Under the Blue Moon (Revised)

by Gear Works

First published 3rd of July, 2017

Tidal moves to Canterlot to live with his aunt, Principal Celestia, after being bullied at his old school. Can two best friends help him adjust to he new school and open up to the others?

Tidal Blue, son to a famous weather caster and an Olympic swimming champion, has been dealing with bullies at his old school. His aunt, Principal Celestia, decides to have him attend CHS so that he can turn his life around and make some friends for once. Relying on two neighboring students, Lyra and Bonbon, they hope that he can feel much better at CHS than his old school, before the damage becomes permanent.

---

Cover art done by MaddyMoiselle

Part of the PomE universe. All OCs belong to their respectful creators.

This is a big rewrite of the old version.

Ch. 1 - Blue Moon Transfer

The winter holidays were starting to come to an end in New Hampshire, and it was in the Blue’s house that Celestia was spending her extended winter break with his adopted brother, Sky Blue. He was a well known weather caster in the northeastern area, and one room was where he did all of his work. He witness the multiple thunder-snow event a couple of years ago, which was the talk of the town when it happened. And the articles that hanged on the walls proved that.

It was also here that he was able to settle down with his wife, Ocean Wave Blue, a friend and classmate from Canterlot High, and three time Olympic gold medalist in the 1500m freestyle swimming event, to which she still holds the world record that she earned on her third trip to the Olympics. She now works as a swim teacher during the summer ad plans the swim teams for future Olympics.

But Celestia’s trip here wasn’t some family trip. Instead, she was sent over to deal with a problem that involved their son, Tidal Wave Blue. During the fall semester of his sophomore year, he was being picked on more often… by the whole school. It wasn’t noticeable during his freshman year, but when the calls started coming in, they though he was targeted because of his parents’ status. But after making a call, Celestia came over to find out the reason for Tidal’s actions. And it had a reverse effect that her school once experienced months ago.

Celestia and Sky went to his personal office room to relax after finishing Christmas dinner and talk about what is going to be done for Tidal’s future.

“So, you think my son will have a better chance to get his life around at CHS.”

“I know he will, Sky. And I have some students in mind that could help him overcome his own problems.”

Doubt started to come across Sky’s face. “I’m not so sure. Didn’t you say that there was an explosion months ago during the Fall Formal?”

“Just some stupid prank that someone pulled at that time. But it’s been dealt with.” Celestia was lying about that part because she wasn’t sure that he would understand that it was magic from one of her students who caused the damage. “Besides, you and Ocean both graduated from CHS. Wouldn’t it be fine if he did the same?”

Sky did some thinking about that, and remember an event that her sister had to deal with. “Remember when you wanted to hold the first ever Friendship Games with Crystal Prep? It almost didn’t happen when someone from our school stole a small statue from their school after they decorated the horse statue as a prank.”

“Just be glad that Luna helped in solving the mystery when it happened.”

Just then, Ocean Blue came walking in.

“Tidal’s starting to pack for the trip to Canterlot.” She sat down to join the others. “It’s just a shame that he had to go through all this. He deserves better.”

“I promise you, he will,” Celestia explained. “My sister has already received the school records and handed them to the superintendent so that he can be enrolled into Canterlot High as a transfer student.”

“By the way, how are her children doing?” Sky asked Celestia.

“Doing fine so far. Besides attending gaming tournaments over the summer, there hasn’t been any problems. Cadence has already been watching over Eclipse at Crystal Prep so that nothing bad happens.”

“That’s good to hear,” Ocean replied.

Celestia started to think about what Tidal would be needed when they get to her home. “Is Tidal bringing his laptop along?”

“He wanted to download the games that he would like to play before putting it away,” Ocean explained. “Wanted to put those gift cards to good use.”

“Then I can assume that he’ll have his 3DS unit as well?” Celestia asked, to which she nodded. “Maybe he can spend some time with Cynder while he’s there. I know he needs to focus on school work, but he needs to be able to have some fun with others.”

“I just wished that he wasn’t picked on the way he did,” Ocean explained. “I hope nothing bad happens while he’s at CHS.”

“I told Sky this, and I’ll tell you as well. He’s going to do fine there. I promise.”

---

After being on the road for a couple of days, Celestia was back at her old home in Canterlot with Tidal in tow. It was a bit cold, but not as cold as it was in New Hampshire. Both of them got out of her car and made their way inside, bring their luggage along. Celestia pointed out to the guest room that Luna once had before moving to her new home with her adopted son and daughter. This was now Tidal’s room. As he was getting settled in his room, the doorbell rang, causing Celestia to go and check to see who was at the door. When she opened the door, she was met but a minty girl who was all bundled up.

“Lyra! What brings you here?”

“Oh, we were just taking a walk around the area when we saw you pulled up,” Lyra said cheerfully.

“We?”

That was when a cream skinned girl with blue and pink hair, also bundled up, came running up, trying to catch her breath.

“Lyra! Can you at least slow down. I can barely keep up.”

“Oh come on, Bonbon. You wanted to see the new kid as well.”

“Is that why you came here?” Celestia asked. Still with her coat on, she stepped outside and closed the door behind her. “That’s my nephew, Tidal Blue. He’s just settling in at the moment. He’s… been going through some rough patches right now, but he will be attending our school starting next semester.”

“What kind of problems?” Bonbon asked.

Celestia let out a sigh. “The short version, dealing with bullies. He was born with a learning disability, so he has a hard time with classes. Some students used this to pick on him.”

“Might as well keep him away from Sunset, that’s for sure,” Lyra said, remembering what happened at the Fall Formal.

“By the way, has she been causing any trouble while I was gone?” Celestia asked the girls.

“Not really,” Bonbon replied. “It looks like the girls are keeping an eye on her a lot.”

“Well, I guess that fine for now.” Celestia thought, ‘I hope they can help Tidal open up at his new school.’

“Since Tidal’s going to be attending CHS, do you think we can give him a tour of the school before classes begin?” Lyra requested.

Celestia took a moment to think about this. ‘I was thinking about having Sunset give the tour, but it might be best to talk to sis about how she’s doing before taking those measures.’

“I guess it wouldn’t hurt,” Celestia said. “I’ll keep you posted on a good time and day to do so. I would like to do it before everyone goes back to school.”

“Cool,” Lyra replied. “Well, we hope to hear from you later.” She started to run off to the sidewalk.

“And there she goes again.” Bonbon started to catch up with her. “Hey Lyra, wait up.”

“Oh, one more thing?” Bonbon stopped to look back at Celestia. “He’s only 15, so you might have to drive him there if you like, unless you want to walk him there.”

“I see! Thanks for the head’s up!” Bonbon went back to catch up with Lyra.

Celestia went on back inside so that she could warm up. That was when she saw a sea green boy with dark blue hair and hazel eyes, wearing a dark blue t-shirt with ocean waves on the bottom and a small crescent moon near the left shoulder, blue jeans, and gray shoes.

“Who was that?”

“Oh, just a couple of students who live in an apartment complex nearby. They were willing to offer you a tour of the school later one before we start.” She noticed the shirt he was wearing. “I see you have Aunt Luna’s shirt that she sent you on your last birthday.”

“Yea. Just felt like changing shirts when I got here,” Tidal explained. He went back to his room to finish up what he was doing.

Celestia started to think for a moment. ‘I think those two have Geometry as their homeroom. I know he’s taking that class this year. Maybe it will be easier if they can help out with his problems.’

She went to grab her cell phone and decided to call her sister, Luna, to see if she can get Tidal to take the same Geometry class with them. Since Luna has yet to finalized his schedule, she made sure to put that on her to-do list for tomorrow. Celestia also asked for an update on Sunset and learned that she has been staying in the shadows for some time. This did not bide well, since Princess Twilight Sparkle wanted to leave her here to learn the meaning of friendship and make up for what she has done. Now that she was up to date with what has happened when she left, she hanged up and started to plan her next move for Tidal’s recovery

---

It was the day before New Year’s Eve, and Tidal, who was finally settled in decided to take a walk outside. Grabbing his winter coat and letting Celestia know that he was going for a walk, he left the house started to walk down the sidewalk and towards the outskirts of downtown Canterlot. He passed by the school that he would be attending, looking at the horse statue that was in front. He could see that this school wasn’t like the one back home. Even the top of the school was different than most schools. Just seeing the glass dome told him that the library would be up there. He would know this because every school always puts the library on the second floor.

He went on and started to go by some of the shops that were still busy. He knew that it would be very active tomorrow night, which is why he wanted to get a feel of the city before that time. He came up to a cafe called “The Sweet Shoppe” and decided to go in and get some hot chocolate for once. He went in and walked up to the counter, only to be met by a pink girl with puffy pink hair.

“Hiya! What can I get for you today?” she said in a cheerful voice.

“Just a hot chocolate, please,” Tidal requested.

“You want marshmallows with it?”

He just shrugged his shoulders and said,”Why not.”

The girl went on over to fix some hot chocolate for Tidal and came back to him really fast. “Here you go.”

Tidal paid the girl and took a sip, which was just right for him.

“Say, I don’t think I’ve seen you here before. I know just about everyone here and keep up with everything about them, but your face is new to me.”

“I just moved here earlier this week to live with my aunt,” Tidal said. “She’s the principal of Canterlot High, so I’ll be attending there at the start of the semester.”

The girl’s eyes went wide. “Cool! I go there as well. My name’s Pinkie Pie.” She extended her hand for Tidal to shake, but shook his hand really fast before letting go. “I know that Vice Principal Luna has adopted two kids, one of which attends our school. And there’s that one nephew that my friend Rarity doesn’t want me to name because of what happened to her during her freshman year. But it’s nice to meet you anyway.”

“Well, it’s nice to meet you too,” Tidal said. “Not sure if we’re cross paths again, but whatever.”

He went off with his drink and found a booth near the window so that he could see what was going on outside. Just watching what went on outside just made him feel calm, just being by himself. He would usually avoid anyone from his school when they were outside because of the way they would treat him. But since he was in a new city, and judging how Pinkie Pie reacted towards him, hopefully, they wouldn’t know about his past actions. But he knew that he would be seeing on boy there that was always self centered.

‘Can’t believe that Blueblood is attending the same school that I’ll be attending,’ he thought. ‘He always cares about his good looks, that’s for sure. Maybe it will be better than that bitch and her boyfriend that just couldn’t leave me alone. But they got what they deserve, along with the school, that’s for sure.’

Tidal took some more sips before he recognized a familiar face walk in. She had purple skin and dirty blonde hair and was wearing her turquoise coat with her. She saw Tidal and waved to him before joining him.

“Hey Cynder.”

“Hey Tidal. Mother told me that you made it here days ago.”

“Yea,” he replied, not feeling sure about himself. “What brings you here?”

“Oh, I was with Eclipse, going to the game store when I saw you sitting next to the window. I figure I check up on you and see how you were doing.”

Tidal was a bit hesitant. “I’m… getting by, that’s for sure.”

Cynder got serious for a moment. “Look. Mother told us what happened back at your old school.”

“And what was that,” Tidal asked, being curious.

“That a couple of bullies gave you a hard time and found a way to get some other students against you. Am I correct on that?”

“Close,” Tidal replied. “More like the smartest girl in my class and her star quarterback getting on my case.”

“Sounds like someone else I know,” she mumbled to herself.

“What was that?”

“Oh, nothing. Nothing to worry about. So, did you get the game cards we sent you?”

This slowly brought a smile on his face. “Yes. Yes I did. Already used them on my Steam account and bought most of the Final Fantasy games that were on sale. Now I have three through nine in my collection. Just wish they could do one and two on there. I did find some cheep games that were made with RPG Maker that have really good reviews.”

“You were always the one who like the classic and simple ones,” she replied.

“Only way for me to escape this world I live in.”

“Now don’t say that. You’re better than that.” Cynder leaned in closer. “Look. I’ve been hearing that they are planning a retro gaming tournament this summer. Maybe you can make a name for yourself, since you like that kind of stuff.”

“Do you know the details?”

“Not yet. I think they are looking into it for now. But if I hear more about it, I’ll let you know.” She looked out the window and could see someone on the other side of the street waving to her. “Oh, there’s Eclipse. I better head off.” She scooted out of the booth and stood up. “It was nice to see you again. And don’t worry, Canterlot High will be a much better school than your old one. I promise.” She started to leave the cafe, waving back to him until she was outside.

‘Well, maybe it will be better for me, since she’s goes there,’ he thought.

He soon then noticed a group of girls walking on in and greeting Pinkie at the counter. Each girl looked so different from each other. One of them looked like a cowgirl or farm girl with the hat she was wearing, not to mention the yellow ponytail. Another girl look like the total opposite, with her purple hair and beautiful looks. The third girl had rainbow hair and full of energy. Not as much as Pinkie Pie, but enough. The fourth one looked like the quiet type with her bright pink hair. And the last one in the group had fiery long hair and a black leather jacket. She was trying to avoid any attention from the others that were in the cafe, which made him wonder about her, not to mention the others.

He decided to set it all aside and just look back out the window while taking a sip of hot chocolate. He could hear the group of girls talking as they were coming his way. The girls took the booth behind him while waiting for Pinkie to bring their drinks. And Tidal was able to hear what they were talking about, even though he didn’t really care about it.

“So, almost all of us are going to Pinkie’s party tomorrow night, right?” the farm girl asked.

“Yep. Already ask Rivet to come along,” the rainbow haired girl explained.

“You’ve been hanging out with that boy since he got here, Dash,” the purple haired girl explained.

“Well Rarity, he did let me play his guitar,” Dash replied. “And I’m trying to find the next Daring Do book for him to read, but I haven’t seen a copy at the old man’s bookstore.”

“I’m guessing it’s related to his class, since Vice Principal Luna is covering the class for some time,” Rarity explained. “Clyde’s not sure if the original teacher would ever return.”

‘Is Aunt Luna teaching this time?’ he thought. ‘Maybe she’s just subbing for now.’

“Let me guess. He’s coming to the party as well, right?” Dash asked.

“That’s right,” Rarity replied. “Even Swift is coming as well.”

“Yea. No doubt he’s trying to hook up with Pinkie. But he hasn’t had the courage doing so,” the farm girl replied.

“Applejack. How come you haven’t even bother finding someone anyway,” Rarity asked.

“Because I’m always busy on the family farm,” Applejack replied. “Now’s not the time to be looking for love. Not like the way you keep looking at Clyde.”

“Hey. Just be careful that you don’t distract him, ok? We’ve been doing so good on the boys’ basketball team with him and Swift around,” Dash explained.

“That’s because you’re on the team as well,” Applejack replied.

“Say. Fluttershy, you’re coming to the party as well, right?” Rarity asked the shy girl.

“Um, I’m still not sure if I feel like coming.”

“Come on, Fluttershy. You need to get out more,” Dash explained. “What about that one boy that you have just met?”

“Oh, he’s just a friend who was able to help out at the animal shelter, that’s all,” Fluttershy replied. “I’m not sure if he’ll be there or not.”

“Well, we can guess who won’t be there at all?”

Everyone looked at the fiery haired girl who said that.

“We know that the school has yet to accept you after what you did back then, Sunset,” Rarity explained. “Just give it some time, and I’m sure someone will forgive you for what you did.”

When Tidal heard about this, he started to think. ‘I’m guessing I’m not the only one who had the school against me. But why do they still stay with her?’

Sunset leaned in to whisper to the other girls. “I turned in to a fiery demon that wanted to take over the school. I almost tried to kill each of you in the process, remember?”

Tidal was able to make out what she was saying. ‘A demon? Now this is getting weird.’

“We know,” Dash replied. “But Twilight gave you this chance to redeem yourself. Like she said, just give it some time.”

Tidal wasn’t sure what to make of all this. It was something that would come from a storybook and nothing more. He took one final sip of hot chocolate, emptying the cup, and decided to get up and head on back home. But as he was on his way out, he came across Pinkie Pie holding a tray of drinks for the other girls.

“Oh Tidal. I was wondering if you had a chance to tour the school, since it’s a big school and you’re new here.”

“Well, my aunt was able to get two girls who live nearby a tour of the school the day before,” Tidal explained.

Pinkie started to think who it was, then found out the answer herself. “Oh, you mean Lyra and Bonbon. They live close to the principal’s home. Lyra is always energetic and Bonbon is a sweetheart, but both of them are really nice and know each other well. I think you’ll like them. Well, see you at the start of school.” Pinkie went back to making her delivery to the girls’ table while Tidal went on back home.

Pinkie started serving the girls’ drinks before finally taking a break to join them.

“Hey Pinkie. Who was that boy you were just talking to?” Applejack asked.

“Oh him? That’s the principal’s nephew, Tidal Blue.”

This nearly got Rarity’s attention. “Another cousin? I thought the sisters had one distance nephew in their family. He’s not like… you know who, is he?”

“I don’t think so,” Pinkie replied. “He just moved here earlier this week. But he doesn’t act like that other boy you had to deal with. Cynder was just here talking to him.” Then an idea came to her. “I know. How about we have a ‘Welcome to CHS’ party for him when he shows up.”

“For a moment, I though you wanted to invite him to your party,” Applejack explained.

“That’s silly. It’s a little late to add him to the party last minute. Otherwise, I wouldn’t get everyone to help out while we’re there.” Then another idea came to Pinkie’s mind. “Hey, how about we talk to everyone that shows up and give them a heads up about the new kid coming to our school.”

“That sounds like a fabulous idea,” Rarity replied. Then she had an idea and looked at Sunset. “Maybe you can be friends with him. He doesn’t know anything about your past, which could help you redeem yourself as well.”

Sunset took a moment to think about this. “I guess it wouldn’t hurt. But what if he finds out about my past and doesn’t want to be my friend?”

“Not going to happen,” Applejack replied. “We’ll make sure no one brings it up until you meet him in private, just to be safe.”

That was when Fluttershy decided to object. “Um, what if he doesn’t want a party. He doesn’t know anyone at school, except for Cynder.”

“Since she lives with Vice Principal Luna, I can get in touch with her and see if it would be fine with them,” Rarity explained.

Pinkie started to get excited. “Oh this is going to be so much fun. We get to introduce the new kid in the middle of the school year, and Sunset will finally have a friend that she can be with.”

The girls huddled together and begin planning what could be Tidal’s welcoming party.

Ch. 2 - Blue Moon Tour

With one more day left before school goes back in session, Lyra and Bonbon were able to meet Tidal for the first time and take him to Canterlot High for a tour of the school. They decided to take Bonbon’s caravan because it had all wheel drive, since Canterlot received a good amount of snow yesterday. They knew the salt trucks were working overtime clearing the roads, but they wanted to make sure they didn’t hit a patch of black ice on their way there. And they didn’t want to walk on the sidewalks, since they have yet to be cleared. Luckily, the main pathway to the school entrance was being cleared by the school’s cleaning crew. When they arrived at the school, they parked at the curb and got out in the cold, but clear air.

“Here we are. Canterlot High,” Bonbon explained.

“Home to the Wondercolts,” Lyra added.

Tidal was able to see the school better this time than the last. “I walked by here the day before New Year’s Eve and noticed the school. I’m guessing the glass ceiling is where the library is, right?”

“You have a good eye, Tidal,” Bonbon replied. “Our school library is larger than most schools. And it’s the only place where you can reach the roof of the building.”

“We’ve been up there to hang banners at times,” Lyra added. “Most of them were created by Pinkie Pie. She’s our party expert.”

“But don’t be surprised if she pops up out of nowhere,” Bonbon explained. “She has a habit of doing that.”

“Pinkie Pie? I met her at the Sweet Shoppe that same day,” Tidal explained. “She almost shook my hand off.”

“That’s Pinkie Pie for you,” Lyra replied. “Always full of energy and running non-stop. But come on. Let’s get out of the cold.” She started to run on up to the school entrance, seeing that the walkway was clear of snow and ice, thanks to the added salt melt that was applied earlier.

“No doubt the door is unlocked,” Bonbon said. “I hate to be out here in the cold for a while.”

“I wouldn’t worry about that,” Tidal said. “Aunt Tia said that Aunt Luna would be here finishing up on my schedule. Besides, this weather doesn’t really bother me.”

“Let me guess. Because you live up north, right?” Bonbon asked, to which Tidal nodded. “How cold does it get at this time?”

“Close to the single digits.”

Bonbon stopped in her tracks, stunned at Tidal’s answer. Lyra noticed this as she opened the front door.

“Come on, Bonbon. The door’s already unlocked.”

Bonbon shook the thoughts out of her head and made her way inside with the others. Already, they were greeted by Luna, the school’s vice principal. Tidal walked up and gave her aunt a hug before letting go to talk.

“It’s good to finally see you again,” Luna explained. “Your aunt, Tia, and my daughter, Cynder, told me what happened at your old school. But I promise you that you’ll have a better experience here that you did over there.”

“Just as long as she stays out of the way,” Lyra mumbled.

“What was that, Lyra?” Luna asked, giving her the death stare.

“Oh, nothing. Nothing at all.”

“Well, I need to get your books ready for your first day here tomorrow,” Luna said. “So why don’t the girls give you the tour, and I’ll have everything ready when you get back.”

Lyra went and grabbed Tidal’s hand and started to drag him around the school. Bonbon started to catch up before Luna stopped her.

“Bonbon, did Pinkie get my message?”

“Yes. She wanted to have this tomorrow, but since Tidal’s birthday is a few weeks away, she understands that Tidal needs to warm up to the school first.”

“Good. I do have one request right now. Do not bring up Sunset’s past and what she did at the Fall Formal. Make sure Lyra understands this. I don’t want Tidal to be reminded of what he went through and get the wrong idea about our school. Are we clear?”

“Yes, Vice Principal Luna.”

Bonbon went on and caught up with Lyra and Tidal as they toured the school. They first went to their lockers and placed their coats away.

“Tidal, you can put your coat in here.” Bonbon opened the locker next to her, displaying that it was empty. “No one has claimed this locker, so it will be fine in here.”

Tidal went on ahead and hanged his coat in the locker before they went on their tour. During that time, they were able to point out some of the class rooms on the first floor before they arrived at the gym.

“And this is where we have gym class,” Lyra said.

Tidal noticed the stage that was in front of them. “You have a low level stage?”

“Yep. We have assemblies in here as well,” Lyra explained. “And Coach Iron Will likes to hold dodge ball during gym class. It’s his favorite sport to give to the students.”

Tidal started to look around the gym. During that moment, Bonbon went up to Lyra’s side.

“Whatever you do, don’t bring up Sunset Shimmer,” Bonbon whispered. “Vice Principal Luna said so.”

Not needing an explanation, Lyra nodded in agreement. Tidal joined back up to them, and they were able to resume their tour. As they walked the hallways, explaining certain classes at each set of rooms, they went upstairs and made their way to the library. And as luck would have it, the doors were unlocked and open.

“And here is the library,” Lyra yelled as she waved her arms in the air. “As you can see, it’s very big.”

“Do you really have to yell in here?”

The group looked up to see a pink lady with purple hair, dressed in a white blouse and green and yellow daisy skirt and brown boots.

“Hello, Miss Cheerilee.”

