//------------------------------// // Names // Story: My Little Academia: Friendship is Heroic! // by Fullmetal Pony //------------------------------// Following the post-Festival break, Twilight entered Classroom 1-A with legs no longer in casts, but still bandaged. Her horn was bare, revealing a discolored section that started at its tip and cut a jagged line down to its base. “You’re near your limit, Ms. Sparkle,” Redheart had warned. “Even I can’t fix everything and, even if I could, I wouldn’t if it would encourage the reckless behavior you’ve shown.” Twilight glanced up at her horn while she took her seat. “My parents sent a letter with a clipping from the newspaper in it,” BonBon whispered to Lyra. “Didn’t they know you could get a copy?” Lyra giggled. “I wish we’d gotten a picture,” Aloe sighed. “We’ll have plenty of chances in the future,” Lotus replied. “We’ll kill it in the internships!” “Then prove it!” Sunset’s shout jolted Twilight’s attention from the back to the front of the room. Rarity stood before Sunset in what appeared to be a very convincing imitation of Fluttershy. Like Twilight, Sunset had her legs bandaged up, but her horn was fine. Twilight noticed that her mane was a bit shorter though, as if the ends had been singed off. Rarity inched back in the face of Sunset’s yell, but she took a breath and tightened her jaw. “Very well, after school at the training field.” “Fine,” Sunset snorted. “But there’s no ref this time. You chicken out, and I’ll really show you what will happen if you keep screwing around.” With a curt nod, Rarity trotted over to her seat. Rainbow Dash entered the classroom and the two passed each other. Rarity turned to look back at Dash. “Rainbow Dash, did you do something different getting ready today?” Dash glanced up at her mane and then down at her coat. “Uh, nothing out of the ordinary. Maybe a little tired— I had some family stuff going on over the weekend.” “Strange, you have a different air about you.” Rarity tapped a hoof to her chin before going to her seat. A pensive look stayed on her face. Dash shrugged and slid into her desk. “I think I see what Rarity was talking about.” Tree Hugger popped up near Dash Pinkie-style with her face pressed close to Dash’s reformed cutie mark. “Your aura is way more ha—” Dash shoved Tree Hugger away. “Personal space!” “I’m just glad to see you back in town!” Pinkie giggled from behind Dash. Dash groaned and folded onto her desk. “Oh, that reminds me, I still need to throw you a third-place winner party!” “I do not need this on a Monday,” Dash grumbled. “But we’ve got so much to do today, I ca—” Pinkie was cut off when the door opened and Applejack entered. The classroom fell silent. Nopony said anything and neither did Applejack as she took her seat by Twilight. She bore a few bags under her eyes, but otherwise looked no more tired than Dash. Her cheekbones did appear a bit more pronounced. When Twilight turned to her, Applejack raised up a hoof before Twilight could speak. She faced Twilight, but she made sure she was loud enough for everypony to hear. “Sorry if I worried ya, Twi. Or anypony else for the matter. It was a tough weekend, but thank Celestia, everything will be fine.” “Oh, that’s great to hear,” said Fluttershy. “I—” “Now, you might see some stuff in the papers, but it’s nothing to worry about. That’s just the news getting all puffed up about this ‘Black Griffin’ character.” Applejack flexed her hooves to emphasize her thoughts on the Black Griffin. “Happens all the time when there’s some villain that gets a lucky shot in on a hero. He ain’t gonna last long now that he’s messed with the Apples, that’s for sure.” Applejack crossed her legs over her chest and leaned back in her chair. Twilight blinked. “Well, good to have you back.” Nearby, Derpy leaned over to Spike as he got into his seat. Amidst Applejack’s entrance, he had slipped in with nopony noticing until Derpy spoke up. “Good to see you too, Spike.” “Just glad I made it here in one piece,” Spike sighed. “The press is still hounding me and flying is too conspicuous.” “Well, um…” Derpy reached into her pack and produced a box. With a blush on her face, she hoofed it over to Spike. “Here’s this to get back some energy.” “Thanks.” Spike took the box and opened it up. A muffin studded with gems to form the words Thank You rested inside. Derpy’s blushed deepened. “It… it’s the least I could do.” “But you would do well to save that until lunch.” Tantabus materialized at the front of the classroom. Everyone straightened in their seats. “The break is always an