[Late Friday Evening]

[Cyan’s POV]

I finally got to the East base of the mountain where the trail from Canterlot led to outside. I panted for breath, while my clothes were cold and damp from the rain as I was trying to get to the bottom as soon as possible. I looked up from the ground, undid my hood, and saw a partial view of the castle-like city that was previously my home. The rain clouds were still heavily pouring rain, while the water from the mountain flowed through the city, and made a long fall to the ground. I was in awe at how high it was, and questioned how it’s still perched up there for so long. I shook my head from the thought before I turned towards the east, where a great view of the Foal Mountains were standing erect, even in the dark. At the base, across the river flowing from Neighagra Falls with a well-maintained bridge, was a forest.

“I guess I should find a good camp spot there until morning,” I said to myself. “Gotta find some place that’s well-hidden, but has some food around for me to eat,” I concluded with a nod before I jogged to the bridge with my things in tow.

[Lumina’s POV]

I sighed a breath of relief after I finished my temporary camp for the night. The tent Nil gave to me wasn’t too big, but could fit up to two to three ponies inside. My sleeping bag was already unrolled, and set up inside, with the bag I came with sitting beside it. The camp site was a pretty good spot. Just enough space for me to set up the tent, and hung the damp attire I wore before I got here to dry along a clothes line. I was in a zip-up jacket with a dry t-shirt underneath, and a pair of jeans while trying to keep myself warm with the layers I have.

“I really wish I could start a fire right now,” I complained. “But I can’t draw too much attention to me at the moment. Since I have no idea what could be in these woods, and the light could bring unwanted guests,” I reasoned before I stretched and popped the stiff bones in my body.

I gotta say though, all of that running and getting here, plus the time to set up camp got me to calm down a little. I’m still fucking pissed at Shining Armor, yes, but I’m not as pent up as I was earlier. Plus, all that crying after I got here definitely helped relieve some of the sadness that I had held in. I guess I didn’t get all of it out when I was at the gardens. I feel kind of bad with how I treated Creamy though. Sure, I was very emotional at the time, but that’s no excuse to how I snapped at her when she had no idea what was going on at the time. If I ever see her again, I’ll have to apologize and explain what happened. Right now though, I just want to get some sleep, and get going to Manehattan early in the morning…

Suddenly my stomach started growling that snapped me out of my thoughts.

“… I should probably eat first before I do that though,” I said to myself. “All the craziness today made me forgot how hungry I was,” I walked to the tent to grab the food I saved before I heard a sudden snap of a stick from the dark.

My ears perked up, faced the direction of the noise, and set my arms and legs at a stance. I held my right hand out with two fingers pointing to the sound’s source, my left hand holding under the former, as I quickly prepared my magic. My horn glowed a violet aura while a ball of light with the same color was on the tip of my fingers that were pointing. The academy called this technique the Magic Gun, perfect for trained unicorns for shooting long distances with good aim.

“Hold it!” I exclaimed. “Don’t move!”

[Cyan’s POV]

I walked through the forest; the path I took was barely visible in the dark while being wary of my surroundings.

All of that running has gotten me exhausted. I swear, I feel like I ran a lap around the whole city of Canterlot if I polled all the incidents together. Maybe two if I included the fast pace I was going down the mountain, and the jog to the forest. I don’t know why I even wanted to keep running. It’s not like anyone was awake at this hour that would notice me sprinting through the streets and followed me here… Well except that one pony I saw standing behind the fire in the drum though. Seriously, what was that? I know the West Side had some ponies who had hit rock bottom, but the pony I saw seemed to be around my age if I’m guessing by size… I guess I’m not the only one who may be running away from their troubles. Still, I hope things turn out okay for that pony. Anyway, all of that running got me too exhausted to cry any more tears; I’m getting tired…

In a daze, I accidentally stepped and snapped a twig that was under me. The noise woke me up a little, but not so much as the next sound I heard.

