Spring 2021- Exotic Horizons
The girls were sitting around the Wondercolt Statue, each on their laptop as they looked at the class schedule for junior year. They all had to consider the requirements to graduate. Most of what they were choosing were their top choice for electives and the school would finalize the schedule.
"You know," Rarity said. "I have been thinking about the fliers we got, about the exchange program. Some culture would be nice. To get out of the city and expand our horizons. We could all go to Japan for the fall semester if we took Japanese as our language. Junior year is when they suggest we start taking our language requirements. We all could take Japanese together."
"That sounds like a great idea y'all," Applejack replied. "I ain’t feelin French or Spanish, so might as well be Japanese."
"I already took Japanese one-o-one," Pinkie Pie said. "I need to take one-o-two this semester. I couldn't join your class, but I could do the exchange program. Japan sounds like fun. Their candy is fun and you know how much I love fun candy."
“You love any candy,” Rainbow Dash retorted.
“Not any candy,” Pinkie argued back. “Brazil eats Halls cough drops as candy, although they do have better flavors, and Mexico has some candy that is spicy.”
“How does that differ from the atomic fireballs you suck down?” Applejack asked.
“That is cinnamon, not chamoy which is mango with salt, water, vinegar, chili, and sugar,” Pinkie explained. “There is a big difference between the balance of a sweet cinnamony hot candy and chili pepper candy. If I want to eat a pepper, I’ll eat a pepper. If I want chocolate, I’ll eat chocolate. If I want sugar, give me some rock candy. Just keep the vegetables out of my candy.”
"I'm with Pinkie Pie," Sunset said. "I just passed Japanese one-o-one with an A. I'm set up to take one-o-two, hopefully fourth period."
"I put in for fourth period too!" Pinkie Pie exclaimed. "That means we can take it together!"
Sunset rolled her eyes. "Pinkie, there are only two one-o-two classes. First period and fourth period. I am not doing a second language in first period."
"I wish I could do study hall in first period," Dash added. "Then I could catch some Zs."
"Okay, so Sunset and Pinkie take one-o-two, the rest of us can take one-o-one together," Rarity said. "What period?"
"Um, I can't take it with you," Fluttershy quietly said.
"What period, Darling?" Rarity asked. "I couldn't hear you. Can you speak up please?"
"Um, I said I can't take Japanese with you."
"Why not, Sugarcube?" AJ asked.
"Because I am taking Japanese one-o-three in second period," Fluttershy quietly explained.
"Wait!" Sunset exclaimed, trying to see Fluttershy. She was on the other side of the statue and there was no way for Sunset to see her. "You started Japanese in your freshman year?"
"Mhm," Fluttershy nodded. "I don't even need to take one-o-three, but I want to. I am absolutely fine with doing the exchange program though. Going to Japan sounds like fun."
"Come to think of it, I don't know if I have ever been in a class with you," Rarity stated. "Where do you lurk all day?"
"In class, where I am supposed to be," Fluttershy replied, confused. "And I don't lurk. But we have never had a class together."
"Funny, I'm not sure I've ever had a class with you either," AJ said.
"I had math with her this year," Dash said. "But that is the only class I have had with Fluttershy."
Pinkie began to laugh. "You need your own TV show. The Secret Life of Fluttershy at CHS."
"Um, no thank you," Fluttershy replied. "I don’t want cameras following me around. Math with Dash is the only class I have ever had with any of you. CHS is a large high school."
"I could have sworn I had a class with you," Sunset said. "But I guess not. We see each other all the time at school, I'm usually focused on class in class. But you study the same stuff with us."
"Mhm, but I don't have class the same period as you guys do," Fluttershy explained. “There are about a hundred and fifty students in each grade. Fitting all of them into eight periods with the faculty CHS has can be a challenge, particularly with the language arts classes each grade must take. Some teachers exclusively teach Writing one-o-one, while others teach both writing classes and some of the literature classes. The same for the math classes. My schedule has been different for each of you because I chose to take Japanese as a freshman, leaving the art electives for the end of high school.”
“So, the six of us are signing up for our respective Japanese classes then?” Rarity asked before hitting enter on her schedule.
“Yes,” Fluttershy said.
“YES!” Pinkie Pie yelled.
“Yep,” AJ said.
