Cyan and Lumina: Adventures in Equestria.

Chapters

Chapter 2: Lumina's Hard Morning, and Meeting her Squad Mates.
Chapter 3: Cyan's Movie Outing, Pizza Lunch, and Cutie Mark Concerns.
Chapter 4: Lumina's Romantic Conflict, and her Interview
Chapter 5: Cyan's Magic Duel
Chapter 6: Lumina and Nil's talk, and their Secrets Revealed
Chapter 7: Cyan's New Teacher, and his Mysterious New Magic
Side Chapter 1: Teala and Roxxie's Frustrations, and Unexpected Events
Chapter 8: Lumina's Crushing Heartbreak
Chapter 9: Cyan's Explanation, and the Dark Truth
Chapter 11: Cyan's Dreamscape, and the Mysterious Mare Returns
Side Chapter 2: Dealing with a Loss of a Friend
Chapter 12: Getting Closer: Lumina's Inner Conflicts
Side Chapter 3: Questions on Cyan's Actions and Motives
Chapter 13: Welcome to Manehattan
Side Chapter 4: Roxxie's Earth, and Teala's Water
Chapter 14: New Job, New Place, and Facing Changes
Side Chapter 5: Different Ponies with Different Stories
Chapter 15: Meeting New Coworkers
Side Chapter 6: Nil's Lecture, Developing Mysteries, and Plans for the Future
Chapter 16: First Night on the Job, and Bed Chat
Side Chapter 7: The Rights to Love (Edited)
Chapter 17: Cyan's Second Lesson in Shadow Magic
Side Chapter 8: A Surprising Wake-Up Call, Blaze's Departure, and Teala's Deviant Plan
Chapter 18: Truths Come Out
Side Chapter 9: Getting Fitted, and Discussing Concerns
Chapter 19: Getting on the Same Ground Level
Side Chapter 10: The Butler's Loyalty
Chapter 20: Cyan's Payback and Homesickness
Side Chapter 11: Suspicions on Nil Thunder
Chapter 21: Cyan's Consultation, and his Third Lesson
Side Chapter 12: The Guardians of Earth and Water Revealed
Side Chapter 13: Teala's Discovery, Nil's History, and Apologies to be made
Chapter 23: Shopping for Wedding Dresses, and Lumina's Concerns
Chapter 24: An Evening of Brushies, Lumina's Harsh Dating and School Life, and a Promise Between Friends
Chapter 25: Cyan Dusknight, and the Land of Foodtopia; Part 1
Chapter 26: Cyan Dusknight, and the Land of Foodtopia; Part 2
Chapter 27: The Morning Workout, and Lumina's Ambition
Chapter 1: Cyan's Morning, and Meeting his Friends.
Chapter 10: A New Friendship is Formed! Cyan and Lumina's Fateful Encounter
Chapter 22: Lumina's Inner Conflict Returns, Breakfast in Bed, and a Few Surprises

Chapter 2: Lumina's Hard Morning, and Meeting her Squad Mates.

Chapter 2: Lumina's Hard Morning, and Meeting her Squad Mates

[Friday Morning]

I was sleeping at the bottom of a bunk bed, wearing a white tank top, and boxer briefs, trying to take as much advantage of the rest as possible. Suddenly, a loud horn was blasting through the speaker, my violet colored eyes jolting open with red cracks riddling in the sclera.

“IT’S FUCKING 5 IN THE MORNING! AT LEAST GIVE ME ANOTHER HOUR DAMMIT!” My roommate yelled from the top bunk, while I grumbled and covered my head with my pillow.

After I sluggishly, but quickly getting up and changing into my cadet uniform, I went to the mirror, and quickly brushed my violet mane and tail. I then tied the former with a blue hair tie, making it into a ponytail, while my front was splayed in a messy style.

“Luminaaaaa, can’t you convince the drill sergeant to give us more time to sleep today?” My roommate whined while putting on her own uniform.

“Sorry Creamy,” I apologized. “My looks can only get to so many stallions, and I can never get the sergeant to crack. Besides, I heard Commander Dusknight was going to inspect us today, so sleeping in is not an option.”

I’ll try to keep my introduction short and sweet. I'm Luminescent Lustre of Squad 13 in the E.U.P. Guard Academy. I prefer to be called Lumina though. Unicorn, butter colored coat with violet mane and tail, Age 19, and 5’9.5” tall. Don’t even ask what my weight and cup size is if you know what’s good for ya. Cutie Mark is three hot pink hearts with a flash of light shining behind them, representing the love that shines from within, and spreading it to those close to me. And I mean CLOSE close, like really close friends and family who deserve them the most. Anyone who messes with me or those I care about won’t get any from me, can fuck off, and jump off a bridge. Speaking of family, I was born and raised in Trottingham with my mother and older sister, who I’ve dearly love and missed since I left home. My dad unfortunately died of a stroke before I was born, so I never got to know him.

I didn’t even WANT to come here, but because of my private teacher, Bright Beacon, who I refer to as ‘old hag,’ took notice of my… Special ability, and how I barely listen to her teaching me to hone said ability, she convinced my mom enough to draft me here to "learn some discipline." If I ever see that bitch again, I’m going to whop her good enough so she wouldn’t be able to bear foals. Then again, she probably has no use for them anyway, since I’ve never seen or heard about her dating life. Ugh, I’m getting sick just talking about it.

Anyway, you can probably guess why I sound like such a bitch, and excuse me for my language, but I’ve been wanting to get out of here since day one. It’s been one year since I enrolled, and I STILL want to get the fuck out. It’s better than what I went through in high school though. I don't want to get into much detail about my high school life, but let's just say I've gained a bad, false reputation that was enough for me to get looked down upon until graduation. In the academy? Pushing the yelling and ‘in your face’ confrontations from the Drill Sergeant to the side, I have learned some self-defense and attack spells that could knock someone over to next week, toned my body good enough to leave stallions and mares drooling (I’m quite proud of my ass especially), and boy has it been fun giving them a good tease now and then. Oh, and did I mention I was bisexual? Well there ya go.

“Oh please, you’re not giving yourself enough credit,” my roommate commented. “I’m sure if you put in enough effort, you could probably grab SOME his attention.”

Cream Cloud, my roommate, was a white pegasus with an orange, braided mane and tail with white highlights. She had perky B Cup sized breasts, and also a well-toned ass that I would peek at now and then. We’ve become… Okay, for the past year, but you can probably tell by her yelling from earlier why I’d rather not get too close to her. Plus, she’s straight.

“I like to tease, not using my body to get what I want,” I defended. “I may put on the moves, but I know my boundaries once I get to know them. Like how I want to grope your sweet ass and play with your perky breasts now and then.”

Creamy’s whole face blushed red, and her wings fluttered a little from the comment. “W-what?” She asked.

Goddess how I love it when I make ponies squirm and speechless like that.

“See?” I asked. “There ya go. You’re not comfortable with me doing such activity, and I back off from it. I can even stop with the teases too if you want me to, but I haven’t heard anything since we first bunked here. In the end, that just tells me that you’re fine with it,” I concluded as I bent down and wagged my hips. I held her chin up with my finger, gazed at her with my bedroom eyes, and gave my signature sexy smile. “Isn’t that right?” I asked in a sultry tone. Creamy just got redder in the head until it was an apple on shoulders, and her mouth opened and closed. I took in the sweet moment until I heard the door slammed open.

“Lumina! We got to get to the training grounds before-!” Exclaimed a light green pegasus stallion in uniform as he drank the view of me in close proximity with my roommate. His nose started leaking with blood flowing down before I gritted my teeth, tightened my fist, and I could have sworn a vein was also pulsing through my forehead.

“Niiil? How many times do I have to tell you?” I asked through my teeth before I stomped towards him, grabbed the collar of his shirt, lifted him up, and threw him across the hall. “KNOCK ON THE FUCKING DOOR BEFORE GOING INTO A ROOM!” I yelled before he hits his head on the wall, and plops to the ground.

I sighed frustratingly before I turned to Creamy. “Sorry about that Creamy, but I guess we should get going now. We’ll continue where we left off later,” I said before I winked, and walked to the end of the hall where Nil lay.

Oh yeah, I should probably talk about the pegasus I just threw. Nil Thunder was his name. 21, 6’1", light green coat with a very light blonde, messy mane touching his shoulders, and tail reaching to his knees. On his arms and legs, he always wear metal plates with bandages wrapped around them. I could never get him to tell me why. I did get he was from Hoofington though. His cutie mark was a lightning bolt striking two working gears, symbolizing his special talent in science and engineering involving magic and electricity (as far as what he had told me). He's also the top genius in this squad.

Now, he wasn’t a bad guy. He’s usually pretty chill and laid back, and can be pretty friendly. But when it comes to mares though… He has a little pervert problem. He respects and treats mares well, don’t get me wrong, but show him enough of your coat, some mare’s bra or underwear, or have him run into a sexual innuendo-like situation like earlier, and his IQ just plummets and turns into a big idiot that doesn’t know a mare’s personal privacy.

The first time this kind of thing happened, he had walked in on me changing while I was still in my bra and panties, and he just stood there dumbstruck like he had never seen a mare in such attire in his life before. Which was actually the case, but I reacted with a similar gesture like earlier. Only to a third degree as I was still VERY pissed about drafting here during the first few weeks.

We had talked after that though. Found out the poor guy was a virgin with no dating experience, and the only mares he had ever known in his life were his adoptive mother, and young step sister. He didn’t even know what porn was when I asked, as he had only read books on science, magic, and all that braniac jizz. I had apologized after my reaction, and offered to teach him some ropes about what you should or shouldn’t do when it comes to mares. He has gotten better, but he’s got a long way to go though as his progress was just shown. We’ve gotten to be okay buds as we’ve gotten to know each other, but I sometimes feel there’s more to him than meets the eye. And of course there’s noooo way of letting him getting in my pants. That was the first rule I gave him with mares. When they say no to a date, or going to do something adult, you back off. He seemed to take that advice at heart.

After I pulled his body up from the floor, he brushed himself off, and wiped what blood was left dripping from his nose. He seemed to have gotten used to my… Over the top reactions, but I should really pull myself back a little. “Ugh. Anyway, we need to get to the training grounds, stat. And sorry for earlier,” he apologized.

“It’s okay. Sorry for throwing you to the wall,” I reciprocated.

“Eh, I’m starting to get used to it. Think it’s gotten me pretty resistant to physical pain, so that’s a plus. Oh! And Lumina, I was wondering if we could talk privately during lunch today?” Nil asked.

Huh, that’s strange. Haven’t heard something like that from him yet. Now I’m curious.

“Sure, we can do that. Just don’t get any ideas though,” I said while I slugged his shoulder with a teasing grin.

“Please, as if I have a chance,” Nil humbled.

We then started running to the training grounds where the other recruits were in two lines facing each other at two meters apart. They stood at attention on standby for further orders. At the end of one line though… There he was.

Shining Armor. The one pony within this academy who I can call the closest friend I have. And… Kind of my crush. 20 years old, 5’11”, white unicorn, mane in three different shades of blue reaching past his shoulders, which was also tied in a pony tail like mine. His tail had the same colors as his mane that reached to his calves. His cutie mark was a blue shield with three light blue, five pointed stars above it, and a fuchsia six pointed star at the center of the defensive weapon, representing his strong willingness to protect his family, and others around him. Blue eyes, broad shoulders, washboard stomach, steel toned ass, and I’m getting over the top with the description aren’t I? Can you blame me though? He's just that fucking hot.

He was the first out of everyone in the Academy who had welcomed me and made an attempt to make friends with me, even when I didn’t want to be here, and wasn’t into making contact with anyone. I didn’t have any feelings for him at the time. I saw him as attractive, sure, but it wasnt enough for me to take a special interest in him.

I had actually attempted to run away from the academy once. I was caught in the act by him, and stopped me before I got away. Shining sympathized what I was going through, as he has a little sister back home that he dearly misses, and understood my homesickness. He also added how I could put the time in the academy to my advantage, training myself while I think about what I want to do with my life, and become a stronger individual both physically, and mentally in the process. After a long talk, he convinced me to stay, and that was where I had first developed my crush for him. To this day, no matter how much I struggled to get through the daily routines, spending time with him, getting to know him, and making friends with him, made my time here at the academy worth it.

Nil and I stood at attention in the line, me between him and Shining, as we faced forward.

“Glad you were able to make it. Rough morning today?” Shining asked in a whisper while still staring intently straight ahead.

“You can probably blame Nil for that,” I whispered back.

“I said I was sorry,” Nil defended.

“It’s just never a calm morning with you two isn’t it?” Shining asked with a small smirk while glancing back at me. I couldn’t help but blushed and stared to the side when I noticed that. Stupid sexy Shining.

“Quiet, the sergeant is coming,” someone else whispered, before the three of us stared straight ahead.

A brown, husky earth stallion with the usual camouflage uniform and hat, was stomping from the side, approaching to one end of the line, opposite from ours. He stopped and turned towards us.

“ATTENTION!” The sergeant commanded us with his loud, throat wrenching voice before we fixed our postures and stood upright. “Listen up cadets! Today we have a special guest from the Royal Guard who will be monitoring your performances, and evaluating your progress to be future Royal Guard Soldiers. Everyone give salute to Commander Dusknight!”

“GOOD MORNING DUSKNIGHT SIR!” We all yelled.

“At ease,” the voice ordered with a calm, yet firm tone before we shifted our balance to a more comfortable position, and put our arms behind our backs, still facing forward at attention.

Commander Marine Dusknight, a broad looking stallion, was sporting a navy blue suit with gold trims and matching slacks like other higher ranked guard stallions. He had his medals, bands, and symbols stuck on his chest and shoulders proudly, with an insignia of a red shield shaped like Shining’s, but had a black six pointed star in the center instead. He had a dark blue coat like his name implied, black mane that stretched below his shoulders with matching tail, and the one thing that can get even the strongest of warriors to their knees: his blood red colored eyes. The moment I had first saw those eyes as he looked at me, not only did they have a sense of beauty and wonder in them, it seemed he went through a dark past as I looked closer in those eyes. He had probably developed them while in the guard, but there was something more to it. Like whatever he had experienced or dealt with in the past, was something nobody would ever want to see, and that gave him a sense of coldness that could chill anyone to the bone. He’s the only one besides the old hag I’ve considered watching out for and not play games with, as I felt a sense of fear in myself every time he had looked at me.

“This squadron,” The commander said with a calm, yet somber tone as he walked down the space between the lines. Though staring straight ahead, he takes a few glances on each side as he passed by. “I can certainly see changes from some of you when I had first saw you in orientation last year. Some of you… have gotten stronger. Not through physical means, no, but mentally. Whether you're stronger by emotion, cognition, or intelligence, that can only be shown once you're on the front lines. Some of you probably went through a traumatic, sad, or life changing experience, but you learned from them, and grew stronger in the end.

“There may be reasons why you’re here today. Whether it be to finding your place in life, searching yourself, or the main reason why we have this academy: to shape ponies into the best guards imagined to protect our royal monarch, our loved ones, and maintaining the peace in Equestria. Whatever motivations you have to coming here, I would like to say thank you for choosing this academy to find your calling, and for considering to be one of the many who will be offering their time and lives to maintaining this land of harmony.

“Today, I will be recording progress in your training, and I will be holding interviews to each of you about what you have experienced here, and what you’ll do next. There will be no skipping out on the latter. When I call you in, you follow with no argument, question, or excuses,” he stopped in front of me. Though he looked straight ahead, his fearsome red eyes turned their gaze toward my direction. “Do I make myself clear?” He asked.

“SIR YES SIR!” We all complied. Part of me wanted to think that last question goes to everyone in the squad, but when he looked at me back then… I could tell that question was directed mostly to me.

“Sergeant, they’re all yours,” the commander concluded before he walked past the rest of us out of the space.

“ALRIGHT CADETS!” The Drill Sergeant started. “FOUR LAPS AROUND THE TRACK! LET’S GO GO GO!”

“SIR YES SIR!” We followed before we got to the obstacle course.

Chapter 3: Cyan's Movie Outing, Pizza Lunch, and Cutie Mark Concerns.

[Friday Afternoon]

“So I heard the new ‘Spider-Mare’ movie came out recently last week,” I said as the three of us left Roxxie’s makeshift home/shop. “I was thinking we could catch the closest showing first, grab lunch, and go to the park afterwards.”

“Oh I’ve been wanting to see that!” Roxxie exclaimed excitedly. “I hope she kicks as much ass in the movie as the comics I sometimes read.”

“Going to the park sounds wonderful too,” Teala added. With the plan for the day agreed on, we walked to the movie theater as our first stop, while Roxxie was talking about her last training regimen at the West Side Gym.

Something about Roxxie. If the… Thought out description of her body earlier wasn’t obvious enough, she’s training to be a professional fighter. Learning and studying as many fighting styles possible before she settles on one or two main ones to focus on for her future matches.

Her dad, Jabber Stone, was a well-known fighter when he and Sultry met in Manehattan, a time when she was Sultry Spool before they had gotten married. Unfortunately, during Sultry’s pregnancy, Jabber wanted to do one last match before he retired and help take care of their future daughter. Well… Let’s just say he retired permanently after that match. One good right hook to the side of the head was enough to crack and break Jabber’s skull inward, penetrating the brain before he died of internal bleeding.

When Roxxie was old enough to hear about her father’s career, she was somehow inspired to follow in his hoofsteps, not only wanting to become the best fighter in Equestria, but to become strong enough to protect her mom like her dad would have wanted, plus me and Teala. I knew where she was coming from, as I have a dad I look up to, and want to be strong like him one day. Sometimes she would let me train with her, teach me some fighting moves, and we even sparred to see how much I had improved when we didn’t have school to worry about. Sadly, I haven’t really gotten a win out of her yet. But looking back to those times, I remember some matches where we had got pretty… physical. While even though she had come out on top numerous times, there were some cases where I didn’t realized I kind of liked being in the positions she pinned me down on, especially some where she got so close I could see her beautiful yellow eyes… Like what she was doing right now.

“Hellooooo? Earth to Cy? You okay there bud?” Roxxie asked, snapping me out of my walk on memory lane. I shook my head, getting myself back to reality.

“Huh? Wha?” I dumbly responded.

“Are you sure you’re okay Cyan?" Teala asked with a look of concern. "You’ve been kind of lost on us lately today. Have those late night study sessions been too much for you?”

“I’m sorry, I’m fine,” I assured with a wave of my hand. “I was just thinking back to the times Roxxie had beat me in all those sparring matches. I’m starting to think I may not be able to keep up with her,” while that was partially the truth, I didn’t want to tell them what really went on in my head.

“Don’t beat yourself so soon yet Cy,” Roxxie interrupted. “You’ve gotten better since the first time we trained together as far as I’ve noticed. You got the determination and drive to improve, you just need to give yourself more credit.”

“Hmm, that sounds so familiar. I wonder where I have heard of that before?” Teala asked with a sarcastic tone.

I think I realized another flaw from Teala. Though her sarcasm can be funny sometimes, there are others when that can get kind of annoying. Even if she was trying to make a point.

“’Course, that’s if you’re gonna be Equestria’s best fighter,” Roxxie added. “The kind of title I KNOW I’ll be getting myself someday.”

Then there’s Roxxie’s big ego of hers that can get other ponies rolling their eyes like bowling balls.

“Is there a reason why we stopped?” I asked, hoping to change the subject before things got out of hand.

“Well after snapping you out,” Roxxie replied. “I was going to tell you that we’re here,” she gestured to the movie theater in front of us where we stopped.

Huh, I must have been more out of it than I thought. It takes a bit getting from Roxxie’s to get over here. I really need to stop keeping my head up in the clouds, and I’m not even a pegasus.

“Oh, well what are we doing just standing out here? Let’s get those tickets and get in!” I exclaimed before I got in line for the ticket booth first. Teala and Roxxie glanced at each other, and shrugged before they joined in. We paid for our own tickets before we walked inside.

“Man that movie was awesome!” Roxxie exclaimed as the three of us walked out of the theater sometime later. “The ending was kind of cheesy for my taste, but it was still great.”

“I thought it was a good ending,” Teala commented. “I had loved some of the more romantic scenes. Like how the heroine kissed her crush passionately while upside down in the rain after saving her from those thugs, and web-slinged up and out of the alley in that one scene? That was certainly my most favorite,” she expressed before sighing dreamily.

I have to say, even I was a little intrigued with that kiss. It seemed very creative and exciting. Wonder how would Teala and Roxxie react if they were kissed like that? Wait, UGH! Again with the weird drifting off topic to something involving my friends. Better think of something else, and quick.

I tried to think of something to help keep my mind off of the weird image before my growling stomach caught my attention. “Heh, I guess it’s lunch time huh?” I asked before Teala pulled a pocket watch out of her purse to check the time.

“My goodness,” Teala said. “It’s already 1:30. Certainly past lunchtime,” her stomach, as well as Roxxie’s, growled in unison afterward. The two young mares couldn’t help but blushed cutely at that. “And I do believe our stomachs agree.”

“Anyone up for pizza?” Roxxie asked.

“I think you’ve read my mind,” I claimed. “The three of us can poll our bits together to help pay for the pie, while we each get our own drinks. Sound good?” I asked, and the two nodded in agreement. We then walked out of the theater’s property and headed to the town’s pizza parlor. Honestly, I know I’ll be having a lot of cheese in my stomach at the end of the day, adding to the lasagna mom’s making for dinner tonight. But I just love cheese too much to not refuse, and pizza is just the best food for almost any occasion. I just have to learn to consume cheese in moderation is all.

We talked more about the movie as we walked before we got to the pizza parlor minutes later. We ordered our pie, and got our drinks before we took a seat in one of the circular tables outside of the restaurant.

“So how’s your studying for exams next week Roxxie?” I asked her starting the conversation.

“Ugh, don’t remind me,” Roxxie responded. “I think I’d rather do a hundred push-ups than studying for those damn tests. That, or until my arms turn to jelly, whichever comes first,” She commented while scratching her head in annoyance.

I don’t blame her. My brain was pretty numb this morning after my late night study session last night.

“Cyan was actually telling me earlier this morning that we should hold a few study sessions this weekend to better prepare ourselves,” Teala brought up. “I found it a wonderful idea at the time. What about you Roxxie?”

“Sounds good to me,” Roxxie answered. “I’m kind of not seeing a point to school anymore though. I mean I have a pretty good idea of what I want to do, and it requires little to almost no education whatsoever. Even if I don’t have my cutie mark yet.”

That was one of the few things the three of us had in common. Pretty much everyone else in the class had already got theirs sometime between their first and second year of junior high. The three of us were part of the handful of students who still don’t have it yet. I wouldn’t really had mind it all that much if it weren’t for a few bullies that had kept annoying us with that. Something brought to my concern though since she mentioned it...

“Actually… Nah, I’m probably crazy," I disregarded.

“What brought your attention?” Teala asked.

“Yeah, if it was something important, I wanna hear it,” Roxxie added.

“Well… How should I put this?” I asked before I took a moment to think of the right words. “I can understand in my position that I have no idea what I want to do, or what special talents I have that will help me get to the career of my choosing.

“Teala, you don’t want to take your parents’ place in the cloud making machine maintenence business, and want to find your own place in life through your own terms. I highly respect that by the way,” I don’t know why I said that last part, but that seemed to get Teala smiling shyly with a tint of red in her cheeks.

“Roxxie,” I continued. “You’re probably the only one of us that has got some idea of what you want to do in life, and you’re even TRAINING right now to get started on your path. I would think your passion for fighting and learning different styles would give some idea of what your cutie mark would look like. The concern that came to my attention was how you aren’t the first of us who have gotten their cutie mark if you had already known what you wanted to do?”

That seemed to have stunned the two of them as they sat there wide-eyed with blank stares directing at me, and then at each other. It was a very valid and interesting point, and I’m still surprised this wasn’t brought up until now.

We sat there in silence before Roxxie opened her mouth, but closed it while she looked up in thought. She suddenly rolled one of her jacket sleeves up to her shoulder connecting the joint of her arm, double-checking the place where the first cutie mark would be, but nothing was there. She then rolled down the sleeve before she looked back to me. "You got a point Cyan," she said. "I mean it’s not like I have any doubts with what I want to do. I know what I like, and I know what to strive for. I should have gotten my cutie mark a long time ago. So why do I not have it now?”

“That’s what I want to know,” I inquired. “My mom told me a theory once that we all have some kind of magic in ourselves, whether it be unicorn, pegasus, or earth pony. The cutie marks that appear on our arms and… our other places, the moment we come to that realization of finding our goal or special talent are living proofs of that.

“If that isn’t enough for you to get your cutie mark, what else is there that’s required? Does our cutie marks symbolize our destiny in some way? Are Teala and I on the same boat in the unspoken requirements of getting cutie marks of our own?” There were times I had just hated how far my curiosity went, and this was one of those times. I have a bad tendency of bringing up questions that seem to link to even MORE questions, to a point that it’s just a long chain that doesn’t have the answers to lock and link said metaphorical object together. Worse than that, my questions seemed to have gotten my best friends where looks of uncertainty, doubt, and even fear was painted all over their faces.

I have to think of something to say that can brighten the mood. Something to get our hopes back up, to get the looks of determination, confidence, and happiness back on the faces that I know and love… Wait, did I just say love? I think I meant that platonically... For the both of them… Right?

“I think I have an idea,” I finally spoke. Teala and Roxxie turned to me with curiosity on where I was going. “We have the summer off after our exams are done, giving us three months before we start our first year in Canterlot High. I say during those three months, we work together doing whatever activity that exists until we get our cutie marks. We’ll even look more into how our cutie marks come to us, and how they came to be on the side. I don’t know about you guys, but I’m not going to spend the whole summer twiddling my thumbs, and asking myself more questions about this when I can get up, and start searching for those answers myself. Don’t you two agree?” They seemed surprised at first, but I think I got my point across, as they looked at one another, and nodded with looks of determination before turning back to me.

“I’m right there with ya Cy,” Roxxie answered first.

“I agree,” Teala added.

“Then it’s settled,” I decided before I stood up and raised my soda glass. “We’ll focus on getting our exams done first next week, and then we’ll get started with our search afterwards. Just remember that anything can happen to us when we’re not together, so when something comes up that brings our attention, let’s agree to meet up ASAP, and discuss our findings. Who’s with me?” I asked with a smile. Teala and Roxxie shared that smile, stood up, and held up their soda glasses as well.

“Count me in!” Roxxie exclaimed.

“I too will join as well,” Teala followed.

“Then let’s make this summer like our last, make this the most memorable yet, and find our futures!”

“YEAH!” The two mares yelled as we clinked our glasses. I couldn’t help but feel excited, and at ease as I saw hope, confidence, and happiness shining in their eyes again. I may not know what’s in store for the three of us, but I just know that things were going to be just fine. I can just feel it. As long as we were together, nothing can stop us no matter what comes our way.

Chapter 4: Lumina's Romantic Conflict, and her Interview

Chapter 4: Lumina's "Pleasure Time," and her Interview.

[Friday Afternoon]

The rest of the morning went like usual. Strenuous exercises, obstacle course, practicing close combat, handling weapons, which were mostly just spears, arrows, and swords, and shooting range for unicorns. Having Commander Dusknight around to monitor the activities was the only difference that made the morning routine more tense.

When lunch came around, me, Nil, and Shining had lunch together like usual and chatted, while one by one, the commander called out names by random instead of alphabetical order. He pulled said ponies out from whatever activity they were doing, and they followed him to a temporary office for those interviews. Nil had asked if we could have that private conversation after we both had our interviews, and I agreed. Shining had his first out of the three of us. It took about 40 minutes before he came back with a sigh of relief.

“How did it go?” I asked first.

“I’m not obligated to go into detail,” Shining said. “But it was... Surprisingly okay. He seemed to be more easy-going than what I imagined when I first saw him. I was so nervous when I got in though. I felt like I had forgotten to breathe for a second.”

Guess we won’t get any ideas on what the commander will ask us.

“Interesting,” Nil added.

“Yeah,” Shining responded. “I’m going to take a walk around the palace gardens to get some air. Good luck you guys,” he finished before he walked out of the building.

One of the perks of being in the academy is that since it’s within the Royal Palace’s grounds, we’re free to walk around Canterlot, use their library, and whatever’s in the mess hall’s kitchen (with permission of course). There were some places we weren’t allowed to enter however, and of course we’re expected to bow and greet to the princess formerly when she passed by. I’ve greeted and made small talk with her once or twice before myself. She was very kind and motherly like I’ve heard about, but… Goddess, what a fantastic body she had going.

Her big, beautiful flowing mane and tail that waves to the side with the well-blended colors of teal, green, indigo, and pink; her eyes, a rosy pink that mimicked the sky during the sunset that portrayed great kindness; her horn, longer than I’ve ever seen that showed to be dangerous, but ready to protect her subjects with her widely expanded knowledge of magic; and finally her wings, their span unfurled wide, showed great majesty by each feather while she flew. She stood about 6’7", and of course with large sizes being an alicorn, the proportions go along with them. Her breasts look like they were a G cup size, but had just the right perkiness as they bounced while she walked. Her waist had just enough meat and fat to look healthy, but also had a stomach fit enough that make it look like she didn’t had a cake or pastry in her life. And then there was her hips… Goddess. Damn her hips. They looked to be perfect to bear and give birth to many healthy baby foals, and if I was a stallion, she could take my sperm at any given day. And the way she wags those same hips, plus the royal posterior she sits on a daily basis as she walked, I’d get damp in my panties just watching them.

“Uh, Lumina? You alright? You’re kind of in a trance,” Nil said, which snapped me out of it. I suddenly start to feel that same dampness between my legs, and closed them instinctively.

Dammit, my fantasizing got me pent up.

“Uh yeah, I’ll be fine. Say, can you hold my spot for a moment?” I asked. “I got to tinkle.”

“Sure thing. Come back soon,” Nil said before I quickly got up and fast walked out of the cafeteria while trying to keep my legs closed.

I quickly got to my room, closed the door behind me, locked it before I quickly got to my bed, and started to relieve the tensions between my legs.

I left my room a couple minutes later. It was sprayed down with air freshener to mask the musky smell I had made during my 'stress relief.' I had also replaced the wet sheets from my bed with spares from the closet while keeping a mental note that I would clean the former later. As I walked back to the mess hall, thoughts were looming around my mind revolving around what I fantasized in my room.

I thought of Shining fucking me... Again. I'm really getting tired of doing this to myself. It's been a while since I had a cock in me, and boy, was the last one just AWFUL, and that was YEARS ago back in high school. Not to mention, Shining is just the most amazing stallion I've ever met. I feel there was some connection going on between us as we spent time together, but I just can't be sure he feels for me the same way I do for him... You know what? That's it. After my interview and talk with Nil today, I'm gonna find Shining, and confess how I really feel for him. I've waited long enough for him to come ask me about getting together, which hasn't happened at the slightest. So now I guess I have to come up front with him. He's not seeing anyone right now, as far as what he had told me, and I haven't seen many mares around here making any moves on him over the year he and I attended the academy together. This is my one chance with him to come clean, get together with him, kiss him, and then give him the best sex I can muster. Better that I do it today than hold it off tomorrow, or I'll never get to where I want to go.

I got back in the mess hall with my goal set in stone, but saw that Nil wasn’t sitting in his spot. I guessed he was next to be interviewed. I sat back down at the spot I was in before, waited, and got bored out of my mind.

After a couple minutes of waiting, and a trip to the bathroom that I actually needed, I came back to the mess hall with washed hands before I saw Nil coming out of the other side with Commander Dusknight behind him.

“Luminescent Lustre,” the commander called.

I guess I'm next.

I walked towards Commander Marine as I passed by Nil. “Meet me in my room when you’re done. Good luck,” he whispered while I nodded in response.

I got to the commander and stood at attention. “Follow me please,” he ordered before he led me to his office.

I sat on a chair while the commander was behind a desk. The office was white, barely unused as it was only open for higher ups from the Guard like Commander Dusknight to take the space temporarily. Shining was right on one thing. Though there was only the desk and chairs we sat on, it felt heavy being alone with the commander.

“Luminescent Lustre…” Commander Dusknight said as he pulled up a file. Probably mine most likely. “How’s being in the academy treating you?”

“I try to manage,” I answered.

“I understand that you didn’t come here by your own terms, and albeit, enrolling here in a way that’s unique compared to everyone else,” he pointed out

“That’s an understatement. Everyone else had to take some kind of entrance exam before they got accepted, while I only got in with a ‘special recommendation’ by the old hag. Which reminds me, how DID she get me in here in the first place?” I asked with a raised eyebrow.

What I mentioned about the exams was true enough. To get accepted into the academy, you have to get a certain score at the entrance exam before they decide to take you in. It’s actually because of that test that the others called Nil, ‘The Genius of Squad 13,’ due to him getting a perfect score in the exam. I had to ask him about that and what kind of school he graduated from, but turned out he DIDN’T go to public school at all. He was home schooled by his adoptive mother with his sister, and he had took extra time to study more on the side when class wasn’t in session. I envied him when I heard that to be honest. I kind of wished I had that kind of education while growing up. Anyway, I’m going off topic. At the orientation, everyone had looked at me with confusion and suspicion as they hadn’t seen me taking the exam with them. I did not like the attention I had gotten that day, but at least Nil and Shining were chill about it.

The commander chuckled a little from the question I had asked.

Huh, I didn’t think a guy like him would laugh at all.

“Old hag huh?” Dusknight asked. “That fits her somehow. As for how she got you in with that recommendation, let’s just say she and I are in close terms with the princess.”

“Wait, you mean you KNEW her?” I asked in shock.

“Boy did I,” Dusknight confirmed. “And from the way you described Bright Beacon? Seems like she hasn’t changed much since we last met. She and I attended here when we were around your age,” I sat there wide-eyed. I wasn’t sure what I was more surprised about. The fact that they’re in ‘close terms’ with the princess, or that they had a history together. Putting the two of them together now? The beasts of Tartarus would probably tremble with fear if they ever come across them. I could just tell. “But let’s get back to the matter at hand,” he continued. “Whether you attended here on special terms or not, I am inclined to give you a choice.”

“On what exactly?” I asked with skepticism.

“Whether you want to stay and begin your services to the Royal Guard, providing you a place to stay, and a… special program to help hone your ‘special ability,’ or resign from the academy,” he finished bluntly. I sat there in shock for a moment.

Did I hear that right? Am I allowed to leave?

“H-hold on…” I said. “Excuse me if I’m wrong, but it sounds like you’re giving me a choice to leave or be a Royal Guard.”

“That I did,” he confirmed. “To enlighten you on why you’re given the latter choice, it usually takes 2-3 years for a cadet to be trained before they were given the choice to become part of the Guard. You, and a few others in this squad, have made such remarkable progress in your training and education, me, and a couple others around my rank at the Guard are considering to take you in earlier than what we had anticipated.

“Now, you’ll be put through some pre-guard training, including the one with your ‘special ability’ before we put you on the front lines. On the other hand, you’re welcome to decline and resign attendance at the academy, whatever happens afterwards is your choice and responsibility,” he finished.

“So… If I choose to decline and resign, I can go back home? Or anywhere else in Equestria? No one would stop me?” I asked to be sure that I wasn’t hearing things.

“That is the correct,” Dusknight assured. “Personally, Bright’s methods and motives for ‘enrolling’ you to the academy seem unethical, and unfair in my opinion. I have a son myself, and I would never force him to join the Guard if he didn’t want to. I’m not sure what your mother had in mind when she accepted to enroll you, but I can only guess she only did what she had thought was best for you.

“The two of you have every right to choose your own paths. I chose to serve in the Guard because I want to give everyone a chance to live happily, and not let any opposing forces that could put the country in danger. I grew up with some unfortunate circumstances Lumina, and I don’t want anyone, my family especially, to ever experience a possible worse fate than mine,” he finished. I sat there in silence, taking in everything the commander said to me.

Wow… That’s… Really something.

“I will say this Lumina,” Dusknight continued. “If you choose to stay and serve in the Royal Guard, your experiences at that point will be unlike anything compared to what you’ve been through during your year here in the academy. So before you make the decision, I want you to think carefully, and make sure that the choice you make will be for the right reasons, or you’ll probably regret it in the long run,” he pulled out a piece of paper, and handed it to me. The words ‘Resignation Form’ were in bold letters at the top of the page. “I’ll come back tomorrow to see where you want to go, but if you’ve made your decision before then, just slide it under the door here, and I’ll be sure to get it registered in the system myself. In the meantime, I ask that you keep what we had within this room, as some ponies may sway their decisions based on the reactions of others.”

“Of course,” was my only response with understanding.

“Any more questions before we finish up here?” He asked. I took a moment to call back everything he said to form my questions.

“About my… ‘Special ability' if I choose to resign...” I said.

“That will actually be put under the classifieds in our records should you decide to resign. Disclosing something like that will be up to you,” he finished, which I nodded in understanding.

“Any chance you can tell me who else was given this choice before me?” I asked with a sheepish grin.

“If I did, I wouldn’t have asked you to keep what we had in this room, would I?” He answered with a sly grin of his own.

Dammit. Guess that’s not happening anytime soon.

“One last thing if you don’t mind?” I asked, and he nodded. “Why did you tell me so much about yourself earlier? I mean we’ve only met twice, and you seemed… Distant to everyone enough to not open up so much about yourself. So what makes me different compared to everyone else?”

Commander Dusknight sat there, and tried to come up with the right words before he looked back at me. “When I first saw you at the orientation… You reminded me a lot about my time with Beacon ever since we first met. You may not believe this yourself Lumina, but I could see that you two have more in common than you think,” he finished with a small smile, making him a little less threatening than what I had assumed before.

… He’s right. I don’t believe him. The day the old hag and me find some common ground would be the day cotton candy clouds rain chocolate milk.

I sat there in silence unable to make a good response with his claim before I spoke. “I think that’s all I got on me then.”

“Fair enough,” he nodded, got up from his desk, and approached me with his hand out. “Thank you for putting up with us in your time here. I wish you the best of luck in whatever you decide.”

I stood up and firmly grabbed and shook his hand with my own. “Thank you Commander,” I said before I headed onto my way out, but I stopped midway, and turned. “Oh, and before I go, I was wondering if you could do me a favor?” I asked.

He raised an eye brow at the question. “Continue,” he replied.

“If you ever run into the old hag again? Send her a message that the next time I see her, expect a can of whoop-ass coming her way,” I threatened as I punched into my open palm. He laughed heartily at that. As if he could relate in some way.

“Fair enough Lumina. Fair enough. You take care now,” he finished before I nodded, and left the office.

I got to say… Commander Dusknight… Was kind of cool. I found out a lot about him today, and I have a feeling this won’t be the last I see of him despite what I decide in the end.

“Alright Nil. Now it’s your turn for us to talk.” I said to myself as I walked to his room, ready for whatever the pervy genius has in store for me.

Chapter 5: Cyan's Magic Duel

[Friday Afternoon]

After we had our pizza, we left the restaurant and walked to the park that was further south of town, across from the elementary school where we all had first met and had our classes together. We all lied next to each other under the big tree that we like to lounge under now and then. I looked up at the sky, and saw the clouds were moved by Canterlot’s weather pegasi.

“Huh, are we going to have rain today?” I asked first.

“Sigmund was telling me this morning that there will be a heavy rain storm scheduled for later tonight,” Teala answered. “They're trying to make up for the lack of showers the past few weeks before summer kicks in. I guess they’re preparing for that right now. Makes sense since it’s past four already,” she finished. One great thing about having her as a friend is that she’s one of the first ponies out of everyone in town that knows what weather will occur in town on a daily basis due to her family's connections to the weather industry in Cloudsdale.

“Well at least we’ll still be able to enjoy the sunlight for the rest of today without anything bothering us before we study this weekend,” Roxxie added.

While it’s true that I like the daylight as well, I actually enjoy the night sky better myself. City lights affecting the view aside, I always loved watching the moon and stars in the dark. It’s a shame I won’t see any of that tonight, as the rain and clouds will be covering the skies.

I rest my eyes closed and took in the sounds of my surroundings with a smile. The wind rustling through the tree leaves and grass, the birds chirping with delight.

Nothing could possibly ruin this great moment.

“Well well well. If it isn’t Dusknight and the blank brigade?” An irritating, yet, familiar voice asked smugly.

... Why did I even think nothing could go wrong? Somewhere in the afterlife, Murpheigh is probably laughing at me right now.

The three of us jolted up to see the source of the voice came from a snooty green unicorn colt with a coyly styled, red and white mane sticking out in front of him. He wore a dark green, button up shirt, and black slacks while wearing a golden wrist band with an emerald embedded on top. Alongside him was an uptight, brownish-gray unicorn colt with an indigo mane, combed to the side and stretched over his shoulder, while wearing a black button up shirt with vertical light purple stripes, and matching slacks. He also had square shaped, black framed glasses over his eyes.

“Emerald Brace and Copper Cut… What the buck are you two doing here?” I snarled as me and the girls got up.

“I was just enjoying a stroll until I saw an opportunity to crash the party. Isn’t that right Copper?” Brace asked his cohort.

“Quite,” Copper responded with almost no emotion in his tone as he fixed his glasses.

“You better have a damn good reason to barge in on us if you know what’s in store for you,” Roxxie threatened while she cracked her knuckles, and Teala stood there glaring at them, flaring her wings open.

“I just want to wish you all the best of luck on the exams next week,” Brace replied. “Especially YOU, Dusknight, as you’ll need it the most.”

“And what is THAT supposed to mean Emerald?” Teala asked.

“I believe you remember that there are two different tests that will take place next week,” Brace explained. “The first is like all others where all races are tested on the subjects that were taught in class. The second is where each race is tested on their physical and mental capabilities. Ponysonally, I don’t see why pegasi and earth ponies are even included, or even allowed to walk the streets of Canterlot as unicorns are the superior race in this city.”

That just tighten the grip on my fist. I knew that was an insult directly to my friends, and I’m going to get him back for that later.

“Just get to the point Brace,” I growled through my teeth.

“My point Dusknight,” Brace continued. “Is that I know the bumpkin and featherbrain will have little to no trouble passing this test, as all they would do is prove their strength, coordination, and fly through hoops. YOU, on the other hand, must cast a spell high or unique enough to gain the judges’ attention, and how you represent our race. Now, how many high level spells have you successfully performed to prepare yourself for this test?” I stood there in silence, but started to shake with rage. “Just as I thought. It’s a shame really. Not only do you not have a cutie mark yet, but you can barely even perform a mid-level spell. What kind of unicorn are you that you can’t even perform such spells or higher with ease? I wonder if you’re even a unicorn at all? If not, then why are you even staying in this city in the first place?” He asked with a smug grin.

I can’t take this anymore. My blood is boiling, and I have to say something before he goes further.

“You take that back Brace. Right. Now,” I demanded with my teeth bare, as I could barely see what was around me anymore, besides the bastards that were standing in front of me.

“Why don’t you prove it?” Brace asked. “Magic Duel. Right here, right now, and we’ll see if you’re worthy of being called a unicorn,” he challenged.

“Cyan, you don’t have to do this!” Teala exclaimed. “Let’s just walk away from here and go somewhere else,” she pleaded, but I couldn’t take my attention away from him. I don’t know what Roxxie was doing, but I could feel her rage, no, her fury from where I was standing.

“No. I can’t let him get away with insulting you and Roxxie like that,” I replied. “I’m not going to let this die down without me at least trying to fend for myself, and for you two. I wouldn’t be a good friend otherwise,” I could almost tell her expression now turned to worry, and Roxxie was probably the same as I felt her anger die down. “I accept your challenge Brace, and when I’m through with you, you better take back what you said about my friends and their respective races.”

“We’ll see about that, Dusknight,” Brace smugged. “Copper, you be the referee,” his sidekick nodded in response before he walked to an open area.

“Take your places,” Copper ordered, before Brace and I moved and stood at a safe distance from one another, our stares not leaving each other’s sight.

“This was not the best way I was hoping for this to turn out,” Teala commented on the side, while Roxxie had her hands on our friend’s shoulders.

“I really wish I could just kick the crap out of these guys instead, but I guess I can’t change Cy’s mind now. We’ll just have to hope for the best,” Roxxie concluded.

“This Magic Duel will be between Emerald Brace, and Cyan Dusknight,” Copper announced with the same monotone voice. “The rules are simple. Each contestant will have a turn to cast a spell that the other must match. The unicorn first casting the spell will be switched with each round. There will be no physical contact, no spells that cause physical damage, and no interruptions from anyone outside the arena, or the contestant associated with them is automatically disqualified. Last unicorn standing wins the match. I will now do a coin toss to decide who goes first,” he finished before he took a bit from his pocket, and flipped it in the air.

“Heads,” I called before the coin hits the ground.

“Tails. Emerald will go first,” Copper concluded. “Contestants, are you ready?”

“As always,” Brace answered with a smug.

“Let’s just get this over with,” I finished.

Copper raised one hand up in the air. “Let the Magic Duel… BEGIN!” He exclaimed as he cut the line between us, starting the match.

“I think I’ll start things off with a little warm up,” Brace said. “I’m sure you’re going to need it Dusknight,” he closed his eyes, and raised up one of his hands. His hand and horn glowed an emerald colored aura before a patch of grass before him turned from its natural green to a shade of red. His horn and hand stopped glowing, and lowered the latter. “Your turn, failure,” he said.

Okay, a color changing spell, that’s not too hard. Time to work my own magic

I closed my eyes, and took a deep breath to calm myself. I opened my eyes before I targeted the colored patch of grass. I aimed my concentration at it, raising my right hand towards it, and glowed a light blue aura around it before I changed the patch of red grass back to its original green color. Teala and Roxxie applauded for my achievement, hoping to boost my morale.

“First round of this Magic Duel is over. Cyan will now start things off with round two,” Copper announced.

“Give this all you got Cyan!” Roxxie exclaimed.

“You can do it!” Teala added.

If I want this to end, I’ll have to use the best spell I have in my arsenal.

I got into a more balanced, defensive stance, and pointed one finger to the air. I concentrated on that point while putting more of my magic into it than usual. Not too much that I’ll lose most of my magic, but just enough to make it work. The tip of my finger glowed the same light blue aura from earlier before it shot up to the sky. It exploded, and spread into a big, light blue umbrella that stretched to the ground around me; thus, making my force field. I took a deep sigh and wiped a few beads of sweat from my brow after the spell was complete, and my two friends cheered loudly at my achievement.

That may have been easier to cast than the last time I tried to do it. Though it might not have lasted as long as my record of two minutes, it’s an improvement isn’t it?

“Hmm… Not bad, but not so hard to match,” Brace commented with a lack of interest in his expression. My force field dissipated before Brace got himself ready. He copied the same gestures I had made before, focused his magic, with his horn glowing the same emerald aura while a ball of light of the same color was shining on his finger . It shot up to the sky, and exploded at a higher height than mine, and spread to a wider area. The emerald colored umbrella covered the makeshift arena, while the rest of the ponies and I were inside. “Heh, larger than yours, and I didn’t even break a sweat. Seems I have more insurance shielding ourselves from oncoming attack than you,” Brace finished with toxic in his voice.

“Second round of this Magic Duel is over. Emerald will now start round three,” Copper announced.

That monotone of his may sound boring, but it gets irritating after a while.

“I think it’s time we finished this once and for all. This next spell will be your demise,” Emerald said before his horn started to glow brightly. In an instant, he flashed, and vanished a second later. “I’m over here~.” Sang the familiar, yet agitating tone, but at a lower volume. I turned to the source, and saw him leaning against the tree we were relaxing under earlier with one hand. He checked his nails on his other with that same lack of interest expression from earlier.

“Oh no…” Teala commented.

“Wait, what happened? What was that?!” Roxxie asked in confusion.

“A teleportation spell… One of the highest level spells known in history,” I answered as my determination quickly and surely crumbling.

“Correct Dusknight,” Brace added. “I should probably tell you all now, but I went to the School of Gifted Unicorns summer program at a young age. They said I was one of the best among the age group at that time,” he brushed the nails he checked earlier on his shirt before he yawned, and looked at me with annoyance. “I’m getting tired of this Dusknight, so let’s cut to the chase. If you can perform the teleportation spell in this round, we’ll end it right then, I’ll submit defeat, and take back EVERYTHING I said about you, and your pathetic friends’ races. You don’t even have to teleport as far as I have to do it. Just disappear, and reappear at least an arm’s length in any direction, and that will be the end of the duel.”

This is it… This is where it all ends. I was lucky that the teleportation spell was one of the things I studied from last night, so I got a good handle on the concepts, but I’ve never even tried the spell firsthand.

I turned to my friends, where they looked back with that same, worried expression from earlier.

I can’t mess this up, I just can’t.

I closed my eyes, took a deep breath, and thought back to what Mom told me from this morning.

Magic is a powerful, yet, mysterious thing Cyan, and not everyone is the same with it. You never know what it will bring, but as long as your intentions are good, and your mind and heart work as one, the best of your abilities will come out when you least expect it.

Please… Please, let this moment be that time. I’m not only doing this for myself, but I’m doing this for Teala and Roxxie as well. The most important ponies in the world to me. Come on magic, let me tap into that hidden potential so I can win this!

I steadied my stance, gritted my teeth, closed my hands and eyes tightly, and concentrated. I could feel my horn burning, and glowing brightly. I tried to put every ounce of my magic and being into this one spell. I started to feel pain from my horn, but tried to ignore it as I kept pushing myself more and more.

My face was sweating bullets, and my whole body was shaking like crazy.

My horn just kept burning hotter and hotter.

Until…

KRA-BOOM!

AAAAAAUUUUUGGHH!

I dropped to the ground, and screamed in agonizing pain from the magic explosion. I scrambled on the grass, and tried to ease the pain as I grabbed my horn. My entire body felt like it was on fire as I curled up into a ball while screaming still. I didn’t notice Teala and Roxxie running towards me, but stopped at a safe distance ready to aid me. My voice cracked, and my throat got sore from all the air I was pushing out with my wails. The burn felt like it took hours before it finally started to calm down, and the pain with it died. After things quieted down, I lied on my side before I heard a haughty laughter from Brace.

“Oh this is just PERFECT!” Brace exclaimed. “Not only have I beaten you, but I even get to see you wallow in defeat. This has definitely been a good day for Emerald Brace. Copper! End this duel. NOW!” He ordered his minion, who stood there silent for a moment.

“The winner… of this Magic Duel goes to… Emerald Brace,” Copper finally said, barely hearing the cracks that were in what used to be his monotone voice.

“YES!” Brace cheered. “From today’s duel, let it be known, that unicorns are not only the superior race, but Cyan Dusknight... is a FAILURE OF A UNICORN!” He yelled before he gave an even haughtier laugh as he walked out of the park’s premises, while Copper followed suit with quiet hoof steps. The laugh slowly died until everything around me was dead silent.

I lied there, still grabbing onto my horn for dear life as I trembled with pent up emotions inside of me. I heard the tentative hoof steps of my friends as they got closer, and crouched above me.

“Cyan?” Teala asked first with concern.

At that moment, I jolted up to my hooves and sprinted in the opposite direction of the earlier laugh, getting away from my friends.

“CYAN! WAIT!” Teala screamed as I kept sprinting and not looked back.

I didn’t know where I was going, but I didn’t care. I just wanted to get as far away from anyone as possible. I kept running through the streets of West Side as a trail of tears of sadness and despair left my face.

Chapter 6: Lumina and Nil's talk, and their Secrets Revealed

Chapter 6: Lumina’s Talk with Nil, and their Secrets Revealed.

[Friday Afternoon]

I had a lot to think about during my walk to Nil’s room. I honestly thought I was going to be stuck here with the Guard for the rest of my life. But from what I went through, that just meant Shining and Nil were probably given that choice as well. I've known Shining enough that he would take that offer at the drop of a hat, but I’m not so sure of what Nil would do. I have to say though, having this choice presented to me couldn’t have come at a better time. I wanted to confess my feelings for Shining, but now I NEED to if I want to be sure the choice I make will be the right one.

As I got to the door, I moved those thoughts on the side at the time, as I mentally prepared myself for what Nil wanted to talk to me about. I knocked on his door. “Nil? It’s Lumina,” I called.

“Door’s open,” he answered before I opened the door. His room was identical to mine. Had a bunk bed, closet, and a mirror. That was pretty much it. He was sitting on his bed, with a black, worn out bucket hat with a longer, more straightened out brim than regular ones. He was wearing that same hat during orientation too. He would also wear it after training and classes were done as it looked like it was a part of his image. I had to say, he looked good with that on his big head. I walked in, and closed the door behind me. “Before we speak, could you cast a sound-proof spell around the room please?” He asked.

Wow, this must be serious if he wanted the privacy to go THIS far.

I thought hard for a moment before I made a response. “Okay, but if you try anything funny,” I said.

“Don’t worry, this isn’t anything like that,” he assured with a wave of his hand. I closed my eyes, and focused my violet colored magic around my horn. A violet light shot up, hit, and spread from the ceiling, to the walls and window, and then the floor before it disappeared.

“There. The spell will wear off the moment the door or window opens,” I huffed.

“Excellent,” he said as he took a seat on the floor, and tapped the open space in front of me. I shrugged and sat across from him cross-legged.

“So what was it you want to talk about Nil? Have a crush on anyone in the squad?” I asked with a smirk.

“No. That’s nothing compared to what we we’re going to talking about,” Nil said before he sat there in a thinking pose for a moment, coming up with a good way to start the conversation. “From when I first saw you in orientation during the first day, I had to admit, I was rather curious to how you were able to attend the academy with a recommendation alone.”

“I’m still trying to figure that out myself,” I admitted.

“Anyway, with access to the Canterlot library, I did some digging around to see what possibilities to what might be the deal breaker to your enrollment,” he then lifted up his mattress behind him, and took a book that was hidden under it. He opened it, and flipped through the pages until he found what he was looking for. “Ah, here it is. Lumina, does ‘The Legend of the Six Titans’ ring any bells to you?” He asked.

My heart just dropped to the pits of my stomach from hearing that… Oh please tell me he’s not going where I think he’s going.

“Uh, no. Sounds like an interesting legend though. What’s it about?” I asked obliviously.

“Well, the legend tells a story, or theory, about how earth was created, and how life thrived and scattered across said planet,” Nil replied. “Before we existed, there were six celestial beings that watched and roamed around the dark nothingness of space. They were known as the Titans of the Universe. Each of the six Titans holds a specific, elemental power that helped shape the planet we stand on. They were Earth, Fire, Water, Thunder, Shadow, and Light. Using their respective elements, the Titans worked together in harmony to make the sun, the moon, and the planet in between. It had all the plants, mountains, oceans, and other landscapes which would soon be thriving with new life forms the Titans would soon create.

“What I found interesting in the next part, was that this legend theorized the first life forms the Titans created were the alicorns and the dragons. Dragons I can understand as they’re well-known for their long life-spans, but when we get to the alicorns, things get tricky.”

“Listen, I find this legend quite interesting,” I interrupted. “But if you’re here to just tell me stories, I can just borrow that book and read them myself,” I finished with reasonable logic, hoping he gives up right then and there.

“I’ll be getting to why you’re here in a moment. Just relax, and let me finish," Nil requested.

Crap. Well there goes that plan.

“Going from where we left off,” Nil said before he continued. “As the Titans continued making new life, they overlooked something. When they gave life to the alicorns, they grant them the power of using a small portion of the six’s elements to the ethereal ponies. Apparently, most of them went power crazy, and they started an all-out war. One would overpower another for dominance until the strongest stood last. I have a hypothesis that it was within this chaos that the entity of Discord was created, but I’m getting off topic here. Anyway, the Titans were furious when they discovered such development. Besides two particular alicorns who showed no signs of desire for power, the Titans decided to divide the rest of the alicorns who were still alive into three different races. You know them as the earth ponies, unicorns, and pegasi.”

“I’m going to take a guess the two remaining alicorns were the princesses?” I asked while pretending to not know the story. Nil nodded at that remark.

“Indeed they were. Of course, this was long before Princess Celestia banished Nightmare Moon, who was previously known as Princess Luna before that time. Anyway, after the Titans split the remaining alicorns into those three races, they wiped away their memories, giving them a chance to start fresh. They left the memories of the two remaining alicorns alone however. Even though they were young mares, they were wise, had a sense of valuing lives, and believe ponies standing together was better than standing alone, and fighting amongst one another. They learned from their experiences in that war, and took their lessons to heart.

"The Titans recognized them for such feats, and decided to grant them the right to rule over what would later be known as Equestria. Teaching their subjects the ways of living in Harmony as they ruled. They did however take away their ability to control the Titans’ element powers for insurance, but left them a very good portion of magic enough for the two to raise and lower the sun and moon.

“After the Titans took more time to create more life forms to live on earth, such as bears, manticores, rabbits, etc., they left a seed in a secluded area that would later grow to be the Tree of Harmony. The Titans disappeared soon after that. Legend says that they are still out there. Watching us from another realm, as the ponies grow, reproduce, and learn to live happily,” he finished.

He sat there silently, basking the refreshing moment of the story’s end.

“… Okaaaay, I still don’t see why I’m here Nil,” I reminded him.

“Oh! Sorry, I get lost in thought after a good story," Nil admitted. "Anyway, the legend also told that even though the alicorns split, and had their memories erased, the ponies still hold the kind of magic that allows unicorns to cast spells, pegasi moving the clouds and controlling the weather, and the earth ponies having a certain connection to the earth and plant life around them. This may be due to the powers the six Titans granted them before they were split. There’s still a chance that ponies could tap into one of the powers of the six Titans granted to them. How they could do that, was a mystery… Until now,” he closed the book in his hand, and looked up at me with a somber expression before he tipped his hat. “Lumina, be honest with me here… Are you able to wield one of these Titans’ powers?” He asked.

I sat there, trying to strike the best poker face I could manage. When I realized that wasn’t working, I did the next best thing.

I laughed.

“…PFFFFT HAHAHAHAHA!” I chuckled hysterically, yet making it believable as possible. “Ohhh, Nil. I got to say, you know how to pull my leg here. Me? Being able to use something like that? Like that would ever happen. Besides, even IF something like that exists, I haven’t seen ANYONE being able to use something like that. And if that’s the case, then that means the Titans’ powers don’t exist, and the legend is just what it is. A legend. Case closed,” I concluded.

Nil sat there for a moment before he sighed. “It seems you’re not so willing to open up. I didn’t want to resort to this, but if this doesn’t get you to answer, then I don’t know what will,” he said before he started to unravel the bandages that were around one of his arms, and took off the metal plates. His arm’s condition was nothing to what I had expected. It looked normal and healthy. There was no scars, burns, or any other kind of damage whatsoever. It looked pretty well toned though. Nil then closed his eyes, breathed in through his nose, and out of his mouth, as if he was focusing on something. Then came something I didn’t expected.

His arm started cracking with small, white-green lightning, zipping all around the appendage. The lights started to flicker on and off due to the uncontrollable electricity that was jumping within the walls of the room. Then things just got progressively worse, as lighting started to zap around the room. I screamed, and dashed under Nil’s bed while he still sat there, shaking in place, and his arm cracking with more electricity.

This isn’t good. This is bad. This is very, very, bad. He knows what’s going on, and he’s going to such lengths to get me to open up. I have to do something before he somehow hurts himself.

“OKAY OKAY! I’LL TALK I’LL TALK! JUST STOP IT WITH THE LIGHTNING!” I screamed from under the bed.

Right after I said that, he quickly puts the metal plates back on his arm, and wrapped the bandage around it while he tries to regain control. The lightning slowly died down, static zipping here and there in the room, but came to a stop later. Nil sighed a breath of relief before I slowly came out of the bed, and approached him up front.

“Okay, I’ll bite… What the fuck was that?! Do you even know how dangerous that was?! What if you killed yourself?!” I yelled at him, still at a disbelief at what had just transpired in the room.

“Why else do you think I have these metal plates on my body? They make good resisters, and sometimes I could even recharge some objects that run on the stuff. Pretty cool huh?” Nil asked with a smirk. “Anyway, I didn’t even know what was going on when I suddenly got this power one day. It got very hard to control, to the point that I could only direct the lightning to another object before I felt like I was going to explode. I had to know what was going on with me so I can control it better.

“I went through libraries in some of the towns I passed by, hoping to find clues to this power, but no luck. Until I came across a poster ad from the E.U.P. Guard Academy, accepting registrations to take the exam, and participate in the training camp. One of those benefits, gaining access to their library, in a city where many varieties of magic were recorded and saved for study, was what caught my attention. That was a chance I would not pass up. So I registered, studied for the entrance exam, and I passed it with flying colors,” Nil finished.

“Wait… You’re telling me that you attended this academy… Just to gain access to some books?!” I asked with disbelief.

“Mostly,” he responded. “But I could also use some build-up on my body. My wings especially. I’m not as much of an experienced flyer as the next pegasus. Training and classes aside, I spent the past year finding what I was looking for, and I found the first clue to finding my answers. Which is why I’ll be resigning the academy as of today.”

I felt like I took a right hook to the face from such a statement. I plopped to the ground in front of him, still wide-eyed with disbelief.

“W-wait, what about the interview with the commander? He told us not to disclose what happened in that room!” I exclaimed.

“To be honest, I was ready to leave the academy LONG before that, and I think as long as that wasn’t included in the interview, I think we can let this slide, and stay between us,” he smirked before his expression changed to a serious one. “Now, from learning what I have gathered here, I took the liberty of naming those who possessed those powers called ‘Wielders.’ Whatever element of a Titan the pony has, I add said power in front of it. For example, mine is Thunder, so I would be a ‘Thunder Wielder.’ Make sense?” I nodded in response. “Now, you haven’t answered MY question yet. Were you able to enroll in this academy because they took note of this power? And don’t back out, or I WILL take this off again,” he warned while he held up the bandaged arm he unraveled before.

That’s it. My cover’s blown. This pervy braniac did his homework, and there’s no other way for me to get around it. Guess I have to face the music.

I took a deep sigh trying to relax myself before I answered. “Yes Nil, I do. I possess Light Magic, so I guess that makes me a Light Wielder."

I have to admit, that sounded kind of cool right there, but he doesn’t need to know that.

“Could you provide a demonstration?” Nil requested.

With a shrug, I held up one hand with an open palm. I focused my power, and soon a yellow light was shining around my horn instead of my usual violet colored aura. Soon after, a glowing, yellow ball of light was floating above my palm. Most would think this could just be an illumination spell, but what made this different was the gentle warmth this light gave off.

Nil sat there in awe at this power. “Fascinating,” he said

I then let go of my concentration into my magic. My horn and the ball that was floating above my hand slowly dimmed until nothing was left. “I could do more things with it, but I’d rather not bring too much attention to myself,” I said, to which Nil nodded with understanding.

“How are you able to control it? If you don’t mind me asking?” Nil asked.

“Back in Trottingham, my old teacher, a real bitch I may add, found me being able to do this, and had me go through some strenuous training to control my powers.”

“Wait, so does that mean she could do this too?”

I nodded. “That she could. And I tell ya, you do NOT want to pose a threat on her. She seems just as menacing as Commander Dusknight.”

“Interesting… May I ask, does she happen to be a unicorn?”

“She is, but what does that have to do with my powers?” I asked.

“I’m coming up with a theory on what elements each of the pony races could wield once they gain access to that power, based on what each of them can do without them,” Nil informed. “The pegasi, being able to control the weather and move clouds, would have access to the Thunder and Water elements. The unicorns, having abilities to control magic and cast spells, something that’s very intangible, would possess the Light and Shadow elements. The earth ponies, having good senses to handle agriculture, would definitely have the Earth element, but Fire I’m hesitant to say.”

“Why’s that?” I asked.

“Fire’s intangible like Light and Shadow, and just attempting to touch it by itself would only burn you. I suppose if you use what the earth can provide to make a fire, it would make sense.”

“Isn’t Thunder also intangible though? I mean you may be able to touch, grab, and mold clouds, but even lightning could shock you too couldn’t it?” I pointed out.

“A very good point. Yet, my Thunder magic doesn’t shock me. Strangely, I just get this internal pain once I start losing control, and not able to hold it in. Before I came up with the metal braces, my magic came in outbursts, and I could only take advantage of their conductive properties to pass it on to something else.”

“How come you haven’t talked to anyone besides me about this?” I asked.

Nil sat there silently before he took off his bucket hat, and stared onto it with his ears folded. “My power,” he said solemnly. “Came to me through unfortunate circumstances. I didn’t know what was going on, and I was overwhelmed with strong emotions during that time. After that…” He sat there quietly, trying to come up with the right words, but he seemed so scared to tell it.

Shit. I didn’t mean to bring up something that would make him uncomfortable. Especially if it had something to do with his magic. I knew that feeling. I was there once. Seeing him right now, I can tell that he went through something similar like I did.

The next thing I did had us both surprised.

I hugged him.

“You don’t have to tell me right now if you’re not comfortable,” I said. “Just remember that I’m here for ya when you need me.”

He slowly wrapped his arms around me, and returned the hug. I felt something wet that dropped on my back. I guess that time was really hard on him. “Thank you Lumina…” He whispered.

“It’s nothing,” I replied comfortingly.

We pulled back from the hug. Nil sniffled and wiped his face with his bandage while he calmed down.

“I can only guess that you probably went through something similar with your powers,” Nil said. “So I won’t ask you about that until you’re ready.”

“That would be much appreciated. Thank you,” I replied. “So what are you planning on doing now? Obviously you found what you were looking for. Where would you go next?”

“There’s still some questions I have that requires further research,” Nil answered, “and unfortunately, I can’t get access to any files on other ponies with magic like ours, or get into the Royal Archives. So after I take care of a few things here, I’ll head off to Manehattan and find whatever library they have that could store another clue. You’re welcome to join me, or meet me there if you want.”

“I’ll keep that in mind,” I got up from my seat and stretched. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have another obstacle I need to hurdle over. And you better keep what was said and happened here between us, or you’ll get what’s coming to ya,” I teased with a smile.

He laughed before he put his hat back on, and stood up as well. “Duly noted,” Nil said with a tip of his hat. “Best of luck to ya Lumina. I’m sure we’ll see each other again real soon.”

I nodded before opening the door, which the sound-proof spell from earlier wore off soon after. I closed the door behind me with Nil still in the room, and walked down the hall while planning my next move.

“Let’s see… How should I start off my confession with Shining?” I asked myself as I walked. I snapped my fingers at an idea. “I know! I’ll make him a good dinner! Mom always said the quickest way to a stallion’s heart was through his stomach. I better get to the kitchen and start cooking!” I exclaimed before I ran to the cafeteria’s kitchen.

Two months of working in mess hall, don’t fail me now.

Chapter 7: Cyan's New Teacher, and his Mysterious New Magic

[Friday Evening]

I didn’t know how long I was running, but I just kept going, hoping my friends wouldn’t follow. I didn’t want to look at them right now after what happened. My legs were heating up from the running, but I just kept going and going, unaware of what was around me until one of my hooves tripped over something on the road, and I toppled to the cold hard ground. I lied there for a bit before I broke into sobs, and cried in anguish. I hit the hard ground with my fists repeatedly, not caring for the pain that I was bringing to them, but hoping those would help ignore the pain that was going on inside of me.

“It’s not fair…” I finally cried, my voice cracked from all the screaming that transpired today. “It’s just not fair… Why am I like this? Why can’t I do something right? Why was I not able to stand up for them? What the hell am I?” I asked with one side of my face on the ground with tears still rolling down my face, and sniffling every other second. Squinting through my swelled up, tear-filled eyes, I found myself in a dark alleyway, with a street light above me flickering on and off in the cold night.

It’s late… My parents are probably wondering where I am right now… As if I have the dignity to see them right now. I failed… I failed my parents, I failed Teala, I failed Roxxie, I’m nothing but a fucked up failure of a unicorn.

As I lied there, the streetlight above me turned off completely, and replaced by moonlight. As I lay on the ground still, I didn’t notice my shadow was stretching out in front of me, in a more abnormal way than how shadows were usually stretched.

My tears slowed down, I sniffled less, but I still lied there while my body was adjusting to the temperature of the ground. Moments later, I heard hoof steps slowly walking, and getting louder as the figure got closer until it stopped.

“… Go away… Please…” I muttered with my eyes closed shut. I didn’t hear a response, or hoof steps walking away from where it was standing. Instead, I felt a gentle, soft hand on my head, while what seemed to be a handkerchief was dabbing the dried up tears off my eyes and face. An unexpected gesture, but it suddenly got me to calm down a little. Another handkerchief was placed on the back of my hand. By instinct, but without looking, I brought the tissue to my nose, and blew the gross mucus that was clogging my nasal cavities. I wiped and blew what was left as I folded the handkerchief down until my nose was cleared up.

I finally opened my eyes, and saw that the handkerchief was black. I turned my head to where I saw a pair of black hooves. I trailed up, and saw a black mare, crouching down with hands on her knees as she looked at me with… Blank… Eyes… No irises, no pupils, they were just… White. At a closer look, she didn’t have lips on her muzzle either. She tilted her head to the side, which was in front of a full moon that was shown just within a clearing of clouds. Her black mane was waving to the side, like a gentle wind was blowing it like the Princess’s. I could barely see a point that sprouted from her head within the dark, signifying that I was looking at a unicorn like myself. She looked like she was wearing a matching black dress. I couldn't tell as it was dark, and looked like it just blended in with her coat

She stood there in that expression, as if waiting for something. It was getting really creepy, and the eyes were still bugging me. After a long dreadful silence, I made the initiative to make the first move. “Um… Hello?” I greeted with a questionable tone. She straightened her head, and waved her black hand.

I guess she's saying hello back? It seems she understands me.

After she finished waving, she stuck out that same hand, offering me a lift up. I hesitantly put my hand over hers, and I slowly got up to my bottom before I crossed my legs. She fell back on her own bottom on the ground, and crossed her legs as well with her hands resting in the opening. She still looked at me with those white eyes of hers, really attentive like. I had to say something once more to keep the conversation going.

“Can you uh… Speak?” I asked. She closed her eyes, her white circles waning to the shape of white, wide 'U’s,' and lightly shook her head in response before she opened them back to look at me once more.

I guess she can’t.

“Um… Thanks for the handkerchief. Did you want this back?” I asked as I held up the used, black handkerchief she lent me. She gingerly grabbed the corner of it, and placed it to the side before she looked back at me.

“Are you… Lost? Something I can help you with?” She shook her head once more before she added a new gesture. She pointed a finger at herself, and then to me. I had to think about what she was trying to say that followed my question, so I asked another one to confirm.

“You… Want to help… Me?” I asked, and she nodded in response.

Okay, so she wants to help me, I guess I can lower my guard a little but I should probably not get too comfortable just yet.

“Help me… With what exactly?” I asked. “If it’s from earlier, I appreciate your kindness, and I feel a little better, but I got some… Problems that you may not be able to help me with,” she tilted her head in response.

I guess she wants to know more?

“You see… I was trying to help my friends from getting insulted by this big bully from our school. We held a Magic Duel, hoping that if I won, he’d take back what he said to them, and from calling me a… Failure as a unicorn,” she sat there with full attention on me still as I continued. “When we got to the last round, I had to match a spell I couldn’t pull off, and got really hurt afterwards. Both physically, and emotionally, as the bully just laughed at my loss, and walked away, leaving me on the ground, failing to stand up for my friends… I ran from them when they tried to help me. I couldn’t look at them with a straight face, and I just kept running until I tripped in this alleyway and wound up how you found me…” I looked down to the ground with my ears folded.

“I honestly don’t know what to do anymore,” I continued. “No matter how much I studied magic, no matter how much effort I put into them, I can never get to perform any higher level spells at ease. If my skills can’t get any higher, what else is there for me to do? I mean it’s not like there are other kinds of magic unicorns can do is there?” I asked the mare before I realized that may be too specific of a question that could be answered with a ‘yes’ or ‘no’ response.

Instead, she held up a finger at me. I guessed she was asking me to wait one moment. She then picked up the used handkerchief she had put to the side at the corner, and held it up to me.

What is she doing?

“Um… I’m not crying if that’s what you’re asking, and I don’t think I’d want to use a ‘used’ handkerchief to dry my tears if I was,” I said before she closed her eyes, her circles waning to a frown shape now, and used her free hand to cover her mouth while she shook.

Wait, was she giggling? What the hell was funny with this?

After she calmed down, she held up that free finger up at me again.

Okay, that finger’s starting to bug me a little. I can understand that she can’t speak, but still.

With that free hand, she gestured it with an open palm under the hanging object, signifying that it was indeed, a used handkerchief. She took two fingers with that hand now, and point them at her eyes before changing the direction with one finger to the handkerchief.

“Um… Okay, I’m watching closely if that’s what you’re asking me,” I guessed.

Suddenly, she squashed the handkerchief with both hands and rubbing them together fiercely while her hands and horn had a black aura around them, white outlines showing the contours of those objects.

Wait, what is she doing?! My boogers were in that handkerchief! That’s gross! What am I trying to watch?!

She suddenly stops her hands from rubbing together and the black aura disappeared. She looked at me once more with her white eyes before turning back to her hands. She slowly opened them, revealing a black dove. It just stood on her hand, turning its head around, scanning the area with the same, white eyes the mare had. It looked to me, flapped its wings, and flew towards me before it landed on my shoulder.

…. WHAT THE FUCK DID I JUST WATCHED?!

I sat there awestruck with my eyes wide-open like dinner plates, before I realized what was on my shoulder, and panicked. I quickly scrambled around until my back was against a wall, and I hyperventilated. The dove flew off my shoulder and landed to the mare’s side, who was rolling on the floor laughing. At least I assumed she was, as I couldn't even hear anything out of her.

“H-how’d you do that? What WAS that? How did that even get there?!” I asked before the mare started to calm down and sat back up.

Suddenly, with a black aura around her horn and finger, she traced black lines… In the air… Writing something. I sat there in shock that something like that was even possible. After she was finished, she flipped the message around to me where it was readable.

Did you like it?

I sat there speechless, but tried to calm down before I retraced myself.

Okay, she turned a used handkerchief into a dove. I’m getting the feeling that this isn’t one of those stage performance or illusion types of magic that I sometimes see. The dove was alive, and it was not the kind of bird I would see every day, especially the eyes. What is up with those eyes? They were the same as the mare’s, no iris or pupils of the sort. Thinking back on it though, it was actually… Incredible. This was something I’ve never seen before, and I can’t help but feel… Excited, that something like this exists. I have to be honest with myself. Despite how it took me back for a moment, I have to put it straight with her.

“Yes. I definitely liked it,” I said with a nod. She seemed giddy at the response, as her eyes closed to the frown shaped lines, symbolizing happiness or joy I concluded, and clapped her hands together repeatedly. After that, she waved a hand over the message, making it disappear like an eraser on a chalkboard, before she wrote a new message, and flipped it to where I can read it.

What would you say if I want to teach you how to do this?

Wait… Is this what she wanted to help me with earlier? She wants to teach me a new type of magic? Is doing this even possible?

I had to think hard for a moment before I made my final decision.

If I learned this, the number of possibilities of where this could go would be endless. I’d be learning something I’ve never come across in my studies before. But most importantly, I don’t even know how high I could go if I learned this magic. It could even pass how much I was able to do up to this point. Is… Is this the potential Mom was talking about earlier? Could I go somewhere with this? Would this be the best of my abilities? I can’t pass this offer up. If I can do something to redeem myself with this, I may be able to protect my friends from whatever comes their way, and so much more.

I got to one knee, bowed my head to her, and closed my eyes.

“Please… If can perform this magic, I want to know all about it. Please be my teacher. I’ll follow whatever instructions required,” I pleaded. I knelt there in silence for a moment before I felt a hand on my shoulder. My head turned up with a finger on my chin. I opened my eyes and see the mare in front of me, but then she directed my attention to the side where a new message was written in the air.

Do you trust me?

I guess she wants to be absolutely sure I want to do this, since she’s the only one I know right now that can teach me. I’ll admit, up to this point, she is a unique individual I haven’t come across in my life so far. I still have a lot of questions to ask, but thinking back to where she first came to me, she showed kindness, possibly understanding, and even has a bit of a sense of humor. She doesn’t seem to have any hidden motives at the moment, and she hasn’t poised as a threat yet.

Suddenly, I felt a weight on my other shoulder. I looked to my right, and saw the same black dove from earlier, nuzzling my cheek with its little head.

Okay, that’s just not fair. This is just too cute for me not to be afraid of it anymore.

I couldn’t help but laugh a little at the gesture, and I gently pet its black, velvet-like feathers, which it accepted with great delight. I smiled, looked back to the mare who was still giving me her undivided attention and I nodded my head.

“Yes, I can trust you,” I said before she wrapped her arms around me, hugged me to her soft chest, and rested her chin on my head. I was taken aback by this gesture, but smiled as I hugged her back. The embrace felt warm, and I couldn’t help but feel safer being in her arms. Something seemed off though, as if there was something missing that I should feel or hear when I’m in this position. With my head on her chest, and ears perked up, I realized...

I couldn’t feel or hear her heart beat.

Before I said anything, she broke the embrace, placed a hand on my chest, closed her eyes to a wide ‘U’ shape, and a black aura appeared on said hand. I didn’t know what she was doing until I felt a large, painful pulse in my body that knocked the wind out of me. The force pushed me back to the wall, hitting me like a ton of bricks. I leaned back against the wall for stability as I gasped for air, like the force took every ounce of oxygen out of my body. Not too long after, the pain died down, and I felt… Lighter? Open? Free? I couldn’t describe it, but I just felt better than I was a moment ago.

“W-what the hell WAS that?! What just happened?!” I asked loudly to the mare. She quickly wrote something in the air, and flipped it.

Sorry. I had to open you up before I did anything.

“Open me up? What does THAT mean? And what for?” I asked in a demanding tone.

You’ll see. She wrote.

She finally stood up, and lent me a hand. I grabbed it, and pulled myself to standing on my hooves. My eyes only met to her muzzle now that I could see her fully. She held up one finger, and then changed it to a hand sign shaped like an ‘L.’

“One ‘L’… First lesson?” I asked before she nodded at my guess. She took a few steps back, held up one hand out front, looked at it, and soon enough, the same black aura appeared around her hand and horn, a white outline showing the contours of them. A black, six pointed star shape emerged from it, and floated in mid-air. I couldn’t believe how easy she made it look, like she made it out of nothing. She looked up to me and waited.

“…You want me to make this?” I asked, and she nodded. “But… How? I don’t know the concepts behind this… Spell. Maybe if you wrote something I could,” she stopped me mid sentence with a free finger on my lips. She stood back once more, and pointed with that same finger to her head. “…Head… Use my…Head? Maybe…My imagination?” I asked, and she snapped her finger in response. That may be her way of saying ‘bingo,’ that I was correct.

I held up my hand in the same position like the mare’s, and looked at it for a moment.

Okay, so somehow I just need to think about it right? It sounds so… Easy. There has to be more to go with this, but am I over thinking this?... Fuck it, I’ll just wing it.

I closed my eyes, and tried to imagine and visualize the same six pointed star the mare showed me. I made sure the points were the same size, length, and distance apart as the original. After a moment, I opened my eyes, and gasped.

There it was… The six pointed star… That was floating above my hand with a black aura around it like the mare’s. I tried the best I could to look up to where my horn would be, and could barely see the same black aura around it as well. I looked back to the star with disbelief.

“… I did it…” I said quietly. “I really did it…” I repeated a little louder with a smile slowly spreading across my face. “I REALLY DID IT!” I yelled, shouting to the night sky, and made a bunch of victory poises, and pumping my free fist in the air. “YESYESYESYESYES!” I yelled before I calmed down, and looked back to the star with excitement.

“Hah! This is really amazing! I wonder if I can make other shapes with this?” I asked. “Okay okay, let’s try… a square!” I asked as I visualized the shape. I looked with astonishment as the star morphed to a black square. “Holy crap this is AWESOME!” I then just kept my successful flow going as I tried making different shapes. The square turned into a triangle, and then a circle. I moved it around, and I was pretty much just playing with it at this point. “This is unbelievable! I still can’t believe I can do this! Miss! Thank you so much for-!” I exclaimed before I realized she was gone. I quickly looked around, to see if she was hiding in the darkness that the moonlight couldn’t reach but realized that light was gone.

She disappeared without a trace. Same goes for the black dove from earlier. I wondered where she went before something wet dropped to my head, and I flinched.

“Huh?” I asked before I mentally let go of the black circle to dissipate in thin air, while the black aura stopped appearing around my hand and horn. I looked up and felt more wet drops from the sky. It took me a moment to remember what was going on right then.

“OH SHIT THE RAINSTORM! I GOTTA GET HOME!” I yelled before I quickly ran out of the alleyway, and made my way home. The rain quickly changed from a light drizzle, to a heavy shower. Despite getting pummeled with buckets full of water, I couldn’t help but smiled like an idiot as I ran.

I had just learned a new kind of magic with near infinite possibilities of what I could do with it that hasn’t been taught from school before. I don’t know who that mare was, but I certainly have to thank her and get her name the next time I see her.

I had only one thing in mind as I was running through the streets, a mixture of excitement, and fear for who I have to talk to about this.

“I got to tell Mom and Dad,” I told myself as I kept running in the streets.

Side Chapter 1: Teala and Roxxie's Frustrations, and Unexpected Events

Side Chapter 1: Teala and Roxxie’s Frustration, and Unexpected Events

[Friday Afternoon]

[Teala’s POV]

Roxxie and I stood there stunned at what had just transpired. Our dear friend, Cyan Dusknight, was trying to stand up for us, and himself by going into a Magic Duel with our bully, Emerald Brace. Cyan had hoped to win and get Emerald to take back all the bad things he had said to us… In the end, we only saw Cyan in agony from not only in defeat, but screaming with excruciating pain from the magic explosion after trying to cast a teleportation spell. I couldn’t help but cringe from how much pain our closest friend was in, and there was nothing we could do until the aftershock dies down. I didn’t notice how much I tightly gripped Roxxie’s jacket sleeve from the horror that we just witnessed. We didn’t hear what was going on until Emerald’s boasting got our attention.

“YES!” He exclaimed. “From today’s duel, let it be known, that Unicorns are not only the superior race, but Cyan Dusknight… is a FAILURE OF A UNICORN!” He announced before he left laughing coldly, while his so-called friend, Copper Cut, hesitantly followed. After they left, Roxxie and I slowly walked over and crouched to Cyan’s side while he still lied there, grasping his horn from where the pain had hurt the most.

“Cyan?” I asked with my voice shaking, taking the initiative to see if he was okay. In an instant, Cyan jolted up from where he lay, and sprinted as fast as he could away from us. “CYAN! WAIT!” I yelled while I tried to go after him before Roxxie grabbed my arm, stopping me in place. “Roxxie! What are you doing?! We have to go after him!”

