The ground opened deep within the city of Manehatten as the Avatar and her friends popped out. Twilight gasped for air as she rolled onto the ground, her coat covered in sweat. “W-we... we did it... y-yay...” she mumbled.
“N-next time, d-don't... don't l-light the small tunnel w-with fire bending...” Rainbow said with a groan. “I-I feel like we've been w-walking through an oven.”
“I-it's worked before,” Twilight objected.
“Normally we can make air holes,” Applejack said before getting to her hooves, only to fall over. “Too many ponies around here, couldn't do it. Not tah mention keepin' the sand from cavin' in was a pain as it was.”
“R-right, sorry,” Twilight mumbled before looking around. They were inside a small, grimy alley. The air smelled a little bad, but compared to the sweltering tunnel they had been in, it was heavenly. She got to her hooves and pulled her cloak close. “Well, we're inside now at least. Just need to catch our breath and get moving. I'll look outside,” she said before trotting towards the exit of the alley. The streets were packed to the rim with ponies and most seemed to be yelling.
“No, I will not be happy with a free muffin!” a mare was screaming at a pegasus, before slamming her muffin down on the cart stand. It crumbled to pieces. “You're incompetent, a complete idiot, you wandering-eyed freak! I said NO NUTS! What is this? It's a NUT! What kind of stupid, lazy, incompetent, useless fool of a pony are you if you can't even see NUTS on your muffins?”
“I-I'm sorry, I was just--”
“You were just what? Trying to poison me! I don't LIKE NUTS! The buck is wrong with you!”
“H-here, here's your bits back, I--”
The mare just knocked the bits out of her hand. “I don't want my bits back, I want what I ordered!”
“B-but that was my last--”
“I don't care. What the buck is wrong with you? How can you even think of starting a business when you're too bucking stupid to see what a bucking nut looks like? What, are you blind as well as stupid? You know what I want, I want you to tie off your stupid wings and jump off--”
Twilight's eyes went wide as she held a hoof to her mouth. That wasn't even the only pony yelling and berating like that. The street and stands were filled with ponies yelling and screaming at each other. It was just the only one where the tender didn't seem to be arguing back. She saw one pony accidentally bump into another and within a few moments the two were breaking into a hoof fight. She slowly slunk back into the alley and trotted to the others. “Okay, let's move quick. The ponies here are definitely under the influence of something nasty.” She gave a soft sigh. “When we find Pinkie, we're going to have to be very, very careful.”
“Ah don't mean tah be a damper or anything, but do yah think we're gonna be okay? Ah mean... this is Pinkie we're talkin' about,” Applejack said nervously. “There's no tellin' what kind of world she's gone an' made in her head.”
“It can't be any stranger than the one Discord has been making,” Sweetie mumbled. There were a few moments of hushed silence. “It can't, can it?”
Twilight sighed. “Well... she's always been a bit... off. I mean, talking about weird things and... well... scripts and all kinds of things. But... I guess nothing really weird. I don't think she sees things.”
“But she's still our friend,” Rainbow said firmly. “She'd march through Tartarus for any of us.”
“Exactly,” the alicorn said with a nod. “So no matter what kind of weird, crazy and wild world she's stuck in, we'll face it down and rescue her. That's all there is to it. We'll just have to be extra careful.”
“We'd best go an' start lookin' then, right?” Flowerbloom asked as she tried to tug away from her big sister's hug. “Yah know, it's been quite a while now. Yah can let me go once in a while!”
“Ah could, but why would ah?” Applejack said with a grin before giving one more squeeze and letting her go.
Twilight nodded and glanced towards the street. “Let's split up. There's no telling how many soldiers are out here, or who else is with them. Nightmare Moon was here, so there could be anypony.” She frowned and rubbed her chin. “Meet up near the southern dragon statue.”
“What if we run inta trouble?” Applejack asked warily.
“Go underground. We'll make three groups of...” Her words trailed off as she looked over her friends and counted them twice more. The color drained from her face. “Where's Spike?”
The ponies quickly looked back and forth, but there was no sign of the dragon. The alicorn tried to hold in her panic. “Did, did anypony see him? He did come through the tunnel with us, didn't he? Somepony had to see him, right?”
