//------------------------------//
// Part one chapter 1-4 
// Story: Field trip... 
// by More Dakka 
//------------------------------//

(prologue)

It was about midday, and just as the sun began to slide into the highest point in its celestial arch, a lone seabird drifted lazily over a living painting. Below its pearly white wings, golden ribbons of sunlight danced lazily between a wash of fresh, green leaves. Each leaf stirred to the gentle whims of a cool ocean breeze casting the ribbons of light over pure, white sand below, making a pristine beach sparkle like an ocean of the purest diamonds as an endless stretch of the clearest rolling blue waters made sure they never lost their gleam…Except today, a thin line of shallow imprints rand down the beach towards the shoreline, marring the once unspoiled beach like a scar snaking down a once beautiful face.

The scar was soon noticed by a pair of bright blue eyes which followed it down towards the swirling white foam. They  grew wide when their gaze reached where the sea and sand met.

“Look!” their owner called, his voice young and full of surprise “there’s his footprints…”

Kneeling down next to the trail, the boy let his gloved hand rub across his hair line, stopping at a short tuft that was tied to look like the tail of a wolf. Then slowly, the hand fell away from his brow as he cast one last lingering glance towards the ocean at the point where the footprints abruptly disappear under the white surf, making his face twist into a thoughtful scowl. “The trail ends here…”

Three other pairs of young eyes absorbed the scene and they all followed the same gaze of the boy, all of them ending at the surf, and all of them trying to make sense of what they were seeing.

“So…” One of them spoke, this time carrying the soft tone of a young girl “He went for a midnight swim and never came back?”

“Maybe he was captured.” another voice suggested, one also belonging to a young girl, but the tone it carried betrayed just how often this event has happened in the past; even though it also carried a deep spark of worry which twinkled in her eye as she spoke.

“I don’t think so.” the boy answered sharply, his blue eyes covered the prints in a calculating gaze. “There’s no sign of a struggle.”

The last of the group’s female members crouched down next to him and placed one hand across her knees while being sure to leave her feet still firmly planted on the ground. She was the shortest of the group, and also the youngest, but her voice carried the most conviction as she spoke.  “I bet he ran away again.”

“Nu uh,” the boy was quick to shoot her down, “He left behind his glider and Appa”

The ease at which her explanation was shot down caused the girl to place her palm across her cheek as she let her elbows rest on her knees. “Well what do you think what happened to him, oh sloothy one?” she asked with a sharper tone as she waved her other hand for emphasis.

“It’s pretty obvious.” The boy said, crossing his arms as he rose to his feet. “Aang mysteriously disappears before an important battle; he’s definitely on a spirit world journey!”

Letting his eyes close confidently the boy raised a finger into the air as he waited expectantly for sounds of agreement from his group members, but his own confidence was soon shot down by the one other boy in the group.

“If he was, wouldn’t his body still be here?” the other boy stated, his tone betraying that he was slightly old, as well as being slightly taller than the first one.  As he spoke a hand idly flicked at a long fringe of hair, which ran down his face concealing a deep burn that covered almost the whole of its left side and stopped just above his mouth.

The first boy’s confident expression deflated, along with his argument, as he let out a simple but disappointed, “Oh yeah… forgot about that…”

“Then he’s got to be somewhere on Ember Island,” the blue eyed girl interrupted with sudden, yet subtle, force in her voice, “let’s split up and look for him.”

The others gave a swift nod, all of them pulled back into reality by the sudden conviction her tone carried… Which was then undermined, not a second later, when the youngest girl rushed over and clung onto the scarred boy’s arm.

“I’m going with Zuko!” She asserted with a wide grin, and then she paused as she noticed the awkward silence that had descended over them all. “What?” She asked innocently as she clung to the limb tighter, “Everyone else went on a life changing field trip with Zuko, and now it’s my turn”

At first, ‘Zuko’ didn’t seem to acknowledge the girl that was clinging on his arm like it was a lifeline; neither did he seem to the confused looks stretched across every other face there. But when the girl tried to pull him closer to affirm her conviction the height difference between them meant she only served to pull herself forward him, making his face light up with a bright red hue as an innocent, but victorious, grin threatened to split the girl’s face in two.

While this was going on, the two older girls just looked on at the pair as their now raised eyebrows threatened to reach their hairline. But soon enough, they both just shrugged before slipping away quietly. Meanwhile, the other boy soon followed their example and took his leave as well.

And then there were two…

Wordlessly, Zuko set off along the beach, with the girl following soon after as he covered a nearby treeline in a critical gaze, before darting back towards the shoreline. But, when his eyes scanned around for a third time, they caught sight of the girl still walking a lot closer than he expected her to be…or were comfortable with.

Taking a cautious step to the side, Zuko raised an eyebrow as his voice took on an even, but suspicious tone. “…What’s this about?” he asked as his eyes went back to the treeline.

In response to his question, the girl’s smile only grew as she crooned back, “I told you. Everyone else got there life changing field trip,” She suddenly pointed a thumb into her chest, “and now I get mine.”

Zuko’s eyes flicked back to the girl and he watched as her light smile twisted into a devious grin.

“But if you would have preferred to go with Katara again, I understand.” She said in a sly tone.

His yellow eyes narrowed but he quickly shook his head and pushed the comments out of his mind as he returned to scanning for Aang.

‘After all, how hard could it be to find one kid with an arrow tattooed on his forehead?’ he asked himself, but the thought didn’t make him feel any better… He’d lost track of how many times he’d asked himself that same question since the day he’d first gotten his scar.

“Hey, I can understand if you don’t want to talk about it,” The girl spoke up again, her voice dripping with fax innocence, “but hey, I’m right here if you want to talk about it.”

In his mind, Zuko told himself not to take the bait- not to say anything in case it invites any more distractions… but it seemed his mouth had other ideas.

“Toph…” He said in a tired voice, “we’re wasting time…” he stopped a second before he corrected himself. “No! You’re wasting time, please just help me look for Aang or be quiet.”

Zuko braced himself for her answer, waiting for whatever witty or sly comment she was about to sling at him. But surprisingly, instead of giving any verbal jab, the girl only let out a sharp huff of air and uttered a simple “fine” before she grabbed hold of one of one of his loose sleeves and dragged him away.

For the next few minutes, Zuko continued along the beach in silence, the girl trudging a short distance behind him, all the while casting his eyes in random directions, hoping every fleeting shadow and spur of movement was the boy they were looking for. Soon, a group of upper-class looking houses filled his gaze, and as he drew closer, Zuko felt the frown now sitting on his face lifted slightly -if only so he could scrutinise them faster.

The buildings sat atop a group of small, grassy embankments, each one seemingly littered out randomly in front of him. A simple, wooden pathway connected them all, ending in a small set of wooden steps. And surrounding them all was a collection of strangely well-kept gardens.

The question of who could actually maintain those gardens on his family’s “abandoned” island passed by Zuko’s mind, but he pushed it aside because, for some strange reason, he suddenly felt his eyes drawn to one of the paper like windows.

He studied the seemingly innocuous patch of white paper and thin wood before deeming it a waste of time. But just as he was about to turn his eyes away, he found them held there by a faint shadow. It cast itself across the white paper and then darted across its surface, leaving Toph to let out a surprised grunt when the boy she was clinging too suddenly took off towards it.

After pausing for a moment to collect herself, and after letting out a silent growl, Toph took off after Zuko. As she did, she noted that he wasn’t heading for the wooden stairs. Instead, he was clambering straight up the side of the steep embankment. Not really being a fan of anything made of wood herself, Toph didn’t pay the act a second thought and moved to follow Zuko’s lead.

Running straight up to the hill’s base, she struck her foot against the ground and a crooked stone pillar erupted through the grass, launching her onto the precipice above.

Landing with a dull thud, Toph paused as her feet soaked in her surroundings. The thin layer of healthy grass under them blurred her awareness for a brief second before she pushed her feet into the earth below.

She noted that Zuko was still trying to claw his way up the embankment, the realisation making her suppress a snort of laughter. But when he reached the top and tried to climb over the fence between them, the dam broke, and a roaring snort of laughter surged forward as one of Zuko’s shoes snagged on one of the loose posts, sending him flat on his face with all the grace of a Goatsloth.

Zuko’s ears began to burn as he became aware of the mocking laughter and he quickly clambered back to his feet. He watched, through narrowed eyes then he watched as Toph follow his lead by simply walking through the remaining fence posts, knocking each one over with a strike of her foot as she reached them.

Trying to ignore the sting of his wounded pride, as well as the smug grin squatting across the girl’s face, Zuko took a quick glance at the house’s paper window which sat within a simple wooden door.

“I thought I saw something.” he muttered quickly, sensing the question as he reached out for the doors rusted handle.

“Yeah,” Toph replied coyly, “could it possibly be the person that lives there?”

 Zuko let his hand fall away from the handle and he shot Toph a cold look… Then he let the glare fall away as he remembered the act was all but wasted on her, so he simply let his eyes settle back on the fallen fence posts as he spoke. “Every house here belongs to my father.” He said curtly “There shouldn’t be anyone in there”

He turned back just in time to see the girls ears perk up, “So, if someone is in there it’s probably Aang!” she concluded.

Zuko gave her a swift nod and reached for the handle of the paper door. And, after fumbling with it for a few seconds, he narrowed his eyes, drew his hand back and drove his foot forward while letting a streak of flame follow suit.

The door only managed to give off a sharp, whining crack before it was turned into a splintered heap, leaving Zuko to walk into the room. A satisfied grin perched itself on his face as he swatted idly at the thin layer of dust now covering the front of his trousers.

Slowly, Zuko brought his head up and let his eyes study the vacant room. The dank, grime covered walls stood defiantly against the time weathered against them as thick, murky air touched his nose.

But just as the murky smell threatened to smother his attention, a sudden jab in his back pulled his attention away. Flicking is head around, he found Toph leaning coyly against the doorframe, but he quickly turned his attention back to the room.

“And if the door was locked, how did he get in?” she asked in a shrew, sarcastic tone.

Without even turning around, Zuko answered, all the while doing his best to match the girl’s shrewd tone as his eyes continued to idly scan the room. “He could have walked through the unlocked door and locked it after him.” he asserted.

“And he would lock the door why?” Toph shot back, deepening her tone but humouring him as she crosses her arms and leant coyly on the door frame.

At first Zuko, left the question unanswered. At the moment, the room had a stronger hold over his attention, but it wasn’t long that he realised that in the moment, he wasn’t searching for Aang in that dark, murky air, but for a way to speak the words he was struggling to hold back.

A silent sigh escaped his throat, “Aang doesn’t want to face a hard truth. So he’s hiding from it like some kid.”

Again, the air around them went quiet, but just as he was about to turn around, Toph spoke.

“He is a kid, you know,” She said in a tone uncharacteristically soft for her, and Zuko couldn’t help but notice she didn’t contradict the statement, “and I don’t think anyone really understands where he’s coming from. The only thing he really has left of his people is what they taught him… and everyone is just expecting him to just drop it like an old bag.”

“Well yeah…” Zuko shot back without missing a beat. “This isn’t some monk’s dream world where everyone can get along with everyone else just like that.” he asserted with a snap of his fingers. “Why do you think the air nomads detached themselves from the world in the first place? The real world doesn’t work like that, so they got away from it to live in there little fantasy and deep down, Aang knows that.” 

When Zuko finished, he waited for Toph’s response, but all she offered was an indignant snort as her once sly grin returned, “Good thing Aang isn’t here to hear that.”

“And what would he do?” Zuko asked with genuine curiosity, “Wouldn’t Airbending at someone just because they said something you don’t like go against what they taught him?”

