Magical Student Sunset! (MLP/Negima)

[SoothingCoffee]

You screwed up. Greatly.

It was the same day as always. The birds by the garden serenaded the morning as a natural alarm clock. The Sun was slowly rising, familiar magic flowing gently into your room as you stirred awake. The shower was nice, slightly ruined by the fact that you had forgotten to buy a refill for your shampoo. The same guards you had seen the day before were standing vigilant by both sides of the door. They were utterly useless, considering your ability, but then again, you had seen some guards guarding over an empty room, so you didn't complain as much as you ignored them.

Breakfast was glorious as always. The fact that the Princess was sitting there across you made it the best. Her kind smile, her nodding, and her everything. You always wanted to be like her, really. From the very first day you had decided to step out of the Orphanage, the very same day the Princess held a small exhibition. Even now, you can still remember her regal bearings as she floated up to the sky; the bright sun behind her sinking according to her will, and rising to her wish.

It was mesmerizing and inspiring.

You wanted to be like that, and you soon learned that you need Power to be like her. You've studied, worked yourself, and perhaps inflicted several magical mishaps onto yourself. But it was all worth it. At the price of Gifted School's rooftop, you were accepted—and adopted—as Princess Celestia's Student. Perhaps daughter. Hopefully. You never breached the subject. Pride, you think, was the cause of it.

They were happy days, then. She didn't just teach you; she nurtured you, cared for you as if you were her own. And you loved it. The feeling that you knew you were important. That you were above all else. It's a sweet feeling, and her warmth was glorious. And you learned under her with great ferocity. She instilled some discipline into you after you almost blew yourself up, but her tight hug thereafter was worth it. Sometimes, she could be frustrating. Leaving vague advices and lectures; but you knew why she did it. Too push yourself by your own set of determination. Because Power would be useless if you're weak-willed.

You loved the Princess. Greatly so.

And then she showed you that damned Mirror. You weren't sure of her purpose. Like always, she was being vague. In fact, she said nothing as she led you facing the Magic Mirror.

And then you saw...

[] A Demon with a stolen face. Her green slitted eyes glaring balefully at you. Her lips twisted and curled into a devilish grin, hungry for more. Behind her, the world burned and wailed. Pillars of Fire danced within the twisted serenade.

[] A Broken Mare. Her blue eyes ragged. Mane and coat covered with grime and dusts. She looked at you with great sadness and pity. Behind her, you could only see ashes over the grey expanses. Her lips moved, but none from it you could hear.

[] A Regal Mare. Blue eyes shining with power. Her wings flared open to offer more of her. Behind her, you can see civilizations stood. But on her lips, there was a frown. They moved; a single word. You did not know what she said, and still don't, but you can't help but think of it as a warning, 'Don't'.

[] A Powerful Mare. Eyes glowing in sick purple miasma. Her wings are tucked, but her grin offers so much more. Behind her, civilizations are brought down. Creatures beyond your comprehension seek to destroy everything you held dear.

[] A Happy Mare. She smiles at you pleasantly. Blue eyes curved with her smile. Behind her, there's nothing.

And perhaps you had stared at it too long. You were entranced by it. Your thoughts were a whirlwind then. Was this your future? Was this another test the Princess had cooked up? Regardless, the Princess asked you what you had seen, and you couldn't answer her question. Because you didn't know. You're not sure. One part was assured that it was going to be your future. Another told it was simply a test. Nothing.

Still, you were led out of the room, and the Princess left you for the remaining of the morning.

Once more, you threw yourself into study. Books were opened, and coffees were gulped. The only time you decided to take a rest was the time you visited the restroom, and even then, you always kept a book floating with you. Except you found nothing. But you expected that, you suppose. You're not sure how, but you're convinced that if this was a test by the Princess, then it was a test like no others.

It invigorated you.

You ignored your surroundings. Minutes to hours, and hours to days. Somtimes, you would see the rare sight of the Princess, but you ignored her. You couldn't stop then. You didn't want her to be disappointed. The maids made sure to keep you well-fed, and all was enough. Perhaps, somewhere along the line, you grew unhinged. Because the answer just was not there. Everywhere you searched; none.

Then your sight turned into the darker parts of the Library. Restricted even to you.

And without a thought, you entered.

The next two days, you found yourself standing before the Princess. She loomed over you. Disappointment clear in her face; more disappointment that you had felt and seen over the decades you had been under her. A little of you broke, that morning. Her words shattered it to bits and pieces.

Perhaps it was the side effect of having your temper mixed with sleep-deprivation, or perhaps it was simply your sudden blooming rage. You felt betrayed. You felt sick. You felt angry. You felt like crying. Regardless, you lost your temper. You were never good at your temper.

You blinked out of existence and returned several meters away. There was a shout behind you, a calling of your name, and the clattering of guards onto the floor, but you ignored it. You blinked and blinked. And then you stopped before the Mirror. Behind you, there was a flash, but you didn't need a second thought before you threw yourself into the Mirror.

But that was three months ago.

You are now a Human. A bipedal monkey-like being. You hate it. You miss your old body. You miss Equestria. But you can't and wouldn't return to it. Fear keeps you from finding the way. You've spent the last three months learning, mostly studying about the world. Trying to understand this... foreign world despite its Technological impossiblities. You didn't find much, which was fair, you suppose.

And now here you are, standing before the...
[] Honnōji Academy. The world here is odd, and you got accepted into something you have signed on as a whim.
[] Mahora Academy. Admittedly, you have signed on in this school with a more ulterior motive. Name aside, there's just something about it that pulls you in.
[] Kunugigaoka Junior High School. You signed into this school out of pure whim, really.
[] Ishiyama High School. Seriously, you're not sure when you signed in for the school, but hey, you got accepted.
[] Write-In (Subject to GM's Decision)

A/N: Yes, this is a reboot for the previously dead Shimmer Quest.

