*(~)*

Proverbs 2:7 ~

He grants a treasure of common sense to the honest. He is a shield to those who walk with integrity.

*(~)*

A voice in the night

The full moon glowed brightly above Air Temple Island, where Korra was sound asleep in her bedroom. Her chest rising and lowering signaling her soft breathing, completely unaware of the shadowy figure.The mysterious humanoid shadow moved swiftly across, its body seen through the glass window. Instinctively, Korra abundantly woke from her slumber, jolting out of her bed in alarm. The window shattered and an Equalist chi-blocker entered her quarters. Two more of them broke through the door.

Korra quickly jumped out of her bed and kicked a downwards fire arc through the air towards her intruders. How did they find her, she wondered. The Equalists dodged her attacks, but Korra kept on shooting fire at them. One leaped into the air in an attempt to chick Korra's head, but the Avatar blocked him with her arm and continued firing. While she was distracted from keeping two of the chi blockers away, the other somersaulted and jabbed her on the back, before kicking her to the ground. She was on her knees. Korra never felt more afraid and helpless in all her life. Her fear only grew once she saw a familiar figure emerged from the shadows. Even with his true face hidden behind the white and red mask, he somehow managed to terrify her more so than any horrid monster she could have seen in her nightmares.

"After I take your bending away…you will be nothing." he said wickedly as he approached the frightened young Avatar. Preparing to take away the very thing that made her special.

The poor young girl woke up screaming at the top of her lungs. Cold sweat streaming down her forehead as she took in slow deep breaths. Her heart was beating like a drum. The scream awoke the rest of the ponies and Spike, growing concerned for their friend.

"Korra, are you alright?" Twilight asked, voicing the question on everyone's mind.

The human girl wiped away the sweat from her forehead. The last thing she wanted was to worry them. "Just a…a bad dream is all." she said.

"Oh, darling you're sweating!" Rarity said as she levitated a hanker-shift and used it to clean the sweat off of her human friend's face.

Applejack looked at her with concern, "Must have have been one heck of a dream to have ya all shaken up like that"

Pinkie Pie unexpectedly jumped onto the bed beside Korra, "One time I had a dream where I was working at Sugar Cube Corner and this customer asked me to bake this HUGE cake, but we were out of frosting….mmmmm, frosting. Anyway, I had to run to to every store in Ponyville, but they didn't have it anywhere, and so I had to travel to Canterlot but they didn't have it anywhere! Then I looked in Fillydelphia, Manehattan and all over Equestria but there was no frosting anywhere!!!!!" Pinkie came up at Korra's face, "Did you have a nightmare as horrible as that? Did you?!" she asked, her eyes practically bulging out of her head as she asked the question.

The pink pony hopped from the bead and Twilight flew up to Korra. "Sure you don't want to talk about it?" she asked as Naga whimpered and licked Korra's hand before resting her head on her lap. Korra petted her and smiled.

"Nah, it did freak me out but I'm okay now." she insisted as she laid down on her bed, turning away from the ponies as she covered herself with her blanket. "Night girls."

The ponies all looked at each other with concern before returning to their sleeping bags. "Okay. Good night" said Twilight as she wrapped herself with the blanket, the rest followed her example and made an attempt to get back to sleep. She gave Korra one last worried glance before closing her eyes to try and sleep. But Korra could barely sleep, fearing the nightmare would return once she did.

The next day, Applejack and Fluttershy were outside picking fruit for Pema from the variety of trees on the island. Applejack kicked one of the apple trees while Fluttershy grabbed the falling fruit with a basket in her hooves. Applejack wiped the sweat from her forehead, "Howey! All this work makes me feel like I'm back on the farm. Sure hope the apple family is doin' alright without me."

"I hope the animals are okay, too." Fluttershy said, "But I'm sure Angel Bunny has it all under control. He can be a very good leader when he wants to be. In the meantime, I just love spending time with the lemurs here." a few lemurs flew happily around her. Fluttershy always felt at home with animals…and her friends of course.

Twilight Sparkle and Jinora sat together in the quad overlooking the city while reading their respected books. Behind them, Pinkie Pie and Ikki played leap frog. The two ponies bonded with the two airbending sisters almost as quickly as they did with Korra. Twilight and Jinora both loved to read while Pinkie Pie and Ikki loved to be playful and upbeat.

The two bookworms were suddenly startled when they felt a sudden strong breeze, followed by speaks of fire. It was Rainbow Dash and Meelo, the pegasus was speeding while Meelo rode on his air scooter. Clearly the two were having some kind of a race.

They both glared at each other for a few seconds before Rainbow Dash smiled and asked, "Rematch?"

They both enthusiastically rushed back to the starting line, while Jinora rolled her eyes, "Hard to believe I'm related to him." she tried returning to her book until she noticed that, once again, Twilight kept on looking up from her book and back at the city. "Hey Twilight, are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm just worried about Korra. She woke up in the middle of the night screaming and she won't tell us what her nightmare was about. Even if she won't say the details, I just know it's bugging her."

"Don't worry, she'll talk about it when she's ready." Jinora said encouragingly.

"I'm sure she will. Hopefully, Rarity and Spike will help her get her mind off of things." said the young girl before returning to her book.

In the streets of Republic City, Korra, Spike and Rarity rode on Naga. The four friends passed by an assortment of shops, antique stores and clothing boutiques. Rarity's blue yes shimmered with glee at the individual designs that they had. However, even she had to admit they could have used a bit more…sparkle!

"Remind me again why I agreed to this?" Korra asked the white unicorn sitting behind her. She felt way out of her element here. She didn't really have a problem with fashion, she just never saw what the big deal about it was. It was just clothes anyway.

"Because, I said I wanted to make new outfits for all of us and you wouldn't want to disappoint a unicorn on the brink of inspiration, would you?"

"That's not how I remember it." said Korra, "You wouldn't stop giving me the "sad eyes"." the Avatar playfully pointed out.

Rarity simply smiled. "That too. Besides, I need you to give me your opinions on what fabrics you like. I want this design to be 100% Korra!"

"Well, no. But if I can design an entire wardrobe for my five friends in just a couple of days, I'm confident I can figure out your human anatomy in three days tops!" the unicorn said very confidently.

"I really appreciate the gesture Rarity, but you don't have to do that. Besides, I'm not much of the fashion or shopping type."

"Nonsense! A unique and spirited beauty such as yourself deserves an outfit that compliments those very features."

"I can see why your element is Generosity. Though, you didn't have to come if you didn't want to Spike."

"Believe me, I wanted to." the little dragon looked dreamingly at the unicorn. Korra simply rolled her eyes, she was already fully aware of the little dragon's infatuation with the unicorn. Not like it was hard to miss.

They came to a halt in front of a fabric store and Rarity was the first to jump off. Excitedly, she rushed to the doors, but once she reached them she noticed Korra was not with her. The Avatar stood a few feet away from the entrance, nervously rubbing her right arm with her left hand. Rarity pouted in annoyance before returning to Korra and pushed her from behind her legs, demanding she'd go in.

"Come on, darling. It's just a store. It won't bite." the unicorn pushed the Avatar with all of her might, but only managed to shove her a few feet ahead. After just one try, Rarity was already panting from exhaustion. "You know I can only push you so far, right?" Rarity shoved her one last time, managing to actually shove the Avatar this time. Korra wobbled a bit before regaining her balance and headed to the doors.

Once inside, Rarity's eyes sparkled at how many beautiful fabrics there were. She immediately zipped from one place to the other, unsure on what to decide. There were so many fabrics to choose from. Korra decided it wouldn't hurt to at least look around and to her surprise, she spotted a blue fabric with a tint of green. To her, the color was quite stunning. She boldly grabbed it and pressed it close to her body, demonstrated it to Rarity, who gleamed in satisfaction: It was the perfect color for Korra!

As Korra watched Rarity decide from fabric to fabric, she realized the concentration and passion the pony placed into it, and how she got a bit frustrated a few times when she couldn't find what was just right. She could clearly see, and even feel, the passion and love Rarity placed into her fashion artwork. It wasn't all that different from Korra's passion for fighting, sports, bending and making sure her attacks were always precise and how frustrating it can be to get things wrong. They were both very passionate and perfectionist when it came to what they loved. Plus, she enjoyed how happy it made her friend. All of a sudden, shopping didn't seem like something superficial or materialistic, but she now saw this whole trip as Rarity's way to search for what she needed to create art…and in this case, art she planned to make for her friends.

Korra continued looking at more fabric and saw some colors that instantly reminding her of Fluttershy. She wasted no time in picking them and tossing them to Spike who was already carrying the fabrics Rarity had picked out. They continued their shopping at other stores around the block, specifically an arts and crafts store where they picked out ribbons, shawls, things to make shoes with, measuring tape. At a shoe store, Korra even bought herself some very lovely boots, which were not to flashy or too plain or rouged like the ones she usually wore: they hugged to her slim toned legs perfectly.

After a few hours, Korra payed for the materials and they headed to a jewelry store where Rarity saw some plastic blue gems that looked so real. And they were cheap. Using her mouth, since she couldn't use magic in public, Rarity placed a few of the gems on a table next to Korra. Korra studied the gems and started taking out some that were way too big or gaudy for her taste, this made Rarity pout for a moment, but then smiled when she saw the lovely blue/green/white stones Korra had picked out. Their simplicity was what made them even more lovely. Rarity also gave Korra a silver neckless to which she placed the gems on it. Both girls smiled at the results.

They payed for their things and once outside Korra and Rarity gave each other a high five/hoof and winced when they saw poor little Spike collapse with the huge mountain of bags he had on him. Korra was glad Rarity convinced her to come with her. She discovered a whole new creative side to herself she never knew she had.

Mako threw one end of his scarf over his shoulder and looked up in the direction of a trolley which was being boarded. His shift at the power plant had ended and he couldn't wait to get back home. He ran towards the trolley, crossing the street without looking. Which would end up to be a pretty big mistake.

Once he ran out into the street, he heard the sound of a wheel screeching and he screamed in terror once he saw the driver of a moped attempting to come to a screeching halt. The machine stopped too little too late and crashed into Mako, making him tumble over. The driver wheeled the moped over to Mako, while he picked himself up off the street.

"Oh, no!" the driver exclaimed, speaking in a feminine voice, and ran towards Mako. "I'm so sorry. I didn't see you."

Mako got into a sitting position and rubbed the back of his head, somewhat angrily. "How could you not see me?! I mean I was ju--juu…" for a moment, Mako could have sworn he was having a moment of deja vu. The driver removed her helmet, and threw her dark raven hair back. The woman in front of him was stunningly beautiful with pale skin, blood red lips, light green eyes and wavy black hair. She was indeed a vision of beauty right out of a beauty magazine.

The night he met Korra, when his feet suddenly took in a mind of their own--before he realized it was Rarity's doing--and he took a good look at the Avatar. He saw the image of Korra's face, her hand removing the strands of hair which danced gracefully around her. But then, the reality of the situation hit him. This wasn't Korra, definitely not.

The firebender blushed in embarrassment at what had just happened, which even he didn't fully understand. He didn't know what made him feel more flustered, this woman's flawless beauty, or the fact that he was thinking about Korra just now before fully noticing the stranger before him. With whom he was just as smitten by.

"Uh, I was…I--I…wow." he coughed and cleared his throat and the woman helped him stand up by clutching his arm, making him blush even more. "Are you okay? Did I hurt you? Ugh, I'm such an idiot."

"Don't worry, I'm fine." Mako replied once he stood up and brushed himself off. "My brother hits me harder than that every day in practice… though not as hard as a pony." he muttered the last bit underneath his breath so she did not hear it.

The raven haired woman looked at Mako, her eyes searching his face as if she had seen him before. "Wait, I recognize you. You're Mako, right? You play for the Fire Ferrets."

