The Little Pony Legend: A Kingdom of Friendship

by MaggiesHeartLove

Amending Fences part 2

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!"
Asami looked at her watch in amazement. "Wow! You just screamed for four minutes and thirteen seconds, Korra."
"I'm both impressed and disturbed." said Bolin.
Korra was pacing back and forth just like Twilight did only a couple of days ago before she went to Canterlot to make amends with her old friends. Now, after a vivid flashback/dream, Korra realized she too needed some friendships to fix. Or, friendship in her case.
"I can't believe this. Why did I let this happen? How could I let this happen!?" she then gripped her boyfriend's shoulders, starling him, "I'm the worse person in the history of history!"
Mako managed to pry his anxious girlfriend off of him and gently led her to her throne where she sat. "Korra, sweetie, calm down. Take slow deep breaths." Korra did as he instructed, inhaling and exhaling, slowly calming her nerves. The whole Team Avatar were at her palace after she had called them to gather there. Once she was calm, Mako rubbed her shoulders. "Okay, now can you explain exactly what's wrong?"
Rainbow spoke next, "Yeah, you just called us all over here, we asked "What's the emergency?" and then you said---"
"AAHHH-----" Korra attempted to scream again until both Rainbow and Mako covered her mouth.
"Yeah. That." the two slowly removed their hands and Korra sighed in dismay.
"Whatever it is, darling, I'm sure we can help." Rarity assured her kindly.
The Avatar began explaining the whole situation to everyone. "Well, remember when I said I grew up without any friends while I lived at the compound? Turns out…that's not entirely true."
The rest of the group looked at one another in confusion. They knew Korra wouldn't lie about that, why was she claiming it wasn't true.
"When I was five, I did have one friend. His name was Teo."
Bolin's eyes widened with interest, "Wait, he? It's a he?!" for some reason, he didn't like the sound of that at all.
"Anyway, I had a dream last night, which I suppose doubles as a flashback, or vision or--whatever--I made a promise to him long ago but I never stayed true to it. In fact, I practically forgot I met him. I promised I'd take him to Republic City if I ever got the chance…you can see I never did just that."
"I know how you feel, Korra." said Twilight, "It's just like what happened with me and Moon Dancer."
"Exactly!"
"But, that doesn't mean things will happen the same way." Mako said calmly, "Come on, guys were five-years-old, things are rarely taken seriously at that age. When Bolin was five I told him we'd one day live in a magical crystal cast…le……" he trailed off, remembering exactly where he and his brother were standing in. "Okay, bad example."
"This isn't getting us anywhere." Korra started walking away from her throne.
"Where are you going?"
"To the South Pole. I'm going to find Teo and set things right."
"Korra, I think it's really sweet you want to make this up to an old friend," said Asami, "but it's been fourteen years. Teo's probably forgotten all about it by now."
"Yeah, didn't you say you had a foggy memory from when you were seven and six?" Rainbow asked.
Korra looked at the ground in dismay. "Yeah, but I also forgot about my dreams of Equestria. I began focusing so much on my Avatar training I let that part of my life slip away."
"But you have it back now." said Fluttershy, "And I'm sure if you explained everything, Teo would understand."
"She's right." said Flash Sentry, "It's not like you're going to have a repeat of what happened with Twilight. Sure you guys had similar upbringings, focusing on your goals which kind of drew you away from what really matters only to come back to it years latter and now you're princesses of…just that…wow, that's a worse example than Mako's."
"Hey!"
"It's a harsh truth buddy, live with it."
Korra tried to think rationally. It had been a very long time, it wasn't like with Twilight where she still pushed her old friends away even as an older teenager. In her case, this was a fourteen-year-late promise she never kept. Still, she couldn't help but feel she needed to do something. Have some closure. She was the princess of friendship, she couldn't turn a blind eye to this.
"Maybe he won't remember, but I know I have to do something. I had that memory for a reason, and I'm not going to ignore it."
All of her friends looked at one another while she silently hoped for a reply. If she had to go alone then that was fine, but she needed to know she had their support.
"If you're going, then so am I." the anthro alicorn said as she stepped forward. Korra embraced her in gratitude.
"And I'm coming too!" said Rainbow Dash with determination, "Might be nice to make a new friend."
"It can give me a chance to use this new parka I designed." said Rarity.
Pinkie Pie jumped up and down, "I'll go! I'll go!"
Applejack tapped her hat, "Why not?"
"I'm out!" said Spike, "Me, Flash and Kai got tickets to the new pro-bending season! Kai's first time seeing the game."
Flash turned to his girlfriend, "You don't mind?"
Twilight only smiled in reassurance, "You go ahead, we'll be fine."
"You're the best!" Flash thanked her with a kiss on the cheek.
Asami, on the other hand, had to decline the offer, "I'm going to have to sit this one out. I've got a whole new city road design I need to work on. But you guys are more than welcome to use the air ship."
"Thanks, Asami."
Rainbow rose her hand, "Can I drive?"
"No!" everybody exclaimed all at once.
"Okay, okay! Shesh!"