“Hello, Lyra. Hello Bonbon. And who do we have here?”

“This is the principal's nephew, Tidal,” Bonbon answered.

“I see,” Cheerilee replied. “Vice Principal Luna told me that you would be having a tour of the school today.”

“We didn’t expect to see you here today,” Lyra explained.

“Just getting the last of the books put away that were checked in over the break. I also had to deliver some supplies for tomorrow.”

“Miss Cheerilee also teaches here,” Bonbon explained to Tidal. “Her classroom is not far from here.”

“If you ever need any help finding something in here, just let me know when I’m around,” Cheerilee explained. “Otherwise, one of my student assistants will be able to help you.” She went on back to placing books on the shelves.

“Some of the seniors here are allowed to take a semester as an assistant for one of the teachers or staff,” Bonbon explained as the group was leaving the library. “So if she has to teach one of her classes, an assistant will be here to help out.”

They continued their tour from the second floor and went back down to the first floor as they were finishing up Tidal’s tour by coming up to the cafeteria.

“This is where we have lunch,” Bonbon explained. “Ms. Smith, or Granny Smith as she likes to be called, is in charge of the cafeteria staff. She’s Applejack’s grandmother, another student who attends here.”

“It’s always busy on Tuesday,” Lyra added as she was pointing to the “Taco Tuesday” sign on the wall.

“No kidding,” Tidal replied, not feeling surprised. “Was always like that at my old school. Never bother going there anyway.”

Both Lyra and Bonbon looked at each other and just shrugged their shoulders. But Tidal’s attention shifted to the display that was nearby. Several awards from the past were on displayed, along with a picture and maybe an article with it. And one of them was a swimming trophy that was won by his mother when she attended CHS.

“That first place trophy was earned at the national high school invitational decades ago by Ocean Wave,” Bonbon explained.

“I heard that she helped the principal with the creation of the friendship games when they were students and good friends,” Lyra added.

“Friendship games?”

“Yea. It was created as an event with our rival school, Crystal Prep. But they’re only held once every four years,” Bonbon explained. “But we should be holding them the next school year.”

“Only to lose to them again like always,” Lyra added.

“Why is that?” Tidal asked.

“Even though the first friendship games ended in a tie, Crystal Prep has been winning them ever since,” Lyra explained. “Not to mention every other event that they compete.”

“Luckily, this event was a national event,” Bonbon explained. “I don’t know if someone from Crystal Prep attended this event, but it was Ocean Wave who competed and won the 1500 meter freestyle event, since she was the only one from CHS who competed. She came up second or third in a few other swimming events, but all those depend on speed or skill. This one was based of endurance. And only Ocean Wave had the endurance to win. She even attended the Olympics and became a three time gold medal champion in the 1500 meter freestyle. Even broke the world record on her third time there.”

Tidal was surprised to hear this. “I never knew my mother was a part of this event.”

Shocked came across Lyra and Bonbon’s faces.

“You mean… your mother is Ocean Wave?”

Tidal nodded. “Ocean Wave Blue. I even carry her maiden name as my middle name, Tidal Wave Blue.”

Lyra and Bonbon looked at each other, and excitement came across their faces.

“O…”

“M…”

“GOODNESS!”

“Wait until the rest of the school hears about this,” Lyra explained. “Ocean Wave’s son now attending CHS.”

Tidal just placed his hand in front of his face. “Why did I had to bring this up.”

“What do you mean?” Bonbon asked. “Everyone with be surprised that one of this school’s champion now has a son attending here.”

“That’s just it,” Tidal complained. “When my old school knew about my parents’ past, they though I was getting a pass in school when in fact I was born with a learning disability.”

“What makes you say that?” Lyra asked. “Did you have problems with some classes that you take?”

“Well, I’m good in my math classes, as well as computers. But classes like english, science, and history are a struggle for me. I have to have help in learning the stuff before having a test in one of the classes. It’s remembering the words and explanations that make it a challenge.”

“Well, Lyra is good and science class,” Bonbon explained.

“And Bonbon knows her history classes easily,” Lyra explained.

“Plus, we always work together in our english class,” Bonbon explained. “So how about we tutor you in those classes, since we’re one grade higher than you. I’m sure we have already taken one of those classes in the past.”

“I’m not sure,” Tidal replied, feeling worried about the offer. “It could be the same thing all over again.”

“Perhaps it could help if you tell us what happen in your old school that brought you here,” Lyra asked. “We can buy you a simple lunch from the vending machines nearby if you like.”

Both Lyra and Bonbon displayed a big grin, hoping that Tidal would accept the offer.

Tidal shrugged his shoulders and said, “Why not.”

All three of them went to the nearby vending machines and got some cans of soda and peanut butter crackers before sitting on the floor next to some lockers.

“So, what happened at your old school,” Lyra asked Tidal.

“Started in the middle of my last semester in my science class. We were supposed to do our first group project in the class. Each group was made up of four students. But one group would have to have five students because of the odd number in the class. And each group would have something different to work on that was related to the main topic that we were studying. Everyone in class was able to form a group of four, leaving me as the odd boy out. And it looked like no one wanted me in their groups. So the teacher assigned me to one of the groups, one that had the smartest student in the school.”

“Then wouldn’t that make it easy for you to get by?” Bonbon asked Tidal.

“Not this girl. Her name was Sassy Smarts. A straight-A student in the class who always have high hope for where she wanted to attend for college. But she was more of a spoiled bitch, if you ask me. She had everything she wanted to make the best of her studies. And she always though I was stupid that I couldn’t keep up in class. And it was the first group project that she showed her true colors.

“Our group would work on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays for two weeks to finish the project to tune in to the teacher. All was fine on the first day, but two days later, they have done more work than I even knew. I was busy catching up on what they did. It wasn’t until the next day, during the evening, that I saw what was going on. I was out for a walk when I saw the rest on my group in a cafe across the street, exchanging notes on what we were assigned in class. When I arrived in class for our group project, they had more that I wasn’t able to learn, and in some way, she was gloating about it in my face while I was trying to catch up again.

“So after class, I talked to my teacher about the fact that they were working on our group project without my knowledge of meeting after school. I requested to be placed in another group that would work with me, but we were already halfway into the project and that it would be a problem for me to learn what the group was working on. So I forced my teacher to let me work on a solo project where I can work on my own pace, if no one wanted me in their group. I even said that I would take any penalty in my grade if I did this. Just let me work on something that I can make sure I could keep up with. He decided to go along and gave me a new assignment after school that I can work on during my own time and would look into another group for the next project in class.

“The class was surprised that I was now working on my own the second week after all that happened, thinking that I would get a failing grade. But when the projects were turned in at the end of the week and handed back to us the next week, I saw that I got a 68 on the assignment. But the shock came in when the highest grade in the class was a 90, which was a ‘B’. And it was Sassy’s group that got that grade. It wasn’t because everyone didn’t do a good job on their projects, but that he gave the entire class a 10 point deduction for not understanding the meaning of ‘group’ project, since no one wanted me to be in any of their groups in the first place, not to mention that the group I was once in didn’t work as a complete group.”

“Sounds like she got what she deserve after how she treated you,” Lyra said. “To get her first B would be a black mark on her record.”

“Not really,” Tidal explained. “All that did was encourage others to side with her because they though I was the problem. She even got her boyfriend, Brutus Beefcake, on my case. He talked trash at first, but started to get physical before I finally decided to retaliate and fight back. I even went through it in gym class. All that did was get us in detention after school.”

“Then he shouldn’t have messed with you in the first place,” Bonbon said.

“You would think he would learn from that, since he became the starting quarterback for the school after the original starter got injured halfway through the first game. He came in and made a huge comeback to win the game. Since then, they were unbeaten during the season, until he started to pick on me. He kept doing it to me every day of the week, sending us to detention after school. That meant that he would have to miss football practice in the process. Thank to that, he got benched on the final game of our regular season. We had zero losses and was facing a team with only one loss, and they went back to their former starter to play the game. The team was handed their first loss, and due to tiebreaker rules, we were forced to being a 2 seed instead of a 1 seed.

“Brutus decided to vent his anger on me and pick on me some more, which lead to more fights and more detention afterwards. And thanks to that, he was benched again on our first playoff game, only to lose to a 7 seed in the process. The school was believed to be the one to go all the way early on in the season. But the newspaper questioned the reason they benched their star QB. Coach’s response was that he missed out on practice in the process the last two weeks. That was all that was needed to get the other students to back both Sassy and Brutus against me.”

Lyra and Bonbon looked at each other without Tidal noticing and had mixed reactions to what they were hearing.

Lyra said, “So… what happened next?”

“Let’s just say that things got a lot worse than before between me and the school. Enough to gain Aunt Tia’s attention and make her way there to look into my actions. During that one moment, she saw the reason to my actions. Someone decided to throw a crunched up can at the back of my hand. When I looked back, I saw Brutus and a few others laughing at me. I threw it back with force, but Brutus ducked, allowing it to hit Sassy in the eye as she was joining them. With Sassy covering her eye, both her and Brutus were angry at me. Brutus went at me, and we got into a fist fight that drew a crowd. I got beat bad, but when Sassy threw in some cheap shots, I dragged her in and threw her into Brutus with what force I had.

“Before Brutus could retaliate, some teachers stepped in and took us to the principal’s office, while Sassy went to the doctor’s office to have her eye looked at. The two of us were sitting there, waiting until the principal came in with Sassy wearing a bandage over her eye. But before the principal made his say on the case, Aunt Tia explained what she saw and wanted to know why they were getting most of the students to pick on me. They tried to give a weak excuse, because I didn’t have much of a reason expect for what happened in science class. But somehow, Aunt Tia didn’t let up. She said that she had to deal with a major issue at this school earlier on and felt that something similar was going on here and wanted them to be up front to their principal.

“Seeing that they weren’t getting a good reason for their actions, both Aunt Tia and the principal went to my science teacher for some answers. After learning what happened in class, as well as what happened with the football team, she could only assume that both Sassy and Brutus were at fault because I had a learning disability and became an easy target. She recommend that I transfer to this school after exams, and to take the exams in private. The principal agreed and decided to send the school a message by suspending both of them for one week, saying that students shouldn’t be bullying others because they have some special condition, making them easy targets.

“At that point, all the students started to back away from me. Brutus and Sassy kept giving me the stare when they came back, but didn’t even bother to come close to me. I’m guessing that they were given a strict warning if they tried to cause more trouble to me. So, I finished my semester classes and took my final exams in private before I started to pack my things and come here. Aunt Tia returned over the winter break to help me move to her house to live in during that time. But I do know this, those two got what they deserve. Sassy’s perfect-A and perfect attendance was shattered, and any chance for Brutus to get a big football scholarship went up in smoke.”

Tidal finished eating his crackers and took a final sip of his soda before getting up and throwing them in the bins next to the vending machines. Lyra and Bonbon decided to do the same when they were finished with their lunch.

“I’m guessing that you didn’t have many friends to help you out,” Lyra asked.

“I never had any friends,” Tidal replied. “Everyone thought I was different during my freshman year. But you can see what they thought of me now. Nothing but a bunch of bullies.”

“Well, we might as well see if Vice Principal Luna has everything ready for you for tomorrow,” Bonbon said.

The girls were able to escort Tidal to Luna’s office, where she had his schedule and books ready for him. And Luna was explained to Tidal about his schedule and where his rooms would be located, Lyra and Bonbon were outside the office talking.

“Man. Just hearing his story about what happen to him is like the total opposite of what Sunset did to us,” Lyra said.

“More like vice versa,” Bonbon added. “She tried to destroy friendships in our school for her personal gain. Tidal was able to get the school together to go against him.”

“Then why did the vice principal want us to avoid bringing up Sunset’s past?” Lyra asked.

“Maybe so that he doesn’t think that’s she’s a victim in this school,” Bonbon explained. “I mean, we have been hard on her since the Fall Formal.”

“But she just caused nothing but trouble to us until Twilight came along,” Lyra explained. “I’m sure he’ll understand.”

“How do we plan to explain the use of magic during that time?” Bonbon asked, to which Lyra had no answer. “I think that would be the problem in convincing him for her actions and our own.”

“I guess it would be best just to keep an eye on him and see how everything plays out for him,” Lyra said. “At least his birthday is a few weeks away. That should give him enough time to get along with the others before then.”

“And maybe we can understand how Tidal’s handling this school from his old one,” Bonbon added.

Tidal and Luna finally came out of the office, with a stack of books for each class.

“I’ll get some of those,” Lyra said, grabbing half of the books that he had.

“All we need now is an open locker to put it all in,” Luna explained.

“There’s one that’s empty next to ours,” Bonbon explained. “He can use that one.”

“Might be a good idea, since his homeroom class is the same as yours,” Luna explained.

“You mean you’re taking Geometry this year?” Lyra asked.

“I did say I was good in math,” Tidal replied.

So all three of them went back to where Lyra and Bonbon’s lockers were located. Bonbon went up to the empty locker and opened it, allowing Lyra and Tidal to place the books inside. Tidal took out his schedule and showed it to the girls.

“Yep. Geometry for first period. And you also have gym as your last class,” Lyra said.

“Looks like we’ll be able to hang out during those times,” Bonbon added.

“Hang out?”

“Yea. You did say that you didn’t have any friends, right?” Bonbon said.

“So why don’t we be your friend,” Lyra added. “At least you won’t have to be alone this time.”

Tidal was a bit hesitant about this. “Well… I guess it couldn’t hurt.”

“That’s what we’re talking about,” Lyra said as both her and Bonbon placed their arms around his shoulders.

“And for starters, you’ll be having Mrs. Harshwhinny for social studies,” Bonbon explained. “She can be strict at times, so you need to stay alert in her class.”

“But don’t worry. We’ll do our best to help you out in your classes,” Lyra added. “We’ll find a way that can get you prepared for those test that you have to take in each class.”

“Before you know it, you’ll past will be history,” Bonbon added. “Well, not like in history class, but you know what I mean.”

“Well, we might as well head on out,” Tidal said as he grabbed his coat and closed the door to his new locker. “I’ll have to bring a lock tomorrow. But I’m sure it will be fine for now.”

“Just as long as the weather is better tomorrow, I’m sure it will be fine until you get here,” Lyra said.

“I don’t know,” Bonbon said. “I’m heard that we might be getting a quick snowstorm overnight.”

“That might make it hard to drive on the secondary roads, unless they have been treated,” Tidal explained.

“What makes you say that?” Lyra asked.

“My father is a weather caster back home. He has tons of experience in cold weather from living up there,” Tidal explained. “His name is Sky Blue. He’s my aunt’s adopted brother.”

“Wait. You mean Sky Blue, the one who witness the thunder snow event couple of years ago?” Lyra asked.

Tidal let out a sigh. “Yea. He works with the Weather Channel at times when a serious storm comes by, since most of the staff of that station lives far south of there. He also did some of the sport science shows at one time. I’m guessing that you’ve seen his works on TV.”

“Actually, we discussed about the thunder snow event in our science class when it happened,” Bonbon explained.

“Yea. I just remember the name from the video and how he reacted when it happened… five times,” Lyra explained. “I know I would be like that if I saw it myself. His name isn’t as big as your mother’s, but I can guess he also attended here as well.”

“He did,” Tidal replied. “In fact, I think this was where my mother and father met the first time. Really don’t know all the details.”

“Well, don’t come blaming us if they find out about your father in science class,” Lyra explained and she took her coat from her locker.

“Yea. I’m sure the teachers there will already know it,” Bonbon added while grabbing her coat as well.

Tidal let out another sigh. “I guess I can live with that. As long as I don’t get pressured by a lot of questions about him. Every weather caster has their own experiences in certain weather events that happen around the world. So I’m sure that it wouldn’t be a big deal like at my old school.”

“Don’t worry,” Lyra said. “I’m sure everything will be just fine here.”

“That’s right,” Bonbon added. “And no doubt you’ll be making friends who see you for you, and not what your parents do.”

Ch. 3 - Blue Moon Impressions

The alarm was buzzing at 5AM on this Monday morning. A green hand came out of the bed sheets to turn it off. His hazel eyes opened up to see what time it was before getting up and out of bed. Tidal knew that to was school time once again. But he would be starting at a new school this semester. But as always, he went on with his morning ritual before going to school. He went to grab a change of clothes, made his way to the bathroom, got his shower, brush his teeth, got dressed, and made his way to the kitchen for breakfast. Every morning before school, he would do this.

But since he was in a different house, he saw Aunt Celestia, still in her yellow robe, on her cell phone. She was watching over the toaster oven that was cooking breakfast. He could smell it already, blueberry muffins, once if Tidal’s favorite morning foods. Tidal took a quick glance out the kitchen window and could see more snow on the ground than yesterday. He knew that the weatherman was right about another blast of snow coming overnight. And with the cold temps, he knew that the roads could have ice formed on them once again, unless they were treated before hand.

Celestia finally got off the phone and put it on the counter before grabbing a hot pad and pulling out the tray of blueberry muffins and having them placed on a place before laying it on the table along with some butter. Tidal went to get the orange juice and glass so that he would get his drink ready.

“That was the superintendent,” Celestia explained as she turned on the TV. “He’s issuing a one hour delay so that students can show up to school safely. Looks like some of the back roads got a bit of ice and needs time to melt from the sun.”

“Good call,” Tidal said. “Better safe than sorry.”

“Did any of this went on back home?”

“Their winter crew was always one step ahead during this season, making sure the roads are clear and the buses have chains around their wheels while on snow routes. About everyone would get up at five to make sure they get to school early, never knowing what would happen on the roads. It has become common up there.”

“Well, we shouldn’t have any problem getting there, since the road towards school will be safe to travel for us.”

They went and ate their breakfast while watching the TV. When Celestia was finished with her breakfast, she got up and went to her room to get herself ready for school. Tidal finished his breakfast and went back to his room to grab his 3DS system so that he could kill a bit of time before they would go to school. He decided to play one of the games he downloaded called “Crash ‘N’ the Boys Street Challenge” that he got interested a while back. He decided to play just the fighting stage with the star character, Crash. That was when Celestia came out, fully dressed, seeing what Tidal was playing.

“Does you father still have that game on the NES?” she asked.

“Yep. Nice to have the downloaded version of the game, as well as River City Ransom, which he still has.”

“I would figure he would sell that one online. Sure it would get a good chunk of money for the cart alone. But I guess it matters to hold on the rare, great ones to pass on down.”

As Tidal was playing his game, he had his opponent held down and was set up to execute one of his special moves. He chose “Fireball Spike”, Crash’s signature move and finished his opponent off.

“So you already caught on to your dad’s favorite move,” Celestia said. “Even your Aunt Luna couldn’t stand your dad using that move on her.”

“Did you play this game?”

“Hardly. All I did was just watch them play. I just liked to play the hammer throw golf on that game. At least I knew where every gold medal was.” Celestia went on to get her bag. “Come on. You can bring that with you as long as you leave it in your locker during classes.”

Tidal closed his 3DS and placed it in his backpack and got up. They both grabbed their coats and made their way out with bags in hand. As they got up to Celestia’s car, they saw two girls walking towards them.

“And right on cue,” Celestia said. “Mother had to borrow the caravan, right?

“Yea,” Bonbon replied.

“Think you can get us out of the cold again?” Lyra asked.

“Do I have a choice? Come on.”

The girls joined them as they all got into Celestia’s car. Once she started it up to get it warm, she pulled it out of the driveway and on the road towards the school.

“I’m guessing this becomes common when the weather is like this,” Tidal said.

“Well, Lyra doesn’t like to drive her car on possible black ice,” Bonbon said.

“And Bonbon’s mom always needs it to get to work safely,” Lyra added.

“So, you ready for your first day at your new school?” Bonbon asked.

Tidal let out a small sigh. “As long as it’s nothing like my old one.”

“Trust us. It will be a better experience,” Lyra said.

They were able to make it to school safely, like Celestia said, and pulled in to the parking lot. As they all got out of the car, they could see that one of the workers was trying to clear the snow off the entrance way while another was spreading ice melt on the ground.

“At least they got the parking lot cleared,” Celestia said as they walked over the pile of snow that was on the edge of each parking slot.

They walked over the snow covered grass when something came across Bonbon’s mind.

“Say, how high does the snow get where you live?”

“At least over a foot high. But it helps people walk to another place without worrying about slipping on ice. But that depends on location.”

“I’m guessing there are mountains near the border, right?” Lyra asked.

“Someone’s been learning,” Celestia said.

“There are, but nothing close to the northwest area of the border,” Tidal explained. “I believe my father went to report at a travel lodge that gets a lot of business in the winter… and summer.”

They stopped for a moment.

“Wait. They get business in the summer?” Lyra asked.

“Dad said that they have some ATV event on the dirt roads during that time,” Tidal explained. “I’ll see if he can send me a link to the lodge’s website when I get the chance.”

“Well, as long as they can find ways to stay open most of the year, that helps,” Bonbon said.

They continued on their way to the entrance when someone threw a snowball at Lyra. They looked back to see Pinkie Pie who threw it. Lyra decided to take this chance and made a snowball of her own and threw it at Pinkie, which she was able to duck.

“Miss me!”

Only to get hit by another one that came from Bonbon.

“Nice one!”

She shook off what bit of snow that was on her and started to skate her way towards them, stopping in front of Tidal.

“Hello, I’m Pinkie Pie. But you already knew that.”

Tidal was able to crack a small smile. “Nice to see you again.”

“So, did they-”

“Pinkie, can you hold off until we get inside,” Lyra said.

Pinkie nodded and skated to the steps and made a big leap to the top before walking inside.

“How is she able to do that?” Tidal asked.

“That’s just Pinkie being Pinkie,” said another girl that came up to them. She was the same one Tidal saw back from the shoppe with light orange skin and a long yellow ponytail. She was joined by two other students. One was a yellow girl with long red hair that had a red bow on it, and the other was a taller boy with pale skin and short orange hair.

“It nice to see that the three of you made it safely, Applejack,” Celestia said. “I’m guessing that your granny is coming later?”

“Eeyep,” Applejack replied. “One of the staff members will be picking her up later on today.”

“That’s good to hear,” Celestia said.

All of them went on inside to escape from the cold. Once inside, Pinkie decided to pick up where she left off by getting in front of Tidal.

“So, did they give you a tour of the school?”

Tidal looked at Lyra and Bonbon before answering. “They did.”

“Cool! I’m sure you’re going to have a super duper time here. Oh, this is one of my friends, Applejack.” She quickly scooted next to her.

“It’s finally nice to meet you,” Applejack said as she extended her hand to shake his. “Pinkie was just telling us about you back at the shoppe that she was just working at. Didn’t realized we were in the booth next to you at that time.” She started to point out the other two who were with her. “This is my little sis, Apple Bloom, and our big brother, Big Mac.”

“It’s nice to meet ya,” Apple Bloom said. “We live near a small apple farm not far from here.”

“Our family has run apple farms in various cities where they live,” Applejack explained. “So you could say we have a big family out there.”

“Apple Bloom, we’re here!”

They all looked to see some more students walking in. One was a white girl with pink and purple hair, and the other was an orange girl with short purple hair.

