1:29 PM: Canterlot High: Cafeteria
"So, you've won at least 10 game tournaments, huh?" Rainbow said with a suspicious tone. "What tournaments were they?"
Eclipse thought for a second, "Mostly League of Legends and World of Warcraft. With at least one Elder Scrolls Online tournament. It's mostly WoW that I've been specializing in, tournament wise, but I'm getting more into ESO tournaments since WoW's popularity has been going downhill."
Arrow nodded, "Yeah, I saw all of your WoW tournaments, it's almost like you controlled the whole battlefield with those spells."
"Well according to Arrow over here, you must be freaking amazing at that game." Fang said as he took a drink of water.
"I wouldn't go that far. I've been beaten before by more skilled players. I've only won a little more than I loss." Eclipse said while looking at his tray. "Besides, I hate boasting. It gives a bad first impression."
"No offence," Rainbow said before drinking some water, "but Crystal Prep students already made a bad impression here."
"Hey, they are getting better," Mise spoke up, "it's just those few who're too stubborn for their own good."
"And those stubborn few just so happen to be some upper class-men like Ledger." Eclipse spoke with anger in his tone, before pulling out his 3DS and playing it.
"What game are you playing now?" Arrow said as he tried to get a better look. "Is it Pokemon X or Y?"
Eclipse shakes his head, "No, I've already beaten that game twice and completed the national Pokedex. I'm playing Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate."
"Isn't that the game where you hunt monsters with really oversized weapons?" Pinkie spoke up, getting Eclipse to nod. "I heard it's a fun game."
"You heard right," Eclipse said as he hunted a monster, "And before anyone says anything, it's not a hack and slash game."
"But, how do you fight the monsters then?" Treble spoke, slightly confused.
"Simple," Eclipse said as he finished hunting a bunch of small monsters. "You wait for an opening and exploit it." Soon, the group all broke off to their own conversations, leaving Eclipse to play his game for a while longer. However, as he played, one question kept popping up in his head, Is he here? And if he is, how can I avoid him?
Suddenly, his thoughts were interrupted when Midnight tapped his shoulder, "Hey, are you alright?"
"H-huh? O-oh yeah, I'm fine." Eclipse stuttered as he put his DS away. "I guess I was just lost in thought." He got his bag ready and started to head to the hallway with Midnight. "So, what class are you going to?"
Midnight took a second to look at her schedule, "Mr. Doodle for History. Room....213."
Eclipse looked at his schedule, "Hmm, it seems we share the last class together. Let's head onto class before we get into any trouble."
Midnight nods as she walks up the stairs and down the hall with Eclipse, "Good idea. I'd hate to be late for class on my first day. I just hope Mr. Doodle will give us enough free time to finish my book."
"I'm sure he will. Our first day shouldn't be too hard."
2:59 PM: Canterlot High: Room 213
"And I want your reports by next Wednesday." Mr. Doodle said as he passed some papers to the students.
"And I spoke too soon." Eclipse muttered as he took his paper. *sighs* Perfect, another report about a time period with horrible dictators. He thought as he turned towards Midnight, "So, which dictator did you choose? I got Kim Jung Il."
Midnight looked at Eclipse and said, "I have Joseph Stalin." I sure hope I can stay in the library after school hours. I'll need every chance I can get to study up on this.
"Sounds like fun." Eclipse replied with sarcasm in his tone. When the final bell rang, everyone got up and went down the hall, ready to go home. "I don't know about you, but I think I'll go to the Sugarcube Corner to get a snack. It's just a short walk from the school."
"Mind if I join you?" Midnight asked.
Eclipse gives a small nod, "Sure. It's the best place in town for anything and everything sweet." He licks his lips a little, "You've gotta try Pinkie's cupcakes, they're the best."
Midnight giggles softly, "Then I guess I'll go with you. Maybe I can make a few friends there."
Eclipse nods, "Sounds like a plan to me. Mom will meet us there to drive us home with Cynder. After that, I need to play some Elder Scrolls Online."
