//------------------------------// // Return of the Wondercolts // Story: The Little Pony Legend: Legend of Everfree // by MaggiesHeartLove //------------------------------// Return of the Wondercolts Korra had to clap her hands hard just to snap everyone out of it. She knew this unexpected surprise would come as a shock to everyone, but good grief she didn't expect them to literally be paralyzed. It's not like they haven't faced worse reformed villains. Twilight was the first to speak, "Oh, Kuvira. Hey, how's it been? You look…" she studied the human from head to toe. Her shock shifted into genuine concern upon seeing the differences between the Kuvira she saw back at the wedding, to right now. "You look, thinner. Are you alright?" The others took notice of this too, and they immediately felt sympathy for the former dictator. They had seen several reformed villains feel regret over their past actions, but it almost seemed as if this woman as just about ready to work herself to death. Even Spike woke up to this and felt sadness for the poor woman. "I'm doing fine,Twilight. Thanks." Kuvira said, completely ignoring the reality of her condition. "Not to sound rude but, why are you here?" Starlight asked, "I mean, is there something we need to know?" "Glad you asked, Starlight." Korra said, wrapping her arm around Kuvira's shoulder and pulling her close, "Kuvira will be joining you and Sunset." And again, the shock expressions returned. The bag, which Mako had taken from the floor, dropped again, his eyes wide once more. "Her?" Sunset said in shock. "Really?" Starlight said in shock. "Now?" Mako said in shock. "When?" Twilight asked. "What?!" everyone said in unison, which didn't make Kuvira feel any better. Korra forced a smile and spoke through gritted teeth, "Guys, a moment, please." using her magic, she levitated Mako, Twilight, Sunset and Starlight out of the room but not before turning her head to Kuvira, "Won't be a moment!" The door closed, leaving Kuvira alone with Flash Sentry and Spike. The little dragon whistled awkwardly with his hands behind his back and Flash cleared his throat. "Congratulations on the baby." Kuvira said, breaking the awkward silence. "Thanks." Flash said, "I'm very excited." More silence followed before Spike spoke, "I like the new braid. Makes you look…very nice." "Thank you." Kuvira said kindly, only for the three to once again look around the castle, avoiding eye contact, trapped in awkward silence. (~) From behind the door, Korra placed the others down, sternly placing her hands on her hips. "Look, I know Kuvira doesn't have the cleanest record right now, but I'd expect you guys to be a little more sympathetic." "Sorry, honey." Mako apologized, "We were just caught off guard. I mean, I know you and Kuvira are old friends, but why are you sending her to the mirror world?" "Yeah, even I have to say that doesn't make sense." Twilight said, "And I know you better than anyone." Korra gave a reassuring smile as she squatted down to the pregnant pony's level. "I know this seems out of the blue, but believe me, I think this would be a good chance for Kuvira to have a fresh start. She's been working herself to the bone doing her community service. A chance of scenery will be good for her." "I appreciate you trying to help out an old friend." Sunset said, "But, I'm still not sure just what we'll encounter when we get back. You really sure this is the best time for her to get back into action?" "She didn't seem to be in the best shape." Starlight said. "Which is why this is exactly the right time for her." Korra said, "She's been beating herself up for what happened to Hiroshi. She's been helping people all over the Earth Kingdom, but it hasn't been doing much for her heart. I think she needs to find the right folks to help out, and I have a very, very good feeling it's our old friends at Canterlot High." Korra gave a wink and Twilight and Mako immediately caught on. "Oooooohh. Now we get it." "I'm still a little lost." said Starlight, only to have her hair ruffled by Korra. "You'll figure it out. It's time for Kuvira to move on. Besides, I'd expect you two would understand her almost as well as I do." Sunset rolled her eyes, "Oh, right. Because we both turned into a crazy power hungry monster?" "That. And also because you were both protégées with teachers who cared about you, but when you didn't get what you wanted when you wanted you turned away from them and--" "Okay, okay, I get it." Sunset said with a pout. Starlight snickered, trying her best to hide it with her hoof. "She's right, you know." Twilight said to the two unicorns, "If anypony besides Korra can understand what Kuvira's going through, it's you too." "Well, we "former bad girls" need to stick together, right?" Starlight said, wrapping her hoof around Sunset. The orange unicorn sighed in defeat, "All right. I guess having a third guest won't be so bad." "Thanks you guys." Korra wrapped her arms around the three ponies. (~) Twilight smiled as she watched her hometown