“Sweetie Belle! Scootaloo! You’re here!” Apple Bloom ran up to them and started their own conversation.

Three other students were also there. One was the beautiful white girl with long purple hair that Tidal saw back at the shoppe. The taller boy who was close to her was a gray boy with black hair and had a basketball with a note on his shirt. The other boy that was there was your average cyan boy with black hair and was wearing a blue hoddie.

Applejack quickly waved at them. “Hey there Rarity, Clyde, Swift.”

“And a good morning to you too, Applejack,” Rarity replied.

“I see that you made it safely,” Bonbon said.

“Well, my bae was able to pick me and Sweetie Belle up from my house,” Rarity replied.

Applejack had a confused look on her face. “Your what?”

“She means her boyfriend,” Pinkie explained with a cheerful tone.

Applejack looked at Pinkie. “And how do you know that?”

“Just a guess.” She displayed a grin from ear to ear.

“I think it’s some kind of slang term,” Tidal explained. “You know, boo, bae. I remember hearing the terms back at my old school from someone who I would like to forget.”

Rarity took a notice at Tidal. “Is this the new student that I was hearing about before?”

“Eeyep. That’s the one,” Applejack replied.

“Well, it’s nice to meet you. I’m Rarity. Rarity Belle.” She walked up to Tidal to shake his hand. “This is my bae, I mean, boyfriend, Clyde.”

“Nice to meet you,” Clyde said as they exchanged handshakes.

“And I’m Swift. Swift Justice.” He also exchanged handshakes. “I’m the brat’s older brother.”

“I heard that!” Scootaloo yelled back as her group started to run off.

Celestia let out a small giggle. “Looks like you’re going to get some friends this time, Tidal.”

“That should be a good thing, right?” Bonbon asked.

“Wait. You mean you never had any friends before?” Rarity said with a concerned look on her face.

Tidal was about to answer when Lyra decided to step in.

“It’s… a long story.”

“A really long story,” Bonbon added.

“Well, I’m sure we can hear about it sometime,” Applejack said. “But right now, we need to get into the cafeteria to get breakfast ready for the other students that get here. It’s not going to cook by itself.” She looked at Lyra and Bonbon. “You going to help out?”

“Give us a moment to put our things away and we’ll be there,” Bonbon said before her, Lyra, and Tidal went on to their lockers elsewhere.

“Applejack. Can I talk to you and Rarity for a moment?” Celestia requested.

“Sure thing.” Applejack handed the key to Big Mac. “Think you can get things started for us?”

“Eeyep.”

“We can do it,” Pinkie added.

“Pinkie. Remember, no sweets this time,” Celestia ordered.

“Okie Dokie Loki.”

Big Mac and Pinkie Pie went on to the cafeteria.

“Hey. I’ll help to,” Swift said as he started to catch up to them.

Rarity looked at Clyde and asked, “Can you do us a favor and help them out. I’ll be right there shortly.”

“Anything for you, boo,” Clyde replied, giving Rarity a kiss on her cheek before walking off to join the others.

With just Applejack and Rarity by themselves, Celestia decided to make sure that everything would be fine after what happened back during the Fall Formal.

“I’m guessing that Sunset hasn’t been causing any trouble since I was gone,” Celestia asked.

“More like the opposite,” Applejack replied.

“Most of the students still gave her a hard time after what she did during the Fall Formal,” Rarity explained. “The five of us have been helping her out in starting a new life, but it hasn’t been easy for her.”

“It’s like she went from being the bully to being bullied,” Applejack added.

Celestia started to have a worried look on her face. “Now I’m really concern as to how he would think about our school, since he’s now here.”

“What makes you say that?” Applejack asked, curious to Celestia’s reasoning.

“Well, remember when Twilight came here and got the school together to go against Sunset?” The girls nodded. “It’s… kinda like that. And not like that.”

Applejack and Rarity looked at each other, trying to understand what she meant by that.

“I guess I need to explain. Do you want to long version or short version?”

---

As Lyra, Bonbon, and Tidal started to put their things away, the girls were curious about what he wanted to forget.

“When you brought up about the boo/bae thing, were you referring to the two that caused all the trouble at your old school?” Bonbon asked, to which Tidal nodded.

“I guess that brought up some old memories, didn’t it,” Lyra said.

“Not really,” Tidal replied. “It looks like those two are a better couple to use those terms than those losers.”

“I’m just surprised that they’ve become an item,” Lyra said.

“Well it was during the balloon pop that started it all,” Bonbon explained.

“I thought he was to meet Pinkie when that happened,” Lyra asked.

“Somehow, his paper got mixed up with a friend of his,” Bonbon explained. “I guess the rest just played itself out.”

“They must be lucky to have each other,” Lyra said.

“I know,” Bonbon replied.

Both girls just sighed and started to daydream about the experience. Tidal, on the other hand, was still focused on his stuff in his locker. He quickly got out his 3DS, which he left on, and saw the green light on the corner.

“A Streetpass tag?”

This brought Lyra and Bonbon back to reality. They looked to see what Tidal was holding in his hand.

“You have one too?” Lyra asked Tidal

“Yea. You?”

“No. But I know that Pinkie does,” Lyra explained.

“She must have hers with her,” Bonbon explained.

“Say, do you have any games on there?” Lyra asked.

Tidal nodded and opened the system up. He started to quickly explained the games he had in each folder. Most of them were NES and Game Boy classics. Some were 3D versions of the classics. Others were indie titles or remakes of older games.

“You have a lot of games there,” Lyra said.

“Well, these are either part of the Virtual Console library of 3DS Download only titles,” Tidal explained as he closed it up and placed it in his locker before closing it. “I have more, but they’re back home.”

“Hey, how about you help us out in the cafeteria,” Lyra requested

“Yea. Maybe you and Pinkie can compare games with each other,” Bonbon added.

Tidal shrugged his shoulders. “I guess it wouldn’t hurt. But I never helped out anywhere at my old school.”

“We had a feeling about that,” Bonbon said.

“But we think we can find something that you can be helpful in doing,” Lyra added.

Tidal agreed, and all three of them made their way to the cafeteria.

---

Tidal, Lyra, and Bonbon were coming out of their homeroom Geometry class and making it to their lockers to grab their books for their next class.

“Man. I’m surprised that you know what we have learned in class,” Lyra said.

“I’m just surprised that the teacher started on the next chapter where I last left off at my old school,” Tidal explained. “No sense missing out on any sections that you girls have already learned.”

“So what was your next class again?” Bonbon asked.

Tidal pulled out his class schedule from his pocket. “Social Studies with… Mrs. Harshwhinny.”

“Oh boy,” Lyra replied. “She can be a strict teacher to learn from.”

“Just make sure to stay focus in class and don’t cause any trouble,” Bonbon requested.

“Which we know you won’t be able to do,” Lyra added. “And make sure you’re not late.”

“Got it.”

Tidal switched out books and closed his locker. He parting ways with Lyra and Bonbon and made his way to his next class. When he arrived, he started to look for an open seat when Mrs. Harshwhinny saw him.

“Mr. Blue. It’s nice to see that you made it on time today.” She looked over the classroom and noticed an open seat. “You can sit behind Miss Shimmer over there.” She pointed to an empty desk next to the wall behind the fiery haired girl with the leather jacket.

Tidal went to his seat and laid his supplies out on his desk. The bell rang, signaling the start to class. Tidal opened the book to the assigned chapter where the class left off and started taking notes, doing his best to keep up. But there were times when he looked up that he saw the girl in front of him getting hit by spit-wards, which she wiped off and glared at the direction that she was looking at for a moment. Tidal took a glance and was able to catch the student who was shooting them.

Tidal still had a problem with bullies and needed it to stop, but he needed to be clever in doing so. So he took a piece of paper and wrote a note and folded it up. He waited for the right moment to pass the note to her. When he did, he tapped it on the girl’s arm, to which the teacher noticed.

“Mr. Blue! Are we passing notes in class?” She walked on over and took the note from Tidal and opened it. When she read it, she walked back up and threw it in the trash. Then looked at the class as said, “Mr. Lance! Please refrain from shooting spit-wards in class, unless you want to end up in detention with Vice Principal Luna.”

There were some laughs in the class before the teacher got their attention, focusing back to their books. The lesson went on until the bell rang, signaling the end of class.

“Mr. Blue. May I see you for a moment?”

As the class went outside, Tidal went up to see the teacher, hoping that he didn’t do anything wrong.

“While passing notes in class is not allowed, I was very impressed in how you wanted to handle the issue at hand,” Mrs. Harshwhinny explained.

“Um, thanks?”

She relaxed her tone in front of him. “Principal Celestia has told me about what happened at your last school. And such treatment like that is uncalled for in my class, or this school in fact. So, if anyone is causing you any problems here, do not hesitant to let me know and I will look into it.”

“Thank you.”

“Now go on. No sense being late to your next class,” she said, waving her hands towards him.

Tidal left the classroom and was met by the girl that sat in front of her.

“Hey there.”

“Hey. That guy wasn’t giving you any trouble, was he?” Tidal asked.

“Oh no, no. I’m… used to it,” she replied, rubbing the back of her head. “My name’s Sunset. Sunset Shimmer.”

“Tidal. Tidal Blue.”

They quickly shook hands with each other as they were walking in the same direction.

“You’re the principal’s nephew, right?” Sunset asked.

“Yea. But don’t let that define me for who I am,” Tidal replied. “I just hate bullies, that’s all.”

“I… see.”

“Has this been happening to you for a while?”

Sunset rubbed the back of her head again. “Let’s just say that I’ve done some things that I regret doing back then. It’s… kinda a long story.”

“What kind of things?”

“I rather not say right now. Maybe another time… when I feel like it.” She noticed the stairs nearby. “Taking the stairs?”

“Not at this time.”

“Then… I guess we part ways, right?”

“I… guess so.”

“Maybe… we can meet again during lunch? I’m sure you would want to meet a few friends of mine that have been… helping me with my problems.”

“Maybe. I’ll see what Lyra and Bonbon are doing.”

“OK.” They both parted ways. As Sunset took the stairs, she thought, “That was close. I’m guessing he doesn’t know about my past. But how would he react when he does find out? I might have to talk to the girls about this.”

---

It was lunch time, and the cafeteria was busy as usual. Tidal was able to join up with Lyra and Bonbon before making their way to the cafeteria. As they were getting n line to get some food, Sunset already got her food and joined up with the girls.

“Hiya Sunset.”

“Hey Pinkie.”

“Everything fine so far?” Applejack asked.

“Same as always,” Sunset replied feeling deflated.

“So, I heard there’s a new kid here,” Rainbow Dash said.

“That would be Tidal, the principal’s nephew,” Applejack replied. “Came from New Hampshire from what we’ve been told.”

“And it sounds like he’s had a hard time where he was living,” Rarity added.

“I already have a class with him,” Sunset explained. “Somehow, he has an issue with bullies before.”

“Um, he’s not giving you any problems like the others,” Fluttershy quietly said.

“No, no,” Sunset replied waving her hands. “He actually came to my aid in class, in an odd way of course.”

“Sounds like he decided to handle on student who was giving you a hard time,” Applejack said. “Let’s just hope it doesn’t lead to more problems for us to deal with.”

“Hey, we can take on any problems that come our way,” Rainbow Dash proudly replied.

“I’m not sure about this one,” Applejack said. “Somehow, two students from his old school got the rest of the school against him. Something to do with the fact that he has a learning disability, I think.”

This peaked Sunset’s attention. “Learning disability? I guess that could explain why he was trying his best to keep up with his notes in class. But I can understand why he would get the school to go against him.”

“Maybe,” Applejack replied. “But what he did and what you did are two different things. No offense, but you tried to destroy friendships back then. Tidal, on the other hand, became the victim of the school. How it all played out is something that Principal Celestia is unsure of.”

“I’m guessing he doesn’t know about my past,” Sunset said.

“Nope,” Applejack replied. “Looks like Vice Principal Luna wants to make sure he doesn’t know about it. Thinks it might make him judge the school a different way. Even Lyra and Bonbon haven’t told him, and she wants to keep it that way.”

“If you have a class with him, then there might have to be a time when you’ll have to tell him about what happened back at the Fall Formal.”

“That is if he’s willing to believe all the magic that went on at that time, which I doubt he will,” Applejack added.

“So, what’s he like?” Rainbow Dash asked. “Does he have any hobbies or interests?”

“He likes video games,” Pinkie Pie responded. “I already got a Streepass tag from him.”

Rainbow Dash went up to Pinkie’s face. “Really? What was the last game he played?”

Pinkie took a moment to think about it. “Um, Crash and the Boys Street Challenge. I don’t know the game, but I think it’s on of those retro games from the looks of it. Maybe it’s a fighting game.”

“Could be,” Rainbow Dash replied, backing off. “I know I never heard of it.”

“I hope he’s willing to join us,” Sunset said. “Would be nice to know him more.”

“Already got that covered,” Rarity proudly replied. “My boyfriend, Clyde, is working on it as we speak.”

Over at the lunch line, Lyra, Bonbon, and Tidal were getting their lunch to eat when three boys joined him.

“Hey there, Tidal.”

He looked over to see the same guy who was with Rarity earlier today.

“Hello again. Clyde was it?”

“That’s right. You also remember Swift, right?”

“How can we not,” Lyra replied. “He kept trying to help Pinkie every chance he could get.”

“I thought she needed help,” Swift replied.

“Rrriiight,” Bonbon sarcastically replied.

Tidal noticed the tan boy with brown hair, wearing a shirt with a cog and wings on it.

“This is Rivet,” Clyde introduced. “He’s in our homeroom English class.”

“Which the vice principal is still subbing,” Swift added.

“Well, I do recall Aunt Luna starting her teaching career in that field before she became the vice principal,” Tidal explained.

“So the two of you are related?” Rivet asked.

“Loosely,” Tidal replied. “My aunts’ parents adopted my father when they were younger.”

“I guess that could explained why Vice Principal Luna decided to adopt Cynder and Eclipse,” Bonbon explained.

All of them were able to get their own lunch and paid for them before leaving the lunch line when Clyde stopped them for a moment.

“Do the three of you want to join us? At least you have a few more guys to hang out with.”

Tidal looked at Lyra and Bonbon and all of them agreed on the decision. “Sure.”

They all made their way to one of the tables where six girls were sitting together. They were the same six that Tidal saw back at the shoppe, some of which he met again this morning.

“Hey there, Tidal. Nice to see that you and the girls get to join us,” Applejack said.

As they took their seats, Tidal decided to sit next to Sunset, with Lyra and Bonbon sitting across them.

“I’m sure you met Sunset from another class,” Rarity said, to which Tidal nodded. “These ore our other friends. Rainbow Dash,” which she pointed to the cyan girl with the rainbow hair, “and Fluttershy,” which she pointed to the yellow girl with the pink hair.

Tidal waved at both of them.

“So, I heard that you’re new here,” Rainbow Dash said. “How are you liking it so far?”

“I’m getting by,” Tidal replied.

“No one giving you any problems?” Applejack asked.

“We haven’t heard anything so far,” Bonbon replied. “And that should be good for all of us.”

“Say, Pinkie told me that she got a Streetpass tag from you,” Rainbow Dash explained. “What kind of games do you play?”

“Mostly the classics,” Tidal replied. “Sometimes puzzle or racing. Maybe a basic RPG if I find one.”

“You’re not into those shooter games?

“Nope. I was never good at those.”

“You and me both. Cynder and her brother just takes us down in those,” Rainbow Dash explained as she was pointing to Pinkie Pie.

“I don’t mind playing those for the story. But everyone plays them just for bragging rights against each other,” Tidal explained. “I just can’t compete with them.”

“The only bragging rights that Dash here goes for is in those kart racing games she plays,” Applejack explained.

“What’s wrong, AJ. Still trying to recover after I beat you over the winter break?” Rainbow Dash taunted. Applejack just stared back at her.

“If kart racing games are all that you play, then you’re not a skilled racer,” Tidal said to Rainbow Dash.

“And what makes you say that?” she replied, raising an eyebrow.

“Kart games are good with their wacky gear, but it’s the extreme high speed racing games that really test your reflexes. Otherwise, you might just crash and burn in the process.”

Rainbow Dash started at Tidal and said, “Is that a challenge?”

“Maybe.”

Applejack decided to defuse the situation. “Now, now. Let’s not get carried away here. Tidal is still new here, and I think it would be best to get to know him better first.”

“She’s right, you know,” Lyra added. “Tidal’s had a hard time at his old school, so let’s make him welcomed here for once.”

“I’m game,” Clyde said. “Tell me, are you good in any sports?”

“Not really,” Tidal replied. “I always get picked last and usually get stuck on the bench most of time. I’m guessing you’re more of a sports person.”

“You bet,” Clyde replied. “I’m on the boy’s basketball team with Swift and Rainbow Dash.”

Tidal raised an eyebrow. “A girl on a boy’s team? I don’t believe it.”

“You should,” Swift said. “We even got Coach Iron Will to coach the boy’s team, and we have been doing good so far. Even better than our football team.”

Lyra and Bonbon started to feel concerned when he brought up the football topic.

“Well, as long as you don’t brag about it, I’m fine with that,” Tidal replied.

This brought a sigh of relief to the two girls.

Sunset decided to bring up something from their class. “Tidal, are you having a hard time keeping up with taking notes in class?”

“You noticed, right?” Tidal asked, to which Sunset nodded. “I’m not a fast writer when I’m taking notes that go on in class.”

“We never saw that happen with you in our Geometry class,” Lyra replied.

Tidal decided to explain. “Math notes are easier to write, since it’s numbers and symbols. But writing key notes that the teacher brings up in my other classes is more of a problem for me.”

“Is that why you have a hard time in your other classes?” Bonbon asked, to which Tidal nodded.

“Have you tried note cards before a test in your class, dear?” Rarity asked.

“I tried, but I still have a hard time remembering everything for the test,” Tidal replied.

“We already decided to offer our help with his other classes if he ever needs it,” Lyra said.

“Since we’re good in some of those classes, we figure that we could help him out in those areas,” Bonbon added.

“Nice to see that you’re already helping out anyway,” Applejack said.

The group talked about other things while finishing their lunch before the bell rang, telling them that it was time to go to their next class. As the day was winding down, there was one more class to go for Tidal. Gym class. Tidal made his way to the boy’s locker room to get changed when he saw Swift, Clyde, and Rivet again. He learned that the girls that he was with at lunch was also in gym class with them. When they got changed and went to the gym floor with the others, they were met by a big, blue guy in a blue and gold track suit with a bag of rubber balls.

“Welcome back, boys and girls. Iron Will is glad to see you survive the winter break without any accidents. Since our classes were shorten due to the hour delay, we will be playing dodge ball once again. Now, since we have a new student in our class, Tidal Blue will be one of our captains. Rainbow Dash will be our second captain.”

Both Tidal and Rainbow Dash got up and stood on separate sides. Tidal was selected to go first, so he needed someone who can at least guide him in his selections.

“Bonbon!”

Once she got up and stood next to him, Rainbow Dash made her choice.

“Lyra!”

Tidal had to make his next choice add decided to look to Bonbon for advice.

“You might want to pick either Applejack or Pinkie next,” she whispered.

“Applejack!”

“Pinkie!”

Tidal had an idea who to pick next. “Swift!”

“Clyde!”

Seeing what Rainbow Dash was doing, he decided to work with what he learned back at the shoppe. “Rarity!”

“Fluttershy!”

Now he needed to up his game. “Rivet!”

Rainbow Dash showed a hint of concern in his pick before she picked again. “Thunderlane!”

They kept making their picks until there were two students left. One was Sunset Shimmer. The other was a blue girl with white hair.

“Trixie knows that Trixie will be picked next. Good luck being last again.

Bonbon leaned in to whisper to Tidal. “You might want to pick Trixie instead of Sunset.”

“Why?”

“Just because.”

Tidal yelled, “Sunset Shimmer.”

Almost all the students jaws dropped with Tidal’s pick, including Trixie.

“Who’s last now,” Sunset said with a smug grin on her face. When she walked up to Tidal, she whispered, “Thanks. Hate being last again.”

“I know the feeling.”

With both teams in place, they went to their respected sides as the coach started to lay out the rubber balls. With everyone ready, the coach blew the whistle, beginning the match. Everyone ran to grab a ball and tossed it to the other side, trying to get the other player out. During the match, Clyde threw the ball at Applejack, but she got out of the way, causing the ball to hit Rarity instead.

“Sorry, boo!”

But he soon got hit by a ball that was thrown from Applejack.

“Eyes open, lover boy.”

Then she got hit by a ball, which came from Fluttershy.

“Epp. I’m sorry.”

That was when she got hit by a ball that came from Rivet, only to get hit by one from Thunderlane, who then got hit by Swift, before Pinkie was able to hit him. It went on until there were three players on each team. Rainbow Dash was on one side with Pinkie Pie and Lyra, who each had a ball. Tidal was on the other side with Sunset and Bonbon, who each had a ball. Lyra and Bonbon looked at each other and started to run towards the center and threw their balls at each other, making contact…

…

…at close range.

The others just stood there, stunned at what they just saw.

Rainbow Dash said, “Well, I didn’t see that coming.”

“And you didn’t see this coming as well!”

Sunset threw her ball at Rainbow Dash, but she was able to dodge it at the last minute. Pinkie took this moment to threw her all at Sunset, which Rainbow Dash was able to pick up the other ball and do the same. Sunset was about to brace for impact. But Tidal was able to get in front of her and catch Pinkie’s ball and use it to block Dash’s ball in the process.

“Pinkie! You’re out!” Iron Will yelled.

“Hey! Isn’t Tidal out as well?” Rainbow Dash yelled back.

“You hit the ball, not the player. So it doesn’t count. Tidal! Choose!”

“Rivet!”

He got back up to join the other two. Rainbow Dash was nervous again, now that Rivet was back in the game. But they knew she was quick and needed to up their game. And Tidal had one trick that he was hoping to show off at his old school, just to teach them a lesson.

“Hey Sunset. Think you can give me a boost?”

“Sure. But why?”

“Let’s just say I have one surprise in store here. Rivet, see if you can throw Rainbow off her game for a moment.”

Rivet nodded and grabbed a ball. They waited until the coach blew the whistle. Once he did, Rainbow Dash was ready for anything. Rivet went to threw his ball at her, but she ducked and picked up the ball and threw it back at Rivet, hitting him and bouncing back towards her.

“Got ya!”

Tidal, still with ball in hand, made a dash towards Sunset, who was looking at him. Rainbow Dash went and threw the ball towards Sunset. But Tidal was able to toss the ball in the air and get on Sunset’s hands, lifting him into the air as she got hit by the ball.

“Got you too!”

“And I got you!” Tidal was able to reach the ball in mid-air, punching it with full force. “FIREBALL SPIKE!!!”

“Fire wha-” SMACK!!!

The ball slammed into her face, causing her to hit the ground. Rainbow Dash was a bit dizzy when she tried to sit up, saying, “I’m alright,” before laying back down again. Tidal was able to land back on the ground a bit hard, leaving a bit of pain in his legs.

