Note: To the one who has been constantly spamming the review section for not only this story, but others that have been recently updated as well, you need to learn to stop. Seriously. I don't know what makes you constantly post summaries and synopsis for upcoming MLP content, but I'll tell you right now that if you think it makes me work on my updates any faster, it doesn't. In fact, it does quite the opposite. This isn't the first time that not only I, but many others, have told you to quit filling up the review section with unnecessary things, and I hope this is the last time I'll have to bring it up.

MegaAsh1537: I'm leaning towards new OCs.

Foreststar of WindClan: I wouldn't say he's necessarily "human Alex" in a cut and dry fashion. It's kind of a complex thing to explain. Anyways, about his family, I want to say that, no, he's not adopted. His family is really his family. As for Vice Principal Luna, I'm not so sure she'd have a son to begin with lol. In this story, at least, she doesn't. An important thing to keep in mind is that there originally wasn't any magic in the human world, so in theory, there would be no "human Alex", if you get what I'm trying to say?

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"Chase, Chase, wake up." I heard a quiet call.

My eyes slowly opened and began to clear up until I was able to see Faith in front of a sunrise background. I wasn't going to lie; I really felt like just knocking right back out there, but Faith reminded me the reason to get up.

"You gotta get ready, so we can have breakfast before we head out."

I unenthusiastically forced myself to sit up and turn to the side of the bed. I tried rubbing my eyes for any helpful effect. Faith looked like she was already dressed up aside from the blazer that remained hanging nearby. She lightly bent over towards me with hands behind her back and offered a warm smile. "I'm sorry. I totes forgot about your uniform. Do you want to go home and shower, so you can change into a fresh one?"

I thought for a moment, not feeling the energy to go back home to shower and change to only come back here again. However, the fact was that I hadn't taken a shower, so it was probably best that I did.

"Yeah, sure…" I responded as I got up from her bed.

"I'll make sure there's some breakfast for you when you get back!" Faith promised as she followed me out of her room.

I walked down the steps and began to make my way past the kitchen until I heard another voice greet us.

"Good morning, you two." I turned to see Faith's mom looking through the fridge and pulling out ingredients for the breakfast of the day. "You're up earlier than usual."

I checked my phone and realized we were up around thirty minutes earlier.

"I decided I should wake Chase up earlier." Faith explained. "I almost forgot that he doesn't have an extra pair of his uniform here, so he's going to go shower, change, and come back here for some yum yums."

"That's thoughtful of you." Her mother praised her and then turned to me. "Come back as soon as you can, you're going to want your meal to be fresh off the pan." She advised.

"Will do." I performed a little salute with my index and middle finger.

"I'll help!" Faith excitedly jogged over to her mother. "See you in a few, Chase!" She turned back to me before I nodded and left.

That extra time did certainly come to use when showering and changing into my new uniform. As I made my way back to Faith's, I felt a little more refreshed, and the shower helped in waking me up. All I had to do was endure another day of Crystal Prep, but I was sure Faith would help me last.

As I entered back into her house, I could smell an alluring sensation that my nose quickly accepted. My stomach rumbled, and I knew I was ready to chow down. I helplessly made a brisk move towards the kitchen to see what was cooking. Faith's mom appeared to be finishing up some things on the stove while Faith carefully sliced oranges.

I heard myself groan in delight inside my mind. If I had allowed that sound to escape, I'd be facing days of embarrassment. Breakfast with Faith was one of the reasons I could last getting up so early. It was just another one of those experiences that filled parts of my heart that originally felt empty. Before I met Faith, I had to have breakfast at the school, and it could never be half as enjoyable as having it with my amazing neighbors here.

Faith's mom noticed me standing near the doorway in awe and lightly smirked. "Go ahead and take a seat, Chase. Breakfast will be coming right up."

"You guys are too nice, you know?" I felt the need to comment as I sat down at the table.

"What can we say?" She began serving eggs and hash browns on a plate. "We're like family." She turned over to Faith. "Faith, honey, can you pour the juice for us, please?"

"'Course!" She happily acknowledged.

Good. It looked like that video was off her mind. I could only hope it stayed off. Honestly, the more I saw her, the more I could bet that she would never do a thing like steal. She was just way too sweet for that.

Once preparations were complete, the plates were served on the dining table, and Faith carefully placed the glasses of juice near the dishes to accompany them. When the two of them sat down with me, the three of us gave thanks for our food and began to delightfully enjoy it.

I glanced over to Faith's mom and couldn't help but worry a bit. "I hope you didn't get anything on your suit."

She looked like she appreciated the concern. "Don't worry. I think I've learned enough to keep the food where it's supposed to be."

"Still, I can't help but feel a little bad for the hours you have to work as a real estate receptionist. It must be tiring during the weekdays."

"It can be. But really, you do more than enough favors by taking care of Faith. It makes me feel a lot more relaxed that she's riding home with you than walking the entire way herself."

"If it makes it easier on you, mom, then I'm super glad. I'd want you to focus more on your job than me. Well…you know…you can focus on me when you're not busy with your job…" Faith adverted her eyes to the side in embarrassment as she just revealed a little of the "momma's girl" inside.

Her mom chuckled in joy. "Don't worry. You'll always be my little girl, Faith."

"Hehe." Faith giggled.

It was cute to see them acting like this. Sometimes, I even felt a little jealous, but my feelings were more preoccupied with the fun I had with them to let it get to me in a negative manner.

After her mother was finished with breakfast, she checked her watch and began to excuse herself. "I better get going. Can you wash the dishes for me, Faith?"