The girl facepalmed herself lightly, blushing, "I am so embarrassed." she couldn't believe she was actually speaking to one of her favorite pro-benders. And, as a bonus, he was so tall and even more handsome in person. She felt so flustered upon seeing him. She wanted to get to know him better. She reached out her hand to shake Mako's, which he did.

"Let me make it up to you somehow." she suggested, taking Mako by surprise. What would she do to make it up to him and why would she? The girl pondered for a moment before coming up with the perfect solution. "Uh, how about I take you to dinner? Tomorrow night, eight o'clock, Kwong's Cuisine."

Mako was at a loss for words at the woman's offer. She just asked him out to dinner and now she was just heading back to her moped as if she was confident he would say 'yes'. After all, why would anyone turn down such a generous offer? Plus, she was more than happy to do so for him. And, if it meant she would spend more time with this cute guy then bonus.

"I'll take care of that." Asami replied as he placed her helmet and goggles back on, smiling charmingly at the firebender. "All you need to do is show up. So…it's a date?"

A date? Did she actually say date? Was this beautiful, and no doubt rich, woman asking him out on a date? Him of all people? Was this for real? Mako didn't know what to say in return, but the idea of actually eating a nice meal with an attractive woman…it would be rude to say 'no'.

Asami smiled his way as she drove away on her moped. She was so happy he said 'yes', and Mako was glad he accepted the offer. Maybe this little bold move wouldn't be a complete loss after all, and Asami did seem pretty nice and sweet.

As he walked back home he couldn't stop thinking about what happened. He was actually looking forward to the next night, but would he fit in that restaurant at all? When he was a little boy he would sometimes stand outside of the place, hearing the clinking of the fancy silverware, smelling the expensive food. He wanted so badly to eat as well as those rich people did. He and his brother were starving and those people were having the time of their lives. His encounter with Asami only reminded him the reason he and Bolin had to win the championship. The only way for them to get the life they deserved was to get that money. But, for one night, he would dine like a prince, and he would be sure to bring his brother some food as well. Plenty of it.

That night at air temple island, Korra was practicing her airbending movements on the courtyard while the other ponies watched while listening to some soothing music on the radio and enjoying the evening air. Rarity was drawing some designs on a notebook. Both Twilight Sparkle and Rainbow Dash were punching with their hooves, unleashing flames. "I think I'm getting the hang of this firebending thing." she said.

Korra and Twilight both playfully rolled her eyes. Everything right now seemed perfectly fine until the radio scratched, static was heard before a voice emerged….

The ponies all gasped at hearing his voice on the radio, but nobody was more scared than Korra. They all listened as he spoke, "As you have heard the republic council has voted to make me public enemy number one. Proving once again that the bending oppressors of this city will stop at nothing to quash our revolution. But we can not be stopped. Our numbers grow stronger by the day. You no longer have to live in fear. The time has come for benders to experience fear..."

Amon's voice disappeared into a sea of static once Rainbow Dash angrily kicked the radio off of its stand and it broke into a million pieces. The burning remains scattered on the floor. She breathed heavily with an angry expression on her face, "That no good--who does he think he is, anyway?"!

Spike walked up to the human girl, who was apparently paralyzed with fear. "Korra? You okay?"

The poor girl was sweating and could feel her heart pounding. Finally, she could stand no more. The Avatar kneeled down to the ground and hugged herself as silent tears rolled down her eyes, releasing out soft quiet sobs. The ponies and Spike all gathered around her for support. None of them said another word, but they didn't have to, for they already knew perfectly well what was really bothering Korra even if she wouldn't dare say the words out loud….

The next day, Korra laid on her bed deep in thought. She was still thinking about Amon, and how she was feeling. She had never felt anything like this before. Master Katara had spoken about it before; it was called fear. Korra never wanted to believe she could ever be afraid. She was the Avatar after all, and the Avatar shouldn't be scared. But deep down, she could still feel the growing sensation within her. She sat up on her bed and buried her face into her palms.

"Get it together. You're not afraid, you're not afraid. Amon doesn't scare you, he doesn't scare you." she gasped when she heard a knock at the door, "Who is it?"

Korra lightheartedly chuckled at Rainbow Dash's sarcastic voice. She walked toward the door and turned the knob. There she saw all six ponies, carrying a basket and a picnic blanket. Korra looked curiously at the items.

"We know what's really been bugging you Korra." Twilight said kindly. Korra lowered her gaze in shame, she should have know they would eventually figure it out. "Don't worry, you don't have to explain anything to us if you don't feel like it right now. We just want you to know that, even though you're scared of Amon, we won't think any less of you."

"So we decided to spend the whole day with you." Fluttershy said happily as she demonstrated the basket she was carrying.

Korra looked at them for a few seconds…and then smiled. "Well what are we waiting for?"

For the rest of the day, the girls all hung out together. The Avatar played sports with Rainbow Dash. Granted, they probably did that the most, considering the girls competitive natures. They both kept ending in a tie after every game, but they still enjoyed it and barely got focused too much on winning. The Avatar also demonstrated some of her basic firebending moves to Rainbow and Twilight, both of which managed to incorporate them to better couple with their pony-like moves.

Latter, Applejack made some delicious apple pies for them to eat underneath a tree. Korra had never tasted anything more delicious. The ponies giggled as the Avatar stuffed her face with the delicious pastry. Pinkie Pie did a comedy routine with funny props and at one point splattered a slice of pie on her face, which made Korra burst out laughing.

Latter, Rarity used her measuring tape to study Korra's proportion and measured her size to help her make her very first human outfit. Korra decided to help the unicorn with the project, luckily Korra proved to have been pretty good at sowing, having learned it from Katara. But latter, Rarity had to politely ask Korra to leave because she didn't want her to see the rest of the dress until it was ready.

They all told each other stories, jokes and laughed together. All day, Korra felt at peace with her magical new friends. As the sun was setting, the girls were all gathered underneath a tree, laughing happily while enjoying some nice lychee juice.

"I really can't thank you guys enough." Korra said after taking a sip from her drink.

"It was nothing." said Rainbow Dash, her mouth full from the apple she was eating, "We had a lot of fun."

However, Korra's happy smile turned into a frown. She knew she couldn't keep the secret from them any longer, and they knew it too. Korra had to say what she was really feeling. And so she did...

The ponies all looked at her with sympathy. They were all taken by surprise when Korra began to cry and sob loudly, burying her face into her palms. She sobbed uncontrollably unlike anything they had seen before. This was a side to Korra they had yet to witness. They could already feel what she was feeling. She was scared, and she hated the idea of it. It made her feel worthless and a disgrace. Korra didn't want to say the words out loud, she still couldn't accept this. But the ponies did not push her, she was already confused and pressured enough. The best thing they knew they could do was console her.

Fluttershy nuzzled her face, "It's okay. We understand." she said compassionately.

Korra wiped away the tears from her face. "Thanks. But you guys need to promise me you won't tell anyone else about this. Not even Tenzin."

"I am." Korra said sounding a bit more sure of herself…only a bit, "I'll work around this. I will. But in the meantime this stays only between us. I can't risk letting anybody else know…I just can't. Promise me you won't say a word?"

Many of the ponies bitt their bottom lips as Korra looked at them with her big blue pleading eyes. Twilight sighted before speaking first, "Alright. we promise."

"Thanks you guys." Korra said with a smile. They then heard someone calling their name.

That night, Korra, the ponies, Spike and the rest of Tenzin's family were all gathered together at the table ready to eat dinner. Korra and the ponies were all chatting happily with one another, until Tenzin grabbed their attention.

"Settle down now, time to give thanks." They all stopped talking, closed their eyes and bowed their heads as Tenzin said a prayer, "We are all grateful for this delicious food, for happiness, for compassion and--"

Korra and the others all opened there eyes as they saw an older man walk in. He was wearing blue expensive clothing, had dark skin and dark brown hair. He looked slightly younger than Tenzin and was wearing a very cocky expression on his face. Tenzin looked at the man with an annoyed expression.

"This is my home Tarlokk. We're about to eat dinner." he said in a serious voice, it was clear Tenzin did not like having this man here. But clearly, he did not get the message.

"Good, because I am absolutely famished. Airbenders never turn away a hungry guest, and I right?"

Tenzin sighed, "I suppose." he glanced at his wife, who scowled at him, but Tenzin simply shrugged, giving her a helpless look.

Pema wasn't at all too thrilled about having this man in their home any more than her husband did. Fluttershy and Rarity, who were sitting together, both looked at each other while arching their eyebrows wondering who this man was.

Korra herself smiled politely in return. Tarlokk then noticed the ponies sitting at the table, six of them each sitting opposite sides to where Korra sat. Twilight was the closest to her.

"And these must be the famous ponies I have heard so much about. It is truly an honor. I am Councilmen Tarlokk, representative of the northern water tribe."

Korra stood up and bowed at the councilman, who bowed in return, "Nice to meet you" she said. The ponies all got up and bowed as well, though they were still unsure about this guy. He was definitely giving off a bad vibe. HIs smug smile was their one clue.

"Would you ladies mind?" Tarlokk asked Rarity, Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie. The ponies hesitantly moved ahead and allowed Tarlokk to take his seat near Korra. The three girls already didn't like him. Ikki looked at the man skeptically and started asking him questions.

"Why do you have three pony tails?" she then sniffed him, "And how come you smell like a lady? You're weird."

Tarlokk smiled at the child, "Well, aren't you…precocious." he then turned his attention back to Korra, "So, I've been reading all about your adventures in the papers. Infiltrating Amon's rally, now that took some real initiative."

"Oh, thanks. I think you're the first authority figure in the city who's happy I'm here." Korra said calmly.

"Enough with the flattery, Tarlokk." said Tenzin in an annoyed tone, "What do you want from Korra?" the airbender asked suspiciously.

Tarlokk simply smiled and remained calm and relaxed, "Patience Tenzin, I'm getting to that. As you may have heard Korra, I am assembling a task force that will strike at the heart of the revolution."

Spike's eyes widened, "Wow, that sounds big." he said before Twilight shushed him.

"What?", Tenzin was surprised as well, but not in a good way. Tarlook could not be serious about this, he knew from the start that this was not a good idea. But knowing Korra, she would most likely take up the offer.

"I need someone who will help me attack Amon directly, someone who is fearless in the face of danger. And that someone, is you."

"Personally, I like the idea of taking Amon out then and there." Rainbow said, but Applejack disagreed.

"I don't know, something' don't feel right about this. And no doubt Korra feels the same way."

Rainbow Dash looked over at Korra and understood what her friend was getting at, "Yeah. You're probably right."

"Join your task force?" Korra asked. She stayed quiet for a moment, before giving him her response. "….I can't."

The room fell into a temporary silence while everybody at the table looked at the Avatar in complete shock. Eyes were wide, jaws were dropped and the fork Rarity was levitating fell onto the plate while Pinkie Pie spited out her drink.

"Didn't see that coming." said Spike, speaking for everybody. Tarlokk wasn't expecting for this answer from the daring Avatar, who calmly continued eating her rise with her chopsticks, not showing the slightest bit of interest in the offer. She simply remained calm and stoic.

"I…must admit I'm rather surprised." Tarlokk said, still taken back by this, "I thought you'd jump at the chance to help me lead the charge against Amon."

"I came to Republic City to finish my Avatar training with Tenzin." Korra told Tarlokk in a calm and rather stoic voice, "Right now I just need to focus on that."

Twilight sighed in relief as she removed some sweat from her forehead. She really wasn't at all too thrilled about the whole Task Force idea either.

"Which is why this opportunity is perfect." Tarlook said with a smile, more like a hopeful smile, "You would get on the job experience while performing your Avatar duty for the city."

Korra slighted chuckled too, "Is something funny?" Tarlokk asked. Clearly, he couldn't hear the ponies talk either. Korra cleared her throat before speaking.

