//------------------------------//
// The Metal Clan 
// Story: The Little Pony Legend 3: The Great Change 
// by MaggiesHeartLove 
//------------------------------//


The Metal Clan



Luna stood by the clear glass windows of the police airship, her wings tucked in her back and her ears were lowered as she prayed for the safety of her sister and mother. Her moment of solitude ended when she noticed a new shape appear in the reflection of the window. The moon princess turned around to face her, wiping away a single tear that escaped her eye.

"Princess Korra. Good evening."

"You know, you could just call me Korra if you want." the Avatar said sweetly.

"Forgive me. Force of habit."

"It's okay. I understand you're worried about your family."

"It's strange. It feels as if we had only just gotten back together and now…we had to part."

Korra lowered her gaze in shame. "I'm sorry. Because of me you--"

"No. This isn't your fault, Korra. All the evil in the world is not the cause of you not contributing to your role as the Avatar. While many do not know it, they all have the freedom to decide where they go in life and who they become. You said so yourself, we all must find our own path. Problem is, by being consumed by pride, people choose wrong. So do not feel guilty because these criminals are after you."

"Easier said than done."

Luna placed a hand on Korra's shoulder and smiled. "Everything will be alright. You'll see."

"Thanks."

The moon princess bowed her head and proceeded to retire to her chambers until Korra stopped her. "Hey, Luna."

"Yes." Luna asked, turning around without hesitation.

"I…don't know if I should ask but…who's Tirek?"

Luna's eyes widened in shock at the mention of his name. "What?"

"Somehow I managed to recognize the name. I know I heard it from somewhere but I can't remember where."

Luna had not spoken of Tirek in a long time. She would rather forget about him after what he did to her family. But it was clear that Korra was curious. Korra noticed the uneasiness of the princess and immediately regretted her questioning.

"I'm so sorry, you don't have to say anything is you don't want to."

"No. It's fine. Tirek was an old foe of my family, but he has since been incarcerated and will not be troubling us anytime soon." Korra's eyes sparkled with curiosity. "You needn't trouble yourself with this. Tirek is of no threat to you. So rest easy, my dear."

"Okay…goodnight."

"Goodnight."

Luna returned to her room, leaving Korra to herself and her thoughts. She was right, whoever this Tirek guy was, he really didn't matter right now. The real issue here was to find a place where she would not be found by those criminals.


(~)


The next morning, the airship landed on an open field, near a beautiful stream, surrounded by a large mountain range. The sun was shinning and the sky was a crystal clear blue. It was all perfect. Not wanting to miss out on a perfectly nice day, Korra, Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy played fetch with Naga. Each one took turns using their airbending to throw the ball for the polar-bear dog to catch. Her tail wagged with happiness as Pinkie Pie held the ball in an airbending spear and threw it into the air.

"Catch, Naga!"

The white beast jumped up and caught the ball with her mouth before making her way back to her friends. "Your turn, Fluttershy." Korra said.

The anthro pegasus moved her arms, mimicking Pinkie Pie's tactic with the air spear, and threw the ball high up into the sky, surprising the rest. Naga, non the less, jumped up high and caught the ball in her mouth with ease, landing on the ground perfectly, her tail waging. It was now Korra's turn as she too took the ball with her airbending and threw the toy for Naga.

Lin stood by watching with Bolin and Pabu, a scowl evident in her face. Her job was to keep the princess and her friends safe, and here they were out in the open playing with a large white beast. What bugged her more was that Princess Luna was laughing at the larger creature's playful nature.

"She is such a cutie." Luna said with a smile, "Don't you agree, Chief Beifong?"

Lin simply grunted impatiently and approached Korra, Pinkie and Fluttershy who all high fived one another. "While you're playing fetch, four of the most dangerous criminals are hunting you down. We should get moving."

Korra did not look the slightest bit worried, but was perfectly relaxed and happy. "Relax, we just got here. Besides, no one knows where I am right now except us."

"Yeah, Lin. Have some fun!" said Pinkie Pie.

Naga walked up and dropped the ball near the girls, and Korra patted her on the head. The polar bear dog sat down, waging her tail as Fluttershy rubbed her chin. "Aww, I think she wants you to throw it for her." she said to Lin.

The chief looked down at the ball; completely coated in saliva, and halfway torn, covered in bite marks. She arched an eyebrow at the disgusting sight and gave her deadpan answer.

"I'll pass, thanks."

Asami, Mako, Flash and Twilight all walked out of the airship and towards the others, "We just got a call from the radio about another airbender." said Asami.

Korra's smile widened with glee. "Finally! Where are they?"

"A city called Zaofu," Mako said. "the home of the Metal Clan."

At the mention of the name, the Chief of Police immediately became uneasy.

"What is the Metal Clan?" asked Luna.

"They're a clan of metalbenders." Lin answered.

"You know the place?" Korra asked.

Lin's eyes darted around nervously before she replied while folding her arms. "Uhh ... Never been. But I don't want you going there. I would rest a lot easier if you were back at Republic City."

But as usual, Korra was just plain stubborn. "Sorry, if there's an airbender in Zaofu, then that's where we are going next." Korra walked over near the river, where Rarity, Rainbow Dash, Spike and Applejack were sitting or laying on the grass, soaking up some sun. They were startled from their peaceful state when Korra yelled, "HEY GIRLS!! Beauty sleep's over! We're heading to Zaofu!"

The ponies did not waste a second at getting up, but Spike stubbornly remained on the grass. "Can't we just stay a while longer?"

"MOVE!!"

The little dragon jumped up like a terrified cat at the loud demanding yell that came from the Avatar. He got up and ran at top speed towards the airship. "Coming! Coming!"

As everyone else headed inside, Luna noticed Lin place her head down in disappointment. "Something wrong?" the princess asked.

"No. Let's just go." Lin replied, somewhat bitterly, though it was clear she had made and effort to hide it. Luna furrowed her brows slightly at the metalbender before walking on ahead into the airship. Naga rolled the ball over to Lin, panting excitedly in hopes she could throw it, but was left upset after Lin bursted it using her cables. The creature whimpered sadly at her now destroyed toy.


(~)


Following the coordinates of where to find Zaofu, with Asami piloting, it didn't take long for them to finally arrive. Everyone stood near the controls before the large glass window, and eyes widened with wonder at the sight before them;

Zaofu was truly a breathtaking sight. A gleaming city situated on a lush, green valley flanked by two long intertwining rivers. Metal buildings towered overhead with different areas of the city being interconnected via metal rails, where even from above they caught glimpses of monorails coming and going. The architecture around each portion was surrounded by large petal shaped panels, resembling lotus flowers in full bloom.

At the very center of it all was a large, almost palace-like building with a tall tower pointing upwards. Out of all the buildings, this one looked like it was carved by crystal diamonds, though made of metal the shimmering brightness and clean cuts of the walls made it look otherwise. In a lot of ways, it bared a striking resemblance to the Crystal Empire Palace. Rarity could barely steady her own breathing as the airship grew closer and closer to the staggeringly beautiful sight.

This land was even more beautiful than Sa Sing Se. The beautiful fairytale-like place put the large city of walls to shame.

"It's…it's…can't…getting…dark…" The unicorn literally passed out gracefully, leaving Mako to have to break her fall by catching her. Why did she have to be so dramatic?

Bolin pressed his hands against the window, his eyes widening while jumping up and down with child-like wonder and excitement. "Wow! Wow! Wow! An entire city made of metal! You should feel right at home, Beifong."

Bolin turned to see the woman's reaction, but she only slouched in her seat, completely disinterested. Korra too took notice of Lin's crusty scowl, followed by an equally grumpy scoff. The Avatar pouted in annoyance. Why couldn't she just learn to enjoy something for once? And what did she have against Zaofu?

Lin's attitude didn't go unnoticed by Luna either. To everyone else, it would merely come off as Lin being Lin, but for Luna… she saw that there was a bit more to the chief woman's hostility than she was leading on.

The airship gently landed at one of the stations and metalbenders, sporting green and metal clothing, connected a metal cable from a crane onto the airship, securing it and proceeded to metalbender a stairway for them to walk out of. Both Bolin and Pinkie Pie ran out excitedly before everyone else.

Asami stopped and turned to Lin, who remained where she sat. Naga and Pabu both siting beside her. "Aren't you coming?"

"What's there to see? It's metal. Big whoop." Lin waved her hand, not caring or even looking at the young woman, "Just find the airbender and let's get moving." she then turned to look at Asami and the others, but only to point a threatening finger at them, "Don't tell anyone I'm here." she warned coldly.

"Why not?" Korra asked, arching an eyebrow in curiosity.

"I don't need to explain myself to you. Just do what I say."

Korra only sighed and turned around to leave, narrowing her eyes in annoyance once her back was turned. "Fine. You got it, Chief Cranky Pants."

As they walked out, Mako heard the trio of spirits chirping. He turned to see them circling round Lin's head in an adorably innocent effort to cheer her up. Mako whistled and called out to them, "San, Mika, Ali, come on." the trio obeyed him and followed their 'daddy' outside.