The ponies shuffled their hooves and looked around nervously. Twilight sat down. “I... I can't believe this. I've lost him again. How could I let him walk off like that? I promised I wouldn't. He could be anywhere. He's probably outside the city right now, alone and afraid. He might even--”
“Now you jus' relax right there,” Flowerbloom said with a shake of her head. “Ah know he's young, but he ain't helpless. He's gone this long by your side, ah think he knows how tah take care of himself at this point. Ah'm sure if he ran off, he had a good reason tah. We can search for him while we search for Pinkie's statue, too. He's fine.”
Sweetie nodded. “He seems pretty good at... well... I mean, Rarity found him before. There are a bunch of dragons around the city, right? Maybe he just went to them. So he won't draw too much attention. I'm sure that's it. If we don't see him around the city, we can try to find him with the other dragons once we rescue Pinkie.”
Twilight nodded, though the panic still raged within her. “F-fine. Okay. We'll split into three groups, one earth bender each. If anything happens, go underground. If you see Spike, I don't care what you have to do, grab him. Make sure he's okay. We'll meet back at the statue in two hours, okay?”
There were a few mumbled agreeances and the ponies soon split up. Angel, Applejack, Fluttershy and Rainbow in one group, Twilight in the second and the princess and her friends in the third. They had objected to Twilight being alone, but she promised not to risk anything. As the only omni-bender, she was best at getting out where the others might have issues. She was also the one most likely to draw attention. They grudgingly agreed.
Twilight headed out from the alley and started walking at a quick pace towards the east side of the city, dodging and weaving around carts and ponies. She could hardly believe how rude the ponies were, cutting her off, bumping into her, threatening to run her over with a cart once even. She was half tempted to punch one pony out when they bumped her so hard she spun in a circle. Unfortunately, she couldn't make a scene and risk capture. She'd never seen ponies acting so rude before.
She made it a few blocks away before a pony was literally thrown at her from one of the buildings. She let out a yelp as the drunk pony toppled her over. “G-get off!” she yelled.
The earth pony just glared at her, his head swaying from side to side. His coat was light gray and his mane was dark gray. His mane was wild and he smelled strongly of cider. “D-do you have any idea who ah am?” he asked angrily before she managed to shove him off.
“No! Nor do I want to!” she snapped in annoyance before rolling over. She knew this was Discord's influence, but she couldn't believe the lack of limits. Her cloak was tugged on and she was forced to stop, lest she lose it. She turned back and glared. “What do you want?”
The stallion wobbled a little bit, his hoof placed on her cloak. “Ah... ah'm... Ah'm Caballeron! Don't yah know who ah am, water bender?”
Twilight almost said something before holding it in. There were only a few fire benders in the city most likely, so being seen as a water bender could be beneficial. Though the smelly stallion was getting on her nerves. “No. Why?”
He glared even more intensely. “A-ah was your commander! Ah was commander of the whole, of the whole Water Nation armies!” He wobbled a bit and his hoof fell off her cloak. “But... but yah didn't care about any of that, did yah? Ah was a great commander. Ah knew how tah use mah ponies proper. But all yah ever saw was mah lack of a horn! Yah all, yah all make me sick.” He wobbled a step back before falling on his butt. “Ah was the greatest commander of all time! Now... now ah... now ah'm looked down by all yah... yah soldiers! Ah was jus' doin' mah job! But Trixie, she dun care about anypony but her precious unicorns! Now look at me! Not a bit to mah name...”
The alicorn did look at him, before letting out a soft sigh. He looked horrible, his mane all wild and messed up, swaying from side to side. His eyes were bloodshot and his coat was filthy. She watched him a few more seconds before a realization dawned on her. “Oh! I'm sorry, I don't have any bits on me. Or, err, drinks.”
The soldier blinked a few times, glaring at her. “Ah bet you're all jus' spendin' your bits on pretty mares an' wasteful things like that! Well, let meh tell yah, they don't last the moment you're disgraced! DISGRACED!” he yelled before slowly getting to his hooves and shoving his way through the crowd, leaving a rather strong odor in his wake.
Twilight shook her head and trotted away. She couldn't help but feel a little pity for him. After all, he was supposedly the one time commander of the Water Nation forces. Yet she had no idea who he was. Being the commander once Trixie returned couldn't be easy on anypony though.
She started lightly trotting again as she started getting the hang of the crowds. She dove and wove through the shovers, making her way steadily forward. In a way it reminded her a lot of air bending. Moving with the flow of the crowds. Then a pony suddenly grabbed her leg and yanked her to the side. She let out a startled yelp as she was pulled into one of the alleys. She lifted a leg and prepared to fight the stallion off.
