//------------------------------// // The Return of Koh // Story: The Little Pony Legend: A New Beginning // by MaggiesHeartLove //------------------------------// The Return of Koh Nothing about the home had changed since the last time Aang was there. The large, sickly and distorted thick tree trunk was still present, unchanged while the sky above them became a yellowish brown, clouds of thick mist looming overhead. The opening of a cave stood before them beneath the root of the tree. A light wind blew in their direction. “So, this is it.” Mai said, already shuddering. “What are the chances Koh turns out to be awkwardly sweet and funny like the last three?” Nori asked hopefully, tugging into a strand of her purple/green streaked Mane. “Slim to none.” Akari answered, somewhat bluntly. “I thought blunt honesty was Mai’s thing.” Nori said, earning a slightly annoyed glare from Mai. “Okay, Iris, what's the plan?” Gallant asked. Iris tugged on her father’s scarf, taking in a deep breath before addressing to the rest of the team. “We go in." "Could you be a little more specific?" "This place works the same way as the forests. The caves inside are prison cells, so the spirits can't leave unless the Avatar opens the enchanted lock." “Let me guess, your dad came up with the idea?” Chi said, placing one hand in her hip. “No. Actually, it was Lin Beifong.” Iris said, earning a few disturbed looks from the others. "She had a lot of free time after her retirement." “Suddenly, the evil spirit is the least terrifying thing I can think of.” Chi said. "But what are we gonna do if Koh sees you?" Mai asked Iris. "We could just beat him up." Hiro suggested, "I bend a few exploding rocks at em and be all; Bam! Pow! Wham! And we smooth our way right through." the young man did sound effects from his mouth, striking a few poses while doing so. Mai pinched the bridge of her nose. "Either way, we don't have a choice." Akari said, standing next to Iris. "Getting through Koh is the only way to reach the others. Let's all just stick together and if things get hairy, be ready to fight." The team nodded in agreement, despite the shiver going up their spines when they entered the cave. The atmosphere turned even more menacing than the outside world. The darkness took hold the further they traveled down. Iris, Akari and Mai lit the cave with fire, only for Nori to almost scream when she saw what appeared to be a hideous rock, the casting shadows giving the illusion of a distorted face. Akari quickly covered her mouth, stoping the merpony from shrieking. No doubt she would have cause a cave-in with her ear piercing shriek. The inside of the cave had multiple other openings, where the children heard the sound of malevolent screeching, hissing, growling and jaws snapping. The further they went, they noticed the darkness diminishing. Faint light illuminated their pathway, thanks to several of the neon crystals on the walls. Nori briefly stopped, entranced by the stunning stones. "Wow. These are lovely." without much control over her actions, her hand rose up to touch the rock, only to have it slapped away by Iris. "Ouch! Hey!" "Those spirits rocks are radioactive." Iris stated. "Unless you want to get a massive burn reaching from your pinkie finger to your shoulder and then have it crumble into tiny pieces, you stay as far, far away from those things as possible." Nori blinked twice before stepping away from the stones. "This place just keeps getting more and more charming by the minute." "Why would a cave prison that holds the realm's most notorious evil spirit criminals have radioactive gemstones?" Gallant Steed asked, making sure to keep as far enough distance from the rocks as possible. "They're what keep these spirits in their place." Iris said. "Ordinary prison spells weren't enough to hold these guys in, but they have a terrible fear of these rocks that are indigenous only to this part of the Spirit World. My mom enchanted the caves to keep them locked in, while the rocks make sure they don't try any funny business if they manage to break through." "So, even if Koh does see us, he won't be able to follow us." Mai concluded. "Smart thinking there, Iris." "So, these things can burn a spirit?" Gallant asked, feeling somewhat sympathetic at the idea of anyone getting burned and their arm literally fall right off. "Kind of." Iris explained. "While they're not as lethal to spirits as they are to humans, but the pain is so unbearable they'd rather not take that chance. My mom might be firm, but she's not sadistic. Why else do you think she made sure these rocks to remained in this place?" "Good thing too. Wouldn't want someone like Koh rampaging through the streets and stealing people's faces again." Akari said as they made a left turn, walking by several rocks and the radioactive stones minimized in numbers. "Why exactly did he do that?" Hiro asked. "I thought Koh was like a hermit who didn't really bother anyone unless someone ticked him off. Or at least that's what Bumi used to say from the stories his dad told him." "Well, someone definitely