When a new boy named Astral Shadow arrives at Canterlot High, he has trouble making friends, but quickly opens up to a group of girls. But when an old rival from his past returns, how far will he go to protect them?
Astral Shadow is the new boy at Canterlot High. He's having trouble making friends, since he's a bit shy. Although Twilight Sparkle and her friends have noticed something strange about him. Whenever somebody tries to bully him, he doesn't get scared. Quite the opposite actually, he gets excited, as if he's looking forward to somebody trying to pick a fight with him. Astral Shadow finds comfort in the girls. But when another new kid named Wild Ace shows up, something changes with their new friend. He becomes cold and distant towards them. They need to find out what's wrong, and how they can help their new friend.
Astral Shadow had just arrived at Canterlot High School. He looked at his waist, more specifically at the brown belt around his pants. He took a deep breath and said, "Calm down man, nobody's gonna ask. You're not back home anymore. And you're finally away from her..." He walked into the school where a few students waved at him, and he politely waved back. He didn't really want to make any friends, but he should at least try, considering Canterlot High School was meant to teach you about friendship.
He walked towards the principal's office and knocked on the door and heard a voice say, "Come in." He walked in and saw a woman in a beige suit sitting behind a desk. She asked him, "You must be our newest student, Astral Shadow, correct?" The boy simply nodded his head, not saying a word. She looked at him sympathetically and said, "I understand how hard it must be adjusting to a new school, and not having any friends, but I'm sure you'll make friends very quickly. In fact, I know the perfect group of students to help you get started."
The boy looked up from the floor and said, "R-Really? I appreciate the offer, but I'm not much of a people person. But... I suppose... Ok, I'll meet them at least, it'd be rude to shoot them down without meeting them first..."
The principal pressed a button on her office phone and said into it, "Could you all come to my office? There's a new student I want you all to meet." She looked back to the boy and said, "They'll be here shortly."
As if on cue, 12 girls arrived in the office, and Celestia motioned her hand to the girls from left to right saying, "This is Twilight Sparkle, Sunny Flare, Lemon Zest, Sugarcoat, Indigo Zap, Sour Sweet, Sunset Shimmer, Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy, Rarity, and Applejack."
Twilight Sparkle adjusted her glasses and said, "It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance."
Sunny Flare waved at him, her fingers fluttering, saying, "I look forward to being your friend dearie."
Lemon Zest gave him a devil horns sign saying "Whazzup!?"
Sugarcoat rolled her eyes at Lemon Zest's response and said simply, "Hello."
Indigo Zap extended a fist, to which the boy nervously bumped back and she said, "Nice t' meet ya man."
Sour Sweet smiled at him and said, "You seem sweet, hope you don't turn out to be sour." The sudden shift in her voice surprised the boy and she grinned sheepishly saying, "S-Sorry, bipolar disorder..."
Sunset Shimmer smiled brightly at him and said, "It's nice to meet another new student."
Rainbow Dash said, "You look pretty cool squirt"
Pinkie Pie said, "Hi there! I can't wait to throw you a welcoming party! My parties are the best!"
Fluttershy said quietly, but loud enough for him to hear, "Hello..."
Rarity looked over him questioningly and said, "I'm charmed to meet you darling, but I must say, you're quite bold wearing that outfit in public. Although now that I take a closer look at it, I must say it does suit you. The red pants go well together with the white shirt, and that shoulder pad is an interesting accessory. And that brown belt ties it all together."
As Rarity was about to continue on, Applejack interrupted saying, "Ah think that's enough Rarity, he doesn't seem like the kind of guy who worries about fashion. Nice t' meet ya partner!"
Astral Shadow gave a polite bow and said, "It's nice to meet all of you. My name is Astral Shadow."
Celestia told them, "I'd like you to give Astral Shadow a tour of the school, and then see him home, considering the day is almost over. I think that should give you a chance to bond."
The girls walked out of the office and showed Astral around. They seemed nice, and Astral Shadow said to them, "Back home, nobody was ever really out to make friends. Not even couples really loved each other, they just got together for the sake of preserving their bloodline. My parents weren't really any different..."
Twilight raised an eyebrow and asked, "That's quite odd, speaking of which, where are you from?"
