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Isaiah 40:30-31 ~

Even youths will become weak and tired, and young men will fall in exhaustion. But those who trust in the Lord will find new strength. They will soar high on wings like eagles. They will run and not grow weary. They will walk and not faint.

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Hozu's secret

The effects Iris did on the ship's sails still lingered, reflecting the stars of the night sky. Hozu leaned against the side of the railing, looking out at the sea of clouds bellow him. He thought flying on an airship would be similar to sailing on a normal ship at sea, but this was entirely different.

The sounds of laughter and glasses clanging made him jolt in alarm, only for the sound to be silenced after Iris closed the door behind her.

"Hey, you're missing out on all the fun. Lix Spittle made actual pudding this time." Iris casually walked up to him, leaning against the railing on her back, arms crossed in a cool manner.

She sounded chipper than before. No doubt partying with new friends made her feel like she was right at home. Hozu didn't know if to answer or keep silent. If he did, maybe she would just get the message and leave him alone. But another part of him said that she wasn't someone who let things go that easily.

It had only been a day or so, and he already knew that the princess was as ambitious as they came. If she wasn't a princess she would have made the ideal police officer for sure. Her father taught her well.

Iris shouldn't have been surprised by Hozu's silence, but she was. He had been quiet ever since his argument with Mai. He obviously didn't want to talk about what happened, but they both knew they couldn't push this aside any longer.

"I nearly got them killed is what I did." Hozu said bitterly, turning his head away from her so she wouldn't see his face.

This time, Hozu did look at Iris, eyes widened in shock. The Avatar only smiled. She remembered that magical energy spiraling in the waters when she and her friends fell from the crumbling bridge back at Canterlot. It did explain why Hozu was there when they had emerged from the water. A fall that size could have done some serious damage, he had cushioned their fall.

"How long have you been able to do that?" Iris asked, completely dodging his earlier statement about what happened back at Klugetown.

Yes, she was aware of what happened, but they were still alive. He just did a slip up, she knew he didn't mean to do it on purpose. It was like when she first started earthbending, she accidentally made Rohan fall flat on his face… and he was carrying a basket of fruit. He smelled like papaya for a week, and Iris hatted that fruit. Whatever it was Hozu could do, it was clear that he needed help.

"I don't want to talk about it." His reply was cold and distant as he turned away from her again.

Iris shrugged. "Fine. We can just ignore the fact that you have the supernatural ability to create storm clouds."

Iris's stubbornness was really pushing Hozu to the limit. He couldn't deal with this. He refused to deal with this. He hoisted himself onto the side of the ship.

"NO!" Iris grabbed him by the back of his shirt and pulled him back onto the dock. He crashed into a crate but didn't bother getting up.

"Everything!" Hozu snapped. "Everything is wrong with me, okay! I don't belong in your group of friends, I don't belong anywhere!"

Iris gasped and stepped back, not in fear, but in astonishment. She froze in place, trying to process the word that came out of his mouth. She hadn't heard that word in ages, she didn't think anyone used it anymore.

Hozu ran his fingers through his hair as he stood back up. He gave up trying to resists. "You've heard of them, right?"

"Humanoid nature spirits, extremely rare, long believed to be extinct, most well known ones are the Painted Lady, Lady Tienhai and Iron Fist. Divided by millennial or immortal, well known for their compelling protective instinct and giving up their spirit status when they fall in love with humans?… Kind of rings a bell."

Hozu was so close to rolling his eyes. "Well, my mother was a weather Nymph named Yeh-Shen. A Millenial spirit who traveled a lot. She swore to never fall in love with a human so she wouldn't suffer the same fate as Lady Tienhai or the Painted Lady."

Iris knew well of Lady Tienhai. A spirit nymph who loved a seashore village like she were its own mother. She took on human form once a year to visit a village and gave up her spirit status when she fell in love with its king.

A similar occurrence happened to the Painted Lady years ago. She fell in love with a fisherman from the very same riverside village she had sworn to protect. Now, their adult human children cared for the land she once resided in, transforming into a beautiful tourist attraction and protected by the Fire Nation to preserve the river and wildlife. It took a long time for anyone to learn about this, since nymphs often spent more time around humans and nature than other spirits.