 

[SoothingCoffee]

Spoiler: Appearance

Name: Sunset Shimmer
Race: Human (Unicorn)
Age: 14 Actually 19

You are Sunset Shimmer, former nineteen years old Unicorn Protégé of the greatest mare to have ever been born, Princess Celestia. Until, of course, you're not. Now, you're a fourteen years old Human attending the Mahora Academy.

You Love Explosions. It's your Bread and Butter.

Although your Cutie Mark presents itself as the Sun, you are an utter Genius in Magic, though Unicorn Magic in Specific. You have a worrying amount of grasp at Dark Magic, something of which caused your being stripped from Princess Celestia's Apprenticeship. You have been learning Western Magic Style, and Eastern Magic Style -- the former of which you have a better grasp of -- although the Spells you have learned is limited by what's shown within the book you've learned it from.

Other than that, you dabble in Alchemy, and while skilled, you mainly create Explosions with that skill. You are also starting to learn Kenpo, a Chinese form of Martial Arts you've asked Ku Fei to teach you.

Recently, you've done something strange. Casted something. Not a spell, but something. A thing of the moment. You have never given much thought of it before, but if Dark Magic is powered by Dark Emotions, you wonder what to make of Magic powered by Good Emotions. You're somewhat tempted to call it Light Magic, but you try not to think it overmuch. For now.

Traits:

• The Mirror—The Regal Mare: An Alicorn which looked like you. You are not sure what it means, but whatever it was, it resonates deeply within you. Despite what you thought of the Alicorn's seeming 'warning', you yearn deeply for that power.
  • Effects: Unknown
• Explosion/Fire is Magic: Perhaps it is one of the reason why Celestia inspires you, but since you were just a filly, you always loved playing with fire. Now that you are an 'adult', you replace fire with explosions. Your Cutie Mark is also Fire Magic, which explains, really.
  • Benefits: Fire and Explosions are your bread and butter. You are quite resilient—one might even say resistant—against Explosions and Fire. Quite explains why you're still in one piece, nowadays.
  • Little Pyromaniac: You can't help it, but watching explosions and burning fire just... makes you calm and relaxed.
• The Sun's Apprentice: Well, former apprentice. Still, despite her—and your—recent and probably permanent falling, she was the one who had raised and taught you into what you are now. The result may not be what she wanted, but she's still practically your... mother. Even now, you love her still. But even then, you are scared of her.
  • Benefits: Unless by a sudden turn of event, Sunset will not actively try to antagonize Celestia. If given the chance, she would happily return to Celestia.
  • It's My Fault: You actively and passively try to avoid Celestia.
• Strive for the Better: You are not good enough. That is a fact you've gathered from last night. Sure, you've won the battle, but what's to say about next time? What's to say when Evangeline is better prepared? What's to say that Evangeline was holding back? And what's to say that there won't be someone stronger than her? That's just plain unacceptable. Then what's the answer? Simple: Get better.
  • Just Get Better: A simple answer to a complicated conundrum. Sunset will strive to make herself better.

Magic Spells:

Unicorn Spells:

• Glory's Glinting Glare — Created by one of many Princess Celestia's past Apprentices, Glory had perhaps created the most effective spell to incapacitate the enemies. Simply put, the world goes bright, and foes drop down howling in pain and momentary blindness.

• Sunset's Shimmering Shards — A spell of your own creation! Shamelessly inspired by several of your accidents, and numerous failures, the spell forms a dozen of invisible flaming daggers that will cause severe burning pain to whoever unfortunate to get hit by it. It is, of course, non-lethal. Unless if you will it otherwise.

• Starswirl's Snarking Shield — One of the many spells invented by the Legendary Starswirl the Bearded. Apparently, it was created to teach powerful creatures why he was the Greatest and Most Powerful mage at his time. Simply speaking, it creates a bubble of a weak-looking shield, which 'snarks' back upon struck by the enemy. 'Snarks' in this case, means 'Reflects' back. Par for the course, the stronger the enemy's strike is, the more power the shield will need.

• Celestia's Common Charge — Created not by Princess Celestia, but by some magically talented soldier of old, and meant to flatter—and painfully failing at it—the titular Princess. Despite so, the spell is nonetheless effective. Created solely for ambushes, crowd controlling bandits, and other unflattering groups of individuals, the spell casts a charging wall of magic, most commonly causing concussions and blunt traumas to its soon-to-be unfortunate victim(s).
• More Unicorn Spells.

Eastern Spells:

• Jǐngbào (Warning): The user fashions a talisman that, when placed, alerts them to someone entering a given radius around the talisman. The user must also be inside radius to receive the alert.
• Sai (Restrain): The user fashions a talisman that, when slapped on the target, will summon a weak ribbon that will bind them. Easily breakable.

Western Spells:

• Practe Bigi Nar: A general catch-all Spells literally for Beginners, with it being its own Activation Keyword. It merely conducts minor cantrips. A small breeze, a tiny light, a flicker of ember, a squirt of water, a tiny jolt of static electricity, cold fingers, and the such. It is possible to put more Mana than advisable to overpower them.
  
  
• Cantus Bellax (Battle Hymn): Basic physical reinforcement Spell. When cast, it increases the user's physical strength, speed, and endurance. It also enhances the body's reflex, and flexibility, and grants a long-lasting Deflexio shield.

• Resilio (Fire Shield): A basic, if low level Shield-spell. The fire alternative to Deflexio's wind, or Reflexio's icy nature. Long lasting, and can be maintained indefinitely.