tick him off." Chi said. "His mother." Everyone froze in place, minus Iris and Akari. "Say what now?" Hiro asked. "Nova and I heard of that story from some grumpy old baboon once." Chi explained as they walked further along, her eyes rolling at the memory of the unlikable old timer. "It's true, Koh was more of an amoral spirit, but one day he stole the face of a friend of his mother's due to a misunderstanding. Koh, being too proud to admit his slip up, was revoked of his immortal." "Immortal?" Hiro asked. Gallant sighed in exasperation. "You didn't pay attention is history class, did you?" "What? No, no, of course I did." Hiro insisted, chuckling with every other word, folding his arms, trying to act casual and confident. "Heh, yeah. Good times, good times. But, um, maybe refresh my memory a bit?" Gallant sighed, but complied none the less. "There are three types of spirits. Immortals, like Raava, Wan-Shi Tong, Hei-Bai, Princess Yue, among others, they will continue to exist until the end of time. Out of the other spirits, they have the most important jobs that help keep our world in balance. There are Millennial spirits, who live for an unknown number of centuries, but do ultimately face death at some point. Then, there are the Mortal spirits, who's life spans are a bit shorter than Millennials, but still very much longer in comparison to that of a human. Give or take a century or two." "Nova used to be a Millennial spirit before being healed by the Elements of Harmony." Chi said, "That's why he managed to stay alive for this long." "And Ali, Mika and San are mortal spirits." Iris explained. "There are many creatures in Equestria that have similar life spans. Like dragons, which can live for a hundred years once they reach adulthood. Or alicorns like Leilani, Luna and Celestia who have similar life spans." "Or like wisps--like me--who live as long as Millennial spirits do." Chi said. "But yeah, needless to say, Koh was not too happy about being demoted to Millennial, so he kind of went, um…" Chi cringed and scratched the back of her head before saying, "Completely bonkers and took out his anger on the humans, stealing their faces." "That's when our parents swooped in and totally whooped his sorry butt!" Akari said, smiling cockily while simultaneously slicing a tall stalagmite, that was blocking their way, in half with her sword. "Korra removed his powers, and he's been locked up ever since." "Dang. Powerful Magic Mamas don't mess around." Hiro said, absorbing all of this information, referring to not only Koh's mother, but also Iris and Akari's mothers as well. Nori then turned her attention to Chi, "So, if you live are long as Millennial spirits do, does this mean you'll outlive most of us?" The entire group stopped, all turning their attention to the wisp. It was a topic they were already aware of, but never dove much into it on account of they didn't want to think of such a thought. Chi knew that their saddened reactions would be inevitable, but she smiled affectionately none the less. "Yeah." she said, despite her saddened tone, Chi still ruffled Nori's hair affectionately. "But, I've been around for seventeen hundred years. I've seen folks come and go, but I've also seen a lot of their defendants carry on. Nova might not be able to live as long as he used to anymore, but I'm happy he'll be able to grow old with Sunset Shimmer. To me, death is like the end of once chapter, before another begins. My brother Shade might be gone, but if not for him, I wouldn't even be here." Chi said, placing her hand over her chest, manifesting her Sol, which emitted a bright, heavenly blue glow. "His legacy will always live on, even if his body did not. To me, that's so much better than wandering the earth forever. Besides, it doesn't mean I'll never die. One day I will, I'll just get to see all of your kids, grandkids, great-grandkids, and great-great-great-great grandkids before I do. It'll be as if you guys never left. Sure, seeing loved ones come and go sounds like a bummer, but after living with Nova for all that time, I would much rather look on the bright side of it. Besides, any life where I get to stick by you guys, even long after your gone, then that's a life worth living." As expected, tears began to form in the eyes of her friends. Iris was the first to embrace the wisp, crying into her shoulder. "We love you, Chi." "I love you guys, too." Chi cried as well as she was welcomed in a tight embrace by all of her friends. "Well then, we'll make every moment count." Nori said, wiping away her tears with her wrist. "Thanks, Nori. But, how's about we make this moment count and go get the old timers back before the city goes into all out chaos." Chi suggested, making everyone disperse. "You're one to talk." Akari said teasingly. "You're older than most of em combined." "All the more reason for you to listen to me." Chi said, making everyone laugh, only to stop when Iris extended her arm ordering them to stop and hide behind a rock. The group peeked over and saw a massive cave, decorated with what appeared to be a vast