[Saturday Morning]

[Lumina’s POV]

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“Aren’t you going to have some?”

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

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

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

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

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

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

“Okay… Thanks,” he replied.

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

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

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

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

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

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

“Yeah?” He asked.

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

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

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

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

“Y-yes?” I asked.

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

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

“A bit for a piece of those thoughts?”

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

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

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

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

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

“Yes?” I asked.

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

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

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

“T-twenty?” He asks with disbelief.

“Yes. That’s not a problem is it?”

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Next Chapter: Side Chapter 3: Questions on Cyan's Actions and Motives Estimated time remaining: 6 Hours, 57 Minutes