Of Hearts and Gazing Eyes

Chapters

Chapter 2 - Strained Introductions
Chapter 3 - Asking All the Wrong Questions
Chapter 4 - An Unexpected Job Offer
Chapter 5 - Sealing the Deal
Chapter 6 - The First Delivery
Chapter 7 - Friends and Enemies
Chapter 9 - The Gallery
Chapter 10 - Special Delivery
Chapter 11 - The Man in the Painting
Chapter 1 - The Reluctant New Wondercolt
Chapter 8 - A Spritz of Sherry

Chapter 2 - Strained Introductions

It took little time for Lightning Strike to find his way to the appropriate classroom. The hallways were empty as class had already started, but he figured that meeting with the principal of the school was a good enough reason for him to be late, along with it being his first day here at Canterlot High.

“Let’s see…” Lightning eyed his schedule. “First period is in room 104. History. Wonderful…” he grumbled to himself.

Following the numbered doors, he found his destination easily and stopped at the door to compose himself. Not an easy task with one arm in a cast. Then he knocked on the door’s wooden surface.

“Come in,” a woman’s voice said.

Lightning’s hand grasped the doorknob. He took in one last deep breath and pulled.

“Hello there,” the teacher inside greeted once she saw his face. She wore a purple polo shirt, with a pink scarf, sparse jewelry and a long skirt. “Welcome to History class. I’m Mrs. Harshwhinny and you must be Lightning Strike, the new student.”

“Wow, word gets around fast, huh?” Lightning stuffed his good hand in his pocket and waltzed in. “Yes, that’s me. Nice to meet you.”

“Hm, yes,” Harshwhinny straightened her blouse and jacket before turning to the class. “Class, this is Lightning Strike. He will be joining us at Canterlot High from today onwards. Do make him feel welcome.” Then she pointed to a desk by the window near the middle of the classroom. “Your seat. Do you need any assistance on account of your injury?” Harshwhinny asked.

“I’ll manage, thanks. My legs still work fine.” Lightning shrugged and walked to his seat.

He could feel the eyes of the class following him as he went. He used his good arm to pull out the chair and settled down in it. The chair and desk were obviously of lower quality than that of Crystal Prep’s, but it wasn’t a deal breaker. Not like he could go back there anyway. Not like he even wanted to. He wouldn’t be able to face his friends again after what happened.

As he moved over to his seat, he spotted a girl with rainbow hair waving him over and gesturing at the empty table next to her.

“Howdy, partner. Welcome to CHS. This is your desk,” she said.

No, really? Lightning’s mind began to move his lips, but he quickly snuffed that thought out and just gave her a half-smile.

“Hey, that’s my line.” Another girl behind her squawked. She had a really cool stetson atop her head. “Anyhoo, a big welcome to CHS from us to ya, Lightning Strike. You’re gonna love it here.”

“Thanks, I guess.” He pulled up his chair and sat down.

“Good, now that everyone is here. We can begin class. For your information, Lightning Strike…” Harshwhinny began dotting the board with a marker. “We’re covering the topic of the history of medieval Canterlot. We left off just as I was about to show this chart of the lineage of kings…”

Lightning now sat there in complete boredom. He had almost forgotten how much he hated learning about history, especially that of Canterlot, but Mrs. Harshwhinny jogged his memory. Since his accident, he’d been away at the hospital and he had missed a good amount of school, plus the transfer was a little messy and left him just waiting a bunch.

Ugh, this is so boring. I already learned all this at Crystal Prep. When will it end?

Somehow, he managed to fight his way through the droning of Mrs. Harshwhinny’s lecture, being fortunate enough that she didn’t call on him even once. Perhaps she thought she would give him a chance on the first day, or perhaps she could see just how uninterested he was in this lesson. Either way, he was glad to just sit there and wait out the class, and he was even happier when the bell rang, signalling it was time to move to the next lesson.

“Mr. Strike,” Mrs. Harshwhinny called. “Do enjoy the rest of your day.”

“I’ll do my best,” Lightning Strike said as he left the room, then muttered under his breath, “But I won’t count on it…”

As Lightning went down the hallway to his next class, he glanced out the window and saw the parking lot below. There was a soccer field next to it, and a PE class seemed to be warming up on it. Which reminded Lightning, he had a doctor’s note on him that would excuse him from PE until his arm was healed.

Better not forget about that.

The next class was supposed to be English. Lightning held back a groan and followed the throng of students as they went to class. He had probably learned all this at Crystal Prep too, but there was nothing he could do about it for now. Best to just go along with it.

By the time the bell rang for lunch, Lightning Strike didn’t know if he was relieved that half the school day was finally over, or annoyed that there was still half of it left. He quickly grabbed his meal, which consisted of some mashed potatoes and sausages. He stalked his way over to a table where no one else was sitting and placed himself there. He did his best to take up as much space as he could so as to put out the image that he had no intention of anyone else coming to sit next to him.

Unfortunately, this was not meant to be.

Lightning was almost done deciding whether this lunch was worth eating compared to what he had been fed at Crystal Prep when he noticed some people approaching his table. They were a full assortment of odds and ends, people who didn’t look like they would even hang out together, but here they all were, all at the same time, almost as if everything had been planned beforehand.

That was probably the case… Lightning groaned internally.

Giving up on lunch for now, Lightning Strike turned to face the group which was now only about three feet away from his table. They seemed to be a collection of boys his age, though Lightning only recognized one of them from earlier this day.

Fittingly, this boy was the first to speak.

“Hi,” the boy with cyan skin and black hair said with a wave. “Remember me from earlier? Swift Justice.”

“Yes,” Lightning Strike replied, eyeing the rest of Swift’s companions. “And you all are?”

“We noticed you sitting on your own and wanted to give you some company,” a boy with gray skin and black spiky hair said, leaning against the tableside with a cocky smile. He wore a black hoodie over a t-shirt with some kind of Japanese character on it, along with dark green pants with a chain. “Name’s Zero Gravity, the punisher of bullies and all around awesome guy!”

Lightning didn’t give much of a reaction other than to raise an eyebrow a millimeter. He had heard his share of bragging at Crystal Prep, but back there it was usually about grades and test scores.

Zero seemed to notice this lack of a response. He tried again, shoving his face closer to Lightning’s. “So Swift tells me your name is Lightning Strike? Cool name. Not as cool as mine, but what can you do?”

“Zero, give the guy some room to breathe,” another boy pulled Zero Gravity aside. This youth wore a white shirt with a silver jacket with blue strips on each arm, accompanied with black pants with stoned color boots and a dark grey belt. He had a white, triangular beard on his chin that matched his hair. “Name’s Soul Writer. Welcome to CHS, Lightning Strike. Can’t be easy transferring here in the middle of the semester, so if you need any help, just ask anybody.”

Soul gave Lightning a warm smile. Lightning, for his part, just nodded and adjusted his left arm so that the cast was in a more comfortable place. “I’ll remember that,” Lightning said neutrally. “Was there something else you wanted, or…?” He gestured to his uneaten lunch. “I’m kind of busy, as you can see.”

Soul didn’t seem to notice the brush off and kept going, which made Lightning roll his eyes.

“Anyway, this here’s Rivet,” Soul pointed to a boy with dark brown hair and tan skin, who was wearing a gray shirt with the emblem of a cog with wings on it under a jacket with green cargo pants.

“Hi,” Rivet said.

“Hello,” Lightning said back, trying not to sound too peeved at the intrusion. “Look, can I help you with something?”

“Chill, dude,” Zero Gravity squirmed back to the front of the group. “We’re just here to say hi. Anyway, next up is Night Chase,” he pulled a boy with burgundy red hair and a purple complexion to the front.

Lightning Strike blinked. “Okay.”

“And this is Clyde,” Zero pointed out a boy that looked a lot like him, at least in terms of skin color and hairstyle.

“Seriously, that’s your name?” Lightning almost spat out water from his mouth.

Clyde suddenly looked defensive. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

Lightning looked between the others, hoping for some sense of understanding from one of them, but he never got the look he was looking for.

“Really?” He sighed, then shook his head. “Don’t worry about it. Look, I’m just trying to eat here, what do you want?”

“Doesn’t look like you were eating,” the boy called Zero Gravity pointed to the uneaten meal on Lightning’s tray.

“I was about to get started, okay?” Lightning said irritably.

“Okay, okay,” Soul Writer said to Zero. “Give the new guy some space. Where are you from, Lightning Strike? Out of town?”

“I’m from Canterlot,” Lightning said shortly.

“Really?” Rivet asked. “I figured since you’re transferring to CHS in the middle of the year, you’d be from some other city.”

“Yeah, well. I’m not.”

“What happened to your arm?” Zero butted in. “Did you get in a fight or something?”

“No,” Lightning was growing more and more annoyed with the interrogation. “I’ll have you know I broke it in a traffic accident.”

The group of boys looked mildly impressed. “Car crash, was it?” Clyde said. “You know, I think I saw something like that on the news a couple of weeks ago. Was that you?”

“I don’t know, I don’t watch the news,” Zero shrugged. He turned to Lightning Strike. “So was it you?”

Lightning scowled. “I don’t have to answer that.”

“Yeah, you do. Come on, we’re trying to be friendly here,” Swift pressed. “We do this to every new kid. Try to get them to feel comfortable here.”

“Really? You surround every new kid at lunch time and interrogate them for answers?” Lightning just about had it with them. “While you might think you mean well, and I know you probably have good intentions here, but it doesn’t help to do this. Not on the first day, okay?”

“Well, someone’s a real big boss here.” Zero rattled his fingers on the table. “Something tells me this isn’t your first rodeo.”

“Wait,” Night Chase brought up his phone. “Yeah, this is you in this photo!”

Lightning Strike felt a pit in his stomach. He had known that there would have been a news report about his accident, but reporters were wont to be nosy, and he didn’t feel like discussing Crystal Prep and his expulsion with anyone, least of all himself. There was only one thing he could do.

“Well, nice meeting you guys, but I have to go… get ready for my next class. Bye.”

Moving as quickly as he could with his broken arm, Lightning slung his bag back over his shoulder, picked up his uneaten lunch and hurried away.

Back at the cafeteria, the other boys had retreated back to their table, intrigued by what Night had found.

“Look,” Night slid his phone into the center of the table. “It’s the new guy. His face is blurred, but we can still see his hair and his colors. Eighty percent sure it’s him.”

“Crystal Prep Academy under investigation following a reckless motorcycle accident,” Rivet read out loud. “Could it be?”

“You mean Lightning Strike used to go to Crystal Prep?” Soul said, scratching his chin-beard. “Why’s he here, then?”

“Probably because he got expelled from CPA,” Zero answered. He had an intense look on his face as he read the article on Night’s phone.

“You don’t know that,” Clyde pointed out. He looked back around for Lightning, but he had already left the cafeteria. “Though he did seem to be kind of annoyed about something… maybe he did get expelled.”

Night Chase looked thoughtful. “From what I know of Crystal Prep, I can’t see Cinch allowing someone to stay at her school after they tarnished its reputation. It’s probably best we find out from Lightning himself though. If it is indeed him in this picture.”

“I can’t see CPA giving him a fair trial, though,” Swift mused.

The six of them continued to talk in hushed voices, unaware of the fact that a certain rainbow-haired girl was lurking behind a pillar close by.

“Crystal Prep, huh…”

Chapter 3 - Asking All the Wrong Questions

The rest of Lightning Strike’s day passed in a boring haze. Having to sit out gym class because of his injury just made things all the more worse, since he could have used some physical exercise to distract himself from his current predicament.

He had, of course, been to this school once before during the Friendship Games, about half a year ago. He had borne witness to the abnormalities that had taken place then, though he didn’t know how real all of it had been. He supposed it must have happened, but after returning to Crystal Prep, Principal Cinch had worked nearly obsessively to deny that anything had occurred besides CHS ‘cheating’ in some non-specific way.

As he left his last class of the day to go to his locker, Lightning was aware of various other students looking at him. He had expected something like this. He was the new student here after all and not everyone would have seen him before. The cast on his arm would contribute to that.

He pushed open the front doors and breathed in the cool autumn air. Normally this would be an excellent climate to go biking in, but with what had happened before, he just didn’t really want to think about that topic. At least not until he got home.

“Hey! New kid!” a girl’s raspy voice came from behind him.

Lightning turned around, a mildly curious look on his face. There was a small collection of students arranged there, about six or seven. He sighed. Clusters of students wanting to speak to him wasn’t a good sign, if a lesson was to be learned from earlier. “What do you want?”

The leader, a rainbow haired girl wearing a blue jacket and a pair of skinny jeans with rainbow lightning bolts on the sides, stepped forward with a curious but cocky look on her face. Lightning vaguely recognized her from the Friendship Games, from the motocross segment of the tri-cross relay. “Thought I should introduce myself, seeing as you’ll probably be seeing a lot of me.”

“Oh, yeah?” Lightning was unimpressed. “Why’s that, then?”

“Because, new guy, I’m the most awesome and athletic girl here at CHS. Captain of every sports team, doncha know, not to mention lead guitarist for the Rainbooms. The one and only Rainbow Dash!” She held her arms out and closed her eyes, as if expecting applause.

Lightning didn’t give her any. “Well,” he said, turning around again. “That’s nice, but I need to get back home, so…”

“How was your first day at CHS, new kid?” Rainbow Dash sprinted around to stand in front of him. “Betcha it was way better than Crystal Prep.”

Lightning flinched, trying not to let his unease show. “Who said anything about Crystal Prep?” He asked warily.

Rainbow Dash smirked, which Lightning immediately took a dislike to. “I overheard some buddies talking about how you were from Crystal Prep. Got tired of them and decided to move here just like Twilight, am I right?”

A swell of dark anger rose up in Lightning’s chest and he moved to push past this girl. “Leave me alone.”

“Hey, I’m not done talking to you!”

“Quit acting like you know me,” Lightning snapped. “I didn’t choose to leave Crystal Prep. I was fine there.”

To her credit, Rainbow Dash only seemed stunned by this for a few seconds, allowing Lightning to get a few steps away from her. But then Rainbow suddenly zipped over in front of Lightning’s path with unbelievable speed, blocking the boy’s path.

“If you were fine at Crystal Prep, why’d you come here then?” the athletic girl challenged.

Lightning’s mood grew even more irritated as he recalled the reason for his change in school venue. “I didn’t have a choice, alright? If it was up to me, I’d still be at Crystal Prep! Now unless you actually want something from me, leave me alone.”

And with that parting remark, Lightning shoved past the speechless Rainbow Dash and sprinted back towards home.

It was late in the evening when Lightning’s phone chirped, alerting the youth to the fact that someone had texted him. He lay on his bed, apathetically bringing his phone to his face to see who the text was from.

When he saw the sender, a small smile graced his face.

‘Hey Lightning, heard you were starting at CHS today. Bummer huh? How’s things?’
~Indigo Zap

Lightning texted back, ‘Hey Indy. CHS is okay I guess, nothing on Crystal Prep though. How’s the rest of the motocross team holding up?’

The CPA motocross team consisted of Indigo Zap, Sugarcoat, and a couple of other bike enthusiasts. Indigo and Sugarcoat were the best of them, hence why they had been chosen for the Friendship Games. Lightning remembered how they had come to visit him in the hospital when he had broken his arm, and he had been grateful for their presence. Now it looked like he would never see them again, and he felt a sense of regret and sadness in his chest.

‘Motocross team’s fine, but it’s not the same without you,’ Indigo texted. ‘Sucks that Cinch had to kick you out. I mean you already broke your arm in the crash, it’s not like you needed to be punished more.’

‘Well it was kind of my fault for riding like I was,” Lightning admitted. ‘Still when has Cinch ever been reasonable about running her school? I miss you guys already. CHS just has a bunch of nosy people who don’t know when to stop pestering me.’

‘LOL really? Do you need me and the team to come and back you up?’

‘Nah. It’s not worth it. Besides, I can’t see Cinch letting you set foot near CHS like that. You might get expelled too.’

The conversation dipped into talking about what they planned to do on the weekend, which Lightning was grateful for. Normally he would like to hit the streets on his bike for the weekend and maybe practice with the rest of the motocross club. Unfortunately, with what had happened, he wasn’t going anywhere; not with his arm and his bike in the condition they were in.

Eventually Lightning Strike said good night to Indigo, telling her to pass on the message to the rest of the motocross club. He placed his phone on his nightstand and headed off to take a shower before getting ready for bed.

Who knew? Tomorrow might be better than today.

“But not likely,” Lightning mumbled as he closed his eyes to sleep.

When Lightning arrived at school the next day, which was Friday, he noticed something immediately different. As he walked up to the front doors, there were several groups of people eyeing him and whispering. He paid them no attention and kept walking.

Suddenly, there was a flash of pink at his left side and he jumped in surprise.

“Hiya, Lightning!” Pinkie Pie chirped. “Good morning!”

“What’s so good about it?” Lightning grunted, continuing his path to his locker. “I’ve been better.”

“Well, I hope things get better!” Pinkie Pie replied enthusiastically. “Things are great here at CHS. You’ll see!”

She continued to skip along Lightning as he arrived at his locker, bouncing up and down next to him as he opened it and got his books out.

“Look,” Lightning said to Pinkie, slamming the locker door shut and startling some girls nearby. “Unless you want something, can you please leave me alone? I’m having a rough enough time as it is without you breathing down my neck. You’re invading my personal space here.”

“I just wanted to be welcoming and to let you know you can make plenty of friends here!” She never skipped a beat. “CHS is the friendliest place on earth!”

“Riiiight…” Lightning said and shook his head. “I’m not really looking to make friends here. Got some already, so if you really want to make me feel better, you can do so by piping down and letting me get to class.”

And without waiting to hear Pinkie’s inevitable reply, he slipped past her and strode off to the classroom. He glanced back to make sure he wasn’t being followed, and was satisfied to see that Pinkie was still standing back where he had left her. She had a thoughtful look on her face which Lightning immediately took to be a bad sign of things to come.

