//------------------------------// // The Power of Friendship // Story: The Little Pony legend: The Guardians of Harmony // by MaggiesHeartLove //------------------------------// *(~)* Ephesians 2:10 ~  For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things He planned for us long ago. *(~)* The Power of Friendship Here he was again. Alone. Hozu, the half-ling nobody with no friends, and even when he tried to act like a friend all it did was land him in trouble. He didn't have the heart to leave entirely, so he sat hunched over on a rock as the waves crashed. Droplets of salt water landing on his bare feet and he passed the time by throwing rocks into the sea. What would have happened if he didn't follow Akari to take the pearl? Would she had succeeded, or would she have been caught and casted out either way? He was only trying to help her, but by pushing her out of the way of the jellyfish, sparing her from getting caught, he instead got all of them in trouble. He could have told them the truth, but then they would have all been angry at Akari for stealing the pearl and… he just didn't have the heart to let that happen. He hoped Akari would tell them the truth, but the undecided and petrified look on her face made him feel even worse. She was scared to tell them, and she didn't even bother standing up for him either. He tried to help her, and this was how she repaid him, but at the same time he didn't want the friendship of the Guardians to falter. Was he really so unsure of himself that he was willing to take the blame for something he didn't do? And not say the truth in fear or making maters worse? It was all too much drama even for him to handle. How these people managed to not go insane with all of the complexity and struggles of Friendship was a mystery he wasn't sure he even wanted to solve. Maybe it was for the best. After all, every other act of attempted kindness had only landed him in trouble, and this wasn't any different. Dancing through life, not caring for anyone else except himself was less stressful. Lonely, but at least it spared him the headache he was feeling right now. Still, he couldn't deny he would miss those guys. He'd miss Nori's sparkly personality. Chrysalis's big sister protectiveness. Hiro's sense of humor. Chi's bubbly-ness. Gallant Steed's words of encouragement. And, despite what happened, he would miss Akari's sass and Mai's snarky sense of humor and how they both cared so deeply for Iris. And Iris… never in a million years would Hozu had imagined to find a girl like her. For once, he though he found someone who was, in a lot of ways, much like himself. Rare and different, yet she made him believe--for a moment--that his powers could cause more good than harm. His chest felt warm as he recalled their magical evening in the sky. He hoped it would have lasted forever. Guess he was just far too blinded by all of the pretty colors and songs to see the truth. Friendship really wasn't for everyone… he was the proof. Hozu let out a startled gasp when something began to rise from the waters. The head of a pony poked out, her long blue fin-like mane dripping wet. "Princess Sky Star?" "Hey!" The perky princess waved excitedly, though Hozu caught the air of awkwardness in her tone. "Where is everybody?" Hozu moved around in his spot, placing his legs close to his chest. "Who knows." he replied dryly. Sky Star's fin-shaped ears dropped as she swam closer to the shore. "I'm not mad. About the pearl thing. I know you were only trying to help your friends." "I wasn't trying to steal the pearl." Hozu confessed, realizing it wouldn't matter anymore. "I was trying to save Akari from getting caught." Sky Star's eyes widened. "Oh. Well, either way, I'm not upset. I'm sure she did it because she wanted to help. And that was very sweet of you." "Whatever. You should get back. Your mother's probably worried." Sky Star didn't understand why Hozu was feeling so down, or why he wasn't with the others. Maybe they had a fight, or maybe Akari was upset. She wanted to ask, but a gut feeling was telling her that if she did ask Hozu would probably get even grouchier than he already was. "You know…" she began, "When my mom took us underwater, I thought it was a good idea at the time. But, after meeting all of you, and seeing just how far you were willing to go to save your people it made it realize that… I don't want to hide from my problems anymore." "Sometimes it's better to hide." Hozu said, still dejectedly. "That way, nobody can hurt you." "Well, yeah, but if you do that then you'll just be stuck in the same place for the rest of your life. So… which is worse?" Hozu opened his mouth only to realize… he didn't have a counter for that. For a high spirited princess, Sky Star was a lot smarter than she led on. Her words managed to penetrate the