treasure of trinkets, old and worn objects that appeared to be wooden cabinets, stuffed dolls with various limbs and button eyes ripped off. Broken lanterns with bits and pieces of the bulbs still remaining, creating a jingling sound when they crashed onto the rocky floor. The cave itself had a row of various other objects, random and completely worthless, yet were placed in such a way it gave the impression they were more valuable than they appeared to be. The kids quickly reeled back in when they heard what sounded like giant centipede legs crawling on the opposite side of the cave. A large shadow loomed over the entire cave, blocking out what little light came peering through the holes above. The kids remained crunched down as their eyes traveled upwards, catching a glimpse of the back of the infamous face stealer himself. Or rather, the former face stealer. His body resembled that of a giant centipede, his legs massive and long they created small punctures in the ground wherever he roamed. The surface of his shell were a dark, red color. Some areas of his shell looked chipped, and even a few of his legs looked as if they were missing. They couldn't see his face, and weren't sure if he even still had a face, but never the less, his presence in of itself was the physical embodiment of nightmare fuel. Especially for anyone who had a phobia of insects. Added with the sound of his moving legs, they heard him humming a wordless tune to himself. His voice as low and sophisticated, merging with the tapping of his legs. He sounded content while rearranging the numerous old materials on his rocky shelves. The cave looked more like a treasure cove than anything, with a number of the radioactive rocks forming an archway over the opening. "I don't see any openings." Akari said, her eyes scouting the cave. "There's too much junk in the way." "Why would a former face stealer have all that stuff?" Mai questioned. "Guess he had to try and steal something." Iris theorized, still studying Koh's movements, who continued to hum to himself while organizing his things. This didn't resemble the horrifying monster Iris had heard before in the past. The sound of a loud yawn filled the cave, nearly shaking it. The kids huddled together, shielding one another from a few tiny pebbles that fell from above, hoping pebbles would be the only things that fell on them. Koh began to move around, encircling his entire body and sinking his head into the center, sighing contently, followed by light breathing. Soft snoring was heard and the kids peeked over the opening, seeing that Koh had fallen asleep. "Well, that was convenient." Hiro whispered. Iris took in a deep breath and slowly walked out from behind the rock, with the rest of her friends following close behind. "Okay, now's our chance. Mai, Hiro, you guys search the left side for the opening. Gallant, Nori, you search the right, Akari, Chi and I will look on the shelves." The team nodded in agreement before dispersing, careful not to step on anything that could awaken Koh. The gigantic spirit slept soundly as Nori and Gallant tiptoed pass him. Nori, momentarily, was distracted by how shinny the surface of his shell was that she could see her own reflection. After one quick hair flip Nori proceeded to help Gallant search for an opening somewhere. Hiro and Mai searched the other side of the cave, carefully walking over the broken objects, tapping the cave walls with their hands. Akai, Chi and Iris flew up to the shelves, looking behind various objects but found no opening whatsoever. After a good ten minutes, Nori, Gallant, Hiro and Mai gathered together beside some old fountain statue of what appeared to be the Painted Lady. Akair, Iris and Chi landed shortly after. "Okay, how is anyone supposed to find anything in this dump?" Mai questioned, already growing more and more frustrated due to their lack of progress. "Maybe Koh covered it up?" Nori asked. "That would make no sense." Gallant said. "If nobody else would enter the cave, why would he seal up the opening?" "Are we even sure we saw an opening?" Hiro questioned. "From what I remember, we saw Koh's cave and then some random green glowing tunnel." Iris pondered for a moment, until her eyes widened in realization. "What if there is no opening?" "So we came here for nothing?" Nori asked, already feeling frustrated. "No. What if our vision wasn't telling us that there was an opening, but that we had to make our own?" "How are we supposed to do that without Koh waking up?" Mai asked. "And how will we even know which area in the cave to start off on?" The cave started to rumble and the sound of tapping centipede legs began to rise up from the ground. "Uh, I think we've got bigger problems right now. Way bigger." Gallant said, his eyes widening. Iris motioned for everyone to hide. The group managed to find a small mountain of trash to hide in. The ponies changed into their anthro forms to pick up less space. Iris was the last to hide when she fell and rolled down the mountain of garbage, only to have her long jacket caught in one of Koh's many