"Not a problem." Faith replied with a smile as she watched her mother walk around the table to reach out.

"Thank you very much." She placed a hand on Faith's hair and lightly planted an affectionate kiss on her temple. "Have a good day at school." She turned to me as she began walking out, her high heels tapping clearly on the wooden floor. "Bye, Chase."

"Bye!" I waved back as I observed her leave through the front door.

Soon enough, we could hear the car start and drive off.

"I don't know if you've noticed yet, but…" Faith spoke, turning my head back to her. "My mom really likes you, you know? I swear, if you didn't already have a family, she would adopt you in an instant."

It almost made my day when I heard that. I knew she liked me in the sense that I was really a part of her family, and I knew she trusted me well enough to stay with and watch over Faith. But when I heard about being adopted, I couldn't lie and say it didn't sound like a good idea. "Maybe I can get my parents to disown me and your mom can go ahead and do that." I joked with a little laugh.

Faith lightly smiled. "Well, if anything ever did happen, you know you're always welcome here."

I returned a smile as well, but it started to feel like it wanted to fade away when I dove more into that thought. "Nah… They'd never do that. Especially since I'm going to Crystal Prep now." I held the fork I was using upwards to emphasize my hand gestures. "Ever since I got accepted, my parents have been treating it as an expectation of me, just so they can present me as a trophy to boast about to other parents. But that doesn't stop them from expecting more from me." I sighed, feeling my mood die out.

"Is that really the only reason you stay at Crystal Prep?" Faith asked with concern.

"Well…pretty much, yeah." I admitted. "But as long as you're there, I can tolerate it." I made eye contact with her and returned to a light smile. "Your name really suits you, you know?"

Faith's shoulders grew closer together and she chuckled giddily. A light shade of red made its way to the surface of her cheeks. "So does yours." She played a bit with her fork. "After all, you always seem to chase the stars."

"Is that supposed to be a joke about me and Twilight?" I asked, taking a while before I realized what she meant.

"Maybe." She paused for a moment. "Unless you think I'm a star…" She playfully acted out a bashful reaction.

I laughed a little. "Well, you're something special alright." I answered honestly. I checked my watch and noticed the time. "Do you want to start heading out already?"

"Sure." Faith stood up and lightly brushed down her skirt. "Let me just wash the dishes really quick."

"You need any help?" I inquired, though I kind of already knew the answer.

"I'm fine." She responded as she placed the dishes in the sink to wash. "Actually, could you go up to my room and grab my bag for me, please?"

"Sure." I made my way up the stairs to her room to search for her bag. I came across it near the chair in front of her computer and slightly bent over to pick it up. As I straightened my back, I noticed the picture frame near where her laptop was stationed. I brought it up and immediately recognized the photo inside the frame. It was a photo Faith and I took after around the time we acknowledged each other as best friends. Faith and I were in our school uniforms, but our blazers weren't on. We had just been wearing our white collared shirts for the upper part of the uniform. The majority of my right hand had been hiding inside my pocket while my thumb stuck outside. I was giving a natural soft smile. The both of us were. Faith had her hands behind her back as she didn't seem to hesitate getting close to me. In fact, I could see that her hair had been touching my shoulders in the photo. I felt a chuckle rising when my eyes laid over Faith's torso. Her belly button had been showing because of her shirt. Nevertheless, at least when she wore her blazer, she was able to cover the rest for the most part. I felt myself reminiscing too long before I snapped out of it and hurried back down with Faith's bag.

Faith was about done when I came down with her things. She washed her hands before she stepped out of the kitchen and found me in the main hall. I offered her bag to her and she appreciatively accepted.

"Thanks!"

"Come on." I directed as I slung my bag over my shoulder.

She followed me out the door and to the garage where I retrieved my bike. As I held it up on the driveway outside, Faith observed me silently for a bit. "After hearing what my mom said…" She brought up a bit suddenly, having me turn to her while I held my hands on the handlebars. "…I just want to thank you again. For everything."

"It's really no big deal, Faith." I contently accepted her thanks and assured that she didn't need to do any more. "I actually like hanging out with you and taking you to and from school every day. I mean, it's not like you don't do anything for me too. You…" I felt myself stop because what I was about to say was pretty embarrassing on my end. However, Faith opened her eyes in curiosity, calmly yearning for my finished statement. "…you're nice to be around with."

Faith looked back in a solid blush and then dashed over to me for a tight squeeze. She almost caused me to let the bike fall, but I managed to have one hand keep it steady as I returned the hug with the other. I could sense an immense amount of affection every time she embraced me like this. She actually held on for a little longer, but I certainly didn't mind at all. Once she stepped back, I telepathically thanked her and then boarded my bike.

"You ready?" I asked, looking back to see her nod with a bright grin.

When she securely fastened herself onto me, I began pedaling down the road and onto the sidewalk towards the school.

Our morning routine for school was the usual. We sat down in class, scribbled notes, and talked about the subject afterwards when we made our way towards the next class. Sunny Flare continued to look at me pretty oddly, and I started to feel a bit uncomfortable after Faith confirmed her suspicions. Sour Sweet was still horridly sour and painfully "sweet".

At the end of our last class before lunch, Faith asked me to look over her notes. She wanted my opinion on how good they were and if I think she wrote down the important points. I had been standing near her desk as everyone began making their way out of class when Faith handed me her notebook. I opened it partway to find today's notes until a pile of papers unexpectedly fell out.

"Oh my gosh!" Faith exclaimed in surprise as several sheets of notes scattered on the floor. She quickly bent down to pick them up. "I'm so sorry! I forgot that the notes you lent me were in there!"

