[Friday Afternoon]

I had a lot to think about during my walk to Nil’s room. I honestly thought I was going to be stuck here with the Guard for the rest of my life. But from what I went through, that just meant Shining and Nil were probably given that choice as well. I've known Shining enough that he would take that offer at the drop of a hat, but I’m not so sure of what Nil would do. I have to say though, having this choice presented to me couldn’t have come at a better time. I wanted to confess my feelings for Shining, but now I NEED to if I want to be sure the choice I make will be the right one.

As I got to the door, I moved those thoughts on the side at the time, as I mentally prepared myself for what Nil wanted to talk to me about. I knocked on his door. “Nil? It’s Lumina,” I called.

“Door’s open,” he answered before I opened the door. His room was identical to mine. Had a bunk bed, closet, and a mirror. That was pretty much it. He was sitting on his bed, with a black, worn out bucket hat with a longer, more straightened out brim than regular ones. He was wearing that same hat during orientation too. He would also wear it after training and classes were done as it looked like it was a part of his image. I had to say, he looked good with that on his big head. I walked in, and closed the door behind me. “Before we speak, could you cast a sound-proof spell around the room please?” He asked.

Wow, this must be serious if he wanted the privacy to go THIS far.

I thought hard for a moment before I made a response. “Okay, but if you try anything funny,” I said.

“Don’t worry, this isn’t anything like that,” he assured with a wave of his hand. I closed my eyes, and focused my violet colored magic around my horn. A violet light shot up, hit, and spread from the ceiling, to the walls and window, and then the floor before it disappeared.

“There. The spell will wear off the moment the door or window opens,” I huffed.

“Excellent,” he said as he took a seat on the floor, and tapped the open space in front of me. I shrugged and sat across from him cross-legged.

“So what was it you want to talk about Nil? Have a crush on anyone in the squad?” I asked with a smirk.

“No. That’s nothing compared to what we we’re going to talking about,” Nil said before he sat there in a thinking pose for a moment, coming up with a good way to start the conversation. “From when I first saw you in orientation during the first day, I had to admit, I was rather curious to how you were able to attend the academy with a recommendation alone.”

“I’m still trying to figure that out myself,” I admitted.

“Anyway, with access to the Canterlot library, I did some digging around to see what possibilities to what might be the deal breaker to your enrollment,” he then lifted up his mattress behind him, and took a book that was hidden under it. He opened it, and flipped through the pages until he found what he was looking for. “Ah, here it is. Lumina, does ‘The Legend of the Six Titans’ ring any bells to you?” He asked.

My heart just dropped to the pits of my stomach from hearing that… Oh please tell me he’s not going where I think he’s going.

“Uh, no. Sounds like an interesting legend though. What’s it about?” I asked obliviously.

“Well, the legend tells a story, or theory, about how earth was created, and how life thrived and scattered across said planet,” Nil replied. “Before we existed, there were six celestial beings that watched and roamed around the dark nothingness of space. They were known as the Titans of the Universe. Each of the six Titans holds a specific, elemental power that helped shape the planet we stand on. They were Earth, Fire, Water, Thunder, Shadow, and Light. Using their respective elements, the Titans worked together in harmony to make the sun, the moon, and the planet in between. It had all the plants, mountains, oceans, and other landscapes which would soon be thriving with new life forms the Titans would soon create.

“What I found interesting in the next part, was that this legend theorized the first life forms the Titans created were the alicorns and the dragons. Dragons I can understand as they’re well-known for their long life-spans, but when we get to the alicorns, things get tricky.”

“Listen, I find this legend quite interesting,” I interrupted. “But if you’re here to just tell me stories, I can just borrow that book and read them myself,” I finished with reasonable logic, hoping he gives up right then and there.

“I’ll be getting to why you’re here in a moment. Just relax, and let me finish," Nil requested.

Crap. Well there goes that plan.

