//------------------------------//
// Two-on-Two 
// Story: The Little Pony Legend: Shadow of Ronin 
// by MyEcho4 
//------------------------------//


Two-on-Two


"For the last time, Chi, No!" said Nova as he levitated several books of a shelf. "I don't need their help!"

"Yes, you do!" Chi exclaimed, shifting into her human form. She appeared as a fourteen-year-old girl with a white dress, adorned with a ribbon tied behind her back and was barefoot. In the middle of her dress was the image of two comets swirling around a blue fox head. On her neck, was the lunar collar from when she was a fox but now was a necklace. Beneath her dress, she had on a pair of black skin-tight fitting shorts. Her lips were a dark viridian blue and Her violet eyes remained the same, but her hair was now a much darker shade in comparison to her light blue skin. Her hair was shoulder length and slightly unkept but still presetable enough with a single strand sticking out of the bunch. She flew towards the pony, landing in front of him.

"Bro, you saw what Kage is capable of. Heck, he's probably caught onto our facade by now and is planning on turning Equestria upside down just to find that sword."

"Yes, but remember we're the only ones who know where it is." Nova reminded her.

Chi gave a sarcastic chuckle, "Ha, ha, no we don't! We know who has it, but we don't have even the smallest idea on how to find her."

"We have the enchanted map."

"Which is missing a piece! A piece we've spent years trying to find but have had no such luck. You really think we're going to find it now when the world is at stake?"

"That's enough!" Nova exclaimed, causing Chi to clench her fists and stomp her foot on the ground in anger, her blue aura turning a faint red.

"Why are you always so stubborn?!"

"Hey, I learn from the best." said Nova as he closed the last book he had and placed it back on the shelf. "You know where Myths and Tales are?" asked the unicorn. The girl handed him the book he asked for, whcih was on a nearby table. "Thanks." Nova looked back, seeing Chi sit down on a chair, sadly resting her head on a window, which was darkened due to both the curtains, and the fact that it was already dusk.

The unicorn sighed sadly, "Look, I want to stop Ronin just as much as you do, but we can do it without them."

"Why? Because they're friends with Leilani and you still have a beef with her?" Chi stated, making Nova lower his ears close to his head. A look of regret flashed in her eyes. "Look, I know you're still hurt, but if you were willing to put your anger aside to help her lock up Ronin in the first place surely you can do the same again."

Nova spun around, his cape bellowing behind him. "It's not the same this time, Chi. Even if I did want their help you know I can't be around anyone else."

"You can control it. You have before."

"When I was with them last time I could feel it rising."

"Maybe the problem isn't them, maybe the problem is you can't accept the fact that you can't do everything by yourself!"

"Enough!" Nova stomped his hoof onto the floor, causing the wisp to flinch. He panted, his irises shrinking before calming down. He looked away, pulling his hood further over his head. "It's getting late. You should get some rest."

The wisp sighed in defeat when the unicorn gave her the sad eyes. "Yeah. Good night."

"Good night. And please, don't do anything…"

"Stupid?"

"I was going to say "half-witted"." said the sorcerer as he exited. "Sweet dreams."

Chi floated to a corner of the room, which was a hammock with a blanket and pillow for her to sleep in. Nova smiled and softly nodded his head before closing the door to his study. Once the coast was clear, Chi opened one eye. A smirk formed across her face.


(~)


Korra couldn't sleep. She kept tossing and turning in her bed. The events replayed in her mind. Canterlot destroyed, the history of Ronin, his supposed shadow army, it was all hurting her head more than when she was poisoned by Zaheer. Korra looked over to her side, seeing her husband sound asleep. Feeling thankful that her uneasiness didn't wake him. It didn't surprise her, after all, Mako was the kind of man who could sleep through almost anything.

After staring at the ceiling for some time, trying to just close her eyes, Korra decided perhaps from fresh air would help calm her nerves. She quietly got out of bed, but not before placing a gentle kiss on her husband's cheek. The firebender smiled in his sleep.

