A couple of weeks have passed. Time seemed to have flown by since Junior had first moved into Ponyville.

During this time, Junior had spent his days settling in his new home. He purchased furniture, dishes, and other necessary house hold items with the bits that Celestia had generously provided him.

Junior hated having to receive unearned money from the princess. He even considered protesting it. But considering the fact that he has yet to have any form of income, Junior reluctantly accepted the finances. At least until he was able to find a paying job.

By now, Junior had finished setting up his home. His walls bore fresh coats of paint, the furniture perfectly set, having not suffered any wear and tear. The cabinets were stacked and the refrigerator was stocked. It was perfect.

"I'm not looking forward to the constant cleaning," said Junior with a sigh.

He made his way to the kitchen, where he began to set up his breakfast. He drew out a carton of eggs and set them on the counter. He then reached into the sink, where an ice cooler full of water lied. He grabbed a live, medium sized fish out of the water that he had recently caught from the local pond.

"Maybe I should set up a fish tank in here or something. Agh, but that's too much work and money to maintain," said Junior with a sigh. Living in Equestria made it harder to find meat. Most people in the nation had a more vegetarian lifestyle. Although animal byproducts like milk and eggs weren't off the table, it was hard to find protein that didn’t involving hunting or catching animals to eat. Fortunately, Junior lived in an area where plenty of local wildlife roamed. He just had to make the time and effort to catch his food and store it.

The fish began to flap and wiggle, its gills flexing and its mouth attempting to sink in water for oxygen.

Junior set the fish down onto a cutting board and drew out a sharp knife. He drove the blade into the fish's neck, cutting through. He proceeded to quickly cut through its belly and remove its entrails. The fish was spasming, but Junior kept his pace. Eventually, he had completely removed the scales of the fish, bled it of its blood and completely chopped it to bits. By now, the meat was sizzling in a pan on the stove.

Soon, Junior was sitting at the table. A plate filled with scrambled eggs and cooked fish sat. He was reading through the local newspaper. He dug his fork into his meal and ate, while keeping his eyes on the paper

He heard a sudden loud thump at his door. The boy flinched and turned at the sudden sound. Junior sighed as he set the paper down and left his seat. He opened his door and saw a blonde valkyrie with grey wings, wearing brown shorts and a white button up shirt. She had a brown satchel hanging from her shoulder. She stood rubbing her head, opening her eyes. Her eyes were golden, that seemed to be crossed. The Valkyrie chuckled nervously as she saw Junior standing in the doorway.

"Oh, hey Derpy." greeted Junior.

"Oh, h-hi! I uh, I just dropped by to deliver a letter to you." Derpy reached into her satchel and fished for the letter. Derpy pulled her hand out and handed Junior a white envelope. Junior took the envelope from Derpy looking to see who it was from.

"Tha-" Junior noticed that Derpy had disappeared from his patio. He sighed and went back into his house, sitting back at the table to finish his breakfast. He noticed that the letter was sent from Canterlot, as evident of a stylized sun shaped seal.

Junior opened the envelope and began to read the letter. He continued to eat as his eyes skimmed through. What he read nearly had him choke on his food, he re-read the last sentence that had caught his eye.

"Oh no, she didn't," said Junior with dread. The boy kept reading on, his dread increasing each sentence.

"Oh, god no." Junior read on, his heart racing when he reached the last sentence.

"No..." Junior looked down to the foot of the letter. What he found was a golden ticket tapped to the paper.

"No!!" Junior's head slumped down to his chest, he grumbled in frustration. Junior lifted his head back up, sighing.

'Jeez, I really don't want to go to the Gala.' Junior placed the letter down and continued to eat.

Aside from the fact that the Gala was an absolute snooze fest that only snobbish high classed people attended, Junior had his own reasons to not go. After all, he was still concerned over what had happened during the events of Nightmare Moon's return. He thought that he'd take the opportunity of moving out of Canterlot and just stay low and maybe fade out of everyone's memory. Unfortunately, Junior couldn't hide forever. He had to keep up appearances.

"There's no way Celestia would forget me," sighed Junior.