Once the team exited the ship, they were greeted by a tall man and two guards on both sides. The man looked around sixty-years-of age, with a well groomed and manageable white beard and was half bald at the top of his head, with grey hairs around the corners of his head. He wore a long beautiful robe consisting of various greens and yellows that complimented his brown skin tone, and wore a metal neckpiece around the collar. He wore spectacles and had a golden piercing on his left nostril that lead all the way to his left ear.

"Princess Avatar Korra. It is an honor to meet you. My name is Aiwei." he said with a bow.

"Thanks for having us." Korra bowed, her friends then following her example. Luna and Twilight stood upright, and Korra formally introduced them both. "This is Princess Luna and Princess Twilight Sparkle, of Equestria."

"We are thrilled have the royal Alicorns here in our fair city." Aiwei gestured his hand to the group. "Is this everyone?"

Korra immediately remembered Lin's request. While she still had no idea as to why she didn't want anyone to know she was here if she had never been, Korra felt she should honor her word. If she didn't, she would never hear the end of it.

"Yup. Just us." she replied, trying to sound as calm and cheerful as possible. She was getting pretty good at this royal formality stuff, at times it came out almost naturally. "So, can I meet the new airbender?"

"Of course, right this way."

Aiwei gestured for Team Avatar to follow him. Rarity squealed with delight, if the city was this beautiful outside, she couldn't even imagine what it would be like inside. The team stepped inside a large elevator, which the metalbenders lowered down themselves.


(~)


Back Air Temple Island, Ikki, Meelo and Apple Bloom led the new airbenders into the dinning hall. Ever since Harmonic Convergence, ponies, the majority being pegasus ponies, came to the temple in the helping of the recreation of the Air Nation. Many of them were earth ponies as well, and very few unicorns. Ikki spoke to the new airbenders as they walked into the dinning hall.

"And this is the Air Acolyte dining hall where everyone eats." Ikki explained as they walked over to a very familiar man eating a bowl or rise, now earring traditional air nomad clothing, as they all did. "And this is Daw. He's a new airbender too, like you guys."

Daw nervously dropped his bowl and airbended upright, Bowing and smiling at the new recuits. "It's so nice to meet you. How exciting. New friends."

"You guys are gonna love this place." said Apple Bloom, "I may not be an airbender myself, but I can say with complete confidence that it's one of the best bending powers there is."

Just then, the group heard the door open up and in walked a mysterious hooded figure in gray clothing. "Excuse me, hello?" The stranger turned out to be a man, most likely in his thirties or forties. He removed his hood, revealing his baldness. He was of medium height with a scar over his left eyebrow, and an ex-like marking on the left side behind his head. He appeared to be lost somehow, looking upon the airbenders with such curiosity and uncertainty.

"My name is Yorru. I heard this is the place to come for if you're a new airbender."

"You got that right, stranger." said Meelo

"Well, a couple of weeks ago, I woke up and suddenly I can do this." Yorru clenched his fists before them and once he opened it he bended a small vortex on his palm.

Ikki cried out excitedly, "Mom! Aunt Kya! We got another one!"

Yorru smiled at the young girl's enthusiasm, however, as Apple Bloom looked at him, she suddenly didn't feel right. She couldn't explain why, she she received a pretty weird vibe from this stranger. The mysterious man noticed the anthro pony. "You must be an earth pony. I've heard so much about your kind." he extended his hand politely for her to shake. "It's nice to meet you. What's your name?"

Apple Bloom looked down at the man's hand. She was hesitant to shake but did it none the less. "Apple Bloom."

"What a beautiful name. Are you an airbender as well?"

"Well, no not exactly. I'm mostly here to help out."

"Well, I look forward to be learning from all of you."

"Yeah…of course."


(~)


Pinkie Pie, Bolin and Spike had their hands pressed against the transparent window of the subway, marveling in excitement at the city of Zaofu, passing by all kinds of tall metal buildings shimmering in the sunlight, and people all wearing green clothing. While the wardrobes primarily consisted of various greens, yellows and accessories of metal that stretched from shades of dark gray to sterling starlight silver and whites, the cloths were designed to the person's own individual style.

Rarity's eyes sparkled. "Look at those accessories! Forget gold, silver is most definitely in!"

"This city is amazing." said Twilight, letting go of a gasp she wasn't even aware she was holding.

"It almost looks like the Crystal Empire." Applejack said, "Minus the crystals."

The tram continued on, passing by a large metal statue of a woman in long robes, holding up a large octagon-shaped tablet with the Earth Kingdom Emblem on it. The woman herself looked exactly like Toph Beifong's statue in Republic city, only while that one looked more gold in appearance with her hands on her hips wearing her Police uniform depicting the legendary metalbender's strength and glory, this one depicted her as close to a goddess made out of polished marble, stained with silver outlines wearing a long regal robe with her hands raised up, holding the emblem on a large totem.

Korra and the others were left speechless. They were so used to seeing Toph looking, well, tough in her depictions, but this one showed off her wisdom and integrity. It was a stunning sight. "That statue honors the first metalbender, Toph Beifong, who expanded the possibilities of what benders were capable of." Aiwei explained as they passed the statue, "Here, everyone is encouraged to reach his, or her, highest potential."

"Does Toph live here?" Bolin asked, excitedly hopeful. "Are we going to get to meet her?"

"I'm afraid not." Aiwei said, and Bolin sighed in disappointment, his posture subconsciously slouching, perfectly reflecting his current mood. "She would visit from time to time, but years ago she left to wander the world, in search of enlightenment. No one has seen her since."

Rainbow Dash lowered her ears in disappointment. "Aww man! I so wanted to meet her. Seeing the Toph Beifong in person is my biggest dream!"

"I thought your biggest dream was to become a Wonder Bolt." Asami said curiously.

"Hey, I'm allowed to have more than one dream."

"Just how many do you have?"

"A lot more than you do, dreamless."

"She is right." all eyes turned to Princess Luna, who sat calmly on one of the tram's red silk sofas. "It is good to have more than one dream. Because once you accomplished one, you can always go search for another."

The tram headed for the edge of Zaofu, stopping at the terminal. The group arrived at the city's edge, where a large metal compound consisting of numerous halls and courtyards and guesthouses resided. Rarity could feel herself getting excited again.

"It's…I…the…whoa…" once again she passed out, only this time Mako already had his arms outstretched and ready. Wearing a deadpan expression, he effortlessly caught the excitable unicorn in his arms…again.

Aa gentle breeze blew by, and Korra slightly spread her wings open to feel it as she looked at the estate before her. "Wow. Is this where the airbender lives?"

"Yes. But first, her mother wants to meet you." Aiwei said. He led them into a building where eight young people, all wearing baggy grey pants and sleeveless green shirts, with bandages on their arms and feet, were firing metal cables to the ceiling, rising upwards and spinning around in perfectly coordinated movements. A few other metalbenders moved what appeared to be a large metal lotus flower, where the rest of the people bounced, leaped and spun in mid air in a gorgeous display of graceful acrobatics mixed with metalbending.

"Is this some kind of training?" Rainbow asked, tilting her head.

"Not exactly," said Aiwei, "They are rehearsing for a dance premiere next month."

Two more dancers, two women, one of which had a long black braid that wrapped around her when she spun, both leaped and landed into the center of the flower. It closed for a moment and once it opened again the two female dancers stood in identical poses, with their legs risen upwards and their ankles hooked together.

While the dancers were all young looking, one of them was evidently older. She looked very fit for her age, as well as slim. She spotted Aiwei enter with some new companions then clapped her hands to her dancers. "That's it for today everyone."

As the rest of the dancers left to get changed, the woman walked towards Aiwei. She was incredibly beautiful with a warm smile, beautiful green eyes and chin-legnht elegantly styled grey hair. Despite her age, she looked just as good if she were in her twenties. If anything, her maturity only increased her natural beauty.

"Allow me to introduce the matriarch of the Metal Clan, Suyin." Aiwei said, taking his place right next to the woman.

"Please call me Su." the woman flashed them all a dazzling smile and pounded her fist into her palm as a greeting, "Great to finally meet you, Princess Avatar Korra. And this must be Princess Luna and Princess Twilight, and let me guess, the Elements of Harmony; Applejack, Rarity, Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, your royal guards; Mako and Flash Sentry, Bolin, Asami, and…" she kneeled down to Spike's level, "this handsome little fella must be Spike the dragon."

The dragon placed his hands behind his back and blushed. "Aww, chucks."

"You've done your research." Mako said, impressed by the woman's knowledge.

"I make it my business to know who's visiting my city." Su said as she stood up.

Rarity roughly made her way towards Su, accidentally knocking both Mako and Flash to the ground as she did. "That performance you did was absolutely fabulous! I've never seen anything like it! Rarely do I ever see bending being used in an artistic sense."

"So, you're a dancer." said Princess Luna.

"Dancer. Leader. Wife. Mother. Collector of rare meteorites.", Su explained as she pulled out a finger with every stated profession. "You'll find people here have many skills and interests." Aiwei then leaned in and whispered something into Su's ear. Suddenly, her once friendly demeanor shifted to a stern one. "Korra, why did you lie when Aiwei asked if there was anyone else with you?"

The others widened their eyes in shock, and most of them pointed to a certain earthbender.

"Bolin!"

