Twilight stared up at the Great Dragon, her eyes wide as she was once again reminded of just how massive he was. Sure, she'd seen him quite a few times, but for some reason he always seemed smaller in her memory. She'd finally finished telling him what she had been doing since they'd last met.
“You've developed well, Avatar,” the dragon said slowly. “Finding both teachers and the bearers of the elements could not have been easy. In such a short amount of time, no less.”
She nodded slowly. “It was very difficult. Did... you know about the elements? Do you know how they work? How we can--” She was silenced as he raised a claw.
“No, I am afraid I do not. The elements are the tools of the avatar. I know little of them aside from what you have told me. If you wish to understand them, you'll need to figure them out on your own.”
The alicorn sighed, but gave a slow nod. “I see.” She smiled up at him. “The dragons. Can they be... brought back to the numbers they once had? I mean--”
“Yes. Dragons live for a long, long time,” he said slowly. “Our lives have always been tied with those of the fire benders. So long as your kind are willing to aid us, ours will always watch over you. Together, one day the skies will be filled with the flapping wings of dragons once more.”
“Do you think we can win this? Do you think we can still stop Discord's return? I mean, I failed when--”
“You failed to defeat the nation in one powerful sweep. But you've sent it toppling on its foundations. The Water Nation is on the verge of collapse, because of the things you have done.” He reached out and put a claw over her head to give a gentle pat. “Do not worry about what you can do alone. You are the Avatar. You connect all ponies from all the countries. What you can do together far exceeds what you can do alone. In the end, you've touched thousands, even millions of lives with your actions, all of whom are supporting you in their own way. You will not fail, because you are not alone.”
The alicorn gave a small nod and smile. “Thanks. I ummm, I'll be back soon. We're going to... bring the dragons here.” She let out a soft sigh. “Imagine. Soon there will be fire benders and dragons walking through Manehatten again. Just like it was a hundred years ago.”
The dragon nodded. “Indeed. You have come far since you first awakened. Your journey is almost at an end, just a little further and your mission will be complete. I wish you safety on your trip and await your return.”
“Thank you. And thanks for agreeing to stay and watch over thinks while we're gone. It means a lot to the ponies, having you here.” Twilight gave a nod before turning and walking towards the air ships. She spread her wings and took to the air, flying towards the one in the front. Her friends were already on it, waiting for her. It was true, their journey was almost at an end. Through hard work and never giving up, they'd done it. She could finally see a world where they'd succeed.
------
Rarity frowned and looked up from her hammock. Her room didn't have a door so she could tell whenever a pony walked by it. None of them seemed to be acting suspicious, but she couldn't shake the feeling that something was off. She swore somepony had followed her onto the ship, though she hadn't seen anypony who shouldn't have been.
“You okay?” Rainbow asked from her hammock across the room.
“Huh? Yeah. Just a... bit on edge.” She leaned back and let the gentle lull of her hammock rock away the stress. “Do you ever get the feeling you're being watched?”
“Are you kidding? You can't be this awesome without always being watched. If I worried about who was watching me I'd never be able to get anything done.”
The unicorn rolled her eyes. “Never mind. I see my questions are lost on you.”
The pegasus sat up and looked over. “Wait, are you serious? You think somepony is stalking you or something?” She snickered. “Trust me, I don't think you've got any fans like that yet.”
“I'm not worried about fans. I'm anxious about somepony trying to end me in the middle of the night,” she snapped angrily.
The made Rainbow frown. “Oh. THAT kind of being watched. Why didn't you say so?”
“I did. You were just too caught up in your own ego to grasp the implications.”
The pegasus scowled. “Hey, I'm trying to help. Listen, if you think somepony is out to get you, just let us know. Trust me, we aren't going to let anypony take you down. That's our job.” She glanced down to the hammock under hers, where Fluttershy was sleeping peacefully. “Angel could probably help keep you safe too, if you're scared. Maybe Fluttershy will lend him to you.”
Rarity rolled so her back was to the pegasus. “Don't know why I even try talking to you.” She glanced up as another soldier walked by the door, before shaking her head and jumping off the hammock. “I'm going up above, just... do whatever it is you do.”
“I'll be here, being awesome,” Rainbow called out. “But hey, if you're in trouble, just call for help. We'll be there, you know.”
------
Applejack stood on the bow and stared out over the sea of sand before them. She felt it burning deep within, a smoldering sphere of anger and hatred gnawing at her from the inside. The Water Nation had gone too far this time.
It was one thing to steal her sister and parents away from her. She could never forgive that, but at least she could understand it. War made enemies of all on the other side. But this? Sending in a fake pony to pretend to be her sister was beyond wicked. Beyond sick. It was unforgivable. To imagine her own brother and granny would fall for such a deceit. She couldn't wait to find this pony and wrap her hooves around her throat. Toying with her family like that made her angrier than she'd ever been before.
