• Published 17th Mar 2012
  • 9,613 Views, 467 Comments

The Adventures of the Elementals - AutoKnight01



Twilight and friends learn to combine the elements of harmony with those of naure to save Equestria

  • ...
45
 467
 9,613

Lessons with Luna

I only own my OC ponies and the plot of this here fic. Everything else belongs to Hasbro and da Faust. Enjoy!

The Adventures of the Elementals

Chapter 26: Lessons with Luna

*Blizzard Day 1; Canterlot Castle; 5:05 AM*

The sky still had some stars shining in the sky. Everyone in Canterlot was sound asleep save for a select few. None of them had any idea of what was going on down below in Ponyville. At this current time, Ponyville itself was still asleep and they didn't know either.

Rarity was happily slumbering in her own bed with a mask over her eyes while Spike and Agua slept in the other bed with their backs turned to each other. Neither of them liked the situation one bit, nor did they seem to like each other in the same amount. But then again, with Agua that kind of reaction was the norm.

A knock at their door is what awoke them to the new morning which technically had yet to begin since the sun still wasn't up. Agua's eyes opened and viewed the clock to read five after five in the morning. He groaned wanting to go back to sweet blissful sleep but the knocking on the door continued. To make matters even worse, the voice on the other side was calling for one pony.

"Mr. Agua? Her majesty ordered a wake-up call for you." A maid from outside called.

The blue stallion groaned upon hearing his name and the news of the call.

"Oh of course she did." He yawned.

He had to slump out of bed and walk to the door eighty percent asleep and open it too tired to use his water moving to make a hand to open the door with. Once he did get it open, he saw not only the maid, but a few of the castle kitchen staff standing before him with a few trays of fresh food made just for him. The maid also had a note in the pocket of her uniform. Once they saw the not so joyous look on Agua, all of them began to regret even going near the door.

"What....do you want?" the pony of water mumbled out.

"Um.....Princess Luna ordered us to bring you some breakfast and to give you this." The maid pulled out the note and Agua took it as the kitchen ponies were allowed in to set the trays on a nearby table.

After they were free of their loads, the food staff made it a point to get out of the room as quickly and casual as possible without making it look like they were truly afraid of what a grumpy water mover would do to them. The maid however didn't show a sign that she was scared of Agua. More like she was sorry she woke him up.

"I hope you have an enjoyable-"

She got cut off when Agua took a step back and slammed the door in her face.

"....day."

Inside the room, Agua went to where the food platters were and sat his flank down in front of the table. He then opened up the folded note and read it.

"Agua,

This food should help you wake up and get energized for your lessons. Meet me in the hidden chamber behind the great Canterlot falls and don't be late.

Princess Luna."

The location was determined and Agua yawned again as he looked upon the platters of food now resting before him. There were various fruits, bread, and an interesting bowl of what appeared to be oatmeal but it was bubbling so he wasn't sure. After taking a taste, he determined that it actually was as he theorized and ate it along with an apple, a banana, a slice of bread, and a glass of fresh squeezed orange juice that was also brought in. After he was finished with his breakfast, he felt some energy start to pile into him and he considered himself awake enough to take on whatever Luna could throw at him. He stood up, left the food where it was so Spike and Rarity could have some when they woke up, and then left the room.

The corridors of the castle seemed quiet in the early morning. The hydrokinetic stallion passed by a few guards who shot him mixed looks. He couldn't tell what they were thinking but he didn't really care. Along the way to the exit of the castle, he saw a door leading outside open, and the tall white alicorn of the sun standing on a balcony overlooking the dark horizon. Shrugging he began to resume his trek to the exit.

"Join me, Agua."

He only got a few steps in before Celestia called to him. Agua wasn't sure what she wanted and he didn't want to be late to meet Luna, but that didn't stop him from going out there anyway and standing next to the princess.

"How did you know it was me?" he asked as he too gazed out beyond the streets of Canterlot.

"Your sister may be a telepath, but I just have a knack of knowing the steps of somepony. Even yours." The princess replied.

"Impressive considering the fact that neither of us know each other." Agua had to give Celestia her props on that one.

The tall white alicorn took a glance to the smaller stallion then gazed back to the landscape.