large legs. The giant spirit circled around her, grabbing Iris with his many legs before rocketing up into the ceiling, creating a hole on the wall. Akari flew towards the hole, wielding her sword, only to have the opening closed shut in front of her. "What just happened?!" Hiro exclaimed, his eyes practically bulging right out of his head. Akari began hitting the cave with her sword, over and over again, but no trace of the spirit or Iris remained. "No! Iris!" (~) "Help… Help me… please, help me!" Iris's eyes snapped open and she catapulted upright, panting anxiously, her eyes wide and sweat dripping down her neck. Her surroundings had changed drastically. No longer was Iris surrounded by the piles and piles of old, worthless objects, but in what appeared to be some kind of enclosed cave, with old and twisted tree trunks seamlessly merging with the rocks, and little to no light, save for a few of the radioactive rocks above her, creating rays of light that cascaded down upon her. Iris got back on her feet, taking a defensive stance, her eyes darting back and forth, expiring Koh to attempt a surprise attack. "Koh, I know you're here! Show yourself!" Iris felt her heart leap at the sound of cackling echos. "I must say, when I heard there was a new Avatar, I assumed everyone in that ignominious city had finally lost their minds. But, here you are. My dear old friend. It's been a long time." Iris spun around to see Koh emerging from the shadows. She manifested two fire daggers in both hands, clenching her jaw and her wings outstretched in a hostile manner. Koh's face fell as she crawled around her, careful as to not touch the stones above him. "Oh, what a tragedy it is. Centuries ago, people cowered in my name. Now, my legacy has been scorned. Tarnished." his frown morphed into a grin as he chuckled. "But, I must give credit where credit is due. Your mother was, by far, the only Avatar who managed to defeat me. No other Avatar in history had managed to do so." "Where is she?" Iris asked in a venomous tone. "Where are my parents? Where are you keeping my family?" "And what makes you think I would have them?" "How else could you have brought me here? You can create tunnels inside the cave." "Clever girl. Sadly, I can only create them in my own confinement of this wretched prison, and even so I am limited. Not only to that locking spell from your mother, but also because of these stones."Koh said before spitting at one of the said stones. The saliva landed on its surface, causing it to simmer, which made Iris cringe in disgust. "However, I was able to crawl my way into other prisons to take old trinkets from the other spirits. Not the best replacement for my old power, but it helps pass the time. Time… something that was none existent to me, is now a ticking clock that keeps going, and going and going." "Maybe if you hadn't upset your mother you wouldn't even be in this place." Iris sneered. "Oh, dear, sweet mother. We never really did see eye to eye. She was all give, give and give. Always believing humans could be given second chances. No wonder she and your mother got along so well and had the audacity to sentence me to this horrid place." "Because you used to steal from people and never gave them a second chance! You stole the face of Avatar Kuruk's beloved! On their wedding day no less!" "Kuruk was a pompous fool!" Koh shouted, his voice loosing all ounce of sinister suaveness he had previously had as he gained up on Iris, who was pressed against the wall, unintentionally allowing her fears to manifest onto the surface. "He flaunted his Avatar status as a prince would his shinny new crown! He didn't deserve to be rewarded for his arrogance." "It still wasn't fair. If you wanted to teach him a lesson, you could have done so without roping in an innocent woman who did nothing wrong!" Koh growled in anger and whipped his head away from her. "You sound exactly like your mother." his eyes narrowed. "She, and her pony companions have completely turned the world I knew upside down. Everything from my time has changed. Spirits are no longer feared as we once were, but rather we are treated as no different than one's own next door neighbor." "Because that's what we are." Iris stated, her posture relaxing a bit as she continued. "At the end of the day, humans, ponies, spirits, we're not so different. Well, okay, we are different in a lot of ways, but we all play an important part in our world." "Oh? And what part do you play, prey tell?" Koh asked. His smile grew wider upon seeing the frozen look on Iris's face. "The world already has one Avatar to protect it. Why should it require another?" Iris clenched her fists tightly, which only made Koh chuckle louder. "Your mother and her friends are well known throughout the realms for their heroic feats. And, what have you done recently? Break one sword? Assist the elderly? Make a few public appearances? Win a few school competitions? How… normal." Iris's eyes widened in shock. How could he have possibly known about that? Come to think of it, how did he know she was the Avatar if he