“Teala…” She said while looking down. “We need to give him some time alone.”

“ALONE?! WHAT ARE YOU SAYING ROXXIE?!” I shouted. “Cyan is our best friend, and he needs us! How can you stand there and let him go?!”

“Teala, with a loss like that, I’d want to have some time to think if I was in his position,” Roxxie reasoned while still looking down. “Cyan had just lost his honor for trying to stand up for us. He has a lot going on his mind right now if he can’t speak to us without feeling shameful of himself. He needs to calm down, and think things through himself before he can come talk to us.”

“Excuse my language, but that is FUCKING BULLCRAP!” I jeered. “HONOR DOESN’T HAVE ANYTHING TO DO WITH THIS SHIT! I WANT TO SEE IF OUR CLOSEST FUCKING FRIEND IS ALRIGHT FROM THAT EXPLOSION EARLIER! HOW CAN HONOR BE MORE IMPORTANT THAN HIS HEALTH?!”

“AND WHAT THE FUCK DO YOU KNOW ABOUT HONOR?!” Roxxie screamed which jumped me back in shock from her outburst. What was more surprising though, was her expression as she finally looked up at me.

Tears were rolling down her face while she gritted her teeth, as if she was holding in the sadness while trying to do what she thought was right for Cyan at that moment. Right then and there, I knew Roxxie wanted to go check on him as much as I did, maybe even more, but with her having more experience with dealing with losses in matches, she knows what he was going through better than I was. What made this worse though, was that his and our dignities were on the line in that Magic Duel, and he must think he just lost all three of those at once, unable to protect us in the end.

I let go of some of my tensions and looked down with guilt. “I’m sorry, you’re right… I don’t know any better, and I didn’t think about his feelings… Some friend I turned out to be,” I broke while tears were now welling up in my eyes. A hand was set on my shoulder before I was pulled in a hug, leaving me unprepared at the gesture, especially since this was from Roxxie.

“You’re not a bad friend Teala,” Roxxie croaked while tears were dropping on my shoulders. “I want to see him too, but we need to give him time to calm down and think things through,” she pulled back and wiped what tears were in her eyes with her sleeve before she continued. “We can try to check on him in the morning and see how he is then.”

I nodded sheepishly in agreement. “That sounds good… I guess I’ll see you tomorrow then… Good-bye Roxxie,” I bid before I unfurled my wings, and flew off back to my home at a fast pace while Roxxie stood there in the park.

[Roxxie’s POV]

I stood still on the grass while clenching my fists and teeth as Teala flew off from view.

“…Why?” I asked myself. “…Why didn’t you stop this before it freakin’ began?!” I exclaimed. “I should’ve stopped them… I should’ve pounded them, took the heat, and avoid all of this from happening… WHY CAN’T YOU DO ANYTHING RIGHT YOU STUPID BITCH?!” I berated myself as I stomped over to the pavement outside of the park grounds, dropped to my knees, and pounded my fists to the hard, stone covered ground. I didn’t care for the pain that was welling in my knuckles, as I was too angry at myself to notice. “STUPID! WORTHLESS! PATHETIC!” I continued insulting myself while I kept punching the ground. Blinded by fury, I didn’t notice how the ground started to shake around me. “WHY CAN’T YOU DO ANYTHING FUCKING USEFUL FOR ONCE YOU FUCKING PIECE OF SHIT?!” I exclaimed before I gave one more punch to the ground with all the strength I had on it until-

KSHKOOOM!

The sound was made before I somehow punched through the ground like it was water, covering my arm up to my elbow. I sat there dumbstruck at what had just happened before I realized that my arm was stuck to the pavement. “H-huh? What the-?” Was what I blabbered before I tried pulling it out, but no dice. “H-hey! I can’t get out! Hello?! Anyone around here?! I need help!” I exclaimed, but all was quiet. “Dammit! How did I get into this, and how do I get it out?!” I struggled while trying to pull my arm up once again, using my legs to help me push upwards. “Grrrrrrgh! Come ON you stupid ground! LET. ME. GO!” I demanded before I punched my other arm to the ground. This time it had spread out around my immobile arm, making a hole big enough for me to pull it out, made me yelped in surprise, and the momentum got me to fall backwards to my back once more.

I groaned at the pain on my back before I got up to my hooves, and checked the ground I was previously stuck in. “What the fuck was that? How was that even possible?” I asked myself while I checked my arm that got stuck. It looked okay, dried blood on my knuckles aside, but there was no dust, dirt, or pebbles whatsoever on me. I looked back to the hole I somehow made, a clean, circular one at that, while I tried to use my not so bright brain to figure out what had just happened. “…Did I just do that earlier?” I asked myself.

I tried to think of what to do next to get some kind of similar result. I looked at the hole, and just stomped my hoof in place before a pillar of stone suddenly rose out of it, and made me jump back in surprise. “HOLY SHIT!” I exclaimed. “Crap crap crap, what do I do? How do I get it down? Uhhhh…” I asked in a panic while trying to figure out how to hide this strange scene. I just did the first gesture that came to mind. Circling my arms with an in-and-out motion while breathing in through my nose; pushing my hands down to a resting position in front of my torso, while I sided stepped and breathed out of my mouth; coming to a resting position I had learned from studying a martial art in the past; and the stone pillar slid back down to the way it was before I got my arm stuck there. I stepped back a few while I was trying to comprehend how I got the pillar back down. “W-what is this? How am I doing this? This is just getting WAY too weird for me. I’m getting the fuck out of here,” I decided before I dashed out of the park, and back to my house while I tried to forget the freaky thing that just happened out here.

[Teala’s POV]

The sky was in twilight as I briskly landed back to the front of my house. I didn’t bother paging Sigmund at the front gates as I was too frustrated to even think about formalities. I took out the house key that was in my purse to unlock the door before I opened it, stomped inside, and slammed the door behind me.

“SIGMUND!” I yelled angrily at the empty entry hall. I then heard hoof steps quickly, and loudly coming up before my trusted head butler arrived in his formal, calm self before it changed to concern as he looked at me.

“Master Teala, what is the matter?” He asked. “Did something happen?”

“Sigmund,” I said with a demanding tone, “I need some ‘stress relief’ posthaste. I’ll explain the situation then,” I concluded.

Sigmund’s expression went from concern, to understanding as he knew what I was talking about. “Yes, Master Teala. Any place in particular you would like to take this?” He asked.

“Near the fountain at the back is fine,” I answered. “Meet me there, and I expect it to happen in five minutes,” I ordered.

“Yes, milady,” Sigmund complied calmly as he quickly took off, and I briskly walked to the fountain in the back.

I ignored the greetings by the other maids as I passed by. I got to the fountain a minute later, and sat on the stony rim of the architecture. I crossed my arms, and one leg over the other while I wait for Sigmund with a stern expression. Three and a half minutes later, Sigmund comes through the door with two long, black cases. Holding one in each hand, he briskly walked towards me, and set them down before he bowed. “Four and a half minutes. Very good Sigmund,” I complimented the best I could in my mood before I got off from the fountain. “Is it in good condition?” I asked.

“Yes, milady,” Sigmund answered. “I just cleaned these this morning,” he commented before he picked up the case on his left, and presented it to me.

I clicked open the buckles keeping it closed, and opened the lid before a rapier sword in its black scabbard was shown, lying on the red carpet-like pelt inside. The guard was silver colored, with a black leather tightly gripped around the handle. I lifted the sword out of its case, and made sounds of steel sliding as I unsheathed its blade out of the scabbard. I inspected the luster of the steel blade. It shined from the sun’s light reflecting on it, as if it was cleaned and polished recently like Sigmund had said. I held it in my hand in a stance, testing the weight, grip, and swiftness of the blade with a few swings and thrusts. “Excellent,” I concluded.

I haven’t told Cyan and Roxxie about this, or my parents either, but I have a secret hobby of practicing the art of fencing. I was fascinated with the sport when I first played sword fights with a few of the pegasi back at flight camp. They were blunted sticks at the time, yes, but something about it just felt right with me as I had wielded it. I was quite the fencer back at flight camp, and it was the only thing that kept my time there enjoyable; however, the other pegasi stopped playing with me after a while as I kept winning every time. When I had told Sigmund about my interest in this sport, he was happy that I found something that I could enjoy myself in. He was an expert in it as well when he was younger, and he still practices it while he wasn't working. He had offered to teach me the art of fencing the same day I told him, and I accepted it at the drop of a hat. He had only asked me to keep this a secret from my parents as they think this was apparently not something a lady such as myself should be doing; because of that, I couldn’t bring it up with Cyan and Roxxie when I had returned from flight camp as I wasn’t sure how they would react to my hobby. To this day, Sigmund had taught me fencing in secret when my parents weren’t around, and I practiced with him with eagerness to improve, or vent out frustrations like what I’m about to do.

I set the scabbard back in the case before I turned to Sigmund, who had his own rapier in his hand while in a stance, ready to take me on. “Alright Master Teala, tell me what has gotten you so riled up right now,” he requested while sounds of flowing water continued to come out of fountain’s artistic sculpture.

“Gladly!” I exclaimed before I charged in with a battle cry. I lashed at him with many fast slices and thrusts of my blade, while Sigmund blocked and dodged each strike with ease. “Cyan, Roxxie, and I were having a wonderful time! Right up until those savages, Emerald and Copper, budged in and mocked us coldly!” I exclaimed as I kept striking.

“Ah, yes,” Sigmund replied calmly as he continued blocking and evading. “You have told me before about how avaricious those two can be, and I’ve heard their parents aren’t any better. What happened then?” He asked.

“Cyan had to step in to defend the three of us,” I continued as I kept attacking. “For spatting on Roxxie and mine’s pony races, and for Emerald calling him a failure of a unicorn for not casting certain levels of spells!”

“How dreadful. I’d have stepped in if I was there,” Sigmund added in.

“So Cyan and Emerald had a Magic Duel with our dignities on the line,” I continued. “Which I did not care for as I was more worried for my friend than my title! Cyan ended up losing, and screaming in pain from a magical explosion for failing to cast a teleportation spell!” I gritted my teeth as I upped my pace of my strikes. I was too frustrated to notice how the rushing waters from the fountain were suddenly getting louder with the force of the spout. “I wanted to see if he was okay once the savages left, but he sprinted off, leaving us behind! I tried to catch up with him, but Roxxie stopped me and convinced me to leave him alone to think things through! I flew off and came back afterwards, angry at myself that I just stood there not DOING anything! I’m INFURIATED that I can’t do anything! What kind of friend am I for not giving Cyan my full support?! Urgh! I just want to find that damn Emerald, and SLICE HIS FUCKING HEAD OFF WITH MY BLADE!” I exclaimed with one more hard, loud clash of steel blades before-

FWOOOOOOOOOOOOOSH!

The sound of forcing waters caught my attention as our blades were still in contact before I dropped my rapier. Sigmund pulled me to the ground, and shielded me from the falling water and stone from the sky while the sound of erupted waters continued. My anger turned to fear and confusion at what was going on before the rushing sound eased, and the water spouted to the same water rate like before.

Sigmund and I got up wet, and saw the damage of the eruption. The fountain’s sculpture centerpiece was destroyed from the middle-up, leaving the water system that was inside squirting the liquid from the pipes only. The ground shook as the top half of the centerpiece crashed to the side of the fountain, breaking into pieces from the impact. I fell back on my bottom at what had just happened, leaving me stunned from the shock, and sore from all my sword flails earlier.

“W-what just happened?” I stuttered while still looking at the now broken fountain.

“This… This can’t be…” Sigmund commented in disbelief.

“What? Do you know what’s going on? Tell me! I demand answers!” I commanded as I got up from the ground, and turned to him.

“A thousand pardons milady,” Sigmund apologized. “But before I do, I want to try something to confirm my suspicions.”

“What’s that?” I asked.

“Master Teala… Would you please approach the fountain, and try to focus on the water in it?” Sigmund requested.

I stood there looking at him with a raised eyebrow. “Okaaaay,” I drawled with suspicion before I complied. I looked at the pool of water in front of me, and closed my eyes. Out of instinct, I raised my hand up like Cyan does when he casts spells, and focused on the water in the pool. I opened my eyes once more, still focusing, but gasped at what I saw.

A blob of water was floating before me while it still rippled as it moved. I stopped my focus, and the water just dropped back into the pool before I stepped back in fear from what had transpired. “S-Sigmund… What did I just do?” I asked still in disbelief.

“My suspicions are correct then,” Sigmund started while still looking in the direction of the display. “It’s unbelievable as I’ve only heard of this in legend, but it seems there’s more to it than what I had thought,” he commented before he turned to me. “Master Teala, if what I’ve read is correct, then you have been blessed with a great magic. They’re only used by ponies who are able to tap into the potential that the six creators of this world left them. Judging by what had just happened, you have one of the creators’ ability to manipulate Water, Master Teala," he concluded.

I looked at my hands trying to take in and comprehend everything Sigmund had explained.

Is this true? Am I really able to do something like this? How does this work? How can I control it? This just seems too unnatural to happen, but it just did… I need to know more about this…

“Sigmund,” I said before I looked up to him. “I want every information that has to do with this… magic, and have it all ready by morning at breakfast. I’m going to take a shower and try to calm down before bed,” I finished.

Sigmund nodded before he bowed. “A wise decision milady. Please, get some rest, and I’ll take care of everything else from here. Would you like some dinner brought to your room?” He asked.

“I had lost my appetite after going through… that. Please put our rapiers away too while you’re at it, and thank you for your time Sigmund. I apologize for my behavior earlier,” I apologized.

“It is of no trouble milady,” Sigmund brushed off. “You have had a stressful evening, so your reaction is to be expected. Have a good night Master Teala,” Sigmund bid before I nodded, and made my way back inside. “Oh, and Master Teala,” Sigmund called, which I turned my head to him. “I’m sure Master Cyan will be alright by tomorrow. He’s quite the young stallion, that he is, and I doubt that loss will put him down for very long,” he finished.

I gave a small smile at his consideration for Cyan’s well-being. “Thank you Sigmund, and I hope so too,” I finished before Sigmund nodded, and I went back inside.

[Roxxie’s POV]

“And that’s why I came back in a rush,” I finished telling my afternoon to Mom over dinner, but left out the freaky thing that happened earlier before I got here.

“That’s just awful,” Mom commented. “That Emerald there really ticks me off. It’s not right ta spat other pony races like that.”

“I’m more worried about Cyan right now than my reputation really,” I looked down at my empty plate with ears folded. “I just hope he has things worked out by tomorrow.”

“Ah’m sure he will Roxxie,” Mom agreed. “You’ve told me plenty of times how strong Cyan is, and like you mentioned, he probably just needs ta cool off a little before he sees ya two.”

“I hope so,” I finished before I got up from the table. “I’m gonna freshen up and head in early tonight. Thanks for listening Mom.”

“It’s what Ah’m here for sugah,” she replied. “Ya take it easy now, and Ah’ll prepare a special breakfast in da mornin’.”

I nodded before I head upstairs to my room to grab a change of clothes, and went to the bathroom. I stripped down, turned the shower on, and wait for it to warm while I checked the mirror, but gasped at something new I found that I didn’t think would appear today.

“W-wait… Can it be?”

[Teala’s POV]

As I got to my room, I slipped out of my clothes before I grabbed a clean set for the night, and head to my personal bathroom. When I checked the mirror as I got inside, I stood there in awestruck at what I saw.

“N-No way… This cannot be…”

[Both]

I have… a Cutie Mark… But what does this mean?

Chapter 8: Lumina's Crushing Heartbreak

[Friday Evening]

I spent the next few hours in the mess hall’s kitchen cooking one of my favorite recipes my mom used to make me to prepare for my confession. One of the chefs who worked back there was generous enough to let me use their kitchen when I told her what it was for. She was a really sweet mare, and was kind to me when I had worked in the kitchen for two months. She had even taught me how to cook when we weren’t serving food to the cadets. When I finished cooking, I put a good portion of the food in two containers that the chef was generous enough to let me borrow. She even gave me silver ware to use before I stuffed them in a paper bag.

After she wished me luck, I took the bag, and walked around the Castle’s courtyard to find Shining while I rehearsed lines for what I should say when I see him.

“’Hey, Shining! How’s it going? Want to have some dinner while I confess something?’” I rehearsed. “No, that won’t work. ‘Shining my stallion! How about some grub I made while we chat?’ Nah, that’s kind of masculine. ‘Yo Shining! Wanna grab a bite and fuck our brains out after?’ Ugh! Where the heck did THAT come from?! Why is this so hard?” I asked myself with hopelessness.

It’s funny really. For many years, I would strut my stuff enough to leave stallions, and possibly mares speechless to my sexual innuendos. Sure, they were only teases during those times, and I would get quite a kick from seeing their expressions. Now… This is real. I’m not saying something to get a kick. I’m putting my heart and soul out for someone I want to be with. I haven’t felt something like this since… No, I can’t think that far back now. That would get me more hesitant to say anything now than before. And to put on top of it, I NEED to do this to make a choice on whether or not I should join the Royal Guard with Shining. It’s now or never… If only I knew where he went.

I looked around my surroundings, including the castle. On a balcony, I saw a figure that was standing there gazing up at the mostly cloudy sky. Probably taking advantage of the night sky’s view while it was still clear enough to see, as I heard there was supposed to be a heavy rainstorm tonight. Focusing my vision more, I could make out the figure enough to recognize the distinguishing features that I've known.

“There he is,” I confirmed. I went inside the castle, and followed a path that would lead up to the balcony I saw Shining on. I wasn’t skilled in magic enough to do a teleportation spell. I probably could if I had put the time and effort to study it, but that would take too much energy out of me once I learn to use it.

When I got to the archway that led to the balcony, I leaned against a wall, and peaked behind it enough to see outside. Shining was there, leaning against the railing, watching up the sky intently. I hid back behind the wall, and froze. My heart suddenly started to beat faster than normal, sweat coming out of my fur like bullets, my hands grabbing the bag was getting clammy, tail twitching rapidly, to the point my whole body shivering with anxiety.

Oh Goddess, there he is! But I’m too freakin’ scared to approach him! Okay Lumina, calm down. Remember to breathe.

I took a deep breath in, then let it out as I thought to myself.

Okay, good. Now, here’s what you’re gonna do. You’re going to go out there, and ask him to have dinner with you while enjoying the partly cloudy night sky. After a small chat and bites later, you’re going to put out your feelings in the most mature, calm way possible. This isn’t the first time you approached a colt, or in this case, young stallion, you took interest in. You were confident, strong-headed, and goddamn sexy, and you still are now. You, are Luminescent Fucking Lustre, and you’re going to go out there, and you’re going to take that stallion right there and-

“You made it!” Shining’s voice exclaimed, interrupting my thoughts.

I take that back. There’s no way I can do this. I’ve been found out, and he expects me to come out to see what I’m doing up here! Wait, maybe it’s better this way. I’m not even sure if I was gonna go out there myself if I kept thinking about it with all that pep talk. Alright Lumina, this is it. Time to-

“Sorry for coming so late. I had to make sure the coast was clear before I got up here,” a mare’s voice responded.

…Wait… What? Who else is up here?

I took a peek around the wall once more, and saw another figure with Shining. She looked like a mare, pretty slender at that, wearing a white dress that reached her hooves. Her long mane and tail were curled at the end with colors of yellow, fuchsia, and violet. She had a pink coat with wings and horn…

Wait, wings AND a horn?! Hang on, backtrack time. If I remember correctly, I had heard Princess Celestia has a niece that liked to go in and out of the castle. What was her name? Princess… Mi Amore Cadenza right? Could… Could this be her niece? I didn’t see a crown on her when I checked, but that doesn’t mean she wasn’t a princess without it. What was she doing here? And how does she know Shining?

I had to stop what I was thinking, perked my ears, and listened in. Hopefully able to gather more info on what was going on.

“You know we’re going to have to tell everyone about us eventually right?” Shining asked.

… Us?

“I know,” the princess said. “But I just didn’t want you or me getting so much unwanted attention while you’re still in the Academy. I know joining the Royal Guard means a lot to you, and I don’t want to make things any harder for you than it probably is.”

“I appreciate that Cadence,” Shining responded. “But training in the Academy would be much harder if we didn’t get together like this.”

… C-Cadence? That sounds so… informal. Like something one would call their close friend… They are close friends… Right?

Cadence giggled at Shining’s words before she continued. “Oh Shining, you can be such a sweet-talker, and I feel the same way going through my days at the castle.”

… This isn’t happening… They can’t be together like that can they? It’s just a platonic, very intimate relationship they have going right?

Silence filled the air until I heard four words that I didn’t want to hear before everything crumbled around me.

“I love you, Cadence,” Shining professed.

“I love you too, Shining Armor,” Cadence returned.

After hearing that, I took one small peek from behind the wall, and I saw the two of them in each other’s arms. Kissing passionately with their eyes closed, as if they were the only two ponies on the balcony… But they didn’t know that I was there.

Without thinking, I just ran back the way I came. I didn’t care how much noise my hooves were making while I ran, or how the guards that passed by me stared, but I just wanted to get away from the horror I just saw before I was seen. When I got outside, I ran to the gardens that were behind the castle. I finally slowed down when I got to a bench, fell hard on it with my bottom, and set the bag of food I prepared on the side. The next thing I did, I choked on my sobs as I cried my eyes out. My chest felt so much pain, just like that one time, but only much worse.

I can’t believe it… Shining said he wasn’t seeing anyone when I asked, but… That just destroyed everything I had dreamed of since I first had feelings for him… The fuckin’ bastard LIED! Lied so he wouldn’t be treated any differently than others. Not only did he lie to everyone, he even lied to ME. The one he tried so hard to convince to stay at the academy when I wanted to run away. How long was he with HER before that time?! What the fuck did he even see in ME when he talked to me?! Why was he being so nice to me up to this point?!

I asked myself many questions in my head, but I didn’t come up with an answer for any of them.

I’m such a fool. A stupid, love struck, hopeless fool. Everything makes sense now. Why he didn’t show any attracted interest in me. Why he didn’t talk much about his relationships. Why he didn’t looked at me in a way that others would. The one stallion I WANTED to look at me that way, but didn’t get a single FUCKING glance!

I looked up, and saw a pond in front of me. I got up from my bench, walked up to it, and saw my reflection. My eyes were puffy with tears while they kept falling from my face before they hit the water. I closed my eyes tightly, wiped the tears from my face and opened them again before I looked back at my reflection. My brow was furrowed then, while my gaze was filled with anger, betrayal, and sadness while I gritted my teeth.

“Well… I think I found my answer for what I want to do,” I told myself before I picked up my bag of food, and ran back to my room.

I kicked the door to my room open loud enough that woke up Creamy, jolting up from her sleep.

“Dude! Not so loud!” She exclaimed quietly.

“I’m not in the fuckin’ mood Cream! Go back to sleep!” I ordered with a louder, more forceful whisper as I glared at her. She sat there in shock, silence, and fear from my sudden outburst as I got to my closet, and started getting my bag ready to go by first stuffing my food in it.”

“W-what are you doing?” She asked hesitantly.

“Leaving,” I snarled.

“W-what?! But what about-?!”

“Shut it!” I interrupted in the same loud whisper that made Creamy jump back. “I’m fuckin’ tired of this alright?! There’s no reason for me to be here anymore! I’ve fuckin had it! Done! Finished! I’m through with this shit!” I exclaimed as I took a pen out of my bag, and my resignation letter from my pocket before I slammed both down on the floor, and signed everything that was needed as fast as possible. I finished, and put the pen back in my bag before I zipped it up and got it over my shoulder. “Whatever you want to do now, good fucking luck to you! I’m outta here!” I shouted in the whisper before I left the room, and slammed the door shut. Leaving Creamy with nothing to say.

I stopped by the office I had the meeting with the commander, and slipped the signed resignation letter under the door before I headed to the academy’s main entrance. I walked fast to it before I saw someone I didn’t want to see right now. He stood at the entrance while holding two objects in each hand.

“I’m not in the mood Nil! Back off!” I yelled as I walked before he unfolded his wings, blocking my way. “HEY! MOVE YOUR FUCKING WINGS BEFORE I SNAP THEM OFF YOUR BACK!” I threatened before he shoved the objects to my body, to what appeared to be a tent set, and a sleeping bag.

“You’re going to need these since you’re leaving tonight,” Nil finally spoke, which left me surprised and taken aback.

“H-how did-”

“I saw what happened,” Nil interrupted, which made me recall everything I had heard and saw at the balcony that brought back the same sadness from earlier. “I was watching the sky while lying on the clouds before I heard some wings flapping. I looked below the clearing, and saw an alicorn meeting Shining Armor at the balcony. I didn’t know what was going on until I saw… Well you know the rest.

“It wasn’t until later that I saw you running out of the castle and into the garden before I connected the dots, anticipated what was going to happen, and I took those from storage,” Nil finished while pointing to the tent and sleeping bag I was holding.

“Wait… You stole these? But how did-”

“I have my ways of breaking in, let’s just leave it at that. I doubt anyone will notice, but if they find out, I’ll pretend I didn’t see anything. As for how I know your feelings for Shining Armor? I may not have much experience in dating and relationships, but I can deduce from some of your behaviors that you had something going on with him. To be quite frank, I’m kind of hurt he kept that from us as well, but I won’t be staying much longer to worry about it anyway.

“I’ll keep what happened here between us. You get going, and try to think things through. My offer from earlier still stands. If you need me, I’ll be at Manehattan. Just find me at one of the libraries over there, possibly in the early afternoon, and we’ll discuss what will happen from there,” He finished.

I can’t believe it… This guy knows what’s going on, didn't stop me for what I am going to do, and he went out of his way to get this gear for me…

I stood there in shock for a moment before I dropped the tent and sleeping bag, and hugged Nil in a tight embrace. He was shocked from the development as well, but returned the hug in support.

“Thank you Nil," I said. “I owe you one.”

“Don’t worry about it,” Nil responded.

I didn’t know what I was thinking at that moment, my mind was probably still spinning from the emotions, but after I broke the embrace, I gave him a small peck on the cheek, which gave him a bigger shock from earlier.

“I’ll see you later, okay?” I asked with a small, but sad smile.

“... Yeah. See ya,” Nil responded while he glanced at me and tipped his signature hat to me.

I rushed out of the academy’s property, with my bag, tent, and sleeping bag in tow. Thunder started to boom, and rain started to drizzle as I ran to the station at the front of the town.

“What do you MEAN the next train won’t be until morning?! I need to get out of here NOW!” I demanded in rage to the stallion managing the ticket booth at the train station.

“I’m sorry miss,” the stallion said as he closed the booth. “But the last train to Manehattan just deported 20 minutes ago, and there won’t be any more trains coming in for tonight. Hope you have a good evening,” he said as he closed the blinds, and shut the lights before he left the booth, and quickly ran through the rain.

Great. Just fucking PERFECT. I gotta find another way out of here. I’m not willing to stay in this godddessdamn town for another night before I get discovered.

I looked around Canterlot’s entrance to find an alternative, and saw an open archway in the mountain the town was perched on with a long flight of stairs to the bottom.

“Guess I will be using this tent set after all,” I confirmed myself before I took one last look at Canterlot as a whole. “Good-bye Canterlot, and fuck you, Shining Armor,” I bade while I flipped the bird in the air at the city’s direction. I turned, and made my way down to the base of the mountain. The rain started to pour harder on the city as I left the shithole known as Canterlot.

Chapter 9: Cyan's Explanation, and the Dark Truth

Chapter 9: Cyan’s Explanation, and the Dark Truth.

[Friday Evening]

When I got to the door of my house, I quickly opened it, rushed inside, and slammed it shut. Wheezing from the sprint getting to my home, and drenched in cold rainwater dripping from my clothes, mane, and tail.

“Cyan Dusknight! Where have you been young stallion?!” A loud, familiar mare voice shouted that shocked me into place. I looked up, and saw my parents standing in the dining room. With dinner on the table that looked like it has been sitting there for a long time.

Mom was wearing a pink blouse and white skirt reaching to her knees, her mane was fixed from this morning, straightened to a neat, brushed style. Same goes for her tail. She looked at me with a mixture of worry and anger, which was understandable considering how long I was out.

My dad… Was not looking at his best right now. He was still in uniform from his work, a navy blue suit with gold trims, and matching slacks. Bands, medals, and patches were on various places of his chest and shoulders, signifying his rank and achievements from his services to the guard. One medal in particular that stood out was a red shield with a black, six pointed star I made earlier within it. Like his name, his coat was a marine color, with a long, dark black mane reaching past his shoulders. His same colored tail twitched a little, brushing the ground behind him. He crossed his arms, and looked at me with those deep crimson eyes, sure enough that’s where I got mine from, with a somber expression that could bring his cadets to their knees.

“Son? You better have a good reason as to why you made us worry for so long, and coming back so late in your state,” he finally spoke. They stood there silent, waiting for an answer from me as I trembled in fear of their presence, and gulped loud enough, not noticing how dry my throat was.

Okay. They’re DEFINITELY not happy with me right now. I can understand why, and I don’t blame them. I just hope telling them what happened will calm them down a little.

I took a deep breath, not noticing I was holding one for dear life, and breathed out. I made a deep sigh, trying to calm myself down.

“Okay. Just hear me out and let me go through my day before you ask any questions please,” I requested. They glanced at each other, then back at me with a small nod. “So I was hanging with Roxxie and Teala today. We saw the new Spider-Mare movie that came out recently, had lunch at the local pizza parlor, and lounged at the park afterwards. Emerald Brace and Copper Cut barged in while we were lounging.”

“The bullies you mentioned sometimes from school?” Mom asked, and I nodded. Dad just stood there and waited for me to continue.

“He was insulting me and my friends, boasting how unicorns are the superior race, while downplaying Teala and Roxxie’s own. He also questioned me… Being a unicorn if I can’t even perform high spells,” I took a deep breath, trying to keep my composure despite the horrid memory from earlier. My parents stood there silently, patient for me to clear my thoughts. “We got into a Magic Duel, to stand up for myself, and my friends, hoping to win it so he can take back what he said. We went until the third round, where I had to do a teleportation spell like Brace did-”

“WHAT?!” Dad yelled loudly, flinching me from the volume. “That brat! Does he KNOW the consequences of pushing a unicorn to do that spell?! I ought to-” Mom cut him off with a hand on his shoulder before she looked at me with concern.

“Did you get hurt?” She asked. I couldn’t lie about my pain after the failed attempt, so I gingerly nodded.

“I pushed myself too hard, and felt a bad burn in my horn and body after an explosion while I screamed on the ground. Brace just laughed at that, and called me a… failure as a unicorn before he left,” I could tell not too long after I said that my parents were furious, as I could feel it from where I was standing.

Mom tried to keep a straight face before she calmly asked. “What happened afterwards?”

I looked down, ears folded, regretting how I might have made my friends worry after my actions. “After the pain died down, Teala and Roxxie checked to see if I was okay. I couldn’t look at them after not being able to stand up for them, and just ran as far away from them as possible…”

Mom and Dad looked at each other for a moment, sadness on their faces as they empathized what I was going through. “I ended up in an alleyway sometime later," I continued. "I lost track of what time it was, and I didn’t have a watch on me, but I just lay there on the ground and sobbed my eyes out.”

“What were you doing on the ground?” Mom asked.

“… I tripped. I couldn’t even get up after my legs turned to jelly from all that running,” I answered before Mom rubbed my cheek with her gentle hand.

“You poor dear…” Mom sympathized.

“Anything else we should know about?” Dad asked, his expression lightened from the somber expression from earlier, which was a good sign on my part.

“I lay there for a while, until someone came up to me, and tried to cheer me up,” I continued.

“They didn’t ask you to do anything uncomfortable to you did they?” Dad asked, tightening his fist, ready to find the individual if they did anything wrong to me.

“No no, she was fine,” I assured.

“She?” Mom asked.

“Yeah. She was an older looking unicorn mare. Who was very kind, but really quiet though,” my parents raised an eyebrow at that comment.

I probably shouldn’t tell them how she had no irises or pupils either.

“Anyway,” I continued. “She wanted to help me and know what happened, so I told her the same thing I just spoke with you two. Then she did something… Interesting.”

“Interesting? How so?” Mom asked.

“She was showing me a trick that was unlike ANYTHING I’ve ever seen before. She turned a handkerchief into a dove!” I exclaimed.

“Ohh, she must be a show mare doing a small performance for you to cheer you up. That was nice of her,” Mom deduced.

While I wish that was the case, she DEFINITELY didn’t look like any show mare I’ve seen before.

I went along with her theory though, as that was the closest conclusion I could come to at the moment before I continued. “Well her magic was something to be admired though. If you were there, you’d definitely see why I thought so. Anyway, after that, she even offered to teach ME that kind of magic.”

“Did you accept?” Dad asked.

“Of course!” I exclaimed, but that gave Dad and Mom a reason to worry apparently.

“So what happened after that?” Mom asked.

“Well she gave me the first lesson right then and there,” I didn’t tell them about the weird ‘force’ thing that happened before that. Probably better not to mention that right now. “After I followed her instruction, I couldn’t believe that I pulled it off! It was just super amazing! Oh I’ve got to show this to you guys. Your minds will be BLOWN once you see this!” I exclaimed before I held my hand up, focused on it, and the black aura quickly appeared around my hand and horn. I then visualized the star from earlier before it emerged from the blackness, and floated in mid-air like before. I then morphed it to other familiar shapes as well, while moving them around in circles and other formations. “You see?! Can you see how AWESOME this thing is?!” I asked with excitement before I directed my attention to my parents, and their reaction wasn’t something I expected.

They looked surprised, that’s for certain, but instead of curiosity and awe, they looked at it with… fear. Especially my dad, which was something I’ve rarely seen unless I was in danger, but this time he seemed more… afraid. Mom matched with those expressions as well. I shifted my gaze between them with confusion and concern. They looked like they saw a ghost, and their coats even got a little pale from their natural colors.

“Mom? Dad? Is something wrong?” I asked as I dissipated the figure, and released the black aura. Dad was the first to move, and placed a hand on my shoulder.

“Son… Why don’t you go grab some dinner, and eat in your room tonight? Dry yourself off before you catch a cold while you’re at it before bed. Your mother and I have something important to discuss,” he said. I stood there in silent for a moment, surprised at the request.

This is the first time I’ve ever heard Dad asking me to eat in my room instead of with the family like usual. I would think he want to spend as much time with me and Mom as possible, with how busy they are with their jobs and all. This was a complete 180 from Dad all of a sudden.

I just tentatively nodded in response. “O-okay…” I complied before I walked to the dinner table, and grabbed the plate with a big piece of lasagna on it. I took the silverware as well before I walked up the stairs, and turned to my parents, who were watching my moves. “…Good night…” I hesitantly bid.

“Good night son,” Dad responded while Mom just stood there and nodded.

I continued walking up stairs, food in hand, and went to my room before I shut the door behind me. I placed my dinner at my desk, took off my damp clothes, threw them to the laundry basket, and levitated a towel from my bathroom before I dried myself off. As I finished, I looked at myself in the mirror, and jumped back in surprise, dropping the towel to the floor.

On my arms and sides of my hip, was a black, six pointed star like before. One of each side on the parts of my body where the cutie marks would be. I had to look down at myself, seeing if the mirror was playing tricks on me. They were still there. I gave the one on my left arm a tentative touch. A little tingly there. Then I touched the one at my side. It was a little more sensitive now.

It’s strange… I should be hopping and jumping around the room with joy after finally getting my cutie mark. I probably would be too… If I didn’t have this sense of anxiety in my body. I don’t know what my parents thought when they saw my demonstration. I would think they’d be happy and proud of me for making this big discovery, but it was the complete opposite of what I had hoped. Why did they reacted that way? Are they going to talk about it in their ‘discussion?’ I have to know what was going on.

I quickly and quietly put on a clean pair of clothes, and slowly opened the door. I could hear my parents’ voices from downstairs, but it was hard to hear what they were saying. I opened the door enough for me to slip through, walked quietly, and waited at the top of the stairs, getting a better hearing of the conversation from the living room while hiding myself.

“Are you sure this is a good idea?” Mom asked.

“It must be done. That magic is dangerous and could hold a potential threat to anyone around him,” Dad answered. “The place we’re sending him is secluded and safe enough where no one can be harmed. I don’t know how long it will take, but as of right now, nobody around Cyan, not even his friends, is safe. This is the best course of action for all of us.”

My whole body was trembling after what I had just heard. I quickly and quietly walked back to my room, gently closed the door behind me, and cast a sound-proof spell around my room so no one outside would hear me.

“My magic is… D-dangerous?” I asked with a tremble in my voice. “And my friends… Won’t be safe around me? Where is this secluded place Dad was talking about? Why do they want to send me away?” I tried to come up with the right answer for these questions, but my mind was clouded with fear, anxiety, confusion, and despair.

I don’t know where my parents want to send me away, but I think it’s safe to assume that… They think I’m some kind of monster, and I should be locked up before I hurt anyone.

My mind was drawing a blank. I couldn’t think straight at all at the moment except for one thing.

“… I got to get out of here,” was the best conclusion I can come up with at the time.

I hastily grabbed my back pack, and dumped all my school contents on the bed. I got to my drawers where I grabbed and packed many shirts, pants, and briefs in my back pack. I got to my closet, and stuffed one jacket in my back pack while I put on another one with a hood.

“…I need to let Teala and Roxxie know about this. They deserve that much after I left them like that,” I said to myself before I took two parchments from my school pile, and two quills with my magic before I set them on my desk after sliding my dinner to the side. I got their quills dipped in ink before I started writing.

To Teala/Roxxie,

It is with great regret to say that there’s absolutely no chance of me staying in Canterlot anymore. It seems with a recent discovery I found after we parted ways, told my parents about it, and what happened at the park, they came to the conclusion that I poise too big of a threat to be around them, and the two of you anymore. They want to send me someplace far away where I won’t hurt anyone, but I’ll be saving them the trouble. If what they said was true, I don’t want to take up any chances of being around you if there’s a chance I could hurt you, as you are one of the best friends I would ever ask for. I’m sorry that I won’t be able stay with you two, but it’s for the best for all of us that I was gone. I’ll always treasure the memories we made together up to this point, and it has been a great honor, and pleasure to be your friend. I wish you the best of luck in finding your cutie marks, and what the future has in store for you two. I’ll always love having the both of you being in a significant part of my life, and I’ll always cherish the memories we had made together.

Goodbye forever,

Cyan Dusknight

I finished writing before I rolled up the parchments, and tied them each with a fancy ribbon I had kept in my drawers for special letters. I looked at a picture frame on my desk, portraying me, Teala, and Roxxie having the time of our lives in an amusement park we visited one day. I took the photo out of the frame, and tucked it in a special pocket in my back pack before I zipped it up. I stuffed the rolled parchments in my coat pockets before I grabbed a few clean towels, tooth brush, tooth paste, and floss from the bathroom, and my piggy bank with all the bits I had saved to stuff in my back pack with my clothes, and zipped it up.

I went back to my closet and reached a sleeping bag that I had used for our family camping trips, and tied it around my back pack before I opened the window. The rain was still pouring harshly and blowing into my room, but that didn't stop me in the slightest. I levitated my gear, float them out the window, and softly landed it on the ground before I put up my hood, and did the same with my body. I got my stuff around my shoulders, and took one last look at what used to be my home, before I rushed out of the property under the rain.

After dropping off the letters to their respective homes, I ran to the main gates of Canterlot. As I was running through, I saw a pony in an alleyway wrapped in a tarp, standing in front of a big cardboard box, and had a small fire going in a drum in front of him with a makeshift roof overhead to keep the flames from getting wet. I couldn’t see any definite features, but I could see that it looked up at me from the distance as I looked back. I was sure the hood I wore was enough to conceal my face, but not so much with my horn. With a nod to the pony, wishing it luck for getting through the night, I kept running to the main gates.

The train service was closed for tonight, and even if they were still on, I couldn’t use it if I didn’t want anyone to see me. I then saw an alternative entrance, where it was a long stairway down through the mountain. I turned around to take one last look of the city as a whole.

“Goodbye Teala. Goodbye Roxxie. Goodbye Canterlot. You’ll be dearly missed,” I spoke to myself before I ran downstairs through the mountain.

Chapter 11: Cyan's Dreamscape, and the Mysterious Mare Returns

Chapter 11: Cyan’s Dreamscape, and the Mysterious Mare Returns.

[Time unknown]

[Cyan's POV]

I opened my eyes, and found myself looking up in the blue sky in the daytime. I rubbed my eyes, and sat up before I checked my surroundings. I was in a familiar area that included the grass I sat on; the tree across from me; a playground a couple meters away; and a school across the street.

“… Am I in Canterlot’s Park?” I asked myself, both confused, but also somewhat at ease with the calm, familiar surroundings as I scratched my head.

“That is correct, but also incorrect,” answered an unworldly, feminine voice out of nowhere. I jumped up in shock, surprised at the unfamiliar voice with no source to be found as I quickly looked around again.

“W-who’s there?! Where are you?!” I asked with fear in my voice as I backed up to the tree near me. I got in a stance ready to jolt out of there, or defend myself. Suddenly, something black appeared above me from the tree in front of my face.

“BOO!”

“AAAGH!” I screamed as I jumped and fell to the side while my sight was becoming a blur. What came next was a fit of laughter from the same voice from earlier, but now more directly from the source. I sat back up to see who it was, and my eyes shot wide like saucers.

The black mare that taught me my new magic from yesterday was lying next to the tree, rolling on the ground laughing like the last time we met.

“I-it’s you! The mare from yesterday!” I exclaimed before another thought came to mind. “You can speak and laugh now?!” I asked loudly. The mare finally calmed down, and stood back up. She looked the same as yesterday. Same great figure; same white, blank eyes; same black mane and tail flowing through the nonexistent breeze; same lipless muzzle; and her black dress from yesterday seems to show more of where she was covered under the daylight, which looked strapless, held up her breasts well, and showed a good amount of cleavage, while the rest of the ensemble reached just above her hooves flowing with each step.

She tried to stifle some giggles that were still left before she responded. “Yes Cyan Dusknight, I can speak and laugh now,” I stood up in shock by not only how heavenly she sounded, but how she knew my name.

“H-how do you know my name?” I asked. “I never introduced myself last night! At least I think I didn’t do that. And what do you mean about me being correct and incorrect about where I am?”

“To answer your latter question,” The mare said. “We are not back in Canterlot like you were thinking earlier. We are in what your mind feels at peace the most, which happens to be Canterlot’s Park.”

“What my mind feels… Mind… Wait, are you saying I’m in a dream of some sorts?” I asked.

“That is correct. As for your former question, I knew of your name because I was there with you the day you were born.”

“Huh? Wait, you’re not some kind of stalker or something are you?” She giggled at the question.

“No I am not… Well, maybe something of the sorts. You could say I was there, and at the same time, wasn’t there as well while I watched over you,” I stood there raising an eyebrow.

“Okay, you’re not making any sense here. What are you talking about? Actually, before we get to that, who are you? I never got your name yesterday.”

“I didn’t tell you my name because I never had one,” she responded, which left me wide-eyed.

“N-never had a name?” I asked with a crack in my voice.

“Never, but I-"

“THIS IS TERRIBLE!” I yelled. “This is a big deal. A fucking huge deal! A ginormous deal! A deal that’s even bigger than the planet of Earth itself! Your name is a representative of yourself! Your entire being! Your identity! I can’t even begin to question why your parents never gave you a name when you were born!”

“That is because I never had parents Cyan Dusknight,” she responded in the same calm, otherworldly voice. I stood there wide-eyed, feeling guilty that I might have brought up something I shouldn’t have.

“I-I am so sorry miss. I didn’t know and-,” I apologized before the mare interrupted by putting a finger on my lips.

“You’re sweet for having such concerns for me Cyan Dusknight, but would you please let me finish my introductions before you speak?” She requested. I stood there and nodded in response before she pulled her finger back and continued. “I should probably explain what I meant by being there, yet not being there. You see Cyan Dusknight, I am what you may call as a guardian, and I wasn’t there because I was in here the entire time,” she said as she placed her hand at my chest. “I wanted to show myself to you earlier, but I was put to sleep for many years.”

“Hold on, let me backtrack,” I requested, and she nodded to let me confirm. “When you said you were in here,” I said as I placed a hand on my chest. “Are you saying… That you’re the magic inside of me?”

“Very good Cyan Dusknight! That is correct!” She exclaimed while clapping with glee. “Yes, I am the manifestation of the special magic that resides inside of you.”

“And by ‘special magic,’ you mean the one where I can control that black stuff right? Was that called ‘Shadow Magic’ by any chance?”

“You are on a roll today Cyan Dusknight! Yes, what you have inside of you is called Shadow Magic, and like Lumina said, you are able to create and manipulate shadow figures at will.”

“How do you know Lumina?”

“I am a part of you, so I see and hear whatever it is you have experienced,” she explained. “And may I just say, that was quite a rough tickle torture last night, and quite a sight afterwards,” I blushed greatly at that comment.

“Y-you mean you saw that? You didn’t feel anything weird after that did you?”

“By weird, you mean sexually aroused? Not very much, but let’s not get carried away and get back to what’s on topic,” she suggested with a straight face.

“T-that would be nice,” I agreed while trying to calm down. “So… You were sleeping inside of me for a long time until just recently. You mentioned you wanted to show yourself to me earlier than what was previously planned. What made you stop?”

“Unfortunately, that is a question I don’t know myself,” she answered with her ears folded, and eyes lidded in a way to look concerned. “Something was keeping me asleep for many years, and I can’t say I know what it was. Some kind of seal perhaps. All I do know, is that an explosion cracked whatever put me down enough for me to wake up, and I seeped through the opening with as much magic I could gather to finally meet you in the alleyway that night.”

“Explosion?” I asked while I try to recall a similar phenomenon from yesterday’s events. I perked up when I realized what it was. “THE MAGIC DUEL! I tried casting a teleportation spell, and ended up getting hurt from the magic expulsion!”

“That may be the best reason to explain how I got there. I’ll admit, when I first saw you, I felt extreme sadness, and I was so eager to help you up, but I had to keep myself in control so I wouldn’t scare you away.”

“That’s right. Since I was sad, you were feeling the same because you were a part of me,” she nodded. “Which reminds me, how come you couldn’t speak the first time we met? And how were you able to get in a physical form in the real world?”

“Well I couldn’t speak because I don’t have a mouth silly. And so I can only speak to you in here, where we are connected and share our thoughts,” she said with a giggle.

That… May be unsettling, but kind of cool in a way.

“It is kind of cool isn’t it?” She asked before I realized that she could read my thoughts. “As for the physical form,” she continued. “I only had so much to help me come out and meet you. To be honest, I wasn’t sure if I could pull it off since whatever put me to sleep was only cracked. But me being there is proof enough that you have great potential in this magic Cyan Dusknight. That, I know for certain.”

“Wow…” I responded. “That’s really something. So, that big pulse you did when I trusted you earlier?”

“That was me breaking what was left of the seal-like spell holding the rest of your magic back. When I had enough magic stored myself, and had our hearts connected once you trusted me, we were able to break it ourselves.”

“We?”

“Yes. You played as much part of this as I did. Our magic resonated with each other enough to sync and destroy the barrier inside of you. It’s part of how you were able to use part of your magic afterwards. You didn’t need to know the concepts of this magic in our first lesson because it’s a part of you enough for you to bring it up at will. But that’s only part of what you can do, and as much as I want to teach you the next lesson, we’re running short on time,” she remarked before I realized everything around us started to fade.

“Crap! Okay, uh, two more questions. One, can I tell Lumina about this, and two, if you don’t have a name… Can I give you one?” I asked.

“First, yes you can. You trust me enough to teach you despite my appearance and the circumstances that followed, so it would only be fair. And the second is part of why I’m here now, as it is tradition for the Wielder of an Element to name their manifestation. It’s part of why I couldn’t give myself a name, and was so eager to come back to you after our first encounter,” she finished. I was confused by how this was a tradition, and how she seemed to want to be so involved with me, but I couldn’t think about it then as I needed to come up with a name quickly before everything faded.

“Okay okay, let’s see… How does Shadina sound to you? Since shade is similar to shadow, it would only make sense to rearrange it enough to make it sound pretty enough for you.”

“It’s perfect,” she confirmed before she quickly hugged my head to her chest, and I returned the kind gesture. In that moment, there was something different about this since the last time we were in an embrace, which actually brought me at ease when I realized it.

I heard a heartbeat from her chest.

“I guess you really are a part of me if I can hear your heart now,” I claimed with a smile.

“Indeed I am, and always remember, no matter what you decide to do with this magic, what to do with me, I will be with you every step of the way. Always,” she assured by crouching down, and placed her mouth-less muzzle to my cheek with eyes closed, gesturing a kiss of some sorts. She broke the embrace and stepped back. “It’s time for us to part. We will take the next lesson the next time you’re asleep. Practice more of the first lesson whenever possible. Until then, farewell Cyan Dusknight!”

“See ya later Shadina!” I exclaimed before everything suddenly went black.

“…-an… Cyan.. Wake up Cyan,” A faded voice called in the blackness while I grumbled in response while feeling something heavy on top of me.

“Ugh…” I groaned with my eyes still shut as I slowly pushed myself up before my muzzle got buried in something soft. I couldn’t make out what it was that stopped me, or the weight that was on top of me. I took one hand, and felt what was in front of me. It felt round, squishy, yet somewhat moldable; it had some weight to it too, but it was covered in some fabric. I had to knead it a little to get a better feel, but nothing recognizable came to mind. I tried to open my eyes a little to see what it was before I saw a pair of large, tank top covered mounds in front of me. I glanced to where my hand was, and saw that it was groping one of them before I looked up to see Lumina’s head smiling snidely at me.

“Well~, someone’s a little frisky today, and I think your little friend can vouch for that,” she remarked before I realized something tight in my pants that was being pressed under some weight.

I realized then and there that Lumina was straddling me while my muzzle was buried in her breasts, and I was groping one of them.

“GAAAAAAGH!” I screamed as I jumped out of the covers from place, got on my knees, and bowed repeatedly with my face flushed red. “I’m sorry I’m sorry I’m sorry I’m sorry I’m sorry I’m sorry I’m SO sorry I did that! Please don’t kick me out and leave me! I won’t-!” I apologized in a panic before I heard a loud laughter from Lumina interrupting me.

“You should have seen your face!” She exclaimed in between laughs while she calmed down and sat up. “Aw man, that was SO worth it, and I got a little kick out of it too.”

“What, I… Huh?” I sat there dumbfounded on what I missed was funny.

“Dude, chillax! I was just having a little fun waking you up this morning. You got nothing to blame yourself here.”

“Why would you do something like that?” I asked with confusion while befuddled with mixed emotions in my head.

“Because it’s fun teasing a good friend around, and you’re pretty cute when you get embarrassed like just now. Plus I’m feeling pretty chipper today, and I figured I’d give both of us a good way to start the morning. By the way, your technique could use some work, but you did pretty well on your first try,” Lumina critiqued.

“Wha-? But… That wasn’t even-.”

“Anyway, I picked up some food and water from the forest that will last us a couple days while you were sleeping. So go ahead and change, pack up, and come grab some breakfast when you’re ready,” Lumina finished before she got up, and left the tent.

I was left dumbfounded and silent before I sighed and groaned in frustration while rubbing my eyes.

I swear, I’m gonna get back at that sexy mare before she kills me of embarrassment. One way or another. I just hope the next lesson Shadina teaches me will give me some ideas.

Side Chapter 2: Dealing with a Loss of a Friend

Side Chapter 2: Dealing With a Loss of a Friend

[Early Saturday Morning]

[Teala’s POV]

After my shower, I went straight to bed, and slept until the next morning while trying not to think too much about the new cutie mark I recently gained. It was strange, once a pony gets their cutie mark, their first reaction would be the great joy of finally getting something that represents them in some way. With me though… I was confused. Mine was unique, yes, but with the circumstances that happened yesterday, the same day that Roxxie, Cyan, and I planned to spend the summer finding our cutie marks, plus the unfortunate turn of events afterwards that led to… Well, THAT last night, I just wanted to sleep and try to forget that happened, and it was all part of some crazy dream that I would wake up from.

“MASTER TEALA!” A loud voice yelled from the hall which made me groaned from being awaken in such manner as I sat up tiredly. The door opened, and Sigmund was at the door gasping for breath with a rolled up scroll in one of his hands.

“Sigmund… What’s going on?” I groaned while wiping my eyes. “It’s Saturday, and I don’t have school. I should be sleeping in today instead of waking up at…” I checked the clock in my room to check the time. “… 6:45 in the morning,” I finished with a grunt of annoyance.

“Believe me, Master Teala, I would love to let you sleep in today if I didn’t found what was in the mail during my routines this morning,” he explained solemnly as he walked over and handed me the scroll that was in his hand.

I unraveled it, and tried to read it with my tired eyes before they shot wide open while I gasped.

To Teala,

It is with great regret to say that there’s absolutely no chance of me staying in Canterlot anymore. It seems with a recent discovery I found after we parted ways, told my parents about it, and what happened today, they came to the conclusion that I poise too big of a threat to be around them, and the two of you anymore. They want to send me someplace far away where I won’t hurt anyone, but I’ll be saving them the trouble. If what they said was true, I don’t want to take up any chances of being around you if there’s a chance I could hurt you, as you are one of the best friends I would ever ask for. I’m sorry that I won’t be able stay with you two, but it’s for the best for all of us that I was gone. I’ll always treasure the memories we made together up to this point, and it has been a great honor, and pleasure to be your friend. I wish you the best of luck in finding your cutie marks, and what the future has in store for you two. I’ll always love having the both of you being in a significant part of my life, and I’ll always cherish the memories we made together.

Goodbye forever,

Cyan Dusknight

My hands trembled while gripping the parchment in my hands after I finished reading. Tears started welling up in my eyes, and my lips quivered from the message that I pray to Celestia it was some kind of cruel joke.

“Master Teala, I…” Sigmund said before I raised my palm to stop him.

“Sigmund… Leave…” I ordered with a crack in my voice. “Gather a search party, scour the city, and inform me ASAP as soon as you find any clues to where Cyan is. I’m going to change, get Roxxie, and get to the bottom of this. Right. Now,” I finished with anger and sadness.

Sigmund was silent as he bowed solemnly and left the room while closing the door. At that moment, I quickly changed out of my night gown, and into some casual clothes: a blue V-neck cashmere sweater while fitting my wings through the holes, and white jeans. I opened the large bedroom window, and flew off quickly while gripping tightly to the scroll. I left the mansion and its property while I flew as fast as I could to Roxxie’s place in the West Side.

My wings started to ache from the harsh flying, but I didn’t stop as I lowered myself to the ground, damp from the heavy rainstorm last night, as I was a couple blocks away from Roxxie’s home.

“TEALA!” A familiar voice screamed from a figure that sprinted towards me. The both of us slowed down to a halt, and caught our breaths. Roxxie was wearing a sweat shirt and matching pants, probably was on a morning jog before I ran into her. “Teala… Please tell me you’re not here for the same reason I was while trying to find you,” she pleaded while she held up a rolled up parchment.

The two of us quickly exchanged parchments to skim over each other’s letters. As we feared, it was the same message, only with our respective names making the difference. “This can’t be happening… Please tell me this can’t be happening… Not after how we left last night…” I begged with my voice shaking.

“Only one way to find out,” Roxxie replied with a mix of fear and anger in her eyes. I knew what she meant then, and I nodded in agreement. The both of us ran to Cyan’s home to find some answers.

We were running so fast, we wouldn’t be able to slow down fast enough, especially when a tall, light green, whitish blonde mane and tail colored pegasus in a black bucket hat walked out from an adjacent road into our path. “WATCH OUT!” I screamed as we sprinted, unable to slow down to a stop. The pegasus wasn’t fast enough as he stopped and turned to our direction in confusion, while I ended up ramming into him. The both of us screamed as we toppled to the damp ground, and groaned in pain afterwards. I tried to get up before I realized that we were in a VERY awkward and indecent position. I jumped back, and screamed from the top of my lungs while my face blushed brightly red, hoping someone nearby would wake up from the noise.

“W-wait a minute, I’m sorry for what happened there! I didn’t mean-"

“You. Filthy. PERVERT!” Roxxie interrupted the stallion as she charged in with a battle cry, and gave him a strong right straight in the face. He was sent flying backwards, knocking his hat off, and some kind of book out of his foreign looking top before he roughly landed on the ground once more. He lied there with a swollen cheek, and dizzy from the impact while Roxxie stomped up to him, grabbed his collar, and shook him back in forth in a violent manner. “WHAT MAKES YOU THINK YA CAN ASSAULT MY FRIEND LIKE DAT HUH?! YA BETTER ‘AVE A FUCKIN’ DAMN GOOD REASON FO' RAMMIN’ INTO US LIKE DAT UNLESS YA WANT ME TA POUND YA INTO TARTARUS YA SON OF A BITCH!” Roxxie threatened loudly while her voice temporarily reverted to a more recognizable Manehattan accent.

“Forgive me for intruding ladies,” he apologized while still being shaken, speaking dizzily and delusional. “But I was on my way to Marine Dusknight’s home for important guard academy business. You wouldn’t happen to know where he might be would you?”

Roxxie stopped shaking him immediately after the question was brought up, leaving the three of us silent for a moment.

“A-actually, we were heading there ourselves,” I answered to break the silence while the heat in my cheeks died down. “We can lead you there if you’d like.”

The stallion shook his head to regain stability, and sighed while trying get his composure before responding. “That would be nice, thank you.”

“But you BETTER not try anything funny again or I’ll send you flying out of Canterlot. Capiche?!” Roxxie asked while holding a shaking, tight, fist in front of the stallion.

He swallowed nervously. “C-crystal,” he responded before Roxxie pulled him up by the collar. He brushed himself, and the hat that he wore that fell out from the tackle before he put it back on, and tipped it to us. “Again, I apologize for running into you earlier, and for… well, that,” he apologized with a cough.

“L-let’s just not speak of that again, shall we?” I requested, which the stallion nodded in agreement. “I’m Teala Crystalwaters, and this is my friend, Roxxie Stone.”

“Nil Thunder, Cadet of Squad 13 in the E.U.P. Guard Academy… Well, soon to be ‘ex’ anyway,” Nil introduced.

“Ex? What for?” Roxxie asked with a raised eyebrow while crossing her arms.

“I was offered to join the Royal Guard yesterday, but I’m deciding to decline that, and resign from the academy,” Nil reasoned.

“That’s odd,” I commented. “I would think you enrolled in the academy for joining the guard in the first place. What made you change your mind?”

“I enrolled for a different reason entirely really,” he explained. “But now that I came and found what I was looking for, it’s time that I move on to someplace else.”

“That doesn’t have anything to do with what’s in this book does it?” Roxxie asked while she skimmed through the pages of said book.

“Dah! G-give that back!” Nil insisted before he reached for the book, but Roxxie reacted by dodging his attempts while she read. Her eyes suddenly shot wide open at a certain entry she found.

“Wait a minute… Six Titans… Earth, Fire, Water, Thunder, Light, and Shadow…” Roxxie mumbled incoherently as she scanned through the pages. “Hey pervert! Do you know a lot about what’s in here?” She asked while holding up the book in questioning, which Nil swiped from her hand in reaction before putting it back in his shirt.

“Yes, and it’s of none of your concer-Yipe!"

“Actually pervert, I think this DOES concern me,” Roxxie interrupted with a snarl as she pulled Nil down to her level by the collar again. “When we get through with our businesses at Dusknight’s place, I have some questions that I need to ask ya, and you’re going to answer them even if I’ll have to BEAT them out of ya,” Roxxie threatened.

What got Roxxie so interested in this all of a sudden? One minute she was worrying about Cyan, and the next she’s interested in whatever’s in that book of his… Wait a minute… Did one of those things she said was ‘Water?’ Not to mention, ‘Six Titans?’ That sounds like something Sigmund told me about last night… Did something similar happened with Roxxie too? Hold on, now that I think about it…

It seems with a recent discovery I found after we parted ways, told my parents about it, and what happened today, they came to the conclusion that I poise too big of a threat to be around them, and the two of you anymore.

…That was part of what was in Cyan’s message too… Did something like me and Roxxie happened with him as well?

“… I’d like to know about this as well,” I added in, which got the both of them turn to me in surprise. “There’s something strange about what’s going on right now, and I think the information you have may be a piece to the puzzle of finding this out. Once we’re done with our businesses there, you’re going to comply to OUR demands, or I’ll press charges on you for sexual and pre-adolescent assault. You owe me THAT much,” I finished with an ice cold glare with my wings flared.

“…Dude, I think you should follow her demands,” Roxxie suggested to Nil. “Teala’s from a big family that knows good sources, and if SHE’S serious about this as I am, you do NOT want to cross us.”

Nil just lied there with his wings furled, and trembling from the pressure that was pressed on him. “Y-yes. Of course. I’ll answer whatever questions you ask, just please don’t hurt me,” Nil begged quickly before Roxxie dropped him to the ground.

“Excellent. It was a pleasure negotiating with you Mr. Thunder. Now if you would follow us please,” I ordered politely as I walked past the two of them before I turned and glared at the stallion. “And don’t even THINK about flying off Mr. Thunder, or I WILL find you, and I WILL bring you down,” I threatened before I continued walking while Roxxie was at my side. With a defeated sigh, Nil got up, straightened his hat, and followed us sluggishly to Cyan’s home.

The three of us got to the front door of Cyan’s house, with feelings of outrage, fear, and despair lingering around us as what will happen next is unknown to us.

“Roxxie, if you would do the honors please?” I asked politely while crossing my arms.

“With pleasure,” Roxxie snarled before she popped her knuckles, got to the door, and back kicked hard enough to break the entrance down off of its hinges. I stood there with an unamused expression as I knew her strength would result to this. Nil however hopped back and yelped in surprise like a little filly. I’d be giggling at that right now if I wasn’t so serious for what will come next. Roxxie stomped inside the house, and looked upstairs. “YO! MARINE! OLIVE! GET THE BUCK DOWN HERE! WE NEED TO HAVE A WORD WITH YOU!” She ordered loudly.

Cyan’s parents came downstairs at a normal, loud pace with his dad leading. “What is the meaning of this?! I demand-!” Mr. Dusknight said before he and his wife saw us at the entrance. “... Roxxie, Teala… Nil Thunder? What are you three doing here at this time of the morning?”

“And what happened to our door?!” Mrs. Cross added.

“Don’t mind me, I’m just dropping off my resignation form here before I leave the academy,” Nil answered with a nervous laughter while holding up said form.

“Forget about that,” I said. “What WE want to know, is what you said to Cyan that made him do THIS?!” I demanded while Roxxie and I held out the letters Cyan had left us.

His parents took the letters and skimmed over them, with their expressions changing from anger to… Fear and anxiety?

“W-what?” Mr. Dusknight stuttered. “But, Cyan was…” He said before he looked at his wife, and the two ran back upstairs.

“HEY! YOU TWO GET BACK HERE!” Roxxie demanded while she, Nil, and I followed Cyan's parents.

We got to Cyan’s room with his parents standing there stunned. The room was empty, with Cyan’s school supplies lying across his bed next to his stuffed bear. His window was wide open, with a patch of wet carpeting below it, signifying how long the rain last night pelted inside. The closet, drawers, and bathroom door was open as well, with the first two unusually empty of clothes and jackets. There was also a plate of lasagna on his desk that gave the room a certain stink as it was probably sitting there since last night. The only thing that wasn’t there that should be was our missing friend. “…No…” Mrs. Cross said before she covered her muzzle with her hands with tears welling up in her eyes. “Did he somehow heard us?” She asked herself.

“HEY!” Roxxie yelled as she stomped to Mr. Dusknight before she turned him and grabbed his collar. “I ASKED YOU WHAT THE FUCK HAPPENED LAST NIGHT?! WHERE’S OUR FRIEND?! WHAT THE FUCK DID YOU EVEN SAY TO HIM?!” She roared, demanding answers while tears were welling up in her eyes as well.

Mr. Dusknight just stood there while doing something I've never seen up until now… He was crying. “… I’m sorry…” He apologized. “… I just… I’m not… Obligated to say…” He stuttered.

“WHAT THE FUCK IS THAT SUPPOSED TO MEAN?!” Roxxie rebuttled. “YOU DROVE HIM AWAY! YOU SHOULD KNOW WHAT HAPPENED! WHY WON’T YA FUCKING ANSWER YA SON OF A BITCH?!” She shouted before she dropped him and pounded his chest weakly with tears coming down as well. “TELL ME DAMMIT! Tell me… Please just… Tell me…” She stopped before she dropped on her knees and elbows to the floor, and cried loudly in sadness. My legs broke down as I got to my knees and cried behind my hands as well. Mrs. Cross sobbed on Cyan’s bed while Mr. Dusknight just stood there looking down on the ground with his back turned to us, with his own tears dripping to the floor. The only one who wasn’t crying was Nil who just stood there at the door way. He wasn’t confused at the situation, but was deep in thought as he observed all of what transpired in the past couple of minutes. After a few moments, Nil placed a hand on my shoulder, which caught my attention as I looked up to him while he was kneeling beside me.

“We may need to talk. We should get out of here while we can,” he whispered.

I nodded, weakly got up to my hooves, walked over, and kneeled to Roxxie’s side while I had my hand on her back. “Roxxie… We need to go…” I croaked. “We can’t get anything out of them right now, so let’s leave them alone,” I suggested. Roxxie just sat there silently for a moment before she slowly got up, and pointed to the doorway, gesturing me and Nil to lead the way. Nil set his resignation form on Cyan’s desk before he left the room first. I followed with both of Cyan’s letters in hand, and Roxxie came after. She stopped at the exit and turned to Cyan’s parents once more.

“I will never forgive you for whatever the fuck you did to Cyan…” She snarled to them. “I swear, I’m going to make you pay, if it’s the last thing I do,” she finished before she left the room, and the three of us left Cyan’s household with feelings of dread weighing on our shoulders.

We started walking to the East Side of Canterlot in silence before Nil started talking. “So… Where are we heading now?” He asked.

“My place,” I answered solemnly. “We’ll discuss about your ‘findings’ once we get there.”

“Um… Sorry to hear about your friend leaving,” Nil apologized. “I think your earlier actions suddenly made sense to why you were so… demanding.”

“She’s not always like that you know,” Roxxie added. “Mine’s pretty normal considering the circumstances earlier, but I didn’t think you’d use your money and status to go that far Teala. What gives?” Roxxie asked.

“Well…” I said before a voice stopped the three of us in our tracks.

“MASTER TEALA!” The voice yelled, recognized to be Sigmund as he, our new maid, I think Cinny was her name, and a strange pony wrapped in a tarp were briskly walking towards us, and we ran to them.

“Yes Sigmund? Did you find anything?” I asked.

“We may have,” Sigmund answered, to which Roxxie and my ears perked up at the response. “This young colt here said he might have seen someone passing by late last night,” he continued before he pulled back the colt’s tarp hood.

His appearance was… What’s the best way to describe it? Wild? His coat was light orange, while his mane was short and spiky with mixtures of red, orange, and yellow, as if flames were spouting out of his head. His tail might have been too short to reach his knee while hiding in the tarp, but I’m sure the colors there were the same. The colt however… Didn’t look all that healthy. He was kind of trembling in place, as if he was using a lot energy just to stand. “I… Might have saw someone…” He croaked with a dryness in his voice.

“Is it a colt?! Was he a unicorn?! Please! You gotta tell us!” Roxxie asked while shaking the exhausted looking colt.

“P-please… Need… Food…” The colt pleaded dryly before he lost what energy left, and fell to the ground.

“Crap!” Roxxie exclaimed. “What should we do?!”

“You heard the colt! He’s starving to death!” I exclaimed. “Let’s get back to the mansion, and get some breakfast there. Roxxie! Grab him, and let’s go!” Roxxie nodded, and picked him up to her shoulder.

“What about the stallion with you? Who’s he?” Cinny asked while pointing to Nil.

“Don’t mind me, just going along for the ride against my will,” he replied sarcastically, to which Sigmund and Cinny quirked an eyebrow in confusion.

“Nevermind him. He’s with us,” I chimed in. “Roxxie and I have some questions for him, which might answer what happened to… Yesterday,” I answered hesitantly. Roxxie and Nil looked at me with confused glances in response while Sigmund nodded in understanding.

“Of course. Let’s hurry now while the colt’s still conscious,” Sigmund replied. The four of us agreed, and ran back to the mansion with the fiery colt on Roxxie’s shoulder.

Things are just leading to one thing after another this morning. Cyan left to who knows where, his parents seemed to not know about his departure until today, and they won’t tell us about what happened last night. What did Mr. Dusknight mean when he wasn’t obligated to answer? What could have happened that made him keep his lip shut, but choking on his tears? In any case, whatever information Nil has that got Roxxie interested somehow, may only be part of the reason why all of this was happening, leaving more questions left unsolved. I don’t care how many obstacles there are, I won’t give up until I find out what’s going on, and find out where Cyan is. He’s not gonna leave us with how he was last night, and that last statement he left in the letters:

I’ll always love having the both of you being in a significant part of my life, and I’ll always cherish the memories we made together.

If that isn’t as close to a confession of love as it could get, I don’t know what is. I will find him, and I WILL express my feelings for him like I should have done a long time ago. Maybe Roxxie feels the same way, it would make sense considering how she was acting earlier. I’ll have to talk to her about that soon, but if there’s one thing I’m absolutely sure about in all of this confusion, it’s this: I love Cyan Dusknight, and I’ll do whatever it takes to see him once more to profess that to him.

Chapter 12: Getting Closer: Lumina's Inner Conflicts

Chapter 12: Getting Closer; Lumina’s Inner Conflict

[Saturday Morning]

[Lumina’s POV]

After I left the tent from a hilarious wake up reaction from Cyan, I gathered the clothes hanging dry from last night, and stuffed them in my bag with my clothing line. I had changed my shirt from last night to a well-fit, light green tank top with a pink bra underneath, and still had the same jeans I wore from last night while Cyan was still asleep (and I did this outside as I didn’t want to risk giving the poor colt TOO much to see). I had cleaned the containers and silverware when I came to the river where I got our water; and I packed the edible berries, leaves, and a few fruits in the bag I carried the previous food from last night. I didn’t really think about what transpired from last night then until after I woke up Cyan (in what may be the funniest, and somewhat exciting way possible) and left.

I have to admit, I didn’t think I’d have someone like Cyan coming along with me. From what I’ve learned about him last night, he’s loyal, smart, sensitive, and just very sweet in general. I still can’t believe his parents just turned a 180 on him, and scared him into thinking he was some kind of monster just from the new magic he found. Still… When I saw it myself, something from what the old hag told me about it a while back came to mind at the time.

Whatever you do Lumina, do NOT associate yourself with anyone that possesses Shadow Magic. They are considered unpredictable, cunning, and dangerous to be around. The moment you let someone in with your guard down, they’ll stab you in the back the moment they get the opportunity. Literally.

I’m still curious as to why I should stay away from ponies with that kind of magic, especially with someone like Cyan, who seemed to have gained those powers just recently. Maybe the assumption was based off of the majority she had seen or heard about? Anyway, I couldn’t take the old hag’s words to heart. Not with Cyan who was just abandoned by his family, and had lost his two best friends whom he had loved to not risk hurting them with his new magic. Things didn’t turn NEARLY as bad for me when I first came across my Light Magic around his age. I just couldn’t leave him alone in the open by himself, and I wanted to turn his outlook on his magic into something amazing like I was with mine.

Not to mention… There was something about him that makes me feel more open about myself. Getting away from all the high expectations from the academy and the city of Canterlot might have been part of it, but I feel I can relax and be myself more while being with him. I wonder if his friends felt the same way? Anyway, I want to get to know this kid a little more, and see how much I can push his buttons with my sexual teasing. Maybe growing up in Canterlot, especially with his parents by the sound of it, had got him so uptight to not displease anyone, or do something risky that could get him in trouble later. While I do admit he’s probably the sweetest young stallion I’ve seen out of everyone I met so far, I want to loosen him up a little while he’s around me like I am with him. The poor guy deserves that much after what he’s been through, and I’ll pull out every trick in my sleeves if I have to.

After a bit, Cyan came out of the tent with his gear packed, and a change of clothes. He was wearing a gray zip-up jacket that was open, with a navy blue shirt underneath, and black jeans.

Damn, this kid knows how to dress up well. Now that I look at him in the daylight though… There’s something about him that reminds me of someone. Especially those eyes of his. I can’t put my finger on who it is though.

“Hey Lumina, you okay?” Cyan asked that snapped me out of my train of thoughts.

“Oh yeah, I’m fine.” I replied with a wave from my hand. “Here, have some of these, and we’ll pack the tent before we head out,” I put out while handing Cyan the bag of food I found.

“Aren’t you going to have some?”

“I already ate before I woke you up. I’m fine.” I assured. He shrugged before he set his stuff down, and sat in place with me following suit in front of him, eating few raspberries before he spoke.

“Speaking of waking up, do you usually wake your friends up like that?”

“Not really,” I responded. “I didn’t have many close friends growing up. The closest pony that actually did that to me was my sister,” Cyan looked up with a look of shock for a moment before he looked down and folded his ears. “Hey, you okay? I didn’t say anything bad did I?”

“N-no, you’re fine. It’s just…” He said before he stopped, and tried to think of the right words. “For someone like you, I’m surprised you haven’t made much friends. And remembering how I told you what wonderful ponies my friends were last night, I… Just wondered if I had hurt you in some way,” he finished with a solemn expression while looking down.

Okay, I think I just melted by how sweet and thoughtful that was. He might be overthinking things, but he’s certainly considerate to put my feelings before his. This kid is something else.

“It’s okay Cyan,” I assured which he looked up with wide eyes in response. “I didn’t really think about it that much at the time, and you’ve got nothing to be sorry for. It was an emotional moment for the both of us,” Cyan nodded as he understood.

“Okay… Thanks,” he replied.

“No problem. I’d like to ask though,” I started which got Cyan’s attention. “What did you mean by you being surprised having someone like me not having many friends?” I asked.

“Um…” He starts while looking to the side with uncertainty.

“Don’t be afraid to be honest okay?” I requested. “I might have been called worse in high school, so there’s not much to worry about,” he looked at me with confusion and a raised eyebrow after I said that.

“Worse? I wasn’t thinking like that at all. Yes, we might have started at a rough patch with the gun and all last night, but that was just your training from the academy that was put to work then right?” I nodded while that was true, I was kind of on edge from something else as well. “And your ways of… ‘Playing with a friend’ are unique to me at most, but other than that, despite my freak out last night, I was telling the truth that I thought you were beautiful and stunningly sexy when I first saw you under that moonlight,” he blushed, looked to the side and scratched the back of his head as he continued. “You’re strong for pushing through the academy’s treatment; you also showed great kindness; generosity for offering food and a place for me to sleep even when we had just met; and you were very comforting and understanding when I told you how I got here. Teasing aside, I just think you’re a fantastic mare, a great pony, and anyone would either be crazy to not be your friend, or complete assholes if they didn’t treat you well as a friend like you deserve to be,” he finished with a sheepish grin and an embarrassed chuckle.

I couldn’t help but blush a little from the very well thawed out description of me he just told. I may have told myself many times in front of a mirror how much of a sexy looking mare I was, but it was almost rare how someone else besides my mom and sister told me, let alone barraged me with words of how much of a beautiful and wonderful mare I was.

“Hey Cyan?” I finally asked after a long pause.

“Yeah?” He asked.

“Don’t ever change okay? Stallions should learn a thing or two following your example,” he blushed and nodded shyly before he continued eating.

I swear, a part of me felt like I wanted to jump and kiss him after all of that, but he’s still a kid though. Am I crazy for liking someone so young like that? If he was even seventeen, I’d probably tackle him and practically beg him to take me right then and there. At least then, the age gap between us wouldn’t be so awkward, and he would be at a legal age for us to roll in the hay.

Still… This is someone I had just met last night, and I’m still trying to get over my crush with Shining Armor. I’m probably in an emotionally vulnerable state right now, and any compliments like Cyan’s towards me are making my thinking all jumbled up. Yeah, that might be it. I just need some time to chill, maybe go on a few casual dates with stallions or mares for the heck of it when I’m ready, and I’ll figure out what I want sooner or later. Besides… Cyan already has two mares he loves, and looked like he was trying to figure out his own feelings for them before that as well. He’s still young, inexperienced in dating and serious relationships, but he has plenty of time before he settles down with one, maybe more if herds are still a thing… Maybe I can help him get more comfortable with dating along the way, and if he does see one or both of his two friends someday, he’ll be more than ready enough to take the challenge. Then again, there’s also waiting until he turns seventeen, and I could try giving him a shot myself, but that won’t be until later.

“Hey Lumina?” Cyan asked before I snapped out of it.

“Y-yes?” I asked.

“You feeling okay? You seem really deep in thought for a while there.”

“Oh no! I’m fine, I just had a lot on my mind at the moment.”

“A bit for a piece of those thoughts?”

I should probably not bring too much suspicion right now, so I better come up with something.

“Well,” I said. “Since we’re going to be travelling together for a while… I was wondering…”

“Yes?” Cyan asked with a sound of intrigue in his voice.

“I was wondering when your birthday is? So when that time comes around, I’ll treat you to something nice for the occasion since we’ll most likely have each other to support for a while,” Cyan sat there in deep thought for a moment before he looked up at me.

“I’ll tell you my birthday on one condition,” he proposed with a finger up.

“Yes?” I asked.

“You tell me your birthday so I can treat you to something special myself. You’re doing a lot just for letting me tag along. It’s the least I could do to return your kindness,” he finished.

… Dammit Cyan, you’re making me blush again with your own stupid gentlecolt-like kindness.

“Alright, that seems fair,” I tried to say with lack of interest. “My birthday… Is August 15th. I’ll be turning twenty this year.”

“T-twenty?” He asks with disbelief.

“Yes. That’s not a problem is it?”

“No no! It’s great!” He exclaimed while shaking his hands out front to make his point. “You’re able to drink at that age right? I don’t think I’m allowed to take you to a bar though.”

“I don’t find drinking all that appealing to be honest. Socially maybe, but we don’t have to go someplace adult to have a good time. It could even be so much as treating me to a nice dinner, and I’d be fine with it,” I assured, which Cyan sighed a breath of relief.

“Okay, that’s good. Still though, beautiful, fantastic, AND young? I think I may make that confession you pinned me down to scream last night possibly true,” he said with a chuckle and a big smile.

Oh that’s just not fair! That smile and laugh’s too cute for your own good! And you had to bring THAT up don’t ya? I’m starting to think I went too far with that one with the circumstances now, especially what happened earlier this morning. If he grabbed my breasts again… Gah! I need to stop thinking like this before I get something damp in my pants!

“Well I gave you my birthday. Are you gonna tell me yours?” I asked while trying to change the topic.

“Mine’s October 12th. I’ll be turning fifteen this year myself. I don’t ask for much myself though. With things are right now, I think a nice dinner is okay with me too,” he finished.

Okay, he doesn’t have long to be legal. That’s good. Strange he doesn’t ask for much though.

“Alright, I think we have that settled then.” I finished while I got up. “Let’s pack up here, and get going to Manehattan. If we’re lucky, we could probably hitch a train ride there to make the trip quicker.”

“Sounds good,” Cyan said as he got up and passed the bag of food that still had some portions left to last a few days before I put it in my bag. “I’m kind of eager to see what Manehattan’s like. Roxxie's mom actually grew up there before she moved to Canterlot,” he added as we collapsed and packed the tent in the carrying bag.

“That so? I heard their selection of clothes is to be admired. Wonder if I can find something nice for me to look well in?” I asked.

“Please, you probably make the dresses look well. You wouldn’t need clothes at all if that were the case,” Cyan commented before his eyes shot wide open at the remark he made. “N-not that I think you should strip naked or anything! I don’t even know where that came from! Crap! That sounded really perverse from me then didn’t it?! Damn my colt mind with such thoughts! AGH! The image is burned in my brain! Get it out! Get it out!” He exclaimed while knocking his head with a fist. I couldn’t help but laughed hysterically on the grass from his self-berating.

“You’re really just walking yourself into these kinds of things you know that? Keep that up, and I might consider it,” I stated while I bent over in front of him with half lidded-eyes, wiggled my hips, and pressed breasts together between my arms to make my cleavage stand out more, while sporting my signature smile. “You want a little taste of these don’t you?” I asked in my sultry tone while rubbing my breasts together.

Cyan stood there speechless and blushed his whole face red from my signature tease. “U-u-umm…” He said while looking to the side pretending he didn’t see anything, which I only laughed from the look of his face.

“You still got it Cyan. Don’t ever change that,” I requested before I unexpectedly kissed him on his head. “Come on. We got a city to get to,” I said before I turned, flicked my tail, and lightly brushed against his leg before I got my things and led the way, while Cyan silently and blushingly followed.

…What? Just because I might have something going for him, doesn’t mean I should stop teasing him. Mares gotta have some fun now and then right? I think this friendship is going at a good start if I do say so myself. I have to admit, though I’m still uncertain, I’m also kind of excited to see where this will go.

Side Chapter 3: Questions on Cyan's Actions and Motives

Bonus Chapter 3: Questions of Cyan’s Actions and Motives

[Saturday Morning]

[Teala’s POV]

Those of us who are in or around the dining table in my mansion stood and sat in place. There were mixed expressions of surprise, disgust, awe, and curiosity, as we watched the colt who was moments ago on the brink of starving to death, was scarfing down plate after plate like a wild animal. The only one that wasn’t fazed by this was Nil who just kept eating silently as if the colt’s eating behavior was normal, with his hat hanging on the arch of the chair he was sitting in to keep his table manners in check. The colt in question without the tarp was wearing an open black vest with yellow trimmings with nothing underneath but the slowly bulging belly as food kept going inside it. He also wore a pair of beige colored shorts with his short, spiky tail with matching colors as his mane was poking through the back. The cutie mark on his open shoulder was a head of a dragon silhouette with flames around it.

After finishing what was his eighth plate now, the orange colt set the silverware down, and gave a loud belch that echoed through the whole room. “Aaaah! That hit the spot!” He exclaimed while he slouched back in his chair.

“Dude… Nice one,” Roxxie complimented from the burp earlier.

“Roxxie, that is… Ugh, I give up. This morning’s been crazy enough as it is,” I grumbled while rubbing my temples. Roxxie and I barely touched our own food because of the ghastly display of eating behavior earlier.

“If it’s any consolation, this breakfast was quite a treat,” Nil complimented after he set his silverware to the sides of his empty plate. “My compliments to the chef.”

“YEAH! What he said!” The colt added in.