After finishing his breakfast, Junior began to clean up his dishes. The cooler was dumped and washed, and the blood stained knife and cutting board were thoroughly scrubbed and rinsed. After he finished, the boy made his way out of the door. The sun was shining brightly in the sky, the summer heat assaulted Junior's skin, causing him to grunt in irritation from the sudden change in temperature. After he locked his door, Junior headed into town. Now was a good time as any to find a job.

After venturing into the inner center of Ponyville, Junior searched every establishment that he could see. He looked down to a notebook he carried, with a list of names for establishments that he learned may have been hiring. His eyes read the first establishment on the list.

"Quills and sofas. Hmm, that should be... Ah, there it is," said Junior as he found his destination. A building stood just down the street. A sign hung from the establishment, depicting a sofa and a quill together.

As Junior walked into the establishment, he wasn't surprised at what he sat. The store had nothing to sell but quills and sofas.

"Oh hey, I own that sofa," chuckled Junior, as he passed through the store. He made his way to the checkout counter, where the clerk stood. He was in the process of speaking to a familiar young wingless dragon.

Junior made his way towards the clerk, passing a couple of other people in the shop along the way. Junior heard them whispering to each other when they saw him approach. The clerk noticed Junior making his way toward him and turned his attention to him.

"How may I help you?" asked the clerk.

"I couldn't help but notice that you had a 'help wanted' sign outside. I wanted to see if I could get hired for some work." replied Junior.

After saying that, Junior swore that he noticed a slight displeased look on the clerk's face. However, that expression was wiped away as quickly as it appeared.

"Oh, sorry I just hired someone that came in a few minutes ago." The clerk spoke in a dismissive tone. Junior's brows furrowed at the man's tone. He'd much rather that this guy had just come out and honestly shot him down.

"Well, that's unfortunate. I'll just have to keep looking, thank you." Junior turned away from the clerk, making his way outside.

"Ugh. That was close," the clerk muttered to himself. Junior suppressed the temptation to retort. It was better to leave with some dignity than to grace this man with his wrath.

Junior spent the next hour searching the town for work. They either truthfully weren't hiring or came up with an excuse to not hire him. One of them was honest with him, telling him that he wasn't gonna hire "a troublemaker that picks fights". To be fair, that guy hit Junior first that day, so it was self-defense. But people thought that the scary looking new guy in town likes to fight. That already built a negative reputation for Junior. It hasn't even been a month.

Frustrated, Junior stood outside of Town Hall, holding up a list of establishments that he had yet to check. Hopefully at least one of them would be willing to hire him. He was too busy looking for the closest establishment that he failed to notice someone approaching him.

"Hey, aren't you guy that got shot by Nightmare Moon's magic?" asked a young male voice. Junior flinched at hearing that, turning to see who spoke, though no one seemed to be around.

'Please tell me I'm not hearing voices again' thought Junior in dread.

"I'm down here, dude," said the young voice. Junior looked down and saw the same dragon that was talking to the clerk, holding quills and scrolls in his arms. A baby dragon walking the streets of Ponyville. That was quite an unusual sight in Equestria, considering the nature of the beasts.

"Oh, sorry." Junior chuckled. He then looked away, appearing hesitant to answer the question.

"Yeah, that was me."

"Oh wow! I kept hearing about you around town! Twilight even says that you helped defeat Nightmare Moon!" The young dragon said excitedly. Junior couldn't help but crack a small smile at the young dragon's glee.

"Oh, w-well I didn't really do that much." Junior scratched the back of his head. But then, he recalled what the dragon had just told him.

'Wait, he knows Twilight?'

"Twilight said that you took Nightmare on in an epic fight! How can you say that you didn't do much?" asked the dragon.

"Well... I did get my butt kicked," said Junior, smiling sheepishly. The dragon chuckled in response.

"How did you survive that attack from Nightmare anyway?" asked the dragon.

'What was that excuse? What was it? Oh that's right!' Junior remembered his lie that he told Applejack.

"Dumb luck," said Junior, nonchalant. Spike bore a dissatisfied look. He was surely looking for a more exciting answer.

"So how did you take her own? What kind of moves did you use?" asked Spike.

“Neighponese martial arts,” answered Junior nonchalantly.