“Tidal’s team wins!”

Sunset went up to him and said, “Tidal, you OK?”

“Yea. Just… need to walk it off, that’s all.” He started to shake his legs, making sure the pain would go away.

“Where did you learn that?” Rivet asked.

“Oh, that was Crash’s signature move. From Crash and the Boys Street Challenge. I’ve been meaning to show off that move in front of someone who deserves it badly. But better off not letting all that practice go to waste. Might want to make sure she’s OK.”

The coach blew his whistle. “Alright! Hit the showers! School’s almost over!”

Everyone started to make their way to their own locker rooms to get changed. But the girls went on to check on their friend, Rainbow Dash.

Applejack asked, “You OK, partner?”

Rainbow Dash started to recover as she stood back up. “What… was… that?”

“It was a fireball spike,” Pinkie replied.

“I know that Pinkie! But where did that come from?”

Pinkie thought for a moment. “Um, I don’t know.”

“I think it came from that game that Tidal last played,” Sunset explained.

Rainbow Dash took a moment to process the information.

“WHAT!?”

---

Tidal, Lyra, and Bonbon were making their way to their lockers to grab their books before leaving school. The two girls were still surprised at what just happened back in gym class.

“First, you pick Sunset,” Bonbon said.

“Then you pulled off a stunt that we didn’t saw coming,” Lyra added.

“And you said that you weren’t good at sports,” Bonbon also added.

“Where did this come from?” Lyra asked.

Tidal explained. “First, when we had dodge ball in class, I always get picked last, so I knew how Sunset feels. Second, I’ve been working on that move for quite some time so I can get some payback against that loser of a jock. But it wasn’t easy doing it by myself. So I needed someone to help me get a boost.”

“You weren’t planning to slam the ball in his face, right?” Lyra asked.

Tidal shrugged his shoulders. “I don’t know. What happens, happens.”

“Is that how bad you wanted to get back at him?” Bonbon asked.

“He, and his girlfriend, made my life a living hell! After what I just did there, I wouldn’t mind taking him on again… and his loser of a girlfriend.” Tidal grabbed his things and slammed the locker door.

“Look. We know what they did was wrong. But isn’t that overdoing it there?” Bonbon explained.

Before he could answer, someone came down the hallway yelling.

“Hey! What’s the big idea of showing off like that?”

They noticed Rainbow Dash down the hallway with fury in her eyes. The other girls were with her, trying to hold her back from doing any damage.

“Maybe if you weren’t so cocky, you would have been ready for that,” Tidal yelled back.

“No one likes a show-off!” Rainbow Dash yelled.

“Look who’s talking,” Applejack said, trying to hold her back.

“Hey, you’re not helping!”

Bonbon decided to step in between the two. “Will you just give it a rest! He’s still trying to move on from his old school.”

“Yea! This is Ocean’s Wave’s son we’re talking about!”

Lyra quickly covered her mouth after letting that info slip from her lips. But everyone just stood in silence for a moment before Rainbow Dash spoke.

“Wait a minute! Your mother is Ocean Wave? The legendary Olympic swimmer?”

Tidal, seeing where this was about to go, decided to leave the scene, yelling, “That’s it! I’m out of here!”

Once he was out of view, Bonbon looked over and said, “Way to go, Lyra.”

“I’m sorry. It just… slipped.”

“Just slipped? Just slipped! We promised him that we wouldn’t bring her up in front of everyone.”

The other girls walked up to them, wondering what was going on.

“Hold on there, girls. What the hay are you talking about?” Applejack asked.

“Yea. Ocean Wave’s been a hero to this school,” Rainbow Dash added. “What’s his problem with that?”

Bonbon sighed for a moment before she spoke. “It’s… kind of a long story. Is it possible that you can meet us later at the Sweet Shoppe.”

“We can explain everything there, since some of you have other activities to attend to,” Lyra added.

The girls nodded and all of them went on to leave the school for now, knowing that they would be meeting later on that same day.

Ch. 4 - Blue Moon Shooting

The girls decided to visit Lyra and Bonbon once after-school activities were done so that they could get a better idea into Tidal’s past. And while it painted a clearer picture, there were still some questions that needed to be answered.

“I don’t get it,” Rainbow Dash responded. “Ocean Wave is known as one of the greatest athletes out there. He should be grateful to have a mother like her.”

“Well, I would agree with you there, since his father is one of the most experienced weather experts out there,” Applejack added. “But with the condition he has, I can understand why they would think of him that way.”

“I’m with Applejack on this,” Rarity added. “Having famous people for parents would be one thing. But there are some parents that are fabulously famous then his parents. If they had that kind of status, then you would think he would be taking advantage of that.”

“But why hasn’t anyone told him about my past,” Sunset asked.

“Well, Vice Principal Luna told us… not to tell him about your past,” Bonbon hesitantly replied.

“Plus, now that you think about it, I doubt he would believe that you turned into a magical fiery demon and tried to take control of us,” Lyra added.

“But I did worst things even before that,” Sunset explained.

“I think its because Principal Celestia wanted to get an update on how you were doing since she was gone to deal with the issue,” Applejack explained. “And with what you’ve been going through since the Fall Formal, he would believe that you are just a victim as he was.”

“Then why don’t we just tell him what all happened and see if he believes what we say,” Lyra recommended.

“Not on your life,” Applejack replied. “Sunset’s been through enough trouble since then. And Princess Twilight wanted her to stay here so that she could redeem herself for what she did.”

“Well, he’s going to have to find out at some point,” Lyra said.

Soon then, Cynder came blazing into the shop and went straight to the girls’ table, slamming her hands on the table.

“OK! Who here decided to get on my cousin’s bad side? I want to know.”

“Now hold on there, partner,” Applejack said. “Care to explain why you came to us like a firecracker?”

“I was just talking to Tidal about his first day at school, and someone here got him upset. I want to know who did it.”

“Well, Lyra did bring up Tidal’s mother,” Bonbon explained.

“And Rainbow here decided to go all fan girl in front of him,” Applejack added.

“I did not go all fan girl on him,” Rainbow Dash responded.

“Actually, you went up to him in excitement after hearing his mother’s name,” Pinkie Pie corrected which play on her 3Ds system.

“Whatever.”

“Look, we just now learned about what went on at Tidal’s old school, and we’re sorry that it happened,” Applejack explained. “We just hope that we came make him understand that this school is nothing like his old school.”

“Yea. I mean, his mother is awesome. But everyone at our school is just as awesome as her,” Rainbow Dash added.

“Not everyone,” Lyra mumbled, staring at Sunset.

“Cynder dear. Is there any way we can help him understand that we just want to be his friend, no matter what happens?” Rarity asked.

Cynder started to think for a moment until Pinkie blurted out, “I GOT IT!”

“Got what?” Applejack asked.

“I understand where that move came from. It was from that last game that Tidal played, Crash n the Boys Street Challenge. It’s like Track and Field, but with weapons and fancy moves. There’s a fighting move that this one character, Crash, uses where he pins his opponent, then throws him up, jumps up, and punches his opponent into the ground like a fireball. That’s why it’s call Fireball Spike.”

Rainbow Dash shivered when she heard the name. “Pinkie, please don’t bring that name up again… ever.”

“Pinkie, I don’t think you’re helping here,” Applejack said.

“Wait a minute. Pinkie, what do you know about Streetpass Tags?” Bonbon asked.

“Well, whenever two players carrying a 3DS system with them while it’s on cross paths, then they share a Streetpass Tag that holds their basic info, greeting, and last game that they played. But they can only tag up to ten players.”

“Unless you have the premium package, which comes with some awesome mini games that require players based on what games mini games they have player or what color shirt that they selected,” Rainbow Dash added. “This way, they can transfer up to the next ten players to a waiting line so that they can tag up to a hundred players, allowing them to play the mini games more often when they get the time to do so. Me, Pinkie, and Fluttershy have that package.”

“You have one too,” Cynder asked, to which Fluttershy nodded.

“I only have a few favorites that I like to play, so I don’t take it around much.”

“Cynder, does Tidal have this premium package that they were talking about?” Bonbon asked.

“Yes. But he only gets a chance to grab any tags during conventions in the summer with his father. So he rarely gets tags elsewhere.”

“Well, what if we could get more Streetpass Tags from other students with a message of support for him,” Bonbon explained.

“That’s a great idea,” Lyra responded. “I sure there are others who have a 3Ds system at school, right?”

“Well, we don’t,” Rarity replied, referring to Applejack and Sunset.

“But, we could help organize it,” Applejack said. “We just need to talk to Principal Celestia and Vice Principal Luna about the plan and see if it will be alright with them in the process.”

Pinkie started jumping up and down. “Oh, oh. I can talk to some of the others students and see if they could help out. Even make sure that there are ten tags made between classes.”

“I can do the same with the teams I’m a part of,” Rainbow Dash added.

“We’ll need to have it all planned out to make it work,” Lyra said. “So it might take a few days to get it done.”

“If we can get it all ready by Friday, then it will give him some time over the weekend to check out all the tags he got,” Bonbon added.

“But what do you plan to do with him until then?” Sunset asked. “He’s going to have mixed reviews about our school in the process. No doubt it will happen in my class with him.”

“Well, we don’t have any of those systems,” Lyra said.

“But we do have out Stream accounts,” Bonbon added. “Maybe he can tell us some games he likes on there that we can play.”

“He does have a Stream account of his own, and I know most of the games are Final Fantasy games that were released on there, plus a few other simple RPGs,” Cynder explained. “Maybe you can start there.”

“Let’s not forget that he might need help with classes,” Applejack added. “That’s another way we can help him out until then.”

“We already have that covered,” Lyra said. “But, it wouldn’t hurt to have some extra help along the way, just in case.”

With everyone in agreement, they all started to make their way out of the shoppe. Sunset decided to grab Lyra and talk to her for a moment.

“Look, I know that you and Bonbon don’t like me for what I did in the past. And you are right, he does need to know about what I did back then. But only when he’s ready to understand and I’m willing to talk to him about it.”

“I can understand,” Lyra said. “He’s been through a lot worse than anyone else in school, including you. And right now, we all need to gain his trust if he wants to get better. And I think he could understand the use of magic during the Fall Formal soon enough.”

“What makes you say that?” Sunset asked, raising an eyebrow.

“Remember what Cynder said about the Final Fantasy games?” Sunset nodded. “I recall it using stuff like magic, dragons, crystals… stuff like that. Although, I think he would be surprised that magic was real, if he’s able to see it himself.”

“I think it would be best that we don’t have any more magic going on. I’ve done enough damage thanks to that. But, if it can help him understand better, I’ll do whatever I can to make him understand for you girls.”

---

Celestia brought Tidal back home after a long, and tiresome, week. And it was a week that he wasn’t sure what to make of.

Rainbow Dash was able to apologize to Tidal about her actions from Monday after gym class, but she still was excited that Ocean Wave’s son was attending CHS, which still got on Tidal’s nerves. And for some reason, word about his connection to Ocean Wave spread to some other athletes in the school. But they never did come up to him about it.

Sunset Shimmer was able to lend her notes to Tidal during lunch so that he could make sure he was up to date before studying when he got home. But it also led to some students thinking that she was trying to get on his good side, thinking that she still had a grudge with most of the school. Not to mention that he had a way of coming to her aid with some of the pranks that were made on her.

But it was Lyra and Bonbon who was doing all the work helping Tidal adjust to his new school, as well as helping with his classes when he needed it the most. They also requested that Tidal bring his 3Ds system so that they could try some of his classic games whenever there was a chance, mostly during lunchtime. But during that time, he noticed that he was getting Streetpass Tags at school. They were few at the start, but it slowly grew over time. And just this Friday, he noticed that he was getting the max number of tags that he had to transfer them to the waiting line until he had the time to play.

But his system’s battery was nearly drained and he needed to give it time to have it recharged before he could go through all the tags that he received. Letting it charge up for the night, he wanted to catch some fresh air and take a moment to process all that went on during the week. So he bundled up and made his way to the living room where his aunt was looking over some of the reports from school.

“I’m going to take a walk. Need to… clear my head.”

“OK. But don’t stay out too late. It’s going to be another cold night,” Celestia explained. “And be careful out there. We had a bit of rain during the day, and there could be some icy patches out there.”

Tidal gave his aunt the annoyed stare. “I know that. Where do you think I’ve been living all this time?”

“Just checking.” Celestia waved to Tidal as he was leaving the house.

Tidal made his way to the same area that he went to before New Years. He felt that maybe a cup of hot chocolate would do the trick. As long as Pinkie doesn’t get on his case about everything like she did during lunchtime. But during his walk, he came across one of his classmates that he knew from gym class.

“Hey Tidal.”

“Hey there, Rivet.”

“So, what brings you out here by yourself?”

Tidal shrugged his shoulders. “Just… trying to sort things out, that’s all.”

“Rough first week, right?” Rivet said. Tidal nodded. “I was like that as well. Especially since your other aunt kept issuing detention to some students in class.”

“Aunt Tia said that she was always the strict one when it came to school. If she was at my old school, well… never mind. It’s nothing for you to worry about. What brings you out here?”

“Going to meet Rainbow Dash at a local bookstore. I’m trying to find the next Daring Do book to read.”

Tidal let out a small chuckle. “I would have never expected her to be a bookworm.”

Rivet agreed with a small chuckle of his own. “Try learning how to play guitar. I think she’s full of surprises. But I’m not one to judge at this time, since our boy’s basketball team has been doing well.”

“I wouldn’t mind seeing for myself, but I’m too busy with homework to do so.”

“Well, I don’t want to keep her waiting. See you next week.”

They both parted way, waving at each other in the process. Tidal finally made his way to the Sweet Shoppe, where he was greeted by… Pinkie Pie.

“Hiya, Tidal. Hot chocolate with marshmallows like last time?”

Tidal let out a sigh before answering in a dull tone. “Yes Pinkie.”

“Coming right up.” Pinkie dashed on over to fix the hot chocolate and placed a few marshmallows in the cup. She stopped to talk to a blue skin lady who looked like she was the owner of the store before returning to the counter with his order. Tidal went to pay, and got his change back… along with a glazed dount. She whispered, “Dount’s on the house.”

Not to refuse the free offer, Tidal just smiled and took the dount, along with his drink, and went over to a nearby table. He took a bite of his dount, and while it wasn’t as fresh, it was still good. He could only guess that they were trying to get rid on any leftover sweets before closing up. He took a sip of his hot chocolate, then looked outside through the window. He was still busy processing what went on this week, only to be interrupted by a puffy, pink haired girl who was now sitting across her.

“Like the dount?” Pinkie asked, displaying a huge smile.

“Yea,” Tidal replied. “Taking a break?”

“Yep. So, how was your first week of school so far?”

“I don’t know. Just… too soon to say right now.”

“That’s OK. Just take your time. I know you’ll love it.”

“Wish it was that easy.” He took another bite out of his dount. “Do you sell dunkers here?”

Pinkie’s eyes lit up. “Yep. But we have a hard time baking enough of those in the morning because the Cakes have to take care of the twins at the same time. The only other place that sells them is Dount Joe’s down towards the city limits.”

“So the owners have two kids?”

“Yep. But their still babies, so they can be quite a handful. I know because I had to watch over them one night, and I wasn’t prepared for what they were able to do.”

“I think I understand,” Tidal said. He took a sip from his cup before he could explain. “One of my father’s co-workers gave birth to twins over a couple of years ago and was on leave from work when a big snowstorm hit in our area. Usually, she would be with him and a cameraman to their assigned location so that she can monitor the weather reports what my father was reporting. They were a bit short staffed at the time, and school was canceled in advance for the safety of the students, so I went along with my dad to help out, since my mother was already busy with other things. I never knew how hard it was to monitor the weather and ground conditions and stay connected with the main weather headquarters. But I guess we were lucky that I came along when it happened.”

“Oh, oh. That was when the thunder snow event happen, right? The one you told Applejack a couple of days ago?”

Tidal nodded. “When the second one appeared, dad showed me what to look for if more popped up nearby. Four more appeared nearby, totaling six thunder snow strikes. My dad said that it was very rare for that many to show up in one area. It would have been hard to pick up on it and still record it happening if I wasn’t there to help out.”

“Everyone at school must have been impressed with what you did to help out.” Then Pinkie’s mood changed. “Oh yea. That’s right. You didn’t have any friends to tell what happened.”

“I never bother telling anyone about it. Like anyone would even care.”

“I do,” Pinkie said. “I didn’t believe that thunder snow exist. But Applejack told me that it did, but only in certain areas. I know she likes to farm, but understanding the weather and environment have become keys to producing the best apple trees on the farm. She said that herself.”

“Farmers do like to keep up on the weather so that they can grow proper crops and avoid dealing with heat, wildfires, or floods,” Tidal explained. He finished up his dount and cup of hot chocolate when something came to mind. “Pinkie, can I ask you something?”

“Sure.”

“Do you know why some of the students at school give Sunset a hard time?”

“I do.” Pinkie moved closer to Tidal and whispered, “But it’s a secret.”

“A… secret?”

Pinkie nodded. “Sunset doesn’t feel like talking about it. But she said that she’ll tell you when she feels like it. You just have to wait until then. But that doesn’t mean you can’t be her friend. We’re friends with her no matter what.”

“Well, I guess I’ll just have to wait until she feels like talking about it.” Tidal started to get out of the booth that he was sitting at. “Thanks for the dount.”

“Oh it was no problem. You’re welcome to come here whenever you feel like it… as long as the shop is open anyway.”

Tidal nodded at Pinkie and made his way outside so that he could walk home.

---

Sunset made her way across the park at night, hoping to come across Tidal at some point. She already received a text from Pinkie that Tidal was at the Sweet Shoppe and wanted to talk to him, one on one, before he got back home. Somehow, she felt like that he needed to know about what she did before the Fall Formal before anyone else thought differently about him. She didn’t have a problem having him come to her aid from some of the students that try to pick on her. But she wanted to make sure that he understood the reasoning for these actions.

As she made it to one of the entrances to the park, she was able to see Tidal at the corner of the park, already crossing the street and disappearing from view. She was able to run over to get his attention when a bright light shined on her from the other direction. She covered her eyes from the bright light until it went off. That’s when noticed that it was a police officer who was on duty at the time.

“Miss. Have you seen anything unusual as of late?” The officer asked Sunset.

“Not really. Why?”

“I just received a report of a robbery that took place not far from here. Man in his late 30s still armed from what the report said. If you’re by yourself, that it might be best that I escort you home safely. Or at least have another officer come by to take you home.”

Sunset looked over back to where she last saw Tidal before talking to officer again. “I just saw a friend of mine from school just ran by. I think he was also by himself. It might be best to make sure he makes it home as well. He’s only been living here for a couple of weeks.”

The officer nodded in agreement, wanted to make sure that the robber who was still out there didn’t harm anyone else. But all that changed when they heard two gunshots out of nowhere. Sunset was able to hear where the shots were fired and looked at the direction where she last saw Tidal. And that was when she started to panic and run towards that direction.

“Miss! Wait!” The officer tried to stop her, but went on and followed her with his hand on his gun, in case he was to come across the robber in the process.

When they came around the corner of the park, they saw Tidal out of breath. In front of him was another man, much older that him. There was a gun close to him and an open bag that was filled with money.

Sunset went up to him and asked, “Tidal! Are you OK?”

Tidal, trying to catch his breath, said, “Yea. Just… trying to… stop… this… bull… y… from…”

Tidal started to faint and collapse, causing Sunset to grab him in the process. “Tidal? Tidal!” Sunset felt something strange on her hand after grabbing him and noticed that it was blood. “TIDAL!”

The office saw this and was quickly to react. He pulled out a handkerchief and placed it on Tidal’s wound. “Here. Apply pressure on the wound to reduce the bleeding. I’ll call for an ambulance.”

Sunset did what the officer told her to do while he made the call for an ambulance and extra police to come over. While that was going on, Sunset could see that Tidal was unresponsive and did her best to talk to him.

“Come on Tidal. Stay with me here. Don’t you dare go out on me now.”

She kept applying pressure to the wound as sirens were coming from the background. A few more police cars and two ambulances showed up as two emergency carts came out. One took the older man who was shot onto one ambulance, to which the officer went on, while the other one took Tidal, which Sunset went along to make sure he would be alright.

Ch. 5 - Blue Moon Recovery

The staff at Canterlot Hospital went on full alert after receiving a call of two people being shot. Out of the staff that was heading to the emergency entrance, one of them was Canterlot High’s own school nurse, Nurse Redheart. She would offer her services on the weekends after the school week came to an end, since she would be helping other high school athletes who would get injured while playing. But this case was one she would not see coming.

“What do we know of the victims, Doc Top?” Nurse Redheart asked.

“One of them is in his 30s. Gun shot to the chest. No ID. Other one is in his teens. Gun shot to the side, but lost a lot of blood. No ID, but the girl that’s with him said that his name was Tidal.”

Redheart was shocked when she heard the name. “Tidal Wave Blue. 15 years old. His guardian is Principal Celestia. I already have his medical records from his parents on file.”

“You know the kid?”

“Just moved here before the new year started.”

“Then I’ll leave him in your care. I’ll focus on the adult.”

The two ambulances arrived at the entrance. Staff was divided into two groups awaiting both victims. The first one opened up, unloading the older man who was now listed in critical condition, along with the officer who was at the scene. Nurse Redheart went straight to the second ambulance, which unloaded Tidal, still on the stretcher. She was surprised when she saw the girl with him was none other than Sunset Shimmer, who’s hands were bloody from applying pressure to his wounds.

“Sunset! What happen?” Nurse Redheart asked Sunset.

“I don’t know? It happened so fast! I heard two gun shots. He was shot. Then… then…”

“It’s alright. We’ll take it from here.” Redheart went into her pocket and pull out her cell phone and placed it in Sunset’s pocket. “Go clean yourself up. Then call Principal Celestia on my cell. You’ll find her number in my contacts.”

Nurse Redheart and the rest of the staff took Tidal past the restricted doors, leaving Sunset back in the lobby.

“Tidal, please be alright.”

She made her way to the women’s restroom to wash her hands before making the call.

---

Celestia entered the lobby of the hospital to see Sunset pacing back and forth, worried about Tidal.

“Sunset!”

She looked up to see her principal, who was in a bit of a mess after getting the call about what happened.

“Tidal. Is he-”

“I haven’t heard anything so far,” Sunset replied.

“You said that he was shot,” Celestia replied. “Do you remember what happened?”

“I… was in the park. The officer told me about a robbery nearby. We heard two gun shots. Went to check. And Tidal fell in front of me. It… it happened so fast.” Sunset started to cry.

Celestia went to embrace her in a hug. “It’s alright. I’m sure that Nurse Redheart has this under control.”

At that point, the restricted doors opened up and Nurse Redheart walked out. She was still wearing her scrubs with some blood on them.

“Nurse Redheart. Is he-”

“He’s going to be alright, Celestia. The bullet was lodged in his lower left body, but we were able to remove it and patch him up. If Sunset didn’t apply pressure to the wound, then he could have lost a lot of blood.”