The princess opened the doors that lead to their bedroom balcony, taking in the cool gentle breeze. It was a full moon tonight, so naturally she felt very much energized. The sky was clear, and the stars could be seen overhead. Before, when she lived in the city during her first time outside of the compound, it was always a bit hard to see the stars due to the city lights. But now, whether it was thanks to the magic of Equestria, or Luna's interference, the stars could be seen clearly every night.

She let out a breath of air as the cool wind blew into her face. It was quite relaxing and it cleared her head of everything that had happened. But sooner or later, It'll have to come back. Other than Ronin and the sword, Korra's concerned was also with Nova himself.

She had only just met him, but she had already develop a bad aftertaste with this unicorn. His animosity towards Leilani indicated there was some bad blood between them. And the alicorn was just standing there taking it. Leilani was much stronger than that, Korra knew it, but maybe whatever happened to the two was more painful than the queen wanted to admit.

After a while, Korra decided to head back inside to try to go back to sleep, but as she turned around a flash of blue appeared behind her. She spun around and took a fighting stance to attack whatever was behind her. She briefly froze upon seeing who, or what, is really was. Standing in front of her was a strange blue colored fox. Korra lowered her defenses and blinked upon seeing the creature. She knew it wasn't a normal fox, or at least none she had ever seen. And given the markings on its fur, as well as the fact a fox was able to reach this high up the balcony, Korra figured it was a spirit of some kind.

The creature rested on the railings of the balcony, and Korra walked towards it, gently petting its head. "Hey there, cutie. Where did you come from?" she asked. The fox looked up and narrowed her eyes at her.

“Don't like being called that huh?”

She shook her head.

“So you're a tough one aren't you?”

She smiled and nodded her head . She looked up into Korra's eyes. They stared at each other for a while until the fox did something that surprised even Korra. It transformed into a small blue creature with white eyes and a blue flame-like aura surrounding it.

"Whoa." Korra whispered. She became entranced by the blue fame and reached out to touch it, but as soon as her hand was inches away, the creature disappeared. Korra snapped out of the trance and looked around to find the creature. She then heard a noise, almost like a giggle. She turned around to see the creature right behind her laughing.

"What's so funny?" Korra asked. It didn't say anything, it only disappeared and reappeared behind the princess. She turned around to see it, moving its tiny hands as if insisting she come closer.

"You want me to follow you?" Korra asked. The creature didn't say anything but nodded it's head and flew towards the portal that rose from a rock that rested on the surface of the bay. The portal that led to Equestria.

"Hey wait!" Korra shouted. She sprouted her wings and flew after the creature into the portal. Logically, it would not be wise to follow a mysterious creature to who-knows-where. Then again, it was an apparent spirit creature, and in Korra's experience, when a spirit comes to the Avatar, it was always for a reason. Perhaps this spirit had an idea as to how they could find what could be their only lead, she couldn't waste it.

Korra kept her eyes on the creature as they flew over the quiet town of Ponyville. She saw Sweet Apple Acres, Rarity's boutique, and Fluttershy's cottage. The creature flew off, only to stop before a row of trees. Korra landed before the creature, noticing where she had led her to.

"The Everfree Forest? Why did you bring me here?" Korra asked the blue creature. But it still didn't say anything. It turned into a fox once more and ran into the dark woods. "Hey! Not again." Korra said as she ran after the creature, but quickly began to lose sight of the fox as it ran farther into the woods.

"Slow down!" She shouted, but it just kept running. "Man, this thing is fast!" Korra thought to herself. She continued running down the woods until she finally lost sight of the creature. Korra soon came to a halt and caught her breath.

"What...is up..with that fox?!" She said between breaths. Once getting her second wind, Korra stood up and looked at her surroundings. She was not familiar with this side of the forest. It wasn't the same as the route that led to Zecora's cottage, nor to the Castle of the two sisters. The princess groaned in frustration.