"It's okay!" I assured her as I lowered myself to help her gather the papers.

As we spent several seconds recovering the fleeing notes, we heard a pretty blunt voice by us.

"You guys are in my way."

I looked upwards in the direction opposite of the door to see Sugarcoat. She had crossed her arms and didn't look too patient.

"Well, if we had some help, I'm sure we'd be done in a second." I tried to take a different approach to her manner of speaking.

"If I noticed correctly, this mess is your fault and responsibility. I am in no obligation to help you, and in fact, you are under the obligation to clean this mess quickly because I, as a student, need to leave the classroom in order to have lunch like everyone else that goes to this school."

I sighed. I think her cynical way of looking at things and pointing out everyone's flaws without hesitation is the reason I never really saw her talk to anyone at all.

Faith and I had wasted some time paying attention to this instead of working to pick up the papers. After several more seconds, it looked like we found the rest and stood up. I pointed my hands towards the doorway with an unamused and slightly annoyed look towards Sugarcoat. "Happy now?"

"I am anything but happy." She adjusted her glasses. "Because of your mess, I've wasted approximately forty-nine seconds that could have been used to walk to the cafeteria."

"Just go, Sugarcoat." I felt myself squeezing the area between my eyes with my thumb and index finger in frustration.

Sugarcoat held her hands behind her back as she began walking. However, she stopped and glanced over at Faith. "You're pretty unorganized. Maybe both of you should get your eyes checked out." Finally, she walked out the door.

"Why does she have to be so rude…?" Faith crossed her arms, looking a little disturbed and even self-conscious.

"That's just the way she is." I answered as I grabbed the papers Faith picked up and piled them together with mine. "Maybe she's so obsessed with her own flaws that she feels the need to point out other people's flaws."

"Maybe…"

I placed my notes in my bag and turned to Faith. "Why don't we head over to the cafeteria? I can look over your notes there."

"Okay." Faith picked up her bag, so we could start walking.

We made a stop by our lockers, so I could drop off my stuff. Faith kept her bag since her notes were in there. Once we walked into the cafeteria, retrieved our food, and settled down at our usual table, I began looking through Faith's notes as promised.

"These look pretty good." I commented as I flipped through the pages. "I think you've got the hang of it now."

"That's a relief." Faith's shoulders relaxed as she pressed her back against her seat. "I can't imagine going back to almost failing grades. It's all thanks to you that I got back on track."

"I was happy to tutor you." I returned, closing her notebook and passing it to her. "I know I wasn't that great but…"

"Please!" Faith lunged forward with her upper body. "With you, I was able to understand loads! After all, I was pretty lucky that you had the patience to teach me."

I smiled lightly. "Well, you were the only person I talked to anyway." I lightly joked but stated seriously at the same time.

"Don't worry." Faith returned the notebook to her bag. "I'm sure you'll—"

"Hi, guys!" A voice chimed in unexpectedly.

Both of our eyes widened greatly when we saw who it was.

"Coco!" We both exclaimed, shocked by her presence.

She placed down her things and took a seat next to me.

"What are you doing here?" I questioned, completely interested on how she was able to find the time to be with us.

"Suri had to take care of some things, so I didn't need to stay working on dresses during lunch." Coco responded.

"Do you really have to lose your free time because of that one girl?" Faith asked in concern as she sipped her chocolate milk.

"Not exactly…" Coco fiddled with her fingers in thought. "Since I'm in that fashion program, I have to work pretty hard on that while making time for schoolwork too. Suri's…well…my friend, I guess, but she's really fussy when it comes to work there. It's almost like all she cares about is getting her work done. Then again…" Coco adverted her eyes in worry. "She also likes to leave a lot of the heavy stuff to me…"

"Why don't you work separately from her?" I asked, feeling a little anger after listening to that remark.

"I kind of want to…" Coco timidly placed her hands between her legs. "But, I feel like…I need her to know what to do. At least for right now. She even told me herself that as long as she's with me, I'll learn what I need to do to complete and pass the program."

"Sounds like she's just taking advantage of you, if you ask me." I rested my cheek against my fist.

Coco released a drawn out sigh. "To be honest…I just want to be successful with this program. If being bossed around a little means I'll pass, then I think I can take it."

"Are you sure that's what you really want?" I asked Coco directly with serious eye contact.

She remained silent for a moment as she stared back at me. Then, she quickly turned her head away and rubbed the hands between her petite legs. "Well…I mean…it's not all I want…"

"Huh?" I couldn't quite understand what she meant by that last comment.

"N-nothing!" Her head shot up from staring at her hands, and she attempted to look between us normally. "I appreciate you guys thinking and caring about me, and I think it might be enough to last me through. Even so, if I see a better opportunity, I'll think about taking it."

"I can't imagine how much hard work you've been putting through the years." I told her. "I almost feel a little bad that you have to go through so much. I really hope you do get a better opportunity."

"R-really, I'm fine!" She flipped her hand quickly with a lightly flushed face.

"If there's anything we can do, just let us know." Faith offered with a smile.

"Mm-hm! Okay!" Coco responded a little uneasily yet cheerfully.

Coco Pommel remained with us for the remainder of lunch, which was really nice since we hardly got to see her in school. When it was time for us to leave the cafeteria and head back to class, we had to express our goodbyes and hopes that we would see each other again soon.

Right before Coco was about to leave, Faith bumped my arm with her elbow and then whispered something surprising to me.

"Hug her goodbye!"

"W-what…?!" I whispered loudly.

"Just do it!"

Coco was grabbing her things as I made the few steps towards her.