“The fact is,” Zuko continued, “the only reason Aang believes that in the first place is because the monks drilled it into him when he was too young to question it… and now they’re gone, he can’t bring himself to admit he was indoctrinated.”

Toph let out another snort-like laugh as she slapped Zuko across his shoulders. “Yeah and someone from the Fire Nation would know all about indoctrination, wouldn’t they?” she jabbed sarcastically, followed by another slap.

Zuko knocked her hand away with a snarl, “Yes I do.” he snapped in a grim tone.

Toph just let out a quiet sigh, “He just believes in giving people a chance.”

Zuko wanted to snap back with another quick answer, but the way she said that made him wonder if she actually believed it. So after letting out another sigh, he spoke again.

“And how many chances has he had already?” He asked, the question carried by much softer voice. “My Father isn’t just going to suddenly turn good on us, and Aang knows that…If waging war on the world, burning his own son, and trying to wipe out the whole Earth Kingdom wasn't enough, how many chances will he get?”

“I don’t know.” Toph shrugged. “How many did they give you before you surprised them?”

When he heard that, Zuko felt his face grow heavier as it donned its usual frown, but this time, the solemn expression held a hint of silent contemplation.

He seemed to fight with himself for a long moment before throwing up his hands in defeat. “Well then,” He snapped as he walked away through one of the dust covered doorways, “we might as well head back so we can start looking for those old baby pictures…”

As Zuko passed through the doorway, his voice began to be muffled by the old wood and manky air. Toph just followed softly without another word, all the while wearing a smug grin as a little medal of her victory.

Slowly, they began to move through the house, identical room after identical room passing them by as Zuko worked hard to maintain his ignorance of the various murky shapes that littered the floor by not stepping in them. But after catching a small chandelier made out of years old cobweb, that ignorance ended with a sickening squelch… 

“ARGH!!!” he yelled, jumping back, burning whatever it was he stepped in with cleansing fire. “Aang! Aang! Stop being stupid and come out already!”

 Zuko’s yell echoes through the murky air before it was washed out by the sound of a small stool being reduced to splinters… then that too was washed out by the familiar sound of sarcastic laughter.

“Knew he wasn't here…” Toph chided as she sauntered across the room and over the remains of the table.

After watching her pass, Zuko pinched the bridge of his nose as he fought the tantalising urge to break more furniture in the name of catharsis… like burning that group of fluffy cushions at the end of the room… the ones Toph was sauntering over too.

To his credit, Zuko tried to yell out a warning, but the call had barely passed his lips as Toph dropped down into a group of cushions and a sickening squelch filled the room.

A chilling silence descended around them which left Zuko to watch on as Toph suddenly went rigid where she sat.//
For a second, there was no reaction, but then the girl’s face slowly began to twist into a look of shocked repulsion and she all but leapt up out of her seat and clung to the celling, the cushions following suit.

Throwing his head back, Zuko avoided finding out what one tasted like, and he felt a silent shudder run through him as a pillow struck against the wall with a dull splat… then slid down a few moments later.

Toph let out a girlish sequel, ‘one Zuko would probably never hear again… if he ever hears anything at all’ as she started hopping around the room, slapping at the back of her trousers each time getting nothing but a stronger smell of dank for her trouble.

“What the heck is this stuff?!” she yelled, while trying to futilely dislodging the wet and yuck which clung stubbornly to the back of her legs.

Zuko just let out another tired moan, all the while doing his best to crush the bridge of his nose with his fingers.

“These buildings have been empty since my family use to come here when I was a child; you’ve just sat in years of damp and rotten cloths...”he said slowly, and  even though part of him felt some grim satisfaction from saying that… the tail of the dead elephant-rat he neglected to mention quickly made the satisfaction die.  

“Oh great! Now what!?” Toph growled, trying to stop the grimy cloth sticking to her skin, only to find it wasn’t cloth she was holding onto…  “Urgh, that’s it. I’m going to find Katara.”

“No!” Zuko barked through gritted teeth, “We don’t have time for this, we’re supposed to be looking for Aang, not wasting time doing laundry!”

“Well, what do you want me to do?” she demanded, still fighting with the wet cloth and flicking some to where Zuko’s voice was coming from.

“I don’t know…” Zuko barked again, while avoiding the fowl spray. “Do you still have your Fire Nation disguise?”

Toph gave a sharp nod while she still fought against the patch of damp slowly spreading down the back of her legs as Zuko took hold of her free wrist and began to pull her to the door.

The trip back to the Fire Lord’s old house was a quiet and, much to Zuko’s eternal thanks, uneventful one, with only his now burning urge to simply leave the girl and continue looking for Aang himself being the only thing that served to distract him. But after that, the time spent waiting for Toph to change was beyond tedious. Apparently, blind people take even longer to get ready than sighted ones, and he just pushed that thought aside along with the ever growing list of distractions.

After what seemed like a small eternity, Zuko watched the door of his old summer home slide open and Toph sauntered out of the building. And when he saw her cocky gait and sly smile, he almost had to strain against his building urge to instigate another time wasting argument with a snide comment, but he’d finally learned to listen to the little voice that told him when something was a stupid idea. Zuko just turned around and began walking back down the path all the while uttering a silent prayer that they could recover the time that had already been lost.

As they continued retracing their steps back down the beachfront, Zuko made a silent promise to block out any and all future distractions. Which was hard seeing as his companion had not stopped talking since her feet touched the sand, though thankfully, it seemed Toph was oblivious to the fact she was being ignored, but that little blessing proved to be a double-edged sword as her voice began to seep back into his attention.

“And then when I was nine, I ran away again…” her story droned on, making Zuko utter a reactionary “Uh, uh” in reply. 

“I know I shouldn’t complain. My parents gave me everything I ever asked for… But they never gave me the one thing I really wanted… their love. You know what I mean?” 

Her tone pleading and sombre, but all the while he actually did listen Zuko found himself having to fight to urge to sarcastically mention his own father… or how the sun always got in his eyes. But in the end he decided against it. 

“Look,” he said, turning to face Toph, and even though he tried to keep his tone even Zuko couldn’t help the slight edge that found its way to his voice, “I know you had a rough childhood, but we should really focus on finding Aang.”

Turning away again, Zuko pushed back on down the beach, but the sand under his feet slowed him down enough to catch a weak, disgruntled voice come from behind him.

Letting another sigh seep through his teeth, Zuko cast a quick glance over his shoulder, if for no other reason than to see if Toph was still following him. She was but now her head hung even lower than usual as a cold atmosphere of gloom all but radiated from her… one he could see even though she was trying to hide it, and when he turned back Zuko made a silent promise to make it up to her… but after they find Aang.

Toph herself didn’t really know how to feel, and any hints that betrayed her mood where completely subconscious. At first, she thought the joke about Katara was the problem. It would go with what the others have said around a campfire before Zuko actually joined the group, namely how he’s supposed to be easy to “back into a corner”. But after a few more moments of pondering, she remembered something specific. She was talking about her parents just before this “mood swing” started… and she found that revelation burned at her.

The whole reason she wanted to talk to Zuko in the first place was that… out of everyone in the group, she thought he should be able to sympathise with her. Aang was a monk and never had any parents if she remembered her tutoring correctly, while Katara and Sokka still had their dad.

But, before she could finish her musings, Zuko turned sharply and began walking back towards another one of those manky houses.  A little before Zuko reached them she caught up to him, an urge to break the awkward silence… and to not have to deal with that dank air again urging her on.

“So,” she poked cautiously, “tell me again why we’re bothering with these old houses when Aang’s footprints lead out to sea?”

Zuko let out another sigh, though it didn’t have the same acidity as the one before. “Because, in case you hadn’t noticed, Aang has a habit of running away from his problems. And seeing as he left Appa and his glider behind, that means he is probably still somewhere on the island.”

“Aang won’t miss the comet.” Toph interrupted. “He probably just wanted some time alone. He’ll show up when he’s ready.”

“I’m not so sure…” Zuko replied, lowering his eyes to the floor. “Isn’t that how he ended up frozen for one hundred years in the first place?”

“Yeah, but…” Toph tried to argue… but whatever she was trying to say died before she could even say it. “Yeah…” she finished.

They passed through another tired looking doorway and the room they found on the other side was nothing special, just the same grime smothered walls and dank, musty smell. Once they were home to the palace’s servants, Ozai had always made it a point for anyone serving the royal family to expect the same luxury they worked in… after all, a servant who is offered a taste of the same luxury they proved would be less inclined to risk what they had by threatening the hand they feed.

Zuko stepped further into the old, murky room, striding over the dust and displaced floorboards which offered a glimpse at the supporting beams below it. Every so often, his eyes would follow the cracks that ran along the paint which still clung stubbornly to the walls.

“Well, come on…” he commanded, grabbing Toph’s sleeve he lead her into the room.

She followed at first but after about four steps she stopped dead “Naah,” she asserted quietly, “I think I’ll just wait outside.” She finished, already turning back towards the door.

“No,” Zuko said as he grabbed her sleeve again, “We’ll get done faster if we split up and look in different rooms. I’ll take the top, you look down here.”

Toph waved her hand back over her shoulder dismissively. “Sorry, Zuko, you’re on your own with this one.”

“Why?” he asked simply but with a lingering tone.

“Because I can’t Earthbend wood… “, Toph stated matter of fact, her heel striking lazily against the floor for emphasis. “So I can’t see in there, I’d be about as useful as you if you walked around with your eyes shut.”

“Fine.” Zuko relented “But don’t wander off to far… and keep an eye… err, foot out for him while you’re out there…”

Toph answered him with a cheery, if not sarcastic, “Can do” before she took another step towards the door. Her foot met the wood, a sharp crack rung out as the air froze in both of their lungs.

Zuko’s head immediately snapped around to find that Toph had frozen on the spot. The girl only dared seem to move her toes, pressing them down on the wood with a touch lighter than Aang could ever manage, as her ears twitched, searching for another crack.

When no sickening crack followed, she slowly dared to move again and began to lift her foot from the ground, pausing a moment to let out the breath she was holding…

CREEEEAAAK…

Only for the floor to give way under her at that very moment, and a second later, she was swallowed by a black void underneath.

Zuko could only stare as the girl disappeared. The lack of a scream trapped him in a shocked stupor as he looked on widened eyes.  Only a sickening thud three seconds after she disappeared served to liberate him from his stupor, and he did the first thing he thought to do and he yelled impotently at the hole where the girl once stood. “Toph!?”

A moment passed by without any reply and Zuko feel a swell of dread rise up his throat.

“Toph!?” he tried again, his voice stained by the same dread.

“Toph, are you ok!?” he yelled into the black a third time, and for one long, agonising moment he only had silence for his reply until finally…

“Yea…I’m fine,” Toph called, “The ground broke my fall.” 

Zuko let out another sigh, but this one wasn’t fuelled by frustration but a deep swell of relief….

CREEEEAK

Only for it to disappear not a second later….

 “Toph…”Zuko called out in a distant tone, “Are you sure you’re ok? What’s down there?”

“Nothing hurt but my pride…” she answered, “But this whole place is made of wood, I can’t see anything down here.”

Strangely, Zuko noticed her voice quivered slightly, but he just put it down to the shock wearing off.

Then, another deafening crack shook Zuko out of his thoughts, and he has just enough time to yell out a warning before most of the floor collapse under him.

His feet met the ground first, rewarding him a stab of pain and sickening crunch as they did. Gritting his teeth, Zuko straightened his back and slowly began to wander into the dark as his eyes scanned around impotently. The silent hope he can stare through the darkness bearing no fruit.

“Toph?!”

“Here!” Toph’s voice echoed back through the darkness.