“Erm… I’ll be sure to let them know… Poor fellows must be exhausted from the constant cooking today,” Sigmund commented.

I cleared my throat to gain everyone’s attention. “Well, now that our guest is well nourished, I’d like to ask him about the details about what he saw last night.”

“Oh yeah! I almost forgot about that!” Roxxie exclaimed. “Hey kid! We got you the food, so spill the beans!”

“Beans? If I had any, I wouldn’t be sitting here right now would I?” He asked with his arms crossed while raising an eyebrow.

“Just… Tell us what you saw last night,” I groaned while pinching the space between my eyes.

“Oh right, right,” he replied before he cleared his throat. “So there I was, in a dark alleyway trying to keep myself warm and dry with the fire burning in the drum in front of me, and whatever I had over my head to block the rain,” he said with hands spreading out as he told the story. “I had just arrived in town yesterday having no knowledge of such a storm coming in last night. The ponies I passed by as I walked through the streets looked at me funny though," he commented while scratching his head in confusion.

I can probably see why. Just seeing him as he is right now makes him stick out like a sore thumb. Even if he was strolling through the West Side of Canterlot.

“Anyway, you were saying about where you were last night?” Roxxie asked, urging to continue the events.

“Right right, I’m getting to that,” he assured with a wave of his hand. “Anyway, I was there keeping myself warm, until I smelled a pony from the distance even from all the heavy rain.”

“… Smelled?” I asked with confusion.

“I have pretty good senses of smell and hearing,” he clarified. “Pretty handy for some of the stronger scents and sounds that catch my attention. Like some of the food I smelled and heard cooking from a mile away before I passed them yesterday. A shame I didn’t have any money on me then to pay for anything though,” he shook his head. “Anyway, I looked up after I smelled the pony that was away from me, and saw the figure outside of the alleyway. I could barely see with all the rain pouring down distorting the view, but I saw it just standing there while looking at me.”

“Any distinguishing features that caught your attention?” I asked.

“Distinguishing?” He asked in confusion.

“She means if there was anything about the pony you saw that stuck out to you last night,” Nil clarified.

“Ooooh okay,” he replied with understanding before he looked down with his eyes closed in thought. “Well… The pony had some kind of sack and sleeping bag lugging on his back it seemed, judging by how big the figure was. It was too dark to see the pony’s colors or face, especially with the hood it had on at the time, but I saw something pointy sticking out on top of him though,” he described while gesturing his hands to clarify the description.

Roxxie and I looked at each other with wide-eyes, as if we might have figured out where Cyan was last seen. I looked back to the colt with a stern expression. “What happened after you saw it?” I asked seeking to find out more.

“It stood there for a bit while we stared at each other,” he continued his story. “The only thing it did after that was what looked like a nod to me. It was probably wishing me luck to get through the night before he sprinted off scene. I gotta tell ya though, whoever that pony was, it was crazier than I am for running in the storm that time of night. It looked like it had sprinted to Canterlot’s entrance,” he finished.

“That can’t be right,” I argued. “The train services should be closed for the night, especially with how bad the weather was.”

“It probably took the other exit to get out of here,” the colt replied. “It was the same way I got in, and man was it a heck of a climb up. I’m surprised I didn’t collapse from hunger after I got here. It was probably easier to dash downstairs than hiking up it though.”

I sat there trembling after hearing the end of the story, speechless for what to say next. “S-so… You’re saying that pony… Might have left town through there at that time of night?” Roxxie asked with a shake, her body trembling as much as I was.

“That’s the best bet,” he answered. “Which is crazier because of how cold and dark it might have been outside of the city. Sure the moonlight might have helped lit the area a little, but it’s too dark to see what’s further out there besides some of the bigger landmarks in the distance. Other than that, there’s no telling where that pony might have left.”

“…So he might really HAD left Canterlot…” I guessed with a crack in my voice. “That’s just it… He’s gone, just like he promised in the letters to who knows where, and whether or not he’s still-”

“DON’T YOU FUCKING DARE SAY IT!” Roxxie interrupted which got everyone jumped back from surprise. “I’ve seen how strong he’s become myself through our sparring practices, and there’s no WAY he’ll go down that easily. Not when he has our training and his magic under his belt. So don’t you DARE say that next line before I slap you out of it myself if I have to!” She finished while glaring at me with her teeth gritted. Silence filled the room, leaving everyone uncomfortable in where they were… Except…

“I think your friend might have a point there princess,” Nil broke in which got everyone turned to him. He sat there with his hat on his head, and fingers touching together while leaning on the table while looking straight ahead. “Not to mention what happened with ME last night that could possibly up his chances in survival.”

“W-what do you know?” I asked. “What happened with you last night?”

“I ran into an acquaintance of mine who decided to resign the academy in a rush,” Nil explained. “I said my good-byes before she left, and I offered her to meet me in another town once I finish my business here. In the order of events that transpired last night, she left sometime before the rain started pouring, which was probably around the time the train services started closing for the night. She was REALLY eager to get out of Canterlot, so there’s a good chance she took the same way your friend and the colt took. Since she left before your friend did, there’s a possible chance they might have ran into each other, or more technically, he runs into her considering the timing,” he looked back up to me with a smile on his face and crossing his arms. “She can be a little brash, but she can be a pretty good mare once you get to know her. She’s also one of our squad’s top finest along with me and another we know as we’ve only attended there for a year, and we’ve been offered to join the Royal Guard soon after.”

“YOU being one of their top finest?” Roxxie asked with skepticism. “That doesn’t raise my hopes up for Cyan’s safety dude.”

“Oh trust me, I am, at least as far as what I’ve been told,” Nil defended. “I’ve taken quite a bit of good punches from my acquaintance as well. Comparing those to yours on me earlier Roxxie, yours is only about HALF of what she can throw when you push her buttons enough.”

Roxxie sat there in amazement and fear from the last statement. “H-half?” Roxxie asked nervously.

“Dude, this mare sounds AWESOME!” The colt exclaimed. “I wanna get into a fight with HER one day.”

A fight? What the heck’s this kid talking about?

Taken aback from the colt’s remark, Nil cleared his throat before he continued. “Yes, her strength is not to be questioned, her magic is also pretty strong for a unicorn, and she has a certain… Ability that could add into how formidable of a foe she can be. But like I said before, she’s pretty good most of the time. If your friend’s lucky and good enough, there’s a chance he’ll run into her, and she’d generously let him tag along,” he concluded.

“A-and you’re certain this chance is possible?” I asked with disbelief.

“Not just possible, but it's EXACTLY what happened after your friend left. I wouldn’t be called the Genius of Squad 13 if I wasn’t this sure of myself in my deductions,” he assured with a smirk.

“Then… He’s alright after all?” I asked to be sure once more.

“Your friend Cyan’s in good hands, that I’m sure of," he finished with a nod.

“Then what are we standing around HERE for?!” Roxxie asked as she got up from her seat. “If you know who Cyan’s with, then you MUST know where they went! Let’s get over there and pick him up!” She exclaimed.

“Wait,” I interrupted.

“What? Teala! What gives?!” Roxxie asked.

“While it’s a relief Cyan’s safe for now, there’s another issue that still needs to be resolved: WHY did he left Canterlot in the first place?” I asked. “Judging by what he wrote in the letters, he must have a good reason to leave town the way he did, and in such a rush as well. Which is part of why I’ve asked you to come with us Nil Thunder,” I explained while I turned to him. “Roxxie said something about Six Titans, and six things that goes with them. Isn’t that right Roxxie?” I asked while I turned to her.

“O-oh yeah!” She exclaimed. “The book mentioned something about Six Titans with each of them holding a specific… thing of some sorts that possibly helped shaped our planet itself. What were those things again? Earth, Water, Thunder, Fire, Light, and Shadow?” She asked while counting them out with his fingers.

“Hey! Did you say Fire?!” The colt asked excitedly. “That’s so weird! I have something that relates to that!” He exclaimed.

Everyone in the room turned to him with shock and curiosity in our faces.

Wait… Don’t tell me this colt has what I think he has?!

“It’s so AWESOME! And it’s part of how I got through last night! Here! Watch!” He requested excitedly before he got up from his seat, held up his hand with his palm facing up, and focused on it with a stern glare. It took a few moments before his hand was set ablaze with a ball of fire floating on top of it, which got everyone in the room screaming from the surprise.

“Sigmund! Put out the fire! Quickly! He’s burning alive!” I exclaimed with orders in a panic while I stood up.

“Easy easy!” The colt interrupted. “I’m not hurt or burning, see?” He asked while still holding up his flaming hand, and sure enough, no signs of burning or scorching were forming on it. “I can do some cool tricks with it too! Watch!” He exclaimed before he started bouncing the flame ball, and juggled it around between his hands while performing tricks. All of us just sat there in awe and amazement from the unique power the colt was demonstrating for us.

“Who… Who are you?” I asked still stunned.

“I’m glad you finally asked!” He exclaimed before he sets off the flames, making them disappear before he jumped on the table and made some kind of pose. “With a fiery passion, and excitement for adventure! From the North, to the South, from the East, to the West! I travel across Equestria defeating evil dragons who dare to harm innocent ponies, creatures, and even the good-natured of those in their own kind! Evildoers beware as my name will spread all across the land, bringing only fear to their hearts, and that name is…” He paused for dramatic silence before he changed poses to what may be his signature one. “Blaze Fullthruster! Dragon Buster Extraordinaire!” He exclaimed before he laughed heartily to the sky with this head held high, and his fists to his sides, leaving us speechless from the long and cheesy introduction that would only be seen from comic books.

“This is just fascinating though,” Nil finally said to himself as Blaze quieted down with a big grin across his face. “It’s only been one day, and I already come across a Fire Wielder I’ve read in my studies."

“So you DO know what’s going on!” Roxxie exclaimed as she heard his rambling before she walked up and grabbed his collar like the last few times. “Alright spill it! Does this have ANYTHING to do with how I’m able to move the freakin’ ground below me?!” She exclaimed which left the whole room silent once more.

“Wait… You have something like that too?” I asked Roxxie hesitantly before everyone stared at me with shock.

“Too? Don’t tell me YOU’VE got something for show and tell as well?!” Roxxie exclaimed with disbelief.

I nodded in defeat. “I’m afraid I do. Sigmund,” I called to him, which he stood in attention despite the unusual occurrences that just transpired. “Is there anyone fixing the fountain in the back right now?” I asked.

“W-well no Master Teala,” Sigmund responded. “They won’t be here until later today.”

“Perfect,” I responded. “Everyone who’s NOT on staff besides Sigmund head to the broken fountain in the back! Now!” I demanded before everyone quickly complied to what I said, with Roxxie lifting Blaze off the table and lugging him over her shoulder as she and Nil walked out.

“H-hey! What gives?!” Blaze asked loudly. “Is NO ONE impressed with my intro?!” He questioned.

“Not really,” Roxxie answered bluntly.

“Me either,” Nil added in. “Now quit your whining and let’s get moving. This day just keeps getting interesting, and I’m curious to see where this goes,” he admitted as the three left the room.

“Sigmund,” I said as I turned to him who’s standing at the ready. “Be sure no one else on staff interrupts us, and bring ‘those’ out to the fountain as soon as you can,” I ordered, which left him raising his eyebrows.

“M-milady, are you sure?” Sigmund asked with uncertainty.

“It’s about time I quit hiding if we’re EVER gonna move forward in finding Cyan again. The three of them, Cyan, and maybe whoever’s watching over him will be the only ones who’ll know this secret. Plus, I may NEED to show this so I can find answers to my own questions,” I reasoned. Sigmund nodded before dashed off to follow orders before I walked back to the fountain where everyone else was.

Things are just starting to get stranger and stranger. It’s a relief that Cyan may be in good hands, but from what Blaze had showed us, and what Roxxie just asked Nil, I have a strange feeling that all of these events that’s happening right now is of no coincidence. If my suspicions about Cyan and Nil’s acquaintance are correct, then there was a moment where all six of us were in the general area with whatever we have that Nil may know about. I don’t know what’s going on anymore, but I can only guess that fate is somehow pulling the strings here if all of this is happening. Until I see Cyan again, I won’t stop finding the answers to all of these questions. After that, Cyan, Roxxie and I will be able to live happily once more. Possibly in a new and better way than it was up to yesterday. I can only hope though, and I pray to Celestia that Cyan’s doing okay out there outside of Canterlot. It’s the only thing I can do, and I’ll never stop until the three of us are together again.

Chapter 13: Welcome to Manehattan

[Early Saturday Afternoon]

[Cyan’s POV]

When Lumina and I left the forest clearing, we did end up hearing a train on its way to our first destination in our adventure around Equestria. We were lucky as it was slow enough for us to get on safely as we were well on our way to the city known for its wide variety of fashion, theatre, and busy urban life. We sat in the last car of the train, and I was practicing making more shadow figures while no one else but Lumina was around. I’ve been getting a better handle on it as I was making the black blob above my dark aura-covered hand taking not only geometric shapes, but also figures such as a dog, cat, sock, and whatever comes to mind, but at a small scale.

“Looks like you’ve gotten a pretty good hang of that huh?” Lumina asked starting the conversation.

“Yeah, Shadina asked me to practice this some more before we go into our next lesson,” I responded, which left Lumina lifting an eyebrow.

“Who’s Shadina?”

“OH! That’s right! I forgot to tell you. Remember the mare I told you about who taught me this last night?”

“Yeah?”

“Okay, well you’re definitely not gonna believe what happened after last night,” I claimed.

I then told Lumina about my dream, who and what the mare was, and passed the information she told me about my magic and our ‘connection’ to her. I also told her about how it was a tradition for a Wielder of an Element to name the manifestation of said magic before I woke up this morning. Lumina just sat there drinking the information at once before speaking.

“Goodness… That’s certainly quite the experience,” she commented.

“Right? Hey, since you have your Light Magic, do you have a guardian manifestation as well?” I asked.

“Now that you mention it…" She said while she puts a finger up her chin in thought. "I think I did see something similar in a dream once, but the first and last time that happened was sometime after I got my Light Magic, which I was around your age at the time. It was only for an instant though, and we never really spoke either.”

“That’s odd… Shadina seemed so eager to see me too. Maybe there are different manifestations for different ponies?”

“I wouldn’t be surprised if that was the case. Still, Shadina seems like a sweet mare. Wish I could see what she looked like,” Lumina commented. I sat there for a moment, and thought of something interesting.

“Maybe you can…” I replied.

“What do you mean?” She asked.

“Well I can make visual figures right now, only at a small scale though; however, I got a pretty good look at Shadina the last few times we met, and I haven’t tried making larger scaled figures yet.”

“You think you could use your magic to show me what she looked like?”

“It’s worth a shot,” I stood up, and looked around the car once more to see if anyone was around. “Okay, let’s see if I can make this work…” I put both hands out, and focused my magic with my eyes focused ahead of me. Both of my hands and horn glowed the black aura as I tried to visualize every detail of Shadina I could remember as I put in more magic than usual to make the scale bigger than the previous ones. The blob I was working with earlier was getting bigger, and started to morph into the size and shape I visualized. Beads of sweat were forming on my head, but I still maintained my focus as I fixed and edited the image of Shadina before me facing forward. I finally got the image just right before I finished. I panted heavily while wiping the sweat off my brow, and checked my finished work.

She seemed to turn out okay. The proportions matched, the dress was the same, the mane and tail were doing the waving thing like before, the only difference was the white eyes that were gone, which only made sense since this was only a figure like I tried with the cat and dog earlier.

“Goodness…” Lumina spoke. “She looks beautiful.”

“Doesn’t she?” I asked. “I can’t believe I actually pulled it off.”

You certainly did, Cyan Dusknight, and I’m quite proud of your excellent progress, A familiar voice regarded before the figure’s white eyes appeared and open, causing me and Lumina to jump back in shock.

“HOLY SHIT!” The both of us exclaimed.

Excuse me for barging in so early, but I thought I’d stop by and congratulate you on your achievement, Shadina spoke while closing her eyes with joy and clapping her hands… Which weren’t making a sound.

“Sh-she’s alive…” Lumina remarked with a tinge of fear in her voice. “W-why’s she so quiet though? And why’s can’t I hear her clapping?” She asked.

“Wait, you mean you can’t hear her?” I asked in disbelief. “But I could hear her just fine and clearly. Except for the clapping.”

She can’t hear us because you and I are connected Cyan, Shadina explained. Because of our connection, you’re the only one who can hear me, and anyone outside of it can’t.

“I guess that makes sense,” I agreed.

“W-what do you mean it makes sense? What did she say?” Lumina asked.

“Shadina said you can’t hear because she and I are connected in a way, and anyone outside of it can’t,” I translated. “Which would make sense since she’s the manifestation of my magic and all.”

“O-of course,” Lumina understood.

“But I think Shadina can hear you just fine though, isn’t that right?” I asked the Shadina, which she nodded in response. “Oh! This is actually a good opportunity! Let me make the introductions. Lumina, this is Shadina. Shadina, this is my friend, Lumina Lustre,” I introduced respectively.

Lumina stood up to face Shadina and shakily held up her hand. “I-it’s n-nice to meet you Shadina,” she quavered.

And a pleasure to you too Lumina, Shadina replied before she tried to take Lumina’s hand, but the former’s black hand phased through the latter’s, which made her pull back from the shock. Oh goodness, I apologize. Though Cyan can bring me out as an image, he doesn’t have enough experience to make me have a physical form yet, Shadina explained.

“I see, that explains why I didn’t hear you clap earlier,” I remarked, to which Shadina nodded to confirm.

“W-what did she say? Why did her hand phase through mine?” Lumina asked still in shock. I translated what Shadina spoke, and added that meeting Lumina was a pleasure. She sighed a breath of relief after the explanation. “Okay, that makes sense. Sorry for the freak out earlier.”

It is of no trouble. And I must admit, it was kind of funny seeing you scared from that, she commented before she gestured a giggle while I followed in agreement.

“W-what’s so funny? What did she say?” Lumina asked.

“She said it was fine, and it was kind of funny scaring you like that,” I translated. Lumina sat there taking it all in, before she giggled a little at the event as well.

“Okay, you got me there,” Lumina remarked, to which Shadina nodded.

Anyway, I just wanted to stop by to congratulate and introduce myself. Keep up the good work Cyan Dusknight, and I’ll see you later tonight,

“You got it Shadina. I’ll see you again soon, and thanks,” I finished before she nodded in response. She placed her black palm on my own that still had the black aura around it before she closed her eyes, faded out back inside of me, and I released my focus.

“Well, that will certainly be the highlight of my day,” I commented.

“Surprises aside, I guess you’re doing well in controlling your magic,” Lumina remarked. I nodded in agreement before the intercom spoke.

“We’ll be arriving in Manehattan in ten minutes. Please gather your bags and belongings, and thank you for riding with us today. We hope to see you again soon,” the conductor in the intercom announced.

Lumina and I opened the window and peeked outside, to which we stared in awe at the large city on the island it stood on as we rode across the bridge towards it.

[Lumina’s POV]

We got our bags and left the train as we got to the station. As we walked out of the station and into the city, I was still shaken up at what just transpired at the car.

Sweet Celestia that was scary. I don’t even know how Cyan was able to look past the eye thing when he first saw her. I could see nothing but the endless open space inside which I could get lost in forever. Other than that though, she seemed like a nice mare, and I could see how Cyan likes her so much. Kind of annoying how he can only hear her though. It’s like he was talking to an imaginary friend. Only I can actually ‘see’ her friend, and I feel somewhat left out… Wait, why did I feel left out? Was it because of how I don’t have a guardian thing like Cyan does, or was there something about her that looked like she was really close to him? And by close, I mean like she was his coltfriend or something… But that’s just my imaginations playing tricks on me… Right?

“This city looks so incredible doesn’t it Lumina?” Cyan asked which snapped me out of it.

“O-oh yeah! It certainly does,” I replied before something came to my mind. “Oh shit.”

“What? Did we forget something in the train?” He asked as he quickly inspected our gear. “It looks like we’re good.”

“It’s not that Cyan,” I responded. “What just struck me is that if we’re going to be staying here for a while, we’ll need to find a place to stay, and possibly find jobs to help get us around. I only have…” I said as I took my bit pouch and counted what I have inside.

“50 bits, which could probably last us a few days if we ate lightly.”

“As for me…” Cyan said while looking in his own pouch and thinking something else. “I have 20 bits on me, plus 103 bits in my piggy bank I have in my bag, so that makes 123 bits on my end,” I stood there wide-eyed at how a fourteen year old could save that much money.

“Shit Cyan, what got you that much money anyway?”

“When you have upper-class parents awarding you for good grades in school, plus the allowance for keeping your room clean, you get some good money, and put some away for later. Simple as that,” Cyan explained.

Shit, I wonder if Mom would do the same if I did that? Then again, big sis and I were pretty messy with our rooms most of the time. We only cleaned it when we had guests coming over.

“Well you better hold on to those bits tight Cyan, and I wouldn’t tell off how much money you have on you so loudly either,” I warned.

“Ponies pick-pocketing?” Cyan asked.

“Yes, or even professional thieves. With a city this big, chances of a robbery are probably pretty good,” Cyan nodded in agreement before we strolled around the city. Taking in the sights while coming up with a plan.

“So we need to find a place to stay and jobs along with that… Boy this is gonna be new to me. I didn’t think I’d start finding a job so soon,” Cyan commented.

“It’s not like we’re gonna stay for long Cyan,” I replied. “We just need to stick around long enough to find clues on special magic like ours.”

“You said an acquaintance of yours will be coming by to help us right? Nil Thunder if I’m correct?”

“Right. And don’t let his looks and chill attitude fool ya. He was the top genius in our squad back in the academy.”

“Wow… Does he know a lot of things?”

“Probably whatever he finds interesting. Mostly science, magic, and mechanics. Unfortunately he’s not good with mares and social situations like you are.”

“What do you mean by that? How does he behave around other ponies?”

“Let’s just say… Show him something that shouldn’t be seen in public, and his IQ would drop like that,” I stated with a snap, which Cyan raised an eyebrow at that before he shrugged. “Anyway, he won’t be by until a couple days, so we got some time to see the sights and explore a little.”

“So I guess our first priority would be to find a cheap place to stay for a couple days right?” Cyan asked.

“That it is. And with how big this city is, it may be for the best if we got jobs in the same building. I’m kind of worried one of us will get lost or something else happening if we’re too far apart,” I reasoned.

“Sounds good to me. You seem to know what you’re doing, so I’ll follow you wherever you go,” he confided in me.

Sheesh, I feel like a parent or big sister watching out for Cyan like this. He looks like he has some capability of handling himself, but I can’t help but worry for him. I just hope we’ll find something the both of us can do under the same roof once we find a place to stay.

With that in mind, Cyan and I strolled through the streets of Manehattan. Finding a temporary place to stay, and hopefully good jobs to go along with it.

Side Chapter 4: Roxxie's Earth, and Teala's Water

Side Chapter 4: Roxxie’s Earth, and Teala’s Water

[Late Saturday Morning]

[Roxxie’s POV]

Okay, why does this day just keep getting weirder? A pervy ex-student of the academy may know something about my powers; Cyan’s parents won’t spill on what the fuck happened last night; a strange, self-proclaimed Dragon Buster or whatever walks in out of nowhere with not only info on where Cyan was last night, but comes in with a unique power of his own; and now TEALA of all ponies may have something like the colt’s and mine as well? What the fuck is going on here?! I haven’t seen something get THIS out of hand since Teala decided to file a lawsuit on Summer Flight Camp for her poor treatment. That goes for both from the staff, AND from the other pegasi that were there. She may have been young at the time, but since she has the money and power to back her up, it’s scary to think about what she’s capable of. I haven’t seen her go so far since that day though, at least not until this morning. If she was going so far as to threaten the pervert with a lawsuit from… That, JUST to have him tell us more about what was in that book of his, and even go so far as warn him of not getting away, then this must be turning into something BIG.

The three of us got to the backyard a few minutes later, with expressions of shock from the aftermath of what used to be a fountain, like an Ursa Minor came in and destroyed it while being cranky from an unpleasant wake-up from a nap.

“WHOOOOA!” Blaze exclaimed as he got off my shoulder and ran around the scene inspecting the damage. “What happened here?! Someone must be CRAZY strong to cause this much destruction!” He commented.

“Did you have anything to do with this?” Nil the pervert asked with a raised eyebrow while crossing his arms.

“Watch it pervert,” I threatened. “I may be tough, but I wouldn’t go so far as destroying someone’s property unless they REALLY ticked me off. Plus, how could I even cause THIS much damage to one of my best friends’ stuff?” I asked while gesturing to the scene.

“If there’s one thing I learned from all the books I’ve read in my time, it’s that reality is stranger than fiction, and you never know WHAT life can bring to you,” he concluded while straightening his hat.

“…Point taken,” I scoffed.

A few moments later, Teala walked into the scene, with Sigmund following while carrying two long, black cases. “Thank you all for coming,” Teala started. “I suppose you’re wondering why I’ve brought you out here, and what happened to my fountain?”

“CH’YA I AM!” Blaze replied. “It was like a dragon swooped down here and smashed the bitch! Wait, was it a dragon that did this?! Where did it go?!” He yelled while punching into his open palm. “I’m gonna PULVERIZE the bastard for breaking someone’s stuff!”

…Is this kid serious? Is he even around our age? I’d think swimming across the sea to the Griffon Kingdom is more possible than beating a dragon of all things.

“No Master Blaze,” Sigmund answered. “There haven’t been ANY sightings of dragons reported as of late.”

“Awww, I was so fired up too!” Blaze whined in disappointment.

“Anyway,” Teala continued. “I’ve gathered you all here because this might be the best place for us to demonstrate our new… Abilities without risking any damages inside my mansion, and possibly injuring anyone. These abilities in question, may have what Mr. Nil Thunder has studied and recorded in that book of his. His findings seem important considering how he had wanted it back so badly after Roxxie found it, and not want us to get involved with it.”

“I didn’t want you fillies to get involved for a good reason,” Nil defended. “But seeing and experiencing the events that has transpired today so far has gotten me more piqued with interest, and record these findings in my research.”

“I think Roxxie and I can add more to it right now,” Teala proclaimed, which directed our attention to her.

… Wait, me AND her?! What does she even have to show to us?!

“Roxxie,” Teala said, which snapped me out of my thoughts. “Since you were so eager in the subject earlier, why don’t you come up and explain to us what made you so riled up in the first place, and show us what you can do?”

…Um, crap. I didn’t think I was gonna be put on the spot like this. Now everyone’s staring at me to see what I have to bring to this weird show and tell.

“Um… Okay,” I complied before I took Teala’s place, and everyone watched me like an audience waiting for me to start a performance or something.

“So… It all started after Teala and I separated last night,” I began. “I was angry and frustrated in myself for not stopping Cyan’s Magic Duel with our damn bully, and end up getting hurt in the end.” I looked down with ears folded as I recalled the events. “Angry with myself, I just started punching into the street while I kept yelling to myself how much of a useless friend I was, not caring for the damages that I was bringing to my hands.” I held up the back of my hand to show my wounds from yesterday. “As I kept getting more frustrated, and decided to do one final punch, not caring if I’d break my hand or knuckles… Something weird happened.”

“What was that?” Teala asked.

“… I punched through the ground like it was nothing,” I replied, which got everyone’s expressions to surprise at the strange event. “I got stuck in it soon after, and tried getting out, but things just kept getting stranger and stranger… I think this is where I need to showcase what I got as to why I wanted to know more about what was in Nil’s book…” I turned to the pieces of fountain on the ground, facing away from the fountain, closed my eyes and took a deep breath to calm myself.

Alright… Let’s try not to get Teala or the others hurt okay? If anything, hurt me instead.

With my line of thought finished, I opened my eyes; looked at the biggest piece; straightened my stance with my fists just below both sides of my ribs while the statue piece was to my left; and my front facing the audience. I side stepped hard to my left and put my whole body into the punch on the statue piece, and-

POOM!

The statue piece flew to the side, and collided with a nearby tree. With my punch finished, I relaxed my posture, and looked back to the audience. Everyone’s jaws were dropped to the ground, except Blaze who had a big smile from ear to ear, with his orange eyes glimmering in awe.

“THAT. WAS. AWESOME!” Blaze exclaimed. “YOU CAN MOVE STATUE PIECES!”

“Hold on, I think I can do something else now that I’m getting the hang of this,” I interrupted before I lightly stomped on the ground, and had three more statue pieces hopped up. I did a one-two punch, and a side kick in a certain direction that the rubble followed and hit the tree the first one collided with. I smiled as I was getting a better feel for this. “Woo! Roxxie, you rock!” I praised myself.

“I’LL SAY!” Blaze exclaimed. “Imagine how much evil dragon butt you’d be kicking with that kind of power!”

…You know, as crazy as that sounds, I can’t help but feel that might ACTUALLY be possible. Still, what’s his deal with dragons though? It’s kind of obsessive really.

“And you had JUST come across this yesterday after I left?” Teala asked as she walked up.

“Yeah, I was freaking out at first, having no idea what I was doing as I tried a few things. After I was able to hide the mess I made, I just ran off and not bother telling anyone else about it until now,” I finished.

“Well I can certainly see now why you were so antsy to find some answers from Nil,” Teala responded. “But I do believe it’s my turn to tell my side of the story. About what happened after I left, and show something I should have with you and Cyan after all this time.”

…What’s this something? I don’t know why she seems so serious about this, but I’m sure Cyan and I wouldn’t mind either way. Guess I’ll have to see what she’s got.

With that thought in mind, I nodded before I joined the audience, and waited for what Teala had to show.

“The first thing I should probably show is this secret I’ve been hiding from everyone for a while,” Teala started. “Something I found to my liking back at Summer Flight Camp, and I followed through with it for many years later. I was reluctant to show my parents, and to you and Cyan about this, but with everything that’s happened today, and where Nil’s study may lead us, I think now is a good time as any to reveal my secret.” She looked at me with guilt before she turned to Sigmund, and nodded.

Sigmund took the two black cases and walked up to Teala, put down the one on his right, and presented the other on his left to her. She opened the case, took something out, and turned her back to us. Her wings were trembling, as if she was nervous to what she was about to show, but took a deep breath to calm herself, turned around, and-

SHHHHHING!

The sound silenced the area, with me and everyone’s eyes opened wide in shock and awe as we witnessed what Teala was holding close to her muzzle with her eyes closed.

“T-Teala…” I stuttered, “Is that…”

“IS THAT A SWORD?!” Blaze interrupted with excitement, still sporting the huge smile.

“A rapier to be specific, but yes,” Teala answered.

Silence filled the area again, not believing what I was seeing.

Th-that can’t be right… Teala’s so… Fragile. I mean she can be pretty intimidating at times, but that’s when she had economic and social power at her side. This… This has got to be a joke right? Yeah! I mean Teala of all ponies wouldn’t be interested in such a sport! She’s just showing us the sword for comedy sake!

With that thought, I laughed heartily which got everyone in the area but Teala and Sigmund looking at me with confusion. “Oh man, Teala… You really got me,” I admitted. “It’s a fancy sword you got there, sure, but it’s some kind of souvenir right? I mean there’s just no way that you’re-"

CHING!

The sound of Teala’s sword clashing with Sigmund’s silenced me stiff. Not a moment too soon, the two started a duel. Loud clangs were made from their swords with each strike filling the air. Teala wasn’t just slashing with Sigmund willy-nilly like. Her swordplay was quick, dexterous, not to mention majestic as she attacked and defended against Sigmund. Heck, though the two were putting their best in their strikes, it was like a dance for Teala, as she stared at Sigmund with a look of determination, passion, and excitement. She didn’t bat an eye as she fought with a confident smile, something I’ve never seen from her before until then.

The two finished with their sabers held up horizontally, and pointing at each other’s necks. Both of them nodded to each other as they smiled, while their eyes were still gazing into one another’s. They moved their blades away from each other, and sheathed their weapons after they finished. “As you can see Roxxie, this is no joke,” Teala finally spoke. “I’ve learned and practiced the art of fencing with Sigmund for many years, probably for as long as you’ve learned and trained fighting and martial arts.” She held the sheathed sword in her hands while she smiled. “I may have played with wooden ones at first back at Summer Flight Camp, but something just clicked with me as I played, as if a part of me was filled while doing this. Something that made me warm with excitement, curiosity, and confidence, as if I finally found something I could truly enjoy.”

“When I saw Master Teala telling me her experiences with her playing swords back at that camp, I was pleased to see how happy she looked,” Sigmund added in. “Her eyes just shined with youth, and I wanted to help her maintain that happiness as much as I could. So I offered to be her instructor for the art of fencing, and she just flew around with joy when I asked. Unfortunately, I feared her parents may not be so thrilled with Teala finding this new hobby, so we kept our practices and training sessions a secret for a long time. I taught her how to fence, how to take care of her rapier, and helped find suitable blades for her as she improved and grew out of her old ones.”

“I didn’t tell you or Cyan about this because I wasn’t sure how open you were with me having this hobby,” Teala commented. “It may have been because of how hesitant I was with telling my parents, but that’s no excuse for keeping this secret from you two, the best and closest friends I have ever cherished, and would never replace even with all the money in the world. So I must apologize for keeping this from you two, and I do hope that I would still be your friend.” She looked down with her ears folded.

Silence filled the area for what seemed like minutes until a sound of giggles broke it. Everyone was confused at where it was coming from until they found the source… Me. Giggles turned to chuckles, and quickly changed to fits of laughter as I held my gut to avoid getting it spilled out. “Oh man Teala… Out of all the things you’ve been worried about over nothing, THIS may be the top of the list!” I exclaimed as I wiped a tear from my eyes.

Teala stood there in shock as she couldn’t believe what she was hearing. “I-I don’t understand… You aren’t mad?” She asked with confusion.

“Of course I’m not mad! Why would I be?” I asked. “Teala, what you like to do in your time is your own thing, and no matter what it is, I would never make you stop what you love to do, and I’m sure Cyan would say the same thing. It’s like if someone wanted me to stop training to be the best fighter in Equestria, and dude, I would NOT that take that lightly.” I walked over to Teala and had my hands on her shoulders. “We’re your friends Teala, and whatever you want to do that makes you feel right and happy, we’ll be with you every step of the way. Unless you do something stupid enough for us to snap you out of it, which would be something I’LL be doing a lot later on. Otherwise, we’ll always have your back, no matter what happens,” I finished with a smile.

Teala’s eyes started to well up with tears, lips quivered, dropped her sword before clamping onto me, and sobbed into my chest. I hugged in return, and rubbed her back to comfort her, being careful with her wings along the way. A few moments later, Teala pulled back, and Sigmund passed a handkerchief to her with a smile before she gladly took it and wiped what tears were drying up on her face. “Thank you Roxxie, you have no idea how happy that makes me,” she said.

“I hate to break up this touching moment,” Nil interrupted. “But I’d like to know how your display of fencing has to do with what happened yesterday if you don’t mind me asking.”

“And for the record, the swordfight? SO. AWESOME!” Blaze exclaimed. “You were all like ‘ching ching ching!’ And then ‘WHOOSHED’ side to side while dodging the butler’s attacks! I was on the edge of my seat for how epic it was!” He explained excitedly.

Teala just giggled from his childish astonishment. “Thank you Blaze. As for what this has to do with what happened yesterday, I was doing this to vent my frustrations with Sigmund after the Magic Duel,” she explained. “I got so riled up with anger as I explained to him about what happened during our session. It just got out of hand until…” She pointed to the destroyed fountain while blushing with embarrassment.

“Wait… YOU trashed that fountain?!” I asked with disbelief.

“WHOOOOA!” Blaze added. “Are you saying you have the power to blow things up with your MIND?!”

Teala shook her head before she answered. “No Blaze, that’s not it. The water had enough force to break out of the statue like a geyser, and made it to the way it is now. I had no idea what it was at the time, until Sigmund somehow had an idea. He asked me to try something, and… Well, this is where I’LL be showing my stuff.” She gestured us to come closer to the fountain where there was still water pooling around it. She took a moment to stare at the water intently with her hand up before a glob of water started to rise from the water, rippling and dripping as it hovered in mid-air. She dropped her focus not too long later, and the glob splashed back to the fountain, leaving us wide-eyed once more in awe.

“Incredible...” I said, breaking the silence.

“And now I have a couple questions for YOU Mr. Nil Thunder,” Teala started while directing her gaze towards him. “First, do you know if me tapping into this power is part of why I received THIS the same night?” She asked before she rolled up her sleeve, and Sigmund and I gasped in surprise.

There was a symbol… A rapier sword standing vertically and proudly in front of a marine blue heart, with three droplets of rain water between them.

“… A cutie mark…” I concluded. “Wait, you got a cutie mark the same night you found this power?!” I exclaimed.

“Let me guess, you too?” Teala asked.

I nodded and rolled up my own sleeve to show my own cutie mark. It was a black belt tying three small, gray boulders together, with a yellow shield behind it. “I didn’t find it until I got home afterwards. It looked cool for sure, but it felt weird getting this the SAME day I was able to do, well, that.” I pointed to the four statue pieces that I used to hit that tree.

“HEY! I actually got MY cutie mark after I found out I could do all of that fire stuff!” Blaze added in while showing off his own that was exposed already.

Teala nodded at our additions to the claim before she turned to Nil. “I assume you and your acquaintance you mentioned earlier have something similar that have to do with your OWN abilities?” I asked.

Nil just chuckled at the remark before he answered. “Right you are princess. My acquaintance is able to produce Light, and her cutie mark was three hearts with a white light shining around them. Mine,” he said before he pulled up his own sleeve, showing two conjoined, metal gears getting struck by a lightning bolt. “Is actually a different case. I came across my Thunder ability before I found my passion of inventing and working with science and magic involving electricity. It wasn’t until after that I found my own cutie mark.”

“Wait a second…” I interrupted before I counted out the elements I mentioned earlier back in the dining room. “Water, Earth, Fire, Light, Thunder… What was the last one?” I asked.

“Shadow I believe,” Teala finished. “And if these series of events are occurring with all of us in a general area is no mere coincidence, then that can only mean…”

“…Cyan came across the Shadow ability after he left us… THAT’S probably the thing he discovered in the letters he left us!” I exclaimed. “HOLY SHIT! This is just getting weirder and weirder! Why is all of this happening?!”

“Don’t you get it?!” Blaze asked excitedly. “The six of us were brought together for a reason guys! I don’t know what, but something BIG is probably coming, and fate has somehow brought all of us together in the same city!” He explained loudly.

“I can’t exactly say ‘fate’ has something to do with this,” Nil argued skeptically. “But I must say, coming across this in such a short amount of time after me resigning from the academy is quite the progress in my studies. I didn’t even think our cutie marks could play some part in our magic either. You’re certainly pretty bright for a spoiled princess,” he referred to Teala.

“And you’re quite cunning for a lousy pervert,” Teala rebutted. “Still think your research is none of our concern?”

“After all of this? I retract that statement,” he humbly replied with a tip of his hat and a smile. “Alright, you have me convinced. I’ll tell you everything I’ve come across so far in my studies, and after that, I’ll see what I can do to help you with Cyan’s disappearance.”

Teala nodded before she answered. “Thank you for your assistance. How long are you planning to stay in Canterlot if may ask?”

“There’s a few things I need to take care of before I leave,” Nil replied. “I’ll probably be leaving by Tuesday.”

“I want to meet this Cyan guy,” Blaze added. “If he’s someone that important, I DEFINITELY want to see what he’s capable of. I’ll probably spend one more night here in Canterlot before I get going to my own next destination. There could be a chance I’ll run into him while I’m there.”

“Sigmund, how long are Mother and Father planning to stay in Cloudsdale?” Teala asked her butler.

“They should be staying until Wednesday Master Teala,” Sigmund answered. “I’m hoping we’ll get the fountain aftermath cleaned up and repaired before then.”

“Excellent. Nil Thunder? Blaze Fullthruster? I would like to offer you two places to stay here in my mansion for the rest of your time here in Canterlot. Adding to it, whatever services we can provide you until you’re ready to move on,” Teala finished, which got everyone, including me, wide-eyed at her offer.

“Teala, are you sure?” I whispered in her ear. “These guys aren’t exactly your normal everyday ponies, and I can’t help but worry to leave you alone with them.”

“It’s the least I could do to thank them for helping us with our Cyan issue,” Teala argued. “And though I have enough security to keep me safe, I was actually wondering if you’d like to spend the next few nights with me as well? There’s something I especially want to discuss with you tonight alone.”

“Um… Sure, I can do that,” I replied. “School doesn’t start again until Wednesday next week for our finals right? We might as well use that time to get some studying in as well.”

“Of course,” Teala agreed. “Now, we had a very eventful morning. Why don’t we take a breather to gather our things, and we’ll meet back here for Nil’s explanation on our powers?”

“I’m down with that,” Nil answered. “I need to get my things back from my room in the academy anyway. I have something I need to talk to someone about over there as well.”

“I have nothing but the tarp I came with, the clothes on my back, and my empty bit pouch,” Blaze added. “I’ll just hang out here and slack while I wait if that’s okay? OH! And some lunch would be awesome to have as well.”

“You just ate eight servings of breakfast, and you’re hungry again NOW?!” I asked loudly.

“Hey, I was without food for a while alright?” Blaze defended. “I could probably go for ten servings of lunch to get me through the rest of the day.”

“Oh boy, our chefs are going to have a whopper today,” Sigmund added before all of us laughed at that remark.

“Okay everyone, you all know what to do. Let’s meet back here at 0300 and we’ll discuss our next course of action. You’re dismissed,” Teala finished with the rest of us nodding in agreement before we all went our separate ways.

Man, this is just getting stranger for me by the minute. Call me crazy, but I wonder if the dragon colt might have an idea with fate bringing all of us being together on the same day? Still, despite the circumstances, one goal is still in my sight: Find Cyan, and have the three of us reunited once more… After that… I think it’s about time I confess my feelings for him like he did in the letters. Come to think of it… I wonder how Teala feels for him? What will happen once we’re all together again? How much will things change for us after that? I wonder what kind of cutie mark Cyan has after he came across his Shadow powers? UGH! I think his questioning habit is rubbing off on me! Fuck it. I’ll just play by ear, and see what this ‘fate’ has in store for me. Watch out world, I’m coming up to buck your asses, and nothing’s gonna stand in my way of finding Cyan, and protecting him and Teala from harm. This I swear.

Chapter 14: New Job, New Place, and Facing Changes

Chapter 14: New Job, New Place, and Facing Changes.

[Saturday Afternoon]

[Cyan’s POV]

We strolled around Manehattan for what felt like hours. We looked at the cheapest apartments, hotel rooms, and rentals, but they all ended up being too expensive to pay for staying the first month, which I’m sure we won’t be staying for that long. We ended up getting hungry later, and decided to go to a nearby two story pub that accepted minors like me. The place wasn’t really busy; there were only a few patrons in other tables stopping by for lunch like we were. This may have been one of those places that gets busy overnight, probably because many customers are getting some good drinks before they have some fun out in the town.

Lumina and I were in a table that was next to the bar, and we sighed in hopelessness and exhaustion. Our bags were lying against the chairs we sat in while we looked through the menus to see what we could eat.

“The hay burger and fries sound good,” I said. “Adding cheese to it doesn’t cost much either.”

“Think I’m gonna go for a salad myself,” Lumina commented before she sighed once more. “Seriously, finding a place to stay is harder than I thought.”

“I know. I’m curious to how Mom and Dad were to find such a convenient location back in Canterlot. Not to mention how Roxxie’s mom was able to make her home into a place of business.”

“We may just have to reserve a cheap hotel room tonight, and see if we can look around some more tomorrow. But I’m not sure how much our money will last until after Nil gets here, and what happens afterward,” we look down at the table with our ears folded, not confident that things would go well for us.

“Excuse me miss,” said a husky sounding, brown, earth stallion standing beside us. He was burly, but not the muscular kind of big as he had a bit of a gut under the white button up shirt he was wearing with his sleeves rolled up. He also wore black slacks, and he had some scruffy facial hair going around his muzzle that was a mixture of blonde and white like his short mane and tail. “Ah couldn’t help but overhear tha’ ya two are looking for a place ta stay,” he commented with his Manehattan accent.

“Yeah,” I answered. “Not only that, but jobs as well. We only have so much money on us to get us by.”

“Ah see…” The stallion replied. “…Perhaps ah could be of assistance ta ya two.”

“How?” Lumina asked with a raised eyebrow, skeptical that an opportunity like this came around so conveniently.

“Ahm da owner of dis pub, and home as ah sleep upstairs,” he explained while pointing a thumb at the ceiling above us.

That explains the second story then.

“In da back, ah have rooms open for paying guests, and employees willing to work for their stay,” he continued while he pointed in said direction.

“Y-you’re not saying…” I started in disbelief as I couldn’t believe where I thought this was going.

“Ah just so ‘appen ta have one room open for an employee. Mah last waitress decided ta quit just recently, and ah haven’t gotten anyone askin’ me for a job here yet. If you’re willing ta work here in the late night shifts, ya can use da room ah have here,” the stallion finished.

“A-are you sure it’s okay?” Lumina asked. “I may be old enough to work out front, but he’s only fourteen,” she noted while gesturing a hand at me.

“Ah’ll find something for him ta do. He may just work as a buscolt or be on da register,” the stallion predicted.

“I-I’ll do whatever it takes,” I bumbled. “We won’t be in town for very long, I’d say about a week and a half, but I’ll be sure to put whatever I have into helping your business,” I assured.

The stallion chuckled heartily in response. “Ah like your style kid. Ah think we can work somthin’ out. Whadda you say? Do we have a deal?” He asked while he took a hand out for a shake, which Lumina was the first to grab firmly.

“You’ve got a deal,” Lumina confided before she let go, and I had my shake.

“Thank you very much sir. I won’t let you down,” I promised.

“Please, call me Barley. There are a few things ah should tell ya however,” he informed.

“What’s that?” Lumina asked.

“Ah only have da one room, and it has one queen sized bed. There’s also me finding your uniforms ta work here. Are ya okay with these?” Barley asked. I looked at Lumina who did the same with me, probably asking in silence if I could handle this. I nodded with determined eyes to which Lumina smiled.

“I don’t think we’ll have any problems with those Barley, and we can start tonight if you want,” Lumina assured.

“Fantastic. Why don’t ah show ya ta your room ta settle your things, and ah’ll treat ya guys ta some lunch. Mah treat.”

“Oh no, you don’t have to do that,” I interjected while shaking my hands out front.

“It’s no problem,” he insisted. “It’s kind of mah way of saying welcome to da team, even if it’s for a short time.”

“Well we’ll gladly accept your offer, and we appreciate greatly for you doing this for us,” Lumina thanked with a smile.

“Mah pleasure. You already know who ah am. May ah ask what your names are?” Barley asked the two of us.

“Lumina Lustre,” she said.

“Cyan Shadow,” I added.

“Nice ta meet ‘cha both. Now grab your things and follow me ta the back,” he asked before we gladly complied.

Barley led us to a room that was the second to the last in the hall way. When we looked inside, the place was… less than decent. There were pieces of the wall missing; the bed looked somewhat soft enough to sleep in; there was a window with only the wall of the building next to this one for the view; the bathroom on the side was somewhat dirty; and there was an unusual large space with four indentations shaped in a rectangle on the side.

“Was there a couch in here?” I asked.

“There was,” Barley answered. “But da last waitress dat lived here… Kind of tore it ta shreds with her ex-coltfriend when they were still together.”

I can’t even begin to comprehend what the Tartarus they even did to the poor couch, and I’m afraid to come up with a few guesses.

“Ah cleaned up the sheets on da bed just taday, but if ya two love birds do anything, there’s a Laundromat a few blocks down ta clean them up,” Barley informed with a chuckle.

Wait… Love birds? Does he think Lumina and I…? What was he even insinuating?!

“W-what made you think Cyan and I?” Lumina interjected with a blush.

“Ya two seem ta be quite close, and this is not da first time ah saw such a unique relationship. In fact, the couple next door down are actually brother and sister,” Barley commented while pointing to the wall opposite of the bathroom. “They can get pretty loud though, so ya might want ta grab some ear plugs.”

…I think my mind just broke.

“T-There’s nothing like that going on between us!” Lumina objected. “We aren’t even siblings! And we’re only five years apart! And how can you let something like… that,” she gestured to next door. “Slide by so swimmingly?!”

“When ya work in a bar, ya see and hear some crazy ponies stopping by now and den Lumina,” Barley stated. “Dat reminds me, if there’s anyone that gets rude wit’ ya, don’t be afraid ta let me know so I’ll buck them out. I’d rather have my employers work in a comfortable place than some sleazy establishment,” he finished while cracking his knuckles.

“C-can do.” Lumina stuttered.

“Welp! I’ll let ya guys settle for a little bit. Da place gets busy around six, so when you’re done, I’ll treat ya some lunch, and show you around before the place gets busy. Oh, and welcome ta Manehattan,” he welcomed before he nodded to us, and left the room.

Lumina and I stood there speechless while I was still trying to comprehend what Barley meant about the couple next door being brother and sister. A moment later Lumina stood and crouched in front of me to where her violet eyes were leveled to mine with looks of concern, and her hands on my shoulders.

“Cyan? Are you alright?” She asked. I just stood there dumbfounded. “I know this seems overwhelming to you right now, I’m kind of scared myself too, even with the training I went through back in the academy to help me defend myself. But remember that we aren’t going to stay very long. As soon as Nil comes around and we discuss our next course of action, we’ll be well on our way. Until then, I know this is a lot for me to ask, but I need you to be strong okay? I’m here for you when you need it, but we need to look out for each other if we’re gonna get through this. Can you do that for me Cyan?” Lumina asked while her eyes looked like they were quivering, as if I could see the fear like she mentioned before, but it was now shown on her face.

I didn’t really think about what I was gonna do after I left Canterlot. It was all in the heat of the moment, and I just did what seem to be the best course of action at the time. One day since I left, and I’m already in a new and unfamiliar city with a new place and job that could involve dealing with some of the more rambunctious ponies and crowds. Some ponies may even be dangerous if I don’t watch what I say, especially when they’re drunk. But now here I am, with Lumina, probably one of the most beautiful and strongest mares I know, standing in front of me, asking me to try to be strong for us even when she looked to be as scared about this new change as I am… I remember the look Lumina had on her face. It was the same when Roxxie and Teala were in fear and concern about not only getting their cutie marks, but not knowing where they stand in their lives. I had to say something back then to help the three of us get psyched for what will happen ahead of us, and right now, Lumina needs me to do the same and follow up on it.

I closed my eyes, and thought about the first thing that came to mind in situations like this.

There will be times you’ll be in between a rock and a hard place Cyan. You may feel like the world is out to get you, and you may even have little to nothing on hand to protect yourself from whatever oncoming attacks it will bring during that time. But remember this Cyan, as long as you’re still standing on your hooves, there’s always a chance to fight back and do what you can for yourself and your loved ones. Make the most with what you have in that moment Cyan, and live long enough to see what else is ahead of you. There may be some things that will surprise you, and how you go about it will be up to you and you alone.

…When my dad said that, I tried to put that into practice as much as I could. He may see me as some kind of threat now, but I know he meant what he said back then. If that has gotten me up to this point, I might as well keep going with it.

I took a deep breath, and tried to sigh out my fears, concerns, and doubt before I opened my eyes, and gazed back at Lumina who was still waiting for an answer. “I’ll do whatever it takes Lumina. For you, and for the both of us,” I declared with a somber expression in my eyes, portraying how serious I was, and how much I meant it.

Lumina then smiled a little, and gave me a tight embrace, to which I gladly returned with a sigh of relief. She then pulled back and gave me a long kiss on my cheek before she looked at me once more. “Thank you Cyan. That’s all I need to hear,” she assured with a smile before she stood up. “How about we introduce ourselves to some of our new coworkers before we grab lunch?”

“Sounds good,” I nodded. “I just hope the siblings Barley mentioned aren’t too crazy if their relationship wasn’t enough.”

“I think they should be fine if Barley hasn’t kicked them out yet. Come on, we got some new coworkers to get acquainted with,” she finished with an arm on my shoulder. I nodded in response before we left the room with our gear lying next to the bed.

I didn’t say anything since this morning, but this was the second time Lumina kissed me today, and on a place closer to my mouth than the last. I wonder if that’s her way of showing affection to her friends? I doubt she has some kind of crush on me. She’s too good and downright sexy to see me as some kind of coltfriend to her. Still… She seems to have quite a bit of faith in me, especially with what we just went through… I want to gain her trust, but I know I’ve lied and hid something important that could affect how she’d see me back then. I may not like the backlash, or whatever negative response she could make when I tell her, but she needs to know the truth about me if we’re gonna be together like this for a while. It’s the least I could do for all the kindness and care she has given me from last night up to now… I just hope things don’t change too much between us after that, or if I could still be friends with her at all. I’ll confess tomorrow morning over breakfast. Things are gonna get too stressful for the both of us tonight to even bring it up now.

Side Chapter 5: Different Ponies with Different Stories

[Saturday Afternoon]

[Teala’s POV]

Me, Sigmund, and Blaze were the only ones left in my mansion’s living room after Roxxie and Nil left for their errands. I stood on one side of the room for a moment to think about my next course of action.

“OH SHIT!” Blaze exclaimed as he jumped up from the couch he was lying in, interrupting my thoughts.

“Is something a matter Blaze?” I asked with curiosity.

“With all the excitement this morning, I forgot to ask for all of your names!” He exclaimed.

… Seriously? THAT’S the thing he’s worried about? And Cyan says I make a big deal out everything. I’m sure we referred each other’s names at least once, did he somehow tuned that out?

“Um… Okay, I guess I could make the introductions,” I replied. “I’m Teala Crystalwaters, and this mansion is my home if you haven’t figured that out already. This is my most trusted head butler on staff, Sigmund,” I gestured to him who was standing next to the entrance to the kitchen.

“A pleasure to meet you Master Blaze,” Sigmund greeted with a bow.

“Master Blaze huh? I like the sound of that,” Blaze commented while rubbing his chin in thought. “Can you tell me the other main ponies that were here? Plus the one you thought I saw last night?” He requested.

“I’ll try to explain with the best information I could muster,” I complied. “First there’s one of my closest friends you’ve seen who moved the statue pieces earlier, and is striving to be the best fighter in Equestria, Roxxie Stone.”

“He’s the loud earth pony colt right?” Blaze asked for clarification.

“…Colt?” I asked in confusion.

“Yeah! He looked super tough!” He exclaimed with excitement. “With the sweatshirt and sweatpants he came here with, and how he punched that first big piece like it was nothing? I gotta get into a sparring match with him soon, ESPECIALLY if he’s planning to be the best fighter in Equestria. He’d have to get through a Dragon Buster like me before he’s well on his way,” he commented with a confident smirk.

… Ohhhh Blaze. If Roxxie were here right now, I think you’d be getting more than what you ask for… And yet, I can’t help but keep this from him JUST to see where this will go.

I cleared my throat while trying to hide my giggles before I continued. “Anyway, the pegasus stallion in the hat you saw was Nil Thunder. From what I could gather, he’s an ex-cadet from the E.U.P. Guard Academy who he claims to be the top genius of his squad, and apparently has information about our powers that we’ll be discussing about later tonight.”

“There’s something about him I want to ask,” Blaze requested.

“Yes Blaze?” I replied, ready to answer his question.

“What is a pervert, and why do you call him that sometimes anyway?” He asked with arms crossed, and a raised eyebrow.

“Pardon the intrusion Master Teala, but I’d have to agree with Master Blaze on the latter,” Sigmund added in. “I’m curious myself as to why you called him such as well.”

…Horseapples. I didn’t think Sigmund would catch on. But how does Blaze not know what a pervert is? I didn’t think he’d be this dense. Then again, if he’s actually that innocent, despite his wild appearance, I’d rather not destroy it so soon yet since he seems to be around our age.

“Erm… I’ll tell you later,” I concluded. “Moving on, there was also Nil’s acquaintance he mentioned who’s able to use the power of Light so to speak. I’d like to know this mare’s name, but it seems she’s someone you don’t want to mess with if she’s as brutal as Nil claimed… Oh dear, even though I know Cyan is the kind of pony who tries not to get on anyone’s bad side, I certainly hope he pulls through with her okay.”

“Oh yeah, she DID sounded tough now that I remembered. A worthy opponent for me to best in a fight if I get the chance to meet her,” Blaze added in.

What is with this colt wanting to get into fights? Does he do this with EVERY tough sounding pony? I thought he was a Dragon Buster, not a Pony Buster. Come to think of it, has he REALLY beaten a dragon before? I’ll have to ask him that later.

“Anyway, the last pony to mention is the one in question that got everyone joined here in the first place: Cyan Dusknight, the kindest, sweetest, and most mature unicorn stallion I’ve ever known, and my other closest friend in our triad,” I ended while looking up in thought, fluttered my wings, and sighed dreamily while laying my head against my hands together.

“What makes him so special anyway?” Blaze asked with skepticism.

“He’s only the most amazing, well-behaved, and handsome gentlecolt I’ve ever known in Canterlot, possibly in all of Equestria. Always putting me and Roxxie first before himself in times of trouble, trying to keep us in high spirits, and defend us from whatever comes our way. Unfortunately, he had somehow ran away from home last night after revealing what we’re all guessing his Shadow powers to his parents, whom they somehow didn’t respond so well. So much that his parents apparently saw him as some kind of monster of sorts, and wanted to take him away someplace where no one would ever find him.”

“Sheesh, sounds like we have our parents of the year right here,” Blaze commented with sarcasm.

“Indeed," I agreed. "Just the very notion of them disowning my sweet Cyan is just unheard of! What makes this more confusing, is that when his parents found out he left, they sobbed in sadness like they had still cared for him! It just doesn’t make any sense! We’ll have to bring this question up later tonight when everyone returns from their errands.”

“Well if this Cyan’s Shadow powers make him that strong, I’d-”

SHHING!

Blaze commented before I quickly drew my rapier from my scabbard with sounds of steel filling the room, pointed the tip at his neck, and froze him from saying anything else.

“I may not know what your deal is with picking a fight with everyone around you,” I interrupted with a cold tone. “But if you even as to dare lay your filthy hands on my darling, then expect a ‘Skewered Blaze Fullthruster Cabob’ served on a silver platter as your very last meal. Do I make myself clear?” I threatened while glaring him down.

Blaze gulped while beads of sweat were trickling down his forehead. “Y-yes ma’am,” he responded before I withdrew my blade, and sheathed it back to my scabbard before I set it back in its case.

“Now then, with introductions out of the way, I think I know my next course of action that should have been done as soon as you stepped in my mansion,” I addressed.

“A-and what might that be?” Blaze asked with a shake in his voice, still frightened from the warning earlier.

“Four words: Get. You. A. Bath,” I declared while counting the words on my fingers. “I mean for Celestia’s sake, when was the last time you scrubbed yourself down? I think you may attract dirty rats with your disgusting odor.”

“Um… I can’t remember?” Blaze answered with uncertainty and a sheepish grin.

With that answer, my eye twitched at Blaze’s questioning of his last cleaning. The very notion of a smelly, filthy colt running around in my home in such an undignified manner, not to mention him just lying there on our fine, satin furniture while rubbing his grime on it just drove me to the brink of stress, frustration, and rage. “SIGMUND!” I screamed loudly.

“Yes, Master Teala?” Sigmund asked.

“Have three, no, FOUR of our finest maids take Blaze to the bath house for a Code Four cleaning, STAT!” I ordered.

“Yes milady,” Sigmund complied before he took out a bell, and rang it loud in the air.

Soon enough, four of my best maids appeared in the living room, standing at attention behind the couch where Blaze sat up before they bowed. “What are your demands sir?” The four asked in sync.

“Whoa, okay, that’s just creepy,” Blaze commented.

“Please take this young colt to the bath house for a Code Four cleaning if you will please,” Sigmund requested while gesturing to Blaze.

The maids gasped in surprise at the request, and looked at Blaze for what they were working with. “At once sir,” they replied before one of each grabbed Blaze’s arms and legs, and lifted him off the couch.

“H-HEY! WHAT’S GOING ON?! GET ME DOWN! I DON’T THINK I WANNA TAKE A BATH!” Blaze objected as he struggled while being taken away. Shouting and screaming before his voice was out of auditory range.

I sighed in relief as the smell was out of the room for the moment. “While he’s being washed Sigmund,” I continued. “Please be sure that whatever he had touch is disinfected, have some clean clothes prepared for him when he’s finished, have his and Nil’s rooms tidied up for their stay, and my bed chambers ready for mine and Roxxie’s sleepover tonight.”

“At once Milady,” Sigmund complied before he walked out of the room, and I headed towards the mansion’s personal library.

I skimmed through the bindings on one of the shelves before I found the book I was looking for, and turned to the page that came to my interest. I read through a specific passage before I smiled, marked the page with a nearby bookmark, and closed it before I held it against my chest with a heavenly sigh. I took out the rolled up parchment Cyan had left me, and stared at it content. “Just wait a little longer my dear Cyan,” I said to myself. “As Celestia as my witness, I promise the three of us will be together once more, and happier than ever before,” I skipped out of the room with the scroll and book in hand while humming a delightful tune.

[Nil’s POV]

I sighed frustratingly as I walked back to my room at the academy. I recalled the events that occurred this morning, questioned why I was taking orders from kids, and how that got me across with three other Element Wielders (four if the kid missing turns out to have the last one) of the Six Titans’ Magic mentioned from the legend in one day.

Honestly, of all the things I had put up with in my life, why are mares the most troublesome of them all? It was nice that I got some tidbits on how to treat and respect them properly from Lumina, but that can only take me so far. It’s strange how I didn’t take such interest on this subject until now, especially with some of the few fillies and mares I ran into before this. One of them who I REALLY hope I don’t have to run into ever again. Still, despite being so scary and frightening, it’s a wonder how they had such… Fascinating bodies. When I saw Lumina in her undergarments the first time that day, I swore I felt like I just died and went to heaven from the wondrous sight of her curvature, roundness, and how her bra and panties just brought a certain mystery of what’s hidden underneath them; but soon afterward, I dropped from the clouds of heaven, to the pits of hell after I got sucker punched by that same mare to the wall across the room. I believe that was the beginning of submission to my bottomless fascination to the female body.

I sighed once more as I got to my room, packed my things in the suitcase I came here with, and closed it before I took off my hat and stared at it intently.

Old geezer… Have YOU ever had this much trouble with mares before? Should this be something to learn like how you taught me the skills I've used up to now? How would you handle something like this? I REALLY wish you would have told me at least SOMETHING about this sooner before you—

“Nil! There you are!” A voice exclaimed that interrupted my thoughts. I looked to the source, and saw that it was Shining Armor. He was panting harshly like he just came back from his first day of training since we attended here.

I stood up, and put on my hat once more before looking at him. “Ah, Shining Armor, how can I help you? Don’t we have a day off from training today?” I asked with curiosity while crossing my arms.

“Yes yes, but that’s not the reason why I was tired,” Shining Armor replied. “Have you seen Lumina around? I talked to her roommate, and she told me Lumina had resigned from the academy last night, and left in anger. Do you have any idea on why that is?”

I looked up while pretending to think about the reason why even though I already did. “Hmm… Can’t say I have Shining, can’t say I have,” I lied.

“Ugh! Why didn’t she come see us with what’s wrong with her?!” He asked frustratingly. “I thought she was comfortable with us enough to tell us anything on her mind!”

“Can’t say that I know Shining,” I lied. “But are YOU in a position to say something like that?” I asked with skepticism.

Shining’s ears perked with the question. “What do you mean?” He asked with confusion.

“Come inside, and cast the sound-proof spell in the room please,” I requested. He complied as he walked inside before he shut the door behind him, and cast the spell with a reddish-pink glow that coated the room. I furrowed my brow while holding the rim of my hat before I spoke. "Now then, when were you going to tell us, your so called ‘friends,’ that you were seeing a princess?” I asked with a pressing stare.

Shining’s eyes shot wide open with his pupils and irises shrinking to the size of pins. “W-what? Me? Dating a princess? Where in the world did you get that crazy idea buddy?” He asked while laughing nervously.

“Did I SAY you were dating her?” I asked with emphasis which got his mouth shut.

“Um… No? I just assumed you were referring to it,” Shining reasoned defensively. “Besides, I said before that I wasn’t seeing anyone.”

“True, but you never really explained as to WHY you weren’t seeing anyone,” I argued back. “Maybe it’s because you were already taken? Now who was the pony I was referring to? Alicorn like Princess Celestia, pink coat with purple tips on her wings, long, curly mane and tail with colors of violet, yellow, and maroon. These defining features can easily help me narrow down to one mare in particular. What was her name again? Princess… Mi Amore Cadenza I believe?” I asked as I walked around him, scanning his body for any reactions to the questions I was asking. “Does that ring any bells, Shining Armor?” I asked while staring at him intently.

“Uh, n-nope,” Shining answered while he was sweating bullets. “But she sounds beautiful though. I’m sure whoever courts Cadance is a lucky stallion,” he commented before he covered his muzzle with his hand as soon as he realized what he had said.

“Cadance huh? I think I got you now Shining Armor,” I announced while stood up close in his personal space, staring in his cobalt blue eyes intently. “Now spill it, and don’t hold out. I’ve read into enough psychology to notice overt, behavioral signs, and the guilt is written all over your face,” I concluded while crossing my arms, waiting for my answer.

Shining sighed in defeat with his head hanging low, and ears folded. “How and when did you know?” He asked solemnly.

“Just last night actually,” I answered. “I was watching you sucking faces with her at the balcony while I was on the thunderclouds,” Shining blushed at my blunt statement. “How long were you seeing her?”

“After the Fall Formal Gala at Canterlot Academy,” he answered. “We actually knew each other for a while because she would come and foalsit my sister from time to time.”

A princess foalsitting? I would think she would have all the money she needed while staying at the castle. Why bother putting up the business?

“At the Gala, she came with this self-indulging jock,” Shining continued. “She left him after my friends and I called him out on how he’s ‘the greatest stallion in school,’ and ‘deserves to be dating royalty,’” he explained with air quotes from the last two statements. “After giving him a taste of his own medicine, Cadance and I spent the rest of the night together in each other’s arms, danced the night away, and have been an item ever since,” he finished while gazing up dreamily, as if he was looking back to the events he described.

“Why did you held this out on us?” I asked.

“I didn’t want to bring too much attention to myself and get any special treatment here if that was possible,” Shining reasoned. “Cadance understood that, but she was stubborn for us to still see each other. So I snuck out late at night to see her, twice a week at the same place, spending time together and… Well, you know the rest,” he scratched the back of his head in embarrassment while blushing. “I was going to introduce you and Lumina to her after the three of us join the guard if it’s any consolation. Unfortunately, I guess Lumina left the academy like you are about to right now,” he looked down with ears folded in guilt. “I didn’t even get the chance to say good-bye to Lumina before she left, and see why she was so angry. I gotta admit, before seeing Cadance, I wasn’t good with mares really. I couldn’t even get to say at least a few sensible words with one before they laughed at how much of a big geek I was.

“Lumina was an awesome mare to have as a friend, probably the best I got to know despite her brash behavior sometimes. I’m sure she’ll find a lucky stallion, or mare, to be with in the future,” Shining finished.

Well, depending on how good this Cyan guy is, and how flexible Lumina is with other colts/stallions, she may already be well on her way with that. I’ll say that much.

“I’m sure she will,” I agreed with a nod before I picked up my suitcase. “Well, I better be on my way then. Best of luck being in the Royal Guard. Aim to be the next Captain, the rank suits you,” I commented.

He chuckled at the remark. “I’m not so sure about that, but I’ll do my best,” he replied before we bumped fists. “It was great getting to know you Nil. Best of luck in wherever you go.”

“Thanks,” I replied with a nod.

“Oh, and can you do me a favor?” Shining asked.

“What’s that?”

“If you ever see Lumina again… Can you tell her that I wish her the best of luck, hope she’s doing well, and it has been a pleasure being her friend over the year?” He asked.

I looked up in thought to think about it. “I’ll see if I can bring that message across,” I replied with a nod. “As for why Lumina may have been angry last night, I think you may need to reflect on everything you’ve done with her over the past year. I’m sure you’ll find your answer then,” I suggested before I tipped my hat to him. “Take care, buddy,” I finished before I passed him, leaving him staring ahead while taking in what I said.

Well… It’s not like I COMPLETELY broke my word with Lumina last night. I just left him something to think about is all. Sure, he may have been dense over the year, but he is a pretty good guy in the end though. I’m not sure what was on Lumina’s mind when she left, but it may be best that I tell her what happened today. Maybe that can be the closure to their ‘relationship’ in the end.

With that mental note in my head, I walked down the hall and out of the bunker. As I unfurled my wings and started to fly out of the area with suitcase in hand, I could hear the Drill Sergeant yelling from below.

“HEY! WHO BROKE IN THE STORAGE AREA AND STOLE TWO CAMPING SETS?!” He asked at the top of his lungs.

And that’s my cue to get the heck out of here.

I thought as I flew away a little faster, but not so much to bring any suspicion. After a few minutes of flying away at a safe enough distance, I softly landed to a secret hiding space where the second camp set I had hidden before I gave Lumina hers last night. I sighed in relief as I found the set still there, picked it up, and went on my way back to the mansion.

Another day, another successful steal. Sure, I may only play thief for good intentions sometimes, but that doesn’t mean I can’t save something for myself now and then can I? Old geezer, you may not have taught me anything about mares, but no matter how long since I’ve stopped stealing as part of my life, your teachings just never seem to fail and fade away. Old habits die hard I suppose. Now to get on back to the mansion, kick back, and plan my next move. The girls may be a pain in the neck, but I think I see some potential for growth in my research if I keep sticking around with them. Then there’s the missing kid in question’s father, Marine Dusknight. Looks like there’s more to this than what I had originally thought if one of the Commanders of the Royal Guard itself won’t disclose what happened last night about his son’s new magic. There’s a secret here that’s just begging to be stolen, and Nil Thunder is just the ex-professional thief to take the challenge.

I mused with a cunning smirk as I fixed my hat, and continued my way to Teala's mansion.

[Roxxie’s POV]

“Roxxie… That is just… Terrible,” Mom replied after I told her everything that happened this morning over a late breakfast except for what happened after seeing Cyan’s parents, our powers, how Teala ran into the pervert, and her fencing hobby. I was too distracted and impressed with how much Blaze had ate earlier at such a pace, and Teala’s awesome swordsmanship to remember to eat, which is why I was having a late breakfast at my house when I had gotten home. I changed out of my sweatshirt and sweatpants into a pair of jeans, a green tank top, and my favorite black jacket Mom had made for me before I ate.

“Yeah. I’m still ticked off about Marine though,” I admitted before I ate another bite of my favorite breakfast, and continued. “I mean why the fuck wouldn’t he explain what happened last night? It’s pretty clear THEY’RE the ones that drove Cyan away according to the letter I got, and even then, THEY still cried their eyes out. I thought Cyan’s family was complicated and estranged enough, but THIS?!”

“Ah have ta admit, that is pretty conflicting,” Mom agreed. “Cyan was a sweet young stallion too. He surprised me when he wanted ta learn how ta design and tailor clothes after Ah fixed a tear in his jeans one day. His art classes he mentioned he took back in school certainly helped his creative side fo’ sure.”

“Yeah, I didn’t think he’d be into that,” I commented in. “He did pretty good when he helped fixed tears in my own clothes now and then when he got better. I honestly thought he’d get a cutie mark related to tailoring.”

“That would be something,” she added in. “There aren’t a lot of male designers in Equestria. Then again, there are more mares in dis land than stallions anyway, so that certainly narrows da possibility down. Gotta snag ‘em while they’re hot Ah always say,” she remarked with a giggle.

Ugh, why does that sound so wrong when she puts it like that? Was that part of how Dad got with Mom? Bleck.

“Anyway, it’s a shame Cyan left in such a fashion,” Mom continued. “Ah thought you and him would be shoulder ta shoulder by now.”

I stopped midway from my next bite with wide-eyes. “W-what do you mean?” I asked nervously.

“Don’t play dumb Roxxie,” she replied with a wag of her finger. “Ah’ve seen your ‘sparring matches’ with Cyan now and then. Ah know when a mare’s got a crush when Ah see it, and Roxxie, you had it BAD,” she concluded with a giggle.

My face heated up like flames from what she was implying, and I couldn’t help but look down in embarrassment while squirming in place. “…Was it really that obvious?” I asked shamefully.

“Girl, Ah’m surprised ya didn’t make a move on him after staring at him in some positions for what seem like ages,” Mom remarked. “It’s cute, but it gets so cringing ta see when ya don’t follow it up with that toned body of yours.”

“MOM! Do you HAVE to put it out that way?!” I asked loudly, my face getting hotter from what she was talking about.

“Ah’m just sayin’ sugah,” she replied with a shrug. “Ya had PLENTY of chances, but ya just couldn’t step it up. Ah’m sure Cyan would have welcomed da gesture even from all the losses in your matches with him.”

I just sat there still looking down, and drank it all in before I responded. “… You’re right. I DID have plenty of chances. I didn’t even know what I was feeling for him back then though. Cyan’s a great guy, especially since the first day I met him and Teala at elementary school after we moved here. Everyone would make fun of my accent because of where I grew up, even now I still have trouble changing it, but Cyan and Teala stepped in and stood up for me when I wasn’t so tough to stand my own ground back then. We spent time together ever since, and I wanted to be strong like Dad after listening to his career from you so I could protect them like they did with me.

“It’s funny. From all the times I hurt myself when I get too rough in my sparring practices in the gym, I liked how Cyan got so concerned for me even when I knew I was gonna get some injuries. He would even treat my wounds even though I kept telling him I was fine. I actually WANTED to get hurt in my future sparring practices after that, JUST so I could have him treat me with the same concern and care he had before. Even after all of that, and the time we spent together outside of school, a part of me was actually afraid that Cyan saw me as some kind of colt in a filly’s body, and I was just ‘one of the guys.’ All the ‘non-lady like’ actions I’ve done in the past didn’t really help me either.”

I moved my hand up to one of my new silver studded ear piercings in my ear, and caressed the area around it while I smiled sadly. “But when Cyan told me how cute I looked with these piercings last morning? I felt like my chest was going to burst from how I was proved happily wrong that he actually DID see me as a mare, and not only that, but attractive as well. I didn’t know WHY I was feeling like that really. I didn’t think ANYTHING like it would happen, especially since it was from Cyan of all ponies. But it wasn’t until he ran away after the Magic Duel yesterday, and this morning when I found out Cyan had left Canterlot that I felt the world around me just crumbled, and I didn’t realize how much I…” I paused before tears started to well up in my eyes, and continued with a crack in my voice. “I didn’t realize how much I had loved him until he was gone.”

“Oh sweetie…” Mom replied before he walked over, and hugged me tightly.

“Why didn’t I follow him yesterday Mom?” I sobbed while tears were streaming down as I hugged her back tightly. “Why wasn’t Ah there ta help him get through his loss? Or when his parents of all ponies wanted ta send him away? Ah promised myself Ah would protect him and Teala at all costs, and Ah can’t even do THAT right!” I exclaimed, not caring that my Manehattan accent came back as I cried in her shoulders.

“This isn’t your fault Roxxie,” Mom assured as she rubbed my back. “You didn’t know dis would happen as much as Ah did. Ah’m sure your father would be proud ta see how much of a strong, grown mare you’ve become like Ah am right now.”

“Ah miss Cyan Mom, Ah really do,” I confessed while I still cried.

“Ah miss him too sweetie. Ah miss him too,” she replied.

I calmed down after letting myself go a couple minutes later. I asked Mom if it was alright if I could stay at Teala’s place for the next few days to get my head straight, and get ready for finals coming up. She gave the okay before I went up to my room, packed all the clothes, school stuff, and training gear I needed before I came back downstairs.

“Do you have everythin’ ya need sweetie?” Mom asked with concern.

“I should be fine,” I responded. “I’ll be back the day before finals to get myself ready. After that,” I said before I looked at my clenched fist. “Teala and I are gonna put in everything we can to find Cyan, and I’ll tell him how I really feel after that,” I declared with determination.

“Ah’m sure you will Roxxie,” Mom agreed with a smile. “You take care now, and Ah’ll see you when ya get back.”

“Okay. Bye Mom,” I bid before I opened the door with my things, and headed back to Teala’s place.

I swear I’ll find you Cyan, and as Celestia as my witness, I won’t let you slip out of my sight again when I do. I’ll crush anything that stands in my way, and when I see you again, I’m gonna confess my true feelings to you. Even if other ponies see you as some kind of threat like you wrote in the letter, I’ll show them what kind of monster I can be. In the meantime, I’ll pray that you’re strong enough to get by with the pervert’s friend on your own. Until then, just wait for me a little longer.

With my new goal in mind, I approached Teala’s mansion minutes later. I pressed the button on the intercom, waited to gain entry inside, and planned my next course of action to finding our friend.

Chapter 15: Meeting New Coworkers

Chapter 15: Meeting New Coworkers.

[Saturday Afternoon]

[Lumina’s POV]

Cyan and I walked next door to meet our new neighbors/coworkers during our stay with my arm over his shoulder.

I wonder if that kiss on the cheek was sending anything to him? Not that I meant to, I didn’t even know what I was doing when I did that. It just felt… Right when that happened, especially with Cyan’s response to my question. He looked more like a stallion then and there than the usual sensitive, sweet colt I’ve gotten to know up to now when he said it. I got to admit, he looked… Cool the way he assured me. A mare around his age would probably want to do more than just give him a peck on the cheek like I just did. I’ve certainly gotten more affectionate with Cyan lately. I should probably be careful of how I play things out. When I saw him respond though… There was that same, presence around him that looked familiar somehow, especially when I looked into his beautiful, crimson eyes that showed promise and protection. I still can't figure out where I've seen that before...

“Should I start things off first, or would you like to?” Cyan asked before he snapped out of my train of thought. We were standing in front of our new neighbors’ door. For how long, I wasn’t sure as I was lost in my thoughts.

“Let me start things off first, and you can jump in when you’re comfortable. Sound good?” I asked, to which Cyan responded with a nod. I looked at the door, took a bit of a breath, and knocked on the door.

“Who is it?” A mare asked from behind a door.

“We’re new workers that Barley hired today,” I answered. “We moved in next door, and we wanted to say hello.”

Two pairs of hoof steps got to the door before it opened, and it revealed a light orange colored pegasus mare with a white mane and tail that looked like they were just brushed, and wore a spaghetti strapped top with jeans. She looked to be around Cyan’s age, but a few years older considering the height difference between him and her. The stallion behind her though was tall to where her head reached his chin. He was a lean, but lax pegasus with a dark brown coat and a white mane and tail like her sister; however, his mane was short clipped and sticking out front. He wore a black tank top that looked well fitted around him, and jeans.

“Hello you two!” The mare exclaimed. “Let me be the first to welcome you to the team! I’m Orange Icepop, and this is my brother Root Beer Icepop,” she introduced with a smile.

“You can call me RB if you want,” RB added.

Huh, they don’t have that Manehattan shrawl like Barley’s earlier. Maybe they’re not from around here?

“I’m Lumina Lustre, and this is my friend Cyan Shadow,” I introduced.

“Pleasure to meet you both,” he greeted calmly while shaking their hands before I did the same.

“So what brought you to working and staying here?” Orange asked.

“We were travelling, and cutting short on cheap places to stay with jobs,” I explained. “Barley overheard us and offered the room next door for us to stay while we work for him.”

“That’s Barley for ya. He’s such a nice stallion,” Orange commented.

“Where did you two start from?” RB asked.

“Canterlot,” Cyan answered with stoicism.

“Ooo~ Fancy,” Orange cooed. “Rooty and I grew up in Cloudsdale before we moved here,” I had to choke myself from laughing from the nickname, which Cyan did the same.

Rooty? Okay, that’s probably the cutest pet name I’ve ever heard.

“Orange, not in front of other,” RB whined.

“Oh please, no matter where we are, you’ll always be my Rooty Booty,” Orange cooed, to which RB just flushed greatly. It was harder for Cyan and I to hold in our laughs after that.

Oh Goddess, I take that back. THAT was probably the cutest pet name I've ever heard.

Cyan coughed to stop himself from laughing before he tried to change the topic. “So Barley informed us of your… unique relationship,” Cyan commented. “Excuse me for asking but… What made you two get together like this?”

“To be frank, I had some trouble finding the right stallion while I was going through dates,” Orange answered.

“And some of the mares I had seen didn’t see me as their type,” RB added while scratching the back of his head in embarrassment.

“We’ve always been close, and we loved each other very much,” Orange continued. “Just not in a way we expected until now. Rooty would comfort me through my down times, and I assured him how much of a great stallion he was even though other mares didn’t see it. It wasn’t until our last screwed up dates that we had come to each other for comfort in his room. By the end of our sobbing… Something clicked between us when we gazed at each other.”

“I didn’t realize until then how much of a beautiful mare Orange was,” RB added. “And how relaxed and happy I was whenever she was around.”

“And from all the times I assured how much of a wonderful stallion Rooty was, I didn’t realize until then how much he fitted what I want in a special somepony,” Orange finished.

“When we looked at each other back then…” RB continued to a pause. “We couldn’t help but want to try something to see if what we had felt was legit or not. So while our parents weren’t around… We kissed. Something had rushed between us at that moment, and things just kind of… Escalated then and there,” he finished with a blush.

Okay, I got to admit, I think my heart just melted from how romantic that sounded.

“So I assume your parents had to find this out sooner or later?” I asked.

“We had kept our… ‘Bonding times’ a secret for a while, taking every chance we had to ourselves to get intimate,” Orange admitted with a blush. I glanced over to Cyan and noticed his eye twitched at the remark before I looked back at the couple.

“I had decided at one point that we should confront our parents about us, together, and tell them the truth,” RB added.

“I take it your parents didn’t handle the news so well?” Cyan asked.

“No… it got so bad it led to the point of us moving out and coming here. Barley found us at our worst, and offered a job and place for us to stay,” RB answered.

“He was shocked at first when we told him about us,” Orange continued. “But he surprisingly handled it quite well. I guess working in this business for so long he had seen and heard his fair share of crazy events and ponies.”

“How long have you two been together since… Your first time together?” I asked.

“Eight months,” RB answered while he hugged his sister from behind. They also held up their left hands that showed matching gold rings on their fingers. “And we’re engaged.”

“Wow…” Cyan put in.

“Rooty just proposed to me last week,” Orange said. “And we’re planning to head to Las Pegasus to get hitched and spend our honeymoon over there for a few weeks.”

“Barley even offered to help fund for our wedding,” RB added. “He’s been so wonderful to us, he was like our new dad. Orange even wanted him to walk her down the aisle during the ceremony. You can guess how happy he was when we asked.”