"Wow! You used martial arts on Nightmare?! That is awesome!" replied the dragon. His excitement caused Junior to crack a small smile, his mood lighting up a bit.

"Thanks kid, what is your name?" asked Junior.

"My name is Spike." The dragon extended his hand, but as he did this, he dropped the quills and scrolls that he was holding. Spike groaned as he kneeled to gather them back in his grasp.

"Here, let me help you with those." Junior knelt down, gathering some of the scrolls.

"Thanks a lot!" said Spike.

"No problem. Say, why don't I help you take these to wherever you're going?"

"I appreciate that! Along the way, can you tell me a little more about yourself? Like where you learned martial arts?" asked Spike.

Junior contemplated this since nobody had asked him to talk about himself before. However, there were some things that he didn't feel comfortable sharing. But then again, since this little dragon showed genuine interest, he thought he could tell him a few things about himself, if only to help him forget about his predicament.

"Sure, I can do that."

"Awesome! What was your name again?" asked Spike.

"Gojira."

Junior and Spike were making their way through town. Both holding several scrolls and quills. Spike was listening to Junior as he regaled him with some history of his life.

"So you learned what you know from your dad?" asked Spike in awe.

"Yeah, he would always tell me that I had to learn to fight my own battles. I trained with him for weeks, learning his techniques, his strategies, and the most important key that he had at winning a fight." explained Junior

"What was that?" Spike's eyes wide, giving his full attention to Junior.

"Use both intelligence and strength to defeat your opponent, be smart about your attacks and then overwhelm them with force," said Junior.

"Wow! I gotta remember that!" said Spike excitedly. Junior's stomach sank. He warily glanced at the young dragon that walked alongside him.

"Spike, I hope you don't take what I'm saying as knowledge to try to pick fights." Junior didn't think Spike would be that kind of kid, but he couldn't be too careful. The last thing that he wanted was getting this drake into trouble. Heck, it would even come back to bite him if the townsfolk were to hear about the 'thug' spreading his bad influence on the children.

"I use what I learned from my dad to defend myself. I fight only when someone attacks me first." explained Junior.

"What about the other day? I heard you picked a fight with someone?"

"I didn't, he hit me first. I bumped into him in town, I apologized and tried to go about my business, but he got in my face trying to provoking me. He then threw a punch that I didn't even see coming. People just assumed that it was me that started it." Junior said in serious tone. "Sometimes the winner in a fight is usually the first one that people blame."

"Oh, sorry." Spike looked away, ashamed to have believed something without actually being there to see it.

Junior sighed. "Look, don't worry about it. Besides, I'm used to this kind of stuff."

"What do yo- Oh hey, we're here!" Spike stopped looking toward a familiar tree.

"The library?" asked Junior. Spike made his way to the door.

"Yeah! I live here with Twilight. Come on in" Spike opened the door with his free claw, walking inside. Junior hesitated, having not interacted with Twilight or the other girls since before he moved into Ponyville. He had been uncomfortable with the thought of interacting with them. After all, he came off as quite a jackass during the Nightmare Moon debacle. Not to mention he was almost responsible for their deaths. Junior had been unable to live that down, despite the amount of time that's passed.

Reluctantly, Junior followed Spike into the library. Junior observed his surroundings. Shelves were carved in the walls of the tree, filled with tons of books. In the center of the room was a head of an equine, carved from wood. The library was a lot roomier compared to how it was when Pinkie threw a party. It was nice and quiet, just like how a library should be. He still wouldn't dare come here during a storm. Spike walked over to a podium where Twilight stood reading a book.

"Hey Twilight, I'm back. I also brought someone over!" announced Spike, placing the scrolls near the carved equine head.

"Oh, welcome back Spike!" Twilight turned away from her book, "Who did you...?"

"Hey," greeted Junior, placing the scrolls and quills that he held with Spike's pile. The elf bore a look of surprise. Her face then broke into a welcoming smile.

"Oh, hi Gojira! I haven't seen you around," said Twilight.

"I've been busy settling in. Also, I don't socialize much." Junior glanced away. Twilight lightly tilted her head.

"Oh. Well, what have you been up to today?" asked Twilight, closing her book.

