It Is Always Best Forgotten

The gentle, chilly air swayed through the air, swaying his hair back. A chill ran down his spine, the combination of the cold and the colder. The balcony did not give any protection from the wind, or the thoughts that now raced through his head.

"The Nightmare?" his mind raced full of questions and thoughts.

"I spent a thousand years with it, yet I still don't understand its thoughts or emotions, but when I was being controlled by it, it had so much pain and suffering. Anger and grief. It was too much... it didn't cast any spell on me... I guess it just made me realize my feelings of being unappreciated even more. As if it was enhancing those emotions with its own. Although it lay dormant in my imprisonment, it often spoke, giving me visions of things that happened long ago. They were awful... just horrible. Something I'd never like to see again."

"Luna..." Illuminous began but was quickly interrupted by her.

"It's okay... it ruined my life once, and I won't let it happen again. I saw what it wanted to do... and I want to protect everypony from it with my life."

"What do you mean?"

"Its planning to destroy everypony we know in order to... amend what has been lost."

Thoughts and questions we're now so common in his conscience that it hurt even thinking. It all sounded too familiar...

"You and me both."

Luna turned back to look into his yellow eyes, deep with many different emotions. She could see it. Everything in them was what she had once felt. Pain, confusion, suffering, sadness. Not every single one was bad. Determination, kindness, praise. One she couldn't quite understand, but it made her feel... safe and happy. She blushed again.

"W-what do you mean?"

"Ever since I met everyone, problems have just been arising. Every night I have visions as well... except they feel so... dangerous."

Luna flinched, like if she knew exactly what he was talking about.

"Not only that, everyone has been kind to me, someone they don't even know. But I can't help to feel that somehow... my presence is making it all the worse."

Luna smiled warmly. "I would say it isn't, and from what I could see, they're pretty close to you. I bet they care about you a lot. Even if they might not know you well, they're still worried about you. I don't think they would be happy if they lost you."

His mind drifted to Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash, Twilight, Rarity, Applejack, Pinkie pie. Even though he has hardly spoken to them, the only real difference he believed he made was saving Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy.

"Luna I... I want to tell you something."

The beautiful eyes of the Ali-corn focused their attention onto him.

"My father left a few weeks ago..." he tried continuing, but his voice thinned into nothing.

"Where did he g-" she stopped her sentence as she could see the pain in Illuminous' eyes grow deeper.

"My sister was kidnapped by the pony who took my father. All I had was them... I didn't know anyone else, of the world. All I had was them..." he said, taking a pause trying to regain himself. "If there is even the slightest chance I can save her, then I won't hesitate to stop... this is what I originally thought. But my time I have spent with the others has changed me. We had gotten attacked, not once but twice. The first attack was by an Ursa Minor, it was... corrupted in some way..."

Luna's eyes widened as he spoke.

"It had attacked Rainbow Dash, at the time I had felt so angrily I had just... lost my temper... and then I just... burst into a light. It felt unnatural and dangerous... but if it wasn't because of that power... I wouldn't have been able to save Rainbow Dash, or that Ursa Minor. When I had destroyed the corruption and darkness within it, I was able to communicate with it. It told me many things, some I couldn't understand. Only but one that said "The Key To Unlocking The True Potential Of The Elements." After that, we were attacked by 3 Pegasi. They were powerful. Even with the power from before I couldn't beat them, I learned that it only comes when I feel the need to protect my friends, the need to protect those I care about. When I had gotten beaten by them, I lost all hope. Fluttershy had touched my forehead with hers. And like I could have read her mind. Her thoughts and feelings... and that gave me hope. This light within me came again even stronger... more dangerous... that wasn't me... I'm afraid that if anything happens to anypony, I might be the cause of it."

"I'm truly sorry... about everything you've been to. I.. I didn't know... And I'm sure you wouldn't hurt anyone. You're a truly wonderful pony. If you want to protect something you care about, you should protect it with your life. Just have faith in yourself. Faith in your friends who care a lot about you. If it's okay..." she put a hoof out in front of her. "I'd like to be one of those friends."

A smile grew from all the gloominess of his conversation with Luna and he placed his hoof on hers. "Thank you Luna..."

Illuminous chuckled a bit to himself.

"Huh?" Luna wondered by the sudden change of attitude.

"You know, I always admired you. I always believed you were good. No matter how many times they could've said that you weren't, I could never believe it... how can something so beautiful ever be so evil?"

Luna blushed at his compliment and turned away to face the moon so he wouldn't see her face.

"Sorry about that... sometimes I don't even know what I'm saying."

"Oh it's alright... I kind of... liked it" she said in a tiny voice that was hardly legible.

"What was that?" Illuminous asked since he wasn't able to hear it.

"It's nothing." Luna said nervously.

"I think I should get some rest. Care to join me Luna?" he asked at the door.

"Oh no its fine, Tia is probably asleep alongside Twilight and her friends, I'm gonna stay awake until the sun rises."