• Volatio. Levitatio. Scopae Volent (Fly! Float! Broom, take flight): A basic flight spell, one that needs a Catalyst (a broom, or a staff) to be properly used.

• Sagitta Magica (Magic Arrows): One of the most basic offensive spells, and as flexible, and powerful as your mind, and magic prowess could provide. Basic Charging, Homing, and even using it to follow a physical attack. You are only capable of casting the Fire Version of this Spell.

Misc. Spells:

• Fire Shundo (Temp Name): A technique taught to you by Kaede. Or at least, she taught you its basics. You've decided to... tamper with it, fueling the technique with FIre than basic Magic. Or Ki. In the end, it makes you rocket-and-glide forward leaving a trail of intense fire behind you. You still haven't got a handle on this -- or Shundo, in general. Kaede opines that it's still too messy, that you don't have much control in it, and she can still see you while doing it. Imperfect.
  ​

 

[SoothingCoffee]

If there's a single word you have to say about Mahora Academy: It is larger than you had first believed. You've read the paper slips, of course, but you didn't think much about it. Brochures always exaggerate; a multiversal fact that you did not need to relearn in this world. But now, you're left nearly gaping. The Academy in itself is considered a city.

It's a bit mindblowing.

But that's a couple hours ago. Standing before the Faculty Room's door, you couldn't help but feel a tad anxious. True, you were the student of Princess Celestia, but this is the first time you're actually going to participate in school. You're going to learn with others; work with others. That's not your thing. You prefer to do something alone. Work hard alone. When Princess Celestia gives her vague lecture, you don't ask others for help; you dig a hole, and bury yourself with books and hope one of them would turn up worth it.

Excepting your last fuckup, it has been going well.

Swallowing, you raise your hand to knock the door. After a moment, you slide the door open. There are white desks positioned in an orderly manners, each one with its own gadgets and trinkets. Pulling your other hand off your pocket, you stare at the picture and name that's written and glued on the card. 'Negi Springfield'.

You scan the room, and ah! There he is. Sitting on his own desk, the red-haired boy looks up to you, and after a moment's thought, he smiles at you. You're not quite sure what qualifies as 'cute' in this world, but you can't help but find the boy to be cute. Not that you care, of course. It's simply one of those passing thoughts you have when you were stuck on the path of failing a magic spell that would probably turn you into bits of gore, or staring at a book you have accidentally combusted. Like, 'Oh well', and then moving on.

He waves at you happily. Like a joyous foal, or child. And you stride to his desk with... as much as confidence you could muster. Inwardly, you are aware that you must've looked a bit silly. Sure, three months have given you enough time to get used to the body, but it's still clunky at times. Thankfully, the Faculty is pretty much empty except for some teachers, but they are focusing on their own desk and not at you.

In the way over there, you think up of words of introductions that you could use. Another thing, you suppose, that you should've thought out earlier this morning. But with practicing your magic daily, and reading more and more books, you didn't have much time. Granted, you could've put them away for a while, but you wouldn't. Magic and Books are good like that. They keep you from thinking much of Equestria. Much.

"Ah," your soon-to-be Mentor speaks out, and you realize that you've been staring at him far too long for his liking, if his fidgeting is any clue. "You must be Sunset Shimmer, right?"

Ah, you feel a tiny smile covers your face. Finally sometime that does not butcher your name! "Yes," you nod your head slightly. "And you're Negi Springfield, yes?" You reply in fluent Japanese, only slipping into English to mention his name.

He nods at your reply, smiling like the bright sun. Not as bright as hers, but close enough. Foals are usually capable of doing that.

"Yes!" he replies energetically. He stands up from his too tall chair, and grabs... a wrapped staff. Your eyes lock onto it for a moment; a strange feeling, an unknown flow makes it known, but it's gone too quick for you to discern about it. The boy frantically looks over his paper-covered desk, before finally pulling out a slip of paper. He smiles victoriously, before handing said paper to you.

It's your class schedule, and your Dorm assignment as well.

"Now, I'm sure you would like to meet your classmates, right? Class is about to start soon."

You nod your head, absently following him out as you check your soon-to-be dorm-mate.
[] Hasegawa Chisame
[] Ku Fei
[] Chao Lingshen

"We're here, Miss Shimmer,"

You look up from your schedule paper. Negi is staring at you with a nervous smile. Belatedly, you realize that you've spent most of your journey to the class reading and remembering the schedule paper. The door of your 3-A is before you, and you can hear loud whispers emanating from inside.

"Are you ready?"

You release a breath, folding the slip of paper into your blazer's pocket, and nod at the prodigal teacher. "Yes."

"Great!" his hand moves to the door, but then halts midway. Awkwardly, he looks back at you; a sheepish smile over his face. "Uhm, the students are probably a bit strange for you, but I assure you that they are... nice."

You're not sure how to respond about that. Even Negi himself seems a bit doubtful upon his last word. But you nod anyway. No need to make things awkward, right?

"Uhm, great!"

With a cheer, he opens the door, and you follow inside. The very moment you step inside, you can't help but freeze a bit. So many eyes are focused on you. Normally, you would've been fine. It's not strange in Equestria for you to get stared at, though more often than not, they outright avoided you. But the sheer intensity of these students; your soon to be fellow classmates... you would lie if they don't unnerve you.

"Good morning, Students!" Negi greets cheerfully. "Uhm," he flounders a bit as he glances at you, and then at the students staring at you. There's a saying on this world about your current situation. What was it? Like a deer caught in a headlight? Yes, that. The almost predatory and excited smile on their face does not help. "We're having a new student transferring for today. Uh..."

By the look of it, even Negi himself is not sure how to approach this.