With Mako on the wheel, the team was on their way towards the South Pole. Korra stood at the deck, looking out at the ocean with Twilight accompanying her.
"Korra, I want to say; don't be disappointed if things don't turn out the way you thought."
"I wonder what he's doing now. Probably a fishermen or a sentry. Probably has a whole circle of new friends by now. Maybe even a girlfriend."
"What was he like?"
"From what I can remember, he was really sweet and funny. Such an imagination for a kid. What he wanted more than anything was to travel and see what was out there." Korra lightly chuckled, "I blame myself. I must have filled his head with ideas."
Twilight placed a hand over her shoulder, "I'm sure everything will work out. Whatever happens."
"Thanks, Twilight."
Meanwhile, inside the ship, Bolin was eying his brother uncomfortably closely. Much to the older sibling's annoyance.
"What are you doing?"
"Trying to catch a glimpse of jealousy in your eyes."
Mako arched an eyebrow, "Jealousy?"
"Duh! We're going to see Korra's old buddy. Who's a guy!"
"Yeah, so?"
"So?! Don't you read romance novels? When two childhood friends meet again they start to hang out, reminiscent on the old days, old feelings resurface, friendship turns into something more and BOOM! You're left alone on a pier with nothing but an engagement ring and a broken heart, wondering 'what might have been'!"
But Mako remained completely unfazed. "Bolin, I'm not jealous. Korra's just visiting an old friend."
"Yeah, and old friend. Who is a guy!" The firebender rolled his eyes, still not feeling anything. "I bet he's all grown up too."
"Most likely." Mako said dryly.
"Bet he's now tall, and strong, and smart and cultured with shinny teeth as white as pearls." He eyed his brother once again in hopes of getting some hint of jealousy but got nothing. However, he still didn't believe he wasn't jealous. "Don't worry, my dear older brother. I will make sure that nobody comes between you and your princess!" he said dramatically while pointing his finger into the sky.
Mako was still unfazed, "Have fun with that."