Astral looked to the ground and said, "I don't really like talking about home, it just brings up bad memories..."
Applejack put a hand on his shoulder saying, "Don't worry 'bout it sugarcube, we won't pry. If you don't want t' talk 'bout it, you don't have t''."
Astral looked up at her and said, "Thanks Applejack." As the final bell of the day rang, he got a bit nervous. "I-I guess I should be getting home. I know the Principal wanted you to walk me home, but I'd rather go alone. Not that you aren't great friends, it's just... my home isn't really built for so many people..."
Applejack said to him, "Don't lie about it sugarcube, tell the truth. I can sniff out a lie from a hundred yards."
Astral looked around to see if nobody else was there and he finally said, "The truth is... I just arrived in Canterlot, and... I don't have a home..."
Their faces turned sad and Rarity said, "That's horrible! I can't believe you're homeless!"
They all were about to offer to let him stay with them, but Indigo Zap beat them to the punch saying, "You can crash with me if you'd like. I don't mind having a roommate."
Astral smiled at her and said, "I guess it's better than sleeping behind a dumpster."
As they were about to leave the school, a large boy came up to them and said towards Astral, "Hey runt! Think you can hog the girls to yourself? I'm gonna teach you a lesson you'll never forget!"
Before the girls could intervene, Astral said, "Let me handle this girls. This lady doesn't know who he's messing with."
Fluttershy covered her eyes as the boy said, "Did you just call me a lady!? Why you!"
The boy delivered a punch to Astral's gut, but to everyone's surprise, Astral looked down at the fist that was still in his stomach, then back to the boy and said, "Tell me, was that supposed to hurt? Cause if it was, and that was your best punch, let me tell you, you're gonna be in a world of pain in five seconds." He clicked his feet together and did a back flip, slamming his feet into the boy's chin.
The boy fell to the ground in one blow and the girls stood in shock. Astral smiled at them and said, "So, Indigo, you gonna stand there trying to catch flies or are we going to your place?"
Rainbow Dash shook her head and said, "What!? Why!? How!? I have so many questions!"
Astral chuckled saying, "What can I say? I'm a natural born fighter, just like everyone back home."
As the girls split up, Astral followed Indigo back to her place and said, "You still surprised at how fast I took that punk down?"
Indigo nodded and said, "I've never seen Buff Biceps get beaten so easily. You must work out a lot, like, more than me and Dash combined."
Astral had a light blush on his face and said, "Well, it's more like natural instinct. I never back down from a fight. While getting into a fight with that guy might scare some people, it actually gets me excited. Gotta say though, he was a pushover. Maybe you can put up more of a fight?"
Indigo laughed and said, "No way man, I wouldn't stand a chance against you. But I gotta say, seeing Buff Biceps get his butt kicked like that, makes me think you're my type of guy."
As they arrived at her house, Indigo said, "It ain't much, but it's home. I got a convertible couch you can use, and I've got a spare set of my brother's old pj's he gave me before I moved out."
As Astral thanked her and started taking off his cape and letting it fall to the floor, it landed with a heavy thud. He said, "Man, it feels good to stretch out a bit. Those clothes may look like a fashion statement, but they're actually training clothes."
Indigo looked up from the dresser and said, "Training clothes? What's that supposed to mean?"
As Astral stretched his arms he explained, "Back home, lots of people wear weighted clothing, it makes the workouts tougher and more rewarding."
Indigo tried to hide her blush as she said, "Based on those guns of yours, they must be doing wonders." She thought to herself, "Handsome, feisty, and strong. The perfect boy...."
Astral blushed lightly at the compliment and said, "Thanks, I guess we should be getting to bed. It is a school night." He didn't start changing until after Indigo had left. His belt unraveled from his waist, revealing that it wasn't a belt at all, but a tail. He tucked it under the pj's she gave her, pulled out the bed from the couch and went to sleep.
Astral Shadow was walking to school with Indigo Zap. He noticed a worried look on her face and asked, "Something wrong Zap? You seem worried about something."
Indigo said, "Well, me and a few of the others just transferred from Crystal Prep, and we haven't exactly been making many friends. After the last Friendship Games, there's still a lot of hostility between the others and us."