“Avatar,” his voice said, harsh and raspy.
She froze and looked up. The stallion was... oddly familiar. His face was covered in scars and the remains of a horn could be seen, a large scar on his forehead. His body was covered in a red and black robe. “Who are you? How do you know who I am?”
The stallion paused for a second, before shaking his head. “My... name is Righteous Knight. I was one of the--”
Twilight's eyes went wide. “You're one of the ponies who were helping the resistance. I heard about you, you saved all the young benders. I--”
“Don't,” he said softly before turning away.
Something about him was so familiar, she just couldn't put her hoof on it. The scars and wounds across his body didn't make it easier. “I'm sorry. Why aren't you affected by Discord? I thought--”
“I was. But... I was in Canterlot when you escaped. I've only recently arrived here. I've come to aid you.” He took a slow, deep breath. “I've come to tell you where Rarity is. I... knew you'd come here.”
Twilight's heart jumped as her eyes widened. “Y-you do? Where? How?”
“Yes. She's being held with the Shadowbolts in the south pole. Their fortress.” He let out a soft sigh and dug a hoof into the ground. “I know because that is what I've spent all my time trying to discover since your imprisonment. I knew you would come here after I heard about what happened in Cloudsdale. Please, you must rescue Princess Rarity.” He looked her over. “You... might wish a greater disguise as well. Anypony who has met you could easily identify you, even cloaked.”
The alicorn cocked her head to the side, ignoring that other comment as she tried to think. There was something about his voice, too. It was familiar, but the raspy tone made it difficult to identify. The way he said to save Rarity was a little strange though. She swore she saw a little blush on his cheeks. “You don't know how to get there?”
“I'm afraid not,” he said softly. “Only an airship could make the trip, but there are none left in any of the countries aside from Canterlot. Even they have so few that they only move on occasion.”
Twilight nodded. “Of course. It can never be easy, can it?” She ground a hoof into the ground and took a slow, deep breath. “But that is more than we had before. A location. We can finally find Rarity.” A smile formed on her lips. They would soon have Pinkie saved and then all that remained was Rarity, her final friend. They were so close, she couldn't imagine anything could stop them now. She then frowned. “Wait, how do I know I can trust you?”
The pony sighed. “I... don't know. Avatar, you have every reason not to trust me. I have done horrible, awful things in the past. But I am trying to make up for them now.” He turned and bowed his head. “I've done the worst possible things. But please, I beg of y--”
“Blueblood!” Twilight gasped, taking a step back. “Y-you, how? How are you here? I would have sworn you were dead! I thought... your horn, what happened? Who--”
“I was captured by the Water Nation during the battle of Fillydelphia. My horn was cut off and I was left for dead. I've since lived... quite an interesting life. I don't expect you to trust me, but I beg of you, please believe me. That is where Rarity is. You have to rescue her, she's... she's...”
Twilight's eyes widened and a hoof went up to her mouth. “How... do you know her? We joined with her long after we met you. How?”
He lowered his gaze. “We met after... I did a horrible, horrible thing. She helped me to become a much better pony and... I owe her so much. I can't... bear the thought of her, trapped like that.”
The alicorn stared for a moment before her eyes went even wider. “Wait, are you in LOVE with Rarity?” she asked. “Y-you do know she's a water bender, correct?”
“What? No! Of course not! Why, did she say something?” he asked quickly, before shuffling his hooves a few moments. “I-I mean, no, I just, she's a, a very good friend. She... she just... please, she needs your help. Only you can free her, so you must. I've gathered what information I can, so... please.” He lowered his head. “I am begging with all my heart and soul. Save her, for only you can.”
Twilight gave a slow, gentle smile before reaching out and patting his head. “I... I see. I think... I can forgive you. The lightning you flung at me did hurt, but... I survived. If you've become a better pony since then, well... everypony deserves a second chance.”
He nodded before slowly raising his head. “That's... all you remember me doing?”
She frowned. “Well... no. I remember you doing other, horrible things as well. But you aren't in command of the fire benders any more. I don't believe you can do any more harm through them. I can forgive what you did to me.”