[] Introduce yourself
-[] How?
[] Stay quiet. Let Negi handle this.

 

[SoothingCoffee]

[] Ku Fei
[] Introduce yourself
Note: This is shared with the thread I made in SB.
-x-

You look at Springfield's hopeful look, and then back to the crowd. How was it again? Just introduce yourself. Name, and stuffs. You could do that. Licking your lips, you introduce yourslef: "My name is Sunset Shimmer. I like the Sun, and I dislike vague advices." You pause, hands fidgeting. What now? Oh, right! You bow slightly to the crowd. "Please take care of me."

You pat your mental back, puffing with pride. The class is mostly silent, but you couldn't care less. You'll take it.

"Thank you for your introduction, Miss Shimmer. Please take the..." he trails off, and you tilt your head to give him a look. For some reason, he shudders. "Uh, please take the empty seat besides Miss Evangeline."

You give him a look, and then back at the students. There's an empty seat back there, besides the girl with long hair. Guessing that's Evangeline, you give a shrug and stride over there. Passing the desks of the other students, you can hear the whispers of your fellow classmates.

"Wow, a foreigner transfer student. Kinda like Class President, then?"

"Her hair looks delicious, yes?"

"She's tall..."

"I can't wait to ask her stuffs!"

Well, for what its worth, the whispers are not bad as you had thought it would be. You blame it on this world's source of entertainment, and what those Celestia's School Graduates always said. Well, whispered, more like it. They tended to do so when you're in the same room with them. While odd, it's a good feeling to be respected, if said respect is one mixed with fear. Though you're not sure where the fear came from. Sure, you blew up spells often, and sure, sometimes you lost your temper and kinda sorta blew something up on purpose.

Shaking my head, I take a sit beside the blonde girl. She stares dispassionately to the front of the class, not even acknowledging you. You shrug your shoulders, taking out your textbooks and place them over the table. You're here to learn, not to get friends.

The prodigal teacher clears his throat, catching your and the class' attention to him. He smile a sunny smile, reminding you once more of your former mentor. "Good morning, everyone. Uhm, I'm now the formal class teacher for class A. My name is Negi Springfield. From this day onward, I'll be your teacher until March next year." He does a small bow; just a tilt of his head. "It will be a pleasure to teach you all."

And then the room explodes into one big explosion of congratulatory.

You flinch and wince, putting hands to cover your ears. They're not as sensitive as your Equine ears, but loud noise is loud noise regardless of how bad your ears are. And this is bucking loud.

Thankfully, the explosion of noise only happens in one quick burst, and it's quickly done. Heaving a sigh of relief, you uncover your ears. From your peripheral, you could see Evangeline giving you a raised brow, but she's not saying anything, so you ignore it. Your fellow classmates all speak animatedly with the teacher. The age gap probably helps in that manner.

You're sure as Tartarus would respond to Princess differently if she's just a filly. You think about that for a moment, and then you fall into a bout of daydreaming. She would be small, just by your fetlocks. Her mane and tail would be flower pink, and they would be flowing as they normally do. Unlike her usually calm demeanor, she would be cheerful. Heartwarmingly so. Instead of being vague, she would watch over all of your studies. She would care for you like a big sis—

Your thought halts to an abrupt ending as the door slides open, revealing a woman with a pair of large mammary glands. You're not sure the point of them, really. You know that they are to feed the small, but why must they be on the chest? Better yet, why must they be so damn large? Yours aren't that large, thankfully. Goddess knows that would be utterly unwieldy for you.

The woman is apparently one dubbed as 'Shizuna', and apparently a teacher of the school as well. And then Negi tells you to practically strip for a health checkup.

You blink. Most of your classmates and 'Shizuna' are staring at Negi in that manner when you find something so utterly innocent you simply can't help yourself. Still, that's not what your mind is on. Aren't nudity a taboo in this society? Are you wrong? Then you shrug. It is a health-checkup, so you suppose that it's crucial for you to be naked. Another of note is that, while the source of information didn't mention about female-on-female nudity, it did explicitly warn about female-on-male nudity.

"Hey, Ms. Shimmer, where do you come from?"

An excited question cuts you off from any further speculation. You jump a bit, but nothing has exploded as of yet, so that's good. A fellow classmate is leaning over your table, a notepad and a pen on her hands as she looks at you expectantly. Her oddly spiky red hair is tied in a ponytail; an expectant grin on her face. Behind her, you note the other girls curiously peering over her shoulders.

Oh, and it appears most of them have stripped to their undergarments.

You return the girl with a bemused look. "I don't even know your name."

"Oh," she blinks, but the smile doesn't waver. "How forgotful of me! I'm Asakura Kazumi," she points the tip of the pen at herself. "A reporter. So," she grins to a point her eyes turn into slits. "Would you answer some questions from me? We're all curious about you, right guys?"

An energetic reply comes from all the students behind her. Barring some, of course.

[] "Why not?"
[] "No."
[] Oh hey, that twin-tailed girl sure looks angry

 

[SoothingCoffee]

[] "Okay. But not all."
Okay, I previously said that the 'Write-in' you guys put will by default put as 'No', but after further read, I decided to make a new option. The reason I change the wording is because it's OOC for Sunset Shimmer, who is still getting used with her surrounding, suddenly start acting cocky and whatnot.
-x-

You ponder upon Asakura's question for a moment. The entire class, part from few exceptions, stare at you eagerly. That alone is enough to unnerve you. True, you're not a stranger for being the focus of attention, but... this is different. Usually, they would stare at you with either fear, respect or just plain fangushing.

But they're now staring at you like a curious foal times one thousand.

