The Little Pony Legend: The NightMare's Return

by MaggiesHeartLove

Facing shadows of the past

Mako grunted as he rolled down onto the ground. His grip on Korra's hand has loosened and he lost sight of her and his two brothers. The young man rubbed the back of his neck, feeling sore from the impact as he stood up. He studied his surroundings and realized the horrible reality. He was now trapped within the fog of lost souls.
"Korra! Bolin! Flash! Anybody!" he called out for his friends, but no answer came. He had to find a way to get out of here, but first he needed to get his mind on straight. "Okay, keep it together Mako. The fog messes with your head, remember why you're here." he took in a deep breath and his nerves were now calm, "Okay. Now to find the others."
He said as he walked in deeper into the fog.

The princess looked around the vast emptiness of fog surrounding her. She clenched her fists while gripping her head in frustration. "Err! How could I have been so stupid?! I should have known it was a--"
"Korra…Korra…"
"--Trick?"
There was the voice again. The voice she knew. "Korra! Please help me! Help me!"
She quickly took one step forward before stopping herself, "No. No, keep it together Korra. Don't let the fog get to you. Focus. Focus." she repeated to herself, but no matter how hard she tried, she could still hear her friend's voice calling out to her.
"Korra!…Help me, please!"
Her hands trembled, she couldn't ignore the cries anymore. What if it wasn't an illusion? What if it really was her? There was only one way to find out.

"Mako! Korra! Flash! Where are you?!" Bolin cried out as loudly as he could, but there was no denying he was all alone. "Great, now what do I do?"
"Bolin…Bolin…come to me."
There was the voice again. It sounded exactly like Asami, no denying. But then he remembered the fog messes with one's mind. He needed to stay focused.
"Oh, no! Fool me once, shame one you. Fool me trice, shame on--"
"Bolin…please, come….I need you."
"You do?" he asked. The voice sounded so sweet and loving, just like Asami's did. He could already envision her standing before him, calling him. But no, he needed to stay focused, "No! No way, I'm not falling for it." he crossed his arms and walked in the opposite direction of the voice. Until it called out again.
"I thought you loved me." Bolin stopped on his tracks. She sounded hurt. "Why would you lie to me?"
Bolin didn't turn around but he still responded, "I would never lie to you!"
"You're just like your brother. You don't love me."
"No, I do! Please, Asami forgive me!" he couldn't bare to hear her so brokenhearted. He just couldn't.
"Then come to me, Bolin. Come to me….I'm waiting for you."
He couldn't deny it anymore, he couldn't let her be sad anymore. He needed to be with her. To tell her how he felt. He couldn't let her down again. He ran towards the voice.

Flash Sentry tried to flap his wings, but they felt so heavy he couldn't fly upwards to see if he could spot the others from high above. He angrily kicked the dirt bellow his feet. "Just great! I can't fly, I've lost my friends, now what?"
"You give up."
His ears perked up at the sound of her voice. "Twilight?"
"Just forget it, Flash. You were never brave enough."
"What?" Something was wrong, that voice didn't sound like Twilight at all. Well, it was her voice but the way she spoke was not. "What are you talking about?"
"Royal guard, my hoof! When I was captured what did you do to save me?"
"I wanted to save you, I tried!"
"But you didn't. You're pathetic. You were a weakling as a royal guard, no wonder you moved away from Equestria. Running away from your failure. Pathetic."
"No!" Flash clenched his head, kneeling down, trying to ignore her words. "This isn't you, you would never say that."
"But she's right, Flash."
Another voice was heard. This time a male. "Mako?"
"You think it's easy dealing with your whining? I should have let those dark spirits take you down when I had the chance."
This could not be happening. It must be the fog messing with his mind. Mako and Twilight would never say those things. But were they right? Was he really not as brave as he thought he was?
"No! This isn't real. It's all in my head. It's not real!"
"Must be a real shame living under your girlfriend's shadow, hu buddy? You always question if you were good enough for her. If you were strong enough for her. Why else were you such a coward when it came to saying 'I love you', hu?"