“Of course we have to,” Dash added. “Yes!”
“Absolutely,” Sunset said. “Let’s go to Japan.”
“Well, first you all have to take one-o-one and pass with an A,” Fluttershy said. “Then we all have to get accepted into the program. It is a senior year program for a reason, but that is why they gave us the fliers now, so we can plan accordingly and get accepted. I can help you all study, um, if that's alright with all of you.”
“Just hit enter and we will sort it out later!” Dash exclaimed as she smashed her own button.
Everyone else submitted their schedules, putting them on the first step to going to Japan for a foreign exchange program.
Fall 2021- Twilight of a New Era
Twilight sat in the booth of Sugarcube Corner with her new friends. It was intimidating having all of them there, despite the various conversations. Six friends were more than Twilight’s none. It was a shock. Fluttershy was petting spike, Pinkie Pie was posting on social media, Applejack and Rainbow Dash were having a thumb wrestling match for the extra cookie, they had been prevented from doing an arm-wrestling match for it because they didn’t need to be slamming the table with everyone’s drinks and such on it. Rarity was sketching style ideas for Twilight to wear instead of her old Crystal Prep uniform.
Earlier that day, the final day of the friendship games had happened. She had unleashed the magic, turned into a monster, and caused havoc. All in the pursuit of knowledge and then acceptance. These girls accepted her anyway, which is why she transferred to CHS, to be with her friends. To be normal. That decisions came with needing to solidify her school schedule in the next two hours so that she could start on Monday. All she needed to choose were two electives. She wanted to choose something with her new friends in it.
“We all have varied schedules,” Sunset said. “However, we all are taking Japanese for our language credits. CHS has a foreign exchange program for seniors. You need to pass Japanese one-o-one with an A, plus some other things to get accepted, but the first step is making sure you know the language enough to handle living in a foreign country.”
“I already have my language credits covered,” Twilight explained. “I’m fluent in Latin.”
“Yeah, but you still have free slots,” Sunset replied. “You have the minimum covered, but that doesn’t mean you can’t take another language, so long as you have all of the minimum requirements covered. If you learn two languages instead, is that a problem, academically or personally?”
“Well…” Twilight said, stalling as she thought. “No, it isn’t technically a problem. It just lacks efficiency.”
“Is there something else you would rather be doing with that class time?” Rarity asked as she grabbed her backpack. “Here I still have one of the fliers in my backpack.”
“This has a dress half sketched on the back of it,” Twilight said as she took it.
“Oh, that is where that sketch went,” Rarity laughed. “If you could just not get it dirty, or set it on the table, I kind of need that back for the design.”
“Sure,” Twilight said, quickly reading the flier. The bottom right had the information she needed, the exact requirements for getting into to the program. “A foreign exchange program is an interesting idea. Crystal Prep didn’t do that sort of thing, but parents pay to have their kids in Crystal Prep. The school wants them in class to make their money, not in a foreign classroom. Having this program on my college applications would be great. It could also be fun and I admit, it is a unique experience that is once in a lifetime.”
“I know there is at least one open seat in our class,” Rarity said. “Third period, Japanese one-o-one. I’m sure you won’t have a problem catching up.”
“I do want to take what classes I can with you all,” Twilight said as she entered the class into the online form.
“Oh, Pinkie and I are in Japanese one-o-two, fourth period,” Sunset clarified. “And Fluttershy is in Japanese one-o-three during second period. Pinkie, Fluttershy, and I just happened to be taking Japanese before we decided to all try for the foreign exchange program.”
“So, are you joining us?” Dash asked.
“Yes,” Twilight nodded. “Let’s all go to Japan for a semester!”
As I am merging the two timelines, I have to 1: establish a locked in orientation of the canon events that are vaguely oriented in the EQG Universe. 2: Mesh it with Sword Art Online’s canon timeline. The main story will utilize Aincrad’s junishi calendar, but I am going to orient the years for the precursor events to SAO’s dating years.
Pink are canon EQG events
Yellow are important events in the girl’s lives.
1995-1996
1999-2000
2001-2005
2005-2006
2006
2007
2008
2009
2010
2016
2018
2019
2020
2021
2022
EQG events that have not happened in this timeline:
Saved for senior year after they get back, except alt-U.
Junishi Calendar - Canon SAO months are in Orange.