"What?! I didn't say anything this time, I swear!" Bolin covered his mouth for emphasis.

"I, uh, I didn't." Korra stuttered, trying to cover up her lie, but the moment she uttered the first 'uh', she knew she had already failed. "How did you know I was lying?"

"I'm a truth seer." Aiwei said "When people lie, their heart rate and breathing increase. I can sense the most subtle of changes."

"Thanks to Aiwei, there are no secrets in our city." said Su, her kind smile already returning.

"We apologize for the secrecy, Suyin" Luna said. "We came with Republic City's Chief of Police. She did not wish for anyone to know she was here. We were simply honoring her wishes."

"Lin's here?" Su asked in surprise, "Well, I would love to say hello."

Korra and Twilight both shared confused looked before turning back at Su. "Wait, you two know each other?" Twilight asked in surprise.

"You're joking, right?" Everyone remained silent at Su's question. Their silence was enough to convince her as she suddenly frowned. "Lin never told you about me." she said, which sounded more like a realized fact than anything.

"No. Why would she?" Twilight asked.

"I'm Lin's sister."

Eyes became wide and jaws were dropped and a deafening silence took hold of the room like a clenched fist. "Hold on a second!" Pinkie Pie pulled out a glass of water, took a sip, and then spit it out, right on Asami's face, who then scowled as she wiped the liquid off.

"Why do you feel the need to do that?"

"Just because." *squee!*


(~)


Back on the police airship, Lin rested her right arm on the glass window, leaning forwards while looking at Zaofu. She never in her life thought she would ever come here, and she never wanted to. Of all the places in the world she never, ever wanted to visit, this ranked as the number one and so far only on her list.

"I found out why you were so against coming here."

The chief turned around to see Korra, Luna and the rest of the team standing before her with Suyin. She had changed from her dancing attire and now wore a long dark green robe with various green colors, a metallic necklace-like neckwear near the collar and a simple silver ornament with a green opal gem on the center was wrapped around her forehead.

"Why didn't you ever tell me you had a sister?" Korra asked demandingly, which irked the chief.

"Half-sister." Lin stated with gritted teeth.

"Same mom, different dads." Su clarified, "So what?" she her hands close to her heart, "We're blood, Lin, and after thirty years, the least you could do is say "hello"."

Lin narrowed her eyes and turned her back on her sister. "I have nothing to say to you." she said bitterly.

"You two haven't spoken in thirty years?" Flash asked in disbelief, "How come?"

"Ask her. I've tried." Su said.

"Oh, don't put that on me. You're the one who tore our family apart."

"And you've done a banged up job keeping it that way."

"You haven't changed one bit, have you?"

"Look, we can stay here arguing about the past all day, but that's not the reason the Princess Avatar came here." Su then turned to Korra. "My daughter is thrilled to meet you."

"Lin, your niece is the new airbender! Isn't that amazing?" Korra said, trying to ease the tension a bit with her optimist.

"Yeah. Terrific." Lin said blankly. As if things couldn't get any better, now one of her relatives was one of the new airbenders. It would appear the universe picked today to toy with her.


(~)


Su led the group through the courtyard of her estate. A large compound consisting of numerous halls and courtyards to accommodate her large family. The area was wide and open, allowing the guests to have a perfect crystal clear view of the sky. Pinkie Pie hoped along excitedly beside Suyin, bombarding her with questions. "I'm so excited to meet your daughter. How long as she been airbending? Is she any good? How old is she? What's her favorite color? Does she like cookie doe?"

Su simply chuckled at the anthro pony's antics. "Well, she's only been airbending for a couple of weeks now. She's actually surprisingly good for a beginner. Sixteen-years of age. Light green. And who doesn't?"

She led them to a field with three metal columns and a metal disk ricochet between, being contoured by two players on opposite sides. Both were young men, toned and athletic with matching brown hair and green eyes, wearing matching green clothing, and were identical in appearance. Obvious twins.

"Those are my two youngest, Wei and Wing."

Rainbow Dash marveled at the sport the boys played. "Wow! What are they doing?"

"They're playing a game called Power Disk. They invented it all on their own."

"So awesome!"

Wing shoot the disc to his brother, Wei, who redirected it and sent it ricocheting in between the three columns. Wing leaped to intercept the disc but landed flat on his face and the disk slammed right into a net, a red alarm went off, cementing Wing as the winner.

"Oh, nice power, Wei." their mother commented.

"Ha! Wing goes down!" Wei cheered to himself while his brother grumbled at his defeat.

As Wei jumped up in victory, he looked up, seeing his mother standing beside a girl with long brown hair, a single blue streak and two stunning wings tucked on her back. Beside her were other colorful looking girls, all with strange-looking ears, horns and wings. While they were all just as beautiful, the blue eyed, brown haired girl was the one who really got his attention. He shyly waved, and Korra waved back politely with a genuine smile.

"I'm so proud of those two." Su said as she led the others away. Wei kept his eyes on Korra, blushing as he watched her leave, though she didn't give him a second glance. Wing got back up, dusting off his cloths, and noticing his brother's sudden dreamy-eyed look. He waved his hand in front of his face, but no responce.

The group headed to a gallery filled with metal sculptures, where a sculptor worked on one with metalbending. He looked around Mako's age, had long dark black hair, styled to the side of his head, and partly shaved on the right. He had a piercing on his eyebrow and was focusing deeply on his work.

"Huan, I'd like you to meet the Princess Avatar and her friends. And your aunt Lin."

Korra extended her hand to the boy, "Nice to meet you."

"Hey." he replied, without even looking back. Korra should have known not everyone would be thrilled to meet her but, seriously, didn't anyone know about manners anymore?

Bolin studied Huan's latest sculpture, which was in a very strange and odd shape. "Wow, that's a really nice ... banana?"

Pinkie Pie examined the object as well and snapped her fingers, "Yep! It's a banana. Very lifelike. Great job!"

Huan sighed before turning to face them, his face angry at their insult."It's not a banana! It was inspired by Harmonic Convergence; it represents the dawning of a New Age. Obviously."

Bolin formed a frame with his fingers. "Oh, yeah, no, uh, I can, I can total see that. I can, oh, let me stand here. Yes, I can see that now. Yes. Thank you."

Rarity scoffed at this. "Oh, please!" the unicorn approached the young man, and stood before his sculpture. She had to admit, the young man did have some artistic skills, however his sculptures pretty much all looked alike. They did carry this 'tortured artist' vibe to them, but they also looked as if they were lacking in something. They all looked too stiff, too controlled despite some being slightly broken. There didn't seem to be enough intimacy to them.

"Darling, I can clearly see the effort you placed into this…interesting piece, but I'm afraid you're missing something."

Huan was immediately repulsed by this, "Excuse me, Miss…" he studied her body from top to down, "whatever-you-are, I would have you know, I've been sculpting since I was nine years old."

Rarity crossed her arms, unimpressed, "Oh, really? Just nine?"

Mako whispered to Korra, "Should we stop her?"

"Nah, I kind of want to see where this goes." Korra said with a smirk.

"Look, I'm not saying you don't have talent, what you're missing is…the passion!" Rarity said the last word, using a french accent. "If you wish to demonstrate the dawning of a new age, go with something a tad more…intimate. I was there, I saw the world change right before my eyes. It felt magical, warm and wonderful. Try to add that into your work. Think about your most memorable moment in time, where you felt the happiest at seeing a positive change, and use that to ignite the fire within."

Huan looked at his sculpture, pondering in thought. The unicorn's words sparked his curiosity. Was he being too stiff with his art instead of being more passionate and carefree with it? He rose his hand, twisting the two sides of the sculpture into an elegant manner which looked almost like two vines. Then, inspiration struck him. Huan began moving the item with his metalbending, changing its shape, his eyes completely focused, poring all of his emotion into it, moving so quickly nobody could keep up with his movements. Everyone's eyes widened in surprise at what he had done. Huan took in slow deep breaths, amazed at what he had accomplished. He had completely rearranged the metal to look like a diamond shape, coming out of a wild tangled mess of a jungle. It was like something beautiful coming out of a crazy mess from bellow. Huan was amazed at what he had just done. Rarity applauded his success.

"Now that is passion! And style."

"Wow…I don't believe it. What is your name, dear?"

"Rarity."

"Rarity. A fitting name. You know, I have some other works in progress and I would be honored if you assisted me."

"Why of course, I would love to. Oh, wait but I really should confined in my friend first, we came here looking of a new airbender."

"It's okay Rarity." Korra said, "You go on ahead."

"Are you sure?"

"Positive---whoa!" the Avatar was surprised by a tight hug from the unicorn.

"Thank you!" she released her and returned to Huan, linking her arm around his, "Come now, Huan. Inspiration waits for no one!" As the two walked off, Korra simply smiled. Rarity had already made a new friend.

In another part of the courtyard, they spotted a young lady sitting on a bench reading a book. She rose her head when she heard her mother approaching, as well as a few more friends.

"And this is my daughter, Opal."

Opal was a lovely young woman with light brown skin like her mother, big bright green eyes, brown chin-legnht hair, wearing long beautiful green robes, which like most, was styled to fit her unique personality. She looked so sweet and innocent. She immediately jumped up at the sight of the Avatar.