important time in your development: to think over your victory, to reflect on your losses, and to feel the spotlight on you for the first time. The spotlight also ties into today’s two special lessons…” A chill went up everyone’s spines at the mention of special, and two at that. Pop quiz? Twilight thought. Fluttershy shivered. Extra hard training? Hmm, my tail isn’t swirling and my left pupil isn’t dilating. Pinkie reached down to touch behind her hind right knee but it felt the same as the rest of her body. What could it be? When Tantabus produced multiple stacks of sealed envelopes out of his body, Twilight felt her guess was confirmed. “These are Pro Hero Draft Picks. Students that receive these will have the opportunity to intern with the sender during the upcoming internship period. Do not be concerned if you don’t receive a Pick, the School has a formal application process for internships as well. Personally, I would prefer that you go through the application process because it will find an internship best suited for you.” Tantabus directed his gaze away from the stack. “Going through these letters and starting the internship application will be the second part of class. The first will lead into it because there is one thing all students require to intern, the one thing all heroes have…” Pinkie’s eyes, along with a few other students’, widened as the class started to realize what was coming. Twilight shook with excitement. Dash looked ready to take off from her seat. Fluttershy paled. Spike looked over the class and wondered what Tantabus had in mind. “… you’ll be coming up with your hero names.” The class erupted in cheers. Dash actually did leap out of her seat and did a loop. Pinkie set off a party popper. “And I’ll be here to assist!” The classroom door flew open and Cheerilee stepped in, adorned in her hero costume. “Still can’t believe that’s legal,” Rarity muttered. A crack of Cheerilee’s cat-o-nine-tails calmed down the room. Cheerilee strode to the front of the class. “You may have all played around with names in the past, but these are ones that may stick with you for the rest of your careers!” “She is correct,” said Tantabus while he sent out plaques to the class. “We’ll consider the names from both a pragmatic and an appeal angle. We know some of you probably already have names in mind, but there will be a ten-minute wait before anyone can volunteer to share their name. Anyone may go after that. If you cannot think of a name, you may just use your actual name instead, but no family names are allowed. Take time to reflect on what your name will mean to others. What message it will send.” What message it will send, Twilight repeated in her head. “I am Equestria’s protector and its symbol of peace!” Celestia had declared at the WTF. Twilight reflected on Celestia’s words. Other students stared at their plaque like Twilight was. Pinkie was the first to pick up a quill and scribbled something in a corner. Then, she scratched it out and wrote something else before repeating the process. Reaching into her desk, she pulled out some extra sheets of paper. Lyra and BonBon talked with each other, as did Lotus and Aloe. Fluttershy had to take some breaths to steady herself. Dash was second to write something down. Unlike Pinkie, she left it alone after etching in the name. She inhaled deeply and waited. Derpy and Bulk both scrunched their brows and pressed their faces close to their plaques. If Applejack’s plaque were alive, it would have sweated under the intensity of her stare. She pressed her quill hard onto its surface. Only Sunset’s expression could rival Applejack’s. She sat with legs crossed over her chest and bore holes with her eyes into her plaque. Maud blinked a couple of times over the ten minutes and eventually wrote something down. Tree Hugger stared off into space. Nearing the ten-minute mark, Pinkie started shaking. Her eyes bugged out and honed it on the clock as the seconds ticked away. Clenching the plaque, she shook it against her desk. When the second hand finally passed twelve, she bolted to the head of the class. “Phew!” She wiped off some sweat from her brow. “I wasn’t sure how much longer I could hold it!” She held aloft her plaque— it was covered in multiple erase marks but the name she had decided on took up nearly the whole thing. “I wanna be The Perfectly Pink Pony Protagonist That Makes Everypony Smile!” That’s a sentence, not a name, thought the class collectively. “Verbs are usually not a part of a name, Ms. Pie,” said Tantabus. “It’s got a kick to it though.” Cheerilee