Twilight groaned, slowly opening her eyes. “W-what... happened?” She felt like she'd had fire go through her veins, then burst out of every orifice. Then the stars came to mind. She shrieked and flailed about, falling out of the bed and getting tangled in the blankets. “Ahhhh! What, where, what, who, why, what?” She looked around wildly. She was alive. Or was she? She was the avatar. She died, she had to have. Was this the reborn process? Was she in a new life? Her past lives didn't mention this. Maybe this was what it felt like between lives?
She finally managed to untangle herself from the blankets and slide across the floor. With a grunt she gripped the bed and, weakly, pulled herself up. “Guhhhhh...” Recognition dawned on her. She was in the medical ward. She was--
“You're okay!” Fluttershy squeaked out, suddenly wrapping soft hooves around the alicorn.
“W-what?” She looked back. The little yellow pegasus stood behind her. “Fluttershy? What happened? Where is everypony? Can you help me get into the bed?” Her body just felt... weird. Even lifting her hooves was hard. She was hungry too, ravenous. She looked up once she was placed back in the bed. “Is there anything to eat?”
“Eat? Y-yes! I ummm, the others are preparing for the attack and the...” she went still for a moment. “I... I'll go get them...” She flew off, leaving the alicorn behind and confused. She looked around. There were other wounded, mostly sleeping. Then her eyes fell on a small rainbow-maned pegasus a few beds away. Bandages were wrapped firmly around her eyes. “Rainbow!”
The pony groaned. “Go 'way... sleeping...”
“Y-you're alive!” Twilight longed to run over and hug her, but she knew the best she could do was roll over and drop to the floor. There was nopony to help her up anymore.
The pegasus raised her head and cocked it to the side. “Twilight? Is that you? Sure took your time waking up, didn't you?”
“How long was I out? What's going on? Fluttershy ran off in a hurry and... what happened to you?”
“What, this? Oh... nothing big. Just a scratch, really. Heh. Don't worry. You feeling okay? You've been out for a while.” The mare started trying to get off the bed, though her hooves kept flailing about as she tried to feel her way down. She moved over towards the mare, slowly walking and poking out with her hooves.
“What happened to your eyes? Are you okay?”
“Nothing, just a little... too much light. You know, all those light shows you did. I'll be fine,” Rainbow said before reaching out to pat the alicorn on the back. “You're up though! That's great, we thought they'd-- we'd have to go without you. Heh. That could have been a disaster. How are you feeling? Better?”
“I feel... empty. Really hungry,” Twilight said softly as she stared at her friend. “How long was I out?”
“Just a--”
“Twilight!” Pinkie shrieked, jumping into the room. Before the two could react, they were both swept up in a large Pinkie hug. “You're up! You're okay!”
“Y-yes, yes I am,” she said with a pained gasp. “T-too tight, c-can't breath.”
“Oh, right! Yes, sorry.” She let go, making both the hugged ponies drop down. “Ohhhhh, sooooo. How are you feeling?”
“Tired and hungry,” Twilight mumbled softly.
“Oh, don't worry about that!” Before she could object, a cupcake was stuffed in the alicorn's mouth. She was too tired and hungry to complain, instead just chewing and swallowing it.
“Where is everypony?”
“Oh, well, Applejack's helping to organize the attack force, Fluttershy was keeping an eye on you, Rarity was helping to set up the funeral before the invasion, I was--”
“Wait, funeral?” Twilight's eyes widened. “Wait... oh. Oh by the stars. The falling stars. What happened? What did I miss? The stars were falling and, and the Great Dragon, is he okay? The city? How is it still standing? What... what's wrong?”
The pink mare's mane had deflated. Rainbow moved to sit on the bed. “You mean you don't remember?”
“I just remember the stars and... then nothing.”
“You were totally awesome,” the pegasus said, though she sounded almost depressed when she said it. “You went all glowy and bright and started like... turning into a bunch of different ponies. You shielded the entire city and then wiped out like half the Water Nation's fleet. It was pretty awesome.”
The alicorn nodded. “That was what blinded you?”
Pinkie opened her mouth to speak, but Rainbow quickly raised her voice. “Yeah! I was just too used to the dark, you know? So it kind of messed up my eyes. Completely temporary, don't worry. I'm still good for the invasion.”