"Ha! That's a laugh!"
He could not take much more of this. Two of the people he admired the most were taunting him pointing out how he was not good enough to either be their partner in crime of boyfriend. It was his worse fear come true.
"Ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha..."

She kept running and turning but she could not see her friend. Her voice sounded so close and yet she still felt she was too far away.
"Twilight? Twilight!"
"Korra! Help me, where are you?!" Korra gripped her head, kneeling down on the ground. It must have been the fog, how else could she explain that no matter how far she traveled she still couldn't find Twilight, even though her voice was only in arms reach.
"Snap out of it!" she demanded to herself, "Get it together. Get it together. Conceal, don't feel. Conceal, don't feel. Conceal, don't feel. Conceal, don't--wait. What am I saying?" she had not used that phrase in a long time.
"I am the darkness. I shall rule. The world is mine!"
Korra quickly got up at the sound of a familiar voice. The voice was masculine, belonging to a middle aged man who had a distinct resemblance to her father. It was her uncle Unalaq, now with torn clothing and messed up hair. His eyes were bulged open and he looked as if he had not eaten or slept in months, which was very likely. However, he did not look weak enough to be near death and was healthy enough to walk on his own two feet. He continued to chant like a maniac.
"I am the darkness. I shall rule. The world is mine!" he ranted. Korra tried to back away from him, but it was too late. He saw her. "You! You're back! Your era is over. The era of Vaatu has begun!"
Korra backed away from her lunatic uncle, who was still less scary than he was before, "Unalaq, please. I don't want to fight you."
"The era of Raava is over. Vaatu shall rule!"
"Just stay away from me, stay away!" but he ignored her pleads and continued to approach her, finally gripping her arm tightly.
"You will die!"
"Let me go!!"
On impulse, Korra unleashed a powerful ice blast from her hand, releasing her from Unalaq's grip. She opened her eyes, having them closed shut during the attack, and witnessed the damage she had caused. Unalaq was on the ground with ice sticking out from the ground due to her attack. Unalaq had snow on his clothing and backed away in fear of his niece.
"Monster. Monster!"
Korra looked down upon her hands, blue cold mist emerged from the powerful attack. She gripped them close to her heart as Unalaq continued to chant, "Monster! Monster! Monster!"
Korra covered her ears, trying to block out his crazy voice as she ran way, leaving her uncle to become engulfed by the fog. She didn't turn, nor did she stop to catch her breath. She ran and ran and ran until finally, she tripped and fell onto the ground. But she wasn't alone. Before her, she saw a pair of feet, barefoot with shackle-like anklets around them, added with chains. She looked up and she gasped.
It was like looking into a mirror of her nightmares. It was a woman with an identical body build, face-shape and hair. Her hair was loose, messy and free and her outfit was blue, identical to the one Korra herself wore when she was poisoned by the Red Lotus. On her back stood a pair of wings…with the feathers clipped, giving her somewhat corpse-like demeanor. Her eyes were purply white and glowing, and around her wrists she wore shackles as well.
Korra thought she had seen the last of this creature. Last time she did was at the South Pole, when she openly chose not to allow her disability and fears keep her down and away from those she loved. While looking upon her mirror image frightened her, another part was determined not to let her take hold. With all the courage she could master, Korra stood up, wobbling a bit from the fall, and faced her double.
"I'm not afraid of you." The figure didn't say a word. Her silence taunting Korra. "I'm not!"
The image still did not speak, but instead she pointed her finger to behind Korra. She turned around and her fear doubled at seeing the deceased masked man before her.
"No, no this isn't possible. You can't be alive!"
The image did not say a word, he only stood there, just as her reflection image was. Korra stepped away from them both, but their dead cold eyes remain fixated onto her. She needed to get away, but she was blocked by the sight of another villain.
The bald man who nearly killed her.
Korra tried to keep her calm, reminding her this was all in illusion. "You're not real. None of this is real. I faced you once and I won."