"Tia?"

"Princess Celestia silly" she said giggling a bit.

He rubbed the back of his head with his hoof in embarrassment. "You know, you're the only one that I've confided these things about. I don't know why it's just that... I feel like I can trust you... I usually don't speak my mind but... this is so much different... Thank you again Princess."

Luna could not understand why she would blush at the simple 'Princess' title named by Illuminous after he had walked out the door. She spent her entire life within the walls of Canterlot Castle; she'd never met so much as a guard or a servant who had families and lives beyond the walls that were colts and stallions. The ones that didn't well, they weren't interesting enough or to say the least, not what she would be looking for. She had plenty of time to think on the subject, a thousand years of banishment leads you to think on the bigger things and even the small ones. There was just something about him; she felt so close to him... Luna turned to face the moon, recalling old memories of the past, wanting to keep it all at bay but it had been too much. It was all just too horrible. The only thing that seemed to bring her relief was seeing his smile...

'What now? We'll wait for Celestia when she wakes up and does more studying on that book. This hurts, every passing minute... that I'm not able to see her face... it rips me inside... what now... please... let Rosy be okay...' he thought in his mind.

The beautiful moonlight showed its magnificence through the glass-stained windows, reflecting several black lines within the light onto the silky and smooth carpet that lay all through the castle. The corridors we're empty, decorated and colored brightly. Paintings of different ponies stood here, like the statues in the garden. The deep fall exclaimed itself from the windows, who looked straight down into the side of the castle and rim of Canterlot itself. He felt at peace with this view. He walked slowly, still trying to think of everything that was just so wrong but ultimately ended to thinking of Princess Luna and her words. He had planned from the start to have Celestia be the first one to hear about his visions, see how well that worked. He was naturally shy against anyone. Although his stomach got the better of him on the servant but with Luna... it was different that was for sure.

He enjoyed the quite of the gloomy grand halls of the castle that ran through the long corridors. It had been a while since he last felt this peace. But like all things it must come to an end. He heard a small shriek, quite, soft, and gentle. It was the voice of Luna...

The voice was coming from the very bottom, it seemed like she was all the way to the bottom of the Canterlot Mountain! He had no choice but to make a leap of faith and hopefully get there in time.

The window shattered before him as he took on full force towards it. He caught side of the mountain and slid down at tremendous speed and picking up debris as he went by. He wouldn't let anything happen to Luna. She had suffered enough; he would protect her with his life.

He stumbled upon the ground hard, knocking him around until he finally landed face first into ground with an unwelcoming sense of pain. He heard the small shriek again. It pointed him to a dark forest, the Ever-free Forest. How he dreaded that place already. He paid no mind to it and kept running, avoiding small branches and leaves that hanged making the run a little more difficult.

He traced it down to a massive cave. It was protected by a shield of some sort. Magic. Not Luna's magic. It was strong and powerful. He couldn't see anything into it. He kicked the wall and nothing. Time was running short; he had to know what happened to the Princess. And then in sort of a miracle, he heard her voice in his head.

"Illuminous... please save me..." her voice whispered, as if she was trying to cast a prayer to him. In vain he tried going into it, kicking it with all his might. It was too strong. Whatever made it, it wasn't good, and it surely was dangerous. He had to get in; the Princess is with not doubt in grave danger.

No... He wouldn't let that happen... not to Princess Luna...

His mind exploded into thoughts of Luna. All down to his childhood, and until now. They had only just met but he felt like he'd spent an entire life time with her. Under the moon, praying and wishing. And then, he began to feel it. Lighter, Stronger, Quicker.... Smarter!

His mane and tail suddenly took on a fiery form of a pure white flame. Blazing up into the night sky, it illuminated like a thousand suns. His coat gained the glow. His eyes became pure white light. An aura of pure will surrounded him.

Illuminous looked around, then he quickly remembered. This time... he was in control. He could feel it, the power and its dangers. But that wouldn't stop him. He knew what he wanted to do, and that was save Princess Luna. His vision was perfect. He could see every dent of the rocks forming the cave, the veins in each leaf blade. Everything. He spotted an extremely small rip on the fabric of the magic. Strangely enough he could see its composition. Without even thinking, a sudden bolt of light struck the small whole with such force, it echoed in a boom. It became much wider. He focused hard on it. A slash of white light ripped a line through the entire thing. He wasn't even moving his hoofs. What was this?

Energy surged through him. He could feel it, this power was seeping into every aspect of the world around him, and it went into the air, to the rocks, to water in the ground, everywhere and everything. He could... bend it to his will. He could cause to flare up and burn, or harden to stone. Chill it to the bone, or change its composition into something new. Lift it into the air, and use it as a high speed projectile.

