A dimensional portal ripped through the fabric of space-time into Sunset’s living room - which, given the minuscule size of her house, meant it took up most the space between the couch and the TV. Sunset, Twilight, Rainbow Dash, and Lyra all walked through the ring laughing.
“It’s always such a delight to visit the mushroom people!” Twilight managed as the portal popped shut. “So cute!”
“I got a video of the one doing the dance!” Rainbow Dash said, holding out her phone. “So sweet.”
“Not ‘awesome’?” Sunset ribbed.
Rainbow Dash raised an eyebrow. “Well, it’s that too. But that goes without saying.”
“Then why do you say it so much?”
Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes. “Because. It’s awesome.”
There was silence for a couple seconds. Lyra broke the silence with a slight snicker, sending everyone into a collective laughing fit lasting for at least a minute. They stopped only because they were starting to run out of breath.
Sunset fell onto the couch. “So, you girls want anything? I’ve got some of those amazing pocket nacho things.”
“You’re the only one who thinks those are amazing,” Lyra said.
“I’ve got other food, if you don’t want that, yeesh.”
Twilight shook her head while fingering her necklace. “Sorry, I’ve got a trip to NASA tomorrow, need extra sleep for it. Can’t stay.”
“I drank far too many of those shakes, not hungry.” Rainbow Dash laughed – then belched loud enough to knock herself over. “Ow.”
Sunset turned to Lyra. “What about you?”
“Uh… Will you be mad if I say I wanted to eat with my folks tonight?”
“Not at all,” Sunset said. “It’s okay, I shouldn’t expect you all to stick around every time. See you next week!”
Twilight waved. “See you!”
Soon, Sunset was the only human being in her house. She took in a deep breath, leaned deeply into the couch, and grabbed the remote. She pointed it at the TV, ready to turn it on and gel over random entertainment until she fell asleep, but something stopped her. She found herself staring at the remote’s power button, contemplating how it turned things on and off. If she turned the TV on, she turned her brain off. That probably wasn’t good, come to think of it. But if she didn’t she’d just have to realize that she was completely alone in this house.
Too late, she thought. She set the remote down and looked around the living room. The furnishings were simple and uninspired – a clock, a couch, a TV, and a random painting Sunset had hung without much thought. Pinkie had given it to her. It was of a beautiful woman made entirely of fire writing in a study, herself as the only source of light in the canvas. Knowing Pinkie, this could be the most in-depth and meaningful painting on the planet, or it was just random. There was no telling with her.
The clock ticked.
Sunset stood up, deciding not to watch TV. She couldn’t waste her mind all summer. She had a big project ahead of her. One I could be working on right now, come to think of it. She set out across her small house, entering what had once had the dual function of a dining room and schoolwork space. These days, it was a place to store all her designs. The walls were covered in equations, schematics, and random musings written in hasty handwriting. Most of the scrawling only she could read, the rest was by Twilight’s much neater hand.
She set her hand on the biggest sheet of paper, placed in an honorable position atop the round oak table. Two arched spikes, connected to each other through the ground. The perfect shape to tear a hole in reality, angled for maximum focus at the center, and yet separated like two lines ready to open a set of double doors. She was certain this was the basic design, and she knew she could make it work… with magic.
It wasn’t a question of power – she was certain a small power plant could form a connection to Equestria easily enough – it was a question of methods. In their experiments, Sunset and Twilight had discovered how the spell opened a portal. Regardless of if it was attached to the Mirror Portal or just summoned on the spot, the spell always manipulated gravity forcefully, drawing the fabric of space-time to a single point then pushing. The pushing part was difficult enough to understand, but it wasn’t the problem. It was the manipulation of gravity. She had no idea if that was even possible without magic.
She looked for her notes on the subject. They weren’t where she left them. Somebody had probably come in here and messed it up. Primary suspect: Rainbow Dash. As if it could be anybody else. That girl never listened…
Sunset found the notes on the floor after a few minutes of searching. Forgetting her momentary annoyance with Rainbow Dash, she was absorbed in her own musings…
Gravity cannot be bent with known technology or materials. Quantum mechanics has not identified a graviton, so it’s impossible to even start work on that. Controlled gravity surge with mass would not function. Wormholes are a possibility, but negative mass has not been proven. Consider attempting to create some with magic as a proof-of-concept, then work backwards. Alternatively, find a universe with highly advanced technology and convince them to answer some questions or provide assistance.
Now there was an idea. The only problem was they hadn’t found any universes with advanced technology yet. They’d found plenty of worlds with high magic that had gone to the moon and other planets within the system, but the best non-magical world they’d found was a bunch of strange furred creatures living on two different planets that were essentially just Earth and Mars analogs. No teleportation, no gravity manipulation, no wormholes.
Apparently similar universes were clustered together. Most of the other universes Sunset and her friends – and the ponies in Equestria – had explored were simply different versions of Equestria itself. Earth was a bit of an oddball, though there were a few other Equestrias with copies of it as well. And yet, no two universes were exactly the same… Just similar. Some more than others. Even the demon’s jungle resembled prehistoric Equestria. Then there were the occasional oddballs like the worlds with the mushroom people…
But if she believed anything, it was that the multiverse was a lot bigger than what they’d seen.
She pulled out another piece of paper, examining the ‘map’ created of explored universes, a bunch of dots with labels connected by lines of a length determined by the energy required to travel. Some of the lines squiggled since the numbers didn’t line up properly on a two-dimensional surface, but the idea was the same. Most everything was clustered around Equestria and Earth, with a couple more distant worlds, Ardent being the furthest away. The place where she’d seen that mask…
She pushed the thought of the evil out of her mind. If she wanted to find more advanced technology, she’d have to go further out. She pulled one of the portal-devices out of her pocket and twisted some of the dials, testing out some of the connections, letting it drain some power from her necklace for a moment. It lit up green, displaying how much energy it was using to connect to… She checked her list of coordinates. The world of doublespeak liars.
“Yeah, let’s not go there,” she muttered to herself. She flipped open a large magical journal, laying it flat. The most recent message she’d received from Twilight was a table with a few more world coordinates, most untested. She plugged one at random into the device…
It turned red.
Not enough power.
Sunset grinned, tucking the journal into her jacket and allowing the device to draw more power from her necklace. The device couldn’t drain the relic completely; the magics were too fundamental for that. But it took five whole minutes to power it up to green.
She looked at it, curious.
This would lead her somewhere far away. It was using more power than Ardent by a fair margin, not quite double.
Sunset glanced out the window. The sun was setting. Was she really going to go to another world, all on her own, this late? She felt like that would be irresponsible, even though she had literally no responsibilities. She didn’t work tomorrow, her friends were out doing things…
She shrugged, holding the device out and activating it. The surge of energy blew several of her papers around, driving Sunset even further up the wall.
“You know what? I’ll clean that later.”
She looked through the portal, glad that these direct rips in space-time weren’t as mysterious about the destination as the Mirror Portal’s connections, although they definitely weren’t as permanent. The sky through the portal was red and something fiery was flying through the sky. The world was that of a city filled with many stone buildings, though the roads weren’t paved.
She likely wasn’t going to find what she was looking for here.
But the fiery object in the sky was enticing… There was no way she could just close the portal now and not have a closer look.