had never seen her? Where did he hear that from? And, did he say… normal? "Oh, don't get me wrong, those are amazing and everything, they're just… uh… normal, I guess." Iris's eyes widened at recalling how nosy and, even overly excited that unicorn was on the Day of Harmony Celebration, and even how Akhlut became so hostile towards her. It was then, the voice from before suddenly manifested in her mind. That faint voice that kept calling out for help. Could it be possible…? (~) Mai continued to throw random objects onto the side of the cave with her supper strength, while Hiro used his powers to create an opening with his explosions. Mai groaned in frustration. "This is impossible! How are we supposed to find Iris now?" "They couldn't have gotten far." Chi said, floating beside her. "Koh can't escape the cave cause of those rocks." "Akari, any ideas?" Gallant Steed asked, only to see that the alicorn was silent, gazing at some random stone wall. "Uh, Akari? Kars?" Her friend's calls fell upon deff ears as she traced her fingers over the surface of the wall. She kept feeling some kind of tingling feeling. One moment it was faint, the next it was loud and clear, then it disappeared quickly as it came. Akari took in a deep breath as memories came back ……………. Twilight Sparkle waved farewell to her old friend. "See you soon, Korra." "Bye, Twilight." "Bye, Akari!" little Iris waved farewell to the young alicorn pony as she and her mother left Twilight's palace. "Later, Iris!" Akari waved happily before the large golden doors with heart-shaped knobs closed in front of her. She was missing her best friend already. Both mother and daughter retreated to the library, where Twilight organized the shelves. Akari drew circles on the shinny, clean palace floor. "Hey, Mom? How come you can always tell what aunt Korra is feeling?" "The same way you can always tell how Iris is feeling." Twilight replied as she levitated the books in the specific order. "Why do you ask." "I don't know. I mean, I love Iris and all, but our friendship feels… different than you and Aunt Korra's. Not a bad different, but… different." "Good." "Good? Good how?" Twilight ceased her book shelving and turned to face her only daughter. "Korra and I have a special connection that is unique to us. While we still disagree and have different opinions, we always manage to work well together because of those differences. You and Iris share a powerful bond too, but it's not entirely the same as mine and Korra's. It's unique and special for you two, which is a good thing." "So, even if our friendship isn't exactly the same as yours, it's still just as strong?" "Exactly! And it will only grow stronger. Remember, Friendship isn't always easy, but there's no doubt it's worth fighting for. So long as you never give up on each other, there is nothing that can ever tear you apart." ……………. Akari's eyes snapped open, the epiphany hitting her hard like an earthbender receiving a rock to the head during a pro-bending match. "I know how we can find Iris!" "How?" Chi asked. "We're the Elements of Harmony. All seven of us. If we can connect with the original Elements to figure out where they are, we can do the same and find Iris." "But, we've never tried that before." Mai said, "How will we even know if it will work?" "It will. Trust me." Akari extended both her hands towards her friends. Gallant and Chi were the two first to grab them, and before long everyone gathered in a circle. "So, how's this supposed to work?" Hiro asked. "Think about Iris." Akari instructed. "Concentrate on our friendship." she and everyone closed their eyes, pouring all of their thoughts and emotions onto locating their friend. Akari whispered to herself, "Please… help us find her." (~) Iris was already becoming restless. Having the gigantic bug-like spirit circling around her made her feel as if the walls were closing in on her. Clearly, this ancient spirit knew very little about personal space. "Last warning, Koh! Release me this instant or I'll--" "You'll what? Use your Avatar State? Remove my powers? Your mother already beat you to it. In fact, she beat you to a lot of things, hasn't she?" Iris's anger boiled and she unleashed a stream of fire at the spirit, to which had no effect on him whatsoever. Koh laughed, his chuckles echoing within the cave. "You're envious of your mother. You want to feel as important as she is. So much so that even the tiniest acts of kindness never feels like it's enough for you, is it?" "Stop it!" Iris's hands trembled. She could feel his words digging into her brain like a nail being hammered into wood. "You can't hide it, child. I may not be able to steal faces anymore… but I can read them as flawlessly as you read the pages from a book." Koh crawled up from behind her, gently lifting up her chin with one of his legs, making the young princess feel even more uncomfortable. "All your life, you've lived in your mother's shadow. Adoring her, hoping that one day, somehow, you would be as heroic and wise as she is. But, no matter how hard you try, you still feel so far, far