I miss Crystal Prep…

The whole school day, things had been even weirder, almost as though things could still get worse for him here. The other kids kept glancing over at him during classes and whispered to each other. He had no doubt they were talking about him, and he really wished they would all just forget he was sitting here. He didn’t need anyone trying to be his friend here and he certainly didn’t need anyone spreading rumors about him. Perhaps someone already did.

“When will this all end?” Lightning groaned and planted his face on his desk.

He stared at the cast on his arm, a constant reminder of the mistake that had cost him his place at CPA. While he did miss the place, any good feelings he might have had for Cinch had been obliterated the moment she had declared him expelled from the place. All because she couldn’t risk her precious reputation being besmirched.

At least tomorrow was Saturday, Lightning reasoned, trying to find a silver lining to cling to as the teacher droned on about things he had already learned last year. He was due for a visit to the doctor’s on Sunday to check on the progress of his broken arm, but before that, he planned to go see how much it would cost to fix his bike, or maybe buy a new one. Goodness knew he needed a pick-me-up after all he had been put through since the crash.

He sighed and tried to write down some notes. Lunch time couldn’t come soon enough, nor could the end of the school day.

The cafeteria was noisy, Lightning noted. He hadn’t noticed it yesterday on account of his foul mood, but today he was in less of a funk and had brought his own food this time. He chewed his bagel slowly as he flipped through the map app on his phone, plotting the best course to take to the mechanic’s then to the bike shop.

“Hmm, I’ll have to travel to the other end of Canterlot to get to both places…” Lightning mused. “Probably need to take the bus.” He took another bite of his lunch, enjoying the salmon and cream cheese filling inside the bagel. Going through with his plans would mean he would get to sleep in a bit, but the trips there and back again would take him most of the day if he set out at noon. Then after his arm healed, he could meet up with the motocross team and go riding together again, just like old times.

Old times, Lightning thought sourly. It had barely been three weeks and he was already thinking of his time at Crystal Prep as ‘old times’. A cold feeling swept over Lightning’s body. He clenched his teeth and stared at his cast-covered arm, glaring at it as if he could set it on fire through force of will alone.

He hated how powerless he was in the face of everything that had happened to him. He had no illusions about being anybody important; all he had wanted was to finish school and go to college, maybe become a professional motorcyclist. He had it all, a bright future and a prestigious school to graduate from. All gone because of one misjudged moment in the heat of the moment, and because that stubborn hag of a principal cared more about how her school looked to others than the welfare of the students who attended it.

Lightning stuffed the rest of the bagel into his mouth and packed up his things. At least nobody had tried to approach him while he had been eating. He had spotted the gang of guys sitting at another table. They looked over a few times, but thankfully they hadn’t bothered him today. He really didn’t want to have to deal with anyone, with how nosy everyone seemed to be in this school. He didn’t need to make more friends. He already had enough friends, and they were on the other side of the city.

As the school day ended and Lightning Strike made to leave CHS, he felt a little lighter. Tomorrow was Saturday, and he could do whatever he wanted, as well as forget about Canterlot High for a while. He pushed past the glass doors and almost instantly spotted Rainbow Dash and her gang of girl friends standing out there by the pedestal that had once supported that horse statue. A familiar face was with the athletic girl, one that Lightning recognized from Crystal Prep. It was Twilight Sparkle.

Rainbow Dash saw Lightning coming and nudged Twilight. Then the seven girls began to come up to Lightning, who sighed.

Ah, crap. Here we go again.

“Hey, Lightning. We just wanna talk,” Rainbow Dash started.

“Look, I know.” He raised his hands, willing for them to ward them off, but they didn’t. “And like I’ve said before, I’m not interested.”

“C’mon, just give us a chance,” Pinkie wheedled. “I can even throw a party for you if you want-”

“I don’t want a party, thanks,” Lightning said firmly. “What I do want is to go home and rest. So if you wouldn’t mind?”

“Ya haven’t been to Pinkie’s parties,” the one with the hat said. Lightning forgot her name, not that he wanted to remember it anyway. “Lemme tell ya, her parties can work wonders. It’ll make ya feel better.”

"Pass," Lightning told her. "I know you're just being friendly, but I really am in no mood to talk. I have things to do."

Twilight stepped forward. Ordinarily Lightning would have been happy to see a familiar face, but not when it was surrounded by all these others.

"If it’s homework you're talking about, I could help you study," Twilight offered.

"Twilight, you of all people should know that we learned all this material last year at Crystal Prep," Lightning Strike sighed in exasperation. "What I meant was that I have plans for the weekend and I want to go home so I can prepare. So can I go now?"

“Nothing seems to work on him.” Rainbow swung a fist down as they stepped aside to let Lightning Strike pass. “Twilight, you were from Crystal Prep. What do you know about him? He shut down everyone who wants to throw a party for him?”

"If what you told me is true, Rainbow, I think he may still be bitter about being expelled from Crystal Prep," Twilight said. "I do remember him vaguely from my time there. Lightning Strike was in the motocross club with Sugarcoat and Indigo Zap. He won a few awards for Crystal Prep in the inter-school championships last year."

"Yes, but how does that help us?" Sunset asked.

"Do you think that perhaps he just needs time to get over moving schools?" Rarity suggested. "It can't have been easy for him, especially with a broken arm on top of all that."

“I don’t think he seems happy changing schools,” Sunset said. “Remember what he said? About how he already had friends. He definitely didn’t want to leave. He must’ve been expelled and I think it has something to do with that arm of his.”

The seven girls watched Lightning Strike’s retreating form.

“Well, we can try again come Monday. Twilight, do you still have any contacts at Crystal Prep?” Rainbow Dash asked. “Maybe they can tell us how to get him to open up.”

“Couldn’t ya just use your geode on him, Sunset?” Applejack pointed out. “Save us a lotta trouble that way.”

Sunset fingered the gem around her neck. “I don’t want to use it for everything, AJ. He already doesn’t seem too happy with us; if he finds out I can read minds just by touching, he might never want me to touch him again.”

“And it seems like an invasion of privacy…” Fluttershy agreed. “Not that it hasn’t been useful, but still.”

“I’ll see if I can contact the girls at Crystal Prep,” Twilight decided. “At least we could get some closure. Nobody should feel alone, especially in a school as friendly as ours.”

Chapter 4 - An Unexpected Job Offer

Lightning Strike may have been a student at Crystal Prep, a school that valued punctuality, but even he appreciated the chance to sleep in on the weekend. He lay there in his bed, dreaming pleasant dreams until the shrill sound of his phone alarm went off.

The boy groggily reached out and silenced the device and then sat up, blinking like an owl. Then he saw the sun shining through his window and smiled. Today was finally the weekend and that meant no school, that meant no nosy kids coming up to him to question him about everything he did, that meant no boring lessons he’d already covered back in Crystal Prep.

It was a nice morning indeed.

Getting dressed, he went downstairs and fixed himself a hearty breakfast of toast, eggs, and ham. It was almost noon, so he ate quickly and swiped the keys from the countertop where he had left them yesterday afternoon. His mother was probably either out already or still asleep, so he wrote her a quick note about where he was going on the notepad that was magnetized to the fridge. Then he laced on his shoes and left the house.

The air was cool and crisp, and the sun shone down brightly, shedding light but little warmth. Lightning went to the nearby bus stop and caught the next bus toward the other end of the city. It was slated to be at least forty-five minutes’ ride, so he took out his headphones and plugged them into his phone to listen to some music.

As the bus ride went on, people got on and got off, but Lightning’s attention was more fixed on the sky. What had started off as a sunny day was starting to get overcast, dark clouds billowing in from the east, propelled by a stiff breeze.

“And I didn’t bring an umbrella,” Lightning lamented. Hopefully it wouldn’t rain until after he got home.

About ten minutes later, Lightning’s stop came up and he got off the bus. The first place he wanted to visit was the mechanic’s shop, which was a couple of streets away. Lightning Strike, from all the time he had spent with the motocross team, knew the street layout of the entire city like the back of his hand, but it was his first time coming here on foot and he had his phone out just in case he lost his way.

As it turned out, his phone was not needed. He found the mechanic’s shop easily enough, and after a short talk with one of the staff, he was taken inside to describe the damage done to his bike. It was pretty extensive, Lightning realized glumly. The final tally came up to about two thousand dollars, and that wasn’t even counting the fee that the mechanic would charge to haul the bike back to his shop to do the repairs at.

Feeling considerably more downcast, Lightning left the mechanic’s and followed the path down the road to the bike dealership that was in the neighborhood. There were dozens of shiny new bikes on display, none of which Lightning was likely to be able to afford. Instead he made for the older models, none of which were likely to be better than his own, but there wasn’t really any other choice.

A member of the dealership staff came to assist him, but Lightning simply asked some vague questions about specs on the new bikes, just to show the man that he knew what he was talking about when it came to bikes. The staff member showed him some of the latest models, and Lightning had fun pretending that he was considering buying one, and he would have tried some out if it wasn’t for his arm being in a cast.

In the end, he told the assistant that he would think about which bike to purchase and left the dealership after two hours. He was about to go back to the bus stop when he heard his stomach growl.

Right, I haven’t had lunch yet. Lightning realized.

He took out his phone and checked the area for any fast food places that he could stop by on the way to the bus stop. To his dismay, there were none, as this area of the city was mostly industrial buildings and office blocks. The nearest eatery was four blocks down, and Lightning didn’t really feel like walking that far. Still, the prospect of enduring another forty-five minute bus ride on an empty stomach was not a pleasant one.

Eventually his hunger won out and the boy began to walk towards the hot dog place that was marked on his phone’s map. This part of the city he had ridden through once or twice, but never paid much attention to. The streets and sidewalks were conspicuously vacant, and the only movement was the occasional person walking past an office block window above his head.

Lightning was reaching for his headphones again when something hit him on the nose. He reached up and touched the spot; it was wet.

“Ah, crap,” Lightning breathed. The clouds were starting to release their payload of water, and here he was, in the middle of the city with no umbrella or shelter in sight. Not that he was against getting a bit wet, but the doctor had told him to keep his cast dry, so that his arm would heal faster.

The rain began to fall harder and Lightning whipped off his jacket to cover his left arm with. There had to be someplace nearby where he could wait out the downpour.

As if in response to his pleas, Lightning’s eye caught sight of something on the other side of the road. It stood out among the stone grey office buildings and the warehouses. A green-painted sign with a crimson dragon curling around the words: Heart’s Desire Art Supplier. It was a shop, and the doors seemed to be open.

Without thinking twice, Lightning dashed across the empty road and entered the shop.

There was an immediate change as soon as both of his feet made it inside. He pushed past the bead curtain that was draped over the doorway and stepped into the store proper. The air inside felt different; it was warm and dry and almost had a static-y taste on his tongue, as if the air were charged with energy. The interior was lit with gentle yellow lights, and the floor beneath was soft checkered carpet in white and black.

The next thing Lightning noticed were the wares. Arranged in neat rows and on shelves were stacks of canvases, drums of paint brushes and tubes of paint, packs of oil pastels, easels, stacks of paper in every color of the rainbow and more, as well as articulated wooden mannequins for sketching. There was a faint odor of paint in the air, but not enough for it to be unpleasant.

Feeling a little foolish standing on the threshold of the shop, Lightning Strike stepped further inside. Hit footsteps were muffled on the carpeted floor, but he could hear faint classical music playing in the distance.

He came to a countertop with an old-fashioned cash register on it as well as a small silver bell. There was nobody in sight, so he leaned against the counter and looked around. Hanging from the ceiling was a huge wooden whale skeleton, suspended from the rafters with gossamer threads. Behind the countertop was a large vase that had white flowers sticking out of it which gave the air a slightly sweet aroma.

Lightning Strike had never been much one for art, but he could appreciate all the goods and tools that this store was selling. Interestingly enough, the one thing that didn’t seem to be art-related was a long sort of staff that was mounted on the wall behind the cash register: a six foot rod of chased white wood with a clear spike of crystal affixed to the tip inside a metal collar.

The music in the background was soothing, and Lightning soon found himself relaxed and calm. He pulled out his phone to read up on this shop, but to his surprise, the map app seemed to think he was still on the street outside.

“Weird…” Lightning tried looking up the name of the shop on the internet, but the search yielded no results. Perhaps this shop was new, but that didn’t seem to be the case just by looking at it. The place felt old, like it had been here for a long time.

The growl of his own stomach brought Lightning Strike back to the present. He still hadn’t eaten anything, and his mouth was dry. This place wasn’t going to satisfy that need, and he would’ve just left if not for the rain. Perhaps they sold umbrellas here. He reached out, and after a moment’s hesitation, rang the bell.

The bell’s clear tinkle was like a windchime, lingering in the air for a few moments before fading away. Music to Lightning’s ears.

His eyes caught movement. From deeper inside the shop, something white was moving, rippling like a kite in the wind.

A tall figure emerged, draped in an alabaster cloak with a matching hood. Only the bottom half of their face could be seen, palest pink skin framed by snowy-white hair. A pair of lips that were arranged in a gentle smile.

“Good afternoon,” the cloaked and hooded woman said demurely, sliding behind the counter. “Welcome to the Heart’s Desire Art Supplier. How may I help you?”

“Hi, uh, yeah, I was wondering if you sold umbrellas?” Lightning pointed a thumb outside the store. “It’s raining hard out there and I really don’t want to get drenched.”

“Unfortunately, we do not sell umbrellas here,” the woman said with an apologetic shrug. “However, you are welcome to wait out the rain in here, if you like.”

Lightning’s stomach rumbled again and he would’ve waited, but he didn’t think he would last that long. “I don’t suppose you have anything, uh… to eat here?”

The woman raised her head a fraction, and Lightning thought he saw a pinkish glow from under the hood, but it was gone so quickly that he thought he must have imagined it. “Certainly,” she raised her left hand and the sleeve of the cloak fell back just enough to expose a slim set of fingers. They clicked and there was another flicker of movement from the back of the shop.

This time a shorter female figure emerged, also draped in a hood and cloak though this set was black in color. She was carrying a covered silver tray, which she then set down on the countertop. The cloche was lifted to reveal a plate of sandwiches and a mug of some kind of aromatic tea. The female in black gave Lightning a small bow and retreated back behind the counter to join the woman in white.

“Thank you,” Lightning Strike said, then he began to eat. Slowly, so as not to appear rude.

As the boy filled his stomach, the woman in white reached down and opened a drawer under the countertop and took out a small stack of papers. This she began to read over them, though Lightning didn’t know how she could see them with a hood over her eyes.

“Excuse me,” the woman in white said politely after Lightning had finished his afternoon tea and the female in black took the dish away. “I don’t suppose that you’d be familiar with the streets and layout of Canterlot City, would you?”

“Who, me?” Lightning was startled. “I guess I am. Why?”

“Well,” the white-robed woman began. “I have a small number of packages that I need delivered to some customers. However, I am not local and do not have time to learn all the streets and roads and addresses to deliver them. My organization is looking for someone with that knowledge to get these packages to their destination. It’s quite important, you see.”

“Couldn’t you just use a GPS app?” Lightning asked, taking out his phone and pointing to it.

“We would prefer not to,” the woman in white said. “All this new technology isn’t really our style.” Her smile grew wider. “If you know what I mean.”

“Um, no actually, I don’t really…”

“Well. Suffice to say, we have an opening for a courier, if you are looking for a little extra spending money. All you would need to do is take the package to its destination and come back with a proof of delivery. Simple.”

“Uh, well, So… what do I get? Doing this? Is this like, an actual job? Because I’m still in school. I can’t work all the time.”

The woman in white’s smile did not falter. “You don’t have to give me an answer right now. Why not think on it a bit? Of course you would be compensated in money, and you would get to use some of the special tools that our outfit uses. As for time, it could be an after school job. Part time,” she leaned closer over the counter. “We pay in cash, so you don’t have to worry about taxes.”

There was silence, or as close to it as possible with the faint music in the distance. Lightning glanced at the woman, wishing he could see the rest of her face so that he could gauge what she was thinking. He was almost tempted to reach out and pull down her hood, but something told him that would be an absolutely terrible idea.

“The rain’s stopped,” Lightning muttered, pointing at the entrance with his thumb. “I need to go home for… chores. Yeah. How much do I owe you for the food?”

He made to take out his wallet, but the woman in white held up her hand. “You don’t owe me anything for the food; it’s just polite to offer a guest something to eat, is it not?”

“But-”

“No ‘buts’. All I ask in return is that you consider the courier position. It’s not a place we offer to just anyone, and we would be delighted to have someone of your talent along with us.”

“Right…” Lightning nodded automatically. “Well, I’ll give it some thought. Thanks for everything.”

As Lightning turned to go, the woman in white’s fingers darted out and grabbed hold of Lightning’s cast-covered left arm. There was a faint zap, like a discharge of static electricity that spread all through his limb, but it faded almost instantly. Lightning pulled his arm back, staring at the other person with a newfound apprehension.

The hooded woman continued to smile, as if nothing had happened. “Do come again soon.”

Lightning turned and all but bolted from the art shop all the way back to the bus stop.

Chapter 5 - Sealing the Deal

Lightning Strike sat silently in the back of his mother’s car as she drove him to the doctor’s. Cold Front sat in the driver’s seat, occasionally glancing back at her son in the rearview mirror. He had been so disheartened when he had found out that Cinch had chosen to expel him, but there hadn’t been anything she as a mother could have done about it. It made her heart ache to see her son like this.

Not that Lightning Strike seemed all that upset now. He was staring out the car window, deep in thought.

“What’s on your mind, Lightning?” Cold Front asked as she stopped for a red light.

“Huh?” Hearing his mother’s voice seemed to shake Lightning out of his funk. “Oh, uh, nothing. Just thinking about what I’m going to do with my bike, that’s all.”

Lightning’s mother was sympathetic. “I understand, Lightning. You’ve had that bike for years, haven’t you?”

The boy made a noncommittal grunt and returned to gazing out the window. His mind kept wandering back to the Heart’s Desire Art Supplier from the day before. The shopkeeper had been… eccentric, to put it nicely, but she had seemed honest enough and had even given him food, drink, and shelter without asking for anything in return. He just didn’t know if he wanted to work there, especially since the job requirements and responsibilities weren’t exactly very clear. And it just felt a little sketchy to him, to be honest.