"I've been looking for a job. No luck so far," Junior sighed, his frustration returning.

"I'm sorry to hear that." Twilight stared down at the ground, twiddling her thumbs. She looked back to Junior, clearing her throat. "Um...if you want, I can help you."

"No. That isn't necessary." replied Junior. Twilight frowned. She was hoping that he'd agree. But, she could sense that he held a lot of pride.

"Gojira..."

"I said 'no' Twilight." Junior interrupted. The elf sighed with a roll of her eyes.

"Come on, what could it hurt to let me help you?" asked Twilight. She then began to timidly look away, rubbing her sleeve covered arm.

"I was hoping that maybe we could... Get to know each other better," said Twilight. Junior gulped nervously. It wasn't the type of nervousness that a guy would feel when he was around an attractive girl. It was that of dread. He couldn't afford to get close to anyone here.

"I..." Junior was about to shoot Twilight down, but stopped as he noticed the light frown that she had. She wasn't looking his way, but she seemed to be nervous herself. As though worried about what his response would be. She seemed like a nice girl. Because of this, Junior didn't have the heart to shoot her straight down. He began to ponder his options.

Junior could either wander around aimlessly and likely get shot down every time he walked into an establishment for a job, he could continue to mooch off of Celestia's money and never do anything for himself, or he could let Twilight help him. He didn't like the idea of leeching off of Celestia, so that was definitely out. The first one did seem better than asking for help, especially from someone he was uneasy to be around, but he might not even get anywhere with his reputation. It seemed that Junior only had one real choice. If Twilight was fine with it, then he supposed that he could feel some ease with being around her.

"I...guess its fine. I mean, if you aren't too busy that is." Junior looked away, placing his hands in his pockets. Twilight did a complete 180 in her mood. Her saddened look had suddenly broken into a joyful one.

"Great! We better get started." Twilight passed by Junior, walking to the door. Junior sighed, trailing behind. Spike rose his brow in confusion about Junior's reluctance. He decided to tag along, he was curious to find out a bit more about the boy anyway.

The trio made their way through town. During their walk, the young elf seemed to be in a chipper mood. A spring was in her step, as she took the lead. Junior wasn't expecting this kind of behavior from the girl. He was almost glad that he didn't shoot her down. He didn't want to imagine how she'd react. Twilight was looking through Junior's list, a surprised look was on her face.

"They all turned you down?" Twilight asked in disbelief.

"Yep." Junior scowled. Twilight turned to Junior as they continued walking.

"Did they tell you why? Were you rude to them or something?"

"No. They all either told me that they already hired someone, or that they forgot to take the sign down. I knew at least most of them were lying. One person at least told me directly why he didn't want to hire me." said Junior.

"What reason did he have?" asked Twilight.

"He assumed that I like to start fights due to how I got into a fight with someone a few days ago," replied Junior. Twilight looked to Junior, she remembered hearing about that.

"That can't be the only reason, could it?" asked Twilight, skeptical. Junior scoffed.

"No, I'm sure that fight led to some nasty rumors to be spread around. People don't exactly see you as the victim once you wail on your attacker," said Junior. His brows furrowed.

"Even that girl Flitter started avoiding me." said Junior, though his tone was a bit lower. Twilight frowned. She saw that his usually stern face seemed to have softened to a melancholic one. She's seen this expression on him once before.

"Gojira...are you...having trouble fitting in?" asked Twilight. Junior didn't respond. He just kept walking, he wanted to avoid this topic. Twilight began to pick up her pace, as Junior seemed to have picked up his own.

"It's OK. You can tell me." Twilight looked up to Junior, seeing his eyes devoid of emotion.

"Who cares? It's not like I need to," said Junior dismissively.

"Gojira, don't you want people to like you? Not be afraid of you?" asked Twilight, her tone soft and filled with concern.

"Being liked is grossly overrated. As long as people don't bother me, then I'm fine." replied Junior nonchalantly. Twilight looked to him in disbelief after hearing his words. She wondered what would drive a person to have that kind of mindset. Twilight felt a knot in her gut as she continued to ponder this.