As they walked towards the front doors, they noticed what looked like the football team heading their way, each carrying drinks in their hands. The only one Eclipse was able to recognize was Butch, who was leading the group, by the looks of it. As they passed by each other, Butch ran into Eclipse, spilling his drink all over his jersey, causing him to get pretty mad. “Hey, runt! Look what you made me do to my jersey!” He shouted as he grabbed Eclipse by the neck, pinning him to the wall. He struggled to get away from his attacker's grip, but soon locked eyes with him, making him stop. “Y-you….”
Butch got a twisted smirk as he recognized him, “Well, well, well. If it isn’t my old pal, Eclipse. It’s been awhile since I last saw you.” He loosened his grip a little, before slamming him on the ground. “I’ve been waiting for the chance to get my revenge on you for stealing my only chance at getting adopted.”
Midnight started running towards the front doors, hoping to get someone to hear her. “Eclipse needs help!” She screamed as she opened the doors. Luna’s eyes shot open as she made her way inside, getting to Midnight. “Where is he?!”
“He’s in the hallway. The football team passed us, causing him to bump into one of them.” Luna nodded as she made her way down the hall, seeing Eclipse on the ground with Butch towering over him. “Butch Cassidy, let him go this instant!”
Upon hearing Luna shouting, Butch stopped, letting Eclipse go, but not before shoving him into some lockers. “This isn’t over, runt. Next time we cross paths, no one’ll save you.” Whispering in his ear as he started walking away with the rest of the team.
After Butch got out of sight, Luna made her way to her son. “Eclipse? Are you alright?”
He gasped for air for a second before nodding, “Y-yeah. I think so.” He reached up and held Luna’s hand to get up. “This is exactly why I didn’t want to come here, Mom. I knew he’d show up.”
Before Luna could respond, Mise, Octavia, Fang, and Arrow all showed up next to them. “We heard some commotion coming from here, what the heck happened?” Octavia said as Mise saw Eclipse and spoke up, “Dude, you okay? And what’s with the red mark on your neck?” Mise asked with concern.
Eclipse felt around his neck before speaking, “Don’t worry about it, it’s nothing.” He said as Arrow gave a concerned look, “That sure as hell doesn’t look like nothing. Come on, what happened?”
All Eclipse could do was glare at Arrow and spoke in a calm, almost menacing tone, “I said I’m fine, Arrow. There’s no need to meddle in my affairs.” He picked up his bags, and made his way out the door.
Midnight looked at Mise, “What was that all about? Do you have any idea why he wouldn’t tell you guys?”
Mise shrugged a little, “I don’t know exactly, but my guess is it's something he doesn’t want people interfering with, almost like a very personal matter.” Mise said as he made some mental notes.
Luna decided to speak up, “That does make sense. Especially considering who it was that attacked him.” She turns to the group. “He should be on his way to Sugarcube Corner by now. Try and get him to talk about it if you can. It’s not safe for him to bottle this up. No matter how much he wants to deny it, he’ll need help.”
Fang smiled and pumped his fist, “Don’t worry, Vice Principal Luna. We’ll help him deal with this whole thing, right Mise?” He said as Mise nodded. “Absolutely, he’s our friend and friends help friends, regardless of their willingness to accept it.” Mise said.
3:14 PM: Sugarcube Corner
Midnight walked with Mise and Octavia to the SugarCube Corner, trying to look for Eclipse. “I wonder where he’ll be in here.”
Octavia started looking around, “He’s probably in one of the corners, trying to stay out of view.” Before long, Pinkie showed up next to them “Hey guys! What’cha doing?” Pinkie said loudly, making the group jump,
“Jesus Pinkie! What have I told you about doing that?” Octavia said clutching her chest.
After getting through the initial shock, Midnight said, “Pinkie, we’re trying to find Eclipse. He was attacked by one of the football players before leaving the school, but he refuses to tell us anything. We really need to get him to talk.”
Pinkie nodded, “Sure thing, he’s over there in the booth, but he’s in a really dark looking mood, so be careful.” Pinkie said warily.
Midnight nods, “Don’t worry, we will.” She says as she makes her way to the booth before Octavia stopped her. “Are you sure about this? Maybe we should just let him cool down a bit, he doesn’t seem like someone to pressure into things.” Octavia said with some concern, gently placing her hand on Midnight’s shoulder.