“Hold it! Don’t move!” A loud, female voice exclaimed from a distance in front of me. I saw a violet ball of light, with an aura above it that it appeared to be around one’s horn, making the mare a unicorn.

Crap. Things just can’t get any better for me than this today can it? It looks like the mare is preparing to fire a Magic Gun, a special type of magic technique, as far as what I remember Dad had told me. If she can do this, she must be well trained. Probably an ex-member of the Royal Guard or ex-student of the Guard Academy. Why she left either of those is uncertain, but I can’t do anything drastic right now.

“P-please don’t shoot!” I exclaimed. “I’m not armed, and I’m not intending to bring any harm!”

Silence filled the air for a moment, the gun still pointing at me before the mare called. “Hands in the air, and step forward!” She ordered.

I complied, and stepped forward slowly and cautiously toward the light. I tried to get through a patch of bushes before I walked into a clearing where I saw the mare.

The unicorn looked to be older, and well-endowed in the right places judging by what I could see from the gun lighting up those areas. She looked like she was wearing a jacket and pair of jeans, with her mane tied in a ponytail. I couldn’t tell what her expression was in the dark, but she seemed… surprised when she saw me, as I noticed her gun dying down a little, but still holding some power.

“W-wait… How old are you?” The mare asked.

“F-fourteen ma’am,” I responded with a tinge of fear in my voice. I heard a gasp from the mare while she covered her muzzle with the hand that was holding the gun. She stood there in silence for a moment before it was broken by my stomach growling loudly. I panicked as I prayed to Celestia that she didn’t think I was growling on purpose. “P-please excuse me ma’am! I haven’t had anything to eat since lunch!” I defended. “I won’t bother you anymore! Just please let me go!” I pleaded. I couldn’t help but trembled in fear for what the trained mare was going to do next. Tears started to well in my eyes, barely able to hold them in and not cry from the fear of dying as I waited for my fate. Suddenly, I heard another loud, stomach growling sound, but it wasn’t me that made it that time. I stood there dumbfounded at the sudden noise. My tears immediately stopped welling, and was sucked right back in my sockets.

Is… Is she hungry too?

We stood there for what seemed like an hour, the awkward silence filling the forest clearing. The next thing I heard took me back by surprise.

“Um… I… Have some food in my tent… If you’re interested,” The mare offered before she dimmed the magic gun completely off.

…Is she calling a truce for now?

“… I-if it’s not too much trouble ma’am,” I replied while I lowered my hands, but still scared of the mare.

“Wait there,” she directed before she ran to a dark figure that looked like a tent, and went inside.

[Lumina’s POV]

Okay… What the fuck just happened? I almost shot an innocent fourteen year old who may not even be in high school yet, hungry, and looked like he had little experience in magic; judging by the horn I saw from his dark mane. Come to think of it… What’s he even doing out here anyway?

I sighed as I got to my bag and picked up the food, water, and silverware I brought with me.

Just try to take it easy Lumina. All that training from the academy, and the stress from earlier has got you all pent up. The poor kid looked scared when I pointed that weapon at him, and I can’t blame him there. Just try to ease him into a better mood, and show that you aren’t going to hurt him. If I do that, I’ll probably get him to open up to why he’s out here.

I nodded at the plan I mentally made before I left the tent.

[Cyan’s POV]

A few moments later, she came back out with two containers, and two pairs of silverware in one hand, while holding two bottles of water in the other. She walked up to me, giving me a better view of her definite features under the dim moonlight.

She looked to be a few inches taller than me, probably the same height as Roxxie last I remembered. She had a creamy yellow coat, despite the darkness, with a violet mane and matching eyes that glimmered in the moonlight.

Whoa… She’s… Really beautiful.

“Here,” the mare spoke while she passed one container, water, and pair of silverware to me. I tentatively took the offering.

“Th-thank you…” I thanked.

“You’re welcome,” she responded casually. “Do you want to take a seat?” She asked as she gestured to a spot in the clearing where the moonlight was more prevalent through the tall trees.

