[Saturday Morning]

[Teala’s POV]

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“… Smelled?” I asked with confusion.

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

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

“Distinguishing?” He asked in confusion.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“Wait,” I interrupted.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“Not really,” Roxxie answered bluntly.

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

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

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

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

Things are just starting to get stranger and stranger. It’s a relief that Cyan may be in good hands, but from what Blaze had showed us, and what Roxxie just asked Nil, I have a strange feeling that all of these events that’s happening right now is of no coincidence. If my suspicions about Cyan and Nil’s acquaintance are correct, then there was a moment where all six of us were in the general area with whatever we have that Nil may know about. I don’t know what’s going on anymore, but I can only guess that fate is somehow pulling the strings here if all of this is happening. Until I see Cyan again, I won’t stop finding the answers to all of these questions. After that, Cyan, Roxxie and I will be able to live happily once more. Possibly in a new and better way than it was up to yesterday. I can only hope though, and I pray to Celestia that Cyan’s doing okay out there outside of Canterlot. It’s the only thing I can do, and I’ll never stop until the three of us are together again. Next Chapter: Chapter 13: Welcome to Manehattan Estimated time remaining: 6 Hours, 45 Minutes