"Gojira..." Spike spoke up, his tone soft. "For whatever it’s worth...I like you."

"Huh?" Junior looked back at the drake, appearing confused.

"I said that I liked you. You're a cool guy! You know martial arts, and you choose to use it only when you're in trouble. You went out of your way to help me get those supplies back to the library. And you stuck with Twilight to fight Nightmare Moon and helped save Equestria! You can't be all bad." Spike smiled.

Junior let those words sink in. He wondered how often it was that someone would say something positive about his character. If he had to be honest, he'd say it was pleasant to his ears.

"I bet your dad is proud!" said Spike. Junior's stomach sank as he heard this. A grimace threatened to appear on the boy's face. But, he managed to hide it with the most sincere smile that he could muster.

"Yeah.... Thanks Spike."

Twilight looked to Junior in concern. It wasn't her imagination. She could tell that he looked bothered by something. But, Twilight decided that was it was best to not pry. She felt that she was already on thin ice with him anyway when it came to social interaction. She felt like she was walking on egg shells. Twilight remembered how Junior could get aggravated with a conversation. But, she didn't know which buttons she needed to avoid pressing. Getting to know this boy may prove harder than she thought.

The trio continued down into town. They spent the next hour attempting to find somewhere that would hire Junior. Unfortunately, he was turned down at every turn. They soon found themselves sitting in the middle of town, glum expressions on their faces. Twilight sighed as she looked at the list of places that were hiring.

"I can't believe it. There's nothing left," said Twilight, disappointed. Junior merely stood to his feet and began to walk away.

"Gojira, where are you going?" asked Twilight.

"Home." answered Junior.

"Dude, we can't give up yet!" exclaimed Spike. Junior sighed, his posture having slouched. He stopped and turned to face the two.

"Look, I appreciate the help. But, let's face it. No one's gonna hire me. I'll just have to figure something out on my own," said Junior. He wasn't necessarily worried about finances at the moment. But, he feared that he'd have to continue relying on Celestia just because of botching his own reputation in his new home.

"Wait, I know where we can go!" Twilight shot to her feet, as though she received some grand revelation. Junior cocked a brow as she came running towards him.

"Come on, We're going to go see Applejack!" cried Twilight, latching onto the boy's wrist. She began to tug him along.

"Applejack? But-"

"No buts, mister!" Twilight was now walking faster, pulling Junior in tow. Spike stood and jogged after them.

Soon, the trio had made their way into an orchard. The orchard was filled with many tall trees that bore luscious red and green apples that hung from the branches. The orchard seemed to have ran for miles on this land. The trio made their way down a dirt path and arrived at a large red barn and a grey wooden house. From the house emerged Applejack, carrying empty baskets. Twilight called out to her, causing the blonde to turn her attention down to the path where the trio had arrived from.

"Howdy Twilight!" Applejack greeted, placing the baskets down. "What brings ya'll here?"

"Well, Gojira here is-"

"Leaving." Junior quickly interrupted. Twilight shot him an incredulous look, as he attempted to walk away. However, Spike quickly stood in his path.

"What are you doing?" whispered Spike in confusion.

"Spike, move!" Junior grunted in annoyance as he attempted to pass the young dragon. Twilight suddenly grabbed his arm and pulled him back over with a titter.

"H-He's kidding! You see, Gojira's here because he's looking for a job. Unfortunately, he hasn't had any luck. Do you think that maybe you could help him?" asked Twilight, while Junior was avoiding eye contact. Applejack bore a flat look.

"Doesn't look like he's lookin' for any," deadpanned Applejack.

"Yeah, sorry for wasting your time," said Junior as he pulled away from Twilight. The elf grunted in annoyance as she pulled him back.

"Hey, what the heck is your problem?!" whispered Twilight.

"Nothing!" Junior whispered back.

Twilight furrowed her brows. She couldn't fathom why this boy was behaving like this. He seemed rather ungrateful for her going out of her way to help.

"Then stop being so difficult! You wanted a job, didn't you?" asked Twilight.

"Yeah, but-" Junior stopped as he noticed the blonde girl to be standing by, her arms crossed over her chest. She had a stoic look, patiently waiting for the two to cease their bickering. Junior sighed to himself. Of all the people that he had to ask for a job, it had to be her.