thick stubborn fog that clouded Hozu's brain for so long. Sitting here alone did feel exactly like all those years of wandering and Dancing Through Life, but when he was with Iris and the others he was… alive. He was actually living, actually having an adventure and learned things not only about himself he never acknowledge before, but also got to experience new creatures, emotions and see first hand just how powerful Friendship can be. After his talk with Iris, his powers didn't feel out of control. Just like the seaponies when the Guardians sang and danced with them. They were literally glowing! They were happy! Sky Star was right. Instead of facing the problem and try to resolve it together like friends were supposed to, Hozu ran away and hid from his troubles out of fear and insecurity. Sky Star was willing to forgive him for what happened, so was it really so far fetched to think the others wouldn't too? All these years, Hozu blamed his powers and his bloodline for his shortcomings in life, but maybe that wasn't what was stoping him from making friends, but his own fear and grief. It wasn't his powers that needed to change, it was his own point of view. Sky Star smiled at him, placing her fins over his hands. Even at his lowest moment, there was a friend to show him not everything was lost. Sometimes all it takes is a second look, and maybe the simple comforting presence of someone who genuinely cares, to make you see things clearly. "Hozu!" "Gallant Steed?" The unicorn raced towards him and Sky Star. Hozu sat up on the rocks once Gallant arrived. "It's Iris and Akari! Tempest Shadow took them!" "What!?" Hozu felt as if one of Queen Novo's guards had pierced through his chest. Iris and Akari were gone, and at the mercy of that crazy unicorn, and in no time that bloodthirsty Storm King. "Come on! We got to warn the others!" Gallant galloped ahead, expecting Hozu to follow him. He didn't even mention the innocent with the pearl. "You guys go ahead! I'll catch up!" Sky Star said, looking more determined than Hozu has ever seen her. She dove into the waves again, and the two boys ran back to the others. (~) The rest of the Guardians normally didn't like admitting defeat, believing that there was always something they could do no matter how grim things seemed. But, at this point, it really did look like things have gone downhill. Chi was in her wolf form, digging holes into the sand with her paws while laying on her stomach, her face on her front legs. Hiro traced figures in the sand with a stick while Mai leaned against a rock, arms folded and one leg crossed over the other. Her hat creating shadows over her eyes and the bridge of her nose. Chrysalis was pacing back and forth, while Nori was sadly stroking her mane with her hoof, trying distract herself but all she could think about was their situation. "This whole journey was such a mistake. All we wanted was somebody to help us." Mai sighed, still feeling incredibly guilty. She wish she had the chance to apologize to Hozu for the way she treated him earlier, but it was too late now. "Think maybe it's time we talk to Akari?" she asked the others. "She's! Been! Taken!!!" Gallant Steed shouted as he galloped towards the others with Hozu right beside him. Normally, everyone else would have asked how did he find Hozu, but their attention was on the devastating news. "What?!" Chi exclaimed, changing back into her humanoid form. "Akari and Iris have been taken!" "Tempest grabbed them!" Hozu said, almost out of breath, his eyes wide in terror. "And took her on her ship!" The rest of the Guardians gasped. As if things couldn't get any worse, now Tempest had their friends in her clutches and no doubt they would be on their way to the Storm King. "We gotta get them back!" Chrysalis said fiercely. "How? We're short two Elements, and our powers won't be enough for that massive army." Mai said. Being the smart one, she normally loved being right. But, with what came with being the Element of Honesty, there were so many times where she hated being right. It was a blessing and a curse. "She's right." Hiro said, "We'd need an army of own, and we're really short of one right now." Hiro, along with the others, collectively hung their heads. "Well, good thing I happen to know of a group of mighty heroes that could handle this easily!" A voice came up from behind the gang. Turning around, they saw the shadow of a cat looming over them. Standing on a rock was Capper, the sunlight shinning behind him giving him a yellowish glow. Chrysalis stepped forward, eyes narrowed in disapproval upon seeing the con man. How he managed to find them this far off she had no idea. "Well, look what the cat dragged in. Himself!" she snapped. Nori stood right behind her friend, equally upset to see him. And to think, she actually fixed his