“Going from where we left off,” Nil said before he continued. “As the Titans continued making new life, they overlooked something. When they gave life to the alicorns, they grant them the power of using a small portion of the six’s elements to the ethereal ponies. Apparently, most of them went power crazy, and they started an all-out war. One would overpower another for dominance until the strongest stood last. I have a hypothesis that it was within this chaos that the entity of Discord was created, but I’m getting off topic here. Anyway, the Titans were furious when they discovered such development. Besides two particular alicorns who showed no signs of desire for power, the Titans decided to divide the rest of the alicorns who were still alive into three different races. You know them as the earth ponies, unicorns, and pegasi.”

“I’m going to take a guess the two remaining alicorns were the princesses?” I asked while pretending to not know the story. Nil nodded at that remark.

“Indeed they were. Of course, this was long before Princess Celestia banished Nightmare Moon, who was previously known as Princess Luna before that time. Anyway, after the Titans split the remaining alicorns into those three races, they wiped away their memories, giving them a chance to start fresh. They left the memories of the two remaining alicorns alone however. Even though they were young mares, they were wise, had a sense of valuing lives, and believe ponies standing together was better than standing alone, and fighting amongst one another. They learned from their experiences in that war, and took their lessons to heart.

"The Titans recognized them for such feats, and decided to grant them the right to rule over what would later be known as Equestria. Teaching their subjects the ways of living in Harmony as they ruled. They did however take away their ability to control the Titans’ element powers for insurance, but left them a very good portion of magic enough for the two to raise and lower the sun and moon.

“After the Titans took more time to create more life forms to live on earth, such as bears, manticores, rabbits, etc., they left a seed in a secluded area that would later grow to be the Tree of Harmony. The Titans disappeared soon after that. Legend says that they are still out there. Watching us from another realm, as the ponies grow, reproduce, and learn to live happily,” he finished.

He sat there silently, basking the refreshing moment of the story’s end.

“… Okaaaay, I still don’t see why I’m here Nil,” I reminded him.

“Oh! Sorry, I get lost in thought after a good story," Nil admitted. "Anyway, the legend also told that even though the alicorns split, and had their memories erased, the ponies still hold the kind of magic that allows unicorns to cast spells, pegasi moving the clouds and controlling the weather, and the earth ponies having a certain connection to the earth and plant life around them. This may be due to the powers the six Titans granted them before they were split. There’s still a chance that ponies could tap into one of the powers of the six Titans granted to them. How they could do that, was a mystery… Until now,” he closed the book in his hand, and looked up at me with a somber expression before he tipped his hat. “Lumina, be honest with me here… Are you able to wield one of these Titans’ powers?” He asked.

I sat there, trying to strike the best poker face I could manage. When I realized that wasn’t working, I did the next best thing.

I laughed.

“…PFFFFT HAHAHAHAHA!” I chuckled hysterically, yet making it believable as possible. “Ohhh, Nil. I got to say, you know how to pull my leg here. Me? Being able to use something like that? Like that would ever happen. Besides, even IF something like that exists, I haven’t seen ANYONE being able to use something like that. And if that’s the case, then that means the Titans’ powers don’t exist, and the legend is just what it is. A legend. Case closed,” I concluded.

Nil sat there for a moment before he sighed. “It seems you’re not so willing to open up. I didn’t want to resort to this, but if this doesn’t get you to answer, then I don’t know what will,” he said before he started to unravel the bandages that were around one of his arms, and took off the metal plates. His arm’s condition was nothing to what I had expected. It looked normal and healthy. There was no scars, burns, or any other kind of damage whatsoever. It looked pretty well toned though. Nil then closed his eyes, breathed in through his nose, and out of his mouth, as if he was focusing on something. Then came something I didn’t expected.

His arm started cracking with small, white-green lightning, zipping all around the appendage. The lights started to flicker on and off due to the uncontrollable electricity that was jumping within the walls of the room. Then things just got progressively worse, as lighting started to zap around the room. I screamed, and dashed under Nil’s bed while he still sat there, shaking in place, and his arm cracking with more electricity.