Sunset pulled out Nurse Redheart’s cell phone and handed it back to her, which she was able to put in her pocket.

“Can we see him,” Celestia asked.

“Not now. He’s asleep, and he needs it. We’ve already worked on a blood transfusion for now so that he could recover. As to how long he would be here, I won’t know until tomorrow morning. Best case would be three to four days. Worst would be a week.” She stopped to look over a see two men in trench coats walk in. “Can you two excuse me for a moment?” She left them and went up to the two men, who displayed badges to her. Words were exchanged between each other before she nodded and told them to come with her. And she walked by Celestia and Sunset, she stopped and said, “I need to handle this matter. Go on home and see if you can bring some of his belongings over tomorrow. By then, I should have a better idea on his status.” She went on and escorted the two men through the restricted doors.

“Were those… detectives?” Sunset asked.

“I think so,” Celestia replied. “Maybe it has something to do with the robbery you just brought up. Look, I’ll take you home, and we can come by and see if he’s doing better in the morning.”

“Actually, I want to stay her and keep an eye on him. I wanted to tell him the truth about me. Where I come from. Why the school has been against me. I was hoping to do so tonight before all this happened.”

Celestia placed her hands on Sunset’s shoulders. “Alright. I’ll message Nurse Redheart about what you’re doing so that she can get you settled in for the night. Just make sure you get some rest.”

“I will.”

---

Nurse Redheart was working late into the night and into the morning. She walked into the room that Tidal was resting and could see Sunset still asleep in the chair next to him. The sunlight was starting to come through the blinds in the room. Nurse Redheart went to check Tidal’s vitals on the screen and wrote them down on the clipboard. She went over to where Sunset was sleeping and gave her a little shake, slowly waking her up.

“Tidal. Is he-”

“Still asleep,” Nurse Redheart replied. “It might be a few more hours before he wakes up, since we worked on his injuries.”

Sunset rubbed her eyes before removing the blanket that was covering her so she could stand up and stretch her body.

“There’s something that I wanted to talk to you about.” Nurse Redheart motioned Sunset to follow her outside into the hallway. “Principal Celestia told me that you wanted to tell Tidal about what you did back in the Fall Formal.” Sunset nodded. “Well, I’m not supposed to discuss this with anyone, but I think it would be best to take note before talking to Tidal about your past. I’m sure you saw the detectives that showed up last last night. They were asking about the other guy that was shot in the chest. Turns out that it was the guy who robbed the old man’s used bookstore last night.”

“The officer that I came across at the park said that there was a robbery not too long ago before Tidal was shot,” Sunset said.

“Well, me and Miss Cheerilee know the business well. The old man who runs it only takes cash, and would get some students looking for books for their English classes. I was able to ask them if any students were hurt there, and they said there were two of them. One was a girl with rainbow hair.”

“Rainbow Dash!”

“That’s what went through my head as well. I can only guess that Tidal saw what happened and followed the guy in the process. Don’t know why he was doing what he did, but we won’t be able to find out anyway.”

“Why is that?” Sunset asked.

Nurse Redheart let out a sigh and said, “Because the robber is dead. Doctors tried to save him, but the damage around his heart was too severe for him to be saved. Now the detectives are working on identifying him and trying to find out if he committed any other robberies.”

Sunset took a moment to remember what Tidal told her before he collapsed in front of her. “He said that he was taking care of a bully. I wonder if he thought of the robber as a bully as well.”

“And that’s why you should choose how you want to tell him what you did back then before saying it,” Nurse Redheart explained. “Some bullies grow up to commit crimes, even join gangs. I can see that you won’t follow that path, but with Tidal’s past… just be careful how you word everything in front of him.”

“I understand.”

“Now. Principal Celestia is going to be by in a couple of hours, and I need to get some rest. I’m having one of the nurses take over for me on monitoring him, and the principal knows this. I plan to come back tonight to get a final assessment as to how long he will be here. If you plan to talk about your past, then make sure Principal Celestia is there to make sure things don’t get any worst. You did some bad things in the past. But there are others out there that have done worst. And they don’t need magic to do that.”

Taking the nurse’s word to heart, Sunset nodded and went back to the Tidal’s room. Nurse Redheart begin making her way to the locker room to clock out and head on home for the day.

About an hour later, Sunset noticed a familiar adult walk in with a few items in hand. Including a paper bag with a bagel in it and a small cup of coffee for Sunset.

“Nurse Redheart gave me an update,” Celestia said, handing breakfast to Sunset. “How are you holding up?”

“A… bit better than last night,” Sunset replied.

“That’s an understatement.”

Sunset looked at the doorway to see two familiar girls. Lyra and Bonbon.

“We were hoping that we get to see him today and see if her needed any help in his classes, only to find out that he’s in the hospital,” Lyra explained. “How did you know where he would be last night?”

“Pinkie called me last night saying that he was at the Sweet Shoppe,” Sunset replied. “I wanted to talk to him and make him understand what I did back then so that he would understand why the other students have been treated me badly.”

“Then we should be glad that you were there,” Bonbon added. “Because he might not be with us now if it wasn’t for you.”

Now Sunset was a bit confused. “I-I just did what the officer told me to do.”

“And he probability needed to help so that he could focus on the other guy and calling for help at the same time,” Bonbon explained.

“I… don’t know about that,” Sunset said. “The other guy died last night.”

“How do you know that?” Lyra asked.

Sunset explained what Nurse Redheart told her just earlier about the robber and what he did. And it started to make some sense to the others.

“So. That’s what happened,” Lyra said.

“So you’re sure that Rainbow Dash was at the bookstore?” Celestia asked.

“Girl with rainbow hair? Not quite sure anyone else has that,” Sunset explained.

“Expect for Rivet’s sister, First Light. She has rainbow hair,” Lyra explained.

“Only because she saw Rainbow Dash with it,” Bonbon added.

Sunset started to tap her chin. “Now that I think about it. Haven’t Dash and Rivet become close?”

“You might be right,” Bonbon said. “I think it has something to do with those Daring Do books.”

“I’ll look into them and see if they are alright later on,” Celestia said. “Why don’t you go and take Sunset home for now, and if Tidal wakes up and wants to see any of you, I’ll let you know.”

“Just make sure he check’s his 3DS system,” Lyra said, placing the unit on the table near his bed. “Now that it’s charged, he can check all the Streetpasses that he received yesterday.”

“I’ll see to it that he does,” Celestia replied.

The three girls made their way out of the hospital and towards Lyra’s car when something else came to their minds.

“Have you ever wonder why Tidal did what he did?” Lyra asked.

“You mean kill the robber?” Sunset replied. “He did say that he was a bully.”

“Only because he attack Rainbow Dash,” Bonbon replied. “And maybe Rivet, if that who was there at the bookstore. And if it was a robbery, then the robber would have the gun.”

“But there was only one gun there when we found them,” Sunset explained.

“That would mean that they struggled with the gun, right?” Lyra said.

“Maybe. There’s only one way we can get our answers,” Bonbon said.

“Oh no,” Lyra said to herself.

“It’s time-” Bonbon stomped her foot in the ground. “-to return-” She put on hand on her hip and pointed her other hand forward. “-to the scene or the crime!”

Lyra and Sunset were staring at Bonbon, stunned.

“Seriously,” Lyra said.

“Yes!” Bonbon replied. “Now get in the car.”

As Bonbon got into the car, Sunset looked at Lyra and said, “Has she ever been like this?”

“Depends on if it’s something serious.”

“Like this?”

“Yep.”

“Are you girls coming?” Bonbon yelled from the car window.

---

They arrived at the corner of the park where Sunset found Tidal and the robber after the shooting. Any blood that was there before was quickly cleaned up. As well as any other signs that would restrict them from coming to the area.

“Looks like they cleaned up the place, since the robber is dead,” Bonbon said. “And Tidal would have acted in self defense in the process. Sunset. Do you know where Tidal was coming from?”

Sunset pointed across the street where she remembered seeing him walking by. “Coming from that direction. Pinkie said that he was at the Sweet Shoppe.”

Bonbon started to think for a moment. “If I remember correctly, the bookstore would be on the other side of the street. Come on.”

Bonbon crossed the street that Tidal crossed over last night, with Lyra and Sunset in tow. They started to make their way towards where the Sweet Shoppe when they stopped to find the old man’s bookstore across the street. The store was already closed with a sign explaining the reason for the unexpected closing.

“Tidal would have to be… here?” Bonbon was looking around the area for a moment until she saw an alley between two buildings with no lights around. “No. Here. In the alley. With the weather we had last night, it would be dark enough for him to not be noticed. He saw what went on at the bookstore from here and started to follow the robber from this side of the street.” Bonbon started to make her way back to the park corner, whit Lyra and Sunset following her. “Tidal crossed this part of the street, and the robber crossed the other part of the street. My guess would be that Tidal knew that the robber was going towards the park, so he decided to intervene.”

“Why do that?” Sunset said. “The officer that found me was in the park.”

“Tidal must have been trying to find out where he lived in hopes that he could report him to the police. But felt that he would lose the robber in the park. You did say that they didn’t have any ID on him, right?” Sunset nodded. “The robber must know the park well to lose anyone, so he must have committed other robberies at other times to do this. And he must have knew that the bookstore would only have cash and nothing else. That’s why he targeted the place. He could have planned his escape route out ahead.”

“And what about the gun?” Lyra asked.

“My guess would be that when he encountered the robber, that guy begin pulling out his gun. So Tidal must have struggled with the gun, causing it to go off. First shot would have hit Tidal, then the second hit the robber. That’s where it ended.”

“Why take a risk if the robber had a gun in the first place?” Lyra said. “Unless you had… a… death wish. You don’t think he would throw his life away to stop a criminal, would he?”

“If he thinks they are the same as bullies, then… well I don’t even know,” Bonbon responded.

Sunset started to feel conflicted that she laid her back to the park wall with her arms crossed. “Girls. Do you think he should learn about my past? I mean, I tried to take control of the school and almost killed Twilight in the process. Does that make me the same as the robber that he shot?”

“I don’t think it’s like that,” Bonbon replied. “You were, well, dealing with magic at the time. And right now, the school is trying to keep it under wraps.”

“And from what we recall, it was also magic that saved Twilight and freed us from your control,” Lyra added. “None of us understands it well, and I don’t think the world is ready for it either. Or at least the city.”

“Plus, you was once the bully at school, and now you’re being bullied by the school,” Bonbon added. “That’s… going to be hard for him to understand which side is just.”

“Maybe we should have the other girls there with her to help with this,” Lyra recommended.

“After what Rainbow Dash just went through, it might be best to wait until Principal Celestia talks to her to make sure she’s better,” Sunset said.

“She’s right,” Bonbon replied. “Dash is probability still in shock from last night.” Soon then, her cell phone started to ring, which she answered. “Hello… Yes, she’s with me…… Yes, I…… OH COME ON! HOW DID YOU KNOW?”

“Busted,” Lyra said to herself.

“Principal knows that she does this?” Sunset asked, which Lyra nodded. “Figures.”

“Alright. I’ll bring her over.” Bonbon ended her call and looked at Sunset. “Tidal’s now awake. And he wants to see you.”

“Me?”

---

The three girls came into Tidal’s room in the hospital to see him awake in the bed with Celestia sitting next to him.

“It’s… nice to see that you’re awake,” Sunset said. “That’s… good.”

“So, how do you fell?” Lyra asked.

“It hurts, that’s for sure,” Tidal replied.

“That’s what you get for taking on a robber by yourself,” Bonbon said.

“So… I’ve been told,” Tidal replied.

“I told him what happened to the robber,” Celestia said. “And I think he has something to say, just so you can close the case… Bonbon.” She glared at the girl, causing her to display and nervous grin.

“I came across Rivet last night on my way to the Sweet Shoppe, and he said that he was meeting Rainbow Dash at the bookstore nearby. When I was heading on back, I saw the robbery go down, so I hid in the alley nearby. When he went to the back, he grab Rainbow Dash from hiding, followed by Rivet. I couldn’t make out what happened next, but I already saw the gun in the robber’s hand. It was a surprise that he didn’t fire it.

“When he left the bookstore, I kept my distance while following him, thinking I was just some kid walking on home. I was hoping to find out where he lived so I could report him to the police. When he started making him way to the park, I knew I would lose him there and had to do something to throw him off. So I ran across and ran into him in the process. It let him to drop the bag, exposing the money that was in it. That was when he started to go for his gun in his coat. From there, my mind just… went on autopilot. I just acted without thinking.”

“Is that what happened when you dealt with the bullies at your old school?” Bonbon asked, which Tidal nodded.

“I was tired of letting bullies getting the better of me. I just knew that they would get bolder the more they do. So that’s why I fight back. I wanted to put them in their place.”

“Even kill them?” Lyra asked.

“If my life was threaten, them it would be a possibility. I just… had to take a chance. I didn’t want anyone else to be harmed by him. Those two were lucky. But if he was to do it again, then maybe the next person wouldn’t be so lucky.”

“So you’re willing to risk your own life if you have to,” Sunset asked.

“Sacrifice the few for the many, they say. But it would be pointless if magic was involved.”

Now the girls were confused. So Celestia decided to clear things up.

“I decided to tell Tidal about what happened back in the Fall Formal, since you might have a hard time explaining it to where he could understand.”

“Then, you understand why the students were bullying me, right?” Sunset said.

“The same way that you bullied them,” Tidal replied. “And even though you tried to kill this… Twilight girl, She used the same magic to purge the evil inside of you, not kill you. The magic of evil’s bane, I guess.”

The girls looked at each other and said, “Magic of evil’s bane?”

“Helps if you play the classics to get the meaning,” Tidal said. “There was a game that had a sword that was referred to as the sword of evil’s bane. It had the power to repel evil’s magic back at them. So the evil that was in you was destroyed while it kept you alive. Somehow, there must have been a reason for that. But since I never witness it in person to understand, I really can’t give you an answer at this time. But having others bully you the way you treated them doesn’t solve anything. Unless they want to share the same fate as any other bully… or criminal. I wanted to ignore the bullies, but they just kept picking on me. So I decided to fight back. It’s not a good idea, I know. But I had to do something instead of nothing. And just telling about the problem hasn’t helped me that much.”

“And that’s why the students at your old school went against you at that time,” Bonbon said, to which Tidal nodded.

“Being popular is something I want to avoid. And I don’t mean the fact that my parents are popular in their own fields, but the fact that most popular people that I’m around can be self-center in the process.”

“I know the feeling,” Sunset said, looking down.

“But our school isn’t one for popularity now,” Bonbon said. “It’s one for coming together when we need it the most.”

“We might be all different on the outside. But we’re all friends the same,” Lyra said. “And I guess we need to give others a chance to change when they do something wrong. I mean, isn’t that why Twilight left you here in the first place instead of taking you back to your own world?”

“Maybe,” Sunset replied. “But Twilight knew that the portal would be closing. And I had to pay for the damages that I caused in this world.”

“So, this portal can only open in a certain time frame?” Tidal said.

“Once in every thirty moons from what I remembered,” Sunset replied. “I just kept checking the portal every morning until I found it open that one day. And I only knew that it would be open for a few days. So I have no clue when it will be open again.”

“So you’re just stuck here, right?” Tidal asked.

“Without any magic,” Lyra replied. “Which I hope we don’t have to worry about anymore. But enough about that. I believe you have a lot of Streetpass Tags to go through today.”

“And since you’re stuck here for a while, we need to find out how you plan to get your notes and homework assignments from school this coming week,” Lyra added.

“Well, we do have two classes covered,” Sunset said. “We just need to find someone to bring over notes and homework assignments from his other classes so that he can stay up to date, right?”

“I can let the teachers know about his excused absence this coming week and see if you girls can pick it up and deliver them to him after school,” Celestia explained. “I already brought over his books and homework assignments today so that he could get that done. But we might need to get his other books later on from school.”

“What about bringing his laptop over to work with?” Lyra asked.

“I’ll have to talk to Nurse Redheart if we can get Wi-Fi access here before doing that,” Celestia replied. “But right now, I need to get in touch with both Rainbow Dash’s parents and Rivet’s parents to make sure they are doing fine. So why don’t you spend some time on the 3DS while I work on some calls on my end. Then we can get things worked out for at least the next few days on what we need to do while he’s here.”

“Sounds like a plan,” Bonbon said.

“Well, I might as well leave you be for now,” Sunset said and started to head out.

“Oh no you don’t.” Lyra went and grabbed Sunset’s arm. “You’re going to stay with us for a while and have some fun with us.”

“Fun?”

“If we’re going to learn about these Streetpass games, then you should too,” Bonbon said.

“Plus, I think it’s time we started giving you a second chance as well,” Lyra added. “Just remember that we’re judging you, OK?”

“Just make sure you don’t end up like she did, remember?” Tidal said.

They all replied, “We will.”

Ch. 6 - Blue Moon Friends

Lyra and Bonbon made their way to the hospital to visit Tidal with their own book bags and one special book bag. When they finally made it to Tidal’s room, he was already looking over his cell phone, reading emails from his aunt, that came from his teachers.

“Reading up on your homework assignments?” Lyra asked.

“Yea,” Tidal replied. “Any problems getting my notes? Or getting into my locker?”

“Nope, and nope,” Bonbon replied.

“We already have a copy of our notes from our class,” Lyra said.

“And someone from your other classes was able to lend them a copy of their notes for you to look over,” Bonbon added.

“With help from Miss Cheerilee in the library, of course,” Lyra also added.

“And we got your books so you don’t fall behind,” Bonbon added again.

They laid Tidal’s book bag on the table that was in front of him so that he could go through his things. He started to look through what notes he had and realized that something was missing.

“Where are my Social Studies notes?”

“Oh. Sunset said that she was going to bring those by later on,” Bonbon explained.

“Yea. She had to take care of something first,” Lyra added.

Tidal raised an eyebrow. “Any surprises that I should be expecting?”

“Not that we know of,” Lyra replied. “Maybe wanted to make sure that Rainbow Dash is still doing fine after what happened to her on Friday.”

“Let’s just make sure that you don’t have any problems with your classes,” Bonbon said.

They started looking over Tidal’s homework, guiding him through some of the problems that he had to deal with for about an hour until a visitor came by, knocking on the door. They looked up and saw Sunset Shimmer at the doorway.

“I hope I’m not intruding.”

“Oh no. Come on in,” Tidal said to Sunset. “I hope you have our notes from class?”

“I do.” Sunset went in and pulled out a copy of the notes from their class. “I would have brought them sooner, but I had to bring a few friends along.”

Tidal soon saw several of his classmates walk in: Applejack, Fluttershy, Rarity, Clyde, Swift, and Pinkie, who was carrying a box of dounts with her.

“OK. That’s more than a few friends that you were talking about,” Tidal said.

“Hey. After hearing about what happened to you, we had to come and visit,” Clyde said.

“Are you the only ones that know about what happened?” Tidal asked.

“Well, Principal Celestia called me up first about what happened,” Applejack replied. “So I called Rarity and told her about it as well.”

“Since Rainbow Dash and Rivet were involved, I figure that Clyde needed to know so that he was ready to help out,” Rarity added.

“But for some reason, Pinkie Pie found out and had to tell the entire school what happen so that she could get some support,” Applejack explained, looking at Clyde.

“I just called Swift about it,” Clyde said. Everyone glared at Swift.

“I’m sorry. It just slipped,” Swift said in a panic.

“So basically, the whole school knows about it,” Applejack said. “Which does have some benefits.”

“Since I’m busy taking your notes, the other students are keeping their distance from me in class,” Sunset explained. “Until you get back, of course.”

“That’s a good thing, I guess,” Tidal said.

“There’s just one other thing left to do.” Applejack nodded to Fluttershy, who went to the doorway and directed someone else to come in. It was Rainbow Dash and Rivet.

“Hey there Tidal.”

“Hey there Rainbow, Rivet. How are you feeling?”

“A bit… shaken. But we’re be fine,” Rivet replied.

“Still dealing with nightmares, having a gun next to your head.” Rainbow shivered at the thought of it. “But Coach Iron Will said that he might have an idea of how I can get through it before each game.” Rainbow Dash then went up to Tidal and gave him a hug while crying. “But you didn’t have to take on that guy for us after what happened.”

Tidal’s face was filled with pain as Rainbow Dash was still hugging him.

“Hey! That’s where Tidal was shot! He’s still trying to recover from that,” Lyra responded.

Rainbow Dash let go of him and backed away. “Sorry about that.”

“It’s… OK.” Tidal replied, recovering from the pain.

“So, how long do you have to stay here?” Fluttershy asked.

“I should be out of here in a couple of days,” Tidal replied. “But I’ll be on bed rest for the rest of the week. I have to take some pain meds for a while, and padding around the wound until it’s fully better. They said that there might be some nerve damage from where I was shot, so it’s going to be sensitive for some time.”

“And the other guy. He’s dead, right?” Rivet asked, to which Tidal nodded.

Clyde responded. “Man. If karma was following him around, then she must have been a-”

“Now, now, Clyde. I won’t have you saying it in front of the others,” Rarity quickly responded.

“Hey. Guess what I brought?” Pinkie went a placed the box of dounts in front of Tidal. He looked and noticed the name on the box.

“Dount Joe’s?” He opened the box and saw the special dounts inside. “Dunkers!?”

Rarity explained. “Well, after Pinkie knew about what happened, she recommended that we bring a dozen dunkers from Dount Joe’s downtown. So I asked Nurse Redheart to place the order, to which I was able to pay for it while Pinkie made the pickup. Done and done.”

“And there’s enough for each of us,” Pinkie added. “Dig in!”

Tidal went and grabbed one of the dounts and took a bite. A smile came across his face. “Now this is a true dunker if I ever tried one.” He handed the box to Lyra, who took one and passed it to the other so that they can have one to eat. Each and everyone enjoyed the dunkers.

“Man, was that good,” Applejack said.

“I can see what makes them popular,” Rarity added.

“Say. Did you tell Tidal the news?” Clyde asked Lyra.

“News? What news?” Tidal responded.

“Oh, about that. Since Principal Celestia won’t have you cleared to practice in gym class, Coach Iron Will is limiting you to to just simple exercises.”

“I don’t see what could be a problem with that,” Tidal replied.

“Well, there’s one catch,’ Lyra said. “You have to help out with the boys’ basketball team as their equipment manager. But only for the rest of the semester.”

Tidal was nearly in shock. “Seriously?”

“Hey. At least you got us around,” Clyde responded. “And we don’t have to worry about your-” he shifted his eyes before saying “Fireball Spike!”

Rainbow Dash freaked. “What? What!? Where!?”

“Maybe she should be worrying about that instead,” Applejack said.

“Ha ha. Very funny.”

“And I figure you get over that after my first day there,” Tidal said. Everyone else started to laugh.

“Well, I’m sure we would like to stay longer, but I’m sure you have homework to do,” Sunset said, causing a few to let out some groins.

“Come on now,” Applejack said. “It’s going to take him longer to get the work done, and staying here with him ain’t going to help.”