She stomped a hoof down again, denting the boards. She'd been so excited, at first. Big Mac said her sister was alive, that she'd escaped the slaughter of her family. But the rest of the story was just too... convenient. Raised by the Water Nation? Friends with a member of the royal family? Even if she was an earth bender, that didn't mean anything. Obviously this 'Flowerbloom' was one of the earth benders who submitted to the Water Nation's rule. She'd probably found out that Applejack was working with the avatar and found out her history. Heck, she probably worked with Flim and Flam. This seemed like the kind of trick those two would pull off.
Applejack shook her head and started pacing. It would take a while to get there and she wasn't sure she could keep her anger and rage contained that long. She was already tempted to try and bury this pony under the sands, the only thing really stopping her was the idea that the mare was an earth bender and it wouldn't be enough.
Toying with her emotions like that, she'd never forgive them. “Applejack? Are you okay?” The voice drew her attention and she glanced back to Rarity.
“What? Ah'm fine. What brings you up here?”
“I just wanted some fresh air. Being confined was... making me jumpy.” The unicorn walked to the bow and looked out over the sand. “You look upset.”
The earth pony shook her head. “It ain't nothin' big. Just thinkin' and... hey. Yah know all about the Water Nation. Tah win, how low would they sink?”
“Huh?”
“Ah mean like... spyin' an' stuff. How badly do they... how much would they... well...”
The princess shook her head. “It really depends. Some members of the military would do anything in order to win. Spies were common practice, though I believe all the nations used them. Why?”
The mare sighed and shook her head. “Nothin'. Just... helpin' me with some suspicions. I'm goin' to go get somethin' tah eat.” She turned and trotted off. Of course, she knew it. Had to be a spy. The Water Nation was more than cruel and sick enough to do it. She would not let them trifle with her like that. She would break them into pieces. Them and their little spy.
Rarity watched the angry mare walk off, confusion etched on her face. Something obviously had the earth bender upset, though she couldn't imagine what. She turned back out over the ship and stared, shaking her head. It was pretty peaceful here, relaxing. Even if her plans hadn't worked the way she'd intended, she was happy they'd managed to succeed. She'd even see her aunt soon and--
She whipped around suddenly and glared. There were ponies working on the deck, but none of them seemed to be watching her. They just seemed to be working. But she was certain somepony was watching her. The sound of the door leading to below decks closing made her ears twitch and she took off, in pursuit of whoever closed it.
She opened the door and slammed face first into Twilight, sending them both clattering to the ground. “O-ow... what... what was that for?” the alicorn asked with a groan. “I-I wasn't... s-supposed to redirect that... was I?”
“N-no, chasing... chasing a pony,” Rarity said as she shook her head. “Did... did you see a pony run through here? A-A second ago?”
Twilight gave a slow nod. “Well... yes. One of the soldiers. He was wearing a helmet and-- Rarity! Wait! Where are you going?”
The princess ran down the hall, her eyes narrowed into little slits. Of course, it was a soldier. No wonder she couldn't catch them in the act, they blended in too much. But why else would a pony go running down the halls of the ship unless they were trying to avoid being caught? Well, aside from the dozens of other reasons and...
She slowed down and stopped. “Okay, you're just being crazy now. Jumping at shadows, toppling over Twilight. Need to take a deep, calm breath and relax.” She took a deep breath as she put a hoof over her chest. “Calm, relaxed. That's what you need to be. Unbreakable, unshakeable.” She exhaled and pushed her hoof out. “Nopony is chasing you. Nopony is trying to kill you. You're just being paranoid. You're just--” She froze and then whipped around. Peeking out through one of the doors she'd run by was a soldier wearing a face covering helmet. She growled and ran at them. “I knew I wasn't crazy!”
The soldier in question yelped and slammed the door shut, but a quick buck made it open. She then stepped into the room, moving to block the pony as he tried to get by her. “Okay, that's it! Who are you? Why are you following me? If you're going to attempt to assassinate me, well, you aren't going to get a better chance than now.”
“I... I don't want to a-assassinate you,” the pony said, his voice hoarse and weak.
“Then why are you following me? I know you have been.”
“I... I wanted to make sure it was you. I thought... I...”
“You thought what? Who are you?”
“I... I am R-Righteous Knight. I work for... Mare Do Well. I--”
“Who? Nevermind. I don't care, I want to know who you are!” Her horn glowed and a tendril of water whipped out from one of the water skins she carried, smacking against the helmet and sending it flying off. It bounced off the ground for a few seconds as she starred. “I... I... oh...”
“Yeah...”
“I, I'm so sorry. I understand what... what my country has done to you was—”
“W-what?”