This isn’t good. This is bad. This is very, very, bad. He knows what’s going on, and he’s going to such lengths to get me to open up. I have to do something before he somehow hurts himself.

“OKAY OKAY! I’LL TALK I’LL TALK! JUST STOP IT WITH THE LIGHTNING!” I screamed from under the bed.

Right after I said that, he quickly puts the metal plates back on his arm, and wrapped the bandage around it while he tries to regain control. The lightning slowly died down, static zipping here and there in the room, but came to a stop later. Nil sighed a breath of relief before I slowly came out of the bed, and approached him up front.

“Okay, I’ll bite… What the fuck was that?! Do you even know how dangerous that was?! What if you killed yourself?!” I yelled at him, still at a disbelief at what had just transpired in the room.

“Why else do you think I have these metal plates on my body? They make good resisters, and sometimes I could even recharge some objects that run on the stuff. Pretty cool huh?” Nil asked with a smirk. “Anyway, I didn’t even know what was going on when I suddenly got this power one day. It got very hard to control, to the point that I could only direct the lightning to another object before I felt like I was going to explode. I had to know what was going on with me so I can control it better.

“I went through libraries in some of the towns I passed by, hoping to find clues to this power, but no luck. Until I came across a poster ad from the E.U.P. Guard Academy, accepting registrations to take the exam, and participate in the training camp. One of those benefits, gaining access to their library, in a city where many varieties of magic were recorded and saved for study, was what caught my attention. That was a chance I would not pass up. So I registered, studied for the entrance exam, and I passed it with flying colors,” Nil finished.

“Wait… You’re telling me that you attended this academy… Just to gain access to some books?!” I asked with disbelief.

“Mostly,” he responded. “But I could also use some build-up on my body. My wings especially. I’m not as much of an experienced flyer as the next pegasus. Training and classes aside, I spent the past year finding what I was looking for, and I found the first clue to finding my answers. Which is why I’ll be resigning the academy as of today.”

I felt like I took a right hook to the face from such a statement. I plopped to the ground in front of him, still wide-eyed with disbelief.

“W-wait, what about the interview with the commander? He told us not to disclose what happened in that room!” I exclaimed.

“To be honest, I was ready to leave the academy LONG before that, and I think as long as that wasn’t included in the interview, I think we can let this slide, and stay between us,” he smirked before his expression changed to a serious one. “Now, from learning what I have gathered here, I took the liberty of naming those who possessed those powers called ‘Wielders.’ Whatever element of a Titan the pony has, I add said power in front of it. For example, mine is Thunder, so I would be a ‘Thunder Wielder.’ Make sense?” I nodded in response. “Now, you haven’t answered MY question yet. Were you able to enroll in this academy because they took note of this power? And don’t back out, or I WILL take this off again,” he warned while he held up the bandaged arm he unraveled before.

That’s it. My cover’s blown. This pervy braniac did his homework, and there’s no other way for me to get around it. Guess I have to face the music.

I took a deep sigh trying to relax myself before I answered. “Yes Nil, I do. I possess Light Magic, so I guess that makes me a Light Wielder."

I have to admit, that sounded kind of cool right there, but he doesn’t need to know that.

“Could you provide a demonstration?” Nil requested.

With a shrug, I held up one hand with an open palm. I focused my power, and soon a yellow light was shining around my horn instead of my usual violet colored aura. Soon after, a glowing, yellow ball of light was floating above my palm. Most would think this could just be an illumination spell, but what made this different was the gentle warmth this light gave off.

Nil sat there in awe at this power. “Fascinating,” he said

I then let go of my concentration into my magic. My horn and the ball that was floating above my hand slowly dimmed until nothing was left. “I could do more things with it, but I’d rather not bring too much attention to myself,” I said, to which Nil nodded with understanding.

“How are you able to control it? If you don’t mind me asking?” Nil asked.

“Back in Trottingham, my old teacher, a real bitch I may add, found me being able to do this, and had me go through some strenuous training to control my powers.”

“Wait, so does that mean she could do this too?”