Astral smiled and said, "If anyone bothers you, just come to me."
She blushed and said, "T-Thanks Shadow."
As they met up with the other girls, Astral said, "I've got to admit, I'm a bit nervous. Back home, we didn't really focus on education, we focused on our strength. Even the girls were as well toned as I am."
Indigo whispered to Dash, "He's not kidding, you should see his guns."
Dash let out a small giggle and said, "I hope I get to share P.E. with him."
Rarity looked at him again and said, "I've never actually seen clothes like that, I wanted to ask what they're called, but never got the chance."
Shadow said, "It's called Kenpo Gi, it's clothing made for martial arts training."
As they walked through the halls, Vice-Principal Luna came up to them and said, "Mr. Shadow, may I speak to you in my office?"
He gulped, it was only his first day and the Vice-Principal already called him to her office. "O-Of course ma'am." He waved goodbye to his friends and followed her to her office.
As they sat down in her office, Luna said, "Now, I understand you not only got into a fight with Mr. Biceps yesterday, but put him on the ground with one hit. Care to explain?"
He looked embarrassed, he knew that fight would pop up eventually, but he didn't think it would be so soon. He said, "Well, he came up to me and accused me of hogging girls and he threw the first punch. So it was in self-defense."
Luna thought about what he said and finally told him, "I see... well, in that case, there will be no disciplinary action. I'll have a talk with Mr. Biceps when he returns from the hospital. I must say, I'm quite surprised someone so small could put a person like Mr. Biceps in the hospital. If he does bother you again, might I suggest holding back?"
He rubbed the back of his neck and said nervously, "I... I was holding back. Where I come from, everyone's a born fighter, it's just part of our history..."
Luna's eyes widened when the boy said he was holding back in that fight, that surprised her even more. "Your homeland must be very violent. I suggest you drop those instincts of yours unless you want to end up in my office again. You should be getting to class now, I assume you know your schedule?"
He nodded and said, "Yes ma'am, I'll get right to class." he walked out off the office and went to the gym to see Rainbow Dash and Indigo Zap there as well. He waved to them as he walked to them saying, "You guys have gym first too?"
Before they could answer, a voice said, "New kid, over here!" he looked over to see the gym teacher and walked over to her. She said, "I'm Coach Spitfire. I heard you took down Buff Biceps with one blow yesterday, nice job kid. He was always a blowhard in my class, hope you can put a bit of fear in him."
Astral smiled and said, "Thanks coach. Before I got get changed into my gym uniform, I wanted to ask, is it ok if I keep my training clothes on?"
The woman raised an eyebrow and asked, "Training clothes?"
He took off his cape and let it fall to the ground. "Even though I'm a lot quicker without it, that cape makes my workouts a lot more rewarding. I like being challenged with my exercise."
Spitfire looked at the cape as it fell to the ground, her eyes widening with the thud it gave as it landed. "That's pretty impressive, how much does that thing weigh?"
He looked at the cape and said, "About 200 pounds, give or take. Back home a lot of people wear this kind of stuff for training."
Spitfire looked at the boy and said, "Well, your clothes can pass for a gym uniform. I've been meaning to talk to Principal Celestia about getting new ones, and what you're wearing is kind of what I had in mind. You can keep these clothes on, and you can wear that weighted clothing."
Astral Shadow said, "Thanks coach." before picking up his cape and putting it back on. As he waited for Rainbow Dash and Indigo Zap, he couldn't help but think of how different this place was from home.
As the students started to go to the locker rooms, Spitfire said, "You'll need your Gi for today's class."
Astral Shadow smiled, he knew that if the coach was telling people to get into Gi, they'd be practicing martial arts, something he was good at. He got up from his seat in the bleachers and went down to stand in line with the other students.
Spitfire told the students, "Today we'll be having sparring matches to see who will be getting on the MMA Team this year."
As Spitfire started grouping students with their sparring partners, Astral Shadow tried to keep his excitement contained. When he was paired up with Rainbow Dash he said, "I'm normally against fighting a girl, but since it's you Dash, I'll do it."
Rainbow Dash smirked and said, "Don't go easy on me. I want to see how you fight when you're giving it your all."