The alicorn nodded, that was at least one thing off her mind. Pinkie looked troubled though. “What's wrong? Why--” The words locked in her mouth. “T-the Great Dragon. Is he okay? I saw him...” She couldn't finish the words. She could see the looks on her friends face. “I... I have to see him...”
Pinkie shook her head. “Twilight...”
“No!” she snapped. “I have to see him, now! He's... he...” Her body was shaking, though she couldn't tell if it was from the bubbling grief or everything else she was going through. “Please. I... I have to see him.”
“Fine. After you... eat something.”
“Fine.”
Rainbow held out a hoof. “Cool. Hey, Pinkie. Can I talk to you for a second outside?”
The earth pony nodded and took the hoof. She slowly led the mare out from the room, navigating gently around the other hospital beds. Once they were outside and the door closed behind her, she opened her mouth. Again she was too slow.
“Don't tell Twilight,” Rainbow said quickly.
“But... why?”
“If she knows this... could be permanent, she'll go all whiny and complainy and insist I stay behind. That or she'll blame herself. Like it or not, she needs me. She needs my element. Besides, we don't even know if this is permanent yet. If... it is, well, I'll deal with it then. But right now, the number one thing is stopping the Water Nation. She can't do it without me.”
The earth pony sighed. “Fine Dashie. I'll tell the others to keep it quiet, but she needs to know eventually. You're hurt, you can't--”
“Stopping the Water Nation is first, this is second. I'll just...” Rainbow choked on the words, shaking her head. “I'll just stick near the back. Out of danger. But I have to be there.”
The earth pony gave a slow, sad nod. “Fine. We...” She was once again cut off by another sudden yell.
“Ah heard she was up, is it true?” Applejack yelled as she galloped down the hall. Rarity was close behind her.
“Yep! Just woke up and raring to go!” Rainbow said with a chuckle. “Oh, you mean Twilight? Yeah, she's wide awake. Hungry as can be. Hold up, we gotta talk about something before you go.”
“What? Is she okay? Is she sick? What's wrong?” Rarity asked, the panic rising in her voice.
“She's fine. It's about me. Don't, uhhh, tell her. About this.” She motioned to her eyes. “I told her I was just blinded by her little light show. Don't tell her about... well...”
“Rainbow, it's been three days. She's going to know somethings up,” Rarity said sharply.
“Not if everypony keeps their mouth shut. I'm not asking you to lie, just... don't say a word. Talk about other things. She's... got enough on her mind without thinking about this. She doesn't need to know yet.” She paused again. “She wants to go to the funeral, too. After she's done eating, just... take her. I'm going to go to the ships. Get ready to go. Pinkie, can you help me?”
Pinkie cringed. “Dashie, are you sure you don't want to rest and--”
“I can rest on the ship. I'm the... slowest now, so I should get ready now so I don't hold everypony back, okay?” Rainbow struggled to keep the anger out of her voice, though some of it leaked through.
“Fine. Come on, Dashie...” The earth pony took her hoof and led her through the halls.
Applejack and Rarity watched the two ponies leave. “Do you think she'll be okay?”
The earth pony snorted. “Rainbow? Yeah. As soon as she gets her eyesight back, she'll be right as rain.”
“If.”
“When. Come on, we got an Avatar tah welcome back.” The two pushed open the door and stepped inside, forcing the smiles as they went.
------
Rarity took a deep breath as she stared at the door. She could do this, she would do this. She'd done it before, so why was this time so difficult?
Probably because she didn't know if this would be the last time. She'd managed to sneak away while Twilight devoured her meal(nearly unhinging her jaw at one point), so this would be the last time before the invasion. Last time ever if she didn't survive. She slowly pushed open the door and stepped inside.
“Rarity!” Sweetie called out, waving a hoof. She was sitting in a cell, thick metal bars separating her from her elder sister. Celestia was already sitting outside the prison, a small game of cards placed out between them.