"In a way, I already do know you a bit. I was friends with Poseidon and you were reborn from him."

For a little bit, Agua had forgotten about that bombshell. Being the reincarnation of the god he always prayed to at night. He was one of the few in the group who took the news rather well. Rarity took some time to get used to it and some of the others still were trying to comprehend the situation.

"Weird." Was all the blue stallion had to say.

Celestia on the other hand had a few more things on her mind she wished to address Agua on.

"I take it you were on your way to meet my sister for your training?"

"That's correct, your highness." He confirmed. "Though I'm not sure what it is she wants to teach me. I'm already an experienced water mover. I used to teach it back home in my village."

"I know my sister. If she says she can teach you something, than she knows something you obviously don't. Be wise and listen to her."

"You don't have to inform me of that, princess. I'll do my best to follow your sister's teachings."

"Good to hear." She said with a smile.

Agua was about to turn and resume his way to Luna, but then he felt something in his skin that he couldn't ignore. Looking out into the streets of Canterlot, he saw nothing that could have brought it on.

"Does it feel colder to you?" he asked the princess.

The sun goddess turned her head and looked down to him a bit confused.

"I don't feel cold." She replied. "Are you feeling okay, Agua?"

There was no doubt in Agua's mind that he was perfectly fine. There was something out there that was making the air colder but for some reason he was the only one around who could feel it.

"I'm fine, princess. I should be going."

With that, he turned around to leave but he stopped before he took a step forward seeing a guard in the doorway. That guard being the captain himself looking at Agua with a light glare. Light as it was he still had a glare that read he clearly didn't like being near the Alamantian.

"Shining Armor." Agua muttered his name.

"Water mover." He mumbled back.

Celestia turned her head to view the two stallions just stare at each other for a good thirty seconds without a single sound made. Then Shining Armor turned and walked away from them both not wanting to say anything in front of the princess again.

"He really grows on you doesn't he?" The sarcasm in Agua's voice was obvious.

Celestia let a sigh escape her lungs as she turned her body around.

"Go on to my sister, Agua. I must prepare to raise the sun."

That was the last thing she said to him before she walked off in the opposite direction Agua was headed. He made his way out the castle and through the statue gardens before coming across the giant waterfall that concealed the ancient chamber of the gods behind it. As he swam under the fall, he began to think of Shining Armor of all ponies. He seemed to be more calm than the other times they interacted. Then again Agua himself never really talked personally to Shining Armor before so he really didn't know. He was just going by what he heard from the others' experience.

As he breached the surface of the water and started down the stairs, he brushed the excess water off his body and prepared himself for what was ahead down in that chamber. As he entered, he looked around and saw right in the middle of the secret area stood Princess Luna wearing no crown, no neck jewelry, and no shoes on her hooves. Because she wanted to feel closer to nature during these lessons, she decided to bear no article that made her seem like royalty.

"Welcome, Agua." The princess of the night greeted him with a smile. "So glad you could make it."

Agua bowed to her not in his Alamantian way, but rather the way Equestrians do it. He extended his front legs out, leaned his body down, and hung his head.

"I apologize for the delay, Lady Luna."

That little line took Luna aback. In all her years she had never been called that title before.

"Did you just call me, 'Lady'?"

"Well yes. You are a goddess of water. Therefore it is only fitting that I call you by the title I call all of the elemental gods."

That was able to make Luna giggle a bit before she approached Agua and placed a hood on his back.

"You do not need to be so formal with me. For you, I am not a goddess that you pray to. I am simply your teacher."

A bit at ease now, the stallion of water stood up straight and looked into her eyes to continue talking.

"Yeah, I've been meaning to ask you about that actually."

"Oh? And what is it you wish to ask?"

"Well I was too shocked from when you said you wanted me to be your student that I couldn't collect myself quick enough to ask. But here I am now and here it is. Why do you want to teach me?"

Luna knew sooner or later that question would come. In fact she was surprised Agua didn't ask it the moment she offered to teach him. But now as good a time as any to tell him the true reason behind her action.

"Because I believe there is level of potential in you and I wish to help you realize it. You are a skilled water mover, Agua. And like the god you were born from, you are extremely powerful. The only other water movers I have seen with power near your level are unicorns. And they require magical aid to help get them there. You are an earth pony and you require no such help."