"Uhm," you scratch at your fingers. A nervous habit you have developed since your arrival. "Sure. But not all, yes?"

She beams, nodding, presenting her mammary glands in a very hypnotic way. The same way Celestia's mane would occasionally accost you your attention.

"So! Where did you come from? America? England? Indonesia?!"

"I'm from England," you say, nodding, keeping a straight face and hoping to not get caught. Besides, that's where English comes from, right? You're pretty good at English. You have pondered on the possibility of getting you caught, before; there's the scary possibility of getting dissected like those movies. Then again, you can act as an Ambassador or Diplomat of sorts, but how long will that hold when they find that you're just an escaping criminal?

"Hmm," she nods, writing something on her notebook. She seems to buy it, at the least. "How about your hair? Is that even natural?"

Guh. "Of course it is!" You defend, perhaps a bit too defensively.

There's an ooh'ing sound from the background. Before she could ask any question, there's a loud clapping noise catching everyone's attention. A girl with long blonde hair stands in the middle of the room, stripped to her undergarments. There's a smile on her face that reminds you somewhat of Celestia.

"Alright, girls, lets finish the health examination. You can ask Miss Shimmer there later."

There's a resounding aww's, but then followed by a collective "Yes, Class Rep!"

And just like that, the crowd disperses, giving you a much needed space. From your peripheral, you're aware of the Class President daintily making her way to you. Now that you look closer, her smile looks a bit on the haughty side, though it looks no less genuine. With a graceful motion, she stands before you.

"Hello, Miss Shimmer," she offers a hand to you. She'sthe third person not to butcher your name. "My name's Yukihiro Ayaka, the class representative."

"Ah," you take the hand and shake it. It's not quite dissimilar to a hoofshake. Granted, the opposable thumbs are weird, but it's not much. "Nice to meet you."

She nods, and both of you pull your hands away. "Now, how about we do our health check, yes?"

You nod, standing up from your chair.

-x-

The health examination finishes rather quickly. They weigh you, check your height and other sizes, and then done. The Sakura Alley Rumor is terrifying, you learn, once Miss Konoka draws what seems to be a crossbreed between an insect and... something. It's still pretty terrifying, and you hope that it's combustible. The fact that someone from your class has been found unconscious in said alley does not help your fear.

True, you haven't seen anything particularly supernatural-ish in this world, but what's the possibility that this would be one?

Beside that, the school continues normally. You get to know some teachers, but you don't really bother learning about them as you actually decide to study, and not too long, the bell rings for break.

What do you do now?

[] Talk to Asakura about that interview
[] Talk to other students
-[] Who?
[] Get lunch
[] Write-in (Be reasonable)

 

[SoothingCoffee]

[] Get Lunch
-x-

You immediately notice two things as you step into the school's cafeteria. One, it is considerably large, which you shouldn't be really surprised, considering the size of the student body is. And two, there aren't a lot of students in here. Some that are here are generally huddled together or scattered around, either chatting up in groups or reading a book alone. Regardless, you don't think you know any of them.

Over the left side of the room, you notice four vending machines that are selling various snacks and drinks. On the right side of the room, there's a short line of students. Peering about, you see several sorts of dishes lain about. There are... meat, vegetables, tofus, and the such. Behind the table, an old lady is commandeering the whole thing. Idly, you realize that this is probably what that 'free lunch' within your scholarship probably means. Shrugging your shoulders, you move over to the line.

Five minutes later, you find yourself settling on a lone table with a tray of a glorified salad and a cup of poorly made coffee—you've tasted it. Admittedly, you realize that whilst eating the same diet as you were as a pony is healthy even for a human, you know that eating the same thing over and over wouldn't be exactly good for your health. You know this; the cold pragmatic part of yourself acknowledge it, but it doesn't mean you're going to cross the bridge right away.

Rolling your shoulders, you plunge a fork into a red cherry tomato and pop it into your mouth. At least it tastes better than the store-bought ones. You chew and swallow. Definitely better.

"Hello," you jump a bit at the sudden voice. "Eh, sorry. Mind if I sit here?"

You look at the source of the voice. She's a student like you, black short hair with braided twintails and mini 'buns' atop of them. She smiles at you, and you return a tentative smile back. "Sure," you say.

"Thanks," smoothly, she slides into the table, sitting herself beside you. You note that instead of a tray, she brings her own lunched box. A black square thing with the picture of a panda on top. "I'm Chao Lingshen."

You shrug your shoulders uncomfortably, popping another tomato into your mouth. After a moment, you realize you should actually introduce yourself. "'M Sunset Shimmer."

"I know," she giggles, and you look at her confusedly. "I'm in your class, you know." She points out.

You cough to the side. "O-oh." An embarrased heat enters your cheeks and you do your best effort to flush it away as you focus onto your meal. Itworks, graciously enough. Chao doesn't seem to mind much about you faux-pas as she opens up her own lunchbox, revealing what seems like a chinese set of cuisine. And you're not one to look a gift... horse in the mouth.

"So," she says after a while, blowing away the awkward silence for what it's worth. She looks at you with a curious look, her chopticks sticking on her lips. "Do you have any club in mind that you want to join?"

Though you don't word it, but your confusion must've been visible enough that Chao is giving you a smile that borders on pity. You scowl mentally. Both at your social inability and the pity she's giving you. You suddenly remember why you prefer in the presence of Celestia... not you could ever be in her presence, now. At least, not unless you're behind some extremely magically enchanted prison bars.

"Club is basically an extracurricular group that students usually join. Mostly, it's because the group offers the same interest as you have."