Cyan and I stood there for a moment in shock by such a development by the couple in front of us. After a moment of silence, Cyan was the first to break it.

“When is your wedding?” Cyan asked.

“It will be in November later this year,” Orange answered. “It will be a quick wedding though, since there won’t be many ponies we know who would accept such a relationship like ours,” she commented solemnly.

Boy, you can pretty much do anything in Las Pegasus huh? I might want to visit there myself. Still, I can’t help but feel sorry for these two. What they have is unique, yes, but they seem to really mean it if they’re willing to go that far after eight months of being together.

I noticed that Cyan gazed at me with a face that looked like he was asking something, and wanted me to be sure if I was alright with it. I didn’t know what he was implying until I raised my eyebrows realizing it.

“Are you sure Cyan?” I silently mouthed, to which he nodded in assurance.

My goodness… Just minutes ago he looked like everything he knew around him just crashed and burned on top of him. Then again, from what he had experienced before as far as I’ve heard, this wasn’t the first time something like that happened. Come to think of it… He can probably see what Orange and RB went through with their parents as he had just experienced it firsthand recently. The wedding sounds nice, and I’m sure he wants the best that comes for those two like I was thinking earlier. This kid is something else.

I smiled and nodded at him in response, to which he returned as a thanks before he turned to the couple. “Orange? RB? Do you mind if you had two more spectators at your wedding?” Cyan asked.

The engaged stood there wide-eyed, and looked at each other to see if they were hearing things before they looked back. “C-come again?” Orange stuttered.

“Lumina and I would like to know if we could attend your wedding,” Cyan clarified.

“B-but why?” RB asked in disbelief.

“To be honest, I’m still wrapping my head around the idea of two siblings being in such a relationship,” Cyan admitted before he put a hand to his chest. “But as a young stallion who’s just setting his first step into the real world, the first thing that comes to mind is that the world is a strange and confusing place. I’m still kind of scared of what will come ahead for me and Lumina. Then again, there are some strange things in this world that can be very beautiful if you look at it right, and I’m open to learn whatever new things I come across.

“From looking at you two, and listening to what you’ve been through, there’s no denying that a strong love is budding within you two, and Celestia knows how love can take strange forms. I’m still learning about that myself, but it would be a great honor if I could witness one of those strange, yet beautiful forms if you’d let us,” Cyan finished with a smile. My lips quivered while tears welled up in my eyes.

… Goddessdammit Cyan, that’s just too damn beautiful for a fourteen year old to say. Why must you be so sweet?

Orange and RB shared that feeling I had as big smiles and tears started running from their own eyes. “Of course you two can come,” Orange responded with her voice broken in sobs. “We would be delighted if you two would join us,” RB just nodded in agreement.

“We thank you kindly,” Cyan thanked before the couple suddenly hugged us while sobbing tears of happiness. He and I just smiled as we comforted them before Barley came in the hallway.

“Yo Cyan! Lumina! Your lunches are… What’s going on here?” Barley asked in confusion.

“B-Barley…” Orange said while still crying as she broke off the hug with Cyan. “Cyan and Lumina want to come to our wedding.”

Barley stood there in shock before he grinned ear to ear at the news. “Well that’s just splendid! I say dis calls for a celebration! A round of cheesecake for everyone on me!” Barley exclaimed.

“Sounds good to me. You alright with that Lumina?” Cyan asked.

“It may go to my hips later, but I think this is worth it,” I assured with a smile.

“Well what are we doin’ standin’ around here for? Let’s grab some lunch!” Barley exclaimed.

“Yes sir!” RB and Orange exclaimed happily before the three left, and the two of us stood there watching them.

“Looks like we know where we’ll be going soon huh?” Cyan asked.

“Sure does,” I replied with a smile.

“Hey Lumina?”

“Yes?”

“There’s…” Cyan started before he paused, and shook his head soon after. “Never mind, I’ll ask later. Let’s grab that lunch. I’m starved.”

“Sure thing,” I agreed before we followed the three to the pub area.

I wonder what Cyan wanted to ask? Oh well, like he said, it can wait. Until then, I can definitely see him in a new light that adds with others shining on him. My heart’s kind of fluttering like butterflies just thinking about it now, as cheesy as that sounds. If Orange and RB can make their relationship work, maybe… Maybe there’s some hope for Cyan and I to do something with ours. I may have to wait of course, and there are still some things I need to settle in my mind before I start thinking about it. Until then… I’ll savor what the two of us have going right now. There’s no need to rush, and like Cyan, there are some things about love that I still need to learn it seems. I just hope with every step we take, we’ll be at each other’s sides.

With a smile on my face, I intentionally brushed my swaying tail to Cyan’s leg, getting a shiver from him while I giggled at the response.

Yep, Cyan’s still got it.

Side Chapter 6: Nil's Lecture, Developing Mysteries, and Plans for the Future

Side Chapter 6: Nil’s Lecture, Developing Mysteries, and Plans for the Future

[Late Saturday Afternoon]

[Teala’s POV]

After I had left the book and scroll in the nightstand of my room, I had a small lunch one of my chefs made for me. I had warned him and the rest of the kitchen staff to prepare when Blaze is ready for another buffet, and they looked like they were preparing for war soon after I said that. When I had finished lunch, and had my new maid Cinny take the dishes back to the kitchen, I read one of my favorite romance novels while I waited for Roxxie, Nil, and Blaze to return.

Roxxie was the first to return as I let her in through intercom before she got inside. She had her backpack for school, and her other bag with what I had assumed to be clothes for the next few nights. “Hey Teala, am I late?” She asked as she walked to the living room.

“Not at all,” I responded. “You’re actually the first to come back. Let me get those bags for you. Sigmund!” I exclaimed before my trusted butler came to the room. “Would you take Roxxie’s belongings up to my room please?” I asked him.

“At once Milady,” he complied before he took Roxxie’s bags, and brought them upstairs.

“Hey where’s Blaze?” Roxxie asked while she scanned the room. “I thought there’d be chefs coming in and out with food by now.”

“Blaze is going through a Code Four cleaning,” I responded nonchalantly.

Roxxie stood while she shuddered from my answer. “C-Code Four?” She asked nervously. “As in… Th-three levels above the one time Cyan and I went through after our mud wrestle?”

“Indeed,” I answered without hesitation.

“Oh the poor bastard,” Roxxie pitied before she covered her eyes. “What did he DO to you that made you go this far with him?”

“Did you not SMELL the stink he came in here with?” I asked with emphasis. “He was a walking landfill, and he didn’t remember the last time he had bathed! I had to get everything he came in contact with disinfected three times before anyone caught whatever disgusting germs he had left,” I caught something different in the clean air as I whiffed the scent to find the source in question. “You may need to freshen yourself up before bed tonight too Roxxie,” I suggested.

Roxxie raised an eyebrow before she raised one of her arms to smell one of her pits. She cringed from the scent that came off of it before she blushed at the embarrassment. “I guess I forgot to shower after my jog this morning,” she confessed. “All that had happened today must have gotten my head on auto pilot.”

“I guess that’s reasonable,” I agreed before I marked my place in the book I was reading.

Soon after, the intercom rang again, and it was Nil who came next. After letting him in the mansion, he was carrying a sturdy metal suitcase, a camp set, and a bag of suckers which he already had one in his mouth. “So you got a bit of a sweet tooth old perv?” Roxxie asked first as he walked inside.

“Shugah hulps keep my bwain actif,” Nil responded with the candy still in his mouth before he held up the bag that contained more. “Want one?” He asked, offering us a share.

Roxxie and I glanced at each other before we shrugged, and took one of each from the bag. I had a blueberry while Roxxie had butterscotch.

“I’ve returned Master Teala,” Sigmund called as he came back downstairs where the three of us stood. “Ah, Master Nil, welcome back,” he greeted with a bow.

“Are Nil’s and Blaze’s rooms ready for their stay?” I asked with my sucker out.

“Quite so Milady, and I do believe Master Blaze should be almost finished with his clean up,” Sigmund reported.

“Excellent. Please show Nil to his room, and have him come to the private study after he unpacks. Send word of this to the maids taking care of Blaze as well,” I requested.

“As you wish. Right this way Master Nil,” Sigmund directed before he led the way.

“Sure ding. Want a shuka?” Nil offered as he followed him out of the room.

“Huh, didn’t think he had it in him,” Roxxie commented before she finished her sucker with a crunch.

“Indeed,” I agreed. “Shall we head to the private study and wait for everyone to gather?”

“Lead the way. Still can’t believe I get lost in here sometimes,” Roxxie commented while scratching her head before I led us to the study as I took my sweet time to finish my own candy.

Roxxie and I sat together on a couch while we waited for the other two to arrive. Nil came back first with the book we saw this morning as Sigmund led him in. The former sat on a chair to the left of us while the latter sat on a chair from across the space, leaving only the last chair empty on our right.

“Sheesh, what’s taking Blaze so long?!” Roxxie asked impatiently.

“You must understand that a Code Four takes QUITE some time to take care of, and Blaze was struggling as the maids carried him to the bath house,” I explained. “I can only assume his acts of protest only adds the time to finish.”

“He did stink when we first saw him,” Nil added. “I’m surprised his ‘heightened sense of smell’ didn’t catch any whiff of it.”

Soon, the door opened a crack before Cinny peaked through the opening nervously. “U-um…” She stuttered.

“Did everything go smoothly with Master Blaze’s cleaning Ms. Cinny?” Sigmund asked.

“W-well…” Cinny replied. “You might… Want to see for yourself,” she nervously suggested before she opened the door some more, and almost immediately loud guffaws of laughter filled the room from Roxxie and Nil while my face heated up from the sight.

“Oh dear… I think Code Four might have been too far for him,” I admitted with regret.

Blaze was standing at the door with a Renaissance era-like attire. Starting from the top, his tri-colored mane was styled in a perm on his red and orange face with mixed expressions of anger and embarrassment. On his upper body, he had a turquoise vest that stretched below his waist with a matching cape over a white, puffy long-sleeve shirt. He had a pair of trousers that matched his vest, and white frills sticking out of the bottom.

“DUDE! You look ridiculous!” Roxxie exclaimed in between laughs while rolling on the floor.

“And ponies thought I had poor taste in fashion!” Nil asked while wiping tears from his eyes.

“I look so fucking STUPID!” Blaze roared while tried to fix his mane back the way it was using his Fire powers like a heating press.

Huh, that actually looks pretty handy. Wonder if he could do that with mine?

“Well at least you’re clean now, and I do so apologize for my exaggerated actions,” I broke in. “Sigmund, please take note to prepare some clothes like the set he was wearing earlier before he leaves tomorrow.”

“Dully noted Master Teala,” Sigmund responded while clearing his throat, trying to stifle his own laughter.

Note to self, make adjustments to the Code Four cleaning emergency, and review the other three before putting them to use again in later time.

“Well now that we’re all gathered here, please have a seat Blaze,” I gestured towards the empty chair before he gruffly complied. “Cinny, be sure no one interrupts us in here unless there’s a dire emergency.”

“Y-yes Master,” Cinny complied while she curtsied before she left the room.

“Now then,” I said. “I think the first order of business is discussing what the four of us in this room have in common that Mr. Nil Thunder will now explain. If you will please?” I asked in his direction before he held up the book in his hand, and opened to the page he was looking for.

“I should probably begin with the legend that started it all,” Nil said. “This isn’t the first time I had told this, as the last one who heard it was my acquaintance at the academy who I suspected to have one of these powers. Her name is Luminescent Lustre, but she likes to go by Lumina. She’s the mare that I’m sure who’s looking after your friend Cyan right now.”

How odd. Somehow the name ‘Lustre’ rings a bell, but I can’t recall where I had heard of it. I’ll have to look into it later.

With that mental note, Nil began telling the legend of the Six Titans, how they represent each Element of Magic that helped build the world we stand on, the sun and the moon, and the lives they created. I was surprised that our ruling monarch, Princess Celestia, was one of the first living life forms that roamed across the land, and she wasn’t the only one ruling it after the great war of the alicorns. I had to ask what happened to the other ruler, Princess Luna, and why she isn’t here today. He explained how she turned into Nightmare Moon, and how she wanted to bring an eternal night when ponies at the time didn’t look up to her for raising the moon. Princess Celestia had resorted to use the Elements of Harmony the diarchs received from the Tree of Harmony in order to banish Nightmare Moon to the moon to prevent an eternal night. I never knew that was part of how the holiday of Nightmare Night came to be until then.

After going off the adjacent, Nil returned to the previous legend with the Six Titans. Starting with how they wiped the alicorns’ memories clean of the war besides Celestia and Luna in order to stop it. After that, they had split everyone except the two princesses into the earth ponies, pegasi, and unicorns we came to be today. Once the Titans created enough life forms like the animals, and other beings like the griffons, minotaurs, and buffalos, they left the seed that would grow into the Tree of Harmony later before they had disappeared from the world. What the Titans may have not took to mind when they left was the Magic of the Elements they gave the alicorns before they split. Chances were that same magic followed through, and is still residing inside them to this day.

“I believe this was how the unicorns, pegasi, and earth ponies are able to use the abilities we know today,” Nil added in. “unicorns using magic to cast spells, pegasi to fly and control the weather, and earth ponies with their physical strength, and connection to the ground to grow food.”

“But how are the four of us able to cast fire, move the earth and water, and control electric shocks?” Roxxie asked.

“Not to mention, using the power of light, and manipulate shadows at will?” I added in.

“That I’m still trying to figure out,” Nil answered with his hands interlocked together while staring ahead. “From what I can gather, we aren’t the first ponies in Equestria that are able to do this, as there have been occurrences and reports I’ve read into that I can assume are the results of using this type of magic. The main questions right now are one, HOW did we tap into our magic; two, WHY can we use this magic; and three, HOW LONG has this information been kept away from us?”

“What made you think about the last one?” I asked with a raised eyebrow.

“Well let’s recall what happened this morning at your friend’s place,” Nil suggested as he counted out the occurrences on his fingers. “We had no idea WHY Cyan left, WHAT his parents talked about that made him leave, and most importantly, WHY didn’t his father, COMMANDER Marine Dusknight of the ROYAL GUARD explain to us what happened because he wasn’t OBLIGATED to say?”

“Whoa whoa whoa, BACK UP,” Blaze exclaimed while waving his hands out front. “Are you telling me there may be some TOP SECRET information about this that the Guard ITSELF is hiding from us?” Blaze asked, which may have been the smartest thing he had asked up to this point.

“That’s what I can guess, and Lumina herself can probably vouch for that,” Nil answered.

“Wait, why her?” Roxxie asked.

“She didn’t enroll in the academy on her own, OR took the exam to pass in order to get in like the rest of us,” Nil reasoned. “She got in through a ‘special recommendation’ with reliable resources it seems. Not to mention when I tried to call her out the first few times, she was being difficult before I had to pull out alternative measures to get her to open up. And before you interrupt, I DIDN’T do anything to that extreme. I wouldn’t be here right now if that were the case.”

“Wait, what’s he talking about?” Blaze asked with his innocent mind.

“Never mind that Blaze,” I interjected as I knew what Nil was talking about, and I didn’t want to bring up any questions as to WHY we might have assumed as such. “So what WAS the alternative you had to resort to?”

“I showed her MY magic, which I’m STILL having trouble taking control of to this day,” Nil answered as he held up his bandaged arms. “I have to use metal plates under these bandages to act as resistors to keep my Thunder Magic down. It gets unstable once I try to bring it out, and even without effort, I still get these build ups to the point I would need to pass it to something else before anyone got hurt.”

“Could that be part of how you got your cutie mark?” I asked out of curiosity.

“As a matter of fact it is,” Nil answered with a nod. “One night I accidently sent my magic to a toy that ran on solar power. Since the sun wasn’t out at the time, the toy couldn’t run, but it seems the energy in my magic was enough for it to get going for a bit before it stopped. I was amazed that despite its destructive power, this magic could be used to bring something like that to life without the power of the sun. At that point, I wanted to learn how to build more things that could run on what I had in me, so I looked into how to invent common items. My cutie mark came in after I brought to life my very first creation; or should I say, the first thing I refurbished when I found the pieces to replace the broken ones,” he reached into his coat pocket, and took out an old pocket watch. He opened it up, and sure enough, it was ticking like it was brand new.

“How delightfully fascinating!” I exclaimed.

“I’m going off topic though,” Nil replied as he closed the watch and put it back to his pocket. “When I demonstrated my destructive power to Lumina enough for her to submit defeat, she told and showed me the Light Magic she had. She mentioned how her old teacher taught her how to use it, which brings back to my argument that we’re not the only ones who can use this magic. In fact, keeping to mind that I had still kept my magic a secret as I had to get in the old fashion way, I can only guess it was actually HER that sent the special recommendation to enroll Lumina into the academy. Which brings to question how INVOLVED she was with the Royal Guard before she taught our Light Wielder.”

“Light Wielder?” Roxxie asked with a raised eyebrow.

“Oh yes I forgot,” Nil admitted with a slap to his forehead. “I came up with the term ‘Wielder’ for ponies that are able to use this magic.”

“Come to think of it, I think you referred Blaze as a Fire Wielder earlier right?” I asked.

“That sounds awesome!” Blaze exclaimed before he stood up in a dramatic action pose. “Blaze Fullthruster, the Dragon Busting Fire Wielder! Yeah! I like the sound of that!” He gloats with a big grin.

“You know, that would actually look slightly cooler if you weren’t wearing that ridiculous outfit,” Roxxie pointed out before the three of us giggled a little. Blaze pouted before he crossed his arms and sat back down.

“Anyway, yes, Blaze is a Fire Wielder,” Nil continued. “I’m a Thunder Wielder, Lumina’s a Light Wielder, Roxxie’s an Earth Wielder, and finally, Teala’s a Water Wielder.”

“And if Roxxie and mine’s discovery of our magic is no coincidence with the six of us in the same general area,” I added in. “I think it’s safe to assume that Cyan may have become a Shadow Wielder after he left us from the Magic Duel yesterday.”

“A Shadow Wielder huh?” Roxxie asked while looking up in thought. “It sounds cool, but it has a strange, eerie ring to it. I don’t know why that is.”

“Well as eerie as someone able to manipulate shadows to their own will sounds, I think we found the reason why Cyan’s parents behaved so unusually last night,” Nil concluded.

“That still doesn’t answer the question why his parents sobbed like it was the end of the world this morning though,” I argued. “Marine won’t tell us what happened last night that made Cyan leave, but he and Olive looked very guilty when they found out he was gone.”

“If I can guess why,” Nil said. “He may had trouble weighing his priorities on who to put before him first: the safety of Equestria, or the safety of his own son.”

“That is FUCKED UP,” Roxxie commented with emphasis on the last two words.

“Anyway,” Nil continued. “If one of the Commanders of the Royal Guard isn’t obligated to release information to the public about our magic, and if we add in the possibility that what the legend told was true, including Princess Celestia herself getting involved with the war...”

“Then the Princess is hiding a deep secret that the world shouldn’t know about,” I finished.

“Precisely,” Nil agreed. “With that in mind, I think we need to keep our magic, and Cyan’s whereabouts a secret until we find out more on what our fair princess is hiding under her royal throne.”

“So you’re saying we shouldn’t see Cyan again so soon then?” I asked for clarification with ears folded.

“I know it’s hard Teala, but it may be for the best,” Nil answered. “Not forever though, as I can assume he wants to find out more about this as much as we do. Which is why I think the best course of action is while we try to figure out our magic, we’ll scatter across Equestria to find our own information on this, and meet again at a later time to gather what we’ve come across. This will not only widen our search, but it will also be safer for Cyan since his magic is considered a possible threat, and he’ll need to be on the move while we learn more about what’s going on.”

Roxxie and I looked down on the floor with our ears still folded. “…I guess you have a point,” I agreed melancholically. “But we still want to see Cyan again just to see if he’s alright, and all six of us don’t have to be together to regroup.”

“…I think I might know one place we could ALL meet again,” Blaze interrupted, which got all of our attention towards him. “I can tell that we have some strong ponies in our group of six. With Cyan and Lumina travelling, they’ll need to find some way to earn money to get by, and I think I know a place holding an event I found yesterday that could help them greatly: The Summer Ending Fighting Tourney, or The SEFT for short.”

“Oh YEAH! I saw that flyer!” Roxxie included. “It’s being taken place at Baltimare four weeks before school starts again, and the winning prize is 5,000 bits of prize money!”

“The place of the Tourney sounds convenient as well,” Nil added. “The city I’m planning to see Lumina, and sure enough, Cyan, is in Manehattan, which is just north ahead of where Baltimare is, not to mention it’s the same place my adoptive mother and step sister live.”

“How about we do this then?” I suggested. “Over the next few months in the summer, Roxxie and I will hone our magic at my summer cottage that’s to the West of Neighagra Falls. Nil, we’ll give you a message to give to Cyan and Lumina about our plans, meeting them a few weeks before the Tourney. You can meet me and Roxxie at the cottage if they decide to send a message back. Blaze, what’s the next destination you’re planning to go tomorrow?” I asked as I turned to him.

“Uh, Fillydelphia,” he answered.

“Ah, the town in between the first two places,” I pointed out. “Maybe we can have Cyan and Lumina meet you there, and travel as a group then. There’s safety in numbers I always say.”

“ALRIGHT! I get to see the two in action then!” He exclaimed while he punched into his palm.

“I like to point out there’s also a beach at Horseshoe Bay, just further South of Baltimare,” Nil added in. “Can’t have all work and no fun is what I always say. We could probably spend some time there to lounge in the sun before the Tourney, and I do hear the beach is a good place for your *ahem* training as well.”

“… You just want to see mares in bikinis over there don’t you old perv?” Roxxie argued skeptically.

“Take what you will, I’m standing in my point,” Nil defended.

“Well the beach DOES sound nice,” I agreed. “And possibly a good way to end the summer too. Plus, we can spend time with Cyan over there as well.”

I sat there as I drank in my statement while I thought of what Cyan would look like in just a pair of swim trunks, and imagined what his upper body would look like. Not to mention what the two of us would do at the beach. My face heated up at the thought while I glanced over, and saw Roxxie in a shade of red as well.

“Alright! I think that’s it then!” Blaze concluded as he stood up with a look of determination, interrupting our thoughts. “Nil will meet Cyan and Lumina in Manehattan, then he’ll go to Roxxie and Teala at the summer cottage with the message, I’ll meet them in Fillydelphia, and we’ll travel further South to Baltimare while we train for the tourney! The six of us will meet a few weeks before that, and spend some time in Horseshoe Bay! That about sums it up right?” He asked.

“That is correct,” Nil confirmed. “Just remember that we need to dig up on as much info about our magic as we can. See what we can do to get the juiciest info.”

I looked up in thought as an idea came to mind, despite how crazy it sounds coming from me of all ponies. “I think I know one place to start, but I think I’ll explain more on that tomorrow,” I said

A moment of silence passed before a chorus of growls was coming from our stomachs.

“Well, I do believe that’s the cue for dinner time,” Sigmund declared.

… You know, I totally forgot he was there the whole time. He was certainly quiet throughout the whole discussion. What does HE have to say in all of this?

“I’m with ya on that!” Roxxie exclaimed as she got up from the couch. “I’m gonna beat Blaze on the best burp after tonight!”

“Oh HO! You think you’re THAT confident huh?” Blaze asked with a snarky skepticism. “I accept that challenge! May the best stallion win!”

“… Uh you mean pony right?” Roxxie asked with a raised eyebrow.

Oh boy, here it comes.

“No! I really do mean stallion!” Blaze exclaimed with confidence. “Two of us, in a battle of eating to get the biggest burp for victory! A true competition for stallions to the end!”

With that, I could have sworn a vein was shown pulsing on Roxxie’s forehead. “Blaze? Are you referring to me as a COLT?” She asked through her teeth.

“Uh… Yeah? You are a colt right?” Blaze asked in confusion.

“I’M A FILLY YOU FUCKING DOLT!” Roxxie yelled before she tackled Blaze from where he stood, and trapped him in a head lock.

“You know, you can’t blame the kid for making that misconception,” Nil added in. “I mean even I thought you were a colt at first from the way you threatened me with that accent of yours-GRK!” Nil commented before Roxxie got him in a head lock in her other arm, having both colts gasping for air under her vice-like grip.

“Oh NOW you’re asking for it pervert!” Roxxie exclaimed with fury. “You two will be lucky to have stomachs left to fill for dinner when I’M through you!”

“Gack! Is this, the end, for Blaze the Dragon Buster?!” Blaze asked with what air he had left.

“I think, I walked right into, GRK, THAT one,” Nil added in his stranglehold.

I laughed at the sight before me as this turned out MUCH better than what I had originally thought.

Oh Teala, you conniving little filly. You’ve outdone yourself, and you didn't even have to lift a finger.

“Sigmund, please have the chefs prepare for a feast at once, and make it quickly before the colts run out of air,” I requested with a few giggles left over.

“Right away Milady,” Sigmund complied before he calmly left the study, leaving the four of us in this unusual setting.

Well I certainly didn’t think our plans for the summer would change so dramatically so soon. Assuming Cyan got in the same situation as Roxxie and I, I think it’s safe to say all three of us had acquired our Cutie Marks on the same day. At least that’s one thing we won’t have to worry about anymore. Now it seems like we’re going lengths to uncover secrets that Princess Celestia herself has been hiding for centuries, maybe even millennia of years! I feel like we’re about to go against Equestria’s law and government for digging into this, especially with the plan I have that will happen Monday if we agree on it. Going against all odds to find the answers we seek, while claiming Cyan’s love in the process, romantic novelists would KILL for a story like this! But this is no story, this is actually happening, and despite the risk of getting caught in deviant acts, I can’t help but feel excited to be a part of it! Is this what Roxxie feels when she does this? It’s quite invigorating!

Speaking of Roxxie, I still need to talk to her later tonight about what we’ll do later once we reunite with Cyan once more. I’m not sure if she’ll be into the plans I have for the three of us, but if Mother and Father are still thinking about going in that direction for my future, I HAVE to give this a try at the very least. I may be a pegasus noble filly, but I’m not afraid to get my hands dirty to earn the happy ending I so desire. Watch out Equestria, the Fencing, Water Wielding Princess is taking a stand.

Chapter 16: First Night on the Job, and Bed Chat

[Saturday Evening]

[Cyan’s POV]

The five of us talked and got to know each other over lunch and cheesecake (which was an awesome cheesecake by the way). Lumina and I told them about how we met and got to where we were today, leaving out our magic and my relations with my parents. RB and Orange were shocked at how young I was when I ran away, and gave me a few hugs while Barley gave me a pat on the back. The engaged commented on how cute of a couple Lumina and I looked together. We blushed and assured that we weren’t together like that, but they rolled their eyes in response. After lunch, Barley showed Lumina and I the ropes around his pub; introduced us to some other workers whom lived in other places in the city; and how some machines like dispensers behind the bar, dishwashers, and the register worked while RB and Orange got to finding our new uniforms.

I ended up wearing a short sleeved, button up shirt with black slacks, and an apron over the ensemble, which meant I would be working as a buscolt. Lumina’s uniform however… Was more stood out to say the least. She had the same white button up shirt, only a bigger size in the right areas, yet, her breasts seem to be pushing the shirt to the side a little even with the bra holding them together under it, a button or two looked ready to pop out from the tension. She had a black skirt that was smooth, but free enough for her to move around that reached her knees, yet still showed off her firm assets. She only wore a smaller apron around her hips with a pouch to hold note pads, pens, whatever servers need to take orders for the customers. RB and Orange were wearing similar uniforms for their respective sexes, and the former nudged me smirking, as if asking how hot the mares looked, while I just gazed to the side trying to ignore it.

Work time came around, and it went from a couple ponies slowly coming in to keep the place busy, to getting the whole pub packed with patrons. I gathered used mugs, glasses, and dishes from the tables to the kitchen to clean, but not before I quickly wiped down the tables to make them sanitary enough for the next group. Lumina, Orange, and a few other waitresses sat the groups to their tables, took their orders while sporting their customer service smiles, and brought the food and drinks over when they were ready. Some of the stallions in the pub looked at Lumina and Orange with hungry stares, the former more so than others, and that didn’t ride up well with me. There were a few that even offered to take Lumina out when she was done with her shift, and even though she tried to decline respectfully, they were still persistent. I had to let Barley know, who he and RB were working behind the bar concocting drinks, what was going on with Lumina to which he went to the persistent stallions and gave them a stern talking to. He warned them to not do it again or he’d kick them out.

Barley gave me and Lumina a little break after that, and the two of us went outside in the back to get some air. “Ugh. Business is just crazy here,” Lumina commented. “It’s a wonder how RB and Orange handled this for so long.”

“Are you feeling okay after what happened earlier?” I asked with a look of concern. Lumina smiled and rubbed my mane out of place.

“I’m fine Cyan, and I appreciate you stepping up like that. I was afraid I was gonna get violent with them if they kept going,” she sighed before she continued. “It’s times like this that even though I’m not teasing that doesn’t lead to anywhere, they still think I’m asking for it.”

I guess someone as beautiful and sexy like Lumina can still have troubles involving their looks now and then. As much I don’t want to bring this up now considering her condition, I need to get it out there.

“Hey Lumina?” I asked.

“Yeah?”

“There’s something I need to talk to you about in private. Do you think we can discuss it over breakfast tomorrow?” I requested. Lumina stood there in thought for a moment, and nodded.

“Sure, that’s fine. Probably better that way once we’re well rested and more relaxed,” Lumina answered, and I nodded in agreement with the last comment. “Alright, I think we’ve stood out here long enough. Let’s get inside and help RB and Orange out huh?” She asked while she stretched her aches out before the next round inside.

“Of course,” I answered. Before we went back inside, I turned to her once more. “And Lumina?”

“Yes?” She asked before I hugged her tightly with eyes closed, to which shocked her a little.

“Thank you for doing all of this. From last night up to now. I really appreciate what you’ve done for me, and I can’t thank you enough,” I thanked with great gratitude. Lumina relaxed, wrapped her arms around me and returned the hug while she pecked my head.

“You’re welcome Cyan, and I’m glad to be of help,” Lumina answered. In that embrace, I tried to put everything I had then to not cry that could show the fear, sadness, and guilt that was inside of me, afraid of what will come once I confess to her about my real identity, and my relations to my parents tomorrow.

I really hope I don’t end up losing her tomorrow… Even if I was able to get by on my own, I don’t know what I’d do without her now.

After we broke the embrace, with pain welling up in my chest, we went inside and got back to work. Business the next few hours was the same as earlier, only with less persistent stallions getting onto Lumina and the other waitresses, as Barley had kept a good eye on them if they ever made a move. Lumina still sported her customer service smile while waiting her customers, and I was cleaning everything with a lot going on in my mind, trying to figure out how I’d break the news to her tomorrow.

When things started to slow down to where the pub was near empty, it was already way past late in the evening. “Well that should be it for tonight everyone,” Barley announced. “Thank ya all for your hard work, and ah hope all of you will return home safely,” The workers who lived outside of the pub nodded before they packed their things and left while Barley closed the shop. He then turned to me and Lumina with a smile on his face. “Cyan, Lumina, excellent work on your first night tonight. I’ll be sure to count the tips and wages soon so you two will get your pay.”

“Please, take your time,” I advised. “You’ve already done enough just letting us stay here temporarily,” Barley just chuckled heartily.

“You’re a good kid Cyan,” he said while he patted me hard on the back. “Don’t worry about me though, ahm stronger than ya think.”

“Still, we appreciate your kindness to us,” Lumina added.

“It’s a pleasure. Now you two get cleaned and relax. Ah’ll see ya in da mornin’,” Barley finished before he nodded our way, and went upstairs where his living space was.

“We should get ready for bed too,” Orange added with RB hugging her from behind. “We’ll let you two get some shut eye tonight. Wouldn’t want you getting tired in the morning after your first night from our… activities,” Orange finished with her and RB blushing a little. My eye twitched at the thought like earlier when we talked to them.

I’m glad that they’re happy together, but this is something I’ll have to get used to. It's a good thing I know a sound-proof spell that keeps noises from getting in, AND out.

“Have a good night you guys, and thanks,” Lumina bid before the couple nodded and went to their rooms. She then turned to me with an arm around my shoulder. “So, ya wanna take a shower together, or go one at a time?” She asked with that same snide grin she makes when she gets in those territories.

Still not used to it, I blushed and gazed to the ground in front of me. “Er, um… I uh…” I mumbled before Lumina laughed a little and patted me on the back.

“Just pulling your leg there Cy. Lighten up a little,” Lumina remarked with a smirk. Still blushing, I looked back at her and just nodded shyly before she led the way to our room.

I took a shower and brushed my teeth first. My time was quick so Lumina could take hers while the water was still running hot. Lumina, like most mares, would take the most time in the shower before bed. I was in a plain t-shirt with boxers, and I was unrolling the sleeping bag I had on me. She’s already done so much for me, I thought it’d be best if I just slept on the open space of the floor. I took one of the pillows from the bed for my head, and snuggled up in my sleeping bag. I got comfortable and closed my eyes before something shook my side.

“What ‘cha doing down here?” A feminine voice asked. I opened my eyes, and saw Lumina squatting to the side of me. She looked different, in a better way, with her violet mane damp and down when she wasn’t sporting a pony tail. She had the t-shirt she wore last night, hugging her sides, and her tits barely shown under the fabric. She was also wearing a pair of pale purple colored boxer briefs that looked like they fit comfortably, but still accented the lower half of her body well.

I lied there in awe at how amazing she looked in her nightwear before I sat up and answered. “I thought you might want the bed, so I just set my sleeping bag down here while you were in the shower.”

“…You sleeping on the floor?” Lumina asked in a tone that sounded like she couldn’t believe what she heard.

“Yep,” I replied matter-of-factly.

“Not happenin’,” Lumina proclaimed. Her horn glowed violet, the aura coated me and the pillow before I was lifted off the sleeping bag. She sat me onto the bed with the pillow sitting against the head rest before I said anything. “You’re sleeping with me on the bed, no questions asked,” she concluded.

I sat there wide-eyed as I couldn’t believe what I heard. “A-are you sure? I mean I don’t mind being on the-"

“If I wasn’t sure, I wouldn’t have dropped you on the bed now would I?” She interrupted while holding my lips with a smile.

“But why though?” I asked still in disbelief.

“Did you really expect me to let you sleep on the floor of whatever happened in this room before we got here?” She asked with a hand on her chest. “Why Cyan, I thought you knew me better than that,” she remarked in a sarcastic, almost in a playful tone, while placing the back of hand on her forehead under her horn in a dramatic fashion. “Besides, it’s been a long day, and I could use some good company close by.”

I sat there still before I looked down at the bed still uncertain. “I-I guess if you’re okay with it,” I said. “Thanks.”

“No problem,” she replied before she hopped on the bed, making it bounce and squeak a little before she got under the covers. I slowly did the same while Lumina used her magic to flick the lights from the bathroom and bedroom off. Leaving the two of us lay in the same bed, with nothing but the dim moonlight shining through the window above us, while I was looking up with great heat on my face thinking about where I was. I didn’t see what Lumina was doing, but I heard her shuffling on the bed a little. “You know you’ve surprised me quite a bit today,” she said, breaking the silence.

“What do you mean?” I asked while still looking up.

“How you described me back at the camp this morning; you introducing me to Shadina; how you looked so determined to hold your own when we got this place; and what you said to Orange and RB? You’re definitely one heck of a unicorn, and that bully of yours has lack of taste for saying otherwise,” Lumina finished.

“You really think so?” I questioned with my face cooling down a bit.

“I know so,” Lumina answered. “Your friends were lucky to have a friend like you, as much as I am right now. It’s a wonder how you haven’t got in a relationship yet.”

“Well it’s like I said earlier, I’ve still got quite to learn about love, and I was just realizing how I felt with Roxxie and Teala when I talked to you last night.”

“What would you do if you saw one or both of them again?” Lumina asked.

“… I’m not sure,” I answered with uncertainty. “I mean I just wrote how I felt in the letters I left them, and I have no idea how they’d respond to them. But… I think whatever happens up to that point and afterwards, I’ll always love the friendship the three of us had together, and wish for that to continue if possible.”

“…Would you still be friends with me if that happened?” Lumina asked which left me bulging my eyes open at the question. I quickly turned my side facing Lumina, and with my eyes adjusted to the darkness, I could see her amazing violet eyes shining under the moonlight, gazing at me waiting for an answer.

“Of course we’d still be friends,” I assured. “Heck, I’d want to introduce you to them so that the four of us would have fun and great times together… If that’s okay with you,” I finished sheepishly.

“I’d like that,” she answered with a smile. She then unexpectedly wrapped her arms around me and pulled me close to her, where my body was pressed against hers, and she interlocked her legs around mine. I was speechless and my head was spinning at this new gesture I was experiencing, one that was unlike others she displayed before. My head was pressed against her big, soft breasts, only the t-shirt she wore in the way of me touching her bare fur. I heard her heartbeat that was beating at a fast pace earlier, but soon slowed down to a more soothing, relaxed beat. I instinctively wrapped my arms around her waist returning the gesture, watching my hands so they wouldn’t touch anywhere they shouldn’t. “Are you comfy?” She asked as we lied there in each other’s arms.

“Y-yeah… Very,” I responded still dumbfounded.

“Good,” she finished with a perky tone in her voice. A moment later, she started giggling that made her whole body shook against me.

“What’s so funny?” I asked.

“Your little friend is poking me. It kind of tickles,” she commented. I didn’t realize until then once I turned my attention to what was below me as I blushed hard in the darkness for how embarrassing that was.

“S-sorry…” I apologized with shame in my tone, which only made Lumina giggled some more.

“It’s okay Cyan, I don’t mind. I’m actually quite flattered,” she assured before she pecked me on the head once more before she sighed with content in the position we’re in. “Goodnight Cyan,” she bid happily.

“Goodnight Lumina,” I bid back before I felt her body steadily rising and falling against me, syncing with her breathing as she slept. I sighed as well before I snuggled up closer to her, and closed my eyes with a small smile.

This was definitely something I haven’t seen from Lumina yet. It’s amazing how okay she is with us being like this. Does she really see me as that good of a friend to go this far? I just hope what I’ll talk to her about tomorrow won’t change anything much between us, but I’m certain it will one way or another. For now… I just want to savor this moment… As long as I can as if this was my last…

Side Chapter 7: The Rights to Love (Edited)

Side Chapter 7: The Rights to Love

[Saturday Evening]

[Roxxie’s POV]

After giving Blaze and the pervert a good once over before Teala stopped me from strangling them to death, the four of us got to the dining room where a large feast was prepared for us, with more food on its way. The cooks probably anticipated the amount of food Blaze would eat for the night, which was understandable. A right move too, as Blaze cleaned five servings with of food. It may not have been as much as this morning, but his helpings were piled up on his plates, ignoring the fact he was mixing some food that may not go well together. I had smaller helpings, but I went through seven plates myself as our Burp Off was still on. I didn’t have any problems eating more than I should have, it just gives me a reason to burn them off in my future training sessions. Teala seemed to have gotten used to our eating behavior as she tried to eat her own food without staring, while Nil was having his normally without complaint.

After obtaining victory with my loudest belch at the end of dinner, Teala’s staff took care of cleaning the table while Nil bid us good night before he went to his room. Blaze big goodnight as well before Sigmund directed him to his room for the night. Blaze had his head hanging down in shame as he left, probably drinking in the fact he lost to a filly in a burping competition.

Teala and I were the last still up in the dining room after the table was cleared and cleaned. “Well I think this is a good time to talk what needs to be discussed before we bathe and head to bed,” Teala started. “Shall we head to my room?”

“Sure. Lead the way,” I replied.

We got to Teala’s room a few minutes later, with the two of us sitting across from each other on her overly designed queen sized bed that would be fit for such royalty. It was soft and comfy though, probably enough for me to marry her bed if I was allowed to. “I think the first thing to start with are the letters Cyan had left us last night,” Teala suggested as she took out and unraveled the letter Cyan left her from the nightstand. “Though he may have used a spell of some sort to write them out the way he did before he left, I think it’s safe to assume that he cared and cherished us deeply enough to have us be the first to know of his departure. Taking into account with how he left us after the Magic Duel yesterday, and the last sentence he left in the messages, and I quote, ‘I’ll always love having the both of you being in a significant part of my life, and I’ll always cherish the memories we made together,’” she finished after reading the sentence directly from the letter.

“Well, when you put it that way, it does sound like something Cyan would say and do,” I commented with my face heated, and scratching the back of my head.

“What do you think he was implying?” She asked me.

“Excuse me?” I asked with confusion.

“The last sentence in the letter,” Teala replied. “What do you think he was feeling for us when he wrote that statement?”

I opened my mouth to answer, but stopped myself before I second guessed, and thought back on it.

Come to think of it, what WAS he trying to say? Was he saying that while he saw us as friends? Or…

“Can’t really make up your mind can you?” Teala asked, which interrupted my thoughts. “We may not know what he was feeling when he wrote that to us, but I think what's important right now is how WE know how we feel for Cyan himself.”

How WE feel? Wait… Is she?

“W-what are you saying Teala?” I asked as I felt my heart racing at where I thought this was going.

“I’m going to cut to the chase,” Teala replied before she placed a hand to her chest as if she was prepared to make an announcement to the world, and looked at me deeply. “I’m in love with Cyan Dusknight, and I had a crush on him for as long as I can remember.” The two of us sat there in a deathly silence for who knows how long before Teala continued. “I’m telling you this fact right now because despite our differences, you’re my best friend, and I think, scratch that, I KNOW you feel the same way for Cyan as much as I do."

I started to shake in place as I was trying to take in what she had just said. “S-so what if I did?” I asked while trying to keep my voice leveled. “What does that have to do with anything?”

“Roxxie, what do you think will happen once we reunite with Cyan again?” She asked me. I sat there in silence, speechless to come up with a response. “With everything that has happened in just two days, there’s no guarantee that things will be the same between the three of us. I was partially afraid to profess my love to him before this because I feared how different things were going to be for all of us, and also uncertain if what I felt for him were true. It wasn’t until after he left us from the Magic Duel, and ESPECIALLY the pain I had felt in my heart after I found out Cyan was gone that I’ve come to acknowledge and accept my feelings for him. From that fact, I promised to myself I would do whatever I can to see him once more just to let him know that I love him. Can you look at me straight in the eyes and tell me that you DIDN’T feel the same way?” She asked with a stern expression in her eyes.

I sighed in defeat as I know when Teala has gotten me cornered. “I was uncertain about how I felt for him at first,” I replied. “Some thoughts would come up, but I’d try to push them out because not only was Cyan my best friend, but even if I figured out how I felt, I knew he would never feel the same way.”

“What makes you say that Roxxie?” She asked with her head to the side in confusion.

“Well… Just LOOK at me,” I answered. “I’m rough, bulky in muscle, brash, uncivilized, my voice is weird, and I’m… just not attractive in any way as a filly.” I looked down with ears folded. “I envy you sometimes Teala, because you’re the image of what every other filly would DREAM to become: beautiful, classy, stylish, talented, smart, I could go on and on with the list. Cyan’s an amazing pony, and he’s better off being with you than I EVER would. He just deserves that much.”

“But what about YOU Roxxie?” Teala asked me. “Do you not love Cyan enough to just give up so easily on him?”

“OF COURSE I FUCKING LOVE HIM DAMMIT!” I exclaimed with mixed emotions as tears started to well up in my eyes. “Just like you, I didn’t realize how much I loved him until Cyan left Canterlot because of his fucked up parents! Just yesterday, he told me I looked cute when I got these ear piercings, something I thought I would NEVER hear from him, or ANYONE else besides my mom. I felt it was the first time he actually saw me as a MARE, and I thought my chest was gonna explode from how happy I was!” I clenched my eyes and fists shut tight as tears started to stream down while my voice cracked. “I wanted to be with him Teala, I wanted to be with him ALWAYS, but I was too fucking SCARED to come up front with it because I was afraid that he would reject me for not being beautiful like you are!”

“Roxxie... That may be the DUMBEST thing I’ve ever heard coming out of your mouth,” Teala interjected, which made me look up to her in confusion with tears still streaming. She moved in closer before she wiped the tears from my face with her hands. “Roxxie, you are more beautiful than you may not realize. You have what’s called a natural beauty, something that I think a lot of mares would want. Unlike you, I actually NEED to make myself beautiful with every help I could get because my parents had enforced in me that a lady must look at her best in every time, place, and occasion. Honestly, I think some colts may only like me for my looks and my status instead of who I truly am as a pony.

“You on the other hand show that beauty wherever you go even if you don’t realize it. Ponies would see you for YOU, and not for something like your looks or title. You may be brash at times, yes, but there’s so much about you that other colts would have to be blind NOT to see: loyal, protective, open, friendly, strong, and you speak what’s on your mind in the heat of the moment. Cyan saw that in you; otherwise, he would only leave ME the message before he left if he didn’t. Like me, you’ve played a significant part in his life like he had written in the letters. I don’t think he would ever think of you in such a way you were afraid of earlier, or I’d leave him at the drop of a hat if I knew that about him. Roxxie, you are anything BUT ugly, unattractive, not beautiful, or ANY other negative statement about your looks and I KNOW Cyan would say the same thing,” she finished.

At that moment, tears strolled down like never before as I cried loudly on Teala’s shoulder while holding her tight. She happily returned the gesture while adding her wings into the embrace, making the moment all the more comforting.

After a couple minutes, I pulled back from the hug, and Teala passed me a box of tissues for me to use. I wiped what tears dried up on my face before I blew the snot in my nose as I cleared myself up and calmed down. “Feeling better?” Teala asked, making sure I was okay.

“Yeah, thanks,” I responded before I sniffled some. “I feel a lot better now.”

“I’m glad. You looked like you could use it,” she commented with a smile.

“So… What happens now?” I asked while getting back to the topic at hand. “Both of us love the same pony, and I don’t want to do anything that could break what we have.”

“I feel the same way, which is why we’re having this discussion,” Teala replied. “Neither of us want to hurt each other, or be left sad and alone in the end if Cyan had to choose one of us, and I'm sure he would feel the same way. Assuming the three of us felt the same, I looked into something that could hopefully solve all of our problems,” she goes back to her night stand to take out a book, and handed it to me.

I looked at the cover, and raised my eyebrow with confusion. “The Laws of Marriage and Courtship?” I asked as I read the title.

“Turn to the page I had marked, and read the first paragraph,” Teala directed.

I opened the book to the page that was marked, and saw the passage she requested. “If a stallion and two or more mares are all in agreement and gave each other consent, it is possible for the group to…” I trailed off before I widened my eyes as I read on to myself. I looked back up to Teala who was staring back with attention. “T-Teala… You’re not suggesting…” I said, unable to speak the next line.

“Indeed I do,” Teala confirmed. “I think the two of us should form a herd with Cyan.”

“I never thought I’d say this to you of all ponies Teala, but are you OUT OF YOUR MIND?!” I exclaimed. “Do you know how bad it is to have herds here in Canterlot?!”

“In Canterlot, yes,” Teala answered. “Though everywhere else may not be as high strung as most can agree this has been practiced for many years considering the numbers between mares and stallions. Honestly, I don't see why something like that is so looked down on in this city.”

“What about your reputation?! I don’t mind everyone seeing me as a delinquent, but what would everyone think about you for doing this?!”

“Personally, I’m growing rather tired of my social status. You know how much I don’t want to run the cloud machine family business, and growing up in a large mansion with no one but my servants to keep me company is getting to be lonesome. If I have to give all of this up to join the herd I would gladly pay all the money in the world to do so.”

“But we’re too young to marry!”

“Well of COURSE we’re too young silly,” Teala waved. “And I wouldn’t jump into it without a couple of dates and moments of intimacy before I make my final decision. I may be a fan of romance, but even I have to draw the line somewhere between reality and fiction. This is just a way for the three of us to still be together and not have anyone feel left out while we date before we DO decide to marry.”

“What would your parents think?!”

“… Roxxie, why do you think I brought this up in the first place?” Teala asked.

“I don’t know!” I answered. “Is there something I should know about?!”

“Mother and Father are looking for suitors for me to marry in order to keep the family business alive,” she announced which left me dumbstruck silent. “I overheard the two of them talking about it one day. They’re probably looking through good suitors while they’re in Cloudsdale right now, thinking I would go along with this without a chance for me to say. If my grandparents were still here with us, I know they would NEVER allow this,” she finished with a somber expression.

…That’s right, her grandparents were probably the most involved family members in her life than her own parents. They were awesome ponies, and Sigmund respected them highly… That funeral was a sad day for everyone after their accident, especially for Teala most of all. Her parents aren’t even better, and they don’t even like having me and Cyan around her. Goddess how I hate them so.

“Even if I didn’t have Cyan as my potential lover,” Teala continued. “There’s absolutely no way I’d stand being forced into marriage, especially when all of the ‘nobles’ and the like around here are just… Just…”

“Stick up the ass, brown nosing snobs?” I asked, finishing the sentence.

“PRECISELY” Teala yelled that made me jump back in surprise. “I’m SICK and TIRED of being the good filly everyone EXPECTS me to be! I’m TIRED of the selfish, egocentric, degrading ponies in this side of the city! I’m TIRED of having my FUTURE decided for me! I want to get the FUCK out of here, participate in fencing tournaments like my parents would NEVER allow, be my own mare, and decide for myself who I should be with to love and hold dear! And if ANYONE says otherwise, they can speak to my blade, or my name isn’t TEALA FUCKING CRYSTALWATERS!” She finished her angry protest while panting harshly, and wings flared open with intimidation.

Wow… I had no idea she was under this much pressure… This… This trapped. She’s like a bird in a cage who wants to fly free in the open sky, taking advantage of the freedom she has under her wings as her own being…

I scooted myself closer to her, and hugged her. “Easy there Teala. It’s okay, I understand,” I spoke gently while I rubbed her back between her wings to soothe her.

“I’m sorry,” Teala apologized with a sigh as she hugged back. “I had NO idea what came over me back there.”

“Hey, I’d be throwing an angry fit myself if I was in your place,” I sympathized as we pulled back. “Though, my reactions would probably be more destructive, and possibly bring the whole mansion down.”

Teala giggled at the concept. “Yeah, I think I could definitely see that happening. I could just see Mother and Father now, ‘Roxxie! Don’t touch that porcelain vase! Aah! Not the fine china! Oh Sweet Celestia! Anything but the priceless jeweled egg collection!’” The both of us laughed heartily at the scenario.

“I gotta say though Teala,” I said after we calmed down. “I didn’t think you’d be the type to get into crazy stunts. I thought I was the only one.”

“Well, nothing particularly TOO crazy,” she admitted. “Just something… Fun a common filly would do. Something where one doesn’t have any worries about what everyone thinks about her for every little action she does.”

“Gotcha,” I nodded as I understood. “If it’s any consolation, just bringing up the idea of being in a herd is quite a start.”

“So would you be interested?” Teala asked with a smile.

“Eh, what the heck?” I asked with a shrug. “It’s worth giving a shot, and at least we wouldn’t be at each other’s throats to get Cyan in the end… Oh crap.”

“What is it?” She asked.

“What about that Lumina mare Cyan’s with right now?” I asked now that I had the idea in mind. “What if she wants him all to herself? If what the pervert said was true, that chick’s TWICE as strong as I am, and she’s got magic on her side too. I don’t think I could take her on my own.”

“Hmm… Well I’m not sure if she would be interested in Cyan considering she’s around Nil’s age,” Teala pointed out. “But if it turns out Cyan starts developing feelings for Lumina like he hopefully still has with us, it may be best that the three of us had an intervention and come to an agreement like the law book stated. The best case-scenario would be that she joins in our herd, the four of us will be together, and we live happily ever after.”

“And the worst-case scenario?” I asked bring up both sides to the situation.

“… She has Cyan under her charms enough to brainwash him, we have to use force to get him back to us, and then the THREE of us will live happily ever after,” she concluded.

…Somehow I doubt that’s the worst-case scenario, but I hope there’s nothing worse than that.

“Alright, I guess the plan once we meet her is reasonable enough,” I agreed. “I gotta say though, the fact that you fence, AND bring up the idea of becoming a herd? What other surprises do you have under those wings Teala?” I asked with a raised eyebrow.

“I MIGHT have something in mind that fits the category,” Teala replied. “But I think it’s best to hold that off until tomorrow once Blaze leaves the premises. I think we had enough excitement for one day don’t you think?”

“I couldn’t agree more,” I concluded as I got off the bed. “SO! You wanna join me for a bath? Herd mates do this kind of stuff together right? Might as well do this stuff now to get used to it later.”

“AH! No fair!” Teala whined as she got off the bed. “I was gonna be the one to say that!”

For the next couple of minutes, we washed ourselves, and each other on hard to reach places while relaxing after a long, eventful day. We dried ourselves when we were done before we walked out of the bathroom and slipped into some clothes to wear for the night. I just wore a white tank top and panties while Teala was wearing a silk night gown that was the same color as Cyan's coat. We flicked the lights, and closed the curtains before we slipped under the covers of Teala's bed, and got ourselves comfortable before we got to sleep.

"Hey Roxxie?" Teala asked.

"Yeah?"

"I know you said you were unsure of your feelings for a while, but when did you start having something like that? If you don't mind me asking."

I looked up to the ceiling and hummed in thought as I tried to call back some of the most memorable moments I had with Cyan before I answered. "Well I know I started to like having Cyan as a friend ever since the first day I transferred in elementary school. I remember him being the first one to call out everyone in the class on making fun of my Manehattan accent before you followed. I can't imagine how different I would be now if it weren't for you two being there for me that day. Part of the reason why I wanted to become a great fighter was so I could protect the two of you like you did with me. I did okay training with my coach for a while, but it wasn't until after Cyan wanting me to teach him what I know so he could become stronger that I got really into it.

"I'll admit, I had a lot of fun winning in our sparring matches, but I didn't hold back with Cyan because I felt he needed to take whatever he can handle if he wanted to get stronger, and he wouldn't do the same if he ever got into a real fight. I think it was in one of those practice spars that something clicked in me. While I was on top of him as I held him down, it only took one glance into his eyes before I felt like I froze right there. When I looked in his ruby colored eyes that day, I felt like I could see into his soul. It looked like he had potential to gain great strength, but at the same time, it made me warm up inside from how much he cared for me. It was like the determination in them was telling me, 'I will always protect you, no matter what,' and his eyes looked like they were telling the truth. That was probably when those feelings started to come up for me."

"Wow... That sounds incredible," Teala said.

"Yeah," I replied before I turned to her. "What about you? What got you feeling for Cyan?"

"Well Cyan and I have been good friends for a while before you transferred to our elementary school," she answered. "We played games, he got along with Sigmund really well, and his parents were welcome to have me over for dinner from time to time."

"Then I came along, and they had to feed three mouths," I added in before we chuckled.

"Anyway," Teala continued. "It wasn't sometime after you came along that one day I was very lonely... I'm not sure if I should say this, but can you promise not to tell anyone?"

"We're holding plenty of secrets already, I think one more couldn't hurt," I responded.

"So I was very lonely that day," she said. "I wanted to have a tea party, but my parents were out of town along with Sigmund, my grandparents were ill from the feather flu, the service staff was busy, and I knew you weren't into that kind of game. I swore I thought I was gonna cry until Cyan came along and asked what had got me so down. So after I told him the situation..."

"... Oh no, he didn't," I said as I couldn't believe what I had thought.

"Yeah... He asked if he could play, and I just pulled him up to my room to get started right away," Teala responded as she pulled up the blankets to cover her blush.

I couldn't help but laugh heartily at the thought. "Oh Goddess that is just hilarious!" I exclaimed. "Oh man, I'm DEFINITELY taking this to my grave for sure."

"You better, or I'll skewer you with my rapier," Teala warned. "Anyway, though he was uncertain the first time, he came to like it a little as we kept playing more by ourselves in future parties. What really got my heart beating though was when he brushed my mane and tail afterwards. I think the feeling I had that time was somewhat similar to yours. I could tell he tried to take great care of my locks as he brushed without hurting me from some knots, and it certainly showed from how wonderfully soft they were when he finished.

"I felt really happy that he gave me so much attention during those times when my parents didn't, especially when he listened to whatever I wanted to say. It was like I really mattered to him, doing his best to cheer me up as much as possible, which may have been why he went through the tea parties in the first place when he didn't need to at all. We grew out of those tea parties as we got older though, and unfortunately the brushes came along with them. Even then, I felt a little empty when we weren't together like we used to, so I put in effort to spend as much time with him and you as possible, and just get that hollow feeling whole again..." Even in the dark, I could see tears started to stream down her face, and the sniffles I heard in the room were enough for me to pull her into a hug which she returned. "Oh Roxxie, I miss him so much."

"I know Teala, me too," I replied as tears started welling up in my eyes. "We'll see him again soon though. We just have to wait. In the mean time, we'll need to stick together. Both as friends, AND future herdmates."

"Do you think... He'd want to brush my mane and tail again if I asked?" She asked.

"I'm sure he would. Heck, I'd probably ask him to do mine if he's that good like you said," I replied before we giggled a little while wiping the tears from our faces.

"I don't think I'd ever be more glad to have an amazing friend like you around right now," Teala said. "I don't know what I'd do if I didn't."

"Yeah, same here," I agreed. "And nothing will ever tear us apart. If anyone tries, they'll have to go through me first."

"Same with me," she added in before she moved up, and unexpectedly kissed the corner of my lip. She pulled back, and sighed in content before snuggling in our embrace. "Good night Roxxie."

I was surprised from her forward behavior at first, but then smiled before I kissed her forehead in response. "Good night Teala," I said before I closed my eyes.

I gotta say, I'm still a little shocked about forming a herd, but I think this could work. What left me more surprised though was how much pressure Teala was in as I got to know her. Arranged marriages? Enforcing her to be a 'proper lady?' What did Teala mean when she thought she mattered to Cyan? Did she not feel that way before? I guess it would make sense considering how her parents raised her. Seriously, they sound even worse than Cyan's, and I STILL don't know what the fuck is up with them. Well I may not know what's the deal with Teala's parents, but I'm certainly not gonna leave her alone. Not for a long time. In this time of her life, she needs me, and I owe her for being a good friend for all these years. I'll protect her, and Cyan too once we reunite with him. I'll crush whatever comes in my way, and they'll think twice before they mess with Roxxie Stone. This I promise.

Chapter 17: Cyan's Second Lesson in Shadow Magic

Chapter 17: Cyan’s Second Lesson in Shadow Magic.

[Time Unknown]

[Cyan’s POV]

I opened my eyes to Canterlot’s Park, or my memory of the park, lying on my side on the grass. I didn’t realize it the last time I was here, but it seems I get here with the clothes I wore overnight. I didn’t figure this out until after I sat up, and found that I was wearing the shirt and boxers I wore in bed last night.

“Welcome back to the dreamscape Cyan Dusknight,” greeted a familiar, heavenly mare voice. I turned around, and saw Shadina on her knees.

“Hey Shadina,” I greeted in return.

“I understand you have a lot going on in your head last night. Would you like to talk about it?” Shadina asked.

Oh right, she’s a part of me, so she sees, and hears what I experienced. Apparently she can do the mind reading thing outside of the dreamscape as well.

“Indeed I do Cyan Dusknight,” she confirmed as she was replying to what I thought. I sighed while trying to release some tensions I didn’t know I had until I spoke.

“Just a few questions before we get to my next lesson?” Shadina nodded. “First, I’ve been rather curious, but is there a reason that you take a female form since you’re basically the manifestation of my Shadow Magic?” I asked.

“I can understand your questioning, but the reasoning is kind of skewed,” Shadina answered.

“Enlighten me. I’ve seen and been through a few crazy situations today, can’t say this might be any different.”

“Very well,” Shadina sat and thought for a moment on what to say. “You’ll probably learn why later, but everyone in the real world has one type of Element Magic since the day they were born. Some magic may develop once the Wielder grows to a certain age, while others would probably never tap into that kind of magic. There may be hints of it here and there, some stronger than others, but they probably won’t be able to tap into the full potential that’s inside them.

“As for why I take a female form even though I’m the embodiment of your magic, as Wielders grow and develop their personality and identity, the embodiments also develop to reflect their owner’s deepest thoughts, feelings, and parts of personality that some may not even know about.”

“So…” I said while trying to make sense out of this. “With you taking a female form, you represent my sensitive, self-conscientious, and affectionate side of me?”

“Indeed, and some others,” Shadina answered.

… It’s interesting, but I can’t help but worry if that means I have a mare inside of me wanting to break out.

“I don’t you think you have to worry too much about that,” Shadina interrupted my thought process. “As far as I know how ponies go, as long as you’re comfortable and happy with yourself, you don’t need to worry about changing anything about you at all.”

Shit, I forgot she does this… Dammit she’s probably hearing me dissing myself right now.

Shadina giggled at my inner bantering. “Anything else?” She asked after calming down.

“I’ve noticed how you’ve been really affectionate with me since we met. It may be my… inner affectionate side of me having you do this, but is there more to it than that? Do you Guardians, embodiments, or whatever show that much affection to the Element Wielders?” I asked.

“Let’s stick with Guardians, I like the sound of that better if that’s alright?” She asked before I nodded to confirm. “Anyway, like how there are different Wielders, there are different Guardians who behave almost unique to their Wielders. For me, I enjoy having the moments we share together, and I want to take advantage of every opportunity to spend time with you, especially since I was asleep for so long not being able to see you,” she finished.

Huh, that’s like how I want to spend so much time with Roxxie, Teala, and Lumina recently. Guess she does reflect me in some ways… Come to think of it…

“If you’re wondering if we develop romantic feelings for our Wielders, it’s kind of a complicated topic,” Shadina interjected in my thoughts. “We know we can’t be ‘together’ with our Wielders, no matter how intimate we get with them. In most cases the Guardians usually take the same gender/sex form as their Wielders. I’m sure that unless the Wielders are homo or bisexual, they wouldn’t be interested in having that with their Guardians. Plus, since I’m basically a part of you, and say that we just decided to do it here one session, which I wouldn’t mind at all, it’s complicated to say whether it would be called sex, masturbation, or a wet dream,” Shadina finished. My face turned red at the last part she mentioned.

“I-I didn’t think you’d mind something like that,” I commented.

“Please, I’m the deepest quirks of your personality. If you looked back to all the times you were in close proximity with the mares you liked, I’m sure a part of you almost welcomed that,” Shadina finished with a giggle.

“I think that’s all the questions I have for now. Thanks,” I thanked with my face still heated up.

“Anytime Cyan Dusknight,” Shadina waved with her hand. “Let’s get to the next lesson shall we? And who knows…” She started as she crawled on all fours towards me with her blank-white eyes half lidded. “If you do well on this, perhaps I’ll give you a little award for your progress…” She suggested.

“W-what do you mean?” I asked with my face heating up again.

“Be able to cast what I’ll tell you before tomorrow night, and I’ll do whatever. You. Ask,” she emphasized with a sultry tone in her voice while she traced her finger down my shirt. “You can even have me refer to you as ‘Master’ if you wish.”

Sweet Celestia was THIS part of my inner quirks as well?! How was I even able to keep control of myself? Where did I even come up with these ideas?

“If you ask me, Lumina might be rubbing off on you a little. There’s that, and the time you accidentally came across your father’s ‘secret stash’ might have been the trigger,” Shadina answered my thoughts.

“H-how do you know about that?!” I quavered.

“I am a part of you, so I know all of your memories,” Shadina remarked while tapping her head with her finger. “Don’t worry, that will stay between us,” she winked. I gulped and nodded in response. “Now before we get to the next lesson, let’s recap what you’ve learned,” she said as she stood up and pulled me along with her. “From our last lesson, I asked you to project the image or object that you can imagine from your mind. That was the visual part of your magic that we worked on, and from how you projected me earlier, you’re making great progress on the size part. Your next lesson will be to make those objects real enough to touch and hold, and with enough practice, you can leave it out in the real world even when you aren’t focusing your Shadow Magic on it.”

“So if I want to have something like, I don’t know, a super ball, I can make it out of nothing but my own magic?” I asked.

“Precisely, but there’s a catch, two actually,” she interjected while holding up two fingers. “The first is that before you make the object of your choosing real, you must get acquainted with the original. More specifically, getting to know the touch, texture, and weight of said object.”

“That’s understandable. I guess that means I’ll have to do some field study,” I added.

Shadina nodded at the suggestion before she continued. “The second catch is that you have a limit to what objects you can create.”

“…This won’t end up like my regular unicorn magic will it?” I asked with concern.

“Nope,” she answered while shaking her head. “You have potential to grow and improve, but you just need to know your limits, and overcome them a little more each time. I think the first time you made the image of me would be the perfect example.”

“I guess that makes sense. I had a hard time keeping it together when I tried it with that size too,” I pointed out.

“Try not to push yourself too hard, listen to your body, and you should be fine. As for your unicorn magic, you may have gained more capabilities with it since the first time we met,” Shadina added, which perked my ears and I looked at her with disbelief.

“A-are you serious? How is that possible?”

“I think the seal that was cast on you earlier might have been part of it,” Shadina guessed. “While it put me to sleep for years, it also acted as a resistor of some sorts to what unicorn magic you were capable of. So with Shadow Magic, you’ll be able to grow and develop with your regular magic as well. In fact, for extra credit, try finding a new mid-level spell and give it a whirl. If you succeed, well… I’ll have more in store for you once you pass this lesson,” she finished before giving me a wink. I blushed and looked another way in embarrassment.

Crap, I think Lumina’s flirting and teasing really are rubbing onto me if Shadina’s this forward.

“I-I’ll keep that in mind,” I stuttered before Shadina giggled.

“That will be all for your lesson tonight Cyan, but it seems we still got some time left. I’d like to ask you something if you don’t mind?” She asked.

“Sure, go right ahead,” I allowed.

“I understand you’re going to reveal your true name and identity to Lumina later, so what I’d like to ask is what do you see of her now from the time you two first met?” She asked

“Well her teasing is still hard to get used to,” I said. “Leaving me frustrated and a little sore now and then will probably be something I’ll have to adjust to, and her sense of humor is something to be questioned. Other than those though? She’s… A really cool mare. She’s open, affectionate, strong, beautiful, I could go on and on with specifics if I was asked.”

“Would you say you’re starting to develop feelings for her like you did with Roxxie and Teala?” Shadina asked.

“… I honestly don’t know,” I admitted while looking down. “I mean it’s been only at least a day since we met, but I feel I’ve already known so much about her already. I feel like things are kind of escalating too fast between us though. I mean I had trouble understanding my feelings for Roxxie and Teala before that, and I do love them, but in what way? Do I love them as friends? Maybe more than that?

“What about Lumina? I think it’s safe to say she’s on the same boat as those two, but she’s shown more affection to me than what anyone else has done so far. Is it just her way of being comfortable with her friends? Then again, she did say she didn’t grow up with many friends, so it’s hard to say. I mean I like the hugs, pecks on the cheek and head, and just recently, cuddling, I’m sure most ponies love those. I wouldn’t mind keeping those going, but where’s the boundary that things are getting serious between us? I still think something like that between us is questionable considering our age difference, and the fact that I’m not legal yet, but where do we stand in general?”

Great… Here I am again with the ridiculously long chain of questions like yesterday. Only now it’s something more serious than getting my cutie mark. Glad I won’t have to worry about that anymore.

“If it’s any consolation,” Shadina interjected in my thoughts. “I think it’s a good sign that you’re thinking so hard on this. To me it shows how much you care for theirs, if not, all of your happiness. You want to be sure that you’re all on the same ground level of understanding, and see if you can work things out with them,” she finished.

“… I guess I found another reason why I need to tell her the truth then,” I concluded. “This may come in as a shock for her, but at least she’d want to think about where we stand, and how much she trusts me after that,” I stood there and smiled with content before I looked back to Shadina. “Thanks for that, I think I might have needed it more than I thought. Guess the title of Guardian really does fit your role,” I complimented.

“Oh stop it, you’re making me blush,” Shadina joked, which made us both laughed. When we finished, things started to fade around us, signifying my dream’s almost over. “Well, it looks like we’re out of time. Remember what I told you, and if things don’t go well with you and Lumina, you can be sure I’ll be around to cheer you up in any way I can,” she finished with a wink. I just laughed at the implications to that.

“I’ll keep that in mind,” I responded before I started the hug for us this time, and she gladly returned it. Feeling gutsy, I gave her a quick peck on the cheek before we broke off.

“Ooo~ someone’s feeling forward today,” she commented.

“What can I say? I think Lumina’s antics are starting to rub off on me,” I theorized. “Good to see you again Shadina. See ya later,” I bid while we waved our hands good-bye before things went black around me once more, as I prepare for the day that’s ahead of me.

Side Chapter 8: A Surprising Wake-Up Call, Blaze's Departure, and Teala's Deviant Plan

Side Chapter 8: A Surprising Wake-Up Call, Blaze’s Departure, and Teala’s Deviant Plan

[Time Unknown]

[Teala’s POV]

I found myself walking along a tropical beach with a white sun dress, with the sun just setting over the horizon of the ocean, and the wind giving just a gentle breeze. A part of me was confused, but I was too distracted by the breathtaking scene that was before me to worry about it.

This is just so wonderful. It’s like this is exactly the way I could imagine the setting in some of the romance novels I read turned out to be. Next thing I know, there’ll be a handsome stallion coming along and—

“Ah, Teala. There you are my love,” a familiar voice called out to me while interrupting my thoughts.

I looked to the source, and my eyes widened at the sight. Cyan was walking towards me with a white, long sleeve dress shirt that was unbuttoned enough to show his toned chest, and a pair of black slacks. His black mane was slightly longer last I remembered, but the breeze was gently blowing it and his tail towards the ocean. He had a coconut in each hand with tiny umbrellas and straws sticking out from the inside while he had a warming smile in his expression. “Sorry for the wait, but the line for drinks was too long, so I just made these myself. I hope it’s to your liking,” he said before he handed me one of the coconut drinks, and I gingerly took it while I still stared at him.

… Okay, I have to admit impersonating Fabio Lanponi in the get up is a little cheesy, but who am I to complain? I mean there’s a handsome stallion right in front of me, and here I am drooling and blushing at the sight. And did he just call me his love? Is this really happening?

I shook myself out of it before I answered. “Th-thank you Cyan. This is really nice,” I took a sip of the coconut drink afterward. It was kind of different in taste than what I had expected, but who cares about that right now.

“Anything for the mare of my dreams, whose beauty transcends the sight of this glorious sunset,” Cyan said, which had me flushing red while rustling my wing as I giggled in embarrassment.

Sweet Celestia I can’t believe this is happening. I don’t know how I even got here, or where Cyan even came from, but I think my heart’s gonna explode twice from those words.

“A-am I really like that t-to you?” I stuttered, barely able to form such words.

“And so much more,” he replied before he set his drink down, and walked close to me. He held my face in his hand while our eyes locked in a passionate gaze. “You are like a princess to me. With that in mind I promise to be as loyal as your greatest knight, and will serve to your beck and call. I will always love you Teala Crystalwaters.”

“Cyan…” I sighed as I dropped my drink to the sand. We closed our eyes, slowly moved in, and locked lips into a passionate kiss. My heart was racing at an unbelievable rate while we were in the embrace, with everything inside me warming up. I moaned from how it felt like everything I had ever dreamed of, and so much more.

[Sunday Morning]

I slowly opened my eyes to where they were half-lidded, and I froze in place. Roxxie was in front of me with the same shocked expression I was doing before we screamed and jumped out of my bed. “Oh Goddess what did we just do?!” Roxxie asked in a panic.

“I think we just…” I said before my face flushed red as I covered my muzzle. “Oh Goddess I am SO sorry Roxxie! I thought I was kissing Cyan at the beach and-”

“YOU were kissing Cyan? I thought I was while we were in the mountains after our spar!” Roxxie interrupted. “What’s up with your wings by the way?”

“My wings?” I asked before I noticed a stiff feeling going on in my back. I used one of my hands to check, and sure enough, they were unfurled, very tightly I might add. I tried to bring them down, but panicked as I wasn’t feeling any changes. “Roxxie what’s going on?! I can’t seem to fold them back down!”

“Wait, doesn’t pegasi get their wings up when they’re… Feeling good?” Roxxie asked. “Didn’t you learn that from our health class that day?”

“I think I was sick that day. Oh Goddess, are you telling me I have a wing boner?!” I asked with my face heated up very high. “I thought that only happens in fiction! What should I do?!” Suddenly the door slammed open, revealing Sigmund was at the entrance.

“I heard screaming! Is everything… Oh dear…” Sigmund said before I realized there was a guy in my room, with my wings still erected while Roxxie was only in her tank top and panties. The two of us were standing there staring at him for what felt like an hour before he spoke again. “Um… I’ll just… Leave. Breakfast is ready downstairs,” he then quickly left the room and shut the door behind him.

“Oh Goddess this just can’t get any worse,” I cried with my face completely flushed while covering my face from the tears and embarrassment.

“Okay, I’ll have to kick that butler’s butt later, but right now, just calm down alright?” Roxxie asked me. “They said your wings should go down by themselves once you relax a little. Let’s just take a seat and wait it out okay?”

I sniffled a little before I looked up from my hands and nodded.

After about five to ten minutes of awkward silence, my wings finally came down before we changed clothes, and left my room. We arrived to the dining hall without speaking to each other. There was a large spread of our breakfast on the table with chefs coming in and out from the kitchen with more while taking the cleared dishes. Blaze was eating with his lack of table manners as usual, wearing the clothes he came in since we first met yesterday. He also had a sack lying on the side of his chair.

He looked in our direction and smiled with his stuffed cheeks while waving a fork with a piece of pancake stabbed in it. “Ey gufsh! Gum on und ead! Da foodsh gwade!” He exclaimed with his mouthful.

“Uh, right, we’ll do that,” Roxxie replied before the two of us grabbed our plates, and stocked our helpings from what was on the table. As we sat down, Nil was coming in the room while he yawned into his hat.

“Aw man! I can’t remember the last time I slept that well,” he said. “I’d bring that mattress with me everywhere I go if I could… What’s up with you guys?” He asked as he was referring to mine and Roxxie’s expressions of discomfort.

“Don’t ask,” we replied in sync. Nil raised his eyebrow before he shrugged and got his own food before he set his hat on his chair, and sat down. Despite Blaze making noise while he ate, the rest of us had our food in silence before Sigmund walked in the room, and cleared his throat to gain our attention.

“Good morning everyone,” he greeted. “How are you all doing today?” Roxxie, Nil, and me mumbled in response while Blaze was saying something incoherent with his mouth full. Sigmund cleared his throat at the awkwardness in the room, probably also what happened earlier this morning before he continued. “Yes, well, Master Teala, I’m happy to report the collateral damage of the statue has been cleaned up yesterday, and they are preparing a new fountain to take its place in a month’s time. I’ve notified this to your parents via letter, and everything has already been paid for. We’ve also provided Master Blaze enough clothes like the one he wore yesterday before he’s on his way.”

That must have been what was in the bag that was against Blaze’s seat earlier.

“Wonderful. Thank you Sigmund,” I replied before I got up and walked over to him. I whispered a request in his ear at a low enough volume that wouldn’t be heard from a distance.

“Right away milady,” Sigmund said before he walked out of the dining room.

Blaze sighed loudly in content after finishing his sixth plate of breakfast while he lied back on his chair. “I’m gonna miss this delicious food. Your chefs know how to cook ‘em Teala,” he complimented.

“Thank you Blaze. I’m glad you’re satisfied,” I replied. “Will you be on your way soon?”

“Just a trip to the bathroom, and Blaze the Dragon Buster will be on his way!” He declared to the heavens.

“I’ve been meaning to ask for a while,” Nil broke in as he put on his hat. “Just how many dragons have you slayed anyway?”

“Not slayed Nil. Defeated,” Blaze corrected. “I wouldn’t kill something as low in numbers as dragons compared to ponies. I’m just maintaining the balance between ponies and dragons so that each may live their own lives happily and peacefully.”

“Goodness… That’s very noble,” I pointed out.

“And how many dragons have you *ahem* defeated?” Nil asked with the correction to his question.

“ONE!” Blaze exclaimed proudly with a big smile, which left everyone in the room silent in a mixture of awkwardness and confusion.

“Uh… How long ago was that exactly?” Roxxie asked to break the silence.

Blaze took a moment to look up in thought and recall the tie he ‘defeated his first dragon before he answered. “Three months ago! Oh! And I got my cutie mark after I scared him off from sight!”

“Was it a small dragon?” I asked to be more aware of how big that accomplishment was.

“Nope! He was HUGE! He may take up most of the space in this room!” Blaze exclaimed.

The three of us scanned the dining room we were in to make an approximation on how big this dragon was. I took note how much the table took up most of the floor in the room that was sometimes filled with guests for our special, occasional gatherings, plus how high the artwork painted on the ceiling. To put it simply, it was, how you say, a ‘big ass’ dragon. I couldn’t believe how he even took on a dragon that size and lived to tell the tale.

“How old are you?” Roxxie asked him.

“Thirteen! I’ll be fourteen by this July!” He exclaimed proudly.

The three of us just sat there in silence trying to take in the concept that someone even younger than me was able to scare off such a dragon.

“I’ll admit, I’m still new to Dragon Busting,” Blaze interjected while stopping our thoughts. “But dragons have been a huge thing for me for as long as I can remember. My uncle had told many stories and times about his involvement with them before he passed away. Though he mentioned that there are good dragons out there, I still couldn’t believe there were bad ones who hate ponies so much they’d kill them just to show off their dominance in strength and superiority as a species! At that moment, I wanted to protect such ponies and the innocent from their wrath, vowing to keep the peace within our respective species whenever I’m near, and use my powers as a Fire Wielder for good. No matter how backed into a corner I am, I’ll keep fighting to my last breath until the very end, and I will never give up. That is my promise to the good of Equestria,” he finished with a big smile on his face.

My goodness… He seemed serious while explaining that, and I didn’t think he had that inside from what I’ve seen of him so far. Was his parents okay with him making such a pact? Or… Did something happen to them that would have him make such a decision? I should keep the question to myself. Though he looks strong, I can’t be certain how hurt he can be if I go into something personal.

“Well I’ll have to see how you do when you come across such a dragon one day,” Nil said as he got up from his seat. “I’m the kind of guy who believes it when he sees it, so I’m gonna hold you to that until I see the action in pony.”

“I promise you won’t be disappointed!” Blaze exclaimed with a thumbs up. “Now if you’ll excuse me,” he said before he walked to the exit before he stopped and turned to me. “Um… Where’s your nearest bathroom?” He asked.

“Down the hall on your left, and two doors down on your next left,” I informed.

“Thanks!” He exclaimed before he ran to said direction.

“Quite a strange pony isn’t he?” Nil asked the two of us in the room.

“Indeed,” I agreed.

“Same here, but you gotta give him some respect for what he’s fighting for,” Roxxie added in.

“Master Teala, I have returned,” Sigmund called as he came back to the room with two pouches and a paper bag in his hands.

“Excellent. Thank you Sigmund,” I said before I took the items.

“What’s in those?” Roxxie asked.

“A pouch with 80 bits inside, another with gems inside to help him on his journey, and a bagged lunch for when he’s hungry in his travels,” I answered.

“That’s certainly generous of you princess,” Nil pointed out.

“It’s the least I could do for him providing information about Cyan’s whereabouts. Not to mention the outcome of our Code Four cleaning with him,” I said with my face heated a little.

Though I admit what I did last night was a bit of an overreaction, it was still pretty funny.

“And Blaze Fullthruster is ready to depart!” He exclaimed as he walked back in the room, and grabbed his bag that was leaning against the chair he was sitting before. “It was awesome seeing all of you, and we’ll meet in Baltimare in a few months!”

“Just be sure to keep your powers hidden in public alright?” Nil asked. “Unless it’s under an emergency in a secluded area, we don’t want to bring too much attention to ourselves.”

“AW WHAT?! BUMMER! And I wanted to show off my stuff!” Blaze complained before he sighed. “I guess it makes sense, though sucky as it sounds.”

“Here Blaze, maybe these can help cheer you up while you’re on your way,” I said before I handed him his things.

“Gee thanks!” He exclaimed before he looked through one of the pouches, and his eyes brightened with joy at what he saw. “AW SWEET! GEMS!” He took an emerald that was in one of the pouches before he tossed it in the air. In a moment later…

CRUNCH!

Blaze started chewing the emerald he just caught in his mouth before he swallowed. “Mmm! TAS-TEE! Emeralds are my favorite out of all of them.”

The three of us had the same expression of shock, disbelief, and dare I say it, WTF on our faces while our jaws dropped to the floor. “Y-you just… Ate a gem…” Nil said to break the silence first.

“Well of course I did! Thanks for pointing it out captain obvious!” Blaze exclaimed.

“A-are you feeling alright?” I stuttered. “You didn’t break anything in your teeth did you?”

“Of course not! See?” Blaze asked before he pointed to his big smile, and sure enough, there wasn’t a single crack or crushed tooth to be found in his jaw. “Well thanks for the gifts! See ya in Baltimare!” He exclaimed before he left my mansion with his things, leaving us still standing there in awe.

…Okay, I heard Roxxie telling me once of a Neighzy Neighsbourne ate a bat’s wings at a concert once, and though repulsive as it sounded, it was certainly a feat to achieve. From what Blaze did? I think Roxxie would probably say something like ‘that was the most metal thing I’ve ever seen.’ Though I have no idea how that term came about, I can only guess it meant what he did took a lot of guts, and I can certainly agree. Who in the world IS this pony anyway?

“Note to self, perform THOROUGH examination on subject Blaze Fullthruster for analysis on his ponanity once I gather the proper equipment,” Nil said to himself as he wrote down notes in that book of his.

…I think that might have broken Nil’s brain if he sees Blaze as some sort of living science project now.

“W-well now,” I said after I cleared my throat. “I do believe it’s time we discuss our next course of action. To the study everyone,” I announced before I led the way to the room we were in last night while Nil, Sigmund, and Roxxie followed silently.

“Now to start things off, I may have a sort of idea that could help Nil in his research on our magic,” I broke in as we were in our same spots in the study from last night.

“Really now?” Nil asked with a raised eyebrow with a smirk. “You have my attention princess. The table’s yours.”

“To begin, there’s the annual Grand Galloping Gala that’s happening at the Canterlot Castle tomorrow on Monday night,” I explained.

“Ugh, I HATE that thing,” Roxxie interjected with a gagging gesture. “The snobbiest of snobs would be there to brown nose each other’s asses for their own gain.’

“Yes, well, there are plenty of those ponies that will be attending the event,” I continued. “And with so many nobles gathered in one place, the Royal Guard would need to up their security in case a disaster happens, ESPECIALLY since Princess Celestia is the main host.”