She stepped in.
~~~
In a world where the sky was red and the earth was made of pillars, two men fought.
One was a tall man with a body fit for an emperor. His muscles tensed and his hair whirled as he shot his hands forward, unleashing a torrent of fire from within brighter than the cosmic blaze from above.
His blaze hit a shell of carefully constructed rock, shattering it and revealing the occupant inside. The target was little more than a boy cowering in a defensive posture, blowing air from his body to keep the licking flames from burning him. He was covered with blue arrow tattoos that pointed to his hands, feet, and forehead; the latter matching the creases formed in his face from his intense concentration.
The fire pushed him back into the stone pillar, a blunt point ramming into his back where a scar interrupted the flow of the tattoos. The sharp pain awoke something within him that had been lost. Energy flowed through his body freely where once it had been blocked.
The fiery man stood tall over the rubble, taunting the boy. “Come on out, Avatar! You can’t hide in there forever!” He smirked slightly, continuing his berating, oblivious to the energy shifting beneath the rubble.
The Avatar shot out of the rubble, eyes an intense white, tattoos glowing with the power of spirits unknown to both combatants. He grabbed his assailant by his long, wispy beard. The man swiped at the Avatar, aiming for his vulnerable neck with a flaming slice, but the Avatar stopped the movement with his other hand. With a kick, a pillar of earth shot out of the ground and threw the man aside.
The Avatar flew into the air, a bubble of wind whirling around him fast enough to be visible from afar. Fire shot from his hands, feet, and mouth, showing the landscape a five-limbed monster of pure heat. The Avatar’s opponent could only stand and stare at what was taking shape before him.
The tentacles of fire coalesced into a ring, taking its place alongside the whirlwind of air. Next, rocks flew up from the ground, shrinking as they were crushed into dense conglomerations, forming a second ring. To complete the set, water was drawn into the air from the nearby sea to form a ring, giving the Avatar the appearance of an atom of the elements.
Then the Avatar started attacking again. With a face as impassive as that of a statue, he tore the pillars of earth from their positions in the ground, throwing them at the man. The man used his fire to blast into the air like a rocket, avoiding the oversized rocky assault. He attempted to throw a few bursts of fire at the Avatar.
The attacks were blown away by intense winds, filling the air with intense light once again. The Avatar pursued, face steadfast, eyes featureless. Fire, water, earth, and air flew at their target with accuracy, power, and beauty beyond anything seen before. All four elements worked in unison, ready to corner their enemy.
With a blast of fire, the man attempted to gain some distance. He may have been arrogant, but he wasn’t an idiot. He knew when he had to change strategies. This fight would no longer be won through brute force. He’d have to think.
Unfortunately for him, the Avatar wasn’t giving him time to think. Waves came from nowhere; crashing over him and sweeping him along like nothing. Chunks of earth fell on him, destroyed only by quick flaming clouds from his fists. Air flew through his body, changing his direction.
Something as simple as fleeing became difficult.
He rocketed away, forcing fire out of his hands and feet, pushing his speed to the maximum.
And yet, the Avatar gained. He looked ancient, monstrous – unnatural. With a quick movement, a trail of water wrapped around the flaming feet, extinguishing the heated power. The rushing water enveloped the man, tossing him to the top of a pillar of earth. He gasped, the wind knocked out of him by the impact.
The Avatar raised the earth around the man’s feet and hands, pinning him. The man gritted his teeth.
The Avatar spoke with the voice of many. Men young and old, women of all ranges; they spoke alongside his own boyish vocalization in a haunting harmony. “Firelord Ozai. You and your forefathers have devastated the balance of this world, and now you shall pay the ultimate price!”
All four elements formed into a single, devastating point. Air took the center, spiraling water and fire around it in a corkscrew while forcing chunks of earth along with it. The spearhead of the Avatar rushed the Firelord’s chest, aiming right for the heart.
Ozai turned away, unable to face his own death.
But it never came.
There was a noise – something that could only be described as sparkling – and he heard the attack bounce away from him.
He opened his eyes, surprised to see a circle of a purple, translucent substance between him and the Avatar. It was unlike anything he had ever seen.
A purple winged unicorn appeared next to him, angrily staring at the Avatar. Both men stared at it in disbelief.
“Run!” she said. “I’ll keep him busy!”
Ozai and the Avatar stared at the winged unicorn, still disbelieving.
She shook her head. “Don’t have time for this…” She lit her horn. In a flash of purple, Ozai was on a faraway rock pillar, barely able to see the shape of the winged unicorn and the Avatar in the distance.
He didn’t waste any time to see what happened next. Surveying the landscape, he knew this battle was lost. In the distance he could see his entire fleet of Fire Nation zeppelins smoldering on the shore. Sozin’s Comet would leave the atmosphere eventually, and the boost to his power would be gone. It was time to cut his losses and accept what fate had given him.
His four limbs unleashed a torrent of fire and he rocketed across the sea towards his kingdom.
Meanwhile, the Avatar was screaming.
“You freed him!”
“Of course I did!” she yelled back. “You were going to kill him!”
“He-“
“Did he need to die?!”
The white energy vanished from the Avatar, returning him to his normal state. The winged unicorn’s expression softened. He no longer looked like a monster. He looked like… a boy.
“Maybe not…” the Avatar said.
“Good. Then I’m glad I-“
“But he did need to be stopped!” he shouted, his face now fully capable of showing true, passionate anger. “He was a horrible man! This was when we needed to stop him!”
“I’m sure he couldn’t have been-“
“Do you see that over there?!” he yelled, pointing at a patch of scorched earth at least a mile long. “He was going to blanket this entire continent in fire, killing all the resistance he could! He was defeated! But you stepped in and stopped me from ending this! You… You unicorn-bird!”
She took a few steps back, turning to look at the devastation. She gulped. “I… I didn’t know.”
“How could you not know? He’s been waging war on the entire world for decades!”
“…I’m not from this world. This is the first thing I saw. I… I felt like I needed to act…”
The Avatar rammed his foot into the ground, knocking off a chunk of earth. “Go back to where you came from.”
“But… But I can help you catch him! And find a way not to k-“
“You’ve helped enough!” the Avatar yelled, the energy flowing into him again. “You are not welcome here!”
The winged unicorn whimpered. She lit her horn and teleported away.
The Avatar let the energy flow out of his body. He fell to his knees and roared. He stayed there, motionless, for a long time, contemplating how everything had fallen apart at the last moment once again.
An airship eventually drifted near him, unloading three people.
“Uh… Aang? Did you do it?” one of them, a young man in blue, asked.
“No,” Avatar Aang said. “He got away. Some… thing with unusual bending saved him. He’s going back to regroup. We haven’t won yet.”
“But… But we will! The airships were destroyed and Ba Sing Se’s been liberated!”
“And Ozai is still free, Sokka.” Aang stood up, looking at where the alien form had been. He frowned. She’d seemed nice, but misguided. Definitely the wrong place at the wrong time.
She had ruined everything with a single action.
~~~
Sunset walked around the city and did what she normally did when coming to a new world – observe quietly. She wasn’t being sneaky, but she wasn’t walking up to people and talking. She noted, curiously, that they were speaking a language she could understand, no need to use the translator spell at all. Which was probably best because she did not have that particular device on her at the moment. Probably not a smart move, come to think of it. She made a mental note to always bring it with her from here on out.