"Wow, Princess Avatar Korra. I can't believe you're here. And you must be Princess Twilight and the Elements of Harmony. You're all so amazing, and even more beautiful in person."

"It's great to meet you, Opal." Korra said with a friendly smile. Nothing made her happier than to meet new friends.

Bolin smiled at the young girl, "Opal. That's a beautiful name."

The young lady blushed as she tucked her hair behind her ear in a shy manner. "Thanks."

"I'm Bolin." he greeted while extending his hand to her.

"Opal, but, uh, you already knew that."

Suddenly, as she watched the sweet girl blush in Bolin's presence, Asami arched an eyebrow in suspicion, followed by a shocked expression when Pinkie Pie exclaimed happily; "Hi! I'm Pinkie Pie. It's so great to meet you, I just know we're gonna be great friends. Weren't you surprised when you got airbending? Were ya? Were ya?"

"Um, yes very. It's nice to meet you too."

Fluttershy then approached the girl, smiling with her hands behind her back. "Hello Opal, I'm Fluttershy. I would like to say that you have nothing to worry about. Airbending is one of the most wonderful elements there are. It took me a while to get the hang of it but I'm sure you'll get it in no time."

"That's so sweet, thank you."

Lin stormed towards them, "Great. We've found the airbender. Let's take her back to the airship and get out of here." she immediately changed her attitude when she saw the moon princess glaring at her in disapproval. Her midnight flowing mane, teal eyes and dark complexion did make her an intimidating sight at times.

Su arched an eyebrow at her sister. "And the woman apparently trying to abduct you is your aunt, Lin."

"Really? I've always wanted to meet you. My Mom has told so many stories about you."

"I'm sure she has." Lin said in annoyance.

"So I'll send all of you out to the guesthouse while Korra trains Opal." Su said.

Korra, however looked at Su in uncertainty. "Oh, I'm sorry. But I was hoping she could train with the rest of the airbenders at the Northern Temple."

"That sounds amazing." Opal said excitedly. She had always wanted to see the outside world. She was quite curious by nature.

"Nonsense. This is where Opal's home and family are. You can train her here." Su insisted. Korra and the rest all shared uncertain glances before shrugging their shoulders.

"I guess I could help her get started."

"Absolutely not! We're leaving." Lin exclaimed and turned to Princess Luna, "Your Highness, surely you must agree that it is crucial we don't stay in one place for very long."

Luna arched an eyebrow at her, and glanced back and forth between the two sisters. "Actually, Chief, I see no harm in us staying a while longer."

"What?!"

Korra smiled in victory, "Sorry Lin. Princess's orders." Lin groaned in frustration and folded her arms. "She's just a little worried because there's a bunch of crazy criminals after me." said the Avatar.

"If you're concerned about security, don't worry. This is the safest city in the world." Su said with complete confidence. Lin clenched her jaw in annoyance. She should have known they would all fall pray to her sister's sweet and charismatic demure.

"Now I'll see you all at dinner. And come hungry. My chef will blow the taste buds right out of your mouth." Su walked off with Opal close behind and Applejack smiled at the chief in reassurance.

"Why do you have such a problem with your sister? She seems real nice." A.J. said, "Come on, we can stay a little while."

"Yeah, lighten up, Chief." said Flash, earning a growl from the woman, and the pegasus immediately flinched a salute at her. "I mean, Chief Ma'm."


(~)


Latter on, Su led the group to their guest houses. One by one, she brought them to their rooms, and left them alone to get settled. The last one she led was Princess Luna. "Here is where you will be staying, your Highness. I apologize for the small size" Su said. But in fact, the room was quite big enough, complete with a bed, a mini kitchen, bathroom, closet, elegant decorative furniture and nightstands. The princess probably assumed the woman was referring to something much, much larger.

"Actually, I find it it quite homey. Thank you for your hospitality."

Su bowed before the princess, "Let me know if you wish for anything."

"Thank you." as Su was about to leave, she was stopped when Luna called out to her. "Su. I am sorry for Lin's behavior before. I understand what it is like to have a problematic relationship with your sister. If you ever wish to speak of it, please do not hesitate to do so. As princess I am entitled to not only help my subjects…but my friends as well."

Su smiled graciously at her kindness. "I'll keep that in mind, princess."


(~)


In the boys' room, Mako and Bolin were admiring their guest home. Just like the rest of Zaofu, the walls were made entirely out metal, but shined beautifully in the light. The room had two beds set up and a rectangle shaped window with a great view of the gardens. Bolin jumped onto the best, laying down like a king. "Oh, yeah. We are living large!"

Spike laid on the bed with him, lounging. "This is the life."

Mako then spotted two of the spirits, Mika; the pink-winged one, and San; the green-winged one, playing chase around the room. Ali; the pale-blue-winged on, rested calmly on Mako's shoulder. "Ali, sweetie, could you make sure those two don't make a mess?"

Ali chirped and flew off to keep her brother and sister at bay. Flash Sentry stood at the center of the room, examining it. "You do realize there are only two beds, right?"

"Yeah, so?"

"So? Where am I suppose to sleep?"

Mako took one of the extra pillows and tossed it at Flash's face. The pegasus scowled at his partner in crime as feathers flew around him, landing on his blue hair.

"There's your bed. Knock yourself out."

Flash shot the firebender and annoyed glance, "Oh, yeah, sure, I'll just sleep on a pillow on the floor. Like a dog."

"Well, unless you want to share the bed like Korra sometimes does with the ponies."

"I'll take the pillow."


(~)


Luna sat high above the roof of her guesthouse, admiring the sunset. The setting reminded her of her family. How she hoped her sister and mother were doing well. Meanwhile, in a garden near a stunning waterfall, Korra, along with Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy and Opal stood on an area, surrounded by several spillers and plants growing around them, ready to start Opal's airbending training.

"Okay. Let's see what you've got." Korra instructed.

"I'm not very good." Opal said, looking at her with uncertainty. She felt so self conscious before her. She was a princess and the Avatar, master of the four elements, savior of their world with incredible magical powers while she was just a humble girl who just got airbending powers.

Realizing her shyness, Korra only smiled kindly. She didn't want the young girl to feel nervous around her. "That's okay. I've never been a teacher before, so we're in the same boat."

"Just watch what we do, okay?" Pinkie Pie said while wrapping her arm around Opal, taking her by surprise.

Korra took an airbending stance, circling around Opal, while Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy mimicked her movements as she instructed. "You'd want to keep you elbows in, torso straight, feet just skimming the ground."

Opal watched the movements the girls did, all in perfect sync. "See, it's like dancing." Pinkie said.

"Dancing?"

"Air is the element of freedom." said Fluttershy, ending her routine and spreading her wings. "You just need to let it go and feel the rhythm of the wind." Opal looked downwards sadly, only to have Fluttershy place a hand on her shoulder. "Don't worry. Even Korra didn't get airbending right away the first time."

"Really?"

"Yeah." Korra said with a smile, she really wasn't ashamed to say it. "But I managed to do it. All you really need to do is try and, have a little fun with it. Trust me, once you know how to airbend, you'll feel like you're flying."

Music filled the air as Korra began to sing, her beautiful soulful voice filling the air.

("Breath Away" from Barbie Mariposa and the fairy princess)

Korra;

I know that things have changed

Your life is not the same

And the way is rough, but you don't have to fear

Just over the horizon

Just a short flight from here

Korra, Fluttershy and Pinkie began dancing while airbending in a beautiful display around Opal, demonstrating the beauty of the element.

You're gonna see what you've only dreamed

You're gonna fly on the lightest breeze

It's gonna be like the books you read

You'll write the pages to your story

It's a brand new day

Only a breath away

"Why don't you try it with us?"

Opal summed up the courage and followed Korra's movements and they circled each other as the invisible music played on. Soon, both began to bend out a stream of air which circled them, and they continued their movement in a circle around one another, with Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie happily observing.

Korra;

"Woah. You're a natural."

Opal;

"You really think so? Thanks."

Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie then joined in, as the four girls airbended while dancing across the yard.

Pinkie;

The wind won't slow us down

It's just a chance to play

Fluttershy;

Well chase the drafts around

They won't get in our way

"There you go, Opal. You're doing it!"

Opal;

"This feels amazing!"

(Music)

I'm gonna see what I've only dreamed

Korra, Flutters, Pinkie;

Only dream.

Opal;

I'm gonna fly on the lightest breeze.

Korra, Flutters, Pinkie;

Lightest breeze.

Opal;

It's gonna be like the books I read

I'll write the pages to my story

It's a brand new day

Only a breath away

Korra, Flutters, Pinkie;

Ah, ah, ah, ah

Opal;

Only a breath away

Korra, Flutters, Pinkie;

Ah, ah, ah, ah

Opal;

Only a breath away

(music)

All together;

I'm gonna see what I've only dreamed

(I've only dream.)

I'm gonna fly on the lightest breeze

(the lightest breeze)

It's gonna be like the books I read

I'll write the pages to my story

(ah, ah, ah)

I'm gonna go where the skies are blue

(ah, ah, ah)

I'm gonna show that my heart is true

(ah, ah, ah)

I'm gonna do what I'm meant to do

(oh, oh)

I'll write the pages

(oh, oh)

To my story

(oh, oh)

It's a brand new day

(oh, oh, oh)

It's a brand new day

Only a breath away,

Only a breath away….