"I'm sorry but my decision is final." she stated, doing her best to sound confident and dignified.

"Korra gave you her answer," Tenzin said, already fed up with the man, "it is time for you to go."

"Very well." Tarlokk said as he stood up, his expression remained completely calm and arrogant as when he first walked in, waving his index finger at Korra, "But I'm not giving up on you just yet. You'll be hearing from me soon. It has been a pleasure Avatar Ko--."

Before he could continue his leave, he looked into Korra's eyes. The irises shimmered with a few little tiny faint sparkling stars added with pale rainbow-like colors around her irises, transparent in her electric blue eyes, dancing in the light in such a beautiful otherworldly way. The Councilmen quickly regained his composure and bowed in respect.

Twilight glared at the man as he headed towards the door and Ikki waved at him, "Bye-bye ponytail man!"

Tarlook scowled at Ikki's nickname for him as he made his exit. Pinkie Pie laughed at Ikki's innocent yet funny remark, "Good one!" both girls high five/hoof each other.

"Thanks." the Avatar replied seriously. The entire room fell silent as they all continued to eat their meals. Twilight and Spike both shared worried looks.

Mako felt even more self conscious than ever as he stood before the stunning expensive restaurant before him, where he would meet Asami here. He clinched his scarf and checked his sleeves. He was very inappropriately dressed for this place. Here, men wore expensive suite and the women wore their best clothing. How would he fit in here? Maybe this was a bad idea. But, it was too late to turn back now. Taking in a deep breath and walked into the building.

Once inside he saw a server waiting for him, "Welcome to Kwong's Cuisine, Master Mako." he said as he bowed down incredibly low before Mako, who arched an eyebrow at his action.

"Uh, "Master"?" Mako didn't even get a chance to ask what was going on when the server took Mako to a private room and began folding his clothes into a box, leaving Mako in his white sleeveless shirt and pants. "So, what now?" he asked, still very new to all of this. But, apparently, this server wasn't much of a conversationalist. He just go straight to work. He ties Mako's new shoe, which were the expensive kind, styled his hair into a sleek fashion and gave him a formal looking jacket and white silk shirt underneath.

Once all was done, Mako examined his cloths with pleasure. The only clothes he had ever worn were the hand-me-downs he found on the street or the cheap ones from nearby stores he bought with the money he earned either from the Triple Threats or his pro-bending wins. But this was the very first time he didn't have to do anything to get these fancy cloths. For once in his life, he didn't feel like a street-rat. His only regret was that Bolin wasn't here to see this, but knowing his brother he would have been just as happy with just the food, which he did not forget to take some with him to share with his only family.

He wanted to tell Bolin earlier about the date, but the earthbender was apparently preoccupied with something else. He just hoped he wouldn't get into trouble later on.

As nice as the cloths were it was missing one last thing; His scarf. Mako took a moment to rub his thumb against the red fabric, being reminded of the man who wore it long ago…and even that night when he allowed Korra to wear it, and when Applejack so kindly protected it for him once they were in the clear. He smiled as he placed it around his neck. The server glanced at the old and worn material and began to pull it off of the young man, only to be stopped when Mako caught his wrist.

"The scarf stays." he demanded, narrowing his eyes and the server bowed in respect.

"As you wish, sir. This way please." he folded his arm to the side and lead Mako back into the restaurant area.

Once there, Mako could not believe how big and fancy this place was. He felt completely out of his element here. Just as expected, the tables were decorated with silk white cloths, the best silverware they could afford, and each guest was in their finest clothing. The men looked as clean as a whistle and the women had not one hair out of place. He never realized it before, but he probably would have felt more at ease at the pro-bending arena just sharing dumplings with Bolin, at least there he didn't have to worry about people staring at him. But, amazingly, he didn't feel that right now. Tonight he wasn't just a street urchin, tonight…he was one of them.

The server led Mako his table where he saw Asami. Nothing about her had changed, except instead of her bicker cloths, she was wearing a gorgeous sleek red dress and a golden colored hair clip with matching bracelets. She looked just as flawlessly beautiful as before. She smiled once she saw him.

The server gave him a glass of water for him and the lady, allowing the two to speak to one another. Mako had to pinch himself underneath the table just to make sure he wasn't dreaming. When they were younger, he and his brother would talk about one day being able to afford eating at a place like this one day, and tonight it was actually real, and he was dining with a beautiful woman.

As time went on, the two were engaged in a friendly conversation. Asami was practically gushing over his position as an athlete. "I'm such a big pro-bending fan." she said, "I caught all of your matches this season."

"All of them? Wow." Mako asked in surprise. Who'd have thought this fancy elegant girl was into that kind of stuff. "Honestly, I wish there were a few you hadn't seen." he smiled in the most charming way he could. He really didn't want to mess this up.

"Oh, don't be ridiculous, you're amazing. I can't wait to see you play in the tournament."

And just like that, the thrill of the night was slowly starting to fade. He was so distracted with everything else he almost forgot about the tournament. The one where they would never get to play because of their money troubles.

Asami furrowed her brows in sympathy as she reached for his place. Mako didn't really notice at first until she spoke. "Tell me. What's the problem?" she asked. She didn't like to see this poor boy so down, especially so close to the tournament, which meant a lot to pro-benders like himself.

"We don't have the cash to ante up for the championship pot. So, it looks like we're out of the running."

She was right, Mako thought, it really wasn't fair. He and Bolin worked so hard to get in, and especially after Korra had helped them remain longer than they should have by stepping in for Hasook.

The server returned with two silver plates with dome lids and placed them on the table before the pair. He lifted up the lid, allowing them to take in the sweet aroma of the beautifully prepared meal. "Pardon me, Ms Sato. Your main course."

Asami nodded her head in thanks and the server walked away, but not before bowing first. Mako looked at the woman with curiosity. He had heard that name once before.

"Ms. Sato? You wouldn't happen to be related to Hiroshi Sato, creator of the Satomobile?"

If Mako was drinking anything right now he'd be spitting the liquids out of his mouth. This girl was the daughter of the Hiroshi Sato! He was the wealthiest, and most renewed industrialist in the city! Without him nobody would have the satomobiles they used to drive from place to place. This man alone made modern transportation history, and Mako was having dinner with his own daughter? If he hadn't pinched himself he would still think he was dreaming.

"Get out of town!" he exclaimed, but Asami didn't not appear to be phased at all by his reaction. If anything, she was amused by it. He was cute when he was surprised.

"I'm serious. You want to meet him?" He asked before taking a sip of her drink, raising her pinky oh so elegantly as she did. Even the way she drank was classy.

"Meet the most successful captain of industry in all of Republic City? Yeah, I'll take you up on that."

For the rest of the night, the two spoke and laughed. He told her about the games, how they met Korra, and even mentioned the ponies, which Asami was already aware of due to them being on the paper and such, but left out the part about them speaking. After all, he did promise Korra not to reveal their true origins.

As he and Asami continued to talk, he realized she was genuinely nice and friendly. She was elegant and classy but definitely had a bit of a playful side judging by the gleam in her eyes when she became excited. It reminded him a little bit of when Bolin became excited over things. He had a feeling these two would get along great. He had nearly forgotten she was rich, she was just like any other person. He liked her a lot and was enjoying her company.

Everything was…perfect. For this one moment Mako wanted to forget about his troubles, forget about the money problems and everything. Tonight, he just wanted to have this one moment to feel like he could actually have this.

He felt safe and comfortable, just like he always dreamed of for his brother. More than anything, he wanted to get out of the streets so they would never have to deal with any of this again. He wanted them to have a life like the lucky ones did. As a child he would enviously look at all the people in their warm cosy homes. He believed the only way for him and Bolin to be happy was if they had what they had. A home, safety, food on the table every night, free from all of this. He wanted to have what he once did…

The following afternoon, Korra rubbed Naga's belly. Rarity levitated strands of Korra's hair while placing some pearl beads. She was experimenting some new exotic styles on Korra. Spike was happily relaxing in Korra's lap while Fluttershy was also rubbing Naga's belly while baby talking her, "Aww, who's a big sweetheart? You are, oh yes you are!"

"Okay, so no ruffles, no large hems and no head set, right?" Rarity said as she levitated more beads onto a strand of Korra's hair while at the same writing on her notepad with her magic as Korra answered her questions.

Rarity wrote all of this down on the notebook, "Okay, that should be about everything. Oh, almost forgot: can't be too long at the bottom because you'll step on it and fall."

"Korra, this outfit is going to look divine on you!" Rarity said excitedly. The group then spotted a familiar face approach them as he whistled to get their attention.

"Hello fellow teammate! And ponies. And dragon.", Bolin added while giving his little dragon friend a thumbs up.

The earthbender smiled at the cute nickname she gave him, "You too, Rarity. Looking as beautiful as ever." he said with a wink, making the unicorn blush.

"Nah, it's alright we're probably out of the tournament anyway. Unless some money miraculously drops out of the sky by tomorrow."

Dramatic music played in her head as Rarity literally dropped her jaw, and her beads and notebook, once she saw what Bolin had given Korra…...a RED ROSE! AND A CUPCAKE!

Korra casually, but graciously, accepted both gifts. "Wow thanks. What's this for?" she asked, while Rarity still had her mouth opened and let out a faint squeak.

Bolin playfully pondered for a moment, "Ah, oh I can't remember now, oh yeah now I remember: You saved me from Amon."

"Oh, that? It was no big deal." Korra said while shrugging her shoulders. Rarity was still stunned, and with an open mouth she let out yet another faint squeak.

"No big deal? Are you serious? I was totally freaking out when he was coming at me with his creepy mask all 'I will take away your bending forever!" as Bolin said this he stomped in place like a zombie making a dramatic voice, comically replicating Amon. "I mean, that is some scary stuff I still can't sleep well."

Just thinking about it made sweet Fluttershy shiver in fear, "I know. He really scared me too, and I'm not even a bender."

Korra then noticed Rarity's mouth was wide open. She casually closed it which snapped the pony back to reality, "Yeah. Scary." said the unicorn, still slightly stunned.

The group turned her heads straight ahead and saw a tall skinny guy carrying a huge gift basket and placed it beside Korra. He was the council page, and personal assistant to Tarlokk. He was a scrawny man with gray hair, a pair of golden colored spectacles and a black hat with matching vest over a white pleated shirt, black tie, pants and white boots. He bowed in respect for the Avatar with his hands pressed together in a prayer fashion.

"Tell him I haven't changed my mind." Korra replied unamused. The guy bowed before leaving.

"Who's this Tarlokk guy?" Bolin asked. A hint of jealousy in his voice, "Is he bothering you, huh? Cause I can have a word with him!" Bolin pounded his fists threateningly, but Korra simply laughed.

"Ha, no it's nothing like that. He's just some old guy who works with Tenzin on the council"

"Oh, good, good that sounds better. I like that better" Bolin smiled cheekily while Rarity looked at him with concern. As much as she liked Bolin, she knew Korra didn't see him in a romantic way. That and that there was somebody else Korra had her eye on.

Spike jumped from Korra's lap and began tearing open the gift basket, "Man, look at all of this." he started to list the items as he took them out of the wrapping paper, "Shampoos, flowers, candies, hair accessories, perfume?"

"You can have it all if you like Rarity." Korra said with a smile as she reached for a bottle from the basket, "But I'm keeping the shampoo." she noticed that they all looked at her with skeptical/surprised expressions.

They all simply laughed together at Korra's sudden confession, but Rarity stopped her giggling when she looked at the rose and cupcake and bit her bottom lip nervously.

Latter that night Jinora and Twilight were playing a game of Pai Cho in the dinning room. Twilight made the next move. "Wow, you're a natural Twilight" Jinora complimented.

