//------------------------------//
// Beginnings 
// Story: The Little Pony Legend 2: Spirits of Courage 
// by MaggiesHeartLove 
//------------------------------//


*(~)*

Ephesians 2:10 ~

For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.

*(~)*




Beginnings part 1



The ponies, and Spike followed the fire sages while they carried Korra through the forest. Twilight had been trying non-stop her memory spell on Korra but nothing happened, she still could not remember anything.

"I don't understand. How could this have happened?" Twilight asked in despair. Spike's eyes widened as he ran beside the rest, "Wait, when that dark spirit swallowed us--"


…………


"---we were all trapped inside it."

Korra opened her eyes, she saw herself and her pony friends all floating in a dark wide space.

"Yeah, I remember that." said Rainbow Dash, "They kept coming right at us"

Rainbow remembered how manny dark spirits kept passing right through them, causing them all pain.

"They went right through us" said Fluttershy.

"But we still felt pain" said Rarity.

Korra tearfully saw her friend's being tortured. Finally, she could take no more, "STOP! Leave them alone! It's me you want!"

The dark spirits left the ponies alone, as they all floated unconscious Korra continued to be tormented by the dark spirits. They kept passing right through her body, the Avatar screamed in pain as they continued.


…………..


Fluttershy said, "She took all of that pain and damage…for us"

"You think the spirits are the ones who messed up her brain?" asked Applejack.

"I don't see what else could have done it." said Flash Sentry, "It would explain why you guys still have your memories"

"But I didn't remember being beaten all ghostly like by those spirits at first." said Pinkie Pie.

"If Korra hadn't given herself up to the spirits…we could have lost our memories too" said Rarity in realization.

Twilight looked at the young amnesiac as she whispered to herself what Korra had read from Celestia's letters, "The real truth is about to start, followed by a true act of the heart."

Korra than began to chant, "Raava…Raava"

"Raava? What's a Raava?" Spike asked.

"Do not worry the Shaman will know what to do." said the fire sage.

"Shaman?"

They reached a temple in the center of the island. The temple was comprised of a number of stone pagodas, one of which enshrined a seated golden statue flanked by two guardian figures, with a number of smaller outbuildings surrounding the grounds. When they entered, they encountered an old woman, standing before a golden statue. She was rather short, her gray hair pulled into a traditional fire nation bun with a golden fan-like ornament and two strands of hair on both sides of her face. She wore long red and orange robes, adorned with a tribal necklace with various colored beads. The fire sages lowered the weakened Avatar and placed her on a stone table.

"We found the Avatar and her associates on the beach." said a female fire sage, "But she doesn't remember anything."

Twilight looked at the woman with a pleading face, "Please, please can you help her?"

Once they laid Korra on a stone table, The Shaman approached her. Using firebending, she gently moved the flames above her body, sensing her energies, while the young woman continued to chant.

"Raava….Raava..."

"And why does she keep saying that name?" Flash asked.

"Do you know what's wrong with her?" Fluttershy asked with worry. The Shaman turned to the ponies, already finished with her procedure.

"She has been infected by a dark spirit."

The ponies all gasped in horror at this new information. "Infected?!" Spike shouted in fear before passing out.

"You are all very lucky." said the Shaman, "If you ponies had not been with her, she would be gone by now."

"Wait, how do you know what we are?" Twilight asked.

"I have heard a great deal about you, child. I will explain soon but first we must save your friend. If she remains like this any longer…her Avatar spirit will die along with her."

Though Korra was still asleep, she was only half conscious, her eyebrows twitched as if she were trying to fight something inside of her.


(~)


The Shaman and Fire Sages led the ponies and dragon to an underground cavern, constructed by hexagonal rock formations. In the center stood a large hole, a blue iridescent light shined up from bellow. Once they approached, they realized it was a pool of water. The liquid danced in the light and looked so calm and welcoming, almost as if you took a dip and you would feel all of your stresses slip away. The sages placed Korra on a hammock, pulling on the rope, they began to lower Korra down into the pool. Her friends watched as their friend was being brought down.

"Let the waters cleanse the darkness that plagues your spirit. Let the Light guide you back to who you truly are." the Shaman said, placing her hands together in the form of a prayer. Once Korra was now floating on the water, it lit up with a light shinning up from below, the hammock kept Korra touching the surface. Her expression softened, her eyes closed shut as if she were in a deep sleep.

Twilight eyed the waters curiously. "This water. It feels...strange. Like, I've seen it before."

"These waters are special. It comes from the spirit oasis from the north pole."

"Will she be okay?" Twilight asked as she watched her friend.

"Seeing as you are all in one piece, I am sure she will be. I sense that you six share a powerful bond with the Avatar. Not only can you see inside each-other's hearts, but you also share a piece of her Avatar power." The ponies all nodded in response. "If she had not taken the dark spirit, you all would have suffered the same fate as her, if not worse."

"But if we share a piece of the Avatar spirit, why aren't we all "woozy" or somethin' like she is?" asked Applejack.

The Shaman explained, "What is currently within of her is after her Avatar spirit alone, but I sense the bond she shares with each of you goes much deeper than that. That is the one thing the dark spirit could not touch or break, hence why she's still alive. Her sacrifice for you only straightened that energy and kept her, and all of you, from dying." 

"You said our bond goes deeper than the Avatar spirit." said Twilight, "Deeper how?"

"I'm afraid even I do not have all of the answers, young one. You all still have a long and dangerous journey ahead of you and the only way to save the world from the true threat is to remain together." The ponies all looked at each-other before nodding in certainty at the Shaman. "But for now, she must reconnect with her past if she is to re-joining you all. 

Pinkie Pie looked down at Korra in the pool, "Will she remember us?" she asked hopefully.

"I have faith she will." said the Shaman, "And when she truly needs you…you will know what to do."

The ponies, Flash, Spike, Fire Sages all looked down at Korra who appeared to be sleeping peacefully in the water. The shaman smiled at the ponies. "Would you girls care to eat something?"

"No thank you. We would much rather stay here with Korra" said Fluttershy. Then her stomach rumbled, and she blushed in embarrassment.

"She will be fine." the Shaman assured, "I will watch over her, you girls need your strength. I'm more than certain Korra would want you to."

The ponies all agreed, they were pretty hungry.


(~)


The sages prepared a delicious vegetarian meal for the ponies, and best of all they ate them on an actual table instead of on the floor. They were all so hungry that they just dove right in and started eating, even Rarity.

Applejack licked her lips, "This is delish!"

"I'll say! You guys wouldn't happen to have any gems lying round, would ya?" Spike asked. A female fire sage gave Spike a bowl of rubies.

"We often use them for our cloaks but you may have them, little one"

Spike licked his lips and drooled before devouring the gems. Flutershy swallowed the last of her food and left out a loud belch. She covered her mouth and blushed in embarrassment, "Excuse me."

Rainbow Dash then belched too, "No sweat, Fluttershy." she said before lodging on her seat

Rarity crinkled her nose in disgust, "Ew, you could at least say excuse me like Twilight did, honestly Rainbow you can be such a---" out of nowhere Rarity let out a loud belch. She covered her mouth and blushed in embarrassment. Rainbow smirked.

"You were saying?"

While the ponies ate, Flash Sentry noticed Twilight sitting by a corner. She barely touched her food. He could tell she was worried about Korra. While all the ponies were very close to Korra, the relationship Twilight had with the Avatar was stronger, closer, almost as if they shared the same soul. The alicorn walked out of the temple and into the gardens outside. Worried, Flash followed.


(~)


Twilight walked across the gardens, stopping near a beautiful cherry blossom tree. She sat beside the trunk as silent tears fell from her eyes. The image of Korra's hazed eyes was still fresh in her mind. Her best friend, her soul sister, couldn't remember her or her friends. It was heartbreaking. The young princess prayed that her friend would recover soon….very soon.

Flash followed the alicorn near the tree and hesitantly sat beside her. He didn't know what to say, he had never tried to comport a crying mare before, especially a princess. He bit his bottom lip and opened his mouth to speak, but was interrupted when Twilight spoke first,

"If you're going to say something like, 'everything will be fine' don't even bother."

Flash now felt like a complete idiot. He should have known she wouldn't want to talk. "I'm sorry. I only came because I thought you needed the company."

"Thanks." she said, not even looking at him. "Sorry for snapping like that, it's just…I'm so frustrated! Korra lost her memory, we don't have the help to save the South, thanks to Mako," she said the last part bitterly under her breath, "Now we're stuck on this island while Equestria, the South pole and the human world are in danger and I'm stuck here waiting like some damsel in distress." The alicorn groaned in frustration and was surprised when she heard the pegasus stallion beside her begin to…chuckle. "What's so funny?"

"No disrespect, honest, but you being a damsel in distress is not possible." Twilight's eyes slightly widened in surprise by this. "Twilight, I've seen you in action. I've seen what you are capable of. You are no damsel."

For the first time since they arrived on the island…Twilight smiled. Her cheeks tainted red, her heart a flutter. "That's sweet of you to say."

"You're a strong girl Twilight. And if Korra is anything like you, she'll pull though."

"Thanks Flash. I'm glad you came along with us."

Flash's smiled faded away, replaced by a look of sadness, uncertainty, and even guilt. "Actually, I…I have a confession to make…I lied."

Twilight arched an eyebrow in curiosity, "What?"

Flash hung his head in shame. "I lied. Celestia didn't really order me to stay with you guys. I actually asked her for permission. I was the one who really wanted to stay, it was never anyone's orders."

Twilight's eyes widen in shock at this confession. He lied about being sent here? How could he?

"Flash…why would you lie about something like that?"

"Because of you."

"Me? What do I have to do with…", then, when she noticed the look in his eyes, the truth became clear. The alicorn grinned, "Wait, a second. You wanted to stay because of me. Because you like me!"

Flash's eyes bulged open in shock, his cheeks turning bright red and beams as sweat dripped form his brows. "What?! I--I--I--um--uh."

"I can't believe you would do something like this."

"I'm sorry, I know it was stupid and crazy but, for the longest time I've always had feelings for you." Twilight's heart was beating rapidly fast as the pegasus continued, "I mean you're smart and kind and beautiful and you're such a great friend to everypony. I've been wanting to tell you how I felt but I was always so scared. And then we got to know each other better and my feelings only grew." Flash lowered his ears in embarrassment, "You probably think I'm the biggest idiot right now, hu?"

But, to Flash's surprise….Twilight lunched forward and kissed him on the cheek. Flash was startled by this action, which shocked him greatly. The princess turned her gaze away, blushing. "I feel the same way about you." she confessed, "I don't care if it was ordered or not, I'm just happy you decided to stay. I'm sorry things got so crazy."

"Hey, it's okay. If anything, this is probably the most exciting thing that has ever happened to me."

The new pony couple nuzzled as petals of cherry blossoms fell around them. But the princess's joy quickly faded as she remembered her best friend. She could not fully enjoy the moment she was sharing with the pegasus and felt even a bit guilty for even being happy right now. Then, Twilight's Element appeared briefly on her chest before vanishing and Twilight gasped.

"Korra!" She quickly flew to where the Shaman was watching Korra with Flash close behind. They saw the Shaman still watching over the Avatar with the others with her. "Did you girls---"

"Yeah, we came here as fast as we could." said Rainbow. They saw Korra stirring in her sleep, the Mane Six knew that she was not having a dream or a nightmare…she was having a vision.


(~)


That night, the girls all decided to sleep beside the pool, where Korra was. Each of the ponies began to stir in their sleep as images began to form in their minds. Twilight kept in groaning and shifting from side to side in her sleep, as the images took full shape. She opened her eyes with a gasp, finding herself in what appeared to be a dream-like plane. The blue and purple colors floating all around her in an invisible sea. Her body was surrounded by a blue colored light.