“…Go on,” Nil beckoned with a look of interest.

“In Canterlot Castle, there is a ponysonal library, the royal archives, containing all kinds of information that is not published to the library, media, it’s very much hidden from the public in general,” I explained. “In those archives are secrets, and what may be part of such hidden information?”

“…Our Element Magic?” Roxxie asked with a little shakiness in her voice.

“Indeed my dear friend,” I confirmed which made her shudder in place. “With most of the security focusing on the gala tomorrow night, that leaves less guards around other uninhabited parts of the castle, INCLUDING the royal archives.”

“Princess, if you’re thinking what I’m thinking, then I’m happy I underestimated the limits to your conniving nature,” Nil broke in with a sly smirk that slowly widened across his face.

…That’s certainly a new look I’ve never seen from him. I can’t imagine how scared someone would be with that expression if he WAS a molester. Anyway, time to bring it on home.

“I say while we attend the gala, we sneak into the castle’s royal archives, and find any clues that could help in our search for answers to our magic!” I declared while standing up proudly, and pointed a finger to the distance.

“NOOOOOOO!” Roxxie screamed as she jumped and hugged around my waist in protest. “Please please no! I beg of you Teala, anything but THAT!”

“Roxxie, I must say I am shocked!” I exclaimed in surprise. “I thought you’re the kind of pony who liked to get into trouble.”

“It’s not that,” Roxxie corrected. “If we’re going to the Grand Galloping Fucking Gala, that means I’ll have to… To!”

“…Wear a dress?” Nil asked in confusion.

“YES!” She replied in fear. “Oh the HORROR I had to go through with Mom when she made me the dress for the first time we went there even though I didn’t want to go! I don’t want to go through all of that again! Teala, I BEG of you as my best friend, PLEASE don’t let me go to the goddessdamned gala!”

Goodness… I didn’t think Roxxie felt this negative about wearing dresses. Still, I need her help if we want to get any progress in finding our magic’s secrets. *sigh* I hate going this far, but it’s the only way I can think of to change her mind.

I looked up with a finger on my chin while humming in thought before I answered. “…Alright, you don’t have to go.”

“REALLY?!” Roxxie asked in excitement.

“Indeed, but it would be such a shame,” I said as I broke my embrace, got up, and walked to the door with my back toward them while crossing my arms. “I was hoping we could take a picture of us looking in our best while we’re there to send to Cyan once Nil decides to leave. I’m sure Cyan would LOVE to see us looking beautiful for him, but if I just send him a picture of myself, which may have him give me more attention once we meet again, then I guess it can’t be helped.”

I stood there with my back still turned to them in silence, which left an air of uneasiness in the room as it seemed to last forever until…

“ALRIGHT FINE!” Roxxie exclaimed frustratingly before I turned my head to glance back, seeing her standing up with eyes clenched shut. “I’ll… Go to the stupid gala to help you guys out,” she said through her teeth.

“WONDERFUL!” I exclaimed as I zipped back and looked at her with glimmering eyes. “I promise you WON’T regret this Roxxie. If Cyan thought you were cute back then, just WAIT until he sees us in our dresses! Is everyone here in on the plan?”

“Hey I’m down with that,” Nil answered with a tip of his hat and a smirk. “Personally, I was gonna do that kind of thing myself before I moved on since academy students weren’t allowed to get into the archives. There hasn’t been any security I didn’t get caught in yet, but I’m sure I’ll be able to get in much easier with you two as back up.”

…Yet? Has he done this kind of thing before? I have a feeling there’s more to this guy then meets the eye, and I don’t think it’s pretty. I’ll have to keep him on a short leash so he doesn’t try any funny business.

“Excellent! Sigmund!” I exclaimed with a smile, and a few claps that masked my suspicions .

“Yes Master Teala,” he answered while he stood up at attention.

“Please have some of our finest servants specialized in tailoring to take our measurements and prepare our attire for tomorrow night! We’ve got a GALA to attend!” I exclaimed happily.

“At once milady!” He replied before he quickly left the room.

“Nil, could you leave me and Roxxie alone in the room for a bit while you wait for my servants?” I asked.

“Girl stuff?” Nil asked, to which I nodded in response. “You don’t have to ask me twice. I’ll see you girls later.” He said before he tipped his hat to us, and walked out of the room.

Roxxie and I were alone in the study with silence filling the room. “So about what happened this morning…” I said, starting the conversation first.

“Right… I think we can both agree that what happened back there was just a total accident,” she said. “Neither of us saw it coming, and we unconsciously moved to where our dreams wanted us to go. There’s something I want to ask that’s been on my mind though.”

“What’s that?” I asked.

“That… Kiss you gave me last night,” she replied. “Though it wasn’t on the lips… That was all on you. Can I ask why you did that?”

“First, it’s ‘MAY I ask why you did that,’” I replied, correcting her grammar. “As for why I did… I don’t know to be quite honest. It just seemed to feel… Right at the time. I mean we’ve been close friends since you first moved into Canterlot, and you’re certainly more fun to be with than any other filly I’ve ever acquainted myself with. Now that we’re working together to reunite with Cyan once more, and the three of us forming a herd at that, I feel like you and I can… Get closer than we were before.

“I’ve read herd mates share intimate moments together whenever their stallion isn’t around, so it’s not like what I did last night would be strange in their standards. I have to admit, I was surprised how our… First kiss together turned out this morning, but despite the panic afterward, looking back on it now… I kind of liked it. Do you feel the same way Roxxie?” I asked her.

Roxxie took a moment to think back to this morning before answering. “Though it was accidental… Yeah, I kind of did. And you said that was normal between herd mates?”

“From what I’ve read, yes,” I responded. “They also go… Further than that together, but I don’t think we should worry about that right now,” I said as my face flushed red at the thought while trying to keep my wings down.

“Right, I think I can agree with ya there,” she said with a tint of red in her cheeks while scratching the back of her head, and looking to the side. “There’s something I want to do though if you’re up for it.”

“What might that be?” I asked while leaning my head to the side in curiosity.

“Since herd mates do things like that together like you said, and our first kiss this morning was something that caught both our guards off… Do you think we could try again intentionally? Just to see if we still like it or not?” Roxxie asked.

My eyes widened at the question in response. Though I’ve read things like that happen in herds, I didn’t think Roxxie would want that to continue considering how things turned out this morning. If she was willing to give it another shot… “I… Suppose confirming our suspicions is a good reason to try it once more,” I answered. “I don’t see why not.”

“So do we just get closer, and do what we did this morning? With the knowledge that we’re kissing each other than the Cyan in our dreams of course,” Roxxie pointed out in confirmation.

“That’s the idea,” I said as I walked up to her, and gazed into her yellow eyes. “Are you ready?” I asked.

“Yep… Should we go in on three?” Roxxie asked.

“I think we can do that,” I responded before we got into an embrace with my arms around her neck, and her hands on my waist. “Alright, altogether now,” I said before we started the countdown in sync.

“1… 2… 3…” We said as we slowly moved in closer until our lips locked after three, with our eyes closed. We kissed softly as we tried to take in the feelings we were experiencing at that moment, and quite frankly, I felt a lot more comfortable then compared to earlier. Roxxie seemed to like it too when I heard her moan a little, but I think that was accidental.

We broke out of our kiss after what felt like half a minute before we pulled back from our embrace while we looked into each other’s eyes. “So… How was that?” Roxxie asked first.

“It was… Much better compared to this morning,” I replied. “You?”

“Same here.”

“So if we did that again, you’d be okay with it?” I asked in confirmation.

“Pretty much.”

We stood there in silence while we looked to the side as we took in what we just did in that room. “Do you think Cyan would weird out if he knew we did this?” I asked with concern.

“I doubt it. If he’s like most of the guys Mom talks to her customers about sometimes, he’d probably welcome that,” Roxxie replied.

Oh goodness… Just the thought of Cyan watching us kiss like that is making my heart tremble, but in a strangely exciting way… Why is that?

My thoughts were suddenly interrupted by some knocks from the study’s door. “Master Teala, we’re ready for your measurements now,” one of my mare servants said behind it.

“We’ll be right out!” I exclaimed before I lightly flew up to Roxxie’s height, and whispered in her ear. “I forgot to mention this last night, but you’re okay with keeping our herd thing a secret are you?”

“Oh yeah. I don’t think we’ll be revealing that for a while. I can’t imagine what Mom would do if I told her,” Roxxie replied.

“And I certainly don’t want to bring it up with my parents either, unless they start to get more persistent with setting me up with a suitor,” I added in. “Until then, let’s just act how we usually do with everyone, and we’ll try to bond more as a herd in private. Sound good?”

“Yep. Now let’s get out of here before your servants start to worry,” Roxxie suggested before I nodded in agreement, lowered back down to the ground, and we walked out of the study.

I must say, I’m getting rather excited about all of this. Not just what we’re gonna do at the gala, but what Roxxie and I are doing with our herd. So much secrecy, and doing something out of the social norm, I can see why Roxxie gets such a kick out of this. I also cannot wait to see how Cyan likes the two of us in our dresses at the gala. Oh how I wish I could see the look on his face when that happens. Then again, perhaps bringing up the news of us forming a herd in pony would probably be an even bigger shock to him than how we’ll look at the event. I certainly hope his feelings doesn’t change once we finally meet. Two and a half months seem like an awfully long time, and who knows what may happen along the way for the both of us? I guess I shouldn’t worry about that right now. We’ll cross the bridge when we get there. Until then, we need to get ready for the big night tomorrow.

Chapter 18: Truths Come Out

[Sunday Morning]

[Lumina’s POV]

The morning sun was brightening up the room, making me slowly opening my eyes, and feeling more relaxed than the usual mornings. I noticed something pressing against my front. I looked down, and smiled seeing Cyan still within the embrace I pulled us into last night, sleeping peacefully in my arms. I sighed in content at how much I missed this wonderful feeling.

This is like snuggling with my sister back in Trottingham. Even though we still shared a room and had separate beds, whether I was down and sad enough to not sleep, or just want to share beds, she would happily snuggle with me in one of our beds with comfort throughout the night before I fell asleep in her arms. Maybe this was what she was feeling when I came to her. I might have pulled Cyan in this out of nowhere last night, but it just felt right at the time. With how stressed we were at work last night, and how tightly Cyan hugged me when he thanked me for taking him along, this might have been good for the both of us. Actually, thinking back on that hug, it was not only tight, but it felt like he was shaking a little. Was there something he’s afraid of showing? Could what he want to talk to me in privately about this morning be related to that? I guess the best I can do right now is listen to what he says, and do what I can to support him.

I gently removed us from the embrace, and slipped the covers over Cyan. I thought that he might want to get some more shut eye before the day. I gathered a change of clothes for the day, my hair brush, tooth brush, paste, and hair tie from my bag before I went to the bathroom and quietly shut the door behind me. After some business on the toilet, I brushed my teeth before I changed from my shirt and boxer briefs from last night to a pink bra and panties, a light purple t-shirt that fitted comfortably, and blue jeans over them while I fit my tail through the holes. I gave my tail and mane a good brushing to where they got smooth and straight, my front more spread out to the sides how I usually liked it. I ready my hair tie to style my mane until…

SNAP!

“Ow!” I yelped before I shook the pain out of my hand that stung. I looked at what smacked me, and found the hair tie broken.

The elastic must have worn out enough to snap apart…

Looking at it, I realized this was what Shining Armor gave me back at the academy when he noticed how my mane moving around distracted my training. It was one of his spares, and he was happy to give it to me. It was the first and last thing he gave me before I left, and I had kept and always used it ever since.

Thinking back on it now, I know I wasn’t truthful to Cyan from how we got to the campsite, about what really made me resign from the academy in the first place. After that, and getting to know Cyan, I’ve certainly been getting more… Affectionate with him, and getting really relaxed whenever I’m around him. Enough to even snuggle with him last night. Something I haven’t done for a year, yet felt like more, and with someone who wasn’t my sister… Not to mention how I kind of liked having his erect penis poking me. Wonder how big he is down there? Is it still growing through puberty? Wait, no, I shouldn’t even be thinking like that. Not with how things are between us right now. I might have even given him some wrong ideas that I didn’t meant to bring intentionally… I should probably put it out straight for him. We’re gonna be staying and travelling together for a while, and I want to be sure he’s comfortable around me, and not so uptight like he might have been back in Canterlot. That includes him putting his trust in me while I give mine in return, and to do that, I’ll have to be honest. We’ll talk about it over breakfast today. Might as well rip the band-aid off instead of tugging on it slowly. I just hope that after I’ll tell him, his perceptions of me won’t change very much.

A knock on the door snapped me out of my thoughts. “Come in,” I answered.

Behind the door was Cyan with his mane in a cow-lick, still wearing his shirt and boxers from last night. “Are you okay?” He asked. “I heard you yelped in pain and wanted to be sure you were alright.”

Oh Cyan… I hope you never change from this. There’s not enough colts, or dare I say it, stallions in the world with the consideration you have.

“I’m fine thanks,” I waved. “My hair tie just snapped broke, and it whipped my hand,” I explained while I held up said object. “Sucks too, this was the only one I have on me. Guess I’ll be walking with my mane down for a little bit.”

Cyan then took the broken hair tie from me, and tested its elasticity a little. He seemed to have something in mind for some reason. “Do you mind if I borrowed this?” He asked.

I raised my eyebrow questioning what he would use a broken hair tie for, but shrugged to not think about it too much. “Sure, go crazy with it,” I answered.

“Thanks. And if it’s any consolation, you look great whether you have your mane tied or not,” he complimented with a smile. I couldn’t help but feel my face heat up a little, trying not to show any color in front of him.

Dammit Cyan, stop being so sweet.

“Th-thanks Cyan,” I stuttered. “The bathroom’s yours if you want. We’re still going out for breakfast right?” I asked.

“Of course. We’ll leave as soon as I get ready,” he concluded. I nodded before I left, and Cyan went inside with a change of clothes, comb, and his own hygienic tools before he shut the door behind him.

I made the bed while I waited, and just sat on the bed for a bit while I thought about what I should say to Cyan about the truth during breakfast. It wasn't long though before he came back out in a change of clothes.

“Ready to grab that breakfast?” I asked, and he nodded in response. He and I grabbed our pouches of bits from our bags before we left the room and shut the door behind us.

We said our good mornings to our neighbors and Barley while we were heading out. Orange commented on how pretty I looked with my mane down, and I just thanked her in response. RB asked if the two of us were going on a date with a sly grin, and Cyan assured him that we were just going out for breakfast. The three of them rolled their eyes at that. Barley asked us to come back same time as yesterday to get ready for our shifts tonight, and the two of us understood and nodded before we said our farewells, and left the pub.

We went to a restaurant where it was famous for their flapjacks, and we sat in a table at a corner where we wouldn’t stand out. After we gave the waitress our orders, Cyan went to the bathroom for a bit while I sat there in thought.

Okay Lumina, this is it. You’re gonna give it to him straight, tell him about your resignation at the academy, and let him know what I think is and isn’t okay for us.

I took a deep breath trying to relax myself, forgetting to breathe for a moment. “Sorry for the wait,” Cyan apologized before he got back to his seat across from me.

“Oh you’re fine. Don’t worry about it,” I assured with a wave. “Listen, I know there’s something you need to say, but I have something I need to get off my chest too if you don’t mind?”

Cyan sat up with his ears perked, and eyes wide. “No, not at all,” he answered. “You can go first if you’d like. Ladies first,” he finished with a hand gesture towards me.

I can’t tell if that’s him being polite, or if he’s buying more time for what he wants to say. Aw well. Doesn’t matter.

I took one more breath to ease my tensions before I spoke. “There are a few things I need to let you know about me since we’ll be travelling together for a while. I know we didn’t meet in good circumstances, but with this only being our second day together, I think I should tell you something that I wasn’t truthful about the first night we met. I just want to be honest so that there won’t be any secrets between us, and whatever topic comes up later about each other we haven’t told yet, we’ll be comfortable enough to disclose about that. Does that makes sense?”

“Of course,” Cyan responded with a nod.

“Okay then,” I started before I took a moment to think up my next words. “Remember how I wanted to leave the academy so bad when I got drafted there, and I told you I resigned the moment I was given the opportunity?” He nodded in response. “Well… That might have been a lie. I was actually considering whether I wanted to join the Royal Guard or not, for what may have been the wrong reasons.”

“What were they?” He asked.

“… There was a stallion, who even though I didn’t want to make contact with him, or anyone at the academy for the first few weeks, tried to make my time there as less of a hellhole as possible. He was the one who caught me when I tried running away at first, and we talked long enough that not only convinced me to stay, but I developed a crush on him,” Cyan still sat there giving me much attention as I continued. “We got to know each other more over the year, and the more I knew about him, the more I wanted to be his special somepony. When I heard he wasn’t seeing anyone, I had to take the chance to confess my feelings for him, the same day I was offered to join the guard, or resign the academy, so I would make my final decision the right choice.”

“So you wanted to join the guard to be with your crush?” He asked for clarification.

“That’s the gist of it,” I answered. “Anyway, when I saw him standing at a balcony at the castle, I had to go up there as soon as I could to confess. I had even made dinner for the two of us so he would know how serious I was.”

“How sweet… Wait, wasn’t that dinner?” Cyan asked when he thought about it.

I nodded confirming his suspicions. “Yes, that corn casserole we had was meant for him and I to share. When I had got up there, I was really scared. I felt like my life was on the line with this confession, but I tried to convince myself as much I could to confront him… Until I heard someone talking with him at the balcony.

“They sounded close, so relaxed with one another, a part of me wanted to believe that they were just close friends seeing each other that night… Until I heard them professing their love for each other,” Cyan sat up wide-eyed at the development. “I looked from an angle they wouldn’t see me, and saw the two of them kissing like they’ve been doing it for ages with such romance and passion. At that instant, I just ran out of the castle as fast as I could,” I looked at the table with my ears folded, not caring for the food that was now in front of me.

“I had cried my eyes out in the gardens,” I continued. “Asking myself what I saw was real, and what I was even doing there. That sadness turned to anger soon after though. I had felt betrayed and lied to. He had said he wasn’t seeing anyone, but now I know why. What I didn’t know though was why he was so friendly with me, convincing me to stay at the academy when he wasn’t even thinking about being with me. I felt so stupid that I fell for him, and that I had almost chose to enroll in the Royal Guard for someone like him. It felt like high school all over again, only more severe than before. In a rush, I signed the resignation form when I grabbed the nearest quill, packed my things, and turned in my form before I left the academy and Canterlot in anger. It wasn’t until I was in the clearing where you found me that I cried what sadness I had left before I started to try to move on,” I sniffled as I finished. Cyan passed me a napkin from across the table, and I dabbed what tears were welling up in my eyes, and blew my nose before I calmed down. “Thank you.”

“No problem, but can I say something before you say anything else?” Cyan asked, and I nodded in response. “I don’t think you’re stupid for falling in love with someone. Love may make us do some crazy things, but that doesn’t show how intelligent we are. It sounded you liked him for the right reasons before you were in that moment, and I think it’s understandable to rethink what kind of pony he was after seeing something like that. But no matter what, I think all of us would turn stupid once we’ve fallen for someone so hard like that. It’s like calling RB and Orange stupid for loving each other, despite how… Unique it is,” he cringed after that. I couldn’t help but giggle at the reaction.

“Thank you Cyan, that means a lot,” I thanked.

Cyan smiled and nodded before he took his first bite of his food, and spoke without his mouthful. “Was there something else you needed to say?” He asked.

“There was,” I answered. “Due to my heartbreak, I guess I was kind of emotionally unstable then, questioning about whether I should start looking for a serious relationship after that. I’m still wondering about it now, but we’ll get to that part later. I’ll admit, I was pretty pent up when I heard you outside of that clearing, and I do apologize for scaring you with that gun.” Cyan waved his hand out front in response, gesturing he brushed that off, and it was under the bridge. “I was surprised that someone so young was out there that late at night. I wanted to get you comfortable to open up, not feeling like I was pressing you for information like I was taught in the guard. You didn’t need that for someone so young. I didn’t know what to do until I heard our stomachs growling that I came up with offering you food then and there.

“When we talked and got to know each other, the first time you made me laugh? I couldn’t remember the last time I had something that good. Like what happened before that just got swept under the rug and I didn’t really think about it then. When I listened to your side of the story… I couldn’t believe how hurt I was inside that your parents would do something like that. My case of finding my Light Magic was similar to yours, but it didn’t go NEARLY as bad afterwards for me as what you told me. I had to hug you right there when I saw how sad you were becoming, and I couldn’t help but cried myself,” Cyan looked to the side with ears folded recalling that moment while he ate his breakfast.

“When I saw your Shadow Magic though, I was surprised. To be honest, the old hag mentioned some scary things about ponies possessing that type of magic while she taught me how to use my Light Magic back then. I had to question why though, as though your magic is just as unique as the other five that exist. And when I saw you, you looked anything BUT dangerous. In fact I felt comfortable around you, like I could let myself go and be myself more with you. It’s part of why I was teasing so much with you. But if I ever get into anything that you’re not comfortable with, don’t hesitate to stop and say no. I won’t hold anything against you. I just want you to know that I’m starting to like you Cyan, but not in a way that’s anything serious. I need some time to think about what I want in such a relationship, and how I want to be treated in such. In the meantime though, I still want to be with you and get to know you more as we travel. You’re a great guy, and I want to be someone you can trust and talk about anything with because I like and trust you enough to relax around you. It’s part of why I didn’t mind sleeping with you the way I did last night, why I gave you those kisses, and why I didn’t mind you touching me on those places,” I finished.

Cyan sat there wide-eyed at the end of my explanation while shuddering in place. “Y-you like and t-trust me THAT much?” He stuttered.

“Pretty much,” I answered with a smile. “I’ve just seen you as a great pony for the past few days, and I feel kind of lucky to have a friend as kind, honest, and considerate as you are.”

Cyan then looked down on his food while running his fingers through his mane while he still shuddered in place. “Goddessdammit,” he quivered.

“W-what’s the matter? Do you not like me?” I asked with concern.

“No, I DO like you, probably a little more than you know, I’m still not sure, which is what’s making this so much harder,” Cyan admitted while still looking down and shuddering.

Goodness, this must be big if Cyan’s this scared about revealing it. Did my confession brought THAT more pressure on him? More importantly, he said he liked me more than I may know, even though he’s still not so sure about it himself yet… Weird how a part of me thinks that’s flattering, but I shouldn’t think like that right now. I should try to calm him down a little.

I reached over to hold his shoulder to provide support. “Cyan? I’m sorry if what I said made this even harder for you,” I said. “I just want you to know that everything I’ve said was true, and I’ll listen to whatever it is you need to say before I think and ask questions. Let’s just eat for a little bit, try to calm down, and you can tell me when you’re ready. Okay?” Cyan looked up with tears rolling down, and nodded while he sniffled. I took a few napkins and passed them over to help wipe what was on him, and clear everything up before I ate my own food. I didn’t realize how long I was talking as I noticed the food got lukewarm, to almost cold. He finished his before me as he got a head start, and asked the waitress if he could get another glass of his drink. While I waited for him to relax, I went to my own thoughts.

Okay, despite the reaction afterwards, I’m feeling pretty good. It looks like he feels somewhat the same way about me judging by how afraid of what he’s going to confess could affect us. Other than that though, I feel a little lighter on the shoulders. I’m glad I was able to get it out there, and if what he says isn’t as big of a deal as he thinks, then things might work out for us after all.

Cyan got another glass of his drink the waitress brought, and thanked her before he chugged it halfway like he was dying of thirst for water. After he finished, he wiped his mouth with a clean napkin that wasn’t used to dry his tears and clean his nose. He closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and sighed, trying to let go of the fear inside him with his hands together in front of him, as if praying that things would work out some way while he thought of what to say.

He opened his eyes, looking into my mine directly after I finished my cold breakfast. “What I want to confess Lumina,” he started. “Was like you, I too was not being truthful about myself when we first met,” I felt a little shocked from that, but tried to keep my face looking more attentive. “When I first ran into you, I had some idea of where you came from, and because of the position I was in, I was scared, and feared what would happen if I told the truth. Bear in mind, I was being honest about me running away because of my parents fearing my magic, and wanting to send me some place secluded where I wouldn’t hurt anyone.” I nodded as I remembered. “I held back something important though, fearing what would happen if you knew, and because of that, I had to lie something about me because if I did told the truth, you’d connect the dots to see where I came from. Seeing how beautiful, smart, and strong you are, I know for certain you can figure this out once I tell you.” He took another deep breath with his eyes closed to recollect himself before took a pause, and opened his eyes back to me before he continued. “I… am not Cyan Shadow… My real name… is Cyan Dusknight.”

A long, dead silent pause filled between us, disregarding the activity of the rest of the restaurant. The moment I heard that last name, my heart felt like it skipped twice, and dropped to the pits of my stomach. “D-d-d-Dusknight?” I stuttered, and he nodded in response. “Dusknight as in… Commander Marine Dusknight from the Royal Guard?” I quavered.

He sighed in defeat. “Yep, that’s him… He’s my dad…” He stated. Everything suddenly got cold around me as I was trembling uncontrollably from this new, earth shattering information Cyan just told me. I was at a loss for words, speechless for what to say next before he continued. “While we’re on this, my mom, Olive Cross, she works with the Royal Guard as a nurse. I’m not sure if you know her, but you can probably guess where and how my parents met before they had me,” he folded his ears and looked to the side. “Knowing what they do for a living, it still shocks me that my own dad, the strongest stallion I knew, serving in the Royal Guard as Commander of Squad 13, had a look of fear for his own son, me, for just showing him and Mom what Shadina had taught me the first time we met. And when I overheard my parents talking about me being a threat to everyone around me, and wanting to send me away to an unknown area, knowing what they do for a living, it made sense why I felt so afraid, so lost, so… abandoned, as if they saw me as some kind of threat that could disrupt the peace in Canterlot, or dare I say it, Equestria itself.

“I still don’t know why my magic’s still a threat, maybe there’s truth to what your bitch of a teacher told you about ponies like me possessing Shadow Magic. But one thing I do know is that I would never harm anyone, no matter how bad they treated me unless my life was on the line. And if there’s something I don’t understand about this magic that could end up hurting anyone, even with one or both of my best friends, I couldn’t help but decide me running away was the best option. So I packed what I could in my back pack, wrote the letters to my friends, and dropped them off before I left Canterlot.

“From what my dad had told me about Magic Guns, I knew immediately the first time I saw you that you were well trained in the academy or guard. I didn’t know if you knew my dad in some way until you mentioned that interview, as my mom told me that morning he had left early for something similar. He doesn’t talk about his work much, so there was no way I could know you were training with him, and because of that, I had to lie about my identity because I feared you might take me back to Canterlot by force, or possibly something worse if you knew who I was.”

… I guess I can see his reasoning, and I have seen some bad cadets that might do just what he feared if any of them were in my position.

He chuckled a little in a sad tone, still looking down at the table like he was guilty of a crime he committed. “It’s funny really, when I saw the lights of your Magic Gun, I thought you were someone who was burly, intimidating, and fierce, despite the feminine tone in your demands. But when I saw you under that moonlight in the clearing, I couldn’t believe how beautiful you looked that night. I’d probably have my face in awestruck to your beauty if I was shot then and there.

“I don’t know why I was afraid of dying that time though. I mean if I was a threat to anything, the first reasonable reaction would be to put me down and kill me then and there. I don’t know why they wanted to send me to someplace unknown, but for something so secluded with no one around, I’d probably die of starvation if I was taken there. I didn’t know what I was planning when I left Canterlot either. I guess if anything, I wanted to live my presumably last moments of my life before I collapse and die of starvation as well. Probably in someplace no one would find me too. And I’m sure now that you know who my parents are, and how big of a deal it is if a commander of the Royal Guard considered me a threat, despite what you just confessed to me earlier, you’d probably want to leave me for your own safety too. I don’t blame ya for thinking like that. I guess in the end, I’ll die as a monster, one way or another. It would probably be for the best for everyone, as there’s no place for me to...” He croaked before I stopped him with a tight hug from his side as I got there without him noticing.

“I’ve heard enough of this bullcrap,” I broke in.

“W-wha?” He quavered while still unprepared for the hug.

“I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again,” I said. “You are no monster, Cyan Dusknight, and if anyone says otherwise, I’ll pulverize them to make my point. I don’t care if Marine’s a commander, heck, I wouldn’t give a shit if he was captain of the Royal Guard. If he thinks killing his own fucking son will bring peace to Equestria, than he’s more of a monster than he claimed you to be,” I pulled him back with my hands on his shoulders, and gazed in his crimson eyes that expressed shock and confusion with looks of determination of my own. “You are a wonderful young stallion, and your magic doesn’t define who you are as a pony. You may not know much about your magic now, but I’m sure that we’ll find clues to what your magic is all about, and why it brings fear to even your father, a commander of the Royal Guard. Not only that, we’ll find what we can do with your magic that could help ponies instead of scaring them, and we’ll show them how wrong they can be. Until then, if anyone even DARES to take you away because of your magic, I’ll prove them wrong, or I’ll fight to my last breath if I have to.”

Cyan sat there in shock for what he had just heard. “Y-you’re serious? Are you at least mad that I held something like this from you?” He quavered.

“I was surprised as fuck, yes, but I’m not mad,” I answered while I shook my head. “Your parents also don’t define you as a pony, and you had your reasons for keeping it from me as I was in the academy before I got to the clearing, especially with the Magic Gun thing as you did what you could to defend yourself. And if it was anyone else besides me that was there, especially if it was one of the more cold-hearted cadets I’ve seen, I can’t even begin to imagine how different things would be for you then. I want you to promise me something though,” I requested. Cyan just sat there trying to take everything in. “Don’t ever think that there’s no place for you in this world, and don’t even THINK about how everyone’s better off without you if you aren’t around. I can’t even BEGIN to imagine how different things would be for me if I hadn’t met you two nights ago. You aren’t a special unicorn because of your magic. You’re special because of what’s in here,” I said as I pointed to his chest. “You have much potential for what’s ahead of you, and you’ve got many years coming to see where things will take you. So don’t ever count yourself out that you don’t mean anything to anyone. Not only would Roxxie and Teala might say otherwise, you mean something to me if it’s any consolation. Do I make myself clear?” I finished.

Cyan’s eyes watered, his lips quivered, and his ears folded before he hugged me tightly, and sobbed quietly on my shoulder. I gladly returned his hug, and shed a few tears myself, glad that I made my point out there, and hopefully had him feeling better about himself. We sat there quietly for a while before Cyan finally pulled himself back, and used napkins to wipe his face and nose. “Sorry about that,” he croaked with a sheepish smile.

I shook my head while smiling. “It’s fine, don’t worry about it,” I said.

“So you’re okay with me being your commander’s son?” He asked.

“Like I said, I don’t care what your parents do as long as they did whatever they could to make you happy, which they somehow failed to do looking at the outcome now. Quite frankly, I never had a good feeling for your dad when I first met him, despite how he acted in the interview we had. But you can definitely be sure that I’ll always have your back, no matter what happens,” I assured.

“So we’re all good then? All secrets out in the open now?” He asked.

“For the most part, yes, but I do have one thing to ask though,” I requested.

“What’s that?”

“That first night we had spent together? How did you know about bra cup sizes when you asked if I was a D?” I asked.

He blushed at the question, and looked to the side in shame with a sheepish smile. “To be honest? I accidentally ran into my dad’s ‘secret stash’ of porn at one point, got curious, and things kind of escalated from there. I only got some general idea on how breasts differ in cup sizes from some of those, but there are still some things I don’t get to this day,” he finished.

“Huh. So you’ve gotten into porn before?” I asked, and he nodded while blushing and in shame. “And yet you still treat mares the way you do now?”

“I saw them in another light, yes, but I’d never… treat or objectify them like that, especially with my friends. If Roxxie knew, I probably wouldn’t even be here right now,” he chuckled at the remark, and I laughed with him. When we calmed down, Cyan looked at me in content with a smile on his face. “Thank you for accepting me though. I don’t know what I’d do if I WAS left by myself.”

“Leave an awesome stallion like you in the streets? Fuck no. You’re not gonna get rid of me that easily. That’s a fact,” I claimed before I gave him a good noogie on his mane, and he chuckled at that before I pulled back.

Cyan sat there for a bit in thought, before he looked like something came to him. “Can we find someplace more private? There’s something I want to try and show you,” he requested.

I sat there in thought, trying to think of some places I heard that aren’t usually open in Manehattan until I thought of something. “I think I know someplace in mind. Shall we get going then?” Cyan nodded with a small smile before we got up, and paid for our food up front, which he did for both of our meals, plus tip. I tried interjecting that I could pay for my own, but he was too stubborn to listen before he finished the payment, and we left the restaurant.

I led us to the main theatre in Manehattan, where even though there aren’t any musicals or plays were currently featured, the place was still open for those who want to browse through and check out the history of the many performances that took place there. We were lucky it wasn’t busy, especially the auditorium which was where Cyan and I sat on stage.

“Alright, so what was it you want to show me?” I asked.

“Could you give me a moment please?” He asked, and I nodded with a smile. He reached into his pocket, and took out the broken hair tie I gave him earlier. He gave it a few stretches while he looked up in thought, and nodded at something. “Hold this please,” he requested while holding out the hair tie, and I took it with one of my brows raised in question.

He turned to me still sitting cross-legged, held up his hand, closed his eyes, and focused. His horn and hand had their black auras around them, signifying his Shadow Magic was put to work. He looked like he was putting more effort into making something, but not so much he was straining himself. He looked more… content as he was focusing what he was creating. I looked at his hand, saw a strange, circular object floating above it. It didn’t look circular, it was a more crumpled looking ring the size of his palm, as if he was making…

…Wait, no, he can’t be.

Cyan then dropped his focus in an instant, his horn and hand not having the black aura around it, and the black ring-like object dropped to his palm. He opened his eyes, looked at it, and felt the texture before he gave it a few test stretches. A big grin was shown across his face as he marveled at what he had just created before he laughed like some sort of idiot. “Yes! I knew I could do it!” He exclaimed.

“Cyan…” I started. “Is… Is that a scrunchy?” I asked.

“You’re damn right it is! And the very first of many other things I can create with my Shadow Magic with practice,” he said before he looked at me, took my hand not holding the broken hair tie, and placed the black scrunchy on my palm before he closed my fingers.

“And as a thank you for helping me, letting me tag along, and being and awesome friend, I want you to keep this as my token of gratitude. It should last longer than your hair tie, but let me know if you want me to fix it right up, or make a new one even,” he finished with a smile before he sat back, leaving me wide-eyed in amazement.

I looked down at my new scrunchy. It looked cute, had a nice velvety texture, and it stretches like any hair tie and scrunchy I’ve seen, probably better than most as this was something Cyan himself created with his own magic. I looked back at him who still had that same smile in his face. “Cyan…” I said. “I… I don’t know what to say…”

“Why don’t ya try it on, and see if it works?” He asked. I nodded, and did as he suggested. After I got a good length of my mane in a bundle behind me, I took the scrunchy I held in my mouth, and tied my strands around into my signature pony tail. I adjusted it enough to where the scrunchy was lower and closer to my nape, tying my mane to match my tail.

“How do I look?” I asked while holding up my styled mane.

“Amazing,” he answered. I couldn’t help but giggled and blushed at the compliment before I smiled back at him.

I might be crazy for what’s about to come next, but fuck it, I’m going for it.

“Hey Cyan?” I asked.

“Yeah?” He asked.

“I think I might have my own way of expressing my gratitude for you being my friend.”

“Really? What is it?”

“Close your eyes,” I requested, and he complied while smiling. I crawled on all fours towards him after I checked the auditorium to see if anyone else was around. I got my hands on his shoulders, pulled myself closer, and locked my lips with his with my eyes closed. I felt Cyan was surprised at first, but melted into the sweet feeling as he kissed back while he wrapped his arms around my waist.

We kissed for what felt like two minutes before I pulled back and our eyes locked onto each other. I could see his face flushing red while he looked at me with shock in his crimson eyes.

“…Wow…” Was all he could say after that as he blushed. I giggled at his reaction while my face heated up as well.

“Yeah… You like it?” I asked.

“Definitely,” he answered. “This doesn’t change anything between us does it?”

“Nope,” I replied.

“Still gonna tease me like usual after this?”

“Of course.”

“Good. It would feel weird if you didn’t,” I giggled at that remark. “You do realize I may try to get back at you at some point right?”

“Hmm… Actually, I’d welcome that challenge. I dare you to give me your best shot.”

“Careful what you wish for. But seriously though, I promise I’ll try to be a good friend to you.”

“And I promise to do the same. Just be aware that I may need some help with that since I haven’t made any good friends for a while.”

“I’ll try to do what I can,” he answered. We sat there in a pause before he asked. “You wanna share some more ‘tokens of gratitude’ with each other?”

“Fuck yeah I do,” I responded before I pulled myself against him once more, locked lips, and gently pushed him to the ground while he wrapped his arms around me. We kissed right there on stage, not caring if anyone was there watching us as if we were the last two ponies on earth, as I was on top of him with my breasts pressing against his chest, taking in the sweet, passionate, and joyful feelings welling up inside me that I’m sure Cyan was feeling the same at the time.

Well, this certainly came out of nowhere. Two days after my heartbreak with Shining, and I’m on Manehattan’s famous stage already sucking mouths with another pony. One who’s much younger than me at that, but definitely has the maturity of a stallion, probably more so than some. We’ll have to discuss more on where we stand after this, but Goddess does it feel good doing this with him. This may be crazy for the both of us, but at this point? What ISN’T crazy in this world? I think I’m looking forward to see where this goes.

Side Chapter 9: Getting Fitted, and Discussing Concerns

[Sunday Afternoon]

[Teala’s POV]

We were in one of the work rooms in my mansion where all the equipment and materials needed to make clothes for special occasions were well organized, and ready to be used. The two of us were on separate podiums while two of my tailors were getting enough measurements on us needed. There were also three more in the room as well, coming up with our dresses’ designs for the evening.

“Ugh, I seriously HATE this part,” Roxxie complained as she was standing on a podium stiff as a board, getting her measurements with the help of my tailors. “Why couldn’t we just RENT the dresses for one night, and be over and done with after the gala?”

“And not taking the opportunity to show our most attractive sides to our dearest friend?” I asked taking consideration on my use of terms as I didn’t want the maids to freak out over me having a coltfriend. “Absolutely not! If we’re doing this, I want us to arrive in style, displaying ourselves to EVERYONE in Canterlot Castle AND Cyan who we are as well respected, refined individuals. Besides, I thought you wanted others to see you as a mare Roxxie,” I pointed out.

“I do, but I didn’t want to resort to ‘prettying’ myself up by applying makeup, and wearing frilly, colorful, complicated filly clothes,” she admitted. “I don’t know, a part of me wants to be seen as cute, but I just don’t see why I have to go through so much effort to look attractive, especially if you’re gonna clean all the makeup off at the end of the day, and repeat the cycle the next morning. Despite the grounding I got after the three of us snuck out of the last Gala we went together, Mom saw that in me as I walked around in that dress during the night. She told me I won’t have to go through that again unless I asked, and I haven’t worn a dress ever since.”

“How very thoughtful of her,” I chimed in. “As a professional tailor herself, do you know how she defines beauty?”

“Mom had talked to me about something like that one time after some damn colts said I wasn’t a filly because I didn’t look pretty back in elementary school,” Roxxie said.

“Ex-CUSE ME?!” I interjected with shock and anger. “Why the NERVE of such ponies! Why wasn’t Cyan or I informed on this?!”

“… I was still pretty self-conscious back then, and I was too sad and cried my way home soon afterwards to talk to you guys about it,” she replied while looking down. “I think that was the starting point when even though I was able to stand my own ground afterwards, I was still concerned that ponies will ever see me as cute at the least. When I talked to Mom about it though, she said that beauty is within the eyes of the beholder. Kind of like what you told me last night Teala, she said that being beautiful only matters inside of us instead of out, and some ponies in this world are better in seeing that kind of beauty than others. What’s also great about that beauty is that unlike just covering yourself with makeup, you are able to change your inner beauty depending on how you go about your life, and the choices you make for it. This even goes for the guys as well, and it was how she fell in love with Dad.

“From what she told me, her job of being a tailor is to design clothes for ponies that will help accentuate and express that inner beauty to everyone else around them. Since I wanted to become a strong fighter like my dad was, and I liked to wear something simple and comfortable, she made my favorite jacket you see today. Excluding the number of times she had to make it again to fit me as I grew overtime, I’ve worn it ever since,” Roxxie finished.

My goodness… I’ve never thought of it like that before. That sounds perfect to put in a romance novel. Why haven’t I come across anything like that yet?

“You know, I almost forgot about what Mom told me that day until you brought it up,” Roxxie said while she turned to me with a smile. “I gotta thank you Teala for helping me bring that back up again. You can probably guess what happened next after she told me that, and that was why I didn’t need to bring up the topic the next time I saw you guys. I think a part of me knew then that you and Cyan were the few ponies that saw that beauty in me since you wanted to hang and be friends with me. I couldn’t be more thankful to have ponies like you two by my side, and it was part of why I want to get stronger to not only fend for myself, but for you guys as well like you have for me.”

I couldn’t help but well up in tears after hearing that, and it seemed the tailors who were measuring and fitting us felt the same as I heard sniffles, and saw tissues being passed around.

“Ms. Stone, we promise you that like your mother, we’ll do our best to make the best dress that will help accentuate your inner beauty,” one of them said to her, which the rest nodded in agreement.

“You know? I’m actually kind of psyched to hear that,” Roxxie admitted. “It will be different, sure, but it’s not like I’m gonna die from wearing a dress like I haven’t done for a while. Alright, I’ll go through with this, but I’m counting on you guys to hold your promise alright?”

“YES MA’AM!” All of them said with vigor before they finished our measurements and got started on making the dresses with much motivation and vigor.

“I’ve gained a lot more respect for you Roxxie,” I said as we put our regular clothes on. “I think a lot of nobles in this city could learn a lot if they followed your example.”

“Heh, I’m pretty darn great am I?” She asked with a big smile as we walked out of the fitting room. “And just wait, as soon as I become the greatest fighter in Equestria, I’ll inspire many mares to get just as strong, independent, and beautiful as I am.”

“I’ll look forward to when that day comes then,” I responded with a smile of my own.

“There’s something else not related to this that I’m worried about though,” Roxxie admitted as we walked.

“What might that be?” I asked.

“Well you know how Cyan’s parents feared his… Magic might be harmful to others around him?” She asked.

“I recall that, yes.”

“Well from what we know so far, Nil’s magic is uncontrollable at the moment, though Blaze’s couldn’t hurt himself, it could still spread outside of him if he isn’t careful, mine could cause serious damage that regular fighters might not accomplish, and who knows what potential yours and Lumina’s may bring? If we aren’t the only ones who can use this magic like Nil said… Could there be some truth to what Cyan’s parents were worried about, and there may even be ponies who could use such magic for the wrong reasons?”

“… Well when you put it that way, it can be true,” I admitted. “But I think what matters is what WE will use this magic for. Blaze already has an idea on his, Nil’s trying to figure out his own, I’m not sure if Lumina does, but knowing Cyan, I’m sure he would want to use his to help other ponies any way possible. Wouldn’t you agree?”

“Yeah, that DEFINITELY sounds like him,” she agreed. “I wouldn’t be surprised if he tried to use it to make up for his loss at the Magic Duel… Speaking of which, the next time I see that damn Emerald Brace again, I’m gonna give him such a wallop. He played a part in Cyan’s disappearance as much as his parents did.”

“Indeed,” I replied. “Going back to earlier though, I think it’s important to think about what WE want to do with our magic. I believe our resolve on how we use it will prove how far we can practice and improve it.”

“Resolve… Wait a minute,” Roxxie said as she frowned in thought. “Teala, remember how you came across your magic while you were venting your frustrations through your fencing with Sigmund?”

“I’ll admit, I wasn’t at my best back then,” I replied with a blush of embarrassment. “I was so frustrated on not being able to do anything and just sat on the sidelines while you and Cyan can do so much, it just kind of escalated.”

“And I was mad at myself for not being able to stop the Magic Duel from happening, and protect our honor,” Roxxie added. “I think I can guess Blaze somehow came across his Fire Magic while he tried to scare off his first dragon, and Cyan must have been so guilty about losing the Magic Duel, and not being able to protect us with his strength back then… I may not know how Nil or Lumina felt when they got theirs, but do you think… Our hidden resolves in those moments could be some kind of trigger to the release of our Magic?”

My eyes widened at such cognition Roxxie displayed as I wasn’t sure if I’VE ever thought of it like that. I had to take a moment to think it through myself before I answered. “That COULD be a possibility, but what we should keep in mind is if those resolves have to be similar in concept in order for a pony to tap into such magic. We’ll have to see if we can find something like that while searching through the archives tomorrow.”

“Now that you mentioned the plan, there’s something ELSE that’s bugging me as well: your butler,” she concluded.

“What does Sigmund have to do with this?” I asked with a raised eyebrow.

“Well take a look back at everything we’ve discussed so far with him in the room,” she explained. “Especially the plan for tomorrow, as it will be something we could get ourselves in danger in. As far as I know, Sigmund has been at your beck and call probably since day one of your birth. How come he hasn’t interjected on anything we’ve discussed up to this point?”

... Now that she mentioned it, I’m curious myself. I’ve been so used to Sigmund being around me for nearly everything, and even now, he still plays his part as the head butler to the Crystalwaters’ mansion. What does he think about all of this? In fact, how did he know a little about the legend since I first discovered it that afternoon?

“… Perhaps I should speak to him in private to see what is going on,” I declared. “Though loyal as he is to me, Mother and Father are still the main heads of this household, and their word and say have higher power than mine. It would be troublesome if he somehow gets in the way of our plans of searching for answers in our Magic.”

“In that case, you better let me come with,” Roxxie suggested. “Seeing how skilled he is with fencing back at the first time you demonstrated your swordsponyship, I’m not entirely certain that’s the only type of fighting style he knows. If it comes down to a brawl, two’s better than one, and though I may still not have quite the grasp on my Earth Magic yet, at least I have something that’s strong enough for him to have difficulty in breaking through.”

“I dearly hope we won’t have to come to that, but I thank you for your concern Roxxie,” I replied.

“Master Teala! Master Roxxie!” Exclaimed a voice from the dining room we were heading into. As we got inside, it was Sigmund standing at the ready near the entrance. “You came just in time. Lunch has been served, and measurements are already set for Master Nil’s suit,” he said as he gestured to him at the table. He looked like he was keeping a stern eye on my butler as he ate his food. I guess Roxxie wasn’t the only one to have such concerns for Sigmund.

“Thank you Sigmund,” I replied as I walked up to him and whispered in his ear. “Do you mind if I speak to you in private after lunch?” Sigmund nodded in response, accepting my invitation before I pulled back. “Okay then, let’s have lunch shall we Roxxie?” I asked as I turned to her.

“Sure thing,” she answered before the two of us walked to the table where we sat across from Nil before we started eating.

What is on your mind right now Sigmund? How is it that you’re still acting your job as my butler like nothing has changed? I know that I can become sour to you now and then, but despite that, you’ve always been there for me when my parents couldn’t. Though I’ve appreciate what you’ve done for me, if you’re hiding something in those fancy sleeves of yours, I’m afraid of what I’ll have to do if I don’t like it. Please don’t let it be anything rash, my love and being together with Cyan and Roxxie is on the line here.

Chapter 19: Getting on the Same Ground Level

[Sunday Afternoon]

[Cyan’s POV]

I couldn’t even describe how happy I was when Lumina and I left the theatre. I think it could be written all over my face as I couldn’t help but just smiled stupidly as I recalled what transpired over the last few hours of the day.

Okay, let’s review what just happened so far:

First, Lumina confesses the real reason why she resigned from the academy. I don’t know why I had a tinge of jealousy from how she described her time with this stallion, but I can’t get mad at her for something that happened in the past before we met. I’m sure she had seen other stallions, possibly mares too (I’ll have to ask about that later), before she met me, and again, I can’t really get mad or compete with something that happened in the past.

Second, Lumina told me why she’s been so… Open about herself since we started travelling together, and laid some things for me to understand about us so I wouldn’t get any ideas… Besides what happened later after that.

Third, even when I told her I was Cyan Dusknight, me being the son of the Commander of Squad 13 in the Royal Guard, and how I could be seen as a possible threat to the peace in ponykind, she pretty much just said ‘Fuck that,’ flipped the bird on the entirety of the Royal Guard, perhaps even Princess Celestia herself if she stands with them on what’s ‘right,’ and bucked them in the balls. She even said she’ll be by my side, protecting me from those who would say otherwise, and how I actually mean something to her even under the short time we had spent together. I couldn’t help but broke down crying after that. I honestly thought I’d have to look out for myself when I left Canterlot, and there was no way anyone would associate with me for my magic; however, even after I showed Lumina my magic, and told her the truth about my identity after that, she still accepted me for who I am. Not for my magic, or where I came from, but my entire being. I felt everything that was weighing on my shoulders at that point just disappeared, and was replaced with Lumina’s warm, angelic embrace, and I couldn’t be happier. It’s why I had to give making her new scrunchy a shot, and even though it was my first time trying, I just somehow knew I was going to do it, and there it was.

And after that comes the fourth big thing that happened: the kiss. My very first one at that, and I only have five words to describe it: ‘Sweet Fucking Mother Of Celestia.’ I may still need some practice, but Goddamn was that an experience, especially with her breasts pressing against me, and she didn’t even care about the boner in my pants between us. She almost seemed to welcome that unintentional gesture. She may still have some things to work out in her mind, probably me too, but I’m too distracted by the euphoric experience that just happened in the theatre. I should probably ask her where we stand right now, even though she said what happened back there wouldn’t change anything between us. From what she had mentioned about us, it doesn’t sound like we’re coltfriend and marefriend. Is this where ‘friends with benefits’ I’ve heard about come to play? That’s only with sex though right? I think we might be going too fast with that, but this just brings up the question I asked Shadina last night: where’s the boundary line that things will get serious between us? But even after that kiss, I STILL don’t think I’ll ever have a chance with her, but how could I resist? I still have to think about my feelings for Roxxie and Teala of course, if they’re still willing to be friends with me after what happened when I left. Like I mentioned in the letters, I’ll always love having them being a part of my life, but a part of me does still want to see them again. Maybe in the future, I don’t know, but it’s too soon for me to think about going back to Canterlot right now.

Being distracted in my thoughts, I didn’t watch where I was going until…

CLANG!

I walked right into a fucking lamp post before I fell back on the ground. I groaned from the pain that was stinging in my forehead under the horn before a voice snapped me out of it.

“Cyan? Are you okay?” Lumina asked as she was squatting beside me on the ground.

“Yeah… I’m fine,” I groaned. “I wasn’t paying attention to where I was going.”

“It definitely looked like it,” she confirmed. “You still had that cute, yet goofy grin on your face after we left the theatre before you hit that lamp post. I don’t think you even heard what I was saying earlier either.”

… Crap, I’m already becoming the bad coltfriend that doesn’t listen to their special somepony talking, and we aren’t even IN that kind of relationship.

“I’m sorry, you’ll have to repeat that,” I groaned as Lumina helped me up. “I guess that kiss must have hit me harder than I thought. Maybe harder than the lamp post,” I joked before Lumina giggled at that.

“It’s okay, it’s nice to know that I did a fine job for your first kiss,” she beamed. I stood there wide eyed at the comment.

“H-how did you know?” I stuttered before she interrupted.

“Your kissing kind of said it all, but don’t worry, you’ll get better with practice, and there’ll be PLENTY more coming your way before you become an expert,” she assured with a wink while I just blushed and nodded in agreement in response.

Dammit Cyan. You just told her earlier you were going to start finding ways to get back at her for her teases. I need to figure out how to do that. Not to mention, THAT won’t be the only kiss we’ll have? Now I REALLY need to know what’s going on between us.

“So what were you saying while I was still dumbstruck earlier?” I asked.

“I was saying that we should find the library Nil wants us to meet him in so that we’ll know where to go when he comes around,” Lumina explained. “After that, I was thinking we could find some books to check out and read before we head back to get ready for work tonight.”

“Sounds good to me. Do you know where the library is?” I asked.

“Actually, it’s right over there,” she stated before she points to the direction of the library that was a few blocks down. I stood there surprised how quickly we got here. “I’ve been meaning to tell you before you got hit by that lamp post.”

“How long was I out before the hit?” I asked.

Lumina looked around for the nearest clock to check the time. “About six minutes,” she rounded.

Holy Crap, I was out THAT long?! My head wasn’t high up in the clouds, it was high to the freakin’ reaches of space!

“How did I not even stray off path?!” I exclaimed.

“I held your hand while I led the way, like what we’re doing right now,” she answered with a smile.

“Wait… wha?” I asked before I looked down, and indeed, her hand was grabbing mine, palm to palm.

… Six minutes… Six FUCKING minutes I was out, and I didn’t even notice her hand was holding mine. I REALLY need to learn to keep my head on my shoulders.

“I-I’m sorry, I wasn’t sure if you even wanted to hold hands despite my trance earlier,” I apologized while looking down, blushing.

Lumina just giggled at my shame. “Don’t sweat it, you’re still new to this, and I wanted to do it anyway,” she admitted. “Besides, that look of yours was just so cute, why would I even TRY to snap you out of it?” She asked. I just stood there looking down still blushing.

“Th-thanks, I guess,” I stuttered.

“Come on lover colt, let’s take a look around inside,” Lumina declared before she pulled me with her towards the library.

I should probably ask her where we stand while we browse. It certainly would be a conversation starter. Plus… This may be a good time to find some books with neat new spells to learn.

After we browsed a little through the library’s selection, we sat in a table across from each other that was far in the back while we read the books we found. I realized then that though I want to talk to her, I can’t right now considering we’re in a library of all places. I found a spell book that I could give a quick skim to see if there’s any new mid-level spells I could try, while Lumina was reading… The Poni Sutra… According to the cover.

Huh, I’ve never heard of that book, and it sounds foreign. I wonder what it’s about?

I wanted to read a new spell in my book, but I was too distracted and eager to ask Lumina about us. I looked around the area to see if there’s something I could use as an alternative for communication, and I found some index cards and pencils in a tray to record what ID numbers on the books are to find. I levitated a pencil and a few slips of paper to our table, and I started writing something on the first line.

Hey Lumina, can I ask you something? I wrote before I slid the card and pencil over to Lumina. She read it, wrote her reply, and slid it back to me before she got back to her book.

Sure Cyan. What’s up? She responded.

Huh, even her handwriting’s kind of cute.

I wrote down my next entry before I slid it back.

I know we’re not coltfriend and marefriend, and you still need to think about what you want in a serious relationship, but where exactly do we stand after that kiss and holding hands earlier? What would we do that would change, well, everything about us?

She took a moment to read, and thought hard for a moment before she wrote her response and slid it back.

What are you comfortable with between us so far?

What am I comfortable with? Could she mean the gestures she displayed at this point?

I thought hard on what I was okay with for now, what I’m not okay with, and what I’m not sure about before I wrote my next entry and slid it to her.

I’m okay with the teases, hugs, kisses, both mouth to mouth, and places on head, and the snuggling was nice. Sex is DEFINITELY out of the question, and though I heard the term “friends with benefits” before, I can’t help but think that would make things more confusing between us. I’m not sure with everything else in between though, and there may be some I may not even know about. What about you? What are you okay with?

Lumina read the next entry, and she thought hard about what she might be okay with before she wrote her answer. She wrote it on the other side of the paper for writing space and passed it to me.

I agree that sex is definitely out, and I also like and enjoy the same things you listed, and would be more than happy to share some more over time if you’d like. Honestly, I can’t really say where we draw the line that things would get serious between us. It’s been a couple years since my last relationship, and I’ve been through quite a bit before that where I’ve just been really open about myself until around my sophomore year in high school. You’re definitely one of the better colts I’ve come across, and I feel I can trust you, so if I had to draw a line somewhere… I think you can probably guess where I’m okay you can touch, but I think you seeing me in my bra and panties is as far as I can go. You okay with that?

My eyes shot open like saucers, and I could have sworn steam was blowing out of my ears from how hot my head was as I read the end of the card.

B-b-bra and panties?! She’s THAT comfortable with me?! How many ponies has she SEEN before today?! How can she be alright with me t-t-touching her breasts?! Where else is she allowing me to touch?! Wait, GAH! Don’t go THAT far into thinking about it! I need to bring this out straight to her before I explode from blood overflow!

I quickly took a new index card and wrote down my thoughts as fast as I could before I passed it to Lumina.

First of all, I respect you WAY too much to take advantage of that much ground. Unintentionally touching each other through snuggling is one thing, but there’s NO way I’d grab your breasts. Not that I think they aren’t great or anything, they look fantastic, but I just can’t bring myself to even GO that far. Second, BRA AND PANTIES?! SERIOUSLY?! You might as well do a strip show and I’ll just walk around in my underwear while throwing bits onstage! How can you be that flexible with yourself?! Am I REALLY that worthy to be around that kind of privacy?!

I had to bring my head down between my arms to try to calm myself down and not think about the strip show I just suggested to Lumina. Why I brought that and me being my underwear up is beyond my understanding, perhaps I was too wound up to reflect what I was writing, but it just sounded right to write at the time. After a few moments, I heard some quiet giggles across from me before there were sounds of writing, and I felt the card slid under my arm. I sat up with my face still warm, but not as much as before while I read.

You’re such a sweet stallion, you know that? And I say stallion because that’s just how mature I see you right now. Anyway, even though I’m a bisexual (thought I should put that out there), I just feel more comfortable around guys than girls. You seem like a kind and smart enough guy who won’t step into anything intentionally that could hurt anyone. I think as long as you don’t touch between my legs, horn, and ears (the last two are sensitive), I’m pretty much okay with everywhere else. And now that you brought it up, I probably won’t mind if you slept in just your underwear too. I’d kind of like to see that myself one day.

There was even a wink and a heart doodled near the end of the card signifying her teasing nature that I prayed to Celestia that was the case with the last statement. I sweated buckets and my eyes twitched when I got to the end as I felt I was going to have a mental breakdown of my inner conflict between my conscience and my teenage colt hormones. I couldn’t write a proper sentence as I wrote a new message on a new card as fast I could before I passed it to her, got up and left briskly.

Bathroom. Cool off. Leave library afterwards.

After fifteen minutes of releasing my tensions, and splashing my face with cold water in the bathroom (getting to the bathroom was embarrassing enough with what was going on in my pants, not to mention trying not to make any noises while ‘releasing’ those tensions), I got back to the table we were in. We threw away the used index cards, grabbed our books, and checked them out before we left the library. I was looking down not facing Lumina the whole time after reading all of that. Even after I got it out of my system, I was still uncomfortable/embarrassed to see Lumina the same way I was before. I was feeling all tense on my shoulders before something touched one side.

“Hey Cyan-”

“GAH!” I screamed as I jumped back from the opposite direction I was touched. Lumina and I stared at each other with wide eyes before I tried to take a breath to calm myself down. “Sorry Lumina, I’m kind of feeling tense right now.”

“It’s fine,” Lumina assured with a wave. “I didn’t think you’d be so worked up over that. I’d think most guys would probably jump and cheer with joy for having that luxury. How come you’re uncomfortable with it?”

“… I guess it’s because of how I was raised before I left,” I said. “Mom and Dad would tell me to treat ponies with respect and kindness unless they don’t do that in return, always work hard in school, get good grades, keep my room clean and organized, be a good colt, and remember where I stand when it comes to authority and seniority. I’ve made a few mistakes that got them on their scary sides that made me, well, afraid to do ANYTHING that would get them or ANYONE mad at me. I just had all of these high expectations looming around me that I guess are still following me to this day after running away from home.”

The two of us stood there in silence despite the activity that went on in the streets as I looked down while recalling all the times I did something wrong unintentionally. I was pulled into a hug while off guard that somehow made all the anxiety I had slowly melt away.

“Cyan, I may not know what your mom and dad were trying to accomplish, but I don’t think parents forcing their kids to be good through means like that is considered healthy,” Lumina said before she broke the hug and squat down to my eye level. “While we do need to be respectful of other ponies in public throughout the day, and help support each other however we can, I want us to be relaxed with one another while we’re by ourselves. I meant what I wrote back there BECAUSE I feel comfortable enough to be like that around you, and I want you be like that with me as well, but I’ll step back if it’s too much for you.

“Plus, look around you! You’re in a whole new city. We’ll be travelling to other unexplored cities, and you won’t have your parents looming over your shoulders. Living on our own is definitely a huge step, especially for someone your age, but I’m going to be there for you to help you out while we make the fun out of what we can get in our travels. I’ll even help you loosen up a little while we’re at it. I gotta ask though, was there ever something you did back then that you felt you just HAD to do, and it felt good doing it despite getting punished afterwards?”

I had to think back to one of those times that I actually FELT that way, but there was only one thing that jumped to mind. “Well the only thing I could think of was when Roxxie, Teala and I snuck out of the Grand Galloping Gala one night when we were still in our elementary school days.”

“The Grand Galloping Gala?” Lumina asked with a raised eyebrow. “Isn’t that like the highest esteemed event throughout Equestria?”

“More like the biggest BOREFEST throughout Equestria,” I said while making a gagging gesture. “I mean I’m a fan of good music, and what they had there was nice, and saying hello to the princess was a good treat as well. I even got to dance with both of my friends through at least one song each. The food though? Not only BLECK, but just complicated as fuck. Not to mention all the ponies there only attended to brown nose each other to get associated with good business deals, or all that adult junk. It was cool seeing the Wonderbolts, but like all the others, they only came to get sponsors for their flight team.

“I got in because of my parents being associated with the guard, Teala and her family run the cloud making machine building and maintenance business which puts them in the noble class enough to get invited, and Roxxie and her mom got invited out of sheer luck, and the latter went to showcase more of her tailoring and fashion designing business.”

“Aaah, so THAT explains your friends’ styles of clothing in that picture I saw,” Lumina pointed out as we started heading back to the pub. “So what happened when you and your friends got sick of it?”

“Well with Roxxie being more of the troublemaker out of the three of us," I continued. "She suggested that we sneak out of the gala through the gardens, and go to a hayburger joint to get some REAL food, and not worry about all the upper class pressure. Teala and I agreed at the drop of a hat, and we snuck out of there while all of our parents weren’t looking. I swear, the cheesehayburger, fries, and shake tasted the best thing ever that night, and though we got grounded from seeing each other besides in school for a week, it was TOTALLY worth it,” I finished before I sighed in content as I recalled that night. Not only what we did back then seemed fun, but I think we acted like kids we should have. Not to mention remembering the dresses they were wearing were kind of cute on them. My train of thought was suddenly interrupted by my stomach growling. “Huh, I guess talking about food has gotten me hungry.”

“Why don’t we see if we can find some good hayburgers ourselves for lunch before we head back?” Lumina suggested.

“I’m down with that,” I said as we walked down the street to find a restaurant that served such food. I didn’t notice that the two of us were holding hands again like we did before, and though I knew she’s not bringing any wrong messages, I just went along and took in the comforting feeling it brought.

I gotta admit, Lumina has some strange ways of showing she’s comfortable being around friends. Even though she said it’s okay, I’m still gonna look the other way when something like that happens. I could either do that, or just try to tolerate it and get used to it. Actually, I may have to if I want to gain immunity to her teases. Not to mention trying to act cool and natural when she talks about that kind of stuff. Well if I want to get used to it, I better get started on it.

“Soooo… You’re a bisexual?”

Side Chapter 10: The Butler's Loyalty

Side Chapter 10: The Butler’s Loyalty

[Sunday Afternoon]

[Roxxie’s POV]

During lunch, Nil suggested to meet in the study later tonight so we could discuss our plan for the Gala. Teala mentioned that she has three golden tickets for to get us in, courtesy of her parents since they’re busy in Cloudsdale at the time. They wanted her to go with two of their servants, but I doubt she’d even go if all of this didn’t happen to us. After we had lunch, Nil went to his room, said he’d finalize our course of action before the meeting tonight. Once everything on the table was cleared, Teala and I walked to Sigmund’s room and office space. She looked uneasy when we got to the door, and it’s not much of a surprise, considering we may be going up against her head butler if things didn’t go smoothly. I rested my hand on her shoulder, assuring her that I was right there for her, and I got her back. She nodded before she looked to the door once more, took a deep breath to calm herself, and knocked on the door.

“Who is it?” Sigmund asked behind the door.

“It’s Teala and Roxxie,” she answered.

“Ah yes. Please, do come in,” he said before Teala opened the door, and we walked inside.

I haven’t been in his room very much, so it was hard to remember what it was like before. It was big, but not much as Teala’s. The paint on the walls give the room a calming atmosphere though. His bed was plainer compared to Teala’s, yet it looked comfy enough to sleep in either way. There was a small bookshelf against the wall that was across from the side of his bed, some looked to have stories while others may contained something else inside. The window that lit up the room wasn’t big like Teala’s, but still nice to look through. His desk where he sat was small, but it was big enough to do whatever work butler’s do when they aren’t maintaining the mansion. There were some picture frames that had photos of him, Teala, her parents, and even her grandparents. Teala and Sigmund looked like they were happy in the photos with the two of them together, especially ones that portrayed the former at a younger age.

“I must say Master Teala, when you asked if we could chat in private, I thought you meant just the two of us,” Sigmund commented.

“I’m just here as insurance,” I said, which had him raise his eyebrow in confusion, but shrugged his shoulders.

“Shall I get you girls some tea, or something to drink?” He asked.

“I’m good.”

“Me too,” we replied.

“Please, take a seat and make yourselves comfortable,” he requested before I shut the door behind us, and we walked in, and took a seat on the foot of his bed. He then got up, and rolled the chair he was sitting in to where it was in front of us before he took a seat, and got in a comfortable position. “So what is it that we need to discuss Master Teala?” He asked.

“Basically, everything that happened since the morning of Cyan’s disappearance,” Teala answered. “Finding out he was gone, the four of us revealing our Element Magic, discussing the backgrounds of our powers, our plans to pursue answers about it, including one that takes place at the gala tomorrow, you’ve been on the sidelines, witnessing EVERYTHING we’ve gone through over the past few days, and not once have you objected to our course of action, and what we plan to do. Sigmund, I’m wondering what’s going on in that head of yours, and what you’re thinking behind your constantly stoic expression you usually put up as you do your job as my butler. A part of me still wants to trust you, but I can’t help but worry that you’d do something that will get in the way of our goal. So I must ask, no, I ORDER you to tell me what’s going on with you, and I expect to hear the truth,” she finished with a stern expression.

I don’t think I’ve ever heard Teala making demands like that, especially towards Sigmund. This must be really hard for her.

Sigmund sat there in silence, attentive, and taking in everything Teala has said before coming up with an answer. “To put it simply Master Teala, I am only following orders,” he replied.

The both of us raised an eyebrow before we glanced at each other, and turned our attention back to him. “I… Don’t understand,” Teala said. “I don’t think I remember ordering you to keep everything we’ve done so far a secret, or our plans for the future. Is it someone else? My parents?”

“No Master Teala,” he replied. “I am following the orders, or should I say, following the wishes of your late grandparents.”

Teala’s eyes widened from the shock of the answer. “M-my grandparents? W-when did that happen?” She asked.

Sigmund then got up, and went to his desk. He took a photo that had him, and Teala’s grandparents in a more youthful age. The black and white color of the picture added into how long ago it was taken. He opened the back of the frame, and took out what looked like an old, worn out letter before he set the picture down, and walked back to us.

“What’s that?” I asked.

“You could say this is a secret will of sorts, one that’s not known to Teala’s parents, and only addressed to me,” Sigmund replied before he handed the letter to Teala. “Once you read what’s inside, I’m sure everything will be made clear.”

Teala opened the worn out envelope, pulled out the letter, and unfolded paper before I looked over her shoulder to read its contents.

To our loyal, and dear butler Sigmund,

If you’re reading this letter, then we are no longer in this world. What’s contained in this letter, is our last request addressed to you that isn’t included in our will. We have watched our son mature over the years, and I fear his wealth will own him than he owns it. I’m sure you’ve noticed this as much as we have while you’ve served in our family since the day we took you in. Our daughter-in-law isn’t exactly helping the issue either. I don’t know what we did wrong that had made him grow into the pony he came to be, but we pray to Celestia he’ll change his ways one day.

Our granddaughter Teala however, we saw that she had much potential to do something great that doesn’t have to do with running the family business. I’m worried her parents will do what they can to form her into a “proper lady” so to speak, with the skills required to take over the business when she grows to that point of age. We’ve done all that we could to help her, but you and I both know that we could only stay in this world for so long. There will come a time when Teala will grow mature enough to start thinking about her own future, and we wish her the best in whatever she decides. Whether she does decide to take over the business, or do something else entirely, we only wish for her happiness.

Because of this, we have one last request to bestow upon you Sigmund. Whatever our granddaughter decides to do, help her in any way you can. Support her, watch over her, protect her until she’s ready to move on her own, and be with her in spirit. Help guide her in the direction she wants to go that will lead to her own happiness. She may have her little fits now and then, she takes that from her grandmother, but please don’t hold anything against her. All that we ask is that you be there for her that I’m worried her parents won’t, and what we’ve tried to do through the last of our lifetime. We thank you for serving us over the years, and we do hope that you find your own happiness as well as Teala will.

With great regards and love,

Aqueous and Sunshine Crystalwaters

“I owed my life to your grandparents for saving me from dying in the streets,” Sigmund said, which we turned our attention to him after finishing the letter. He was standing in front of the window, looking out with that same stoic expression, but his eyes looked to have sadness. “I vowed to serve under the Crystalwater family until the end of my days, with great gratitude for giving me a chance to live happily like I wish to bring for them. I agree that your father didn’t turn out the way they had hoped, and I was worried for how you would turn out when your parents gave you so much rules and expectations to live by. That is, until I watched you play with Master Cyan and Master Roxxie, and how we practiced fencing ever since you first came across it.”

He turned and walked back to us before taking his seat on his chair once more. “The glimmer in your eyes were the same as mine whenever I was feeling at my best, same goes for your grandparents, and I wish to keep that maintained for as long as I live. While I do admit the course of action you’re about to take part is giving me a heart attack just thinking about it, if it is the future you wish to pursue, then as the head butler of the Crystalwaters mansion, you have my full support Master Teala,” he finished with a smile that even made his big mustache curled upwards.

Teala sat there with her lips quivering, and her eyes were welling up in tears before she set the letter and envelope to the side, and stood up from the bed. “S-Sigmund… Rise,” she requested. Sigmund complied without hesitation before Teala rushed in and hugged him tightly. She sobbed greatly in his suit while the butler happily returned the hug given to him. “S-Sigmund… I love you,” she cried.

“I love you too Teala, and I always will,” he replied.

… Goddessdammit, now I’m starting to cry. I’m not used to this mushy stuff.

I thought as I wiped the tears out of my eyes. Teala pulled back from the hug after she calmed down. Sigmund took a handkerchief from his coat pocket, and handed it to her before she took it, and wiped the tears from her eyes. She gave it back to him when finished, and he put it in his pocket to wash for later. “Sigmund, I can’t thank you enough for all that you’ve done for me,” Teala said with a smile.

“It’s with great pleasure serving you Master Teala,” he replied while giving a small bow. “I must admit, I am eager to see Master Cyan once more.”

“Why’s that?” She asked with an eyebrow raised.

“Master Cyan is a fine young stallion after watching him grow over the years,” he explained. “I can guarantee he’s the best choice to have as a husband compared to the suitors your parents found.”

My eyes widened the same as Teala’s while her face flushed red. “Y-you know about that?” She asked.

“I AM the head butler of this mansion after all,” he answered. “Why, I even ORGANIZED that list, and from their descriptions, NONE of them deserve to have a future wife as beautiful such as yourself. I admit, I was against arranged marriage when the idea was brought up, but your parents can be so stubborn at times. I think you’d be much happier with Master Cyan, Master Roxxie as well.”

That last statement caught both of our guards off as I felt my eyes bulged out of my sockets. “C-come again?” I asked nervously.

“I admit, forming and holding a herd can be quite a challenge, but I think the three of you have what it takes keep it well-maintained,” Sigmund continued.

“Y-You know about that?!” Teala asked with her whole head flushing red.

“I had some idea when I noticed the marriage law book missing from the library, but your, *ahem* loud banter I heard as I passed by your room confirmed my suspicions,” he explained.

“And YOU’RE okay with that?” I asked with a raised eyebrow.

“As what her grandparents wished, if it makes her happy, then who am I to interfere?” Sigmund asked. “There’s no shame to be in one either, as polygamy was quite a common practice back in my day. Why, when I was around your age, I was, how you say, the ‘bee’s knees’ with the ladies, and I made sure to give my dates a jolly good show.”

Oh, OW, that is PAINFUL! I did NOT need to hear that!

“LALALALALALALA—I can’t hear you—LALALALALA!” Teala exclaimed while plugging her ears. “Roxxie, we’re done here. Let’s go before mental images will scar me for life.”

“Right behind ya,” I said before we rushed out of Sigmund’s room while he laughed heartily at his master’s embarrassment.

“Well THAT turned out better than I hoped, despite the ending,” I commented as Teala and I were sitting on her bed, and she was brushing my mane.

“Indeed, though I wish he left out that little history of his life there,” Teala replied as I felt her cringe from the thought.

“On the bright side, at least we have one pony who supports our relationship,” I pointed out. “Though if HE heard our conversation last night, I’m worried who ELSE was around.”

“It was late in the evening, and everyone on staff but Sigmund left for their homes long before that,” she replied. “I doubt anyone else knows, but from now on, any future conversations related to this will be taken place in a quiet room, if not, at a lower volume.”

“Definitely.”

“Thanks for being with me back there. Though the outcome would still be the same, it was nice having you around for support.”

“Hey, what are friends/herdmates for? I’m sure you’d do the same for me.”

“Of course I would,” she then hugged me from behind before we shared a brief, but nice kiss. “Now let’s finish with our brushing, and see if Nil’s ready to discuss our plans for tomorrow night.”

“Sure thing,” I said before she finished brushing my mane, and went to my tail.

[Nil’s POV]

“Aaaaannnnd… Done,” I said to myself as I finished drawing a good map of Canterlot Castle with all rooms included, and directions of my plan on another sheet of paper. “If we follow this, I’m sure we’ll be able to get in and out of there without a trace in the archives. Think I’m gonna take a quick nap before I discuss them with the girls,” I planned before I set my things down, and set my hat on the night stand before I got on my temporary bed with a sigh of content. “Forming a herd huh? Didn’t think princess had it in her. Gotta say, the kid’s gonna have a lot on his shoulders, that’s for sure. I doubt he knows what they’re planning, and thinks he’d have to choose one of them once they meet… I think I’ll keep this little tidbit to myself and see where this goes. Could use some good entertainment from our little circle,” I chuckled before I closed my eyes with a smirk, and letting myself drift to my usual nap.

Chapter 20: Cyan's Payback and Homesickness

Chapter 20: Cyan’s Payback and Homesickness

[Sunday Evening]

[Lumina’s POV]

I had a fun time telling Cyan all the fillies I’ve been with over lunch today. Though he was flustered from the topic, he looked like he was trying to not make a big deal out of it and make it like casual conversation while he listened. I didn’t think Cyan’s home life back in Canterlot would be so uptight from the sound of it, especially with how he doesn’t want to get me mad at him. Ugh, that’d probably be as bad as, or perhaps worse than having the old hag bossing me around 24/7. This kid had to maintain high expectations to not only his family, but his school judging by how they test unicorns and other races from what he told me. The testing back in my school in Trottingham wasn’t NEARLY as hard as far as I can understand. Well at least he won’t have to worry about that for a while, that’s DEFINITELY one of the perks of him running away from home. Despite that, he just looks like he takes everything so seriously, I can’t help but feel sorry for how tense he is. At least that kiss was a good start to loosening him up a little. Besides my teases, I’ll have to think of some other ways for him to try to relax and enjoy things a little.

After we had finished lunch, we went back to Barley’s pub, and just hung out while reading the books we checked out from the library before we got started on our shifts. Speaking of books, I should REALLY buy a copy of the Poni Sutra before we leave Manehattan. I only knew a few of what they had in there, and damn did some of those look interesting to try. The visuals with the descriptions helped out understanding how they work as well. When we got started on our shifts, business was about as fast as it was yesterday. There were more guys coming in than there were yesterday, but the girls still filled at least half of the pub. Of course, there were times some guys I’ve waited tried to ask me out, but I respectfully declined. Annoying as some are, at least I got some great tips.

Sometime in our shift, Barley let Cyan and I go on a break after RB and Orange came back from theirs. We went to the back like yesterday, and just took a moment to unwind. “Still hectic, but I think I’m getting the hang of it,” Cyan said.

“I’ve been meaning to ask, but you seem pretty fast when you were running around the pub,” I pointed out. “Were you in a track team back in school or something?”

“Nah, I just try to put everything I could in P.E.,” he replied. “I guess I was just good at running out of everything else. Sure, I could just go there and just do the exercises, but then I wouldn’t get anything out of it in the end. Plus, when you have someone like Roxxie as your warm-up partner, she REALLY makes you put in the effort in the stretches and activities. I’m not sure if she got that while training to be a professional fighter, but she definitely makes the class more fun and interesting to take part in.”

“A professional fighter huh?” I asked. “Does she have you doing sparring matches with her?”

“From time to time after school, but I always lose though. She said I was getting better with those while she taught me some punches and kicks, plus some self-defense,” he said as he demonstrated such moves. “But in the end, even though I put effort into it, she’s more into that kind of thing than I am.”

“You don’t feel bad that you got beaten by a girl?”

“…Sometimes, but my dad said one time that different ponies have different strengths. He even mentioned one time while he was at the academy there was a mare that gets so rough with other cadets, even HE went down a few times before those two were at a standstill.”

… Okay, that sounds like the old hag right there knowing she and Marine were in the same squad back then. Sheesh, I guess things just NEVER change.

“Anyway, Roxxie may have her fighting, but I have my running since I always beat her at that.”

“Huh, I like the way you think. If I were to chase you out of that forest clearing that night, do you think you might outrun me?”

Cyan looked up in thought to think about the concept. “Mmm… Probably not. From what I heard how the academy trains cadets, they run them to the ground, which means they would build a lot of endurance. I’m not sure if I could outrun you in speed since I haven’t seen how fast you can sprint yet, but I’m sure that once I start losing breath, you’d still have plenty of energy to catch up to me and pin me down. Even if I picked up something to use as a weapon to gain some advantage, you still have the Magic and Light guns to give you the higher edge since long range attacks is better than mid. At least that’s as far as I can guess.”

… Crap, what did his dad even TEACH him? I only asked if he could outrun me, not some combat simulation. With thinking like that, he may as well be a tactition!

“Erm… Never mind I asked,” I said. “Let’s get back to work and finish things off quickly. I’m starting to get some strain on my shoulders.”

“Okay. OH! I almost forgot, RB and Orange may be making noise tonight since they gave us that freebie last night. I know the sound-proofing spell to keep things quiet for us, so we won’t have to worry about that,” Cyan pointed out.

“Uh, cool. I do too,” I replied. “Alright, let’s head back in.”

“Right behind ya,” he replied as he followed me back inside.

A few hours later, we finished another night of work with success as all the staff but RB, Orange, RB, Cyan, and me left the pub. After Barley locked the place down, he and the engaged bid us good night before Cyan and I went to our rooms to settle for the night. Cyan cast the sound-proof spell as soon as we shut the door behind us, and he took a quick shower first before I took mine. The shower was nice, but even afterwards I still felt stiff in the neck and shoulders as I left the bathroom in a t-shirt and pink-panties.

“Fuck, my shoulders are just killing me tonight,” I complained as I tried to pop and flex those areas to loosen them up a little.

Cyan was reading his spell book before he looked up and blushed what was between my legs before he shook himself out of it. “That bad huh?” He asked. “Have they acted like that for a while?”

“Not really, but I think carrying all the drinks and food the last few nights is starting to wear me out, and some of those places are hard for me to reach.”

Cyan looked up in thought for a moment, then looked down at his book before his ears perked up. “I think I might have an idea. Give me a moment,” he requested. Making sure the door was locked so no one would interrupt, he squat to the edge of the bed, and put his Shadow Magic to work. With intense concentration, he made some uniquely shaped attachments to the bed. The first was an arch-like shaped padding with a U-shaped indent on the top, and two long pads below it that were parallel to the ground, facing horizontally while next to each other. After creating the black objects, Cyan released his magic to finish it off, and wiped his brow from the sweat that formed. “Okay, I think I’ve done it,” he said.

I stood there in amazed at what he created before I walked around the attachments to scan it. “…Did you just make our bed into a massage table?” I asked.

“Indeed I did,” he replied. “I’ve learned some massage techniques from watching Mom doing it with her patients sometimes, while Dad and I sometimes get it when we get tense. From getting both experiences, I think I can help reach some of those hard to reach places if you’d let me.”

“Ooo~, I think I’d like that,” I said before I got on the bed, and laid on my stomach. I fit my muzzle through the underside of the arch until I rest my forehead while my horn sat in the indentation on top before I rest my arms on the rests below it.

“How does it feel? Should I adjust it a little?” Cyan asked.

“It’s perfect,” I replied with a sigh of content. “I’m ready whenever you are.”

“Alright,” he said before he rubbed his hands together and started massaging deep into my shoulder tissues under the shirt I was wearing.

“Oooh yeah, that’s the stuff,” I cooed as I felt my body just melt onto the bed under me.

“Sheesh you DEFINITELY needed this. I can feel the knots under your back just BEGGING to be loosened,” he pointed out as he worked into those spots. “I think I’ll have to up the ante here.”

Soon I started to feel something tingly, yet soothing at the same time rubbing my shoulders while…

Wait, were there four hands working back there?

“Notice anything different?” He asked as continued the strange, yet comforting treatment.

“Y-yeah,” I replied. “I think I can feel the points on my lower back are your hands, but my shoulders were worked by something different, but better than the hands before. Like they’re seeping under my skin while it works out the kinks from underneath. Almost like…”

“Magic?” Cyan answered for me. “It most certainly is. I found this in one of the higher level lists of spells in that book I was reading. I’m certain this was the same one Mom used for her physical therapy with her patients sometimes, and I’m certainly glad this is starting to work out for my first time.”

My eyes widened at that remark. “W-wait, did you say that was one of the higher level spells?” I asked. “I thought you said couldn’t get any higher than the force field one?”

“Well it turns out that when I found out I was able to use Shadow Magic, my unicorn magic capabilities have increased as well,” he explained. “So that means I can try to find some other spells I can try and see if those work for me.”

