's enough for tonight. Let's all get some rest. What I'm going to teach you is going to be a lot how Bardock and the others taught me. So I won't lie, it won't be easy. So you'll need your strength.

The students, Scootaloo, and Spike did seem a little down but did as Gine said. They finished up their food before laying down and closed their eyes as the fire withered out. Gine then laid down herself and looked to the stars as her eyes slowly closed as well. 'I lost my old squad and now... I have a chance to build a new one. Bardock. Tora. Fasha. Shugesh. Borgos. I'll make sure what you taught me lives on through them.'