She took a deep breath and sighed. The stallion had a dirty brown coat with red streaks, those caused by the scars that radiated out from his head. He had a horn stump, though it had not been removed gently. His face was horribly scarred, with long lines where the magic had erupted. The explosion hadn't stopped there, curved lines of released magic having swirled to create scars all the way down his body. It was a horrifying sight and she could barely look at him. “For what my country has done to you. But please, you must believe me. The de-horning is something I've never approved of and if given the choice I--” She was cut off as the stallion pushed forward. She raised the water to defend herself, but he didn't strike.
His hooves moved to her shoulders and he stared into her eyes. Even though they glowed with a red light, likely an effect of the magic release, they stirred something within her. She gasped as realization dawned on her.
“Blue... Blueblood?”
He gave a small smile before hugging her. The water splashed on the ground as she nearly joined it, the only thing holding her up was his embrace. “You're... you're alive. How? I mean, m-my sister said... you should be...” She looked him over again. The scars told a hundred stories. “You should be dead...”
“I nearly was,” he croaked, before coughing. “S-sorry. H-hard to... hard to speak s-sometimes.”
“Why... why didn't you tell me? Why did you...” She slowly wrapped her hooves around him. “I am so sorry. I never... ever wanted you to get hurt. I thought... I just... I didn't know this would happen. If I had, I would have driven you away long ago and... how did you survive?”
“Coco. She found me and... well, what remained of me. Helped me. They left me for dead after cutting off my horn, I was little more than a corpse. I joined the resistance. Helped the fire benders as best I could.”
Rarity nodded and slowly removed herself from him. She looked him up and down again and sighed. “Does it hurt? Can you move?”
“Only the occasional twinge.” He started coughing again, this time into his hoof. “Talking can be... difficult. But I can walk, run, fight. Whatever I still need to do. Coco usually does the talking.”
“Coco?” Rarity asked, before gasping. “You mean that mare we ended up hiring? She's been with you all this time? Why didn't she say something back at Manehatten? Why didn't you?”
“I asked her not to. I... I didn't want you to... to see me like this,” he croaked. “I just... wanted to see you.”
She took a deep breath. “Well... you were wrong. You should have seen me immediately. I don't care about... this.” She motioned over him. “I just care about you. You're my friend and... I can't tell you how much the thought of you being dead has haunted me. How much I...” She chewed on her lip. “I'm... I'm so sorry. I never wanted this to happen. I never thought my sister would, that she could... I'm so sorry.”
He chuckled and lifted a hoof up to touch the remainder of his horn. “This? It's... well, no. I hate it. I'd give up almost anything to have it back. But I can't, there is no getting it back. Once you lose your bending... well, it's gone forever. But I could have lost more. I could have died, you could have died. Things could have... I am thankful for what I still have.”
She blushed and gave a small nod, reaching out and taking his hoof in hers. “I... I'm helping the avatar now. It appears I am something called an element. It means I'm one of her friends and I'll end up being a source of great power for her, once I figure out how it really works. So... I... I'm sorry I always fought so much. You were right, there was no need for me to oppose her and... I'm sorry I hid so much from you.”
He nodded before reaching over and stroking her mane. “I understand and I know. I... know you'll be the right princess for the Water Nation. The kind, generous, loving one that nation has needed for so long.” He pulled away suddenly and broke into another coughing fit, hacking up some flem on his hoof.
“Are you okay? Are you hurt? Is it... is it getting worse?”
“No, just, I'm fine,” Blueblood said with a shake of his head. “Please... don't tell the avatar about me. When last we met, we were enemies. I don't want her being worried that I'll attack her from behind or something. Once we arrive I'll disappear into the masses and--”
“Oh no you don't,” Rarity said harshly. “If I can get forgiven for what I did, whatever you did can't be that bad.”
“I shot her full of electricity.”
“Oh, well, I've done worse tha--”
“I also betrayed the hiding place of the fire benders to your sister.”
“Oh... that might be a bit...” She sighed. “I'm sure she'd forgive you. She is very forgiving. But, if she doesn't well... I don't know. I'll think of something. I promise.” She reached out and pulled him into another tight hug. “I promise. Okay?”
The stallion sighed and hugged her back. “Are you sure? Don't you think it would be better and easier for everypony if I just disappeared? Then I--”
“You told me once, you were never going to give up on me,” she said gently. “Even though you knew I was a princess of the Water Nation. You risked your life for me. You were hurt for me. I don't care what you've done in the past or what you look like. You're still a dear friend.”
He cringed a little. “Ouch... think that hurt worse than the horn.”
“What? Oh!” She let him go. “Sorry, did I hug too tightly?”
“No. Just... nothing.” The stallion smiled at her.
“Okay. Though, there is one thing I'd like to know more about.” She motioned to him. “Your coat, it used to be a glorious white. Now it's all... so...”