"Where am I?"

The alicorn shielded her eyes from the blinding light that appeared before her. Once the light dimmed, she opened her eyes, not fully believing what was in front of her.

He was a tall being on four legs, strong and sturdy, with wings so large they rivaled Celestia. His coat was pure white, as white as snow with not a single drop or even tint of another color. His mane and tail were long and somewhat tangled, but dashing non the less, with spiky bangs over his face, colored in the shade of the dark night with blue tints. His beautiful cyan eyes sparkled with wonder, humor and wisdom as well as kindness. On his forehead stood a long white unicorn horn, and on his flank was a paintbrush with an orange flame behind it, and a blue paint coming from the tip of the brush. Twilight marveled in awe at the alicorn before her. She had never seen a male one before, not that she excluded the possibility but still.

"Who are you?" she asked. "What is this place?"

"Don't be afraid, Princess Twilight" said the stallion in a kind voice, "My name is White. Prince White."

Twilight knew the name sounded familiar. "I think I've heard that name before." said the princess.

"You should. You were my daughter's student."

Twilight's eyes widen in shock, "No way…you're the--"

"That's right. But I wasn't always so. I will show you how I became the first alicorn. And how I met the first Avatar."

Twilight now had even more questions than before. "Wait, the first Avatar? Where's Korra? Is she all right?"

"She's fine. She and the others are having their own visions. But for this one, I shall be your guide. Come with me."

Twilight followed the mysterious Prince into the blinding circle of light. She closed her eyes shut as she walked head. Once the light was gone, she opened her eyes to see a beautiful landscape, filled with colorful trees, plants and flowers…and ponies!

But unlike back home, these ponies did not have that simplistic appearance, rather they looked very much like Twilight did whenever she entered Korra's world.

"This is Equestria" said Twilight.

"Yes it it."

"But, it looks so…different."

"This is exactly how our home use to look like…from very long ago" said Prince White.

Twilight found herself hovering over the land with the alicorn prince next to her. Then the image faded and the scenery turned cold, they were in the middle of a great blizzard. They walked inside a large room, to where were a group of ponies, all divided by unicorn, pegasus and earth ponies, resided. At the very center of the room stood a wooden table, where the three leaders or each group argued with one another. Twilight remembered this story, this was the event of Heart's Warming Eve. As she watched history unfold before her eyes, White spoke,

"When the three rulers couldn't agree on how to work together, a large group of rebel ponies decided on a truce. They all agreed that there was no way they could live in this storm any longer. And so they traveled the land. On one of those travels, they stumbled upon something nopony had ever seen before…"

Twilight looked down to see the heard of ponies traveling side by side, deeper and deeper into the jungle until they stumbled upon a large sparkling pool, emitting a bright blue glow unlike anything they had ever seen. Curious, the leader of the rebel ponies placed his hoof into the water. The liquid rippled and sparkled. They knew this was no ordinary pond. It was magic. In the water, they could see something…trees, lush and green and un-frozen.

"This pond was a gateway into another world. One free of the cold and filled with beautiful lands for their children and the next generation to flourish and grow. Realizing this was their only escape from this doomed land, the ponies entered the portal one by one."

As White explained, the events unfolded before Twilight's eyes.

"Before long, the heard made their way onto the other side, and found themselves in a world unlike anything they had ever seen before."

Twilight knew where they were…they were in Korra's world!

The land was not like it was now, it was far more lush and vibrant with tall exotic trees that towered ahead, strange looking flowers all around. It looked like something out of a painting. And it was beautiful.

"The ponies were very unfamiliar with this land, but non the less, they refused to turn back. They traveled together for many days, finding refuge in forests. In those days they faced many dangers, wild creatures unlike anything they had seen. Many were separated until one day they came across a creature they had never seen before….humans."

A little pony filly ran around chasing a butterfly before bumping into something. The filly had never seen a creature like this before, it was taller than him, stood on two legs, had no fur only hair on its head, no tail, horns or ears, had a tiny nose, small roundish ears, and two long skinny legs that had weird things at the tips. It was a human boy. The child and pony looked at one another, before happily chasing the butterfly. The filly lost all fear and chased alongside the human child. The rest of the ponies witnessed this and then spotted the child's parents appear. The ponies and humans met face to face for the first time.

"Most humans found these creatures strange and feared them. But once they discovered the dangers they had faced while in the wilds of the jungle, encountering strange creatures, other humans took pity on the ponies. After witnessing their skills, as well as their ability to speak, they were welcome amongst their kind…so long as they swore never to ever leave the safety of their villages again, and to assist them with their magic. For many, many years, the ponies and humans worked side by side, but as time passed, they slowly became more and more cruel and selfish. And sadly, these traits were soon shared with their pony brethren. This was not the case with everyone, but it was still none the less.

Once Equestria was founded, ponies of all kinds worked together to achieve perfect harmony. Because they did not have a proper ruler, the leaders of the tribes formed a council, leading the united race into a new era."

Twilight's eyes widened when she saw what appeared to be a city on top of a mountain. Only it wasn't really a mountain…but a shell. A turtle's shell!

"A village? On the back of a giant turtle?"

"Lion-Turtle, to be precise."

"Wow. I can't believe it!"

The two alicorns descended downwards to the village, it was a simple place with people wearing old time ragged clothing, consisting mainly of orange or pale black colors. She would only assume these were the people who would eventually be known as citizens of the Fire Nation. Twilight and Prince White walked among the people, since they were spirits visiting the past, nobody could see of hear them. Twilight spotted a group of what appeared to be guards, tall, lean and muscular men wearing long capes with fur lining and armor-like platting. Beside them, were earth and pegasus ponies who walked beside them. Some wore the same stoic expressions as their masters. The image faded from the human world to Equestria. Twilight spotted a group of mares working together to build homes and grow crops. She spotted a young adolescent looking stallion with a perfectly white coat, a black mane and tail as well as a paintbrush for a cutie mark. Twilight knew this little one looked familiar.

"Hey, that one looks like…you!"

"Yes. That's me."

Indeed, it was Prince White at a younger age. Twilight and Prince White walked closer to his younger self, who had a brush in his mouth and was painting a chinese styled landscape. 

"I was a young dreamer back then. All I ever did was paint. I barely had any friends. Mostly because I couldn't' find anypony who could relate to me. So I found friendships unnecessary."

Twilight lowered her ears, "I know the feeling."

The young white finished his painting when a group of ponies came by, fascinated by his work. "One of a kind artwork, only three bits!" he said. The ponies payed him for his paintings and he happily accepted the money. Then, a trio of young ponies walked over to him.

"Hey, White." one greeted him happily.

"Oh, hey guys. See anything you like?"

"Actually, we were going to the clearing to hang out." said one of the female ponies, a pegasus with a yellow mane and pink body.

White bit his bottom lip. "Oh, wow um, that sounds nice and all but, I really should be hitting the road soon."

"But you've only been here for two weeks and you haven't hung out with anypony once." said the purple male unicorn.

"Sorry, I'm just not the-stay-in-one-place-for-too-long kind of guy."

The three ponies looked at one another in confusion and decided to leave the loner pony be. "Okay, see ya."

"See ya." White said casually before returning to his business.

"Back then, all I cared about was looking out for myself and nopony else. I didn't have any parents and I didn't like staying in one place for very long, so I traveled a lot. I made myself believe I did this so my life wouldn't feel boring. Everyday, a new adventure and a new place to see. But what I really wanted was to to feel like I belonged. One day, my life changed forever."

Twilight observed the history unfold before her very eyes…


(~)


White was walking across the forest, his art supplies on his saddle bag, looking for something new to paint. His stomach started to growl, he was getting hungry. He sat down and dug into his bag for food. But one of his apples fell out and rolled down on the ground. White ran after it, the fruit rolled into a forest, deeper and deeper, there was no way White was going to let a perfectly juicy apple go to waste. He pushed the bushes aside and made his way through. The apple finally came to a stop at a stunningly beautiful pond. The apple wobbled a bit before falling into the water, emitting a sparkly ripple effect. The ripples looked strange to White, almost otherworldly. He had never seen anything like this before. The water looked strange, it was almost iridescent and you couldn't even see the bottom of the pond. White wasn't always a big fan of magic, not that he hatted it but as an earth pony he really didn't have much need for it. Still, this pond had something about it. It was almost as if it were calling him, drawing him closer and closer as the clear water emitted rainbow colors on its shimmering surface. The curious pony leaned in closer and closer and closer, until finally…

"Whoa, whoa--WHOA!"

White lost his balance and fell head first into the pond, creating and even larger ripple effect that sparkled like diamonds, unleashing a powerful glow from the waters that briefly illuminated the forest.

White fell down and down the pond, which as it turns out was really a portal. He saw the other side of the pond ahead of him, he shielded himself as he went through, almost as if he was surfacing from the water. He was hovered in mid air for a few moments before falling down hard on the ground. White shook his head and wobbled as he stood up, shaking his coat clean.

"That was one heck of a ride" he said. The earth pony looked around the place, he was once again in a forest, only there was something very, very different about this one. The air around here felt strange, not like back in Equestria. As he walked along the strange new forest he stumbled upon something; his apple.

Finally, he thought, he couldn't figure out this mystery on an empty stomach. But just as he was about to take a large bite out of it, a strange creature appeared before him. White had never seen anything like this before; it looked like a cross between a squirrel and a skunk. Still, the little guy was pretty adorable.

"Why hello there, little fella. Where did you come from?" To his surprise, the furry creature took the apple and ran away. "Hey! Get back here" White chased after the creature which quickly climbed up a tree. The poor pony tried to get back his food, but as he tried to climb up he slipped and landed on his rear, grunting in frustration. He glared at the skunk squirrel.

"Fine! You win this round!" his stomach began to growl again, "Great. Now what am I gonna eat?" then his nose caught a whiff of something in the air. This wasn't like any food he had smelled before, but it still smelled delicious, and in his current state he would eat pretty much anything. He followed the aroma out of the forest. He was so intoxicated with the smell that he wasn't paying much attention to where he was going. He came to a harsh halt, nearly falling off a small little cliff. Then, his eyes widened in surprise at what he saw;

Right there, standing before him, was village. A tall, large village, towering high above like a mountain, houses with the most strange looking roofs stood above each household. The walls were pale marble, the roofs all in various shades of red and browns. Many of the houses seemed old and worn. There was one building, tall and high, which almost looked like a palace, which stood at the very heart of the city. White had never seen anything like this in his life, he wondered what kind of creatures and ponies lived here. Then, to his surprise, something from underneath the city started to rise. The whole place shook as a massive creature appeared out of nowhere from underneath. Its face looked like that of a chimera, with swirled eyebrows, large eyes, a large nose, its mouth was long, half open revealing sharp teeth as well as two tusks rising upwards from its lower jaw. Speaking of jaws, White's practically fell to the ground at the sight of the creature.

He couldn't believe it. This entire city was build on the back of what appeared to be some kind of…of lion turtle! Standing before the beast was a group of strange looking creatures White had never seen before. The creatures stood on two legs, their front hooves skinny and long, and they wore strange clothing, consisting of orange and grey. The beast rose its paw, revealing its sharp claws. White's breath caught on his throat, what was he about to do to them? They didn't look frightened at all, but relaxed. The creature's claws touched the first two legged being first, touching its forehead and heart as they glowed. One by one, the beast did this for the rest of the creatures.

Was this creature magic?