The girls were suddenly startled when Spike jumped in through the window looking frantic, "TWILIGHT!"

"Yeah, could you excuse me for a moment? We'll continue our game latter, promise." Twilight stood up and followed Spike out the window.

Before long, everypony was gathered near the spinning gates, anxious to hear what Spike was so antsy about. "Okay, what's all this about?" Twilight asked.

"Yeah?" Twilight, AppleJack, Rainbow and Pinkie leaned in forward, awaiting the answer.

Spike then interrupted Rarity before she could continue, "Bolin has a crush on Korra! Big time!"

Twilight's face turned cold serious as she held Spike a few feet above the ground with her magic, "Details. Now!"

"Bolin came on over, he said 'hi' and we said 'hi' and then he gave Korra a tiny cupcake and a rose!"

Twilight arched an eyebrow as she dropped the dragon who landed face first on the ground, "Say what now?"

AppleJack rolled her eyes at this, "Is that what this is all about? Bolin was just givin' Korra a 'thank you' present. It's the least he could do since she did save his life from that creep."

Applejack arched an eyebrow, "Yeah, so? Givin' her a flower don't necessarily gotta mean anythin'."

Rarity hoof palmed herself, "Er! You really know nothing about romance, Applejack. The red rose is only the most common flower used to symbolize growing love and affection. Giving somebody a red rose is practically saying; "I love you, marry me!" "

"And then some skinny guy came and gave Korra a basket from Tarlokk" Spike added.

"Don't tell me ya'll think he likes her too." Applejack said with a very unamused tone, "He's old enough to be her daddy!"

"The basket was Tarlokk's attempt to make Korra change her mind about joining his task force." Rarity pointed out, "Of course she said 'no' but Bolin got jealous because he thought Tarlokk was some other boy hitting on her."

"This really is bad! BAD I TELL YOU!" Pinkie Pie cried out while clinging on to Spike dramatically.

"Okay, now everypony calm down." Applejack said in a serious voice, "Don't you think we'll all overreacting just a bit? Bolin is just trying to be a good friend."

"But what if it's more than that?" Twilight asked, "If anybody knows anything about hopeless crushes its Spike."

"Yeah!" The dragon agreed, until he realized what the alicorn actually meant, "Hey!"

"Besides, all know Korra and Mako have a thing for each other." Twilight explained.

Rainbow Dash agreed, "Yeah. I'm not usually the romantic type, but even I can see those two got something going on."

Rarity nodded, "I agree. Korra's spunky and free-spirited personality perfectly balances with Mako's…well…" the unicorn paused for a moment, trying to find the best word to describe the brooding firebender.

"But what about Bolin?" Fluttershy asked with concern, "I don't want him to get hurt, but I also really want Korra and Mako to work it out."

"I think we're all a little in over our heads here." said Applejack, "Honestly, I would like to see those two kids hit it off as much as you guys but I don't feel comfortable meddlin' in their personal lives."

Twilight agreed, "I understand AppleJack, and you're right. But something inside is telling me that there's something there. Maybe it's this strange and mysterious connection we have with Korra, I'm not sure. But I am sure abut one thing; Korra's happiness means a lot to me. And I know it does to you guys too."

Twilight placed a hoof on her shoulder, "We help them, without technically meddling."

As Twilight sang the last note, all ponies and Spike looked ahead to the pro-bending arena. They knew for sure that Korra and Mako were meant to be together. And one way or another…they would be sure they realized it.

Mako couldn't believe he was standing in the very factory where they constructed the satomobiles he saw every single day on the streets of the city. Asami kept her word and introduced him to her father. Hiroshi Sato was a middle aged man with dark hair, added with some grays across and a black beard and mustache, and he had a bit of a belly as well. He had the kinder most welcoming exterior out of anyone Mako had ever met. Most rich men were snobby and looked down upon him, but Hiroshi was different. He just hoped his first impression of him wouldn't end in disappointment.

"So, what do you think of my little operation here?" the rich man asked his guest, while his daughter stood beside her father.

"Uh, well…" Mako shifted his gaze to his feet, already feeling small compared to the man.

"Young man, it is nothing to be ashamed of. I too came from humble beginnings. Why, when I was your age, I was a mere shoe-shiner, and I had to my name was an idea; the Satomobile!"

Hiroshi proudly demonstrated Mako one of the latest of his precious creations, which was just about ready to be on display on the market. It was a true work of art.

"Now, I was fortunate enough to meet someone who believed in me and my work ethic. He gave me the money I needed to get my idea off the ground and I built the entire Future Industries empire from that one selfless loan." Hiroshi raised his hands towards the assembly lines, feeling intensely proud of his accomplishments.

Asami rolled her eyes as she lowered his arms. She loved her father to pieces, but he could be such a dork sometimes. "Dad, stop bragging. Just tell Mako the good news."

"Well, my daughter passionately told me all about your hard earned success in the pro-bending arena. And about your team's current financial stumbling block." the man placed a hand on Mako's shoulder, smiling kindly. "Now, I'd hate to see you lose your chance at winning the championship just because you're short on a few yuans. That's why I'm going to sponsor the Fire Ferrets in the tournament."

Mako was at a loss for words as he took a step back in shock. "Are you serious?"

"He's serious." Asami smiled, "My dad's going to cover your ante for the championship pot."

He couldn't believe it. His money problems were over in a snap. This was…this was just what he and his brother needed. And best of all, for once, they didn't have to work for it. Maybe there were still kind people still around aside from Korra and the ponies.

"There's just one catch." Hiroshi mentioned, "You all have to wear the Future Industries logo on your uniforms."

"I'll tattoo it on my chest if you want, sir." Mako said, pointing at his chest with his thumb and smiled while both Hiroshi and Asami chuckled. Mako was just so happy he didn't care how silly that sounded. He shook both of their hands in gratitude.

"Thank you both so much. I promise the Fire Ferrets will make the most of this opportunity."

"Perhaps we could meet her one day." Hirosh suggested, "Her and that brother of yours. I'm sure they will be thrilled to hear the news."

"I'm sure they will!" Mako replied with a wide smile. For the first time in his life things were going exactly as he wanted them to.

"Move over daddy, we're driving here!" Ikki turned the wheel while mimicking the rooming sound of a car. Meelo poked his head out and imitated a car's horn.

In yet another attempt to get Korra to join the task force, Tarlokk had bought the Avatar a lavish cherry red car, adorned with a big red bow, and his children were already making the most of it. Tenzin simply shook his head in disinterest.

The hood of the car popped open and Pinkie Pie appeared, "She's practicing her airbending stances in the courtyard." she said with her signature smile before closing the hood of the car again. She reappeared again sitting next to Ikki and Meelo in the front seat, playing the game with them. Tenzin simply shook it off and left to see Korra. He could never understand how that pony could do the things she did.

Just as Pinkie Pie had said, Korra was practicing her airbending forms again in the courtyard. Tenzin noticed Korra had not been acting much like herself lately. She was quiet and uncharacteristically stoic.

Applejack walked up to his side, "She's been at it all mornin'." a voice said. Tenzin looked down to his side to see Applejack approach him, wearing a concerned expression. Tenzin walked a few feet further and spoke to the Avatar. He knew he had to say something to her.

"Yeah. He just can't take no for an answer." Korra said as kept on practicing her movements.

Tenzin sat down on the small plate of stairs on the ground, "Why don't you take a break?" he said while gesturing her to sit down with him. Korra sat while Applejack sat beside her. "I'm glad you turned down Tarlokk," Tenzin said, "but I just wanted to make sure your decision was for the right reason."

"Right, that's…what you said." Tenzin looked ahead at the vast ocean before them, it seemed to mirror Korra's mood. Silent and still. This wasn't like her at all. Even though he was her teacher that didn't mean he didn't care about her like he did his own children.

After a moment if silence he finally spoke again, "You know, it's okay to be scared. The whole city is frightened by what's been going on. The important thing is to talk about our fears, because if we don't they can throw us out of balance."

Korra remained silent. She couldn't bare to say out loud that she was afraid. She could admit it perfectly well to the ponies without even muttering a word, but to Tenzin or anybody else…she just couldn't. But even so, his words really did impact her deep inside.

Realizing she didn't want to talk about it, Tenzin stood up, "I'm always here for you if you want to talk." he said kindly before walking away. Once he was gone Applejack lowered her hat.

"You know he's right, sugarcube. You can't keep this feelin' locked up forever."

Korra sighed, "I just don't get it. You're the only ones who I know I can tell my secrets to, but it's different with everybody else. I know I can trust you ponies."

"And I'm glad you feel that way, but it's not us with who you should be honest with about this. Believe me, I know it's hard to admit somethin', especially when it can really put a damper on your ego. But sometimes you need to swallow your pride and accept help when you need it. I may not know much about being the Avatar, but I do know it don't mean you gotta be perfect."

Applejack smiled sincerely at her, "Because there's a part of you that refuses to lie. Your mouth might say some things but your actions, and your eyes, tell the whole truth. Especially if someone is willin' to pay close attention. I won't force ya, but you really should tell Tenzin. Maybe that's the reason this is buggin' you so much."

Korra laughed, "Come here" she embraced the pony in a warm hug. Korra knew she could count on Applejack to always be honest with her. After all, she is the element of Honesty for a reason.

That night, Korra and the ponies were all outside enjoying the evening air. Ikki and Jinora were both playing pai-sho on a small table near them, Twilight and Spike joined them. Korra sat near the door of the temple while happily brushing Fluttershy's mane. Korra always enjoyed this little activity, it was calming and relaxing, especially with the way she had been feeling lately, and Fluttershy enjoyed it just as much. While others may fail to see it, Korra had a gentle loving hand, which made the little pony feel all the more safe.

They were all interrupted from their relaxed state of mind when the same skinny page from the other day approached them. "I have something for you." the man said, but Korra was not interested in anything he had to say or give. She stood up from her seat and glared at the man.

"It doesn't matter how many gifts Tarlokk sends I am NOT joining his Task force!" as she said this, she earthbended a disk on the ground that turned the page around and kicked him away with her foot.

"It's not a gift, it's an invitation." the guy said, pulling a piece of paper from his jacket.

"To what?" Korra took the piece of paper from his hand and read what was written on the paper. Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy flew next to her, reading along.

"Tarlokk is throwing a gala in your honor." said the man, "All of Republic City's movers and shakers will be there. The Council humbly requests your attendance."

Korra and the pegasus ponies looked at each other skeptically upon knowing this. No doubt it was another one of Tarlokk's schemes. However, not everybody had the same reaction.

"AH! A gala! This is perfect!" Rarity exclaimed joyfully. The Page's eyes widened as he looked down at the unicorn in awe.

Korra's eyes widened in shock, shifting her glance from pony to pony, and a very shocked Rarity, who quickly covered up her mouth. Korra fiddled with the invitation in her hand, smiling nervously as she tried to come up with a cover explanation, "Uhhhhhhhh. No! That was, um….one of the kids!" She pointed her thumb at Ikki and Jinora, who looked at each other while blinking. "They're learning…ventriloquism?"

Korra knew that wasn't all too convincing, but it was all she could come up with right now. The Page was still skeptical. "I could have sworn--"

"Thanks for the invite, I'll definitely take it under consideration!" Korra quickly earthbended a rock from the ground which threw the guy away a few feet. Once he was gone, they all glared at Rarity who laughed nervously.

"Rarity, you do realize this is just another one of Tarlokk's attempts to get Korra to change her mind about joining his Task Force, right?" Twilight pointed out.

"Of course I do, I just meant it's the perfect opportunity for Korra, and us, to show off our fabulosity!"

The girls all looked at each other skeptically. "Any idea what she's talking about?" Ikki asked her sister.