“Ah, well. When you work in the desert as much as I have, water becomes quite precious. Things like baths can be few, far between and quite rushed. I'm not an earth bender either, so I can't just push the sand off once it gets really seeped in there. To be honest it used to horrify me, but like so many other things I've adapted.” He paused. “Rarity? Are you okay?”
She let out a soft whimper. “P-please don't take this the wrong way, but... errr...” She looked down at herself and shivered. “I... I really need a bath.”
He stared at her for a few moments before lifting one of his hooves and looking at it. He slowly lowered it and gave an exasperated sigh. “Yeah... I'd react the same way. I don't think there's enough water to have a full bath.”
“I... I know,” she said pathetically, before taking a deep breath. “But, I have enough to use with some wash rags and I can clean it off that way, easily.” She then looked him over. “That's... really all dirt?”
“Well, a lot of it. The... everything did darken my coat though. I'm nowhere near as white coated as you are anymore.” He gave a small smile and looked her over. “I'd actually forgotten how beautiful you looked. How radiant and...” He shook his head. “I... I'm sorry.”
She took a deep breath before smiling at him. He was filthy. Scarred. Hornless. Damaged beyond belief. But he was alive. Not that long ago that was all she would have wished for. And for once, she was going to be happy for what she got. She leaned in and gave him a kiss on the lips.
He stared, his eyes widening. “You... you just... I thought...”
“Don't get too excited. I'm not... promising anything.” She turned away and took a deep breath. “I still have a lot to do, I have to work with the Avatar to stop my mother, after all. I don't even know if I'll make it out of this alive. But... if I do.” She took a slow, steady breath. “I... wouldn't object to your presence. I imagine my aunt will be the one on the throne, as well. I know she would welcome your company. So... who knows? Once this is all over and the world is a better place, we can see where we go from there. Okay?”
He nodded and gave a slow nod. “I... would like that, your highness.”
She nodded. “Good. Now, I'm going to go clean up. You might wish to try as well. Then we're going to go introduce you to the avatar.”
“She might try to throw me off the air ship,” he mumbled softly.
“If she does, she'll do it over my body,” Rarity snapped, grinding a hoof into the ground. “I've thought about you being dead for far too long to let you keel over now. You're staying with our group, where you'll be safe.”
The stallion chuckled, making her pause.
“Oh. Right. I guess we're not exactly... safe. Well... we're safer than...”
“Than being mixed in with the rest of the forces that aren't drawing the vast majority of the Water Nation's ire?” He broke into a coughing fit after that mouthful.
“Fine, so I haven't thought this through completely. That doesn't mean--”
“For now, there is no need.” He reached out and put a hoof on her shoulder to stifle her objections. “There is enough on all of your shoulders without worrying about me. I will be here after you win, I promise. Until then...” He picked up his helmet and slid it on over his head. “Righteous Knight will do what he can to aid you from the side lines.” He coughed into his hoof again. “I promise. When this is over, I'll find you. Okay?”
Rarity sighed and poked the ground a few times, before nodding. “Fine.” She reached out and gave him a hug. “But you better not try to run, or hide. I will find you. I found the avatar in under a day after she'd been missing for a hundred years. I'll find you in a week.”
Blueblood gave a little chuckle before nodding. “Of course. Don't worry, once this is over and there is no longer a need for the knights, I'll find you. I've given my word.”
She sighed and gave a little nod. Even if she couldn't tell the others yet, she couldn't deny that a great weight had been lifted from her shoulders. Blueblood was alive.
He nodded and headed towards the day. “Goodbye. I will... try to talk with you more often and not hide this time. I promise. Don't worry, this war is almost over.” He opened the door.
“Hey Blueblood, nice armor,” Pinkie said as she hopped by.
Blueblood stared down the hall at the mare, before turning to Rarity. “How...”
“Pinkie being Pinkie. Just... don't question it. Don't worry. It's fine. I think.” Rarity shook her head. “Just go before I change my mind. We better... see each other later.”
“Of course, your highness.” He stepped out and closed the door behind himself.
Rarity sat down and took a deep breath. He was alive. She couldn't believe it. The whole nopony was planning to assassinate her thing was nice too, but Blueblood was alive. She was going to have to find Coco and thank her immensely later. For now though, she had to focus. Stopping her mother was the most important thing. It had to be.
------
Twilight hummed as she looked out over the sea of sand. So far this trip was turning out to be really nice and relaxing. No stress, no big reveals, just a nice relaxing trip through the desert. They were even going to practice on their elements a bit later. It was kind of nice. It was so rare they got to have a trip that was completely drama free. One where they could all just relax. She took a deep, calming breath. Yup, absolutely nothing for them to worry about or stress about at all.