twirled her cat-o-nine-tails around. “Perhaps shorten it a little, but try to keep all the energy.” Pinkie saluted. “Roger!” While Pinkie skipped back to her desk, Lyra, BonBon, Aloe, and Lotus all stood up at the same time. They eyed the front of the classroom and bolted for it. Lyra morphed a hoof into a foot and leapt forward. She turned around and caught sight of Tantabus restraining the other three and smirked back at them. Then, she crashed into the chalkboard. Lyra slowly slid down the chalkboard and Tantabus shook his head. Cheerilee let out a small giggle. Staggering back onto her hooves, Lyra righted up onto her hindlegs and changed her forehooves into hands to clasp her plaque. “I’m the Human Hero: Head to Feet!” The entire class did not think it, but at least Rarity, Twilight, and Spike thought, Again with verbs? “Hmm, not quite as much of a mouthful and the ‘human’ aspect could potentially confuse villains…” Tantabus nodded. “Does it really have a kick though?” Cheerilee asked. “Wait!” BonBon flailed a hoof around and struggled against Tantabus’s grasp. “It’s supposed to work in tandem with mine!” Aloe stopped squirming in Tantabus’s grasp and sighed, “That’s what we have in mind too, so we’ll cede the next turn to you.” “But we call dibs afterwards!” Lotus shouted. Cheerilee grinned. “Interesting. Well, let’s see what you’ve got!” Lyra walked to her seat. A few students felt a little queasy seeing the ends of her “feet” twitch. The ends weren’t quite talons or paws, but not quite the same as fingers species like minotaurs had. They were these blocky stubby things. The class had gotten used to her hands, but the feet were a new addition. BonBon made her way up to the chalkboard and placed her plaque at the bottom of it and read it to the class. “Sticky Sweet!” “From my head to my feet!” Lyra cheered. “Yeah!” “I… see,” said Tantabus. “I like it!” Cheerilee gave her cat a thwap. “Who’s next?” BonBon and Lyra knocked their forehooves together. Up front, Aloe held up her plaque. “I’m Soothy!” Next was Lotus. “I’m Softy!” “Simple and acceptable,” Tantabus commented. “And alliterative!” Cheerilee added. She peered at the rest of the class. “Now, what have we got?” Tree Hugger raised a leg. “Can I go next, Teach?” “How many times must I remind you it’s ‘Professor,’ Ms. Hugger?” Tantabus shook his head. “But yes, you may go.” “Right on, te— I mean, Professor.” Tree Hugger slid to the front of the class and presented her plaque. It was a bunch of squiggles. “Ms. Hugger,” Tantabus sighed, “we are doing names not designs we want to incorporate into our costumes.” “Oh no, no, no.” Tree Hugger drew a hoof diagonally from the top left to the bottom right of her plaque and then backwards from right to left. “See, I was meditating on a name and it came to me as a vision. This is the closest I could come to putting it into words… I think it would read something like Danse Vie.” Rarity raised an eyebrow. “You speak classic griffon?” “Speak what?” Rarity sighed, “Oh, never mind, but it is a nice name.” “Indeed, it has a smoothness to it that suits your… mellow attitude,” said Cheerilee. Tantabus took a seat and pressed her forehooves together. “I have lived many years and you and Ms. Pie continue to find new ways to vex me. I dare not prod any further than that.” “Thanks, teach!” A glare from Tantabus made Tree Hugger sweat a little. “Uh, I should get back to my desk.” Derpy grinned and stood up. “Me next please!” Tantabus massaged his forehead. “Very well.” “I’m the Bubble Hero!” Derpy announced. “Call me DerBub!” “Aw, I thought I was being creative with only using part of my name!” Bulk moaned. As Derpy returned to her seat, Bulk skulked up to the front of the class. He sighed, “I’m Bulkdozer” “Oh, don’t be discouraged,” said Cheerilee. “Lots of heroes incorporate part of their actual name into their hero name.” Pinkie shot up just as Bulk slumped into his seat and shouted, “The Prodigiously Pink Partier that… that…” Her words trailed off and she plopped back into her seat, mumbling to herself. “Give it time,” said Tantabus. Cheerilee scanned over the class, but no one got up. When she turned back to the head of the class, Maud was right beside her. She jumped back and was poised to strike with her cat. Maud blinked. “I’d like to go now.” Cheerilee lowered her cat. “O-okay.” Maud held up her plaque. “I chose Obsidian. It’s an igneous amorphous rock that often has a dark color to it due to its natural formation and the nanoinclusion of magnetite. Its creation and hue fit well with my Talent.” “Riiiiigggghhhhttt,” said