Zuko pushed further into the black, and he was just about halfway through cursing his luck when he literally held the answer in his hand. The true amount of time it took for him to realise this Zuko would never freely admit, though it wasn’t a number that helped his pride by any means.

Holding up his right hand, Zuko poured heat into a single spot of air until a small flame came to life. He let a steady heat flow into it and a dull circle of yellow light reached out into the darkness. 

His eyes still strained to make use of the light and initially the black all but seemed to dismiss it as an insult. But soon enough, his eyes adjusted and he at least had enough light to make out the small circle around him.

“Toph?” he called out again and got another distant “Over here” as a reply.

He continued on for a little while, wading through the darkness when a small glint of gold caught his eye. Assuming that it must be Toph, he began rushing forward.

The dim light caught something else, and Zuko felt his heart almost leap out of his mouth when he found a pair of milky white eyes staring back at him. His momentum betrayed him, along with his legs, and his head gave a loud crack off the rotten wood as the two greeted each other like old friends.

“Took you long enough,” Toph deadpanned.

Zuko’s only response was to let out a pained grimace as he rubbed the back of his head as he worked to put his feet back under him where they belong. Toph meanwhile, stumbled over to him and clasped onto his arm when she found it.

“I take it you haven’t found a way out of here?” Zuko asked her.

“No,” she snorted indignantly, “I found nothing but more stupid rotten wood.” she growled. “But I can hear something strange, almost like running water.”

Toph took a slight step back, swivelling herself around slightly while her ears scanned…“That way!” she called and pointed to her right.

Zuko ducked as the limb rushed passed him, the flame sitting in his hand flickering as he did making him scowl again. Taking a step back, he grabbed hold of the limb and pulled the girl in the direction she dictated.

At first, he was suspicious of the claim, but it wasn’t long before Zuko could hear the water himself. He followed the sound with new found fervour, dragging the girl behind him as they headed towards its source, as the light from the small, handheld flame caught the sides of many more short wooden crates. His expectation built as Zuko weaved his way through the maze of crates, while trying to guide the blind girl on his arm through the mass of wood that was more than happy to lay claim to their balance.

After stepping over one final box, Zuko sat Toph down on its lid as he moved closer to the sound of running water, investigating.

As he approached, the light from his hand began to bounce back to his eye, but only in faint spots, and only holding a fraction that of their source. Drawing closer, the light then flicked off a steam of water that flowed sharply into a pool below, the yellow light spreading across it surface like a swarm of firefly’s as he loomed over it.

There was something strange about this pool, some odd sense of danger hanging around it; one Zuko couldn’t quite put his finger on it but that all but screamed for him to turn away.

While Zuko was scrutinising the pool of water, Toph was quickly growing bored with the silence, and when clicking her tongue had stopped proving a distraction she decided to break it. 

“You find the water yet hothead?” she yelled in a shrill tone

Zuko shrank at the sound and ground his teeth as his hand barely avoided plunging into the crystalline pool.//
“Yes” He seethed as he pulled away from the edge “It’s just some fountain...”

Indeed it was a fountain, and the site of it invited a moment of calm nostalgia to wash over Zuko as he remembered the carefree days he’d spent in the palace gardens. while the one in front of him seemed much smaller than the palace fountains back home, it still seemed large enough to step into. 

In the centre of the pool a lone structure stretched upward and curved in a way that reminded Zuko of an auger shell. The top of which curved over at the sides into four green slate archways which hung down to touché the fountains bowl. And the whole thing seemed to be covered in a single intricate mosaic, with the majesty of what it depicted penetrated the dust even if the subjects of the tiles couldn't.  

Swiping his hand over the bowls edge, Zuko peeled the thick layer of dust away, revealing the image of a small air bender and a small sky bison standing together. And he felt himself grow lost as he peeled more and more of the dust away...

As Zuko’s wandering eyes stared at the fountain Toph, for no reason other than the boredom that began creeping into her bones, started to familiarize herself with the crate she was sitting on...

‘Wood’ she thought as she drummed her heels against its side, the word echoing in her mind with a bitter taste. Weather it was the river village they spent over a week in, or the hose they were trapped in for over a month in Ba-sing-Si, or just the hour she spent in the wooden cell as bait, the familiar texture sparked a burning hatred in her.

She tapped her knuckles across the wood as an in impotent act rebellion against the foul material the box had the nerve to be constructed of. But as her hand made contact, instead of meeting the disdained material it fell through a gap in the crate’s lid… to find yet another disdained material within.

‘Ah paper’ she thought with the same amount of scorn. Just like wood paper was just one more constant reminder of her blindness. Fortunately though, this was one reminder that could easily be tossed aside...

Back at the fountain, Zuko’s musings were shattered as a peace of scroll hit his foot. And when he plucked it from the floor with a scowl, the twinge of annoyance he felt quickly gave way to curiosity as he tried to decipher a strange incomprehensible language that it seemed to be marred with...

Then he stopped and he turned the thing the right way up….

Unfortunate though, even right way up the scroll still refused to make any more sense. The words were legible, yes, but they seemed to form some strange, pointless sonnet.

“Zuko?” Toph Called, breaking his concentration again “What are we still doing here?”

“Where did you get this?” he asked in return, still eyeing the scroll.

“Get what?” Toph questioned in confusion as Zuko turned to wave the paper in front of her face…

“Get what? She repeated.

“This scroll” Zuko barked, waving it again.

Toph just let out a light snort and slapped the crate with her hand.  “Found it in here…” she said idly “Feels like there’s a few in there too, plus some animal skin bags, what's it matter?”

Zuko didn’t answer; instead he just walked over to where she sat, pulling her too her feet, he beckoned her to sit on the fountains edge before his hands found their way to the crates lid.

With a sharp grint Zuko pulled the lid free and stared into its confines, idly shifting the loose shavings of wood as he did.//
Inside the crate sat a group of leather bags, most of which seemed to be sealed but one laid half open with a large mass of scrolls spilling out. 

Zuko, Looked over the bags, and the soft glints of what he thought must be identical crates hidden in the darkness and felt his stomach knot. Suddenly he didn’t feel so secure being a fire-bender in a wooden room surrounded by crates packed with old, dry scrolls. But in the end his curiosity won out and, with a little more care than before, he reached for a large book that sat half buried in the wood shavings and laid it across the crates lid.

At first glance the book didn’t seem to be of much importance. It seemed to be a journal account of some air nomad, but at the same time something stopped his eyes from wandering away.

Sown in gold thread across the books cover was the same phrase he found on the scroll and the fountains itself.

‘In this water you will not find your reflection, only yourself…’

The strange words made Zuko pause for another short moment, as he moved his eyes to peer into the water. 

When that moment passed  and still nothing happened Zuko gave a dismissive shrug and let the scroll fall back into the bag. Then, taking a seat on the fountains edge, he brought up a hand to his forehead as he tried to figure out just where he could look for Aang next.

The sound of the water helped to soothe his nerves and, as his thoughts wandered, Zuko found his eyes passed over the scroll… specifically, its strange message.

In this water you will find not simply your reflection, but yourself…

Take heed- as Life holds many paths and most of them lead you to wisdom.

But be warned, wisdom always comes at a price. And, like always in life, when the first step is made there is no turning back. Not until the price is paid.

~Enter young but emerge old, with many fantastic stories yet untold~

“Well, that makes no sense” he thought out loud as his face scrunched up in bitter confusion... an action that had become all but habit since he joined the avatar and his friends.

Lowering his eyes back to the fountain Zuko noticed the strange writing around its rim; a list of names around its edge, one of them Zuko recognised as the golden trim on the book.

“Hey! Earth- bender to Zuko!” A sudden shout filled his ear and Zuko’s head flicked up to find Toph wavering at him.

“Weren’t you the one who was nagging that we should be looking for Aang?” the girl scolded in a snarky tone but her frustration meant it came out almost like a shrill whine.

In reality Zuko  agreed with her, but he found his eyes pulled back to the scroll.

“Yes I was” he replied without looking back up. “But something about this Fountain seems strange, the air nomads keep mentioning something about harmony… and…the elements but I can’t make it out.”

“And that’s more important than finding Aang why?” Toph pressed in the same snarky tone.

“Because, I have this weird feeling it might lead to something that could help Aang… You know besides him growing up.” Zuko droned before suddenly putting the scroll under Toph’s nose

“Here, look for yourself” Zuko commanded...and suddenly found the air leave his lungs as a sharp pain dung into his ribs. 

The scroll fell from his grasp and onto the edge of the fountain, draping halfway across Toph’s slender knuckles. Feeling the sudden unexpected touch of paper, Toph’s hand moved to grasp it, but all that happened was the errant scrap of paper shifted and slid into the fountain.

Spurred on by a flash of instinct Toph’s back twisted sharply, and with her legs still in place, her hand shot into the water to grab at the scroll. And after a small amount of idle splashing her grip made contact and she pulled her arm back...

Except... the scroll didn't come back… and neither did her arm….

With an annoyed snort, she twisted herself on her seat and cupped her other hand on the rim believing her first failure was through her awkward position and the leverage it denied her.

This time her arm did move but something strange happened as it did. Just as it began to pull back a strange pressure began to build around the limb, and the feeling only grew across her skin until it was too painful to pull back any further than an inch. 

The sudden need to relieve the pain caused her to push forward and she found the cold sing of the frigid water up to her elbow.

Meanwhile, Zuko was too busy clutching his ribs, while also trying to stop the annoyed thoughts from taking control of his own arm, to notice what was happening. But his ignorance soon ended when a startled yelp filled his ear, bringing with it a stab of pain.

He seethed and twisted around to yell something back, but the urge died when he found Toph awkwardly slumped over the fountains edge. The sight of it almost made him forget his anger and he can’t help but let a weak chuckle escape his mouth.

“Don’t laugh you idiot! help me!” Toph screamed, the sudden force and desperation of the cry shook Zuko out of humour and straight into confusion he rushed over to her.

When he reached her side Zuko scoured the water for what could be wrong with the girl but his eyes couldn’t find anything, and he was just about to back up and ask when her free arm slung itself around his waist and all but pulled his balance out from under him.

“Urgh! my arms stuck!” Toph yelled as she racked her arm tighter around his waist, making Zuko brace himself as he peered over the side.

The earthbenders arm was about elbow deep in the glistening waters. Then his yellow eyes caught something which made his jaw all but hit the fountains edge.

The water in the fountains pool slowly began to climb its way up her arm, something the young earth bender obviously detected as she let out another startled yelp. And Zuko was shaken even more as the once single stream of water began to branch out into clear spinally vines as they crawled up her arm… and towards her face.

Toph started screaming as she began writhing form side to side. The action almost knocked Zuko into the pool himself. But, after snagging the ledge with his free hand, he finally managed to snap out of his stupor, and just in time for shock to turn into horror when he saw Toph give one last panicked shout before she was dragged completely into the water.

Without even thinking Zuko lunged forward, plunging his hand into the water after her, and when his fingers found some of the cloth they almost pierced it as he clutched to it for dear life.

A thin hand began to claw at the skin on his arm and Zuko lurched back to try and free the girl from the waters… only for his hand to stay where it was.

He gave another desperate heave, then another, and another, before his strength finally waned and his elbow gave a final aching groan of discomfort as he was dragged into the water himself.

And then, with a final deafening splash, a deathly silent descended on the room, leaving nothing but a small ripple to spread across the pool of water as a clue that anyone was ever there.


…

…

…

(Chapter 2)

At first, Zuko couldn’t feel anything….

There was no light….

 No sound….

The only thing he had was the faint ring that Toph’s final pankied yell had left in his ear...