The inhabitants of the city were all standard humans. It had been a bit unusual to discover most humans didn’t have the neon-colored hair and pastel skin, but in the end it didn’t really matter. Her yellow skin tone wasn’t that unusual, so she was only getting occasional sideways glances. She was left alone, allowed to wander freely. They probably thought she had a disease or was born wrong, or something.
She looked up at the flaming power moving across the sky. She’d heard a few people call it Sozin’s Comet, even though it obviously wasn’t a comet. It was too on fire for that. It was definitely powerful though – she could feel the cosmic energy in the air all around her. If only she were a unicorn right now, she could experiment with it.
She walked through another street, passing a bunch of kids playing a game with… a stack of black war tanks. She blinked – she’d overheard conversations suggesting there’d been a war in the city recently, and several of the buildings had looked rather damaged, but… Well, she hadn’t seen any tanks until now. The kids were punching the ground, drawing pieces of earth up into the air and kicking them over the black metallic pillar.
So, magic definitely existed in this world. It was not a form she’d ever seen before – it was channeled through the movements of the entire body rather than a single body part, like the horn or hands. As she watched the earth get tossed around like volleyballs, she noted that the movements of the body allowed more power to be put into it. It was more a physical exercise than a mental one.
She had to admit; the sight of children tossing rocks over war machines was as delightful as it was poetic. A smile was creeping up her face.
“I see you appreciate the beauty of freedom.”
Sunset turned to her left. A large old man with a spiky gray beard stood there, looking at the children with a pleased smile.
Sunset nodded. “Yeah. I may not have any idea what’s going on… But it’s great.”
The man smiled coyly. “There was a war. This city, Ba Sing Se, was under the control of a brutal enemy that had been laying siege to the entire world. Today, this city was freed, and I have faith that the war has ended.”
Sunset raised an eyebrow. “…Why are you explaining this to me? I mean, I’m glad, but that all sounds like it should be public knowledge.”
The man laughed. “You obviously aren’t from here. I have no idea how you managed to get in here without knowing, but that really doesn’t matter. What matters is I saw you looking at those kids with a smile – and that’s all I need to know about you.”
Sunset smiled. “Well I’ll tell you more, I’m not really trying to be secretive.” She held out her hand. “I’m Sunset Shimmer.”
“I’m Iroh,” he said, shaking her hand. “Welcome to the newly liberated Ba Sing Se.”
“Glad to be-“
“TRAITOR!” Someone screamed. A man in black and red armor ran out of a nearby building, pointing at Iroh.
Iroh sighed. “Again…?”
The man thrust his fist forward, producing a fireball. Iroh nimbly dodged the attack despite his large figure. He took a breath, channeling energy into his body.
Sunset twisted her leg, planning on kicking the man over. She felt cosmic energy flow into her, traveling through her head and to her foot, producing a fiery spark at the end. The kick made direct contact with the soldier’s armor, blanketing him in fire in addition to knocking him down. He groaned pathetically.
Sunset stared at her foot. “What!? I can’t use magic like this! What just…?”
Iroh raised an eyebrow, dropping his fighting stance. “Well, that’s not the reaction I was expecting.”
Sunset punched the air. She felt the energy of the Comet flow into her again, and a fireball launched into the air, dissipating quickly. She stared at her hands in disbelief. “Could I always use magic…?”
“I wouldn’t call it magic,” Iroh said. “It’s called firebending. It channels the chi within you to produce changes in the elements.”
Sunset stared at her hands, a smile slowly creeping up her face. “It’s not the same… You’re right. But it’s close enough.” She pushed her hand into the air, launching out a burst of fire. “Yeah!”
Iroh laughed. “Now I’m the one who has no idea what’s going on, but it’s still delightful! Would you by chance be some spirit? A witch perhaps?”
“Spirit? No… I’m a human. Well, not really, obviously not the same type of human as you, and I used to be a unicorn.”
Iroh took this in stride, chuckling. “Looks like fate is having a fun time with the world today.”
“Multiple worlds,” Sunset said. “I’m from another place entirely.”
“I should probably be surprised at that…” Iroh mused. “Would you like to continue this over some tea?”
Sunset nodded cheerfully. “I’d love some tea.”
“I used to own a teashop right over here… It should still have what we need.” He led her through the streets of Ba Sing Se, past many signs of a recent battle. Yet, despite the destruction apparent in most places, people were walking around happy. Even those working themselves ragged rebuilding did so with a smile on their face, as if this was an honor. She even saw a few of the enemy soldiers working alongside them. It was simultaneously an image of past suffering and future peace.
Iroh found his old teashop boarded up, but he didn’t let this stop him. With an agile finger, he burnt the edges of the boards and tore them off. He delicately opened the door to reveal a dark interior. He grinned. “Hasn’t even been touched!” He set to work, quickly lighting a fire with his bending and pulling a teakettle out of a nearby shelf. He dusted the dishes off and found a sealed container of water, pouring it in the kettle, humming to himself all the while.
“The firebending must make it a lot easier to cook.”
“Oh it certainly does, but sadly few of us ever bother to learn the culinary aspect of our power. It’s usually all about the fighting.”
Sunset nodded, accepting a cup of tea from Iroh. “Your kind was the one leading the war, weren’t they?”
Iroh nodded. “It’s been a long war. I even fought in it myself – tried to capture this very city.”
Sunset smiled. “Well, as you said, you’re pretty sure it’s over now. And you helped free this city. I may not know all the details… But that looks pretty good to me.”
Iroh chuckled softly. “Just going with the first story you hear? You know nothing, how can you know I’m telling the truth?”
“I don’t, really. But you haven’t been afraid to tell me anything, and you also looked at those kids with a smile on your face. They are here because of your actions, from what I can tell.”
“It’s nice to hear that from an outsider. All I usually get to hear is encouragement or hatred based on the side I’m on.” He took a sip of his tea. “…I suppose the leaves got stale.”
“It tastes fine,” Sunset said.
“You’ve never had good tea then! We’ll have to remedy this!”
“Sure. As long as you teach me the culinary arts of firebending.”
Iroh laughed. “I would be foolish to turn down such a delightful and mysterious student. We’ll have to wait for the Comet to leave though – starting your journey with empowered firebending will ruin your expectations.”
Sunset shrugged. “Fair point. How much longer until it leaves?”
“A few minutes?” Iroh shrugged.
Sunset rolled her eyes. “That’s unhelpfully vague.”
“It gives us time to get to know each other. If I’m going to be teaching you anything, I have to know who you are.”
“What do you want to know?” Sunset asked. “There’s a lot I could say.”
Iroh pointed at the necklace. “What does that mean to you?”
Sunset lifted the red crystal up so she could look at it. “I’m… not sure. It’s a crystal with magic properties that allows me to feel what other people are feeling and thinking if I touch them directly – it’s why I wear these gloves, so I don’t accidentally trigger it. As for what it means… I guess it’s a reminder that I’ve moved beyond my past. I wasn’t always the best person. I have a feeling you know what that’s like.”