Korra complied and gasped at what she saw! In her room, Rarity was levitating a light blue gown with a V neck collar, similar to the one from Korra's casual shirt, only this one had a simple sapphire at the very center. Streaming from the gem was a long straight white line of reaching another matching gem around the waist.

Streaming down was a long dress-like cape that was cut open in the front, exposing slim dark blue pants and Korra's new boots, the cape was a slightly darker blue with small pearls around the edges and water like patterns at the bottom. It was extravagant but the small tiny little pearls and not to flashy gems gave it a glamorous yet humble appeal to it, and Korra especially loved that she would get to wear pants. She was blown away.

"You made that?" Applejack said in disbelief while pointing her hoof at her friend's latest creation.

Rarity smiled proudly, "Yep! Worked on it none stop the other night. I also made, these!" she also levitated some asian styles clothing for each of the ponies:

Her's was a beautiful sea blue gown with a navy blue vest that had a high collar styled in the same form as the one from Korra's shirt with a purple diamond broach. The waist of the dress was a slightly darker band followed by the lower part of the gown which had Rarity's cutie mark sewed onto both sides. The hem of the dress had light blue fabric with two blue rings around the dress added with circled blue gems. For shoes, Rarity would wear matching aqua blue flats with the same blue gems on the top and long navy blue up the knee leggings that matched her vest. Her outfit resembled Korra the most.

Pinkie Pie's was blue and pink and yellow. The open vest was blue with pink ruffles on its edges and up the knee sleeves with flairs on the back, the belly of the dress was yellow and style in the form of a dragon belly. Her gown was flowing with pink ruffles and light pink under-ruffles and her cutie mark sewed to both sides. Pinkie would wear flat reddish-pink flats with pink bows and white bandage-like stockings with a cute little matching blue hat with a small bow. Her outfit resembled more that of a chinese dragon.

Fluttershy's was green with a high collar, cut in the center to create a 'v' shape, with a flower broach, red lines across and around the waist. The gown was green, had her cutie mark sowed to the side and a red ring across bellow were light green ruffles. For shoes, she'd wear simple green flats, but her upper legs would have transparent full leg warmers that reached the short sleeves of her dress.

Rainbow Dash's gown was blue in color, though more rough blue as opposed to Rarity's light blue one. Unlike the others, her's was more of a two piece. She wore cape-like-jacket with a high collar with white outlines that flowed down and a yellow lighting bolt broach. The dress began at her waist, with a yellow band, followed by a gown the same color as her vest, her cutie mark on both sides, with yellow and light blue rings near the hem and white fur-like ruffles. Her shoes were very asian-like boots in the same color as her dress.

Applejack's resembled that of the earth kingdom fashions. It was darkish green with a light green neck hugging collar with gold outlines and an apple shaped broach. The sleeves were a bit longer with brown-velvet stilled sleeves, reminiscent of her country origins. Her dress matched the top part with her cutie mark on both sides, a red ring near the hem and brown velvet-like ruffles. Her shoes were long dark green boots with apples on the top.

Twilight's resembled a bit of her coronation gown. The top was dark magenta up the neck with no sleeves while the bottom was light magenta with her cutie mark and a long yellow stream ribbon near the hem, which had long light pink fabric that touched the ground in a regal manner. She would wear a vest, the same color as the gown, with a red rounded broach in the center with golden outlines around the short collar, the sleeves were only two inches longer with a yellow band at the end and long flowing light pink sleeves. Her shoes were styled in the same form as her princess shoes, but in the color of her dark magenta top.

"And I could never forget you, Spikey-wikey." Rarity took out an asian styled tuxedo for the dragon to wear. It was colored dark green with golden trims and a black bow-tie, on the back was the golden image of a chinese dragon.

"Wait a second! Are we really going?" Rainbow asked with uncertainty, "I mean, you heard Twilight; this is just another of Tarlokk's tricks!"

Korra agreed with her friend, "You're right. But if I don't go Tarlokk might use my absence to make me look bad, and I've got enough people who dislike me already."

"Well when are we ever going to get another opportunity to show off our new clothes?" Rarity asked. It was clear she REALLY wanted her latest work to be out in the open. She was already a big fashion success in her native land, now this was the time for the people of his world to know that too.

Korra really did wanted to try out the gift Rarity had given her, especially since she worked so hard on it. And, even if she wouldn't say this out loud to just anybody, she really did wanted to see herself in this stunning gown. She wasn't sure if she would pull it off. She never really considered herself as the drop-dead-gorgeous type, no matter how much Rarity insisted she was. But, she also knew they couldn't let their guards down at the gala.

"Alright. But we better be on our toes in case this is some set up." she reminded her friends.

Korra smiled and rolled her eyes, "Okay, but Pinkie Pie, in case the party turns out to be a real downer, I'm gonna need you to liven things up a bit."

The following night, Korra and the ponies gathered in Korra's room to prepare for the party. After taking their showers---separately of course---they placed their gowns onto the bed. Korra removed the towel from her hair letting it run down and Rarity did the same with hers which, even wet, looked fabulous.

Korra twirled around in her new gown, feeling like a true elegant lady. If ladies worried pants underneath their gowns. It felt so fancy, but also not too gaudy enough for her not to move in it. Rarity and the ponies all stomped their hooves happily in applauds.

Each of the ponies helped one another with their gowns. Korra helped Rainbow Dash with hers while Rarity worked on Korra's hair.

Korra's eyes widened when she saw the ponies all walk out wearing their new stunning gowns. "Whoa! You all look incredible!"

Korra gassed at her reflection in the mirror. She never imagined she could look so…so beautiful. Her hair was down and only slightly curled, she had her usual hair ties to the side but her hair was held back by a sapphire hair clip on the back of her head and she wore a small simple pearled headband on her head. She had to admit, she looked like a princess.

Korra and the ponies arrived at the gala along with Tenzin and his family. Once they entered, all eyes were on them. People all around began talking in hushed tones about the avatar and the ponies. Rarity had a single white lotus flower in her mane near her ear, while Fluttershy had red and yellow flowers. Rainbow Dash had her mane styled in a low ponytail and a cap on her head. Twilight wore a similar cap but with colors matching her gown and Applejack wore her signature hat.

Korra couldn't help but blush at the compliments she received. She had never felt more beautiful in her life, and yet at the same time, she still felt like herself. Even some of the younger male guests couldn't help but admire her natural beauty. Korra didn't give them much thought, but still the compliments were still nice.

Rarity smiled proudly, "See Korra? I told you they wouldn't be able to take their eyes off of you."

Rarity flipped her mane, "Don't we all?" The people applauded to them all and Rarity bowed, "Thank you, thank you. You're too kind" she even blew them a few kisses. Korra looked around the room, there were so many people there to see her. She didn't know what to say or think about all of this.

Tenzin however, remained suspicious, "I am not sure what Tarlokk's plotting, but keep your guard up. It's not like him to throw a party just for the fun of it."

"So glad you could make it." said Tarlokk as he approached them. The man was wearing a far more stylized, and darker colored version of his fancy water tribe jacket, added with an ascot. "And may I just say you look ravishing this evening, Korra. And so do your little pony friends."

Despite the compliment, the ponies still looked suspiciously at the man. Korra politely thanked the councilmen, "Thanks. A very close friend of mine made it."

"Well she did a fine job." he turned to the Air Nomad, "Now if you'll excuse us, Tenzin, the city awaits it's hero." Korra and the ponies went with Tarlokk to greet the guests. Tenzin looked to the side and his face became red with embarrassment.

Tarlokk first introduced Korra to a middle aged man with spectacles. He was slightly taller than her and was wearing a fancy dark green suit. "Korra, it is my pleasure to introduce Republic City's most famous industrialist, Hiroshi Sato."

Hiroshi bowed in respect, "We're expecting great things from you." he said her kindly.

Korra looked at him with an unsure expression, "Yeah…greatness." she said, shifting her eyes to the side. The ponies and Spike mirrored her expression. Korra was already carrying enough baggage as it was, and while Hiroshi did not have the intention to make her feel that way she still did her very best not to showcase how she was feeling. Which, for her, wasn't easy.

Korra looked up at the sound of a familiar voice. For a moment her spirits lifted, but only for a very, very short moment before she furrowed her brows in a slight glare. The ponies and Spike all drop their jaws and their eyes flew wide open at what they saw: Mako, wearing a fancy red tuxedo, his hair gelled to the side, had his arm around a beautiful sophisticated young lady…who wasn't Korra!

"Who the heck is she?" Spike whispered to Pinkie Pie. By the tone of his voice, he did not approve of this woman anymore than the others did.

"Allow me to introduce my daughter, Asami." Hiroshi said as his daughter smiled.

"It's lovely to meet you." Asami said politely, "Mako has told me so much about you."

Korra crossed her arms, "Really, because he hasn't mentioned you at all." she said rather bluntly and more so to Mako rather than her, not even bothering to hide her true feelings. Why had he not mentioned this girl before, or had he only met her just recently. The latter made more sense.

Asami was a practically the very definition of beautiful. Her flawless complexion, blood-red lips, light green eyes, and long flowing raven hair that could make a goddess envious. She wore a very kind and friendly smile and her elegant long red gown hugged her feminine curves perfectly as her golden accessories shimmered in the light. Rarity glared at the new girl while the other ponies and Spike all shared Korra's exact same reaction: Unamused.

However, Asami was oblivious to their real feelings towards her and remained as sweet and friendly as she was. "And these must be the famous ponies." she smiled at the colorful creatures, "They're just as cute as you said Mako." Asami noticed that her date was a tad distracted as he looked at the Avatar before him, his eyes slightly widened.

Upon hearing Asami's voice, he snapped out of his trance-like state, "Huh? Oh, I'm sorry. I'm just…" Korra looked at him wondering if something was wrong. "It's just, you look…."

"I look what?" Korra asked, already feeling self conscious about her gown once he couldn't find the words to say.

Mako was at a loss for words. This was the first time he had ever seen Korra in a gown. In all honesty, she didn't strike him as the dress wearing type, and yet the outfit seemed like it was tailor made for her. Interestingly enough, the dress wasn't what made Korra beautiful, but rather she made the dress look beautiful. He wanted to say that Korra looked absolutely incredible yet he was able to recognize her from a mile away. Mako couldn't say it out loud, what would Asami think?

"You look…magical." he finally said, which made the Avatar blush and smile bashfully. It was more of an inside compliment between the two, she could tell.

Instead of getting jealous like he feared, Asami openly agreed with him. "Yeah, I've never seen a dress like that before." she said, mesmerized by the beauty and detail of the gown itself, "It looks like something out of a fairytale! Where did you get it?"

"Oh, um, my friend made it. Let's just say, she's got the magical touch." Korra responded somewhat bashfully, while winking at her unicorn friend, who smiled proudly.

"Wow, that's amazing. I'm so jealous right now." the heiress said jokingly while laughing lightly. Korra forced a chuckle just not to give away her dislike of this prissy woman.

"Yeah…funny. So, how exactly did you two meet?" Korra asked, wanting to know a bit more about this girl and just how did Mako ever get tangled up with her.

"Asami crashed into him on her moped." Bolin pointed out when he zipped to her side and then zipped away.

"What? Are you okay?" Korra asked Mako with concern and the firebender smiled happily.

"I'm fine, more than fine. Mr. Sato agreed to sponsor our team. We're back in the tournament!" Mako's voice sounded so happy, ecstatic even. Bolin smiled happily alongside his brother as he wrapped his arm around his shoulder.

"Yeah….terrific." Korra's tone of voice was anything but happy. This new girl managed to succeed in giving the boys what they needed when she couldn't. She felt so embarrassed. The ponies lowered their ears in disappointment. Asami found their little features incredibly adorable.

"Awww. They're so cute." Asami reached out her hand to pet Rainbow Dash, but the pegasus quickly flared her nostrils at her, releasing some steam in the process. Asami quickly backed away in shock, clinging on to Mako's arm. "Wow!"