He scratched his right arm with his left hand, and noticed with some degree of surprise that his broken arm seemed to be feeling quite good. There had been the occasional ache and twinge of discomfort before, but since he had woken up this morning there had been nothing. Maybe it was finally healing up.

Arriving at the doctor’s clinic, they were shown inside by a nurse. The doctor, a man by the name of First Aid, smiled as they came into his office.

“We’re just going to do a basic X-ray scan of your arm, Lightning,” he said, taking the boy over to the machine. “This will show us just how long you have to wear that cast.”

Lightning nodded silently and got into position. A few minutes later, the X-ray scan was printed out and delivered to First Aid by the nurse. The doctor took the scan out of the envelope and examined it. His face grew confused as he stared at the scan harder and harder, seemingly searching for something on the sheet of plastic.

“So how is he doing, doctor?” Cold Front asked after ten minutes of staring.

“It doesn’t make sense…” First Aid mumbled as he stroked his chin with his fingers. “This is physically and medically impossible, but...”

“What’s the matter with my arm?” Lightning asked as he peered at the scan results.

The doctor turned in his chair and held Lightning’s cast-covered arm. “The matter, dear boy, is that nothing is wrong with it. Why, according to this X-ray, it’s not even broken. All the bones are perfectly fine and intact, good as new!”

“Wait, what?” Lightning’s head began to spin. “But you said it would take two months at least to heal a fracture like what I had. How the heck am I fine?”

“I don’t know,” First Aid stood up and went over to the X-ray machine. “The scanner isn’t broken, at least I don’t think it is, and there’s no chance that your scan got swapped for someone else’s…” He sat back down at his computer and called in the nurse. “Can we have another scan of this young man’s arm?”

Another scan was shortly done and the results printed out. They were identical to the first one.

“So… does that mean my arm isn't broken?” Lightning asked as he, his mother, and the doctor all stared at the plastic printout.

“Bizarrely, yes,” First Aid said at last. “I suppose there’s no reason for you to wear that cast any more. I’ll get it off you while you’re still here.”

The doctor spent about five minutes taking the cast off Lightning’s arm, and soon the boy’s left forearm was free. Lightning wheeled it around, enjoying the feeling of the cool air on his bare skin again. First Aid spent some time talking to the nurse and Cold Front, but in the end, all the doctor could do was wish his patient good luck and let them go.

In the car, Lightning stared at his arm while Cold Front drove home. She was avidly talking about how good it was that Lightning’s arm had healed so quickly, and was talking more to herself than Lightning, who simply said ‘yeah’ and ‘that’s good’ automatically as he pondered about the doctor’s visit. There was no way his bones could have fixed themselves like that naturally. There had to be some kind of… magic involved. He thought back to the Friendship Games, where he had seen magic for the first time. The Canterlot High girls seemed to be capable of doing extraordinary things. Perhaps…

I need to go back to that art shop, he decided.

After catching a cab back to the other end of the city, Lightning practically threw the fare at the cabbie and sprinted out of the taxi, leaving the driver quite bewildered as he drove away.

It was easy enough for Lightning to find the street where he had walked the day before, and just like yesterday, the Heart’s Desire Art Supplier was open, the doorway half covered by a bead curtain.

Lightning pushed the beads aside and went in. This time the woman in white was standing behind the counter, resting her elbows on the surface and propping up her smiling face with her delicate hands.

“Welcome back. I trust you liked the little gift we gave you?” Her smile widened.

“You healed my arm,” Lightning Strike waved the limb around. “You used magic, didn’t you? Like those girls from school.”

The woman stopped leaning on the countertop and walked to the side, examining the flowers in the vase. “Well, since we’re all friends here, yes. I did use magic. But I would wager mine is different from any magic you might have experienced before. It seems a little narrow minded, in my humble opinion, to think that there is just one kind of magic.”

“Look, about my arm,” Lightning said quickly. “Thank you. Really. Why’d you do it, though? We don’t even know each other.”

The woman in white put a finger on her bemused lips. “I simply thought that, should you make up your mind about taking the courier job, you would need all your limbs intact. Are you still thinking about it?”

“I don’t…” Lightning began, but trailed off. He did need some money to fix his bike, and he had to admit he wanted to know more about this art shop and its occupants.

“I know you’ve been feeling powerless recently,” the hooded and cloaked woman said gently. She walked out from behind the register and came closer to Lightning, wearing her self same smile. “Like things are out of your control. And you want to find a place to belong. If you run with us, maybe we can provide that for you. What do you say, Lightning Strike?”

Hearing his name seemed to stiffen Lightning’s resolve. “How do you know my name?”

“I told you, I’m magic,” the woman replied with a playful shrug. “I know a lot of things.”

Lightning Strike found himself agreeing to this person’s every word, as if it were the most tempting food dangling in front of him. He wanted to accept the offer, but there was just one thing holding him back.

“You mentioned you needed packages delivered,” he remembered, narrowing his eyes. “You’re not involved in anything illegal, are you?”

At this, the hooded woman let out a small, musical laugh. “Oh, you’re a cautious one. I like that; no, we are not involved in anything unlawful. We simply help make people’s heart's desires come true. If for any reason you want to leave after taking the job, we’ll let you go, no strings attached. Does that sound good to you?”

“Uh, do you have those like, those things where if you get hurt, you’re covered.” Lightning forgot what it was called. He’d only worked one summer and it hadn’t been covered.

“Insurance?” the hooded woman said, tilting her head a little bit to the right. “Not in the traditional sense of the word, but we will help you should you become, ah, injured in action. You’ve seen some of that already, haven’t you? We will also do our best to keep you unharmed and safe both while on the job and off it.”

Lightning thought about what he was being told. This lady seemed honest enough, and she had healed his broken arm, there was clearly some kind of magic at work here, like with the Friendship Games. Perhaps she could fly too.

“Well, the terms seem… reasonable,” Lightning said at last. “When can I start?”

The hooded woman clapped her hands together with obvious joy. “So you’ll take the job?”

“I suppose I would, yes. You’ve done me quite a solid, after all.”

“Oh, that’s wonderful news!” the woman exclaimed, and there was a faint flash of pink from beneath her hood again. “I’ll notify my superior and staff immediately. It’ll be so good to finally get our packages to the proper people.”

In spite of himself, Lightning found himself smiling at the other person’s excitement. For once, he felt as though he had done something right.

“So, are there forms I need to fill out for this job?” he asked, leaning against the counter. “Like health checkups and criminal history?”

“That’s not important to us,” the woman replied. “So long as you have a good head for directions and two working arms and legs, we couldn’t care less if you robbed a bank or burned down an orphanage. Come back in tomorrow after school, and we will have all your equipment and instructions ready.”

“Uh, okay,” Lightning said hesitantly. “I guess I’ll do that.”

He turned and pushed aside the bead curtain, but then something occurred to him.

“Hey, miss? I don’t think I got your name.”

The woman nodded her head. “My name is Merlina Moonshadow. I’ll introduce you to everyone else later. Oh, by the way, take this,” she held out a small bundle of dollar bills held together with a metal clip and a single half-dollar coin. “The taxi driver will ask for twenty-seven dollars and fifty cents for the trip back to your home, on account of bad traffic. You can pay him with this. See you tomorrow!”

“What? But I was gonna take the bus.” Lightning looked at the bundle of money. “You can keep it, I don’t need that much.”

“There’s already a taxi outside waiting for you,” Merlina waved him off. “Besides, you can think of it as your first job benefit. Goodbye!” She turned away and walked back into the depths of the shop.

Lightning watched her disappear, looked down at the money in his hands and slowly left the art shop. Just as promised, there was a slick silver luxury cab idling on the roadside, with the driver looking at him expectantly.

“Hey, kid! You getting in?” He called out to Lightning as he stood there staring at the cab.

“Oh, uh, yeah.” He broke out of his trance and climbed in the back.

Lightning gave the driver his home address and sat back as the warm air of the car’s interior washed over him. The cabbie put on some music on the radio, calm and soothing. It was just as well, because just as Merlina had said, there was bad traffic and the ride home was delayed by about fifteen minutes on the road.

It still came as some surprise when the driver stopped the car on Lightning’s street and the meter read exactly twenty-seven dollars and fifty cents.

“She was right…” Lightning mumbled numbly, handing over the cash.

“Huh?” The man took the money and counted it. “Thanks, kid. That’s just enough.”

“Goodbye, mister,” Lightning said automatically as he got out of the taxi and went back into his house.

That evening Lightning Strike ate dinner in relative silence, answering his mother’s questions in as few words as possible before going up to his room and preparing to go to bed. He was looking forward to seeing what Merlina had in store for him tomorrow. It would almost make up for having to go to Canterlot High again, he hoped. As he lay down on his bed, he thought about what had happened to him in recent days. He still missed his friends at Crystal Prep, but now he felt as though there was something to keep him going through the day, whatever the next week might bring.

Chapter 6 - The First Delivery

“Do you want to be friends now?”

Lightning closed his eyes in exasperation as he stood outside CHS, trying to ignore the pink tornado that was constantly spouting the same lines into his face. It had been his mistake to look happier when he walked towards school today, excited for what was to come after school. Pinkie Pie must’ve taken it as finally moving on from his predicament and she was on him in a flash.

“Do you want to be friends now?” Pinkie repeated, bouncing around him like a rabbit. “I’m friends with everyone in school, but you haven’t accepted my friend request yet! So do ya? Do ya?”

“No, I do not,” Lightning said curtly. “Please leave me alone.”

Pinkie stood still and went silent for five seconds. Then she said, “How about now?”

“No.”

“Now?”

“No.”

“What happened to your cast?”

“I already said no- wait, what?”

She pointed to his arm. “Your cast. Are you completely healed now? That was fast!”

“Yeah, dude. It still had the cast on Friday, last we saw you.” Swift Justice showed up and clapped Pinkie on the back. “Your arm’s all better?”

“Yes, it is,” Lightning said, unconsciously rubbing his left forearm. “The doctor said I don’t need the cast any more, so he took it off.”

“Real fast, don’t you think?” He ran a hand along his chin. “Are you sure it was even broken?”

“Trust me, it was,” Lightning told Swift, remembering how the surgery to set it had gone. “But it’s all better now, so I don’t see what the problem is.”

“Well, the problem is you not wanting to be friends with anyone. You can’t just be by yourself like this, you know,” Pinkie said.

“I’ve already got friends back at Crystal Prep,” Lightning said defensively. “I’m not by myself.”

“There’s no rule that says you can’t have more friends than you already have,” Pinkie pointed her finger at Lightning’s nose. “Come on, open up a little! It’s good for your health!”

Lightning pushed Pinkie’s finger out of his face. “I’ll open up when I’m good and ready, and not a moment before,” he sniffed. “Now if you’ll excuse me, the bell’s about to ring.”

He then pushed himself off the wall and quickly walked into the CHS building just as the bell rang for classes to begin.

“Dang,” Swift said, patting Pinkie on the shoulder. “Turned down again. Don’t worry, Pinkie. I’m sure you’ll get through to him eventually. Or someone will.”

Lightning sat by the side of the gym, twiddling his thumbs. On the court, an epic game of dodgeball was taking place. He would have liked to join in, but his mother had insisted that he take the rest of the week easy, just in case his arm still had any problems.

The youth unclasped his hands and stared at his left arm. He was certain that there were no imperfections in Merlina’s healing, but he wasn’t about to tell anyone that. As far as he was concerned, his new job was something private. He didn’t know anyone well enough here to talk to anyway.

Lightning wished that he could speak to Indigo Zap. She had always been one of the more athletic girls at Crystal Prep and he had never quite managed to keep up with her in any sport, but their shared love of motocross had forged a strong friendship between the two that had led to a close set of friends on the bike club. Glancing at the clock that hung above the doors to the gym, he found himself disappointed to see that there were still at least three and a half hours before school ended and he could go to his new job, whatever that entailed.

He was so lost in thought that he almost failed to hear the warnings of his classmates as a dodgeball came hurling towards his face.

Pakk!

Lightning fell over backwards as the ball hit him square in the front of his face. His nose stung and he hit his head on the floor behind himself.

“Ow! What-!” He spat out as he shook the stars out of his eyes.

“Hey, you didn’t dodge it. You’re supposed to dodge the ball.” Zero Gravity came running over. “You okay?”

Lightning got up and touched his nose. It wasn’t bleeding, but it still felt sore. “What did you do that for?” he snapped.

Zero Gravity shrugged. “Hey, don’t look at me, I wasn’t the one who hit it, it was Rivet. But it’s called dodgeball. The ball flies, you dodge it.”

“I wasn’t even playing, so don’t act like I have to follow the rules of the game,” Lightning growled.

“Why are you always in such a bad mood?” Zero challenged. “Maybe you should stop being such a stick in the mud. You’re not at Crystal Prep anymore; you need to loosen up.”

“You think I want to be here?” Lightning hissed back. “I don’t want-” He cut himself off with a shake of his head and stalked off to the changing rooms.

The rest of the class watched him leave.

“Man… that guy has issues,” Rivet came up next to Zero and put a hand on his shoulder.

“Well, you sent the ball his way,” Zero said.

“Do they just not have a sense of fun or anything at CPA?” Rainbow asked, coming to join the two boys.

“All right, let’s keep the game going now!” Coach Spitfire shouted, blowing her whistle. “Back to your respective sides of the court. Hustle, people!”

“We’ll talk about the new kid later,” Rivet decided. “If we all come together, I’m sure we’ll be able to get through to him somehow. We just need to find the chink in his armor.”

“Hey, you three!” Coach Spitfire bellowed. “Back on the court or it’s twenty push ups from each of you!”

By the end of the day, Lightning Strike had never been happier to hear the bell ring. He had gotten a stern talking to from Coach Spitfire about wandering around during class, but to be honest, he didn’t really care. He quickly grabbed his bag and stuffed his books into it, then scurried out of the front doors ahead of the pack. He had a sinking feeling that someone might be waiting to ambush him on his way out, so he made sure to not listen to anyone and make a break for the road.

Thankfully, he managed to get away unscathed and made his way towards the bus stop. He snagged a seat on the bus to the other end of the city and put on his headphones to pass the time while the bus traveled.

The sky was overcast with grey clouds when Lightning Strike got off the bus and walked toward the art supplies shop, wondering what might be in store for him there today.

“Can’t be worse than having to spend the day at CHS,” he said to himself as the store came into sight.

He pushed the bead curtain aside and entered the art shop. This time, there was nobody behind the counter, so Lightning went and rang the bell.

“Coming!” Merlina’s voice reverberated from the back of the shop. The voice’s owner made herself seen. Gone was the white cloak and hood. This time, she was dressed in some ornate and embroidered white robes, with dark blue and pink stitchwork. In place of the hood was a head of slightly tousled alabaster hair, some locks of which hung down over Merlina’s face, covering her right eye. Her left eye was a vivid pink and seemed to almost glow as she approached. She was, Lighting thought, quite pretty for a slightly older woman.

“You’re here!” Merlina said, stepping behind the counter. “And sooner than I expected.”

“Yeah, uh, school was a bore. I actually couldn’t wait to be back here.” Lightning scratched the back of his head. “So uh, what can I do?”

Merlina opened a drawer in the countertop and took out a box. “This crate has your work equipment in it,” she said. Her hands brought out a large black messenger satchel. “This is your delivery bag. You put the packages inside it and only take it out in the presence of the addressee. This,” she took out a small clipboard. “Is where you ask the addressee to sign, as proof of delivery. You get the signature, then you hand over the package. Are you with me so far?”

“Sounds easy enough.” He shrugged. It was pretty straightforward.

“And we can’t forget this,” Merlina reached into the depths of her robe and took out a most peculiar item. It was a necklace on a thin silver chain, but what drew Lightning’s attention the most was what was hanging on the chain. It was a jewel-like eye, but not a human looking one. It was the exact same shade as Merlina’s eye, but it had a slit pupil instead of a round one. She held it out for Lightning to take. “This is a gazing eye. My gazing eye as a matter of fact. It will help to keep you safe while on the job and off it, and has a few other useful little features. Keep it close and don’t remove it unless you absolutely have to.”

“This is cool and all, but your… eye?” He looked up at her face. “Do you… have more than two eyes?”

“It’s standard procedure,” Merlina shrugged. Her hair stayed in place over the right side of her face. “If you were a permanent employee here, I would have a link to you in another way, but seeing as you are only working here temporarily for now, my gazing eye will have to do. Try it on, I think it would look good on you.”

Lightning did as he was asked and placed it around his neck. The eye was bulky and felt cool against his chest, but if he didn’t think about it, it didn’t bother him as much.

Merlina then reached under the countertop and brought out a small package, about half the size of a shoe box and wrapped neatly with brown paper and string. There was a paper tag tied to the top of the box. She placed it on the countertop and tapped it with one slim finger.

“Now, this is the first package we need delivered. It’s due to be taken to one Spoiled Rich at 15 Gallopway Lane, Canterlot. Do you know where that is?”

“Roughly. But I’m sure I can find it.” Lightning accepted the box from Merlina and felt its weight. It was heavier than he had expected, and it shifted around a bit. “It’s not fragile, is it?”

“Not at all,” Merlina smiled, her exposed eye shining in the lamplight. “Just stash it into your bag there, and don’t take it out until you get to the addressee. Then you get the signature, hand over the box, and come back for payment. Any other questions?”

Lightning Strike slipped it into his bag and swung it on his back. “Nope. I’ll be right back when I’m done. I guess it helps that you can see when I deliver it.”

“That’s not all the gazing eye can do, but I won’t burden you with unnecessary information. Do you need a form of transport? I can arrange for one.”

“Oh uh, sure. That would work.” He nodded. He thought he would have to walk there, but it seemed to be turning out easier.

“It’ll be in the garage,” Merlina pointed to a door at the side of the shop, which Lightning was quite certain he hadn’t seen before.

“But this shop doesn’t have… a… garage…” Lightning followed Merlina through the door and into a clean, mostly empty space. There was only one thing in here, and it was something that made the boy’s heart almost skip a beat. “Is that a bike?”