The prison had been a necessity. While Rarity was barely known in the city, Sweetie was almost instantly recognizable. At least, her name was. Feelings for her ran strong. Some supported her as the first Water Nation commander to actually use them and see their worth. Others saw her as their greatest enemy, the one who sent their forces scattered across the world to win some war. Unfortunately, the latter mentality was far more spread and more than a few ponies would be all too happy to see her dead. The compromise was keeping her imprisoned until all this was over. It was also the key reason Celestia, Scootaloo and Flowerbloom wouldn't be joining for the final invasion(though Rarity suspected Applejack was thrilled about that latter one). Somepony they trusted had to keep an eye on Sweetie and make sure there weren't any riots or accidental mistreatments.
“Hello, little sister,” the princess said with a smile as she moved to the bars. She gently put a hoof through the bars and patted the younger princess on the head. “You seem well.”
“I'm doing fine. The food is okay, I get plenty of sleep. My friends are keeping me entertained. Pinkie even brought me a kazoo, wanna hear?”
“NO!” Rarity said quickly, making a mental note to discipline that mare later. “I just came down to tell you something important. Twilight has woken up and... well...”
“You're leaving,” Sweetie said softly before lowering her eyes.
“Yes, I am,” the elder princess said before taking a deep breath. “I don't know when I'll return. But, when I do, the Water Nation will be a different place. There will be no Discord, no tainted rulers. There will be peace. Not only that, there... will be room by my side, for my little sister. I promise you that.”
The younger princess nodded as small tears welled up in her eyes. “I... I know. I understand all this, really. I don't blame the ponies for... not trusting me. I...” She took a slow, steady breath. “I'm sorry. I don't know... I didn't...”
“I know,” Rarity said gently. “His taint is... it's strong. It was strong. It didn't... how do you feel?”
“Everything feels different and the same now,” she whispered as she curled up into a little ball. “I... feel the same? I think? But it's like... I can't even explain it.” She looked up at her sister. “A part of me still wants to fight all of them, to fight my way out and... take you back. But it's not as loud as it once was. It feels so... small now. Almost silly. But I know it used to be so loud. So strong. It was like... all these little thoughts and ideas pop into my head like they used to. But before they were irresistible. Now they just... make me regret thinking them.”
Rarity nodded. “I know. It didn't... I was under its influence too. It doesn't completely change who we are, it just makes us... care about some things more and others less. I know how weird and... convincing it felt.”
“I'm sorry I did that to you, and what I did to... everypony else. Is Spike... okay?”
“Yes. He's fine,” Rarity said with a shake of her head. “But he won't be coming to see you. He's... in retreat. He won't even be coming for the invasion.”
Sweetie nodded slowly. “I'm sorry about everything. I didn't think... I couldn't stop it. I wanted to, but I couldn't. Mom just had so much... she...”
“None of us could have stopped mother. Even Twilight could barely stop her and look what happened. It's up to us now. Just... remember. I'll be back soon, before you know it. Less than a week and we'll be together again. Sisters forever, okay?”
The younger princess nodded, barely holding back the tears. “I... I'll see you then.”
“I know,” Rarity said before quickly turning away. She trotted from the room, barely holding the tears in long enough to get out.
“Auntie?” Sweetie asked gently.
“Yes, dear?”
“Will... things ever b-be back to normal?”
“No, they won't,” Celestia said gently. “Too much has happened, too much will still happen. There may be peace and stability again, but the damage has already been done and it will never fade for us no matter how hard we try.” The mare let out a soft, sad sigh. “But, that doesn't mean we'll stop trying. Would you like to play another game of Go Fish?”
“Y-yes please,” Sweetie said as the tears flowed down her face, so thick she could barely see.
------
Spike sat in the small lava lake, gently rolling the magical amulet of Sweetie's around in his claws. A few of the baby dragons were playing a few feet from him. He could see the scale that dangled from it, still glowing as it directed him to himself. He could barely believe it. Such a small, tiny thing. But it had been made from his scale. Nightmare Moon could have hunted every last dragon down with this thing and it would have been his fault.
He sighed and tossed it into the lava, watching sadly as it disappeared beneath the molten rock. He was splashed by a few of the babies and let out a soft chuckle as he watched them, though it was hollow and weak. They'd all come so close to extermination yesterday. The fire benders and the dragons. Most of the babies didn't even understand what was happening, they were still so young. But he did, he understood everything.