"Great. I'm lost." she said. "Bet you think this is really funny, huh?" Korra called out, hoping the fox heard her. "Look, I don't know why you wanted me to come here, but if it's just a game I'm not laughing! I've already got too much going on and I don't need some little prankster dragging me across dimensions for a cheap laugh. You hear me?" all she heard was silence. Korra sighed, "Guess there's my answer." She said to herself before opening her wings and attempted to fly back home, only to stop when someone tripped and fell at her feet.

"Ow!"

"Iris?!"

The seven-year-old looked up at her mother and smiled nervously as she stood up. "Hey, mom."

"What are you doing out here at this time of night?!"

"It's not my fault!" Iris said, putting her hands up. "I saw you following the blue fox and I just wanted to know if you were alright."

"So, you followed me into the Everfree Forest? Do you have any idea how dangerous that is?!"

"Not really, you walk in here all the time like it's nothing."

Korra opened her mouth to say something, only to come out empty because, in all honesty, her daughter did make a good point. "Don't sass your mother!"

"I'm sorry." Iris said, hanging her head. "I know I shouldn't have, but when I saw that fox I just...I felt like I had to follow it too. I can't explain it."

Korra could only sigh. She couldn't be mad at her daughter, after all, Iris did inherit her mother' sensitive magical sixth sense, so her feeling compelled to follow a magical creature could sometimes be inevitable for her.

"It's okay, I'm not mad. I'm just…" Korra stopped mid sentence when she heard heard something rustling in the bushes. "Iris, get behind me."

The child quickly complied and rushed to hide behind her mother, gripping her waist, while Korra took her defensive stance. She spotted something move in the shadows.

"Show yourself, right now!" she demanded, a flame formed in her palm and she hurled it at the shadowy figure. The flames illuminated the forest before it diminished.

"OUCH! Watch it, lady!"

"Who's there?" Korra called out.

The creature finally revealed itself, surprising both mother and daughter. It walked out of the forest, only this time it didn't look happy. The flame hit her straight in the tail singing the tip.

"You." Korra said sternly, "Whatever you are. Just what game are you playing here?"

The fox looked at Korra and Iris before the symbol on its head glowed a bright blue light. Korra and Iris covered their eyes from the brightness. Once it cleared they no longer saw the fox from before, but a young girl. She removed some strands of hair to reveal her face. it was the most beautiful, yet adorable girl Korra and Iris have ever seen. She crossed her arms in frustration at the two.

"First off, I'm a wisp!" She said, pointing to herself. "And two; watch where you bend, will ya?! You almost burned my butt off!" She said as she tried to wipe off the burn mark on the back of her dress.

"It was you…" Iris said as she walked towards the girl. "You were the fox I saw the other day. I knew I wasn't crazy!"

"Bingo!" said the blue girl. "And I was pretty worried that you wouldn't follow your mom for a second, but like mother like daughter I guess."

"Wait. You've been spying on my daughter?!" Korra exclaimed.

"Okay, chill Ma'am." said the wisp. "It was more of...observing." the wisp smiled at the young girl, who shyly waved back. Iris couldn't explain fully why, but...she felt she could trust this mysterious girl. Something about her made her feel trustworthy.

"Listen….Uhh..." Korra trailed off, realizing she still didn't know her name.

"Chi." said the creature. "My name is Chi."

"I'm Iris." said the princess as she held her hand out. "Nice to meet you, Chi. Awesome name."

"Aww. Thanks!" said the wisp as she kindly returned the gesture. "So is yours. At least someone is polite around here." she glared at the Avatar while saying the last part.

Korra was beginning to lose her cool as her eye twitched a little. "Listen you Lisp."

"Wisp." she corrected. "Seriously, people, it's not that hard."