coming into view from the window of the plane. The trip from California was a smooth one, though uneventful, but the thought of seeing her friends again brought her so much joy she could barely contain herself on her seat. "I'm so excited to see everybody again! It's been a while since we've seen them." Flash placed down the magazine he was reading and smiled at his girlfriend, "We saw them last year, Twilight." he said. Twilight gave him an annoyed look and the blue haired boy placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. "Sorry, I know you're excited to see everyone again, I am too. I just feel bad we have to visit in a time of urgency." "Me too. Everything's been going so great for all of us. Applejack, and Pinkie Pie are in Samson University, Rarity's at Fashion School, Rainbow Dash is studying law enforcement, Fluttershy's at vet school, and we're…" "Still together." Flash added, winking at her. Twilight rolled her eyes, but still smiled. "I was going to say music majors back at Melody College in California." "That too." Flash said, only to have Twilight playfully punch his arm. "Well, on the bright side, we do get to see the old team back together again. I'm sure whatever it is that's going on, we'll figure it out." Twilight smiled, only to have it fade into a frown. "What's wrong?" "It's just the nightmares. It's been so long I almost forgot what Midnight Sparkle looked like. Even if I haven't seen her in my dreams in a long time, I still feel she's a part of me." "Don't say that. There is no Midnight Sparkle, there's just you. Besides, what happened at the Friendship Games wasn't your fault. Principal Cinch pressured you into releasing the magic you weren't ready to control." "I know. But it was still partly my fault. I was the one who chose to open that device, and my darkest desires became real. And if these dreams mean that the magic really is back, then wouldn't that mean Midnight Sparkle will come back too?" "No." Flash wrapped his arm around her, pulling her close and she rested her head on his shoulder. "You made a mistake, but the important thing is that you came out stronger from it. It doesn't matter what you did in the past, you're still the most loyal, courageous and kind-hearted person I've ever known. Sure, you can be a bit fiery sometimes, but you've got the biggest heart. Like Sunset once said, none of us are perfect and we can't change what we did in the past, but we can change the future. And no matter what, our friends are always going to be there to support you. And so will I." One of the many things Twilight loved about Flash Sentry, he always knew just what to say to make her feel better. He just loved seeing the ones he cared about happy. He truly was her knight in shinning armor, and not one who would constantly rescue her, but stand side by side with her in battle. "Thanks, Flash. I appreciate it." she cuddled close to him as the plane made its slow descend. (~) "Okay, remember, if anything happens and you need back up, just call on walkie talkie and we'll come as fast we can." Mako instructed as he finished placing the bags onto the two unicorns, who stared at him with deadpan stares. "We'll be fine, Mako." Sunset said, "Let's not forget who helped you take down that giant spirit vine." "I can't help it. Worrying about other people is kind of my thing." Mako admitted, only to have the unicorn hug his leg. "I know, you big old softie." Mako squatted down and hugged her back. "Just be careful, okay?" "I promise." Sunset turned to Starlight, "You ready?" "Been ready since we got here." "Isn't Sunburst coming to see you out?" "We already said bye before he went to work." "Good luck you three." Korra said, placing a hand on Kuvira's shoulder, "You'll be fine." All Kuvira could do was smile in return. She hoped she wouldn't disappoint her friend again. She watched as Starlight and Sunset galloped into the mirror, disappearing into the spinning vortex. Kuvira took in a deep breath and reached out her hand, feeling the pull of the mirror and reeled back. Seeing the confidence in Korra's eyes allowed her to suck it up and go in. With one step she completely submerged herself. It was like diving into a pool of sparkling rainbows. She screamed as she fell, already regretting this decision. Before she knew it, Kuvira made contact with the hard ground. She opened her eyes to see two feet in front of her. Looking up, she saw the now completely human selves of Starlight Glimmer and Sunset Shimmer. Both lacked a horn, ears and tails, and their proportions were a lot rounded, and somewhat flat looking. Their heads were slightly bigger, as were their eyes. They both helped Kuvira stand back up, and she too noticed the change in her body. She spun around to see her reflection in the base of a statue with a horse. Her head became slightly bigger compared to her body, as well as her eyes, though they still looked slender. Her hair was in a braid and wore a green shirt over a longer sleeves black one, and black pants with