Once the song ended, the girls lowered their hands, ending their airbending. The Avatar and ponies all embraced Opal in a warm hug, congratulating her. She was an even better airbender than she realized. And she was making new friends to boot.


(~)


Apple Bloom and Scootalo flinched as they watched a female airbender getting slammed against the gates before tumbling out. She rubbed her head as Meelo, Daw, Yurro, and another male airbender looked on. So far, almost none of the new airbenders could make it through the spinning gates. Meelo was doing his best to be the 'man' of the house in his father's absence. Two of the Crusaders as well as Yurro, Daw and another airbender stood near them. Unlike the others, Yurro did not wear an air nomad outfit, rather he kept his grey/brown clothing.

"You call yourself an airbender? Disgraceful!" Meelo said sternly. Scootalo was holding a clipboard in her hands, as well as wearing formal air nomad attire.

"NEXT!!" She shouted so loudly she made the others flinch back in reaction, which in return prompted Daw to run in with no greater success. It didn't take any longer than two seconds for Daw to be thrown to the ground. Meelo looked over the poor man, scowling at him.

"Be the leaf!"

"But, I don't even know what that means."

"Well, it was a pretty good effort." said Scootaloo, doing her best to be supportive. She then called out to the others, once again screaming, "NEXT!!"

Yurro calmly walked past them, causing the trio to look up curiously. He somersaulted through the front panels and avoided every other gate. The rest of the group looked on in surprise as Kya and Sweetie Belle walked toward them.

"Wow. That new guy is good." said a very impressed Sweetie Belle. But while everyone else was amazed by Yurro's apparent effortless skills, Apple Bloom still felt there was something off about him. She couldn't put her finger on it, but he really seemed to be all too well an airbender to be a beginner. Yurro nimbly avoided the gates, before somersaulting through the final panes. He turned and clasped his hands in respect.

"Now, that man is the leaf." Meelo said.

"A student is only as good as his master." Yurro said with a bow, and Meelo bowed respectfully in return. Apple Bloom crossed her arms skeptically. She was broken from her thoughts when Kya spoke.

"Great news! I just got a message from Tenzin. He's with a whole group of other airbenders at the Northern Temple and he wants all of you to join them." Daw and the two other new airbenders smiled at the news. "We leave first thing in the morning."

"How great is that?" said Sweetie Belle.

Scootalo began flapping her little wings excitedly, "Wow! I can't believe I'm gonna see a real old Air Nation temple!"

"And the Avatar is with him?" Yurro asked, almost immediately. Kya was slightly taken aback by his question.

"No. Apparently she had to split off from Tenzin." she responded, though subtle, there was no mistaking the skepticism in her expression.

Yurro lowered his gaze in disappointment. "That's unfortunate. I was really looking forward to meeting her."

Apple Bloom felt even more uneasy than before. This guy was clearly hiding something, and by the looks of things, her friends began to think so too. The Crusaders walked a few feet away from the others and huddled closely together.

"Okay, I can't put my finger on it, but there is definitely somethin' off about this guy." said Apple Bloom.

"Yeah, he did pass through those gates pretty easily." said Scooaloo. "And did you hear the way he was so interested in meeting Korra?"

"Maybe we should tell Kya." said Sweetie Belle.

"I say we keep an eye on him." said Scootalo.

"I agree with both of ya." said Apple Bloom. "We keep a close eye in case he does anything suspicious, then we let Kya know."


(~)


As nighttime fell, the metal panel surrounding the city began to close. Team Avatar and the Princesses all gathered at the dining area of Su's home. The metal table was arranged in a half square shape, with Su, Lin, Korra and Twilight sitting on the center, while Su's three sons, Wei, Wing and Huan sat on the left corner, along with Princess Luna, who sat closest to Twilight, Rainbow Dash, Applejack and Fluttershy. On the right sat Opal next to Bolin, Mako, Asami, Rarity, Pinkie Pie and Flash Sentry. Spike at on Twilight's lap while Mako's spirits sat on his shoulders, well behaved. Su's private chef, a tall, muscular man with a green bandana, golden earrings on his right ear, a piercing on his left eyebrow and various yellow beads dangling on his black beard as well as various tattoos on his arms and hands. Despite this, he looked like a very kind and polite man.

"Tonight, for your dining pleasure, I present a seared wild Kyoshi elephant koi, paired with a ginger-infused pea tendril and hibiscus root salad."

"Stunning." Su said, admiring the artistry of the meal before her.

The chef turned to the Princess Avatar and the Alicorns. "And for the ponies, freshly minced fruits from the finest trees in Zaofu, and ginger sweet bread."

"Thank you." Twilight said graciously. "This looks delicious."

The chef bowed once again before walking off, where he bowed to a man as they crossed paths. This was Baatar, Su's husband. A middle aged man with grey hair, beard and glasses. Beside him was a young man, almost his spitting image but young with brown hair, brown beard and the same glasses as his father. He was carrying a stack of paperwork while his father spoke to his mother.

"Sorry, dear, I'm going to have to take dinner to my office. I just had a major breakthrough on the tram station model."

Su simply smiled with no signs of disappointment whatsoever. "Well, don't let me stand in the way of inspiration."

"You're the best!" Baatar said before heading off. Su then turned to Korra, who had already begun enjoying the delicious food, and Spike was practically gorging himself, but no one seemed to mind, in fact some found it adorable.

"That was my brilliant architect of a husband, Baatar, and our oldest son." Suyin said to Korra once the two men had already left. "He engineers all my husband's projects."

"Five kids. What a nightmare." Lin said bitterly.

"No. My children are a blessing."

"Yeah, Mom used to say that too, but she never meant it."

Luna looked on at the two sisters. The tension between them was indeed strong and did not go unnoticed. And while she understood they had their own problems to work out, showing them off at the dinner table was not proper behavior.

Bolin took a bite of his food and smiled in satisfaction. "Mmmm. I have to admit, I was pretty skeptical when he said "pea tendrils"," he laughed, "but this is delicious."

Opal laughed in agreement. "I know, right. I don't think I've ever had a bad meal in my life." she really liked this boy. He was friendly, funny, not to mention cute. She started to wonder if he had a girlfriend. Secretly, she hoped not.

Upon hearing her laughter Asami suddenly stopped chewing, her chopsticks still in her mouth and her gaze shifted in their direction as she discreetly listened in on their conversation. The way Opal looked at Bolin left Asami with a bad feeling in the pit of her stomach.

"Oh. I had plenty when Mako and I were living in the streets." Bolin said, his nose crinkling a bit at the memory of all the horrible slop he and his brother had to eat when they were homeless. "I mean, you'd be surprised how bad food from a dumpster can be."

"I'm sorry. I didn't know." Opal said sympathetically. She didn't mean to offend him.

"No, no, it's okay, that's all in the past. Things are great now. I got to be a pro-bender, walked into a dangerous revolution, became a mover star, and now, I'm helping the Princess Avatar rebuild a whole nation."

Opal's eyes sparkled with admiration. This boy was so optimistic, even when it came to his sad childhood. And he had already done so much at this point, while all she did was remain in the safe walls of Zaofu. She'd be lying if she said she wasn't somewhat envious.

"Wow. Your life sounds so exciting." she said, practically swooning.

As Asami observed the two interact she felt the knot in her stomach once again. For some strange reason, the way Opal looked at Bolin started to make Asami's blood boil. She didn't like the way this girl batted her pretty little eyelashes, flashed him her perfectly bright white teeth and spoke in such a 'sweet girl' voice.

Mako took notice of Asami's growing death glare at the two talking. "Are you okay?" asked her with concern.

"I'm fine." Asami replied, almost coldly. "Why you ask?"

He pointed down at her hand and Asami blushed in embarrassment…she had unknowing just broken apart her chopsticks. Rarity generously offered her hers and continued to eat by levitating and cutting her food with her magic. Asami continued eating in hopes Mako would forget what just happened.

"How's your search for the new airbenders going?" Su asked Korra.

"Honestly, not great. We had to rescue a whole group of them from the Earth Queen."

"Oh, she's horrible!" Su said, scoffing in disgust. "She thinks she can just do whatever she wants!"

"Sounds familiar." Lin responded under her breath.

"What?"

"Nothing."

"I mean, the idea of even having a queen is so outdated. Don't you agree, Korra?"

Luna's eyes slightly widened at this. "I beg your pardon?"

Su's eyes then widened in shock, "Oh! No, no Princess that's not what I meant."

"I agree that the Earth Queen's ways are atrocious, but just because one does not rule with love and care for her people does not mean others are the same. Me and my sister always put the welfare of our citizens above our own. And we certainly never make them feel as if they do not have a voice."

Su lowered her gaze in shame. "I'm sorry. You're right, it was very insensitive of me to say that in your presence. I am certain you and your sister are the ideal way of what a good ruler must be."

"Thank you, Su. But I agree, that Queen is a beast."

"No kidding." Korra and Twilight said in unison while scowling.

"I know, right?" Su agreed, "And it wouldn't hurt to change some customs and laws that were unfair in the past and are unfair now. And to use them for your own selfish needs is just sickening."