"Whatever!" Korra exclaimed causing the girls to flinch. "I don't have time for your games right now. I've had a really crazy day, so unless you brought us out here for a reason, we are leav-"

"Wait!" Chi suddenly appeared right in front of Korra, a few inches from the older woman's face. "I'm sorry, it's just….." she trailed off, not wanting to expose any more secrets. She sighed "Just follow me. I promise all of your questions will be answered." Chi said walking in front of the two.

Korra glared at the wisp before looking down at her daughter. She really didn't want to walk around with the smart mouth wisp girl or whatever she was, but If it meant finding their way back home, what choice do they have?

"Hold on to my hand, Iris." Korra said as she held her hand and followed behind the creature.

The two walked for what felt like hours on end. Slowly growing tired and Iris was beginning to stumble behind. Korra saw this and carried her child the rest of the way. Unlike the others, Chi kept on walking without breaking a sweat.

"You could slow down you know!" Korra shouted to the creature, already growing impatient with her.

"Or you could keep up!" Chi retorted. "Were almost here anyway."

Korra growled in frustration. "Don't be so hard on her, mom." Iris said. "She just wants to help. Besides, isn't that kind of how you acted when you were a kid?"

Korra couldn't help but chuckle at her daughter's remark. She had admit, Iris had a valid point. "Yeah. I guess you're-Wait, how did you….Your father and I are going to have a long talk about in the morning."

At last, the trio finally made it to their destination. A large boulder. Chi managed to remove the smaller rock, revealing a secret pathway. Iris peeked her head inside.

"It's a tunnel." said the young princess.

"Yep. My brother and I use it to get to our place. It leads past right underneath the castle of the two sisters. Come on." Chi floated into the hole, with Korra and Iris following close behind. The opening was a bit smaller for Korra, but she still managed to go in. However, as she walked down on all fours, she felt her hand touch nothing but air and nearly fell had not for her wings to keep her balanced. The same was said for Iris, who flew beside her mother.

Chi led them downwards, and the mother, daughter duo followed her into the tunnel. Korra used her firebending as their source of light, holding her daughter close. Once they arrived at the end, Chi opened a lid from the top and the tip flew out.

Korra and Iris flew upwards and landed onto the other side. It appeared to be some kind of underground tavern, the walls made out entirely from the rocks under the earth. Candles and torches of bright amber kept the place illuminated. A wooden table stood in the center, along with only two wooden chairs, a cauldron with a fireplace, and a shelf with kitchen utensils and jars of the most peculiar looking substances Korra had ever seen. They appeared to be herbs or potions.

Chi brought them to a wooden door. The wisp open it, revealing yet another room, also illuminated by torches on the walls. Once they walked inside, Korra and Iris saw various objects inside. It appeared to be some kind of treasure or antiques chamber, filled with all kinds of objects and weapons Korra could have spotted in a museum.

Iris curiously approached some of the ancient looking tapestries, which were covered in dust. She coughed once the dust rose up after having given it a gentle tap. "Iris, don't touch anything." Korra said. "We don't know what these things are."

"Oh, don't worry, they're just old relics Nova keeps in here. This entire room is packed with all sorts of treasures from his home village." Chi explained, tracing the surface of a nearby spear.

Indeed, the room was filled with an assortment of treasures, from chests, to tapestries, old furniture, spears and weapons, even what appeared to be animal totems on a shelf. Korra instantly knew that Twilight would have adored all of this. The only thing killing the scenery though were the multitude of cobwebs and dust all over the place. Korra felt her nose itch and let out a sneeze, which she quickly covered with her hand.

Iris looked over at one part of a wall that had several tapestries hanging from it. In the center was a picture of what looked like a flower. It had five petals that formed the shape of a star and was white which transition into a light blue and had a green stem with a purple spud on the top. Hanging from half way on the right side was what looked like a bud that was beginning to bloom.

"Cool Flower." said Iris.

"Thanks!" said Chi as she flew over and landed beside Iris. "I drew this myself. Not the best drawing I've done but hey, whatca gonna do?"

Korra walked over to get a closer look at it. "I've never seen this flower before. Back home or in Equestria."