He was the Great Dragon now. The oldest dragon alive, probably the only one of his species who would even remember this part in their history. It was his duty to lead his brethren into their new future. He wasn't ready for this. He barely knew anything about dragons. He himself was still just a child. It would be years before he even got his wings. Heck, his flame didn't even work all the time. How was he supposed to raise an entire species? The fire benders would help, of course. But that didn't change much. He was still the senior dragon and so many of them would look up to him. They'd admire him. Expect him to have all the answers. But he didn't have any.
The only thing he knew, was that he was afraid. He glanced back towards the shore and Rarity's necklace, laying on a rock where it would be safe away from the heat and molten rock. He closed his eyes again. Well, maybe two things. Even if he was afraid, at least he wasn't completely alone. He still had Twilight and the others. Twilight would have everything under control when she woke up, he was sure.
------
Twilight stared at the great mass before her, gulping softly. They'd come down to see the dragon before they departed, after she had a very, very large meal (even Applejack had been humbled by the sheer amount she had put away). She felt a lot stronger now, though already she was starting to get hungry again. Now it was almost time, though. The final battle, the last war to be raged against the Water Nation. The ships were ready, most of her friends were on them, waiting for her. Now all she had to do was say goodbye.
The bodies of the dead were still being buried around his massive form. Manehatten didn't really have graves or tombs anymore, most were just buried deep under the sand. It was quite a dark scene to her, the bodies of the Water Nation and Fire Tribe ponies, lined side by side besides the massive monolith that was the last Great Dragon.
She took a step closer to the corpse and steeled herself. Her soldiers were watching, ponies who depended on her. Trusted in her. Those who, in the coming battle, expected her to save them all. She would have to maintain a tough face and keep strong. It was her duty. She glanced back at Applejack, who gave her an encouraging nod. She could do this. She would do this.
She took another step closer to the dragon, then another. Before long she was standing directly in front of his snout, she could almost feel his breath as it washed over her. The heat, the power. He could have sent her toppling over with a single blow. One flap of his wings could have sent an airship to the ground. She slowly looked up into his closed eyes and everything fell apart.
The tears started bursting from her eyes, though she closed them and tried desperately to suppress the pain. It refused to stop there, shaking erupting from her body and a powerful sob bursting from her lips. She collapsed to her knees and broke down. She pushed her head against his face and let out another sob. “I-it's not fair! It's NOT FAIR!” she screamed, lifting a hoof against his head and punching it. “You weren't supposed to die! You were supposed to stay, forever! You were supposed to help me! You weren't... you weren't s-supposed to leave me alone. I can't... I can't...”
A gentle hoof wrapped around her as Applejack gave her a hug. Guilt filled the alicorn. “I-I'm sorry, I didn't mean--”
“Ah know what yah meant. Don't apologize. Jus' let it all out,” the earth pony said softly, hugging the mare. “Ah'll be here til you're done.”
She nodded and then rested her head against his scaled snout. He was gone. He was a dragon, they didn't die. They weren't supposed to die. The last connection to her old life, to her home. And Nightmare Moon tore it away. Hadn't she lost enough? Why did she have to keep losing more? “Not... not fair. Just this one thing. W-why couldn't I just have this one thing? W-why does... why does everything have to t-turn out like this?”
Applejack didn't answer, which was good. She didn't want answers. She just wanted to grieve, to yell, to scream, to hit the stupid dragon who had abandoned her. She punched his scaled face over and over, until her hoof throbbed and leg was sore. It didn't help much, but it helped enough. She dug her horn against his scales until it throbbed as well, the pain giving her something else to focus on. If he was alive, he'd have probably laughed at her pathetic attempts to scratch or hurt him. She wasn't Rainbow, she didn't have that kind of physical power. But she wanted to hurt him, to hurt something. To break things. “Not fair!” She screamed again as she kicked the ground. All she did was send sand flying. She couldn't even have the pleasure of making a crater or splitting the earth. She slowly pulled away from him and dug her head into the ground. “Why... why couldn't I just have this one tiny thing? It... it was all I needed... just... just one thing...” her words came out weak and hoarse, little more than pathetic mews. She didn't even have the energy to scream or wail anymore, not just because of her earlier energy expenditure.