"Hey, Coco…"

"Yes…?" She didn't seem to expect me coming forward like this.

"I…I just wanted to tell you that Faith and I are really hoping we can talk like this again soon."

"Yeah. Me too…" She shyly turned away.

"Um…" I rubbed my head, feeling a little awkward about what I was supposed to do. The only person that I was so used to hugging was Faith. When it came to someone else I didn't know as long, it didn't feel so easy. "Good luck with your work, Coco." I decided to step forward and gently place my arms around her.

I could hear her gasp lightly as her body jolted in shock. When I stepped backwards after a few seconds, her face was red hot, and she appeared to be completely frozen.

"Hey, you okay?" I asked, wondering if I did something wrong.

It took her a moment to respond. She finally shook her head and fumbled with her words. "I-I'm fine! Really! T-t-thanks for that! I really appreciate i-it! U-um. I-I-I should probably get going now! B-bye!" She quickly grabbed ahold of her things and left with quick steps.

For some reason, I felt a little disheartened by that behavior. I walked back towards Faith with a frown while she carried a jolly smile and rocked her hips by tip-toeing with her hands behind her back.

"Did I…do something?" I asked.

"Oh, you did something alright." Faith returned confidently with an odd tone.

"Why did you tell me to do that if it was only going to turn out for the worse?" I crossed my arms, yearning for Faith's explanation.

However, she only laughed. "Trust me, Chase. As a girl, I know what girls like…most of the time…" She admitted. "I don't know what you took from that, but I know for sure that it made her day."

"If you say so…"

After Faith grabbed her bag, we began heading out of the cafeteria. Faith remained at my side, continuously glancing over at me with a silly smile.

"Hey, Chase…"

"Hm?" My eyes traveled to hers.

"Have you ever thought about dating Coco?"

I certainly wasn't expecting that. It was a good thing that we stopped eating lunch otherwise I probably would have coughed it out. "W-what?! Why ask that all of a sudden?"

"It's not sudden." She said. "I seriously think you two could be cute together."

I felt my face redden up. "Well…you know that I'm kind of into Twilight, right? Besides, Coco and I haven't really known each other for that long. We don't see each other much to begin with, and I wouldn't want to just throw the question at her."

"Ohhhhkay." Faith strained out. "But I'm just letting you know that you have better options than Sunny Flare."

"Whatever…" I felt myself become mute as I darted my eyes away.

Faith accompanied me as I searched my locker for my schoolbag. As I pulled it out and closed my locker door, I heard a voice calling out to us.

"Faith! Chase!" Her hair, which reminded me so much of cotton candy, lightly waved back and forth as she made her way over to us. "I'm glad I caught you guys out here. I was just about to go looking for you two in your next class."

"What is it, Dean Cadance?" Faith asked for both of us, wrapping her hands behind her back in curiosity.

"Don't be alarmed, but…Principal Cinch wants to see you two in her office right now." She informed.

"Oh no. What did we do now?" I asked, feeling pretty aggravated and annoyed rather than terrified.

"You're not in trouble." Dean Cadance assured. "She just wants to speak with you about something. You remember where her office is?"

"How could we not?" Faith questioned rhetorically. It was a way of showing that after the amount of times we've been in there for various different reasons, it was pretty hard to forget the way.

Dean Cadance returned a light smile at Faith's remark. "I'll go give your teacher the reason for your absence. Go on ahead and meet with Principal Cinch. I'll see you two there in a few."

"Okay. Thanks, Dean Cadance." I expressed before she briefly waved and continued on her way.

Faith and I walked through the hallways as they cleared out. At least we didn't have to look at anyone else's conceited faces or take unnecessary rude shoves. Despite the circumstances, it almost felt like we had a time to breathe.

"What do you think she wants to talk to us about?" Faith asked.

"I have no clue." I spoke my thoughts. "Dean Cadance said we weren't in any trouble, so…" I shrugged.

"If that's true, then it really narrows things down. I could totes come up with so many things we'd get in trouble for." She shared as we climbed up the stairs.

"Yeah…" I responded with an agreeing smile. "I get you." As we walked the final flight of stairs, I sort of braced myself mentally for what was to come, even if we weren't in trouble as Dean Cadance said. "If it's not trouble hiding behind that door, then I'm really interested for what's to come."

"Guess we're about to find out." Faith kept her spirits high as we arrived at the door.

"You want me to go in first?" I inquired in a somewhat playful manner.

"I'm a big girl." She replied wittily.

I opened the door for her and allowed her to walk in. Then, I followed her afterwards, making sure to close the door after the Grinch had scolded me for leaving it open before. There were a couple of seats in front of her desk, but they were only barstools really. Faith and I took our seats and waited patiently for Grinch to bring her attention to us. She had been looking through some papers for some time, and even after we sat down, she hadn't said a word until she found the time to do so.

"Faith Meadows. Star Chaser." She listed us fully, which we weren't too used to since we were called our short versions most of the time.

"Yes?" We both answered as politely and modestly as possible.

"Do you know why I called you both here?" She questioned.

"Nuh-uh." Faith shook her head.

"Not a clue, ma'am." I answered.

"I'm sure you've both have heard of the Friendship Games, am I correct?" She eyed each of us, and she connected her hands together through her fingers in front of her mouth.

However, Faith and I exchanged a clueless look between each other.

"Friendship Games?" Faith returned.

"You're telling me that for as long as you've attended this prestigious school, you have not once heard of the Friendship Games?" The Grinch looked doubtful as she cocked an eyebrow, but I could sense a bit a hostility and frustration mix in as well.