“Whats the name of it? I could probably ask Aunt Twilight to see if she knows of the flower.” Iris suggested.

“Yeah. Good luck with that. This flower doesn't really have a name. Its an endangered species. I only saw one in my 1,700 years of life. That was sometime before Tirek came around. Never saw one again.”



"Wait. Tirek?" Iris asked. "You know him?"

"Sort of." She said having a hint of sadness in her voice. Before anyone could ask, Iris felt a small tingle on her nose and let a small sneeze.

“Oh. Sorry about the mess. We haven't been able to clean the place up much." Chi said, "Nova and I are often on the road half the time, and he always just uses a cleaning spell to tidy it up. Guess he was too upset to do that today."

"How do you know Nova?" Korra asked.

Chi's eyes fell to the floor and then floated towards a tapestry which depicted an image of Tirek attack what appeared to be some kind of forest. With a powerful tug, Chi yanked the tapestry off, revealing another one behind it.

The image depicted what appeared to be some kind of ancient civilization of unicorns. However, there were various characteristics that made them distinct. Their tails appeared partly lion-like, and their horns were partly curved. On their hooves were cuffs of hair, and their coats consisted more of wintery colors such as black, blue, whites and purple. Their cutie marks all consisted of a more cosmic theme, such as stars, comets and even water.

Korra's hand reached out, tracing her fingers across the surface. "Who are they?"

"That's the Sorcerer Village." Chi replied.

"Sorcerer Village?" Korra repeated. "I've never read anything about that in Equestrian History."

"That's because it's not in the history books." Chi said. "Many moons ago, there once was an ancient group of powerful ponies. Their magic rivaled that of an ordinary unicorn. But after a terrible event they were all wiped out because Equestrians feared their powers."

"Why?"

"At first, ponies were pretty cool with them, but over time, the Sorcerers became prideful in their power and saw the fear in their hearts. Soon after, a small group believed they should be the superior race and formed a rebellion called The Knights of Han, led by the one of the Elder's apprentices, Cosmo Blitz."

"That's terrible!" Iris exclaimed.

"Yeah." Chi said with regret.

"Is that why Nova is so angry?" Iris said, "Because he's a Sorcerer too?"

"Wow. Smart as a whip, this kid." Chi said, impressed.

"She gets it from her father." Korra said, "But why is he so angry with Leilani?"

"Because it's her fault it happened in the first place!" Nova intervened, entering the room via another wooden door. And, judging by the look in his eyes, he didn't look too happy to have unexpected visitors. "What. Are you. Doing?"

"I know you told me not to get involved, but you should know by now, when you tell me not to do something, you're only prompting me to want to do it!"

The unicorn growled in frustration, hoofpalming himself. "Chi, Chi, what am I going to do with you?"

"You're Nova?" Iris asked, peeking from behind her mother and taking one step to face the unicorn.

Nova had never seen a child so up close before. He had seen them, of course, but he never socialized with them at any given time. Not to mention, because of his introverted ways, no child ever said hello to him. Until now.

Iris smiled and offered him her hand politely. "I'm Princess Iris. Nice to meet you."

Nova arched an eyebrow, looking curiously at her hand. Chi zipped by and whispered into his ear. "You're supposed to shake it, genius." she said through gritted teeth and zipped away.

Nova rose up his hoof, hesitantly offering it to Iris, who boldly took it and gave it a firm shake. Nova removed his hoof and stepped back. "Okay, very nice to meet you too. Now leave."

Upon hearing his, very, very rude demands, Korra took her child, narrowing her eyes at the unicorn. "You're not telling us everything." she said.

"I don't have to tell you anything! Leave!" Nova shouted, even stronger than before, his voice echoing. His horn glowed bright. He didn't want to come to this, but he was already growing impatient.

"Nova, stop!" Chi came right in between him and the two princesses, making him reel back. The glowing orb on her chest gave a faint glow and he stopped his spell. He took a few steps back, his ears pressed against his head.