Midnight smiles, “Don’t worry, if things get too hot, we’ll back off, OK?” She says as she accidentally puts her hand on Octavia’s, making her blush a little. Shortly afterwards, Arrow and Aria decided to show up, “Hey, girls? Don’t go making out in front of everyone.” Aria said with a sly grin, causing them both to blush deeply.
“W-we were not about to make out.” Midnight said keeping her blush as Octavia nodded “Yeah, we have more pressing matters to attend to.” Octavia said with her blush still on full display.
Mise saw this and chuckled softly “I ship it, but they have a point, we need to get to Eclipse.” Mise said.
Aria crossed her arms, “Yeah, Arrow told me something happened to him after school, but he didn’t tell me anything else. I guess that would explain why he looked pretty mad when he got here.” She said as he pointed towards Eclipse, who was playing his 3DS.
Midnight nodded, “Yeah. That’s what we’re trying to figure out. Maybe you can help us,”
Aria shrugs, “I guess I could help out, but I won’t expect anything good. He seemed pretty pissed.”
“Well we’re not going to get anything done by standing here, so let’s take a shot in the dark anyway, he’s still our friend.” Mise said as he calmly started walking towards Eclipse while Octavia looked at Mise and back at the group, then following close behind him.
As they walked towards him, he paused him game and turned towards the group, “I thought I told you guys not to meddle in my affairs. I can handle this myself, no need for you to step in.”
Midnight just shook her head, “That’s not what I saw when that man attacked you. I’m pretty sure I saw fear in your eyes.”
He cursed under his breath, “That doesn’t concern you. Yes, I feared the time I’d see him again, but that means nothing.”
“Okay, assuming we let you handle this yourself, how do you plan on doing that? This guy is Azog and you’re Gimli, I’m not doubting your fighting skills but he can easily kill you if he so desired.” Mise said
Eclipse looked down for a second, As much as I hate to admit it, but he’s right. Butch is the star football player of Canterlot High after all. “I’m not sure how I can beat him, but I’ll find a way. There’s a lot more on the line than you may know.”
“Then let us help you.” Midnight said as she got closer to him. “We want to help you with this, Eclipse. Don’t do something stupid and face him alone.”
Eclipse just sat there, looking down, contemplating his thoughts, until Mise spoke up, “We can help you, Eclipse. All you need to do is trust us.” Soon, Mise, Octavia, Midnight, Aria, and Arrow all sat down at the booth with Eclipse.
Once everyone was seated, Eclipse turned to them, “Alright, I guess it won’t hurt to tell you what happened.” He said as he closed his DS, “But first, I say we get something to eat. No good talking on an empty stomach.”
Pinkie suddenly popped up next to the table, “What can I get’cha?” She said before anyone even had the chance to look at the menus. Mise looked up at Pinkie, “I’ll just have a coffee with extra sugar, what do you guys want?” Mise asked as Pinkie jotted down the order.
Midnight looked up, “Do you guys have pancakes?” Midnight asked as Pinkie nodded “Yuppers! Plain, chocolate chip, or blueberry?” Pinkie asked.
“Definitely chocolate.” Midnight said almost immediately. Eclipse spoke next, “I think I’ll go with some blueberry pancakes with a glass of Coke, please.”
“I’ll have a poppy muffin and some earl grey tea.” Octavia asked.
`”And I’ll take one of everything.” Arrow said with a smile on his face.
“I’ll just get a chocolate mocha.” Aria said as she started shaking her head, “Arrow, sometimes you worry me with that appetite of yours.”
Pinkie finished taking down the group’s orders as she tucked he notepad back in her hair, “Okie, dokie, lokie, I’ll back with your orders shortly.” She said bouncing off to the kitchen.
Octavia put her menu down as she looked at Eclipse, “Okay, now explain to us what’s going on and what happened earlier.” Octava said.
Eclipse nodded and puts his menu down, “Alright. After class ended for us, me and Midnight walked down towards the main doors. As we walked, the football team passed us, one bumped into me and spilled his drink all over his jersey.”
Midnight nods, “But that’s only the beginning. The one who attacked you seem to know you. Who was he?” Midnight said with a slightly worried look.