"I could not have said it any better myself." Luna said. "The world is evolving and the Earth Queen can evolve with it."

"Absolutely. She should just step aside."

"Here, here!" Rarity said in agreement.

Applejack nodded, "No doubt."

"I agree." said Fluttershy.

"Hit the road, lady." said Rainbow Dash while folding her arms and leaning back in her seat.

Lin groaned loudly in annoyance. It seemed everyone was just loving her littler sister. She starts talking like a smart aleck and all of a sudden she's the wisest person in the room. "Hey, everyone. My little sister is an expert on world affairs now." she said sarcastically.

"You want to talk about what's really bugging you? Because I'm right here!"

Lin glared bitterly at her sister before turning away. Then, a new visitor entered the room. One that took many by complete surprise.

"Sorry we're late, everyone."

Bolin gasped, excitedly. "Varrick!"

"Varrick?"

"Applejack! Oh, wait." Varrick quickly pulled out a ten gallon hat and put it on his head. "How's it goin' partner?"

The country pony stood from her chair and welcomed the crazy guy in a warm hug. The man was now wearing the classic Metal Clan attire. Ever since Harmonic Convergence, Varrick had spent two weeks in the farm with Applejack's family. At first, it took him a while to get accustomed to their way of life, but thanks to A.J's encouragement and the generous Apple Bloom, Varrick discovered the values and satisfaction of hard work and helping others. He then swore he wanted to use his newfound way of life to better people, and so Korra allowed him to do so, but she warned him that she would be keeping tabs on his progress.

"So this is where you've been." said Applejack, "Doin' what you promised you would?"

"Yep. Thanks to you and your family, I am a changed man."

"What are you doing here?" Asami asked as Varrick took a seat next to Fluttershy and Applejack returned to her seat.

"Great question, Asami. I mean, what are any of us doing here? Wow, food for thought. Any who, how's our company doing?"

"You mean my company. Future Industries reverted back to me after you plotted to abduct the President."

"Allegedly plotted to abduct the President. Never convicted. And besides, I've changed, remember? After spending time at Sweet Apple Acres, I've learned to appreciate the finer things in life. I'm even giving Zhu Li a well needed vacation and I'm learning to do things on my own."

"So where is your assistant?" Rarity asked.


(~)


Meanwhile, on an island on the Fire Nation, Zhu Li was sunbathing on the beach, enjoying a delicious frusta drink underneath an umbrella.


(~)


"That's not important. Anyway, once I came back, I decided to use my skills to help people. So, I looked up my old friend Suyin here, pitched her a few ideas, and bam! We're in business together."

"Varrick's setting up my new technology division." Su said.

"I've seen the future, and the future is, magnets!" he pulled out a magnet from his pocket, "I'm working on a high speed rail that would revolutionize transportation and shipping as we know it. And I'm using the extra money I earn to sent to a charity in the city that helps out orphans. But that's not all, I'm-"

"Alright, enough!" Lin finally snapped and stood up from her seat, glaring at her sister. "I'm trying to keep the Avatar safe and you're harboring a criminal?"

Su, on the other hand remained calm. "Ease up, Lin. Sure Varrick's made a few mistakes in his past, but that doesn't mean he should pay for it for the rest of his life. My chef was a pirate, but now he's a culinary master. People change."

Lin pointed her finger accusingly at her sister. "You haven't." the woman walked off, throwing the chair aside as she did. Korra tried to call out for her.

"Lin!"

But she ignored the Avatar, exited the hall, firing her cable to slam the door. Korra sat down and slumped on her chair. Why did Lin have to be so difficult? Everyone looked on in sympathy for what had happened. Everything was going fine and Lin had to ruin it with her attitude.

"Well, that could have gone better." Spike said, breaking the brief silence.


(~)


In the bathroom of their guesthouse, Mako and Flash Sentry styled their hair, keeping it in that casual spiky fashion, while Bolin and Spike, standing by the sin, brushed their teeth.

"So, you and Opal seemed to hit it off at dinner." Mako said, sparking a conversation as he adjusted the tips of his hair. "I think she's really into you."

"Yeah, I know." Bolin said. His voice partly muffled due to the toothpaste. "She's sweet and pretty and super nice. Too bad she's not my type."

Spike spit out the toothpaste from his mouth before speaking, "Right, I forgot. Your type is dumb mover star…" he batted his eyes like Ginger's and struck a feminine pose to emphasize his point, "…or psycho ice princess." and then put on a gloomy expression, mimicking Eska.

"While your type is the controlling unicorn drama queen." Flash pointed out with a teasing smirk. Spike lowered his ears in annoyance.

"Says the guy who can't say three words to his girlfriend without sounding like an idiot." Spike got his just deserts when Flash fling a slice of his hair gel on Spike's face.

"Don't listen to him, Flash." Mako said. "You've got yourself a keeper."

"Back at ya, bro." said the pony, sharing a bro-hoof with the firebender.

Bolin then spit out his toothpaste, and turned to the others. "You know, funny how this conversation changed so quickly from me to you guys. That really hurts a little bit. Right here" Bolin said, pressing his fist to his chest, right above his heart.

"Sorry Bolin." Mako said. "But Opal really does seem like a catch. You should go for it."

Bolin pondered on Mako's suggestion while looking at himself in the mirror. The more he thought about it, Opal was really pretty and nice.Not to mention she laughed at his jokes and smiled at him a lot. Was it possible she really did like him as Mako said she did? Maybe it wouldn't hurt to give it another go. After all, the third time's the charm.

"Maybe you're right, bro. Maybe Opal is Bolin material. Thanks." Bolin adjusted the little strand of hair that fell over his forehead and flashed himself a dashing smile in front of the mirror. "Yeah!"


(~)


Korra and the Mane Six were in Su's study, admiring the place. Twilight, Korra and Rainbow Dash were especially impressed by a model of Zaofu standing on Su's table in the center of the room. Rarity had a sketch book in her hand, making sketches with her magic, since she was still trying to master writing with her hands. She could have practiced, but this was too important, she had to get the drawings just right. Rainbow Dash kept zooming all around the place. Admiring the city from the extravagant glass windows.

"You know, before I built this city, there was nothing here." The girls were surprised when Su came into the room. "I wanted to make my mark on the world."

"It's amazin'." said Applejack.

"Thank you for being so welcoming." said Twilight.

"And I'm sorry for how Lin's been acting." Korra said as she and the rest of the ponies sat opposite Su on one of the green couches. Rainbow Dash and Rarity sat on the arms of the couch while the rest sat with Korra. "Can I ask what happened with you two?"

"It's complicated." Su said as she began to explain. "We never had a normal childhood. Neither of us knew our fathers and Toph was always busy being Chief of Police. Because Mom grew up in such a strict house, she gave us all the freedom in the world, hoping we'd figure out our own paths."

"That sounds like a pretty good thing." said Rainbow Dash.

"And in a way it was. But we both ended up fighting for Mom's attention. Lin followed in her footsteps and became a cop. I was ... more of a rebel. Mom wasn't too happy with how either of us turned out. When I was sixteen, I left home to explore the world. I sailed the seas on a pirate ship, joined a traveling circus for a while, and lived in a sandbender commune in a desert. It took me a while, but, I finally realized what I was looking for was a family. So I bought this plot of land, found a brilliant architect who later became my husband, and created a place I could truly call home."

"It sounds like you've created the perfect life here." Korra said.

Su looked downcast. "Almost. I've always wanted Lin to be a part of it, but I gave up hope long ago of her ever coming around."

Korra and the ponies all shared sympathetic looks. It was so sad that Lin couldn't learn to appreciate having her sister in her life. Unbeknownst to them, a certain pair of teal eyes hidden in the shadows was watching.


(~)


Bolin walked out of his guesthouse, fixed his hair, checked his breath, and adjusted his shirt, ready to see Opal. But as he walked, he accidentally crashed into someone. The two fell to the ground, and the stranger ended up on top of Bolin. The earthbender was relieved to see a pair of familiar light green eyes.

"Oh, Asami. Sorry I didn't see you there."

"No it's okay, I'm the one who should be sorry. I was just… lost in thought, I guess."

"Same here…you can get off now."

"Oh! Sorry! Again."

The heiress stood up from over her friend and in return helped him back to his feet. "Thanks."

"So where were you off to?" she asked.

"I was about to ask you the same thing."

"I couldn't sleep, so I thought maybe a midnight walk would help. You?"

"I'm going to see Opal."

Asami's expression softly shifted into a subtle frown. "Opal? How come?"

"I don't know if you've noticed but, she's kind of got a thing for the Bo-Man." he said with a wink.

Asami couldn't explain why she felt a strange tug in her stomach. It felt so sickening, she thought she would throw up.

"Hey, are you okay?" Bolin asked, taking notice of her change in demeanor, "You look like you're going to puke."

"No, no I'm fine. So, you and Opal, hu?"

"Yeah, well." Bolin looked downcast and scratched the back of his neck. Asami looked at him sympathetically.

"What's wrong?"

"Well, I don't know if you've noticed but, I haven't exactly had much luck with the ladies lately."