Agua's ego was beginning to swell. Getting praised by a princess was just gravy to him.

"However," But it turned out Luna wasn't done talking quite yet. "During the battle a couple weeks ago, I took notice of the way you were using your power. Although strong, it is flawed."

The swelling died down after he heard that.

"How is it flawed? With all due respect your majesty, I have been moving water for a very long time and I am very strong. I don't see how it can be flawed."

"We will get to the error in your form soon enough, my student." Luna wouldn't say it, but it was sort of fun for her to call someone her student. Especially in a subject such as this. "But for now, let us begin."

Agua nodded and Luna and he walked to the center of the room where one of the small streams flowed through the ground of the chamber.

"Before we begin, I want you to get a good feel for the water here." Luna instructed.

Agua knew a lot about water. But never in his teachings or lessons before had he ever heard of getting a feel for the water.

"Um....I'm not quite sure I understand, your highness. Water is water. It's all the same. I don't think I need to get a good feel for it."

Luna shook her head.

"How wrong you are." She began. "Water is an ever changing element. It may look the same but it never is. In order to move it the best you can, you must be familiar with it. Let it flow around your hooves so you can feel it. And let IT feel YOU."

So many new phrases being put into his ears. Already Agua was beginning to question whether these lessons were a good idea or not. But he was smart enough to know not to judge things by their first appearance.

"And how do I let it feel me?" he asked the princess.

"Just close your eyes and let everything else wash away from your head. Think about nothing but the stream flowing through your hooves. Let it speak to you, let it tell you how it wants to be used, and then listen to it."

His teal eyes closed, Agua did his best to let the stream flowing by his hooves be the only thing he was concentrating on. His stubbornness however was getting in the way of him doing that. For him, it was just water. The element he was born to control and manipulate. To him it didn't have feelings and it was all susceptible to his hydrokinesis. Hearing it could feel him was too weird for him.

Hard as he tried, he found no way to do what Luna instructed him to because he had no understanding of it. He waited a few minutes in the same pose until Luna instructed him to stop. After he opened his eyes, he saw Luna sanding there with her horn glowing and a flash of light from behind him. When the light vanished, Agua saw that where the flash took place now stood a large circular bulls eye target made of stone resting upon a stone pedestal. It's diameter was about one foot. Luna backed away to give her student some room. He wasn't quite sure what to do. Was he supposed to use a certain type of attack?

"What exactly do you want me to do? Just hit it?" he asked.

"Yes but more than that. I want you to destroy it." Luna replied.

Agua smirked. NOW it was getting interesting.

"As you wish, princess."

The stallion wasted no time in standing bipedal and turning on his hyrdrokinesis. A large column of water rose up from behind him and with a strong overhead swing motion with both his arms, that column turned into a huge stream that flew over his head, at the stone target, and caused it to obliterate upon contact. Satisfied with his work, Agua stood back down on all fours carrying the same smirk from before.

"Next lesson." He cockily stated.

Luna stood next to him observing the rising dust from the now destroyed target.

"That was a lot of power." She commented.

"Why thank you." The stallion responded.

"It WASN'T a compliment." Luna's tone was stern to make sure she got it through.

And she did alright. Agua stopped smiling and looked at his teacher with nothing but confusion as she proceeded to talk more.

"Was it really necessary to use that much strength to destroy one small target?" she asked.

"Well I suppose I could have used a bit of a weaker attack. But it wouldn't have been as fun." That was seriously what Agua used to answer with.

Luna sighed and stepped forward.

"And THAT, Agua, is your flaw. You use too much strength in your water moving when you could do just as much damage with simpler attacks. Have you ever heard the phrase, 'Less is more'?"

Agua scoffed.

"I have and I don't really listen to it."

"Well now would be a good time to start." The princess began. "Agua, I took notice of this when you were attacking those Shadowmares. Your attacks on them, although effective, did not require a level of power so strong to defeat them. You put so much strength into destroying such feeble opponents, you wear out quickly. The point of these lessons is to teach you how to inflict just as much damage and possibly more with less amount of power being used in your attacks. Attack me."

Those last two words took the stallion a bit by surprise.