I always acted in a somewhat satirical and sarcastic manner when it came to Principal Grinch, but I made sure to do it in a way where she technically couldn't get after me. "Forgive us if we're supposed to know about these Friendship Games, Principal Cinch, but I believe we've been more focused on studying with our academics than learning about these… 'Games'."

Faith lightly smirked towards me as she knew the motive behind my "formal" behavior.

Nevertheless, the Grinch sighed and massaged the area between her eyes with her fingers. She already seemed to be giving us the "I'm so disappointed in you kids" expression for the day. "No matter." She continued as we heard a door open behind. "I'm sure Dean Cadance will be able to fill you in." She looked past us, having us take a glance behind to see Dean Cadance walk in and stand by the door silently. "The reason I brought you two in here relates to these Games I speak of. I want you two to compete."

"Huh?" Faith and I simultaneously expressed.

"You two are to participate in these Games, is that not simple enough?"

She had never asked us to compete in anything, mostly because we were never as talented or really willing to be played around like puppets for her benefit. In summary, all she ever did was get after us, so it was really a surprise when she wanted us to participate in some type of competition.

"I don't understand." I shared. "Surely, you have students that would…prove to be more adequate for competitions?"

"That is true." She bluntly admitted. "However, I've been looking over the scores for our schools and the recent developments from the competition themselves: Canterlot High School."

The name of this school immediately stirred up something inside Faith. "Canterlot High School…?"

"Precisely." Principal Grinch continued. "You do not need to worry over the details surrounding this case, but there is one thing I will explain for my reasons of including the two of you in these Games." She took a second of silence to glance at each of us again. "I'm sure the two of you would describe your friendship as close, am I right?"

"Y-yeah…?" I was starting to feel a little uncomfortable. Why would she bring up our friendship all of a sudden?

As you must know, the majority of students here do not spend time on such an unnecessary frivolous matter. It is perhaps the reason why their performance in certain academics are higher than yours." I wanted to cross my arms because I was starting to feel a little offended. "Our purpose here at Crystal Prep is to create a strong educational background for every student. In turn, there is no time to work with such things like 'friendship', and it is advised that you spent the time focusing on your studies instead." Yeah, yeah, we get it. Just get on with it. "But that is beside the point. The reason I want you two in these Friendship Games is solely based on the fact that you have this type of friendship."

"What?" Faith almost lunged forward on her desk. "Didn't you just say you despised friendship?"

"I stated that I simply find friendship unnecessary and rather a distraction." She corrected both Faith's words and her glasses. "I do not approve of this friendship you have between each other, but I recently realized that it can be proven somewhat useful in these Games. These are the Friendship Games we are talking about, so there's bound to be something about friendship that should help."

"I still don't understand." I mentioned. "Why exactly do you want us if you've apparently won just fine without 'friendship'?"

"I mentioned previously that there have been some…changes…to Canterlot High's record. For these Friendship Games, I've decided to make a few changes myself. You need not to worry the reasons behind my decisions, all you need to do is understand and abide by them."

I finally crossed my arms, despite whether she would say something about that or not. "This isn't mandatory, is it?"

"I suppose you could say it's not…but if I were in your shoes, I would surely take this offer." She stated strangely.

"Why…?" Faith asked in concern.

"You two have had struggles in the past regarding the rigorous courses implemented in this school, have you not?"

Faith and I exchanged another look with each other.

"Yeah, I guess." I responded. I wasn't exactly fond with most of the courses, and I'm sure Faith especially wasn't either.

"Now, don't get me wrong, I'm sure you two could manage with hard work. However, I am willing to provide some beneficial assistance for the rest of your time here." This definitely caught our attention. She faced Faith. "Faith Meadows, I'm sure you'd love to see the look your mother has when she sees you graduate from this institution?" She then turned to me. "Star Chaser, you must agree that your parents are weighing pretty heavily on your successful outcome with this school?"

I wanted to sink in my chair. She knew how pressured I've felt about being strapped to this school by my parents.

"So, what are you saying?" Faith questioned, appearing a little more nervous than relaxed like when we first came in.

"I'm saying that if you agree and participate in these Games, I will do everything in my power to guarantee your success with this school, provided you still continue your hard work, of course."

So, she was pretty much giving us insurance or something? As long as we kept doing our best, we'd be sure to graduate? I wasn't so sure about this. I never trusted the Grinch in anything…but these Friendship Games didn't sound like a big deal. In fact, it sounded like a short term thing, and if we had a chance to know that we'd be graduating fine, then I say it's worth it. But, I still needed to check with Faith.

"Faith…" I turned to her as she carefully returned my look. "Are you up for this?"

Faith stared aimlessly in thought before she turned her eyes back to me. "Honestly, I'm with whatever you think…"

I sighed and stared at my feet for a moment. Then, I lifted my head to our principal. "Are you really serious about what you're offering to us for participating in these Games?"

"I am, indeed." She calmly replied. "As your trusted principal, I only want the best for my students."

Heh. Right.

Nevertheless, I slightly bent forward towards her desk. "If you really will guarantee our graduation for participating in these Games, then we'll do it."

"Excellent." She sat back on her chair in accomplishment. "I am glad to hear your decision." She looked past us to meet eyes with Dean Cadance. "Dean Cadance, could you provide them instructions with the upcoming Friendship Games?"

"Of course, Principal Cinch." Dean Cadance accepted. "Right this way, you two." She opened the door that led back into the hall and presented a hand in the direction.

Faith and I stood up to begin following her directions before Grinch stopped us.