“That’s wonderful! I’m glad that happened to you,” I praised. “And sweet Celestia this is just heavenly~,” I cooed.

“I’m glad you like it,” Cyan replied. “And I think I know another kind of therapy that could help loosen you up.”

“Really? What’s that?” I asked before the massage treatment stopped and the magic on my shoulders disappeared.

“It’s a little something I like to call… Payback,” he sneered.

… Wait what?

Suddenly something was pinning my hooves to the bed while a large weight was sitting on my lower back to keep me from getting up.

W-what’s going on? What’s he doing?! Oh Goddess what the fuck did I just get myself into?!

“Uh C-Cyan? Are you feeling alright? Do we need to talk something out?” I asked in a nervous tone.

“Oh I’m MORE than alright Lumina,” he replied. “Especially with what I’m about to do next that will be your demise, and TALKING will not get you out of this one,” he then made an evil laughter that brought shivers to my spine despite how cheesy that sounded.

Oh Goddess what is he gonna do?! Has he been holding out on me the whole time?! Crap, I THOUGHT he was too smart for a middle-schooler. I swear I’m gonna…

I trailed off until I felt something gently brushing against the insides of my hooves until…

“BAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!” I cackled from the tickling I was feeling in my hooves.

“THIS is for making me scream you being a sex goddess back at the campsite!” Cyan exclaimed as he ferociously tickled my hooves.

“STOP STOP-GAHAHA! PLEHEEHEEHEESE!” I pleaded. I wanted to bring my arms up to stop myself laughing, but my wrists were being held down by his magic, which I assumed was what he was doing with my hooves.

“Oh no, I’m gonna take my sweet time with this, plus twofold!” He exclaimed before I felt a turning sensation on top of me while I was laughing, but now my sides were getting tickled with my hooves. Magic seemed to be at the work here as I was getting double the tickle torture from before that got me laughing harder than before.

Oh Goddess this isn’t good! I can’t control myself if I’m laughing THIS hard! If this keep up I’m going too…

“CYAN! HAHAHAHA! STOP! PLEASE! HAHAHAHA hawngk!” With that laugh, Cyan immediately stopped the tickle torture that got me to wheeze for breath while my face heated up in embarrassment. A moment later, Cyan got off my back, and released the magic hold on me before I got up, and turned away from him while looking down in silence.

“…Lumina,” he said. “…Did you just… Snort like a pig back there?”

“Yes…” I replied with a high pitched, broken voice as tears started welling up.

“Why are you crying?”

“Because it’s awful!” I exclaimed. “I’ve tried SO hard to keep this laugh down because I’d get made fun of for it back in elementary school. They’d call me Piggy Lumina for it, and I HATE THIS LAUGH FOR IT! You HAD to make me go that far, DIDN’T YOU?! ARE YOU HAPPY NOW?!” I yelled before I covered my face to cover my shame as I cried.

“…Lumina, I’m sorry,” Cyan apologized as he sat next to me, which I just turned away from him in scorn. “I didn’t mean to hurt you like that. Yes, foals at that age can be cruel, and I don’t blame you for feeling that way. Roxxie got made fun of for her Manehattan accent for a bit until Teala and I stepped in to defend her back in that time. I wouldn’t push the torture this far if I knew you had that laugh you didn’t want to get out, and I’m really sorry that I did. Can you forgive me?” I just sat there silent not making any responses for a moment before I heard a frustrated sigh from him. “Would it make you feel better if I told you something embarrassing about me?” He asked.

“…Maybe,” I replied with spite.

“Okay…” Cyan said before he took a moment to take a breath. “So back in elementary school, Teala didn’t have a lot of ponies to play with. Her parents were busy with their jobs, the butler and maid service staff were also occupied, and Roxxie wasn’t into the kind of thing Teala wanted to do. She looked really sad and lonely, and I just couldn’t let her be like that if there was something I could do. So I offered to be her playmate, and she immediately pulled me back to her mansion in her room where we’d play her favorite game.”

“…What was the game?” I asked with curiosity.

He sighed once more as he seemed like he was preparing for the worst. “Teala and I were playing… Tea Parties…”

Silence filled the room for a moment before failing my poor attempt to hold in my guffaws of laughter. The snorts came back more natural this time as this was too funny to even hold back. “Tea Parties?! REALLY?!” I exclaimed while trying to keep myself from crying. “I don’t suppose she had you playing with other stuffed animals too? Did you have one to bring along as well?” Cyan didn’t answer, and I can only guess that was a yes. “Oh Goddess you did! Okay okay, I gotta know, what was its name? You HAVE to tell me, or I won’t forgive you for the tickle torture.”

He let out a defeated sigh before he answered. “…Bearbert.” I immediately laughed as hard as I did before as I fell back and rolled to my side while I held my gut. “Alright alright, let it all out,” he said while rolling his eyes.

“Oh Goddess that is freakin’ adorable!” I exclaimed as I calmed down and wiped my tears that were welling up from the laughing fit. “So how did playing it with her go?”

“It wasn’t as bad as some of the other colts made it out to be as far as I had heard,” he answered. “It was… Different at first, but it gets more tolerable to do the next couple of times afterward, especially with my toy since he was the first friend I had and played with before I met Teala and Roxxie. Sometimes she would have me brush her mane and tail while we chatted afterwards, which was strangely more comfortable and soothing to do than the tea parties. She talked most of the time, but I didn’t had very much to add into it, so I didn’t really mind. I think I started to become a good listener after that.”

“Well despite how hilarious that sounded, it was still nice of you to put up with for Teala,” I said as I hugged him from behind and nuzzled his cheek. “Thanks for that, and I forgive you for making me snort like a pig.”

“Just please don’t tell anyone about this,” Cyan requested. “It was bad enough resorting to such measures after feeling guilty for what I did.”

“Alright, I promise,” I responded before I pulled back from the hug and yawned. “Well I think we had enough excitement for one night. Shall we get some sleep then?”

“Sure,” he replied as he used his Shadow Magic to make the massage attachments disappear. “Honestly though, despite what happened back in elementary school for you, that laugh just doesn’t seem that big of a deal to worry about really. I think it’s kind of cute.”

I stopped midway from unfolding the sheets after that remark before my face heated up. “Y-you think my laugh is… Cute?” I asked hesitantly.

“Yeah,” Cyan said as he got under the covers while looking up. “It’s one of what I like to call ‘imperfect quirks’ that makes me like you more. Like how cute Teala gets when she scrunches her nose after I poke it, or how adorably girly Roxxie sneezes despite her tough, tomcoltish nature. I like those imperfections because when I think of the opposite, I think of all those stick up the ass nobles back in Canterlot who try to BE that way, and look down at others BECAUSE they think they’re so perfect. Not only does it make them boring, but just plain rude and annoying.

“I hate the idea of perfection because it’s something I was expected to live up to throughout most of my lifetime. I mean I want to be a great pony to my friends and others around me, sure, but I’m not like some kind of superhero who can do everything. Plus, once you DO achieve perfection, there’s nowhere else for you to go. Like you stop at an unbreakable wall, and that folds around you to stay at one place. After that, it just gets stressful to maintain that ‘perfection,’ and you’d just break down from it. Roxxie doesn’t have much to worry about in that department, but she still gets looked down and made fun of for her imperfections, and resorts to being that rough to hold her ground which I wish she didn’t have to do. Teala I get concerned with because she LIVES in that part of the city where everyone expects her to be that kind of pony, her parents most of all. I can’t even BEGIN to imagine how stressed she is because of that,” Cyan’s voice cracked after that as he started welling up tears. “Goddessdammit, now I’m worried about them while I miss them both.”

I couldn’t help but pull him into a hug and help him ease that sadness while we were under the covers. “Oh Cyan, I had no idea you felt you needed to go so far for everyone. But have Roxxie and Teala been there for you?”

“They have,” he cried as he tightened the embrace and sobbed in my shoulders. “I felt the happiest and least lonesome just spending time and having fun with them. Like everything around us didn’t matter when we were together because we could BE ourselves with each other. I was lucky and thankful for having them as my friends, and I want to do what I could to make them happy like I was. Now… I can’t do that anymore, and I’m alone…” He continued crying in my shoulder while I rubbed his back in comfort.

“You’re not alone Cyan,” I corrected in a whisper. “I’m here for you now, and I always will, okay? If we can prove your magic isn’t a threat like your parents implied, I’m sure you’ll see your friends again soon, and you can tell them what you told me.”

“I miss them Lumina,” he sobbed.

“I know sweetie, I know,” I cooed comfortingly. Cyan calmed down a couple minutes later to where he cried himself to sleep. With a kiss to his head, I flicked the lights in the room with my magic before I closed my eyes while he was still in my arms.

This poor kid… I can’t even imagine how I’d turn out if I was in his position. Despite how bad things turned out for me and my peers, at least I had my family to be there to help and support me. Cyan’s parents on the other hand just pushed him so far, he must have thought that kind of parenting was normal until now. He only had his friends to be happy with, and he had to give it all up when he left Canterlot… Maybe loosening him up will be harder than I thought if I kept using my way of approaching it. I’ll have to do it in a way he’s comfortable with, and then we can work from there. Until then, even if he has no family left, I’ll be his new one if it comes down to it, and I’ll keep him out of harm’s way the best I can.

Side Chapter 11: Suspicions on Nil Thunder

[Sunday Evening]

[Teala’s POV]

After Roxxie and I finished our brushing session, we went to Nil in his room, who was apparently napping at the time, to wake him up and discuss our plans for the gala. He took the plans that he had drawn before we went to the mansion’s study to discuss. With questions and concerns included in the conversation, we were in there for about a few hours before Sigmund signaled us that it was time for our supper.

Once we had our fill, we bid Nil and Sigmund goodnight before Roxxie and I went to my room. We cleaned ourselves up, locked the door, and closed the curtains before the two of us settled in my bed.

“I gotta admit. For a pervert, Nil can be pretty thorough with his plans,” Roxxie commented.

“Indeed. It looked so thawed out, with each step listed with times to proceed from one to the next in such detail, it’s unusually impressive,” I added in.

“What do you think his deal is?” She asked.

“What do you mean?”

“Well from what we know of him so far, he’s an ex-cadet from the E.U.P. Academy—with the title of genius no less—a Thunder Wielder, an inventor of sorts, and is currently searching for answers to our Element Magic… That’s all we got.”

“Well when you list it that way, it sounds like there’s not much we know about him just yet,” I commented.

“From what I’ve noticed,” Roxxie said. “He tends to be pretty lax throughout the day, unless there was something that catches his curiosity. Like how he reacted when Blaze ate that gem.”

“I’m still cringing just thinking back on that. I don’t think I’ve ever heard of a pony who could eat gems without breaking their teeth. I wonder how he came to eat gems in the first place?”

“I don’t know, but let’s get back to Nil here,” she suggested. “Anyway, he’s shown to be lax, knowledgeable, very observant and aware of what’s around him besides how he met the two of us.”

“I pray to Celestia that won’t happen again anytime soon. At least until I get old enough, and the three of us are together romantically.”

“Yeah, it was a crazy day for all of us. Anyway, besides the traits I’ve seen, there’s not much else we can go by on who Nil Thunder is. Like what would he do once he gets the answers to our magic he wanted? What happens next?”

“Good question,” I agreed. “They do say knowledge is power, and for what we’re trying to look for, there are numerous outcomes for what could happen.”

“Both good and bad,” Roxxie pointed out. “I mean his magic is uncontrollable right now. What would happen once he DOES master it? Electricity can do some cool things with toys and appliances, sure, but it can be very dangerous as well. Just one bolt with enough voltage could kill a pony instantly.”

“Though I can agree with you there, Nil doesn’t seem like the kind of pony who would use his magic like that,” I argued.

“How so?”

“Well if he was more heartless than what we had thought of him to be when we first met, he’d zap me down before I screamed for help. Same goes for you when you found that book of his if there was something important in the contents.”

“He’s smart though. He may have reasons for not doing what would seem the most logical course of action then and there. Like how there was just enough morning light to see, and we were in public as well. He may not want to draw too much attention to himself, and play the waiting game before he gets a chance to get us at our most vulnerable.”

“I’m not so sure. I mean so far, me, you, Blaze, his acquaintance Lumina, and possibly Cyan are the only ones he knows that possess a different Element Magic. I think he’d rather record whatever he finds from our powers more than just killing us off with a rare chance of meeting another Wielder like us.”

“I guess I can see your point,” she replied.

“One thing I have noticed is that he can be pretty skeptical, and perhaps secretive.”

“Wow, way to point out the last one,” Roxxie commented while clapping slowly with sarcasm, to which I rolled my eyes.

“Anyway, what brought me to the last one was how he was so defensive on hiding that info on that book you found when we first ran into him. Which is strange because if he was looking for other ponies with our magic for research, he’d probably be more open about it, considering what he found so far was only a legend of sorts. If most ponies think it was a myth, he’d have no problem telling it to them, but he was so bent on keeping that info to himself.”

“Good point… Call me crazy, but I wonder if he was trying to keep it to himself until he gained some curiosity to a pony? Like he would observe whatever’s around him until something catches his eye, and follows through? He only told us how he knew Lumina, who’s as much involved in finding the answers to our magic as we are. Other than that, besides mentioning his family living in Baltimare where we’ll meet in a few months, he hasn’t opened up much else about himself.”

“… Do you think he doesn’t trust us?” I asked.

“I don’t see why he wouldn’t. I mean he already explained to us about what he had found in his research, AND his plans on getting into the archives tomorrow night.”

“Well you did threatened to beat him up if he didn’t tell us anything about his research when we first met him, AND I pretty much added into it with me blackmailing him, even if what happened that morning was an accident...”

The two of us sat there thinking about what we’ve done with him so far, and both of our ears folded when we recalled the bad times with him.

“You know… I’ve never really gotten to apologize to Nil for threatening him like that,” Roxxie commented.

“Same here,” I replied. “I have a feeling the six of us will be working together on this for a while, so it would be best that we try to get along and get to know each other as we go. Maybe even become friends.”

“Yeah… Blaze won’t be so hard, seeing how happy-go-lucky he is,” Roxxie commented. “Lumina we’ll be finding out later on, but Nil will be a challenge considering how we treated him so far.”

“If we get more acquainted with him, I’m sure he’ll be more open with us in whatever pace he decides to go with it. He probably kept some personal things to himself with a lot of other ponies he had met for a reason. If there’s anything GOOD we found about him so far, he can be pretty honest when he needs to, AND confident sometimes.”

“Yeah, I noticed that too. Maybe we should start things off tomorrow with an apology, and see if we could start over with a clean slate before we get to the gala.”

“That sounds good. We’ll do it first thing tomorrow over breakfast. I know we won’t have much time to get acquainted after the gala’s done since he’ll be leaving the next day, but there will be other chances to do so later on.”

“Right.” Roxxie yawned while she stretched before rubbing her eyes. “Think we should get to bed now. We got a big day tomorrow,” she said before she got up, and went to hit the lights.

I yawned as well, like it was contagious before I replied. “We certainly do. I can’t wait to see what our dresses will look like tomorrow.”

“As strange for me to say this, but I feel the same way,” she said as she got back in bed, and we pulled the covers over us.

“I’m gonna miss having you spend the night here. It’s nice having a good friend like you keeping me company,” I admitted.

“We are going to your cottage to practice our magic this summer right? We’ll have plenty of time to spend together, and then some,” Roxxie pointed out.

“Yeah, that’s true... Remember the one time we were there with Cyan and our families? Well, me with my grandparents at least,” I commented.

“Yeah, that was a blast. The three of us even slept in our own tent while we camped near the lake for a few nights. It was nice sleeping with him at the time, even if we were in our own sleeping bags.”

“I feel the same way. We’ll have to do that again sometime when we aren’t finding answers to our magic. Maybe with just the three of us.”

“That ought to be fun,” she said before we shared a nice, warming kiss. We broke off a few moments later, and snuggled under the covers.

“I feel like if we kept kissing like this, our first one with Cyan will be all the more amazing with experience under our belts,” I commented with a giggle.

“I’m dying to see his face when… Hold on,” Roxxie said.

“What is it?”

“How do we tell Cyan about the three of us forming a herd?”

… Horseapples, I didn’t even THINK about that.

“I… Haven’t thought that far ahead,” I admitted.

“Would Cyan even be interested in forming a herd?” Roxxie asked. “What if it turns out he loves and wants to be with one of us, and to stay friends with the other? I mean he cares for both of us greatly from how he wrote our letters, but when you think about it, having two marefriends, maybe three if Lumina wants to join, can be a lot for one pony to handle.”

“I didn’t even think about that… I was more worried about keeping the both of us happy, but I didn’t consider Cyan’s feelings in what he wants… Dammit, this is the second time I haven’t thought about what Cyan’s going through,” my ears folded while looking down with shame.

“Hey hey, don’t be so hard on yourself, I didn’t think about it either,” Roxxie said before she held my head, and had me look into her gaze. “How about we do this? When the three of us meet, we’ll go on separate dates, one-on-one, have a good time with him, and by the end we’ll express our feelings for him. When the both of us, maybe Lumina if she feels the same way and we agree to have her join our herd, have our dates with him, we’ll give him some time to come up with a final decision, and if it turns out he can’t choose between us because he cherishes us THAT much, then we’ll bring up the idea of forming a herd.”

I looked to the side as I visualized what would happen, and nodded. “I think that could work. This way we can express our feelings personally, and we can confirm whether he feels the same way for us,” I said.

“Alright, that’s that then. If it turns out he DOES choose only one of us in the end… Though I’ll feel down about it for a while, I won’t hold anything against you if you were his choice,” she said.

“Same to you my dear friend,” I added in before we shared one more kiss, and snuggled comfortably. “Good night Roxxie.”

“Good night Teala,” she replied before we closed our eyes, and drifted to sleep.

[Nil’s POV]

I had a hard time falling asleep because I was having the pre-heist jitters like I usually did back when I was stealing for a living. So in my pajamas and metal braces on my arms and legs, I walked to the kitchen to get a glass of water, and went to the bathroom to piss my nerves out.

Who’d have thought I’d get back in the saddle to find answers for my magic? I know I said I would try and change my ways like I told Booksmart and Clarity when I left Baltimare, but I have to find out how I can control, or if possible, get rid of my Thunder Magic so I won’t risk hurting anyone anymore. I’ve made too many mistakes ever since I found this magic, and though things are better for me now than it was before… The memories of my past will forever haunt me until the day I die, and the best I can do now to repent my sins is to create whatever science can allow me that could help ponies live happier, and perhaps easier lives.

As I was on my way back to my room, I heard running water with a voice being muffled under it. With my curiosity getting the better of me, I followed the sound until I came to what looked like the locker room. When I got close enough, I heard it was a mare singing while taking a shower, which sounded quite heavenly I might add.

I didn’t think there was anyone else here at this time of night. Could it be one of princess’ staff getting ready to get home? I guess she had some things to get done that made her stay late. Well, Lumina said I should respect a mare’s privacy, so I should—

“EEEEEEEK!” A high pitched scream interrupted my thoughts, and on instinct, I ran into the girl’s locker room to check and see if the mare in question got hurt.

When I got inside, I quickly scanned the surroundings before I found a large star spider on the wall with one of the shower heads still running with water, and the mare was nowhere to be seen.

Ah, the mare must have been frightened by the spider. Guess I couldn’t blame her, but at least this intriguing species of arachnids are harmless.

I turned off the shower head before I walked up the star spider, and set my hand next to the creature. “It’s okay little guy, I’m not gonna hurt ya,” I said to it before he skittered onto my palm, and I cupped my other hand over him so he wouldn’t fall off. “Let’s see, I think there was an open window I passed by before I got here,” I said to myself before I walked out of the locker room. I retraced my steps to said window where there were a couple of trimmed bushes and plants along the outside walls. I used one of my wings to open the window enough for me to get my torso outside, and opened my palm with the spider standing once more before I moved it close to the bush in front of me. “There ya go little guy. Now try not to get inside next time alright? You could get really hurt if I didn’t found you.”

The spider looked at me, and nodded before he skittered onto the bush. He waved one of his legs at me before I waved back, and shut the window.

“U-um… Th-thank you for getting rid of that s-spider,” a mare said, which I assumed was the same one that screamed earlier before I swiveled my ear to the sound’s direction in response.

“Oh it’s no trouble at all miss…” I replied as I turned around, and went speechless at the sight before me.

There was a dripping wet, earth pony mare that had the same colored fur as Lumina’s, only with a slight hint of orange to add the cream-like look with freckles, and red tail and mane that stretched to her lower back. She also had big round glasses over her rosy pink eyes, and a towel wrapped around her torso that she held up with one hand, as if the seemingly large breasts in front of her were taking up too much space to let the towel hold up on its own. The cutie marks on her upper arms were three cookies, one different kind for each. Her ears were folded, and her cheeks were flushing red as she looked shy and embarrassed being in such a state before me.

“A-are you alright sir?” She asked, which snapped me out of my ogling trance with my jaw hanging open as I tried to respond coherently, but failed.

“S-s-sure I am. J-just d-d-dandy,” I replied, which sounded more stuttered than the mare before me.

“How were you able t-to get rid of it so c-calmly?” She asked.

“Star Spiders are a harmless species of arachnids that don’t bite and leave venom in another creature. Males have blue stars while females have red ones. Despite the cold winter seasons, male spiders make the stars on their backs shine in order to attract mates every night with a full moon. Once the female shows interest, she shines her star as well, signaling him that she would be his, and they join together to make red and blue eggs that the female carries, and I’m just rambling on like a smartass because I’m super nervous that a fascinatingly dripping wet mare with only a towel around her is standing in front of me and I don’t know how to make a decent conversation!” I finished before I panted harshly from the lack of air in my lungs.

The mare blinked in surprise from my nervous rambling before she flushed once she heard the last statement. “U-um… Thank you,” she replied.

I took a deep breath to try and calm myself down before I continued. “I’m sorry, I get a little… Out there when I see a mare similar in your condition. You’re the one who found Blaze yesterday right? The orange colt with the flaming mane and tail?”

“Y-yes, that’s right,” she answered. “And you’re the one helping Master Teala finding her friend Cyan correct?”

Right, she doesn’t know about our plans yet. Better keep it on the down low.

“Yep, that’s me alright,” I replied before I took out a hand. “I’m Nil Thunder by the way.”

“Cinnamon, but I like to be called Cinny,” she replied as she shook my hand while her other one still held up the towel. Her grip was tense and damp at first, but relaxed a little like how her stuttering stopped. “I’m a new maid that’s still getting used to working here, but if there’s anything you need, please don’t hesitate to ask.”

“I’ll keep that in mind. By the way, I couldn’t help but overhear your singing earlier. I must say the song you sang was quite lovely,” I commented with a smile.

The compliment just made her blushed a little while she looked to the side. “O-oh, you heard that… Sorry, I thought I was the only one around, and I needed to use the shower here because I couldn’t pay the water bill in the apartment I’m staying in.”

“Ah, that’s a shame,” I said. “I hope you’ll earn enough money to pay for it soon. I’ll be heading to bed now, so if you’ll excuse me—“

“W-WAIT!” She exclaimed, which stopped me mid turn. “Um… Thank you for helping Master Teala with her problem Mr. Thunder. Her parents scare me to death, but she’s very sweet once you get to know her.”

Funny, I didn’t get that vibe when she BLACKMAILED me into working for her, but at least I found ponies I could study Water and Earth Magic from. That tomcolt scares the fuck out of me though, even as much as LUMINA on a bad day.

“I could see that she liked Cyan very much when I first saw the two of them together on accident,” she continued as she looked down, and smiled a little while recalling the past. “He was very nice to me too when we met. I was quite surprised when I heard what had happened to him, and I wanted to do what I can to help Master Teala,” she looked up to me with pleading eyes, and her ears folded. “I hope you can do what you’re able to help as well Mr. Thunder.”

I gave an assuring smile, and lightly rubbed my hand on her damp mane. “Don’t worry Cinny, we’ll find him soon enough. And please, call me Nil,” I requested.

From all that’s happening right now? I’m DEFINITELY gonna find him. I need to see what his Shadow Magic can do if he has it like I hypothesized.

Cinny blushed a little from my gesture before she nodded with a smile. “O-okay Nil,” she replied. “So I’ll see you tomorrow then?”

“Yep, I’ll be here,” I said before my habit got the better of me, and tipped my invisible hat to her. “Have a good night Cinny, and get home safely.”

She nodded before she turned, but stopped midway. “Oh wait! Nil, are you in need of some pain medication?” Cinny asked as she looked back to me.

“Pain medication?” I asked with a raised eyebrow.

“For your arms? That’s why you were up this late at night right? Because the pain in them kept bothering you?” Cinny clarified.

“O-oh yeah! Pain meds. Yeah, I already took care of that. No need to worry,” I said as I held one of my bandaged arms she was referring to. It sounded like a good excuse from the way she described it, so I went along with it.

“What happened to them anyway?” She asked.

“I’d… Rather not talk about that,” I answered.

“Oh, I’m sorry if that made you uncomfortable. I probably should have known better.”

“It’s cool. You aren’t the first who asked me about this,” I commented. “Do you mind if I ask something about you though?”

“Of course.”

“That cutie mark… Is your special talent making cookies?” I asked.

“Oh yes! I love baking them, and other pastries,” she answered with a smile. “Snickerdoodles are my best recipe to make. I’m hoping to earn enough money here so I could invest into running a business in selling cookies.”

“Really now? That’s quite a goal. I would love to try one of your cookies sometime,” I commented with a smile.

“I’ll prepare some before your trip to the gala tomorrow. I’m sure Master Teala and her friend would like that too,” she commented.

“I’ll look forward to it then,” I said with a smile. “You better finish your shower or something before you catch a cold.”

“O-oh, right,” she agreed while her face reddened once more after remembering she was only in a towel. “W-well… Have a good night Nil.”

“You as well Cinny,” I responded.

She then walked back to the locker room with her wet tail twitching slightly. I felt I was hypnotized by her curvy, swaying hips, with the towel just low enough to cover what was above her upper thighs.

Goddessdammit, and I thought Lumina’s knockers were big. I didn’t think I’d ever find a mare who could compare. She must be an F Cup. 40-36-42 from the looks of it. May look a bit heavy, but for her being an earth pony, she must be pretty fit for one her size. If only I could see what was under that towel of hers… Maybe not tonight, but I think I have a new goal in life: find mares of different sizes, record their findings, and research whatever makes the female pony’s body so fantastic to admire in every little detail I could manage, and my time at Horseshoe Bay will DEFINITELY will be a good place to do some field study. This will be my little… Side project, along with what I’m trying to accomplish right now. Something fun to do that isn’t serious and doesn’t put my life at stake… Well, my life may STILL be at stake for doing this, but at least I’ll die happy if things go wrong, and I’ve been through plenty of physical pain already to build some kind of tolerance. Adding my thieving skills into getting my research done, what could possibly go—wait, no, remember Murpheigh’s law, and don’t try to jinx it. Let’s just get to bed and get ready for tomorrow. My pre-heist nerves have DEFINITELY calmed down after going through that, and left me some things to imagine what’s under Cinny’s towel.

Chapter 21: Cyan's Consultation, and his Third Lesson

Chapter 21: Cyan’s Consultation, and his Third Lesson

[Time Unknown]

[Cyan’s POV]

I slowly opened my eyes, and saw the familiar setting. Everything I remembered about Canterlot Park, the place where I was most at peace, was still the way it should be.

“Welcome back, Cyan Dusknight,” greeted the familiar, heavenly voice.

I turned my head to the side, and saw Shadina sitting with her legs crossed beside me. Her mane and tail were still flowing in the nonexistent winds as usual. “Hey Shadina. How have you been?” I asked with a sad smile.

“I’m doing well, thank you. I would ask the same thing, but I think the both of us know how you’ve been doing,” Shadina responded with a concerned expression in her eyes.

… Oh right, the seeing and hearing thing. I keep forgetting that, and the fact she can read my thoughts and memories… Somehow that’s not bothering me as much as I used to.

“Well I’m certainly glad you feel that way,” she interjected, replying to my thoughts. “And I can certainly see how much you’ve improved throughout the day. Making a scrunchy for Lumina, which I found very touching I might add, and even with little memory of what they looked and felt like, you still managed to make the massage head and arm rests for her as well. Not to mention, you learned a new spell on top of them,” she counted on her fingers.

“Yeah, they seemed easy enough to work worth, so I chose those,” I said. “I know you said we’d do, well, THAT once I achieve my lessons, but can we hold that off for another time? I’m not exactly in a good mood,” I requested as I sat up and hugged my legs close to me.

“I understand,” she replied as she sat next to me, and I instinctively leaned on her shoulder. “Is there anything I can do to help you feel better Cyan Dusknight?”

“Well to start things off, you can stop referring me by my full name,” I replied. “Sure, you may be my Guardian, and I’m your Wielder, but that doesn’t mean we can’t be friends right? Just call me Cyan from now on. It will be easier for both of us.”

“Done,” she answered with a nod. “Anything else… Cyan?”

“Other than that? I can’t really say except maybe request something for my next lesson if that’s possible.”

“What did you have in mind?”

“I want to know how I can use Shadow Magic to help other ponies. All the things you’ve taught me to do so far have been good and all, don’t get me wrong, but I want to start getting more serious with my magic so I won’t be such a burden to Lumina, especially with everything she’s done for me so far.” I look out in front of me where the endless sea of grass extends beyond the horizon, replacing the road and elementary school that were there before. “Teases aside, she’s just been a great friend for me so far since Roxxie and Teala are gone. She’s so strong as well, and wants to protect me from those who want to take me away, but I want to grow stronger to do the same for her.”

“You’ve certainly started to grow fond for Lumina haven’t you?” Shadina asked.

“I guess so,” I answered. “But now she’s starting to grow on me now more than ever. Even if there’s no way I’ll see Roxxie and Teala again, I can’t help but still have feelings for both of them, and now Lumina’s added into the mix as well. If someone asked me which of them I’d have to choose, I honestly can’t say,” I looked down with ears folded. “I know that sounds selfish, but all three of them have such wonderful qualities about them that just makes me love them so much, if ‘love’ is the proper word to use here. It’s almost impossible for me to choose without risking to hurt and possibly lose two of my closest friends. But there’s something still on my mind that’s bugging me to this day.”

“And what might that be?” Shadina asked.

“How do they feel about me?” I answered with another question. “I mean, I already have some idea of how Lumina feels, despite what she’s trying to sort out in her head; yet, I feel there’s something about her that I still don’t know. I could probably understand since we’ve only been together in such a short amount of time, and things like that should come around bit by bit. Maybe what happened in her past is part of why she’s having a hard time on how to behave around friends, or find what to look for a in a relationship. The name calling she put up with back in elementary school is part of it considering how bad she was feeling after I got her to laugh that hard.

“Then there’s Teala and Roxxie. Sure, I’ve known them most of my lifetime, I feel I know them more than the majority of ponies around me does besides their parents; however, I can’t help but think there’s something about them they’re not showing that I’m not getting. There may have been hints of it from time to time, but they must have been too miniscule for me to notice if I can’t recall what those implications were right now. It just seems weird that they may be hiding something from me, their best friend, and not tell me what it is. Do they not trust me enough? Is it something so personal that no one should ever see? It’s these kinds of things that have me question how they feel about me, and how much I’m worth to them.” I sighed while rubbing my temples. “Great, now I’m too frustrated for even thinking about it.”

“Do you mind if I say something Cyan?” Shadina asked. I looked up to her and nodded, giving her permission. “In a general sense, love is very complicated. It is expressed in different ways, and comes in different forms. In the end however, love is shared to those that are closest to them. You’ll probably come to understand this concept more, and your feelings with Roxxie, Teala, and Lumina as you grow, develop, and bond with them.

“Roxxie and Teala may have kept those things from you BECAUSE they love you in a way you may not understand yet. It could be possible they were keeping it from you because they were afraid of how things would change for the three of you if they DID reveal them. It’s important to think about these things in different perspectives so you have a better understanding for their actions and motives,” she concluded.

“I guess that makes sense, but what if the three of them don’t accept the way I ‘share the love’ like you mentioned?” I argued. “They may want to keep it all to themselves, and it may be an exaggeration, but it could be possible they won’t let me be as close to others besides the one I would choose in the end. I… I want to love all three of them. I don’t want any of them to think I love one of the three more or less than the other two, because they each have something unique to themselves that brought me to feel such a way for them in the first place.”

“In that case, it all really comes down to you Cyan,” Shadina answered. “Unfortunately, not everyone has a chance for a happy ending in your world. Like I had mentioned before, you would need to get to know your three loves enough in order to have a true understanding with them. When the time comes to make that final choice, you would need to listen to what’s in here,” she said as she placed a finger on my chest. “Instead of what’s in here,” she then moved that same finger to my head. “It will only be then that you know the choice you make will be the right one. Just remember that even though you’ve made the final choice, you may still love the other two in a way that doesn’t affect your commitment. If they don’t accept it, that’s their loss, leaving more love for you to give to the one you’ve chosen,” she finished with a nod.

“Sheesh that sounds smart. If I was supposed to know this since you’re a part of me, how come I’m getting it now?” I asked with a raised eyebrow.

“You’ve always known Cyan. It’s just that you forget it sometimes, and everyone needs a little refresher from time to time,” she states with a joyful expression on her face. “As for Roxxie and Teala, I’m sure you’ll see them again at some point, perhaps sooner than you think. Life has a strange way of getting ponies together sometimes.”

“I guess so,” I agreed. “I’ll admit though, if I do come to make that final decision on the road ahead, I’ll feel pretty sad myself if one or both of the other two don’t accept, and decide to leave me in the end. When you think about it though, I guess that shows how much of the right choice I DID make, and they may not be as close of a friend as I had thought of them to be,” I looked back up to Shadina with a smile. “Thanks for that Shadina. I think I may have needed this more than what I had originally thought.”

“It’s no problem at all Cyan,” Shadina responded. “I do want you to remember this though,” she said as she turned to me, and held my hands between her own while staring intently at me. “Though there’s no chance for Guardians and Wielders to be together like I mentioned before, I will always love you Cyan. I’ll be with you every step of the way until the very end, and you can be certain that I won’t feel any hint of jealousy for you being together with one of the three you’ve chosen,” she concluded.

I sat there wide-eyed at her profession of dedication and loyalty in such a mature manner. “Wow… Thanks Shadina, that means a lot,” I responded with a smile. “So can I learn how to use my magic to help other ponies?”

“Lucky for you Cyan, since you’ve achieved casting a higher level spell today, I’ll be giving you a bonus in today’s lesson. You could say that these are three separate lessons rolled into one, and I’m sure you’ll be starting to help other ponies with this afterwards,” Shadina answered.

“Really?! That’s awesome!” I exclaimed as I stood up from the ground. “Alright, I’m ready for whatever you have to throw at me. I’ll do whatever it takes.”

“There’s the Cyan I know and love,” Shadina remarked with a joyful expression as she stood up as well. “Alright, the first of our three part lesson is how to use your magic to defend yourself. If you can’t start doing that, there’s little guarantee you’ll do the same for those you’re protecting.”

“I guess I can see your point,” I agreed. “So what do I have to do?”

“Let’s start off with something simple. This will be part one of your lesson,” Shadina focused on her Shadow Magic, and a black tendril was slithering its way out of the dark aura around her hand.

“… Okay, that just looks SUPER creepy,” I commented.

“It may be, but it’s also very adaptable,” Shadina argued. “With this, you can wrap and immobilize your enemies, pull you out of harm’s way, hold objects, and perhaps something else if you’re creative,” she demonstrated by whipping the tendril to one of the branches of the tree in the field, and flung herself towards it before swinging herself high in the air like the mixture of a slingshot and a catapult. She fell back to where I stood, and used multiple tendrils to make a quick net on the ground before it caught and bounced her in place. She gently lowered herself to the ground with the tendrils’ help once more before she had them disappeared.

“Okay, still creepy, but SUPER awesome!” I exclaimed. “You were like the freakin’ Mane-iac from the Power Pony comics! Only you’re the good guy, er, girl.”

Shadina giggled at my correction before she replied. “Thank you Cyan. Now to get to part two of your lesson. Recalling to the last few things you’ve created, your Shadow Magic took form of objects that are stretchy like the scrunchy, and soft like the head and arm rests of the massage attachments,” she pointed out. “When you want you make something that’s harder like a shield, you need to focus on condensing your magic very tightly in the object you’re trying to create as I’ll demonstrate,” Shadina then hold her hand out, and started her Shadow Magic. The blob slowly morphed into a large, round object while the auras around her hand and horn were kind of in ablaze like fire from the concentration being put into the creation. She deactivated her magic as she grabbed hold of the object after she finished. “Okay Cyan, try to hit this as hard as you can,” she suggested.

“Alright,” I said as I popped my fingers like Roxxie would prepare for a brawl before I walked up to it. I prepared a stance like she showed me before I made a right straight punch to the object until…

CLUNK!

“OOOWWW!” I screamed as I shook the pain off the hand I punched while swearing incoherent sentences. “Fuck that hurts! It’s like that shield’s made of steel!”

“Indeed, and the more you can focus on condensing and compacting your magic, the stronger your shield becomes,” Shadina explained before she made the shield disappear. “Be warned that they can gain mass as well, which will slow you down unless you make your shields strong and light enough for you to maneuver with. Of course, gaining physical strength will also help accomplish you to carrying stronger, heavier shields. This goes for other objects you can create with as well.”

I looked up in thought as some unique ideas came to mind. “What if I want to make heavy clothes out of this magic?” I asked. “Not hard enough to make it like armor, but heavy enough to build resistance to my movements as I move? I feel training in something like that will help me get stronger physically. Maybe even faster. I read a mane-ga one time where the main hero trained in such garments, and he got CRAZY strong and fast afterwards.”

“In that case, you’ll need to make the thread in those clothes as dense and tightly wounded as the shield you make,” she answered. “That may be more of a challenge than creating regular clothes, as you’re trying to focus on many small tendrils like the ones you saw earlier intertwine and come together to make a strong, heavy, durable material. I’ll give that to you as an extra credit assignment for you to do, but try to make regular clothes first before you focus on making them heavier in mass.”

“Cool, I’ll keep that in mind,” I said. “So what’s part two of this lesson?”

“For the last part of our lesson, we’ll be focusing on your offense,” Shadina answered. “Before we get to that, do you have a particular weapon in mind do you want to use?”

“Oh trust me, from the weapons Dad has shown me, I don’t know where to start,” I admitted. “But I think I’d like to try hand-to-hand combat first. When it comes down to it, our bodies can be our best weapons as a last resort if we know how to use it. Roxxie would always tell me that.”

“Excellent choice,” she replied as she held up a fist in front of her. “Like the shield you hit earlier, your fist, open palm, hooves, and any other part in your body can be as strong as iron as long as you can focus on creating a condensed layer of your magic in that specific area. You can use that to gain advantage in both offense AND defense once you know how to use it to your advantage. Follow me please,” she requested as she led me to the tree my friends and I used to hang out under. We stopped at a close, arm’s length distance from it. “Now watch closely,” Shadina directed before she held up her right fist once more, and focused her Shadow Magic on it. “haaaaaaaaaAAA!” She sighed forcefully from low to higher volume as the black auras went ablaze once more while the one on the fist she was focusing on condensed into itself around it. “SHADOW IRON FIST!” She cried as she made a strong right to the tree, crushing its bark enough to send pieces of it flying while rustling the leaves up top. She pulled herself back after taking a breath, leaving an imprint of her fist on the bark.

“…Holy shit that was awesome,” I praised with wide eyes.

“Just remember that like the shield, condensing the magic too much on your attacks will make them heavy, and won’t be as effective as an attack that’s higher in speed,” Shadina pointed out. “You’ll need to increase your physical strength on this as well if you want your attacks to pack a wallop on your opponent.”

“Alright, I understand,” I confirmed with a nod. “So the reason this lesson had three parts is because they all involve condensing my magic into stronger objects, and making them adaptable to any situation in a fight right?”

“That is correct,” Shadina answered. “Try to take note of how hard different metals are once you do more field studies too. You’ll have a better idea on how compact and dense you want your magic to be to fit the situation at hand. Since this lesson will take more effort to learn, we’ll focus on you working your physical capabilities the next time we meet.”

“CAN I get stronger here?” I asked with a raised eyebrow in skepticism.

“Oh yes, you’d be surprised how training in the Dreamscape will affect your physical form,” Shadina answered. “Just be prepared that the next time you’re here, we’ll be in a different section of your dreams to make this training work.”

“Cool! Not that I don’t like this place, but it’s nice to change things up every now and then you know?” I asked.

“Indeed,” she agreed before everything around us started to fade. “It looks like our time is up. I’m not sure if you’ll have the time and place to practice making those kinds of objects in the real world, but try to gather what you can in your field studies alright? We’ll have you try making them the next time we’re here.”

“Sounds good to me,” I said before I pulled us into a hug.

“And do let me know when you want to receive your ‘reward’ Cyan,” Shadina pointed out. “I’m ready to do anything you ask for whenever you are. And I. Mean. Anything,” she emphasized the last three words as she guided my one of my hands down to her rear while she looked at me with blank, half-lidded eyes.

I laughed nervously at the gesture she was making the point on before I answered. “Y-yeah, sounds good. I’ll keep that in mind.”

We broke the embrace, and took a few steps back from each other. “Until next time Cyan. Take care, and good luck,” Shadina bid before she waved.

“Thanks again Shadina. See you soon,” I returned with my own wave before everything went black around me once more.

Side Chapter 12: The Guardians of Earth and Water Revealed

Side Chapter 12: The Guardians of Earth and Water Revealed.

[Time Unknown]

[Roxxie’s POV]

I found myself back on the traditional looking temples in the mountains, while wearing a white gi with a black belt tied around my torso like the last time I was here. During the first time, I was training with Cyan to hone our skills in martial arts. If there’s one thing he and I love, it’s kung-fu movies, especially ones that takes place in some part of Chineigh, where the hero trains diligently with the masters of a temple like I was in order to get strong enough to defeat evil villains. Though some of the styles shown weren’t suitable to my tastes, there were others that I would TOTALLY get down with practicing to help me win future fight matches.

Getting back to the present, the whole place was deserted compared to the last time I was there. I walked around the front of the temple as I tried to look for Cyan or the monks that were here before. “Hellooooo? Anyone out here?” I asked loudly, my voice echoing through the emptiness.

Damn. Where is everyone? And I was looking forward to pinning Cyan down and kiss him like I did before… Damn did he look cool with that get-up. He was like a young Bruce Leek. Actually, if Teala was interested in mastering more than one sword style, she might be interested in practicing those sabers I sometimes see monks use. She’d probably look cute with a gi herself.

“My, don’t YOU have a soft spot? And I thought you’d be tough like your name,” a cocky, male voice called, which interrupted my thoughts, as if he was responding to them like a mind reader.

“Who goes there?! If you’re here for a beating, then you’re certainly asking for it with THAT kind of tone!” I exclaimed while I was scanning my surroundings in my fighter’s stance.

“Someone’s a little touchy. Alright, I’ll show myself, but you better be ready for the surprise,” the voice called before I felt some rumbling under my hooves. I saw the pebbles and rocks around me were clattering as they moved themselves into one designated point until they started piling and stacking one another. It looked like there was a pony forming as I started to see two pillars of rocks piling up to look like legs. Then there was the torso, arms, and finally a head on its shoulders.

Once the figure was complete, white, glowing eyes with no irises or pupils appeared on its head, along with a tail and mane that spiked forward, also glowing the same color. “Whadda ya think? Too showy? Do I look buff? Hold on, let me just…” The rock stallion said with no mouth to use for speech before he stretched and popped out his new body, the stones making it up shifted to adapt his movements. He stretched in a way that was kind of boastful, as if he was like a body builder posing for the cameras (and I will tell you right now that no matter how buff those guys look, I honestly don’t think they’re that strong), even though his frame was more lean than big and buff-like. “Gyaaaaagh, there we go. Takes me a bit to adjust,” he finished.

My eyes widened at the freaky thing that developed before me, and rubbed them to see if I was getting delusional. “… Alright, you got twenty seconds to explain what the fuck you are, and what you are doing here, or I’ll shatter that new body of yours back to the pebbles they really are,” I threatened while popping my knuckles.

“Easy there sweet cheeks, I’m not here to get rough… Well, probably not yet anyway,” he said, which tightened my fists even more. “Alright, introduction time. I am the manifestation of the Earth Magic you’ve recently come across, and since you’ve finally awoken me, I’m here to help you hone your Earth Wielding skills as your new Guardian.”

“Wait… YOU, are basically what I have in HERE, to move rocks?” I asked as I pointed my finger to him, then my chest.

“You got it,” he replied.

“So shouldn’t you be like, I don’t know, a GIRL? Like I AM?” I asked with a raised eyebrow.

“I’m also like the representation of your strongest characteristics and personality, both inside and out,” he explained. “You may have some soft spots, but you’re DEFINITELY more masculine compared to other mares in your world.”

“MY world? What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Oh yes, that’s right, this isn’t the world you’ve always known. We’re basically in your dreams right now. You’ll be seeing me here most of the time.”

Huh… I guess that makes sense. I mean having someone like him being here is TOO out of the ordinary to happen in the real world.

“Well DUH. I’d think you’d already know that by now,” he said, which had my eyes widened.

“W-wait… Can you read my mind?” I asked nervously.

“I sure can sweet cheeks,” he answered. “I’m a part of you, so not only can I hear your thoughts, but I can see, hear, and experience everything you’re going through when you’re not here. Which includes how you had butterflies in your stomach when your coltfriend called you cute earlier, or how attractive you thought he was when you saw him in that get up the last time you were here.”

My faced heated up as he described those instances to me like I was an open book. “C-Cyan’s not my coltfriend you know!” I defended. “We’re just close friends!”

“But that’s not how YOU want things to go between you two right?” He asked. “No, what you YOU want, is a little something like this.” He turned his back toward me, wrapped his arms around him, and started to make moaning and kissing noises like he was doing it with someone in front of him. “Oh Cyan, take me and make me a real mare~,” he moaned playfully while imitating my voice.

My whole head was heating up, and my muzzle scrunched up as I watched, both embarrassed and almost disgusted at what he was implying. “C-Cut it out you bastard!” I exclaimed. “That is NOT what I want from us AT ALL!”

“That’s not what your face is telling me,” he said before he finished his act, and turned back to me. “Anyway, back to what I was saying before, though you have some tender moments now and then, you display qualities that some would mistake you for a guy, and since THOSE weigh over your feminine qualities, you see me the way I am now. Cocky, stubborn, brash, while at the same time honest, loyal, and friendly if ponies don’t step over certain boundaries. Those and then some describe who you are, with some being more masculine than others.”

“So I’m pretty much some kind of backwards freak, is that what you’re saying?” I asked with a furrowed brow.

“You’re different, yes, but no freak,” he argued. “You aren’t the first Wielder who had Guardians that portray the opposite sex. There are stallions who are more effeminate compared to others, and they have female Guardians. Why, seeing how Cyan is for as long as you’ve known him, I wouldn’t be surprised if he fits into that category.”

“WHAT?!” I yelled in shock.

“Oh come on now, even YOU have to admit he can be strange in some areas compared to other colts. Sewing your damaged clothes, treating your wounds, and from how you recently found out, played tea parties with Teala and brushed her mane afterwards? It’s a good thing there are less guys than girls in your world, or he’d be a freakin’ punching bag by now.”

“… *sigh* Alright, you got me there,” I admitted. “But that doesn’t change how much of a great guy Cyan is. All of those things you described just shows how much he cared for us, and made sure we were doing okay. If anything, that just makes him a better stallion than others, even if they have my ‘masculine’ qualities. Plus, I’ve seen him acting more like a regular guy sometimes just being with me. We’ve roughhoused, got dirty, chilled, I could think of others, but it shows how much of a good balance he has with himself, and it was great to see how relaxed he can be around me when he wasn’t with his uptight parents.”

I looked down on and smiled as I recalled those instances before I continued. “He accepts me for who I am, no matter how different I am from other girls. That’s only the tip of the iceberg for why I love him, and it’s only fair I should accept him for the way HE is. If anyone lashed him out on that, then they’ll have to talk to my fists.” I looked back up to the rock pony and punched into my open palm. “So if you really ARE my Guardian, AND you’re going to teach me everything I need to know about my Earth Magic, you better not diss him or Teala while we’re doing this, or we’re going to have some problems.”

“Fair enough,” he said before things around me started to fade out of sight. “Looks like we’re running low on time. There’s only one thing that’s left to be done before we get started next time you’re here.”

“What’s that?” I asked.

“It is tradition that the Wielders name their Guardians once they make their first encounter, so if I could get something cool sounding, that would be great.“

A name huh? Well that shouldn't be too hard to come up with. The guy's made of rock, and he's been bugging me like crazy over the past twenty minutes or so. I think I know just the name that would fit.

“Pebbles,” I said.

“… What?” He asked.

“You need a name right? So I’m calling you Pebbles,” I clarified.

“WHAT?!”

“Hey, don’t get sassy with me. You’ve pushed a BUNCH of my buttons today, or tonight, whatever time it is right now. I WOULD have given you something cooler if you weren’t such a jackass, even though I’m technically calling myself that since you’re a part of me, but I wouldn’t be surprised if that’s what some ponies referred to me as. SO! Since I can acknowledge that, AND my ‘masculine’ qualities, it would only fit that I give you a name that balances things out. Pebbles is what came to mind, because not only can they bug the crap of me when they get stuck on the inside of my hooves like you do, but it’s also what you’ll turn out to be if you rub me the wrong way,” I threatened.

“Urgh! FINE! Pebbles it is then,” he replied. “Don’t think I’m gonna go easy on you in our first lesson tomorrow.”

“Heh, I wouldn’t DREAM of it. Bring it on then, I dare ya.”

“Oh I WILL, I promise you that. Until then,” he finished before everything faded out, and my vision turned black.

[Teala’s POV]

“Cyaaaaan? Are you here? I’d like to continue where we left off,” I said as I walked along the same beach I was on the last time. I wasn’t sure why I was brought back here, but if Cyan comes back like before, despite how cheesy it was the last time, I found it better to ask questions later and just go along with what’s going on in the present. One thing that was different this time than before was when I came to, my trusted rapier was beside me. I didn’t know how it got there, but I wasn’t going to leave it by itself. So I strapped it across my waist before I went to find my darling, but so far, I haven’t had much luck.

“Ugh. Honestly, how did things end up this way anyway? It’s like I lost him all over again,” I said to myself as I walked over to the ocean waters, sat down, and just let my hooves get soaked as the waves moved back and forth while I stared at the sunset over the horizon. At a closer look, I noticed the sun wasn’t moving at all. It was frozen in place while the sky was still in a constant blend of colors consisting of yellow, orange, pink, red, and blue as it got further away from the sun. “Well that certainly can’t be right. Did something happen to Princess Celestia that the sun is staying like this?” I asked to myself.

“No Teala, that is not the case, and you won’t be seeing your dearly beloved again here anytime soon,” a feminine, majestic-like voice replied, which had me jolt up and drew my rapier before I quickly scanned my surroundings.

“Who’s there?! Where are you?! What have you done with Cyan?!” I pressed loudly.

“Calm down now, I didn’t do anything,” the voice responded. “The Cyan you know here is only a part of your dreams that you’re in right now. The real one I can only guess is safe and watched over by the one called Lumina that Nil explained.”

“How do you know that?! That’s only something everyone in the circle knows, and no one else! If you are not an enemy, then you better show yourself, or I’ll find you if I have to,” I demanded.

“I was going to do that anyway, but you better be prepared for the surprise,” she responded before I felt something unusual around my hooves.

I looked down, and noticed the ocean water was acting strangely, flowing in a way that would be impossible to accomplish by nature itself. The water before me started to swirl upwards, as if it was getting sucked through a vacuum tornado. I took a step back as I saw another patch of water doing the same thing a few inches away from the other, while trails of water were flowing and trailing up in a spiral. The two patches of water rose to where I could make out were legs before the tips converged, and started to make the hips and torso. The two spiral water trails connected to where the shoulders would be, and extended outwards to create the arms. Finally, a pony-shaped head was formed after the neck as the two spirals then moved to its back once the arms were finished. Once the head was formed, water sprouted from the top to make a flowing mane, while I could see a tail sprouting behind her. The movement stopped, leaving a tall, petite, yet curvy mare figure made of the crystal blue ocean waters formed with parts of her body shined from the sun’s reflection. At the head, white, glowing eyes with no irises or pupils opened up while two large, wing-like water figures unfurled from her back. Some water splashed off the sides of the wings, which added the finishing touch to her unique, yet beautiful entrance as the sun shined the droplets that made them look like moving stars.

I stood there wide-eyed from her appearance as the hand that held my rapier trembled from fear. “W-what… What are you?” I stuttered.

“Allow me introduce myself,” the water mare replied. “I am the embodiment of your Water Magic, and as of tonight, I will be teaching you the ways of the water as your new Guardian.”

“W-wait… Embodiment? Guardian? Teach?” I asked with confusion.

“Yes. I am the magic that has been watching over you since the day you were born, but unable to reveal myself to you until you were able to tap into your powers,” she explained as I slowly sheathed my sword. “As I am a part of you, not only do I see, hear, and experience everything you’ve been through in the real world, I also share some of your stronger personalities and characteristics.”

“Wait, ‘real world?’” I asked. “You also mentioned ‘tonight,’ when clearly the sun is still over the horizon… Albeit frozen in place.”

“Do you not question the strange situation you’re currently in, including the last time you were here with your beloved?” She asked.

“Well… A part of me was, but…”

“You wish to continue what you were having with Cyan. I know all too well,” she finished for me.

“Y-you do?” I asked.

“But of course, I am a part of you after all, and because of that, I can hear your thoughts,” she replied. “I can even see some of the dreams you’ve visualized in said thoughts while you’ve read your romantic novels as well. Such as how you imagined Cyan and yourself fighting side by side against a band of pirates before finishing the victory with a kiss; how you imagined Cyan as a spy whose charms swayed your hard-to-get, yet devious behavior; and let’s not forget the one time you ran into one of your mother’s erotic novels and you—“

“OKAY OKAY I GET IT! Just please don’t say anymore!” I exclaimed with my whole face heated up from how she was so dead on with my fantasies, and I prayed to Celestia that she wasn’t going to go into too much detail with the last one.

The water mare giggled at my embarrassing expense before she continued. “Anyway, like those fantasies, this is only one of those dreams while your body in the real world is still asleep. I can only see you in these dreams, and I will be teaching you how to use your magic as a Water Wielder from this day forward.”

“W-well… If you’re here to help me, then I most appreciate it,” I said. “I honestly don’t know where to begin since I can only float a blob of water from a small body of it. Plus… I need to start doing what I can to protect my friends as well.” I looked down at the sand with a furrowed brow. “I have sat on the sidelines while watching Roxxie and Cyan grow stronger in both strength, and mentality for too long. It’s time I start doing my part, especially since my love has been branded a criminal. He’ll need both Roxxie’s, AND my help, now more than ever, and it’s about time I give back everything Cyan has done for us, and then some as I’ll show him how much he means to us… How much he means to me.” I looked back up to her while keeping that same expression. “Please teach me what I need to know, and I’ll follow to the best of my abilities.”

“Excellent Teala Crystalwaters,” she responded with a nod. “I am only here to make the introductions, and act on the tradition between Wielders and Guardians before we start the following morning.”

“Tradition?” I asked with a raised eyebrow.

“Yes. Specifically, the name you’ll give me as your new Guardian,” she responded.

“I get to name you? Like one would for a newborn foal?”

“Indeed. If you have trouble coming up with one, most Wielders usually get inspiration based on the element of magic they’re using.”

Based on one’s element huh? For me, that could be plenty of things. The name of an ocean, maybe a lake, perhaps a form of water that comes down in such a way?

“How does… Misty sound to you?” I asked.

“Hmm… I like it. Misty it is then,” she replied with a nod. Soon though, everything around us started to fade out, and I was shocked at the development. “Well it appears our time is up for now. Any last questions before I see you off until next time?”

“Just one,” I replied as I took off my rapier from my belt and held it up. “Why is my rapier here? I would think that won’t be needed for something like my Water Magic.”

“Different ponies have different ways to display their skills,” Misty explained. “Believe me when I say that you’ll be putting your years of fencing will be put to good use. That I’m sure of.”

“Well alright then. Plus, just holding this thing makes me eager to take on ANY kind of challenge,” I commented with a determined smile. “It was a pleasure meeting you Misty. I will see you again soon.”

“Indeed. OH! There’s one thing I’d just like to say,” she said. “Take a look through your parents’ ‘private library,’ and you’ll have an answer to a question that was on your mind not too long ago. Until then Teala Crystalwaters, farewell.” She waved her ripple-like arm at me, and I returned the gesture before everything around me went white.

My parents’ private library? But that’s where I… Oh dear, I may not remember what question was on my mind that day, but I pray to Celestia that there won’t be any new ‘novels’ I accidentally come across and glue myself to reading… And especially not letting my imagination run rampant.

Side Chapter 13: Teala's Discovery, Nil's History, and Apologies to be made

Side Chapter 13: Teala’s Discovery, Nil’s History, and Apologies to be made

[Monday Morning]

[Teala’s POV]

I groggily woke up, and found myself looking at the familiar ceiling of my room. Though the curtains were still closed, the sun was bright enough to light the room. I sat up, rubbed my eyes, and flexed my wings before I yawned and stretched.

That was certainly a strange dream last night. So much different compared to the others I had before. Misty was certainly a unique pony, but seemed nice enough nonetheless. Wonder why she wanted me to look through my parents’ private library? I mean I was curious to what mother and father were reading to have them stashed away like that instead of putting them in our regular library, and once I had the opportunity to see what they had, it was certainly… Unique, as far as romance novels go. I only go back from time to time to see what else was in store, but it has been a while since I last did so.

I looked over to Roxxie at my side who still slept the same way as the object of her name does. I still didn’t know why she or anyone else thought she wasn’t pretty or attractive, but if I had to point out one of her moments that make her so, it would be how she sleeps.

It seems early enough still. Perhaps I’ll take the opportunity to check out what Misty was talking about before anyone else wakes up.

I quietly got out of bed without waking Roxxie up, put on my fuzzy white slippers, and walked out of my room without making a sound.

I got to my parents’ office a few minutes later, and opened the door. When I walked inside, I see a desk with a few chairs, one behind, and two to the side for guests. The one that stood out to me however was the safe with a combination lock tucked away in the corner of the room. I walked over to it and started to turn the dials to the correct combination before I opened it, revealing a small bookshelf full of books, not one speck of dust due to the airlock tightness of the safe.

Let’s see here, what was the first title I’ve read in this collection? Hmm… Oh here we go.

I pulled out a book with red leather covering it, and opened the cover to the title page inside.

Ah yes, even with the other’s I’ve read, this was the first of many that would always be my favorite out of all the rest. My Faithful Prince, by Inkwell… Lustre… Wait a minute… Lustre… Isn’t that…

I gasped while my eyes widened as I remembered the full name of Nil’s acquaintance he mentioned Saturday evening.

“Luminescent Lustre… Is a relative to one of my favorite authors… Hold on, I think there’s also…” I put the book back, and sifted through the shelf to find a couple more I remembered before I pulled them out. “How I Love my Servant, by Redquill Lustre, A Forbidden Romance, by Scribbles Lustre, What it means to be a Queen, by Golden Lustre… Sweet Celestia, Lumina is from a line of erotica novelists!” I exclaimed with a whisper before I quickly put the books back to where they were like no one was here, closed the safe, and spun the dial to lock it up. As I fast walked out of the office, I went around the mansion aimlessly while grabbing my arms tightly as I tried to comprehend what I had just ran into.

“Okay, let’s try to calm down and not jump to any conclusions Teala. So Lumina’s relatives are well known novelists that I’ve somehow liked their works. That doesn’t say anything about who Lumina REALLY is right? I mean from Nil’s description on her cutie mark, there isn’t ANY relevance to what her relatives have done. Then again, there are some whose cutie marks, and goddess forbid, their NAMES wouldn’t match their career choices. Ohhh, why do some things in this world have to be so contradictive and vague? Even Lumina’s cutie mark, three hot pink hearts with a white shining light around them? Besides her specialty in Light Magic, what does that even IMPLY?! It could mean ANYTHING that revolves around love, romance, and dare I say it… Sex, and the light could mean how much she’s an EXPERT on such things! How could there even be cutie marks that could even PORTRAY something so… So… Something that should be kept within one’s household?!

“What if she’s like those authors, but does them DIFFERENTLY than writing them down?! What if her travelling with my sweet Cyan brings up some wrong ideas?! What if—“

“You know you’re going to grow wrinkles if you over think things like that.”

“AAAAAGK!” I screamed as I sprang up to the ceiling, and hung onto one of the lamps attached to it for dear life as I trembled in place.

“Sheesh, I didn’t think you of all ponies would get this tense princess. I was just trying to bring up something to counter your arguments. Sorry for scaring ya,” a familiar stallion voice said.

I looked down, and saw that it was Nil standing below me in his daily attire. “O-Oh… It’s fine. I was a little wound up,” I said before some loud hoof steps ran quickly to our location, and saw that it was Roxxie who slid to a halt.

“I heard screaming! What happened?!” She asked as she looked around her surroundings quickly.

“Everything’s fine Roxxie, a bug just scared the life out of me,” I said, trying not to put the blame on Nil when it wasn’t his intentions of scaring me.

Roxxie was confused to where the voice was coming from before she looked up and saw me. “Shit Teala! I thought something bad happened to you. You sure you’re feeling alright?”

“Yes, I’m fine. Now could you please make some room while I try to lower myself down? And don’t look up under my gown Nil,” I ordered.

Nil shrugged before he and Roxxie stepped back to give me some space. The former turned around to the opposite direction, and covered his eyes to ensure he wasn’t looking before I relaxed my wings from the tight clinging, and started to slowly descend to the ground. I landed softly on the floor, and sighed a breath of relief before I tried to straighten my night gown and mane from its unkempt bedhead. “Okay, you can turn around Nil,” I said.

He turned around afterwards, cleared his throat, and tipped his hat to us. “First off, good morning to you girls despite the scare. Secondly, I see you’ve stumbled across a little of Lumina’s backstory judging by how you were talking to yourself earlier Teala.”

My face heated after hearing him say that, embarrassed that I was caught doing something so, but tried to ignore it to bring around an important question. “So you know some of Lumina’s family history then?”

“Just a generalized version, yes,” he answered. “I had no idea what it was her relatives did at the time until she explained it to me, but now I’m kind of curious to what’s inside them if some of those titles have even someone like yourself found interesting.”

He didn’t know what erotica was? Did he somehow not knew what porn in general was either? I’d think Nil would be smart enough to know that already. What kind of education did he went through?

“Hey, what’s Nil talking about Teala? I’m kind of lost,” Roxxie said while scratching her head in confusion.

I laughed nervously before I looked around to make sure no one else was around, and I beckoned her to come close. I whispered what I found earlier, and Roxxie’s face reddened badly afterwards. “R-Really?” She asked, and I nodded sheepishly in response.

“To put your minds at ease, I’ll answer some of the concerns princess had rambled earlier,” Nil said, to which both of our attention was turned to him. “Yes, not only are some of Lumina’s relatives are such novelists, there are others who’ve been involved with the adult entertainment industry one way or another, but not all of them worked in such a career. From what she has told me about her cutie mark, three hearts with a white light flashing behind them, resembles the shining great love she has for her older sister, mother, and possibly other relatives in her family she cares for deeply. I don’t know what kind of history she has with her past relationships, but she has shown some promiscuous, yet teasing behaviors with some of the trainees back at the academy once she was starting to get comfortable enough; however, she’s considerate enough to hold back when they tell her to stop.

“As for her coming up with any ‘ideas’ being with your friend? Come on, what is Cyan? Like fourteen? Lumina’s nineteen going on twenty this upcoming August. I doubt she would even go THAT far with anyone around his age whether she had the consent to or not. If the kid’s really this great, and Lumina would want to have a relationship with him, the best he could really get out of her at this time would be a kiss.”

Roxxie and I glanced at each other with concerned expressions. Though the both of us had the same idea that such an age gap would make a relationship unlikely, BOTH of us knew how much of a great guy Cyan was, and we got worried from how he might catch Lumina's interest, and how much he may like her already. We looked back to Nil who had a stoic expression on his face. “Just curious of thought… But how hot would Lumina be in your own words?” Teala asked.

“Actually, I just remembered that I have a picture of us with the entire squad with me, plus another I found in Lumina’s old room as she might have forgotten it during the rush to get out of here,” he said. “I think it’s better if I showed you, if you’ll come along please?” He asked before he led us to the room Sigmund prepared for his stay.

Roxxie and I were sitting on his temporary bed while Nil sifted through his belonging in the suitcase he brought. “Let’s see, where did I put it? I really need to get this stuff organized,” he said to himself. “Ah ha! Here we go,” he stood up, walked over to us, kneeled down, and presented the photo. It was a large group photo with Marine standing to the side of his squad, while everyone else was in three rows. Everyone had smiles on their faces, including Nil while holding a peace sign in the back row. What stood out though was the buttercream coated mare with the violet mane in front of him who had a sour look on her face, showing that she wasn’t as much of a good mood as the rest as they took the picture that day. Despite that, she looked very attractive. “The mare in front of me is Lumina, and the white and blue unicorn on the right is the other top cadet in our squad, Shining Armor,” he explained as we took the photo for the both of us to look at. “Lumina wasn’t happy to be there the first few weeks in the academy, but her mood got lighter as the three of us became good friends later on, even after all the times she punched and tossed me to the wall.” He chuckled at the last comment, which got the two of us looking up to him with mixtures of surprise and concern.

“Why did she do that?” Roxxie asked.

“There were times I accidentally caught her and the other mares in our squad only in their undergarments, others where Lumina was in an innuendo with another pony, and let’s just say with her unique brand of tough love, she tries to teach me how to respect other mares and their privacy.”

“How come you didn’t know that before?” I asked with a raised eyebrow.

“… Let’s just say I went through some tough shit where things like that were tough for me to grasp for a while. I’d rather not get into it for now,” he then pulled up a chair to where he was sitting in front of us. “Anyway, that aside, Lumina was pretty rough with me during the first week, but as time went by, I’ve gotten better in learning about mares, gained tolerance to physical pain, and the two of us came to become good acquaintances. I don’t know much about her dating history however, so besides the one crush she had back at the academy, I’m not sure what she looks for in a stallion or mare.”

Stallion or mare? Is Lumina a bisexual? Well that will certainly give her more points. Anyway, if she had a crush, maybe if we can figure out what kind of stallion he was, then we can see whether there’s a chance of her having interest in Cyan or not.

“So what kind of stallion was Lumina’s crush?” I asked.

“Well you pretty much can see him next to her in the picture,” Nil replied. “Shining Armor was not only one of the top cadets, but I’ve come to know him as hard-working, loyal, high on morals, and an expert on shield magic. Quite frankly, there’s not much else I know besides him having a little sister, and a secret marefriend he sees during his year at the academy.”

“Whoa wait, so Lumina had a crush on him, but he was already taken?” Roxxie asked.

“Yep, and from what I can see, those two must have quite a history,” Nil replied. “Quite a shocker too, considering it was Princess Mi Amor Cadenza, or ‘Cadance’ as he calls her.”

Suddenly my eye twitched at the mention of the name that I DEFINITELY didn’t want to hear up to now. “… Cadance?” I hissed. Roxxie had the same idea as her brow furrowed as well.

“I… Take it you girls don’t like her?” Nil asked with a raised eyebrow.

“That’s only the HALF of it,” I replied. “For some nights when Cyan’s parents are gone for extended periods, SHE was his foalsitter, and APPARENTLY he had a young crush on her.”

“Huh, so she does foalsit,” Nil said. “Shining Armor told me she looked over his little sister for a while, which was how they got to know each other before they became an item. I was skeptical that a princess would be holding a foalsitting service. Even if I don’t know why if your friend had been under her care, I guess that confirms it. Anyway, that was a while ago since he was last looked after by her right? How old was he?”

“Like around six or seven I think,” Roxxie answered.

“Then that’s in the past. He’s probably more mature and has a better idea on what he likes in a filly other than what I could only assume was ‘looking pretty’ by Cyan’s standards,” Nil theorized.

“Oh no, that’s only the tip of the iceberg on why he liked her,” I rebutted while rolling my eyes. “I could just tell how bad he had on her when he talked about how sweet, smart, kind, fun, and pretty much a bunch others while getting googly eyed over her. Ugh, I know she’s one heck of a princess, but he didn’t have to egg on about her.”

“Well you gotta give the kid some slack,” Nil defended. “He was young back then right? He probably didn’t know how much he loved and cared for you two as friends until he wrote those letters right?”

Roxxie and I widened our eyes in shock from that statement. “H-how did—“

“I might have took an accidental glance at the letters back at his house,” Nil interrupted Roxxie. “Anyway, he must have grown out of his crush once he knew he didn’t had a chance with her, and with how she’s the same age as Lumina, I’m sure he still has that same mindset, and only wishes to be close friends with her. I should probably let you girls know, but Lumina was PISSED that she found out Shining Armor was taken by Cadance. She and I didn’t know because he kept his relationship a secret to not get special attention, and has only told us he wasn’t seeing anyone.”

“… I’m sure she must have been heartbroken too, finding out someone she loved didn’t return those feelings,” I commented with my ears folded, and looking down on the floor.

“She was very emotional that night, I’ll say that much,” Nil said while scratching his head under his hat. “Because of it, it’s going to take some time before she starts seeing other ponies again. I’m not sure what you two see in her right now, but I think you two will come to like her in time. From what I could see, she certainly has some things in common with you two. Like how all three of you have a distaste for Cadance.”

“Yeah, can we not bring that up again?” Roxxie asked. “I think my taste buds are getting bad just speaking her name now.”

“Done,” Nil said before he motioned himself zipping his lips shut. “Well I think that’s probably the best I can tell you about Lumina for now. If your friend speaks of you two highly with her, I’m sure she’d love to meet you two. In the end, she can be a pretty cool mare once you get to know her.”

“We’ll keep that in mind,” Roxxie said before her expression suddenly changed to guilt. “And uh, Nil…?”

“Yeah?”

“Sorry for threatening ya on the first day we met,” Roxxie apologized. “I was so riled up with what was happening that morning, and I had to take it out on something. You didn’t need to go through that.”

“Same goes for me,” I added in with a guilty expression of my own. “I forced you against your will to explain to us about our magic, and even after all of that, not only have you done so, but you’re even helping us reconnect with Cyan again. I don’t think we can thank you enough, and we’re truly sorry for all that we’ve done.”

“It’s in the past,” Nil said with a small smile while waving his hand out front. “I’m not one who holds a grudge for very long, especially for interesting young mares such as yourselves. What do you say we let bygones be bygones, and start things fresh between us, alright?” Roxxie and I then suddenly jumped from our beds, and gave him a tight hug from both sides, which caught him off guard.

“I think we’d like that very much… Thank you Nil,” I said before Nil returned the gesture with his wings blanketing over us.

“Still though, even after all of those beatings from Lumina, you still have those habits with mares?” Roxxie asked.

“I’m a slow learner when it comes to ponies. Science and magic are more my forte compared to that. I’m getting better though,” Nil defended before we pulled back.

“Well what do you say we grab breakfast, and get ready for the big night tonight? We’ve got a lot to do,” I said.

“Sure thing. I’ll meet you girls down there in a bit. Gotta pack my things,” Nil replied before Roxxie and I nodded, and we left his room while shutting the door behind us.

[Nil’s POV]

Once the girls left my room, I picked up the photo on my bed, and put it back in my suitcase. While I was there, I picked up another photo that consisted of me; Booksmart, the old, bluish gray pegasus with a silver white mane tied to a bun and glasses; and Clarity, a pale pink unicorn filly with a short, pale blue mane, and glasses who should be around sixteen by now. The three of us were smiling warmly in the photo, and though I wasn't blood related with these two, we still had a certain glow that I sometimes see good families have. I chuckled a little from recalling how my good-byes with Booksmart and Clarity went before I left to the academy.

[One year ago, Baltimare]

“Now I know there will be some ponies out there who may drive you crazy now and then, but I can guarantee that at least one of those will become good friends of yours, if not all. Just remember that no matter where you go, or what you’ll find out about yourself, you’re always welcome to come home, because in families, nobody gets left behind,” Booksmart said with a smile while we were in a tight hug.

“Yes yes, I understand Booksmart,” I replied before I pulled back with a smile, and gave my stepsister Clarity an embrace.

“And if you don’t find a mare when you get back, then I’ll snag you up and be your special somepony, because I love ya that much big bro,” Clarity kid which I chuckled.

“I’ll keep that in mind Clarity,” I said once I pulled back and looked at her in the eyes. “But don’t wait for me alright? I want you to focus on becoming an eye doctor like you’ve always wanted to be. I know you’ll do great in it.”

“Of course! Once I do, all of my future patients will be seeing with great ‘Clarity.’” The three of us laughed at the terrible pun she made before the whistle from the train caught our attention.

“Well, it’s time for me to go. Thanks for everything you two,” I said with a smile as I picked up my suitcase.

“It’s our pleasure Nil,” Booksmart said with a sad smile before a small tear welled up in her eye. “Now run along before the train leaves ya behind. We love you Nil.”

“I love you too. Take care,” I bid before I walked into the car, and in a few short moments, the train started moving out of station while the three of us waved each other good-bye. Once they were out of sight, I sat down on my seat, covered my face with my trusted hat, and started to choke up from tears rolling down my own face.

[Present Time]

Tears started to well up in my eyes after finishing my trip to memory lane, and sniffled while I chuckled a little. “You were certainly right Booksmart. These new friends of mine are crazy, but they’re quite a riot to be around. I’m curious to see where this will go.” I placed the photo back in my suitcase, locked it up, and left my room to join my new friends for breakfast.

Chapter 23: Shopping for Wedding Dresses, and Lumina's Concerns

Chapter 23: Shopping for Wedding Dresses, and Lumina’s Concerns

[Late Monday Morning]

[Lumina’s POV]

The four of us walked to the store where they sell wedding dresses, suits, and tuxes as I looked back on the events that occurred this morning before we left.

Okay, things are going well so far. I’m still quite surprised Cyan knows that much about adult attire, yet still tries to act cool and mature on the subject while not objectifying mares. Nil’s much older than he is, and yet the guy still ogles and stares instead of looking away and giving mares their privacy. I gotta give props to Cyan for being the better stallion in this case. Going back to how I walked in on him topless though, I swear I felt like I was in Nil’s position there, and that is just bad and WRONG on so many levels. I thought I was already starting to get comfortable around him, but now I’m not entirely sure anymore. I should probably list some of the things I need to do.

One, find a female friend who can help me with this problem. In this case, Orange is probably the only mare I know right now who can help me. Maybe I’ll talk to her about it today while we look around in the shop.

Two, plan your intense physical training you’ve learned from the academy and the old hag to help Cyan get stronger. He’s got a point on what he said earlier, not to mention I can’t guarantee I’ll always be at his side. He’ll probably want to start being more independent anyway, and I’m sure the both of us need some space from each other from time to time. If the training goes well and he gets even MORE toned than what I saw earlier, then I REALLY need to back off and make some space before my hormones get the better of me.

Three, help Cyan get some ideas on clothing designs the next time he uses Shadow Magic to make them. I mean sweet Celestia do I look HOT in this tube top. I’ve been DYING to get some new and stylish clothes ever since I left the academy. Maybe once I earn enough money I can find a new cute top or two from some department store. As much as I want to go all out on shopping, Cyan and I aren’t made of money, apparently he has more bits than I do, and I can’t just ask him to lend me some bits for my own things. In the meantime, even if Cyan can only make black colored clothing, I am TOTALLY down with him wanting me to try on new things. I mean heck, black is probably one of the sexiest colors to wear depending on the occasion. Still, I think I MIGHT have overreacted with my appreciation for Cyan making something like that this morning. Seriously, I’m glad he even said something before I somehow got too far. Guess that’s another reason why I’ll need to talk to Orange about this.

“I gotta ask, but isn’t it considered bad luck if the groom sees the bride in their dress before their wedding day?” Cyan asked which snapped myself out of my thoughts.

“Honestly, even if that were true, Orange and I had PLENTY of bad luck both before AND after we got together,” RB pointed out as he pulled his love closer while we walked. “We both ended up with bad dates and relationships before us, and it was inevitable for our old friends and family back in Cloudsdale to react the way they did. I think a better question would be what MORE bad luck would we run into?”

“Don’t jinx it!” I exclaimed. “You’re just raising more flags talking like that!”

“Well I honestly don’t care what comes our way as long as none of that will separate the two of us,” Orange said. “Not only has Rooty been an amazing brother, but the best thing that has ever happened to me. I’m not going to back down if anyone else says so.”

Wow, she’s really into this. Maybe asking her about my problems IS a good idea at this point.

“So besides Barley, Lumina, and me, you don’t have anyone else to come to the wedding?” Cyan asked.

“Like I said before, pretty much EVERYONE we knew back in Cloudsdale didn’t take the news lightly just from Orange and I being together,” RB replied with his ears folded. “I don’t think they want to attend a wedding for a pair like us either.”

Oh boy, I know where this is going. Being called the school slut back in high school was bad enough for me. I can’t even IMAGINE what these poor ponies went through.

“What if Lumina and me found some other ponies who would want to come?” Cyan asked which had the three of us, including me, staring back at him in surprised. “The two of us will be travelling for a while, and we’re BOUND to come across some new friends along the way. Maybe some of them will be more flexible in coming to your wedding than those you know. What do you think?”

Huh, I didn’t think of it like that. Way to think outside the box.

Orange and RB looked at each other for a moment before glancing back. “I… Suppose we’re alright with it,” RB replied. “You don’t NEED to find some ponies who are willing to go though. We’re thankful just to have you two attending for all it’s worth.”

“Don’t worry, it’s no trouble,” Cyan said with a wave. “Lumina and I would be more than happy to help make your special day more exciting and memorable. Isn't that right?” He asked while looking at me

“Oh yes, definitely!” I exclaimed.

“Well we really appreciate you two putting in the time and effort,” Orange said with a smile. “And it looks like we’re already here. Let’s head on inside,” she suggested before the four of us went in.

We split into pairs once we got the info we need to reserve and purchase dresses. Orange and I were looking through the section for wedding dresses while the guys were browsing through some tuxes and suits. I took advantage of being alone to ask Orange my concerns. “Hey Orange, can I ask you something personal?” I asked.

“Of course. After what you and Cyan are doing for us, we’re pretty much best friends now. You can ask me anything!” She replied happily.

“When you first got together with RB in secret, did you ever have any… Concerns or doubts that your relationship would work considering the circumstances?” I asked.

Orange took a moment to look down while frowning in thought to let the question sink in before she answered. “Well, after the afterglow from our first session together, we did panicked at what we just did at first. Before we even had the chance to talk about it, our parents were coming home, and we had to clean everything up as soon as we could to hide our aftermath. We were lucky they didn't suspect anything at that time.

"I walked into his room later that evening so we could have that chat by ourselves. Neither of us knew what came over us when we made that first kiss, and we were lucky Rooty had a condom on him before we got to the more intimate parts,” Orange blushed a little while recalling back that time before she continued. “We talked about how our parents and friends would freak out if we told them what we did together, but then we got to recalling back the first time we did it. The both of us agreed that what we did back then felt… Right, in a way. I mean we already both loved each other, and we’ve always been there for one another in both the good times, and the bad. Sure, we had our moments of sibling banter, but we got over them pretty quickly after we apologized and hugged, which I think both of us enjoyed out of it now that I’m looking back on it.

“Anyway, the both of us agreed to go on a few dates, under the façade that we were just spending time together as brother and sister like we used to so we can get a better sense on what was going on between us. After a while, I had more fun being with him as someone more than just his little sister, and Rooty felt the same after we had talked about it. So… We tried it again with that knowledge once Mom and Dad were out, and it felt just as good, if not, BETTER than before. At that moment, the both of us wanted to spend more time together like that, being more as a couple than as siblings. We would talk about it with our friends and family eventually, but in the meantime, we just wanted to enjoy what we had going, and did it in secret. I think it was at that moment all of our concerns and doubts faded away, and we just embraced what we had,” Orange looked up to me after she finished. “Are you going through what you asked me with Cyan right now?” She asked.

I was lost in how incredible their development in relationship was before I was snapped out of it. “Erm… In a way, yes,” I admitted. “Like you, I didn’t have as much luck with ponies back in high school, both colts and fillies. Some were going okay until… Something got in the way, and they just dropped me at the drop of a hat. Soon I just go to the first pony that seemed attractive at the time, and with self-respect still in tow, I either kept going out with them, or dropped them if they turned out to be jerks later on. Eventually, I just gave up sometime in mid-sophomore year, and with my last session turning out so badly, I haven’t had a good rut since then.”

“Oh dear… How long has it been now?” Orange asked.

I looked up and tried to count the times before I looked down with ears folded in shame. “… Almost four years,” I said. “Sure, I do it myself for stress-relief, but it’s just not the same sometimes.”

“Well… What makes Cyan different from all the other ponies you’ve met?” She asked.

“Well before him, I THOUGHT I found someone who was like that back at the academy,” I replied. “Though I had shut myself off from everyone else, he still made an effort to get friendly with me and made my time there, well, more tolerable. I warmed up to him, and developed a crush on him sometime afterwards. With how sweet he was towards me, I honestly thought he was going somewhere with us, and he said himself that he wasn’t interested in seeing anyone at the time. I wanted to confess my feelings for him in hopes that he did the same, and we would be together while serving the Royal Guard… But then I saw him kissing someone else, and I just resigned and left the academy soon after that. I didn’t say another word to him when I was there, and he didn’t know I watched it all happened. It was like everything we did together, what we did to get to know each other was all for naught, and it all crumbled right in front of me at that moment.”

Orange suddenly hugged me with her arms and wings to show comfort. “Lumina, I am so sorry you had to go through that. You must have felt so hurt,” Orange said.

“It’s fine,” I replied as I pulled back. “I’ve calmed down a little since then, but I’m still trying to get over him. That same night I left the academy was the time I met Cyan though. I’ll admit, he didn’t found me at a good time as I was still pent up from earlier events. I had kind of scared him a little from that, and it wasn’t until I found out he was a fourteen year old, runaway colt that my mood changed completely. I had to put my tensions to the side then so I could have him get comfortable around me and explain what he was doing outside of Canterlot. We got to know each other while sharing some food I had on me, but I started to strangely feel… Open to him as I tried to get him to warm up to me. He got me to laugh a little, which was something I haven’t had for a while, and I just felt I could be more myself around him.