brown colored boots. Around her wrists were silver bracelets and a pair of earrings on her ears. "Wow…" she said, gazing at her new transformation. "Yeah, that happens." Starlight said. Sunset Shimmer turned around, seeing the place where her adventures truly began. Memories flooded back like a tidal wave. When she first arrived here, she had such selfish motives, but after a while, she made genuine friends and found a new path for herself. Even if this place didn't last being her home, she wouldn't trade the years she spent here for anything in the world. The school still looked as majestic as it always did. She could already picture all of her former classmates walking outside, talking and laughing. In fact, in this very spot was where some of the epic magical battles happened. The first was during the Fall Formal, and the third during the Friendship Games. Even now, she still couldn't believe how far she had come. Starlight happily watched her friend tear up at all of the found memories and placed a hand on her shoulder. "So, this was your home, right?" Kuvira asked, looking at the high school before her, which resembled the vast Equestrian capital kingdom in many aspects. "It sure was." Sunset replied, still chocked up on the nostalgia. "Do the others know we're here already?" Starlight asked. The sound of a horn honking caught them off guard, and Kuvira quickly took on a fighting stance. The sound came from a convertible, driven by Applejack. On the back of the car were Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy, Rarity and Rainbow Dash, all happily waving at their friends. "Starlight! Sunset!" Pinkie Pie called out. "That's a yes." Sunset replied. The two unicorns-now turned humans, ran to greet their friends, who enwrapped them in a group hug so tight Starlight could hardly breath. None the less, it sure was great to see them again. "It's been so long, Starlight!" Rarity said, still looking as fabulous as ever, "You look smashing!" "Thanks, so do you." Pinkie Pie hugged Sunset tightly, "We missed you sooooooooooo much! It feels like years!" "We saw each other last year, Pinkie Pie." Sunset said, but didn't bother shaking the lovable pink girl. She always did enjoy Pinkie's loving hugs. "She's right." Rainbow Dash said, "I know it hasn't been long, but with how murderous school's been lately, I feel like I've been there for at least a decade." "Well, you were the one who decided to study law enforcement." Fluttershy pointed out. "I never said I regretted it. I'm just glad I could finally take some time off after finals." Applejack then tapped on Sunset's shoulder, "Uh, who's the new girl?" All eyes fell on Kuvira, who had been silent the entire time. She was still very amazed at how similar they appeared from the ponies back home. All they were missing were the pony features, Korra and Twilight and it'd be like she was back home. Then again, these girls were still different from their pony counterparts. Maybe it wouldn't be so bad to make friends with them after all. Sunset led the earthbender to the others. "Everyone, this is Kuvira. She's…an old friend of Korra's. She's going to help us." Kuvira's heart raced rapidly once she took notice of the sudden awkward looks in their eyes. She could only assume they have heard about her. "It's nice to meet you all." she finally voiced out, foolishly hoping they wouldn't bombard her with questions. The rest of the girls suddenly felt very awkward. Their eyes wide in shock and giving each other an awkward glance. "Kuvira?" Rainbow repeated, "As in the chick who literally mind wiped Korra, practically enslaved the Earth Kingdom, teamed up with the sirens and literally destroyed Republic City with a giant robot machine powered by spirit vines and dark siren magic, while becoming a siren monster herself?!" "So, you've heard of me then." Kuvira said. So much for a fresh start. Even here people still saw her for her mistakes. Again, not that she could blame them. Sunset blushed and scratched the back of her neck, "I may have mentioned a few things when I told them I was writing about it." Kuvira sighed, hanging her head down in shame. "Yes, and no words can express how much I regret my actions." she said, "I don't blame any of you for not trusting me. I wouldn't trust me either. I was…foolish, and arrogant and too ambitious for my own good. Ever since then, I've been paying my debt to society. That's also why I'm here. Princess Korra sent me to help Sunset and Starlight. I won't ask you for your friendship, but I hope you can at least give me a chance to help in any way I can." Fluttershy placed her hand over her heart. "Oh, you poor thing." the pink-haired girl wrapped her arms around Kuvira in a loving embrace. "I can only imagine how awful you must feel. But don't worry you're in good hands with us." she turned to glare at one of her friends. "Right, Rainbow Dash?" "Well…." the blue skinned girl paused for a moment, only to be met with more angry glares. "Okay, okay! I guess if we can forgive