Oh. You know something like that. It's like that magical study group Celestia used to force you to join in. You participated rarely, but always left halfway through when you realized how much of a coward they were. Or how much smarter you are than them. Really, the always shrinked into themselves whenever you suggested to practice spells on the field right away. You don't know when, but you had stopped joining in after the first month, and Celestia never spoke about it again.

"Is it obligatory?" you ask.

She shrugs. "No, but it's still encouraged by the school."

"Oh." You crunch a fresh carrot into your mouth. After a while, you swallow. "What kinds of clubs are there?"

She grins. For some reason, it brings a shiver down to your spine. "Lots." Then, as if she had actually prepared all of this, she slipper a piece of paper to you. "Here's the list."

You blink, and then read the paper.

Yeah, that's a lot.

You frown as a thought suddenly enters your mind. "Why are you doing this? The club thingy, I mean."

Again, she shrugs, giving you a mischievous smile that sometimes reminds you of Celestia. "Why not? You're new, and I hear helping people brings good Karma. And you can't ever have enough good Karma, right?"

You nod. An act more out of idle action than anything else as you consider her answer, and the list of clubs before you. Only a few catches your attention. It may not be worth it, but it may also be worth it...

Join a club?
[] No
[] Yes
-[] Strolling Club
-[] Library Exploration Club
-[] Occult Club
-[] Write-In (Be reasonable. Also subject to GM's approval)

 

[SoothingCoffee]

[] Test a few clubs out.
-[] Occult club
-[] Divination club
-[] Scientific research club
-[] Philosopher's club
-[] Air club

-x-

The Occult club pulls your attention right away. You know that magic is a vast thing, and there are plenty that are yet to be discovered. Starswirl and his Time Magic taught the Princesses and the Unicorn of that fact. Of course, the world 'occult' itself is rarely used, but it's still used. If in Equestria, occult is decribed for magical mysteries and unknowns, then what of here? Magic? There's a faint hope in you, despite all those researches you did a couple month ago, that there are other mages in here. So you put that into your mental notepad.

Next is Divination club, and you couldn't help but grimace as you remember of the Mirror Incident. You don't want to do anything about, really. It's the reason that you're here now, and bad things are generally supposed to be avoided. But you can't help it. You know that the chance of mages, or a seer, are pretty low in this world, much less in this school. But every seer does not always use magic to see the future. It may be hints and snippets, but if what you read in the Castle Library was to be trusted, there are plenty of ways to see into the future. Or at least, make sense of what you saw in the Mirror. You hope.

The rests you add into your mental notepad out of sheer curiosities. Scientific Research sounds interesting, and you wonder what kind of things you would find in there. Philosopher's Club, unless you misunderstood and it meant 'Philosopher' as in 'Philosopher Stone', is much less interesting. You rarely did read what ponies in the past—and sometimes, present—thought of the world unless it's written by Princess Celestia or someone like Starswirl. But it would be interesting to learn of the perspectives humans see this world with. You add Air club in simply out of confusion and curiosity.

Seriously, what does Air club means, anyway? Yes, I'm asking you!

"Hmm," you tap your chin in contemplation, swallowing the last vestige of your salad-slash-lunch. "I think I'll test some of them, first." you inform Chao, sliding the list back to her. "Thanks." You give her a small smile.

If there's anything wrong with your smile, Chao doesn't point it out. Instead, Chao makes a vaguely interested noise, tilting her head as she bites into a dumpling. "Oh? What do you have in mind?"

Shrugging your shoulders, you mention the clubs that caught your attention. If you're a better judge of facial expression, you would've note the slight conspiratory expression on her face. But you're not, and instead, she gives a low hum, and helpfully tell you where you could find the clubrooms. You wonder how she knows about it like it's a natural thing to know, but you don't ask.

"Thanks." You say again.

"Eh," she shrugs. "You're welcome." After a moment, she speaks. "So, are you going to check them now, or what?"

You shrugs your shoulders. Your lunch honestly didn't take a lot of time. There's... probably forty minutes or so left for you to use. You consider that most of them you will visit are going to be occupied, since, well, lunch time. Most people eat longer than you, you've learned. But there's a chance that it won't. Or, you could do something. Stuffs.

[] Visit now
-[] Choose two
[] Ask Chao questions
-[] What?
[] Go back to class
[] Write-in (Subject to GM's approval)

A/N: So, just to point out, you will need XP to improve your skills. Now, you will be given XP at the end of an arc, or a 'boss' fight. Now, it's worth mentioning that the easiest way to get Experience is... well, participating in certain events/actions. Now, those actions/events do not necessarily involve fighting or the such, but, you get my point. And yes, I am basically encouraging you to get involved/derail the plot. You can choose not to, but it will not probably be productive for Sunset to do so.

 

[SoothingCoffee]

[] Visit now
-[] Occult club
-[] Divination club
-x-

Thinking about Chao's words, you decide to use what time left from your lunch into good use. Nodding your head, you give Chao a thankful nod before you vacate yourself from the cafeteria in the search for the Occult club's room. As you make your way there, you idly ponder whether you should get one of those mobile communication devices humans like to use, even if you don'y have any immediate use in mind. It would certainly help you... fitting in. The pondering takes a sudden depressing turn when you realize that you don't have any steady source income. One of the reasons you accepted the scholarship, you suppose.

Thankfully, you don't dwell too deep into that fact before you arrive to your destination. A small sign 'Occult Club' is hung upon the door; your only clue that you are currently in the right place. Knocking on it, you wince as you hear a sudden crash from inside. A muffled shout of vague 'Just a moment!' follows, keeping you from going inside immediately. You still remember the first and last time you had barged into the Princess' Chamber Room despite her warning. You also remember the time some guard barged into your lab despite your warning to do otherwise.