“You know how to ride one of these motorcycles, yes?” Merlina picked up a shiny black helmet with a clear visor off a shelf and held it out for Lightning to take. “This should make it easier for you.”

Lightning nodded dumbly and took the helmet. He walked over to the bike, almost afraid to touch it. It was one of the latest models, just like the ones he had seen at the dealership but couldn’t hope to afford. One of the most powerful engines available to the market and a new, streamlined design that made the vehicle ooze with style. He hadn’t ridden one of these since his accident and he never thought he would get to ride one again so soon. This day just kept getting better.

“Well, off you go then,” Merlina pressed a switch on the wall and the garage doors unfolded, showing the street beyond.

Lightning put his helmet on, then revved up the bike, feeling the power of its engine as it rumbled beneath him. It felt better than his old bike and that had already been expensive, seeing as Crystal Prep only used the best equipment.

The young man grinned inside his helmet and gunned the engine, speeding out onto the roads. The bike’s suspension was perfect, and he barely felt any of the bumps on the asphalt. It handled like a dream, turning with the lightest touch and remaining under flawless control even at the speed he was going. It was truly a magnificent machine, and he wished he could show it off to his old friends back at Crystal Prep.

All too soon, he arrived outside a mansion, with a long, flower-laden front drive and bushes in the shapes of animals. “Let’s see, 15 Gallopway Lane.” He dismounted the bike and took the key, then strode up the main approach and rang the doorbell.

It didn’t take long for someone to answer the door. A woman with pink skin, carefully coiffed purple hair, and a snooty look on her face eased the intricately carved wooden door aside and looked at Lightning Strike.

“A-Are you Spoiled Rich?” Lightning asked, taking the clipboard out from his bag. The woman nodded, a searching look on her face.

“Yes,” she said at last. “Do you have something for me?”

“Um, yes. A package for you,” Lightning took the parcel from his satchel as Spoiled Rich signed her name on the paper, then passed it to her once she was done. “Have a good day, ma’am.”

“Likewise…” Spoiled Rich said quickly, then shut the door on Lightning.

Lightning Strike blinked and then turned around to head back to his bike. “Well… that was easy,” he muttered to himself.

Lightning mounted the bike and drove away from the mansion, deciding to take a longer route just so he could enjoy the feel of his ride a bit longer. The bike just felt right beneath him, and he imagined this was how a knight felt when seated upon his charger. He zoomed through the streets, eventually arriving back at the art shop. Leaving the motorcycle and his helmet in the garage, he hefted the now-empty messenger bag and re-entered the building.

Merlina was there, leaning on the countertop and talking to a female in a black hood and cloak, presumably the same one that had brought Lightning his food on the first day he had come to this place. Both of them stopped talking once they heard the bead curtain being pushed aside.

“Ah, you’re back,” Merlina addressed Lightning Strike with a pleased expression. “How did it go?”

“It went easy enough,” Lightning said, taking out the clipboard. “I got the customer’s signature, just like you asked.”

Merlina took the clipboard and separated the paper from it, tucking the sheet neatly into a drawer and closing it with a snap. “You’ve done very well, Lightning Strike. Of course, I knew you would be a perfect fit for the job.” She then gestured at the other person in the room. “Let me introduce you to Sherry Spritz. She’s from Canterlot, just like you. Sherry is currently working here for me as a kind of trainee. I hope you get along well.”

“Pleased to meet you,” Sherry Spritz said quietly. From what Lightning could see, Sherry had pale, greyish skin that reminded him of marble, and there were two long locks of dark red hair that faded to a deep pink near the tips hanging down on either side of her face. Like Merlina before, the top of her face was concealed by the hood, and she stood just a bit taller than him. “You’ll like working here. Merlina is a fantastic manager and a good person all around.”

“So I’ve noticed,” Lightning said, taking Sherry’s hand and shaking it. It was slightly cold and the contact made Lightning’s skin buzz like he had touched something charged with static electricity. “You’re also from Canterlot?”

“Yes, but I haven’t been back here for a long time and the streets all look different. That’s why we needed a courier who knew the city layout, like you.” Sherry’s voice was calm and measured but still friendly, and it reminded Lightning of a warm, comforting summer’s breeze.

Merlina cleared her throat. “Now, there’s the matter of your pay,” she opened the cash register and took out a wad of bills. “I don’t know or care how other couriers in this city are paid, but I think maybe… a thousand dollars for this delivery job would be reasonable?”

Lightning almost choked on his own spit. “A-A-A thousand dollars?!” He nearly shouted, his eyes bulging at the suggestion. “For a job like that?”

Merlina noticed his outrage and counted out even more notes. “Yes, I understand completely. For a job like that? Better make it two thousand.”

Lightning fell back a step and raised one hand up as if to defend himself from the sheer amount of money. “Just for a delivery?”

“Well, yes,” Merlina held out the stack of notes for him to take. “You did a great job and you ought to be rewarded for it. Am I wrong?”

“I wouldn’t say no to so much money, but are you… really giving me this much?” Lightning wanted to be sure this wasn’t a dream. Everything was too good to be true today.

“Are you really haggling for less?” Merlina raised her eyebrow. “Look, here at this organization, we look after our own. Just take the money and try not to spend it all in one place, alright?”

Sherry was sporting an amused smile as Lightning slowly took the money, not even bothering to count it to make sure it was all there.

“Is… is there anything else that you need me to deliver?” Lightning asked slowly once his pay was secured inside his schoolbag.

“Not today,” Merlina told him, taking a small sheaf of papers out from under the counter and perusing them. “Stop by again tomorrow, and we’ll see about the next delivery. Does that sound good to you?”

“Sure.” Lightning nodded excitedly. “Something to look forward to each day. Guess I’ll see you tomorrow, then.”

Lightning pushed the bead curtain aside and began to walk to the bus stop, but there came a shout from behind him.

“Lightning Strike! Where do you think you’re going?” Merlina called from just inside the doorway of the shop.

“To get a bus home?” Lightning scratched his head.

Merlina looked quizzical, as if Lightning had just told her that the sky was green. “The bus? Why? Would the motorcycle not be quicker?”

He blinked a few times. “I… get to keep it?”

“Think of it like a company vehicle,” Merlina smiled widely. “As long as you take good care of it and turn up with it for work, I don’t see any reason why you shouldn’t be able to bring it home with you. It should make going to school a touch easier, no?”

“Woah…” Lightning still couldn’t believe what he was hearing. “Thanks, Ms. Moonshadow, I’ll be sure to take real good care of it.”

“I’m sure you will,” Merlina nodded. She then backed away into the shop. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”

Lightning couldn’t believe his luck as he climbed back onto the motorcycle and put on his helmet. Two thousand dollars’ pay and a new bike, as well as the promise of more to come! He pinched himself to make sure he wasn’t dreaming.

Nope. He was still wide awake, the expensive bike purring beneath him and the eye pendant cool against his chest.

“Best day ever,” Lightning grinned, then opened the throttle on the bike and sped off back for home, feeling considerably happier than he had been in a long while.

Chapter 7 - Friends and Enemies

The next morning, Lightning Strike jumped out of bed and slapped his alarm clock to silence it. He had gone to sleep early last night after doing his homework, wanting today to come. He had also spent some time counting the fat stack of notes that he had gotten from Merlina, and was still slightly awestruck that it was all there, all two thousand dollars of it. The money appeared to be legitimate, with all the correct details and watermarks and numbers. Lightning had slipped a couple of hundred dollar bills into his wallet and stashed the rest of it under his bed.

Humming a tune to himself as he got dressed and ate breakfast, he found himself examining the gazing eye that Merlina had given him in the mirror. He ran his finger over its round surface. It was cool and hard, like a gemstone, though the pendant still looked somewhat disturbingly alive. He almost expected it to blink. Still, it wasn’t exactly uncomfortable, and Merlina had told him to keep it on his person at all times, so that was exactly what he would do. A small thing to ask in exchange for all he had been given.

He would not be walking to school today, oh no. Instead he went into his home’s garage and took a moment to admire the bike that he had been given yesterday. His old bike, or what was left of it, lay in the corner, crumpled and bent out of shape from the crash. He had liked that bike a lot, but this new one was just such an improvement that he didn’t hesitate to mount it and feel the soft leather of the seat, the smooth texture of the handlebars, the soft rumble of the engine as he started it up. It was, he thought happily, a truly beautiful machine.

His eyes wide behind the visor of his helmet, Lighting wheeled the bike out of the garage and out onto the driveway. With a whoop, he sped off towards Canterlot High. Nothing could ruin this day for him, and he was looking forward to going back to work after school.

After parking his bike in the CHS parking lot, Lightning walked towards the front doors, a spring in his step, and he knew exactly why. He took up his usual position by the front door and leaned against the wall, not even bothered by the other students’ sideways glances at him.

“Good morning!” Pinkie Pie popped up next to Lightning. By now, he had been expecting something like this and only flinched slightly as the intrusion.

“Good morning, Pinkie Pie,” Lightning said in return, humoring her. “Can I help you?”

Pinkie gasped. “You said good morning to me! Does that mean you want to be friends now?”

Lightning rolled his eyes. “Not really. I’m just being polite.”

“It’s still an improvement!” Pinkie grinned. “It’s nice that you’re feeling happy.”

“Yeah, I had a rather good day, with my arm all being healed and a new ride.” Lightning wiggled his fingers.

“You got a new car?” Pinkie gasped comically.

“Bike,” Lightning corrected.

Pinkie’s eyes went wide and starry and her mouth opened to say something else, but then the bell rang for class and Lightning gave the pink girl a small wave before trotting off into the school building. Just one school day separated him from going to work again, and he wasn’t going to let anything dampen his spirits.

The day passed quickly enough until lunch, where Lightning sat alone as usual, eating another salmon filled bagel. It was one of his favorites that he had packed from home, following a recipe from Painsley Lariat, the celebrity chef.

“Hey, Lightning Strike!” A familiar but unwelcome voice called from behind him.

Lightning sighed before putting down his lunch and turned to see Zero Gravity and Clyde standing there, looking almost like twins with their matching hair and skin colors.

“Yes?” Lightning asked plainly, keeping his face as neutral as he could.

“You seem to be in a better mood today,” Zero said, swaggering closer to Lightning.

“I had a good day yesterday,” Lightning shrugged nonchalantly. “No thanks to this school.”

“Hey, this school is just fine,” Zero shot back. “I mean, yeah, it took a while for me to settle in, but that’s why I’m here now, to make sure you don’t have to go through that before you get settled in too.”

“Well, I have to say, it’s not really helping.” Lightning held up his fork to him. “Now if you’ll excuse me, I have some food to consume. Don’t you guys eat?”

Zero glanced at Clyde. “Don’t take this the wrong way, but you need to lighten up,” he said, shaking his head. “What do you even get out of being such a douche, anyway?”

“Who were your friends at Crystal Prep?” Clyde said, holding Zero back. “Minuette and some others used to go there too. Maybe they know each other.”

“You mean who are my friends at Crystal Prep,” Lightning corrected him. “I don’t see how others knowing my friends will help in any way. And I’m not a douche. I just want my own space, which you guys keep invading, so I think you have it the other way around.”

“But your friends at Crystal Prep aren’t here,” Zero pointed out. “It’s going to be tough going to school here if you just isolate yourself for the rest of the year. Come on, man. Why don’t you join a club or something, then maybe you could get to know someone after school.”

“Can’t,” Lightning said shortly. “I have to work after school, and I have to say I’m looking forward to it more than any club here at Canterlot High could provide.”

“How do you know that if you haven’t tried out in any of the clubs?” Clyde reasoned. “Just give it a shot and you’ll see.”

“Didn’t I just say I had to go work after school’s over?” Lightning said, giving both Zero and Clyde a squinted look. “I don’t have time to join a club or after school activity.”

“You don’t know what you’re missing out. Trust me.”

“Why do you even need a job, anyway?” Zero put his hands behind his head. “I thought you people from Crystal Prep were supposed to be loaded, going to a big fancy private school like that.”

“Ugh.” Lightning planted his face in his lunch. He couldn’t stand how nosy these guys were. “I enjoy it, alright? What more do I need to say? Come on, you two; I was having a good day until now.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Zero’s expression grew angry. “Look, I don’t know what’s got your shorts in a twist, but-”

“And that’s enough, Zero,” Clyde grabbed his friend and pulled him away. “The guy wants to be left alone for now. Arguing with him isn’t going to make him your friend.”

“Yes, see, Clyde sees my logic.” Lightning removed his face from his food and wiped a hand down his face before flicking it to his side to dislodge potatoes and grease from it. “Now, why don’t you two go have some food before lunch is over? It’s good to have some nutrition before the second half of the school day.”

“Don’t tell me what to do-!” Zero squirmed in Clyde’s grip, but Clyde refused to let him go.

Lightning smirked to himself as he watched Clyde drag his companion away. Perhaps today wasn’t a total loss after all.

“I’m back,” Lightning said as he entered the Heart’s Desire Art Supplier’s front doors, pushing the curtain of beads aside with a satisfying clattering sound.

Merlina was standing behind the counter, leaning on the tabletop and reading from a book. As soon as Lightning announced himself, she shut the book and tucked it back into her robes. She gave the youth a charming smile and clapped her hands.

“Welcome back, Lightning Strike. I hope the weather wasn’t too tumultuous on the way here?”

It had been getting colder on the ride back to the art shop, but as soon as Lightning stepped inside, the air felt warm and dry, very comfortable. There was also that faint classical music playing somewhere deep inside the shop, which he found intriguing. The shop’s dimensions were a bit of a mystery to Lighting, as yesterday he had been sure that there was no garage attached to the store, but Merlina had made it so.

“Wasn’t too bad,” Lightning smiled back and walked up to the countertop. “I’m ready for my next delivery job.”

“Oh, that’s good,” Merlina nodded. “Still, there’s no need to rush. Why don’t you have a seat and I’ll bring you something to drink. What will you have? Tea? Coffee? Hot chocolate? Or something else entirely?” She looked at Lightning expectantly, her visible eye shining in the light of the lamps like liquid.

“Umm, hot chocolate would be nice in this weather.” He managed a wider smile.

“Splendid!” Merlina spun herself around. “I’ll be right back, don’t wander off now.”

And she disappeared into the back, leaving Lightning standing there on his own, with the only sounds being the quiet music in the background. He went around to look at the shelves while he waited to see what the store sold exactly.

It all looked just as normal as it had seemed when he had first come in. However, as Lightning picked up a tube of paint from a shelf, he read the ingredients. He was fairly sure he hadn’t heard of some of these things, and there was no such place as this in the world. He had been very good at geography in Crystal Prep and the more products he looked at, the more he was certain that the countries that the art supplies were from did not exist in this or any language.

“Made in C’tango?” He read one of the cans. “Where in the world in C’tango?”

He put the paint back and looked at some brushes. The little tags on them seemed to boast of it being made of ‘100% pegacorn tail hair’.

“What?” Lightning asked as he felt the bristles. They were soft and malleable, and always seemed to go back to being straight even after he bent them back. It was honestly quite soft, but also firm enough to be of use to a painter.

“And here we are! One hot chocolate with whipped cream and Lunacreste marshmallows,” Merlina came back from the rear of the shop with a platter that had a steaming white mug placed on it. “Here, drink up while I tell you today’s job.”

“Thanks.” Lightning returned to the counter and accepted the drink. It was piping hot and it worked well on his frosted lips. “So, where am I going today?”

“This package today is just like yesterday’s one,” Merlina took out a small box wrapped in brown paper and string, with a little white tag attached with the name and address of the recipient on it. “This one goes to 4 Palm Street, Canterlot. I believe it’s near the southern part of the city, in the suburbs. A bit of a long ride, but I know that won’t bother you unduly. Go in, get the signature, give them the package, and come back.”

“Right as rain.” Lightning sipped a bit more of his hot chocolate, then placed it back down on the counter. “I don’t suppose you could keep this warm for me, could you?”

Merlina raised one hand and clicked her fingers. A tiny burst of light came from the point where her fingertips met. “Of course. Be careful, now, and remember: the package is for the customer only. Nobody else is to touch it, save yourself when you deliver it.”

“Got it,” Lightning said as he went back outside to his bike and slipped his helmet onto his head after taking the package and putting it into his delivery bag.

Soon Lightning Strike was back on the road, his bike rumbling along the highway and headed for his destination. Palm Street was out of the city towards the edge of Canterlot, but with a monstrous bike like this, getting there wouldn’t be a problem at all. That’s what Lightning thought until he hit his seventh red light in ten minutes.

“Are you for real?” He leaned against his handles and groaned. His bike was good, but even a good bike still had to follow the road rules and that stank. “Come on. Hurry up. Hurry up.”

Finally, the light turned green and he tore off down towards Palm Street. On the way he passed by Canterlot High School, and he slowed down to see if there were still any students on campus. There were a couple of kids still wandering around, and Lightning swore he could see Rainbow Dash scoring goals with her soccer team on the football field. Not wanting to hang around and be recognized, he sped up and left the school behind.

Lightning knew all of Canterlot city, and as he pulled his bike into Palm Street, looking for number 4, he wondered about what he was delivering. Merlina hadn’t told him exactly what was in the packages, only that it somehow made people’s hearts’ desires come true, and that it wasn’t illegal. He trusted Merlina, but he felt a curiosity that made him want to know what was in these little paper wrapped boxes.

Easily finding number 4 at the middle of the street, Lightning parked his bike next to a fire hydrant and dismounted. The house was a quaint little single story building with a statue of a squarish-shaped dog on the front lawn, spewing water from… Well, he didn’t want to say more. He walked up the pathway towards the front door, and instead of a door bell, he found one of those door knockers instead. He lifted its handle and swung it back, resounding a loud thud into the air.

There was a shuffle of feet inside, followed by a groan. The door soon opened, revealing a pudgy but grumpy old man.

“Whaddya want?” He seemed to stare daggers at Lightning, but softened when he saw the box in the boy's hands, along with the clipboard. “Is that for me?”

"Are you Mr. Crookback?" Lightning asked the old man. "I have a package for him."