“From what I know about him so far, though he takes things too seriously now and then, he’s very considerate, puts others before himself as he tries to make them happy even in his lowest of times, kind, conscientious, knowledgeable, and he even sees quirks in some ponies' imperfections. He’s probably the sweetest, most mature fourteen year old colt I’ve ever met, and even though I kissed him yesterday, I’m still conflicted with how I feel for him.”

“Is it that you’re conflicted, or you’re afraid he’ll hurt you again like all the others before him?” Orange asked, and I looked at her with widened eyes in response. “I’m not 100% sure, but I think I’m starting to know where you’re coming from.”

“Y-you do?” I stuttered.

“This is just a guess,” she continued. “But I don’t think you’re conflicted with whether you like him or not. Maybe even more despite him being under the legal age of consent. It sounds like Cyan’s similar to your last crush before him, you’re afraid of going further with what you two have, and end up getting hurt again like before. Has Cyan fell in love with anyone before you?”

“There was two of his closest friends back in Canterlot,” I answered. “He was uncertain with his feelings with them at first from the sound of it, but I think it’s clear how he feels for them, and he still does to this day. He has talked quite a bit about them, like they were more of a family than his real one.”

“I see… And how long have you two been travelling together since you two met?” Orange asked.

“Erm… Today will be our third day,” I admitted.

“Hmm… And you said you first kissed him just yesterday, which was the second,” she commented. “I gotta be honest, you two may be going too fast with each other, and if BOTH of you are still wound up in feelings from something in the past, that doesn’t really help with both of your situations at all, especially with how long since you had a good, *ahem* rut. I’d say do what I did and embrace your feelings, but it sounds like that could be too much for you right now.”

“And I don’t want to hurt Cyan either,” I added in. “He’s just been so sweet, and it’s a wonder why his parents even dropped him like that. I want to help him however I can, but I don’t want to bring up any ideas of something going on between us. The kiss was bad enough, and now I’M starting to want more out of it. Probably from the lack of, well, THAT like I mentioned earlier.”

Orange took a moment to gather her thoughts and try to come up with some solutions before she answered. “I think I may have an idea to help you with your latter problem, but I’ll have to get back to you on that later once I know it’s okay. As for you and Cyan, first, it sounds like he’s told you quite a bit of himself, so I think you should disclose something about yourself while trying to lay out some ground rules between you two.”

“Cyan and I did part of the second one already,” I commented. “As far as I know, we’re both okay with hugs, kisses, snuggling, and even how far undressed we are when we’re in the same room… Thinking back on it now, I might need to change some of those ground rules.” I blushed at how stupid I was thinking laying those kinds of ground rules back then.

“… Okay, the ACTS is a start, but I think I mean more on where you two stand in your friendship,” Orange clarified. “Unlike you, Cyan has NO dating and relationship experience, and can only go off of what he had with his close friends that he had loved before. He’s probably just as confused on what he wants and where he stands in this as you are. Rooty and I tried setting each other up with a few of our friends before we got together. Though it didn’t work out for us, it could be a good idea for you to do the same for Cyan so that HE can start getting an idea on how dating and relationships work. Unless YOU want to go out on a date with him if you’re sure on your feelings of course.”

“… I don’t think so. Not yet anyway,” I admitted.

“Alright, and while he goes on his dates, maybe you should try to go on a few yourself,” Orange suggested. “See how different the guys and girls are since your times in high school, and gain better knowledge on what you’re looking for before you give Cyan a shot. As for the legal thing? If you’re sure you want to be with Cyan both body and soul, I say don’t worry about it and just go for it. What matters is WHO it is you’re with, and not WHAT. Does that make sense?”

“I think so,” I replied with a nod. “Thanks for hearing me out. It’s been a while since I had a good filly friend like you to talk about these things with.”

“Anytime Lumina,” Orange replied with a wave. “I’ll get back to you on the other idea I had in mind, and if there’s anything else you need to talk about, don’t hesitate to come to me, alright?”

“I’ll keep that in mind. Thanks Orange,” I said before the two of us had a good hug with smiles.

“Now, how about we have some fun, and have the boys get their jaws dropping for our dresses?” She asked with a smirk.

“W-wait, me too?” I asked while pointing to myself. “I-I don’t know, I mean we’re here for you and RB’s special day.”

“Come ooon, it will be fun,” Oranged prodded before she snagged a few dresses from the rack, and shoved one to me. “Here, just try this on. I think this will look wonderful on you. I’ll get you another size if it doesn’t fit. I won’t take no for an answer. Now let’s go.”

“But but but,” I stuttered as Orange pushed me to the changing rooms, and I just gave up before I got inside against my will.

[Cyan’s POV]

“So Lumina’s quite the hottie don’t ya think?” RB asked out of nowhere as we were browsing through tuxes and suits in the guy’s section.

“Should you even be talking like that when you’re already engaged?” I asked with skepticism.

“I’m just sayin’. You’re one heck of a lucky guy to have her as your marefriend,” he said

“She’s not my marefriend alright?” I corrected. “We’re just friends who apparently kissed each other once… Twice if you count that small break of chat in between.”

“Uh huh... Have you ever gone any further than that?” He asked.

“NO! It would make things even more confusing between us.”

“Now you’re leaving ME confused dude.”

“Trust me, you’re not the only one,” I sighed in frustration. “Look, I don’t know what’s going on in Lumina’s head right now alright? She said she’s trying to work out her feelings on what she wants in a serious relationship after she found out the last guy she had a crush on was already with someone else. As far as I can guess, she’s been having a bad streak of guys and girls,”

“Ooo a bisexual huh? Nice catch dude,” he interrupted with a thumbs up.

“…Anyway,” I continued. “Lumina’s been having a bad streak of relationships before she met me, and apparently she hasn’t made very much friends, if not good ones, in her lifetime. I think she just needs someone there to listen and support her like I believe what a good friend should do, and right now, I’m that guy.”

“And you’re okay with that?” RB asked with a raised eyebrow.

“Pretty much,” I answered with a shrug. “To be honest, I didn’t realize I was in love with two of my best foalhood friends until I ran away from Canterlot, and I was JUST seeing how beautiful and attractive they were that day. I’m not sure if I’ll see them again someday, but right now Lumina’s the first and only friend I’ve made since I left who’s helping me get around. I’m not sounding like I’m taking advantage of her kindness. Despite her teases, I like being her friend so far, I’m very thankful to have her, and I want to do however I can help her in return.”

“But do you want to be with Lumina?” He asked.

“Honestly? A part of me says yes,” I admitted. “I want to give us a shot to see if we could at least work. Maybe have a few dates, kiss, and end the night with cuddles with no assumptions of getting anywhere further than that. But I already know Lumina doesn’t want to have a serious relationship right now like I said before. I respect that, and I still want to be her friend. Even if she starts looking and I have ZERO chance of being with her I still do. If I can be the friend who’ll be there to support her in both good times and bad, and help her as much as I can with the latter, I’m totally okay with that.”

“What if she wants to go further with the kisses and is still uncertain about what she wants?” RB asked.

“As much as my hormones and balls will KILL me afterwards, I’d have to stop her then and there,” I answered. “I may even have to stop kissing her altogether and stop her from that as well. If I want to have something like that, I want us both to be ABSOLUTELY certain that is what we want, and we actually GET somewhere afterwards. I don’t want to take advantage of, well, whatever’s going on in her head, only to result in her regretting what she did, and never wanting to see me ever again like all the other ponies she was with. I’m not going into the friends with benefits route either. That will just make things even MORE confusing with how we both feel about each other.”

“Huh… I gotta say Cyan, you’re more mature than any other stallion I’ve seen so far, I respect that,” RB said. “But a little advice from guy to guy?” I shrugged in response. “You should probably tell her what you’ve told me about what you want from Lumina. Make sure you two are on the same ground so that you know what to do with yourselves.”

“Doesn’t that sound a little selfish on my part?” I asked with a raised eyebrow.

“Perhaps, but you sound like you know what you want from Lumina compared to what she’s going through right now,” RB answered. “I can see you’re okay with whatever she decides, and care for her well-being. It’s mighty high of you to think like that, but you gotta remember to think about what YOU want in your relationship sometimes so it doesn’t feel one-sided, and she doesn’t throw a bone back when you’ve thrown all of yours. Trust me, before I got together with Orange, I wanted to give the mares I dated a good time while they were with me, and I gave what I could. In the end though, I found out some were only using me to get someone else jealous so they can get them, and others only said yes to get in the ride, enjoy it, and leave without ever calling me back.”

“Yikes. Those girls sound like total bitches,” I commented.

“Boy were they,” RB said as he wrapped his arm around my shoulder. “Cyan bud, if there’s one thing that every stallion should know, it’s that mares are very strange, and I can guarantee that they probably feel the same with us. Just remember that if things don’t work out between you and Lumina, it’s not the end of the world. You may get down after that, everyone does, but what matters is how we get back up, and move on. Life is like rushing waters in a river, you’ll get hit with rocks. As you keep going, you get stronger until they feel like knocks. Once you look back from a distance, you’ll be surprised to see. A beautiful view of what you’ve accomplished, and how you came to be.”

“…Dude, that was deep,” I praised. “Where’d THAT come from anyway?”

“I think old man Barley’s rubbing off on me. He’s a big guy on poetry, and likes to recite morals like that,” RB answered.

Poetry huh? I’ll have to keep that in mind for what Lumina and I should get for Barley for letting us stay and work at his pub.

My train of thought was interrupted by one of the employees of the store. “Excuse me gentlecolts,” she said. “Your marefriends wish for you two to come to the display room.”

I ignored her assumption with Lumina being my marefriend before I answered. “Can you lead us the way then?”

“Of course, if you’ll follow me please,” she directed as we followed her to the back.

[Lumina’s POV]

“I still don’t see why I had to go through with this,” I argued as I fixed my dress and mane. “It’s not like I’ll be getting married anytime soon.”

“Oh come on Lumina, we’re having fun aren’t we?” Orange asked. She was wearing a frilly dress that accented her curves, and extended outwards until they reached to the canons of her legs with room saved for movement. There were straps over her shoulders that crossed and extended down to her lower back, perfect to let her wings move freely. “Besides, just LOOK at you! You look GORGEOUS!” She praised

I looked at myself in the mirror, where I saw myself wearing a simple silk dress that was backless. It was held up by the veil-like collar with flowers depicted in the stitching that extended to the top of my breasts where the main textile started. My curves were also accentuated as I scanned down to where the dress ended to my fetlocks, which also had room for movement, and had a certain hypnosis to it when I twirled it. “Well, I can’t say if this would be my final pick, but it does look nice,” I said.

“Lumina, you’re not giving yourself enough credit here!” She exclaimed. “You look amazing, and I’m sure Cyan would love it.”

My face heated from Orange mentioning his name. “Y-you really think so?” I asked.

“I KNOW so,” she replied.

“Okay boys, prepare to be dazzled!” The employee said as she directed them to the room with their hands blocking their eyes. “Aaaand… Open your eyes!” She exclaimed excitedly before the guys allowed themselves to see, and stood there wide eyed before us like a dog would stare at a treat before it.

“Orange, you look amazing,” RB praised while rustling his wings as he walked up to his fiancé and held her hand. Orange blushed and giggled as he kissed the hand he was holding.

I looked to Cyan who was slowly walking up to me with wide eyes as well while he scanned me. I couldn’t help but feel my face heated has he drank my image. “S-so? What do you think?” I asked as I stepped down the platform with different mirrors.

“Lumina,” he said as he held my hand. While looking up to me. “Words can’t even begin to describe how beautiful you look right now.”

I felt like my heart skipped a beat after hearing him say that as we gazed into each other’s eyes. For a moment, it felt like everything around us just disappeared, and we were the only ponies left in the room before someone cleared their throat that caught and directed our attention towards the employee. “I hate to break into such a romantic moment, but would you two please take that somewhere else while you aren’t in our dress?” She asked before we looked back to each other, and noticed that we were in each other’s arms in close proximity to kiss before we scrambled away from each other and looked away with flushing faces.

“Uh, right. Sorry ma’am,” Cyan apologized.

“I’ll just… Change out of these real quick,” I said as I dashed back to the changing rooms to get out of the dress.

RB and Orange ended up reserving the dress they picked before the four of us left the store, and went to a restaurant to get lunch. We ended up talking more about the specifics of the wedding while we ate. Their wedding day is November 12, which seemed like a reasonable day before things start to get too cold to turn into winter. We also talked about the parties; what limits there were since some of us were under age to get into more adult establishments and drink alcohol; and the chapel they’ll be holding the ceremony in (which was rather cheap and flexible with who they bring together in marriage as far as they’ve told me). One thing that caught off both Cyan’s and my guard was how we were offered to be their best stallion and mare. Sure, we may have been the only other spectators to come to the ceremony (at least unless we find some more ponies who want to attend), but it was still a great honor and pleasure no less, and we gladly accepted.

Our pairs parted ways after lunch, we thanked them for treating us, and bid them good-bye until work before Cyan and I walked over to the library to see if Nil was there today. We sat in the same spot we were in last time while reading through a book to pass the time. We didn’t exchange any notes like we did last time, and honestly I couldn’t really think of anything for us to talk about then. Even if I did, it just wasn’t the time and place to do it, and it wouldn’t mean much communicating through index cards.

After we gave up for the day we walked back to the pub in silence, bought some appetizers for dinner, and got into our uniforms before we started on our shifts. I tried acting cheerful to the customers as I waited tables, but it was almost painful to do as I had a lot going on in my mind. It looked like Cyan was the same as he seemed to space out from time to time while clearing tables. He almost even tripped on his own hooves at one point, but he retained his balance and caught the bin that he was holding before it flew and broke any dishes on impact. Barley noticed how we weren’t ourselves that night, and decided to give us a break early so we could gather ourselves a bit.

Cyan and I were at the back of the pub outside, sitting on some boxes that were there while we didn’t spoke and looked at the ground while I was in deep thought.

Okay, this is getting ridiculous. Obviously both of us have something to say to each other, and it’s driving me crazy. This isn’t even about my sexual frustrations anymore as it's stemming more from the stress of the situation. I don’t think having sex would even help ease my nerves a little at this point if it only kept my mind off it for a moment. We gotta do something so that the both of us would calm down enough for us to talk about our concerns. What can we do though? Wait, what was that one thing Cyan said last night relating to his tea parties with Teala?

Sometimes she would have me brush her mane and tail while we chatted afterwards, which was strangely more comfortable and soothing to do than the tea parties. She talked most of the time, but I didn’t had very much to add into it, so I didn’t really mind. I think I started to become a good listener after that.

THAT’S IT! I know what we could do tonight after work! I just hope Cyan’s into it. Might as well ask him now and see what he thinks.

“Hey Cyan?” I asked while looking to him, being the first thing I said to him since lunch.

His ears perked up before he looked at me. “Yeah?”

“Remember what you told me last night about how soothing it was to brush Teala’s mane and tail after your tea parties?”

“Uh, yes? Is that weird?”

“No no! It’s fine!” I exclaimed while waving out front. “Actually, my sister or mom would do the same thing with me when I was younger. It was… Really nice doing that with them while we talked about our days before we head to bed,” I said as I looked back to those times when school didn’t matter, and I could be with my family that I loved. “I realized I haven’t told much about myself yet, and you’ve told me so much about you already. There’s also something I want, no, that I NEED to get off my chest as well, and I think… Having you brush my mane and tail could help both of us relax a little while I talked. Would you be up with that?” I asked.

Cyan looked shocked at the offer, as if he never would have thought I would ask that before he looked down and frowned in thought. “I… Suppose I could do that if you’re alright with it,” he responded.

“Great!” I exclaimed happily before I hugged him tightly. “Okay, let’s get back to work and get our shifts done for the night quickly. I wanna get through this as soon as possible,” I said before I got up, and went back inside first to get back to work.

I gotta tell him tonight. Our friendship and sanity is on the line here, and since I started it all with that one kiss yesterday, I’ll need to straighten this out for the better. I’ll also need to update on the ground rules we established so that the line between friends and lovers will be marked and set in stone. Cyan’s been such a good friend so far, and even if what I’ll say tonight will have him change perspectives on me, at least he’ll have a better understanding on where I came from. He deserves that much at least, and I want to help him get the special, lucky filly to have Cyan as her special somepony. Even if I did end up wanting Cyan in the end, I honestly don’t think I deserve someone so special like him after all I’ve put him through, and especially all the ponies I went through. Guess that means I really do have to change myself for the better. I just hope that even after this, Cyan can help me get through it like the wonderful pony he is.

Chapter 24: An Evening of Brushies, Lumina's Harsh Dating and School Life, and a Promise Between Friends

Chapter 24: An Evening of Brushies, Lumina’s Harsh Dating and School Life, and a Promise Between Friends

[Cyan’s POV]

I swear, I thought Lumina’s behavior the last few days was odd before. Now I’m not even sure WHAT’S going on with her anymore. I’m not even sure what’s going on with ME right now. Why was I in such a fucking trance when I saw her in that wedding dress? Especially when she looked so… Innocent with that blush of hers? It was like everything I thought about who she was before was shoved to the side as I was looking at a totally new, different side of her then. It’s so confusing to see her normally right now, it’s like I’m looking at a bit sitting upright on its edge, and I don’t know which side is heads or tails. I really hope that whatever Lumina has to say after work tonight, I’ll gain a MUCH better understanding of her so I’ll know what I’m dealing with from now on.

After we finished our shifts and closed the pub for the night, Barley bid the four of us good night, and went to his room. I took a mental note to talk to him before Lumina and I leave the city at some point so I can understand why he took us in the way he did, and perhaps help me understand my situation a little better. As I walked back to our room, I noticed Orange whispered something to Lumina before the latter followed me. I didn’t know what it was about, but I tried not to worry too much about it. Before I started my shower first when I got to the bathroom, I took some time to make something from my Shadow Magic that should have come to mind since the first night we spent together here: pajama pants. Two pairs, one for each of us. I’ve been okay ignoring Lumina being in her underwear the past few nights, but since I can make clothes out of my magic now, I thought it was time I had her start wearing something like this. I made one for myself because boxers are considered to be underwear as well, and since I only brought those to sleep with, I was on the same boat as Lumina was. At least I made them loose and comfortable enough for us to sleep in.

After I finished my shower and changed into my night clothes, I stepped out, and gave Lumina the other pair of pants I made while explaining those were for wearing overnight. She was surprisingly okay with that as she took them and her other change of clothes before she got to the bathroom and started her shower. After I cast the sound-proof spell in the room, I took a moment to gather my thoughts.

Okay, the pants are feeling great right now. Soft, comfy, feel like they’ll keep me warm throughout the night, I should see if I can change its color to something else… Let’s try blue.

With that thought in mind, I focused my unicorn magic on my night pants with my color changing spell. It was strangely not doing anything, so I tried putting more effort into it, but there was still no effect. At that point I just gave up and let it be.

Okay, somehow I can’t change the color of the clothes made with my Shadow Magic. I’ll have to ask Shadina why that is after tonight. I should let Lumina know about this so she knows I can only make them into one color. Anyway, tonight I’ll be brushing Lumina’s mane and tail as she talks about herself tonight. I honestly didn’t expect her to suggest something like that out of nowhere. I was honest when I said it was soothing for me to do, like I can focus on doing something while listening to another pony, and not worry about what’s going on in the past or the future. It’s been a while since I last done it because Teala and I grew out of playing tea parties, and the brushes that came with that; however, now that I look back on it, she did try to spend more time with me outside of school like Roxxie after that. Maybe old habits die hard? I’m going off topic though. Getting back to what’s about to happen, I just hope my skills in brushing didn’t die down from lack of practice. Besides that though, all you’re gonna do tonight is listen to what Lumina has to say, ask questions for clarification, and respond to whatever she asks me. Not so much different back in my times with Teala, so this shouldn’t be too big of a challenge. I just hope that whatever Lumina has to say doesn’t result in me tearing some locks off by accident from the shock.

“Cyan? Are you doing alright?” Lumina asked while peeking behind the bathroom door which snapped me out of my thoughts.

“Y-yeah, I’m fine,” I responded. “How do the pants feel?”

“They feel very nice,” she said as she walked out of the bathroom with her slightly damp mane and tail while wearing the pants I made, and a loose t-shirt. She put the uniform to the side before she got on the bed with her hair brush in hand. “I’m honestly glad you made it, because there are some things to the ground rules we established yesterday that I’d like to change that would result in me asking you to make these.”

“You do?” I asked before I sighed in relief. “Oh thank Goddess I wasn’t the only one who thought so.”

Lumina giggled at my exasperation. “Why don’t you start off on what you want to change before I put in my thoughts, and we can get started?” She asked.

“Alright,” I said before I looked back to what we already established, and what I want to change before I made my first point. “As much as I’m gonna miss it, no kissing. Not even anywhere else beside the lips. It just sends mixed messages, which makes things THAT much more confusing between us.”

“I have to agree,” she added in. “I apologize for taking away your first kiss like that without having it to go anywhere. I think I was really mixed up with my emotions back there, and it just… Happened,” she looked down to the bed with ears folded.

“It’s in the past,” I replied while I waved. “I still really liked it though, I gotta be honest with that much.”

Lumina giggled in response. “Anything else?”

“I still won’t touch you in any of those particular places you pointed out, AND some of the places you said it was okay. Like I said before, there’s nothing wrong with them, but I just respect you too much to even take advantage of that much ground,” I clarified.

“I appreciate that. I was actually gonna say I want to have that changed too,” Lumina added. “I think I was… Not thinking very much when I wrote what I was okay with. The three places I wrote before that are not allowed to touch are still there, I’d like to add my breasts and butt into the list as well.”

“Done,” I concluded. “If there are other places you find you’re not comfortable being touched, don’t hesitate to let me know, and I’ll keep it in mind.”

“Same goes to you. So I’m gonna take a guess your cute butt and package are off limits for now?” She asked.

I couldn’t help but flustered from how she described such places on my lower body. “Um… Yes. Are hugs and snuggles still okay?” I asked.

“… I’d like to keep those if you’re okay with it,” Lumina answered.

“Alright. I think we can agree that there may be some places that will be touched unintentionally, but as long as we know where our hands are, I think we should be fine… And I apologize in advance if I somehow ‘pitch a tent’ while we make contact,” I said as I blushed and pushed my fingers in shame while looking down.

“I find it quite flattering to be honest,” Lumina responded. “But I appreciate you letting me know ahead of time. What else is left?”

“The clothes,” I replied. “Though I’ve put up with half of it the past few nights, I’m just not comfortable being around you while you’re in bras and panties.”

“Yeah, I think I might have gotten overboard with that response back there,” she laughed nervously while scratching the back of her head. “The boxer briefs were the only ones I had to wear for nightwear besides panties, so thanks for making these pants for me. And while I thought I was okay with it at first, I’m having second thoughts on how dressed you are while I’m in the room after seeing you this morning.”

“I figured you might,” I added in. “Don’t worry, I’ll change in the bathroom from now on… Crap, I just realized something.”

“What is it?” Lumina asked.

“What if we come to a place where we want to swim like a public pool or a beach? How different would our dress codes be then?” I asked.

Lumina looked to the side and thought about it at first before she turned back to me. “I think I’m alright with you just being in your swim trunks. Just so long as you don’t have any speedos on hand.”

“Oh Goddess no, I wouldn’t have something like THAT on me,” I replied. “And I think I’m fine with whatever bikini you want to wear as long as it isn’t too exotic or revealing like if you’re just wearing strings.”

“Alright, I can work with that. I think we’ve gone over everything, but is there anything else you want to add?”

“I think if you keep your teases to a certain low degree I should be fine, and I’m sure we’ve gotten to the point where we can talk to each other about anything in our minds right?”

“Of course,” she agreed with a nod. “If we’re done with the ground rules for now, shall we get to the brushing while we chat then?” She asked while holding up her brush.

“As long as you’re okay with me touching your mane and tail, sure thing,” I responded before we got to a comfortable position while I had Lumina’s brush in hand. We got to where I was sitting cross legged behind her while her tail lied across my lap. “Alright, are you comfortable?” I asked.

“Yep. I’m ready whenever you are,” Lumina responded before I held a couple of her strands, and started to lightly brush her mane from the bottom up as I slowly made my way from the left to the right of her head.

“So you mentioned there was something about yourself you want to get out of your chest?” I asked to start off the conversation.

“Yes. I’ve noticed I haven’t told a lot about myself except why I left the academy in the first place,” she pointed out.

“Right. So far I’ve only known about that, some tidbits about your mom and sister, you being a bisexual and seeing a lot of ponies before me, haven’t made a lot of friends, you accidentally caught some of your family members in the act, and you use Light Magic… Oh, and you have DD Cup size breasts,” I finished.

“I realize all of those sounded kind of vague and leave a lot of questions. Not to mention I haven’t really talked more about myself personally.”

“Well we’ve got all night to chat, and I’m always willing to know more about my friends, so I’m okay with whatever you’re comfortable telling me. My ears are wide open,” I assured.

“I should probably start things off about my home and family,” Lumina told as I continued brushing. “Before getting drafted in the academy, I was born and raised in Trottingham. In my house, I only had my older earth pony sister, Crystal Lustre, and my unicorn mom, Violet Lustre. My dad who was an earth pony died from a stroke when I was really young, so I never knew him all that well, but it seemed he and mom were happy together.

“For what my mom does for a living, she bartends a local club in town, but there was something she did before me and Crystal were born, before she had even met Dad…” There was a slight pause as I was finishing her mane. “Can you promise not to freak out from what I’m going to tell you?” She asked.

“Hey, you accepted me even when I was the son of a commander you served under. But of course, I promise.” I replied as I got started from the bottom of her tail, and worked my way up.

Lumina took a deep breath, and sighed out the anxiety that was holding inside of her. “My mom, Violet Lustre… Was a porn model,” she announced.

My eyes went wide as dinner plates while I paused mid brush as the both of us sat in silence.

Um… Wow. Though it may not be any right to guess, but some of the things I’ve learned about Lumina up to this point, and why she behaved like she did suddenly made more sense now. Seriously, the awkwardness in the air right now is thick enough to cut with an axe.

“It seems in our family history, whether it’s a unicorn, pegasus, or earth pony, the mares in the Lustre bloodline have been gifted with attractive bodies for generations,” Lumina continued with her story as I got back to my brushing. “And within that bloodline, a couple members here and there had worked in the adult entertainment business for a while. Whether it be through modeling for magazines, acting in movies, even writing erotic novels. Our family has been so well known over the years, just mentioning our name in a room would catch the attention of some ponies who’ve looked into my family’s works.”

Sheesh, I guess the ‘Lust’ in Lustre isn’t there for kicks. Wonder how awkward family reunions can be with them taking part?

“Mom was a well-known model during her time,” Lumina commented, stopping my train of thoughts. “She seemed to enjoy it while it lasted from what she had told me, but marrying my dad, and retiring her career to take care of me and my sister was the best decision she had ever made. She would always be there for us when we needed her. She supported us, made the effort to spend time with us, she was just so great, Crystal and I would try to help her out however we could around the house. We just loved her for all that she was, and probably still is now.

“During my time in school, I was pretty shy. I was so used to spending time with my sister and Mom, I didn’t know how to approach other ponies, or join them in games. Whenever recess started, I would just hang out on the grass next to the playground, and mind my own business. It went on like that for a while as I did okay in grades until my first year in middle school.

“I made my first friend during that time, at least who I thought was my first friend, named Gleaming Star. She was not only my first friend at the time, but probably my first crush on a mare too. We had spent time together after school, had sleepovers, did makeovers, and the other usual filly stuff we do and talk about. Cute colts included, especially this one that Gleaming had a crush on during our second year. She would always look at him dreamily, but never had the guts to ask him out, or confess her feelings. One day she asked me if I could go talk to him, and ask him if he would take her out on a date.”

“That had to be awkward, considering you had a crush on her too,” I commented as I finished brushing her tail.

“Pretty much,” she agreed. “Granted, the colt did look pretty cute, so I didn’t blame her for liking a colt like most fillies would. I had never really got to tell Gleaming my feelings for her, but I was still willing to be her friend otherwise. Anyway, I did as Gleaming asked, and told the colt about her. She watched us from a distance to see how it went while not being caught by him. When I told him about her, he told me something that had caught me off-guard.”

“What was that?” I asked.

“He had a crush on ME, and wanted to take ME out on a date,” she responded. “To be honest, I was one of those early bloomers in puberty during that time. I was starting to fill and develop my more feminine features, and I can only guess that’s part of the reason why he gave me some attention.”

“Sheesh, this is sounding more like a crazy romance novel with a complicated love triangle added into it,” I commented as I set Lumina's brush to the side of her things with my magic. “I think I’m all done brushing your mane and tail, but we can still talk if you want to continue.”

Lumina took a moment to check her mane and tail for their conditions. “Wow, not bad Cyan. I should probably let you brush me more often,” she complimented before she turned around to face me.

I chuckled a little while grinning like an idiot and scratching the back of my head. “Thanks. So what did you after his confession?”

“I told him I wasn’t interested, and suggested him to ask Gleaming out once more,” she responded. “But he said he wasn’t interested in her before we had our good-byes and he walked off. I talked to Gleaming about what happened afterward, including him having a crush on me, and she did NOT take it lightly. She pounded me with insults, saying how much of a traitor I was for grabbing his attention, and told me how she never wanted to see me again. We broke off our ‘friendship’ after that, and not spoke a single word throughout most the rest of middle school,” she concluded.

I sighed in frustration from hearing this while I pinched the space between my eyes. “Honestly, it’s not your fault he had the hots for you. That foal of a filly was just overreacting from all of that. You didn’t have any intentions of asking him out at the time did you?” I asked.

Lumina shook her head. “I didn’t. Not for a while. As we got into our third year though, and I developed more as a mare, he tried to ask me out again. He added to at least let me give him a shot to show how much he’s serious with me, and promised to leave me alone if I feel it wouldn’t work out between us. Of course at the time, I didn’t have any ‘friends’ to either betray or lose, and he was cute. So I went ahead and said yes.

“Our first date went okay, just a usual small dinner and a movie, and we had hit it off pretty well. It wasn’t until he had walked me home, and we said our good nights before I had gotten my first kiss. After that, we went out on more dates, spent more time with each other, and played around. We just couldn’t be happier with each other as we kept spending more time together, and had our intimate moments. Gleaming wasn’t all that happy with our development though, as she watched us from the sidelines.”

“Seriously? That’s just plain creepy. Stalker creepy enough to look into a restraining order,” I commented before Lumina giggled at the statement.

“Anyway,” she continued. “Gleaming knew about what my mom did when she accidentally ran into her… Collection of her best moments from her previous job. She didn’t tell me about it, but decided to use it against me by telling lies about how I got my mom’s way of dating other colts, pretty much calling me a slut, and he took it in almost immediately. One day before the end of our third year and our middle school days, he yelled at me for cheating on him, even though I had told him I didn’t know what he was talking about, and would never do anything like that. He was too stubborn to listen though, and he left after he called me a whore’s daughter. I broke down crying right there on the spot as our relationship ended on a sour note.”

“I’m so sorry all that happened,” I apologized. “You didn’t deserve all of that.”

“Thank you Cyan,” Lumina replied. “I had gotten over him later though, with my mom and sister telling me how hot and amazing I was, and he didn’t know what he was missing. It wasn’t until the summer after I finished middle school that I had discovered my Light Magic, and was pulled into private teachings with the old hag. Besides my mom and sister who knew, I didn’t tell anyone else about it. When I had started high school, I was more confident about myself than I was before. Probably because of the rough lessons I had went through, which still continued after I was done with classes for the day. I was still growing until I stopped like this in my junior year, and I saw colts and fillies during my time there. I was blunt enough to step up and asked THEM out rather than wait for them to come to me. With knowledge on having protective sex, and learning a nifty spell Mom taught me that filters a stallion’s sperm in their ejaculations, I already lost my virginity in my first year with no consequences.”

I guess for her mom being an ex-porn model, including others related to such a career, it would make sense that at least one unicorn in her family to know such a spell. Come to think of it, how come the school didn’t teach us that spell in sex ed.? Was it like a secret spell within the family thing, or something only known in the adult entertainment industry?

“The dates and nights we had spent together were fun while they lasted,” Lumina continued. “But Gleaming just kept barging in and spread more awful rumors about me, which made them drop me like a hot potato after that. I guess she thought if she didn’t have a chance in a relationship, then I might as well not either.

“It wasn’t until later that the whole school knew about my false reputation, and students would always glare at me as I passed by like I was some sort of villain. I had sometimes even heard them calling me a slut or a whore behind my back, but I had always told myself how much of a sexy and hot mare I was like Mom and Crystal had told me. That still didn’t brighten my mood when I had to go to school though, and the cycle repeats. I didn’t go to any dances because of those, or any sport events. The so-called ‘friends’ I had made were only there so they could get into my pants because they thought I was easy. When I had actually refused to get in bed with them, they just dropped me like I was dead to them, and they never spoke to me again after that. I didn’t even want to go to the graduation ceremony when I was done with high school, because I didn’t want to be near ANY of the students for who knows how long. I just picked up my diploma at school the next day after the ceremony, and it all stopped then and there,” Lumina finished with a look of melancholy.

I looked at her with sympathy, sadness, and concern after she finished. I couldn’t help but cried after hearing all of that. “Lumina… I am so sorry,” I cracked.

“Don’t be,” she responded while shaking her head. She leaned over, and wiped my tears with her hand on my cheek while she smiled sadly. “I appreciate your concern, and that’s part of why I’m so glad to have you as a friend Cyan. Granted, it’s been so long since I had Gleaming, I had almost… Forgotten how great it was to have a true friend with me, or how to act around them. Not to mention, it’s been so long since someone besides me or my family told me how beautiful I was like you said back at the wedding store. It’s part of why I’m still trying to figure out my feelings right now, especially after my last crush who was being nice to me, but wasn’t gonna move forward with it. Right now, I’m assuming he was already with that mare before he had met me, probably much longer before orientation at the academy.”

“What about the pony we’re meeting later? Was he a good friend?” I asked with concern.

“He was… okay. Things didn’t start well with us during our first couple of weeks at the academy, but we got to be… good acquaintances over time. Same goes for my roommate at the time, Cream Cloud, but I don’t think I consider us to be close friends,” Lumina explained before she looked at me with attention. “I want to ask of you something after telling you my story, and talking about it now has gotten me to think more too,” she said before she grabbed one of my hands in her own while she still looked at me. “I’m still trying to organize things in my head, and I don’t think I’m ready to get into anything serious right now if I’m not sure about what’s going on with me. I’m not sure what feelings you have for me, but I don’t want you to feel like you’re stuck with me until I figure things out in my head. So I ask that while we’re still in this unique friendship of ours, I want you to still think about your feelings for your friends. Maybe get more life experience with dating and life as we travel together, and I’ll even help you how to hook up with other mares.

“I think you can probably guess up to this point how much of a challenge it is for me to act around friends. I know I’ve put you quite a bit the past few days, and I appreciate you putting up with it up to now. I also know that there are some things I should change about myself for the better so that I can figure out which direction I want to take my life towards. I understand this is a lot to ask of you considering how young you are, but I need your help guiding me to become a better, healthier mare. I’m asking this of you because you are the most wonderful pony I’ve come to know, and I want to follow your example. So while I’m asking you to help me become a better mare, would you stay being friends with me, like you have been up to right now?” She asked while her eyes looked in mine with fear and uncertainty, with tears slowly welling up in them once more.

I sat there, staring down at our hands between us for a moment. I took serious consideration of where we stood, what I felt, and what Lumina needed. After taking a breath, I looked back up to her eyes with a serious expression in mine. With one of my hands still in Lumina’s, I placed my other hand on top of one of hers.

“Lumina,” I said. “After hearing your story, I’ve gained a higher respect for you, and you’ve further proved my point on how strong-willed of a mare you really are. I can’t say I’m much of a life coach, but if you’re wanting to improve yourself as a better pony, I think you’re already at a good start for making such a goal. I couldn’t be any prouder to be your friend than I am right now, and while I work out feelings of my own, I would gladly stay by your side and help you out,” I concluded with a warming smile.

Lumina got her hands covering her muzzle with a gasp, and tears started to roll down her face. I opened my arms while still smiling to see if she wanted a hug, and she happily accepted before she sobbed into my shoulders. She thanked me repeatedly over and over, and I just rubbed her back in comfort while telling her “it’s okay” again and again. After a few minutes, we broke the hug, and I pulled up a rag with my Shadow Magic to help wipe her tears and clear herself up. After she calmed down, I dissipated the rag before she looked at me with a smile. “Thank you so much for doing this Cyan. You have no idea how happy I am to hear you say that,” Lumina said.

“Hey, helping each other out is what friends are for. That’s lesson number one on Cyan’s Unofficial Guide to Friendship,” I stated, which she giggled in response.

“Well I’m certainly glad to have a friend like you, I’ll tell ya that much,” she said before she yawned. “Oh man am I tired.”

“I think I could use some shut eye as well,” I agreed. “Why don’t we get some sleep for the night huh?” I asked before I started unfolding the sheets.

“Hey Cyan?” Lumina asked.

“Yeah?”

“I know we already said we shouldn’t, but can I… Just give you one more kiss? Just on the cheek to show my appreciation, and that will be end of that,” she clarified.

“I don’t know…” I responded with uncertainty.

“Pleeeeeeease?” She asked with an innocent smile and fluttering eyelids.

… Oh GODDESS that is just not fair! You’re older than me, and you’re playing the goddamn puppy dog eyes! Ugh, I don’t think she’ll stop unless I say yes.

I sighed in defeat from her overwhelming cuteness. “Alright, I’ll let it slide just this once, but you BETTER make this one count,” I stressed.

“Yay! Thank you Cyan!” Lumina exclaimed before she held my face in her hands, and placed her lips on my right cheek while savoring the moment. “Mmmmmmmwah! There, now that wasn’t so bad was it?”

“Probably not, but just remember that will be the last kiss. Any more approaches, and I’m putting a cone over your muzzle to prevent anymore smooching,” I warned.

“You have my word that will be the last kiss you’ll ever get from me,” she swore with her hand up.

“Good, now let’s flick the lights and get comfortable,” I suggested before I turned off the lights with my magic, and Lumina and I got close under the covers. Her head was against my chest, arms were wrapped around my waist, and her breasts were pressing against me while one of my own arms wrapped around her shoulders. “You comfortable?” I asked.

“Mhm,” she sighed in content. “This is really nice.”

“It sure is. Good night Lumina.”

“Good night Cyan,” she replied before I closed my eyes and took one last moment in my thoughts for the night.

I swear, hearing all of that tonight made me come to like her even more now for how tough and independent she is. I don’t think she knows how much of a great mare she already is right now. Still though, Lumina deserved so much better than what she was given throughout her years in school, especially for someone so beautiful and kind. I can’t even begin how I’d end up if I was in her position and I didn’t have friends like Teala and Roxxie to support me. Well whatever Lumina needs from me, I’ll do what I can as the best friend she ever had. She deserves that much for all she’s been through. I gotta grow stronger to protect her as well. She may be capable of handling and defending herself, but she needs someone to help tend the loneliness that’s within her heart like she did with me last night. Except she may need it much more, and much longer than I ever have.

I opened my eyes half way, and saw Lumina’s resting body rising and falling under the covers as she slept.

… Well, I gave her a freebie, I might as well do one myself.

I thought before I reached my head down, and kissed the top of her head, savoring it like she did with hers before I pulled back and whispered. “I promise I’ll grow stronger to protect you Lumina. You have my word as your best friend,” I vowed before I closed my eyes, and drifted to sleep.

Chapter 25: Cyan Dusknight, and the Land of Foodtopia; Part 1

[Cyan’s POV]

I slowly opened my eyes, and what I saw up in the sky was odd. It was… Pink. Not only that, but there were clouds in a darker shade that probably shouldn’t be such a color at such a time of day if it’s not in twilight, and there were strange red and white striped colored tree stalks surrounding the clearing. I stood up and scanned around my area. It looked like I was in some sort of… Candy themed forest. Upon closer inspection, the trees turned out to be peppermint candy canes, the ground I was standing on looked to be made of baked, chocolate chip cookie dough that stretched for who knows how long the forest boundary was. There were also rocks that looked to be made of regular hard candies of different kinds, some small patches of lollipops, and a large pond filled with melted chocolate.

… Okay, I think I’m getting cavities just STANDING in such a place like this. Sure, I like my fair share of candy sometimes, but I don’t have THAT much of a sweet tooth. My toothache after that one Nightmare Night taught me about eating in moderation that night. Sheesh, I know Shadina said we’d be in a different place instead of Canterlot Park in our next training session, but I didn’t think she would go THIS far… Speaking of who, where is she?

“Cyan I think you should RUN!” A voice exclaimed before I followed the source, and it was none other than Shadina herself running. She had a different attire than the usual dress I saw her wearing. At the moment, she was wearing a black tank top with matching jeans while her black flowing mane was tied in a ponytail. She quickly zoomed passed me with a black knapsack while I stood there in a state of confusion as I watched her run.

I looked to where she was running from, and I heard growling noises that were getting louder. On closer inspection, there were a pack of wolves running towards me in the same peppermint stalk candies as the trees with glowing green eyes. I remembered creatures called timberwolves that were similar to these, but they were made of lumber and leaves. In this case…

“PEPPERMINTWOLVES!” I exclaimed as I quickly sprinted in Shadina’s direction as fast as I could while the ironically sweet looking behemoths were chasing me. I caught up with my Guardian as I tried to use what breath I had to speak. “SHADINA! What the fuck is going on, and where are we?!” I asked.

“Well I was coming to get you so we could start on your field Shadow Magic training, but I accidentally stepped on one of those peppermintwolves’ tails while I tried to find you, and I ended up being chased,” Shadina explained while we ran. “You can’t really blame me for mistaking it, I mean we’re in a forest made of peppermint trees for crying out loud.”

“And WHY are we even in such a place?!” I asked.

“Oh come on, in a place like this?” She asked. “There are bound to be PLENTY of things for us practice with, and I think right now, running away from those wolves is DEFINITELY one part of such training.”

“Not unless I live through it!” I argued. “And don’t say this is some kind of dream. Everything we’ve DONE up to this point around here is just too freakin’ surreal to be considered as such at this point!”

“Don’t worry! If we keep running, we should be getting to the bridge over hot fudge springs soon enough! We’ll lose them there!” She exclaimed as we kept running.

My legs were starting to give out, and my breathing was getting heavy. I could hear the peppermint wolves were starting to close in on us. We got out of the edge of the candy cane forest before we got to a peppermint bridge held up by durable licorice rope that stretched across the bubbling, steaming hot fudge spring below us. Shadina and I ran across it with all our might before we got to the other side. While the wolves were following us on the same path, I chomped the licorice ropes before the whole bridge fell back from us. The wolves fell along with it before they splashed to the hot fudge at the bottom. They howled and whined in agony as they drowned, and their peppermint bodies were slowly melting into their hot, gooey, chocolaty demise.

Shadina and I fell on our backs while we gasped for air from the chase. “Man, what a way to go,” I said in between breaths.

“Quite so,” Shadina agreed.

“So where do we go now?” I asked

“Well if we kept going in that same direction we ran earlier, we should-” Shadina replied before a voice interrupted her.

“There you are you jerk! Where the fuck have you been?!”

… That voice. It couldn’t be.

I rolled over to my seat, and first saw the pony’s legs in jeans. I scrolled up and saw she was wearing a rolled up flannel shirt, her muscles toned with strength while one was holding an axe over her shoulder. Further up, her chest had a white tank top underneath, but a small portion of her cleavage was shown. When I finally reached the head, my eyes widened that the pony who yelled earlier was one of those who I’ve left behind what seemed like long ago, but missed dearly.

“… Roxxie…” I said before tears started to well up. I sprung up and almost tackled her with hugs as I cried on her shoulder. “Roxxie I’m so glad to see you! It’s been so long since we last met, I’m sorry I even left you and Teala the way I did and!”

“Whoooah, back up buddy,” Roxxie interrupted before she pulled away from the embrace. “First of all, you’ve only left an hour ago after I’ve sent you to the Rock Candy Caverns to gather materials.”

“Wait, an hour ago?” I asked while raising an eyebrow. “Roxxie, I ran away from Canterlot a few DAYS ago, and haven’t seen you or Teala since.”

“… What the heck’s a Canterlot?” Roxxie asked in confusion while scratching the back of her head.

“Please don’t mind Cyan Ms. Roxxie,” Shadina said as she walked to us. “He’s a little dehydrated and out of breath after we ran away from some peppermint wolves earlier. We’ll need to repair the bridge by the way, but I got the rock candy you wanted,” she took out the knapsack over her shoulders, and opened the top flap to reveal a bunch of different colored rock candy chunks inside.

“Nice work, but we don’t have time to lollygag right now,” Roxxie said. “There’s trouble back in Sweetsville, and we need your help. We’ll stop by my place first to get you two some water, and then we’ll go see the mayor who’ll explain the problem in further detail… Oh and, thanks for the hug earlier,” she cleared her throat while she blushed a little. “Anyway, let’s get going,” she finished before she led the way out of the forest, while Shadina and I followed a distance behind with me more confused since I got here.

“Shadina, what’s going on here?” I whispered enough so Roxxie wouldn’t hear.

“I’ll try to keep it short and sweet,” Shadina replied in the same volume. “One, that’s not the same Roxxie you know since you left Canterlot. Same goes for Teala, and the other ponies you’ll come across. They also don’t see you as the Cyan from your own world either. Two, in this section of the Dreamscape, Canterlot doesn’t exist, and neither does the entirety of Equestria. We’re actually in the country of Foodtopia where different cities, towns, and landscapes are all based on delicacies that luckily not all are junk food and sweets like we’re in right now.”

“… Oh, so we’re basically in an alternate universe sort of dream huh?” I asked. “And yet ponies still thrive in such a place, and able to fly, use magic, raise crops, and all of that?”

“Exactly, only in this world they’re more accepting to different kinds of magic like the one you wield,” Shadina confirmed.

“What about you? Do they see you as another familiar in this world? I mean Roxxie has never met you back in the real world, and yet this one here seems to know you like you were her best bud,” I pointed out.

“They do see me as part of this world,” Shadina answered. “In fact in this world, you and I are siblings.”

… That is just awkward considering what you offered to do with me earlier.

“Oh don’t worry,” she said while replying to my thoughts. “This universe is actually a LOT more flexible with different kinds of relationships than you might think. Incestuous relationships is not a rare occurrence, so if you and I were to do it one day in here, they see it as a normal thing.”

“So… Does that mean RB and Orange’s relationship is acceptable in this world too?” I asked.

“Oh yes, definitely. In fact, they run a successful ice cream and soda shop back in Sweetsville,” she answered.

… You know, I can see them doing something like that in the REAL world too, but it’s nice to hear that at least ONE universe is acceptable with such a relationship.

“So if those two are running such a store, what does everyone else do?” I asked. “I mean it’s obvious that Roxxie’s some kind of lumberpony, or, candycanepony in this case, what about Teala and Lumina? What about me?”

“You’ll see what they are soon enough,” she responded. “But in this world, you and I work together doing various odd jobs to make a living.”

“… So I’m an errand colt… Greeaaaaat,” I drawled sarcastically.

“Oh don’t take it so offensively Cyan,” Shadina interjected. “In fact, we’re very well liked with all that we’ve done for everyone, and you’ll see how much when we get to town.”

“You know I’m starting to worry you two whispering so much back there,” Roxxie interrupted while glancing back as we walked. “Is there something I should know about?”

“No no! It’s fine!” I exclaimed while waving my hands out front. “Shadina’s just filling me in on what happened before we got chased by those peppermint wolves. I uh, passed out and my memory went hazy. But uh, you’re looking great though Roxxie! All that candy cane hacking must have done real well with your figure,” I complimented while trying to change the subject. I wasn’t so worried about speaking to Roxxie like so at that point because one, it was partly true since the real one has that same figure from all that fight training; and two, this is the dream Roxxie, or alternate universe Roxxie, I don’t know, but I know this won’t have any effect on the real life one I know back in Canterlot.

Roxxie’s face tinted red before she looked forward and away from me. “Sh-shut up. It’s not all that great,” she argued.

“Oh hush, you’re not giving yourself enough credit here,” I replied. “I know a good looking mare when I see one, and you take the cake.”

“Y-you really think so?” She asked while she slowed down, and her body looked like she was shivering.

“I’m TOTALLY being honest here Roxxie,” I confirmed while placing a hand on her shivering shoulder after I walked up to her side. “You’re great not just on the outside, but the inside as well, and other colts would have to be blind if they didn’t see that about you,” I finished with a smile.

Roxxie looked like her head was about to explode from how read she looked while she gripped her axe tightly as she looked back at me. After a few moments, she looked ahead of her hoping to find something to say. “O-oh look! There’s Sweetsville! Let’s get to my place for some drinks huh? Okay, let’s go!” She said quickly before she zoomed to the small town in the distance.

“You know I’ve been wanting to say that to Roxxie for a while since I left Canterlot,” I said as I watched Roxxie ran, knowing Shadina was standing beside me. “Sometimes I think that despite how tough she looked during the day, a part of her is worried for how other ponies see her. I just want to let her know how I did.”

“Would you be willing to say that to the real Roxxie if you ever see her again?” Shadina asked.

“Now that I’ve said it the first time here? Yeah, I definitely would. Maybe I’ll tell Teala something too so I know what to say if I saw her again as well,” I planned.

“I’m sure the both of them would love to hear that,” she replied with a joyful expression in her eyes. “Come on, let’s get to Roxxie’s place for drinks. I’m sure she’s worried about what we’re doing up here.”

“Sure thing,” I said before the two of us ran towards town in the same path Roxxie took.

We took a breather to grab some water at Roxxie’s place. Something to mention about the houses in town. Like the name implied, everything in this town had candy and sweets at every corner, even the houses are like the gingerbread ones made for Hearth’s Warming, or that one story of Haysel and Neightel. Roxxie looked to be squirming in place while we sat, and it turned out Roxxie’s mom in this universe still had the same job of being a tailor like the real world. Only her style of clothing is different compared to the real one, and apparently the textiles were made of cotton candy wool from the sheep that grew such material.

After we quenched our thirst and dropped off the rock candy gems, Roxxie led us to where the mayor’s office. As we walked, the locals were saying hello and giving me and Shadina thanks for helping them with whatever chores I did for them that I had no idea I could do. Some of the girls looked like they were flirting as they offered me to come by sometime and ‘try the sweets they cooked in their ovens.’ I guess whatever I did for them was either that impressive, or I was some kind of eye candy while I did their work. I didn’t exactly say no, but I also tried not to let it creep up in my mind as I just walked along. We even said hello to this universe’s Orange and RB, with the latter telling me they have my favorite orange cream soda in stock if I ever wanted to stop by. As much as I’d love to try some of that, I guess that would have to wait another time if I ever come back here.

We got to town hall a couple minutes later, its architecture looking structurally sound despite it being made of gingerbread. When we got inside, we checked in at the front desk before we got to what looked like the mayor’s main office. A ginger bread chair’s back was facing toward us while it was sitting behind a peppermint, perhaps well-polished desk.

“Yo! I brought them over like you asked!” Roxxie exclaimed. The chair spun around, and my eyes widened at the sight.

My second close friend Teala was wearing a very professional like suit. A blue coat, white undershirt, and an icy blue tie that matched the color of her eyes while hiding behind a pair of small, black, oblong shaped glasses. “Cyan, Shadina, good to see you’ve returned home safely,” she greeted with a warming smile.

… Teala Crystalwaters is the mayor of this town, and holy shit does she look hot in glasses. Fuck, the whole get up is strangely attractive for her... Why is that? Somehow even though I know running her family business isn't something she want to do for a living, I can see her being in this position for a career or something similar… Hell, if there’s any job where she wears that, I’d be totally down with that.

I stood there in an ogling trance before Shadina nudged me out of it. “O-oh yes! Good to see you too mayor, and may just I say you look AMAZING today,” I complimented.

She giggled in reaction before she spoke. “Thank you Cyan, and please, call me Teala. Now that you’re finally here, let’s not dilly dally any further shall we? I’ve called you and Shadina over because we need your help.”

“Hey, even if you weren’t the mayor, I’m always happy to lend a hand,” I replied with a smile. “What is it that needs to be done?”

“Unfortunately while you were gone, the princess of our land has been foalnapped by a very well trained servant of the Jewel King,” Teala explained which made my eyes widened.

“Princess Celestia has been foalnapped?!” I asked in surprise.

Teala and Roxxie raised an eyebrow in confusion before they glanced each other for a moment and turned back at me. “Uh, I think you mean QUEEN Celestia Cyan, and no, she’s not the one who was foalnapped,” Teala corrected.

… QUEEN Celestia? She’s a queen in this world? If that’s the case, who’s the princess they’re referring to?

“I’ve received word from staff at the Candy Castle that notified me of our princess’s foalnapping,” Teala continued. “She has been taken to the Jewel Palace that’s further down south from here, and her knights are busy keeping the safety of her citizens in Candylot. You and Shadina are our small town’s finest wizards, and we need you two to go to the Jewel Palace to get our princess back.”

Okay, so basing on what Shadina has told me about this world so far and what Teala has told me, I’m gonna guess that each piece of land that holds a specific food group is watched over by their own ruler, and ‘Queen’ Celestia is the main monarch of Foodtopia. Yet for some reason there’s a land full of jewels… Ugh, this world is making less sense the more I think about it.

“I’d like to come help you two beat the crap out of that Jewel King,” Roxxie said which interrupted my train of thought. “But I need to stay behind so the rest of us strong townsponies can keep Sweetsville safe from any oncoming danger like those peppermint wolves. Guess they’re looking for some good eatin’ at this time of year.”

“The Jewel King is a strong wizard, and I think only another wizard, one that’s stronger than him is the only one who can stand a chance against such a crook,” Teala added in. “The princess herself has heard word of your exploits, and she requested that if something happens to her, we turn to you two for help. Are you up to the task Cyan and Shadina?”

I turned to Shadina who did the same to me, and she nodded in confirmation of the promise she made me a while back. I looked back to Teala and Roxxie before I gave my answer. “For the glory and safety of the Candy Kingdom, we will accept this task and retrieve our princess.”

My dream version of friends smiled at my acceptance before Teala spoke. “Very well. Gather whatever supplies you need, and be on your way ASAP. Everyone in this town including Roxxie and I wish you the best of luck in your journey.”

“Thank you Teala,” I responded before I turned to Shadina. “Shall we go then?”

“Let’s,” she responded before we ran out of the office.

We went to what presumed to be our house in Sweetsville to get our supplies. I was curious to why I haven’t seen Mom or Dad here yet, but… I really didn’t want to see them right now. How Shadina even created such a place in my Dreamscape must have took my feelings for them in consideration, and I thank her for that. While Shadina explained more of this world’s nature, there were a few shields of different weights and sizes she wanted me to get a hold and feel to so I could gain experience into my Shadow Magic for defense. Same goes for the different metals, blocks of iron, copper, and steel in particular, so I know how much I need to concentrate on getting the hardness and mass of each sample into my attacks. After we packed what we needed in our knapsacks, and I used my Shadow Magic to change my clothes into more appropriate attire for this adventure, we ran out of our home, and out of Sweetsville. We were on our way to the Jewel Palace to get the Candy Princess back from the Jewel King while I take this opportunity to practice my new Shadow Magic moves. I just hope what I could do so far will be enough.

Chapter 26: Cyan Dusknight, and the Land of Foodtopia; Part 2

We went in the candy cane forest once more before Shadina stopped us. “I do believe this may be a good time and place to practice the first part of our lesson from last night,” she said. “If we use this, we’ll be able to save more time and speed up our travel.”

“The Shadow Tendril things right?” I asked before Shadina nodded in confirmation. “So do we kind of do what the Mane-iac and Spider Mare do, and just latch our tendrils on some surface and sling our way across the forest?”

“Indeed,” she answered. “Now remember to focus on the durability and stretchiness of the tendrils like the scrunchy, only concentrate on keeping them more wound up and tight together. Sort of like a strong rubber band. You go first, and I’ll follow behind.”

I nodded before I looked up, and saw a sturdy candy cane branch to latch my first tendril onto. I held my open hand in that direction, and focused on my magic like Shadina told me before a whipping sound came out of the black aura, and grappled the branch before…

“WHOOA!” I yelped as I was immediately flung and swung in the air while my hand was holding onto my tendril for dear life. Things were going pass me fast, but I couldn’t freak out then. I kept my cool as I focused on the next target, and quickly whipped my second tendril from my other hand before I lost focus of the first one. I was getting a bit of a rhythm after the first couple of branches before I was feeling the energetic, and fun rush of what I’d like to call ‘Shadow Slinging.’

With Shadina following behind, I picked up the pace before the two of us made it out of the forest boundaries a couple minutes later. “Very good back there Cyan,” Shadina praised. “Remember that even in very tight situations. It can never hurt to try something creative with those tendrils.”

“Right,” I responded before I looked straight ahead. The chocolate chip cookie ground drastically changed to one of dirt and rubble like back in the real world. Only this one was a dark-bluish gray color with rocks and boulders lying along the sides with glimmers that I can only assume were small gems and crystals embedded inside. Further out in the distance, a large, emerald green, castle-shaped gem was seen. “That must be the Jewel Palace,” I said as I pointed to the structure.

“Let’s hope we’ll run into something dangerous along the way,” Shadina said which got me turning to her with a raised eyebrow. “To help practice offense and defense of your magic of course. You’ll need to prepare yourself for the strong enemy that resides in that castle. Don’t worry, I’ll be right here for you if anything goes wrong,” I nodded in response before the two of us walked along the path to the castle.

“Hey I’ve been meaning to ask, but how come I couldn’t change colors to the pants I made earlier?” I asked with a raised eyebrow.

“How should I explain this?” She asked while looking up in thought. “You already know how Element Magic is different from regular Unicorn Magic. For the former, you train the ins and outs of the magic that resides in you since the day you were born in order to grow and improve. While the latter is similar, you focus on practicing spells to achieve specific tasks that is out of reach from what the former can do. Element Magic and Unicorn Magic are like two separate entities. There’s a boundary line between them, and unless you’re levitating an object made from Shadow Magic in your case, they cannot be intertwined with one another.”

“But is it true that the majority of unicorns only have access to their own magic while their element ones are hidden or locked away of some sorts?” I asked. “I mean how can one even TAP into this kind of magic? Is the time for it to be unlocked different for each pony? Are there different cases for how they come across it?”

“It’s very complicated to explain,” Shadina admitted. “You can probably see already how most ponies live their whole lives without ever knowing about this type of magic, yet have no use for such. The cutie marks they bear pretty much tell all,” my eyes widened at that statement. “Some ponies may come across it by accident, some may wish to do more than what they’re good in, and there are some who would want to achieve feats that are near impossible to ponies. One way or another, these ponies would unconsciously unlock the Element Magic inside them, and once they do acquire it, it’s up to them where they want to go with that power.”

“… When you put it that way, it sounds like there may be some who would even use such magic for the wrong reasons,” I pointed out with ears folded.

“It’s unfortunate, but it is the truth,” she admitted. “On the other side however, there are ponies who want to do GOOD with this magic like you are right now. You still want to do whatever you can to give your friends the happiness they deserve correct?”

“I do, yes,” I answered. “Heck, if I can bring joy to lots of ponies outside of my circle, whether it be the joy of living, the joy of getting back up from times of sadness when they need it, and the joy of caring and support that’s brought onto them, even if my death may bring grief to those around me, I would be content that I was the one that brought such happiness to their lives, and I became a significant part of that,” I looked up to the dark gray skies with a solemn smile. “I don’t have much to lose after running away from Canterlot, so despite how scared I may be, no, how I WILL be when I come face to face with death, I’ll sacrifice myself if it means prolonging the lives and happiness of those I protect and love.”

“And you can be sure that I will always be by your side, even after death,” Shadina replied with an assuring nod.

“Thank you Shadina,” I said with a smile before a loud growl was heard in the air. “What was that?” I asked with a little shakiness in my voice.

“Oh shit, I forgot about this,” Shadina hissed. “The Jewel King has a certain guard we would have to go through before we get further, and it’s…” She said before I felt rumbles of the ground under my hooves. Suddenly chunks of gems and crystals were shaking as they float, and came together to form a large creature standing before us. Its eyes glowed yellow as it opened them, and moved its jaw around to get a feel for its body. “… A Crystal Ogre,” Shadina finished before the ogre roared at us with enough force that blew my mane back. It raised its arm in the air before Shadina yelled “MOVE!” We dodged to our opposite sides at the right time before the ogre slammed its fist down between us, which shook the ground a little.

It looked towards me as the first target before chunks of crystal were floating behind him, prepared to toss them in my direction.

Guess this is a good time as any to try my new moves!

“SHIELD!” I exclaimed as I focused my Shadow Magic as fast as I could to make a large, durable shield to block the oncoming crystal chunks. It was almost painful to take the chunks that were coming in hard, one by one. The shield was starting to give out as it got dent from the attacks, and my arms were straining from its weight, and the force from the ogre.

“SHADOW IRON FIST!” Shadina yelled as she took advantage of the ogre’s distraction to hop up, and punched through its head. The impact literally exploded as pieces of crystal that were once the ogre’s head spread out, leaving the rest of the body standing in place.

I made the shield disappear after the attacks stopped, and saw the damage done. “Huh, guess that ogre wasn’t much of a challenge after all,” I said before the pieces around me shook once more, and flew to the ogre’s shoulders before they reformed its head, albeit at a different shape than it was previously before it roared in anger. “…Well fuck,” I said before the ogre tossed more crystals at me, and I ran to avoid the oncoming strikes while Shadina dodged the fists it was bringing to her. “This thing is indestructible! How do we defeat it?!” I exclaimed as I ran.

“I heard these ogres supposedly have a heart that allows it to move!” She replied as she tried to destroy the fists the ogre slammed down before it came back together. “If we can find where it is and destroy it, the ogre will be gone for good!”

The heart huh? If I can guess what it looks like, it may have the same glow the ogre has in its eyes right now.

I thought as I ran around the ogre while trying to find such indication anywhere on its body. Suddenly, the ogre gave another roar before the crystals in its body came apart except the one making the head. Now there were more crystals floating about than before, and the ogre started to toss more of those chunks at us, trying to pummel us out of misery with as much as it can throw. Shadina and I had to focus on dodging those oncoming attacks before at the corner of my eye, I saw a pile of crystals lazily floating about with a faint, yellow glow. I followed my gut that was probably where the heart was before my mind quickly came up with an idea.

“SHADINA! Grab one of the large chunks and fling it to that floating pile over there!” I exclaimed as I pointed to said glowing pile.

“On it!” She replied as she whipped a Shadow Tendril from the aura around her hand, and wrapped around one of the larger chunks of crystal. She spun around with it before she aimed the makeshift wrecking ball to the floating crystal pile, and the pieces scattered on impact.

The ogre roared as I saw a yellow glowing crystal that flew from the pile before it hit the ground. I took advantage of the opportunity before the creature made an attempt to bring what I assumed was his heart back to him. “I hope this works! SHADOW IRON FIST!” I yelled as I enveloped my fist with my Shadow Magic to prepare the final blow. With a battle cry, I ran to the glowing crystal before I jumped, and punched it as I hit the ground. The yellow crystal got crushed into tiny pieces from the impact, which made all the other chunks, and the ogre’s head stop in midair. The glowing eyes dimmed to nothing before the head, and the crystals that floated dropped to place, and scattered around the area. I looked around my surrounding, making sure the ogre didn’t make an attempt to reform again with my Shadow Iron Fist still activated. There was no rumbling or shaking besides the crystals’ drop from earlier.

With a sigh of relief, I deactivated my attack before Shadina hugged me while laughing joyfully. “You did it Cyan! That was incredible!” She praised.

“Yeah… I really did do it didn’t I?” I asked with a chuckle. “Gotta say though, you were right on the weight portion. It was tough enough just holding up my fist, but I may need to work on my shield making a bit.”

“You’ll get there, don’t worry,” she replied as she pulled back from the embrace except a hand on my shoulder. “If you just have your hands weighted that much for a while, especially when you train with Lumina, I’m sure you’ll get the hang of it just like that,” she said with a snap of her fingers. “Let’s not get carried away from our victory yet though. There’s still one more obstacle we need to face.”

The two of us looked to the direction where the ogre stood before, and saw the Jewel Palace just yards away from where we stood. The final battle was within our reach. We just need to defeat the Jewel King before we save the Candy Princess, and hopefully end this crazy dream on a good note. Shadina and I looked at each other once more, and nodded before we walked towards the Jewel Palace. I used my unicorn magic to open the doors with a loud creak before we walked inside, and I closed the door behind us.

The place definitely lived up to its name. Everything inside was made and sculpted from the same gem the palace was encased in. There were two stairs on each side of the entrance that led up to a second level where other rooms were somewhere in each of the two hallways on each end. Below the second level however, was a large double gate that I could only assume led to the throne room. The two of us walked towards the double doors before we opened them, and walked inside.

“So you actually defeated my guard ogre before you got here? I must say, I’m rather disappointed at what I’m looking at,” a voice said that was strangely familiar.

… Oh Goddess, please tell me that’s not who I think it is.

I looked towards the back of the room where the throne sat, and unfortunately my fears were correct. Emerald Brace was sitting on the finely sculpted, green colored throne. He wore a gold crown with smaller gems embedded inside, a large, royal purple robe with white, fluffy trimmings that also had gems shown, and finally a black robe underneath that I was surprised there weren’t even more gems that go with it.

You know, as much as I hate having this guy included in my dreams, just knowing I get to beat up the bastard with no consequences makes me more excited than annoyed.

“Alright Brace, what have you done with the Candy Princess, and why have you kidnapped her?” I pressed with a stern expression.

“That’s KING Brace to you PEASANT,” he spat. “As for why I kidnapped her is quite simple,” he snapped his fingers, and Copper Cut, who I didn’t notice was standing next to Brace while wearing a black robe with a gold strap over his shoulder, had his horn glowing before a flash a light came from the king’s other side. What appeared there however, I could have sworn my eyes bulged out of my sockets from what I saw. Lumina was lying on the ground with her hands tied behind her, and hooves locked together with rope. She had a silk pink dress, a silver tiara with a few pieces of candy embedded on her head, a metal circlet on her horn that I assume was what prevented her from using magic, and a piece of cloth over her muzzle to quiet her protests. I realized then and there that Lumina Lustre was the princess of the Candy Kingdom in this world.

“Princess Luminescent is only the FIRST of all the royals in Foodtopia that I’ll foalnap,” Brace continued. “Once I have them all in my grasp, I’ll put them up as hostages for Queen Celestia to see, making a proposition that if she doesn’t give me the power to rule all of Foodtopia, I will slit the royals’ throats one by one until she complies. Before I get to that however,” he got up, and walked over to Lumina who was struggling to break free. He took a sharp, knife-like gem in his hand, and slowly traced it up her dress where it split in two as he moved. I trembled in anger at what he was doing to my friend, even though Lumina may not be so in this world. “I think I’ll take my sweet time and have some fun with the princesses in this land. I foalnapped this one first because she’s known to be the most… Delectable of all the royals, and I’m just DYING to get a taste of her,” he said before he licked up Lumina’s throat, which made her cringe with discomfort.

“YOU STOP THAT RIGHT NOW YOU BASTARD!” I yelled as I prepared my main Shadow Magic attack on both my fists, only the material was like that of copper in order for me to hold them up and move about easily. “You’re not gonna get ANYWHERE else until you beat me to my dying breath!”

“I think that can be arranged,” Brace said before he snapped his fingers. “Copper, erase him.”

“Yes my king,” Copper replied in monotone before he charged straight towards me at a fast pace with a double edged, crystal sword in his grasp.

“Oh no you don’t!” Shadina intervened before she shoved me to the side, and blocked Copper’s attack with her own shadow blade. “I’ll take care of this while you handle the king!” She then moved Copper to the side of the throne room, keeping him distracted while it was down to only me and Brace.

“Alright Brace, enough with the hiding behind your followers,” I said before I clashed my Shadow Copper Fists together, making a ringing sound that filled the room. “Let’s settle this wizard to wizard, unless you’re not as tough as I thought you were.”

“Hmph. Very well then,” Brace replied before he took off his royal robe. “Soon you’ll see why they call me the Jewel King. This opportunity will be your last,” he then focused his magic, his horn and hands giving off a green aura. Surprisingly, his fists started to cover themselves with the same kind of gem as the castle. I could only guess in this world, Emerald Brace has a special magic that relates to gems. What more there is to it, I was going to find out soon enough.

The two of us stood there in a stare off as sounds of clashing swords from Shadina and Copper filled the room. Lumina sat at the throne’s side, with her dress ripped up to her waist where her panties were slightly shown. She watched us intently from a distance, me specifically, mentally preparing herself for what may come next. With a sound of a gem cracking, loud enough that wasn’t drowned by the sword clashes as the signal, Brace and I charged in with our battle cries, readying our magically enchanted fists before they clashed on impact from our right straight punches we delivered for the start of our fight. I felt some tinge of pain from my fist, as the hardness of copper wasn’t as strong and durable as gems. I tried to bear with it as I focused my Shadow Magic to wrap the tendrils coming off of my hand around Brace’s, and pulled him past me which caught him off guard. I took the opportunity to attack him from behind, but a punch to the ground allowed Brace to quickly erect a large, crystal pedestal between us, making me run into it hard with the momentum. I lost focus of my Shadow Magic while I got a little delirious from the impact as the wall lowered, and Brace was coming at me with his crystal fist. I was barely conscious enough to dodge as I stepped to the side, and tripped him with my hoof. He flew from the momentum before he hit the crystal floor face first as I shook myself back into focus.

Brace got back up with a grunt of frustration before he turned to me with his brow furrowed, teeth gritted, and irises shrunk to pinpricks. “How DARE you make a fool out of the Jewel King!” He exclaimed before he lets go of the crystal magic on his firsts, making them back to the way they were. He then made a sword out of the same crystals, the blade looked sharp enough to cut with just a touch. “I will display your head on a spike as an example to show Foodtopia what happens when they mock the Jewel King!”

Sheesh, I think the dream Brace is more psycho compared to the real one. Is he probably drunk from power? Anyway, he looks serious, so I’ll have to make this last shot count. I’ve always wanted to do this, and with my Shadow Magic, I know the pain will be at least ten times than what I have anticipated.

“I’d like to see you try Brace!” I taunted. “Give it your best shot!”

“With pleasure!” He replied before he charged in with a battle cry as he prepared his sword. He brought his sword up, readying a vertical strike before I quickly acted, and used my Shadow Magic to encase my forearm. It acted like a piece of armor as I outward blocked the strike, and slid it off to the side with loud noises of friction from the two hard materials. With Brace off-guard, I focused my Shadow Magic on my hoof.

“SHADOW IRON HOOF!” I yelled as I kicked my armed hoof up between his legs. “NUTCRACKER SPECIAL!” I continued before my hoof made contact, which made a painful popping, cracking sound.

Brace froze in place with his jaw hanging open. He dropped his weapon before falling to his side, and clutched the jewels between his legs for dear life as he made a cry of pain at a high enough pitch that sound like he was on helium.

“Milord!” Copper exclaimed as he was distracted enough for Shadina to follow my example, and got him lying on the ground in high pitched agony as well. We took advantage of their fetal position as Shadina and I used our shadow tendrils to wrap Brace and Copper’s hands and hooves together to where they can’t move.

“You sick son of a bitch! You broke my precious jewels!” Brace protested in the high pitched squeal.

I couldn’t help but laugh at his misery, though sick as it sounded, before I answered. “Hey, it’s better than me killing ya. Plus, I’m sure you won’t be spreading your demon seeds to any mare again after THAT.”

“I must say Cyan, creative as that was, I’m surprised you resorted to such measures,” Shadina admitted.

“I’ve been wanting to do that LONG before the Magic Duel. At least in here there won’t be any consequences on my part,” I pointed out. “You wanna take care of these guys while I free the princess?”

“My pleasure,” Shadina replied before she crashed a window in the throne room with her shadow sword. She then made a giant, shadow slingshot against the window before she pulled the stretchy elastic back, and placed Brace and Copper in the small pocket where the ammo would fit into.

“Say hello to the Candylot Guard for me would ya? Bon voyage!” I exclaimed with a smile and wave.

“This isn’t the last you’ll see of me peasant! I will find and destroy-AAAAAAGH!” Brace declared in the same high pitch before he and Copper screamed as they were flung out the window, flying towards Candylot where they will be put under arrest for their crime.

“Yeah yeah, I’ve heard of this before,” I said before I ran over to Lumina, undid her gag, slipped the anti-magic circlet off her horn, and cut her free from the rope with the emerald knife Brace set down earlier. “Are you okay your highness?” I asked, taking note that I needed to address her for being a princess in this world before she quickly tackled me in a hug while I yelped in surprise.

“Oh thank you for rescuing me great hero!” She exclaimed in glee as she hugged me tighter, squeezing the oxygen out of my lungs as her breasts were pressing against my front.

“I-it’s no problem your highness,” I replied while patting her back. “Could you give me some air please?”

“Oh! My dearest apologies,” she said before she released the vice-like embrace, and sat on her knees. “And please, call me Lumina.”

“… Okay?” I asked with a raised eyebrow as I sat up. I was confused by how she’s about just as lax in this world than the real one, despite her status before I continued. “I’ve been meaning to ask, but we were told to provide help if you ever come across any trouble. How come you couldn’t hire a few of your best wizards in your city to save you?”

She sighed in frustration in response before she answered. “The wizards in Candylot kept attempting to court me by showing off their magic and wealth to display their worthiness. I’d rather not bring up any ideas to request at least ONE of them to help me. I feared they’d make some contest out of this, having the first wizard to save me would give them right to the throne, which I would NOT allow. Honestly, I think they’re more interested in the throne itself than me ponysonally.”

You know, I could probably see that happening with Princess Celestia back in my world. I have to give her props for dealing with such matters, yet still show such professionalism with a motherly-like aura to her subjects. I wonder if anyone ever thanked her personally for her providing great leadership to our country, and raising the sun and moon? If I ever see her again when I’m not on the run, I’ll have to do that myself.

“I guess I can see your point there,” I replied. “I must say though, for such great wizards, they must be pretty stupid for only having eyes on the throne instead of a princess as beautiful as yourself.”

Lumina giggled with a tint of red in her cheeks at the response. “Such a bold thing to say from a young wizard as yourself. Are you attempting to court me as well with flattery?” She asked.

“Neigh, I am only speaking the truth,” I replied as I got to one knee with my head bowing down, showing my loyalty to the Candy Kingdom’s princess. “As beautiful and great ruler of our kingdom as you are, though I pledge to give my life to protect and serve you, I am not worthy of such a privilege as royalty, nor be your significant other. I believe you'll be better suited with a prince than a simple errand colt such as myself.”

A moment of silence filled the crystal throne room before I heard hoofsteps in front of me. “Raise your head, Cyan Dusknight,” Lumina commanded before I complied, and looked up to her standing figure before our gazes met. “For your great knowledge in magic, cunning, courage, and willingness to protect, you have shown great nobility for one that is so young. Do you swear to hold the words to your pledge true, not only to serve, but to protect me, and the citizens of the Candy Kingdom?”

“You have my word your highness,” I replied with a smile.

Lumina returned the expression with her cheeks redder than before. “Then come hither, and grant a kiss in order to mark your seal of loyalty to me, and my kingdom,” she said before she lowered herself to my level, and we locked lips with passion.

I was surprised at first, but considering this was just a dream, and this wasn’t the same Lumina I knew, I went along with it as I closed my eyes, and returned the gesture. As we kissed, I felt the air around us changing mysteriously, as everything seemed to slowly fade away, and I heard a familiar voice that was muffled.

“…an… Cyan, wake up,” the voice called out as my hearing was getting clearer. I slowly opened my eyes, and saw a ceiling in a darkened room. I grumbled at how tired I was, and having a hard time keeping my eyelids open.

“H-huh? Wha?” I replied before I wiped my eyes, and sat up.

“It’s time to wake up Cyan. You wanted to start your super tough training with me right?” The voice asked. I looked to where the source was, and Lumina was standing there with the same sweatshirt and sweatpants she wore yesterday morning. I scanned the area, and found myself back in our room at the pub we were staying in. I was back to my reality, and though everything that happened earlier was a dream, I felt strangely exhausted. Like all the adrenaline was sucked out of me, and my body was then taking its toll.

I took a few moments to drink in Lumina’s statement before I remembered what I said yesterday, and groaned internally at what I was about to do. “Could I at least get a couple more minutes of sleep? Or even an hour?” I asked as I took note how early in the morning she woke me up.

“Nope,” Lumina replied. “This was how early I woke up back at the academy, and though I won’t be as harsh in treatment, I’ll be putting you through the same thing I did,” she then used her magic to float me out of the bed, set me to my hooves on the side of it. “Now go and dress lightly. We’re gonna be working hard to make you a stronger stallion.”

Though I’ll probably be put through hell in the state I was in, I recalled back to what happened near the end of my dream, and put effort into a tired smile. “As you wish your highness,” I mumbled.

“Wait, what was that?” Lumina asked with a raised eyebrow.

“It’s nothing,” I replied in a higher volume as I got a light t-shirt and briefs. I only had jeans in my bag, so I’d have to make some workout pants with my magic. “I’ll be right with ya, and I’ll try my best to work out my tiredness this morning,” I said before I took my clothes, and went to the bathroom to change.

I’m not sure what that time in the Dreamscape did to me, but I know I’m not usually this exhausted in the mornings, both mentally and physically. Something tells me I’m gonna feel really sore after this. I’m definitely taking a break from desserts and candies after THAT dream though. I think the next time I see Shadina, I’ll take up her offer on that ‘special treatment’ of hers. That sounds really nice right now, and I’m still feeling a little frisky from that kiss earlier. Just keep in mind that what happens in the Dreamscape, stays in the Dreamscape, and nothing from there applies to the real world. I think the other me in that world just became Princess Lumina’s coltfriend after that kiss… Lucky bastard. Oh well, it was nice while it lasted I suppose, and at least I got to practice my new Shadow Magic moves. Now it’s time I go through Lumina’s way of training in my reality. I just hope I’ll be able to get through this alive.

Chapter 27: The Morning Workout, and Lumina's Ambition

Chapter 27: The Morning Workout, and Lumina’s Ambition.

[Lumina’s POV]

The room was still barely lit from the moon’s rays through the window as I groggily woke up. One year of getting up early in the morning back at the academy was still etched into my wake-up system, so I wasn’t able to get back to sleep. I yawned while I took my time getting up, and noticed my arms were wrapped around something that felt like it was breathing. I looked up, and saw that Cyan was in my arms the same way as he was last night while still in a deep sleep. I also noticed his limp arm was still around me like last night as well. I sighed in content from how comfortable I was in that position. I knew I needed to get started on Cyan’s training like he asked me to do yesterday, but I took a moment to savor this good feeling I had as I reflected the events from last night.

I have to admit, Cyan did an amazing job brushing my mane and tail last night. I don’t think I remember the last time I felt so relaxed. It was also nice that I finally told him some ponysonal things about me, and yet he’s willing to help me work things out in my life while still continuing to be my friend. I have to ask though, now that I’ve told him so much about me last night, what does he think of me now? Sure, he said he had gained a higher respect for me, but what’s his opinion on how I… Went through so many ponies during that time? I know I’ve tried to not let what those ponies said get to me, but a part of me can’t help but feel that some of what they’ve said about me… Turned out true. I had sex with quite a bit of ponies, especially starting from an age that may not have been acceptable to do it. Why did I even saw so many ponies during that time? Maybe I should talk to Cyan about this, and see what he thinks. We both agreed to be honest with each other, but… Does he somehow see me the same way as everyone from school did, and is only helping me out of pity? I really wish that isn’t the case, but I can’t deny that to be a possibility.

Still, Cyan has just been so good to me over the past couple of days. I can’t believe we’re already in our fourth day of being together like this since we first met that late Friday evening. From what I’ve got to know about him over that time, I’m amazed at how much he values his friendship. I guess it makes sense though. I mean he loved and cherished his friends from Canterlot so much, they were probably more like family to him than his real one… I still can’t believe his parents would drop him like that after discovering his Shadow Magic. I’m still questioning how Wielders of this magic are so dangerous like the old hag warned me. Cyan has been the sweetest pony I’ve ever met, how can ANYONE even see him as some sort of monster?

With that question in mind, I slowly moved out of bed without waking Cyan up, sat on the floor with my knees, and laid my head over my arms on top of the mattress as I observed him. He looked so peaceful while he was asleep, even with everything he had been through so far. Everything WE had been through so far in just a couple days. I scanned lower down his body, and saw his boxers pitching a tent like yesterday. It must have been morning wood again. I was rather curious how big he was under there, but not enough to change what we had going to find out though. I looked back to the head on his shoulders, reached over, and lightly brushed a part of his mane to the side while I was still reflecting my thoughts.

Come to think of it, I’m concerned for how ‘involved’ his parents were in his life up to now. Sure, they have very big jobs to do during the day, and they had taken Cyan to special events, but he may not have been very fond of those if they’re all like how he expressed his time at the Grand Galloping Gala. How much time did they really spent with him? The three of them together as a family? It sounds like he’s an only child since he hasn’t mentioned any siblings. Were there times he had to look out of himself when his parents and friends weren’t around? How alone was he when Roxxie and Teala weren't with him? I guess I can see now why he loved and cherished his friends so much. Maybe it’s even why he sees how important friendship is as it seemed his friends were more involved in his life than his own parents… Does he even notice this? Does he see his parents’ ‘involvement’ as normal for him? I’m scared to even THINK of what would happen if Crystal and Mom were as ‘involved’ with my life as his family was. I didn’t have many, if not, ANY close friends while growing up to keep me company like he did. I’ve known for a while that friends may come and go, that it’s just part of life. Family though… I mean I thought they were supposed to be there for you, to support you, to love you, and make you happy… What about what Marine had told me back at the interview?

The two of you have every right to choose your own paths. I chose to serve in the Guard because I want to give everyone a chance to live happily, and not let any opposing forces that could put the country in danger. I grew up with some unfortunate circumstances Lumina, and I don’t want anyone, my family especially, to ever experience a possible worse fate than mine.

He even mentioned before that he would never force his son to join the academy like the old hag did with me. Was all of that for naught as soon as Cyan showed his parents his Shadow Magic? I mean what kind of parents would just drop their own foals like a hot potato after seeing something like that? It’s just… Unforgivable, no matter the reasons why. And for Cyan’s parents of all ponies to even drop him like they did just because he can use Shadow Magic, as if he was some kind of freak…

I couldn’t help but broke tears as I thought to myself while watching him. I tried not to make much noise so I wouldn’t wake him up. I did however reached out and gently held his hand in mine. I rubbed the back of his hand with my thumb, and my tears kept dripping down to the bed sheets as I kept watching him sleep peacefully.