Iroh nodded. “Fighting a war on the wrong side, as a general no less, does weigh on a man as the years pass by.”
“You had it worse than I did then. I was on the right side – then I betrayed my mentor and tried to take great power for myself. I didn’t actually get to fight a war. I might have if I was allowed to continue, but I was stopped by some good friends.”
Iroh chuckled. “Now I’m curious… Does that crystal of yours work both ways?”
“No. And it only works for me, sorry.”
“Seems rather unfair to everyone else then, if you can see into them but they can’t see into you.”
“It might be,” Sunset admitted. “But it helps a lot. Many people don’t want to say what they’re feeling, and the only way to get them to talk is to call them out on it.”
Iroh nodded slowly. “Do you think that perhaps you need to look into me?”
“No? You seem to have it together and appear trustworthy.”
“Appearances can be deceiving. Though you are right.” He took another sip. “So, you were once a unicorn?”
Sunset nodded. “My original world was one filled with magic. I was a powerful mage, the personal protégé of Princess Celestia herself - the leader of our nation. I specialized in fire and light magic, though when I betrayed her I ran to another world, became a human, and lost my magic powers… Even this crystal didn’t give them back. But…” She snapped her fingers, shooting fire into the air. “Something about this world has given me something.”
“That does explain your reaction. Though I do wonder if you always had the power within you, and it was just the Comet that awakened it.”
“It’s possible. Magic does exist on Earth – the human world I live in now – just not as powerful. Maybe I just hadn’t tried hard enough before…”
“Could be you were trying too hard,” Iroh suggested. “Sometimes struggling for the thing you want with reckless abandon gets in the way of actually obtaining it.”
“You’re full of all sorts of wisdom, aren’t you?”
Iroh chuckled. “And you’re full of… I believe the word the young people are using these days is ‘spunk’.”
Sunset snorted.
“Is that not the word?”
“I have no idea, I don’t live here. But if it is the word I’m never going to be able to take it seriously. It sounds like something Rainbow Dash - one of my friends - would say. Alongside ‘sweet’ and ‘awesome’ and ‘rad’.”
“She sounds like quite the handful.”
Sunset had some difficulty sipping her tea through her chuckles. “She’s rather headstrong. ...Who am I kidding, she’s really headstrong and oftentimes I wonder if she even uses that brain of hers.”
“I have a nephew like that, Zuko. No matter what he’s doing, he has a reckless determination about him. You have no idea how long it took him to realize the war was a bad idea.”
“...What’s he doing now?”
“Currently? Challenging his sister in the Fire Nation capital to ensure the war ends. I have confidence he can do it since he’s not alone. Actually, he’s probably already done it and just waiting for us to go see him.”
“Well, why don’t you?”
His face became home to the largest and stupidest grin Sunset had seen in a while. “Because I’m having tea with a beautiful young woman! What kind of fool would I be to pass that up?”
Sunset rolled her eyes. “You’re quite the character, Iroh.”
“I try.”
The red light flowing through the window dimmed, giving way to a bright blue sky. Sunset felt the intense power from the Comet leave her body. She suddenly felt… empty.
She stood up and walked outside. She took a deep breath and tried to channel energy through her body. She punched forward.
A tiny spark of fire appeared and then vanished. She smiled sadly. “…Looks like I need training.”
“Your form is good, for a beginner,” Iroh said. “You lack an understanding of the flow of chi, however. Try feeling your soul – reach for the energy in your heart and toss it out along your arm, like throwing a ball.”
Sunset took a breath, reached toward her chest, and punched out. A slightly larger tuft of fire came out.
Iroh smiled warmly. “Promising.” He quickly looked up into the sky.
“Huh?”
“I heard something. It looks like we’ll have to put this on hold…”
A strange white creature Sunset could only describe as a flying lemur landed on Iroh’s shoulder. Iroh smirked. “Ah, Momo.” He stroked the creature and took a piece of paper off the lemur’s back. He frowned upon reading it.
“…Not good news?”
“No…” Iroh said, folding the paper up nicely. “The war isn’t over. The Firelord has not been defeated. He escaped, and will perpetuate the war as long as he is able…”
Sunset grimaced. “…Should I go then?”
“No… I think you’re here for a reason. Come with me, we’re going to steal a tank.”
Sunset nodded. “On the way, you’ll need to tell me more about this Firelord.”
Iroh laughed. “You’ll be begging me to stop before I’m even half done with all the stories I could tell!”
“You’re on!”
~~~
In the capital of the Fire Nation, a prince was preparing to become Firelord. The man known as Zuko stood at the edge of the Fire Palace, looking at the beautiful blue sky. He smiled.
He knew in his heart that the other missions had succeeded. Ba Sing Se was free, his father was defeated, and the war was over. He and the Avatar would lead the world into a brand new era, one without a century-long war. One where the three nations lived together in harmony.
However, like the scar across his eye, there would be a constant reminder of those who had done wrong in the war. It would be a difficult job to remedy this literal and metaphorical burn, and he wasn’t sure he could do it well enough. But he knew he had to.
He glanced downwards, at the Palace courtyard. He could see his sister chained up to a grate down there, screaming and yelling every few seconds. Nobody had tried to move her to the prison cells yet. She was far too… insane and dangerous at the moment. He could still see her belching fire at nothing in vain attempts to release her undying rage and developing insanity.
She was a sad sight, to be frank. A powerful woman who had run the Fire Nation for all of a day before losing her grip to paranoid madness. As horrible as she was, he couldn’t help but feel sorry for her. She was still Azula, his sister, despite all she’d done.
“Hey, don’t feel bad, okay?”
Zuko turned to his companion, one of the Avatar’s great friends, a waterbender by the name of Katara. Had she not been here, they would not have been able to stop Azula and take control of the Fire Nation directly.
“I’m… Well I do,” he admitted. “But I also feel… complete. Like we’re finally done. Even though there’s a lot left to do, the war’s going to be over. Almost no one alive even remembers what the world was like without war. It’s going to be amazing.”
“Yeah,” Katara said, leaning on the balcony and allowing her loops of hair to drift in the soft breeze. “…Hey, there’s something bright over there.”
Zuko put a hand over his eyes, looking into the distance. There was a bright fiery point coming at them from the direction of the sea. “A rocketing firebender…” He said. “Not many benders have the power to do that.”
“Aang?”
“Why wouldn’t he just airbend? Much easier to fly with that.”
“Iroh?”
“Possible. I’ve never seen him rocket though. He’d just take a boat; he never wants to get anywhere quickly. Unless…” Zuko frowned. “Unless something’s gone wrong.”
Katara’s eyes narrowed. “We should be prepared.”
Zuko turned behind him to an aid. “Tell the men to be ready. The war may not be over yet.”
The armored man nodded and ran into the palace.
Zuko narrowed his good eye, studying the spark in the distance closely. “Let’s go to the ground and meet them.” With a quick burst of flame he leaped off the balcony and landed on the ground below. He caught Katara, setting her down next to him. The two stood tall, awaiting the arrival of the spark. Several ranks of soldiers filed in alongside them, mostly Fire Nation soldiers, but a couple of earthbender warriors lined up alongside them.