"Yes, that’s me, young'un," Crookback said, taking the clipboard and signing his name on the paper. "To be honest, I wasn't sure you'd show up. Whole thing seemed too good to be true."

Lightning wasn't sure how to answer this, so he simply gave the old man his package.

“Oh boy, I’ve been waiting long and hard for this.” He accepted his item and stalked back into the house, slamming the door behind him, which was unfortunately in Lightning’s face.

“You’re uh, welcome…” The boy rubbed his nose.

He was walking back to his bike when a dark brown patrol car stopped a short ways away. It had sirens on the top and had the letters ‘SCAR’ emblazoned on the hood in deep red paint. The driver and passenger seat doors opened and two men wearing black suits got out. One of them was holding a small device that looked like a bulky smartphone with a long antenna on the end.

Lightning was going to ignore them and head back, but then they seemed to be approaching him now.

Oh great. Just what I needed.

“Excuse me, young man,” the man without the device walked up to Lightning Strike, who stood there unsure of what to do. “Do you have a moment to talk?”

Lightning opened his mouth to say something, but at that moment the gazing eye necklace under his shirt seemed to grow warm, as if to warn him about something. Whoever these suits were, some kind of intuition was telling him that they were bad news.

“Yes…” Lightning said cautiously.

“My partner and I are with the Supernatural Containment and Research Division,” the man said. He had light brown hair that was slicked back over his forehead and had a badge on the front of his suit with the letters ‘SCAR’ on it, just like his car. “We were tracking an abnormal energy signature and it led us here. Did you see anything out of the ordinary in the area?”

“No,” Lightning answered truthfully. “I’m just a bike courier, doing my rounds; I wasn’t in the area very long.”

The other man, the one holding the device, slowly pointed it around. The device squawked when the antenna passed by Lightning. The man stared at the screen and tapped his partner on the shoulder.

“Can you excuse me for a moment?” the first man said before turning his back to Lightning and muttering with the other man for about a minute.

Lightning didn’t like the look of this. They had been talking about an abnormal energy signature and once they pointed it at him, it made a little noise. Perhaps they had been talking about the package Merlina had handed to him. He didn’t know what was in it, but he didn’t want to have to get in trouble for something as simple as a delivery.

Instead, while their backs were turned, he tiptoed over to the side, trying to make his way back to his bike. Unfortunately, his bike was in their field of view and he had to think of a way to get to it without them seeing him.

The perfect chance came when the two of them spun back towards the house, where he was supposed to be standing. Lightning threw himself into a hedge as the two of them began looking around frantically.

“Where’d he go?” One of them began darting his head around like a pigeon. “He was just here!”

“Something is afoul,” the other one said.

No, you’re just not observant, is all. Lightning shook his head. Now all he needed was for them to move away.

“Let’s check the house. That’s where the signature was coming from anyway.” The brown haired one pointed to the front door.

As the two of them straightened their suits, Lightning shoved his way out of the hedge and crept over to his bike. Starting it now would be any fool’s choice, but he was no fool. Instead, he pushed back the kickstand and began wheeling his ride away. Once he was far enough, all the way down the street’s end, Lightning flung himself on and drove away.

That had been a weird experience, but surely Merlina would know who they were and what they were after. With more questions than answers now, Lightning began making his way back to the store, but cursed as the light in front of him turned red.

“I’m back,” Lightning Strike said as he pushed the door open to the storefront.

No one was standing there, but he could hear some whispers from the backroom. He walked closer and placed his hands on the counter, waiting for someone to come out to greet him.

Eventually, Merlina came out from behind, with Sherry following close still dressed in the black cloak and hood. The former wasn’t smiling, which Lightning took to be an immediate bad sign. She had always smiled in his presence.

“Good, you’ve returned,” Merlina said, coming back behind the counter. “And none the worse for wear.”

“Yeah,” Lightning said, taking out the clipboard. “I delivered the package and got the signature, just like you asked.”

Merlina took the paper and tucked it into the drawer on the countertop. “You did well. Tell me, did you run into anyone unusual while you were out there on the job?”

“Now that you mention it, yes,” Lightning said, thinking about the two men and their device. “There were these two guys in suits looking around for anomalies or something. They wanted me to talk to them about it.”

“And did you tell them anything?” Merlina asked patiently.

“I figured they were trouble and I managed to get away,” he explained. “They weren’t the brightest tools in the shed. They were looking kind of dumb.”

“Did you see what their organization was called?” Merlina asked.

“Oh yeah, uh, SCAR. Uh, Special Circulation and Restoration or something, I can’t remember the exact words.” Lightning rubbed the back of his head.

“Supernatural Containment and Research,” Sherry supplied.

“Master’s wings…” Merlina said quietly. “They’ve found us, even after hiring a courier. This is… problematic.”

“Yeah, their anomaly detector thing seemed to find something on me,” Lightning continued. “I don’t know what it was looking for, but I think it found it.”

“It was magic,” Merlina said, trailing one hand through the air and leaving sparkles in its wake. “This is how it works. We have these packages that you deliver. To make sure there’s no tampering, each box is enchanted with a minor glyph of protection, making it so that it can’t be opened by anyone until it’s delivered to the recipient. The glypic spell breaks upon contact with the addressee, rendering the box completely mundane. However, you handling the package makes some of the magic rub off on you. That would be the magic that these SCAR people must have detected on you.”

“Right…” Lightning said, trying to process what he had just been told. All this talk of magic and glyphs and spells was honestly a bit over his head for the time being. “Wait, so they’re after magic?’

“Supernatural Containment and Research,” Merlina reminded him. “Emphasis on containment. It’s nothing new, people are always after magic, and we didn’t want to attract any undue attention.”

“We as magical beings emit a lot of magical energy,” Sherry explained. “That is why we needed a courier who wasn’t magical to deliver the packages for us. We didn’t feel like inciting a war with these SCAR people over a few boxes of goods.”

“Would this become a problem for me delivering packages?” Lightning was worried his days of happiness would already be over. “Is there a way I could mask the package's contents from rubbing off on me?”

“Unfortunately not that we have current access to,” Merlina said. “The magic will wear off on its own, like water evaporating off wet clothes. This just means that you will have to take breaks between deliveries. At your current level of magical contamination… a day or two and it should all wear off and render SCAR unable to track you. I’ll also see about getting a major glyph of protection placed around your house, so nobody can get the jump on you there.”

“Won’t that just let them track me?”

"Major glyphs of protection aren’t like the minor ones,” Sherry said. “All a major one does is make sure that nobody with hostile intent can enter. There’s one cast on this shop as well. They can be unpicked, but we don’t think anyone in SCAR has the knowledge or skills to do so.”

Lightning took a while to process this. “Does… does this mean I can’t come in to see you every day?” He asked, trying not to sound too disappointed.

“Oh, no, no, no, of course not!” Merlina stressed, waving her hands as if trying to ward off a fly. “You may continue to come in after school if you like, all that’s changed is that you’re not delivering packages every day. That’s all this arrangement means.”

Merlina and Sherry turned to face Lightning, both smiling expectantly. “You are welcome here any time.”

“Thanks,” Lightning said, feeling a warm feeling blooming in his chest. Even if Crystal Prep didn’t want him anymore and Canterlot High wasn’t to his taste, he could still come here. “Really. Ever since I got kicked out of my old school, this place has been the one bright spot in my day.”

“That’s very sweet of you to say,” Merlina purred appreciatively. “Tell you what, since you did such a good job today and managed to dodge those SCAR ruffians as well, I’ll add an extra bit of cash to your reward money. Hazard pay. Why don’t you finish your hot chocolate before you go?” Merlina took the mug from before out from under the counter and placed it on top, where it still steamed like it had just been made. “I kept it warm for you, just like you asked.”

While Lightning Strike finished his hot chocolate, Sherry returned to the back of the shop while Merlina opened the cash register and counted out some money. Today’s salary was noticeably thicker than yesterday’s.

“I threw in an additional thousand on top of the two,” Merlina said as she slid the stack of notes across the countertop to Lightning. “It’s only fair to compensate you for such a risky outing.”

“But I…” Lightning began, staring at the three grand he had just been offered. Then he glanced up and saw Merlina giving him a look. “Nevermind. Thank you, Ms. Moonshadow. There’s just one thing that I wanted to ask you.”

“And what might that be?” Merlina replied, busying herself with shutting the cash register.

“What’s inside the packages that I’m delivering, exactly?”

Merlina blinked, shuttering her one visible eye for a microsecond. “I’m afraid, dear boy, that I am not the person you should ask about the nature of those packages. It’s somewhat confidential, but I can assure you with all truthfulness that there is nothing illegal or dangerous inside those boxes. Even if there was, the people who ordered them know exactly what they bought. There are no unpleasant surprises hidden in the packages.”

“I see…” Lightning muttered. “But are they magic?”

“Well, yes.”

“Then won’t SCAR be able to detect them and take them away from their owners?” Lightning pointed out. “I mean, just because I delivered it doesn’t mean it can’t be taken from them.”

“That’s simple,” Merlina said perkily. “The contents of those parcels don’t emit any magical signature. It’s all contained inside them, and it uses the energy of the user as a power source. SCAR’s detectors won’t track them as magical. At least, that’s what I’ve been told.”

Lightning nodded, not really getting it, but he didn’t really feel like asking more since it would probably get even more confusing. He finished his hot chocolate and placed the empty mug on the countertop. “So, what happens now?”

“Now?” Merlina took the mug and put it away under the countertop. “You may do whatever you please. I’m going to go consult with my immediate superior about what to do about these SCAR people. It might be a while, so don’t hang about expecting me to see you off.”

Waving to Lightning, Merlina went into the back of the shop, leaving the youth alone in the store’s main area. He slowly picked up his pay off the table and thumbed through it. Three thousand dollars, all neatly bundled up in his hands. He carefully put the money into his school backpack and decided to have another look around the shop.

Only slightly to his surprise, the shop kept going around the back. In the hallway there were several large cubes of white stone, neatly stacked against the wall, presumably for carving. There were shelves of chisels and other sculpting tools. The smell of paint was stronger back here, Lightning noticed.

He spent some time inspecting the goods back here, even though he had never done sculpting before, there were several white stone busts arranged on a nearby shelf. Some of them, Lightning noticed, weren’t exactly human, sporting pointed ears, horns, or other unusual features. He wondered who had carved them; Merlina perhaps? They were beautiful, but all those faces staring blankly into space made him feel a little uncomfortable.

After spending a few more minutes pondering this, Lightning decided to go back to the front of the shop. This place was located in pretty much the middle of an office district and far away from any major shopping centers in the city, and Lightning wondered how much business this shop actually got. He had certainly never seen anyone else coming in or leaving, much less buying anything.

Eventually his mind settled on the one thing that held all his problems and solutions together.

Magic.

He still wasn’t sure what he thought of it. On one hand, he had seen just how much trouble it could be at the Friendship Games. According to all sources, Twilight Sparkle almost destroyed the fabric of reality while high on magic. Sunset Shimmer had put things right, thankfully.

And now he was working for a self-admitted magical… person. The people in the shop seemed to have a much better grasp of magic than he did, if all their talk of glyphs and magical energy was anything to go by.

Still, Lightning felt completely safe in this shop, despite all the mysteries. Its occupants were definitely better than those people at Canterlot High. They weren’t nosy and obnoxious, and didn’t ask him any probing questions. It was a nice feeling, interacting with Sherry and Merlina.

Without any further ideas on what to do in the shop, Lightning shouldered his bag and turned to leave, brushing aside the bead curtain as he left. Maybe he would stop by the mall and buy himself something nice as a reward for a job well done.

Chapter 9 - The Gallery

Lightning found himself at his locker at the end of the day, taking what books he would need for the night’s homework. The lessons were still laughably easy compared to what he had studied at Crystal Prep Academy, so homework never took more than half an hour a night for him.

As he made to close his locker, there was a pop of confetti next to his ear and Lightning jumped in surprise, dropping his backpack on the floor.

“Oh, for crying out loud…” He groaned as a familiar gaggle of people made themselves known. Sherry stepped up to Lightning’s side, but he waved her off. “Look, for the last time, no! I have places to be today, so if you wouldn’t mind…”

Pinkie opened her mouth to say something, but Rarity beat her to it. As Lightning Strike bent over to pick up his bag, his gazing eye necklace slipped out of his shirt collar and hung down in full view.

“That’s an unusual accessory,” Rarity said, darting forward. “Where did you get it?” She reached out and wrapped her fingers around the gazing eye.

Suddenly Rarity cried out and withdrew her hand as if stung.

“Owch!” She exclaimed, shaking her fingers. The digits were red and flushed, as if she had just touched a hot stove. “It burned me!”

A tall boy with gray skin and black hair stepped forward. “Rarity! What happened? I heard you scream.”

“Clyde!” Rarity gasped. “I went to take a closer look at Lightning Strike’s necklace, and it burned my fingers.”

“Is that so?” Clyde strode up to Lightning, who rolled his eyes. “What’s going on here then? Did you hurt my boo?”

Who the heck calls their girlfriend that? Lightning wondered. “Look, I didn’t do anything, she was the one who touched my jewelry.”

“Let me see that,” Clyde wrapped his fingers around the gazing eye hanging from Lightning’s neck, only to recoil in pain, shaking his hand. “Ow! What the- what are you playing at?”

“Nothing,” Lightning said honestly. “I’m not looking for trouble here.”

“Well, you sure found it, pal,” Rainbow Dash stepped up next to Clyde. “How about you tell us what’s up with your necklace?”

Lightning opened his mouth to say something, but Sherry Spritz suddenly sidled in front of him and looked Rainbow Dash in the eyes.

“I don’t think that will be necessary,” Sherry told Rainbow calmly. “In fact, you were just letting us leave.”

“Who are you?” Clyde asked bluntly.

Sherry turned her eye on Clyde. “You don’t need to know who I am. Lightning Strike and I are running late to work, so you will let us pass.”

Clyde blinked. “Oh, yeah. Sorry about delaying you for work. C’mon, everyone, we’re delaying them.”

“Clyde?” Rarity said hesitantly, still holding her burned fingers. “Are you alright?”

“Never better, my boo,” Clyde replied easily. “We really shouldn’t hold these two up, though.”

“Yeah,” Rainbow Dash agreed with Clyde. “We have stuff to do anyway.”

Lightning sighed with relief internally and stuffed the gazing eye back inside his shirt, then picked up his bag and made to leave.

“Thank you very much for being so understanding,” Sherry purred as she walked past the group. However, as Lightning passed Sunset Shimmer, the girl reached out and touched his hand.

The gazing eye inside Lightning’s shirt suddenly grew hot, and Sunset recoiled as if stung, her face a mask of shock and terror. Deciding not to stick around for whatever was about to happen next, Lightning Strike hurried after Sherry and left the school building.

The whole group, minus Rainbow Dash and Clyde, watched the pair leave the campus in disbelief.

“What was that?” Applejack demanded.

“Yeah,” Soul Writer said, looking unsure if he wanted to give chase or shake Clyde. “You just let them go.”

“They said they were running late to work,” Clyde explained, looking confused at the rest of his friends’ reactions. “I didn’t want to hold them up.”

“I got burned and you didn’t even try to find out why?” Rarity asked Clyde, looking distraught. “What’s gotten into you?”

As the group bickered amongst themselves, Sunset stepped a bit further away and put a hand to the side of her head. In the moment when she had tried to read Lightning Strike’s thoughts and memories, she had been met with blackness, then a feeling of extreme terror, accompanied with the image of a burning pink eye with a slit pupil, like a snake’s.

“Sunset?” Fluttershy asked, noticing her friend’s discomfort. “Is something wrong?”

Sunset looked shakily at Fluttershy. “I tried using my magic to see Lightning’s thoughts,” she said.

“What did you see?”

“I saw… an eye,” Sunset told Fluttershy. By now some of the other members of the group had gathered around to see what was bothering Sunset. “This huge, awful eye. It saw me and I was terrified!” Sunset shuddered and hugged herself.

“So you weren’t able to see Lightning’s thoughts?” Zero Gravity interjected.

Sunset shook her head. “It’s like my magic was being blocked by something way more powerful. Lightning Strike, he has some kind of magic of his own, I’m sure of it.”

“And that girl he was with,” Rivet added. “Who was she? I’ve never seen her here before.”

“I don’t know,” Twilight frowned. “But I’ve seen her following Lightning Strike around in a few of my classes today. Other than that, I have no clue.”

“The teachers don’t seem to notice anything wrong,” Swift muttered. “I think Sunset’s right. There is something magical going on here.”

“We need to stay on our guard,” Rarity declared. “Isn’t Lightning Strike originally from Crystal Prep? Twilight, are you still in contact with anyone there? Maybe we can get some answers that way.”

“I’ll see what I can do,” Twilight nodded.

“In the meantime, I think we should keep an eye on Lightning Strike and that girl,” Rivet decided. “We don’t want to get caught in the middle of another school crisis, do we?”

Outside in the school parking lot, Lightning went over to his bike, followed by Sherry.

“Thanks for getting me out of there, Sherry,” Lightning said with relief. “Some people just don’t know when to stop.”

“I can tell,” Sherry replied. “Why don’t we head back to Merlina? We can kill some time there.”

“Anything’s better than hanging around here,” Lightning said, sliding his helmet down over his head. “Are you coming?”

Sherry smiled at him. “I’ll meet you there.”

Lightning looked confused. “My bike has room for two people; how else are you going to get back?”

“Trust me. I’ll be at the art shop before you get there.”

Sherry winked at Lightning and walked away around the corner of the building, disappearing from view.

Shrugging, Lightning Strike started up his bike and rode for the art shop. It took him about twenty minutes to get there, since he had run into a lot of green lights and there wasn’t a whole lot of traffic.

To Lightning’s only mild surprise, Sherry was inside the shop already, leaning against a shelf and drinking from a glass of water.

“How did you…” Lightning shook his head and grinned. “Let me guess. Magic?”

“Right in one,” Merlina said, coming out from behind a shelf with a tin of paintbrushes. “I’ve got some things to do today here, but you and Sherry are more than welcome to use the gallery. Just make sure you keep track of the time.”