Shadow smiled and said, "In that case, I won't be needing this." as he took off his cape and threw it out of the ring.
Spitfire watched them with her clipboard before saying, "Ok, you all know the rules, a KO or out of bounds and the fight's over. Ready? Fight!"
Astral Shadow made the first move, rushing at Rainbow Dash and slamming his elbow into her gut.
Rainbow Dash recoiled from the swift blow and said to herself, "Maybe I shouldn't have told him to give it his all. But I'm still in this!" she got back up and threw a punch towards Astral Shadow, only for it to get caught by his own hand. When she tried punching him with the other hand, she actually caught him off guard.
As Astral Shadow stumbled backwards from the punch that actually hit him and said, "Not bad, that punk from yesterday couldn't hit as hard as you just did. But I'm still holding back. I know you told me not to, but I don't want to hurt you, and trust me, if I wasn't holding back, you might be in the ER."
To be continued...
"What is it with this guy and cliffhangers!?" Rainbow Dash yelled out "I don't get paid enough for this shit." Astral said sighing Indigo Zap stared at Astral Shadow and said, "Wait, you're getting paid!?"
Astral Shadow eyed Rainbow Dash as she prepared to make a move. He smiled lightly and said, "This has been a great fight, but I think it's time we get this over with."
Rainbow Dash smiled and said, "I was thinking the same thing." she ran at Astral Shadow and tried to kick him. To her surprise, he blocked her leg with his arm.
"Bad move Dash." Astral Shadow said smirking before tapping her in two spots, making her fall to the ground.
Spitfire looked shocked that he put her on the ground just by tapping her and said, "That's enough, Astral Shadow wins!"
Astral Shadow helped Rainbow Dash up and said, "Surprised? It's a hard technique to use, but a Pressure Point Attack is very useful. It's one of the only attacks that's ever put me on the ground."
Indigo Zap asked, "Pressure points?"
Astral Shadow nodded and said, "The body is filled with nerves that control your movements, and those nerves have spots that are weak and can be disabled by applying enough pressure to them."
Spitfire adjusted her sunglasses and said, "That's a pretty cool technique. You're pretty good with martial arts."
Astral smiled and said, "Yeah, where I come from, we practice martial arts almost daily."
Rainbow Dash sighed and said, "I wish I could have won, but I don't think anyone can beat you."
Astral asked her, "Are you ok? I was fighting pretty intensely, I hope I didn't hurt you..."
Dash shook her head and said, "Nah, I've taken a lot of blows to my gut, it's nothing serious."
Astral smiled and said, "That's good. I'm glad I didn't go too far." he walked out of the ring and picked up his cape before putting it back on. He sat down to watch the other matches, and was excited to see Indigo's match.
As Rainbow Dash sat down with Astral, she leaned against him, trying to hide her blush saying, "I hope you don't mind, I'm just a bit tired from our fight. You know, you've got to be one of the toughest students to come to this school."
Astral blushed lightly, but smiled, "Thanks." inside he was thinking to himself, "Would they really think the same of me if I told them the truth?" before shaking his head to clear his head of those thoughts.
As the Gym class ended, Coach Spitfire had the students line up and said, "Ok, based on the spars, I've seen all I need to see to determine who will be on the school's MMA team. First off, Astral Shadow will be the captain. Next team member will be Rainbow Dash. Indigo Zap, you're on the team too." and continued calling names until she'd called out 10 students. "To all of you who didn't make the team, don't worry, there's still plenty of openings on other sports teams."
As the bell for second period rang, Rainbow Dash smiled, "Looks like we've got a great captain."
Astral Shadow blushed lightly, "Thanks, but back home, I'm considered a novice fighter"
Indigo Zap raised an eyebrow and asked, "Are you saying where you come from, there's fighters stronger than you? That's so cool! I'd love to go-" before noticing Rainbow Dash's glare and remembered that Astral didn't like talking about his home and said, "Sorry about that, I just got so excited about strong fighters."
Astral Shadow smiled a bit, "It's ok, I understand. I should be getting to my next class, science. I guess I'll see you at lunch?"