The stallion nodded before lowering his head. “I... wish I could let it stand at that, but I cannot. You deserve to know the truth. The invasion on the Fire Benders in the Everfree Forest. That... was my doing. I was the one who--” The stallion's words were cut off as Twilight's hoof plowed into his face. He stumbled back, his eyes wide. He laid on the ground for a few moments, a hoof over his mouth.
“That... that was you?” Twilight asked, her entire body shaking as she tried to suppress her anger and hate. “Do you have any idea what that caused? How many ponies nearly lost their horns and their lives? How much damage was caused, how much work we had to do to fix what you did? Do you?” she only barely managed to keep her tone even. She wanted to scream and yell, to thrash him through a wall. But she couldn't risk her cover. Such a thing would draw attention.
He nodded and kept his gaze low. “Yes, Avatar. I... I was a fool. I believed... no, it matters not what I believed. What I did was unforgivable. I didn't realize that until far too late and for that I am sorry.”
Twilight glared at him, her entire body shaking. However, after a few moments of watching him the trembling began to stop. Her eyes softened as she watched him, sitting on the ground with his eyes lowered. “You... really are sorry, aren't you?”
“What I did was monstrous. I deserved to die for it. I... realized far too late my error.”
The alicorn took a step forward and gently hugged him. “I... believe you.”
“You... do?”
“We all make mistakes. Some of them... far, far worse than others. But... if you really mean it, if you truly are sorry and have worked to improve the sort of pony you are, I won't hold this mistake against you.” She pulled back and glared. “But don't get me wrong. That pretty much is the worst possible mistake you could have made. To quote Applejack, what in tarnation were you thinking?”
“I was stupid, prideful and a fool. I wanted the power you wielded or... similar enough not to matter. And I deserved what eventually came to me.” He motioned with a hoof towards his horn. “It... means a lot that you will give me a chance, however. I would like to aid you in any way that I can.”
Twilight nodded, before face hoofing. “Right. I can't believe I almost forgot. Pinkie's statue. Do you know where it is?”
“I'm afraid I don't, aside from it being in the city.”
The alicorn nodded. “Very well. I'll be meeting with the others. You're free to come, we might need the extra hooves.”
“Of course,” he said before following her. He trailed back a bit but tried to keep up as they moved through the swarm of ponies. She sighed a bit in frustration as she continued her search.
“I can't believe I didn't think of this.”
“What?” Blueblood asked as he trotted up a little closer.
“I told them to meet me in two hours. How can they possibly know when it's been two hours?” Up above the sun did a little tap dance. The arms and legs made of clouds were particularly impressive.
Blueblood nodded. “True, that is a pretty... errr... important step. Guessing, I suppose?”
Twilight sighed and face hoofed again. “I hate Discord. With every fiber of my being, I hate him. Loathe him. Want to drop him into a fire of some sort. Come on, let's go see the statue.” She paused for a second and glanced up. “Do... you think we'd have enough time to go check on the dragons? The baby ones? Just, err, to make sure they're okay?”
Blueblood gave a slow nod. “I suppose so. It shouldn't be long.” He then gulped. “Though... I ummm, I should warn you. Don't... don't go to where the Great Dragon fell.”
The alicorn paused and looked back. “Why? What happened?”
“Discord... he has a... macabre sense of humor at times. I saw it on the way here and it wasn't... it wasn't pretty.”
Twilight gave a slow nod. From the direction they'd come, the body was hidden by the city. But now she had to know. “Take me to it.”
“But--”
“Just do it. I... have to know. I won't be able to concentrate if I don't.”
There was a soft sigh before the stallion started leading her towards the city gates. She kept her head low and looked around for any sign of Nightmare Moon, but there wasn't anything. The guards barely gave them a second glance as they stepped out. Namely because they were arguing with each other.
Twilight looked up and only barely managed to keep the tears from her eyes. That sick, twisted monster. She would see him destroyed. Burned to cinders. The Great Dragon's body, or what remained of it, was standing up. Only the bones seemed to be there and they were set up as a sick, twisted playground. His mouth was open with a little stair case that led up to it and a pony could slide down his throat. His ribcage was set up as a jungle gym. His wings were spread out with swings attached to them. The sight made her struggle to keep her horn from igniting from pure fury.
“Take... take me closer,” she choked out.