“S-sure,” I responded. I followed her to the spot, and we slowly sat down cross-legged while staring at each other. We were still for a few moments without moving a muscle. She looked curious as to why I haven’t eaten yet, but perked up from the ears as if she realized something.

“Oh don’t worry! It’s not poisoned or anything,” she assured. She demonstrated by taking the lid off of her container, some steam coming out, and took a bite out of her own food for insurance. To be honest? Part of me wanted to say that was correct for why I just sat there. I was actually kind of… Entranced at how she looked in the moonlight.

She snapped me out of my trance before I answered. “O-oh. Okay,” I looked down at the container. It felt a little warm as if it was cooked some time ago. I pulled the lid off, and saw some steam coming out of the container, as if this was the first time it had been opened since it got packaged. I took the fork, and stabbed the food before I tore a piece from it, and picked it up. I slowly placed it in my mouth, with the mare looking at me intently as if she was waiting for a response. I chewed it around in my mouth, and was surprised once I got the taste.

“…What is this?” I asked her.

“Corn Casserole,” she answered. “It’s a recipe my mom made that I liked and wanted to try cooking.”

“W-wait… You made this? For your first time?” I asked with disbelief.

“Mhm. I made it a while ago, so it cooled down quite a bit before now. How is it?”

“It’s… Really good,” I complimented. “This is very nice if this is your first try.”

She sighed at the comment, as if she was holding a breath. “I’m glad. I wasn’t exactly sure if I could pull it off. It didn’t taste like how Mom used to make it though, so I guess I have some things to work on.”

“I don’t know how your mom made this, but I’m sure she would be proud of you for doing this. Whether or not it’s the same as hers,” I commented. She looked surprised at the compliment, but then smiled a little after.

“Thank you. That means a lot,” she responded.

“It’s nothing ma’am,” I replied. She gave a small giggle at that remark, which was actually kind of cute.

“Let’s stop with the formalities shall we?” She asked. “I’m Luminescent Lustre, but you can call me Lumina,” I sat there in shock by how beautiful that name sounded.

“P-pleased to meet you Lumina,” I stuttered while I took a hand out, and she shook it with her own.

“May I ask what your name is?” She asked. As I opened my mouth, something hit my mind before I spoke.

This Lumina seems to have some training at the Guard considering how she almost blasted me with her Magic Gun earlier. If I gave out my real name, she’d probably recognize it from my Dad if she was trained under him. She seems okay for now, but I don’t think I’m ready to tell her my real name yet until I know more about her. I’ll have to come up with a fake one until then.

“I’m…Cyan Shadow...” I introduced.

Wow, really? THAT’S the best you can come up with? It sounds like a freaky abstraction that can only occur in a fantasy story.

“Pleased to meet you then, Cyan,” Lumina responded with a smile. “Go ahead and eat up before it gets cold.”

“O-of course,” I agreed before the two of us continued eating.

After we ate for a few minutes, we had the leftover containers, silverware, and water bottles set to the side. We sat there in silence again, probably asking ourselves the same question about the other. I made the first move before she got the chance.

“So what brings you to these parts?” I asked.

“I should be asking you that,” she said. “It would be strange having a fourteen year old colt coming out here this late at night wouldn’t it?”

“Not as much as having a beautiful mare like yourself out here in the woods,” I responded.

… Wait, did I just say that? FUCK! Come ON man! It was bad enough you were having trouble with Roxxie and Teala. Now you’re saying things to a complete stranger you just met! What is WITH you speaking out your mind today?!

Before I berated myself internally some more, a giggle came out from Lumina. “My, aren’t you a sweet talker? Are you hitting on me Cyan?” She asked with a raised eyebrow and a smirk.