Zuko’s eyes widened in fear when he saw who the star was. “No…”
Ozai landed on the ground, leaving a small crater in the cobblestone with his fiery landing. He breathed in and out with impressive force, tired from rocketing across the sea without the power of the Comet for the last leg of the journey. “Yes, Zuko… Your Firelord has returned…”
Zuko glared. He entered a fighting stance alongside Katara. “You’ve been weakened. You can’t take us on.”
“I don’t have to. Guards! Seize them!”
“No!” Zuko yelled. “Don’t listen to him! Do you want the war to continue? Do you want your friends and loved ones to suffer as we attempt to destroy the entire world for our own selfish gain? Seize my father. End this madness.”
Ozai stood tall despite his lack of energy, towering over most of the people in the courtyard. “You are going to listen to my traitor of a son rather than me? What has he done for you besides produce false hope and perform foolish actions? He’s a traitor. I, on the other hand, have brought you glory and power. We are on the verge of ending the war with our victory. Today has been but a minor setback. Do you want to make this century of suffering and sacrifice of the Fire Nation mean nothing? If we end this war without getting what we came for, it was all pointless. Now, I give you an order, seize my son.”
No soldier moved.
Zuko smiled. “It looks like there’s a standoff here, Father. I think they want us to fight, and they’ll side with the winner. And you can’t win as you are.”
Ozai’s fist tightened until his knuckles became white. Then he smiled. “Then so be it.” He threw a punch of fire at Zuko, who was barely able to deflect it behind him. Katara unleashed a torrent of water from her pouch, dousing the Firelord. He jumped out of the way before she could turn it to ice, sending out an arc of fire towards Katara that Zuko deflected – only this time he deflected it into one of the soldiers.
In reaction, they sent a beam of fire at Zuko. One of the other soldiers sent that fire back, only for an earthbender to step in and launch a rock at Ozai.
Ozai grinned. “Perfect.”
Katara bit her lip, finding it increasingly difficult to keep up with the sudden chaos of attacks. Earth and fire flew in all directions, and it was getting harder and harder to simply defend herself…
Then Ozai grabbed her by the neck. She screamed – and all the fighting stopped in an instant.
Ozai glared at Zuko. “You lose.”
“Father, fight me, one on one. The rite of Agni Kai. For honor.”
“I will honor the rite later, my son. I agree that we will fight, as we always should have, tomorrow. But the life of this girl rests in your hands right now, regardless of the outcome of the rite.”
Zuko curled his hand into a fist, and for a moment it looked like he was going to try something. But he dropped it and sagged.
“Take him away,” Ozai ordered. “And the girl too.” He shoved her into the hands of a nearby fire soldier. “All of you are extremely lucky I don’t execute you on the spot for hesitating.”
“Woo-hoo!” Azula yelled from her chained-up position. “Goooo Dad!”
Ozai’s eyes twitched. He strode over to Azula.
“Hey, do you mind getting me out of these things? I-“
He slapped her. “All of my children have shamed me. You are to be banished like Zuko was those few years ago. Your mission is the same. The Avatar.” He tore the chains off her hands without care for her wrist. She screamed as part of it broke. “Leave. Now.”
Azula’s fingers crackled with electricity. Like Zuko, for a moment it appeared as if she was going to try something. But she didn’t. She bowed and ran off.
Ozai took in a furious breath, turning to watch his two prisoners be taken to the dungeons. He briefly considered having the girl killed. She had no say in the Agni Kai… But no, she could be useful. If his intelligence was correct, she could be used to lure in the Avatar.
He pointed at a soldier. “You. Prepare a small balloon and get a pilot. Have them sail to the wreckage of the fleet with a message for the Avatar and my brother. Tell them I want to meet and… work out our differences.”
~~~
In the land where pillars of earth rose into the air, a Fire Nation tank drove up and parked. Iroh popped his head out of the tank, grinning. “Hello!”
Aang forced a smile. “Hello, Iroh. Nice tank.”
“Thanks, we examined dozens of different models before settling on this one. She’s a beaut’.”
“…We?” Aang asked.
Iroh crawled out of the tank, allowing Sunset to come out as well. She waved. “Hi! I’m Sunset. I hear you’re the Avatar, master of all four elements!”
“Uh. Yeah.” He blinked. “Is it ‘weird people show up for no reason’ day, or something?”
Sunset blinked. “Maybe. Why do you ask?”
Aang frowned. “That… Will take a while to explain.”
Iroh leaned against the edge of the tank, surveying the charred landscape. “Then forego telling us that story and tell us what happened with Ozai.”
“Those stories are related… I had him,” Aang said. “I unlocked the Avatar state and had him pinned in the rock. I was ready to deal the final blow… And then some unicorn-bird showed up and stopped me with some kind of purple spirit-energy!”
Sunset paled but said nothing.
“Then she made him vanish, telling him to get away while she dealt with me. It only took me about a minute to get her to realize what she’d done, but… He was already gone.”
“He probably went back to the Fire Nation…” Iroh said.
“Oh no!” Aang grabbed his head. “Zuko and Katara!”
“Indeed…” Iroh said, sighing. “We’ll have to hope they were able to get out in time. Sunset, why don’t you tell Aang what you know.”
“Huh?” Aang said.
“I… I think I know who came through here,” Sunset said. “She’s a friend of mine. Twilight Sparkle, exploring different worlds just like I am.”
Aang twitched. “Did you know about this!?”
“No! I didn’t even know she was here! It’s a complete coincidence!”
“It may not be as much of a coincidence as you think,” Iroh commented.
“Well, even if there is some ‘fate’ at play here, I had no clue about this until you said something.” She took the journal out of her jacket.
“What are you doing?” Aang asked.
“Writing Twilight. She’ll see this and we’ll get to set things right-“
“No! I don’t want her to get involved again and mess things up further!” Aang shouted. “In fact, you should go back before you rui-“
Iroh held up a hand. “Aang, it’s okay if you don’t want this ‘Twilight’ Involved. But you cannot judge a person based on the actions of another.”
Aang took in a breath and let out a slow sigh. “I am sorry, Sunset. Please, just don’t contact her.”
Sunset closed the journal. “Okay. How can I help then?”
Aang shrugged. “I don’t know… Ozai’s protected by his entire nation once again…”
Iroh nodded. “The Fire Nation has been beaten back significantly for the first time in years. There is still hope to win through the art of war alone. While not ideal, there is still a possibility.”
Momo appeared on Iroh’s shoulder again, this time pointing into the air. The three of them turned to see a small Fire Nation balloon drifting their direction.
“It’s… unarmed,” Aang noticed.
Iroh frowned. “It probably carries a message.”
“Maybe Zuko defeated Ozai?”
“…It’s possible,” Iroh said.
The balloon landed next to them and a simple Fire Nation pilot stepped out, reading from a scroll. “Avatar Aang and General Iroh are cordially invited to the Palace of the Firelord for a banquet, over which the future of relations between the Fire Nation, the war, the Avatar, and the rest of the world will be discussed. Firelord Ozai wishes it known that this banquet is to work out the differences between the various parties. Transportation has been provided for you.”
Iroh frowned. “This… is unexpected.”
“Maybe being saved from me made him rethink everything?” Aang suggested.
“Or he has Zuko and Katara captured, and just wants us where he can see us”
Aang frowned. “Probably. …We can’t really refuse, can we?”