Sunset for almost trying to destroy us, I don't see why we can't do the same with you. And if Korra and Twilight are willing to give you a second chance, why can't we?" Rainbow Dash offered Kuvira her hand to shake. The earthbender hesitantly took it, and gave it a firm shake. "Thank you." To Kuvira's surprise, she received a hug from human world Pinkie Pie. "Welcome to the club, sister!" "Oh, darling, you look so thin!" Rarity said, inspecting the woman's body, "Come on, we're going to pick up Twilight and Flash at the airport. We'll get you something to eat on the way." Kuvira complied as she got into the car, sitting alongside the others. It had been literally a few minutes, but these girls were already treating her like one of their own. Albeit with a slight bump in the road. Still, Kuvira tried not to get her hopes too high. As the others got into the car, Kuvira stopped Sunset and whispered into her ear. "You wouldn't happened to have mentioned about…?" "No. I didn't have the heart." Sunset replied back in a whisper and placed a hand on Kuvira's shoulder, "Don't worry. I won't say anything." The earthbender nodded in gratitude. While she didn't like the idea of hiding this from them, it was still a relief to know that they wouldn't hang it over her head. She was already doing a pretty good job at it herself. This was her chance to really make it up to Korra and the others for what she did. She hoped she wouldn't disappoint. (~) "Flight 17 to Hong Kong, now boarding." "About time we got here. That room with all the other pets was way too crowded." Spike said, still inside his carrier cage, which was being held up by Twilight. She opened it and allowed her talking pooch to walk out. Spike had grown a bit over the years, while still not as large, he was definitely bigger compared to how he was back in Canterlot High. "I know, Spike. But you know the plane doesn't allow for pets to sit with the passengers." "Well, then they should definitely change that law." Flash Sentry walked up to the two, handing his girlfriend her bag. "Here you go, Twilight." "Thanks. Did you text the girls?" "Yeah, they'll be here in twenty minutes." The two walked out of the airport, hand in hand, with their luggage, only to be startled by an explosion of confetti showering all over them. "Twilight Sparkle! Flash Sentry! Over here!" Pinkie Pie called out, so loud several by passers had to cover their ears. "Make that two seconds." Flash said while removing the streamers from his hair. "How'd you get here so fast?" Twilight asked, both surprised by undeniably happy. "We wanted to surprise ya'll." Applejack said Pinkie Pie popped out from behind the couple, "Surprise!" Spike barked happily and leaped into Fluttershy's arms. Twilight and Flash were met with bright smiles and warm hugs from their old high school friends. Sunset Shimmer and Twilight shared a sisterly hug. "It's so great to see you again, Twilight." "It's great to see you too." Twilight was especially surprised to see a familiar purple/aquamarine haired girl. "Starlight Glimmer? Is that you?" "The one and only!" the two friends hugged. "You haven't changed a bit." "I could say the same thing. Still with the glasses I see." "I thought about getting contacts, but they're just way too itchy." Kuvira watched as the group greeted their old friends. Just like before, these two looked so much like her world's version of Twilight and Flash Sentry. Sounded like them acted like them, minus this Twilight having glasses of course. She wondered if they knew about her past actions as well. Twilight finally noticed Kuvira and greeted her politely. "Oh, hi. I don't believe we've meet. I'm Twilight Sparkle, and you are?" The woman bit her bottom lip before answering. "I'm…Kuvira." Just as she expected, at the mention of her name, this world's Twilight became awkward and uncertain. "Oh, uh, Kuvira. Right, Sunset's mentioned you before." "I'm sure she has." Kuvira said sadly. Twilight nervously adjusted her glasses, "So, what brings you here?" "Princess Korra thought I could be of help to you, and I hope to be." Kuvira replied, her voice sounded so…drained and almost lifeless. Like the life of slowly being withered away. Twilight blinked, putting the pieces together in her mind. "Oh. I see. How is she, by the way?" "She's doing alright. Has her hands full with the baby." "I'll bet." It was then that Spike came up and barked at Kuvira, wagging his tail and raising his paws up. Kuvira smiled at the little creature and, by instinct, she picked him up. "I'm assuming this little fella is Spike, right?" she scratched the little dog's ears, which only made his tail wag faster. "Yep. Nice to meet you." he said right before licking her face. For the first time in a long time, Kuvira actually giggled. "Okay, okay, that tickles!" Sunset and Starlight smiled at the scene. Slowly, but surely, Kuvira was stepping out of her cold dark shell. Maybe Korra really was onto something. Maybe this was exactly the kind of change Kuvira needed after all. (~)