She just laid there and shook, until her eyes could no longer cry and her throat burned with the sobs. Then, with a weak movement of her legs, she got to her hooves. “Let's... let's go.” She longed to return to the city and drop into bed. But she couldn't. She was the Avatar. It was her duty. No matter how much she lost or how much pain she felt, it was her responsibility. It was always her responsibility. Spirits forbid she take a little bit of time to grieve. Everything would fall apart and leave just a bigger mess for her.
“Are yah--”
“I'm sure. Let's get this over with,” Twilight said bitterly before she started walking towards the ships. She had a world to save, just like she always did. Applejack stayed at her side, giving concerned looks.
“If yah need--”
“There is nothing you can do. Just... there's nothing anypony can do. I just want to get this over with.” The two walked up the plank into the first ship. Rarity was waiting for them and gave a little wave.
“Everything is ready, Twilight. We can depart immediately. Would you like me to show you to your private room?” She smiled, though her face was blank of any real emotion. The mare was obviously concerned, but giving the alicorn the privacy she needed.
Twilight couldn't help but appreciate that. “Please. Just... let me know when I'm needed.” Soon enough she was in her room, alone. It was small, but it was private. She dropped into her hammock and closed her eyes. She knew the ponies likely wanted to hear a rousing speech, for her to tell them it would all be alright. That they'd win. But she couldn't, not now. Things wouldn't be alright, she doubted they'd ever be alright.
At this point, she was sure all they could hope for was good enough.
Huh. Didn't count on that. But this chapter did still manage to be emotionally satisfying. Although, I get the feeling your next 5 chapters are either going to be extra long, or they're going to be set up chapters.
Like I proposed before, I don't know if you're going to more original story this saga depending on what happens on the day of discord, but I do suspect that book 3, unicorn is going to end on chapter 50, no matter what you have moving forward. Just, call it a hunch.
Anyways, since this is Twilight's story, I guess we hit the fast forward button, skipping over some emotional beats in order to get straight to Twilight. The aforementioned Sweetie Belle stuff I mentioned last chapter being one of the key points that you glossed over. You know, finding out that her friends weren't dead, saying sorry to her aunt and all that. But it also seems that while she's not exactly happy, Sweetie is at least finally content with how things are going. She finally understands what discord's touch was like, that mom was wrong, and that should it all turn out well, she'll finally get to be in a real family again. But for now, she's locked up. At the mercy of ponies who were none too pleased she scattered their ponies to the winds to win a war that is now almost lost. That's why auntie and her best friends are there. To protect and support her.
Sweetie's question to celestia is a fascinating one in regards to how optimistic you're going to play off the ending of your Last Airbender/Pony series. Things will never go back to normal, for the simple fact that history happened, and cannot be erased. But that being said, depending on what the elements can do, perhaps there can be a way to heal some of the physical scars before long. We shall see. But for now, more go fish. And maybe celestia can teach pai shua as well. Well, the apologies and forgiveness to spike will have to start later I guess.
Spike was also taking this time off. Unlike Appa and Momo, he knows he has no place going to war at this stage. And more importantly, he needed some time to think about how the death of his previous guardian now puts him in an esteemed yet impossible position. As the oldest living dragon left, now it all falls on his shoulders to be the dragon king, the inspiration of nations to rebuild an entire species from the ground up. His scale almost tore them all down, so he burned it. Spike hardly got a chance to be a kid dragon with the war going on, and the red dragon being a bit of a jerk. But, there's nothing for it now. He must be the senior dragon now, and the only solace his fears will rest from is the knowledge that no matter what he has friends and sisters who will be with him every step of the journey from now on. The lonely king, who also is the friendly king. Bound together in a dragon who lived a great year among ponies, and who now rests as the endgame draws near.
But Spike, even if you are off on retreat, I think you might need to be there. You're not a warrior like the other elements are, but you're the truest of true pals to Twilight. Her #1 assistant. And while you may not be any good at sentiment, you are good at cutting through the excuses of any pony to get at the heart of the matter. You did that so much with Rarity. You're her guardian angel in a way. But right now, what Twilight needs is someone to be there for her in a way that she won't freak out about losing them AND losing a war. Some common virtue, simple love. But that's sadly gone, because you need to be with the dragons, and so you cannot be there to help protect a team avatar harmony that's experiencing root rot from the inside.