As everyone started to head out of the room, Bonbon went up to Tidal and said, “Don’t worry. One of us will come by and pick up your homework tonight and take it to school tomorrow.”

Pinkie went back in and asked Tidal, “Can I borrow your 3DS?”

Tidal plainly replied, “Sure. I’m sure you want to add some StreetPass tags for me with special messages added to them.” Pinkie nodded her head with a big grin and took the game unit with her.

They left Tidal’s room and made it to the elevator going down. That was when plans were being put into motion.

“I guessing that it’s no longer a “Welcome to CHS/Happy Birthday” party for Tidal in a couple of weeks, is it?” Rarity asked Pinkie Pie.

“Nope. Now it’s a-” Pinkie stopped for a moment to think up a new name. “Wow. I wonder how I can add what happened here into the title. Oh, and I have to add the fact that he’s now an equipment manager. I hope I can make a sign big enough to fit in the title.”

“Well, let me know so I can come up with the cake design for the party,” Rarity said.

“How about we just keep it simple,” Bonbon said. “This is his birthday party, and he turns sixteen at that time.”

“Which means he finally gets to drive,” Lyra added. “Maybe something with a car will do.”

Pinkie went up to Lyra and said, “Good thinking. Having a car design on the cake will do. I’ll have to ask him what car he wants to drive when he gets his license.”

“I’ll guess I’ll be sitting this party out, will I?” Sunset asked.

“Not this time,” Applejack said. “You’ll going to be helping Pinkie with the setup when the time comes.”

“And it’s up to Lyra and Bonbon to bring Tidal to the party when it’s ready,” Pinkie added.

“US!?”

---

Tidal was able to finish up his homework in time for Nurse Redheart to bring him his dinner.

“I see that you you’ve been busy with school work?” Nurse Redheart asked.

“Just finished,” Tidal said. “Hoping that someone will be coming by to pick it up so that it can get turned in.”

“Then I’m just in time.” Tidal looked up to see his aunt, Luna, walking in.

“Aunt Luna!”

“Tidal, you worried us all after what you did Friday night,” Luna said.

“I’m sorry, but I felt like I had to do something,” Tidal replied.

“Well, there are other ways to handle it without risking your own life,” Luna yelled. “But I’m glad that you’re still alive.”

Tidal noticed that Aunt Luna was alone. “Cynder and Eclipse not here?”

“Eclipse is busy with his own homework,” Luna said. “Crystal Prep doesn’t go as easy as Canterlot High when it comes to education. Or anything in that matter. But your Aunt Cadence does keep an eye on him when needed. As for Cynder, well, she’s busy with… other things. Besides, I didn’t want her to be a burden on you with what you just went through.” She sat down next to Tidal’s bed as Nurse Redheart left his dinner tray on his table and left. “Well, don’t let your food get cold. Eat.

Tidal saw that it was a hamburger stake, with mac and cheese, and mashed potatoes on the side, and a some fruit punch. He started to eat, knowing that it was typical hospital food, it was still good.

“So, I hear that you will be with the boys’ basketball team as an equipment manager,” Luna said.

“Well, doesn’t look like I have a choice, now do I?” Tidal replied.

“Well, Coach Iron Will can be very demanding on everything sports related. And he has been requesting an equipment manager for the games every single time. I guess it’s fitting that you fill the role for now.”

Tidal stopped eating and stared at her aunt. “So was this all your doing?”

Luna stared back at Tidal. “I don’t know. Is it?” Tidal gave up and went back to eating. “Look, you need to make a better effort with your life than this. Sure you had it bad at your old school. But this school is much better than that one.”

“And Sunset Shimmer?”

Luna paused for a moment before answering. “That was just… a random incident. Nothing more.” She paused for a bit before continuing. “Well, more like a magical incident that no one saw coming. Look. I know Aunt Tia told you about her, and what she did was wrong. But somehow, not everyone is willing to give her a second chance. And yes, it feels like history is repeating right before your eyes, but I think right now she could use someone to watch over her. I know the other girls are doing the same, but I think she’s now going through the same thing you have been through. And right now, what she needs is a friend that can overlook her past.”

“And Lyra and Bonbon? I know I’ll be seeing them more.”

“Maybe you can get them to overlook her past as well. Then maybe others will do the same. If they understand what you went through, then they can avoid a repeat performance between Sunset and the entire school. Just… make sure the school understands that we don’t need to be like the school that you once attended.”

“OK. Just one question. Are we going to have another magic basic incident again at school?”

Luna let out a small giggle. “Let’s hope that doesn’t happen. Besides. I’ve been meaning to talk to you about something else.” Tidal raised an eyebrow. “I’ve heard that there’s going to be a retro gaming tournament going on this summer. And Cynder tells me that you’re an expert in the classics. Think you would be up to something like that over the summer break?”

“Maybe. But I’ll have to see it in detail.”

“I should know more later next month, since they’re keeping the details a secret. But I think you can make it big when it comes around. You was always playing with your father’s old systems back home. And I think it would be nice to get out more when the summer comes around.”

“I’ll hold you to it.”

Ch. 7 - Blue Moon Birthday

It has been three weeks since Tidal started attending Canterlot High, and while one week was spend in the hospital and at home due to the shooting injury, his week back was more mixed. Some thought of him as a hero, for taking on that criminal that attacked Rainbow Dash. Others though of him as reckless, because of how he risked his own life in the process.

And then there was the fact that Sunset had a hand in saving his life. Some thought that it was more of a stunt so that Sunset could be looked at as a hero, which most were not ready to give her the second chance she deserves. But one thing was for sure, Tidal started to look out for Sunset like a sister he never had. And it was Lyra and Bonbon who was watching over Tidal so that things would be easier for himself.

But the week also had… some strange moments. Like the fact that Pinkie Pie had a tendency of coming out of nowhere to ask some strange questions to Tidal. Like, what was his favorite cake, to what car he likes to drive, etc. He knew that his birthday was coming up soon, and something told him that she was planning it for him. But Lyra and Bonbon did their best to get it off his mind and told him that they had something planned this Saturday that he would enjoy.

And it took place at the mall.

“Wow! Looks pretty busy here,” Tidal said.

Lyra and Bonbon took Tidal to the arcade inside the mall. It wasn’t really big, but big enough to house a variety of arcade machines old and new.

“We like to come here at times to play DDR,” Lyra said.

“Usually to relieve the stress from school,” Bonbon added.

“Well, I’m not used to playing DDR,” Tidal explained. “I can only keep a beat with my hands, not my feet.”

“Well, we’re sure that there are other games that you can play,” Lyra said.

They went in and went to the token machine to purchase some tokens for the arcade machines. Lyra and Bonbon decided to pay for themselves and for Tidal. When Tidal got his tokens, he saw that it was the old Pac-Man design tokens. They then started to look around at the arcade machines on display. They saw a 4-player racing game, but all the seats were in use, with other kids looking around them. There were some other games that were either one or two player games. But that was when Tidal saw a 4-player arcade game that was a couple of decades old.

“A TMNT Turtles in Time arcade game?”

“You want to play that?” Lyra asked Tidal.

“Sure do!”

All three of them went up to the arcade unit, which no one was playing. There were four different characters to play on the unit.

“So, which character do you want to play as?” Bonbon asked Tidal.

“Donny.”

“I’ll take Mikey,” Lyra said.

“And I’ll go with Leo,” Bonbon said.

But before they went to insert their tokens, someone else spoke up. “Can I join in? They looked over to see a boy about their age, with lavender skin and short, dark bluish hair and black rim glasses. He was wearing a yellow turtleneck shirt with a molecule patch on it, and dark pants that were being held up by a pair of white suspenders.

Lyra was the first to respond. “Oh. Hi, Micro Chips. You working with your father today?”

“Why yes, I am. I’m on my lunch break and figure that I spend some time here.”

Bonbon looked at Tidal and said, “This is Micro Chips. He’s in our computer class.”

“His father owns the computer repair shop in the mall,” Lyra explained. “Micro, this is-”

“Tidal Blue,” Micro Chips quickly responded. “Yes, I heard about what you did a week ago. Not going to bother judging you on your actions. I got my own stuff to deal with. But I was hoping that I could play Donny with you guys.”

“Because he’s a tech geek,” Tidal said. “I know. Plus his weapon is the best to use in battle. Be my guess. I can use a challenge as Ralph.”

They all went to their characters and inserted a token to each character and started playing. As they kept going through each stage, they inserted another token when they ran out of lives. By the time they made it to the final boss, Micro Chips ran out of lives and tokens. Tidal was able to lend him one to use so they could finish the boss together. By the time they were finished with the game, they placed their initials into the game.

“Man was that a rush,” Lyra said. “I didn’t even think we would pass the Stone Age stage. That boss was a challenge.”

“Try the hoverboard stage,” Bonbon added. “I was having a hard time with the attack copters.”

“At least we finished the entire game,” Tidal responded.

Micro Chips felt a buzz in his pocket and pulled out his cell phone. He was shocked when he saw the time, which was longer than his lunch break, and who was calling. “Ah man. It’s my dad. He’s wondering why I haven’t returned from my lunch break.” He answered the phone and started to explain to his dad why he was late returning, until Lyra went to grab his phone and started to do the explaining for him. She handed the phone back to Micro Chips to speak before hanging up. “Thanks Lyra. That’s makes it easier for me when I go back.”

“No problem,” Lyra replied.

“So it’s back to work, as usual?” Bonbon asked.

“Almost. He reminded me about something that I think you should see.” Micro Chips escorted the three over to another part of the game room. “Owner was able to buy the arcade unit last month from another game store that closed down when the owner went into retirement. It’s a rare unit that was made over a decade ago, and he recognized it on the spot. Asked my father to test some of the special features on it, and the unit was in great condition.” They came up to a racing arcade unit with a blue seat. The title “F-ZERO AX” was on the top of the arcade unit. And Tidal was completely stunned. “It’s just the standard unit and not the deluxe. But it works just fine. Even the memory card port still works, but I doubt anyone will use it anyway.”

“He… was able to get this?” Tidal said, referring to the owner, to which Micro Chips nodded. “My parents were able to keep their GameCube console with several games, and F-Zero GX was one of them. The booklet explained about the AX unit at arcades that can work with the GX file, but those units were known to be hard to find.”

“Your parents played video games?” Lyra asked.

“Well, they had game consoles back then before they got married. But they kept the GameCube and a couple of Game Boy Advance SP with them, since they were more family friendly than the other systems. After playing on them with my dad, he decided to get me a 3DS and some games for me to enjoy in my free time. I was able to look up more of the retro games that they were releasing and started playing them.”

“Which is why you like the older games that were out before your time,” Bonbon said.

“Those games were a bit easier to work with, without all the complex stuff,” Tidal explained. “Plus, it’s the final version out of the box. No need to buy any extra stuff to add to it later on.”

“Unless it was for the PC,” Micro Chips said. “You can mod those games if you have the right tools to download. And that would be mostly free to do. You should come by my dad’s shop. He works on fixing and selling computers and electronics, plus recycling old computer parts that can still be used. He even sells old PC games that no one else uses. Some people still like the physical stuff.”

“And some of that stuff you can’t even download online,” Tidal added. “I’ll think about it one day.”

“Thanks. I need to head on back.” Micro Chips stared to walk away from the others. “It was nice meeting you. Thanks for that last token.”

With Micro Chips gone, Tidal, Lyra, and Bonbon looked at the F-Zero arcade unit.

“So, want to take it for a test spin?” Lyra asked.

“I gave Micro Chips my last token,” Tidal replied. “And this one takes two.”

Lyra and Bonbon each held up their last tokens. Tidal grinned and took them and went into the unit. He buckled up and inserted the two tokens and pressed the start button. He picked the Blue Falcon to drive and Mute City as his track and started to race. Lyra went to watch over him as he raced. During that time, Bonbon stepped aside and pulled out her cell phone and made a call.

A couple of kids came by the unit and saw how Tidal was racing. He just finished his first lap, activating his boost system and started to use his boost while in the recharging lanes. The kids were curious as to how this game worked compared to other racing games. As he made it through three laps, some more kids came by, wondering what was going on. By the time he was finishing his fifth lap, he was cutting it close in time as it was extended. He knew he would have to use his boost more and drain the shields in the process to finish the final lap. He was pushing it, hitting other cars in the process. As time was ticking down, he was coming close to the end. Some of the kids thought he would never make it in time. But with one last boost, he was able to reach the boost pad on the track and make it to the end of the race with a second to spare.

“Talk about cutting it close,” Lyra said.

“It feels a bit different from the GX version that I remember growing up playing with my dad,” Tidal replied.

One of the kids came up to Tidal. “Hey mister. Do you know how this game works?”

“Yea. I’ve never seen features like these on the other racing games,” another kid asked.

Tidal got out of the seat and decided to point out some of the features that he remembered on the screen while the demo was playing. During that time, Lyra went to check on Bonbon.

“Any word?” Lyra asked.

“They still need at least an hour before we can come over,” Bonbon replied.

“And we’re out of money that Vice Principal Luna gave us for tokens.”

“How about Micro Chips’ invite to his dad’s store?”

“Sounds like a good idea.”

They both nodded in agreement. That was when Tidal came back to join them.

“So, what now. We don’t have any tokens left, unless you want to get some more,” Tidal explained.

“We were thinking about going to the shop that Micro Chips’ father works at,” Lyra said. “This way, you can tell them about your game experience.”

“Well…” Tidal looked at the AX unit and saw another kid playing it with a few others watching. “Since those kids are busy on there, I guess it wouldn’t hurt to run by there.”

With that, they left the arcade place and walked down the mall to the electronics store that Micro Chips was working at. They walked in and saw a man who almost looked like Micro Chips, but was older and had a bald spot on his head.

“Hello Mr. Chips,” Bonbon said.

“Oh hello there, Bonbon. Lyra. And I see you brought a guest,” Mr. Chips responded.

“This is Tidal,” Lyra replied. “He just finished playing the new unit at the arcade.”

Mr. Chips adjusted his glasses. “So this is the boy that I have been hearing about, from various sources of course.”

“Various sources?” Tidal responded, raising an eyebrow.

“It’s not just your actions at school from my son, but what you did for the old man’s used bookstore,” Mr. Chips said about Tidal.

“Look. I did what I what I thought was just. If you-”

“Now hold on there,” Mr. Chips quickly responded. “When he learned about what all happened afterwards, he wanted to make sure nothing like that ever happened again. Wanted to know of some good security service that could make it safer at his store and knew I had some connections in that area when I worked at a security firm several years ago. They got his place secured so that nothing bad would ever happen again. Not to mention it was nice to see him after all these years. I know that running a business on cash only would be risky at the time, but in this day and age, he needed to adjust with the times. And I was glad to help him out with that.”

Tidal was stunned at Mr. Chips response.

“Now. How was your experience with the F-Zero AX game?”

Tidal was trying to shake it all off so he could respond, but Lyra was quick to do it for him.

“He finished it with just a second to spare.”

“What course and car?” Mr. Chips asked.

“Mute City with Blue Falcon,” Tidal replied.

“That’s good to hear,” Mr. Chips responded. “Too bad it can’t print out the race cards for you to have, marking off what you were able to complete. But that could be because the servers are no longer active to make it happen.”

“Well, we figure we come by and see what you have here,” Bonbon said.

“Yea. We heard that you have some old PC games?” Lyra added. “Tidal here is known to some of the… what do you call them?” She looked at Tidal for an answer.

“It’s retro, Lyra.” They looked to see Micro Chips walking out from the back of the building. “Finished with what we need for that gaming computer that was requested. Based on the owners’ request, I think we need to order a video card to complete the computer.” He handed a piece of paper to his father.

“I’ll look into some places that could have it at a good price. At least we have some time before he would need it.” The other three were wondering what Mr. Chips was talking about. “Someone just called in asking for help with a gaming PC for their gaming tournament in the summer. Having a hard time building one with what they have and asked it I can build one. It’s not cheap, but I know where to find the parts if I need to. But we’re getting off topic. You like to play retro games?”

“More like download them on my 3DS system,” Tidal replied.

“That would be the more popular ones,” Mr. Chips explained. “Or from licenses of companies that are still around, and were known as big games at the time. Is there a favorite from the group.”

Tidal knew of one game that he liked the most. “Crash and the Boyz Street Challenge.”

Mr. Chips took a moment to think of the game. “Crash. Trying to think of that game.”

“It was created by the same group that created River City Ransom,” Tidal explained.

This caused a light bulb to come on. “Now that’s game I have heard of. Was more of a cult classic to play. And a rare game after it came out. I was lucky to play it on an emulator back then when it was the only way to find games like that. Not to mention debugging games like that when it was out there.”

“He also got me on playing emulators and roms from the 8-bit and 16-bit generation,” Micro Chips added. “But there are some good physical PC games that are worth playing without having to deal with all the complex workings.”

“And we are lucky to have some here.” Mr. Chips pointed to a display stand at the side of the building. “They might be a decade old, maybe two, but they can run on most computers these days.”

Tidal, Lyra, and Bonbon went over to the display. They could see games that were in a box, or just the CD case.

“Warcraft. Starcraft. Halo? The names sound familiar, but never like this,” Lyra said.

“What about these ones,” Bonbon added. “Bejeweled 2. Atari Collection. And Sim City.”

“There’s even a game call Fable,” Tidal added.

“Now that’s an interesting game if I ever heard of,” Mr. Chips said. “For every choice, a consequence. The guys that made that game put a lot of work to make it happen.”

“Why’s that?” Lyra asked.

“Each choice that you would make, either good or bad, would affect the outcome of your character, and what would happen down the road in the game. It could make you a hero… or a villain.”

That caused Tidal to think about what he did weeks ago.

“But you kids aren’t old enough to play a game like this. So maybe you should focus on the “E” rated games instead. I fact, I might know of a game that you might enjoy.” Mr. Chips went to the back of the store and came back out with a CD jewel case with the name, Tetris Worlds. “I remember when it first came on on the old systems in the early 90s. Tetris was know as the greatest puzzle games out there when it was created. And it still is today. This was the first version to come out on PC. I think once you play it, you might just enjoy it.”

“How much is it?” Tidal asked.

“Five bucks.”

“Deal!” Lyra was able to grab the game and pay Mr. Chips. “Consider it your birthday present from me,” she said to Tidal, handing the game to him. Bonbon placed her fist to her sides, furious that Lyra would jump the gun with Tidal’s present.

A grin came across Mr. Chips’ face. “So someone’s celebrating their birthday today, right?”

“You could say that,” Tidal replied.

Mr. Chips looked over at Bonbon and another idea came to mind. “Since Lyra bought a game for you, I might know another classic that you can try, if Bonbon wants to buy that one.” He went towards the display shelf and picked out another game in a CD jewel case to show them. “This one is call Sim Golf. It was created by the same team that made Sim City and the other Sim based games. This one allows you to build a small golf course to run and play on. Different from most of the Sim titles that have been out there. And just for five buck.”

Bonbon was quick to react. “Sold!” She took the game and paid Mr. Chips, then handed it to Tidal. “And this is my birthday present to you.”

“Well… thanks. I guess this came keep me busy on my computer when I don’t have anything else to do.”

“As long as we get to see what progress you have made on the games,” Lyra said.

Bonbon felt a buzz in her pocket and stepped aside to check her cell phone for a moment. Once that was done, she rejoined the others. “Well, it was nice to come by here and see what you had. But we need to be going now.” She gave a quick elbow jab to Lyra while displaying a smile. Lyra was quick to catch on.

“Oh, oh yea. We do. You know, places to go, people to see. That stuff.”

“Well, thanks for coming over and doing business with us,” Mr. Chips said. “And thanks for updating me on playing that arcade game. Nice to know that it was still getting some use.”

“It was nice meeting you as well.” Tidal waved goodbye as he and the other girls were leaving the store. As they were walking down the mall, Tidal took a moment to think about one of the games that he saw.

“Something on your mind?” Bonbon asked Tidal.

“Yea. That one game, Fable. It involves the choices that you make and how it could affect what your future would be, good or bad. What about what I did weeks ago. How would that have an effect on now… or the future?”

Lyra placed her arm around Tidal’s neck. “Look, it doesn’t matter what you did. What happens, happens.”

“That’s right,” Bonbon added. “Maybe we don’t know what to do when it happens. We just… do it, I guess. It’s just… everything happens for a reason, that’s all. Just forget about it and move on.”

“Besides, right now, it’s your sixteenth birthday,” Lyra said, “and we plan to help you enjoy it. And we just know one last place to have it.”

“Why do I have a feeling that all those questions that Pinkie was asking me would have anything to do with that.”

---

The trio arrived at The Sweet Shoppe, which looked empty from the outside. Tidal had a feeling what was about to come, but Lyra and Bonbon dragged him inside. Once inside, it was completely empty and quiet.

“Hello?” Tidal said. “Anyone here?”

“SURPRISE!!!”

A group of students, along with Celestia and Luna, appeared from behind the counter and underneath the booth tables. A banner fell from the ceiling saying “Happy Birthday Tidal” written on it. It was the same group of students that he knew since he started attended CHS. Pinkie Pie was quick to put a party hat on Tidal’s head.

“It’s your welcome to CHS welcome back from the hospital happy birthday party “Pinkie said in one breath.

“Do you ever breathe?” Tidal said, getting a big grin in response.

“That’s just Pinkie being Pinkie,” Applejack said. “She’s always like that.”

“Not to mention that she’s been waiting so long to throw you a party since you got here,” Rainbow Dash added.

“But now that the day is here, we can finally celebrate,” Rarity said.

At that moment, Mr. and Mrs Cake came out with a white cake with a black car on it and the words “Happy Birthday Tidal” and the number candles “16” lit up.

“Well Tidal, blow out the candles,” Celestia said.

“And make a wish too,” Pinkie added.

Tidal closed his eyes for a moment before opening them back up and blowing out the candles. Pinkie quickly brought out her party cannon and shot streamers in the air.

“So, what you wish for,” Swift asked Tidal.

“Silly Swift. You can’t tell your wishes,” Pinkie replied. “Otherwise, it will never come true.”

“She’s right, bud,” Clyde added.

Mrs. Cake began removing the candles and cutting up the cake in slices for everyone, with Tidal grabbing the first slice. As everyone was enjoying themselves, Luna noticed the two games that he had with him.

“So, I’m assuming that you went by Mr. Chips’ store.”

“We did,” Bonbon replied for Tidal. “Both of us bought him a game.”

“We also went to the arcade and saw Tidal play a racing game that the owner was able to acquire,” Lyra added.

“Then maybe he should open this right now.” Tidal saw his cousin, Cynder, holding an envelope in her hand.

“Now, now. it’s not the time for presents,” Luna said to Cynder.

“But this is big. Open it. Open it!”

Tidal took the envelope and opened it, pulling out the card and reading it, along with a piece of paper that was in it.

“This… is a retro gaming tournament event?”

“Take a look at the gaming lineup,” Cynder said.

He looked and saw that it involved three games. One was a platform game, another was a puzzle game, and the third was a racing game.

“Hey. Isn’t that like the same puzzle game that I bought you,” Lyra said.