"Applejack, right? It's uh... Like Twilight said, I'm looking for work. Do you think that you could help me?" asked Junior. Applejack snorted, a small smirk appearing on her face.

"So, Mr. Tough Guy here needs this lil ol' farm girl's help? He didn't seem to need it nor wanted it after Nightmare Moon put him in a hurt." said Applejack. Junior winced. His eyes instinctively looked away from the girl's emerald green eyes.

"If I recall, you told us that you didn't need our help. Why should I help you now?" asked Applejack, a hand on her hip. Junior sighed heavily, swallowing the lump in his throat.

"Because I'm asking for your help..." said Junior, his tone small. Having his words thrown back at him from that night was not pleasant. Right now, she held all the cards of the deck. If she wanted, Applejack could turn him away. He couldn't blame her. Applejack hummed as she approached the taller boy, narrowing her eyes.

"So tell me partner, are ya willin' to work hard? Are ya willin' to accept help in this workplace when it is offered?" Applejack eyed Junior, now close to the boy's face. Junior was stumped into silence. He wasn't expecting to be hassled into accepting help. But, if that's what it took to make some ground on cutting himself off from Celestia's financial help, then it was worth swallowing his pride.

"Yeah," answered Junior. Applejack's stern look was quickly replaced with a friendlier one.

"Then consider yourself hired, partner! Welcome to Sweet Apple Acres." Applejack took Junior's hand and began to aggressively shake. Junior slightly winced at her surprisingly strong grip, clear signs of a working woman on the farm.

"Just like that?" asked Junior.

"Just like that," answered Applejack. The boy turned to look back at Twilight and Spike, who met him with smiles of encouragement. Junior cracked a small smile himself. He then turned to face the blonde.

"Thank you, I'll do my best," said Junior.

"Let's get started!" Applejack picked up one of the baskets and handed it to Junior. She then took off to the apple orchard. Junior turned to Twilight and Spike who had grins on their faces. He cleared his throat, as he glanced away, scratching at the back of his head. A small hint of a blush was on his cheeks.

"I uh... That is... Thanks," said Junior.

This wasn't the type of reaction that Twilight saw coming. But she had to admit that it was rather charming to see him this way. She never took Junior for being shy. Twilight warmly smiled in response.

"No problem, Gojira. You better get going, AJ is waiting."

"Right, later you two."

Junior broke into a jog, following Applejack into the orchard. Twilight and Spike waved to him.

"Bye!" They called in unison.

Junior was watching Applejack make her way to one of the trees in the Orchard. She began to stretch out her arms and legs, grunting as her joints popped. Junior stared as she was stretching her strong legs, and how her shorts exposed her luscious thighs. The girl had a thick figure. Some might mistake her build as fat, but Junior knew better. Her body bore strong curves that could only be from muscle. The way her sweaty and grime covered tank top hugged her figure caused the blood to rush to the boy's face.

Junior quickly looked away, fearing that the farm girl would catch him staring and fire him before he could even start working. Applejack took a stance, a determined look on her face. She then shot her leg forward at the tree. The tree shook from the force, causing the apples to fall from its branches and into the baskets below.

"All I need ya to do is kick these trees and gather the apples into these baskets. Think you can handle that, partner?" asked Applejack.

"Yep." Junior responded.

"Let's see it then." Applejack pointed to the tree behind Junior. The boy turned and observed the tree. Junior placed a couple of baskets around the tree. He then positioned himself and prepared his kick. He mentally reminded himself to control his strength. He loosened his muscles as he took a breath. He swiftly sent a kick towards the tree. It shook from the strike, prompting the apples to fall into the baskets. Applejack nodded in approval.

"You seem to have it down. I'll leave ya to this part of the Orchard. Holler if ya need anything."

"Got it." Gojira proceeded to move on to other trees in the Orchard.

Junior spent a couple of hours kicking the trees. His progress has been quick for someone who's done this type of work for once. Earthbounds had enough strength to take on this kind of manual labor, especially to harvest trees this way. But, Junior was different. With his strength and endurance, he could keep this up all evening. Junior gathered the baskets that were filled with apples and took them to the barn. Once he placed the baskets down, he proceeded to make his way back into the orchard. During his walk, he felt a sensation at the back of his mind. He froze in place once he heard a familiar voice.