"Chi, how could you do this?"

"I'm sorry, Nova, but you're going to need all the help you can get!" Chi said.

"What are you talking about?" Korra asked, "He knows where the sword is, right?"

Chi placed her hands on her hips, eying Nova. "Tell them the truth. This involves them too. Besides, we're not getting anywhere on our own. Time to make sacrifices."

"Please, Nova?" Iris pleaded, her violet eyes increasing in size, resembling that of an innocent puppy dog. Nova sucked on his lower lip and stomped his hoof impatiently.

"Okay, fine! The truth is….I don't know where the sword is."

"WHAT?!" Korra exclaimed in shock. "Then how do you expect to defeat Ronin without it?!"

"I'm looking for it!"

"He's been looking for decades." Chi said.

Korra tilted her head back in sarcastic laughter, "Ha! Oh, great, so you just figured, what, after constantly searching for a sword you could never find in years, you're suddenly gonna bump into it now that Ronin's out and about and everything will be fine and dandy?"

"That was the plan." Nova said.

Korra blinked and face palmed herself. "Okay. I've heard some, very, very poorly thought out plans in my life, but this...this is new levels of borderline stupid."

Chi blinked in surprise. "I think I'm starting to like you."

Nova shook his head, and stomped is hoof. "Look, I know where the sword is! I just...don't know where it is now."

"You're not making any sense." Korra said.

Nova sighed, "As Leilani told you, the Twilight Blade was forged by Madam Alpha to be used as a weapon for good. StarSwirl got cocky and used it to eliminate all dark magic--"

"Which in turn corrupted Sombra, who became evil, took over the Crystal Empire, and was the sword Ronin used to command is Umbra army, blah, blah, blah, I already know." Korra said.

Nova rolled his eyes, "Anyway. Madam Alpha, Leilani and me all created the sealing spell to protect the sword. But, Madam Alpha had a vision that Ronin would come back. So, we switched the real sword with the fake one as trigger to alert me whenever Ronin returned. She kept the sword for safe keeping, and created her own pocket dimension which is never in the same place twice."

"Thus making it harder for Ronin to find it." Korra concluded.

"Bingo! Thankfully, Madam Alpha gave me a map."

"Map?" Korra asked. Nova looked at Chi and nodded at her. Nodding back, Chi flew over to the desk and grabbed a map and brought it over to Nova. He levitated it open and instantly, a hologram of the world appeared. It looked almost like an exact copy of Twilight's map even down to the portal between worlds but the only thing missing is a large piece of the map.

"This will allow me to pinpoint when and where she will appear next. But as you can see, a piece is missing. I've searched and searched all across Equestria, even spent years in your dimension trying to find something to replace the piece."

"But, even if Ronin won't be able to find the blade now, when he gets his full power he'll be able to track it without issue." Korra said.

"I know, I know. We have an advantage on him, there's just no telling how long it will last." he closed the map, "So, now you know the truth. The sword's still out there, and if I don't hurry and find the location, Ronin will beat me to it."

"How long do you think it'll be until Ronin gets his full power?" Korra asked nervously.

"Hard to say. But I don't plan on waiting long enough to find out."

"Finally, we're on the same page." Korra said.

"I'm sorry, we?"

"Yeah. Look, I'm sorry we got off on the wrong hoof, but based on what you told us, we're going to need each other's help now more than ever. one and we have the strength in numbers. Please, reconsider."

"No!" Nova snapped, "I said it once, and I will say it again. I. Don't. Want. Your. Help!"

Korra stood firmly before him, her eyes stern and rather cold. "So, that's it. It's not you don't need our help….you don't want it. Innocent lives are at stake, but if you just want to wallow in your dusty old books like a bratty kid, then that's fine with me. My friends and I have faced tough challenges before, and we'll do it again. With, or without you." Korra took her daughter by the hand. "Come on, Iris, let's go home."