“N-no! It’s not like that!” I exclaimed while waving out front. “I don’t know where that came from! I wouldn’t hit on someone I just met! Not intentionally anyway! It just came out of nowhere! I mean, what I said about you being beautiful was true, stunningly sexy even, but I-wait, where did I get ‘stunningly sexy’ from?! GAAAH! WHEN DO I STOP DOING THIS TO MYSELF?!” I yelled at myself while I tried to pull my mane out of my head in frustration.

That just did nothing but made her laugh hysterically on the ground as I sat there, and looked downwith my face heated up in silence. When she finally calmed down and wiped a tear from her eyes, she sat up, and stifled a few giggles before she spoke. “Ahhh man. I think I’m starting to like you kid. I haven’t laughed that hard in a while. And I’ll happily take those compliments to heart,” she gestured with a fist to her chest. “Just for that and the good laugh, I’ll go first for why I’m here,” that statement brought my attention back up, as I really did wondered what she was doing out here. I gave her my undivided attention, ready to listen, as she tried think of where to start.

“Well,” she said. “I was spending a year at the E.U.P. Academy in Canterlot. Going through some ridiculous training I didn’t need, but paid off pretty well in the end. I was feeling really miserable though, and I couldn’t get out if I wanted to.”

“Why was that?” I asked. “You didn’t want to go there, and you couldn’t leave? What kept you in?”

Lumina sat there while she gave an annoyed expression at the thought. “Let’s just say some bitch of a friend of my mom’s figured I could use some discipline for not showing much respect to her.”

“Don’t they have an entrance exam though? You could just fail the test then and there, and won’t have to worry about it ever again.”

“Believe me Cyan, as much I wanted to follow that example, I couldn’t. I was enrolled by… special recommendations.”

“Boy, this teacher of yours must have quite a stick up her ass if she went THAT far,” Lumina laughed at that comment.

“Ain’t THAT the truth?” She asked before continuing. “Anyway, since I got there by recommendation alone, I couldn’t register myself out. It wasn’t until after a year of hard training and yelling in-your-face treatment from the Drill Sergeant that my progress in academics, and physical training was recognized. I felt like I was gonna be stuck there forever, and get forced into joining the Royal Guard. So I thought I might as well train for the part. It wasn’t until I had an unusual interview with one of the higher ups from the Guard to give me the choice on whether I should join them, or resign the academy and leave.”

‘Unusual interview’ huh? That’s probably what Dad was doing today.

“So I assume you decided to resign when you were given the choice?” I asked.

“Fuck yeah I did! When he gave me the resignation letter before I finished the interview, I went straight to signing it, slipped it under his door, and left the academy. And here I am,” she finished.

“So where are you planning to go now?” I asked.

“I’m actually going to meet an acquaintance of mine in Manehattan to discuss some things," Lumina said. "He was in the academy as well, but he wanted to quit when he got the chance too. He had some stuff to do before he left though, so we agreed to meet there. And before you ask why I didn’t take a train there, I got… Held up with some things before they closed their services for the night. I didn’t want to spend another minute in Canterlot, so I took the alternative and made the walk here.”

“I guess that makes sense, considering your circumstances,” I understood. “I’m sorry that you came this far with those circumstances though. I can’t imagine going through something like that against my will if I was in your position.”

“It’s alright,” she said with a wave of her hand. “If anything, that was probably heaven compared to high school.”

“Was the latter really that bad?” I asked hesitantly, as I haven’t even gotten the TASTE of the high school life yet.

“Oh you have NO idea. On the plus side though, I did get in pretty good shape out of all of this, and then some. Speaking of which,” she said with a sly smile before she got up, and turned to where she was facing her back at me, hands on her hips, and swayed her… tail and ass from side to side. “What do you think? Too big?” She asked out of nowhere.

I sat there with surprise before I felt heat going through my whole face, and looked away. “U-uh no... You look great,” I replied shyly.

Sweet Celestia this mare’s bold! She didn’t even cared I was fourteen! I know this is some kind of joke, but I couldn’t help but stare! Damn you male hormones… Stupid Sexy Lumina.