"You did." Zaheer said, being the only manifestation to do so. "But at what cost?"
"I don't have to listen to you!"
"No matter how much you try to hide your pain behind the crown and wings, your fears will never leave you."
"You're wrong! You may have poisoned me but I still made it through! I survived you. I survived Tirek. I survived the sirens, I can survive!"
"But how long will it last?" This time, Korra was silent. "Face it. With new enemies emerging at every turn, how long will it be until you can no longer fight again? When you've used up all of your energy. You have a strong spirit Korra, but sooner or latter….that fire is going to burn out the more you enforce it."
"Shut up!" as much s she tried to deny it, a part of her knew he was speaking about her fears. No matter how many she overcame, she always found something new to be afraid of.
"It's just like you said; It never ends."
Korra breathing became rough and uneasy. Her heart was racing and her body felt heavy. She couldn't stand anymore. She got down on her knees, not knowing what else to do.
"Why bother continuing? You've already allowed the darkness to take hold of your friend, and now the only one who ever truly understood your pain might as well be dead." Korra gasped, she knew he was referring to Twilight Sparkle. "She was the only one who kept you going. The only one who understood your feelings. Your fears. And now, thanks to you, she's gone. You truly are a monster."
The tears that threatened to come out finally did. Korra covered her face with her hands, sobbing as the three images slowly faded from sight. Korra's tears fell to the ground, and once they made contact they grew, transforming into sheer ice, surrounding her, slowly entrapping her in her own grief and suffering.

Mako was fed up with this place, with everything. He couldn't find the others and no matter where her turned he always ended up right back where he started. "This is crazy!" out of frustration, he unleashed various fire blasts all around, trying to break through the fog, but to no avail. "There's got to be a way out of here."
Suddenly, he heard a sound he had not heard in a long time…the sound of a woman laughing. But not just any woman….
Instinctively, he followed the voice. The fog engulfed him and once he opened his eyes, he couldn't believe what he was seeing.
It was the inside of his old home. The home he once lived in with his parents before they died. Two adults entered the room, and Mako could have sworn his heart lunged in his throat.
The man was tall and muscular with green eyes and a sunny exposition. His wife was a vision of beauty. Tall and slender with sharp, strong features, her eyes the shade of amber. Mako couldn't move, this had to be a dream. Suddenly, the two adults spotted him, smiling with glee as the man approached him.
"Hey, my boy's home!" without warning, he hugged Mako with all the love he could give. Mako could not believe it, he could feel his arms wrapped around him. He felt an emotion he hadn't felt in a long time. He felt safe.
The man released Mako and patted his back, "'Bout time you got here."
The woman walked up and embraced him. His heart felt like it would burst when she kissed his cheek. "We thought you were going to be late." she said. Her voice…she still had the same voice.
"Mom….Dad?"
It was really them. His parents. Alive and well and happy just as he remembered them. He had now completely forgotten that he was trapped in the fog, all he could think about where the two most important people in his life standing before him. Finally, he found his senses again and hugged the couple with all the love in his heart as tears rolled down his eyes.
"I can't believe it. It's really you. You're here."
"If course we're here." his father said once the hug ended, "What parents would we be if we missed out on our own son's birthday?"
Mako looked at him curiously, "Birthday?"
His mother said, playfully slapping his arm, "Don't tell me you forgot too? Korra and Bolin are already at the part, waiting for you."
"You've got yourself a great girl, son." his father said, "Now let's get going, don't wanna be late for your own party. Your mother made her famous spicy ramen."
His mother's spicy ramen, it use to be his favorite meal. This was too good to be true. "Wait, I don't understand. How are you both--I mean, when did you…" before he could continue, they heard a knock at the door.
"Who could that be?" his father asked as he walked up toward the door. Mako had a sinking bad feeling about this. Once his father turned the nob, something inside of Mako just snapped.
"Dad no!"