Iris took her mother's hand, sadly waving goodbye to Chi, only for the Avatar to be stopped when Nova let out a haughty laugh. "You think with my help you'll stop Ronin just like that?! Ha! Like I said back at the castle, you've done more bad than good. Like releasing the monster I'm trying to stop. Aang and his team were never this bad, and I didn't even know them. But from what I heard they are what I call heroes. As for you and your 'friends', you're no heroes, you're just nothing but trouble, for all of us. If I could right now I would-"

"Nova!" Chi Exclaimed. Nova looked at her with an angry expression before he remembered Korra was not the only one present. He looked down and saw Iris. The child looked at him in surprise from his outburst from earlier. Once he took a good look at her innocent face, Nova's face softened. He closed his eyes, took a deep breath and calmed down. There was something about her that reminded him a lot of himself from long ago. It was like looking into a mirror, a mirror he thought he would never look into again. After a while, Nova shook his head, snapping himself out of his train of thought and narrowed his eyes at the child's mother once again.

Korra took Iris into her arms and magically teleported themselves out of the room, leaving Nova to wallow in his bitterness.

"You shouldn't have been so rude to them." Chi said, giving him a look of disappointment.. "They just want to help."

"They released Ronin and now armageddon is coming. I think they've helped enough."

Chi flew over to the distraught unicorn and placed a hand on his shoulder. "Nova. You well know you can't do this alone. Releasing Ronin was an accident, they never meant for it to happen in the first place. This is their home and want to do whatever it takes to save it. Can't you see that?"

Nova didn't look at his friend and instead walked to a shelf, levitating several books off. He didn't say a word and proceeded to read.

Chi groaned in frustration. "Nova, you're better than this. You're the smartest pony I know. Please, just give her a chance. I know you hate Leilani right now, but deep down, you know what's the right thing to do." Chi said as she placed her hand on Nova's chest. Even though she could be a bit short tempered, disobedient, even cocky and stubborn, Chi always knew what she was saying when it came to reasoning and comforting. Especially with Nova. She stretched her arms out as she let out a yawn and rubbed her eyes.

"I'm going to bed." Chi said with a hint of sleep. She looked to see Nova not even paying attention to what she said. She sighed and kissed Nova on the cheek, making him freeze in place. "Night, Shady." she said as she flew to her hammock and fell fast asleep. Nova was left alone, deep in thought about what she and the princess said but quickly shook it off and scoffed.

"Why on Earth should I help them?!" He said to himself. "They've caused nothing but trouble! Especially my 'friend' Leilani. Ugh! Even thinking her name makes me want to vomit. Well, not as much as Princess Avatar. That's the stupidest name I have ever heard! She doesn't even deserve to be princess. After all she's done to this world, heck she doesn't even deserve to be Avatar anyway! And now, thanks to her and her stupid, mindless friends, Ronin is free! Ghaa! She says she's done good, all I see is evil. Everyone looking up to her and they see hope. "Oh look there's the Princess Avatar!" "Yay! Princess Avatar Korra is here with her friends to save the day!" "Don't worry, Princess Avatar Korra will save us." Princess this, Avatar that, Hero their, Savior here, Korra KORRA KORRA!" He shouted in fury as he slammed his book closed and threw it against the wall in anger. He breathed heavily sweat pouring down.

"Hey, Mr. Shouts-a-lot" Chi said, appearing behind him. "Could you keep it down? I'm trying to sleep."

Nova calmed down and let out a huge sigh. "Sorry."

Once for certain she was asleep, Nova let out a groan and banged his head on the desk in frustration. As much as he hated to admit it, he had NO idea where to start. Of course he had the map, but he was still missing a piece and the only pony he knew who had it was off the radar. He had no way of contacting her and no idea where she went. How would he be able to find her now with a countdown going on? He had hit a wall. Nova banged his head on the desk. What could he do? All his options were hopeless. Well...there was one more option.