Asami couldn't help but roll her eyes. She didn't know what was more ironic, that Bolin was willing to openly admit this, or that he believed no one else had noticed.

"But I'm really hoping to change that with this one. But just to be safe, you mind if I try some of my material on you first?"

"Material?"

"Yeah, you know, give compliments, use those clever one liners, maybe try that eyebrow thing." Bolin demonstrated the sly brow with a flirtatious smile. None of these things seemed to draw her attention at all.

"Bolin, do you really think any of this will impress her?"

"I don't know!" Bolin exclaimed, waving his arms in defeat. It was always easier for him to be open with Asami. "I don't know what girls like in a guy."

"Seriously? After spending half a year with me, Korra and six mares in their teens you still don't know what girls are like?"

"It's just that…when I find out a girl likes me I get pretty self-conscious and, I try to be all suave and cool cause I thought girls responded to that kind of stuff."

"Not always." Asami said. "I mean, have you met Flash Sentry? He was a nervous wreak when around Twilight the first time. And between you and me, I've noticed that Korra loves it when Mako acts all dorky at times. She calls it his 'adorkable' side."

Bolin laughed for he knew this all too well.

"And Bolin, you are confident, especially when you're not trying to hard. That's one of the many things I've always liked about you. Your unrestrained sense of humor and optimism."

Bolin's eyes widened a bit at this. "Really?"

"Yeah. I wish I had half the fun-loving spirit you have." as she said this, Asami lowered her gaze, her shoulders shortly following.

"No way, Asami. You're tons of fun! You're the smartest, most dedicated and loyal person I know. I'm lucky to call you my friend."

Asami could feel the blush creeping up on her cheeks. "That's really sweet, Bolin. And that's exactly the kind of attitude you should have. If you want someone to like you, don't try so hard to be what you think they want to see. Be yourself."

"You think that'll work?"

"Absolutely."

"Well, okay." an idea came to his mind, "Hey, why don't I try it with you? Okay, you pretend to be Opal and I'll be me."

Asami forced a small smile. "Sure."

Bolin took in a deep breath, shaking his hands as if he were trying to dry them off. "Be myself. Be myself. Okay." he took in a deep breath before speaking. "Hey, Opal, nice night isn't it?" he immediately slapped his forehead. "That was stupid."

"No, no come on. Try again."

"Alright….Opal, I'm…I'm not perfect. I know I'm a goof and I know I tend to sound ridiculous at times."

As he spoke, Asami looked on sadly. How could he be beating himself up like this. But her expression slowly shifted as he continued.

"But I like to make folks happy. I know I'm not that tall, though I am still pretty good-looking, but more importantly, if I ever had a girl like you, I would do everything I could think of to make you happy. I would make you laugh when you're sad, offer a shoulder to cry on whenever you feel hurt because I know you would do the same for me." however, the more Bolin spoke, he began to slowly forget he was pretending Asami was Opal. "A girl like you doesn't come around everyday, and when she does a guy should appreciate it…like I do."

As of now, Asami had completely forgotten she was pretending. A small part of her knew he was saying it to 'Opal', but it almost seemed as if he was saying it directly to her instead. Bolin felt so relieved to say exactly what was in his heart. This moment, right here, felt so right. The two stood there, smiling, their cheeks tainted red, their hearts beating. Then, Asami remembered the reality of things; he wasn't talking directly to her. The raven haired beauty lowered her gaze and slightly turned away.

"Um, that was great."

Bolin blinked, bringing himself back into reality. "Oh, right, yeah. You think so?"

"Absolutely. If you talk to her like that then she'll definitely go out with you."

"Who?"

"Opal."

"Oh! Right! Right, right Opal, Opal, yeah, of course. Opal. O--pal!" The two turned their gazes away from each other. Asami began playing with her hair while Bolin pulled on his neck collar. "So! I'll just go then. Thanks for everything."

"Anytime."

Bolin waved goodbye to his friend as he walked away, leaving Asami alone. She felt so strange, almost like she was in a half-dream-like state of some kind. Her heart was racing, her cheeks were burning red and her palms were uneasy. She decided she was just tired and was imagining things so she retired to her guesthouse…only to be stopped by a tall dark haired young man.

"AH! Mako what is the matter with you!? You almost gave me a heart attack!"

The firebender stood right in front of her with his arms crossed. "What was that?"

"What was what?"

"That. You and Bolin just now."

Asami's eyes widened. "Nothing. He was just asking for some advice on how to win Opal and I helped. That's it."

Mako arched an eyebrow. He knew there was something off here. Asami didn't entirely look like herself here. Her cheeks were red, her eyes kept shifting from one place to another, as if she couldn't bare to look him in the eye, and her expression was as if she were confused and angry for some reason. Like there was something going on with her that even she herself didn't understand, and that itself ticked her off. Being the detective that he was, and given his own personal experiences, he got the answer right away. Mako gasped in complete shock.

"Shrink me down and call me a Breezie! You like Bolin!"

Asami quickly covered his mouth with her hands. "What is wrong with you?! You want the whole city to hear?"

Once she removed her hands, Mako smiled. "I can't believe this. You like my brother." his smile then changed from happy to, somewhat surprised and confused. "My little brother with my ex-girlfriend? Weird. Yet, strangely makes sense."

"Are you insane? Bolin and I are just friends."

"And there's no way you would like him, blah, blah, blah, I've sung that song before, honey."

Asami chuckled at the idea. "This is crazy. What makes you think I like your brother in that way?"

"Well, for starters, your cheeks are flustered."

"It's dark, how can you tell?"

"Your covering your hands by crossing your arms."

"I feel cold."

"You won't look me directly in the eye."

"What's your point, mister know-it-all?"

"And you're uncharacteristically irritable."

Asami groaned in frustration and stormed off without a word, walking towards her guesthouse.

"Storming off without a word; a sure sign of denial."

"Shut up!"

The heiress angrily slammed the door once she entered. Mako was completely unfazed by her reaction. He had been in her exact same position once before with Korra. This was a sure sign of true love blossoming. He chuckled happily to himself.

"Wow. Asami and Bolin." his smile then changed into a frown, "…and Opal…oh boy."


(~)


Korra and the Mane Six all shared a guesthouse. Korra had managed to conjure up each of them a lovely bed. Conjuring things turned out to be a special power Korra had, though she was still practicing it and not everything she conjured up was either exactly what she wanted or lasted for very long. She did however manage to get the beds though. Whenever ponies went to sleep or slipped into any form of unconsciousness, their bodies automatically shifted from anthro back into pony form. Rarity had on a green mud-mask with her mane rolled up as well as her tail. Rainbow Dash arched and eyebrow as she looked at Rarity's reflection in the mirror.

"Don't look now, but dinner just exploded on your face."

"Its a night mask made from cucumbers."

"Pretty." the pegasus said sarcastically.

"It rejuvenates the skin, and won't clog your pours."

"Whatever."

Pinkie Pie jumped on her bed, continuously, simply having fun on her soft new bed. Twilight was reading a book on her bed, which was only an extra bed away from Pinkie's. The happy pony continued to jump up and down, disrupting Twilight's concentration. She tried to ignore her but to no avail, and now Pinkie was jumping, by suddenly making rending objects appear every time she was suspended in mid air.

Once she played a tuba. Then an accordion. Then she blew bubbles. Then she played a harmonica. Then she briefly played some drums.

Twilight's patience finally hit its limit and she blew a gasket. "Pinkie!!"

"What?"

"What are you doing?"

"Why do I do anything?" she said, right before blowing again on the tuba. Twilight just groaned and gave up. Right then, Korra walked out of the bathroom fully dressed, her hair still wet from the shower. She didn't say a word ever since they spoke with Su. The ponies all looked at her sympathetically. Korra simply sat on her bed and Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy landed beside her.

"Still thinking about what Su said?" Rainbow asked.

"It's just so sad. I know Lin wasn't always the 'in touch with her feelings' kind of person but, the way she treats her own sister, it's just---"

"We know." Fluttershy added. "But even if we did try and figure out why she's acting like this, she won't talk to us."

"I know."

Then, Fluttershy's ears perked up as an idea came to her. "But what if she heard it from someone else in her family. Like say, her nephews?"

Korra's eyes widened and a smile formed on her face. "Or niece! Maybe Opal can get through to her. Once she sees how much her sweet and innocent niece wants her to be a part of the family, she'll lighten up a little."

"You really think that'll work?" asked Applejack, uncertain if Lin would cooperate no matter what they did.

"It's worth a try. Not a bad idea, Fluttershy."

The pegasus blushed and smiled.


(~)


Underneath a pavilion, Opal was training her airbending, completely focused. From a certain distance, Bolin watched her train. He took in a deep breath and remembered Asami's advice to be himself. But once he approached, he got nervous. What if she didn't like the real him? What if this would be yet another failure. Sure he could have been himself but that mainly worked better with Asami. He'd known her for almost a year now and it was easy, but Opal was new. The unknown outcome worried him, he was determined not to fail this time. So he decided to go with his previous approach.

Opal was interrupted when Bolin walked up to her, speaking flirtatiously. "Hey, lady. Wow, you really blowin' me away with your airbending." he started making wind sounds with his mouth, pretending to airbend. "Ahhh, woo-woosh, psst."