But it was too late. Once the door opened, the wave of fire enter the home, engulfing everything with its flames. Mako instinctively shielded his mother from the impact, but once he felt the fires died down, he realized his mother was gone. As if she had vanished into this air. He looked around him, his heart breaking at the sight of his home burning to the ground. But what was even more heartbreaking was when she spotted his parents….
Their bodies lifeless on the ground.
This could not be happening. He had finally gotten them back into his life, and now they were taken away from him…again.
"No. No!" the young man kneeled down, not even caring about the tears that rolled down his eyes like a waterfall. His heart was broken again. He couldn't save them then, he couldn't save them now. He wished this was a bad dream and he would wake up soon…but it wasn't a dream, and that made it all the more painful.
His fists clenched as he stood up, ready to face the culprit. He had let him get away once, he would not do it again. "Come on right now!" he demanded, "How dare you take them away from me! Show yourself!!"
At his request, the figure manifested before him. The same man who cut his parents down before him. His face had not changed, his scars and soulless eyes still present and his smile crocked with his yellow teeth bare.
"Long time no see, boy." he taunted. His voice sleazy like that of a snake. Mako was done with this man. He had haunted his nightmares in his younger years, his memories and now he was going to finish him. He was done brushing the memory away for the sake of others. This time, he was going to get his revenge.
With a powerful cry, flames emerged in his palms and charged at the man, ready to finish him. The man fell backwards from the impact, grunting and already feeling weak. His body was thin as if he had not eaten in a long while, but his smile was still visible. Mako continued attacking him, blasting him with his fire, showing no mercy whatsoever but no matter how hard he tried, the man continued to laugh. Finally, Mako had had enough. He swore this last blast would definitely be the last.
"Go ahead, kid. Do what ya gotta do." he taunted.
"You have any idea what you did to me?! To my family!! My home, my life!!"
"Life's tough, kid. Nobody's gonna show you any mercy whatsoever. You either hustle or get hustled. Way of life."
At that moment, Mako slowly lowered his arms, the fire slowly dimming. Those were the exact same words he use to say to Bolin when they were on the streets. This man didn't show him any mercy, or any kindness, but was Mako being any better by trying to end him the same way?
He turned around, seeing the lifeless bodies of his parents. They did not move, and he knew they never would again. No matter how many times he attacked the man, his parents would not return. And this would not be what they would want of him.
"There aint no such thing as happy endings." said the man, "Life is cruel, people are cruel so you gotta be cruel back. That's the only way you'll get ahead in anything."
Mako's flames finally died down, his anger slowly diminishing as he looked upon the man. "No…you're wrong. There is good in this world, just because you can't see it doesn't mean it isn't there."
The man's smile started to fade away, almost as if Mako's words were effecting him even more than his fire attacks. The young man stood away from his opponent, slowly his mind became clear. The man felt an aching in his chest, like he had been stabbed.
"You're a fool, boy!"
"No, you're the fool." Mako replied firmly, "I used to hate you, but now all I feel is pity…I'm sorry you can't see what I see." the man clenched his chest, feeling even more pain, while Mako stood tall and confident, speaking with integrity, "I may not be perfect….but I will never be like you."
With those final words, the man screamed in agony before a powerful white light engulfed the entire scene. Mako shielded himself from the impact and once he looked around, he was back at the fog of lost souls. The fog was still thick, but he was now able to see things clearly. In more ways than one.
Suddenly, another light shined, but one that came from a shimmering hue of colors that circled around him, leading him down the path like an arrow. Without any hesitation or doubt, he followed.
Not long afterwords, he found his friends. His brothers. Both were on their knees, unresponsive and silent. Their eyes closed and looking defeated. Mako rushed towards them, shaking them btw awake.
"Bolin! Flash! Snap out of it!"
The two boys managed to open their eyes, Bolin looked up at his brother, his expression tired and beaten down, "Mako? I…I thought I heard Asami. She needed me, but I couldn't be there for her."
Mako patted his brother on the back, "It's okay, it was just an illusion." he then approached to wake up Flash, "Flash, buddy wake up."