Rainbow Dash nodded, "Yeah, see you at lunch. Just be careful in that wing of the school, that's where those dumbass bullies that call themselves the Rocky Ruff Gang hang out. Not that they could ever stand up to you, but they'll probably be looking for a fight if they've heard about the incident with Buff Biceps"
Astral Shadow nodded, "Thanks for the warning. I better take Vice Principal Luna's advice. She was shocked when I told her I was holding back against Buff Biceps."
Both girls' eyes widened when he said that, but they knew they have to get to their next classes, so Rainbow Dash said, "We'll talk about this at lunch." before both girls ran off in different directions."
Astral walked to the west wing of the school, and could see a few tough guys standing between him and the door to Miss Cherilee's classroom. He looked at them and said, "Move it, I don't need to be late."
The largest of the three growled, "Hold up Jack, you're the one who one shot BB, ain't you?"
Astral Shadow sighed, "I know where this is going." before taking off his cape and throwing it down.
As other students saw, they gathered around and chanted, "Fight! Fight! Fight!"
The big bulky bully, who people were referring to as Fido, walked up and said, "You just got lucky against BB, but you'll need more than luck against me." before throwing a punch.
Astral Shadow lifted a hand, catching Fido's fist and tossing him aside. "If you're going to try to fight, at least make it worth my effort."
The other two bullies growled and ran at Astral Shadow, only for Fido to jump up and put him in a full Nelson, which caused the crowd to boo, as it was obvious they were ganging up on him.
The leader of the bullies yelled, "Ah shut up ya mugs!"
Astral Shadow stomped down on Fido's foot before lifting him above his head and throwing him into the other two bullies, piling them up.
As students cheered, the door to Cherilee's classroom opened and she saw the three bullies piled up on the ground, with no bruises, just exhaustion and she looked at Astral Shadow as he picked up his cape, "You there, were you the one who did this?"
Astral started to explain, "They were blocking me from getting to my next class, and they attacked me first. I didn't lay a finger on them, I just defended myself to the best of my abilities."
Cherilee looked at the other students and asked, "Did anyone see this young man physically harm these three?"
Suddenly, Twilight Sparkle came up and said, "It's true ma'am. Astral Shadow never made so much as a fist. The worst he did was stomping on Fido's foot to get out of a full Nelson."
Cherilee looked at Twilight and nodded, "You're no liar Twilight, so I believe you. All of you get to your classes." before the other students walked off to get to class. She looked at Astral Shadow and said, "Vice Principal Luna told me about a new student who took down Mr. Biceps with one blow, I assume that's you?"
Astral Shadow nodded, "That's why these three were blocking my path to class, they wanted to get... how you say. a piece of me? The incident with Bulk Biceps seems to be common knowledge, and that's why they wanted to get into a fight with me."
Cherilee smiled lightly, "Well, while I don't really like violence, it's good to see somebody who's willing to stand up to the thugs and bullies in school. But that's beside the point, you're almost late for class, and I don't tolerate tardiness." before walking back into her classroom with Astral Shadow following her and sitting down in his desk.
Meanwhile in the Principal's Office...
Luna sighed as they watched the security video and asked her sister, "I really don't think he should be in our school. He's obviously prone to violence."
Celestia shook her head, "No, I don't believe he's a violent person. You saw just as well as I did, he was simply defending himself from those delinquents. You know, I think he might be the one we've been looking for."
Luna's eyes widened as her sister spoke, "You're thinking of making him the school enforcer? He's a violent thug, he even told me he was holding back in that fight against Mr. Biceps!"
Celestia glared at her sister, "You haven't even known him for one day. And before you say it, yes, I know I haven't either, but twice now he's stood up to bullies that many students are too afraid to stand up to. We must at least put his name down for consideration."
Luna sighed, but nodded, "If you think he's the best choice for the school enforcer, I won't argue unless he abuses the position."
With Celestia and Luna now seeing just how good Astral Shadow is in a fight, even outnumbered, Celestia is considering him for the position of the school enforcer. The school enforcer breaks up fights and prevents bullying. Is Astral Shadow the right person for this role? Only time will tell.
As Astral Shadow walked out of his science class after the bell rang, he was stopped by Vice Principal Luna and gulped, "You're here about the fight with those bullies aren't you? I had a feeling there were cameras..."