“Who knows what he’d do to them otherwise…” Iroh muttered. He pointed at a nearby member of Aang’s party. “Gather everyone and head to Ba Sing Se. It’s liberated. Use it as a stronghold. I no longer know if this war will end soon or last several more years. Be prepared.”
“You got it!” The small woman said, running off to tell the others.
Iroh turned to Sunset. “…Would you mind coming along? Your skills would be appreciated.”
Sunset glanced at her necklace and nodded. “I’ll try to read him.”
Aang looked like he wanted to object. He took one look at Iroh and decided not to push it; Sunset was coming along. The three of them piled into the balloon and rose into the air, heading over the sea toward the Fire Nation. The sun was setting. It would be night by the time they got there.
Sunset leaned on the side of the basket Aang was on. “So, you’re the Avatar. Chosen hero of this world. Iroh’s told me a lot about you.”
“And I don’t know anything about you.”
“From another world, used to be a unicorn, used to be a horrible person, I know Twilight, and I’m also apparently a firebender.”
Aang blinked. “…That was fast.”
“I explain it a lot, especially since I travel so often. It’s a good way to sharpen your storytelling skills. I could probably write a book at this point.”
“I haven’t had time for that,” Aang said. “Ever since I woke up it’s been nonstop fighting against the Fire Nation. I was looking forward to all of it stopping…”
Sunset looked at Aang with pity. “You’ve been given far too much responsibility all at once…”
He raised an eyebrow. “Look who’s talking. You’re not that much older than me.”
“I’m well into my twenties. I just look like a teenager due to a spell inconsistency.”
Iroh laughed. “You learn something new every day!”
“Spell?” Aang asked.
“Where I come from, we don’t bend. We use magic to do any number of things. Magic is more about the mind than the body, so I’m pretty sure it isn’t the same thing as chi, though as a unicorn I could cook up quite a storm of fire.”
“So you basically just use magic instead of chi to bend the elements?”
“Oh no, magic can be used for other things. Teleporting, shields, lasers, healing, growing, transforming… Every unicorn worth their salt can lift things with magic, the rest of the tricks require training.”
Aang nodded. “…Do you think I could learn to use magic?”
“…I don’t know. I didn’t think humans could, but here I am discovering I can throw fire with my fists. So… Maybe? You want to try?”
“…No.”
Sunset could sense he was still livid about what Twilight had done. “All right. Fair enough.” She turned to Iroh. “So, do we have a plan?”
Iroh gestured to the messenger in the balloon with them.
“On it,” Aang said, lifting the soldier with a gust of air and tossing him into the water, closer to shore. “And now we can talk.”
“So, the plan is I don’t have a plan,” Iroh said.
Sunset and Aang facepalmed.
“Ozai has us where he wants us. We have to go to this banquet and talk to him. Our only edge is Sunset here, who can tell us what he’s planning after a simple shake of the hand. After that…”
“Make it up as we go…?” Aang said.
“Well that is what you usually do,” Iroh chuckled.
Sunset bit her lip, holding tightly to the journal in her jacket. She could call for help, but… Twilight had already ruined things once. What were the chances she messed up again? Higher than Sunset wanted to admit. Maybe Aang was right.
Should I even be here? Is it possible for me to make it even worse?
~~~
It was highly unusual for the banquet hall to be set this late at night, but Ozai knew he wouldn’t be able to rest until he dealt with this insulting slice at his power. Had that unicorn-bird not appeared, the war would be over and the Fire Nation would have fought for nothing.
He was not going to put himself in that kind of danger again. This time, instead of coming to the Avatar, the Avatar was coming to him, along with the only real remaining threat to Ozai’s power: Iroh. But this time it wouldn’t be brute force… The time for brute force had been when Sozin’s Comet was in play. It was time for other tactics.
For one, he actually wanted to hear what they’d say to him. It would be quite the experience to know the Avatar, as well as what Iroh really thought.
Ozai did not expect there to be a peaceful resolution to this meeting. Nor did he want one. That didn’t mean he wasn’t going to have some fun and let them think they had a chance.
The double doors to the red hall opened, revealing three figures. Two were easily recognizable to him – the large figure of his brother and the childish figure of the Avatar he had seen only a few hours prior in close combat. The Avatar’s expression was that of barely contained rage. Ozai knew he wouldn’t try anything though, such a move would be a suicide mission not likely to work, for the entire Palace was crawling with guards and soldiers.
The third figure he didn’t recognize. She was a young woman with unusual yellow skin and brilliant red hair. Her clothing didn’t match that of any of the nations, though if he had to place her he’d say Fire Nation. Perhaps an estranged colony or band of traitors.
Ozai nodded, maintaining his professional appearance. “Brother. Avatar. And…?”
“Sunset. Sunset Shimmer,” Sunset said, holding out her hand.
“You could call her my new apprentice,” Iroh said with that big smile of his.
Ozai smirked – even in dire situations, Iroh knew how to keep his chin up. An admirable trait, even if he was a traitor. He shook Sunset’s hand. There was a feeling vaguely like a static shock, and for a split second Ozai thought he saw light in the crystal. This meant nothing to him – the slight shiver that went through Sunset did. She was terrified of him, and angry. As he expected they all were.
Good.
Iroh shook Ozai’s hand without incident. For a split second, they both smiled. These were not pleasant smiles; these were the smiles of brothers remembering a time when things were better, but also plotting each other’s downfall.
Aang refused to bow or shake Ozai’s hand. The Firelord was not surprised by this action. The boy did not understand the nuance of politics and meetings. As insulting as it was, there was no way Ozai could get any more furious with the Avatar, so the slight was meaningless.
They sat at the long table decorated with food. Ozai at one end, Iroh, Aang, and Sunset at the other. Everyone knew that there were dozens of soldiers watching from nearby, ready to intervene at a moment’s notice, even if they couldn’t be seen.
Ozai knew that the Avatar and Sunset weren’t used to the decorative walls of fire along the room’s edges. To him, it was comforting. To them, the decorations were sinister. Perfect.
“Where’s Azula?” Iroh asked.
“Banished,” Ozai stated matter-of-factly. “Sent her on the same errand I sent Zuko on a few years ago.”
“May I ask what she did to deserve that?”
“Went insane and lost control of her position of power,” Ozai stated. “But that’s not why we’re here, and you all know it.”
Aang nodded. “You said you wanted to work out our differences?”
“That I do,” Ozai said, delicately taking a grape and devouring it. “You see, it has become clear to me that this war is rather devastating to the Fire Nation in addition to the rest of the world. You may not think so, but I assure you, many tens of thousands of my people have died and lost their livelihood for this war.”
“It is not like you to feel concern for our people,” Iroh noted.
Ozai shook his head. “It’s not a concern, Iroh. It’s a fact. And if the war were to end now without any gain from the Fire Nation, all the years of fighting and loss will mean nothing. The number of individuals driven solely by revenge in our people is extreme. Even if it is the right move to end the war, many of the people just won’t allow it.”
Sunset whispered something in Iroh’s ear. Ozai wondered what she could have possibly known. There was no way she knew about his soldiers being unable to choose between him and Zuko? No… She wasn’t there. But she might have deduced. She was definitely here to play the role of a wildcard, not only to provide some unknown assistance but to play off Ozai’s paranoia.