jacket for him, and gave him two of her pearls. She was tempted to ask for their return, but Capper continue to speak. As usual, he knew how to grab the attention of an audience. "These heroes have faced the Storm King's army and escaped! I've seen them topple the streets of the roughest towns, break out of the tightest situations, and inspire others to join their cause!" "Ooooh." Hiro was the only one of the Guardians who was genuinely enthralled by the way Capper described these great heroes. Maybe they could help them. "Don't get too excited. He's just talking about us." Mai said, seeing her brother actually falling for the cat-man's speech. Hiro dropped his shoulders in disappointment, "Awww!" "They even escaped certain doom at the hooves of Commander Tempest!" Capper said as he slid down from the rock and did an air flip before landing perfectly on his paws. "Yeah. That was pretty great." Chi said, recalling when they all escaped the pirate ship and got away from Tempest in time. "Are you kidding me?!" Another voice was heard. The gang turned their eyes to another rock behind them and saw a group of familiar feathered creatures above. They flipped and landed before them. "That was awesome!" "Figured you could use a claw!" "Celaeno! You're okay!" Chi lunged forward and wrapped her arms around Celaeno's neck. The pirate lady hugged the wisp back. "Sure are! And we're all on board to help you fight the Storm King! Just not on board our... actual ship." "That crazy unicorn sunk it. But you got back our "arch"!" Mullet said, winking at Chi. The wisp's entire body glowed a bright pink, her form of blushing bashfully a she tucked a strand or hair behind her ear. "And we're ready to kick some booty!" The pirates all cheered and laughed heartily as Celaeno pulled out her sword. The once fearless pirate captain was back and ready to take back Equestria! But, there was still one more friend to accompany this ragtag team of unlikely heroes. The waters of the ocean began to rise and the entire gang turned to see something rise from the waters. A shimmering golden form rose up, spinning like a dancer in the sky as the jingling sound of magic filled the air. In a flash of light, a creature with beautiful feathered wings, the back legs of a horse and front legs of an eagle emerged. Her mane and tail were made out of blue feathers and her face was the perfect fuse of a horse and a bird. Her bright blue eyes didn't change, and she still wore the friendship necklace Nori had made her. The anemone in her hair was now a lovely pink flower. "Is that what I think it is?" Capper said, staring in awe as did the pirates and Guardians. They had never seen such a creature, at least not from the image on statues or on a map or an undersea illuminating painting. The creature landed on a rock, tucking her lovely wings. Her voice was that of jingling bells. No matter what form, they recognized Sky Star anywhere. "Hellooooooo!! Me again!" she giggled. "I'm gonna get so grounded, but if you guys are willing to defy the odds and save your families, then I want to help too!" Sky Star flew onto shore to stand next to Nori and Hiro. "'Cause ya know... one small thing... can make a really big difference!" she said the last part in a whisper to Nori. The merpony smiled and Hiro wrapped his arms around both of them, laughing happily at having Sky Star on their team. "That's it, right?" Gallant Steed asked, "We've got a former con artist, a bird pirate gang, a bubbly hippogriff princess and a half nymph. We didn't make friends with anybody else? Nope?" "All right, y'all! I think our course is clear." Capper said, his eyes turning to Chrysalis, who no longer looked mad, but proud, and even content to know that Capper wasn't as bad as he had made her believe. He really did have a change of heart, and she could tell from the look in his eyes, that this cat was more than ready to help her and her friends fight against the Storm King's army. "Y'all ready to do this thang?" Hiro thrusted his fist into the air, "We're coming, you guys!" Everyone, even Hozu, cheered. The pirates waved their swords into the air, while SkyStar, Chi and Chrysalis flew up into the sky. This may not have been the great army they had hoped, but seeing their determination and willingness to help reminded the Guardians that it didn't matter the size of the army, but the size of their hearts, and these guys had hearts as strong as any stallion in Equestria, or any sky bison or dragon bird. Just as they have been taught as children, no amount of magical spells, magical pearls or even magical powers could ever be as powerful as the greatest magic of all… The Magic of Friendship! It was now or never, they were going to save their friends and take back Equestria from the Storm King! "As soon as we think up a plan!" Hiro added. (~)