With another slash of light, a way was open for the small pony to enter. Light repelled the shattered wall as soon as he stepped close to it. He galloped as fast as he could to the depths of the cave. Then he came across road points. They lead to different directions and different passages. All of the passage ways would twist and have several other ways that lead him to return to the same position. He stood within the middle, sure of what to do now. His aura sent out a small vibration that bounced off the walls. By using his energy to calculate the size of the passages when the small echo would return he would able to figure out the way without even trying. He could memorize everything; learn things out of the blue when the situation arose. This cave was like a labyrinthine, full of dead ends and mind stressing puzzles. But Illuminous just breeze by all of them. He could feel Luna... he could sense the danger she was in.... and there was nothing stopping him from going to save her.

A giant hole that served as the gateway between his destination and him stood covered in giant boulders. There had been some sort of struggle. Luna wasn't weak, if anything, she'd at least try to protect herself. He couldn't afford to lose time. And time was running out quickly. He couldn't hear anything from her. Not even her heart beat. He focused his mind on the door way and stood down in a crouching position, a huge deal of power surged, painful and stressing for the body. It took a huge force. Then, a beam of light blew away the rocks and the door way was clear.

He galloped inside at full force only to find Luna encased in a purple diamond shield. He recognized the spell for some reason. Whatever this power was, he had an increasingly huge amount of knowledge about arcane magic. It was weak though, like if it was hit before not once but multiple times. Luna was unconscious within it. It was a strong spell, even for an Ali-corn, casting it would take a huge force of will.

He realized something, that power he used to blast away that doorway... it was magic... but whatever knowledge he received it did not include what he used. It was completely involuntary of him to be able to cast anything of the sort. Only Unicorns could cast magic... but he was nothing but a mere Earth Pony... he searched through his new found knowledge to find no answer to his questions. Then he turned his attentions to Luna. He placed his hoofs on the crystal and yelled out to her. It seems she heard him because she slowly awoke from her sleep. Her eyes grew small and fearful when she looked at Illuminous. The Crystal shattered and dropped the Ali-corn down letting Illuminous catch her fall.

"I thought I heard you in trouble so I came to help you." he explained as she still stared at him with the same fearful eyes.

"Run..."

"What?"

"RUN! JUST GET AWAY FROM HERE!!" Luna screamed out.

"What do you mean you're not making any sense, just calm down and tell me what's wrong."

"Don't die for me... just go!!!"

"Wha-"

Suddenly a loud roar echoed through the cave ferociously and an enormous black celestial bear appeared its eyes deep crimson and unholy. It was huge... much bigger than the one he had fought before. Its massive razor sharp claws scraped the ground as it thundered with each step. The black holes devouring the stars coated in its black night coat.

A Corrupted Ursa Major.

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(Author's Note: Good news! I got a better computer which runs 3x faster and is totally epic of epictrosity! I had a ton of stress. First all the tests in school, then going to the doctor and wait in the waiting area of the clinic for 4 hours just because other people had set appointments and were getting called in first, then finding that my old computer didn't work. I won't lie, I did cry from all the stress... it was just too much. But my mom is loving and caring and I owe everything to her. She bought me a new computer (just the hard drive a.k.a tower (That I'll pay monthly of course.))

Okay so my new computer didn't want to work EITHER. and it was a total freaking bummer. But then my best friend came over and fixed it. Ricky (a.k.a trollestia) is just an amazing friend all together, I couldn't be any luckier than to have met such an awesome friend. Even though he said not to pay him for fixing my new computer, I still did for some gas money. Which went to RP points for League of Legends. Jarvan x Sion Combo ftw!

Aside from that, I'm pretty healthy, had some bloodwork and the only thing that was a bit over the high was triglycerides(fat from meats) which was because I had eaten before having the bloodwork and resulted a bit higher than it should have been. They'll be sending me to a heart specialist in a matter of days to be safe about my heart pains that I have ever so constantly.

And Also I thank my wonderful sister who drew the Illuminous drawing you see above. Not what I originally picture but still amazing either way. It must have been a drag for her to draw it but I cannot thank her enough since I don't have any other artist to draw anything else. I still need the 2nd 3rd and 4th stages of the Illuminous transformations. \

And thats pretty much for my ramblings. Hope you enjoyed this next transaction of the story. Most of you probably get annoyed by all the damned cliffhanger endings that I seem so well to add in each ending of mine. At least I know Doctor Hooves is probably annoyed or he is "Me Gusta"ing it. :D Shout out to the one and only person who favorited my story :(
Anyways. Thanks for reading and thanks for your time, It makes all the difference. Please comment, rate, or favorite it if you can or wish to. ^^ Thank you everyone

Few things to say about the drawing. Kay so the glow around him is the regular glow of his 1st stage. as for the cutie mark well... thats somewhat of a spoiler. if your asking yourself "Why is there so many shards instead of just being 4?" Because there will only be 8 shards... but... you'll find out later why its like that :D. If you've payed attention to his visions you'd know to who it represents and what his cutie mark is "doing" big hint right there.