"Takishi-kun." The voice called. This time, the voice spoke Equish. Whoever this person was, she spoke clearly, with barely a hint of an accent in her speech. Junior looked at his surroundings, trying to find the source.

"Where are you? Show yourself!" Junior called out.

"We'll meet each other in time. But there's something that you need to know." The voice replied.

"In time? Don't give me that! What do you want from me?!" demanded Junior.

"I'm not your enemy. I'm warning you of an incoming threat. There are others like us hiding here in Equestria. Some of us just want to live in peace. Others are looking to destroy," explained the voice.

"Others? What do you mean? How do you know about me? Please, if you're going to keep invading my life, tell me your name!" Junior cried, wanting to make sense of this entire thing. This owner of the voice acted like she wanted to help, but she was putting more stress on the boy.

"My name, is Mosura Yasu. And I am like you, a Transmutant." The voice replied.

Junior's heart skipped. His eyes widened in shock. He knew that word. He's heard it for a while now. It was a term that would apply to someone like him. This was the first time that he's heard of others like him walking among the Equestrians.

"We will meet in person soon Takeshi-kun," The voice faded.

Junior stood still, having been stumped by what he had learned. He wondered what his future would be at this point. One thing was certain, it was bleaker then before. Junior heard Applejack running through the orchard.

"Hey, you alright partner? I heard ya shoutin'," panted Applejack. Junior gulped. He scolded himself for yelling out to a voice that he couldn't see.

"Y-Yeah. I just thought I saw some thief trying to steal some apples," said Junior. Applejack looked to Junior suspiciously. The boy kept a look of stoicism, as the girl's green eyes stared into his amber colored eyes.

"Hmm. Alright, I trust ya. I'll have to keep an eye out," said Applejack. Junior sighed, feeling some guilt well up. This was the burden of lying. Some may think that he's being dramatic, but they never had to lie to people for most of their lives.

"Ok. I'll get back to work. Sorry about that."

Junior proceeded to gather the rest of the baskets and walked back to the barn. Applejack watched Junior in worry. She couldn't shake the feeling that something was bothering him. The blonde followed him, carrying some of the baskets as well.

The sun was setting over the land. By now, many apples had been harvested and placed inside of large wooden barrels. The barrels were stocked inside of the barn, having been sealed up by lids. Junior sighed as he tugged at his sweat soaked T-shirt. His brows glistened from what little sunlight was cast over him. Applejack closed the doors to the barn.

"Whew! Thanks partner! Come back on Tuesday. Early if ya can manage," said Applejack.

"How early?" asked Junior.

"Well, my early is around when the rooster crows," said Applejack. Junior grimaced. He's never gotten up that early before. He's never been a morning person. But, Applejack may be expecting strong work ethic out of him. It seemed that the mutant will have to make an effort.

"Sure, I'll try," said Junior with a weak smile. Applejack chuckled. She reached into her hat and drew out a bag.

"Catch!" Applejack tossed the bag. Junior quickly reached out on reflex, catching it. He felt a weight from it, as well as the jingle of something metallic from inside.

"What's this?" asked Junior.

"Can't ya tell? It's your pay for a hard day's work," said Applejack nonchalantly. Junior opened the coin purse and looked inside. He found several golden bits to be piled on each other. He frowned.

"Something wrong?" asked Applejack, though her tone had a small hint of annoyance. She was certain that the amount in there was a fair payment for a day. Junior sealed the bag and held it out to her.

"I-I can't accept this, I just started." said Junior. Applejack was taken by surprise. But, she met him with a smile.

"Just take it, you earned it." Applejack waved her hand dismissively.

"You sure?"

"I'm positive." Applejack nodded with a grin. Junior looked back at the bag and back to Applejack. He then placed it in his hoodie's pocket.

"Thank you." said Junior.

"No problem. One more thing, Sugarcube." called Applejack.

"Yes?" asked Junior, ignoring the 'Sugarcube', though it didn't stop the small blush that appeared on his face. The girl placed a hand on his shoulder.