She giggled at my poor response before she sat back down facing me. “Good. That’s just the reaction I’m looking for,” she assured with a sly smile. “Now then, since I’ve said my reason for why I’m here, why don’t you tell me yours?” I sat there frozen at the request.

What would she say if she saw it? She seems like a pretty chill mare. And very… open about herself, to say the least. But has she come across something I have before? I guess the best that I can do right now is put out what’s important and needed to know, and I’ll add the details later if she asks.

I took a deep breath through my nose, and out of my mouth, trying to calm myself down before I spoke. “Okay, I should probably tell you a little about myself to help even things out first," Lumina nodded in understanding before I continued. “If you could probably guess from earlier, I’m not a high school student. I was in my last year in Canterlot Junior High, and we had our E.U.P. exams coming up the following week. I’ve done well academically, but I wasn’t so good in the magic portion. I could barely hold up a force field for two minutes before it fades out. I wasn’t really confident in my abilities as a unicorn, and a Magic Duel I lost to a school bully after trying to defend my friends and myself today made it worse.”

“What did he say to you guys that made you take the duel in the first place?” She asked.

“Well he called me a… failure as a unicorn for not casting any higher leveled spells. He also degraded my friends and their respective races for saying they shouldn’t even be walking around in a city where unicorns are the superior race.”

“Whoa, okay. I’ve heard some insulting shit back in high school. I was even degraded myself one time or another, but that’s just fucking low,” she commented.

“To be honest, I was more pissed about how he treated my friends like that than calling me a failure. They were the best childhood friends I could ask for, and I loved them…” I sat there shocked at what I just said, which Lumina copied.

Did I just say I loved my friends? Now that I think about it, going back to the letters I wrote…

…I’ll always treasure the memories we made together up to this point, and it has been a great honor, and pleasure to be your friend. I wish you the best of luck in finding your cutie marks, and what the future has in store for you two. I’ll always love having the both of you being in a significant part of my life, and I’ll always cherish the memories we made together…

… I wrote that didn’t I? I didn’t care what I was writing as I was in a rush. I just wrote what I felt, and it felt right at the time… I guess I did love them didn’t I? It’s a shame I found this out now. If I stayed in Canterlot, I would’ve probably confessed to the both of them properly if I could.

“You must have really good friends if you felt that way for them didn’t you?” Lumina asked, which snapped me out of it.

“…Yeah, I most certainly did,” I responded with content. “Do you want to see a picture of them?”

“I would love to,” she responded with a smile. I got my backpack, and took the photo out of my special pocket before I handed it to her.

“The earth pony is Roxxie, and the pegasus is Teala,” I introduced respectively. “The three of us have been friends since elementary school, and we had each other’s backs for a long time.”

“They look cute,” Lumina commented as she looked at the picture. “I can tell you have good eyes. I’m sure they loved having you as their friend as well,” she concluded before she passed me the photo, and I put it back in my special pocket of the backpack.

“I hope so… Despite what happened today,” I commented before I looked down with ears folded.

“Hey, it’s okay Cyan,” Lumina supported with a hand on my shoulder. “You did your best, and I’m sure they’re thankful for what you did. I know I would,” she said with a smile.

“Thanks, I needed that,” I responded with a small smile before she pulled back.

“Did you ever confess those feelings for them?” She asked.

“…I think the letters I wrote and dropped off at their houses before I left are probably the best confessions I had. I’d probably confess to them properly if I wasn’t in such a slump,” I admitted.

“Well you’ve got guts kid, I’ll admit that. It takes quite a stallion to own up their feelings. Anyway, so what happened after the duel?” She asked to keep the explanation going.

“After the bullies left, I ran from my friends before they had a chance to see how I was,” I continued. “I kept running until I tripped and fell in an alleyway and sobbed. Quite pathetically I might add. Anyway, it seemed like it took a while until someone came by and helped cheer me up.”

“What was this pony like?” She asked.

“She’s… A unique individual, I’ll say that much.”