Luna cleared her throat, "Yes, I am here about that fight, but you're not in trouble. My sister, Principal Celestia wants to talk to you."
Astral raised an eyebrow, "So if I'm not in trouble, why am I being sent to the principal's office?"
Luna told him, "She simply wishes to speak to you about the fact that you've been standing up to bullies that most students are too afraid to."
Astral nodded, following Luna to Celestia's office. When they arrived, Celestia said, "Luna, may I talk to Astral Shadow in private?"
Luna nodded and left the room. Astral Shadow asked her, "So, why am I here if I'm not in trouble?"
Celestia answered, "Two reasons. First off, I'm impressed by your willingness to stand up to bullies like Mr. Biceps and the Rocky Ruff Gang. That's why I'm offering you the position of School Enforcer. As enforcer, you are to break up fights and stop bullying, even if it means taking direct action, you won't be in any trouble if it comes to that."
Astral raised an eyebrow, "Ok, and what's the second reason I'm here?"
Celestia cleared her throat, "I'd like you to explain the nature of that tail of yours. I didn't notice it when I first met you, but it was twitching during your fight with the Rocky Ruff Gang. What is said in this office stays in this office."
Astral Shadow's eyes widened when Celestia mentioned his tail. He didn't bother arguing and let his tail unwrap from around his waist. "I hoped nobody would figure out, but yes, I have a tail. I trust you with keeping this secret. I'm not a human. My home, it's a faraway planet called Planet Vegeta. I left my homeworld for reasons I'd prefer not to discuss. My people are called Saiyans, and we're a warrior race. I may look 16 years old, but I'm actually in my late 20's, it's just how we evolved in order to stay in our prime longer."
Celestia didn't seem completely surprised when Astral told her he was an alien, "Well, I've heard stranger stories, so I have no reason to believe you're lying to me. I promise, not a word of what has been said here will reach the words of anyone else in this school, not even my sister Luna will hear about this. As far as everyone will know, you are simply a very skilled martial artist."
Astral Shadow smiled and wrapped his tail back around his waist, "Thank you Principal Celestia. I have no reason to think you'll tell anyone my secret. As for the enforcer job, I'll gladly accept. Saiyans are violent warriors who fight to conquer, but I always disagreed with those views. I'm not anti-violence, but I believe that strength should be used to protect, not conquer. That's why I left my homeworld, I had no place among the other Saiyans and their addiction to senseless violence."
Celestia smiled, "That was a wise decision Mr. Shadow. I believe that's everything. Perhaps you should be getting to your next class. Here's a note and a hall pass." before handing him two pieces of paper. "Off to class then Astral."
Astral Shadow nodded, "Yes ma'am, thank you." before leaving the office and heading to his next class.
2 Periods Later...
It was finally time for lunch, and Astral Shadow met up with his new friends after he'd gotten his lunch from the line. Rainbow Dash sat next to him and said, "So, you said you'd explain that you were holding back against Buff Biceps the other day?"
The rest of the girls nearly spit out their drinks when Rainbow Dash said this, and Twilight asked, "What!? You were holding back!?"
Astral Shadow nodded, "Yeah, like I told Dash and Zap during class, I'm considered a novice fighter back home, there's much stronger fighters than me where I'm from."
Rarity looked at him and said, "Coming from somebody as strong as you, that frightens me a bit. You said people back at home were violent, but you seem like you wouldn't hurt a fly if you didn't need to."
Astral nodded, swallowing the bite of his burger and saying, "Pretty much, but that attitude is part of why I left home, I didn't have any friends who agreed with my views on violence."
Fluttershy spoke up, "Normally I'm strictly anti-violence, but you're no bully."
Astral smiled, "Thanks Fluttershy." before finishing the last bite of his burger and hearing the bell ring, "Looks like it's back to class." before he left, he thought to himself, "Should I tell them the truth? They seem just as trustworthy as principal Celestia." before saying out loud, "Hey, I want to tell you guys something, but it's not something I feel comfortable talking about at school. Is there a place we can meet after school to talk about it?"
Twilight nodded, "My parents are out of town this week, so my house is fine."
Astral smiled again and said, "Thanks Twilight, I guess we'll meet up there after school then." before throwing his trash away and heading to his next class.