Jinora had told her the stories when she was young. Iris thought Lady Tienhai's story was tragic, yet romantic, but the Painted Lady's ended much more happily. She remained in the place she considered her home, and got to experience love and have children,who carried on her legacy. It was sad that she died young (a tragic side effect when a spirit turns humans) but her work lived on. And Lady Tienhai, being an immortal unlike the Painted Lady who was Millenial, traces of her essence carried on in the form of crane-fish that still swarmed around her statue to this day, but she was no longer a nymph due to her human death, she lost that form forever.

"But, as time went on and she saw families with their own children, she… she knew she didn't want to leave this world without experiencing that at least once. She wanted to live for someone else rather than herself. That desire became too strong just as it did for all the others." Hozu shrugged his shoulders lazily. "It's a nymph thing, I guess."

Iris was taken aback by this. That completely contradicted everything Hozu had told her when they first met. He said he only cared about himself and that not caring over the well being of others was a less stressful life.

"But, after Harmonic Convergence and the metaphysics of the world shifted, she realized she could still be with someone without needing to turn human. So, she met a nice guy in an Earth Kingdom village, got married and…" Hozu extended his arms to showcase himself. "Here I am."

A smile took shape on Iris's face, followed by a chuckle. A pleasantly surprised, excited kind of chuckle, as if the revelation brought her joy rather than horror or confusion.

"How many other half spirit hybrids are there?" Hozu asked. Iris was about to open her mouth, but was silenced when Hozu spoke again, "Aside from the Sorcerers, which don't necessarily count. They're half ponies, and a creature that's half pony half something else isn't anything too rare. But how many genuine half human nymphs are known?"

Iris had to admit, Hozu did make a good point. After all, Fluttershy's kids were half pony half changeling, and there have been several half pony offsprings in recent years. Even if Spike never got together with Rarity due to the age difference, there have been a few dragon and pony parings in recent years, not to mention Spike and Mika were a thing, a dragon and a lizard spirit. Also, Adagio, Sonata and Aria's parents were a seapony and a changeling, even though now they remained in earth pony forms since loosing their dark siren magic. And even if it didn't end well, there was no denying the chemistry between Capper and Chrysalis.

What those species all had in common was that they were all--biologically speaking--animals. Animals with human levels of intelligence and at times could walk upright and speak, but still animals in biology. A majority, if not the largest portion of species of spirits were animal-like, and like Iris said, humanoid spirits are extremely rare that hardly anyone knew of them anymore. Even actual spirits themselves had nearly forgotten them, the only reason she knew of them was because of the books in Wan Shi Tong's library.

In conclusion, these types of hybrids weren't that shocking. But a half human spirit that wasn't the Avatar? Yeah, she could see how that can make Hozu stand out from anyone else.

"None." Hozu answered for her. "My mother didn't know it at the time, but she was the very last nymph left in the world. I searched the Spirit World for years trying to find more of my kind, but everywhere I went I heard the exact same thing. They all either gave up their powers and became human, or they reached the end of their lifespans. My mom didn't interact with many other spirits, so there was no way she could have known. I searched under every rock, every library, and nothing!"

"W-What happened to her?" Iris dared to ask, fearing she wouldn't like the answer.

Hozu turned his back to her, staring up at the moon. "I was only ten-years-old. My dad died in a boating accident when I was three, so it was just me and mom. I showed signs of my powers at an early age. She taught me everything she knew, but I was still young so they were still developing. One day I went to the forest to get some berries. I stayed longer than I needed to because I made some new friends. We played for hours, I thought mom would understand. When I got home…"

Iris heard Hozu's voice tremble. A hand reached for his eyes. She could practically hear the sobs from where she stood. A small cloud started to form above Hozu's head, small droplets of rain poured over him, wetting the floorboards. The memory flashed before him like lightning. A rain shower formed inside the house as little Hozu laid beside his mother… lifeless on the floor, her skin pale as snow, her lips blue and her eyes completely black like tar. Her chest didn't rise or lower with her breathing. Her time had reached its end, and neither of them knew it.

"I'm sorry I said you had a 'squeaky clean' childhood." Hozu said between sobs. He sucked in his lips, tasting the saltiness of his tears merges with the rain waters. "I was just jealous. Jealous of all of you. You all have incredible powers, and everybody loves you for them. Everybody hatted me because of mine."