“The gallery?” Lightning Strike repeated, confused. “What’s that?”

“Why don’t you show him?” Merlina told Sherry Spritz. “I think you’ll find it quite eye-opening. After all, they were all painted by yours truly.”

“Come on,” Sherry’s smile was infectious and Lightning found himself in a good mood as Sherry led him round to the back of the store. There were the same white stone busts, as well as a door that said ‘Staff Access Only’.

“You’re working for us, so that makes you part of the staff,” Sherry said to Lightning as she pushed open the door. “That means you can go anywhere in this building.”

Beyond the door was a long hallway, illuminated with warm yellow light that didn’t seem to have a source. The air in here smelled even more charged, like there was a faint undertone of electricity in the atmosphere. Hanging on the walls were a collection of large, ornately framed paintings, each one the size of a door. Each one depicted a landscape, and Lightning could tell just at first glance that they were painstakingly detailed and elaborate. The closest one depicted a white sandy beach with a small collection of white stone buildings near the sparking blue shore.

“This is so well done,” Lightning stopped to admire the painting. He could even see little people painted around the buildings. “Merlina did this?”

“She’s an excellent artist,” Sherry shrugged. “In fact, she has a degree in painting that’s centered around artwork, most accurately, paint. We won’t be using this painting today, though. We’re not dressed for the beach.”

“What?” Lightning gave her an odd look. “What’s that mean?”

“You’ll see. Come on, I think I know a picture that you’ll just love.”

Lightning followed Sherry past another handful of paintings, each one catching his eyes with their intricate brushwork. He couldn’t imagine the stillness of hand and the skill needed to make art like this. They stopped at a painting of some sort of lighthouse under a starry night sky with a small cafe next to it. The stars in the sky were all done in many different colors and shone bright on the canvas, settling into dazzling constellations and formations that Lightning found fascinating.

“It’s incredible!” Lightning said, leaning close to the surface of the painting to take in more of the wondrous brushwork. “It’s like nothing else I’ve ever seen in my life!”

“Then I think you’ll love what comes next,” Sherry said from behind him. The next thing Lightning knew, he received a hefty push from behind, sending him falling towards the painting.

Only he didn’t hit the canvas.

There was a strange feeling like he had been splashed with cool water, and he put out his hands to break his fall. They touched something soft and springy, like… grass?

“Huh?” Lightning looked down to see that he was kneeling on a soft blanket of grass, under a familiar starry night sky. “Woah…”

“Like it?” Sherry’s voice came from next to Lightning. She held out a hand and helped him to his feet.

“This is… how did you… are we inside the painting?” Lightning stammered.

“Yes and no,” Sherry led him towards the cafe at the foot of the lighthouse. “The painting acts like a kind of doorway, but when you enter it, you get dropped into the target destination at the same time of day that’s shown on the painting, which is why it’s night here. Does that make sense?”

“So, it’s like a portal?”

“Pretty much. Want to get a drink?”

Lightning’s face slowly broke into a grin. “So all those paintings back in the art shop are all doorways to other places?”

“More or less,” Sherry smiled back. “I mean, technically speaking, we haven’t really left the shop at all. So you’ve not really gone anywhere, from a certain point of view.”

Lightning liked that kind of thinking. He and Sherry approached the cafe, from which was emanating a smell of fragrant coffee. There were little orbs of golden light hovering around the front, emanating a soft glow onto the tables and chairs. There were no other customers at the moment, and there was only one person visible from behind the counter, reading a book or something.

Sherry walked right up to the counter and waved. “Hey there!” She greeted. The man working there looked up and smiled. He wore a pinstriped suit without the jacket and the sleeves rolled up, as well as a clean white apron. He twirled his mustache and put his book underneath the countertop.

“Ah, Miss Sherry Spritz! What can I get you and your friend?”

“Two coffees, please,” Sherry said, then turned to Lightning. “Do you take yours with cream or sugar?”

“Uh, whatever is fine with you,” Lightning managed, still surprised that the barista knew Sherry just by appearance alone.

“Oh, Max?” Sherry explained as if she had read his mind. “I like to come here often after work to unwind. Max here has probably served me a hundred coffees by now,” Sherry reached into her pocket and took out a card. “One hundred and six coffees. Soon to be a hundred and seven.”

Sherry gave her card to Max, who stamped it with a ring on his index finger before accepting a few gold coins from the girl, trading them for two mugs of steaming coffee.

"Thanks," Lightning said as he accepted a cup from Sherry. "So you must come here a lot, huh?"

"Kinda?" Sherry shrugged as she sipped her drink. "I used to come here all the time, with my friends, but there's so much work to do now that I haven't had the chance lately."

"I see," Lightning tasted his coffee, checking the temperature. To his surprise, it was absolutely perfect, not scalding, but still packing enough heat to cause a tingling sensation on his tongue after he swallowed the first mouthful. The flavor was fantastic as well, with a sublime balance of bitter, creamy, and sweet. He knew immediately that all other coffee would never be able to measure up.

"Man, this is good!" Lightning said, taking another gulp and swirling it around inside his mouth.

Sherry smiled serenely. "I'm glad you like it. Want to go up the lighthouse and get a view of the stars?"

Holding onto their drinks, the two mounted the stairs on the inside of the lighthouse. Inside the cylindrical building there were mementos of the sea hung up on display, like fishing nets and paintings of boats. The whole place smelled slightly of oil and sea spray, but Lightning Strike didn’t find it offensive.

Finally they reached the top, where they skirted around the huge light fixture that dominated the center of the platform. It was not on at the moment, as the sky and seas were clear and calm.

From this height, Lightning fancied he could see the stars even better. They weren’t like the stars back in Canterlot, which only came in one color. The stars that he was looking at here sparkled with every color of the rainbow and a few more besides. It made even the painting back in the art store pale in comparison.

“I could stay here forever,” Lightning said to Sherry as they leaned against the railing and drank their coffee.

“It is quite beautiful, isn’t it?” Sherry agreed. “Nothing like what you’d find back in Canterlot.”

“If it wasn’t for you, I’d have no idea that there was such an amazing place out here,” Lightning said quietly. “I’d still be stuck back in Canterlot, unaware of the outside world.”

“Tell you what,” Sherry finished her coffee and placed the cup down on the railing. “On your off days, I’ll bring you to more places from Merlina’s gallery. Each one is meticulously picked and chosen to be added to the collection, so you’ll be seeing the best.”

Lightning couldn’t help but smile even wider. “I’d like that.”

As Sherry and Lightning gazed up at the stars, a streak of light shot across the heavens: a shooting star. Lightning recalled that making a wish on one was meant to have your dream come true, but in that moment, he couldn’t think of anything to wish for. To Lightning Strike, he felt as though he had already gotten his wish.

Chapter 10 - Special Delivery

Lightning Strike wasn’t sure how much time had passed, but by the time that Sherry led him to leave the painting, he already felt like he would miss it. The cool night air, the rainbow carpet of stars overhead, and the rich aroma of coffee were all now deeply ingrained in his memory.

As such, it was a slightly jarring transition when Sherry pulled him back into the art shop, which was considerably less humid and very well lit.

“Woah,” Lightning said, shaking his head. “That was a rush.”

“Moving from plane to plane can take some getting used to,” Sherry acknowledged. “But I hope you had a good time. I know I did.”

The two of them went back to the front of the shop, where Merlina was writing something on a sheet of paper with a long, black pen. She looked up and smiled softly.

“Welcome back. I trust you enjoyed your time with the gallery?”

“Oh, yeah! Definitely!” Lightning grinned. “I think your painting skills are the best I’ve ever seen!”

This made Merlina’s pale cheeks color for a moment. “Nonsense. I’m nowhere near the best, but your compliment is welcome all the same. I take it that Sherry brought you to her favorite coffee shop?”

“Yes, but how did you…” Merlina pointed at a dark stain on his jacket from a bit of spilled coffee. “Oh. Heheh. My bad.”

“Let me fix that for you,” Merlina pointed her finger at the stain and the whole thing came off Lightning’s jacket like a sticker being peeled from a window. With a snap of her fingers, the stain popped out of existence.

Lightning whistled. “You and Sherry are so amazing! I had no idea you could do so much with magic.”

“We can do a lot more than just this,” Sherry supplied. “It’s just that we have to be careful not to attract too much attention.”

“You mean, with those SCAR guys,” Lightning correctly guessed.

Merlina nodded. “SCAR and other people. If it became public knowledge that magic was real and could solve everyone’s problems, then there would eventually be trouble. I rather like Canterlot and wouldn’t want to see it blasted off the face of the planet.”

“Ha ha, yeah, I guess you’re… wait, what?” Lightning did a double take, but Merlina had already moved on.

“In any case, your magical contaminant levels should drop enough by tomorrow that you can deliver the next package. There’s only a couple left, and then we can discuss what happens afterwards.”

“O-kay…” Lightning nodded once. “Hey, are you and Sherry the only two people working here?” He asked.

Lightning had been wondering this for a few days now. Merlina seemed to act as some kind of front-of-house manager while Sherry was… well, he wasn’t sure what Sherry’s position was. Bodyguard-slash-guide maybe.

Sherry glanced at Merlina, whose one exposed eye grew bright.

“No, Lightning Strike. We are not the only two people working here. There is also my superior, or ‘boss’ as you might call him in your language. I’ll see about introducing you to him, because he’s a very busy person and isn’t always available. Anything else?"

"Not really…" Lightning shrugged. "I guess I'll be back tomorrow. Thanks for everything!"

Sherry and Merlina waved as Lightning mounted his bike and drove off for home.

Sherry then turned to her superior.

"He seems to be adjusting rather well to our environment," she remarked. "What do you plan to do with him after all the packages have been delivered?"

Merlina stood there in silence, thinking. Finally, she said, “I’ll take the matter to Nidhogg. Lightning Strike has done very well so far, and perhaps he would be interested in a more permanent position with us. Should Nidhogg allow it. In the meantime, keep a close watch over our courier. We wouldn’t want anything happening to him, now would we?”

“No, Merlina.”

“Excellent. I’m glad you know how important this is.”

The next day, Lightning Strike met up with Sherry at the usual spot on CHS’s campus. He was in a very good mood, and Sherry noticed.

“Nice to see you’re feeling happier today. Am I just that good of company?”

“I’m just excited for the school day to be over,” Lightning admitted. He put his hands into his pockets to protect them from the cold. “Got more deliveries to make, am I right?”

“Certainly,” Sherry agreed with a smile. “Your magical contaminant levels should be low enough for you to embark on such a job this afternoon. I’m glad to see you so eager to help.”

“Yeah…” Lightning leaned against the wall next to Sherry and smiled, looking up at the overcast sky. “I feel so lucky to have met you and Merlina. It’s like I have a purpose now, beyond graduating high school.”

“Whatever makes you happy,” Sherry shrugged. “It’s the weekend tomorrow. Finally a good chance to get away from this school, isn’t it?”

“You said it.”

The bell soon rang and Lightning went off to his first class of the day, followed closely by Sherry. As he entered the building, Sherry caught ahold of his arm.

“What?” The boy asked.

“I’m picking up high levels of mistrust aimed at you coming from a larger number of people in here,” Sherry told him. “Watch yourself in here today. There are those here who wish you ill.”

Lightning swallowed. “Is it SCAR?”

Sherry shook her head. “It’s not that serious. If it was SCAR, I wouldn’t let you come into the building at all. All the same, I’ll watch your back. Just keep your guard up, alright?”

“Thanks, Sherry,” Lightning said gratefully.

The young man headed to his first class. He felt the gazing eye under his shirt, but it was still cool to the touch. If there was danger, surely it would alert him; it had done so before.

After cruising his way through the laughably easy CHS curriculum, Lightning found himself at lunch with Sherry. His friend had somehow managed to get her hands on a bottle of iced tea, even though Lightning was quite sure they didn’t sell that here at school.

“I’m so glad it’s Friday,” Lightning said as he tucked into his food. “It’ll be nice to get a break from this borefest of a school.”

Sherry put a straw into her bottle of iced tea. “You dislike it that much here?”

Lightning shrugged. “I mean, it could be worse, but nearly all my friends are back at Crystal Prep, and all the classes here are so easy because I learned all this back before I changed schools. I don’t hate it here, but I wish people would stop trying to get to know me. I don’t need any more friends.”

At this, Sherry’s face grew amused. “But you never would have met me if you hadn’t changed schools,” she pointed out. “So at least there’s that.”

“Yeah, I guess you’re right…” Lightning said. “I’ll give this school that one point. But I get the feeling you’d have found me whether I changed schools or not. You’re magic like that.”

Sherry’s smile grew wider. “Maybe, but it’s just as likely we would have found someone else. Still, I understand your desire to learn something more challenging.”

“I just wish they’d take the kid gloves off and let me do something actually challenging,” Lightning clenched his fist. “And there’s no motocross club here to join, which is a major bummer. Also-” Lightning suddenly stopped. “Hold on. This is about the time when some of those nosy guys like to come over here and convince me to be friends with them.” He looked around. “Can it be that they’ve finally given up?”

Sherry turned her head. “You mean those people at that large table who are trying to look like they’re not watching us?”

She jerked her chin towards a crowded table where the gang from after school yesterday was sitting. Nearly all of them were looking vaguely in Lightning and Sherry’s direction, but then the one called Soul Writer saw them looking and said something. Everyone at the table then suddenly looked away in different directions.

Lightning saw this and snorted. “Not exactly masters of stealth, are they?”

“I think they may be suspicious of us after what happened yesterday,” Sherry told Lightning. “My eye’s effects will have worn off by now. I only used it on a low setting to help us get away.”

“Speaking of your eyes, what’s the deal with the eye patch? Did you give your eye to someone or what?”

“Something like that,” Sherry shrugged. “If things get too out of hand, I’ll take it off, but I find that unlikely. Just think of it as insurance in case events go catastrophically wrong.”

“So it’s like a secret weapon?” Lightning asked eagerly, wanting to learn more about magic. “What does it do?”

“I can’t tell you that,” Sherry sighed. “Since you’re still a part-timer, there are things we full-timers need to keep confidential. I’m sorry, Lightning. I do want to tell you, but rules are rules.”

“Oh… well, I can respect that,” Lightning tried not to sound too disappointed. “Can we use the gallery again today? After work, I mean.”

Sherry smiled. “Well, that depends on how long you take for work. If you’re quick, maybe we can use it for a short while.”

Lightning grinned. The idea of spending time in another world with Sherry made his day just that much better. He went back to eating his lunch, humming a bouncy tune to himself as he did so.

This time, there was no resistance keeping Lightning from getting to his bike after classes had ended for the day. He could still feel people staring at him, but he didn’t really care. He bade Sherry a temporary goodbye as she left him to get to the shop. Within minutes, he was on his motorcycle and speeding off towards his job.

After parking his bike outside, Lightning strode into the shop, where Merlina and Sherry stood at the counter, waiting for him.

“Welcome back,” Merlina greeted, her one visible eye glinting like a gemstone. “Bright and early today, I see.”

“Nobody tried to hold me up after school,” Lightning shrugged. “Anyway, I get to deliver the next package today, right?”

“Quite right!” Merlina said, sounding quite pleased. She reached under the counter and brought up another smallish box that was wrapped in brown paper and string. “You remember what to do?”

“Yes,” Lightning nodded. He took the box and read the label on it. “So I’m delivering this to one Zephyr Breeze on Roost Crescent. I know where that is, no problem.”

“We will eagerly await your return,” Merlina said with a nod to Sherry Spritz. “So long as you’re quick about it, I don’t think any magic detectors should pick you up.”

“Besides, that bike of yours can outrun any SCAR vehicle that they might send,” Sherry added. “I’d wish you good luck, but you don’t need it.”

“Thanks anyway,” Lightning gave them both a wave before heading back out of the store and mounting his bike. As the engine roared to life, he briefly wondered about the package in his bag and what it was, but Merlina had promised to explain things to him in due time, and he trusted her.

Roose Crescent was near Canterlot High, and as he approached, he could see that the campus was pretty much empty except for the track team, who were running around the soccer field. Everyone else had probably left to enjoy the weekend.

That was just fine with Lightning Strike. He circled around the CHS campus and down another street which he knew led to Roost Crescent.

Soon he arrived at the street and stopped his bike, putting down the kickstand and walking up to the house in question with the package in his hand, clipboard at the ready.

He raised his hand and rang the doorbell on the two-storey house, then stepped back a respectful distance. He could hear some rather strange sounds coming from inside the house. It almost sounded like a bunch of animals all calling and baying at once. There was even the yowling of a cat mixed in.

Lightning Strike was about to ring again when the door opened, revealing a face that he knew.

“Oh!” Fluttershy said, putting her hands to her mouth. “Lightning Strike!”

“Uh, hi,” Lightning said after a pause. He had not been expecting to run into someone from school here. He briefly considered leaving, but he didn’t want to let Merlina down. Besides, maybe he just had the wrong address. “Ahem. I’ve got a package for one Zephyr Breeze. Does he live here?”

Fluttershy looked a touch confused at first. “Well, yes,” she said. “I’d be happy to give it to him, though.”

Remembering Merlina’s words, Lightning shook his head. “I’m afraid I can only give this package to the recipient, and nobody else. Sorry for the inconvenience,” he added quickly. “Orders are orders, you see.”

“Oh,” Fluttershy frowned. “Well, just wait here. I’ll go get him.”

Leaving the door open, Fluttershy disappeared back into the house.

This could be trouble. Lightning thought as he waited. Fluttershy was sure to tell the rest of her groupies about his appearance here today. If there was one thing he didn’t want more of, it was any interaction with those people.

Lightning’s musings were interrupted by the return of Fluttershy, this time bringing a tall, gangly young man who had his hair tied up in a messy bun.

“Zephyr Breeze, I presume?” Lightning asked, trying to act as professional as he could. “I have something for you.”

“All right!” Zephyr pushed past Fluttershy and rubbed his hands together. “Been waiting for this. Let’s see if it’s as good as the seller said it was.”

“Just sign here, and you can have it,” Lightning held out the clipboard for Zephyr, who quickly scribbled his signature on the dotted line. Lightning then passed Zephyr the box, which he took with almost indecent glee.