Eclipse lowered his head, “It was Butch Cassidy.”
Pinkie stared, making her way back to the table with a tray of drinks and snacks, “Sorry I took so long, we’re kind of busy right now.” Pinkie said as she passed out the group’s orders.
Once everyone got their orders, they all took a drink before Arrow decided to speak up, “You said Butch Cassidy, right? Isn’t he a really good football player at our school?”
Pinkie’s ears perked up at this, “Yeah! He’s the star football player at Canterlot High and was adopted from the same orphanage as Eclipse. I’m guessing that’s where their rivalry started, anyway gotta get back to the kitchen, see ya!” Pinkie said as she skipped back to the kitchen.
Eclipse just looked confused, “How the hell did she know that we went to the same orphanage?”
Aria simply said, “It’s Pinkie Pie, don’t question it.”
“Still, it doesn’t make any sense for her to know that. The only ones who’re supposed to know that are me, Butch, and Mom.”
“Just don’t ask too many questions,” Arrow said as he took a bite from his food, “It’s easier to just accept it when it comes to Pinkie Pie.”
Eclipse just sighed as he accepted it and began to eat. They ate in silence for a while before everyone finished up and Arrow tried to start a conversation, "Hey, Eclipse. Did you hear about that player on ESO who's killing other players for no reason?"
Eclipse nods, "Yeah. I've heard of him. He behaves similarly to "The Evil One" who nearly destroyed WoW a few years ago. From what I heard, it took 4 kids from a little town called South Park in Colorado to defeat him."
"I just hope he gets stopped before he causes too much damage. I'd really like to start getting into ESO." Eclipse smiled as Arrow kept eating. If I ever do encounter that player, I might need Arrow's help.
A couple minutes passed and Cynder got to the booth Eclipse was sitting at, "Bubba, Mom's here to pick us up."
Eclipse nods and gets up, leaving some money on the table, "Well, I guess I gotta go. Wanna come with us, Midnight?" He asked, which was followed by her nodding and getting up, "Then let's go. Thanks for the talk, guys." He finished as he followed Cynder to Luna's car, where she was waiting for them.
"Hey, Eclipse. You seem to be in a much better mood." Luna said as she turned the car on.
Eclipse smiled as he got in the car, "You could say that, Mom. Just had a talk with a few new friends." He said, causing Midnight to smile. "Let's drop her off so I can play some ESO. There's a tournament coming in a couple weeks I need to prepare for."
Luna chuckles as she starts driving home, "I'm surprised that you're getting so into ESO. You used to be so big on WoW."
Eclipse and Cynder got their 3DS's out as he spoke, "WoW's popularity has been going down since Mists of Panderia was released. Now that ESO no longer has a monthly subscription fee, and is on it's way to release a DLC, it's getting more popular."
Cynder nods, "Yeah. Even I want to play Elder Scrolls Online, and I've never played an MMORPG." She says as they start playing Monster Hunter 4, and start hunting monsters.
As Luna kept driving towards their home, she looked at Midnight, "How did you like your first day at Canterlot High?"
Midnight looks at Luna and smiles, "I like it so far. Everyone's pretty nice, and the teachers are really good." She frowns for a second, "I'm not so sure about my history teacher though, Mr. Doodle."
Luna turns in their neighborhood, "Oh, don't you worry about him. He just tends to be in a bad mood most of the time." Soon she parked in Midnight's driveway, "There you go, Midnight. We'll see you tomorrow."
Midnight gets out of the car with her bags and waves, "Sure thing, Vice Principal Luna."
Luna pulls out and makes her way home, with Midnight watching her leave. Just before she walks in the front door, she smiles. I think I'm really gonna like it here.
3:20 PM: Luna Residence
Eclipse sets his bags near the couch and takes a seat, "I knew Butch was gonna show up!"
Luna noticed his anger and put a hand on his shoulder, "Now, now, Eclipse. I know he showed up and confronted you, but it could've been a lot worse. Now, why don't you blow some steam and get to playing. You have a title to keep, after all." Eclipse nods and makes his way upstairs to his room and shuts the door. *sighs* This is gonna be a long school year.