The pony galloped ahead as the two legged creatures walked towards the city and the beast once again lowered down, disappearing from view. White slowed down once he reached the gates of the city. The buildings were even taller up close. White was a bit frightened but how often does one find a land filled with strange creatures and new magic? Who knew what wonders he would find here. He hesitantly rose his hoof as he prepared to step foot on the soil that was part of the creature's shell/city. To his surprise, the beast did not rise at all. He tapped his hoof a couple more times before realizing it was safe. The pony stood before the large gate, wondering how he would open it. It was far to powerful for him to do so by himself. He didn't know exactly what else to do so he did the logical thing…he knocked. No answer. He knocked once more, this time, a voice was heard.

"Hang on, I'm coming."

The voice sounded masculine and tired, almost like he had been working all day. White quickly hid behind a bush, as the doors opened. Another of those two legged creatures walked out, looking around the place, scratching his head. He opened the door even wider and he stepped out, overlooking the area. "I could have sworn,"

In a flash, White galloped ahead and ran past the man and into the city. Hearing the galloping sound of his hooves, the man spun around, but White was far too fast and he quickly lost sight of it. The man shook his head and walked back inside, closing the large gates.

"Wow…"

The pony was in a whole new world; everywhere he turned there were two legged beings, walking and chatting with one another, houses everywhere with children playing with families, their toys were rather old and very poor-looking. These beings didn't seem dangerous, in fact they didn't even seem to notice him. Well they did but they didn't pay any mind. White continued to walk around, his curious eyes scanning every inch of the city, then his stomach growled again. With all of the excitement from before he had nearly forgotten he hadn't eaten. White then spotted a man carrying a basket of fruit. With a smile, the pony approached the creature. He noticed that he wasn't carrying that much fruit, not to mention they looked a little rotten, but there was still a few good ones. With slight hesitation, he opened his mouth to speak.

"Um, excuse me? Sorry to bother you but, I was wondering if you wouldn't mind--"

The fruit vendor spotted the pony and all of a sudden, he grew terrified of him and placed the fruit before him. "Please, take whatever you wish just don't hurt me!"

White arced an eyebrow at this, "What are you talking about? Why would I hurt you?"

The man then noticed that this pony did not have any horn or wings…or wearing any armor. "Wait, you're…you're not with the Chous are you?"

"The who's? I'm just a vagabond around these parts. Look, if it's money you want, I can pay for it." with his mouth, White reached into his bag and pulled out three bits and handed them to the man. His eyes widened at this, the bits sparkled and shimmered in the light like pure gold.

"There. Three bits for some of your fruit. Sound like a fair trade?" Suddenly, the man's happy expression shifted to one of pure fear, which confused White even more. "Seriously, what's up with you?"

"Hey, kid!"

White quickly spun around to see two unicorn ponies, both wearing grey armor and possessed bulky builds, and were a few feet taller than White.

"Where did you get that money?"

"For your information, genius, I earned it!" White said bravely. He had faced bullies before in his life so these guys were no exception. One of the unicorns scoffed.

"Ha! Yeah right, from where?"

"By selling my art--hey!" White's bag was levitated away from him by the unicorn's magic. "Give it back!" White demanded. The unicorn levitated one of his artworks for his companion to see.

"You call this art?"

"Give it back!" White fiercely snatched the piece with his mouth, flared his nostrils and stomped his hooves in anger. The two unicorns glared at him.

"Just where are you from, little pony? We haven't seen you around here before."

"I'm from Equestria."

The two unicorns looked at one another in skeptically. "What's an Equestria?"

White's eyes widened in shock. "What? What are you idiots talking about? Equestria is our home land."

"Home land? Our home land was destroyed by that blizzard years ago."

"What? No it hasn't, you guys are the ones who are insane!"

"You better watch that tone you little brat! You're coming with us."

But before the unicorns could take White by force, the two were splattered in the face by tomatoes. A young man with dark hair styled upwards and wearing a ragged old outfit landed before them and continued throwing the fruit at the unicorns. He turned to the white pony.

"Run!" he ordered.

White quickly grabbed his bag, his money falling off in the process, as he made a mad dash for it. The unicorns have had just about enough of the man's antics. Their horns glowed brightly as a magical aura surrounded the man's body, his fruit fell to the ground and he was being levitated up into the air.

"The Chous would be very happy to see you."

White came to a halt, he turned his head and saw the young man being levitated by the unicorns as they prepared to take him away. White didn't know this creature, but he did just save him from those brutes, it was only fair to return the favor. At full speed, White galloped towards the unicorns, jumping up high and kicking them right behind their heads, their horns stopped glowing and the human landed hard on the ground.

"Now you run!" White said and he and the human ran away from the two unicorns, who came after them at full speed. Without warning, the human took White in his arms and leaped ahead, jumping near a building and flipping up onto the roof like an acrobat. While still carrying the pony, the human ran across the roof and White instinctively hoisted onto his back. The pony held on tightly as the human leaped and then somersaulted off onto the next roof. Down bellow he saw the unicorns running and looking around, having lost sight of their prey. The human smiled in satisfaction once the unicorns were gone.

"Can I get down now, mister show-offs-a-lot?"

The human chuckled and kneeled down, allowing the pony to jump off his back. "You okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. Thanks for the help."

"No problem, thanks for coming back."

White shrugged his shoulders, "Well, I figured it would be rude to let them take you. By the way, where did they plan to take you, anyways? And who were those guys? What is this place? What was that creature that this city is build on? Why didn't they know about Equestria and--"

"Whoa, whoa, slow down there, buddy. I can only answer so many questions. Okay, first of all, those guys were the pony guards of the Chou family. They pretty much run this whole place." the human placed his hands on his hips, overlooking the city before him. "Everything here is theirs. The food, the money, they even decide on what we sell or buy."

"Sounds like a nightmare." White said with sympathy.

"Tell me about it. They probably planed on sending me to their dungeon." the human gave his new companion a cocky smile, "We kind of have a history."

"What kind of history?" White asked curiously. The human shrugged his shoulders casually.

"Well, it's kind of complicated. I steal food from them, they try to catch me, I get away, sometimes I keep what I take, sometimes I don't."

White arched an eyebrow, "Oh, great, my life was saved by a thief." he said sarcastically.

"I'm gonna pretend that didn't hurt my feelings." the human said with a joking smile before sitting down on the edge of the roof, his feet dangling. "And this place is our Lion Turtle City. We call it that because we stand on top of the Lion Turtle's shell. He's the guardian and protector of this place."

"If he's so great why doesn't he do something to stop those jerks?"

"You tell me. So, what was that other question again?"

"Oh, yeah, why didn't those ponies know about Equestria?"

"What's Equestria?"

White didn't blame the human for not knowing about his homeland, but that still did not explain why other ponies did not. "It's where I live. Where my kind comes from."

The human looked at the pony in surprise, "Wow, you mean that world still exists?"

"You heard about it?"

"Only a little. My dad used to tell me stories about ponies. He said they came from a far away land, but because of a terrible blizzard many of them left their home and found refuge here. No one has ever seen the place, and since then the ponies have believed their world disappeared forever since they couldn't find any way back."

"But it's still there. There hasn't been a blizzard in I don't know how long. Ponies live together now in peace and Harmony."

"Then how did you come here?" the human asked.

"Through a pond, not too far from here."

"Then, why did you leave?"

White was silent for a moment before answering, "I didn't mean to, it was an accident."

"So, are you going back?"

That was a good question. White didn't even think about going back to Equestria. Should he? It's not like he had much of a life to go back to. Then again, what were the changes it'd be different in this world. His thoughts were interrupted when his stomach growled again. The human reached into his pocket and pulled out a loaf of bread, tossing it to the pony. White looked at him curiously and the human smiled.

"What's this?"

"It's called bread. It's food."

"Aren't you going to eat any?"

"Nah, you go ahead. You need it more than I do."

White was quite taken by this creature's kindness. He looked down at the bread, without a second thought he gorged on it, chewing loudly as he ate. The human arched an eyebrow and laughed, "You're not exactly a prince, are you?"

White shook his head as he continued eating. The bread was so good, he had never tasted anything like it before. Sure they had bread in Equestria, but this one was different. Once he was done eating, White belched and licked his lips.

"Thanks. The name's White by the way."

"Nice to meet you White. My name is Wan."


(~)


The two boys neared the entrance to the forest. "Well, have a safe trip home." Wan said to his new friend. White smiled sincerely.

"Thanks." he didn't want to get too emotional, especially with someone he had just met. So White walked on forward, trying to find where the portal was. Finally, he found it, the magical pond that would lead him home. But once he reached it he realized something was off. The waters didn't shimmer or sparkle like before. It was perfectly still. White placed his hoof into the water, the ripples did not shimmer and he could touch the bottom. He couldn't believe it, the portal was gone.

He was stuck….

White sat on the ground in distress. Now, there was no way for him to get back home. It was then he remembered Wan. The way he saved him and showed him kindness, even though they had only known each other for a short while. Why would he do that? He wondered. Why would he care enough to save him from those guards? Enough to share his food with him? Even though they were running for their lives…it was fun.

White had never experienced anything like it before, and getting to share it with someone else was a felling he could not describe. He may have looked differently than Wan, but deep down inside…they were a lot alike.

Maybe he wasn't really alone. He had traveled Equestria for so long, but he never had any real friends…until now.


(~)


"Hey, Wan!"

The man turned around to see the pony rushing back to him. "White, what is it?"

"You know, I thought about it and, well I guess it wouldn't be so bad if I stayed here for a while."

Wan was very surprised by this. "Really? But what about your home?"

White's ears lowered in sadness, his head hung in shame. "There wasn't much of a home for me back there anyways."

Wan's heart sank when he heard this. He knew as well as anyone what it was like to lose a home, or not have one at all. He kneeled down and smiled at his new friend.

"Lucky for you, you got me."

The two boys looked at one another, when suddenly, Wan could see colors in White's eyes. Colors of the rainbow. Little did he know that White saw the same colors in Wan's eyes as well. White had heard legends about this, if one sees the rainbow in another's eyes, that's often a sign they are destined for something great and sometimes unimaginable. Other times he would hear that the rainbow signaled an everlasting bond between individuals. White now was very certain he made the right choice.

Wan stood up and gestured the pony to follow him, "Come on, Prince."

The pony scoffed at this, "I already told you, my name is White!"

"Yeah, Prince White. Has a nice ring to it."

"Enough! No matter how many times you say it, it's not going to catch on." The two new friends laughed as Twilight and Prince White watched from afar.

"And that's how Wan became my first real friend. We were very different, but similar all at the same time" Twilight smiled at the scene. It reminded her a lot of when she and the others met Korra and how they realized they were all kindred spirits.

"Ever since, Wan and I have been inseparable…and we got into some pretty crazy situations"

The two new friends traveled to the outskirts of the city, to where Wan lived with his other friends. But unbeknownst to them, a pair of stunning pink eyes observed them from behind a bush.


(~)


Wan and White, or as Wan often called him, Prince White, were running, once again, from the Chou brothers. It had been over a year since the two had met. The two were like brothers, laughing and sharing and more often than most, teasing one another. Wan had a bag on his hand while Prince White had a bag around his shoulders as the three Chou brothers chased after them. The brothers all looked identical, only difference was their hight. One was tall, the second was medium and the third was short, but ironically, despite his size, he was somewhat the leader. Each one held a glaive, matching their size. Beside them were other male ponies wearing uniforms like theirs. Their guard ponies.

"Nobody steals from the Chou brothers!" said the youngest brother.

Wan grinned confidently, "Really? Because we just did."

"You're dead, Wan!"