And then, like a flash of lightning, it all came flooding back…

A panicked scream bounced off the walls of an aching skull…

The points of a thousand, icy, needles sank into burning skin… and their icy touch bit into bleary eyes as their lids slowly pried themselves apart, allowing thin streams of light to coast past an unfocused gaze...

A knife made of molten iron pierced his chest as hands threw themselves to his face to stop him from drawing in any of the dark icy water. His head swung left and right as a pinked mind tried desperately to peer into the vast, cold, nothing that surrounded him...

Then, a spark of inspiration lit up the darkness, and with a cringe of effort the last few wafts of air were set free from his lungs.,,

Bleary eyes fixed on the writhing spheres in the desperate hope of following them to salvation as the burning knife drove itself deeper into his chest, but purpose drove him on as they floated... down… and past his feet...

His lungs drove him to follow them, striking away the instinct that yelled that he was only swimming further towards his own end.mm

Just as his vision began to blur, a glimmer of light caught his eye. The apparition skipped across a silk like sheen and his limbs gave one last desperate, burning, effort to quicken his pace. And at the moment his lungs felt like they would give way he tore through the water’s surface.

In that moment the air tasted sweeter than  at any point in his life, and as he savored it, Zuko almost sank back under the waves as relief washed over him….

Then the sense of relief was ripped away again by a single panicked thought.

‘Toph’…

In a rush of panic Zuko’s burning eyes darted left and right, scouring every inch of the glass like sheet of water that sounded him. But each time they ended at the empty strip of white sand encircling the mirror like pool of water.

A pang of dread shot down Zuko’s spine, and with as deep a breath he could take, he lunged back under the water. The frigid waves seemed to grab hold of his limbs, weighing down every movement and pull the very air of his lungs, but he dragged his way down until he was left floating amongst the cold void, facing an almost solid wall of darkness.

The same burning knife found his chest again, but he ground his teeth and ignored it, focusing instead on the veil. 

A small glint of light caught his eye. To his left a small group of bubbles Shone as they rose out from the black, slowly creeping up towards the surface, and without even a though Zuko threw himself towards the spot they rose from.

He pushed on further into the darkness until a sudden jolt of force freed the last of the burning air from his lungs. A flash of panic pushed Zuko’s hand which rushed forwards and found something brush against it.

It was Toph… she wasn’t moving.

Wrapping the inside of his elbow under her chin, Zuko started all but clawing at the space above him as he pulled himself back towards the surface.

When he finally reached it, the sand was strangely warm, and the warmth clung to him as the sand gripped to his now damp clothing. But the pestilent grit wasn't something he had time to dwell on as he dragged Toph further away from the glass like pond.

Falling to his knees Zuko grit his teeth as he found some sharp pebbled hidden under the white sands and he coughed out any water that made it past them. Time began to slow down again, but as the moments dragged on his weak feeling of victory slowly seeped away when his eyes flicked back to the girl who was still lying limp on the sand.

Her skin felt icy and the hand he put to her face felt no sign at all she was breathing.

Helplessly Zuko pulled at his hair as he desperately tried to summon the countless hours of ship safety his uncle forced him to endure, but none of the lectures of his old iron ships medic would return to him…

Well, none but the most awkward…

Raking his fingers through his hair Zuko prayed the pain would let him remember another lesson, any lesson, but all he got was a hand full of loose hairs.

With a final, futile yell, Zuko Slammed his hands on the breach. Then, reluctantly, he moved his way over to Toph. Slowly turning her over he pinched her nose before sheepishly lowering his face to attempt mouth to mouth, and after only the first breath he put his ear next to her nose, he found no reaction and he moved to try again…Only to reel back as a sting of pain washed over every other thought in his mind; all except a sickening crunch that filled his ears and the cloud of dust that followed after.

The dust filled his eyes and one sting bled into the other making Zuko roll backwards as hands his spring up to his face.

With his hands all but lodged against his face Zuko didn’t see Toph Jump up to her feet, but he did hear her now shrill voice. 

“What do you think you’re doing!?” She demanded. 

Despite the pain, or more likely because of it, Zuko felt something boil over in him

“I thought you drowned!”Zuko spat as a trickle of blood ran down his arm; something that brought even more venom to his throat. “I was trying to do something the ship’s medic taught me that would help!”

Zuko heard a soft thump as another rock dropped to the ground. “What ship?” Toph asked as her face scrunched with confusion.

Blindly, Zuko stumbled to his feet; the hand still fixed over his face causing him to miss the flinch Toph gave the sudden moment

“Before you joined the group...” he grumbled in a low, seething, tone that was only slightly less muffled by his hand “I was chasing Aang with the warship I was banished on… My uncle always made me go to the medics ‘man overboard’ speech.” 

When he finished Zuko peered through a small gap in his fingers and saw  Toph shift nervously. 

slowly she wiped her mouth one last time her hand found its way to the back of her head.

“So…” her voice sounded strangely timid “you weren't trying anything, you actually thought I drowned and was trying to help…” it was more a statement then a question.

“Yes” Zuko almost snarled, his hand still over his nose. 

The answer made Toph cringe again as she began to rub the back of her head.

“Oh…  Err…. thanks.” She said with a flat nervous tone, one Zuko didn't pick up on.

With a dismissive snort, Zuko just walked straight past her and took his hand away from his face for just a second. Then he snapped it straight back when he felt a line of blood run down his face.

As he passed her, Zuko felt Toph put a hand on his shoulder to stop him. He span around to shoot her a glare, even though he knew the gesture would be lost on her, but really he didn't care, it was more of a reactionary thing. But before Zuko could snap at her Toph held up her other hand which held the small ‘now worse for wear’ scroll.

“Just, err… just remembered I had this” she said pushing it under his nose. The offered scroll knocked against the hand clasped over his nose, which earned her another snarl as Zuko snatched the scroll from her grasp.

Taking his hand away, and cursing the line of warmth running down his face Zuko opened the parchment and let his eyes cover it for a moment…

Then another moment passed…

There was a third awkward pause then Toph’s ears strained to catch something Zuko murmured under his breath. Then her ears strain the opposite way from a sudden cry of rage that died to the sound of a far off splash.

Toph drew in a breath to ask what the matter was but a wisp of smoke caught her breath and she let out a choked cough.

“So…” she asked casually after the cough left her throat, her curiosity pushing through her confusion. “What it say?”

Strangely, as soon as she asked that Toph a sudden pressure come over her, like a twinge right in the back of her mind. It wasn't intense but it caused her to take a step back out of pure instinct.

If she had sight of her own Toph would have known what having someone ‘glare through you’ feels like, but being blind as she was meant she was left at a loss for the sudden feeling that crept up her spine.

“It said...”Zuko said with the low, almost hollow tone “Don’t touch the water in the fountain…”

…

 
For the few, long, minutes that followed the beach was still. Zuko had chosen to bury himself in the bag of scrolls  that were themselves now half buried in the sands in front of him. He’d only just realised that the bag had been around his waist when he was dragged here, and so was dragged along with him. And he probably wouldn’t have at all if he hadn’t thought scroll he threw didn’t fly as far as it should have, and wanted to know the reason why.

For those few minutes Toph hadn’t disturbed him at all, in fact it actually felt like she was trying to avoid his attention. Not that Zuko really cared right now, he was too busy working through the seventh out of the nineteen scrolls that he found within the leather bag.

What he’d read so far on the small pieces of parchment was, in a word, disturbing. At first it seemed like nothing more than gibberish, but as he read on they began to paint him a very clear, yet absurd picture; Like assembling a puzzle, only to find a picture of armadillo bears playing Pi-shoe.

Actually, armadillo bears would make more sense to him than the still borderline gibberish he was digging through. Each scroll was covered in either a series of obscure instructions, strange illustrations, or simple math problems. And most if not all of them were also covered in notes which, to his astonishment, made even less sense than the scrolls themselves. 

But, worst of all was the book….

It was definitely a journal written by an air nomad, but if that was true then it must have been the diary of a crazy person. Worse still, only a few pages actually seemed to be legible.

Again his eyes passed over the scribbles in the silent hope he missed something.

 9818-BSC

So, I've been told to keep a journal when I’m on my journey and I've got a week to wait so I might as well practice. A few of the masters keep asking me if I’m sure this is what I want- which isn't ominous at all'- but the others keep saying that I made my choice and now there’s no turning back.

Zuko’s eyebrow rose as his frustration once again gave way to curiosity.

Ok, two days to go and I can’t help but check my supplies for the hundredth time. Master Ya’u has dragged me away so I thought I’d just write this.... The truth is I’m worried. The masters say I shouldn't be, but I can’t help it. None of them will tell me what will happen on this journey, only that they all have taken it and I must as well if I want to be a master alongside them. I know they’re all my elders ‘by a very, very long way’ and I can’t resist the chance of being the youngest master, but like I said I’m worried. I haven’t told them but I know four people have gone and never come back.

Zuko’s eyes passed over a few more entries before a later one caught his eye.

I can’t believe it!... I just can’t belive the masters tricked me!!!!!!!

It’s been two months since they lead me to that fountain and this is the first time I've had chance to write since then.... Truth is I thought I lost this book in the river and I can’t begin to describe some of the things I stumbled across in that time.

Here’s a quick summary of what happened… I nearly drowned in some stupid river. Then I tried swimming back the way I came, only to end up walking across the water like it was stone. Then I staggered around some stupid forest for three days.  Then I spent the rest of the time hunted by strange creatures... The good news is I've gotten a chance to write this because I finally killed the stupid thing hunting me!  In fact I’m sat atop the thing as I’m writing this. It’s just something I thought to do to calm down.

I’m not going to spend too long describing it. Picture a big twisted sabre-toothed moose-lion, but half the size  and without the horns. Think smaller back legs and nothing but teeth at the front….in a single word, think ‘Ugly’

I’m sat on its shoulder with my feet on its head, atleast I think it’s its head, it’s where the teeth are anyway ‘which are alot by the way’.

 I didn't even think it had eyes at first. At least not until I tried to sit up here and put my finger through one of them. Turns out it has a lot of small eyes all over the front and side of its head. 'Oh and by the way, the gunk from one stinks and I bet it’s going to stain my sleeve…'

On another note this thing was really hard to bring down. It was fast, way too fast to hit and almost too fast to avoid. But the scary thing was the stupid thing was toying with me! It spent all those weeks baiting me, not letting me sleep day after day as it slowly drew closer to where I slept before it finally tried to run me down.

That’s what scares me the most. It could have just ran up and tried to eat me but it didn’t. It kept goading me, taunting me. It’s like it wanted to break me before it killed me. Thank the spirits I got lucky though.... now that I think about it, what I did was desperate and stupid. But it also gives me an idea, and if it works, I will have a surprise for anything else that’s waiting for me in this stupid place- Which is good because something tells me I’m going to need whatever edge I can get. Good news is I have the scrolls now and I need to get moving if I want out of here, but I nee

Unfortunately thats all Zuko could make out, the rest of the entry was obscured by a large black stain. So, with a disappointed sigh, Zuko let the book fall back into his lap before turning towards the bag of scrolls.

Reaching into it slowly he rummaged around for a moment before pulling his arm out along with a single worn scroll.

At first the peace of rolled up parchment had nothing that screamed significance, at least not until he remembered a page he flipped passed in the book.

On the scroll, just poking through another black stain, was a crude illustration. Two circles with one inside the other and two lines at the edges connecting them.

After placing the book back down Zuko turned his attention to the scroll once again. It had a larger version of the illustration across its cover, and from what he could gather it was a crude drawing of earth. Water and land mass was there, along with crude mountains and trees, however, studying it only for a moment made Zuko think something about it was off. 