"Um.....excuse me?"

"You heard me. Come at me with you strongest attack." She repeated making it clear that she was serious.

"Princess.....I don't want to hurt you." Agua said not willing to follow the order.

"That won't be a problem I can assure you of that."

Hesitant as he was, that line put Agua's thoughts to the test. She was so confident she would be fine almost as if she didn't think he was that strong to inflict any damage on here.

"You want it, you got it. Just don't tell me I didn't warn you."

Two more streams of water spiraled around Agua's bipedal standing body and then conjoined in front of him to form an orb about twice the size of a bowling ball. Agua then threw out his arms and launched a high pressure jet of water right for Princess Luna. Smirking, the dark blue alicorn jumped to the left avoiding the hard stream and created her offensive. She launched a blast of water from the stream no bigger than the amount that could fit in a small glass and it collided with the side of Agua's face making him lose concentration on his own attack. He then felt his hind right hoof be tugged at. Then he was yanked over Luna's head by the alicorn herself who had a grip on Agua's hoof with a small strand of water like a whip. The stallion collided into one of the big stone pillars supporting the ceiling of the chamber and thudded down to the ground in quite a bit of pain.

The back of his head and his lower back were the two areas where the pain was most intense, after a quick spell from Luna's horn enveloped his body, the pain vanished and Agua was able to pick himself back up to look at his teacher.

"You DID warn me." Luna playfully mocked before she got serious. "You launched a full powered attack at me and yet I was able to subdue you with the amount of water that you could find in a pitcher at a nice restaurant. Do you know how?"

"Because you caught me off guard." Agua answered.

"Wrong. Like I said, sometimes less is more. Agua, you don't have to use such charged up moves all the time. Powering them up gives your enemy time to strike at you and if you manage to launch it, it can be harder to control and redirect."

Agua never wanted to admit it but Luna was right. Once he saw her jump out of the way, he did his best to change the direction in which his water jet was shooting but it was near impossible to move. Stopping the attack altogether and trying again with a smaller scale one would have been a better way to go but he didn't think of it.

"So here's what we are going to do." Luna's horn glowed again and another object flashed into view right next to her. This object being a glass water pitcher. She scooped some water into it and set it down as she instructed Agua further. "Attack me again, but only using the water out of this pitcher. If I even see a single drop more come from these streams, I'll know."

"Wha...but...ugh....FINE!"

A bit shocking that he charged so quickly, it still didn't startle Luna enough to the point where she was off her guard. Agua wasn't just trying to follow the lesson plan, he was trying with all his might to get the better of her for his own satisfaction. Every single drop of water that was in the pitcher flew out and covered Agua's right front hoof. He then threw it her in the form of a punch to which Luna easily evaded.

The water split from his right hoof and covered his left one like a pair of boxing gloves at Agua continued to throw out martial arts techniques at the princess, which, to his complete surprise, she was countering with no problem at all.

"What? Did you think hydrokinesis is the only skill I possess? Poseidon was kind enough to teach me other things as well. I think you refer to it as, Nami Hadō?"

¬Agua let loose a small gasp once he heard that. Nami Hadō was and still is the most advanced form of Hydro Tribe martial arts. It translates from Alamantian to Equestrian as "wave motion". This style of movement revolved around moving like the waves from the sea, never ceasing in movement, and always graceful and strong.

Being too distracted by Luna's revelation, Agua was once again over powered by the princess which she threw a punch into his stomach. As he staggered back, he found his face connected with Luna's hind hoof in the form of a powerful sidekick. He splashed into the water creek once again throbbing in pain.

A few strained breaths later, Agua limped out of the creek while Luna healed him again and refilled the glass pitcher.

"Try again."

And he did try. Many, many, MANY times. Every time he came at her lunging with the water from the pitcher with full intent to lay a solid hit on her but he never could. It ended all the same with Luna knocking him down, healing him, and refilling that glass pitcher for him to make another attempt.

By the time attempt number thirty had come and failed like the others. Agua lied there in the creek breathing through the pain and trying to think of a way to outwit this alicorn. As he felt his wounds heal up, he stood again and looked to the pitcher once again filled.

"How come I keep beating you?" Luna asked him.