I don’t know why the fuck life had made a sweet colt like Cyan go through so much hardship at such a young age. I may not know exactly what I’m feeling for him right now, but I do know this: I’m not gonna let ANYONE harm this wonderful pony, or have him taken away from me. I think right now, I need him as a friend as much as he needs me as family. I KNOW there are big things coming ahead of you Cyan, and I’ll be sure to be there with you every step of the way. No matter what happens, I will never let you slip away from me so easily. I promise you that Cyan. Always.

With that thought in mind, I got up, picked up my training gear, and went to the bathroom to change. A couple minutes later, I went back in the room with my mane tied up in a ponytail, and wearing a sweatshirt and sweatpants. I walked over to Cyan’s side, and gently shook his shoulder. “Cyan… Cyan wake up,” I said before he grumbled a little in his bed, and groggily opened his eyes.

“H-huh? Wha?” He asked before he wiped his eyes, and sat up.

“It’s time to wake up Cyan. You wanted to start your super tough training with me right?” For some reason he looked around the room after I asked, as if he was evaluating where he was.

He must have had some kind of dream last night. That’s where his guardian Shadina teaches him his Shadow Magic right? I wonder what they do in there?

“Could I at least get a couple more minutes of sleep? Or even an hour?” He asked.

“Nope,” I responded. “This was how early I woke up back at the academy, and though I won’t be as harsh in treatment, I’ll be putting you through the same routines I did,” I then cast my levitation spell to float Cyan off the bed, and set him standing upright on the floor. “Now go and dress lightly. We’re gonna be working hard to make you a stronger stallion.”

Cyan looked like he tried to sport a smile despite how tired he was before he mumbled something I couldn’t hear. “Wait, what was that?” I asked with a raised eyebrow.

“It’s nothing,” he replied as he gathered a change of clothes. “I’ll be right with ya, and I’ll try my best to work out my tiredness this morning,” he said before he went into the bathroom.

Hmm… He doesn’t look to be 100 percent in good shape this morning. He may not be giving his all today even if he wanted to. I’m sure he’ll be better next time though. Right now I just need to see what he can do, despite the condition he’s currently in. Who knows? He may surprise me in the next session.

After a couple minutes, Cyan comes back out of the bathroom with a hoodie and black sweatpants, which was probably made from his Shadow Magic by the looks of it. “Ready to go then?” I asked.

“Ready when you are coach,” he replied jokingly.

“Let’s get going then,” I said before we picked up our bit pouches, and left our room. I picked up the key on the way to get back inside the pub when we were finished as we left the building. “Alright, while I was getting to know the city yesterday, I found a gym we can get into for some of the equipment I’m planning to use for your training, but we’re gonna warm up with a jog first,” I explained.

“Lead the way then,” Cyan said before I nodded, and I jogged along our path first before he followed.

“Two… Hours… How in Equestria… Did you even live after this?” Cyan asked in between hard breaths as we left the gym, finishing our routine for the morning.

“I’ve been through this kind of thing with the old hag years before I had the academy’s training drilled into me,” I answered as we walked. “If it makes you feel any better, I barely moved the first time I was put through this when I was around your age. It could probably be the testosterone, but you’ve done pretty well for your first day.”

That was a true statement. He wasn’t kidding when he said he was a good runner. I think it wasn’t until three-quarters along the way of our two mile jog that Cyan was having trouble breathing. Then there was the cool down stretches afterwards. My goddess I think this Roxxie girl put him through more hell than I thought she did. He showed quite the flexibility in his legs, and he certainly knew how to breathe in order to stretch even further. He also showed great strength with those legs as well. I think once we get to the sparring training, I’ll teach him some good kicks first, as they may be his greatest asset in a fight.

The only thing that we’ll need to focus on is his upper body strength. Sure, he had shown to have great mental strength just from seeing how much he could lift with his levitation, but he could barely get to ten push-ups while trying to maintain good form, which I think he was more worried about than the number of reps. I’m not saying it’s a bad thing, but he’ll need to get that into muscle memory before he can really work himself into it. Poor guy couldn’t even do one pull up though, and I could tell he had been struggling with that for a while judging by the frustration in his expression. I’m gonna help him change that though, that I’m sure of.

“So does the academy give you a day to rest your sore muscles, or do they drill you until you become pudding?” Cyan asked as he was starting to get some energy and breath back.

“They usually give us the weekends off, but the rest of the week? No,” I responded. “Same thing with the old hag, but we’ll take a day off before you get to training again if you’d like.”

Cyan looked down in deep thought for a moment before he turned back to me with a determined expression. “No, I want to be put through the same thing you and my dad did,” he responded. “If you two are able to do it, then I should be able to as well, especially with Dad’s blood running in my veins.”

“Now that’s what I’d like to hear,” I said as I patted his back. “Don’t worry about tomorrow though. Next time we’ll be focusing mainly on fighting styles, which will give your muscles some time to repair themselves, but you’ll probably get hurt along the way.”

“Well Roxxie did always say ‘No pain, no gain,’” he replied. “Plus, I’ve had my share of scrapes and bruises from sparring with her, so I think it shouldn’t be too much of an issue.”

“Alright then. How about we grab some breakfast before we head back?” I asked.

“Sounds good. Know any place that sells something nutritious?”

“I wish I could cook us something from the pub’s kitchen, but I’m not sure if Barley would allow that. We’ll need something good in protein, and would keep us not hungry for a while.”

“Well eggs would be a good start. What if we had oatmeal?” Cyan asked.

“You’re good with oatmeal?”

“Oh yeah. In fact Mom makes the best oatmeal I’ve ever tasted. I’m not sure any other would compare, but it’s still healthy, so why not?”

“Alright, eggs and oatmeal it is then. Plus it may be cheap judging by where we can get some. Let’s go take a look around,” I suggested while we continued walking.

“Sure thing,” he replied.

We found a nice diner a couple minutes later before we sat down at a booth and made our orders. Cyan and I talked about what we would do today before we check in the library to meet Nil. He wanted to find a book store where we could get something for Barley as a thanks for letting us stay. Apparently he was into poetry from what RB had told him. Who knew? It sounded good to me, and we can get it gift wrapped after we buy it, so that’s one thing we decided to do for today. Plus I’d like to buy a copy of that Pony Sutra book I checked out earlier. Could be something interesting to learn from, you never know.

I thought it might be good to also look around some clothing stores so he can get some new ideas on designs he could make with his Shadow Magic. I also need to find a few new bras and panties, one of the former being used for training. I think the one I had wearing then was starting to get uncomfortable for me. *Sigh* I just know Cyan won’t be comfortable with that though, especially with the store I was planning to shop for daily wear. At least I won’t get into teasing him related to that though. He wanted to keep them to a low degree, and I’m planning to hold onto that.

After we had our breakfast, we paid for the food before we left the diner, and went back to the pub to shower and change for the day. When we got back, Orange and RB were sitting in one of the pub’s tables before they saw us. “Morning guys,” RB greeted us. “Went out on an exercise or something?”

“It was more like hell than a simple exercise,” Cyan replied. “I’ll definitely be feeling something the next morning, but I guess I’ll have to get used to it.”

“Well I think it’s nice that you two are doing something like that together,” Orange added in. “We should probably get into something like that as well at some point, especially you Rooty. I think I’m starting to see a gut from all of those cinnamon rolls you’ve been eating.”

“Hey, I’ll have you know those are damn tasty rolls, and at least I’m getting some physical activity working in the pub,” RB defended.

“Oh yeah, ‘cause walking around behind a bar is just LOADS of exercise,” Orange said while rolling her eyes. “I mean look at Cyan there. Sure, he may be younger, but he looks fit enough to beat you in a race even if you were flying.”

Girl, you have noooo idea.

“Anyway, can we speak to you for a moment Lumina?” Orange asked me.

“Sure. You wanna hit the shower first Cyan?” I asked him.

“I’d like that. I’ll wait in the room when I’m done, so I’ll see you in a bit,” he replied before he walked over to our room.

“So what do you guys need?” I asked with the three of us alone at the table then.

“Remember that I would find something to help you uh… *ahem* Sate your physical needs?” Orange asked with a hint of red.

I followed suit as I recalled the conversation we had yesterday. “R-right, I remember,” I replied. “Have you thought of something?”

“Well…” Orange said. “Rooty and I talked after our session last night, and after we discussed and cleared up our concerns… We’d like to… Invite you to join us tonight,” she finished while pushing her fingers together, looking down, and still blushing like before.

I blinked a couple of times before I used my pinky to clean out whatever gunk was in my ear to see if something was blocking my hearing. “Come again?” I asked.

“We’d like you to join us in a threesome tonight,” RB replied bluntly with clarity like crystals.

My eyes widened at the statement while I blinked a couple more times in shock. “I… Don’t know what to say,” I said. “I mean… Are you even okay with this? You two are engaged, and I don’t want to bring up any ideas.”

“That’s why we had to discuss our concerns last night,” Orange answered. “You and Cyan have been so great to us, and I want to do what I can as your friend to help you in return. Rooty feels the same way.”

“I have to put something out here,” RB added in. “Even from what Cyan and I talked about yesterday, I was still uncertain about what would happen if I went through this, but if you two had laid out some ground rules for each other where seeing other ponies is included, then I can relax a little. Lumina, you’re drop dead sexy, I’m just getting that out of the way. Even so, I’ll always love Orange, and I would never do anything to hurt her as my wife, AND my sister. So you can be sure that if we do go through this, you can guarantee that nothing will come up for me to change my decision to marry her and come after you,” he then wrapped an arm around Orange and hugged her closer. “Orange will always be number one on my list, and I’ll never do anything that could lose her. So the threesome tonight, though it will be our first, will only be casual with no strings attached.”

“So what do you think Lumina? Do you think you’d be interested?” Oranged asked.

I was still at a disbelief at what I had just heard. A part of me was curious to what Cyan and RB were talking about, but I was mostly focused on what they offered. I had always wanted to have a threesome, and I didn’t care whether there were two guys, or a guy and a girl I would do it with. Heck, I’d be okay doing it with two girls even. I’ve wanted to see what being in an orgy was like too, but I don’t think I should worry about that at the moment. I was given an opportunity to not only do it with no consequences, but I could finally get something to sate my physical needs.

I took a moment to really think about this while I recalled everything I’ve experienced so far, up to last night when Cyan and I had that conversation last night. Sure, we had not only reestablished our ground rules, and I opened myself more ponysonally to him. I was telling the truth last night that I really did want to become a better mare, a better pony in general. I think part of doing that would be weighing my priorities, and look at the bigger picture of what’s really important to me. I looked to the direction where Cyan left as I thought about it, and I smiled before I turned back to Orange and RB who were patiently waiting. “You know? I think I’m going to be okay without it,” I answered.

It was the couple’s turn to look surprised as they looked at each other, than back at me. “R-really?” Orange asked.

“Sure,” I replied with a shrug. “I mean I can’t deny that sex is just fucking amazing, but it’s not like I need it to live. I think right now, I’d like to try and save myself for someone I see as special to me, which I would think could make the sex all that more amazing to do. I mean I’ve done okay going without it for four years so far, I don’t see how keeping that going could hurt me in any way. If I really DO need something, I’ll just, I don’t know, find an adult store and buy a toy or two. Whatever the case, I think I can manage myself just fine while keeping my emotional feelings in check,” I walked over to Orange and held her hands in mine. “Thank you for attempting to go so far for me, but I think I should be fine. In fact, I think I feel better now than I was yesterday when I talked to you.”

Orange was still shocked a little for a moment before she smiled at me in response. “I’m glad to hear that Lumina. And you can be sure that we’ll help you however we can if you need anything,” she said.

“Thanks Orange,” I said before we got into a hug while I minded her wings. “Cyan and I will do whatever we can to help you guys as well.”

“Thank you Lumina,” she replied before we pulled back.

“Now if you’ll excuse me, I need to take a shower, and get ready for the day. So we’ll see you later tonight?” I asked.

“Of course. Enjoy your day Lumina,” RB replied with a smile.

“Thanks. You too,” I said before I walked back to my room.

That actually went better than what I had thought. Frankly, I’m a little bummed that I won’t be having that threesome, but not very much. I’m sure waiting for the right pony to have sex with will be worth it in the end. I can just feel it in my heart. I’m sure there’s an awesome stallion or mare out there who’s thinking the same thing right now, and they may be the one for me. Cyan and I will be travelling Equestria for a while, so I’ll bound to run into my special somepony sooner or later. They’ll probably come when I least expect it. In the meantime, my main priority right now is watching over Cyan not just as a friend, but as family as well. He needs me as much as I need him, and I’m not gonna let anything tear us apart, no way no how.

Chapter 1: Cyan's Morning, and Meeting his Friends.

Cyan and Lumina: Adventures in Equestria

Prologue Part 1: Cyan’s Morning, and Meeting His Friends.

[Friday Morning]

I was sleeping with my head on my personal desk. Parchments, books, pencils, and quills were spread out before me after a long night of studying. The sun was just rising, and its rays were shining through my bedroom window, hitting right against my field of vision if I was awake.

I grumbled from the wake-up call, and closed my eyelids tighter. I was hoping to help dim the light against me at least a little when I did so, but that had no effect. I sat up, and rubbed out the crap that were in my eye sockets overnight. I put every amount of energy that was left in me to squint open enough for me to turn around, and see the alarm clock that was on my night stand. My eyes suddenly shot wide open as I looked at the time, and quickly levitated it closer to me to see if my vision was playing tricks on me.

“Crap! I’m going to be late!” I yelled as I shot up from my desk chair, and dropped my alarm clock that was turned off; the time showed it was 7:30. I grabbed my back pack, and quickly, yet neatly, stuffed my books, parchments, and school materials in it with my magic. My horn and objects were glowing a light blue aura around them. “Shitshitshitshitshit.” I rambled as I stripped out of my black boxers and white t-shirt, slipped on some navy blue briefs, and a pair of blue slacks. Letting my charcoal black colored tail go through the hole with each layer of clothing.

I then ran to my bathroom topless, splashing my face with water and drying it with a towel before I looked in the mirror. My light teal coat was somewhat clean, but the subtle bags under my crimson colored eyes, and my short-medium, charcoal black mane cow-licked to the side, made me look like one of those hung over, punk-type of ponies after a scuffle in one of those clubs I had heard about. I quickly fixed my mane to where it was mostly straight, carefully avoiding my sensitive horn as I did it, brushed my teeth, and applied deodorant at the same time with my magic before I dashed out the bathroom. I put on a white, short sleeved, button up shirt, tucked the trim in my slacks, and tied a belt through the loops before I got my back pack on me.

“See ya Bearbert!” I exclaimed to my stuffed bear that was lying on my bed before I ran and closed the door behind me. I quickly dashed down the stairs, the scent of breakfast wafting through my nose, and got to the kitchen where my mom, a white unicorn mare with a slightly frazzled, light green mane that stretched just below her shoulders and matching tail, wearing a pink bathrobe, was cooking eggs. I saw prepared toast already on the table, and quickly grabbed it with my magic.

“Grabbing breakfast to go today Mom! Late for school!” I yelled, ready to dash off the front door.

“School? Sweetie, there’s-.”

“I know! I’ll get the hearing later! Love ya bye!” I ran to the door until,

“School’s out today,” Mom interrupted, “it’s teacher’s work day.”

Caught off guard at the statement, I tripped on my own hooves, the momentum of the run enough for me to fly and hit the door face first before I slid down to the ground, lying on my stomach. I groaned in pain and annoyance as I got my mind straightened out, and remembered what day it was.

I should probably start this properly now that I’ve calmed down. My name is Cyan Dusknight. I’m a 14 year old, 5’6” tall unicorn stallion in my last year at Canterlot Junior High. I try to keep up with my grades the best I could, but my skills in unicorn magic was not very high for someone my age. The usual basic spells like levitation I could handle easily. A few minor spells like sound-proofing took more effort to cast, but I managed. The best spell I could cast right now was the force field spell; yet, it's small and it only lasts for two minutes before it disappears. I couldn’t get any further than that for some reason, no matter how much I studied and understood the concepts behind them. I try to make the most of what I had though. That’s what my dad always said. Speaking of whom...

“Did Dad leave for work early this morning?” I asked as I was eating my eggs and toast at the table.

“Yes. Your father is overseeing the progress of his squad’s training today at the Academy, and will be going at it until this afternoon.” Mom answered. “I have a day off today, so I decided to take it easy this morning.” She took a sip of coffee afterwards.

Both of my parents have jobs in the Royal Guard. My dad, Marine Dusknight, is the Commander of 13th squadron, if I remembered correctly. From what I’ve heard, he’s well on his way of becoming Colonel, and some think he could be one of the potentials to being next Captain of the Guard. He wasn’t interested in that though. He’s more into getting in the line of action when a crisis comes to where he was needed, but doesn’t want to spend too much time away from home.

My mom, Olive Cross, works as a nurse in the guard, and is said to be one of the brightest in the field of medicine and physical therapy. You can probably guess where my parents met before they had me. Quite a young age at that, as they’re only in their early 30s now, yet they look like they’re still in their prime. For them being in the guard, there were some days they had to be out of the house longer than usual. Mom would be out for a day, maybe two at the most, but Dad would go from a couple days, to even as much as two months.

I’ve gotten used to being on my own while they were out during those times. Mom would leave dinner for me to heat up some nights, while others I would make something quick and easy. I may not be the best cook, but I was able to manage.

Of course, I still get worried when Dad’s gone for long periods sometimes, but a part of me just knew he would come back at some point. I’m lucky to have ponies like him and my mom as my parents. I don’t get lonely when they’re gone though, as I have my two best friends to keep me company. If they were busy, and I didn't have much to study for school, I'd use that extra time to practice casting spells.

“I think I’ll see what Roxxie and Teala are doing today,” I said. “I’m not feeling up to studying after last night.” I got up and stretched after I had finished breakfast.

“Okay Cyan,” Mom responded. “Just don’t stay out too late. Tonight we’ll be having your favorite for dinner.”

“Lasagna?” I asked before she nodded in response with a smile. “YES! But what’s the occasion?”

“Just a good luck dinner for your tests next week, especially the U test. I know you’ve been studying hard for that lately.”

“Yeah, I need to study hard if I want to move up to high school with my friends. I swear, even with my highest of grades, I still barely manage to move up with the lack of magic skill I have.” I looked down with my ears folded before Mom placed her hands on my shoulders in support, and met my gaze with her emerald eyes.

“Don’t worry sweetie,” Mom started. “I’m sure you’re just slow in developing in your magic, and that’s okay. It just means that you have great potential for amazing things ahead of you. Your father was like that too when he was your age. Just remember that your magic doesn’t just come from here,” she said as she points to my horn, “but in here as well.” She then moves her hand and placed it on my chest, where my heart would be. “Magic is a powerful, yet mysterious thing Cyan, and not everyone is the same with it. You never know what it will bring, but as long as your intentions are good, and your mind and heart work as one, the best of your abilities will come out when you least expect it.” She smiled confidently and warm.

She always knew what to say at times like this. Her words would just somehow pick me up a little every time. I’m sure that’s part of what makes her a great nurse, and why Dad loves her so much.

My ears perked up, and returned her smile with a small one of my own. “Thanks Mom, and after today, I’m going to try the best I can to pass.” I proclaimed with determination.

“There’s my young stallion,” she stated before she messed my mane, and pecked me on the cheek. “Now go clean up and change into something more comfortable. I’m sure your marefriends would rather see you in that than your school uniform.”

“Mom! They’re not my marefriends!” I exclaimed. “They’re just great friends of mine who just happen to be mares!” My cheeks started to warm up a little from the embarrassment. I dashed back to my room before she says something else.

“Whatever you say sweetie.” I heard her say while I ran, and I could have sworn I felt her rolling her eyes with that.

After a good clean up in the shower, I changed into a white t-shirt, blue jeans, and a gray, zip-up jacket. I grabbed my pouch of bits from my desk, and stuffed it in my pocket. It was 8:45 now, according to my alarm clock. Still pretty early, but I’m far too awake to go back to bed now. I got downstairs, and was getting ready to leave.

“I’m heading out Mom!” I shouted as I got to the door.

“Hold it!” She exclaimed before walking up to me, inspected me, and suddenly licked her hand before she ‘fixed’ my mane. “Gotta look good for your future bride you know~.” She sings.

“Ugh! Mooom! My mane’s fine!” I whined before I got to the door. “I’ll see you later!”

“Have a good day sweetie!” She exclaimed before I shut the door behind me.

After I got to a fair distance away from my two story house, I got my mane back to a casually straight style before I came up with my plan. “Let’s see,” I said to myself, “it’s still pretty early, so Roxxie may not be up yet, I’ll check out Teala’s place first.” I decided before I walked east to my first stop.

For Canterlot being known as the main capital of Equestria, you’d think the whole city would be filled to the border with ponies of the highest class and riches just from looking at the castle like structure from the outside right? Well, you’re partially correct. There are actually three areas that make up the city, and each is consisted of ponies of different social classes.

The East Side, where I’m heading to first for my first friend, is the ‘high’ of the city, where the upper-class restaurants, shops, and nobles of great riches and publicity resided. The West Side, where my other best friend lives, while not exactly the complete opposite, still has its share of unlucky ponies who had hit rock bottom. Other than that, ponies around there earn their way to the higher ups with the best of their abilities, but still keep a more relaxed, casual atmosphere. Then there’s the Canterlot Castle, where the main road towards it split the East and West sides, and our ruling monarch, Princess Celestia, resides and does her royal businesses. There’s also a property where The E.U.P. (or Earth, Unicorn, Pegasus) Academy takes place, housing and training future members of the Royal Guard. Which is most likely where my dad currently is, like my mom said this morning. I live near the boundary line of the East and West sides, my house residing more to the latter. It’s close enough for my parents to go to work, the school I go to, and it was cheap when they bought it.

As I walked through the streets, I see lots of ponies with very spiffy clothes going about their businesses, some taking a glance at me for my ‘deviant’ (and I say that loosely) choice of clothing, but I didn’t really take much of it in offense.

I finally reached my first friend’s place, where her larger two story house, with more property to spare for landscaping, was behind some locked, black gates. I walked up to the intercom that was near the entrance, and pressed the buzzer.

“Who is it?” A familiar, old, mature sounding stallion asked through the speaker.

I took a moment to clear my throat, and intentionally change my dialect.

“Yes, this is Cyan, and may I request to see Teala please?” I asked in the most snooty, stuck-up manner possible. The stallion chuckled in response to my act.

“Ah, Master Cyan, good show. Please, do come on in.” He said before the gates opened, and I walked through. As I came to the door, a gray colored, earth stallion butler was standing at the entrance. He had a combed back silver mane, a big, stylized mustache, an expensive looking tux set with tails, and a red bow tie.

“A pleasure to see you again Master Cyan.” He greeted with a bow.

“Hello Sigmund. How’s it going?” I asked.

“Very well, thank you. Lady Teala is just cleaning up in her room. I’ll let her know you’ve arrived. Please take a seat in the living room, and she’ll be with you shortly. Would you like something to drink while you wait?”

“No thank you. I just ate.” I declined respectively. He nodded, and bowed before he went upstairs, and I went to the living room.

I swear, no matter how many times I come here, it still amazes me how much bigger the place is on the inside than it looks on the outside.

I got to the living room, where very comfortable looking couches and chairs were placed around a glass coffee table that sat a couple feet away from an unlit fire place. I took a seat closest to the archway, and slowly sunk in the plushy cushion. I sighed at the comfort, and closed my eyes. I sat there, and relaxed for what felt like an hour before sounds of wing flapping, and a pair of hands suddenly blocked my eyes and startled me awake.

“Guess who~.” Sang a familiar, charmingly melodic voice that was close to my perked ears.

“Hmm... Daring Do?” I asked in a jokingly manner, failing to keep my smile from showing.

“Oh you’re just horrible. How could you possibly forget someone like me?” She asked in a sarcastically hurt tone before she released my eyes and revealed herself. Her smiling muzzle inches away from mine, and half-lidded, icy blue eyes gazing into me. I mentally fight my face from heating up from the close proximity before she giggled and pulled back.

Teala Crystalwaters was her name, and she’s one of my two best childhood friends. She’s a petite, 14 year old, very light blue pegasus, who had a white and bluish-green, curly mane that just reached to her shoulders, and a matching colored, curled tail to go with that. She was shorter than me, about two inches worth, while currently wearing a sleeveless, mint green, silk blouse that was fitting around her waist, had frills from the middle of her buttons, to her collar, and a white velvet skirt that reached past her knees.

“Do you remember me now, Cyan?” She asked as the question snapped my attention from looking at her attire.

“Huh? Oh! Hey Teala,” I replied before she giggled at my snapping back to reality.

“Are you alright? You kind of dozed off on the chair when I found you. Did I make you wait long?”

“No no! You’re fine. I was just feeling drowsy from studying last night.”

That may be partially the truth, but I sure hope she buys it.

She sighed in response. “Honestly Cyan, I know we have exams coming up next week, but that’s no excuse from losing sleep. You need to keep yourself healthy if you don’t want to wound up sick during the tests,” she lectured.

Okay, she bought it. That’s good at least. But it’s nice to see that she cares for me though. Just goes to show how much of a good friend she is.

“I know, and I promise I’ll take better care of myself while I’m studying this weekend. I just really want to do well on this test,” I assured.

“I’m sure we all do Cyan,” Teala said. “But I know you’re going to do fine. You’re the smartest pony I know, and I haven’t seen one bad grade from you since we first met. You just need to have more faith in yourself.” I couldn’t help but blush, looked away, and scratched the back of my head from that.

Does she really think that way about me? Wait, why am I even having these feelings?

“Th-thanks Teala, but you’re pretty smart and talented yourself. I know you’ve scored better tests on some subjects than me, and I probably wouldn’t get some of the grades if we didn’t have those group studies from time to time. I’m sure Roxxie would definitely say the same thing.” That was a true statement. I have a hard time with history the most. Partially because I had dozed off in some classes. Roxxie can’t get math sometimes, and gets frustrated when she couldn’t answer some problems.

I could have sworn I saw a tint of red on Teala’s cheeks after I finished, but she changes the subject before I paid closer attention.

“Speaking of Roxxie, how is she?”

“It was still pretty early when I left,” I answered. “And I figured she took advantage of the day off to get some extra Z’s. I thought we could go pick her up, and we can hang out today before we focus on the tests next week. Maybe we can hold a few of those group studies this weekend to get ourselves more prepared.”

“I would like that very much, and yes, that does sound like Roxxie to sleep in.” She giggled a little at the comment. “Why don’t I grab my purse, and we’ll head off?”

“Sounds good.” I answered. “I’ll meet you up front when you’re ready.” Teala nodded in agreement before she turned, unfurled her well maintained, beautifully feathered wings, and flew out of the room. I stood there in awe at the majestic flight before I shook myself out of it, and walked back the way I came before I noticed Sigmund was standing next to the archway on the other side, and what appeared to be a maid hiding behind him. Her big skirt doing a poor job of staying out of sight as I can see it between the head butler’s legs. “Um… How long were you two standing there?” I asked.

“I had just arrived Master Cyan.” Sigmund responded.

“And the maid behind you?” I asked before a buttercream colored, red maned earth mare with braided pig-tails, freckles and big, round glasses peeked behind him, who had a guilty expression, and…

Was she shaking?

“P-P-please don’t be mad,” the maid said. “I was going to d-dust the living room before I saw you sleeping on the chair, and I didn’t know what to do and…” She suddenly got on to her hands and knees with her head on the floor. “Please don’t fire me! I’m so sorry!” An awkward silence filled the room before Sigmund broke it.

“Ehm, you’ll have to excuse Cinny here. She’s new to the maid staff, and is still really nervous in pleasing the masters of this mansion.” Sigmund defended. I couldn’t help but feel sorry for the poor mare, despite what she might have seen or heard from the room. I’ve seen Guard cadets in a worse position when they got to my dad’s bad side, so I can somewhat relate to what she’s going through.

“Uh… As long as you keep what you’ve seen and heard from the room between us, I guess I can let it sli-.” I was saying before Cinny suddenly went from the floor to hugging the air out of my lungs in a speed that could rival the Wonderbolts.

“Thankyouthankyouthankyouthankyou!” She exclaimed with glee. As I was trying to get air, I couldn’t help but feel something big and soft press against my face.

Holy crap are these her breasts?! Sweet Celestia, they got to be at least a freakin’ E-Cup!

Despite the size, I was suffocating in her large, clothed assets, and I had to tap her repeatedly to let me go. “Oh! Sorry Master.” She released the vice-like grip before I gasped, and took time to drink the sweet oxygen in the air.

“Anyway… Where are Teala’s parents?” I asked

Sigmund cleared his throat, ignoring the gesture of gratitude that happened before he spoke. “They’re over in Cloudsdale right now doing an inspection at the weather factory.”

I should probably mention this, but you know the machine in Cloudsdale that converts water into clouds? That’s thanks to Teala’s family. Apparently, her great grandparents invested in building the machine, and with it being a large success, they got most of the profits for the usage, and it was how they were able to afford this estate in Canterlot. I don’t know why they decided to stay in Canterlot than Cloudsdale, but I guess they preferred the ground compared to most pegasi. Despite that, her family’s been running the weather machine production and maintenance business ever since. Teala would be the next in line to run it once her parents moved on, but that doesn’t seem like something she wants to do with her life. I really hope she finds something to do that she’ll be happy with one day.

“Sorry to keep you waiting!” Teala exclaimed from upstairs before she flew down, and landed softly on the ground with a jade colored purse with a sapphire at the buckle strapped over her shoulder. “Ready to go?”

“Yep. Thanks a lot Sigmund, and it was nice seeing you Cinny. I’ll be sure to bring her back before dark.” I assured before the two of us exited and headed to the front gates of the estate.

“Take care now young masters!” Sigmund exclaimed.

“Have fun on your date!” Cinny added, which threw me and Teala completely off guard before we looked away from each other. Hiding our embarrassment as we walked out of the gates.

As we walked from the East side to the West side, we chatted about what our parents were doing for today, then how my morning turned out before I picked up Teala. My poor sense of time and day and face plant to the door seemed to get a good laugh out of her for a bit before she apologized from the outburst. I honestly didn’t mind that really. I feel a little better that I’m able to give my friends a good laugh. Some days she can get pretty down when the family business topic comes up, and if I can keep her mind off it for a little bit with my clumsiness, it’s worth the pain and embarrassment. Plus, she’s kind of cute when she laughs, but I don’t think I want her to know that.

I got to my concerns with my magic skill afterwards, and what Mom told me about it before I changed attire and left. I didn’t tell her about mom calling the two of them my marefriends, I think just Cinny who had made that assumption with the two of us earlier was bad enough.

“Your mother sounds amazing Cyan,” Teala said. “I must admit, I was kind of slow when I first started learning to fly back at Summer Flight Camp. Having fillies and colts laughing at my mistakes in some exercises didn’t help much either.”

“I remember you wrote to us about that in your letters from time to time,” I replied. “Roxxie wanted to know if I knew any flight or cloud walking spells so she could go up there and teach those foals a lesson. She was pretty pissed, but wasn’t the only one who felt the same way. I really wished I could do either of those, but my magic wasn’t good enough back then.” I remember how she reacted to them too. Believe me, you do NOT want to get on her bad side if something happens to one, if not, both of us.

“But when I came back, the two of you threw a big welcome back party for me. I don’t think I could have ever been happier to see the two of you back then.” She looked down, smiled, and that tint of red was shown on her cute, light blue cheeks.

“That’s what friends are for right?” I asked. “We’ve got each other’s backs no matter what comes to us, and we’ll keep doing it until the end.” She nodded at that before we finally arrived at Roxxie’s place. Her house was a smaller two story building that also served as a shop for clothes and tailoring, which was what her mom does for a living. The sign was flipped open, and the two of us walked inside with the bell ringing as we opened the door.

“Coming~.” Sung a mare with an alto sounding tone.

A few moments later, Sultry Stone, a curvy, light orange earth mare with her blonde mane tied in a bun, matching colored tail a little coiled, wearing a black, v shape collared blouse with short sleeves, and a white, long skirt that reached to her hooves, with a slit long and open enough to the side for movement, and showing off her legs, was walking in from the back, presumably her dining room.

She smiled as she saw the two of us at the entrance. “Cyan, Teala, so good ta see ya. What can I do for ya two?” She asks in an accent that could be recognized as Manehattan. Not surprising, as that was where she had grown up before she moved into Canterlot, Old habits die hard.

“Good morning Ms. Stone.” Teala greeted first.

“Morning. We were wondering if Roxxie was up and wanted to hang with us today?” I asked Sultry.

“Of course, she woke up not too long ago and is getting ready.” Sultry stated. “Ahm sure she’ll be happy ta see ya two. Teala, may ah just say that you’re just rockin’ dat blouse and skirt taday.”

“Thank you Ms. Stone, a very excellent tailor designed this for me.” She commented before she gave her a wink, and Sultry giggled at the remark.

Wait, is she insinuating Sultry MADE that attire?! Damn, I’ll have to thank her for that and ask for her services later. I could probably go for a good button-up shirt right now.

“Why dank ya sugah. And please, don’t be a strangah ta see me again for more in your wardrobe. You’re looking ta be a strapping stallion yourself Cyan. Maybe ah could whip something up for ya that Roxxie might like?” She asks as she scanned me. I couldn’t come up with a good answer until-

“Mom! Don’t even ask something like that!” A loud, brash sounding mare exclaimed from the second floor, with a more subtle Manehattan accent like her mom. Teala and I turned our heads to the stairs and saw our friend coming down.

Roxxie Stone, the toughest earth mare I knew, 15 years old, and my other best friend of our triad. Her mane was a paler shade of blonde that had a rough and messy style just at the end of her locks that reached just past her shoulders, while the rest was briskly brushed. She looked like she was going through puberty, as she seemed to be taller the last time I remembered, about two to three inches worth. Her cinnamon sugar colored arms were still well sculpted, as was her abs that looked to be tough as bricks, barely seen under the trim of her top. A sure fire sign that she got some good physical training under her belt. Speaking of belts, she was sporting a brown, leather one over her not too skinny black jeans that gave her legs enough breathing space to move, but still shows enough her muscle toned legs. Her pale yellow tail was cut at medium length and styled like one’s mane were bangs.

Wait, why was I even looking there?! Okay quick, check somewhere else, anything above her shoulders, just please let there be something-wait, what are those silver studs in her ears?

“Uh, hey Roxxie! Are those ear piercings?” I asked hopefully no one noticing how I ogled at her earlier.

“Sure thing!” Roxxie confirmed. “Just got ‘em yesterday after school.”

“They look like they suit you! How was punching the holes in the ears go?” Teala asked.

“It hurt like hell,” Roxxie responded. “And disinfecting them afterwards didn’t make it any better. They’re okay now, but it’s still sensitive to touch.” She caresses one of her ears signifying the sensitivity.

Okay, ogling crisis diverted. But what was with all that body inspection though? She’s my friend dammit, it’s not like she just turned hot overnight. Wait, I’m not saying she’s ugly or anything but, hold on, where did I get her being hot came from? GAH! What’s wrong with me today?”

“Hey Cy, you alright?” Roxxie asked. “You’re kind of spacing out there. What do you think of the new studs?”

I snapped my attention back to reality from the question. “Huh? Oh! They look great! Your ears look kind of cute with them on.” I mentally double face palmed the moment I realized what I just said.

Did I just call her cute? I’m not even sure if she’s into those kinds of compliments. Is she going to slug me for that? Worst yet, Teala was standing right NEXT to me when I said that. Does she think I don’t see her as beautiful? Of course I know she is, but, hold on, I think she’s beautiful? Where did that come from?

Why is everything so dreadfully quiet all of a sudden?

Somebody please say something!

“Um… Thanks Cyan. Glad you like ‘em.” Roxxie responded with her back turned while she rubbed her left arm with the other, looking in the former’s direction, and…

Was that a blush I saw in those cheeks?

A few giggles suddenly broke my attention, I turned and saw the source was from Sultry and Teala.

“I hate ta break da moment,” Sultry said, “but Cyan and Teala wanted ta know if ya wanted ta hang with ‘em today.” I’m glad she said something to change the topic. The awkwardness was getting thick enough to be cut with a saw.

“Y-yeah!” Roxxie replied. “Sounds good, let me just grab some bits and we’ll go,” she requests before she ran up the stairs in a bit of a rush.

“I have ta get back ta work,” Sultry said. “Don’t stay out too long now, and don’t do anything too crazy!” Sultry exclaimed before she walked back to her workshop, leaving me and Teala alone in silence.

“So… Sultry made that for you?” I asked, breaking the quietness.

“Indeed she did.”

“You look great. Not sure if I mentioned that earlier, but yeah, you look… stunning,” I said while looking up to the ceiling and scratching my head. It took every last fiber of my soul to say those words, hoping she wouldn’t feel left out in the compliment department, and maintaining our close friendship that I pray to Celestia that wasn’t in the brink of crumbling down.

“It’s okay Cyan, I don’t mind. And… Thank you,” she thanked while I could have sworn I heard strange shuffling and fluttering noises afterwards. I didn’t pay too much attention to it though.

Okay, I think everything’s good now. I put out what I felt to even things out, and it’s all behind us. So why do I still feel so nervous? And what was up with all that clamming up that happened earlier as well? They’re still the best friends I could ever ask for. Always had been since elementary school. Teala’s still the kind, smart, and generous Pegasus, while Roxxie’s still the strong, confident, and protective Earth Pony. Sure, Roxxie can get brash sometimes, and even Teala can worry a little too much over some of the smaller things for her own good, but they’re still really great friends. I can’t even think where I’d be right now if they weren’t with me. I don’t ever want to be separated from these two, not as long as I live. Still… Even if they’ve been good friends to me… Is this all that I want? Am I selfish to think that I may want something more than that?

“I’m coming down!” Exclaimed Roxxie’s voice from upstairs.

Guess my thoughts will have to be put on hold for now. I’ll need to evaluate my experience after today. In another time though.

Chapter 10: A New Friendship is Formed! Cyan and Lumina's Fateful Encounter

Chapter 10: A New Friendship is Formed! Cyan and Lumina’s Fateful Encounter

[Late Friday Evening]

[Cyan’s POV]

I finally got to the East base of the mountain where the trail from Canterlot led to outside. I panted for breath, while my clothes were cold and damp from the rain as I was trying to get to the bottom as soon as possible. I looked up from the ground, undid my hood, and saw a partial view of the castle-like city that was previously my home. The rain clouds were still heavily pouring rain, while the water from the mountain flowed through the city, and made a long fall to the ground. I was in awe at how high it was, and questioned how it’s still perched up there for so long. I shook my head from the thought before I turned towards the east, where a great view of the Foal Mountains were standing erect, even in the dark. At the base, across the river flowing from Neighagra Falls with a well-maintained bridge, was a forest.

“I guess I should find a good camp spot there until morning,” I said to myself. “Gotta find some place that’s well-hidden, but has some food around for me to eat,” I concluded with a nod before I jogged to the bridge with my things in tow.

[Lumina’s POV]

I sighed a breath of relief after I finished my temporary camp for the night. The tent Nil gave to me wasn’t too big, but could fit up to two to three ponies inside. My sleeping bag was already unrolled, and set up inside, with the bag I came with sitting beside it. The camp site was a pretty good spot. Just enough space for me to set up the tent, and hung the damp attire I wore before I got here to dry along a clothes line. I was in a zip-up jacket with a dry t-shirt underneath, and a pair of jeans while trying to keep myself warm with the layers I have.

“I really wish I could start a fire right now,” I complained. “But I can’t draw too much attention to me at the moment. Since I have no idea what could be in these woods, and the light could bring unwanted guests,” I reasoned before I stretched and popped the stiff bones in my body.

I gotta say though, all of that running and getting here, plus the time to set up camp got me to calm down a little. I’m still fucking pissed at Shining Armor, yes, but I’m not as pent up as I was earlier. Plus, all that crying after I got here definitely helped relieve some of the sadness that I had held in. I guess I didn’t get all of it out when I was at the gardens. I feel kind of bad with how I treated Creamy though. Sure, I was very emotional at the time, but that’s no excuse to how I snapped at her when she had no idea what was going on at the time. If I ever see her again, I’ll have to apologize and explain what happened. Right now though, I just want to get some sleep, and get going to Manehattan early in the morning…

Suddenly my stomach started growling that snapped me out of my thoughts.

“… I should probably eat first before I do that though,” I said to myself. “All the craziness today made me forgot how hungry I was,” I walked to the tent to grab the food I saved before I heard a sudden snap of a stick from the dark.

My ears perked up, faced the direction of the noise, and set my arms and legs at a stance. I held my right hand out with two fingers pointing to the sound’s source, my left hand holding under the former, as I quickly prepared my magic. My horn glowed a violet aura while a ball of light with the same color was on the tip of my fingers that were pointing. The academy called this technique the Magic Gun, perfect for trained unicorns for shooting long distances with good aim.

“Hold it!” I exclaimed. “Don’t move!”

[Cyan’s POV]

I walked through the forest; the path I took was barely visible in the dark while being wary of my surroundings.

All of that running has gotten me exhausted. I swear, I feel like I ran a lap around the whole city of Canterlot if I polled all the incidents together. Maybe two if I included the fast pace I was going down the mountain, and the jog to the forest. I don’t know why I even wanted to keep running. It’s not like anyone was awake at this hour that would notice me sprinting through the streets and followed me here… Well except that one pony I saw standing behind the fire in the drum though. Seriously, what was that? I know the West Side had some ponies who had hit rock bottom, but the pony I saw seemed to be around my age if I’m guessing by size… I guess I’m not the only one who may be running away from their troubles. Still, I hope things turn out okay for that pony. Anyway, all of that running got me too exhausted to cry any more tears; I’m getting tired…

In a daze, I accidentally stepped and snapped a twig that was under me. The noise woke me up a little, but not so much as the next sound I heard.

“Hold it! Don’t move!” A loud, female voice exclaimed from a distance in front of me. I saw a violet ball of light, with an aura above it that it appeared to be around one’s horn, making the mare a unicorn.

Crap. Things just can’t get any better for me than this today can it? It looks like the mare is preparing to fire a Magic Gun, a special type of magic technique, as far as what I remember Dad had told me. If she can do this, she must be well trained. Probably an ex-member of the Royal Guard or ex-student of the Guard Academy. Why she left either of those is uncertain, but I can’t do anything drastic right now.

“P-please don’t shoot!” I exclaimed. “I’m not armed, and I’m not intending to bring any harm!”

Silence filled the air for a moment, the gun still pointing at me before the mare called. “Hands in the air, and step forward!” She ordered.

I complied, and stepped forward slowly and cautiously toward the light. I tried to get through a patch of bushes before I walked into a clearing where I saw the mare.

The unicorn looked to be older, and well-endowed in the right places judging by what I could see from the gun lighting up those areas. She looked like she was wearing a jacket and pair of jeans, with her mane tied in a ponytail. I couldn’t tell what her expression was in the dark, but she seemed… surprised when she saw me, as I noticed her gun dying down a little, but still holding some power.

“W-wait… How old are you?” The mare asked.

“F-fourteen ma’am,” I responded with a tinge of fear in my voice. I heard a gasp from the mare while she covered her muzzle with the hand that was holding the gun. She stood there in silence for a moment before it was broken by my stomach growling loudly. I panicked as I prayed to Celestia that she didn’t think I was growling on purpose. “P-please excuse me ma’am! I haven’t had anything to eat since lunch!” I defended. “I won’t bother you anymore! Just please let me go!” I pleaded. I couldn’t help but trembled in fear for what the trained mare was going to do next. Tears started to well in my eyes, barely able to hold them in and not cry from the fear of dying as I waited for my fate. Suddenly, I heard another loud, stomach growling sound, but it wasn’t me that made it that time. I stood there dumbfounded at the sudden noise. My tears immediately stopped welling, and was sucked right back in my sockets.

Is… Is she hungry too?

We stood there for what seemed like an hour, the awkward silence filling the forest clearing. The next thing I heard took me back by surprise.

“Um… I… Have some food in my tent… If you’re interested,” The mare offered before she dimmed the magic gun completely off.

…Is she calling a truce for now?

“… I-if it’s not too much trouble ma’am,” I replied while I lowered my hands, but still scared of the mare.

“Wait there,” she directed before she ran to a dark figure that looked like a tent, and went inside.

[Lumina’s POV]

Okay… What the fuck just happened? I almost shot an innocent fourteen year old who may not even be in high school yet, hungry, and looked like he had little experience in magic; judging by the horn I saw from his dark mane. Come to think of it… What’s he even doing out here anyway?

I sighed as I got to my bag and picked up the food, water, and silverware I brought with me.

Just try to take it easy Lumina. All that training from the academy, and the stress from earlier has got you all pent up. The poor kid looked scared when I pointed that weapon at him, and I can’t blame him there. Just try to ease him into a better mood, and show that you aren’t going to hurt him. If I do that, I’ll probably get him to open up to why he’s out here.

I nodded at the plan I mentally made before I left the tent.

[Cyan’s POV]

A few moments later, she came back out with two containers, and two pairs of silverware in one hand, while holding two bottles of water in the other. She walked up to me, giving me a better view of her definite features under the dim moonlight.

She looked to be a few inches taller than me, probably the same height as Roxxie last I remembered. She had a creamy yellow coat, despite the darkness, with a violet mane and matching eyes that glimmered in the moonlight.

Whoa… She’s… Really beautiful.

“Here,” the mare spoke while she passed one container, water, and pair of silverware to me. I tentatively took the offering.

“Th-thank you…” I thanked.

“You’re welcome,” she responded casually. “Do you want to take a seat?” She asked as she gestured to a spot in the clearing where the moonlight was more prevalent through the tall trees.

“S-sure,” I responded. I followed her to the spot, and we slowly sat down cross-legged while staring at each other. We were still for a few moments without moving a muscle. She looked curious as to why I haven’t eaten yet, but perked up from the ears as if she realized something.

“Oh don’t worry! It’s not poisoned or anything,” she assured. She demonstrated by taking the lid off of her container, some steam coming out, and took a bite out of her own food for insurance. To be honest? Part of me wanted to say that was correct for why I just sat there. I was actually kind of… Entranced at how she looked in the moonlight.

She snapped me out of my trance before I answered. “O-oh. Okay,” I looked down at the container. It felt a little warm as if it was cooked some time ago. I pulled the lid off, and saw some steam coming out of the container, as if this was the first time it had been opened since it got packaged. I took the fork, and stabbed the food before I tore a piece from it, and picked it up. I slowly placed it in my mouth, with the mare looking at me intently as if she was waiting for a response. I chewed it around in my mouth, and was surprised once I got the taste.

“…What is this?” I asked her.

“Corn Casserole,” she answered. “It’s a recipe my mom made that I liked and wanted to try cooking.”

“W-wait… You made this? For your first time?” I asked with disbelief.

“Mhm. I made it a while ago, so it cooled down quite a bit before now. How is it?”

“It’s… Really good,” I complimented. “This is very nice if this is your first try.”

She sighed at the comment, as if she was holding a breath. “I’m glad. I wasn’t exactly sure if I could pull it off. It didn’t taste like how Mom used to make it though, so I guess I have some things to work on.”

“I don’t know how your mom made this, but I’m sure she would be proud of you for doing this. Whether or not it’s the same as hers,” I commented. She looked surprised at the compliment, but then smiled a little after.

“Thank you. That means a lot,” she responded.

“It’s nothing ma’am,” I replied. She gave a small giggle at that remark, which was actually kind of cute.

“Let’s stop with the formalities shall we?” She asked. “I’m Luminescent Lustre, but you can call me Lumina,” I sat there in shock by how beautiful that name sounded.

“P-pleased to meet you Lumina,” I stuttered while I took a hand out, and she shook it with her own.

“May I ask what your name is?” She asked. As I opened my mouth, something hit my mind before I spoke.

This Lumina seems to have some training at the Guard considering how she almost blasted me with her Magic Gun earlier. If I gave out my real name, she’d probably recognize it from my Dad if she was trained under him. She seems okay for now, but I don’t think I’m ready to tell her my real name yet until I know more about her. I’ll have to come up with a fake one until then.

“I’m…Cyan Shadow...” I introduced.

Wow, really? THAT’S the best you can come up with? It sounds like a freaky abstraction that can only occur in a fantasy story.

“Pleased to meet you then, Cyan,” Lumina responded with a smile. “Go ahead and eat up before it gets cold.”

“O-of course,” I agreed before the two of us continued eating.

After we ate for a few minutes, we had the leftover containers, silverware, and water bottles set to the side. We sat there in silence again, probably asking ourselves the same question about the other. I made the first move before she got the chance.

“So what brings you to these parts?” I asked.

“I should be asking you that,” she said. “It would be strange having a fourteen year old colt coming out here this late at night wouldn’t it?”

“Not as much as having a beautiful mare like yourself out here in the woods,” I responded.

… Wait, did I just say that? FUCK! Come ON man! It was bad enough you were having trouble with Roxxie and Teala. Now you’re saying things to a complete stranger you just met! What is WITH you speaking out your mind today?!

Before I berated myself internally some more, a giggle came out from Lumina. “My, aren’t you a sweet talker? Are you hitting on me Cyan?” She asked with a raised eyebrow and a smirk.

“N-no! It’s not like that!” I exclaimed while waving out front. “I don’t know where that came from! I wouldn’t hit on someone I just met! Not intentionally anyway! It just came out of nowhere! I mean, what I said about you being beautiful was true, stunningly sexy even, but I-wait, where did I get ‘stunningly sexy’ from?! GAAAH! WHEN DO I STOP DOING THIS TO MYSELF?!” I yelled at myself while I tried to pull my mane out of my head in frustration.

That just did nothing but made her laugh hysterically on the ground as I sat there, and looked downwith my face heated up in silence. When she finally calmed down and wiped a tear from her eyes, she sat up, and stifled a few giggles before she spoke. “Ahhh man. I think I’m starting to like you kid. I haven’t laughed that hard in a while. And I’ll happily take those compliments to heart,” she gestured with a fist to her chest. “Just for that and the good laugh, I’ll go first for why I’m here,” that statement brought my attention back up, as I really did wondered what she was doing out here. I gave her my undivided attention, ready to listen, as she tried think of where to start.

“Well,” she said. “I was spending a year at the E.U.P. Academy in Canterlot. Going through some ridiculous training I didn’t need, but paid off pretty well in the end. I was feeling really miserable though, and I couldn’t get out if I wanted to.”

“Why was that?” I asked. “You didn’t want to go there, and you couldn’t leave? What kept you in?”

Lumina sat there while she gave an annoyed expression at the thought. “Let’s just say some bitch of a friend of my mom’s figured I could use some discipline for not showing much respect to her.”

“Don’t they have an entrance exam though? You could just fail the test then and there, and won’t have to worry about it ever again.”

“Believe me Cyan, as much I wanted to follow that example, I couldn’t. I was enrolled by… special recommendations.”

“Boy, this teacher of yours must have quite a stick up her ass if she went THAT far,” Lumina laughed at that comment.

“Ain’t THAT the truth?” She asked before continuing. “Anyway, since I got there by recommendation alone, I couldn’t register myself out. It wasn’t until after a year of hard training and yelling in-your-face treatment from the Drill Sergeant that my progress in academics, and physical training was recognized. I felt like I was gonna be stuck there forever, and get forced into joining the Royal Guard. So I thought I might as well train for the part. It wasn’t until I had an unusual interview with one of the higher ups from the Guard to give me the choice on whether I should join them, or resign the academy and leave.”

‘Unusual interview’ huh? That’s probably what Dad was doing today.

“So I assume you decided to resign when you were given the choice?” I asked.

“Fuck yeah I did! When he gave me the resignation letter before I finished the interview, I went straight to signing it, slipped it under his door, and left the academy. And here I am,” she finished.

“So where are you planning to go now?” I asked.

“I’m actually going to meet an acquaintance of mine in Manehattan to discuss some things," Lumina said. "He was in the academy as well, but he wanted to quit when he got the chance too. He had some stuff to do before he left though, so we agreed to meet there. And before you ask why I didn’t take a train there, I got… Held up with some things before they closed their services for the night. I didn’t want to spend another minute in Canterlot, so I took the alternative and made the walk here.”

“I guess that makes sense, considering your circumstances,” I understood. “I’m sorry that you came this far with those circumstances though. I can’t imagine going through something like that against my will if I was in your position.”

“It’s alright,” she said with a wave of her hand. “If anything, that was probably heaven compared to high school.”

“Was the latter really that bad?” I asked hesitantly, as I haven’t even gotten the TASTE of the high school life yet.

“Oh you have NO idea. On the plus side though, I did get in pretty good shape out of all of this, and then some. Speaking of which,” she said with a sly smile before she got up, and turned to where she was facing her back at me, hands on her hips, and swayed her… tail and ass from side to side. “What do you think? Too big?” She asked out of nowhere.

I sat there with surprise before I felt heat going through my whole face, and looked away. “U-uh no... You look great,” I replied shyly.

Sweet Celestia this mare’s bold! She didn’t even cared I was fourteen! I know this is some kind of joke, but I couldn’t help but stare! Damn you male hormones… Stupid Sexy Lumina.

She giggled at my poor response before she sat back down facing me. “Good. That’s just the reaction I’m looking for,” she assured with a sly smile. “Now then, since I’ve said my reason for why I’m here, why don’t you tell me yours?” I sat there frozen at the request.

What would she say if she saw it? She seems like a pretty chill mare. And very… open about herself, to say the least. But has she come across something I have before? I guess the best that I can do right now is put out what’s important and needed to know, and I’ll add the details later if she asks.

I took a deep breath through my nose, and out of my mouth, trying to calm myself down before I spoke. “Okay, I should probably tell you a little about myself to help even things out first," Lumina nodded in understanding before I continued. “If you could probably guess from earlier, I’m not a high school student. I was in my last year in Canterlot Junior High, and we had our E.U.P. exams coming up the following week. I’ve done well academically, but I wasn’t so good in the magic portion. I could barely hold up a force field for two minutes before it fades out. I wasn’t really confident in my abilities as a unicorn, and a Magic Duel I lost to a school bully after trying to defend my friends and myself today made it worse.”

“What did he say to you guys that made you take the duel in the first place?” She asked.

“Well he called me a… failure as a unicorn for not casting any higher leveled spells. He also degraded my friends and their respective races for saying they shouldn’t even be walking around in a city where unicorns are the superior race.”

“Whoa, okay. I’ve heard some insulting shit back in high school. I was even degraded myself one time or another, but that’s just fucking low,” she commented.

“To be honest, I was more pissed about how he treated my friends like that than calling me a failure. They were the best childhood friends I could ask for, and I loved them…” I sat there shocked at what I just said, which Lumina copied.

Did I just say I loved my friends? Now that I think about it, going back to the letters I wrote…

…I’ll always treasure the memories we made together up to this point, and it has been a great honor, and pleasure to be your friend. I wish you the best of luck in finding your cutie marks, and what the future has in store for you two. I’ll always love having the both of you being in a significant part of my life, and I’ll always cherish the memories we made together…

… I wrote that didn’t I? I didn’t care what I was writing as I was in a rush. I just wrote what I felt, and it felt right at the time… I guess I did love them didn’t I? It’s a shame I found this out now. If I stayed in Canterlot, I would’ve probably confessed to the both of them properly if I could.

“You must have really good friends if you felt that way for them didn’t you?” Lumina asked, which snapped me out of it.

“…Yeah, I most certainly did,” I responded with content. “Do you want to see a picture of them?”

“I would love to,” she responded with a smile. I got my backpack, and took the photo out of my special pocket before I handed it to her.

“The earth pony is Roxxie, and the pegasus is Teala,” I introduced respectively. “The three of us have been friends since elementary school, and we had each other’s backs for a long time.”

“They look cute,” Lumina commented as she looked at the picture. “I can tell you have good eyes. I’m sure they loved having you as their friend as well,” she concluded before she passed me the photo, and I put it back in my special pocket of the backpack.

“I hope so… Despite what happened today,” I commented before I looked down with ears folded.

“Hey, it’s okay Cyan,” Lumina supported with a hand on my shoulder. “You did your best, and I’m sure they’re thankful for what you did. I know I would,” she said with a smile.

“Thanks, I needed that,” I responded with a small smile before she pulled back.

“Did you ever confess those feelings for them?” She asked.

“…I think the letters I wrote and dropped off at their houses before I left are probably the best confessions I had. I’d probably confess to them properly if I wasn’t in such a slump,” I admitted.

“Well you’ve got guts kid, I’ll admit that. It takes quite a stallion to own up their feelings. Anyway, so what happened after the duel?” She asked to keep the explanation going.

“After the bullies left, I ran from my friends before they had a chance to see how I was,” I continued. “I kept running until I tripped and fell in an alleyway and sobbed. Quite pathetically I might add. Anyway, it seemed like it took a while until someone came by and helped cheer me up.”

“What was this pony like?” She asked.

“She’s… A unique individual, I’ll say that much.”

‘Unique’ is probably as much of an understatement as saying the ocean was wet.

“I told her what happened," I said. "And she showed me something I’ve never seen before. It was a new kind of magic that I haven’t come across in my studies, and she wanted to teach me how to use it.”

“How did it go?” She asked.

“Swimmingly. It was like I was a natural at it. I got so excited at what I could do now, that I wanted to show my parents what I had learned. The mare left quickly before I got to thank her, but I got too wound up in the joy before it started raining.

“When I got to the house, my parents weren’t happy about me coming home so late, and I understood that, but they gave me a chance to explain myself at what happened before I showed them the new trick.”

“How did they react?”

“…It wasn’t something I expected… They looked… Scared when they saw what I could do. I wanted to ask them why, but they asked me to just head to bed and we would talk in the morning.”

“That’s something I don’t hear every day,” Lumina commented.

“I thought they’d be excited. I couldn’t help but wonder what was going on. So I went and overheard their conversation… And…”

“And?” Lumina asked with a look of concern.

“…They said I was too dangerous to everyone around me now, and were going to send me someplace secluded and far away for who knows how long,” Lumina gasped at that while covering her muzzle with her hands.

“That’s… That’s just awful…” She replied. I looked down with my ears folded.

“I didn’t think straight after that,” I continued. “All I wanted to do was get out of there before I got sent away, and if what they said was true, I didn’t want to take any chances of putting my friends in danger. So I packed everything I could, left through the window, dropped off the letters to my friends, and left the city under the rain…” I finished with a crack in my voice. I sniffled and shook in place, still looking down, trying hard not to break out crying in front of her.

Lumina then surprised me by grabbing my head, and hugged it to her chest with her head sitting on top of mine. “I… Am so sorry Cyan…” Lumina apologized with a broken voice while I felt wet drops on my head. I hugged back tightly, and broke out emotionally while crying once more. The feelings I held so hard onto from when I left Canterlot to get over here were finally let out, and I was vulnerable. Lumina, a stranger who I just met tonight, was showing such kindness to a stranger like me, I couldn’t help but cried loudly.

A few minutes passed, and the both of us started to calm down. After we wiped our tears, I was the first to speak. “Thanks for that… I really needed it.”

“I don’t blame ya,” Lumina responded. “I can’t imagine what I would do if I heard my mom say that about me at your age…” She went quiet for a moment, looked unsure for what she wanted to say. “Can I ask you a favor Cyan?” She asked.

“Sure. What is it?” I asked.

“Can you show me what you learned from that mare you were telling me about? That new magic you discovered?” She asked.

I sat there looking down almost shaking. “I-I don’t know…” I choked. “C-can you promise me one thing first?” I asked.

“Of course.”

“No matter what happens… Can you keep this a secret? Just between us? I won’t hold anything against you for what you want to do afterwards,” Lumina nodded in response. I took a deep breath, trying to calm myself down to prepare myself. “Okay, here goes…”

I took my hand out, and focused my new power onto it. The same black aura showed around my hand and horn before I focused on my signature symbol, the six pointed star, to have it emerged and floating above my palm not too long after. I looked up, and saw the shocked expression on Lumina’s face. Her eyes were wide as dinner plates, and she sat there speechless. I released my focus, and let the shape and auras around my hand and horn disappear. I sighed solemnly, as I expected something like this would happen.

“I understand if you don’t want to see me again after that,” I broke the silence. “I should probably get going… Thanks for hearing me out and the casserole,” I thanked before I got up from my seat and grabbed my backpack. “Don’t worry. You won’t see me again after tonight. I’ll find someplace where I won’t be able to hurt anyone. I wish you luck in whatever it is you’re doing in Manehattan,” I finished before I started to leave the clearing.

“HOLD IT!” Lumina shouted before I froze in place. Unexpectedly, a violet aura was coating around me, and I was lifted off the ground. Lumina sat me back down in front of her with her magic with a serious expression. She released her magic before she grasped my shoulders. “Cyan Shadow… That magic you have there is a gift,” she stated.

“H-huh?” I responded.

“Your parents are crazy to even THINK that their own SON, someone sweet, sensitive, loyal and kind as you, could be a monster,” Lumina said. “This is entirely new to you, yes, and I can understand that you’re scared of this power, and that’s okay… Because I was there once too,” my eyes shot wide open at the last statement.

“W-wait… Are you saying YOU have this power too?!” I asked in disbelief.

“Not exactly, but something similar,” she clarified. “Take a look at this,” she sat back, held up her hand, and focused on something.

Her horn suddenly glowed a bright yellow, a different color than her usual magic I’ve seen so far, and then a ball of light with the same color was floating above her palm. It was small, but it lit up the whole forest clearing, and I could see Lumina entirely. The ball of light was also radiating off waves of warmth, like a calm fire, but not too hot enough to burn me.

“This… This isn’t some kind of illumination spell is it?” I asked.

She shook her head. “No it is not, and this isn’t all I can do. Watch this, tree behind you at two o’ clock,” she said before she pointed the ball of light at said tree, her hands in the same gesture as it was when she was doing the Magic Gun technique, but with the yellow ball of light instead of her own magic. In an instant, the light flashed, and a laser-like beam shot from her pointer towards the tree, burning a hole right through it.

“HOLY SHIT!” I shouted as I jumped back at the sheer power from that blast. I panted heavily from the loss of air I somehow released as the light from Lumina’s ball and her horn died down; the clearing darkened to what it was before.

“That Cyan, was what I’d like to call my Light Gun,” Lumina spoke, breaking the silence. “You and I aren’t the only ones with this kind of magic either.”

“There are MORE?!” I shouted, still shocked from the blast.

“Remember my acquaintance from the academy I mentioned earlier? He wields the magic of Thunder at his fingertips, able to manipulate electricity from his body and around him. Not only that, he was a pegasus. Didn’t even need a horn like us to wield that power.”

“No freakin’ way!” I asked with shock, and a little excitement.

“Way~,” Lumina sang. “And there’s more where that came from. There may also be ponies who wield the magic of Water, Earth, and Fire as well. He and I just found this recently, and at the moment, we came up with a term for ponies who have this kind of magic. We called them Wielders. He was the Thunder Wielder, I’m the Light Wielder, and you, Cyan Shadow,” she said as she pointed a finger at me. “May be what we would call a Shadow Wielder, one who manipulates shadows from his body and around them.”

“That… May be the COOLEST thing I’ve ever heard!” I exclaimed excitedly.

“And I’m sure that as you grow and develop, you’ll learn and do so much more than what you just did earlier,” Lumina said. “My acquaintance, Nil Thunder, and I are going to meet in Manehattan to hopefully find more clues to what these powers given to us even mean. And if we can’t find anything there, we’ll look someplace else, and we’ll keep looking until we find out why we have these powers. And Cyan,” she said as she placed a hand on my shoulder once more. "You may not know how you to use your powers now, but from what I’ve learned about you in this short amount of time, I can only guess that you want to use this magic for the good of others right?”

That’s right… When I found this magic earlier, the first thing that came to mind was being able to protect and stand up for Teala and Roxxie once I learned more. Even now, I still want to use this magic to do something good with it.

“…Yes Lumina,” I responded. “The first thing that came to me when I found this was what I could do to help protect Teala and Roxxie. I… I want to do something good with this magic, I really do. It may look scary and unusual, yes, but… I feel I can do something to turn this thing around if I learned more.”

“I like the way you think kid,” Lumina complimented before she got up while pulling me along. “So what do you say Cyan? You wanna go on an adventure?” She asked as she held up a hand up front. Without a moment to think, I firmly grasped it.

“Fuck yeah I do!” I exclaimed with a big grin.

“Then from now on, you and I are partners until the end,” Lumina declared.

“No. Better than that,” I interjected. “You and I… Are friends. If that is okay with you?” I asked. Lumina went wide-eyed at the term at first, but smiled soon after.

“I’d like that Cyan, and it would be a pleasure,” she finished before we pulled each other into a tight embrace. The warm feeling of a new friend was rushing throughout my body as I sighed in content, basking the moment. “You do realize this makes us fuck buddies now right?” Lumina asked out of nowhere.

My eyes shot wide-open, and pulled back in shock. “W-what?” I flabbergasted before Lumina laughed.

“Dude! I’m pulling your leg!” She exclaimed between laughs. “You should’ve seen the look on your face!”

“What the heck Lumina?!” I whined. “You spoiled a good moment!”

“Get used to it Cyan~,” she sang. “Because there’s a LOT more where that came from,” she confirmed with a smile. “Now grab your bags and come inside. You’re sleeping with me tonight, no questions asked.”

“I pray to Celestia you meant that literally,” I sheepishly replied as I grabbed my things before I got to the tent.

“Oh lighten up! You snagged two cute mares back in Canterlot! Dealing with one of me should be a breeze!” She claimed as we walked inside. When we got inside, she unzipped her jacket and tossed it to her side of the tent.

“One, they technically aren’t my marefriends. Two, I probably would handle you if it weren’t for your hot as hell body, especially your ass and breasts. What’s your bra size anyway? A D Cup?” I asked as I set my stuff down, and unrolled the sleeping bag.

“Ohhh, NOW you’re gonna get it!” She exclaimed before she tackled me to the ground, and started tickling my sides. I tried getting up, but my laughter made me weaker, and she was straddling on my hips that were pinned down.

“Okay okay! I give! I give! Uncle! Uncle!” I exclaimed between laughs.

“Not until you scream ‘Lumina Lustre is a sex goddess and I want to motorboat her breasts,’” she ordered with a snide smile while she continued the tickle torture.

“You-HAHAHA-can’t honestly-!” I tried to protest.

“I mean it~,” she sang as she continued while I was feeling pain in my sides from the laughter.

“Lumina Lustre is a sex goddess and I want to motorboat her breasts!” I exclaimed quickly in one breath before she finally stopped, and I panted harshly from the torture. I opened my eyes after I caught my breath, and noticed how Lumina was really close above me, smiling deviously while she still pinned me down, and her breasts were hanging above me with her tits showing under her t-shirt.

I don’t think she’s wearing a bra right now.

I lied there dumbfounded; my face heated up from the close proximity and physical contact. “And for YOUR information,” Lumina said, “I’m a DD. You should be honored to have a walking sex goddess such as myself to be your friend,” she declared with a fist to her chest.

“Y-you’re not gonna make this easy for me are ya?” I asked, forcing myself to maintain eye contact and keep off staring at her breasts.

“You’re smarter than you look. And from what I can see,” she said before she bent over to where her muzzle was close to my ear. “You and I are gonna work juuust fine,” she whispered slowly with intoxication in her sultry tone. “Good night Cyan~,” she sang before she got off of me, and went to her sleeping bag before she went to sleep.

I lied there staring up at the ceiling, face still hot like the sun, trying to configure what had just transpired in this tent. I slowly got in my sleeping bag while I still looked up, and breathed a breath of air I didn’t know I held in before I closed my eyes.

Okay, let’s recap today’s events: I found out I loved my two best friends; I discovered a new magic within myself; I ran away from home; and I’m sleeping in a tent with an ex-E.U.P. Academy student with a body of a sex goddess like I confessed against my will. Something tells me things are going to get a lot crazier from here on out. And the weirdest thing out all of this? Is the fact that I think I’m starting to like Lumina in more ways than one. I can’t tell if things are gonna get better or worse from this. I just hope I live long enough before Lumina teases me to death, or I lose what innocence I have left.

Chapter 22: Lumina's Inner Conflict Returns, Breakfast in Bed, and a Few Surprises

Chapter 22: Lumina’s Inner Conflict Returns, Breakfast in Bed, and A Few Surprises

[Monday Morning]

[Cyan’s POV]

I slowly woke up to the white ceiling above me with an unfamiliar feeling. The bed seemed roomier, I was under the blankets, but still felt a little cold from something missing. I turned my head to the right, and noticed that Lumina was gone. I sat up on the bed, and scanned the room around me. The door to the bathroom was open, but no one was in there. The one that leads out to the hall was closed as well. I noticed my face feeling dry and gross from all the crying last night, so I got up and went to the bathroom to wash my face.

Huh, where did Lumina go this morning? I guess I can understand if there wasn’t any paper around to write a note, but it would be nice if she left SOMETHING to let me know that she went somewhere. Oh well, she’ll come back eventually. Might as well get dressed.

After I finished cleaning myself, I got to my bag to get a clean change of clothes. I was about to put on my black t-shirt after slipping on my bottoms before the door opened. Lumina was there at the entrance with a sweatshirt and sweatpants with dark spots that looked to be damp from sweat. She also had a white paper bag in one hand as the two of us just stood there staring at each other for a moment before Lumina spoke. “Um… Sorry, was this a bad time?” Lumina asked with her face tinting red.

“I-it’s fine,” I stuttered as I quickly put on my shirt. “I’m just glad I had my pants on when you came in… Were you on a jog?”

“Uh yeah,” she replied as she held up the bag. “I got us some breakfast on the way back. Muffins and milk okay with you?”

“Sure, sounds good. Did you want to clean up real quick before you eat?” I asked as I gestured to the bathroom.

“A shower sounds pretty good right now. Here, you can get started, and I’ll be right back,” Lumina said as she handed me the paper bag. She quickly went to her own bag of gear to get her clean clothes before she dashed to the bathroom and closed the door behind her.

…Well that could have gone better. At least she didn’t see me in my underwear, let alone my birthday suit. I’d rather wait for Lumina to get back from her shower before we eat though. I guess I could try to make some kind of clothing out of my Shadow Magic while I wait. What should I make though? Hmm… Oh! I know!

[Lumina’s POV]

After I quickly dashed in the bathroom with a change of clothes, I cast a sound-proof spell in the room before I quickly took off my sweatshirt and sweat pants, undid my ponytail, turn on the water to cold, and stepped inside. “FUCK! Cold cold cold!” I exclaimed as I tried to get the water to help me cool down despite the shivering feeling I was getting from it. I quickly adjusted to the temperature though as I washed myself while I looked into my thoughts.

Okay, what the fuck was that about? He’s only fourteen years old for crying out loud, and you were standing there staring at him like a young high school filly! Fuck, I thought I’d be okay with him being topless around me, but I didn’t think he was THAT toned! How much exercise did that damn P.E. class and Roxxie put him through?! Wait, am I starting to see colts around his age HOT?! That just CAN’T be right, no way no how! Okay, try to calm down. You’re reverting to your sexual side because you haven’t gotten a good fuck in a while. Though it wasn’t too long ago since you last masturbated, that must not be enough for you to satisfy your needs. Try not to think about it too much, and you should be fine. As soon as you find the time to be by yourself for at least twenty minutes, you can go crazy in the bathroom, or on the bed once you have enough towels to keep the mess getting to the sheets. Oh and don’t forget to clean the air out afterwards too.

Remember, you’re trying to keep your sexual teases to a minimum so Cyan can get more comfortable around you. At least he didn’t mind me being in my shirt and panties last night. That’s a good sign… I think. ANYWAY! Cyan has opened up a lot about himself yesterday, which surprisingly made him more attractive than I realized. The guy puts his friends before himself, and goes so far as doing something girly for them. If THAT doesn’t take balls to do, I don’t know what does anymore. Then there’s him seeing the little ‘imperfect quirks’ in ponies that makes them, and even MY FUCKING AWFUL PIG LAUGHTER cute! My Goddess why does he have to sound so fucking perfect?! Even if he DOESN’T like the concept, it just makes him all the better! If he were even just a FEW years older right now, I would seriously let him take a shot with me and do more than just kissing like we did on stage yesterda—Oh Goddess the kiss! WHY did I have to bring that up NOW?! Stop it, just stop it RIGHT NOW Lumina! Just get done with this fucking shower, and see if you can open yourself up a little bit to him so he can be more comfortable with you. Maybe that will help get my mind off of things. I should probably get out of here now before Cyan gets suspicious for why I’m taking so long.

[Cyan’s POV]

“Ha! I’ve done it!” I exclaimed as I held up my newest creation. “Took a lot of work, but a great way to start off my new session of practicing my magic, AND it’s something Lumina might like! I’ll have to adjust the size if it doesn’t fit, but this is not bad for my first try. Oh! I should probably set something up for Lumina and I to have breakfast real quick. I’ll bring this up to her as a surprise,” I said to myself before I hid my creation behind the pillows, and made two small tables suited for eating food in bed. I set up the milk on each table, and my first muffin (which was blueberry by the way) on my table while I put the bag with the rest of the food on Lumina’s. I got myself ready before Lumina came back from the bathroom with a purple tank top and jeans. I could see her cutie mark of three hot pink hearts, and a white light behind them on the joints of her shoulders. I took a mental note to ask what her cutie mark meant before I spoke. “Welcome back! I wanted to wait for you to finish so we could have breakfast together. The milks are still cold by the way.”

“Aww, how sweet,” she replied. “And breakfast in bed too? Don’t mind if I do.” She levitated her table with the bag up in the air to get on the bed next to me before she set it back down above her lap. “Thanks for making this less of a hassle to make a mess on the bed.”

“No problem, but we should probably wash these with our clothes before we leave the city. It’s the least we could do for Barley,” I pointed out. “Oh! Maybe we should get him something nice as a thanks for letting us stay and work here soon.”

“Sounds good,” she answered as she took a poppy seed muffin out of the bag before the two of us started our first helping of breakfast.

“Hey Lumina, you think I could start training with you like this morning?” I asked in between mouthfuls.

“Why would you want to do that?” She asked after she drank some milk. “After seeing your… Well, that, it kind of shows you’re fit enough.”

Though I was a bit flustered that she thought I was fit, I shook my head to regain focus. “Not like that. I mean if you could train me like the academy did with you if possible,” I corrected. Lumina’s eyes widened with her eyebrows raised at the request before I continued. “I may have learn some things on fighting with Roxxie back in Canterlot, but I feel that may not be enough if I’m going to be living on my own like this. Not only will there be a chance we come across some violent thugs, but who knows what kind of creatures are roaming outside of the cities? I want to start pulling my own weight and not be a burden while we’re searching for answers on our magic, and if you think I shouldn’t worry about it, I’m not going to listen.

“It’s like what you said before when we first spent the night here. I need to be strong so the two of us can look out and support each other in times of crisis, both physically, AND mentally. If you can’t train me for some reason, I’ll find a way to do it myself if I have to.”

The two of us sat there for a bit while I stared intently in her shrunken, violet eyes before she looked down in front while thinking deeply. After a bit, she looked back and returned the same expression I had before she answered. “What I had to go through at the academy wasn’t easy, and I may even put in what the old hag had taught me to add into your training. I’m not gonna make it easy for you like the old hag and the academy did with me, but no yelling of course. I’d probably end up running you to the ground on some days. Do you think you can handle that?”

I nodded without hesitation in response. “My dad may not have been the best father in the world, but I still have his blood running through my veins. If he was able to get through this and then some to become the commander he is today, I KNOW I can do the same thing. I’ll do whatever you need me to do, full effort, 100%.”

Lumina smirked while changing her expression to one of determination before she answered. “Alright, then we’ll get started tomorrow morning. I’m not willing to sweat like that again today. I promise you though, when we get through this, you’ll become more than an average unicorn, I know THAT much.”

“I’ll be looking forward to it then,” I said with a determined smile before we bumped fists.

“So learn anything new from Shadina last night?” Lumina asked as she finished her first muffin and got started on the second with a blueberry one.

“Oh yeah, and I think I’m gonna try what I learned to my training to get myself even stronger,” I replied as I ate halfway through my second helping with a chocolate muffin. “If I put my mind to it, I think I could even surpass my own pops.”

“I’d like to see that,” she replied with a smile after she drank her milk. She finished her breakfast before she pushed her table to the side, and got the crumbs and empty bottle in the bag to use for garbage. “So you ready to start the day?” She asked.

“Almost. I have a surprise,” I replied after I finished my own breakfast, and put all the trash in the bag before I made the tables disappear. After wiping my hands with a shadow rag, I reached behind the pillow, and pulled out my newest creation. “Ta-da! What do you think?”

Lumina was awestruck at she saw before she tried to make out the words to speak. “Cyan… Is that a tube top?”

“Indeed it is,” I replied with a smirk. “My newest creation in Cyan’s Magic Tailoring and Design. Wanna try it on?”

“WOULD I?!” She exclaimed excitedly before she snagged the tube top and dashed to the bathroom to change. I stood there surprised at the reaction.

…Wow, I guess Lumina really likes tube tops. Come to think of it, she doesn’t have much variety of clothes besides t-shirts and jeans. Maybe she couldn’t bring a lot of restricting clothes to the academy? I should probably come up with new designs for Lumina to wear, and with the color changing spell, I could even make it something not black!

“Okay, I’m ready!” Lumina exclaimed from the bathroom before she opened the door, and I could have sworn my eyes bulged out of my head from the sight. I might have made the tube top shorter than what I had anticipated as part of her belly was shown between the top and jeans but it just adds into the attractiveness and mystery to what’s hidden underneath. As I scanned my way up, I noticed how the top fitted her curves stupendously, and it looked like I added enough stretch and spacing at the top to hug around her breasts. “How do I look?” She asked as she gave a spin for me to see all her sides.

“… Drop. Dead. Gorgeous,” I said in astonishment. “How does it feel?”

“It’s a little snug, but it’s JUST enough to keep the top on,” Lumina critiqued.

“It’s not too short is it? I could stretch it below your waist if you’d like,” I offered.

“Oh no, the length is just PERFECT,” she replied before she quickly pulled me into a hug, and twirled me while pressing the side of my face to her soft mounds. “Oh thank you thank you thank you thank you for making this Cyan!”

Despite the softness I was feeling on my face from her breasts, I felt like I was suffocating from the lack of oxygen that was slowly draining out of my system. “Ub gwad you wike it Wubina, but could you pwease gib me sub air?” I asked while muffled.

Lumina stopped mid twirl after hearing my request before pulling back, and I drank the sweet O2 back in my lungs.

Huh, I’m having a weird case of déjà vu right now.

“Uh, sorry about that,” Lumina laughed embarrassingly while blushing. “But I really do love the tube top though, so thanks.”

“No problem,” I replied. “I’m gonna try to make some more clothes out of this magic as practice and see what kind of styles I can make out of it. I could even cast a color changing spell on some so I won’t have a lot of the same color. I was wondering if I come across anything you may like, I could-”

“YES!” She exclaimed as she interrupted and made me jump back from the abrupt answer. After she saw the gesture, she cleared her throat while calming herself down. “I mean, yes, I’d love to try them on to see how they look and feel,” she said.

“Great… But I won’t do bras, panties, thongs, corsets, garters, fishnet stockings, any type of lingerie, any revealing types of clothing, or bikinis,” I stated.

“I won’t ask for such, but I’m surprised you even know what HALF of those you listed are,” Lumina pointed out with a teasing smirk and half lidded eyes. “Care to explain?”

I laughed nervously as I didn’t realize how overboard I just listed those items before I answered. “Um… You already know about the secret stash thing, I accidentally ran into a few of Mom’s catalogs from Maretoria’s Secret, and Roxxie’s mom has made some… Risque attires I peeked in the adult section in her shop at Canterlot.”

“You’re a very curious colt aren’t ya?” She asked.

“It’s become a bad habit of mine I’m trying to control,” I replied while looking down and pushed my fingers together in shame. “I did learn some tricks from Roxxie’s mom on how to fix some clothing though.”

“Well that will become useful,” Lumina replied before she noogied my mane. “And don’t worry about it. At least you’re a sweet and considerate colt enough to know when to give a mare their privacy. Plus, I was curious around your age as well. At least you didn’t catch any of your family members in the act by accident.”

“Oh Goddess, did that happen to you?” I asked with wide-eyes. “That must have been traumatizing.”

“Well if you’ve gotten to know my family, you’d probably wonder why I haven’t been sent to a mental institution to this day. Which I’ll tell you about later,” she said.

… Okay, I’m not sure on how I should feel from hearing that statement. Should I be worried? Is that how Lumina came to be today? Have there been other times like it? Oh Goddess am I glad I haven’t gone through what she did, and I pray that I never will.

My train of thought was suddenly interrupted by Orange and RB opening the door. “Hey guys, RB and I wanted to—Oh my gosh I love that top!” Orange exclaimed as she referred to Lumina’s new tube top I created. “Where’d you get that?”

“Erm… It was a gift from a friend,” she answered. “Said it was made by a new tailor that’s just starting out with commissions. Very awesome pony from the sound of it.” I tried to hide my blush from the implicit compliments she was referring to.

“Well if you know who that pony is, please hook me up with them. I’d love to buy one of their works sometime,” Orange said. “Anyway, RB and I wanted to know if you two wanted to come with us to look through wedding dresses today? We’ll even treat you to lunch for helping us.”

“That sounds great!” Lumina exclaimed. “We’d love to come. Right Cyan?” She asked me.

“Oh yeah, definitely,” I answered.

“Wonderful! We’ll just let you two get ready, and we’ll meet you up front,” Orange said.

“We’ll be right down,” Lumina replied before the engaged couple exited the room and closed the door. “Guess we know what we’re doing today huh?” She asked as she grabbed her jacket and bit pouch.

“Well it will keep us busy. Plus, maybe I can ask them what we should get Barley for a present,” I pointed out as I got my own jacket and filled my bit pouch to a good amount from my piggy bank.

“Sounds good. Ready to go?” She asked.

“After you,” I replied before both of us left the room.

Huh, I didn’t think Lumina would be that chill. Come to think of it, she was kind of strange this morning after seeing me without my shirt… That didn’t do anything weird to her did it? I’ll have to not do that anymore from this point on. At least she didn’t do as much teasing or weird affectionate gestures today. Sure, the latter was nice, but they just send some mixed messages really. Anyway, enough about that. Time to go wedding shopping I suppose.