"If you're having problems, you should talk to somebody about it. There's no shame in asking for help. I learned that the hard way." Applejack chuckled, remembering her stubbornness during last 'Applebuck' season. Junior slightly nodded.

"I'll keep that in mind. See ya."

Junior walked off to the path, heading back home. Applejack watched Junior, seeing him slowly make his back to town. She tiredly sighed, heading back inside her home. Junior continued down the path, thinking back to his childhood.

A bright light ignited, chasing away the darkness from the middle of the room. Junior winced under the bright light that covered him. He was panting in panic, as his eyes darted around the dark room. It appeared like a hospital room. There lied surgical tools, that shined under the light. The lamp above began to generate heat in an otherwise chilly room.

Junior found himself strapped down to a bed. His wrists and ankles were bounded and kept him restrained. He instinctively attempted to struggle, but it was futile.

The sound of a door opening filled the air. Junior's eyes darted to the source, as footsteps slowly approached. A figure approached near his bed. Junior couldn't make out his face, due to the lamp in his face and the shadows having obscured the stranger's face. But, Junior saw hints of long pointed ears from the figure's silhouette.

"W-Where am I? Where's my dad?!" Junior cried.

"He's fine. His treatment was just finished. He's resting now."

The figure spoke in a rough, masculine tone. His accent wasn't like anything that Junior had heard before. He may not have been a fluent speaker of the Neighponese tongue.

"Wh-What do you want with us?" whimpered Junior.

The man began to pace around the boy. Every now and then, Junior would catch glimpses of his face, as the lighting on him changed. Junior could make out some rough features, as light wrinkles and creases, signs of an older man nearing middle age. His red eyes seemed to almost glow.

"You're here because you and your father are very special specimens," said the figure, as he stopped pacing, locking eyes with the child.

"You're here to receive your birthright. You'll ascend to become gods among men," said the man, as he raised a hand. An aura of magic appeared, which took shape and formed into the semblance of a creature that resembled a dragon. It was wingless, stood in a bipedal stance, with a row of dorsal plates running along its back, down to its tail. Junior recognized such a creature. He often saw something similar on the painted canvases of his home and heard tales of it. It was a beast of legend.

"And it's thanks to HIM."

"Y-You're crazy! Let me go!" Junior cried, thrashing. The figure sighed warily.

"Hold him down," ordered the man.

Junior suddenly found a few latex covered hands to be placed on him. As he attempted to struggle, they tightly griped his shoulders, arms and legs and pressed him down into the bed. Junior was screaming as he thrashed his head around in a last ditch effort to resist. But, another hand grabbed his head and forced him down. His eyes were darting to the figures clothed in scrubs. The elf had emerged from the shadows and had Junior's head held in place. The boy's heart was racing in his chest. He couldn't think. All he could do was lie helplessly, dreading what was coming.

"Hold still. It will all be over soon," said the elf, speaking in an almost comforting tone. Junior's eyes widened as he drew out a syringe, filled with an orange fluid. Junior began to cry out as he attempted to move, his thrashing becoming rougher. Even for a small child, he was giving his captors trouble.

The needle came down and pressed into Junior's neck. He cried out in pain. The fluid was injected into his body, spreading through his system. Junior screamed as he began to convulse. His captors quickly backed away, as he violently shook in bed. His cries of agony echoed through this room, as his sclera became a ting of yellow, and his irises expanded.

Junior found himself removing his dirty clothes. He had showered, a dead look in his eyes. No child should have to go through what he experienced. Because of them, he lost everything. His home, his father, and something else. Junior rubbed a hand over his neck, where the needle pricked his flesh long ago.

There was no coming back from what he had gone through. It would forever haunt him. The worse part about it was the fact that he had to spend years hiding it, especially from those few he had grown attached to. He had no one to confide in with this trauma. Junior recalled Twilight's words from earlier today. About wanting people to like him, rather than fear him.

It was a pointless question. It didn't matter what Junior wanted. In the end, he would be feared.

Next Chapter: Chapter 4: Garuda the Brush Off Estimated time remaining: 17 Hours, 43 Minutes