"Actually, I feel quite alive." Wan saluted mockingly at the brothers and fell backwards off the railing of the building. White stood on the railing facing them. One of the ponies snarled, "No where to run for you, kid. You don't got the guts to do what he did"

"I wouldn't say that" using his tail, White took out some paint dust and blew it at the ponies' faces, blinding them. Prince White jumped off the railing, grabbing hold of a clothesline with his mouth, which broke his fall and swung himself back up, landing beside Wan, who was hiding in an alcove. Both boys smiled mischievous as the Chous came crashing down screaming, tearing all the clotheslines down with them.

The three brothers landed hard on the ground with a sheet floating down upon them and Wan and White landed on them to cushion their fall. With grins plastered on their faces, the boys ran. White had become a natural at outrunning the brothers, he learned from the best of course. He had never felt more alive than when he and Wan were running from the three jokesters, the thrill of the chase, the satisfaction of seeing them humiliate themselves. It was too much for words. The two ran over a bridge, scaring a flock of birds in the process to take flight. The Chou Brothers ran onto the bridge after them, their pony guards finally caught up.

"Hey, Stop!"

As they ran after the boy and his pony, the birds dropped their 'droppings' on the Chous, causing them to slide to a halt. The brothers stared angrily to their side, toward the camera.

(way to break the forth wall, boys XD)

White jumped onto Wan's back and the young man dropped down on a roof. He jumped toward a wooden bar and somersaulted off on the next roof. He ran it down, jumped on a lower roof on which he tumbled. He jumped again to another roof, but started to slow down to a walk. Wan slide down the roof tiles of the last house and landed on the balcony. White jumped off his friend's back and looked over the balcony.

"Any sigh of them?" Wan asked.

"Nope. Lost em."

"Ha! When will those guys learn?" Wan laughed as he and Prince White sat down and started rummaging through the bag, both their tongues sticking out in anticipation. Wan pulled out two loafs of bread and handed one to White, who caught it in his mouth. But before they could enjoy their meal, The Chou brothers landed in front of them. Looking incredibly angry. But as usual, the boys were not afraid.

Wan smiled, "He--he--hey, fellas!" he looked at his roll sadly for a moment before smiling again. "You're just in time for lunch!" he threw his loaf of bread at the the older Chou brother, leaving a big red mark on his face. Wan jumped over him and began to run away, while White ran behind him, but then one of the pony guards levitated a rock, which caused White to fall, and Wan to trip over him. Both boys landed hard on the ground. The youngest Chou crunched down to the boys and smiled arrogantly.

"I told you no one steals from us."

The biggest Chou, still with the red mark on his face, took Wan by the collar of his shirt, lifting him up with ease in the air with one hand, glaring at him. Wan nervously laughed. Prince White prepared to launch at the Chou, but was stopped when one of the ponies took hold of his tail.

"Where do you think you're going?"

The white pony smiled nervously.

"AHHHHHHH!"

The boys flew by, having been thrown off the wall, screaming as they fell. The next thing they knew they were on the ground, lucky for them the mud broke their fall…well, maybe they weren't that lucky, considering they fell on a pigsty. The boys sat erect, disgustful-y wiping the mud of their faces.

"That worked out well" Wan said sarcastically.

Prince White shook the mud off of his body, "I hate you."


(~)


The two boys left the city and returned to their tree house home in the forest. This was their only home, it wasn't much but White didn't complain. Most of the exterior of the wooden home was painted with lovely images, inspired by the life of Equestria as well as the human world. Ever since White came into his life, he showed Wan the beauty of painting. He loved seeing White paint, the beautiful colors and stunning sceneries always brightened up any damp day. They may not have had much money or food, but still, at the very least they had White's beautiful artworks. White and Wan entered through the open square entrance where a young man sat on the floor, waiting for them. He was shorter than Wan, with tan skin and amber eyes and light brown hair, wearing a purple colored shirt and grey pants. This was Java, one of their friends. Wan digger into his shirt to take out some food, handing it to Java.

"Did you guys steal from the Chous again?" Java asked in a disapproving tone. He was practically the 'mother' of the small circle.

"Hey, it was his idea!" the pony said defensively. Wan narrowed his eyes at him.

"Thanks a lot, Prince." he said sarcastically before turning to Java as he handed him his chair of food, sighing sadly. "Besides, all we've got to show for it is a few dirty rolls and a whole lot of bruises."

Prince White took a loaf into his mouth and placed it next to a figure in the corner of the room, covered by a blanket-like tent. "Hey, Yao, I got some food for you."

A branch-like hand reached out to grab the roll to reveal a disfigured old man who appeared partly quasi-treelike. The man ate the roll, closing his eyes and smiling in delight. "Mmm. Delicious. Thank you, Prince."

The boys prepared to eat as two skunk squirrels, a peacock pigeon, and a woodpecker lizard entered the house as Wan sat down in front of them. They were all looking at Wan with sad eyes and the man took pity on them. "You guys are hungry too, hu?" Wan kindly broke his bread into small pieces and handed them to the creatures, who all ate happily. 

"Wan, you should eat" said Java.

"They need it more than I do" he said as he crumbled the rest of the roll. Even Prince shared his loaf with them.

"He's right" said the pony, "Besides, I'm tired of eating nothing but scraps. Then again, it's not like finding food was any easier in Equestria."

"If only there was some way to get into the Chous' food cellar" said Wan as he took a cup and a teapot from a nearby table and poured some tea for himself, "We'd be eating like, well, like Chous."

"If Chou the Elder catches you sneaking into his palace, you'll end up dead." said Java, "Or worse, he'll banish you to the Spirit Wilds"

Yao began to shake in fear, "No don't get banished. You don't want nothing to do with those spirits. They'll get inside ya, scramble up your mind, turn you into this!" he gestured to his deformed self, "A monster!" the poor man buried his face in his hands and turned away from the others, ashamed of his appearance.

"Don't do anything crazy, Wan" said Java, "You just gotta accept the world is the way it is. Some people have powers. Some people don't. And you don't."

Prince White lowered his ears and placed his head on Wan's lap. The young man then smirked as he looked out the window.

"Not yet, anyway."


(~)


That night, while the others were sleeping, Prince White was wide awake up on a branch painting his latest work on a blank sheet of paper.

"Couldn't sleep?" the pony turned around and saw Wan climbing up the branch to join him. Prince placed the brush down for a moment.

"Yeah. Been thinking about what Java said." said the pony.

Wan looked at Prince's latest work; a typical sunrise or sunset, "Haven't you painted sunsets before?" Wan asked.

"This is different. It's not just any sunset. It's the dawn of a new day. I figured this could inspire the others that even though things are hard…maybe one day we can make it better." White looked up and saw the shimmering stars between the leaves of the tree, "If we just stop being afraid and go for what we dream, maybe we can all make a Great Change….that's something I learned from you."

Wan smiled at his friend, "You know what? Starting tomorrow, things are gonna change. Count on it"

The two friends hoof/fist pump.


(~)


The following day, at the city square, a tall huntsman spoke to a small group of young men. He tall very tall, muscular, with a dark beard, a long cape with fur lining and dark wrist bands. "Are you strong?" he asked the small group, speaking in a strong voice. "Are you fearless? Do you have what it takes to battle the spirits? Then join the hunt."

"Count me in."

"Me too."

The huntsman turned to look over at Wan and White, both raising a hand and hoof. The huntsman gave them a scrutinizing look, before laughing. Why would they volunteer? This guy was scrawny and short, and his pony might as well be a bear's midday snack. "We're going to be out in the wilds for a week. You two wouldn't last two seconds."

The boys smiled smugly while Wan crossed his arms. "We can handle ourselves." Wan said proudly, before dropping the smug expression, "We all get fire, right?"

"Yeah, but do you know how to use it?"

Wan and White exchanged uncertain glances, "Well, not exactly, but-"

A hunter walked by and placed a hand on Wan's shoulder. "Ah, let them come. Not like we got any other volunteers lining up. Besides, the Chous have most of the ponies on their side, and this little guy looks like a spunky one."

White smiled smugly while blowing off a strand of his mane from his face. The huntsman smiled. "All right. Welcome to the hunt."


(~)


The huntsman led the small group of hunters outside of the city and stopped at a cliff. He blew on his horn and the city began to shake. It was just like the first day White came into this world. The lion turtle emerged upon hearing the call. It was even larger up close. Wan's eyes widened in awe.

"The lion turtle."

The huntsman stepped forward and spoke to the beast. "Great guardian of our city, we are venturing into the Spirit Wilds to bring back food for our people. Please, grant us the power of fire."

The Lion turtle spoke in a soft yet powerful voice. A voice that echoed with wisdom and virtue. He rose up his claw, "The power is yours to keep until your return." it said. The huntsman turned to Wan.

"You're first, kid."

Wan took in a deep breath before taking his first step, but one he did he turned to White. "Actually, I want White to go first."

"What?"

Wan nodded at his friend. White was surprised. Him? Bending? Really? He never really thought about it, he believed only Wan would get the power of the element instead of him. But, with people waiting, he stepped forward with a nervous gulp. Despite the Lion Turtle's enormous size, White felt at peace in his presence. The beast rose its paw as its two claws touched White's forehead and chest, glowing brightly. The pony felt a new burning sensation unlike anything he had ever felt.

"May the element of fire protect you against the spirits." said the Lion Turtle.

White looked at himself. Nothing really changed. He was still the same, despite that sensation he felt earlier. He looked at his hoof, shook it a bit, and gasped when a small flame appeared. He rapidly shook his hoof to put the flame out. He couldn't believe it; he had fire! With new confidence, White kicked his hind legs and unleashed a powerful flame. This was amazing!

Wan stepped forward next and the Lion Turtle did the same to him as he did with White. Wan tested out his newly-received ability by punching in front of him. The blast he created send him tumbling backward. He came to a stop among the other hunters while the head huntsman stepped forward. "Just make sure you aim at the spirits, not us, okay?"

"Sure thing." Wan said with a smile as he clenched his fist, both he and the pony exchanged mischievous grins.


(~)


With the supplies on their backs, the hunting party walked deeper and deeper into the forest. Believe it or not, this was where the portal back to Equestria was, but it still remained closed. In fact, as they walked on by, White caught a glimpse of it, the waters splashed as the huntsman stepped onto the shallow pool. The gateway was still closed, and White had a sinking feeling it wasn't going to open up any time soon. Not that it bothered him, for after today, his and Wan's lives were going to change. In this world, he felt he served something, and he knew Wan was meant to do great things, even if he didn't alway think so. Despite his recklessness, deep down inside, Wan was always a pretty modest guy.

"Everyone, stay close. Spirits love to pick off stragglers." said the huntsman. Wan and White stopped on their tracks, the young human male spoke in a trembling voice.

"Uh, guys? I don't think I can do this."

"Yeah, me neither." White said, speaking in the same trembling voice. The huntsman turned to them with a scowl.

"Now, quit your whining. We haven't even seen a spirit yet."

White got down on his front hooves, lowering his head onto the ground and his ears, giving them the big sad eyes. "I think I wanna go home." said the pony.

"Me too."

Huntsman walked up to Wan and pointed a finger at him in disappointment. "I knew you were nothing but a sniveling coward. You both are. Go give your fire back to the lion turtle," he shoved Wan back and turned around to continue on. "and don't ever show your face around me again." as he walked away, her muttered angrily under his breath, "That's what I get for letting a couple of weaklings tag along."

Wan and White looked on sadly at the hunting party which left them behind, walking deeper and deeper into the forest. But once they were completely gone, the boys smirked in confidence. Mission accomplished.

However, the familiar pink eyes watched them as they left, silently scoffing in disapproval.