away from even so much as touching the tap of her high pedestal." Koh continued to crawl around Iris, making her feel even smaller than she already did. "You even go so far as to use the "Friendship" concept as a way to fool yourself into believing your motivations are valid. When, deep down, they're out of petty selfishness. A need to feel on par with the rest of your family. Your own need to feel special, when really, the only special thing about you are those brightly colored wings." Iris snapped the leg away, "No! That's not true! You don't know what you're talking about!" "You really believe that by having these new powers you suddenly found your destiny? Now that you have them, you don't even know how they work. You don't know how to control the Avatar State, and you can only bend one element at a beginner's level. Your friends managed to do more than you have on this entire journey. How can you say you're special if you can't even be a true leader?" Koh said, though given his tone he was not congratulating Iris, but evidently taunting her. Reading her emotions, her fears, her insecurities was as easy as stepping in and out of a room. Iris shook her head, trying to debunk all Koh was saying. But, deep down inside, Iris knew the words he said were not entirely false. But, could it be true that, all this time… Iris only wanted to be like Korra so she cold feel important? On the same level as her mother? Was that really all she wanted? She had to be chosen as the Avatar for a reason, right? She clearly had a vital role to play. But… was it really out of a selfish need? Was this really the whole reason why she wanted to find her purpose so much? Was she even worthy to have these powers after all? Or, was it really just out of blood relation and…nothing more? The cave suddenly began to tremble, pebbles and rocks fell from above, even Koh himself looked startled. "What is the meaning of this?" he asked, distancing himself from Iris, who's cutie mark suddenly started to glow. The side of the cave bursted open, revealing Hiro to have earthbended a tunnel, and exploded an opening. They were able to locate the tunnel from which Iris was being held captive. Their connection worked after all! Akari, Nori, Gallant, Mai and Chi leaped out of the opening, with Akari wielding her sword and Chi having morphed her arm into a sword again. "Iris!" "Akari! Guys!" Gallant leaped into the air and unleashed a powerful gust of wind at Koh, pushing him back while Nori used her pearl shells to slice the stones right out from above, causing them to drop all over the spirit. The burning sensation made him scream and screech in pain. Akari grabbed Iris by the arm, the poor half alicorn was still too overwhelmed with uncertainty to even move. "Hiro, now!" At her command, Hiro earthbended a tunnel for them to go into. The children ran into the cave, while Koh managed to shake the stones off of him. He sneered and crawled after them, piecing through the opening like a wrecking ball. The cave trembled, rocks and dust falling all around the kids. Koh was fast approaching and the kids ran off, knowing their bending wouldn't work on him. Hiro kept earthbending through the tunnel, until they saw and opening, illuminated by more of the rocks. "There's the exit! Come on!" "You wretched children!" Koh exclaimed, coming in faster and faster, the opening barely out of arm's reach. Nori immediately got an idea and created a large flat pearl and hopped on it as if it were a surfboard. "Everybody, get on!" The rest of the group complied and Nori made the pearl slide farther and farther towards the entrance, where they roared into the air for a while, sliding downwards from a slippery hill slope, while Koh halted at the entrance, seeing more of the stones around it. The kids yelled and screamed as they speeded downwards until they finally stopped at the end. Nori made her pearl disappear and everyone breathed a sigh of relief. "We'll meet again, Avatar!" Koh warned from the opening. "This isn't over!" with that, he sealed the opening and retreated back to his collection of junk. Iris had landed on the ground, breathing a sigh of relief. Or, rather, half of relief, before being helped back up by Akari. "You okay?" "Yeah. How did you guys find me?" "Don't you remember the stories? The Elements of Harmony are connected." Akari proudly motioned to the rest of the team. "Once we focused our magic on yours, we were able to locate you." Iris stared at her friends in astonishment. They were able to locate her, just as well as Twilight and the rest of the Ponies could do to locate Korra whenever she was in danger. While she was grateful that they had found and rescued her from Koh, his words still lingered in her mind. It made it difficult for her to properly celebrate her friend's accomplishments. Iris managed to force herself to smile, despite her own spirits feeling down. "I'm proud of you guys." she said, though Akari looked rather concerned upon hearing her tone. "We should get moving." Iris said, turning around and marching onwards. "We're almost there." (~)