"Just remember this, Faith Meadows and Star Chaser." We looked back. "Do not think that my offer still stands if you simply just 'attend' the Friendship Games. You must prove to me that you earned and deserve this assistance, so be sure to do your best out there."

We didn't have it in us to say another word, so we turned back towards Dean Cadance and followed her out of the office. For some reason, everything about that deal was just sketchy and uncomfortable.

We followed Dean Cadance back to her office in an almost disturbed silence. Dean Cadance opened the door and invited us in. Once we were inside, she closed the door and walked over to her desk where she sat down. She rummaged through some papers before she began speaking to us.

"Those attending and participating in the Friendship Games will be boarding buses to Canterlot High School for a visit. This will happen tomorrow during the morning hours and we're scheduled to return back a little before classes are dismissed for the day. You two will be exempted from your classes for the days you will be undergoing participation for the Friendship Games, and your teachers will be notified of these absences. The day after that is when the Friendship Games will officially begin, and we will leave at the same time as we do tomorrow morning." Dean Cadance separated a few papers and handed us a couple each. "I'll provide you a copy of the schedule each, so you won't be lost. You'll be boarding bus one forty-two. I've also written this number on your copies."

"Thanks…" I looked over the copy for myself. "So we head outside at the time we're usually supposed to start heading to class?"

"Yes." Dean Cadance responded. "I'll be there making sure every student is accounted for and with their buses. If you have any questions at that time, you can be sure to ask me." She turned her sight over to Faith, whom had been staring at her schedule without saying a word. "Faith, are you alright?"

"Are we really going to Canterlot High School…?" She asked a little shakily.

"Yes." Dean Cadance answered. "Canterlot High School has always been the other competitor for the Friendship Games. Is there a problem?"

"N-no… It's nothing…"

Of course, it definitely wasn't nothing. It was the school she had previously attended. The school where she was falsely accused and framed. I knew what was going through her mind, and it made me wonder why Faith didn't decline the offer to begin with. It seemed Principal Grinch wanted the two of us only because of our "friendship". Was she doing this because I wanted to do it for my "guaranteed graduation"? I wasn't sure, but I needed to talk to her about this later at home.

"We're hoping things will run smoothly." Dean Cadance expressed and then relaxed back in her chair with a soft sigh. "How have things been with Twilight?" She asked.

That question sort of caught us off-guard since we had been pressured so suddenly with the Friendship Games just a few moments ago.

Faith turned her head to me, as if she wanted me to give the report.

"There's still not much progress. She still kind of locks herself up in that room she does her own thing in. A lot of the times we've invited her out to do things, she'd rather spend her time working on something with science or school." I explained.

"I see." Dean Cadance tapped her fingers and rested her cheek on her hand. "She's a very good student. There's no doubt about that. But, I wish she'd be more social like the two of you are between each other. It'd be really nice to see her interact with the both of you. I really think she could use it instead of focusing on work the entire time."

"Yeah…" I agreed as I crossed my arms and slightly looked away.

Dean Cadance turned her head to get a view of the clock on the wall. "I don't think I should keep you guys here for much longer. Principal Cinch probably still has some work for me to do, so I'll let you two return to class."

"Alright." I returned and began getting out of my seat as Faith did the same. We began to walk out with our copies until Dean Cadance spoke once more.

"Chase?" I turned my head towards her. "If it helps, I'll try talking to Twilight, okay?"

I nodded calmly. "Okay."

Afterwards, Faith and I walked out of the office and began making our way back to class.

We went about our day as normally as we could while trying to sink in our new assignment outside of classes. Nearing the end of the day, I believed our physical exercises allowed us to possibly release some stress and distract ourselves from our new expectations. Faith and I were definitely ready to head home as we walked back towards the changing rooms.

However, we were surprised when we found Sour Sweet and Sunny Flare hanging around outside their side of the locker rooms. They hadn't changed yet and remained in their t-shirt and shorts. I didn't think much of it until they turned towards us once they heard our footsteps.

"There he is." Sunny Flare lowered her eyelids and stepped up to me. "So…" She reached out for my hand and began to hold it. "I was wondering if you were free this evening. We could go watch a movie or have a pretty lavish dinner."

Sour Sweet crossed her arms and appeared to hold in many things she couldn't say.

"Uhh…" I didn't know how to respond. In fact, I began feeling a little uncomfortable to where I sort of wanted to yank my hand away.

"He's not going to do anything with you!" Faith broke the hold and claimed my hand for herself instead.

This move annoyed Sunny Flare. "Excuse me?" She asked, holding her hand in the air as if she hadn't accepted what had just happened.

"He's not interested in dating you!" Faith directed bluntly.

Nevertheless, Sunny Flare placed on a complacent smile. "He's got to grow up sometime, dearie. It's not right to hold him back because you want him all for yourself."

Faith looked like she was getting steamed, but she never really got out of control physically. If anything, it would be emotionally. "I-I-It's not that I want him all for myself. It's just you're not the right person for him, and I'm not going to stand for it!"

Sunny Flare crossed her own arms and shared an arrogant grin. "Oh really? How many times have you told him that? Because the only girl I've ever only seen him with is you."

"So what?! It's not any of your business!" Faith bent forward in Sunny Flare's direction. I could tell she was really starting to get into this, but I wasn't sure if I should let her keep talking or stop her.

"Well, it's not any of your business about what goes on between us." Sunny Flare closed her eyes in accomplishment as if she felt she had the upper hand in the argument.

"It is if I know you're going to just take advantage of him!" Faith continued to fire shots.