The anthro pony screamed when he awoke, "Please no!"
"Flash, relax it's me!"
"Mako? What are you doing here? I thought you didn't want me to be your partner anymore."
"That's crazy. You're my best friend and my brother, why would I not want you around?" he assisted the two and once the three were now standing together, the fog began to clear up, revealing all kinds of people trapped in there own misery, including Unalaq.
"Guys! Up here!"
The voice of Pinkie Pie was heard from above, they could see their friends waving at them. The boys waved in return but Mako then realized they were not all present, "Wait, where's Korra?"
Bolin and Flash looked at each other, uncertain on what to answer for they did not know where she was. Mako knew he needed to find her. "Flash, take Bolin back up, I'm going to find Korra."
"But what if you get trapped in the fog again?"
"Believe me, I wont."
"Mako, wait!"
But he had already disappeared into the fog. Flash helped Bolin and he flew upwards to where the others were, who welcomed there friends in a tight embrace.
"Oh, thank heavens you're all right!" Rarity said, "We were just about to go in there and look for you."
"Well, that would explain the ropes." Bolin said, pointing to the long lone of rope that tied everyone together, connecting them to Goldie.
"Where's Korra?" Pinkie asked with worry.

The ice around her grew and grew, entrapping herself within her own grief. Even if she did save Twilight and Asami, who's to say this wouldn't be the last evil they would face. She had failed Twilight yet again. She tried to be strong, but even that didn't help her. She felt alone, there was no one else who understood her.
"Korra!" She heard another voice, but she didn't even bother to listen. She knew it was just another illusion. "Korra! Korra where are you? Korra!"
The voice grew stronger and stronger. Could it be?
"Korra! Can you hear me?" the voice was right beside her, if she didn't know any better she would have thought the owner was standing before her. She stood up, the ice nearing her neck when she caught a glimpse of the firebender she loved.
"Mako?"
"Korra, you're okay!" he sounded so relieved to se her, but as he approached, the ice around her grew, entrapping her even more.
"Mako, you have to leave. Now!"
"What? No, I won't leave you." he protested as he walked closer, ignoring her command.
"Mako, don't!" The ice grew from bellow him, making Mako to trip and land backwards onto the ground. The ice around her grew even more and she hid herself by kneeling down, "Just leave. It's no use."
"No!" he said stubbornly, "You didn't give up on Republic City when Amon took over. You didn't give up on the world when Unalaq fused with Vaatu, you never gave up on the airbenders and you didn't give up on Twilight after you both nearly died, so I'm not giving up on you now!"
"You don't understand, I can't control my powers anymore. I couldn't stop NightMare Moon from taking Asami over and I couldn't save Twilight."
"I know you're scared, but we can save them. Together."
"But even if we do, she won't be the last foe we face! It'll never be over…I can't control it."
Mako now understood what she really meant. The poor girl was allowing her past trauma effect the way she was feeling. That's when he realized…
"I get it now…I know exactly what you're going through."
"How can you?" Korra asked as the ice grew thicker as Mako spoke from his heart to the woman he loved. "You never went through what I did, and I pray you never have to!"
"You're right, I wasn't poisoned like you. I didn't get burned or beaten like Twilight, but believe me…I know how it feels to be broken. To have your whole world come crashing down in front of you. I've lived with that almost my entire life." As he spoke, Korra listened, her tears slowly stopping. "After my parents died, I gave up hope that I would ever find the same amount of love they gave me and Bolin…but I was wrong. There is evil in the world Korra, that much is true, but most of it is because people, like the ones who hurt us, make the wrong choices. And every choice has a consequence. I was so close to going down that path of anger, but I realized I didn't have to. I could choose a better one, and that was something you taught me."
His words placed Korra's mind at ease. His voice was compassionate, considerate and wise. Slowly, the ice around her stopped growing, though she was still trapped within.