"Rainbow Dash!" Korra yelled sternly at her pony friend who slowly backed down. While Korra herself wasn't a huge fan of Asami already, Rainbow Dash's aggressive reaction managed to attract the unwanted attention of a few bystanders. Some even looked genuinely skeptical, which worried Korra.

"I'm so sorry, she's just not very good with strangers." Korra said to the heiress, making Rainbow grunt in response.

"Don't take it personally," Mako told Asami, "She didn't like me the first time either."

Asami simply shrugged it off, "Oh, that's okay. I still think she's cute." she said lightheartedly, but Rainbow Dash continued to glare at her.

"Come near me with those talons you call nails and then I'll show you how cute I am!"

"Hey, that wasn't very nice." Asami said, placing one hand on her hip…right before her eyes snapped open in realization, "Wait...did she just talk?!"

Rainbow's eyes also snapped open, as did Mako's, Bolin's, Korra's, Spike's and the rest of the Mane Six's. They all silently screamed internally. Just like with the Page, Asami could understand the ponies speaking!

Both Korra and Mako, and even Twilight, face/hoof palmed their faces simultaneously and groaned in annoyance. "You didn't tell me they could speak, Mako!" said Asami, still surprised.

Hiroshi looked at them in confusion, "I'm sorry, am I missing something here?" he asked. Unlike his daughter, apparently, he couldn't hear Rainbow Dash speak.

Korra and the ponies all looked pleadingly at Mako, waiting for him to come up with some explanation, but he had nothing. Asami noticed his and Bolin's equally worried looks. The heiress quickly got the message."N--No dad, it's just a little inside joke."

Korra surprised Mako by grabbing his free arm while politely, though barely, addressing to the stunning heiress. "Could you excuse us for a moment?" the Avatar forcibly dragged Mako a few feet away from the group, the Mane Six followed. Once Korra released him, Mako rubbed his sore arm.

"Hey, don't get mad at me, she's the one who opened her big mouth!" he gestured to Rainbow Dash, who flared her nostrils at him.

"Doesn't Twilight know some kind of, I don't know, memory wipe spell or something?"

Korra looked down at the alicorn hopefully, but to her disappointment, she shook her head. There was no way out of this one. "Sadly, no." Korra answered the firebender before her, who really did look very handsome in his new suit. But the poor girl had enough going on around her mind right now, even Mako could see it in her eyes how tired and even stressed she seemed to be.

Korra sighed in exasperation. "Guess keeping the secret's going to be a bit harder than I thought."

"I honestly don't know. Apparently, she's another exception." Korra took in a deep breath before speaking again, "Look, just figure something out and make sure she doesn't tell anybody about this. Got it?"

Korra couldn't deny the bubbly unsatisfied feeling in her stomach at her friend's complete confidence in this new girl. Something about her rubbed Korra the wrong way, but at the same time she seemed nice enough, and Mako did look happy. Even though she wished it wasn't with this girl. Still, she sucked it up, she couldn't afford to look weak now.

"Okay. I'm trusting you with this, Mako. Don't mess it up." she warned him. The firebender understood her perfectly, she wanted to protect these ponies. Even though it was risky enough to have them exposed physically to the public eye, the last thing Korra wanted was to keep them prisoners, the same way she was.

Mako nodded his head before returning back to Asami, while Korra willfully remained where she stood, crossing her arms. Rainbow Dash flew up to her, "Look, we promise we won't talk in public anymore."

"I don't know." said Korra, "I'm starting to think there's more to this whole thing than we realize."

Twilight tugged onto her dress with her teeth, "In the meantime, we should probably get back to Mr. Fancy-ponytails before anything else happens."

Korra complied and she and the others returned to Tarlook, who had just recently spotted Lin Bei Fong among the crowd and called her name, "Chief Bei-Fong, I believe you and Avatar Korra have already met."

Lin looked on seriously at the Avatar. Even the ponies felt intimidated by her glare, "Just because the city's throwing you this big to-do, don't think you're something special." Both the Avatar and chief glared at one another, "You've done absolutely nothing to deserve this."

With that, the chief walked away. Fluttershy popped her head from behind Korra's back, shaking in fear. Korra however, remained unfazed and by Lin's cruel words and continued her glare as the chief disappeared amongst the crowd.

Latter, Tarlokk took Korra to the top of the stairs where a bunch or reporters began bombarding her with questions. "If you'd be so kind, they just have a couple of question.s" said Tarlokk.

"But, I--" Korra was interrupted when Tarlokk pushed her forward. Cameras flashed and reporters continued asking questions. Korra was not prepared for this. Knock out a group of Triple Threats, she could do. Win a pro-bending match, easy-breezy, but talking to the press? She knew she would come out sounding like an idiot if she didn't give them what they wanted to hear.

The Ponies and Spike all watched anxiously as each reporter asked Korra a question, each one right after the last, giving her almost zero time to answer. Meanwhile, Tarlokk smiled arrogantly as his plan was put into motion.

"Why have you refused to join Tarlokk's task force? As the Avatar, shouldn't you be going after Amon?"

"What No! I've never backed away from anything in my life!" Korra responded feeling offended by this. The ponies didn't like the looks of this at all.

"Do you think pro-bending is more important than fighting the revolution?" another reporter asked.

Question after question, Korra felt more and more confused, annoyed AND intimidated by all of this. Her patience was wearing thin, but the last question really pushed her to her limit.

The ponies looked worriedly as Korra stood with furry in her eyes, but while others couldn't….they could also see a lot of fear. "If the city needs me then…I'll join Tarlokk's Task Force and help fight Amon!"

"There's your headline folks!" Tarlokk said to them all as he placed his arm around Korra. Reporters started taking pictures while the ponies looked on with worry. Spike said to Twilight, "Remember what you guys said earlier about Tarlokk having something planned? Looks like we just figured it out."

Korra quickly realized what had just happened. She fell right into Tarlokk's trap.

Korra stood outside, hoping to clear her head. Her arms were crossed and a serious expression on her face as she leaned against a pillar.

She looked down and smiled at Pinkie Pie offering her the sugary pastry, she kneeled down and graciously took the pastry, "Thanks Pinkie." Twilight and the others walked out to join her. Korra sighed, "I know I know, I fell right into Tarlokk's trap. I feel like such an idiot!"

"Yeah. Even if what you did was pretty stupid." said Rainbow Dash. Twilight looked at her angrily and Rainbow Dash slumped her shoulders, "Sorry."

"Well I know what I'm gonna do!", Pinkie Pie smiled excitedly before exclaiming, "Liven things up!"

Korra slumped her shoulders, "Pinkie Pie, I really don't think that now's a good time to--"

Korra sighed again. She figured if there was anyone who could easily lighten up any damper mood…it was Pinkie Pie. A smile slowly appeared on her face.

Once back inside, Pinkie Pie jumped onto the stage where the band was playing soothing jazz music. They all stopped once Pinkie Pie took out a trumpet and began blowing on it. The rhythm was surprisingly catchy. Pretty soon, the band members bobbed their heads to the sound and started playing their instruments to the Pony's music. The rest of the ponies noticed Korra's growing smile, her emotions of self disappointment were visibly fading from her face. The girls knew that the music was lifting up her spirits, then they all shared the same idea.

Without warning, Korra felt herself being pushed onto the stage, "Girls, what are you--Whoa!" The Avatar wobbled a bit before balancing herself. There she stood in front of the mike stand, with everybody in the room looking directly at her. She nervously looked over at the ponies who all smiled encouragingly.

Korra looked at the crowd of people staring at her with anticipation. Even Mako, Bolin and Asami were curious as to what she would do. Tenzin saw Korra on stage, "What is she doing?" he asked.

Korra looked over at Pinkie, who's trumpet rhythm had caught on with the rest of the band, smiling as they played along with the pony, people were already stomping their feet to the rhythm. Korra smiled and opened her mouth, her beautiful voice was a bit soft at first, and rather hesitant.

Soon, all eyes were on Korra. Conversations stopped, people looked up from their drinks as they listened to the young lady sing in the most beautifully clear voice they had ever heard. On Pinkie's cue, the musicians started to speed up the music to Korra's harmonious singing which began getting faster and louder as she got more comfortable.

The ponies and Spike all started dancing to the beat, inspiring others, one by one, to do the same. Tenzin's kids and wife bobbed their heads to the song. Tenzin himself found he was unable to resist either.

Korra's voice grew higher and more beautiful as she hit the high note as it it were second nature to her. She never had a chance to sing this passionately before, and now that she could she was giving it her all. Tenzin's eyes widened in amazement. Mako was just as surprised, he could not believe his eyes, or his ears. They had never heard such a powerful voice before, and so beautiful. Korra began to sway her hips to the beat and dancing with flair and confidence. The real Korra was let loose.

The entire gala was now bursting with sound, dancing and fun. Even Lin couldn't resist taping her foot and smiling a little bit. Korra jumped from stage, not even bothering to take the microphone, her voice could be heard perfectly without it. She danced over to the ponies who gleefully joined in. It was as if she had cast a spell on the crowd, bringing out the joy within their hearts.

Korra was having the time of her life, singing her heart out. All of her fears and worries faded for that one moment at sharing her talent with so many people and seeing them as happy as she was. It was so uplifting she never wanted it to end.

Twilight then spotted Mako and Asami dancing together among the crowd. The alicorn smiled as she got an idea. She whispered something to Fluttershy who then nodded at her in agreement. Both shared the same mischievous smiles.

Inconspicuously, Twilight levitated Asami by the hem of dress and dragged her away from Mako while Fluttershy grabbed his sleeve with her mouth and pulled him away.

Twilight flung Asami who bumped into Bolin. The two were surprised at first but they simply shrugged their shoulders and started to dance together.

Korra kept dancing to the rhythm with her eyes closed. She was one with the music.

As the music went on, Fluttershy with all of her might flung Mako who then slammed into Korra who caught him from falling. The two were in each other's arms, looking at one another while blushing. Korra smiled and confidently helped him in a dancing position; her left hand on his shoulder while holding his hand with her right, and his right hand placed on her hips. Mako was still unsure on what was happening but decided to go along with it. Korra sang again as they danced.

Mako finally smiled as the two danced across the floor. Twilight and Fluttershy hoof pumped each other in triumph. The two teens took hold of the dance floor as party guests stood back and allowed them space to perform. People watched them in amazement.

Korra hit the hight note to such a gee it was almost hard to believe. As the music came to an end Mako dipped Korra, the two breathing heavily and their gazes locked on each other. The sound of roaring applauds woke them up and they released each other. and the entire room broke into applause.

Just them Asami walked over and grabbed Mako's arm, "You were amazing! You both were." she said while smiling to Korra. The Avatar looked unsurely when she saw Mako and Asami together but none the less forced a smile.

"You mind if he shares the last dance with me?' Asami asked while hugging Mako's arm. Korra tried to look as happy as she could.

She gave Korra a sincerely smile before leading Mako away and the two disappeared into the crowd, leaving a very disappointed Korra behind. The ponies came over to her side as they too watched the couple leave. Rarity huffed in annoyance, "Hmp! I don't like her. Love her hair, but not her!"

The Avatar smiled as she kneeled down and they all shared a group hug. Korra knew she could always count on the ponies to be there to bring a smile on her face….especially Pinkie Pie.

The ponies remained at air temple island while Korra was with Tarlokk and his Task Force training. She was all they could think about, Twilight could barely concentrate on her books, Rarity tried sowing random fabrics to calm herself down. Applejack and Spike helped Pema in the kitchen, Fluttershy played with Naga and the lemurs, Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie hung out with the kids. But despite their efforts to keep themselves occupied, they couldn't stop thinking about Korra.