"A-ah!" You hear a groan, once decidely female, from inside. "Finally! Please, come inside!"

Not giving a second thought, you take the invitation with a push of the door, before stepping in. The club room is larger than your expectation—even if by a bit—, and decidedly plainer than what you would've thought considering the humans' definition for Occult. Upon the countertops lining against the wall, you can see several appliances that wouldn't be out of place from a household kitchen. A large wooden and rectangular table is placed in the middle of the room, several snack jars and a fancy table cloth adorning it. Despite the table's size, there are only five chairs that you can see, and one of them is seated by a girl.

Just from first sight, you don't need to know that the girl is not native from Japan. Sitting in a demure position, the girl has the skin color that reminded her of a ripe sapodilla fruit. With lustrious black hair tied into a bun, her brown eyes watch you in slight amusement and a certain excitement that you yourself can't help but note. Her lips are quirked into a soft smirk.

"You must be the new transfer student, Sunset Shimmer, yes?"

You blink, before nodding. No need to refute the truth, though you can't help but ask, "How do you know that?"

She chuckles, softly shrugging her shoulders. "Who knows?" she deflects, before gesturing an arm over a chair besides her. It seems to be conveniently placed to be near her. "But how about you take a seat? I assume you're interested in joining this club?" There's a reflection of giddiness in her voice as you carefully nod and take the offered seat. "Oh, we're always happy to get a new member for the club." She sighs, shaking her head. "Truly, people seem to be ignoring supernatural happenings in our world because of the advancing technologies." She tsks.

Unsure what to say about her lamentation, you simply shrug yourself. "Meh." Not that you care, that is. "I'm just here to check the clubs first, really. It's also why I'm here."

"Oh, really?" She asks you, a sudden predatory gleam taking into her voice and look as she leans forward. "Checking the clubs first, yes?"

You lean backward, nodding your head. "Yeah." You're not sure about her, but you're sure humans have something called a 'private space'. Hoping that you're not intruding, you push the girl away from you to gain more private place. "I am."

"Mind telling me what clubs?"

You give her a look. She returns your look with a calm facade. Seeing nothing wrong despite your instincts saying otherwise, you tell her, "Well, there's the Divination Club I'm interested in. Also the Science Research Club, Philosopher and the Air Club."

For some reason, she frowns at your answer. She sighs, and the frown is replaced by a placid smile. "Well, nothing to it, then. Tell me, Miss Sunset," the smile turns into something predatory. "Are you interested in the Occult?"

You don't need to think twice to know the answer. Sure, in Equestria, Occult has a different meaning than in here. Or at least, it has a differing meaning in context. But in here, Occult means something mysterious. In a world like this, Magic counts as Occult. And you have spent the last half and a decade years for magic.

"Of course." You answer, putting as much passion as you could into it.

She claps her hand excitedly. "Good!" she giggles. "Now, how about I give you a demonstration of... hmm," she taps her chin. "My homeland's version of... Magic?" she grins a dark grin that makes you shiver.

You can't tell if she's joking or not. You're not really sure. In one hand, you had believed that there is no magic in this world. But what if you were wrong? What if there is Magic in this world, and you just haven't been looking deep enough? Rare as it was, you've taken some hours rest from studying up about the world's culture and social passes to read some of those fantasy novels.

What if Magic in this world is like that? Hidden from plain sight.

You shake your head. Ah! You almost forgot. "Can I know your name, first?"

"Oh?" She tilts her head. The dangerous edge on her face has not faded at all. It weirds you out a bit, to be honest. "I haven't told you?" You shake your head. "Oops. Well, I'm Budiyanto Kartini. Just call me kartini. Saya harap kita bisa berteman, yah?"

You're not sure what she's asking, so you didn't bother answering her and simply shrugs.

"Well then, what's it going to be?" She asks.

[] Accept Demonstration
[] Don't. You are leaving. Something about the girl creeps you out.

 

[SoothingCoffee]

[] Accept Demonstration
-x-

You don't need to be asked twice to know your answer. You are aware that there is a chance that Budiyanto is simply joking, and would show a meager party tricks instead of actual magic. But there's also a chance that she is serious. Either way, it's not like it would hurt. Besides, if she is indeed joking, it would just mean you've wasted five minutes of your life.

Trying and failing to hide your interest, you nod. "A demonstration would be nice."

She returns your excitement a much more subdued, and the predatory edge of her expression seems to be sharper. "Great." Then out of nowhere, she pulls out a knife.

You stiffen a bit, instinctively edging to the back of your seat as the knife's sharp edge is pointed at you. There's a moment of tense silence, and you could see Budiyanto smiling at you in amusement. Weakly, you raise a finger, holding out the urge to combust her right there and then. "Uhm, what are you going to do with that?"

She chuckles, and you jump as she slams the knife onto the surface of the table; the blade digging halfway through. You gulp. "Not for you, I assure you, Miss Shimmer. No need to be scared."

You nod hurriedly, quite unsure on how to respond with that. Briefly, you ponder if this is something of the norm in Human society. Sure, in the past three months you've been here, you were never treated in a conversation with a weapon. But then again, you rarely conversed with anyone in the past three months, and the ones that you did are simply short and curt to be called a conversation. If you have to guess, Negi is probably the first person you've spoken so much since these three months.

Despite yourself, you find yourself slightly calmer. Right. No need to be awkward. It is possible that this is some obscure tradition that you never read. Even more possible, perhaps the knife has something to do with the magic Budiyanto is going to perform? Yes, that seems much more plausible now that you think about it.

For some reason, Budiyanto nods in approval. "I assure you, you won't be in any sort of danger, Miss Shimmer. Well, as long as you don't interfere with the demonstration, of course," she says with an edge of warning. You nod your head, agreeing with her. "But well," she smiles sheepishly, scratching her cheek. "This may be a bit shocking, hmm?"