Why root rot? Because the corruption of discord mixed with the emotional state of the avatar is pushing twilight dangerously close to her despair event horizon. And if she goes down, then it's quite possible she's taking the others with her. Twilight's in a fragile state right now. Although she did wake up to fight another day, the problem now is that this might possibly be the last straw that breaks her back. Twilight suffers from a bad guilt complex. And while this is a reasonable reason to hide the blindness from twilight for now, when friends keep secrets from friends, it never turns out well. Particularly if it's forced out by an enemy. And as they're approaching dangerous enemy territory, it would be too easy for someone to force it out.
But this is the seed of destruction. The water is the death of the great dragon. Her lunch companion, and the last living member from 100 years ago. Oh Twilight. You poor mare. He was security. He was strength. He was a carrier. He was a force of nature. But above all, he knew what it meant to have loyalty to ones nation. He gave his life in order to buy you enough time to go avatar on nightmare moon. And if only you could speak to your past lives now. You'd know that he died at peace knowing that you'd never give up, and that his friend clover would see him soon. In fact, perhaps you should contact Clover. I know you're in a fragile state, so talking to the loner alicorn might give you a special perspective going into your battle, understand that the pains we carry earlier in our lives will seem like nothing down the line.
And remember, discord is a tricky bastard. If he even gets his mouth free of a stone prison, he'll use words like throwing knives to throw everyone off balance. After all, he still has 2 pawns left, and an army to hold fast just long enough to get out. And if he can break the elements here, then he'll have the world on a string, sitting on a rainbow to make it all easy. Though I wonder. With all his trickery and shuffling around, could discord actually be just playing the part of Loki? Does discord actually have a hidden good agenda to get out and be a trickster mentor?
Regardless, Twilight, you can't do the jagged peaks phase this late in the game. Your anger and grief is real, but the only way you're going to let that raw wound heal is if you can accept that you didn't know what else to do at the time. To accept the pain, and learn to live with it. You're the avatar, but you're just 1 pony. And no pony was meant to carry the whole world on their shoulders. All that you can do now isn't hide away. It's to be grounded among your family/friends, comforting each other as the fear of this last battle approaches.
Because remember what starswirl said...if you give discord an opening of any kind, he'll go for it. And unless you can refocus/soothe yourself to being the harmonious magical center again, then no prodding is going to make your crown come on. It just doesn't work that way. So big hug there twilight. Because the moment of truth approaches, in it's dark and chaotic thralls. Prepare thyselves for the everlasting night and the day of chaos.
5222278 Thanks ^^ This book is finally drawing to a close, so I expect a lot of coming excitement.
5278711 Also, uber powered flamethrower=Scary.
5279060 Lol. I can't help but wonder what an actual sound track for this story would be now.
5365514 Indeed. She is pretty awesome in most cases. :)
5366506 White mages get powerful holy magic after all.
5402263 Rarity was a ton of fun to write in this chapter. :)
5404128 She is now her own element.
5416137 Honestly, I haven't seen Korra past season 1. I keep meaning to see the rest, just too busy and netflix doesn't stream it.
5448982 All the jinxs, forever!
5496686 Woot, thanks for catching my mistakes. :) Good to be able to make these stories better.
5503261 Okay, now comes the biggie! Thank you so much for keeping up on the summaries. I won't lie, I have read more than a few of them repeatedly. It feels super amazing to know someone is following the story so closely and examining it all ^^ I can't tell you wen, but on more than a few occasions your guesses have hit it on the head and it has been soooo hard not to spoil anything.
Now, for everyone! I am sorry I've been so slow on responding to comments, I keep meaning to respond to everyone but I've just been so busy and excited that I spend almost all my free time writing. The story is almost to the end so I've been in mega hyperdrive mode writing it(I always get this way near the end). I'll try to keep up better and I am sorry if I missed anyone. I just want you to know I've read through each and every single comment and they have all helped to encourage me to write more of the story even when I was feeling down and drained. So thank you everyone for taking the time and effort.