‘Unique’ is probably as much of an understatement as saying the ocean was wet.

“I told her what happened," I said. "And she showed me something I’ve never seen before. It was a new kind of magic that I haven’t come across in my studies, and she wanted to teach me how to use it.”

“How did it go?” She asked.

“Swimmingly. It was like I was a natural at it. I got so excited at what I could do now, that I wanted to show my parents what I had learned. The mare left quickly before I got to thank her, but I got too wound up in the joy before it started raining.

“When I got to the house, my parents weren’t happy about me coming home so late, and I understood that, but they gave me a chance to explain myself at what happened before I showed them the new trick.”

“How did they react?”

“…It wasn’t something I expected… They looked… Scared when they saw what I could do. I wanted to ask them why, but they asked me to just head to bed and we would talk in the morning.”

“That’s something I don’t hear every day,” Lumina commented.

“I thought they’d be excited. I couldn’t help but wonder what was going on. So I went and overheard their conversation… And…”

“And?” Lumina asked with a look of concern.

“…They said I was too dangerous to everyone around me now, and were going to send me someplace secluded and far away for who knows how long,” Lumina gasped at that while covering her muzzle with her hands.

“That’s… That’s just awful…” She replied. I looked down with my ears folded.

“I didn’t think straight after that,” I continued. “All I wanted to do was get out of there before I got sent away, and if what they said was true, I didn’t want to take any chances of putting my friends in danger. So I packed everything I could, left through the window, dropped off the letters to my friends, and left the city under the rain…” I finished with a crack in my voice. I sniffled and shook in place, still looking down, trying hard not to break out crying in front of her.

Lumina then surprised me by grabbing my head, and hugged it to her chest with her head sitting on top of mine. “I… Am so sorry Cyan…” Lumina apologized with a broken voice while I felt wet drops on my head. I hugged back tightly, and broke out emotionally while crying once more. The feelings I held so hard onto from when I left Canterlot to get over here were finally let out, and I was vulnerable. Lumina, a stranger who I just met tonight, was showing such kindness to a stranger like me, I couldn’t help but cried loudly.

A few minutes passed, and the both of us started to calm down. After we wiped our tears, I was the first to speak. “Thanks for that… I really needed it.”

“I don’t blame ya,” Lumina responded. “I can’t imagine what I would do if I heard my mom say that about me at your age…” She went quiet for a moment, looked unsure for what she wanted to say. “Can I ask you a favor Cyan?” She asked.

“Sure. What is it?” I asked.

“Can you show me what you learned from that mare you were telling me about? That new magic you discovered?” She asked.

I sat there looking down almost shaking. “I-I don’t know…” I choked. “C-can you promise me one thing first?” I asked.

“Of course.”

“No matter what happens… Can you keep this a secret? Just between us? I won’t hold anything against you for what you want to do afterwards,” Lumina nodded in response. I took a deep breath, trying to calm myself down to prepare myself. “Okay, here goes…”

I took my hand out, and focused my new power onto it. The same black aura showed around my hand and horn before I focused on my signature symbol, the six pointed star, to have it emerged and floating above my palm not too long after. I looked up, and saw the shocked expression on Lumina’s face. Her eyes were wide as dinner plates, and she sat there speechless. I released my focus, and let the shape and auras around my hand and horn disappear. I sighed solemnly, as I expected something like this would happen.

“I understand if you don’t want to see me again after that,” I broke the silence. “I should probably get going… Thanks for hearing me out and the casserole,” I thanked before I got up from my seat and grabbed my backpack. “Don’t worry. You won’t see me again after tonight. I’ll find someplace where I won’t be able to hurt anyone. I wish you luck in whatever it is you’re doing in Manehattan,” I finished before I started to leave the clearing.

“HOLD IT!” Lumina shouted before I froze in place. Unexpectedly, a violet aura was coating around me, and I was lifted off the ground. Lumina sat me back down in front of her with her magic with a serious expression. She released her magic before she grasped my shoulders. “Cyan Shadow… That magic you have there is a gift,” she stated.