After school had ended, Astral Shadow met up with the girls and followed Twilight to her house. He told himself, "They deserve to know the truth. Principal Celestia picked them as my first friends, if she trusts them, so do I."
As Twilight took out her key, she asked him, "Astral? You ok?"
Astral nodded, "Yeah, just a bit nervous."
As they walked in, Twilight set out some soda and snacks. When she opened her soda, she asked, "So, what's so important that you wanted to talk in private?"
Astral stood up and said, "What I'm about to tell you never leaves this room, promise?"
All the girls nodded and said in union, "Cross my heart, and hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye."
Astral was a bit confused with they way they made their promise, but smiled and took a deep breath before unravelling his tail, showing that it wasn't a belt, but a tail. The girls nearly spit out their soda and Rainbow Dash cried out, "What the!? You have a monkey tail!?"
Astral Shadow nodded, sitting back down and wrapping his tail back against his waist. "I'm not a human, and my name isn't really Astral Shadow. My real name is Butarega, and I'm a Saiyan from Planet Vegeta, light years away from Earth."
Sunset Shimmer thought for a moment and said, "Well, it's certainly not any stranger than the fact that I came to Earth from Equestria, so I can't say I don't believe you."
Astral didn't bother to ask what Equestria was and continued explaining, "My people, the Saiyans, are a race of proud and violent warriors. Like I told you in school, we put more value on strength than we do education, and most couples got together for the sake of preserving bloodlines, not love. I was an outcast back home because I didn't agree with my people's use of violence to conquer other planets."
Fluttershy gulped, "So, if you're an alien, does that mean other people from your planet could show up here?"
Astral Shadow shook his head, "Earth is a vibrant planet that would make good money, but Saiyans don't go after planets that have low power levels. Power levels are basically the fighting ability of any person or planet. Saiyans like challenges, if something doesn't pose a challenge, it's not worth our time. So planets with low power levels like Earth have nothing to worry about when it comes to Saiyan invasion."
Fluttershy sighed in relief, but asked, "So, you came here because you didn't agree with your people's opinions?"
Astral Shadow nodded, "Yeah, that's right. I'm not anti-violence, but I don't like the idea of hurting innocent people for personal gain. That's what made me different from other Saiyans, and they didn't like me for it, so I decided to find a planet with a low power level I could live on. That's when I arrived on Earth."
Sugarcoat asked in an uncharacteristically excited manner, "So, if you're an alien who came to Earth... does that mean you have a spaceship!?"
Astral nodded, "Well, sort of, it's only big enough for a single person, we call them battle pods, and we use them to send warriors to other planets that we intend to conquer." He could tell Sugarcoat was interested in the fact he was an alien, and told her, "Maybe I can show it to you some time. I had to hide it away so humans wouldn't find it, but I still know where I hid it."
Sugarcoat giggled and said, "I'll hold you to that" winking at him, causing him to blush, which made her giggle even more.
Pinkie Pie raised her soda, "To a new friend from another world, just like Sunset!"
As the others raised their soda cans, Astral Shadow smiled and lifted his can as well, "Thank you for this, you've made me feel very welcome here, and after only knowing me for a few days. I can tell living on earth will have its own excitements that don't involve senseless violence."
Meanwhile, in a galaxy far, far away...
Another Saiyan was programming her own battle pod, and a taller Saiyan asked her, "Peppa, are you sure about this?"
The female Saiyan nodded, "Yes, I'm sure. Butarega may not like our ways, but he's still my greatest rival. If he really thinks he can wimp out on me to live a peaceful life on a weak planet, he's dead wrong."
The taller Saiyan sighed, "There's no stopping you. But if you ever need anything, let us know."
Peppa got into her battle pod, saying to herself, "Not likely. Butarega may be strong, but he's a low class warrior. He's gotten lucky up to this point against an elite like me, that luck has just run out." before heading off towards Earth, napping as her battle pod took her to Earth.
And so, Astral Shadow has revealed his secret to his new friends, and while they still accept him as their friend, someone from Butarega's past is coming towards Earth. Who is this mysterious Saiyan, and what will happen when she lands on Earth herself?