“Thanks, dude,” Zephyr said before going back inside his home.

Fluttershy looked as though she wanted to say something, but wasn’t sure what.

Lightning, however, wanted nothing more than to get away from here. He waved goodbye to Fluttershy and speedily walked back to his bike after stowing the clipboard in his messenger bag.

He slipped his helmet over his head and took off. The gazing eye under his shirt was still cool to the touch, so Lightning assumed he was in no immediate danger. Now all he had to do was get back to Merlina, and then he and Sherry could go hang out together.

Chapter 11 - The Man in the Painting

Lightning Strike wasted no time in getting back to the shop and hurrying inside. However, as he entered, he found that neither Merlina nor Sherry were present to greet him.

“Hello?” He called into the depths of the store. “I’m back!”

There came the sound of soft footfalls from the back of the premises. A few seconds later, the white head of Merlina came into view. She looked a bit pinched, but her face broke into a smile at the sight of Lightning Strike’s presence.

“Ah, you’ve returned. Good, good.” Merlina purred. “Right on time, too.”

“Right on time for what?” Lightning asked as he handed over his clipboard.

“Remember how I wanted to introduce you to my superior?” Merlina tore off the top paper and slipped it into the drawer under the counter. “Well, it just so happens he’s got a free slot in his schedule now, so I thought you would want to meet him.”

“Oh,” Lightning said, unsure of what to think. “I’m up for that, yeah. Where is he?”

“In the back. Follow me.”

Merlina led Lightning around to the rear of the shop, where the gallery was. She pushed open the door and led the young man down the hallway of paintings. Lightning couldn’t help but examine the portraits as they walked by, drinking in the details and memorizing them for possible future trips that he and Sherry might take.

At the end of the hallway was a door that Lightning did not remember noticing the last time he had been here.

“Through here,” Merlina opened the door and beckoned for Lightning to enter.

Inside was a rather curious sight. The interior was a medium sized room, about four meters in each direction. At the far end of the room was an enormous painting, depicting a ruined medieval looking city that was in flames. Like all the other paintings in the gallery outside, it was done with impeccable detail, each crumbling building and burning corpse done with unnerving accuracy. It was a great change from all the peaceful and beautiful pieces that were on display in the gallery. Lightning found himself drinking in the sight, even if it did give him the shivers. The middle of the painting had been done to resemble a balcony that was overlooking the destroyed city, as if the painter had been standing there to work their craft. There was a table, rather, half a table drawn in the foreground with a tall throne that was facing Merlina and Sherry.

On the outside of the painting was the other half of the table. Not made of paint, but rather made of solid wood, and fitted with four chairs. The entire setup was arranged in such a way that if one were to sit down at the table in the real world, it would look just like they were sitting at the same table in the painting.

“Please, take a seat,” Merlina told Lightning. “He’ll be along shortly.”

Both of them sat down, Lightning on the left side and Merlina on the right.

Merlina turned her head to look at the painting. As she did so, there was movement from the left side of the canvas. Walking into sight came a tall man dressed in a black suit with the tie undone and the top three buttons unclasped to show his muscular chest. He had long, unruly iron grey hair with black highlights, and as he walked in, Lightning saw with astonishment that he had a pair of onyx-black horns that speared upwards. His fiery orange eyes were sequestered behind a pair of smart rimless glasses.

The man sat down in the painted chair and brushed his hair aside. Up on his forehead was, unusually enough, what looked like a third eye, but this one was a familiar shade of blue instead of orange.

“Good afternoon, sir,” Merlina said once the man had settled down completely.

“Good afternoon, Merlina,” The man replied. His voice sounded as though he was right there in the room with them, rich and commanding. “How are things going in your plane of existence?”

“We have almost delivered all the packages,” Merlina replied. “There’s just the one left.”

“Yes,” the man said. “I’m glad we managed to arrange a way to deliver the goods without inciting an all out war with those who would stand against us.”

“Yes, sir,” Merlina nodded. “It’s all thanks to our hardworking courier here,” she waved a hand at Lightning Strike.

“Of course,” The man turned his head to look at Lightning, who did his best to look professional. “You must be the courier I’ve heard so much about. It’s good to finally meet in person. My name is Nidhogg, and I am the managing superior for this venture.”

“Nice to meet you too,” Lightning said, keeping a politely interested expression on his face.

“Merlina has had nothing but good things to say about you,” Nidhogg continued. “You’re smart, punctual, and good at following instructions. Most importantly, you get the job done. I like that in a person.”

“Thank you, sir,” Lightning said, feeling a little bit proud. “I mean, Merlina’s been great to work with, and Sherry Spritz is really helpful too. It’s not just me.”

“Humble as well,” Nidhogg smiled, revealing a set of shiny white teeth that looked just a little too pointy to be human. “Now, I believe you’ve some questions that Merlina couldn’t answer for you. I will be more than happy to answer them, should you so desire.”

“Er… sure,” Lightning said, thinking back to all the things he wanted to know. “Well, okay. Can you tell me about what’s inside the packages I’m delivering?”

Nidhogg leaned back in his chair. “Going right for the throat. Good. What is inside the packages are amulets that have been enchanted with a mild charm of fulfillment. It allows the wearer to literally live out their fantasies and dreams in an environment that is generated by their own minds. It’s quite realistic, I’ve been told. In fact, I was just about to make the last one on the order list…”

Nidhogg raised his hand, and Lightning watched in awe as a ball of purple flames manifested itself in Nidhogg’s palm. Inside the fireball, a chain and pendant appeared, and the flames were sucked into the amulet, which fell into Nidhogg’s open hand. The chain jingled softly as Nidhogg examined the jewelry. Seemingly satisfied, he clicked the fingers on his other hand and the pendant was suddenly encased in a box, which was then engulfed by brown paper and string, making it identical to the other packages Lightning had seen before.

“The amulets draw off the wearer’s own energy to fuel the spell, so magic detectors have a very hard time picking them up,” Merlina explained. “The main thing that they do pick up is the sealing charm placed on the parcels to keep them from being opened by the wrong person.”

“Right as always, Merlina,” Nidhogg pushed the package across the table, where it crossed the line from painting to reality, manifesting as a three-dimensional object in the real world. Lightning was very impressed.

“That’s so sick, all this magic,” The young man said, grinning. “What else can you do?”

“A better question would be, what can’t we do? Because we know how to do quite a lot, don’t we, Merlina?”

Merlina chuckled. “As you say, sir.”

Lightning Strike’s eyes were drawn to the blue eye in Nidhogg’s forehead. He didn’t mean to stare, but it did look familiar to him, and after a couple of heartbeats, he realized why.

“That’s the same color as Sherry’s,” Lightning blurted out, causing the other two people to look at him. “Sorry, sir. I just noticed your third eye is the same color as Sherry Spritz’s left eye.”

“Very perceptive of you,” Nidhogg relaxed in his throne like a jungle cat. “Miss Spritz and I did indeed exchange our eyes temporarily. That way, she will always be able to channel a small portion of my power if she should ever need it, and I will always be able to keep watch over her. Much like how Merlina’s gazing eye has been protecting you.”

Lightning nodded, reached up to feel the gazing eye under his shirt. “No kidding, Merlina’s gazing eye has been useful on more than one occasion. So, you’re the boss of this whole thing, Sir Nidhogg?”

Nidhogg let out a bark of laughter. “Hardly. I have my own superiors to answer to. We belong to a huge organization, Lightning Strike, spanning across far and wide. The department that I am in charge of is but a small subdivision of the greater whole. But I won’t bore you with details that you won’t likely comprehend.”

Lightning thought this over. He had not considered that Merlina’s outfit was only a small part of a larger whole, though it did make some kind of sense. He unconsciously reached up and touched the gazing eye around his neck.

“However,” Nidhogg continued, leaning closer to Lightning Strike with a glint in his eyes. “I was wondering if you had given any thought to your future.”

“My future?” Lightning scratched his head. “I’m not sure what you mean, sir. I did have a dream of becoming a professional motocross racer, but after the accident, I’m not so sure anymore.”

Nidhogg glanced at Merlina and smiled. “Have you perhaps considered a more permanent position with our organization? The pay is good, and there are many other benefits that we offer to our employees, as you have seen.”

Lightning raised his eyebrows, surprised. “You mean you’d keep me on as a courier?”

“Courier? Certainly, as a start,” Merlina explained. “But if you joined us permanently, we could provide many more opportunities than just as a courier. You would have access to all of our organization’s resources and tools, for one thing.”

“It’s not an offer we make to a great many people,” Nidhogg said. “But you’ve proven to be trustworthy and a hard worker even with a temporary position. So, why don’t you give it a think? I don’t require an immediate answer from you, that wouldn’t be fair. But I look at you and see a lot of potential, and I wouldn’t want that to go to waste.”

Lightning felt something inside him that he had not felt in a long time. Here was someone who clearly wielded great power and influence, telling him, an ordinary schoolboy, that he had potential. Nobody had ever said that to him before, at least not so plainly. In spite of himself, Lightning Strike was deeply flattered.

Merlina grinned. "What's the matter? Hasn't anyone ever given you a compliment before?"

"Not like that," Lightning mumbled. "Normally it's just trivial stuff."

Merlina’s smile grew wider. "Well, I agree with Nidhogg. Everything he said about you is true. You're a fine, respectful, and responsible young man, and I would be very happy if you chose to join us for the long run. You'd make an excellent member once you've been trained up a bit."

"Trained up?" Lightning repeated. "What does that mean?"

"With magic, of course," Nidhogg told Lightning. "Everyone in our outfit is proficient with at least one school of magic, of which there are more than I care to count."

Lightning Strike’s face shone with excitement. "You would teach me magic?" He asked, almost as if he couldn't believe his ears.

"Well, not me personally, but you would have some of the finest teachers of sorcery if you joined up with us. There are other perks, too, but there's no point telling you about them unless you're serious about working for us."

Lightning sast back in his chair, taking it all in. It wasn’t easy, as he felt like the sky had just fallen on his head.

“Wow…” Lightning said at last. “You’re actually serious about this? I mean, you really want me?”

“Why not? Your report is glowing, and Sherry tells me you’re near the top of the class in school. Why wouldn’t we want someone like you?” Nidhogg placed both of his hands on the table and steepled his fingers. “Like I said, why don’t you think about it for a while, and then answer me when you’ve decided. No pressure.”

“Yes, take your time,” Merlina seconded. “We won’t force you into anything. Besides, there’s still one more package to deliver. Not to mention that I’ve yet to pay you for today’s work.”

Nidhogg moved to stand up. “In that case, I will leave young Lightning Strike in your care, Merlina. Make sure you reward him well for his hard work.” The horned man nodded goodbye and walked out of the picture frame.

Merlina and Lightning left the room, walking back to the front of the shop through the gallery. Sherry was waiting for them at the front desk, tidying up the vase of flowers to keep herself busy.

“Ah, you’re back,” She said as Merlina and Lightning came into view. “How do you like the boss, Lightning?”

“He’s alright,” Lightning said with a smile. “He offered me a permanent position at your organization.”

"Oh!" Sherry exclaimed. "Are you going to take it?"

"I don't know," Lightning shrugged. "I would probably need to ask my parents about it. I also need to know more about the position before I confirm anything. But," he grinned. "If it’s anything like what I've been doing here, I'd love to accept the position."

"Not that it should affect your decision, but I think you would be a good fit here," Sherry said eagerly. "You've fit in so well in the past week."

"Just doing my best," Lightning shrugged humbly. "I'm glad I was able to help you and Merlina."

Merlina went back behind the counter and took out a black book, which she opened and scribbled a few lines in.

"We'll give you the final package on Monday. I won't ask you to work weekends, not when you're only part time. That's not to say you can't come here," Merlina told Lightning. "Our doors are always open to you, so come whenever you please, though I’m sure you’d much rather hang out with your other friends."

Lightning Strike put his hands in his pockets and scuffed his shoe against the carpet. “I haven’t got any.” He muttered. “Not at CHS, anyway. And it’s midterm season at Crystal Prep, so my friends from there are too busy studying to hang out anytime soon.”

Merlina gave Lightning a sympathetic look. “I’m sorry I touched on a sore spot. Here. Let me give you today’s pay and we’ll speak no more of it.”

Lightning accepted the stack of notes from Merlina and put them into his bag. “I’ll definitely come back tomorrow and Sunday,” He promised. “Oh, and I’ll give the job offer a think as well.”

“Of course,” Merlina smiled. “See you soon, and take care of yourself.”

Chapter 1 - The Reluctant New Wondercolt

On a cold autumn morning, in a suburban house in the wealthier section of Canterlot, a young man was tossing and turning in his bed. Eventually the sun’s light shone through a crack in the curtains and illuminated his face. He had pale, aquamarine skin that was almost grey, and a messy head of dark blue hair that was punctuated by light teal highlights. His eyes flickered open and he slowly sat up, stretching his right arm above his head; his left was immobilized in a white cast.

Rubbing the sleep from his eyes, the youth blearily took in his surroundings. A desk with a computer occupied one corner, while a wardrobe and bookshelf took up another. Posters hung on the walls, posters of motocross stars and of motorbikes. A trophy and a pair of yellow-tinted goggles lay on the floor as if they had been thrown there. There was a waste paper bin that was full of shredded purple paper; one of them still had the Crystal Prep Shadowbolt symbol visible on it.

“Good morning, Lightning Strike,” the boy said to himself as he sighed at the sight of his room. It was a far sight better than the hospital bed he had been in about a week ago, but the sight of it just made him feel surly. Not wanting to start his first day at his new school in a bad mood, Lightning Strike slid out of bed and swiped a towel from the end of his bed, then went off to have a shower.

Undressing quickly, Lightning wrapped the hospital-supplied plastic wrap around the cast on his left arm and stepped into the shower. The hot water crashed onto his head and made his hair stick to his scalp like a cap, but he knew it would spike back up once the water was removed.

After drying himself off, Lightning went back into his room and opened the wardrobe. His teeth gritted together as he saw the stack of Crystal Prep uniforms inside. Choosing to ignore them until he could deal with them at a later date, he instead picked out a plain pair of dark sweatpants and a green t-shirt with long sleeves that he rolled up for his left arm. He then topped off the outfit with one of his favorite articles of clothing, a dark indigo sleeveless jacket with a hood that had his symbol on its back: a stylized wing and a lightning bolt side by side. Putting it on made Lightning Strike feel a bit more confident, and as he laced up his shoes and went downstairs for breakfast, he was beginning to smile a little.

As usual, nobody was downstairs to greet him. This was something Lightning was used to, as his father was more often than not away on business trips around the world, and his mother had to get out of the house early to her job as a journalist. Lightning’s mother prided herself on being the first in office on the weekdays and the first to get the daily scoop, and usually only came home in time to make dinner and sleep.

As Lightning put two pieces of bread into the toaster, he took out his phone and went over the route he was going to take to school. He lived moderately far from the campus and wanted to get a head start on reaching it so that he wouldn’t be tagged as a troublemaker. Not like the school had given him much of a choice in the matter, nor was he entirely innocent. The memory brought back a scowl and Lightning Strike pushed it away in his mind, determined not to let it spoil his breakfast and morning walk.

Heading out of his house and locking the door, Lightning Strike hefted his backpack and began the trek to school. He would have preferred to take an alternative means of transport, but he couldn’t operate any kind of vehicle with a broken arm, and the buses didn’t often come to his district. Not that he had needed them before his arm had been fractured, but now school was so much further away.

Still, it was a good day to be out walking. The sun was shining, not too brightly, and there was a soft breeze to speed him along. The twenty minutes that it took to get to school seemed to fly by and before Lightning knew it, he was looking down the courtyard of a large building that had two wings and a dome on top. There was some kind of monument in the front that looked like it might have been a statue, but now all that was left was the pedestal.

“So this is Canterlot High…” Lightning said to himself. He had seen it briefly during the Friendship Games, but hadn’t much paid attention to the layout. It was definitely not as opulent as Crystal Prep, its rival school, but Lightning didn’t mind this. In fact, it was probably for the best that the place didn’t remind him of Crystal Prep.

There was a small trickle of students arriving at campus and hanging out outside the school while they waited for classes to start. Trying to look as unobtrusive as possible, Lightning Strike went over to an unoccupied section of wall and leaned back against it. It wasn’t that he was tired; he was used to getting up early for school. He watched the wind blow past, carrying a passel of orange and red leaves, and sighed. Lightning thought back to the reason he was here and frowned.

Letting his mind wander, he almost didn’t notice someone approaching him. It was, for want of a better description, an almost offensively pink girl with hair like cotton candy, and light blue eyes that were now watching him.

Lightning coughed and leaned back a bit. “Uh, can I help you?” he asked cautiously.

The pink girl smiled at him and said, “Hi! I don’t think I’ve seen you around CHS before. Are you a new student?”

“I… guess you could say that, yes,” Lightning replied slowly. He wasn’t sure how much he should give away to this girl, especially if she was into the rivalry between Canterlot High and Crystal Prep. “It’s my first day here.”

“Ooh, really?” The pink girl bounced on her heels. “Then let me be the first to welcome you! I’m Pinkie Pie, head of the party planning committee!” She spun on the spot and looked expectantly at Lightning.

“I’m Lightning Strike,” Lightning told Pinkie.

“Nice to meet you, Lightning Strike!” Pinkie reached out and took his right hand to shake. Her gaze lingered on his cast-encased arm. “So how’d that happen?” She pointed at the cast.

“Uh…” Lightning’s mind raced to find an answer that would be satisfactory but not give away too much about himself. “Traffic accident. Yeah.”

“Oh,” Pinkie looked surprised. “Well, I’m happy you didn’t break anything else. Can I sign your cast?” She reached into her mass of fluffy hair and pulled out a marker. Without stopping to hear Lightning’s answer, she bent down and signed her name, ‘Pinkie Pie’ on the cast and topped it off with a little doodle of three balloons. An image that only now did Lightning notice was imprinted on her skirt in shades of blue and yellow.

Pinkie was just finishing the flourish on the last ‘E’ in her name when another student joined her. This one was a boy with cyan skin and short, jet black hair. He wore a hoodie and blue jeans.