"We both suffered one way or another. Things happen that we just can't control, no matter how much we want to. But even if we can't control change we can control how we react to it. We control our choices. I've chosen to see the good. You, our friends, are proof that there is still beauty in this world. You showed me that Friendship is powerful, but simply knowing isn't enough. We need to find the strength to believe in it. To choose it. That way, anything we can't control, we can still overcome and learn to deal with it if we work through it together. That's how we came this far to begin with. You can break free from this prison, Korra…but not by yourself."
It was at that moment, her mind became clear. The fog was using her fears to cloud what she had learned. What she knew in her heart. She had forgotten the moment she helped Twilight Sparkle to stand back up again. To let go, and embrace the Magic of Friendship rather than overcome her inner fears on her own. But Mako, the one who had overcome his own past trauma thanks to the friendships he had made, was reminding Korra of what she knew in her heart. Just as she had inspired Twilight to get back up, Mako was doing the same for her, after she had inspired him previously and the same way she found the strength and wisdom to face the sirens and inspiring Sunset in the process, even when she didn't think she did.
Mako approached the ice prison, extending his hand towards her in the opening. Korra looked up at him, seeing the rainbow reflecting in his eyes and he too saw the colors reflect in hers. With more courage, she reached out her hand and took his, gripping it tightly.
The warmth in their hearts filled them both and the ice around Korra began to melt. Once it did, the fog around them dispersed, along their friends to see from from above. Korra stood up, her hand still holding on to Mako's and the two now stood before one another, holding each other's hands, still feeling the warmth and love within them.
Korra smiled, her tears gone, as she arched an eyebrow, "What was I so afraid of?"
Mako chuckled as he welcomed her in a hug, and she giggled. This hung felt different to them somehow. It felt like they were holding each other for the first time all over again. Their feelings for one another from the day they met returned, only now they were stronger than ever before. They felt at peace in each other's arms, all fears and worries fading for they knew they would never be alone. They had each other, and they had their friends.
Nobody would ever be alone again no matter how many dangers they faced.
Once the hug ended Korra took notice of a familiar figure behind Mako. He was as surprised as she was.

Spike jumped for joy when she saw the young couple exiting the canyon as the fog returned to cover the land once more. The little guy jumped into their arms, hugging them. The rest of their friends joined in as well.
Applejack wiped away a tear, "We were so worried! Are ya'll all right?"
"We're fine." Mako said, his smile bare as was Korra. Rainbow Dash took notice of this.
"Wow, you guys look…sunnier, for some reason."
The two teens smiled, simply content from their experience within the fog.
"I'm just relieved everybody is here again." said Fluttershy.
Korra and Mako's smiles disappeared, now being replaced with worried looks. "Actually…."
The rest of the group gasped once they saw who was behind them. A familiar man with tan skin, green clothing, spectacles and piercing that went from his ear to his nose. Opal was the most shocked.
"Aiwei?!"
The middle aged man looked at her with sincerer regret in his eyes. "Hello Opal."
"Why did you bring him?!" Rarity exclaimed.
Korra eased the tension by speaking, "I'm perfectly aware of what Aiwei's done, but he was unfairly tossed into the fog by Zaheer."
"I truly believed he would change the world for the better." he said, "I was clearly mistaken. I know no apologies could ever make up for what I did."
The rest of the team were rather skeptical on allowing this man to join them. But, if the spirit of chaos, a self-absorbed billionaire and a combustion woman who once literally tried to blow them off the side of a mountain could change, then maybe he could change as well. Everyone else nodded in agreement, while Rainbow groaned in frustration.
"Okay, he can come. But don't even think about getting Unalaq out of there too!"
"Of course not." Korra stated as she walked pass her friend to get on the dragon bird, while smiling, "He's not ready yet."
Rainbow's eyes widened, "Wait, 'yet'? What do you mean by 'yet'? Korra? Mako?" the two ignored her while smiling and everybody mounted onto the bird, which took flight and Rainbow kept asking.
"Seriously, what's that suppose to mean? What happened in that fog?!"