The rain clouds flashed white and more rain poured over Hozu. He recalled the memory of when he tried to save one of his new friends from falling into a river. Hozu was hidden in the bushes, watching the two play near a slippery slope, unaware of the danger they were in, seeing the rapid waters bellow them.

Hozu tried to form a cloud to save his falling friend, and while he did manage to do so, just like back at Klugetown, his man-made cloud turned gray and shot uncontrollable lightning everywhere. The strike hit a tree branch and one of the boys was hit. He broke his arm in the process. His friend helped him back up, all the while Hozu watched in horror and guilt as the storm cloud kept going haywire, disappearing only after he left the area.

Everywhere Hozu went, he tried to help people. To provide for the land like his mother once did. Like his ancestors once did, but every single time something went wrong. Waters became unsteady and dangerous at his touch, storm clouds formed in places they shouldn't have, and when he got angry or terrified, lightning would shoot from his fingertips and they wouldn't rest until they reached something to strike.

No matter how hard he tried he kept hurting people. Caring for others made him a danger to everyone. But, when he tried not caring about what went on around him, the most his powers did were create a soft breeze and allowed him to swiftly move around without anyone knowing. Like an invisible wind. That's when he decided it was best for himself, for everyone, if he just went around not caring about anything, or anybody.

Iris used her own airbending, to blow the cloud away from Hozu. His cloths and hair seemed to have dried up instantly. Iris really did understand Hozu now. He had an incredible gift, but it was clear that the grief of loosing his mother had influenced his powers. He was still grieving, and that made his powers go nuts whenever he tried to help. Helping was what his mother always did. As a nymph, it was in her nature.

Like her son, her natural maternal instincts led her to care for the world around her and to want to live her life for another. She wanted to experience selfless love, and it was clear Hozu wanted the same thing, but he didn't believe he could have it.

Iris could empathize the desire to live up to the legacy of one's mother, and yes, it can be difficult at times to be different from others, especially with powers not too many people have. They both inherited their gifts from their mothers, but Hozu lost his due to uncontrolled circumstances. He couldn't get his mother back, but maybe Iris could help him realize he didn't need to be afraid of his gift.

Iris spread open her wings and danced in mid air, unleashing magic from her fingertips as the reflective surfaces of the ship's wing-like sails shimmered, reflecting her abilities. She wasn't too different from Hozu. None of the Guardians were. They all had powers that made them unique, powers they were given to spread Friendship and hope. And yes, like Hozu, they also slipped up. They made mistakes, did a few damages, but they learned. Nobody is born knowing everything, and Iris believed, without a shadow of a doubt, that Hozu was destined for great things.

Once she landed, she took Hozu's hands in hers. He felt something pang in his chest and the nerves made him release them. He looked back down to the clouds, contemplating on whether of not he should just jump. He was never going to kill himself, he was going to use the clouds to break his fall.

Hozu didn't understand. Iris saw how dangerous his powers could be but, rather than be afraid she… she reached out her hand to help him. Nobody had ever done that for him before. He even tried to get himself to believe friendship was a silly concept since he was better off without it.

But, for the first time in his life, Hozu wasn't being resented by someone. Iris was just as special and different as he was. If anybody knew what it was like to be a hybrid, it was her. A part of him was still unsure, but there wasn't anyone around he could hurt, and he was confident enough that Iris could more than protect herself.

Iris beamed excitedly. She was finally getting through to him. She was right, all he needed was a friend to help him through his situation.

Iris took Hozu's hand, and this time he didn't pull away. Iris took off to the skies, with Hozu still holding on. He boldly let go of her hand and literally dove downwards. Iris gasped, only to then laugh at Hozu literally leaping from cloud to cloud with ease. She felt foolish for having believed he was actually going to kill himself earlier. He clearly knew what he was doing. This also explained how he was able to cross the desert before. When he was calm and at peace, his powers were tranquil like a cool breeze.

Hozu laughed as he flipped and dove through the clouds. He was literally flying! Iris had never seen a human fly on his own without the use of a wingsuit or a unicorn's telekinesis. The two soared across the skies near the pirate airship, laughing at the joys of being able to fly at will.

As Hozu flew, Iris used her water and airbending to move the clouds as well, heck even Hozu got brave enough to try it for himself. Droplets of rainwater were manipulated out of the clouds and the two created a breathtaking display of sparkly droplets of water dancing across the skies like shooting stars. The clouds formed around them, the waters creating rainbow colors at the tips, making it look like they were surrounded by a sea of fire-rainbows in the sky.