“H-huh?” I responded.

“Your parents are crazy to even THINK that their own SON, someone sweet, sensitive, loyal and kind as you, could be a monster,” Lumina said. “This is entirely new to you, yes, and I can understand that you’re scared of this power, and that’s okay… Because I was there once too,” my eyes shot wide open at the last statement.

“W-wait… Are you saying YOU have this power too?!” I asked in disbelief.

“Not exactly, but something similar,” she clarified. “Take a look at this,” she sat back, held up her hand, and focused on something.

Her horn suddenly glowed a bright yellow, a different color than her usual magic I’ve seen so far, and then a ball of light with the same color was floating above her palm. It was small, but it lit up the whole forest clearing, and I could see Lumina entirely. The ball of light was also radiating off waves of warmth, like a calm fire, but not too hot enough to burn me.

“This… This isn’t some kind of illumination spell is it?” I asked.

She shook her head. “No it is not, and this isn’t all I can do. Watch this, tree behind you at two o’ clock,” she said before she pointed the ball of light at said tree, her hands in the same gesture as it was when she was doing the Magic Gun technique, but with the yellow ball of light instead of her own magic. In an instant, the light flashed, and a laser-like beam shot from her pointer towards the tree, burning a hole right through it.

“HOLY SHIT!” I shouted as I jumped back at the sheer power from that blast. I panted heavily from the loss of air I somehow released as the light from Lumina’s ball and her horn died down; the clearing darkened to what it was before.

“That Cyan, was what I’d like to call my Light Gun,” Lumina spoke, breaking the silence. “You and I aren’t the only ones with this kind of magic either.”

“There are MORE?!” I shouted, still shocked from the blast.

“Remember my acquaintance from the academy I mentioned earlier? He wields the magic of Thunder at his fingertips, able to manipulate electricity from his body and around him. Not only that, he was a pegasus. Didn’t even need a horn like us to wield that power.”

“No freakin’ way!” I asked with shock, and a little excitement.

“Way~,” Lumina sang. “And there’s more where that came from. There may also be ponies who wield the magic of Water, Earth, and Fire as well. He and I just found this recently, and at the moment, we came up with a term for ponies who have this kind of magic. We called them Wielders. He was the Thunder Wielder, I’m the Light Wielder, and you, Cyan Shadow,” she said as she pointed a finger at me. “May be what we would call a Shadow Wielder, one who manipulates shadows from his body and around them.”

“That… May be the COOLEST thing I’ve ever heard!” I exclaimed excitedly.

“And I’m sure that as you grow and develop, you’ll learn and do so much more than what you just did earlier,” Lumina said. “My acquaintance, Nil Thunder, and I are going to meet in Manehattan to hopefully find more clues to what these powers given to us even mean. And if we can’t find anything there, we’ll look someplace else, and we’ll keep looking until we find out why we have these powers. And Cyan,” she said as she placed a hand on my shoulder once more. "You may not know how you to use your powers now, but from what I’ve learned about you in this short amount of time, I can only guess that you want to use this magic for the good of others right?”

That’s right… When I found this magic earlier, the first thing that came to mind was being able to protect and stand up for Teala and Roxxie once I learned more. Even now, I still want to use this magic to do something good with it.

“…Yes Lumina,” I responded. “The first thing that came to me when I found this was what I could do to help protect Teala and Roxxie. I… I want to do something good with this magic, I really do. It may look scary and unusual, yes, but… I feel I can do something to turn this thing around if I learned more.”

“I like the way you think kid,” Lumina complimented before she got up while pulling me along. “So what do you say Cyan? You wanna go on an adventure?” She asked as she held up a hand up front. Without a moment to think, I firmly grasped it.

“Fuck yeah I do!” I exclaimed with a big grin.

“Then from now on, you and I are partners until the end,” Lumina declared.