Opal arched an eyebrow at this. "Why are you acting weird?"

"Why are you acting weird?" he said in the same flirtatious manner.

"I don't like how you're talking to me." Opal turned and walked off. Bolin realized he should have listened to Asami and chases after Opal.

"Look, I'm sorry. I just get really self-conscious when I know when a girl likes me, and I-I end up looking stupid."

"Who said I liked you?" Opal said with a smile.

"Oh no. But I though ... Mako said-"

"Just kidding. But, do me a favor and stop trying. Look, don't stop trying. Just stop trying so much. Just be yourself."

Bolin was surprised. Asami was right all along. If he could be himself around her then he could be himself around Opal too. "Huh. Be myself. Yeah, I guess I can give that a shot."

Both teenagers stood there, smiling at each other romantically. Things seemed to finally be working out for Bolin; a pretty girl finally likes him fro who he was. This moment right here was perfect, but for some reason, a small tiny little part felt a bit off. Maybe it was because they had only just met and they needed more time together for it to feel more like a real romantic relationship, he believed. But right now, he could feel the feelings growing. His stomach filled with butterflies. But their moment was soon interrupted when Korra and a now anthro Fluttershy stood before them. The Avatar cleared her throat to make her presence known.

"Oh, hey Korra. Fluttershy." Opal greeted.

Fluttershy waved hello. "We're sorry to interrupt but, do you think we can steer you away from Bolin for a minute?"

"We need your help with something." Korra said.

"Okay, sure."

Opal walked off with her friends, bidding farewell to Bolin on the way. As Bolin watched them leave, he felt pretty good with himself right now. But he still couldn't understand why he felt something was off. He felt the moment was exactly as he dreamed of; he and the girl looking at one another romantically under the moonlight, feeling the classic butterflies. Then again, that also happened with Korra, and then it was with Eska and then Ginger. But with Opal this was different…but just how different?


(~)


Scootaloo moved the staff in swift motions, creating a powerful wind that blew away nearly all of the leaves of a nearby bush. Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle clapped for her.

"Way to go, Scootalo!" said Apple Bloom.

"Your airbending is getting better every day." said Sweetie Belle.

"Hey! Maybe I can get my cutie mark at airbending?"

"Alright!" the three ponies high fived one another in victory. Then, they noticed a familiar looking newcomer walk pass them and into the temple, completely unaware of their presence. Apple Bloom took the lead.

"Now's our chance. Follow me."

The Crusaders all silently followed the man into the temple. They followed him as he walked down the halls, hiding behind every vase they could find. They saw him make his way into Tenzin's study, leaving the door wide open. Another door opened, revealing herself to be Ikki, already in her pajamas.

"What are you guys doing?"

Sweetie Belle placed her index finger over her lips to shush the child as they followed Yurro into Tenzin's study and peaked in by the entrance. His back was turned towards them as he was looking at a small shrine of an Air Nomad and took an amulet from the shelf, with a sculpting of a man apparently meditating and floating in mid air. He opened the amulet and began to read the inside inscription.

"Let go your earthly tether. Enter the void. Empty and become wind."

The way he spoke sounded very omnibus. It was at that moment, the four decided to confront the man. Well not confront him on that they were suspicious of him, but rather as to why he was there.

"What are you doing here?" Apple Bloom asked first.

"No one's allowed in Daddy's study except Daddy." Ikki said.

"What were you reading?" asked Sweetie Belle, suspiciously. Yurro kneeled down to thsier level, showing them the amulet and inscription.

"A poem by Guru Laghima, the wisest airbender who ever lived."

"You sure seem to know a lot about airbending culture for someone who just became an airbender." Scootaloo said, looking at him suspiciously.

"I've always admired the culture." Yurro responded calmly.

"So I'm guessing you getting these powers was a dream come true?" Sweetie Belle asked, equally suspicious.

"You could say that." Yurro said with a smile. However, he could tell that these three ponies were a bit too smart for their own good.

"Girls, what are you doing here?" The four turned around to see Kya standing by the doorframe.

"Kya!"

"You three should be in bed. You took Ikki. C'mon."

The young girl waved goodbye to the man. "Night."

"Good night."

The Cutie Mark Crusaders looked at Yurro one last time before leaving the room. Kya stood by the door, crossing her arms, eyeing the man before her. "So, from what I hear you're a big fan of air nomad culture, huh?"

"It's always been kind of a guilty pleasure of mine."

"And you moved through those gates like a natural. Where did you say you were from?"

"A small village up north. You've probably never heard of it."

The two adults remained there, looking at one another. All of a sudden, Kya began to see something familiar in this man's appearance. She began to imagine him with long silvery hair and beard. Finally, her memory found a match.

"Wait. Zaheer!"

The woman quickly bended the water from the fountain and directed it at Yurro, who in fact turned out to be Zaheer all along. The man blasted off the water with his airbending and Kya bended the water around her and shot ice projectiles at him. Zaheer took a staff and smashed the ice projectiles that came at him. He leaped out onto the window and opened the staff, preparing to escape. Kya leaped out with water tendrils on either arm. The Crusaders came running after hearing the commotion, and saw Kya fighting off Zaheer.

"Kya!

"Girls! Go get help!"

The ponies all ran as fast as they could to sea the White Lotus Sentries while Kya continued to fight Zaheer. Kya caught Zaheer with her tendrils, leaping down before slamming him to the fountain. She prepared to freeze him, though Zaheer managed to dodge the attack in the nick of time, having only his leg frozen, which he easily broke through.

The Crusaders found the Sentries in the courtyard. "Kya's in trouble!" Sweetie Belle exclaimed, "She needs help!" the sentries quickly ran and followed the ponies to where the action was being held.

Kya bended the water into a wave and rode toward him, directing all the water to Zaheer, but he shielded himself with airbending and blew her off. She laid on the ground, semi unconscious. Zaheer prepared to grab his staff, but was blocked by a fire blast.

"Hold it right there!"

The two sentries directed fire blasts at Zaheer, which he nimbly dodged. He then pulled the staff with airbending, using it to block another blast before throwing a blast of air to slam the sentries, and the Crusaders, against the roof of a pavilion. Kya, who had regained consciousness, bended the water to surround herself, before directing a strong blast toward Zaheer. He dodged the blast and send a large air blast to Kya, slamming her against the wall, knocking her out.

"Sorry, I won't be joining you at the Northern Air Temple. I'm afraid I have other plans." Zaheer opened his staff and flew off. The Crusaders got up and helped Kya to her feet. Sweetie Belle was the most concerned for her waterbending teacher.

"Kya, are you okay?"

The woman rubbed her head as she sat up. "I will be."

"Who was that guy?" Scootalo asked as she watched Zaheer fly off into the distance, disappearing from view.

"That guy was Zaheer. One of the criminals after Korra."


(~)


Back in Zaofu, Lin was in her undershirt, reading a newspaper article, when she heard a knock at the door. She lowered the paper, wearing a scowl.

"Who is it?"

Both Korra and Fluttershy opened the door a creak and half entered her home. "Hey, it's me and Fluttershy. We brought someone who wants to talk to you."

The girls opened the door completely, revealing a shy looking Opal who entered the house. Lin placed the newspaper down and sat back on her chair, crossing her arms, not even looking at her niece.

"You want to talk? Then talk."

Opal clapped her hands over her heart and Fluttershy placed a hand on her shoulder. "Go ahead."

With a bit more confidence, Opal walked over to her aunt. "I'm sorry being here has been so hard for you. When you showed up, I was so excited to get to know you. I heard so many great things about you from Mom and Grandma Toph. So, I guess I was kinda sad you didn't want to know me. Believe me, I know my family can be a little crazy and overwhelming sometimes. But I would love it so much if you would be a part of it."

Lin was silent for a few seconds before saying; "Get out."

Opal backed away in shock, "Sorry, did I say something wrong?"

Lin responded once again, this time seething with anger. "Get out!"

Opal felt her heart shatter. The aunt she had longed dreamed of meeting didn't want anything to do with her. The sting of rejection was too much that tears formed in her eyes rather quickly. The young girl ran out the door. Seeing such a sweet innocent girl so emotionally hurt ignited the fire within a certain pegasus pony. Korra looked on with worry at seeing Fluttershy's fist clenching in anger.

"How dare you…" she then turned around to face the chief, "How dare you! Don't get mad at Opal, it was my idea to bring her here to talk to you. I thought maybe she could help you snap out of whatever funk you're in. But I guess I was wrong."

Lin stood up from her chair and snapped at the pony. "Why don't you stick to fixing a bear's broken paw, and stop trying to fix my family?!"

"How can you se so--"

"Fluttershy! It's no use." Korra said, placing a hand on her pony friend's shoulder. She turned to Lin with a disapproving look in her eyes. "Su was right about you. You're never going to change. You're always gonna be a bitter, lonely woman."

With that, the girls stormed out of the room, slamming the door as they left. Lin was now left all alone. She placed her hand on her face, as a tear ran down her cheek. What Korra said did sting her heart more so than she would admit. But what was even more painful…was that she was right.

As she watched Korra and Fluttershy walk back to their guesthouse, Princess Luna watched them from on top of a roof.


(~)