“What are you doing, Pinkie?” he asked, putting his hand on her shoulder.

“Just saying hi to the CHS’s newest student,” Pinkie chirped. “Oh, lemme introduce you two! This is Swift Justice, one of my best friends! Swift, this is Lightning Strike. Lightning, Swift.”

“Nice to meet you,” Swift said with a smile. “First day, huh? Must be tough transferring here mid-semester.”

“Yeah, well,” Lightning shrugged. “It couldn’t be avoided.” He gestured vaguely at the two others. “So, best friend. You’ve known each other for a long time then?”

“Yeah, I guess,” Swift smiled as Pinkie hugged his arm. He blushed and patted Pinkie back. “She’s the greatest.”

Lightning nodded. He had to agree, they didn’t seem like they would ostracize him for his previous school allegiances, but he didn’t want to risk it unless he absolutely had to.

“Well, I am looking forward to, uh, attending,” Lightning said in what he hoped was a casual tone of voice. “I’ll need to go to the principal’s office to get my timetable. Could you help a guy out and tell me where that is?”

Swift nodded. “Sure. Principal Celestia’s office is down the main hallway, second door on the left. Do you want me to take you there?”

“No, I reckon I can find my way there,” Lightning replied.

Swift didn’t seem bothered by being turned down. “Alright. If you need directions to anywhere else, just ask any of us. CHS Wondercolts are always eager to help.”

“Good to know…” Lightning watched Swift and Pinkie retreat back to a larger group of people who were presumably their friends.

With nothing else to do but wait for the bell to ring, Lightning’s gaze roved around the groups of students who were also waiting for class. Back at Crystal Prep, there had been cliques that each student had belonged to that they rarely ever left. He had been in one of them, until… well. But here, it seemed like everyone was intermingled with everyone, with no real pattern to the groups that might signal what kind of gang they were a part of.

Interesting. Lightning noted to himself. He shifted himself so that his left arm had a bit more support and took out his phone to see if there were any messages from anyone he knew. There were none. Putting away his phone, Lightning settled into a brooding quiet.

A short while later, the bell rang to herald the beginning of class. Two adults who Lightning assumed were teachers or custodians opened the front doors to the building and the students began to pour inside.

With his cast, Lightning Strike attracted some curious looks, but he tried not to pay attention to them and followed Swift Justice’s directions to the principal’s office. He found it easily enough; even without prior instructions on how to get there, someone had placed helpful signs on the walls to guide people to their destinations, including the principal’s office.

Lightning took a moment to breathe in and out, then he raised his fist and knocked three times on the door.

“Come in,” a woman’s voice beckoned.

Lightning reached out and turned the doorknob, pushing the door in. The interior of the office was brightly lit, and there was a pale-skinned, smartly dressed woman with spectral hair sitting behind the desk. She wore an insignia of a bright sun and an equally warm smile on her face.

“Good morning,” she said. “My name is Principal Celestia. You must be our newest student, Mr. Lightning Strike, is that correct?”

“Yes, ma’am. That’s me.”

The principal’s smile grew wider. “You can just call me Principal Celestia. Everyone here does.”

“Oh. Okay then,” Lightning said. “I’m here for my schedule, Principal Celestia.”

“Certainly,” Principal Celestia pulled open a drawer on her desk and shuffled through its contents. After a few moments, she retrieved a single sheet of paper and held it out. “Here you are.”

Lightning Strike stepped forward and took it. It seemed like a normal timetable, although he wasn’t sure where each classroom was.

“Oh, how careless of me,” Principal Celestia added, holding out another sheet of paper. “Do you need me to walk you to your next class? Have you had a chance to explore the campus yet?”

Lightning flashed Principal Celestia a small smile. “It’s okay. I’ll make do on my own.”

“Are you sure? I understand that changing schools can be difficult, so if there’s anything I can do…”

Lightning Strike shook his head, holding back a grimace at the mention that he had changed schools. “Really, it’s fine. I’ll find my own way.”

Principal Celestia looked hesitant, but eventually nodded in agreement. “Alright. Just remember, you’re one of us now, a Canterlot High Wondercolt. We look after our own here.”

“I’ll keep that in mind.”

And with those gruff parting words, Lightning turned and left the office, leaving behind a somewhat deflated Principal Celestia in his wake.

Chapter 8 - A Spritz of Sherry

The next morning, there was a small meeting being called around the remains of the Wondercolt statue, with a certain pink party planner as the mastermind.

“Why are we all here this early, Pinkie?” Rivet yawned. He had received a text around breakfast time that Pinkie wanted to see them all about half an hour before they usually arrived at school. “I was still eating breakfast.”

The rest of the group waited impatiently for Pinkie to explain herself, shivering slightly in the morning chill.

“Here’s the deal, everyone,” Pinkie said, looking uncharacteristically solemn. “We’ve got us a Wondercolt who is in need of some serious friendship. It’s up to us to give it to him!”

“Are you talking about the new kid? The one who’s rejected us at every turn?” Rainbow Dash asked, pulling her scarf tighter around her neck. “He’d rather still be back at Crystal Prep. Why waste any more time on him?”

“Because,” Pinkie said, pushing her face up into Rainbow Dash’s own. “He’s not at Crystal Prep. Imagine how lonely it must be for him now! Obviously him saying no to us is just him being gracious and not wanting to waste our time!”

“I’m not sure that’s the reason…” Clyde muttered, but nobody else heard him.

“I’m sure we can get Lightning to be friends with us!” Pinkie exclaimed. “Pinkie Pie hasn’t failed to befriend a person yet, and I won’t fail now!”

“So what’s the plan?” Swift Justice asked supportively. “You do have one, right?”

Pinkie swelled up with pride. “I’m the head of the Party Planning Committee, Swifty! Of course I’ve got a plan.”

Swift’s face grew pink at being addressed like this, but he took it in stride and nodded.

“I think I speak for all of us when I say that I have absolute faith in your plan,” Rarity said. “Just try not to go overboard with this, alright?”

“Oh, Rarity,” Pinkie giggled. “When have I ever gone overboard on anything?”

No one deigned to answer that.

“Anyway, the plan is-” Pinkie began, but suddenly she shuddered and a shiver went from her feet to her hair, causing her body to vibrate like a piece of stiff wire that had been flicked. “Woooo-ahh…!”

“What’s the matter, Pinkie?” Fluttershy asked once Pinkie’s convulsions had stopped.

“I… don’t know,” Pinkie said, looking confused. “I mean, my Pinkie Sense hasn’t ever done that before, almost like it’s… something… new?”

In the meantime, Lightning Strike pulled up at the school on his bike, popping down the kickstand and taking out the keys. He sighed and took off his helmet.

“Back here again,” he mumbled to himself. “Seven hours of drudgery before I can actually go somewhere interesting.”

As Lightning began to move towards his usual waiting spot, he was mildly surprised to see there was someone else there. It was a girl wearing a dark blue jacket over a black waistcoat, with a dull red skirt and black stockings alongside a pair of tall boots. Her long hair was deep red, fading to dark pink at the tips. But the most interesting detail was that this girl was wearing some kind of covering over her right eye, in the form of some strips of black cloth. Lightning found that she looked somewhat familiar, but couldn’t place his finger on it.

“Good morning, Lightning Strike,” she said in the same voice from the art shop.

And that was when he realized. “Sherry Spritz?” He said incredulously. He hadn’t ever seen her without her cloak and hood, and the one eye that wasn’t covered was a bright, vivid, almost unnatural blue. “What are you doing here?”

Sherry unfolded her arms, leading Lightning to notice that she had some kind of pointed silver clasp on each of her jacket sleeves; six more were attached to the straps on the side of her skirt, three on each side. “Merlina wanted to make sure nothing bad befell you while you aren’t under the protection of the shop. Also, I came out here to cast that protection glyph on your house. In short, I am to act as your bodyguard.”

Lightning felt confused. “But aren’t you more magic than me? What if someone tracks you?”

Sherry tapped her eye patch. “Merlina had me surrender and deactivate most of my active magic spells and guards before coming out here. Besides, in a school like this with so many magical people about, nobody will notice my signature so long as I don’t cast anything too noticeable.”

Lightning was once again reminded of his ignorance of magical happenings, but decided to trust Sherry’s words. Since she was here on Merlina’s orders, that must mean that she knew what she was doing.

There was just one more little detail that Lightning was unsure about.

“So if you’ve left most of your magic behind so you can’t be tracked, then how are you supposed to be my bodyguard?” Lightning looked Sherry over. Eye patch aside, she looked pretty ordinary; there was a strange serenity about her face, but surely that wouldn’t help her defend him against any potential threats.

“Now that, you just leave to me,” Sherry said calmly. “Rest assured that I will take my task with the utmost seriousness; I will allow nothing to harm you without having to go through me first.”

Lightning Strike was somewhat taken aback. “Do you really think that I’m in that much danger?” He asked, looking worried.

“It doesn’t matter what I think, it matters what Merlina thinks. And if she sent me out here to protect you, then that is just what I’ll do.”

Lightning looked Sherry over again. She did look close enough to high school age to pass for a student. Her clothes also weren’t too outlandish, minus the eye patch.

“So you’re going to be following me around school? Did you enrol at CHS just for me?”

“Ah, no,” Sherry said. “I’m not technically a student here. However, I’ll be able to handle any and all awkward questions from the staff should they ask who I am.”

“Well… can’t find anything wrong with that. Anyway, this school’s a joke. I’m actually quite sure the staff won’t question you.”

Sherry smiled, the first time he could actually see it properly. “That bad, huh?”

Lightning shrugged. It was true that the school had been getting less on his nerves recently, although he didn’t know whether that was because he had something to look forward to after it, or because he was adapting to its crap factor. Either way, he was glad to have a friend here at his side, even if she wasn’t here completely legally.

“I’ve not set foot in a school for quite some time,” Sherry mused. “But if this place is anything like the school I went to before joining Merlina, it shouldn’t be too hard to get into the routine.”

“How… long is a long time?” Lightning had to ask.

“Long enough for the entire city layout to have changed,” Sherry replied. “Canterlot used to be a lot smaller. No cars, either.”

“I’d take it your lessons were taught differently as well,” Lightning assumed. “Did you used to have chairs?”

“Wooden chairs and long desks,” Sherry said. “I have kept up with the times enough to have an approximate knowledge of how everything works. I remember that the classes begin with the ringing of a bell.”

“Well, they still do.” Just then, the school bell rang, and Lightning hadn’t realized they’d be standing out there for so long. “Aaaand, we’re late.”

“That’s not going to be a problem,” Sherry said confidently. “Let us enter their parlour.”

Lightning gave Sherry an odd look, but shrugged and led her to his first class.

True to her words, no one asked her any questions and the teachers didn’t seem to realize she was a new student, or at least, a new face. If it was one thing Lightning learned today, it was that the school’s security stank.

Once they arrived at the classroom, History with Mrs. Harshwhinny, Lightning was curious as to how Sherry would deal with direct attention.

He pushed open the door and entered the classroom.

“You’re late,” Mrs. Harshwhinny said sternly as Lightning and Sherry came in. “And who is this?”

Sherry gently nudged past Lightning and fixed Mrs. Harshwhinny in the gaze of her exposed eye. “We were held up by an unavoidable incident,” she said evenly. “As for me, you were told about me coming in to sit in your class, remember?”

Lightning watched as Mrs. Harshwhinny considered this. Sherry backed away a step.

“Of course,” Mrs. Harshwhinny said understandingly, though looking a touch confused. “This school is full of unavoidable incidents. Just try not to let it happen again, alright?”

“Yeah, sorry about that. I got caught up outside,” Lightning said, then motioned for Sherry to go sit down as he rushed for his seat.

The class proceeded on as usual, only a great many curious glances were thrown in Sherry’s direction, where she was sitting at the back of the room. Her eye roved around the room, taking in everything in sight.

If it was one thing he was thankful for, it was the attention being taken off him. People had been buggering him since his first day here, especially Pinkie Pie. With Sherry here now, perhaps Pinkie would go after her instead. Maybe Sherry would be better at shutting her down.

Class was as boring as always, with Lightning, again, having already learned much further ahead at Crystal Prep. In fact, class was so boring today that he decided to raise his hand and answer some questions so they could end it sooner. Mrs. Harshwhinny had been surprised with his every answer, and by the gazes that were returning to him, so were his fellow classmates.

It’s not my fault you’re all so dull.

It sounded a bit mean, but most of them couldn’t even tell the difference between ‘your’ and ‘you’re’ and ‘there’ and ‘their’, so as far as he was concerned, it wasn’t an insult if it was a fact.

Homeroom soon concluded and he found his way out of class, with Sherry following close behind almost immediately. Unlike before school, Sherry’s face was impassive and blank, a stark contrast to the smile that Lightning was used to seeing her wear. It was, frankly, a little bit disconcerting.

Lightning stopped at his locker to switch books, while Sherry stood about a foot away, surveying the hallway as if looking for threats. Which she probably was, Lightning realized.

There were a lot of students in the hallway and Lightning quickly took the books that he needed and shut his locker. Sherry followed close behind him as he went to his next class.

After taking his seat, Lightning noticed that Sherry had positioned herself at the back of the room again, where she could see the entire space with ease.

As the other students trickled into the room, many of them spotted Sherry at the back of the room but didn’t say anything. Her one blue eye seemed to almost shine like a spotlight, roving around the classroom thoroughly.

“So much for a school of friendship,” Lightning muttered to himself. He could see why no one might want to approach Sherry, though. Right now, without her smile and wearing her eye patch, she cut a mysterious and imposing figure.

He still wasn’t sure he wanted someone following him around like some kind of over-enthusiastic guard dog, but he trusted that Sherry wouldn’t be too much of a bother to him. If Merlina trusted her to keep him safe, then he supposed that so long as nothing bad happened, he could just try and be at peace with her presence. Besides, she might act as a good deterrent if nothing else.

Lightning returned his attention to the front of the room, but he could feel Sherry’s eye on him. Oddly, he didn’t find it uncomfortable at all. He reached up and felt the gazing eye under his shirt; it was nice and cool against his skin.

Class went by slowly, but once it ended, Sherry stood up at the bell and moved towards Lightning to stand by his side.

Packing up his book, Lightning Strike glanced at Sherry. “Do you have to stay so close?” he whispered. “You’re kind of in my personal space.”

“Oh. My apologies,” Sherry took a step back. “I was only trying to guard you as closely as possible.”

Lightning sighed with a nod of understanding. “Okay, I get it that you guys are worried about me. But didn’t you say that since this school is full of magic anyway, nobody would notice us?”

Sherry gave him a serious look. “You can never be too careful. SCAR might know your face now. If they wanted to, they could storm this school and take you away.”

“And you can protect me from that?” Lightning was skeptical.

“I believe I can, but it won’t come to that. We’ll lay low until the magic you absorbed wears off, then you can go back to your normal job.”

Lightning sighed. “When I took this job, I didn’t think I would be in such danger.”

Sherry shrugged. “Sometimes, you just have to deal with surprises as they come. What’s your next class?”

“Gym.”

Gym class saw Lightning Strike on the bench again, though this time with Sherry sitting next to him. Coach Spitfire had asked very few questions about Sherry, taking her presence with cheery indifference after Sherry looked her in the eyes and gave some half-baked excuse. There was some kind of witchcraft at work here, he was certain, being used to addle the minds of the teachers.

Which left him sitting here watching his peers play a game of basketball. He glanced to his right at Sherry, who was also watching the game, albeit with little apparent interest.

“So…” Lightning said, trying to break the silence. “Is your eye magical or something?”

“What makes you say that?” Sherry asked.

Lightning swallowed. “Well, uh, it’s just that you seem to look people in the eyes whenever you tell them your reasons for being here. And they never seem to ask you to elaborate. I figured it was magic.”

Sherry turned to face Lightning Strike. He could see her one exposed eye, and now that he was up close, he could see that along the sides of her iris, there were what appeared to be tiny runes rotating in a circle slowly.

“Have you ever heard the saying, ‘the eyes are the windows to the soul’, Lightning Strike?”

Lightning nodded once.

“Well, magic is tied to the soul. Like a blazing inferno burning inside each wielder. The eyes are a potent conduit to the wellspring of magic deep within, and as such, the eye is capable of containing and channeling magic to a great degree. You still have Merlina’s gazing eye, which allows her to keep a watch over you and provide some degree of protection.”

“Uh…” Lightning said, not having expected such an answer. “So what does that mean for you?”

Sherry shrugged. “I had my left eye enchanted with the power of suggestion. It helps me bend the wills and minds of those who I look at in the eyes. I can mesmerize people into believing what I tell them, as long as there’s no direct evidence that points to the opposite.”

Lightning was impressed. “Wow. That sounds… pretty powerful.”

“You have a magical eye of your own,” Sherry shrugged again. “Take care of it, and it’ll do things for you too.”

Lightning reached up and pulled Merlina’s gazing eye out from under his shirt. Like always, it gleamed like a diamond, almost looking as if it were alive. He rubbed his thumb across its smooth surface, feeling how cold it was to the touch.

He let the eye fall against his chest, back inside his shirt. Then he asked, “Those SCAR guys, do you have history with them? Merlina seems to know them from the past.”

Sherry’s expression grew pinched. “I don’t know them exactly, but there are groups like them all over the place. People who want to restrict magic and get in the way of a fair market. Granted, if we were a larger outfit, we could take the fight to them, but as it is now we can’t afford any open hostilities. Which is why we are going with the stealth option.”

“Oh,” Lightning said, not quite understanding everything Sherry had said. “Are we going around to the art shop after school today? I mean, I know I can’t make a delivery because of the residual magic or something, but spending time with you and Merlina is honestly the best part of my day.”

Sherry Spritz smiled gently. “That’s very kind of you to say. We can certainly go back to the Heart’s Desire Art Supplier after school. Maybe we can do something fun, hmm?”

“That sounds good,” Lightning Strike agreed, secretly hoping that he would get to learn more about his employers.

The bell rang moments later and Sherry got up, brushing off her skirt. “Well, shall we get going?”