No. Absolutely not. He didn't need their help. Being with them would only cause trouble. If they helped him, they were going to try their very best to alter the mission at hand. He didn't, nor would he ever need their help. But then again, he was stuck and he had no one else to look to, except...her.

Nova looked up from his desk and picked up a drawing beside it. It was a picture of his younger self and an old pony who had a grey beard with a light blue color and a long curved horn. He wore a blue robe and had on a hat with the same symbol as his cutie mark. A crescent moon and three stars. He looked at the picture of him and the old pony, smiling while standing in front of the huge tower. Voices began to echoing in his head as the memory of what happened all those years ago came flooding back…..


……..


"And once you're done moping go pick up the brooms." The pony said. "I want this place spotless!"

"But Master!" The young Nova whined. "Me and Cosmo were going to practice our spell today!"

"Well, maybe you shouldn't have messed with my magic, hmm?" The pony said.

"But-"

The unicorn raised his hoof, silencing the younger one. "Not a word. Keep moping." Nova grumbled and continued his work. The Master unicorn looked on with a stern expression before he face softened. "Nova. You knew better not to touch my stuff without permission, That stuff is dangerous if not controlled properly. You're still young and have much to learn."

"I had everything under control!" Nova retorted. "It was just that stupid broom…"

"You were lucky I was in the other room." the Master said. "If I wasn't here, this could've been much worse. Besides, Having someone else doing your work? That's just a pure sign of laziness. Not the Sorcerer way."

"I just wanted to show you that I could do it all by myself. That I can be just as powerful as you!" Nova said.

The older unicorn shook his head. "You sound just like your father when I taught him. Always wanting to prove himself." He said. "But let me tell you something that I told him, all those years ago." He said. "Those who can, cannot. Only those who cannot can."

Nova looked at his master with a confused expression on his face. "Huh?"

The master chuckled. "He said the same thing too. You'll find out soon enough." He said before remembering something and walked towards a closet. "I've been meaning to give you this. I know it's not till next week, but after this I think I can let this slide" He said as he pulled out a wrapped object from the closet and showed it to the younger pony. "Happy Birthday, Nova."

Nova was quite surprised. His birthday wasn't until next week. Why give him a present now? Regardless, Nova slowly unwrapped it to reveal a box. Nova opened it up to see something amazing inside.

"Wow!" He said in awe. Inside was a brand new coat, dark blue on the outside and purple on the inside. On the back it had a small image of his cutie mark, which shimmered in the light. Nova was amazed by the gift, the details, design, colors. It was perfect. "This is so awesome!"

"I knew you would like it." The master said. There was a knock on the door and the Master went on over to answer it. "Who is it?"

"It's me, Cosmo." a voice said on the other side. "Is Nova there?"

"Yes he is." Said the master. Before he could say anything else he turned his head to see Nova looking sad with his ears lowered, knowing he couldn't go since he still needed to clean up. The Master looked at him and sighed before replying to the pony. "He'll be right out."

Nova looked up in happiness from what the sorcerer said. A big smile appeared on his face and he jumped up and down. "Thank You! Thank You! Thank You!" He said before hugging the sorcerer and grabbing his new coat and a wooden sword and galloped out the door. "I'll be back in time for evening practice!" He shouted as he went off with his friend. The sorcerer only chuckled as he watched his apprentice go off into the village.

"Just like his father." He said before turning around to see the mess and letting out a sigh. "Every last bit of him." He whispered as he levitated a broom out and began sweeping up the broom pieces.


……….


The flashback ended and Nova was still staring at the photo. He slightly chuckled back at memory as he placed it down and looked at his jacket which was hung up. It still looked the same as it did all those years ago. Even the cutie mark shimmering in the moonlight. Nova then remembered the words that his master told him. "Those who can, cannot, but those who cannot, can." When he was young he didn't know what it meant, but now older he knew too well what it meant. He looked back at the picture before letting out a sigh of defeat. There was no other way. He knew what he had to do.

"I'm going to regret this." he said right before he blew out the candle.


(~)