“But--”
“Do it!” she snapped. The stallion gave a firm nod and they made their way towards the desecrated corpse. She could even see the parts where his skeleton had been shattered from the impact of the stars. He had given his life to save the city. He deserved far, far better. Liquid rage flowed down her veins as she came closer. No, she couldn't allow this to stand. As she came closer she felt her blood boil. She would burn the bones to ash. If Nightmare Moon came, well, buck her. She didn't care anymore, she didn't--
“--I don't know if I can,” Spike's voice suddenly said, shaking her for a moment. She looked around for a moment, confusion on her face. “I mean, you were old, strong. Great. You were even called the Great Dragon. You... knew what it was like. Back when things were right. I don't. I never did. All I know are stories.”
Twilight held her breath and slowly tip hoofed around the skeleton. She soon saw Spike, sitting on one of the grisly swing sets and gently rocking back and forth. She hid behind one of the dragon's claws and listened.
“What if I can't do this? They'll look up to me. Heck, I kind of look up to me. I've been with the Avatar all this time, learning things. But... I'm just a kid. I can't even always control my fire breath. I don't have wings yet. I'm only a... well, at most a decade older than the others. I'm not like you. Ponies don't run in fear when I get angry. They laugh.” He laid his head against the swing chain. His claw reached up to gently stroke the necklace around his neck. “I can't do this. I'm just not good enough. I'm going to let every dragon down. What... if we fall back into extinction because of me?”
Twilight slowly came out from behind cover, motioning for Blueblood to remain hiding.
“I'm not the leader like you. I won't... be wise or strong. I can't spread my wings and shield an entire city from the falling heavens. I can't do--” He went silent as Twilight's hooves embraced him from behind and her wings folded over him. He jumped, but she held on.
“It's okay, Spike,” Twilight said softly. “I know it can't be easy. It won't be easy. But I'll be here for the start of your journey. Watching over you, helping you. Then when I'm gone, there will be another avatar and then another. We can all help you. You'll never, ever be alone. I promise.” She gave him a little soft kiss on the forehead. “I can never promise that it'll be easy. But I know you. I've seen what you can do. There is no dragon more capable and I know you will be an amazing role model for all the dragons to follow.”
Spike whimpered and laid back against her. “B-but what if I'm not? What if I fail? What if I screw up? I--”
“You will screw up and fail, sometimes. We all do. But you'll pick yourself up, dust yourself off and keep going. Just like you always have. You'll never be alone or have to do this on your own. And... nopony expects you to be perfect.” She gave him another gentle kiss on the forehead. “All they expect, all they hope from you is that you try. That you give it your best effort. I know it's hard and... frankly it's asking more from you than is fair.” Her hooves tightened. “But I promise, you'll never have to do it alone.”
Spike closed his eyes, a few tears leaking down his face. “B-but what if I r-ruin everything? What if a-another genocide happens? H-he was smart, h-he saw it coming. He saved us all. W-we'd be extinct if not for him. I... I'm not that smart. If it happens, I-I can't keep us safe. H-he was supposed to l-lead us. To be t-the dragon leader. N-not me. T-they're still just babies, how can I... how can I watch over them alone? I-I'm just a baby myself!”
Twilight nodded and didn't let him go. “You won't have to. You won't ever be alone, I promise. The fire benders are back and they will help. We'll all help.” She slowly loosened her grip, but refused to release him. “I'm sorry. I... should have realized you were feeling all this. I never even thought about how all this was making you feel. I just... assumed you were fine with everything. Grieving over the loss of the Great Dragon. I never realized how much responsibility was being dropped on you.” She then slowly turned him around, looking into his eyes. “But... I do understand. Spike, we both have a lot of work to do. Ponies who depend on us, who need us. And... I swear I will always be there with you to help you carry this burden. Even when I pass on, if I have to talk through the next avatar to do it, I will.” She gave him a gentle kiss on the cheek. “I know you will make us all proud, though. You're my number one assistant. Even if there were a thousand dragons, I'd still believe none could do as good a job as you.”
The dragon smiled and nodded, closing his eyes and leaning forward, resting his head into her chest. “Can... can we wait here for a little bit? I just... I just want to enjoy the peace. For a few minutes.”
She nodded. “Of course. Take as long as you need,” Twilight whispered and gently held the dragon, a hoof rubbing his back. She glanced up to the remains of the great dragon. In... a sick way, this setup wasn't so bad. Once Discord was defeated, he would be given the burial he deserved. But for now, at least his remains would watch over the city. Maybe they'd even keep the city safe, like he had for his kin for so long.