Korra nervously twiddled her thumbs as she listened to Tarlok's instructions. She was wearing the official Task Force Uniform and was sitting at a table with the rest of the force. Tarlok stood in front of them with a blueprint of a bookstore was near him. He too wore the uniform.

"My fellow task force deputies, tonight we will execute a raid on an underground chi blocker training camp located in the Dragon Flats borough. According to my resources, there is a cellar underneath this bookstore," her pointed his finger to the image, "Where Equalists train chi blocking in secret.

Korra was paying close attention to everything he was saying, but at the back of her mind, she was silently kicking herself for having agreed to this. She so wished the ponies were here, especially Twilight Sparkle. There was no doubt in Korra's mind that she was smarter than any authority figure, or any human, she had ever met…especially herself.

Once they reached their destination, the task force members kneeled down near the wall of the building. Korra peered through a small opening at the bottom of the wall and watched as several men and women trained in the air of chi-blocking. On the opposite side of the wall, laid a large portrait of Amon. Korra's eyes locked with those of the sinister masked man as she remembered the horrible nightmare of Amon reaching out towards her to take away her bending.

Korra gasped in fear as she backed away from the opening. She put on her poker face and focused on the mission at hand. Tarlokk signaled to the others by raising his hand, closing it into a fist and flashed two fingers. A task force member unwounded the top of the water tank of their vehicle and bended the water out. Another bender the water towards him and to another member. This continued until all waterbenders had water at their disposal.

Korra breathed in and out to calm her nerves as she silently chanted, "Don't feel it. Don't be afraid."

The chi-blocking trainees yelled in surprise as water flooded the room and froze. The task force earthbenders broke through the wall and attacked the chi-blockers with bricks. Tarlokk and Korra entered the room, the Councilman threw one person against the wall and froze their head to the wall. A chi-blocker threw grenades that emitted green gas as they ran out the door. Korra froze the grenades in ice ran towards the escaping chi-blockers,

Korra kicked the door open and ran down the corridor. She suddenly tripped over a wire and fell to the ground. While down, a chi-blocker leaped out from the ceiling and tried to grab Korra, but she quickly got back up and kicked a large rock up from underneath the chi-blocker, hitting him in the chest. Then another chi-blocker came from behind her and swung a bola at her. Korra shielded herself from the impact until she realized nothing happened. She realized that Tarlokk had blasted a stream of water at the chi-blocker, freezing him against the wall.

Korra looked over one more time at the frozen chi-blocker before crossing her arms and gave Tarlokk a demeaning look.

News of the capture of the chi-blockers from Tarlokk's task force made the front page. The ponies read the article in the living room. Twilight read the grey words out loud.

"Councilmen Tarlokk's elite Task Force successfully captured chi-blockers secretly training underground in a city bookstore. Thanks to Tarlokk's task force and the Avatar, the city is slowly becoming a much safer place. The Avatar and Councilmen Tarlokk have agreed to do a press conference later today, this afternoon at five o'clock."

"Well, that's a good thing, right?" Spike asked hopefully, but the Mane Six looked less than thrilled. The door opened and the ponies smiled gleefully as Korra walked in. The Avatar didn't even look their way. She sadly and emotionlessly walked pass them. The ponies all lowered their ears in sympathy as Korra left the room. Pinkie Pie's mane was slowly deflating. Rarity eyed at Twilight and shoved her ahead.

"She might feel a bit more comfortable talkin' with just one of us." said Applejack, "Besides, if anyone can get through to anyone, or anypony, it's you, Twilight."

Twilight realized that Applejack was right. While Korra was very close with all of them, somehow Twilight's bond was a bit…'special' somehow. The pony bravely walked to the door, where the Avatar had recently entered. Spike hesitantly followed for moral support. Once they reached the door, the alicorn knocked first.

Twilight and Spike shared a sad look before trying to reason with her friend, "Just listen to me…you can't keep doing this. You already told us how you truly felt but you need to tell Tenzin. You're not being fully honest with him and you're not handling your fears the way you should."

"I just want to be alone right now." said the Avatar. Her voice sounding like a mixture of sadness and anger.

Twilight slightly backed away from the door due to the outburst and lowered her ears. Spike looked up at her in sympathy as the princess addressed for her friend one more time.

"Okay, if that's what you want. I'll talk to you latter." Twilight's tone of voice wasn't mad, but rather hopeful as she walked away. Inside Korra's room she sat with her back pressed against the door. Once the sound of hooves hitting against the floor had disappeared, she hugged her legs and cried into her arms.

She didn't want to yell at her, but it just came out. She felt worse than ever now for what she had just done. Twilight was only trying to help her and she pushed her away. All because she didn't want to handle her fears.

Twilight sadly walked outside, overlooking the city. She didn't know what else to do now. Korra wouldn't speak to her or anybody about this anymore. The poor child had never experienced anything like this before. How she wished she had the guidance of her former teacher right now.

Despite the situation, Twilight was not giving up on Korra. Not now and not ever.

Latter that day, at the press conference, Tarlook stood before a large crowd of photographers and reporters as Korra stood right beside him. He spoke through the microphone as cameras flashed, "Avatar Korra bravely answered the call of action. With the two of us leading the charge, Republic City has nothing to fear from Amon and the Equalists."

One reporter stood up, raising his hand up, "Question for the Avatar! Amon remains at large. Why have you failed to locate him?"

At the mention of his name Korra walked closer to the microphone, taking it from Tarlokk's hand, making him step back as she addressed to the crowd. Unbeknownst to her, the ponies and Spike were listening to the whole thing on the radio.

"You want to know why? Because Amon is hiding in the shadows like a coward." Spike and the ponies listened attentively, and fearfully, as Korra spoke, "Well, I have a message for him. Amon, if you are listening right now, I challenge you to a duel!"

They all gasped in shock at this. They didn't know what else to say or think, all they could do was listen to what their friend would say next. "No task force, no chi blockers, just the two of us tonight at midnight on Aang Memorial Island. Let's cut to the chase and settle this thing. If you're man enough to face me."

Realizing they could hear no more, Spike turned off the radio. "Is this a good thing or a bad thing?" he asked.

"Korra's trying to eliminate her fears by facing Amon in person." Rarity said sadly, "It's the only explanation."

Rainbow Dash agreed, "I may have done some nutty things myself in the past, but even I have to admit, she's in WAY over her head on this one. This is a guy who can take away her bending! We can't let her face him alone!"

"She may have been honest with us, but a part of her is still hiding." Twilight said, "I'm starting to think Amon isn't necessarily her biggest fear…."

"I know it sounds weird to say this, but I'm really glad I hit you with my moped" Asami said. She and Mako were having a ride inside a carriage in Republic City park. It had only been a few days but, the two were already practically in a romantic relationship. It happened so quickly and effortlessly, it was like a dream. A dream no guy in their right mind would ever want to wake up from.

"I still can't believe the whole story you told me. Actual spirit creatures here to help the Avatar and can only be heard by a few people. It's so unreal."

Mako nervously bit his bottom lip. There was no other way for him to explain to her what had happened the other night, he needed to tell her the truth, or at least half of the truth. He left out the part of Equestria and the Elements of Harmony, and the girls' magical horns and how they really came here. It was wrong to lie, but he made a promise to Korra he needed to keep.

"I forgot to ask. Why didn't you accept the new silk scarf I bought for you last week? You didn't like it?"

"No, it was really nice, but this scarf was my father's. And it's all I have left of him. I just feel like…like it keeps me safe."

Asami looked at him with compassion and guilt, "I'm so sorry. I lost my mother when I was very young." she said sadly. To reassure her, Mako grabbed her hand. The two smiled warmly at each other and Asami cuddled into his chest as they held hands.

"I feel so safe with you." she said as she cuddled closer to him, making Mako smile.

Everything was perfect, he was back in the tournament, they had the money they needed, and now he had the picture perfect woman at his side. His life was turning around, just as he always wanted it to. As he smiled blissfully, the last ray of sunlight entered the carriage through the window, creating shimmering colors. Mako looked at them curiously, he knew he had seen those colors from somewhere before. All of a sudden, his thoughts shifted to Korra. He began to remember how genuinely sweet, caring and loving she truly was, especially towards the ponies. All of a sudden, she was the only thing on his mind. He could hear her laughter echoing in his mind and see her baby blue eyes sparking like flawless gems.

Mako looked at the rays, the colors were still visible, dim but he could see them perfectly. And now, he couldn't get Korra out of his mind. The more he thought about her, the more visible the colors became. Asami began to grow concerned as Mako seemed like he was lost in thought.

"Yeah, yeah I'm fine. Stop the carriage." he told the driver. The carriage promptly stopped and Mako quickly stepped out, shaking his head.

"I just need to walk. I think I might have gotten motion sickness or something. Don't worry, I'm fine. I'll see you tomorrow for lunch, okay?"

Asami was still confused by his sudden change in behavior but none the less she allowed him to leave, "Okay. Get some rest."

With that, Asami closed the door and the carriage drove off. Mako looked all around. The colors were gone. He had no idea what had just happened. He figured he was tired and really did get motion sickness. He decided to push it aside and head home. Asami was a wonderful girl. The kind he always imagined he would be with; kind, beautiful, elegant, smart, calm like him. The ideal woman. So why did he suddenly thought of Korra?

He noticed that a few pedestrians looked at him like he was crazy. The firebender blushed in embarrassment and walked on home.

Latter that night, Korra prepared to face Amon. She rode on a small boat near the docks of the city. Tenzin, the ponies and even Tarlokk all stood on the wooden platform as Tenzin tried to reason with her. "Korra this is madness!"

Applejack then took out her lasso and tied it around Korra, preventing her from moving, "Hey! AJ!"

The pony tied the end of rope to the side of the docks, "Sorry Korra, but we can't let you do this. Try and think this through."

"I have!" the Avatar broke the ropes with her fire, freeing herself and getting back to her task at hand. "You all stay with Tenzin. I'll be back." using her waterbending she moved the the boat towards Aang Memorial Island at top speed, most likely so she wouldn't have to listen to their protests anymore. She refused to back down from this fight.

Tenzin couldn't let Korra do this. He then turned to the ponies, "Girls, I need you to go with her. She might need the backup."

The group ran from the docks and hid behind a small boat. Using her magic, Twilight teleported them to the island near the giant Aang statue where Korra was. They silently stayed hidden behind Aang's leg as they watched Korra dismount from her boat and began to patiently wait for Amon. The girls kept silent, not wanting her to know she wasn't alone. After a few seconds...

"I know you're back there." Korra called out, without even turning her back to face them. The ponies and Spike all stepped out from their hiding place.

"We should have remembered she could do that." said Pinkie Pie and Korra finally turned to face them, crossing her arms authoritatively.

"Well, he told us to stay with you." Rarity replied, looking seriously at the Avatar.

Korra sighed in defeat. The last thing she needed were her friends getting involved in this, "Guys, you can't--"

The grow of friends screamed at the sound of an incredibly loud noise! Fluttershy hugged Rainbow Dash for protection while Pinkie Pie jumped and held on to Rarity. The noise turned out to be just the giant clock near the side of the statue striking midnight. They all sighted in relief at realizing all was safe for the moment.

Korra was especially relieved. She thought Amon was about to ambush her and hurt her friends. Thank goodness it wasn't. "Okay, false alarm…Spike, you can get off now." Korra turned around to reveal the little dragon clinging on to her back.

"You guys need to leave. Now." Korra said sternly, pointing her finger back to the docks, but the ponies stubbornly stood still. "Guys, I mean it!"

But they still didn't listen. Instead they all sat down silently, minus Fluttershy. Rarity tapped her on the shoulder and pointed her hoof downwards, telling her to sit down with them. The frightened little pegasus hesitantly complied. Korra knew no matter what she did they were not going to back down. She eventually sighed in defeat, "Fine. But please just stay close to me, okay?"