Sunny Flare returned an irritated look now as if she was growing tired of Faith's bickering. She must have felt as if Faith was holding onto a toy she didn't want to let go of. "Listen, dearie. If you're so attached to Chase, then why aren't you dating him? Maybe it's you who's taking advantage of him by just being his 'friend'?"

In response, Faith appeared to be almost completely offended. "N-no way! I'm not!"

I felt things were getting too out of hand, so I tried subtly cutting in. "Look Faith, you don't have to do this—"

"Let her, Chase." Sunny Flare said otherwise. "I want to know why she's so insistent on what she wants instead of what you want." She turned her scowl back to Faith. "Answer the question, Meadows. You two are always together, yet you've shown no hint of attraction." She placed a finger on her lips and looked up in thought. "Hmm… Wait a second… I do remember you were actually failing at some point in your first year here. Oh…but hold on…you're still here, aren't you? You want to know why? Because Chase took the time to help you. After that, you two seemed to hit it off there. But, what I'm thinking is that you're only around Chase because he helps you get through school."

"What?!" Faith questioned in utter disbelief. "That's not true! I—"

I had to stop Sunny Flare there.

"You're wrong, Sunny. There's much more to it than that."

"Is there?" Sunny Flare responded. "Because if she thinks I'm trying to take advantage of you by what she knows about me, then I think I have just as much reason to think she's taking advantage of you by what I know of her."

I could feel Faith's hand began to shake.

"Sunny—"

I wanted to respond, but then Faith began speaking.

"You want to see my affection for Chase so badly…?" She asked in fenced anger.

Sunny Flare smirked. "If you even have any, by all means."

"You're…so DUMB!" Faith shouted out and the next thing I knew, I was being pulled in all of a sudden.

It felt like a pair of slightly moist yet sweet marshmallows were planted firmly on my lips. During the time, I was so shocked that I didn't know what to feel from it. This connection lasted around three to five seconds, but it honestly felt a lot longer than that.

Faith's face pulled away from me, and I remained staring at her in somewhat disbelief. Her eyes had been closed during the process, and her cheeks looked like they could be hot like a stovetop. The lids of her eyes slightly opened, but she didn't dare look at anyone.

Almost forgetting about the situation we had been in, I turned to see the reaction from Sunny Flare and Sour Sweet. They both had been extremely silent and honestly even surprised. Even Sour Sweet had been looking at us with widened eyes as if she never expected such a turn of events from the conversation she had appeared uninterested with.

"Wow." Sunny finally expressed through the long and awkward silence. "I must give you credit, Faith. I'd never thought you'd do something like that." She turned to Sour Sweet and shared a look. "Alright, you win. I'll leave Chase alone…for now." She faced me. "If you ever decide on what you want, you just let me know, okay?"

Afterwards, the two turned around and headed for the door to their locker rooms. It was just me and Faith now.

"Faith?" I asked, looking over at her to see her appear frozen.

"I don't want to go in there…" She mentioned softly and then covered her eyes with her hands. "I don't want to see them…on my own."

I stepped closer to her, and as if she detected my presence, her head fell towards my chest. I gently placed my hands on her back and patted her. "It's okay. We'll wait until they come out."

Faith didn't say anything and only remained lightly sulking on my shoulder.

We sat nearby with some distance away from the doors. Things between us were silent at the time, and they stayed like that until we noticed Sunny Flare and Sour Sweet walk out with their uniforms. I waited until Faith finished looking at them leave the area and stood up. I followed her towards the doors and she stopped to stand still in front of the girls' locker room entrance. She glanced over to me as if she needed assurance for something, but then she decided to enter without a word. Continuing to stare as the door closed behind her, I finally decided to enter the boys' locker room to change.

My body sort of went on auto-pilot as I changed into my uniform. My mind instead began to focus on what happened minutes earlier. Honestly, there was nothing awkward between Faith and me after she kissed me. In fact, that wasn't the first time she had done something like that. Although, I had to admit that the only other time was under better circumstances.

I began to wonder why I didn't take Faith's kiss as a big deal or freak out about it. I think…I was used to it just like if I had received a hug from Faith. The first one we shared was more of…a special kind of affection. It had actually been both of our first kiss, and I supposed the holiday at the time is what made Faith raise up the courage to surprise me with it.

Of course, she hadn't reacted in the same way as she did a few minutes ago. She handled the first pretty calmly and just acted like herself. This time, it felt like she was practically forced to do it, and she sort of had to deal with the embarrassment of doing it in front of others. I wasn't exactly sure what went through Faith's mind at the time or even now, but all I could say is that it didn't hurt me the least bit on my end.

When I was finished, I walked out the locker room and stood outside for Faith. It took a little while longer than usual, and I began to slightly worry for her. However, soon enough, she appeared out her door and found me waiting.

She slowly walked over to me. "Did I keep you waiting?"

"It's fine." I casually answered. "You ready to head home?"

"Yeah." She nodded and then quietly followed me back to the front of the school.

I didn't see Twilight this time, so I just got to my bike. We were out of there in a few minutes, and even the ride was pretty silent. I wanted to talk to Faith, but I figured it'd be best to wait on it until we got home. Eventually, we arrived at her driveway, and she stepped off.

She walked a few steps and then stopped to stare towards the ground.

"Faith?" I called.

Her response was silence for a moment before she turned around, her shoes scraping against the pavement. "I'm sorry. Do you want to come in?"

I wasn't expecting her to ask me like that, but it was what I wanted in the end anyway. "Yeah, if you don't mind."

She shook her head. "Mm-mm."

I followed her on her driveway and proceeded to station my bike in the garage.