“I think so,” Tidal replied. “But this must be the first one that came out.”

“It is,” Cynder said. “And Eclipse said that he would pay for the entry fee if you wanted to enter this summer and his birthday present.”

“I say go for it,” Rainbow Dash said.

“Yea,” Rivet replied. “You seem good at the classic games. Maybe you can make it far in the tournament.”

“Go far, Rivet? I say he could go all the way.” Rainbow Dash said.

Everyone started to cheer him on in entering the tournament.

“Well, looks like I need to learn how to play Tetris, and I should be set… I hope,” Tidal replied. “Sign me up.”

Everyone cheered in excitement.

The party went on for a few more hours of eating, opening presents, and having fun. As the party was coming to an end, everyone was starting to head out, including Lyra and Bonbon. Besides the Cakes, it was Celestia and Sunset who was busy cleaning up. Tidal went to put his gifts in Aunt Celestia’s car before coming back into the shop and walking up to Sunset.

“I was surprised that you would attend my party,” Tidal said.

“Well, AJ wanted me to come and help setup,” Sunset replied. “Plus she said that it would be limited to those who are not against me. So I guess that’s OK. Just as long as you had a good time.”

“I guess today was a good day,” Tidal said. “Now I got something to look forward to this summer. I just need to start making better decisions.”

“You and me both,” Sunset replied with a small chuckle. “I just wish others can look past my one mistake and give me another chance.”

“Maybe it will happen… one day.”

Author's Notes:

If you ever wanted to Play F-Zero AX, all you need is a GameCube, F-Zero GX, and an Action Replay cheat device. Then do a search online for the F-Zero GX/AX easter egg and you will find the AR code that will allow you to play the AX mode.

Ch. 8 - Blue Moon Lifestyles

Another school week had finally come to an end. And for Tidal, after returning back to his classes and working a couple of basketball games for Coach Iron Will, he was glad to finally have a break from all of it. Or so he thought. For some reason, he and Lyra got dragged into one of Rarity’s request… at her place.

“I’m glad that you two came to help me with my new project.”

“Project?” Lyra said, raising an eyebrow. “What kind of project do you need help for, Rarity. And why bring Tidal along as well? I never recall you asking for a boy to help you out here.”

“It’s something that I’m working on that Clyde was talking to me about one day,” Rarity explained. “And an idea came to mind. BONNIE AND CLYDE!!! GANGSTERS FOR LIFE!!!”

Blank stares came across their faces as they were looking at a few designs that Rarity was showing to them.

“It’s the gangsters fashion line,” Rarity explained. “It’s old, but bold.”

“You mean something like out of the movie, Dick Tracy?” Tidal asked.

“Something like that.” Rarity looked at her drawings again. “I mean, zoot suits and long coats were very stylish back then. And I was hoping that Bonbon would help out, but since she’s said that she had to help out with her parents, Tidal will have to do instead.”

“Could explain why she decided to bail on us when we needed her,” Lyra whispered to Tidal.

“Because she would be in men’s clothing instead of women’s?” Tidal whispered back.

“Something like that.”

Just then, the front door bell chimed as someone walked in with some rolls of fabric. “Here they are, Rarity. Where shall I place… them…” She stopped and noticed who was in the room. “Oh, hey there Tidal. Lyra. What are you doing here?”

“Being Rarity’s models, Sunset,” Lyra replied. “What are you doing here?”

“Well, Rarity needed some help in picking up her order at the fabric store, and I decided to… volunteer. Fluttershy was able to drop me off outside the house, since she was on her way to the animal shelter.” Sunset looked around. “Is Bonbon around?”

“Let’s just say that she’s… busy this afternoon,” Lyra said.

“Oh, OK. So… where do you want these?”

“Oh, just take them to the back,” Rarity replied.

“Here, let me help.” Tidal was able to grab a couple of rolls from Sunset and took them to the back of the building. Lyra and Rarity followed right along.

Rarity went right to work on the fabric, making the cuts and getting the pinning on both Lyra and Tidal. Sunset was just sitting by, watching Rarity do her work.

“So, where did you come up with this idea,” Sunset asked Rarity.

“We were watching some old movies that Clyde was able to find on TV about gangsters, and the suits and dresses just came to mind. So I started to make the designs and had to make it a reality. But since Clyde is busy with basketball practice, I was hoping that Lyra and Bonbon would be willing to help out. Too bad that Bonbon is busy. But Tidal will just have to do.”

Sunset had a confused look on her face. “Why would Tidal have to do instead of Bonbon.”

“Because she has worn suits at times, and I was hoping she would be of some help. I mean, I didn’t want to drag Tidal into this.”

“But you just did,” Lyra replied.

“Well, you look better in dresses than Bonbon,” Rarity explained. “And I need someone to dress in a suit.”

“I… still don’t get it,” Sunset said.

Lyra let out a sigh and responded. “It’s because some think that we’re lesbians, right? I mean, who comes up with that idea that we’re so close.”

“Now come on. I know you are not lesbians,” Rarity replied. “Some people just think that way, which is so wrong.”

Tidal started at Sunset with a confused look on his face.

“Don’t look at me,” Sunset said with her hands up. “I didn’t start the rumor. In fact, I don’t even see why that would be a problem.”

“It’s because me and Bonbon are so close as friends that some think that…” Lyra stopped for a moment before she responded. “What do you mean it’s not a problem that people think we’re lesbians?”

“Well, back where I’m from, there are more mares than stallions,” Sunset explained, which caused Rarity to come to a halt.

“You mean, more females than males?” Tidal asked.

Sunset placed a finger on her chin. “Three, maybe four to one, I think. I can’t remember. All I know is that two of my teachers at the school for magic were in a relationship with each other, and they were both mares. It was… kind of common where I’m from. I never let it bother me back then.”

Both Rarity and Lyra had blank looks on their faces, which caused Tidal to respond. “Mind… blown.”

“Now that I can agree,” Sunset said. “Perhaps we should… change the subject.”

Rarity was able to snap out of her trance and go back to work. “You’re right. Let’s change the subject. Tidal, how were you able to know about Dick Tracy.”

“The movie? My parents have a VHS copy of it. I can understand the old comic book style that it was created in. The characters, the clothes, the environment… looks very old. But it was a good movie. Worth watching if you can find a copy online.”

Rarity stopped for a moment. “I’ll have to see if Clyde can look it up for me. But first, this.” She went back to work.

“If that’s the case, then maybe you should look up Xanadu. It has a lot of fashion ideas there. And… it’s magical,” Tidal explained.

“Magical?” Sunset said.

“Fashion ideas?” Rarity said.

“Well, they had zoot suits in the movie as well,” Tidal explained. “At least… in a few scenes. Lot’s of designs from several eras and the like.”

“I don’t think I’ve heard of the movie,” Rarity said.

“Well, it’s more of a cult classic than a big hit when it came out,” Tidal explained. “My mother was able to get the special anniversary edition on DVD. Said that she loved the movie when it first aired on TV, but could never find a VHS copy of it. She was lucky to find it when it came out on DVD. Also came with the CD soundtrack to boot.”

“And to think that you were old school in just games. You’re also old school in movies as well,” Lyra said.

“And music,” Tidal added. “But… not many back home were into that kind of stuff. They were more into the current stuff. Another reason I felt like some kind of… outcast.”

“Well, styles come and go,” Rarity explained. “But they are worth remembering and revisiting, even if you weren’t born anywhere near those eras.”

“I’m guessing that it was the magic in the movie that caught your interest,” Sunset said.

“Xanadu? Well, it was a lot of things,” Tidal replied. “The art, the music, a magical love story where dreams could come true. I think it’s best that you see it for yourself to understand. I’ll show you some videos online when I have some time at school next week.”

“I’ll hold you to it,” Sunset replied.

“If it’s a love story, then I have to watch it with Clyde next time,” Rarity said. “Send me a link about the movie so I know what to look for.”

“Will do,” Tidal replied.

“I never would have thought of you to be into love stories,” Lyra said.

“Well, I wouldn’t think of it as a love story in my mind. More of a… magical story. But it each their own,” Tidal explained.

“Speaking of which,” Rarity said, trying to change the subject again, “have you ever thought about asking someone out, Lyra. I mean, to prep for the Spring Fling down the road.”

“Isn’t that a bit early to be asking that?” Lyra asked.

“Well, do you and Bonbon want to be labeled as lesbians?”

Lyra sighed and rolled her eyes at Rarity’s comment. “No. But I don’t know who to ask. And I’m sure Bonbon doesn’t know either. Both of us haven’t even thought of it.”

“Well, maybe you should look into it for once,” Rarity recommended.

“Just be glad that I won’t be there to make a mess of things,” Sunset said. “After all that I have done in the past, I know I’m no longer wanted.”

“Serves you right,” Lyra said, causing Rarity to stare at her. “But, I guess it’s best to lay low for now until the school has finally gain their trust in you… whenever that will be.”

Rarity continued her work on Tidal and Lyra’s new clothes, getting the finishing touches and working on getting them sewn together. When she was finished with her work, she handed them to Lyra and Tidal, who went to separate changing rooms to get changed. Lyra was the first to come out, wearing a belted windowpane trench coat and black wool beret.

Sunset was almost speechless. “Wow. The hat is really… something.”

“It’s a beret, Sunset,” Rarity corrected. “And most artists at school still wear them. It’s a good thing I had one nearby. It looks great on you.”

“You think so?” Lyra said, looking into a mirror.

That was when Tidal came out, wearing a dark pinstripe double-breasted suit with a long split tail behind him and a matching fedora.

“OH… MY… GOD.” Rarity was stunned at the work that she did on Tidal. “You look fabulous.”

Tidal looked at the mirror and did a full spin. “Wow. This looks nice.”

“I’ll say. You look like you’re ready to do some serious business,” Sunset said.

Lyra looked at Tidal and was speechless. Rarity went up next to Lyra and gave her a nudge. “Go on. Say something.”

“It’s just… I don’t know what to say. You look… nice.”

“I should say the same thing about you as well,” Tidal replied, causing Lyra to blush.

Rarity was quick to pull out her cell phone. “All right you two. Stand side by side and strike a pose. I want to get a picture of this.”

---

Tidal and Bonbon were walking with Applejack down the street on a Saturday afternoon. They were carrying bags of groceries back to the Apple farm. With Granny Smith and Big Mac with the old truck, it was the only option they had. And Bonbon was willing to help out… by dragging Tidal along.

“I still can’t believe that Rarity was able to create a design that would be older than Granny Smith herself… I think,” Applejack explained.

“I still can’t believe that you looked good in that suit,” Bonbon said to Tidal.

“And you had to… miss out on all of it,” Tidal said, staring at Bonbon.

“I’m sorry,” Bonbon replied. “Mother wanted to get groceries for dinner last night. I had to help. Besides, I don’t think I would look good in a suit like that. I mean, the agent suit is fine, but that… I would look silly.”

“I bet that Lyra brought up the lesbian deal in the process, right?” Applejack asked with a chuckle.

“Yep,” Tidal replied. “But I don’t think that Sunset didn’t mind.”

Bonbon stopped for a moment. “What do you mean by that?”

Applejack decided to stop and look at Tidal as well.

“She said that it was… common where she was from,” Tidal responded.

Applejack simply blinked. “You know, I’m not going to even bother with the topic,” and started walking again.

Bonbon went up to Tidal and whispered, “You don’t think our pony counterparts are… never mind,” and started walking again. Tidal followed along.

As they were walking down the street, Tidal started to recognize the area he was in. The group saw some of their classmates walking in and out of one of the stores with some books in hand.

“Looks like the old man’s bookstore is pretty busy this weekend,” Bonbon said.

“I’m guessing that Aunt Luna is keeping the classes that she’s subbing very busy,” Tidal added.

“Well, I did hear that he now has a new security system, and a new safe as well,” Bonbon explained. “He’s hoping that we don’t have a repeat performance like last time.”

“As long as it doesn’t require Tidal here to be a reckless hero again,” Applejack added, staring back at him.

“Noted.”

As they came up to the building, they saw Rainbow Dash and Rivet walk out.

“Hey AJ! Doing a grocery run again?” Rainbow Dash asked.

“Eeyep. Got these two helping me.”

Rivet responded. “Hey there Tidal. Bonbon. By the way, Tidal, you were rocking the suit.”

“Rocking doesn’t even define it,” Dash boasted. “He was 20% cooler than most.”

“Even with a fireball spike?”

Rainbow Dash went up to Tidal, face to face. “Don’t push your luck.”

Applejack looked into the store and saw a lot of people in there. “So what’s all the hub bub here?”

“Since the old man opened his store back up, everyone wanted to help out with his business,” Dash explained. “People have been bringing old fiction books to trade for other books in his shop. Some even buying several books to help with his business.”

“It’s been going on this week that he has used books that he needed to get sorted out, but hasn’t found the time to do so,” Rivet added. “We decided to help him out tomorrow while the store is closed for inventory. I was able to finally get the next Daring Do book that I couldn’t get last time, after… that event.”

“Well, it looks like everything is looking up, that’s for sure,” Applejack said.

“Would be nice to see what books they have,” Bonbon said. “But I doubt that we can take food inside.”

That was when Applejack had an idea. “Why don’t you two go on in, and I keep an eye on the groceries out here. Gives our arms a rest for a moment.”

Tidal and Bonbon agreed and placed their bags next to Applejack and went on inside. While the front of the store had more of the new, current books, the rest of the store had shelves of old, smaller books based of the genre of the book. They could see the new cameras that were installed, making it easier for the store to be safe.

“So, is there any books that would interest you?” Bonbon asked Tidal. “You seem to be into fantasy games, right?”

“Well, I’m not sure. I’m not much of a big reader unless it was assigned in class. And I had to do that at my last school so far with some books. Haven’t been given a book assignment in class since I got here, so I really don’t know.”

“Might be best to get a book worth reading, because I know you will have to do one soon,” Bonbon explained. “And I know it won’t be an assigned book in your English class. They try to be best to let you read any fiction book. I think it’s only in our Senior year that all fiction books are the same in the class.”

“Do you have any ideas on what would be worth reading?” Tidal asked Bonbon.

Bonbon made her way to the fantasy section and looked through the shelves of old books. She stopped and pulled out one old book that she recognized. “The Island and the Ring. Can’t believe that it’s still here after I traded it off for another book.” She showed the book to Tidal. “I read this last year for my English class. It’s about a princess who has lost her family and kingdom to some villain, and all she has left that could be key to all this is a ring. And don’t even compare it to Lord of the Rings. It’s nothing like it. I think this will be a book worth reading when the assignment comes up.”

Tidal took the book and said, “Sure thing. I’ll give it a shot.”

They went back up to the counter and went to pay for the book.

“So, I see someone is willing to buy your last book that you gave to me, Bonbon,” the old man said.

“Well, if it’s been there for that long of a time, then it’s time for someone else to own it, right?” Bonbon replied.

Tidal paid for the book and made his way out. Bonbon began to follow, but was stopped by the old man.

“So, is he-”

“Yes,” Bonbon quickly replied. “Somewhat reckless. But his life wasn’t so easy before coming here. Trying to watch over him so that he doesn’t try it again.”

“Well, that night was a wake up call for me with my business. I never thought something like that would happen here. And I didn’t get word until a few days later about what happen afterwards. I hope to never see that happen again in front of anyone. So watch over him the best you can.”

“I’m already on it.” Bonbon started to make her way outside to join the others.

“What was that all about?” Tidal asked Bonbon as they both grabbed the bags of groceries.

“Just some… chit chat. That’s all.”

“Well, I can see that Tidal got a book that you once owned,” Applejack said as they all started walking again.

“I just recommended it after seeing it still there. Helps to get a head start on his reading assignment,” Bonbon explained.

“Well, if that’s the case, then maybe you should get a head start on finding a date to the Spring Fling.”

“Again!?”

“You want to be Lyra’s partner again like last time? That’s how all the lesbian talk started back then.”

“And that was when Sunset was nothing but trouble. I’m guessing that she started the rumors back then.”

“She never had a clue,” Tidal explained. “Remember, it was more common in her world. Didn’t think it was an issue. So there’s no need to blame her about that rumor. And for some reason, Rarity had this conversation with Lyra yesterday.”

“Why do I have a feeling someone wants us to find actual dates,” Bonbon said.

“Rarity’s been on that case with me as well,” Applejack explained. “And while I can’t stand it… she might be right. I’m one who waits for the boy to ask me out. But my, as Rarity calls it, tom boyish attitude can be… intimidating to others, and she thinks I need to make a move on a boy I like.”

“And is there one you do like?” Bonbon asked.

“Not really,” Applejack replied. “I’m just waiting for now. But going back on topic. I’m guessing that since Rarity now has a boyfriend, she wouldn’t mind doing the same with the rest of us.”

“Well, we have seen Rainbow Dash and Rivet together,” Bonbon explained. “Maybe Rarity wants to make sure you girls don’t feel left out.”

“Well, you are in your Junior year,” Tidal added. “This would be your year for prom near the end of the year, right?”

“How would you know that?” Bonbon asked.

“That’s how my parents met. First date was their Junior prom. I think Aunt Tia had a hand in that, but I’m not sure. The only catch is that I can’t go to prom this year unless a Junior or Senior was to ask me out, and I’m still a bit new here. So I’m in no hurry with the dating scene, in case you want to know.”

“Well, after that stunt you pulled weeks ago, I’m not sure anyone wants to date you anyway,” Applejack said, before she decided to correct herself. “Well, not at this time, I mean. I mean, it’s better that they got to know the real you, that’s all. Who you are here. Not the person we learned from the other school. You get what I’m saying?”

“Yea, yea. I understand.”

“Maybe if he was to pull another fireball spike, that could get someone’s attention,” Bonbon said.

“Like that’s ever going to happen,” Tidal replied.

Ch. 9 - Blue Moon Offers

Today was a special day for Canterlot High. Not only was it Valentine’s Day, but it was the first time for the boy’s basketball team to make it to the playoffs. The team has been doing well since they had Rainbow Dash on their team as the only girl to play with the big boys. And while Tidal has been attending the school for over a month, he has been fulfilling his commitment with Coach Iron Will as an equipment manager for the team for the past few weeks. And the last thing he wanted to think about was team playoffs. But unlike what played out at his old school’s football playoff chances, due to the bullying he went through, he was hoping that this would be different. The team did give him some credit for helping them out when someone was injured, or someone needed a towel or water on the bench.

As the day went on, Tidal was already with Sunset, double checking their notes from Social Studies. They knew they had a big test in a few days, and Sunset wanted to make sure that Tidal was ready for it. As they were studying, some of the others joined in, with the exception of a few.

“Where’s Pinkie?” Sunset asked.

Swift was the first to respond. “She’s busy putting up posters for the Spring Fling.”

“Eeyep,” Applejack added. “Lyra and Bonbon are helping her out, so they’ll be joining us later.”

“And where’s Rarity?” Tidal asked.

“Sick,” Clyde replied. “But I plan to stop by and visit her after school.”

“Just remember. There’s a playoff game tonight,” Tidal said. “Last thing we need is one less key player for the team. Otherwise, kiss your playoffs series goodbye.”

“Now come on,” Rainbow Dash replied. “We’ll all be there. And we plan to win.” She could see the stern look on Tidal’s face. “Look, we are nothing like your old school. All that loser of a bully did was put his focus on you, and it cost him, and the team big time.”

“And Clyde and Rarity?”

“This is different,” Clyde replied. “I’m just going to stop by, deliver some flowers, and lift her spirits. Then I’ll be back at the gym to practice before the game.”

“Just don’t get sick yourself,” Tidal replied.

“Don’t worry. She’s might be watching Xanadu again after ordering the DVD online. Maybe using the time to make some new designs.” Clyde leaned in to Tidal. “By the way, I’m glad you brought it up to her. It was another romantic night for the both of us.”

Tidal rolled his eyes before he responded. “No problem. Just throwing it out there. At least someone enjoys the old stuff.”

Applejack decided to step in. “Speaking of which, any word on your new car? We haven’t seen you drive up in one since you got your license.”

Tidal took a moment to look at his phone before responding. “Still waiting to hear from my dad on that. He said that he was looking into it and have it sent to me later on.”

“You would think that it would be easy to just buy one,” Rainbow Dash said. “Or are we looking for something in particular?”

“Something in particular,” Tidal replied. “That’s what he e-mailed me about earlier.”

That was when Pinkie Pie jumped out of nowhere and said, “Is it something classic!?”

“Pinkie Pie!” Swift yelled is surprise. “When did you get here?”

“Oh, we just got finished putting the posters up around the school for the Spring Fling,” Pinkie Pie explained. Lyra and Bonbon were able to join the others.

“It was pretty easy,” Bonbon added.

“Yea. We each took a fraction of the school and got all the posters up. No problem,” Lyra added.

“With all the posters in place, this Spring Fling is going to be EXPLOSIVE!!!” Pinkie yelled, causing all the classmates to turn their attention not to Pinkie Pie, but to Sunset Shimmer. Sunset started to cover herself, still feeling ashamed about her past actions from the Fall Formal. Tidal saw this and decided to take action.

“How about we focus on the basketball playoffs that are going on tonight. I’m sure that we don’t want to lose on our first attempt in them.” When all the students heard what he said, they decided to resume their own conversations. “That did the trick.”

“Thanks, Tidal,” Sunset said.

“Sounds like someone is taking advantage of his own past with this school,” Applejack said.

“Just don’t let it go to your head,” Lyra added. “We don’t need another Demon Sunset in our school. No offense.”

“None taken,” Sunset replied.

Everyone was able to take a seat around the table.

“So what were you talking about again?” Bonbon asked.

“Tidal’s car,” Applejack answered. “We don’t know what he’s getting.”

And that’s when Pinkie Pie decided to go off on her idea. “I bet it’s going to be super cool and fast and have turbo boosts and talks like it has a mind of its own.”

Tidal stared at Pinkie Pie. “Did you just make a description of KITT for Knight Rider?” Pinkie quickly shook her head up and down.

“Sounds like it,” Applejack added. “What kind of car was it again?”

“A firebird trans am, I think,” Rainbow Dash replied.

“That sounds about right,” Tidal responded. “You’ve seen the show?”

“On reruns back then, when we were good friends,” Applejack explained. “Before Sunset appeared on the scene. But that was the old Sunset that we came across, not the Sunset we now know and help with.”

“And it was the coolest car ever seen,” Rainbow Dash added.

“That’s right.” Pinkie went up to Tidal’s face and added, “You don’t hassle the Hoff!”

“Maybe that’s what your father is looking for,” Bonbon said. “Something more classic like that. It could explain why he hasn’t sent you a new car since you turned sixteen. Even if you were able to send him the stuff you need to have it under your name.”

“Well, I won’t know until I hear from dad when he has it,” Tidal replied.

“You know, I never seen this series. Is it any good?” Sunset asked the others.

“It sure is,” Pinkie Pie replied. “I have the entire series on DVD. Your welcome to watch it whenever you feel like it.”

“Thanks.”