Agua cracked his neck before answering.

"Because you aren't letting me use more water than that pitcher." The stallion replied.

"That is a poor excuse." She wasn't going to have it. "Your skills are without a doubt extraordinary. But they require a lot of fine tuning before they are to be anywhere near perfection. You attack me with no focus, no goal, all you ever think about is landing a hit but what to do after that, you don't know. You don't plan ahead. That is why you don't have a strategy on how to beat me."

Agua actually growled upon hearing this. To him, Luna was just asking for it.

"Do you wish to try again?" She smirked. "At this rate it's only a matter of time before I break one of your bones."

As she expected, he came at her once again on two legs throwing punches and kicks like a madpony. Except this time he didn't take any water with him. Easily, Luna blocked his attacks with her own very well bipedal stance and knocked him back. He charged again and made a swipe for her hind legs. Seeing that made Luna jump up and over Agua's head with her wings at full extension. When she landed, her wings folded in and she advanced on Agua striking him on the back and pinning him up against one of the stone pillars on his front side.

"Another failed strategy." She confidently said.

A chuckle was what escaped Agua's mouth leaving Luna confused a bit.

"You sure?" he mumbled.

Suddenly, Luna felt something on her left hind leg and looked down to see there was a strand of water coming from Agua's left front hoof and wrapped around hers. Smirking, Agua made his move and slammed the back of his head into Luna's nose. After she gave a small cry of pain, she lost her balance and fell backwards on her back. Then Agua harshly gave a yank on the short whip of fluid and threw Luna into the same pillar he was just pinned to.

She slid down the pillar on her back now taking her turn to be in pain. She pressed a hoof to her nose to check if she was bleeding. She was. The spots of red on her hoof confirmed it. Swiftly, Agua made a spot of water rush from the creek and cover Luna's nose. The water glowed a bit and the pain running through the alicorn's nose eased up and when the water was tossed away, the bleeding had stopped. After Agua mizu-mended the rest of Luna's body, she stood up and smiled at him with a nod.

"Well done, Agua. Fooling me into that position was a clever idea."

Agua smiled back a bit and offered her a hoof to stand up. She took it and with one hoist, she stood back on all fours again.

"Thank you, your highness." The stallion replied.

"We've been here for a couple of hours. Let's take a small break and get back to it." The princess suggested.

Agua agreed to that idea and was directed over to a table Luna had waiting for them ever since he got there. Set on the table was a kettle of tea which the princess of the night used her magic to heat up. Once they both were served a cup of the beverage, they began to talk.

"So....tell me, Agua. A question that I have wanted to ask since I first met you. Why are you......um....the way you are? I mean I want to ask..."

"You want to know why I'm a jerk."

Luna was trying to avoid using the term but apparently the jerk himself didn't mind.

"Yes. If it's not too much trouble."

With a sigh, Agua spoke to give Luna a bit of clarity.

"To be honest, your highness, I'm not comfortable talking about it." He answered. "But.....if you must know, what Discord said was right. Contrary to most people's beliefs, I DO have a heart. It's just broken. Years ago in Alamante, I had a girlfriend and......she screwed me up bad. But she opened my eyes to something, princess. Love doesn't exist. It's just a sham."

Luna's cup clinked to the table as she dropped it from her magical grip. Her eyes, wide and surprised from Agua's last statement.

"What? How can you say such a thing?" she almost sounded like she was begging for an answer.

And boy did Agua have one.

"Because, princess, if love exists, than I would be happily married to the mare I considered to be the girl of my dreams. If love exists, she wouldn't have ripped out my heart through my chest and stomped on it with her hoof. If love is real, than she wouldn't have agreed to marry me, go through MONTHS of vigorous planning for a wedding ceremony, show up for said wedding, walk halfway up the aisle, AND THEN TURN AROUND AND RUN AWAY!"

The cup Agua had clenched in his hoof shattered out of his anger and the tea dripped down his hoof and onto the wooden table. His chest heaved in and out with the heavy breaths he took while Luna breathed a bit nervous of the stallion in front of her. She backed away a few inches in hopes of not having to endure more of his yelling. Luckily for her with another deep breath, Agua spoke in a normal tone again.