On the outside there were the mountains, the trees, the oceans, but those same crude illustrations also littered the inside as well. He couldn't help but scrunch his nose at what the scroll seemed to be proposing, and he would have dismissed it in an instant If not for the niggling memory of how he escaped the water. And that admission made the memory buzz at the back of his mind like an errant spider-fly.

The buzzing drove Zuko to stare at the scroll for another long moment before his attention was finally pulled away by Toph.

“You finished now?” she asked sharply, her voice regaining its true confidence, even if the caution still lingered. But, It seemed the girl had picked up on his change in demeanour and decided she had been ignored long enough.

Zuko didn’t answer and felt Toph grab him sharply by the arm and yank him to his feet. 

“Zuko come on, have you forgotten Aang? We have to get moving!” Toph commanded as she pushed him further away, only to stumble after four steps as Zuko stopped dead -something not many people could make her do.

“Wait... I have to check something…” Zuko muttered at a volume that even Toph’s sensitive ears a hard time making out.//
As he continued on, Toph just let out an automatic “What was that?”

To her chagrin, Tophs question went ignored, leaving only the sound of Zuko’s footsteps on the sand to accompany her on the backs as Zuko pulled his arm free and began walking towards the water. 

she crossed her arms as the footsteps continued, “Feel free to fill me in at any time!” 

Zuko ignored her again. Stopping at the water’s edge he plucked a small stone stone from the sands. Then, with a flick of his wrist, he sent it into the air and watched as fall towards the water, hitting it with it with a small splash.

At the sight Zuko couldn’t help but let out a relieved sigh.

Smiling to himself he tucked the scroll into the bag and walked back to Toph.

“Ok” he announced with growing confidence “we got here this way, I say we swim back out to the fountain.” 

“Nope”… 
                       
‘Nope?” Zuko asked, confused. Then his question turned into a demand “What do you mean nope? You’re the one who keeps reminding me of the time limit and you’re right.” 

Zuko stopped, his tone suddenly losing all the weight it had, leaving it a soft monotone “Tomorrow Aang has to face the fire lord and we have to get back and find him before then...”

with that finished, Zuko waited, but Instead of the response he was hoping for, Toph stood her ground with arms still crossed and when he reached out to pull her towards the water she answered with a sharp slap across the wrist and a much more commanding “NO!”.

Another snarl escaped Zuko’s mouth and began to walk towards her. “Come on, we can swim out to the other sack that’s still out there and go under… that lake was nowhere near as bad as the North Pole, just take a deep br…” Zuko's speech was cut off as another sudden *THUD* came from beneath his feet.

Once more Zuko found himself on his own back. His head shot forward and he stared dumbly at the large rock protruding at his feet.

Letting his anger creep into his tone once more Zuko jumped to his feet with a growl. “Now what’s wrong?” he couldn’t help but yell, making a point to get a good footing before letting it out, hoping  of his stance would give his voice more force.

“I’m not going back in that water” was the girl’s simple reply, one that was punctuated by another stomp of her foot.

Zuko mumbled something incoherent as a reply, although the words, ‘stupid’, ‘spoiled’ and ‘brat’ could be heard in it somewhere and he pinched the bridge of his nose, cringing when it let out a soft click and moved under his fingers.

His nose was the final straw and with it Zuko simply turned around and began to walk away towards the water, letting a calm if not venomous ‘Good riddance’ sound behind him as he threw a  hand in the air.

If Zuko said the temptation to just leave the girl never crossed his mind, then he would be lying. But he had a simple hope that listening to him swim out there, and maybe hearing him duck under the water for a moment if he felt cruel, would provide more incentive than his foot alone could.

In a weaker moment he couldn’t help but picture what her face was as he walked away. At first he pictured it being cold as she waited to call his bluff. But the mental picture of her staring dumbfounded as he turned his back gave him a sense of satisfaction; more than Zuko wanted to admit.

But soon enough something felt off and Zuko’s daydream was broken by a single thought.

‘Shouldn’t I have reached the water by now?'

Zuko stopped walking and looked down. And when he did he was greeted by his own reflection.His scarred face stared back at him with a perplexed expression. Then, with a quick glance behind him, Zuko saw the shore a small distance away... with the mirror like water between it and his feet.

It was impossible to believe, and yet, there it was, and Zuko felt a creeping chill run up his spine as his eyes dumbly drifted to his feet.

 With a flick of his foot a small splash of water was sent into the air.

Almost like clockwork, Zuko slowly bent his knees and lowered a hand into the water, only for it to be stopped as if a sheet of glass was laid just below the surface. 

Standing back up with the same distant pace Zuko took a faltering step forward, followed by another and then one more, his destination being a second small bag which was floating motionless not far away.

“Zuko?” he heard Toph’s voice from the shoreline, her voice was sharp and full of confusion, and he turned around with an automatic. “I’m here”

His eyes drifted back to the bag “I just have to do something” and without waiting for a reply Zuko took the bag in hand all the while the niggling feeling buzzed in the back of his mind as his hand met the old animal skin.

-‘I nearly drowned in some stupid pond. Then I tried going back in, you know to swim back the way I came, but I just ended up walking across the water like it was stone.’-

Again those words drifted across his mind and an icy chill followed them. His throat felt dry as he turned around slowly and began his short trek back towards the shore, this time adopting a much quicker pace.

When he reached the sand once again he ignored whatever Toph was saying and dropped to his knees while tipping the bag over making another group of scrolls fall onto the sand.

Zuko let the empty bag hang off his shoulder as he rummaged through the other in search of the book. A search that only lasted a few seconds before a jab in the arm made him drop the bag and a deadpan whine of “Are you listening?” fills his ears.

Zuko shot back a cold “No” and went back to the bag.

“Well I’m trying to apologise, but if you are going to be a jerk I won’t bother.” Toph shot indignantly, but still Zuko wasn’t listening.  

Toph scrunched her nose at the lack of an answer, “Fine whatever let’s just get the swimming over with….”

He still didn’t answer…

“Zuko!” she yelled jabbing him in the arm “I said let’s get it over with!”

Toph almost recoiled when her hand was slapped away and she stood stock still when Zuko gave a reply

“Were not swimming back” he said in a hollow tone, one that made Toph pause.

“Well, why not?” She demanded, lifting her arms for emphasis “I said I’m fine with it.”

Zuko didn’t even shift his attention away from his search as he answered, “Because, if I’m right we have much bigger problems at the moment…”

Toph recoiled again; not likening the edge in Zuko’s voice. “Bigger than Aang going missing just before he is supposed to fight the fire lord?”

“Yes” was his instant reply. “If I’m right we’re stuck out here”

“Stuck out where?” she asked.

He didn’t answer and the air almost turned stale when a long silence followed.

“Well." she said after another moment “what do you think we should do then?”

He knew she expected a snappy or wise answer, but he didn’t have one he was still trying to wrap this whole thing round his head.//
“I’m not sure…” he said honestly.

“What do you mean you’re not sure?” the girl all but shouted in his ear “We have to get back. We have to find Aang. And we have to do it before tomorrow. So point us in the right direction already!”

Zuko snarled again, the way she said it almost sounded like she thought he didn’t know that.

“I mean, I’m not sure. Don’t you think what happened there wasn’t a little bit strange? Well I do and if I’m right we have bigger problems at the moment than were Aang is.”

Zuko let out a sigh as he continued. “If I’m right then we aren't going to get back by then anyway and we’ll be lucky if we live long enough to try and get back at all”

“This isn’t funny Zuko…” Toph warned, her voice was almost too low to hear but he wasn’t joking.

Zuko just shook his head and softened his tone.

“Look. I’m sorry but that’s the way it is.” He stated “Right now I don’t have a clue where we are, but I know something is wrong here and I need some time.” he made sure to leave out the book because really he wasn’t sure if he believed it himself... But after all that had happened he needed to think. “We’ll just have to find somewhere to get our baring and hope to meet with the others tomorrow.”

Slowly Zuko stood as he continued his speech “You and I know Aang can do it and he’s already realized he can’t just run from his problems for too long.” He said that with conviction, but, in truth, he didn't really know if he was trying to comfort her or convince himself.

Shaking his head Zuko moved to put a hand on her shoulder but stopped himself. “What I say we do is climb that mountain over there.” He pointed to the towering rock not too far away. “We might be able to find a town. That will solve at least one of our problems… So, for the moment, let’s just focus on finding where we are.”

Zuko stopped and waited for Toph’s reply, but unfortunately all his little speech did was make the girl lower her head solemnly. She didn’t freak out, which was good, and at this moment Zuko was inclined to take what was given… he just needed some time to collect himself. 

After that a calm silence fell over them both, one Zuko actually welcomed as he tried to think… The mountain couldn’t have been more than three miles away by his guess, but it was almost nightfall before Zuko touched the foot of it.

Their damp clothing had slowed them down and invited the cold bite of the wind while the sun tried to blister it. But he was finally there and he told Toph to create a cave a small ways up.

He noticed that for some reason Toph didn't question this, but again he didn’t question a good thing. He just figured she was just going along with what he said because she had no better idea herself. But at the same time part of him couldn’t help but wonder if the news was just starting to sink in.

When he told Toph to beat a cave out of the mountain face Zuko could tell the girl welcomed the chore, even if it was only for the cathartic release it brought her. But when the task had been finished and they sat around a small fire he couldn’t help but notice the girl hadn’t moved, or said a word while he started sifting through the scrolls…

And that’s how it stayed until he set down the book and told her to get some sleep...

…

(Chapter 3)

Royal palace- Equestria– Canterlot

Since her return Princess Luna’s ‘adjustment’ to a modern Equestria has been a… ‘Rough’ one to say the least. Almost every single hour she had since her release had been spent playing ‘catch-up’ with the frankly depressing number of changes the last 1000 years banishment had left waiting for her.

Some of these changes were mundane enough; others however were just plain alien to her.

One such change was an apparent new foe that had since risen in her absence. But unlike most of Equestria’s foes this one was not some large rampaging creature. This foe was tiny, so tiny in fact that they cannot be seen with her royal eyes.

She’d been warned that this new foe lurked everywhere, just waiting for her to drop her guard so they could strike. Even her own subjects now spent all day and night in battle against this foe and a new type of guard had even been created just to combat it…

The royal maids…

Although Luna had to admit, when she saw them going about the castle the ponies didn’t scream ‘warrior’, but that may be accounted to the effect she also has on Celestia’s guards, let alone most ponies? The fight against the dreaded ‘germs’ as they were named also created many new rituals for her to follow in her ‘nightly’ life. Some of these new actions where mundane enough, others... not so much…

How sitting waste deep in a small body of water for an hour served to frighten these creatures away still eludes her, but it was her sister’s wish and as princess she would do her part to protect her kingdom.

Apparently, these creatures could be detected by the ‘maids’, and while she didn’t believe this at first, the time where one such pony saved her life convinced her otherwise.

Just before nightmare night she was eating her new favourite food when it dropped unceremoniously to the floor. Like any time previously she immediately picked it back up and went to return it to her royal mouth; the current threat slipping from her mind for just a moment

‘But that’s all it takes for them to strike…’ she quickly reminded herself.

She was saved from the waiting creatures by one of the cleaner’s timely warning, and as soon as she learned of their plot Luna immediately threw the foodstuffs against the wall and sent a blast of magic against them, ensuring that nothing was left of the little beasts but a smoking crater. It was a rousing victory against the beasts despite her short time home.

However just as she was celebrating her victory her sister came with some rather grave news, apparently her punishment for her time as Nightmare moon was to continue and she was to be condemned to the castles torturer once every six months… Like a lot of things in her thousand year absence, the royal torture had changed their names, but she knew the type of pony who took a job like that.