(~)


The boys returned to their tree house where they encountered Jaya and Yao playing Pai Sho on the floor. "Wan, Prince, you're back." Java said and Yao's stomach rumbled.

"What goodies did you snatch for us this time?" the elderly man asked while rubbing his stomach.

Wan rose up his right fist and opened it up extending it forward, causing a small flame to appear in his palm much to Jaya's surprise. Yao yelped in shock and crouched back into a corner, shielding himself. Wan closed his palm, extinguishing the flame. White rose his hoof, creating a small flame, which only shocked Java even more.

"What did you do?" Java said accusingly, "You can't steal from the lion turtle!

"Really? Because we just did" Wan said with a smug grin.

Java stood up, shaking his head in disapproval, "No, no, no, no, no! You guys can't do this. You know it's forbidden to bring the power of the element into the city. Please, go back to the lion turtle and return the fire."

"He's right!" Yao said, "For once, listen to him"

"Guys, it's time to stop being so afraid of the Chous and show them we have the power to change things" Wan said determinedly. Java turned to White.

"White, you can't seriously be okay with this."

"Look Java, I may not have been born here, but ever since I stepped hoof into this land, it's been my home. So if Wan is willing to do anything to free our city's people and ponies, then so am I. If Equestria can change, so can this place."

He kneeled down to Prince White, "This is our chance to make your painting a reality"

The pony looked over at his creation on the side of the floor. This land was his home now, and he had to do all he could to make it better. It may not have been the places of his birth, but in this land he had something he didn't have then…

Friends.


(~)


That night, Wan, White and Java, along with a few other folks form the city, made their way to the Chou estate. Unlike the rest of the city, their home was tall, lavish and clean. Java continued to coax his friends to return their powers back to the Lion Turtle.

"Guys please, go back to the lion turtle and return the fire."

Wan turned to his friend, "Jaya, it's time to stop being so afraid of the Chous and show them we have the power to change things." He took out his mask from his bag and placed it over his face. His mask was of a white fox face with a grey snout, added with a black fabric which game the impression of dark hair behind his head. He handed a similar mask to White, and helped him place it over his head. The pony also wore a cloak over his body. The others wore simple masks made out of hey, while Java wore one that resembled a bear with a red face and grey ears and white markings, with the same black fabric as Wan. The group having gathered before its gates and Wan stepped forward.

"Hey, Chous! Open the gate, and let us in."

From the rooftop, Chou the Elder walked toward the railing, his three sons in tow. He was a roundish man like his sons, wearing elegant and expensive orange robes, his hair was black as well as his beard. He stopped and looked down at the group of rebels down bellow. "What are those filthy peasants doing here?"

"Don't worry father." said the eldest son, "We'll take care of them." they all turned around and whistled, summoning their unicorn pony guards. The main doors opened as the three brothers and their ponies exited, their weapons in hand, ready to fight. They lined up before the doors, which closed immediately again. Wan pointed an accusing finger at them.

"Hand over all the food you're hoarding," he swiped his hand down, emphasizing his threat. "and we won't give you any trouble."

The eldest Chou laughed along with his brothers. "You're not getting past us. We have the weapons." he said as he rose his spear, aiming at Wan. "You're powerless."

Wan crossed him arms, smugly. "Powerless, huh?"

The Chou brothers all rose their weapons toward the group and slide in a battle stance. As they charged at the group, Wan raised both his hands and his left knee. He took a good step forward and thrusted his hands toward the incoming brothers, firebending at them. The brothers jumped out of the way to either side of the blast, sliding over the floor. The unicorns aimed at Wan, when White dashed forward, spinning his body, unleashing a powerful blame that caused the unicorns to back away in fear, even their magic wasn't powerful enough to stop the element of fire. They fell backwards on top of their masters. The blast crashed against the palace's gate. The fire consumed the gate and broke it open, leaving the group standing right in front of the open door. Wan gestured to the others.

"Follow me!"

The group ran through the broken doors, reaching the courtyard. Wan surged forward to break down the door to the food cellar with his firebending. As soon as the fire died down, the other raiders ran up to the now wide-open building, Wan gestured toward the door. "Grab as much food as you can."

The villagers all ran inside the shed, taking any juicy food they could find. They didn't even hesitate or think about what they were doing, this was their food and they were taking it back. White and Java ran up to Wan, surprised their plan actually worked. "Maybe you're right. Maybe we do have the power to change things." he said. The first raiders returned with big bags and swung them over their shoulder. Suddenly, a palace guard cried out.

"Stop right there!"

Wan turned to see over his right shoulder as the Chou brothers approached with ten armed guards. "Looks like the Chous found backup." White pointed out, but there was no hint of fear in his voice at all. Wan turned to Java.

"Get everyone out of here. I'll hold them off."

Java ran to the others but Prince stayed beside Wan. "I'm staying! No way and I'm gonna let you fight those thugs alone."

"Thanks Prince"

"Besides, if I let you die, It'll be on my conscious"

"Again, thanks" Wan said sarcastically, while scorning under his mask. Even in a time of dire crisis, the pony still found an opportunity to tease him.

Wan and White surged forward, the pony leaped forward and scattered the troops with a powerful firebending blast once his hooves made contact with the ground. Wan threw a fire blast of his own to keep two soldiers at bay. A soldier came at him with a spear, aimed a Wan's chest. Wan grabbed hold of the weapon and used it to turn and swing his attacker against Big Chou, who was standing behind him. He used his own momentum to keep on turned and hurl the weapon away.

As his back was turned, the Little Chou seized his moment and jumped onto Wan, clasping on tight. White noticed the rest of the guards, as well as the pony guards coming at them. White unleashed a fireblast from his mouth, creating a circle to keep the four people surrounding him at bay. Wan managed to throw Little Chou, though the guy held on to Wan's mask and took it with him. The smallest brother rolled over the ground, coming to a halt. He sat up on his knees and immediately raised his hands in defeat.

"No, please! Have mercy!" He looked up at his attacker, looming over him with a fire ball readied in his right hand. The little Chou now lost all fear over his attacker and looked on in shock. "Wan?"

Realizing his cover was blown, Wan snuffed out the fire in his hand as well as the fiery circle surrounding them. As soon as the way was cleared again, Wan was instantly tackled to the ground by two guards jumping at him from his left. The pony guards did the same to White, removing his mask in the process. The surprised little Chou who regained his composure and got to his feet. The human guards muzzled White's mouth and the others held Wan, pulled to his feet. They were surrounded by the soldiers and the two other Chou brothers. The little Chou smiled smugly at the young man.

"Even when you have the power, you're afraid to use it."

Wan looked on angrily at him, but once he saw White in a muzzle he saddened. But he wasn't about to allow his friend to suffer the same fate as he. With a deep breath, he unleashed a powerful fire blast from his mouth, which broke the leash that subdued White, the muzzle slipped off and the unicorns backed away in fear.

"White, run!"

"But--"

"Go!"

Following his command, the young pony made a mad dash for it. The human guards tried to block his path, but White was incredibly fast and agile for his size, not to mention strong. He jumped up high and kicked the guards right on their faces, knocking them down and galloping at high speed towards the open door. As he ran, he looked over his shoulder, the guards ran after him, but the pony, with one whip of his tail, created fire wall that blocked the guards, giving him the freedom to run away.

Wan watched as his friend galloped away to freedom. He knew White was special, he knew that for a fact. He could make a difference in the world, he didn't exactly know how but he knew he would.

That was why he had to let him go. White hatted himself for running like that, he knew he had to get back to his friend. No matter what.


(~)


The next day, the Chous took Wan to the Lion Turtle, standing on the outcropping before it. Wan was held by his arms by a soldier standing on each side of him, with the Chou family standing in front of the lion turtle. White had followed them and hid behind some bushes as he watched the whole scene. The Father of the Chous spoke to Wan, "Tell me who else was involved in the rebellion, and I might take mercy on you."

Wan simply glared at the guard, "I'm not telling you anything." he said defiantly.

"Then, you've left me no choice." said Chou the Elder, "Wan, you are herby banished."

White gasped in horror. Banished? No, that can't happen! Wan may be strong but he wouldn't survive in the spirit wilds. Nobody could, not even a pony. The guards pushed Wan in front of the lion turtle.

"Yeah! And give back the fire you stole." said the youngest Chou.

"No! Wait." Wan said. He knew he had done a wrong in stealing the fire from the beast, he knew that now. "Great lion turtle, I am sorry for stealing the fire from you, and I accept my punishment. But please, I need to be able to protect myself in the wilds."

The Lion Turtle spoke in his signature old but powerful voice. "Never again may you return to this city." Wan looked down in depression, he figured that much. He would miss Java, and Yao and White with all of his heart.

"But", At the sound of that one little word, Wan looked up to the lion turtle with hope. "I will allow you to keep the power of the element."

Wan sighed in relief, at least there was a silver lining. Thank goodness. White sighed in relief too, at least Wan would have a fighting chance at survival. The young man was then shoved by the guards. He looked back at his fair city one more time before hanging his head in sadness and walked away…into the Spirit Wilds as the sun began to set. White's heart sank, then he hid deeper into the bushes once he felt the guards approaching. He heard Chou the elder spoke,

"Find that pony of his. He still needs to pay for his wrongdoings as well."

"Yes, sir."

White waited in silence for the guards to leave, and once they did, he ran towards the tree house.


(~)


"White, are you sure about this?" Java asked with worry as the pony placed all of his belongings, mainly his paintbrush and some fruit they managed to save up, into his bag.

"I am sure. Wan risked his life for mine and I am not abandoning him again. Besides, the guards will be coming after me, that means it won't be long until they find you too. I have to do this." The pony galloped out of the door and jumped down the branches and ran at full speed into the forest to look for his friend. Java and Yao watched as the pony disappeared from view.

"Bet he doesn't last till morning." Java said sadly. "Neither of them will."


(~)


White walked down a path in the forest. The forest was even scarier after dark. The pony tried his best to remain calm, but the faint noises of the trees and insects made it very hard for him, he didn't know for sure if the sounds were either from actual creatures of the spirits themselves.

He nervously hiked along, with one hoof up holding a flame of fire, flinging it at any spirit he believed was a threat. He backed up into a tree and then felt something wrap around his back left leg.

"AH!"

The pony was suddenly lifted up from the ground and was snow hanging upside down by a rope. His bag fell off in the process. This was just plain crazy, who would have a trap like this in the forest. Using his teeth, he tried to break himself free, but given how "sharp" they were, this could take a while.


(~)


Meanwhile, Wan wasn't having much luck either. He hiked along and flung fire at anything he thought as a threat. Be backed away up into a tree, but unlike what happened to his friend, he heard a shrill voice.

"Hey!"

Wan shivered in fear and quickly waved his fire around to see who the voice was. "Watch where you're stepping, human!"

"Who said that?"

"Down here!"

Wan looked down to his foot as a small blue frog slide out from under it. "How'd you like it if I started walking all over you?"

Wan who sighed in relief. "You're just a little frog." his irises shrunk in fear as the little frog spirit began to grow in size, now towering over the man like an insect, and the spirit now spoke in a deep voice.

"Who's little now?"

He tried to stomp Wan with his foot but the man dodged it in time and ran off screaming as the frog spirit tried to whip him with his long tongue.

As he looked back he walked backwards into a Venus flytrap. The plant suddenly opened its mouth and ate him whole. It lifted its mouth while Wan tried to get out of there by punching through but to no avail. He finally managed to escape by firebending inside the flytrap's mouth and the plant burped him out, along with a large cloud of smoke, and Wan quickly ran away.