"Okay." they all said in unison. Korra sat down with them and all began to wait for Amon to show up. The ponies were determined to keep Korra safe, and she was determined to keep them safe. She just hoped she would be able to.

Half an hour had passed and still nothing happened. Amon was nowhere in sight, even with the entire group keeping a lookout for any sneak attacks, but the only sound they could hear was the soothing sound of the sea. To ease the boredom, Pinkie Pie started playing 'eye-spy'.

"The ocean." everybody answered at the same time while wearing board expressions.

Another hour had passed and still no sign of Amon. Pinkie Pie continued to play her game. "I spy with my pony eye--"

One more hour later…..still…nothing happened. Korra sat cross-legged on the floor, while the rest of the girls either laid on their backs, were already sleeping, or were simply sitting there with bored expressions. Applejack finally let out a yawn, "Anypony else starting to think this is a lost cause?" she asked.

Korra and Twilight simultaneously stretched and yawned as well. "Korra, I don't think he's coming." Twilight said, wearing a sleepy and bored look on her face.

Rarity agreed, "Maybe he was off doing some other evil things and didn't get a chance to hear your invitation."

Korra eventually decided that they were right. It had already been three hours and the Equalist leader had yet to even show the slightest hint that he was coming. "Probably. No point in waiting around anymore. Let's go."

The group happily got up and walked down, passing the base of the statue as Korra stretched her arms and casually placed them behind her head. Tonight was a bust, but at least they could go home and rest peacefully knowing Amon was, clearly, more afraid of Korra than she was of him. But she was about to be proven wrong.

Suddenly, a bola was thrown at her feet, causing the human girl to fall down. "Korra!" the ponies cried out once the cord started to drag the shocked and frightened Korra inside the building and the ponies followed. The dark room was lit up when Korra unleashed a blast of fire, breaking free of the cords around her legs. Their eyes widened when they saw some familiar figures with familiar green orbs….The equalists! Twenty-one of them!

Korra began spinning around and bended fire around herself, but she was quickly overwhelmed as two whips entangled her hands from both sides. She tried using her legs to kick fire and earth around but she was untimely hit in the back by several jabs from the chi-blockers.

She continued to firebend but they managed to sustain her arms with their cords. The ponies all charged at them, kicking the equalists with their hooves, Twilight zapped them with her new magenta flames and Spike unleashed fire as did Rainbow Dash while Fluttershy and Applejack tried to break the cords that held Korra's arms, but the Equalists unleashed several bolas, which wrapped around the ponies's bodies.

Twilight's horn glowed brightly in an attempt to zap them, but never got the chance for one Equalist came up from behind, wrapping a cord around her body, closing her wings as she landed onto the floor. The equalist towered over her and just before she could use her magic, the man jabbed her body. Twilight cried out in pain, feeling an overwhelming sensation course through her body and she suddenly couldn't move. The spell that threatened to appear from her horn diminished. The equalists did the same jabbing to the ponies, causing them to fall to the ground, unmoving.

Spike attempted to breath fire at the men, but they forcibly placed a muzzle over his mouth and tying his little dragon body. Rarity and Rainbow Dash struggled to break free, but each time they did, more and more cables wrapped around them and landed several jabs to their ribcages, causing the ponies to cry out in pain until they could struggle no more. The ponies and dragon were now completely helpless.

The equalists held up Korra by her arms and tied up the ponies with rope. They temporarily stopped struggling when a familiar masked man emerged from the shadows. "I received your invitation, young Avatar."

Korra eyes were filled with fear as Amon reached out his hand towards her, just like in her nightmare. She closed her eyes shut, waiting for the worst. However instead of taking away her bending, Amon grabbed her chin, forcing her to look at him. Korra didn't understand, why wasn't he getting it over with? He could end her here and now, why wasn't he?

"Our showdown, while inevitable, is premature. Although it would be the simplest thing for me to take away your bending right now..."I won't." Korra only listened, her heart beating fast and hard against her chest and her eyes locked on his cold ones, nearly darkened by the shadow of his mask."You'd only become a martyr. Benders of every nation would rally behind your untimely demise. But I assure you, I have a plan….and I'm saving you, for last. Then you will get your duel…and I will destroy you."

Korra had never felt more terrified in her life. This man was threatening her very life. Her body was trembling, she couldn't think straight, she couldn't fight. She felt so helpless, it was too much for her to bare. She wanted to break down and cry but couldn't.

But, she was not the only one who would experience fear. Amon suddenly gasped the moment he stared closely into Korra's eyes. They were, once again, shimmering with rainbow colors, the same way he thought he saw them do when he read about her in the newspaper. Amon suddenly felt a strange sensation he hadn't felt in so long as he looked at her frightened eyes and admired the stunning way they shimmered, until he snapped himself awake by shaking his head.

"Uh! I don't know what tricks you're trying to pull, but they will not matter anyways." with that, he jabbed Korra on the shoulder, knocking her unconscious. Amon then looked over at the ponies, who all growled threateningly at him. "I'm not sure what your purpose is or why the Avatar keeps you. But if you are of value, you might just be of use to me yet."

Twilight growled even louder, her strength returning and her horn began to glow, unleashing a power magenta colored ring, which expanded and blasted both Amon and his equalists away, hurling them against the wall…hard! A force field appeared around the girls, protecting them from the horrible man. Amon stood up, facing the ponies.

With that, he and the equalists disappeared into the darkness. Once they were sure he was gone the force field diminished and Twilight untied them all with her magic. Twilight rushed over to Korra and felt her forehead. "She's okay. Rainbow Dash, go get Tenzin."

The pegasus flew at super fast speed towards the island. Twilight nuzzled Korra's face, "It's going to be alright, Korra." Her horn touched her friend's forehead and suddenly, images began to flash right before Twilight's eyes….

Images of a bald man with an arrow with a resemblance to Tenzin, a woman with a resemblance to Lin and another man she did not recognize, and also the eyes of who appeared to be a sinister man. Once the images ended, Twilight backed away shaking her head.

Rainbow flew as fast as she could to Air Temple island. Down below she saw Tenzin in the patio passing back and forth until he heard her call out to him.

Korra slowly began opening her eyes. Her vision was blurry but she managed to see a pair of legs running towards her. A figure with a long cape and air nomad clothing approaching her.

"Korra!" Tenzin quickly took her into his arms, inspecting her for any physical injuries, "Korra are you alright? Rainbow Dash told me Amon ambushed you."

Korra did her best to sit back up, her body was still shaking a bit, "Yeah. He did."

To be sure, Korra quickly opened her hands and made a small fire before closing her fists. Tenzin sighed in relief, "Thank goodness."

"We were so worried!" said Fluttershy as she hugged Korra. She looked at the ponies worried expressions. She knew they were scared for her and the worst part was…they didn't even have to be. If only she hadn't done this. All of a sudden…Korra broke into tears and loud, uncontrollable sobs before burying her face in Tenzin's chest. He wrapped his arms around her like a father.

Tenzin tried to sooth the weeping Avatar, "It's alright. The nightmare is over."

She back away a little, yet was still crying, "You were right, I was scared this whole time. I had already told the ponies how I really felt but I couldn't bare and tell you or anybody else. I thought if I challenged Amon I wouldn't be scared anymore, but I still am! I wasn't being completely honest, not with myself or you. I've never felt like this before and…Tenzin, I don't know what to do!"

The ponies and dragon all joined in the hug. "It's okay Korra, we're here for you." Twilight said, allowing a few tears to shed from her eyes too. She felt Korra's hand touch her head.

"Admitting your fears is the first and most difficult step in overcoming them." Tenzin said, "And you can always come to us when you need to talk about what your feeling."

Korra wiped the tears away and looked at her mentor, "I promise, I'll never keep my fears a secret again."

Just then, the room lit up as Korra's chest started to glow once again. Tenzin and the ponies shielded their eyes from the light which brightened up the room, turning all the electric lights above them. Once the glow from Korra's chest diminished, they saw that around her neck was an orange gem shaped in the form of an apple with a gold ring.

"No way!" Applejack could not believe her eyes. She thought she'd never see this again.

Korra touched the gem around her neck, "The Element of Honesty." she said in amazement.

Twilight gleamed in realization, "And it showed up when you were finally being, fully honest with not only with Tenzin…but with yourself."

This was unreal. Korra had managed to summon two Elements of Harmony! The first when she demonstrated Loyalty, and the second when she demonstrated Honesty. Could this mean she was also connected to the Elements of Harmony themselves and not just the ponies who represent them? And could this be the key to the ponies returning to Equestria?

Korra removed the necklace and placed it on Applejack. The gem glowed before dissolving into her skin. "Two down. Four to go."

The Tree of Harmony's branch glowed bright as the Element of Honesty faded away. The tree shimmered brightly as more flowers grew around it, even bigger than the previous ones.

Korra smiled as she looked at her reflection in the mirror Rarity levitated in front of her face. Her hair was down, no hair ties at all, with only a small portion of it pulled back to the side of her head by a lovely simple white flower clip. Korra's eyes were now dry, having been puffy before with her tears.

"Thanks Rarity. If I have to trust anyone with my hair or any part of my face, I'm glad it's you."

The unicorn smiled graciously at her friend's kind words as she lowered the mirror down. The ponies were all gathered around the floor, talking while Korra and Rarity sat on the bed.

"I know." Korra said, "What do you think this means? Why are they appearing on me?"

"I'm not sure. There are so many unanswered questions. Why can you call the Elements? Why only a few people can understand us? Not to mention, how did me and Rainbow Dash manage to get bending powers? More and more questions keep popping up."

Rainbow Dash stood up and said, "Well, I still can't believe those chi-blockers took us down so easily." she stomped her hoof down determinedly, "But we won't let them get the better of us next time! When I get my hooves on that coward I'll show him what happens when he messes with my friends!" the blue pony angrily kicked while flying in mid air as a flash of heat escaped her hoof and flew out the window. The girls and Spike just looked at the window, mouths hung open and eyes the size of dinner plates. Their eyes slowly shifted to Rainbow Dash who blushed bashfully.

They all looked out the window, and saw that a single tree had its branches burned. Twilight magically teleported them down to where the tree was. Korra approached and examined the remains, wincing at the burned wood and leafs falling down.

"I'd hate to be around to see--whoa!" Applejack only backed away a step, and from behind her, a rock suddenly rose up from the ground, shocking everyone.

"I don't know! I just took one step and--Ah!" to demonstrate what had happened, stomping her hoof on the ground and another rock rose up, this time causing her to fall on her back. "What just happened?!"

Back in Equestria, Shining Armor and Princess Cadance were gathered in Canterlot Castle with Celestia and Luna. "We've searched every inch of Equestria." said the unicorn prince, "We couldn't find them anywhere."

"Yes. We couldn't find anything. The whole place looked as if a tornado had it hit."

The sun princess was becoming worried. Just a few of days ago, she received word that Princess Twilight Sparkle and her friends had gone missing without a trace. Their families and friends were all incredibly worried, Shining Armor personally led the search parties as did his wife, Cadance.

Both royal sisters noticed that there was a presence in the castle halls. A mysterious figure in a long cloak approached them. Celestia and Luna both stood from their thrones and approached the stranger.

"Do you know where Princess Twilight and her friends might be?" Luna asked. The cloaked figure levitated a bag with her horn and gave to Celestia, who took it with her own magic. She opened the bag and took out a book from inside. The same book Twilight had found from The Tree of Harmony.

"Do not fear for the ponies, my dears." said the stranger, "Where they are, they are safe. Whatever else you need to know, this book will show you."

*(~)*

Proverbs 2:7 ~

He grants a treasure of common sense to the honest. He is a shield to those who walk with integrity.

*(~)*

The Little Pony Legend.

by MaggiesHeartLove

A Voice in the Night