The two slowly came to a stop, facing each other. Iris's wings flapped gracefully, her hair billowing against the wind. Hozu's mouth went dry for a moment. The rainbows around them reflected in her eyes, faint blush sprinkled her cheek. For a moment, he couldn't take his eyes off of her. He never felt more alive. He never felt more… free. And happy.

Iris gestured to the what they had created together and Hozu was at a loss for words. He didn't know his powers could do that. He always thought they brought destruction whenever he tried to do good, but now, seeing all of this, he realized maybe his abilities weren't as dangerous as he originally thought. The grief that filled his heart for so long was starting to lighten. His heavy heart was all aflutter. He did the bold move in taking Iris's hands in his own this time.

With their fingers interlocked, the two started dancing side by side across the sky, around their masterpiece, which started to expand. The Rainbow clouds grew larger and filled the entire sky, along with the sparkly still raindrops before they unfroze and fell gracefully upon them like gentle rainwaters in spring.

The two spun around for a few more moments, their eyes locked as they slowly descended back onto the ship. They couldn't tell if that loud sound was a distant thunder cloud, or their own hearts.

Iris had been completely wrong about Hozu. He wasn't a selfish, lazy troublemaker at all, he was just a scared and grieving boy who wanted to have people to care for, but caring for them was what made him believe he was dangerous. He really did have a compassionate heart underneath that faux suave exterior. She realized how foolish she was to think otherwise.

Hozu realized he was just as wrong about Iris as she was of him. She wasn't just some spoiled princess who parroted everything her mother ever said. She was a strong, smart and loving individual who wanted to find her place in the world and she did, not because of her powers, but through her friends who helped her realize what her powers were really meant for. Maybe his powers could be used for something amazing just like he always wanted.

He was also wrong about friendship. He didn't think he needed it anymore, even if a secret part of him still longed for it. Friendship really could be for everyone. He just… had to be wiling to allow it into his heart. Iris really did open his eyes, just as he had opened hers. He reminded her not everybody is as they seem.

Iris's skin tingled as Hozu stroked the stray strand of hair and tucked it behind her ear. His hand lingered and he was lost in her rainbow colored eyes. He didn't know if it was the wind, or whatever, but something compelled him to lean in closer. It must have taken hold of Iris too because she was doing the exact same thing.

The two screamed in terror, their eyes wide like saucers and tumbling backwards from each other. Their heart rates accelerated, but not from excitement, from horror at hearing the wisps's booming voice. Hozu leaned against a crate, trying to catch his breath, while Iris had literally jumped, her wings flapping and her feet above ground.

"Come on, you guys. It's time to turn in. We don't want to be exhausted for tomorrow."

Iris breathed in and out, her feet landing on the floorboards. "Right. We'll be right there, Chi."

"What were you doing out in the rain?" Chi asked as she led Iris back inside. Indeed, her cloths were kind of wet, and there still a few lingering raindrops outside.

Hozu couldn't erase the smile that formed across his lips as he watched the rainbow clouds fill the sky. A few remaining frozen raindrops still sparkled, merging with the stars.

Grubber was snoring loudly while leaning against the airship's wheel. Bits of sponge cake stuck to his bottom lip. The bright light shined above his eyes and he tried to cover it up. Too late, he was already awake. He rubbed his eyes and they snapped open. He caught Tempest's attention by pointing at the sky.

"Hey! Look at that! Rainbow fire clouds! Whoa, that's so cool!" Grubber was absolutely bewitched by the beauty of the sparkly rainbow clouds that took on a fire-like shape. But, as beautiful as it was, it wasn't natural to see this type of weather phenomena this late at night, especially this clearly as if it were still day. This wasn't natural… it was supernatural.

Tempest smiled. "Yeah… of them to alert us." Her smile morphed into a disapproving frown when she turned to Capper, "Funny, though. They don't seem to be heading to Black Skull Island."

Capper had been playing it cool the entire trip, but now knowing that his lie had been exposed--again--he turned into a blabbering mess.

Tempest pushed Grubber out of the way and turned the ship around, in the direction towards the rainbow fire clouds.

The Little Pony legend: The Guardians of Harmony

by MaggiesHeartLove

Hozu's secret