After a while of running, Wan fell down on his back, catching his breath. Finally, he collapsed on the grass out of exhaustion. But his moment of rest was short lived. Much to his surprise, the grass underneath him appeared to be alive and swiftly wrapped itself around him, dragging him into the ground. He narrowly escaped with firebending, scorching a patch of the grass, frantically climbed out, and ran off while panicking.


(~)


White was still trying to escape his trap when he heard what sounded like a scared little boy screaming. He recognized that wimpy cry anywhere,

"Wan?"

Right on cue, the young man ran over, screaming his head off, until he too was caught up in a trap. Now both friends were dangling upside down.

"Wan, you're okay!"

"Prince? What are you doing here?"

"I came looking for you."

"Are you crazy? This place is a nightmare!"

"Yeah, I can tell by the way you practically peed your pants."

"I did not pee my pants!" Wan then looked at his pants, "Much."

"Shush! Someone's coming."

They heard a rustling in the bushes and the sound of footsteps across the forest floor. This was it, whatever this was, a spirit or whatever, they were done for. The boys waited anxiously for whatever it was to come out and, to their surprise, it wasn't a human…or a spirit.

The figure wore a brown cloak and approached the two. White squinted his eyes, noticing the proportions of the creature's body…as well as the horn on its forehead. The horn glowed in a sparkly blue aura and from underneath the cloak, appeared a stream of clear water. The water split in two, turning into two ice daggers which the creature then used to cut the boys free. They screamed as he fell and landed hard on the ground, the unicorn winced at the sight.

Wan stood up and dusted himself while White shook himself clean. "Thanks for that." he said to their mysterious savior, however the cloaked figure remained silent for a few seconds and pointed down to a path before them. The boys looked over to the path curiously. The mysterious stranger then spoke in a soft feminine voice which rang with confidence and strength,

"Take this path and leave this forest. You are not welcome here."

Without a second word, the stranger ran of into the forest, leaving the boys alone in the dark forest. White took a few steps after to, calling out for the mysterious stranger.

"Wait! We didn't--" but it was too late, she was already gone, "--get your name." 


(~)


The next morning, the boys continued walking through the forest. Their appearances haggard, covered in dirt and having dark circles under their eyes from a lack of sleep. Wan was visibly shaken, looking left and right for any signs of danger while White was trying to find any signs of the stranger they had found last night. Just who was she and why was she here? Was she banished too? Where did she come from and where did she receive that water power? All of these questions swam in their heads, but their empty stomachs prevented them from staying on the subject.

White was so exhausted, he could barely feel his hooves. Then, Wan's stomach growled and spotted a tree with bright red juicy--and big--looking fruit. Without even a second thought, he approached it, this caught White's attention.

"No, don't eat that!"

But Was was too hungry to eve hear him. He opened his mouth to eat it only to discover that it wasn't fruit at all…it was a nest of hornets. Wan screamed in terror being surrounded by buzzing hornets; running in zig-zags all over the place. "Get off me! Get off me!"

The poor man was so terrified he didn't even realize he was about to fall off a cliff.

"Wan!"

White ran up towards him and tried to pull him back by his shirt, but they both ended up falling down and the two began tumbling down, painfully hitting various trees and rocks. They were thrown off an outcropping and fell further down, crying;

"Ow!"

"Ah!"

"Ow, my tail!"

They slid to a halt, groaning and looking all disheveled. "Worst…day…ever!" the pony said between breaths.

"Ya know, you didn't have to come back." Wan said as he sat upright.

"What kind of a friend would I be if I did that?" Prince said, "You never turned your back on me, so I'm not gonna turn my back on you" Wan smiled graciously at his best friend. Then his stomach growled again. "Though I might reconsider if we don't find food. Pronto!"

Then, the boys looked up and their jaws dropped and their eyes popped. Standing before them was a peaceful looking oasis with a silver bridge and trees filled with delicious looking fruit. But before White and Wan could cross, a spirit manifested before them right out of nowhere and shoved them back. The spirit looked like a humanoid lemur with yellow eyes. He crossed his arms and narrowed his eyes at the two.

"You are not welcome in my oasis, human."

"Please, help us." White said pleadingly. "We're starving and we haven't slept all night."

"Not my problem." said the spirit. Then, his eyes slightly opened at the sight of the pony, "You."

"Me?"

"You're a pony."

"You know what I am?"

"Of course. But clearly you have been tainted by this human." he said while pointing an accusing finger at Wan. Wan was already getting fed up with this spirit and firebended at him.

"Let us pass."

The spirit widened his eyes in surprise for a moment before turning angry. "You dare use fire against me?" the spirit blinked out of sight only to reappear behind Wan with a mocking face and grabbed him by the shoulders. "Now, be gone with you!" with all of his might, Aye-Aye threw Wan to a bush. Then, the spirit screamed when White kicked him in the rear.

"Pick on someone your own size!"

Then, the pony was suddenly pushed back into the same bush as Wan by a powerful water blast from behind. White fell head first into the bush and wiggled to get himself out. He turned his head, shaking away the leaves on his face which had created a leafy beard. "What the--"

To his surprise, the attacker was not the spirit, but none other than the stranger from last night. The stream of water hovering beside her. The stranger finally removed the hood, revealing her dark blue coat, pink colored eyes, a strong aqua colored mane with teal green and light purple streaks across, added with one single silver streak.

White's eyes widened for he had never seen such a beautiful pony in all of his life. All of those pretty mares he met back in Equestria could never compare to the exotic beauty this one mare possessed. Wan couldn't believe his eyes either.

"You're a unicorn!"

The unicorn glared at the human and his pony companion. "I thought I told you two to leave this forest."

White took a few steps forwards towards the unicorn. "We don't want any trouble, honest."

"This is a sacred place, it is not for humans."

"Well what about ponies?" White asked.

Aye-Aye stepped forward. "Don't take pity on him, my dear. This pony is as tainted as the rest. Both of you leave now."

White opened his mouth once again to protest but Wan stopped him. "Forget it White, let's just go."

The pony took one last look at the unicorn, her beautiful pink eyes glaring at him in disapproval. White wanted to know more about his pony, but she clearly didn't want anything to do with him. Plus, he really didn't want to tangle with that strict spirit. So, the boys walked out of the bush, both hanging their heads in defeat. The unicorn began to feel sympathy for the two. They didn't seem so dangerous, but still should she take the risk?

The boys walked away in defeat, but then they looked up for a moment and silently gasped in surprise. The boys hid behind a bush. Their eyes widened in surprise at the sight of a parade of spirits marching towards the oasis. They had never seen spirits like these before, they were all so bright and colorful, a little odd looking but still they each had a certain, 'magical' quality about them. The boys looked at one another and shared the same cunning smiles as an idea formed in their heads.

The two friends emerged from the bush, covered in bush leaves, joining in an attempt to enter the oasis. Wan held everything together while White walked beside him. Aye-Aye and the unicorn both stood by the bridge, allowing the spirits to walk on by. Finally Wan and White approached the spirit and unicorn, White's heart raced at the sight of the mare. There was just something about her. Aye-Aye narrowed his eyes at the 'newcomer'.

"And who might you be?"

Wan rose his arms and spoke in an overly dramatic voice. "I am Bushy, the Bush Spirit. And I would like to enter your oasis."

Underneath the disguise, White rolled his eyes. Aye-Aye arced an eyebrow, puzzled. He had never heard of a 'bush spirit', but the n again, before he met his unicorn friend, he had never heard about ponies before. The world is full of surprises.

"Very well." the spirit motioned toward the oasis. "You may pass." As Wan and White walked by, the spirit widened his eyes in surprise and sniffed the air. "Wait a second. Something stinks." he grabbed Wan's head and removed the bush mask. "I knew I smelled a human!"

The unicorn levitated the rest of the costume off, revealing White. The unicorn arced an eyebrow. "Did you think it was going to be that easy?" she asked in a sarcastic manner, making White blush in embarrassment.

"I kinda did."

Wan's face turned blue and sweats before shrugging nervously with a very big, sheepish grin. The boys were then surrounded by a sparkling blue aura and were both thrown into the water. The boys sat up, wiping the liquid from their faces. Wan pleaded to the spirit, "Come on, let us in, just for a little while."

The Aye-aye spirit shook his head. "No! You should have listened to the unicorn's warning. Go back to your lion turtle."

"Believe me, we'd love to go back home." said Wan, "But we can't. We were kicked out."

"Technically, you were kicked out." White pointed out, making Wan narrow his eyes at him.

"Well, you would have been eventually."

The unicorn was surprised by this. "Hold on a second…you mean you followed him here after he was banished?"

"Well, yeah." White answered casually.

"Why? Why would you risk your own freedom for a human?"

"Because he's my friend. He's already done a lot for me, I just couldn't turn my back on him."

The unicorn's eyes widened in surprise. It was pretty clear to see now that the bond between this human and pony was very strong…but still, she couldn't get herself to trust any human…not yet. The rest of the spirits took pity on the newcomers.

"That's too bad." said one spirit.

"Poor fellas."

"Don't pity them!" Aye-Aye snapped, "He's just like every other human: ugly, destructive, and lacking any respect for nature."

"Who are you calling ugly, Ugly?" said Wan, his hair dripping wet over his face. White couldn't help but laugh, but Aye-Aye was not laughing. He looked surprised for a moment with the other spirits turning and looking at him before frowning in annoyance. "Mmm."

The unicorn decided to put an end to this and came up with a solution that would make them all happy. "Look, if you can't go back to your city, then you should go live in another one."

This caught the boys' attention. "What? There are other lion turtles?" Wan asked in surprise.

"There are other lion turtles?" Aye-Aye mocked, "Of course there are. Dozens of them! Boy, you humans are stupid, too."

"Aye-Aye!" the unicorn looked up at him sternly. "You know Lion Turtles are isolated creatures, so it's only natural that humans could be unaware of other cities." she turned to the boys and her expression softened…though she didn't smile.

"So which way to the nearest lion turtle city?" White asked.

Aye-Aye tapped his chin in thought, "Hmm. I think it's on the other side of none-of-your-business valley." he laughed at his own joke, looking to the other spirits for approval, but all they did was remain quiet, including the unicorn.

"Real funny." Wan said sarcastically "You know what? We don't need your help, we'll find it ourselves. Let's go, Prince White."

"Gladly" the two boys turn around and walked away from the oasis. The unicorn knew that these guys would not last five minutes on their own. They were tough…but not that tough. Her point was proven right when the boys took a few steps and suddenly fell into a deeper part of the pond, disappearing from view. One of the kind spirits, a tall green one with four arms, a white, mask like face, and leaves for hair, waved goodbye.

"Good luck!"

The boys walked away from the group as the unicorn looked on in pity…and worry.


(~)


The two kept on walking until they comes across a cat deer caught in a net. White noticed Wan's hungry face and the man approached the animal, producing flames in each hand, intent on cooking the animal. White quickly ran ahead, and stood in front of Wan, blocking his path.

"Don't even think about it!"

Wan looked at the angry look on his friends face and then looked back at the trapped animal, giving him a sad and pleading stare. What was he thinking? He couldn't kill a poor innocent animal, no matter how hungry he was. He diminished the flames and instead walked towards the cat-dear.

"It's okay. I'm gonna get you out of there." Wan climbed up the tree to cut down the net that was holding the cat deer. However, before he could take action, the four hunters he was supposed to join earlier arrived. White hid behind the tree.

"Finally, we caught something." said the huntsman. "Get it down." he and the hunters started jogging toward it and Wan stepped out from behind the tree trunk and onto the branch.

"Back off."

"Wan? What are you doing here?" the huntsman asked, surprised to see him still alive.

"I'm saving this animal."