I nodded. “That she could. And I tell ya, you do NOT want to pose a threat on her. She seems just as menacing as Commander Dusknight.”

“Interesting… May I ask, does she happen to be a unicorn?”

“She is, but what does that have to do with my powers?” I asked.

“I’m coming up with a theory on what elements each of the pony races could wield once they gain access to that power, based on what each of them can do without them,” Nil informed. “The pegasi, being able to control the weather and move clouds, would have access to the Thunder and Water elements. The unicorns, having abilities to control magic and cast spells, something that’s very intangible, would possess the Light and Shadow elements. The earth ponies, having good senses to handle agriculture, would definitely have the Earth element, but Fire I’m hesitant to say.”

“Why’s that?” I asked.

“Fire’s intangible like Light and Shadow, and just attempting to touch it by itself would only burn you. I suppose if you use what the earth can provide to make a fire, it would make sense.”

“Isn’t Thunder also intangible though? I mean you may be able to touch, grab, and mold clouds, but even lightning could shock you too couldn’t it?” I pointed out.

“A very good point. Yet, my Thunder magic doesn’t shock me. Strangely, I just get this internal pain once I start losing control, and not able to hold it in. Before I came up with the metal braces, my magic came in outbursts, and I could only take advantage of their conductive properties to pass it on to something else.”

“How come you haven’t talked to anyone besides me about this?” I asked.

Nil sat there silently before he took off his bucket hat, and stared onto it with his ears folded. “My power,” he said solemnly. “Came to me through unfortunate circumstances. I didn’t know what was going on, and I was overwhelmed with strong emotions during that time. After that…” He sat there quietly, trying to come up with the right words, but he seemed so scared to tell it.

Shit. I didn’t mean to bring up something that would make him uncomfortable. Especially if it had something to do with his magic. I knew that feeling. I was there once. Seeing him right now, I can tell that he went through something similar like I did.

The next thing I did had us both surprised.

I hugged him.

“You don’t have to tell me right now if you’re not comfortable,” I said. “Just remember that I’m here for ya when you need me.”

He slowly wrapped his arms around me, and returned the hug. I felt something wet that dropped on my back. I guess that time was really hard on him. “Thank you Lumina…” He whispered.

“It’s nothing,” I replied comfortingly.

We pulled back from the hug. Nil sniffled and wiped his face with his bandage while he calmed down.

“I can only guess that you probably went through something similar with your powers,” Nil said. “So I won’t ask you about that until you’re ready.”

“That would be much appreciated. Thank you,” I replied. “So what are you planning on doing now? Obviously you found what you were looking for. Where would you go next?”

“There’s still some questions I have that requires further research,” Nil answered, “and unfortunately, I can’t get access to any files on other ponies with magic like ours, or get into the Royal Archives. So after I take care of a few things here, I’ll head off to Manehattan and find whatever library they have that could store another clue. You’re welcome to join me, or meet me there if you want.”

“I’ll keep that in mind,” I got up from my seat and stretched. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have another obstacle I need to hurdle over. And you better keep what was said and happened here between us, or you’ll get what’s coming to ya,” I teased with a smile.

He laughed before he put his hat back on, and stood up as well. “Duly noted,” Nil said with a tip of his hat. “Best of luck to ya Lumina. I’m sure we’ll see each other again real soon.”

I nodded before opening the door, which the sound-proof spell from earlier wore off soon after. I closed the door behind me with Nil still in the room, and walked down the hall while planning my next move.

“Let’s see… How should I start off my confession with Shining?” I asked myself as I walked. I snapped my fingers at an idea. “I know! I’ll make him a good dinner! Mom always said the quickest way to a stallion’s heart was through his stomach. I better get to the kitchen and start cooking!” I exclaimed before I ran to the cafeteria’s kitchen.

Two months of working in mess hall, don’t fail me now.

Next Chapter: Chapter 7: Cyan's New Teacher, and his Mysterious New Magic Estimated time remaining: 8 Hours, 55 Minutes