Fluttershy, who was mostly quiet during the conversation, finally broke her silence and decided to asked Tidal something. “So, um, how’s the new therapy going?”

“New therapy!?”

“It seems to be working,” Tidal replied. “Not feeling any pain where I was shot.”

“Wait a minute,” Lyra said. “When did you start this new therapy?”

“Just last week,” Tidal replied. “It’s a new medical treatment that still in the works.”

Fluttershy nodded. “Yes. Nurse Redheart told me about it earlier. It’s supposed to numb the nerves where the pain resides the most. But it’s still in the early stages.”

“So Tidal here is now some… guinea pig of this medicine?” Applejack said.

“Well, it’s one experiment that hasn’t been tested on animals, or that’s what I heard,” Fluttershy replied.

“Well, I have to have it injected in the spot where I was shot once a day,” Tidal added. “That’s why I see Nurse Redheart in the morning before classes start.”

“Well, I hope that it doesn’t become a problem down the road,” Bonbon said.

“It hasn’t so far, I promise,” Tidal replied. “Nurse Redheart is keeping track on my progress in this… experiment.”

---

Tidal asked Sunset Shimmer to come with him to his locker after lunch so that he could give her something.

“So what is it that you wanted to give to me?” Sunset asked.

“Just a letter,” Tidal replied.

“It’s not some love letter, is it. I mean, since it’s Valentine’s Day and all.”

“If it was, then it would be in a red envelope. This one is in a white envelope. More of a thank you, that’s all.”

Tidal opened his locker to get the white envelope, only for two red envelopes to fall to the ground.

Sunset had a questionable look on her face. “You sure it’s not a love letter?”

Tidal went down to pick up the envelopes and looked at them. “They’re addressed… to me.” Now Tidal had a questionable look on his face. “Never expected anything like this to happen to me.”

“Because of your past? There’s a first for everything. But a love letter on Valentine’s, and with you being here for over a month, that would be weird.”

“And what about you and Flash?” Tidal asked with a raised eyebrow.

“Let’s… not talk about it.”

Tidal went to open the first envelope and pulled out the card. On it, it said “You are a rebel… with a cause. Your Secret Crush.” He went to open the second one and read the card inside. “There’s more to you than you think. Your Special Someone.”

“Yep. This is definitely weird,” Tidal said.

“Well, judging by the handwriting, it looks like you have two girls that have an interest in you,” Sunset explained.

“Unless this is some cruel joke. I was more of a problem at my old school, and just about everyone here knows it.”

“Maybe not. You were here before lunch. So maybe someone placed them in here during lunchtime.”

“And who would that be?”

That was when Lyra and Bonbon started to show up.

“Everything OK here?” Lyra asked.

Sunset looked over and said, “Just the two I would be looking for. Since your lockers are next to Tidal’s, and you two were out placing posters up in the hallways during part of lunch, you wouldn’t have seen anyone placed these two envelopes in Tidal’s locker, have you?”

Lyra and Bonbon looked to see Tidal holding two red envelopes with cards in them.

“What’s with the Valentine cards,” Lyra said. “Interested in Sunset this time?”

“Actually…” Tidal went to grab the white envelope and handed it to Sunset. “This is for her. Someone else placed these cards in my locker.”

Bonbon started to scratch her head. “Not really. Have you, Lyra?”

“Um, I don’t think so. I was busy getting all those posters put up to even notice.”

“Great,” Tidal replied in frustration. “I hope this isn’t some kind of prank.”

“The only one who would pull something like that would be Sunset,” Lyra said. “No offense.”

“None taken.” Sunset rolled her eyes. “I would ask around, but I don’t think anyone would be will to answer to me.”

“What about the others that have to keep an eye on you,” Bonbon said. “I’m sure they could do it for you.”

“Pinkie Pie would go off on a crazy adventure to get answers, and that would draw unwanted attention,” Sunset explained, to which Bonbon nodded in agreement. “And Fluttershy may have a hard time even asking the questions. Rainbow Dash can be aggressive in her approach, while Applejack more forceful in the search. That just leaves us with Rarity, and she’s out sick for now. I’ll see if she can help out when she gets back.”

“Why don’t we do it?” Lyra recommended. “We have Agent Bonbon here, who can help solve the case, right?” She wrapped her arm around Bonbon’s shoulder and grin from ear to ear.

“Let’s not push it,” Bonbon replied, removing Lyra’s arm from her shoulder. “Maybe we should… just wait this out. I’m sure the girl will be willing to come forward when she… feels like it.”

Sunset shrugged her shoulders. “Not going to argue with you there. Maybe it’s someone who wanted to lift your spirits,” she said to Tidal.

“Let’s hope that’s the case,” Tidal replied. “I had this happen last year, and it turned out to be some cruel joke when no one showed up to meet in person. I knew that the others didn’t like me in the first place. And that was just the start of my own problems.”

---

Tidal was watching the basketball game take place as his school was still behind. It wasn’t clear as to what was wrong, but the boys were putting an effort in making a comeback. And it was Clyde who was able to make the last basket and get the foul, allowing them to finally get the lead. But the other team made a mad dash to their basket, hoping for a miracle win. In their attempt, it was CHS own big guy, Bulk Biceps, who was able to block the shot, allowing the school to win.

Or so they thought.

The ref blew his whistle, calling some kind of foul, allowing the basket to count. It wasn’t clear about the call, but Coach Iron Will is furious. But in the end, it cost the school a chance to advance from the first round. Canterlot High was already eliminated from the playoffs.

All the students and players have already left, leaving Tidal busy putting away all the basketball gear and collecting the sweaty uniforms in a bin in the locker room. That was when Coach Iron Will walked in.

“Don’t bother having them washed tonight. Iron Will will take care of it tomorrow. Iron Will needs to take inventory, now that the season is over. But Iron Will has something to show you.”

Tidal and Iron Will walked back out to the gym’s basketball court. Iron Will was able to grab a volleyball from the seats and tossed it in the air to Tidal. “Serve!” Tidal was quick to respond and clasped his hands together, bouncing the ball in the other direction. “Nice.” Iron Will went to grab the ball and went up to Tidal. “Now, SPIKE!” He toss it in the air again. Tidal did what the coach told him to do and jumped up in the air towards the ball. With one fierce motion, he spiked the ball so hard, that it hit the floor board hard enough to leave a small round mark on it.

That was when someone started to clap behind them. “So that’s the famous Fireball Spike that I’ve been hearing about.”

Tidal looked to see Mrs. Harshwhinny walking towards them. “How… did you know?”

“Let’s just say a couple of birds told me.”

“So, do you think he will be of use on your team?” Iron Will asked Mrs. Harshwhinny

“In the fall? If he’s willing to try out.”

Tidal was a bit confused. “What’s this about?”

“A change in the rules,” Mrs. Harshwhinny explained. “I’ve already heard from the sports committee that volleyball will be a co-ed sport next season, just like soccer has been the past few years.”

“Mrs. Harshwhinny is the active coach of what was the girl’s volleyball team,” Iron Will explained.

“Now, it’s the co-ed volleyball team, and Lyra and Bonbon speak highly of you to be on their team.”

“Let me guess, they want me to join the team in the fall,” Tidal said.

Mrs. Harshwhinny explained. “Well, there are a few… requirements for boys to qualify. But Principal Celestia believes that you will be able to qualify for the team, pending tryouts in the summer. Lyra and Bonbon have been the best players on the team. Not to mention that’s the only sport in the school that they would try out. And I think with you on the team, we might have a better chance to get far in the playoffs.”

Tidal raised an eyebrow. “Far?”

“The only team that had given us a hard time is Crystal Prep,” Mrs. Harshwhinny explained. “I’m sure you’ve heard on them.”

“Through my cousins.”

“Well, there have been champions for a long time. And our school has yet to beat them, even since I took over for our last coach several years ago. But it is your choice. I’m not forcing it on you. But you would make a nice addition to the team next school year. As long as you don’t hurt yourself in the process.” Mrs. Harshwhinny started to make her way out, causing Tidal to think about what she said. That was when she stopped and added one more piece of detail. “Oh, your aunt did wanted me to add one more detail. Their top player on the team from last season was Indigo Zap.”

Tidal went into a state of shock when he heard the name. Then a smile came across his face. “I’ll give it a shot.”

“That’s good to hear. See you next time in class.” Mrs. Harshwhinny waved her hand as she left the gym.

“Looks like you’re going to try something new.” Iron Will slapped Tidal in the back with full force. “Hope that didn’t hurt.”

“No. In fact, I didn’t feel a thing. Must be the new meds having an effect.”

“Well, go home. You have a busy life ahead of you.”

Tidal did what the coach said and grabbed his jacket and made his way out of the school. As he left the main entrance, he looked up to the clear, night sky. That was when he heard something in the bushes. He looked to where the sound was coming from and went on the defensive. “Come out, whoever you are.” A hooded person came out from the bushes and pulled down the hood, causing Tidal to relax for a while. “Oh great, it’s you.”

Ch. 10 - Blue Moon Questions

“Seriously? That’s why you’re here now?”

“That’s… basically it.”

“What a loser. I mean, come on! He decided to stick up for his girlfriend and pick on you instead of putting the school team first. Put your priorities in check. That’s what Aunt Goldie always tells me. If he hopes for something big in college, then kiss your hopes goodby.”

‘You still focus on winning, like always”

“What else would you expect from me. I always win.”

Tidal was walking on home with a girl that he saw hiding in the bushes in front of the school. When she removed her hood, he knew who is was in an instant.

“You haven’t changed, Indigo.”

“Hey, I plan to win, Tidal. No matter the cost.”

“Does that include spying on our school?”

“Well, I did draw the short stick, so I had no other choice,” Indigo explained. “But it’s now pointless, now that your Wondercolts have been eliminated. Did NOT see that coming. But now the boy’s team should get an easy victory for the championship, like always. At least I was able to come across you once again. When your cousin, Eclipse, said that you were shot, I was surprised that you were even here in the first place. I’m just glad that you’re still alive. I’m not sure how your mother would have handled it in the first place.”

“Well, Aunt Tia is keeping it tight lipped for now.”

Tidal knew Indigo Zap years ago when Tidal’s mother, Ocean Wave, was good friends with Indigo’s aunt, Golden Zap, during the Olympics as roommates, and afterwards when they both retired from their respected sport at the same time.

“By the way, is your mother still coaching the Olympic swim team for next year?”

Tidal let out a sigh. “She is. I’m guess your aunt is doing the same with the track and field team, right?”

Indigo nodded. “Like always. Said that she has a lineup in place, but is waiting for the tryouts to begin in a few months. But that’s typical when you plan to try out for the Olympics, right?”

“It sure is. The only time my mother would have to be away would be during the summers. And she has no plans on retiring from that role soon.”

“Not until they have their records broken!” they both said together, follow by a laugh.

“I guess your aunt still holds the world record in the 1500 meters in track,” Tidal asked, to which Indigo nodded.

“Something tells me it will never be broken. Maybe the 100 meters or 200 meters, but never the 1500 meters. And with three gold medals to boot, just like your mother.” Indigo laughed. “I guess some things never change.”

“And yet, there are some things that do,” Tidal said, looking down, “like my life.”

“Hey, now don’t think that way.” Indigo got into Tidal’s face. “What he did to you was down right stupid, and he, and the school, paid for it big time. Where I come from at Crystal Prep, we plan to win, and we don’t let this kind of small stuff get in the way of the important stuff that makes our school the best. Sure we don’t agree with some things, but when it comes to team sports and the like, we plan to give it our all to win.”

“Your school seems pretty tight.”

“Well, it’s home to the best in just about everything. And to be honest, I don’t think you would be able to cut it, with your learning disability, that’s for sure. But it relies on private funding to keep it going. It’s not a public school like where you attend, which is for the best.”

Tidal raised an eyebrow. “Really.”

“Trust me. Honor classes is no walk in the park. Eclipse does well at the school, but I’m sure her sister wouldn’t fit in that well. I guess your vice principal thought well at who should attend where.”

“That’s because of Aunt Cadence’s help,” Tidal replied. “She is the dean at the school, right?”

“That’s true. I’ll give you credit on that. And I guess I can give Eclipse some credit for helping me out on a problem with a… certain someone.”

It took a moment for Tidal to understand what Indigo was talking about. “Wait. You mean… Ledger!?”

“So you know?”

“Well, he has told me about him, but I never knew it was you that he was stepping in for.”

“That’s because Ledger keeps trying to ask me out every time and doesn’t understand the meaning of NO. So it’s your cousin who hears this and steps in. I mean, seriously, Ledger is nothing but a jerk at the school.”

“Now that we can agree on. I’m guessing you and Eclipse are close.”

Indigo was shocked. “If you mean dating close, then forget it. I mean we have had classes together at the school, and he has better common sense than Ledger, but dating? He’s not really my type. Besides, I’m more focus on getting a sports scholarship when I graduate.”

“In volleyball?”

“Well there’s other sports that I play in so I haven’t-” Indigo stopped for a moment and stared at Tidal. “How do you know I play volleyball?”

“Let’s just say a little bird told me.”

“Oh, so we’re going to play that game, are we. Well, I have heard that the sport is going to be a co-ed sport like soccer. And we do have a few boys at the school that fit the qualifications required to play, not to mention the talent as well. Boys don’t get a chance to compete in volleyball unless it was in the Olympics. And I’m sure yhe boys will be busy with Football to even try out.”

“Well, I guess that’s why I’m trying out myself, since I was given the offer.”

Indigo let out a laugh. “You couldn’t even beat me in tag when we were at Aunt Goldie’s place.”

“Well, let’s just say that playing dodge ball at my old school has built a… fire inside of me.”

“Oh this I have to see. Too bad it won’t be in several months before that could happen. I hope you can stay healthy to make it there. Or I’ll be disappointed.”

“Game on.”

Tidal and Indigo slap their hands together and shook in an agreement.

“So, just one question,” Indigo asked. “Have you found yourself a girlfriend since coming here?”

Tidal was shocked. “Why you bring that up?”

“Because you started to ask if Eclipse was my boyfriend, which he isn’t. Come on. If someone wants you to join the volleyball team, then someone must be interested in you.”

Tidal looked down as he let out a huff of air. “I wish I knew.” Now Indigo was confused. “I got two cards in my lockers early today, and there are no names on them. So I really don’t know if someone is interested in me, or if it’s just some cruel prank like what happened at my old school. And about everyone known about my past, which has it’s own mixed messages.”

“I doubt that it’s a prank. To be honest, I don’t think CHS is like your old school… I think.” This got Tidal curious. “I mean, I’ve been hearing some weird stories from your school, but I think it’s just some fan fiction idea someone created to post online. I mean, a girl that turns into a demon and takes control of the school, now that’s pure fiction if I’ve ever heard it.”

“Yea. Strange, isn’t it.” Tidal was trying to hide the fact that it really happened, even though he was never around to see it happen.

“Well, I need to get going. I’m sure the others are waiting for my report, even if it’s a waste of their time and effort. Good luck finding out who the mystery girls are. And make sure you stay healthy. I want to see what you’re made off in the fall. Otherwise, I’ll be pounding you into the ground if you fail.”

“Bring. It. ON!”

---

It was another Saturday morning, and Tidal made his visit to Rarity’s place, hoping that she could be of some help in solving this mystery that he was dealing with. But due to his surprise when he went inside, he saw rarity working on a suit for Rivet.

“Hello there, Tidal. I’m assuming you brought the cards, right?” Rarity said.

“I did. But what’s going on here?”

“Oh, this. I’m making a suit for Rivet,” Rarity explained. “It’s just a test run before I make one for Clyde later on for the Spring Fling.”

“I… decided to ask Rainbow Dash out to the Spring Fling,” Rivet explained to Tidal.

“Well… that’s nice, I guess.”

“Well, she has been playing my guitar, and we have been sharing notes about Daring Do books. So I figure I ask her out, since basketball season is already over for us.”

“That’s nice of you to do, dear,” Rarity replied. “After seeing what happened at the end, I was most dishearten at the end result. But, these things happen. Now hold still so I don’t poke you with these needles.”

“I was surprise that you made it to the game, being sick and all,” Tidal said.

“Oh, it was just the stomach flu. A mask was all I need to get out,” Rarity explained. “But I’m all better now.” She was finishing up with Rivet’s suit before putting her stuff away and carefully taking the suit off to be worked on later. “I hope you don’t mind if I work on this later on. I’m sure we have enough time before the Spring Fling. Besides, I want to get on this case that Tidal has to deal with.”

“Thanks.” While Rarity was taking the suit in the back, Rivet decided to ask. “Tidal, Rainbow Dash brought an idea to mind and was wondering if you can pitch the idea to Principal Celestia. I mean, since you and her are family.”

“I wouldn’t go that far, but shoot.”

“Well, she was thinking, since she’s been into playing the guitar, she was hoping to do some kind of music event later on. Maybe after the Spring Fling.”

Rarity was able to return to join in on the conversation. “A music event? That sounds like a lovely idea.” Then a light bulb went on. “Oh, we can do a concert event for charity. That would be even better. A way to give back to the people of Canterlot. Oh, and I can even play the piano there as well.”

“Can I finish?” Rivet kindly said to Rarity, before turning his attention back to Tidal. “She wanted to start her own band a some point and was hoping we could have a music event to play at.”

“I’m guessing that she would want some free time in the music room to make this happen, right?” Tidal said.

“Well, that would be the case,” Rivet replied.

Tidal took a moment to think about it. “I guess I could pitch the idea. I’m not much of a music player myself, so I wouldn’t be much help in the process.”

“Oh but you would,” Rarity said. “You would be pitching the idea to your aunts, who in return will make it possible.”

“And if they would reject the idea?”

“Either add the idea that it’s for charity,” Rarity replied.

“Or blame Rainbow Dash if that helps,” Rivet added.

“Now that’s a bit rude,” Rarity said to Rivet.

“It was her idea in the first place.”

“Ok, ok, ok,” Tidal interrupted. “I’ll talk to Aunt Tia about it and see what she has to say. Now can we get back to why I’m here in the first place?”

“Sure, sure, sure. Let me see the cards.” Tidal handed the cards to Rarity, which she started to look at them in detail. “Interesting. One thing for sure, Sunset was right. These cards were done by two different people. And this happened while you were at lunch, correct?”

“I believe so,” Tidal replied.

“Well, for example, this card here. You are a rebel with a cause. That would mean someone knows that, while you have cause some trouble before, they know you have a goal in mind. And right now, that goal, in my mind, is helping Sunset Shimmer with her problem.”

“But isn’t that left between you and the other girls?” Rivet asked.

“That’s true. But the more help she gets, the better things will be. And with Tidal’s… past, I’m sure the rest of the school will understand. Now for the other card. There’s more to you than you think. Someone must think there’s a hidden talent inside of you. By the way, congratulations are in order on joining the volleyball team.”

“I haven’t even join the team,” Tidal replied.

“Not officially, but I know you will. Lyra and Bonbon have high hopes that you will join. Especially Bonbon, since she was co-captain last season. I mean, just look at that fiery spike you displayed on your first day at school. It’s becoming the talk of the town, I must say.”

“Did they told you about that?”

“Wanting to join the team? Yes. In fact…” Rarity placed her finger on her chin. “Now that I think about it, Lyra has started to take an interest in you. I mean, she did like you in that zoot suit that I made for you. But she still has concerns about you hanging out with Sunset at times. I just told her that maybe she should be taking a page from Bonbon. I mean, she’s been… giving Sunset a chance, in a way. Although, she’s not ready to accept that she’s changed for the better, but she’s willing to give it a shot.”

“Well, I doubt it would be them,” Tidal explained. “They didn’t get a chance to see who slipped the cards in my locker at that time. They were busy with the posters that Pinkie needed hanging.”

That was when another idea came to Rarity’s mind. “Could it have been Pinkie that slipped one of the cards?”

“I doubt that. It would have sent the wrong message,” Rivet said. “Besides, Swift finally asked her out to the dance.”

“Really?”

“Well, Clyde really had to push the envelope, so to speak, to make it happen.”

“Point taken,” Tidal responded. “I mean, have you seen how nervous he is around her.”

“You do have a point,” Rarity replied. ‘But perhaps it is someone from the volleyball team that sent the other card. Or maybe both. It seems like they would really like to have you on their team. And I don’t have to repeat as to why. Have you asked Bonbon? I mean, she has a habit of being an agent and all.”

“She felt like that we should wait it out for her to come forward,” Tidal replied.

“Oh yes. I forgot that Sunset told me about it. But still, it would help if we had a better lead. It’s not like Bonbon to just… wait and see.” Rarity took more of this to thought. “I’m going to have to have a talk with her and see if I can get a better lead. She does know the team better than anyone else last fall. But I promise you this, we will get to the bottom of this case. I promise.”

“I hope you’re right,” Tidal said. “I don’t want this to be just another prank.”

Rarity placed her hand on Tidal’s shoulder. “Trust me. There are some who are shy to come forward. I mean Fluttershy is one of them. And I can assume that Swift is another, based of your report. Maybe she’s just a bit scared because you hang with Sunset at times. Or maybe it’s because of your past. Although, the fact that you went through this prank is news to me, I’m sure they don’t know it either. But I’m sure these two girls will come forward and express their love for you.”

“Which would force him to decide who to pick,” Rivet added. “We are talking about two girls and not one.”

That got Rarity thinking again. “You do have a point. That could become a problem. I think it’s best that Lyra and Bonbon are in on this case. It problems do break out, we might need their help to resolve it.”

“I’ll try to help out as well,” Rivet said. “If it makes things easier.”

“I’ll take whatever help I can get,” Tidal said. “As long as is doesn’t draw any serious attention.”

“Oh Tidal,” Rarity replied. “You’ve come to the right person for the job. Now, since this is as far as I can go with this case, I’m going to return to my work. It’s not going to get done by itself, is it.”

Rarity made her way to the back room to return to her work, leaving Tidal and Rivet to themselves.

“You think Lyra and Bonbon would be willing to help this time?” Rivet asked.

“Well, Bonbon was hesitant to help at first,” Tidal replied. “But If Rarity can convince her to look into this, it would make things easier… I hope.”

“Just curious. With the Spring Fling coming up, have you ever thought about asking someone out. I mean, not like some kind of date, but more of a… companion.”

“Like the Doctor’s companion? Well…” Tidal took a moment to think about it when he recalled what Indigo said to him on that night after the basketball game. “If it was more of a companion, than I guess either Lyra or Bonbon will do. Sunset Shimmer would be a distant third, but she doesn’t even want to be around after what she did at the Fall Formal when I hear about it.”

“What about Fluttershy or Applejack?”

“Well, I know that they are… well known after what they, and the other girls, did on that night. But I would be on the fence with both of them. It’s just… it’s something I’m not used to after all I went through at my old school. I guess I was more of a lone wolf in my time. Now, it’s like things are changing for me, I guess.”

“Sounds like that way for us guys, Tidal, since some of us have moved here this past year, starting in a new school and all. But I guess that’s how life goes. You never know if you get to make a name for yourself or not. You just… let it happen, that’s all.”

Tidal let out a quick sigh. “Yea. You might be right.”