"That animal's our dinner. Now, get out of the way."

"No!"

Wan quickly jumped from out of the branch and firebended at the hunters. While Prince White, finally having learned how to climb, tried to cut the rope while Wan got the hunters to chase after him, using the many dangers of the forest to his advantage.

Prince White struggled to untie the cat dear, "Come on! What else is there?" The pony yelped in fear and fell to the ground when an ice shard came shooting out of nowhere and broke the rope of the cat dear, freeing the animal. White turned around to see the unicorn once again. "You? What are you doing here?"

"I had a hunch you boys would find trouble. And I was right."

The ponies than saw the hunters throwing fire at Wan. The boy got hit, the force of the blast catapulted him in the air, where he was smacked against a branch and landed half unconscious on the ground.

"Wan!" White cried out and he and the unicorn were both cornered by the hunters, but then, the unicorn winked at White, signaling him not to worry. The spirit Aye-Aye appeared behind the huntsman and merged into the second hunter, taking control of his body. The hunter screamed as he started to transform and take on physical traits from Aye-Aye. From the mans body, Aye-Aye voice was heard,

"I. Really. Hate. Humans!"

The huntsman was so frightened he nearly peed his pants and ran away, screaming in terror. Aye-Aye left the hunter's body. The man groaned, but upon noticing his deformed hands, started feeling up his face. Realizing how he now looked, he ran away screaming as well. Aye-Aye watched him leave with an uninterested look.

"I don't know what he's screaming about. He's better looking now." Aye-Aye was surprised when the unicorn hugged his lower torso.

"Thanks for coming, Aye-Aye."

The spirit smiled warmly and stroked the unicorn's mane. "Well, I wasn't about to leave you alone with these trouble makers."

White rushed to Wan, who was utterly exhausted. His stomach was empty, he had not slept, he was wiped out. The pony kneeled beside him, also feeling the remaining of his energy fading away. The unicorn levitated her hood away, leaving her cutie mark and tail bare. Her tail was long and elegant which dragged behind her as she walked and a cutie mark consisting of a crystal ball surrounded by flower petals decorated with exotic patterns. She also had a black spot on her flank behind her cutie mark. She placed the cloak over Wan's body.

"Let's get him back to the oasis."


(~)


Aye-Aye carried Wan back to the oasis and placed him in spirit water, the cat-dear they had rescued joined them, having grown a liking to the young human. The liquid started to glow brightly, surrounding his body in an iridescent light, which healed his wounds. Wan opened his eyes, feeling his energy had returned. The unicorn gestured to White to enter the water as well. He was hesitant at first but then stepped a hoof into the water…only to be pushed in by the unicorn. White's head rose from the water, which glowed around him, and he could feel the waters cleansing his wounds, and eliminating his pain.

"Wow. This feels great."

Wan remained on the water, relaxing on its surface. "Yeah, what's in this water?"

"It has special healing properties." said Aye-Aye. The unicorn levitated some fruit to the boys, who began eating them.

"Thanks. So what did you do to that hunter?" Wan asked Aye-Aye.

"We spirits have many talents. Some of us are able to take over a human body for a short time. If I stayed in there any longer, I would've killed him. Which I did consider."

The unicorn arched an eyebrow, "Aye-Aye!"

"What?"

"Thanks for saving our necks back there." White said, "But why'd you do it?"

"Well, I knew you boys would have trouble getting out of the forest, and I couldn't allow you to get killed. And Aye-Aye has always been pretty protective of me."

The spirit scratched the back of his head bashfully. "Please my dear, you're embarrassing me."

"When we found you we saw your friend attempting to save the cat-deer from those hunters."

"She's right." said Aye-Aye, "I've never seen such an act of selflessness from a human before."

"Told you I wasn't like the others." Wan said as he petted the cat-dear who nuzzled against his face and the creature latter did the same with White.

"Guess I underestimated you, human." Aye-Aye said.

The unicorn watched as the animal became acquainted with these two. It was pretty obvious that these two boys shared a very strong friendship, and they have proven to be so much more than they appeared. Especially the human.

"Are you off to find another lion turtle city?" asked one of the friendly spirits. Wan and White looked at each other before looking at all the spirits. They seemed to kind and wonderful, and this oasis really felt like a safe sanctuary. The boys looked at one another before agreeing that they were thinking the same thing;

"We were." Wan said as he petted Mula's head. "But I think we've had enough of humans for a while."

White spoke next on his behalf, "We've decided to stay here and learn the ways of the spirits."

The spirits were all very happy to hear this; new friends!

"What a great idea."

"That'll be fun."

However, Aye-Aye wasn't all too happy about this idea, "Oh, now, now, hold on. A human living with spirits? It's never been done."

"First time for everything, right?" said Wan, "Besides, you allow a pony to live with you."

"Well, what do you think, my dear?" Aye-Aye asked the unicorn. She looked up at Wan and then at White. She had had a very bad experience with humans in her past, and she wasn't certain if this human was any different. Sure he appeared nice now, but she had seen first hand how humans can change for the worst given the circumstances. How they can forget their morals and kindness when tempted by things they can not obtain. Then, to her surprise, he noticed something strange, something she had never seen before.

She witnessed these rainbow colors manifesting on their eyes. Pale lights of the famous rainbow colors. She had never seen anything like this before. But this was something she never saw in a human in her entire life, not even a pony. All her life, she believed rainbows to be a wonderful and beautiful creation of nature. Something deep inside her heart was saying that he could be the one who would change her point of view on humans… and maybe even the point of view of others. Maybe she was reading too much into this, or maybe…this was destiny.

"Hmm. I guess we could try it." she finally said, "Besides, it might be nice to have another pony around." she said while smiling at White…a tint of blush appeared on her cheeks. Aye-Aye crossed his arms.

"Very well. I've never had a human as a pet before. I think I'll call you "Stinky." "

White couldn't help but laugh at the name, it kind of suited Wan perfectly.

"And I will call you, "Marshmallow" "

White stopped and now Wan was the one laughing. "We have names you know." said the pony with an annoyed glare, "It's White and Wan."

"Stinky and Marshmallow are more accurate."

Then suddenly, something began to happen. The unicorn began to groan and stepped back, rubbing her head as if she were in some kind of pain. Aye-Aye looked at her with concern, but he already knew what this was for he had seen it happen many times before.

The unicorn's eyes then widened, her irises shrunk and her face was emotionless and still, almost as if she were in some kind of a trance. She spoke in a soft but deep voice;

Fate be changed

Look inside

Mend the wound

Be free like the tide.

Once the words left her mouth the unicorn reverted back to normal. Wan and White looked at her in confusion, and the unicorn gasped in horror. Her eyes glued to Wan as he would attack her. The unicorn's eyes teared up and she ran away from the group.

"Is she okay?" Wan asked with concern. Aye-Aye's lemur ears lowered in sadness.

"She has not had one in years."

"Had what?"

Aye-Aye turned to Wan, but he did not say a word. He began to wonder if he should truest this human or not. After everything, it was clear that he was indeed different, but was it enough?


(~)


That night, the unicorn sat underneath a stunning cherry blossom tree. It was her favorite spot. All around her were beautiful flowers of all the colors of the rainbow. She had planted them herself. She heard someone approach her. She didn't even turn her head to see who it was…for she already knew.

"I can ask them to leave if you wish, my dear." said Aye-Aye, "I won't risk having the human here, even if he did save that cat-dear."

"No." Aye-Aye was very surprised by this answer. "I don't think he's a threat. I sense there is something different about him. He really isn't like other humans and that pony isn't like the others either."

"Are you willing to take the risk? After everything you have been through before I found you?"

The unicorn looked up at her long time friend and smiled. "First time for everything, right?"


(~)


The following day, at the lion turtle city's square, the huntsman returned alone. "What happened in the wilds?" asked one of the citizens.

"Where are the others?" Asked another.

"Gone. Spirits took them." aAs the huntsman spoke, Jaya and Yao watched in the foreground. "They were protecting that kid, Wan and his pony, like he was one of their own."

Jaya and Yao looked at one another in surprise. "Did you hear that?" Java said, before a smile appeared on his face. "Wan and White are still alive."


(~)


White could feel his knees buckling and his ears twitch nervously. He really wanted to get to know the unicorn, she had not revealed her name to him and Wan, though he wasn't sure why. She already decided to allow them both to stay but yet he wondered what happened to her the day before. Why was she suddenly speaking weird. He finally summoned his courage and walked over. Once again, she was resting underneath her tree, admiring the flowers she had planted, using her magic to plant even more. White opened his mouth to speak.

"Um..Hey."

"Hey." was all she said, not even looking in his direction. White tried again.

"So…I--"

"I'm sorry if I scared you yesterday."

White tried to play it cool, "What? No, no of corse not…though I am kind of curious." The unicorn finally looked up at him as he spoke, "What happened to you anyway? It almost looked like you were, I don't know, gone for a moment."

The unicorn patted a space beside her, allowing him to sit. White listened attentively as the unicorn began to tell him her tale. "I didn't always live with the spirits. I once lived in a Lion Turtle City where people could control the element of water."

"So that's where you got it." White stated.

"Yes. My mother died when I was just a filly and my father latter on when he became ill. They once worked with a farmer gardening and harvesting plants and fruits to sell. Both of my parents were earth ponies, I inherited my horn from my grandmother. I practiced my magic planting flowers, making them grow, it was my favorite thing to do. But over time I started to get these…visions I guess you would call them."

White's eyes widened in surprise, now even more fascinated with the unicorn's tale. 

"Sometimes I would speak in a rhyme which at first didn't make all that much sense until something happened that fit the description. I once foretold of a terrible storm and another time of a man about to break into a home. It didn't take long for others to learn about my gift. For a while, I became pretty famous, the farmer's selling stock increased because of me. But my powers had their limits. I couldn't control them, and they wouldn't tell me everything that was about to happen. Eventually people began coming to me, asking me for fortunes and such, even paying the farmer. They became so angry that I couldn't give them what they wanted. I don't entirely know how or why but, something changed in the man who cared for me and my family. 

"He became so greedy, so desperate for the attention and money he received when others knew of my gift. He began to mistreat me, even wanted me to lie about fortunes, for which I couldn't do. Finally, things took a turn for the worst. One day, I had a vision that the farmer would face a terrible fate…and I was right. He died while yelling at me, right then and there. People started to grow terrified of me, believing I had killed him for being so greedy. I had just about enough. I had to leave. I asked the Lion Turtle to grant me the element to survive, and ever since I've traveled, searching for a new place to call home. Hopefully, one without humans. One time I had a run in with a poisonous snake. Aye-Aye found me and brought me to the oasis where I was healed. I've been living here ever since."

White was silent the entire time. His new friend's story was so tragic and sad, it's no wonder she didn't truest Wan to begin with. "So you see, I don't entirely trust humans. I know they are not all evil but sometimes they are easily subdued by greed, anger and pride. It changes them, makes them forget about love, family and kindness. I've never wanted to have anything to do with them out of fear that once they knew of my power, they would no longer see me as a living creature…but a tool. A tool for their own selfish desires."

"I'm…I'm so sorry."

"When I came here, I hardly had anymore visions. Maybe a few every once in a while but, nothing big….until today."

White placed his hoof around her shoulder for comport, "You don't have to worry about Wan. He's a good man and he would never treat you like that."

"That's exactly what I believed of the farmer."

"I'm not the farmer." The two pony gasped and turned around to see White's human companion right behind them. White jumped up in shock.

"Wan?! How--When--How long have you been standing there?"