It seemed the ‘dentists’ as they were now called also had plenty ponies to practice on before they got to her, as it was mandated that every pony, even young foals, must report to them at least once a year to maintain compliance…

And yet ponies believed she was a cruel monster…

Luckily for her, Luna was able to bribe the torturer with certain ‘pleasant' dreams...

When this deal was stuck Luna had wondered why the mare didn’t just ask the lead mare to buy the mating rights of the stallion she was interested in if she likes him so much. But it turns out that was yet another thing that had changed since her absence.//
A thousand years ago the ‘head mares’ carried a family's bloodline and it was common place for them to sell colts born to the member of lower mares to the members to other herds. The system made sense to her; the mortality rate was high, even without the stallions dying as a result of protecting the herds from the worlds many dangers and the remaining ‘good stallions’ were hard to come by. It was found the best way of securing a good one was to slip their head mare some bits.

It did leave the cultural stigma that stallions where lesser, existing only to breed, work or die for their herds. She, and her sister of course, as the rulers of the land were seen as the ‘head, head’ mares of Equestria in a way… a notion she always welcomed personally but her sister did not…

Celestia had always denounced the entire practice as barbaric... but at the time that only meant she didn’t keep her own herd gagged and blindfolded all of the time.

But, it seemed that in the end her sister got her way… as usual… and the stigma had all but disappeared. The primal need for a stallion to protect their herd remained, but it means most try out for the guard at some point with almost all of them turned away.  The best of those accepted were chosen as a royal guard. Well ‘best’ being a relative term because, despite all the praise her sister gave them, Luna couldn’t help but think the ponies of today are a lot softer than she remembered. Perhaps the two things were related?

Another thing that was strange is the gender ratio is still numbered at almost eight to one… She would have thought with no stallion having to die to protect them it would even out before her return…Unless it had but a few rooms have gone… unchecked….

…

Luna shook her head.  She had always thought that she’d become far too introspective since her return; A habit born from a thousand years of having nothing to do but think and make sand castles on the moon.

Well, in reality she was ‘asleep’ for the entirety of her imprisonment. And unlike some of the rumours she was not possessed by some evil ‘nightmare’ or ‘demon’, it was her alone… after a hundred years’ worth of jealousy and inequality.

The truth was, one night she just couldn’t stand it anymore and she asked her sister if she could keep the night sky just through one day. Celestia had refused and they had an ‘argument’ about it… an argument involving magic blasts and string noodles if memory served, but it was an argument none the less, not some titanic war.

In the end it was the elements themselves that bestowed the punishment on her. She had only wished for her subject’s to appreciate her night; at the time she wasn’t aware that her action would ultimately lead to the death of the world, but Intentional or not, the elements saw the threat and they still did what they did.

The elements are as harsh as they are pure in the protection of harmony, and above all else they are dangerous when corrupted by negative emotions.

She should have been trapped in her namesake permanently and she would have been, if not for her being as powerful as an Alicorn, and the spells weakening after her banishments thousandth year anniversary; And then it only happened because the elements had no one to bear them.

The thought of trying again had passed through her mind after her release, and in a way it still does every so often, every time she wades through one of her weakest moments.

She was nervous when she was released, but when her hooved had touched the soil of her birth right again, after so many years, all of her doubt had vanished. The elements were no longer wielded by any and when she got to the throne room her sister put up no fight at all.

She believed that Celestia had finally relented, and only asked that she did not harm any pony. Luna had agreed and followed her sister’s wish.

Then those six mares stood to oppose her.

Staying true to her word Luna did not attempt to kill them, or try to do anything other than take them out of action, but little did she know the elements would rise again and allow the six mares to defeat her.

The elements have always worked in strange ways…

This time instead of imprisoning, or even destroying her, she was stripped her of her power, and by all accounts her age. When the smoke had cleared and she stood in front of her sister it was almost like the last thousand years never happened; well except for the mark it left, the legend of Nightmare moon.

The mark of the banished princess...

Most would see her position as a second chance. She says whatever pony dares to utter that has never been rendered to what’s essentially a foal again.  She has memories of who she was but those memories had blurred and strained as if she is remembering a dream from long ago. And if that was bad enough, this cultural gap only made her feel more like a foal.

She was just glad Celestia was able to speed up the process somewhat. She just couldn’t live without the glittering sky like mane she had come to love.

Despite all this, the time gap didn’t bring Luna only confusion and misery. Instead some of the changes had brought her wonder and awe. In her absence Equestria had bloomed like a flower. Huge cities that never slept had grown from the tiny settlements she and her sister had ripped from discords claws...Though, part of her couldn’t help but wonder if that blooming was because of her removal and not in spite of it…

Most staggering of all was the fact that her entire venture of eternal night was in fact pointless. Ponies all over Equestria now seemed to appreciate her night of their own accord. The creatures that used to lurk within it had been pushed back and so ponies aren’t as afraid to step outside under the soft, silvery glow of her moonlight...

It was just a shame the night those ponies grew up with wasn’t her night…But still, the chance was there and walking through a bustling city in the moonlight had brought her the purest elation…. And a very stern talking to when she had lost a ‘sum’ of the treasury upon her discovery of ‘gambling’.

It wasn’t her fault! she had cried, the other ponies cheated!

In the end she was happy though. To put it simply, they aren’t likely to ever cheat a princess again…

Her only wish was that the stories of her hadn’t spiralled out of control over the years. Ponies no longer shunned her night, but they shunned and feared her now instead…

But that was then and this night, this night, would change all that…

Tonight was her first night running her court since her return. And this night ponies would come seeking aid with their problems. And she as princess would be more than happy to answer their call.

So here she sat, in a tall. and to be perfectly honest uncomfortable, court room chair as she patiently waited for the first attendant to enter and-

wait there’s one!

No, no wait, false alarm…

Luna calmed herself again; all the while she couldn’t help but repeat the mantra she created based on her sister’s instructions.

‘Ok think about what Tia said…’ she began ‘Today’s ponies react well to a gentler approach. If you want them to be a friend simply treat them as a friend’

She recalled Celestia rapidly following that with “but not like a close friend, just a friend” before finishing. She repeated this to herself, as another thought crept into her mind… just as the first pony entered the courtroom.

‘But what if I seem too soft?’ she thought, straining the too ‘… they might try and take advantage of me’

Then and there, Luna made a promise to never let that happen, just as she was brought from her thoughts by the sound of hooves on the marble floor.

Luna’s concentration must have shown on her face, and at the way the unicorn in front of her suddenly lost all momentum to her stride she concluded that her ‘thinking face’ must not be the friendliest one she has ever donned.

“State your business…” she announces out of instinct, and then she grimaced as the pony shrank back slightly

‘… Ok, Tis not the best start, but at least she has her volume and grasp on modern wording has improved.’

The waiting pony took a deep breath and began her… speech….

***

As pony after pony came by laying out their ‘problems’ princess Luna couldn’t help but reinforce her previous thought,  the ponies of today indeed seemed a lot softer than before her banishment… and this hunch only proved stronger as the night went on.

Ponies arrived asking her to sort out even the most trivial affairs. In her most tired moment she even began to wonder if Celestia started to do all the thinking for their subjects- on top of bringing about the day and night during her absence… and that left her with a question.

How the hey did she survive?

But out of all the ponies that had gnawed at her patience, the worst were the unicorns… so, of course, it only stood to reason that out of the eighty audience requests- a small number seeing it was her first day- at least sixty of them were unicorns, and not one of them came with anything that couldn’t be figured out by a foal with half a brain.

Luna had hoped against hope that she could be seen as a mentor and earn her subjects admiration. She did not ask to spend all day coddling them like a lost foal… like her sister always does. After all, sometimes if a Pegasus wishes to soar, all they need a little push…

Incidentally, for some reason, Luna had found herself banned from Canterlot flight school, but that’s not important now.

She caught the foal by the way.

But it seemed that Luna was doomed to the unicorns petty ‘problems’ because one thing she learned was why her ponies seemed so different in how much they relied on her sister, and it turned out it was because of where they chose to live.

The unicorns for the most part live in Canterlot and so are never too far from her sister. And because of this they get caught up in their own little world of posturing and hoof licking… simply put, they never grew up because they never had to.

For a moment Luna had wondered if that’s why her sister had sent her student away. Maybe she didn’t want a possible element bearer to fall into such things…

On the other hoof, when the few Pegasi that asked for an audience spoke, it was always for a reason that related to weather management… schedules, reports or such, it was boring and held a tedium that made her all but long for the dentists but at least it didn’t make her weep for the future.

The earth ponies on the other hand where seldom seen. This was for the simple reason that most earth ponies lived on the outskirts of Equestria where they worked cultivating the land and growing crops from it for others to settle later on. This gave them a natural independence and In so should one ever bring a matter back to the castle it was most likely one worth the two day train ride to speak it.

But there was one interesting unicorn case that was brought to her attention, a theft case apparently, and Luna was never one to tolerate theft. Normally earth ponies would call such matters to a local official but seeing as this pony had a contact with the crown he was brought here.

***

Just outside the courtroom a smallish unicorn was trudging his way towards the great wooden door. Two guards were present at either side, serving to guide him towards his eventual fate. 

The pony himself wasn’t really anything to look at, and by that he didn’t scream criminal, but in the end that served his special talent… at least that’s what he always tells himself anyway.

His mark was the only thing that would draw an eye to him;  an undone padlock, with a key made of the same colour of his magic. A mark he’d received it when he managed to ‘break’ into his own house as a foal when his parent’s accidently locked themselves out.

Normally this wouldn’t have been considered a huge feat, but his parents could be called many things, including paranoid, so of course it would require a special talent to break into the best security system money could buy. And it also meant he grew a very lucrative career out of it.

This wasn’t from stealing any good’s mind you but from becoming a renowned ‘trial by fire’ ritual for any and all security systems. Having the ‘light touch seal of approval’ has almost become a get out of salesmanship free card for retail security systems. But of course that also means whenever something goes missing it’s always his door the guards knock on first; especially when he visits anywhere ponies don’t really know him.

So here he was, standing in front of the princess, yet again, and all because he went to visit his sister and had the luck that somepony lost something and decided he must be the ‘obvious’ cause. It was a dance he had done many times, to the point that after a while the guards no longer bother cuffing him. He even wound up on Celestia’s Christmas list after the fifth time it happened and the guards even took to making little wages with him if they can guess what he will get accused of stealing next after the ninth.

But, despite the strange monotony of it all, as he drew closer to the throne Light touch couldn’t help notice that something was off. First of all the new night guard apparently didn’t get the memo as there were no jokes filling the hallways as he walked, just the jingle of cuffs that sat on his front hooves, and as he pondered this little slip he turned the corner and saw something that would assure him many future grey additions to his dull brown mane.

Sat there, wearing a look of pure contempt, was not Celestia but her sister Princess Luna.
‘Oh buck me…’

When he was stopped by the guards Light touch risked sparing a cautious glance up towards the princess, but the action only meant he had to suppress another shudder when her frown deepened.

‘Oh sweet Faust why me?’

...

Meanwhile, Princess Luna was studying the unicorn as a feeling of distaste passes through her mind, one that only deepened when one of her guard began to read out the charges.

“The unicorn, Light touch, stands accused of… ‘Theft of a valuable possession’- One rare moon stone belonging to that of the Lula moon family, estimated worth forty thousand bits. Cost taking into account sentimental value”//
“So what do you have to say for yourself?” the princess asked, a bitter sharpness seeping into her tone, one that made the pony it was aimed at cringe again.