“No. Better than that,” I interjected. “You and I… Are friends. If that is okay with you?” I asked. Lumina went wide-eyed at the term at first, but smiled soon after.

“I’d like that Cyan, and it would be a pleasure,” she finished before we pulled each other into a tight embrace. The warm feeling of a new friend was rushing throughout my body as I sighed in content, basking the moment. “You do realize this makes us fuck buddies now right?” Lumina asked out of nowhere.

My eyes shot wide-open, and pulled back in shock. “W-what?” I flabbergasted before Lumina laughed.

“Dude! I’m pulling your leg!” She exclaimed between laughs. “You should’ve seen the look on your face!”

“What the heck Lumina?!” I whined. “You spoiled a good moment!”

“Get used to it Cyan~,” she sang. “Because there’s a LOT more where that came from,” she confirmed with a smile. “Now grab your bags and come inside. You’re sleeping with me tonight, no questions asked.”

“I pray to Celestia you meant that literally,” I sheepishly replied as I grabbed my things before I got to the tent.

“Oh lighten up! You snagged two cute mares back in Canterlot! Dealing with one of me should be a breeze!” She claimed as we walked inside. When we got inside, she unzipped her jacket and tossed it to her side of the tent.

“One, they technically aren’t my marefriends. Two, I probably would handle you if it weren’t for your hot as hell body, especially your ass and breasts. What’s your bra size anyway? A D Cup?” I asked as I set my stuff down, and unrolled the sleeping bag.

“Ohhh, NOW you’re gonna get it!” She exclaimed before she tackled me to the ground, and started tickling my sides. I tried getting up, but my laughter made me weaker, and she was straddling on my hips that were pinned down.

“Okay okay! I give! I give! Uncle! Uncle!” I exclaimed between laughs.

“Not until you scream ‘Lumina Lustre is a sex goddess and I want to motorboat her breasts,’” she ordered with a snide smile while she continued the tickle torture.

“You-HAHAHA-can’t honestly-!” I tried to protest.

“I mean it~,” she sang as she continued while I was feeling pain in my sides from the laughter.

“Lumina Lustre is a sex goddess and I want to motorboat her breasts!” I exclaimed quickly in one breath before she finally stopped, and I panted harshly from the torture. I opened my eyes after I caught my breath, and noticed how Lumina was really close above me, smiling deviously while she still pinned me down, and her breasts were hanging above me with her tits showing under her t-shirt.

I don’t think she’s wearing a bra right now.

I lied there dumbfounded; my face heated up from the close proximity and physical contact. “And for YOUR information,” Lumina said, “I’m a DD. You should be honored to have a walking sex goddess such as myself to be your friend,” she declared with a fist to her chest.

“Y-you’re not gonna make this easy for me are ya?” I asked, forcing myself to maintain eye contact and keep off staring at her breasts.

“You’re smarter than you look. And from what I can see,” she said before she bent over to where her muzzle was close to my ear. “You and I are gonna work juuust fine,” she whispered slowly with intoxication in her sultry tone. “Good night Cyan~,” she sang before she got off of me, and went to her sleeping bag before she went to sleep.

I lied there staring up at the ceiling, face still hot like the sun, trying to configure what had just transpired in this tent. I slowly got in my sleeping bag while I still looked up, and breathed a breath of air I didn’t know I held in before I closed my eyes.

Okay, let’s recap today’s events: I found out I loved my two best friends; I discovered a new magic within myself; I ran away from home; and I’m sleeping in a tent with an ex-E.U.P. Academy student with a body of a sex goddess like I confessed against my will. Something tells me things are going to get a lot crazier from here on out. And the weirdest thing out all of this? Is the fact that I think I’m starting to like Lumina in more ways than one. I can’t tell if things are gonna get better or worse from this. I just hope I live long enough before Lumina teases me to death, or I lose what innocence I have left.

Next Chapter: Chapter 11: Cyan's Dreamscape, and the Mysterious Mare Returns Estimated time remaining: 7 Hours, 34 Minutes