Iroh cleared his throat. “Such things can be dealt with, Ozai. Most will follow the royal family without question, and those that don’t can be made to comply.”
“It is not so easy as you think. Not all are intellectuals like yourself.”
“What do you propose then?” Iroh said.
“Do we just let you conquer everything!?” Aang blurted.
“No,” Ozai said, sitting back. “I don’t think you have the influence to arrange that. What can be done is to create a ‘victory’ for the Fire Nation. It will not be feasible for us to run the entire world, but we can make it seem that way.”
“How so?” Iroh asked.
“If the population centers of the Earth Kingdom and both Water Tribes were under our control, I could declare the war a victory and end the fighting so long as the remaining people didn’t take up arms.”
Iroh frowned. “I do not have power over the Water Tribes.”
“But you do have influence over Ba Sing Se. They’d make you their king if they could.”
Iroh folded his arms. “That leaves the Water Tribes.”
“I fully believe that once a treaty is struck with the Earth Kingdom – Ba Sing Se in exchange for peace with the rest of the kingdom not under Fire Nation control – the Water Tribes will soon follow.”
Aang frowned. “If you just wanted to declare victory and be done with it, why didn’t you do this when you had Ba Sing Se under your control?”
“Because I had not been reminded of my own mortality,” Ozai spat, letting his calm exterior drop for the first time. “Being pinned atop a rock pillar and being saved at the last minute by providence does things to a man.”
“You still don’t believe the war was wrong, though,” Sunset said, speaking up for the first time in the conversation.
Ozai had to fight to look at her without visible contempt. “Why would I? It’s all any of us have ever known. It’s our drive as a nation. This war is our goal. What would we do without it?”
“You seem pretty handy with technology. You could pursue progress.” She shrugged. “Just a suggestion.”
“What is your point?”
Sunset ate a grape. This annoyed Ozai for some reason. “My point is that you don’t believe the war was wrong. You still want domination and plan to extort your subjects for fire Nation dominance, even if you no longer think conquering the whole world is viable. And what’s stopping you from holding onto the population centers for a decade then launching an all-out assault on the rest of the world anyway? I doubt they could stop that. What you have is just a long con.”
Iroh, Aang, and Ozai stared at Sunset, surprised.
Ozai sat back. “Even if that is the case, that would result in a quick end to this war and all the death. Why not consider it?”
“You’re asking for a surrender,” Aang said.
“In a way, I am,” Ozai said. “A direct surrender would be ideal, but the people will not accept a drastic measure such as that. I’m just calling for you to use your influence to change how the future will play out – will the war be long and hard, or end quickly?”
Iroh took in a breath. “Ozai, you know I’ll never turn over Ba Sing Se.”
“Are you sure?” Ozai said, smirking.
“Just bring them out already,” Iroh said. “Lay out your real terms.”
Ozai scowled. “Fine. Bring them!”
Two guards walked in, dragging Zuko and Katara. Katara had fresh lash marks all over her body and was too weak to look up. Zuko stared ahead with an intense fire in his eyes.
“Katara!” Aang yelled, standing up. Iroh held up a hand, keeping him from acting foolishly.
“Your real terms?” Iroh reiterated.
“If you don’t do what I want, they die,” Ozai said.
“Your own son Ozai?”
Ozai’s face darkened. “Perhaps. I do owe him one final Agni Kai. It will likely be to the death if you don’t comply. As for the girl, I can have her throat slit right now.”
“No!” Aang shouted, standing up.
Ozai smirked. “As expected. Iroh might be able to put his love aside for his cause. But you can’t. Luckily for you, you don’t have to betray anyone to save the girl. You just have to give yourself over to me. I won’t even kill you; I’ll just keep you locked in my dungeons for eternity, ensuring that another Avatar does not come. You’ll even get to spend your life with her, won’t that be romantic?”
Aang faltered, sitting back down.
“I’ll take that as your acceptance. As for you Iroh… Brother…” Ozai smirked. “I know you probably have some sort of plan, some sort of agency. Some secret society that will continue acting even once you two are out of the picture. All you have to tell me is everything about them. Then you live, Zuko lives after losing the Agni Kai, and I’ll get to lead the Fire Nation to a new age. I’ll even declare victory before the entire world is under my thumb. I’m no fool.”
Iroh stood up and took a breath. “Yes, you are.”
“Come again?”
“You can’t see the world’s beauty. There is no real glory in war, there is no future in bloodshed. You talk of those driven by revenge. More war will only lead to more revenge, until we destroy this world we call home. Your war cannot end in your victory. It can only end in your defeat, or the destruction of everything.”
Ozai’s face twisted into a scowl, his composure falling away. He slammed his fist on the table. “Are you really willing to go through with this? I’m not an unreasonable man Iroh. I keep my word. All that I’ve said, I will follow through with. There is no deception here.”
Iroh looked Ozai in the eyes. “Do you, by chance, not really want to kill your son?”
Ozai faltered. “I will if I need to.”
“…I’m not sure about that.”
“Do you want to test me?”
“I don’t need to. I know you care for your children, despite everything. You can’t bring yourself to kill them. Just banishment, quests of honor, and reinstatement. You won’t do it.”
Ozai slammed his fists on to the table. “Maybe I should just kill you then.”
“You tossed me in prison before. You will do it again.”
Ozai roared. This time he lit the table on fire when he slammed his fist into it, breaking it down the middle and pouring all the food off. His hand was still aflame as he stood there, staring at the broken piece of furniture.
He turned to Iroh. “Agni Kai, brother.”
“Such a duel would mean nothing,” Iroh said.
“Then we’ll fight without any rules or honor!”
Aang stood up. “No you won’t. We’re talking here.”
Sunset quickly took a book out of her jacket and scribbled furiously into it. Ozai leaped over to her and swiped it out of her hand. “WHAT is THIS!?”
Sunset stared at him in abject fear. “…A journal.”
He flipped to the last page. He couldn’t read what was written. But he was able to see some purple words appear before his eyes, as if written by an invisible hand. “What. Does. This. Say!?”
“…Already here…” Sunset said, surprised by the words.
“Who’s already here!?”
Aang shook his head. “No, we do not need her!”
Ozai lost all composure. “Guards, take them all away! You!” He pointed at the soldier around Katara. “Do it.”
Katara braced as the soldier readied the knife. The blade vanished with a flash of soft white energy.
Ozai’s confidence fell. Soldiers began to storm into the room, but a barrier of white magic separated the dining table from the incoming soldiers. With a flash of holy power, a tremendous white unicorn-bird appeared in front of him, towering over him by at least a full foot. Her pastel mane shifted as if blown by an absent wind. She glared right at him, speaking with a voice both melodious and wise. “Firelord Ozai?”
Ozai regained his stature. “Yes. You are trespassing on the Property of the Royal Family.”
The white unicorn-bird ignored him. “I am Princess Celestia. My protégé saved you from death. While that action may not have been a mistake on its own, letting you escape was. You will face judgment for your crimes.”
Ozai frowned. “My armies will fight you.”
“I have armies of my own,” Celestia said. “This palace is surrounded by my many ponies, ready to challenge you for power right here. I don’t think you want to go that route.”