“Princess…” Light touch replied weakly, almost squeaking. “If you would just ask your sister I’m sure you…”

“Silence!!!” the princess commanded, her voice all but shaking the windows “I am quite capable of attending to this matter without my sister intervening… and theft of such things is a serious crime”

The princess allowed herself a moment to regain her composure before she turned back to the guard and spoke again, this time in a more controlled tone, “Was the item recovered?”

“Yes princess it was…” the guard answers in an instant.

“Very well...” Luna said, the edge in her tone dulling somewhat “In light of that fact I shall be lenient” she paused to look over a sheet of paper.

“Light touch shall receive… five lashes for theft of valuable property…”

When the sentence was read some of the guards look around confused. Light touch could only cringe again.

‘Five lashes?!!!’ he screamed in his head ‘Oh Faust!!…. Wait… what are lashes?’

He pondered the question for a moment as another guard moved to Luna’s ear.

The princess paused herself and leaned over for a moment while taking in what the guard was saying…

“What? Are you sure? 

The guard whispered again

“Oh very well…” she conceded with a huff to his unheard argument. “In light of new laws that have ‘supposedly’ been passed by my sister. And in light of the fact I have not enough time to research them before this court finishes, I will transfer this case to my sisters court in the morrow. Please take him away until then.” 

With the announcement the guard’s each gave a brief nod and begin leading the pony away, the pony himself making a promise to find that guard and buy him a drink when he can.

With the matter concluded princess Luna leant back into her throne as she let out a quiet sigh. ‘Great’ she moaned inwardly ‘yet more things to learn…  Who would have thought laws of all things would change as well?’

Despite her musing, luna’s thoughts were suddenly interrupted when the next item on her schedule came to her attention- Dream Walking, and the realisation washed away every ounce of bitterness that the pony had left with her. 

Dream walking was one of the few things that made her subjects shunning of her night somewhat bearable. It gave her purpose she had thought long since lost...Plus she had often asked herself what better way to wash away her title as nightmare moon than by providing relief from nightmares themselves?

All in all it was a perfect duty for her, and entering the magical realm that surrounds pony’s dreams was just as simple as she remembered it. So with a pleased smile Luna once again undertook her ritual of seeking out and correcting unpleasant dreams…

‘Let’s see…

Nice…

Nice…

Nice…

Eww…’ She let out a shudder. The first night she returned to her duty she’d stumbled across one of those kinds of dreams… and instantly made a mental note under ‘Never again’.

Luna just stepped back away from the dream cloud and continued on her search.

Nice…

Nice…

‘Oh look Twilight sparkle is having a nightmare about failing a test… again!’

Luna had once delved into such a dream before, many times in-fact, and every time had tried to ease her sister’s student her efforts were for naught… Frankly it got to the point she would rather deal with the ‘never aginas’ then the constant trivial visions of her sisters student.

Letting out a frustrated sigh she expanded her search, and a moment passed before she noticed something strange.

Floating there was a churning black dream cloud; its misty form morphed and shuddered as flickers of lightning arched from it randomly. And, In that moment two things were apparent to the Alicorn.

One, this was a nightmare, and two; this was not the dream of a pony.

Normally such dreams are out of her jurisdiction, but tonight was a slow night and the dreamer was currently in Equestria, even if it was on the edge. So, with a slight feeling of titillation, Luna pushed herself into the dream cloud, noting that it took considerably more effort than usual, but she managed to get through in the end and when finally inside she let herself absorb the environment before her.

Beautiful, rolling, green fields stretched across to the horizon and stop at the base of a colossal wall. The great mass of stone reached high enough to block out her sister sun and the sight made Luna spare a moment to silently admire whatever creatures could craft such a thing.

Taking one more moment to admire the stone structure Luna finally turned her head away towards the horizon. Out there, a group of small dots grew steadily larger as they seemed to be steadily approaching her, each one casting a great, looming, shadow over the land below them.

As they approached one of the shapes proved itself distinct from the others. A large golden head of a bird sat at its front and the princess simply looked on in cautious intrigue as a strange creature slowly walked across its metal brow, shedding a long cloak as it did so.

As the discarded cloth fell away the sky began to turn a deathly red, as if the colour was flowing from the creature’s very limb. The mass swirled and gathered into a ball of glowing fire which passed over the metal beasts and the strange creature pushed one of its forelimbs out in front of it.

A blinding flash followed and Luna sucked in a nervous breath as a wash of heat rolled over her face and an inferno shot from the creature’s forelimb leaving her to watch in mute horror as more fire followed from the other metal beasts and headed towards the great stone city.

Just before the fire reached her, the landscaped flashed and the rolling hills that once stretched out in front of her began to peel away, unravelling into long strings of colour which arched and weaved together into another scene; this time distorted and convulsive…

…One of the strange creatures stood facing down two others, glaring at them both under a scared face.

With cold eyes it glared at the smallest of them, whose own eyes widen as it jumped back, just in time to avoid a blast of fire sent towards it…

… The two begin to fight, ripping at the very elements themselves to rend at each other before the scarred creature sent a whisk of flame severing long tendrils of water to free another of its kind….

…The eyes of the smallest creature began glowing bright as it slowly rose into the air… but with a sudden flash it is struck down by a bolt of lightning…

… The scene changed again. The scarred creature now walked down a long corridor, one that was covered in a rich tapestry of gold decoration, and as it reached a warped version of Celestia’s throne room. It stopped, slowly bowing before the one creature sat in the throne positioned within a large roaring fire…

… The larger creature stood, slowly rising from the golden throne, its movements commanding and possessing an aura of finality. With deafeningly silent steps it walked over towards the bowing creature, passing through a beam of light drawn in through a window.

Luna gasped as the light peeled back the black obscuring its face, revealing it to be the same creature that stood atop the metal beast.

Then, with one final gasp the vision was snuffed out, leaving the princess to stare into the lonely black void as a single thought echoed through her mind

‘I have to tell Tia!!!’

***

Back within the throne room the guards stood next to their princess, ever ready to perform her will at a moment’s notice. They all gave a cautious shift when the Alicorns eyes slowly began to lose their glow, making one of the higher ranking guards moved to her side.

The guard saw Luna turn to him, and he let his head rise in attention… but then, much his shock, instead of uttering a single word, the princess suddenly shot out of the throne room leaving the very air to rock him back in her wake. 

As soon as the guard recovered they all look to the one stood at the side of the throne, each one looking to him with expectant eyes expecting a reason for such an event.

All the guard could do was shrink under the gaze of the other guards before their eye forced him to mutter the only answer that would come to his head.

“little filly’s room?”

…
 
(Chapter 4)

Within a warm dry room a single pony slept while wrapped in sheets woven from the finest silks, and attop a bead made by only the finest of crafters. The great irony behind this was the very duty that provided the wealth that allowed such things always served to rob her of any opportunity to utilize them… At least that's how she always saw it, and it was a fact that had tugged at the sleepers patience many, many times.

But fortunately for her, a certain younger sister’s return had brought her many joys. A long lost and beloved family member was one of the biggest. While the fact her work load was almost halved as a result was one of the smaller, but still much appreciated, joys because she finally could dare to have the time for a good nights rest.

Tonight had been especially good to Celestia, not only had it sought to grant her sleep but  the welcome rest had also come with one of her favourite dreams as well. And as the Freudian images swirled through her head Celestia couldn't help but hug her silk pillow. The grip tightening just as her favourite part was about to roll around... just in time for her to be ripped from it by a loud banging on her door.

Cracking an eye open half way Celestia cast an annoyed glare at the door. She waited for a moment for another knock and when she decided enough time had passed her eye drift closed again. 

*BANG *BANG* BANG*

Just as her eyelids had met the knocking returned, but louder this time and she let them crack open once again.

Slowly pulling her head from her pillow the princess turned an ear towards the door, hoping to pick up an echoed conversation coming from the other side, and even though she couldn't make out the words from the volume alone she could tell it was a pretty heated one. So, with a tired, and long suffering sigh, she shook her head and shifted into a dignified position, ‘meaning she shoved a small stuffed toy under her blanket and out of sight and wiped a line of drool from her face.

Just as soon as she was 'presentable' a flash from her horn removed the seal on her door and one of her royal guard slipped into her chambers as the golden light dissipated.

As he entered the chamber Celestia noted that the guard had made a point to close the door behind him.  Swiftly making his way to the bed then lowering his head, almost to the floor, in a respectful bow

“I take it Equestria is on the brink of disaster…” Celestia asked the guard, her tone softly implying that it had better be. But the guard merely blinked once with a look of apathy present on his face.

“Princess” he began is a lifeless tone “Apologies for the disturbance, but it was something unavoidable.”

“So that’s a yes…” Celestia droned in a way that seeped through the calm mask her face normally maintained.

In response the guard closed his eyes and shook his head slowly before looking back at her with a tired look.

“Situation ‘L’ your highness.” He said.

When Celestia heard that a deep frown formed on her face. It was a very rare sight but there it was none the less and the guard had to draw on his training to resist pulling out a camera there and then. It was an urge that stemmed out of a little bet made with the recently restored Lunar guard- simply put A thousand bits will go to any-pony who could bring a picture that showed Celestia without her motherly like smile.

Letting the opportunity, as well as the image of all the shiny new things the bits could have bought him slip by, the guards mind returned to why he was there in the first place. More so they returned to the princess that sat in front of him.

“Sorry your highness” he added quickly.

The princess gave a quick nod. “This isn’t like the shower incident is it?” she asked with the same exasperation seeping through.

“No princess” the guard answered quickly “She wouldn't tell me what the problem was, but she believes it to be of the utmost importance… enough to threaten me if I did not break orders and wake you.” The guard trailed off.

Celestia decided to give one last attempt to salvage her sleep. “And you are sure she believes the matter is truly important?” she asked this time in an almost pleading tone.

As if to answer her question a sickening boom filled the chamber as her bedroom door was reduced to splinters. The ringing in their ears lasts a moment before it was drowned out by a piercing shriek

“Siiiiiisteeer!”

The guard slowly lowered a protective hoof form his face and fixed Celestia with the same apathetic look as before.

“That is the impression I get your highness” 

Celestia allowed herself a quiet sigh. Then she dismissed the guard with a quiet thank you and made sure her face donned her normal benevolent guise.

The guard gave a nod in turn and, somewhat subtlety, lunged to the left to avoid the night princess on his way out.

From Celestia’s point of view, the guard seemed to be replaced by her sister in the literal blink of an eye and the sharp change made her crane her neck back in surprise.

“Sister!” Princess Luna shouted again, this time right in her face with a volume that make Celestia scrunch her eyes closed.

“Yes Lulu?” she asked in a cheerful tone, not bothering to open her eyes. Which proved to be a smart move as Luna’s volume seemed to increase with every word following

“Sister I was performing my duties and something horrible has happened!”

By the time she was finished Luna’s face was almost touching her sisters, though Celestia didn’t respond further than letting out another sigh

“I’m sure it will be fine Sister. Now tell me what it is that troubles you”

Luna opened her mouth again but a hoof stopped her

“Less volume…” Celestia finished

Luna gave a sharp nod and closed her mouth, pausing for a moment before opening it again, just to be interrupted by her sister yet again.

“Tell me LuLu, how was your first…. ‘Night’ running your court?” Celestia asked, hoping the change of topic would take the edge out of her sister’s eyes.

To her credit, the attempt seemed to work and the smaller Alicorn’s eyes softened almost like a flick of a switch before she releases a frustrated groan.

“Honestly sister I don’t know how you put up with some of them… they are nothing like the ponies I remember. I dare say they wouldn't last a day in the old world. You really should do something.”

Celestia smiled at her success. “I suppose that is true. But how would I ever go about doing that LuLu?” she asked with a falsely innocent tone.