"Long enough." The human walked closer to the unicorn, kneeling down to her level. "I'm sorry for what happened to you and believe me I have seen how greed can corrupt a human's heart and mind." as he spoke he noticed that the unicorn did not look frightened of him at all. "If you didn't trust me, why are you now?"

"That vision I had, while I do not know what it truly means, somehow I believe it has something to do with you."

Wan's eyes widened in surprise.

"You are truly not like other humans, I can see that. You have the rainbow in your eyes. You both do."

Wan arched an eyebrow at this, "The rainbow?" 

"I've heard about that." said White, "From old legends; it is said that The Rainbow leads others to their fate. A sign that one is destined for great things."

Wan remembered about that legend that White had told him, though in all honesty he only believed it was a legend and nothing more. "Riiiight." he turned once again to the unicorn and smiled kindly, his amber eyes sparkling handsomely. "I promise, I will never betray you. You are a pony, a living creature, not a tool. Besides, I prefer not to know what the future holds. If I do it kind of kills the mystery."

For the first time since they had met…the unicorn bursted out laughing. It didn't take long for White and Wan to join in the laughter. As it slowly died down, the unicorn was now absolutely certain that this human could be trusted. In his eyes she saw truth, kindness, humor and devotion. Maybe having the boys around wouldn't be so bad after all.

"By the way, we never did get your name."

"It's Leilani."


(~)


As time went by, Wan and White lived side by side with the spirits, learning their ways and mastering their elements. White and Leilani continued to grow closer, White would tell her about their homeland and it's wonderful magic, how the three tribes had come together to forge a new era of peace and harmony and friendship. Leilani began to feel terrible that the other ponies of this world had been deprived of it, unable to know what had happened. Sure many had made friends with humans, but it seemed they had forgotten what really matters, they allowed the greed and pride of humans influence their way of thinking, which kind of made sense since that was pretty much how things had been before they left their home. Ponies of all kinds were in constant disagreement and battle.

White had once led Leilani to the pond where he had come from, but it still remained closed, there wasn't a single sign that it would open. For the first few months they would go to it to see if it would open, out of curiosity so ponies of this world could visit their homeland and maybe the lessons they had learned in Equestria could change the views of the ones in this world. But sadly, the pond remained as it was…a pond.

Eventually, the two gave up on trying to see if it would open, figuring it was probably a 'once every hundred years' kind of thing. Even so, the two decided to focus on the now. Their growing friendship and their friendship with Wan.

(Parody of I stand alone from Quest for Camelot)

I know the sound

Of each rock and stone

And I embrace what others feel

You are not to roam in this forgotten place

Just the likes of us are welcome here

Everything breaths

And we know each breath

For me it means life

For others it's death

It's perfectly balanced

Perfectly planed

More than enough, for this man

Wan and Leilani have also grown closer, developing a brother/sister-like relationship. The two had a lot in common, both liked adventure and having fun and they had a fondness for plant-life. Leilani was far more patient compared to Wan's recklessness, and so she taught him the art of meditation, which she had learned from the spirits themselves. To help you relax your chakras and become one with your inner spirit. Leilani even showed him how to plant flowers, her favorites were a red kind which were also Wan's favorites. In honor of Wan and White, she dubbed them "Fire Lilies."

Like all the trees, stand side by side

Reach for the sky, we stand as one

We share out world with no one else

Side by side

We stand as one

White taught Leilani how to paint, she actually got it pretty quickly. She tried to do it with her horn but White showed her how to do so with her mouth. The ponies became nearly inseparable, talking, playing. They believed they had a very strong friendship, but Wan, along with Aye-Aye and the rest of the spirits, knew that what they had was so much deeper than friendship.

Both Wan and White mastered their firebending by learning from two white dragon. The creature taught Wan and White who to mimic its movements which influenced their firebending styles, creating a duo dance which would be remembered for generations to come. The spirits of the oasis have all grown to love Wan and White. Their kindness, loyalty, generosity, humor and integrity captured their hearts.

I've seen their world with these very eyes

Don't come any closer

Don't even try

We've felt all the pain

And heard all the lies

So in our world there's no compromise

Two years passed, Wan had grown a bit, his arms were more toned. His hair had grown longer, strands of it hung loosely on his face, and with a scruff of hair on his chin. White had grown a bit in size, a couple inches taller than Leilani, his hair was styled in a similar fashion as Wan's, and his hooves were no longer completely white, but showed off a bit of his hooves where were blue. And in that time, White and Leilani's friendship slowly grew into something more intimate, and they now knew it. They never did confess how they felt, but they really didn't have to. The things they did for each other and the things they told on another was evidence enough, and they were no stranger to cuddling closely underneath the tree.

To protect their spirit home, Wan and White used their firebending, as well as Leilani's waterbending to ward off any humans who dared to disturb their peaceful sanctuary. Of corse, they would never hurt them, simply warred them off.

Like all the trees, stand side by side

Reaching for the sky we stand as one

Wan stood in a battle stance in front of the oasis. Hunters were standing on the other side of the bridge, Wan warded them off by redirecting their fire. The huntsman recognized Wan from two years ago, as well as his pony friend, who was just a powerful firebender as his human was. Even the mysterious blue unicorn was strong with her water element. She wore her cloak a lot less, leaving her cutie mark bare, which consisted of a crystal ball surrounded by pink petals with blue exotic patterns. The image was surrounded by various stars and she had a black mark around her flank. The huntsman frowned and readied to attack, he and his men threw their fire. White jumped up and redirects it and threw it to the ground near the hunters, making them fall over. They stood up and ran away in fear.

We share our world, with no one else

Side by side

We stand as one

Wan ruffled the pony's hair proudly as the spirits all gathered around, cheering for them. Wan downed a cup of tea given to him by one of the spirits in victory. This was their home, and this was where their family was.

Side by side, we stand as one

Side by side

We

Stand as One!

But while the three friends enjoyed their pleasant lives in their own little utopia, Java and Yao rallied up a group of citizens, as well as a few ponies who were not with the Chous, in front of the Lion Turtle. Their days of being afraid if the Chous was finally over, even some of the Chous unicorns decided to go with them. Java spoke to the crowed, he had grown a short beard and mustache.

"Wan has proved that with the power of fire, anyone can survive in the wilds. We don't have to live under Chou the Elder's rules anymore, so I say we leave this city and start over. Who's with me?

The crowd cheered on. From the Lion Turtle, humans and ponies received firebending from the lion turtle before leaving toward the Spirit Wilds. This was a new chapter in their lives, however their would not be a happy one.


(~)


Leilani levitated a traveling pack and saddle onto Mula's back. Mula was what Wan had decided to name the cat-dear, who had grown very close with the human. "All set." said Leilani before she and White both jumped onto Mula's back, sitting behind Wan. "You guys ready to go?"

"You know it." said White

"You ready to go, Mula?" Wan scratched Mula's neck, she tilted her head an purred with delight. Aye-Aye approached the group, frowning as he and Leilani looked at one another.

"You sure you want to leave?"

"Yes. It's time we see the rest of the world and find the other lion turtle cities. Besides, even if I do run into any trouble, I'll be fine. I have my friends."

"Be safe, my dear."

With tears in her eyes, she embraced the spirit in a warm hug. "I'll miss you."

Aye-aye then turned to White and shook his hoof. "Keep an eye on her for me."

"I promise."

Last but not least, he turned to Wan. Wan, the human he never thought he would ever come to care for like a brother. He had a newfound look on humans, well he was still a bit cynical, but he now knew that not all of them were as bad as they seemed. Wan was living, breathing proof of that. He smiled at the young man.

"I'm proud to call you my friend, Stinky."

Wan chuckled lightly, he really didn't mind being called that…not anymore at least. "Thank you for everything." as Mula walked away, the trio waved goodbye to their friends and family, off on a whole new adventure.

"Goodbye, everyone."

"We'll miss you." said one of the spirits as they waved goodbye.


(~)


The trio traveled across the lands for several days, until they reached a stream where they encountered a parade of spirits running away in the same direction. The spirits themselves sounded as if they were terrified of something. One of the spirits shouted out in fear,

"The all-powerful spirits are battling!"

"They're gonna wipe out the entire valley!"

All-powerful spirits? Battling? This did not sound good. Curiosity got the better of them and the trio ran to investigate whatever was causing the stampede. They reached a clearing and their eyes widened on shock;

Before them were two large spirits, bigger than anything they had seen before. One of them was black with a crown-like shape outline, long tendrils and red/orange markings all around it's front with a single star-like shape in the very center. The second spirit was white with blue patters in an identical shape as the dark spirit. Both appeared to be locked in battle, their tendrils entangled with one another, destroying their surroundings as they went. Wan ran up to them and firebend at them, drawing the spirits' attention.

"Stop, or you'll destroy everything!"

The white spirit spoke in a feminine voice, "This doesn't concern you, human!"

"It does when the lives of spirits and animals are in danger." As Wan spoke with the spirits, Leilani suddenly felt woozy, something didn't feel right here. Seeing her, White helped the unicorn regain her balance. The dark spirit spoke to Wan,

"If you're a friend to spirits, then use your fire to help me break free."

"Don't involve the human!" said the white spirit, "This is between us."

"Please, save me. She has tormented me for ten thousand years."

Wan's eyes widened in awe. "Ten thousand years?" that sounded awful. No one deserved to be tormented like this. He too pity on the spirit and prepared to attack his white counterpart. "Let him go!"

"Wan, no!"

But Leilani's cry did not reach his ears in time, Wan had already firebended at the spirits, but was tossed aside by the white spirit, landing in the bushes. As he emerged out of the bushes again, he noticed that the two spirits were only connected with one another by one tentacle. Leilani saw this too and tried once again to stop her friend, "Wan, please don't!"

But once again, Wan did not listen, his goal on setting the spirit free made his ears deff to her voice. He firebended at the connecting tentacles, severing them. The white spirit was pushed back and landed hard on the ground with a grunt. Leilani gasped as the dark spirit flew away to rest atop a nearby mountain, while the white spirit screamed and began to shrink slightly. "Thank you, human. You have performed a great service for the spirits." said the dark spirit before flying away.

Leilani was breathless, trembling with fear, unable to move. At the sight of the white spirit on the ground she rushed to her side. White was very confused by this, why did she care so much for this spirit they had never met before?

"Are you alright?" the unicorn asked with concern. The white spirit began to rise up. She turned to a confused-looking Wan.

"Do you realize what you've done?"

"Yeah, I helped a spirit who was being bullied by you." said the human.

"You are gravely mistaken. I was keeping him under control."

"And what gives you the right?" Wan asked angrily. What authority did she have over other spirits anyway?

"And why did you care, Leilani?" White asked.

"I don't know. Something about that dark spirit didn't feel right to me. I tried to warn Wan but he wouldn't listen."

"She is correct." said the spirit. "You don't even know who I am, do you?"

"Should we?" White asked.

"Yes. My name is Raava. That spirit you freed is Vaatu, my brother. The spirit of darkness and chaos. I am the spirit of light and peace. Since the beginning of time, we have battled over the fate of this world. And for the past ten thousand years, I have kept darkness under control and the world in balance, until you came along."

White and Leilani looked on at Wan with worry as the human himself looked down in regret, remorseful over what he had just done. "So, by freeing Vaatu, I let chaos into the world?"

"Precisely." Raava said sharply. "The human and spirit realms are headed toward annihilation, and it's all your fault."

Wan felt terrible. He had endangered the world, brought chaos and darkness. This was his doing and all because he wouldn't listen to his friend's cries. There was no one to blame but himself.

Korra's brows furrowed as she floated over the water. A single word escaped her mouth…

"Raava….I found you."


*(~)*

Ephesians 2:10 ~

For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.

*(~)*