Cheerilee. “Well, it does have a nice ring to it.” Tantabus nodded. “Agreed.” Applejack and Rainbow Dash stood up at the same time. Neither said anything, but Dash ceded the front of the class to Applejack. Applejack marched forward. The only sound in the room was her hooves clacking against the tiled floor. Even Pinkie stopped working on a name. Applejack placed her plaque on the board. “This is a name passed down by the heroes of the Apple family for generations: I’m Red Apple.” “The first Red Apple is credited as a key savior of Equestria after the first Hearth’s Warming,” Tantabus remarked. “There have been many Red Apples since, all of whom accomplished great feats. That’s not a name to be taken lightly, Ms. Applejack.” Applejack turned to Tantabus and met the intensity he was radiating with her own piercing gaze. “I understand. I talked it over with my family. It’s time for Red Apple to fight for justice once more.”  Cheerilee grinned. “I like the dedication!” Dash took center stage. “I’m Blitz because I will blitz villains before they even think of hurting anyone. Plus…” Dash glanced at Twilight and Fluttershy. “… it’ll give time for other heroes I’m working with to set up a plan.” “That’s quite thoughtful of you, Ms. Dash,” said Tantabus. “I might have discouraged that name a week ago, but it appears you reflected well on what it means.” Cheerilee swung her cat. “And it suits your fighting style too!” Pinkie sucked in her breath and jolted upright. Everyone looked at her. She then collapsed back in her seat. She murmured, “Never mind.” “Well…” Rarity stood. “I suppose it’s my time in the spotlight now.” In front of the class, she floated up her plaque so all could see. “I’m the Radiant Hero: Brilliant Cut!” “Oh-ho,” Cheerilee mused. “Could that be a homage to the Fashion Hero: Briolette Cut?” “Indeed,” Rarity grinned. “I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do with my Talent until I saw her taking Equestria by storm both on the runway and in the Hero Rankings.” “Like Ms. Applejack, that will come with some pressure,” Tantabus cautioned. Rarity tossed back her mane. “How else are diamonds formed, Professor?” Spike gained a slight blush from Rarity’s perfect delivery. As Rarity sashayed back to her seat, Cheerilee eyed the five remaining students. Fluttershy inched out of her seat but then slid back in. She shook a little. Pinkie continued muttering to herself, scratching something out on sheets of paper, and crumpling them before moving onto the next sheet. Sunset glared at her still-blank plaque. Spike had a few pieces of scratch paper lying around like Pinkie, but he kept his eyes on Twilight. Twilight took a breath and got up. She could feel everyone’s eyes on her. Sweat dotted her forehead but she moved closer and closer to the front. Remembering Celestia’s words, she tried to smile but it came out in a shaky way that was now practically unique to her. Her plaque floated at her side, hidden from the class. “I…” she started. “I am Equestria’s protector and its symbol of peace!” Celestia had declared at the WTF. And I’m her successor, Twilight thought. So… Multiple flares of color flitted through her eyes and her cutie mark gained a slight glow. “I am the Hero of Friendship: Guiding Star! I will be a Hero that guides those in need through whatever trouble comes their way!” “Hmm, a ‘star’ name, then?” asked Tantabus. “You take that up, knowing its history?” A few students raised their eyebrows. The colors in Twilight’s eyes and the glow around her mark were replaced with a blush on her cheeks. “W-well, I thought back to how I looked at the WTF and the Sports Festival and it seemed like a good fit… I just…” “It is fine, Twilight Sparkle,” said Tantabus. “And your initial declaration was most encouraging.” “I like your reasoning!” said Cheerilee. “Th-thank you.” Twilight, half-giddy, and half-ready to lose her breakfast shuffled back to her seat. Along the way, Sunset with her eyes still on her plaque, grumbled, “Fake.” Spike, also being along the way, asked, “What was that about?” Twilight let out a wobbly chuckle. “It kinda sorta might be used by Heroes that have had a close association with Princess Celestia.” “Got it.” Spike nodded and turned back to his own plaque. He finally put his quill to it. While Spike continued to write out a name, Fluttershy managed to get out of her seat. Her breathing calmed when she laid eyes on Twilight. Twilight smiled back at her, as did Dash, Pinkie, and Rarity. She whispered to herself, “Okay, I can do this…” She held up her plaque. “I’m the Animal Hero: Mundi.” She winced, expecting a backlash, but instead, Tantabus remarked, “Ah, Ancient Equestrian, I was wondering if we’d get one this year.” “I think I took Yak instead,” said Cheerilee. “What does it mean?” “A concept of the world being linked together,” Tantabus answered before looking at Fluttershy. “I assume, given your Talent, it relates to how you connect with animals?” “Yes, but it’s more than that.” Fluttershy looked straight at Twilight. “I want to be a hero that connects to those in need and extends a helping hoof.” Cheerilee thwacked her cat, making Fluttershy jump. “Good. Very good!” It was Spike’s turn next. He pressed his plaque close to his chest to hide it from the class. “Twilight is my partner, so I wanted something that complimented it… probably should have talked to her while we were working on them, but she seemed so focused. I’m also the first dragon student here, so I need to be a guide too while burning hot like Twilight’s star.” He flipped the plaque around. “I’m the Trailblazing Hero: Blaze!" “Tch.” A little smoke rose from Sunset’s quill. But, with his, Twilight’s, and Fluttershy’s declarations, she resolved to write something down. Pinkie sprung up once more. “Ah-ha! Yes, that’ll work.” Rather than walking between the desks, Pinkie flipped through the air through the front of her class. Maud wrote an eight on the back of her plaque and held it up. Pinkie looked at her. “The landing?” “The landing,” Maud answered. “Anyway,” said Pinkie. “This was super-duper extra hard, but I finally realized all my names kept using pink, so I’ll be Pinky!” Everyone peered at the plaque noting the slight variation in the name. Pinkie grinned ear to ear. “No one will ever guess that the Hero Pinky is actually Pinkie Pie! Plus, if I didn’t go for this one, I’m sure somepony would have said something.” What would we have said? the class thought collectively. “Given the unpredictability of your Talent and your personality, I find it acceptable,” said Tantabus. “I agree.” Cheerilee tapped the hilt of her cat to her chin. “I can’t quite put my hoof on it, but it just works.” “Yippee!” Pinkie cartwheeled back to her seat. The room grew silent. If Sunset noticed the others staring at her, it did not show on her face with her eyes still concentrated on her plaque. She got up out of her seat and marched to the front of the class. Her board only displayed half of her name. “I’m still working on it. For now, just go with Sunset.” “That is fine as well,” said Tantabus. “As I said, the time immediately after the Sports Festival is a major turning point in your education. What may have passed before is no longer up to snuff. Regardless, I hope you all take these names to heart and what they will mean for you and the rest of Equestria.” “Yes, sir!” everyone said together. “Ah, I love it.” Cheerilee grinned and shivered. Her next words were a whisper to herself. “I can’t wait to see how far they’ve come by semester’s end.” After Cheerilee left, Tantabus settled into his seat. Everyone could sense his attention on the letters and their eyes were drawn to the stacks as well. “Now that we have names settled, it’s time to discuss internships. Your homework will be looking over letters you’ve received and starting appropriate responses or filing out applications.” Tantabus lifted the stacks with his magic and divvied them out. Large stacks went to Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy. Both wore expressions of surprise and Fluttershy wore a bit of anxiety as well. Dash honed in on the one marked with the seal of Shadowbolt’s Agency. Moderate stacks went to Rarity, Applejack, Pinkie, and Maud. Only a few went to Tree Hugger, Bulk, Lyra, and BonBon, and Sunset. One letter that caught Sunset’s attention had a seal consisting of a heart and a piece of bread broken in half. Lotus and Aloe received none and frowned. Derpy, Spike, and Twilight received only one each. Derpy’s had a seal with an hourglass on it. Spike’s was sealed with a wax wreath of flames around a claw imprint. Twilight’s bore a seal in the shape of a pale moon. The craters on it formed the rough silhouette of a unicorn mare’s side profile. Turning it around, Twilight squinted at the name and tried to recall if she had ever seen if before. It was an impressive name, but she had never heard of the agency. Princess Luna had said she would reach out through the internship program but Twilight wondered why she had gone out of the way to set it up like this and why something about the name scratched the back of her mind: The Nightmare Moon Agency.