Like yesterday, she changed into more comfortable clothes when we were in her room. Afterwards, she spent the time hanging off the side of her bed towards the carpet floor and stared blankly at the TV. She had turned it on, but it didn't seem she was really into whatever was being broadcasted.

I felt like I needed to do something, otherwise it looked like I wasn't even here to help her deal with stuff. I decided that if I was to do anything, it'd be best to start with being next to her. I took a seat by the side of the bed near her and observed her for a bit as she continued almost lifelessly staring at the TV.

"Is that comfortable for you?" I lightly joked.

However, she only returned a slow shrug and fumbled with her thumbs over her lazily exposed midriff.

"Come on, sit normally." I suggested in a more serious tone, revealing a bit of my concern.

She glanced at me with troubled eyes and then allowed her feet to drop to the side on top of the carpet. When she was finally upright, she sat in a similar manner as me and pulled down her shirt to her waist. She covered her chest with her knees and placed her hands on her shins.

"You want to talk?" I asked.

"About what?" She turned her head towards me.

"About what's bothering you."

"Come on… I'm fine…" She turned her head back to the TV until I grabbed the remote and shut it off.

"Anyone with a brain can tell that you're not." A light smile grew on me.

She guided the strand of hair in front of her left eye back behind her hairclip and sighed. "I'm really sorry…"

"Why?"

"I'm really not using you or anything, you know?" She continued.

"I know that, Faith." I assured. "I think all the stuff we've been through together would prove that." Her pupils slipped into the corner of her eyes away from me. "You've still got all those pictures we've taken together on your phone, right?"

Her jaw lightly stretched as her mouth grew agape. "Yeah… Of course, I do…"

"Look them over." I advised. "Then you'll realize that you can't sit there and worry that you've been 'using' me when you see the kind of fun we've had in those pictures."

Faith picked up the phone that was at her side. She appeared as if she was going to look through it until she unexpectedly placed it back down on the carpet. "But…but why do I feel so…wrong?"

"Huh?" I wondered, slightly tilting my head.

"I probably shouldn't have done it…huh…?" She turned her head back towards me. "I shouldn't have kissed you."

"You're worried about that?" I found it a little humorous. "It's really no big deal."

"B-but… Isn't that what couples do? People who are dating? Isn't it bad to express something like that when it's uncalled for?" She anxiously searched for answers.

I turned my sight to the floor and thought extensively about it. It didn't feel wrong to me, but I wanted to find a way to put it into words that would get it across. When an idea hit me, the neutral position of my mouth stretched into a smile.

"You've just got to look at it another way." I said, causing a puzzled look to form on her face. "Let me ask you something. Why did you do it in the first place?"

Faith began to blush and looked to the side. "I…I don't know… I really care about you and…sometimes a hug doesn't feel enough to express it."

"And you're comfortable doing it, right?" I continued.

"Preferably if it's just us…yeah."

"Then there's nothing you need to worry about. It's not like you and I are seeing anyone. The way I see it, it's just an innocent little sign of affection. I'm sure you've seen videos online where a little boy and girl can kiss on the lips and everyone thinks it's adorable and cute, right?"

"Mm-hm." She lightly nodded and began to turn her gaze back to me as she softly sucked in her lips.

"Just think of it as a reminder on how close we are." I added. "After all, it's pretty much the reason why Cinch wanted us to participate in the Friendship Games, right?"

"About the games…" She appeared to have something else troubling come across her mind. "I'm a little scared about going. Actually, the more I think about it, the more scared I get."

"Is it because it's your old school? The school where…" I stopped myself there.

She nodded. "I try to not think about it too much…but I slowly start to realize that I'll be seeing people I really don't want to see there."

"Sorry…" I began feeling apologetic myself. "Maybe I shouldn't have accepted Cinch's offer."

Faith shook her head this time and placed a hand on my shoulder. "I know how strict your parents are about finishing at Crystal Prep, and I'd really want the two of us to graduate there. Besides, this might be good for me anyway…"

"Why?" I turned towards her from her last remark.

"I feel like I'm always running away or avoiding things that I need to face frontwards, and I hate that. I want to be brave and confident…and if that means having to face my fear of my past at Canterlot High, then maybe it's best I do this. I don't want to be scared of that dumb school. In fact, I want that school to know that I have better things to worry about than them." She made eye contact with me as she presented a small but bright smile.

"I guess…I'm glad to hear that." I returned the feeling, wanting to support her in any way I could to help her overcome her fear.

"Although, I'm not going to lie. Thinking about seeing people I knew back then there makes my stomach turn. But as long as you're by my side…I think should be okay."

"No problem there." I enthusiastically shared. "We'll show them what we're made of."

Joy ran through my veins when I heard Faith giggle. "Yeah! I can't wait for that!" She immediately stood up and returned to her cheery self. "Do you think maybe you can camp out here for the Friendship Games? I think I'd want our friendship to be in tip top shape for the competition."

"Sure." I accepted as I began to pull my phone out. "I'll be sure to mention to my parents that it's for Crystal Prep. They definitely shouldn't have a problem once they realize that they'll have something else to brag about me."

"I'm not exactly fond of that…" Faith expressed with a disapproving frown at my last remark. "But I guess the important thing right now is us?" She returned a hopeful grin.

I chuckled a little. "Yeah."

A lot should come from these "Friendship Games."

Guaranteed graduation.

"Happy" parents.

Some time away from school.

And if it's still possible, the bond Faith and I share can grow to even greater lengths from this event.

Plus…I might just find that Sunset Shimmer… If I do, who knows how I'll act, but if I see her in the same way I saw her in the video, then I'll be sure to try to find some way to get back at her for Faith.