Ozai glowered. He knew she was right. She could be bluffing – but something told him she alone could defeat him. At the very least she could teleport him far away and deal with him later. She just wanted him to order his men to stand down.
To surrender.
Oh, how the tables have turned.
He found himself considering it. If he fought back, he doubted they’d let him live. He couldn’t run in this position. He couldn’t manipulate anyone with his soldiers sealed out.
But was he really willing to give up all that the Fire Nation had worked for all these decades?
It really was a cause bigger than him.
No… No. He would have to fight. If he died, that would just fuel the fire of his people. They would keep fighting out of a desire for revenge. The Fire Nation would not be snuffed out!
He pointed at Sunset Shimmer, unleashing a bolt of fire in her direction. She yelped, flailing her hands around, managing to deflect the oncoming torrent.
Ozai did not get off a second shot. But it was not Celestia who attacked him. It was Aang.
“You don’t have to die,” Aang said, grabbing Ozai’s head and chest. “But you can’t continue as you are.”
Ozai felt the very chi inside him – his soul – react with that of the Avatar’s. They mingled, twisted, and warped around each other. Ozai felt the Avatar encroach on his own being, so he fought back. He pushed the boy’s weak spirit out of his own with pure determination, using his power to alter the Avatar’s essence. He felt the boy, all alone, crying out for help…
And then Ozai felt hundreds of spirits at once, the voices of all Avatars that came before. In an instant, Ozai was flooded with power from beyond possibility, beyond his pathetic understanding. The energy of a spirit long forgotten to all present flooded Ozai, twisting the chi connected to his inner fire.
He fell back, hitting the ground. He groaned.
Aang stared down at him.
Ozai threw a punch – but no fire came out. He stared at his fist. “Wh- what did you…”
“I took your bending away. Like I should have done on that pillar. You won’t be able to hurt anyone with it ever again.”
“N-no!” He yelled, standing up tall. “That’ll… Ruin their will to fight! That will…”
Sunset punched him, knocking him out and singeing his face. She twisted her wrist. “That felt good. It was so unpleasant having those emotions in me.” She shivered. Iroh chuckled despite himself.
Celestia dropped the shield surrounding them and stared at the many soldiers. “Your Firelord has fallen. You should now go.”
Slowly, wordlessly, all of them filed out.
Celestia turned to Aang, a pained smile on her face. “Avatar. There is somepony who wants to talk to you. Are you willing to hear her out?”
Aang looked at the fallen form of Ozai. “…Yeah.”
Twilight dropped the invisibility spell she had on, walking towards Aang. “I am sorry. I couldn’t stay away like you asked. I had wronged you – I had to set it right.”
“It’s…” Aang sighed. “Well, it’s not okay. But your heart was in the right place. I didn’t want to kill him either. You’re forgiven.”
“We have not fully repaid our debt,” Celestia said.
Iroh blinked. “You haven’t? You fixed the problem you caused! Don’t feel obligated to do anything else!”
Celestia smiled. “Well, don’t consider it part of the debt then. I’m doing it anyway – your world is recovering from war. My world is not. We will provide you with the aid you need to rebuild your society.”
Aang, Iroh, and Zuko bowed in Celesita’s direction. “We… Cannot tell you how much this means to us,” Iroh said. “For such a gift, we would owe you.”
Celestia smirked. “To continue the back and forth of repaying, how about this. Twilight here hasn’t bothered to inform me of any of her extra-dimensional escapades until now. So, I am creating plans to hold a meeting of multiple universes, to sort out how we should all interact with each other. All you have to do to repay us is have some of your leaders show up and play nice. Nothing more will be expected of you.”
“N-nothing?” Zuko said. “You… You are far too kind.”
“Yes, I’m told that may be a fault of ours…” Celestia said. “Apparently being naïve about conflicts has gotten Twilight and her friends into trouble more than once…”
Twilight blushed. “Yeeeah… Sorry again.”
“Now…” Celestia looked at Aang. “Do you think you can convene the world leaders to discuss how I am to give aid to you all?”
Aang looked at Iroh. Iroh chuckled. “Sure, we can do that. But first…” Iroh grabbed Sunset. “This girl is going to show me her home and make me some tea.”
“What!?”
“You said you wanted to learn, and I can tell I’m not going to get another chance for a vacation for a loooong time,” Iroh said.
Sunset blinked. “Uh… Sure. Okay. Sounds good!”
Twilight looked at Sunset. “Do you need a quick way back? It can’t be easy to get this much power into your device.”
“No, I got it, just… give me a few minutes.”
Twilight rolled her eyes. “Okay then…” She turned to Aang. “I… I still don’t feel like I’ve done enough for you. I stole your moment as the hero. What you were meant to do.”
Aang smiled sadly. “Don’t worry about it. You… You aren’t as bad as I thought, and I was pretty angry. But if I do think of something, I’ll let you know.”
“Okay! Good.”
Sunset smiled. And just like that, everything was set right.
~~~
Azula watched Iroh and that fiery girl walking down a street.
She grinned – she’d been right. Her father had been defeated, in the end. Good thing she didn’t leave right away. Serves the old man right, slapping her like that. She wasn’t Zuko. She’d never be Zuko.
They were talking about something Azula didn’t care about. All she wanted to do was watch them. The girl was holding a strange device that glowed red. Azula didn’t want to make her move on Iroh just yet, because she didn’t know what it did. She’d wait…
The device turned green, and the girl’s face lit up. She activated it, tearing a hole made of unusual strands in the air itself. Azula could see a sprawling city with dozens of houses. Automatic carriages rode by across black roads. Sunset and Iroh stepped through.
Azula leaped through as well, making barely a sound as she entered. The portal closed behind her with a pop. She leaped into a bush before Iroh could notice her. “That’s a lot of effort for something that lasts only a few seconds,” Iroh noted.
“Well, your world is very distant from this one. Now… Oh great. I just realized, we’re on the other side of the planet. I came to your world in Ba Sing Se, and exited in the Fire Nation. Just my luck.”
Iroh laughed. “I suppose I’m in for a longer vacation then?”
“Probably. Come on, let’s see if the translator spell already knows how to speak Mandarin, or whatever’s actually spoken here.”
Azula watched them walk away, a smile creeping up her face.
A whole new world for her…
~~~
On the other side of the planet, in Sunset’s house, Agent Tempest Shadow rooted through Sunset’s many notes. Since the fiery girl had neglected to clean them up, the agent had full freedom to examine whatever she wanted without fear of getting caught by misplacing a note. But all of it was nearly impossible to read. She had to snap photos and send it to the tech department so they could attempt to use computer algorithms to detect letters. It was a horribly annoying process.
There was one note she could read through that caught her attention. One probably written by Twilight.
Observation: it seems like time flows at different rates in different universes. I had previously thought the constant shifts in hours were because of different planetary rotation periods or magic, but this is not the case. Using two synchronized watches, I found that the one I left home had let seven hours pass while the one I took had let six and a half hours pass. Similar results occurred in other universes. This explains why Sunset talks about Equestria as if it’s experienced multiple years since the demon incident, but how it’s definitely only been one year from here. This time discrepancy warrants further investigation.
Very interesting.