In response to the question, Luna eyes half closed and her voice took on a deadpan tone “You could stop coddling them for one… return the title of nobility to a requirement that actually means something… simply put, they need tough love sister, they need to be tempered rather than pampering, like you have been doing.”

“Oh?” Celestia asked raising an eyebrow “and should the same apply to you sister? How much progress would you have made if I had applied such methods to your... adjusting?” A sly smile followed; one Celestia reserved only for her sister.

“That’s not the same and you know it” Luna shot back, striking the floor with her hoof. “My difficulties are stemmed from my absence. Theirs was brought by your apparent change in attitude.”

“And that dear sister is the point you should know better than any pony” Celestia said softly “Times have changed and we must change with them or risk being left behind. While I would be lying if I said some ponies did not test my patience too, I am honestly surprise you have not utilized the change for your own benefit yet sister” Celestia finished in a mock puzzled expression, one that only earned a pout form her sister.

“I want the respect and admiration of our subjects. I don’t want to spend all night wiping their snouts.”

Celestia smiled another patient smile, and donned her best teaching voice “Like I said LuLu, times have changed; since we used the elements to purge the land of chaos, ponies no longer need to compete with the horrors of the world just so they aren't trampled under them. And one thing it had brought me is the opportunity to let my mane down slightly, I’m not as young as I used to be” she shot her sister a smirk “or you technically are now.”

“A curse in more ways than one” Luna muttered “But could your age be why you now always send those six mares at Equestria’s problems, rather than solve it yourself? Like you would have when I was at your side?”

At that Celestia almost ground her teeth while suppressing a growl- something her own guard have gone their entire lives without seeing. “I do not throw them at every problem sister.”

“Yes you do.” Luna almost sang in soft drone “It’s a good thing I didn't see those six mares you threw at me as a threat. Honestly I thought you only did that to buy time for your real plan… I pitied your little pawns enough to only attempt to scare them away, rather than smear them over the trees.”

To Luna’s surprise Celestia didn’t take her verbal baiting, instead the white alicorn just smiled at her. A smile Celestia knew always grated on her nerves.

“And the reason you scare ponies is still a mystery to you LuLu?” Celestia uttered with a soft laugh, which earned another pout from her sister as she continued. “First, I only send them to contend with matters that require the elements, you know this. Secondly I have the utmost confidence in my faithful student and I know the elements well enough to recognise a potential bearer when I see one. Third I merely took her under my wing to steer her in the right direction. And fourth; we have already had this discussion many, many times before.”

“That is another point sister;” Luna asserted “the ponies of our time would not take so kindly to such… manipulation. Like your previous student for one.”

Even though Celestia managed to let the bait roll off her shoulders she couldn't help but let the image of Star-swirl pass by her mind, and just how different her former student was from Twilight

“I do not manipulate, Luna” Celestia asserted, her tone growing a touch more serious “I merely offer my guidance and wisdom- which ponies more often than not simply choose to follow. I have told you why I have my student study lessons on friendship rather than just magic, it is so she may succeed where Starswirl ultimately failed.”

Luna shook her head “Do not be confused sister; my quarrel is not with the fact ponies accept your wisdom. It is with the fact they have become dependent on it. You are ignoring the obvious future problems, moral or otherwise, that your plans for your student will bring. But I wonder, When did young Twilight ‘choose’ to seek your approval to such a degree she could be driven to use an illegal spell on most of that small town she lives in? And all so she simply wouldn't be late with an assignment?”

Celestia frowned once more. “My student’s heart is in the right place; even if she has some… inadequate abilities in coping with potential failure. But that is what her other lessons are for and even if I did admit to ‘manipulating’ her as you said, which I am not and do not. Would you not admit yourself that the power and potential she possesses should be kept under a close eye, lest she be corrupted by them or others seeking to abuse them?”

“Yes I do” Luna nodded, “which is another reason I question your willingness to burden her with such crisis”

“As opposed to coddling her?”  Celestia raised an eyebrow, her smirk quickly returning before it turned serious once more. “I agree with a lot of what you say sister and you know I would not do anything that wasn't necessary. I consider her my own blood but no matter how I wish otherwise she is now burdened with the element of magic and the power that such a thing possesses. The one blessing she has in that regard is that she need not bear it alone. She has her friends and I needn't remind you such magic is the most powerful we know of.”

Celestia gave her sister a soft smile as she finished. Then her eyes perk up.

“Now, I trust you didn't wake me just to discuss my student. What was it you wished to speak to me about?” Celestia asked, poking her sister gently with a hoof, and as if she flicked a switch again Luna’s eyes regain their edge.

“Faust I almost forgot!” the younger Alicorn half shouted, causing Celestia to scrunch her eyes closed once again, but this time her smile stayed put. “While performing my nightly duties I have learned something most grave, sister...”

“You finally figured out the secrets of the microwave?” Celestia chirped, before receiving a soft-ish hoof to the shoulder.

“This is serious sister, in the realm of dreams I saw… fraternization with chaos.” Strangely, as soon as she said that, Luna could swear that she saw her sister become nervous.

“What kind of… fraternisation?” Celestia asked almost guiltily

“The intimate kind sister.”

Celestia’s face looked as if she had bit into a lemon “And where did you sense this dream?” the sun princess asked carefully gritting her teeth while waiting for her sister’s reply.

“On the outskirts of Equestria” Luna said gravely. 

Celestia cringed 

“Sister my fe… wait did you say the outskirts?” Celestia asked quickly and when Luna gave a confirming nod she gave a sigh of… ‘Relief’… one Luna didn't give it a second thought too.

“Yes Tia. It appears we may have to send your student and the elements into danger once more.” Luna said coyly before her tone strengthened “On the outskirts of Equestria I discovered a dream… a strange dream from a strange creature.”

“Strange How?” Celestia dared ask.

“I sat in front of a great a wall, one higher than our very castle itself… then three great beasts, with strange twisted faces made of metal approached it. A smaller being stood atop one of them and bathed the ground below it in a fire greater than that of all but the most ancient dragons. Even worse, it laughed at the destruction, it even seemed to take pleasure in it.” Luna said with closed eyes.

Now she had her sister’s attention.

“Then I saw smaller beings of the same kind fighting, rending the very elements to strike at each other before one of them was slain.

“Then I saw one of creatures bow before the one spreading the destruction. It was the creature that is here now.” Luna looks back up at her sister who only closed her eyes in thought before speaking.

“Are you sure this being is evil sister? You just said what you saw was a nightmare. Are you sure that you know the true context, perhaps this was a dream of what it feared could happen? You did say it was a nightmare.” Celestia reasoned.

“Yes sister I am sure, even though most of those dreams were relived memories it wasn't the dream itself but what I sensed about the creature. This beings heart holds rage, hate and cruelty. Even worse it seems to embrace such horrors, going so far as to draw strength from them.” Luna stated

Celestia’s expression dampened. “So how do you think we should approach this sister?” she asked coldly.

“What do you mean, Tia? Is the answer eluding you or do you seek to test me?” Luna asked indignantly.

Celestia just smiled again.

“If you wish to call it a test, then so be it. I am simply curious to hear your approach to this matter. You are a rightful ruler of this land. So… what will you do sister?” Celestia asked with a raised eyebrow.

Luna’s eyes drifted away from her sister and towards the floor for a moment of concentration. The sudden inquiry drained her confidence somewhat but after only a second she looked back up with conviction. “I…” she paused again before narrowing her eyes “I will summon the guard immediately, brief them on the creature and then engage it before it can reach any place populated by our subjects.”

“And how will you instruct them to combat a foe you know nothing about?” Celestia asked in a curious tone.

“Cautiously” Luna replied, “We have the advantage of terrain. We know it better than the being will. We have more resources and we have the time if need be, so there is no need to risk our ponies lives.” Another pause for breath interrupted Luna’s speech and allowed her to check her sister’s expression. To her disappointment her sister’s face hadn't shed its usual mask so she continued. “I know for certain it’s an elemental of some sort with control over fire. So I will fight it where it will be weakest and where we are strongest…. I will attack at night and I will order the Pegasus guard under my command to create storm clouds over it. This will reduce its fire’s potential for collateral damage and I will keep my guards out of its range. When that is done I will have my guard rain spears down upon it, or use my own lightning if necessary as I saw one of their kind fall to lightning myself. Should it attempt to flee then every use of its fire would only serve to lead us too it and all we would have to do is keep up the pursuit until it is exhausted and we run it aground.”

As Luna finished her sister mulled over all she had said with a slow deliberate nod… “A plan worthy of credit, but a flawed one sister” Celestia says softly, her words earning a frown from Luna as she continues. “I commend you for your caution and your attempt to account for likely weaknesses, but that is where the flaw resides sister. It is based on too many assumptions.”

Celestia stared into her sister’s eyes.  

You assume it only has manipulation of fire. You assume you can keep out of its range. But mostly you assume it is alone.” She paused to let the implication hang in the air.

“If this being has hostile intentions it would make little sense for it to arrive here alone, not unless its power would render it vulnerable to only the elements themselves. But the biggest assumption you make- is the one you make about its intentions…. Can you honestly say you would judge that a pony would be worthy of execution based on one dream alone?”

“It was not based on the dream sister” Luna is quick to correct “the dream made me aware of its presence; it’s the creature’s intimacy with chaos and reliance on hate, anger, and cruelty as drives that condemn it in my eyes.”  

Celestia smiled once more “You know I used to hold such opinions sister, and about our neighbouring races no less… when we have chance remind me to teach you about Equestrian’s first contact with the griffon dominions. But one lesson I will share with you now is that I made a similar mistake then and it nearly caused a war.”

Celestia paused to look into her sister’s eyes again “If this creature is here to attempt peaceful contact and we act in aggression, based only on prejudgment. Then we are only inviting the very hostility you wish to quash, and on a species wide level. Not only that, but to condemn before any actual crime has even been committed isn't our way sister, it is against the very ideals of justice and friendship Equestria was founded upon,”

When she finished Celestia didn’t bother with her usual smile but Luna didn’t break her gaze either, instead she simply responded with a quick question of her own. “So what will you have us do sister?”

“I will try and set up the game in my favour” Celestia began “I will alert the elements and prepare the guard. The best case scenario will provide us the advantage of choosing where the place contact is made.

“However,” Celestia continued “should there prove to be insufficient time then we must be able to react at the fastest possible moment, where ever it is and whatever it’s, or their, intentions may be… Just remember sister, clarity and context is vital. We must not act based on assumptions. What we could perceive as threatening may be looked back on as a cultural misunderstanding. But we also must be ready to protect our subjects from this or these new creatures, or more so we must be ready to protect them from our subjects.”

Luna flashed her sister a gentle smile, although it appeared to be more like a smirk “It seems that thousands of years have done wonders for your wisdom, Tia. I never could have pictured you without your impetuousness.”

Celestia gave her sister gave a smile in return “Equestria would not have lasted so long if I didn't change now would it?” she jested

 Luna offered another smile to her sister, but face soon turns solemn again “And if those creatures are hostile?” she dared ask.

 Celestia smile turned into another sly grin

“Well if that is the case, I believe you said something about ‘smearing on the trees’?”

Luna couldn't help but let out a soft laugh 

“But” Celestia continued “let’s put our effort into stopping that from happening… it is as I would say their move sister, and now I must ready mine. Now if you’ll excuse me it appears I have some letters to write.”

Princess Celestia watched as her sister gave one last smile and turned towards the door, but as she watched her leave, she couldn't help but sigh again, even if it was only a mental one, as she realized the lack of sleep her sister’s night suddenly promised…

…

…