"So you see, Lady Luna, that's why love is just a big sham to me. If it wasn't, I'd be happily married to my childhood friend and nowhere near any of the others. Why couldn't I have that life? Why couldn't she have just gotten some courage?" he growled.

Luna sighed and scooched herself closer to the table as she conjured up another cup for Agua to drink out of.

"That I don't know, Agua. But I do know this. Love is certainly not a sham. It is very VERY real. It's the most powerful feeling a living creature can have for another. I myself have felt love and I still do with the very god that you came from. Don't take what happened to you as a sign that love isn't real, Agua. Maybe it was just a sign that you two weren't meant to be."

"I don't know.................I don't think love is for me. Not anymore at least." The stallion of water sadly admitted.

Luna was having a hard time figuring out how to counter Agua's argument. He had a sound reasoning for not believing in love at all. Being left at the altar and watching the girl run out, it sounded like the equivalent of having a knife stuck in your chest, and then having it twisted around for fun. As much as she wanted to help Agua feel better, everything she thought of always led her back to the notion of staying out of something so personal to him.

"Why don't we go take a walk and clear our heads?" She suggested.

Again, Agua took a liking to the idea and both of them proceeded up the staircase and swam under the waterfall. Both of their eyes had to adjust to the sunshine a bit before they were able to see clearly.

"It's colder." Was the first thing Agua said when he walked onto ground from the river. "It's definitely colder."

"Agua.....look." Luna said as she looked down to where Ponyville was.

Agua turned his head and widened his eyes once more at what he saw. Ponyville, the whole dang town, was covered in thick dark grey clouds. And to make things even more confusing, there seemed to be a border of white around the town signifying it was snowing. Hoofsteps were heard coming from the left and it turned out to be Rarity and Spike who had gone looking for him as soon as they woke up and saw for themselves what was happening from the balcony view on the castle.

"Why are there clouds everywhere....and...is that snow?" the fashionista started.

"Rainbow Dash must have really screwed up the weather." Agua was quick to assume. "See, this is why it's better to just let nature take care of the weather."

"First off, I oppose that notion and I shall explain why later." Rarity started. "Second, that storm seems a bit too large to come from the weather factory."

Rarity didn't have that much experience when it came to weather. In fact, she didn't have a single minute of experience. But she did know a few things from hearing Rainbow Dash talk about her work some of the times the group was all together and that tour she took of the weather factory a while back ago let her soak in some knowledge.

Then just like that, Agua's eyes went wide as he remembered back to last night and a few hours ago on the balcony with Celestia. He sensed something moving, and then it felt colder.

"The water." He whispered before speaking aloud. "That's what I must have sensed last night. All the water in those clouds forming the snow. I felt it moving."

Spike seemed a bit angry once he heard that.

"If you were able to sense this how come you didn't warn us?!" he shouted.

"I told you last night, I wasn't sure what it was I felt." Agua snapped back. "Even this morning I wasn't sure. Now it's too late to do anything."

"We have to get back there!" Spike cried. "Twilight and the others need us!"

Luna sadly approached the dragon not liking herself what she was about to say.

"I'm sorry, Spike. But I don't believe we can get there." She began. "I too sense these storm clouds. They are....not natural. Something is very wrong. I do not thinking returning to Ponyville is the best course of action for you right now.

Indeed saddened by her words, Spike went to his knees helpless by the fact that he couldn't reach home.

"But....but Twilight...."

"She'll be alright, Spike." Rarity assured him. "Don't forget, Pyro is with her. As are the others."

"Hopefully this cold isn't too much for Pyro to handle." Agua commented. "Not to mention trying to keep a scared town under control."

"Let us go speak with my sister. Perhaps she can help us with this conundrum." Luna said.

That was the best plan any of them could think of. Celestia had wisdom far beyond the bounds of the average pony. If anyone could think of a plan to make the snow clear, it was her. Without hesitation, Luna gave off another burst of her horn and teleported herself, Agua, Rarity, and Spike to the castle.

The only thing they could do now was pray.

Author's Note:

This chapter has not gone through editing yet due to a slight delay with the editors. I just wanted to get it posted for now for you guys and the editing shall come later.

Remember to follow and ask questions. www.askthesixelementals.tumblr.com