"It's alright," you assure her.

In response, she shrugs her shoulders and pulls out the knife with disgusting ease. A large gash is left behind on the table. She twirls the knife in her hand, and you find yourself leaning away. And then the knife stops twirling, its end pointing her. The grip on the knife tightens, and before you can even scream, the knife drives itself into Budiyanto's neck, digging deep.

You shriek in terror, the chair clattering onto the ground as you crawl back in shock. Red liquid oozes out from her neck as Budiyanto's body goes slack, her eyes glassy. Her hands falling to her side as her head thumps on top of the table. You shriek even more, feeling the sudden urge to expel your lunch.

Before you could, Budiyanto's body lurches suddenly, her hand goes straight to the knife stuck on her neck, and pulls it out with a sickening squelch. From the ground, you can see the wound knitting on its own. Budiyanto's head moves to look at you. "How's that for a—oh dear."

She stops her sentence, staring at you in concern and slight fear. A sheepish smile comes over her lips. "Please don't run?" she pleads. You don't answer for a while. Budiyanto's smile strains a bit, her eyes slightly panicking. "Uhm, I'm... fine?"

What do?
[] Calm yourself. It's magic. A demonstration. Yes.
[] Nope. You're done. Get the fuck out.
[] Write-in (Subject to GM's approval)

——

A/N: Budiyanto's capability is not really obscure, and you guys can look it up on Internet if you choose the right keywords. Hint: She's from Indonesia.

 

[SoothingCoffee]

[] Calm yourself. It's magic. A demonstration. Yes.
-[] Is all her magic that...that...that...that...
-x-

You take a deep shaky breath, trying to calm your rapidly beating heart. It's magic. That's magic. Well, at least that's Budiyanto's brand of magic. And—and it's a demonstration, right? Budiyanto is fine, if a bit on the verge of panicking. You are fine, if on the verge of vomiting and having a severe heart attack. You breathe out a breath, before taking another deep one. Yes, you're calm. Budiyanto is not actually dead. She just demonstrated her own brand of magic, one that you couldn't help but feel both interested and repulsed.

"I-is all y-your magic that–that—"

"Gruesome?" for some reason, Budiyanto seems to relax as she tilts her head to the side, smirking.

You nod shakily, carefully climbing up to your feet. "F-for lack of better word, yes." You say dryly, despite the momentary vertigo hitting you. Tentatively, you lift up your fallen chair, and take a seat. Albeit, one farther than Budiyanto.

If she notices it, Budiyanto doesn't say anything about it as she chuckles. "Somewhat? Well, most of them are, anyways. It's not exactly a 'healthy' magic, so to speak."

That caught your attention. Healthy Magic. Does it mean that her magic is corrupting? Just like Dark Magic is? You scrunch your brows. "So your magic is not healty?" You ask.

She chuckles, and then chuckles more as she looks at your expression. Suddenly, her expression turns grim, a stark difference to her normally calm demeanor. "Yes, it is not. It's called 'Ilmu Hitam' back in my village, which finely translates into 'Dark Magic'." You feel your eyes widen, and Budiyanto crookedly smiles at your reaction. "Indeed. It's very much unhealthy, yes? Though it is a bit late for me."

You cock your head curiously. There's surprise, but there's no fear. Magic is magic. It comes with repercussions. Some disporpotionate, and some are trivial. You've taught yourself Equestria's brand of Dark Magic, and while you're not planning on using it a lot, you know its severe repercussions. "Too late? How come?"

She chuckles good-naturedly. "Miss Shimmer, you are acting calmer than I would usually expect, you know? Most would be begging to leave, by now." She nods. "That's good. I believe that's the kind of members I want this club to be filled with, yes? Anyway," she shakes her head softly, her smile turning resigned. "Never let it be said that 'Ilmu Hitam' is not dangerous. The only way to learn it is not by genetics or what not, but by striking a deal with a Djinn... Or a dark spirit, if you prefer."

You frown. You have heard of spirits before, in Equestria. But you never saw them face-to-face, what with being cooped inside the castle or the library, which is fine to you. You doubt the spirits are even real, anyway. One of those Occult things, you suppose.

Budiyanto scratches her cheek, the knife hanging loosely without a care on her hand. "And well, if you manage to strike a deal with them, and manage not to get eaten, the Djinn would tie up your life-force with the world's, turning you into a practical force of nature." She sighs, waving her knife-hand carelessly. "And, well, my family worked with one. Had, at least. They apparently angered the Djinn for some reason or another, and it at them. And I'm," the points the knife at herself. "Spared. Something something about redeeming my family. So, what do you think?" she points the knife at you.

You blink, your mouth flops open and shut with nary a sound. At the end, you manage to release a strangled sound. "You do realize that you're telling me more than I need, right?"

She smiles. For some reason, it brings a shiver down to your spine. "It's quite fine, Sunset. I believe I needed to say that, lest I explode from the sheer pressure." She shakes her headnin amusement, as if inwardly laughing at her own joke. "Besides, I believe I can trust you not to blabber my secret, yes? Well, also because you're new, so it's fine." The way she giggles doesn't inspire any confidence in you.

"I see." You say stiffly. "I promise I won't tell anyone about your secret."

She nods happily. "Thank you." You jump when she suddenly claps her hands excitedly, her knife resnting on her knife. "Now that that's done," she leans to you, hands clasped together, eyes suddenly large as it looks into yours. Her lips quivered, and you think you see tears forming in her eyes. "Would you join my club?"

You gulp.

[] I'll think about it
[] Sure
[] No