After a few hours, the team finally arrived at the South Pole, where they were greeted by Korra's parents. The young princess rushed over to embrace them. It was always wonderful to see her. Mako bowed in respect to Tonraq, only to be surprised when the man wrapped him in a gigantic bear hug, nearly depriving the poor boy of his precious oxygen. The chief released him, patting him on the back. This boy was like a son to him. The chief was also more than happy to great the rest of the Mane Six.
"It's always good to have you girls here." Senna said after hugging Fluttershy.
"We missed you too, Senna." the pegasus said sweetly.
"So what brings you all here?" Tonraq asked his daughter.
"I'd hate to be a wet blanket but I'm actually here for some unfinished business."
Tonraq and Sena were both curious as to what their daughter was truly here for but, as always, they were supportive and complied. They led everyone back to the palace, where they ate in the grand dinning room. Rarity could never get enough out of this place.
"My, you two are certainly living in the lab of luxury!"
"So what seems to be the problem?" Tonraq asked again, "Just once I'd like for all of us to get together as family while the world isn't about to end." he said with a light chuckle but stopped once he noticed his daughter's sadness. She finally began explaining everything.
"Mom, dad, do you remember my old friend, Teo. By any chance?"
Senna snapped her fingers, "Oh, little Teo! I remember him. You two use to be such close friends when you were young."
Bolin rose his hand to ask a question, "You mean like really good friends, or really, really, really good friends?"
Out of annoyance, Mako stepped on his younger brother's foot. He had to bite his lips just to keep himself from screaming and a single tear rolled down his eye due to the pain.
"You know, I think I may have a few pictures laying around here somewhere." Senna mentioned as she stood up and went to look for the specific images.
"There's pictures?" Korra asked in surprise.
"Yes, don't you remember?" said Tonraq, "His father and I used to take you two fishing. It was then we found out you were a vegetarian." the chief laughed at the memory he started to tell everyone, "One time, Korra was so woozy from seeing all of those death fish she literally passed out."
"Dad!" poor Korra blushed from the embarrassment.
"Even back then she had the cutest little pout on her face."
"Dad!! Gah!" she faced palmed before burring her face into her arms on the table. All of her friends tried their hardest not to laugh at the story. They finally managed to keep their mouths shot thanks to the angry glare Korra gave them. If looks could kill they'd all be dead by now.
Senna arrived a few moments latter with a book in hand. "Here we are." she placed the book on the table and skimmed through the pages before landing on one particular image. It was a photo album with various black and white images. "Aww, here it is." she removed one small picture and handed it to Korra. The others gathered to see the image. It was an adorable picture of a young Korra, before her wings and cutie mark, and a young boy with bright gray-blue eyes and ruffled jet black hair with a missing tooth and a crocked smile. They were both wearing parkas and waving at the camera while their free arms were wrapped around each other's shoulders. Korra's eyes shimmered as the memory replayed before her eyes. The two really were close friends.
"I remember this picture."
"Was this before or after you passed out?" Bolin asked, only to have his face shoved aside by Applejack.
Tonraq smiled while Senna stood beside him, placing her hand over his shoulder, "He was Korra's first real friend." he said, "So happy and spirited, that boy."
Pinkie Pie cooed at the adorableness, "Awwww, you were so cute!"
"You must have been pretty close." said Twilight.
Korra smile was small but visible. She could slowly feel the memories coming back to her. "Where is Teo now, dad?"
Tonraq and Senna now looked at one another with concern and worry. Korra did not like the looks on their faces. It always led to bad news.
"We haven't heard from him in years." Tonraq explained, "Teo's father once took him on a fishing trip but he never came back. He was found lost in the snow by some hunters who were passing by. He never spoke to anyone about what happened. His mother kept him at home and didn't allow any visitors. By that point you started focusing more on your training and…we just never mentioned it again. I guess, eventually you just stopped visiting him and we just stopper talking about him."
Korra felt devastated. What could have happened to Teo's father? How could she not have been aware of this? It was then when her memory began finding the missing pieces. She remembered that one night she had the nightmare about Vaatu, even though she didn't know who it was at the time. The moment one of her future feathers managed to come out. She remembered crying into Katara's arms and the White Lotus spoke to her about the events.

"Korra, this has gone on long enough. You've been focusing more on your stories and fantasies more than on your training." one of the WL men said to her in a stern voice. The young girl sat on her knees before him, hanging her head in shame. "We can't keep having you running off, ignoring your responsibilities for this nonsense!"
"I'm sorry!" the child cried out, tears rolling down her eyes, "I wasn't trying to be irresponsible, I was just--"
"Just what?!"
"I was…just having fun."
"Well, now your fun is giving you nightmares. You can't keep living life like this, your training must always come first. Being the Avatar must come first, do you understand?"
"But--"
"Do you understand?!"
She really didn't want to do this, but they were right. She needed to keep training and she couldn't let anybody else down. That last nightmare really scared her. Maybe it was best if she let this all go. Maybe it was for the best.
"I understand."
From that day on, whenever Korra had the thoughts about the magical creatures she immediately dismissed it. She kept this routine for a while. By the time she was seven, she no longer had the dreams or the thoughts ever again. She focused more on her training. But, even though her imaginary world was gone at the time, her spirit still remained. The White Lotus knew they couldn't change Korra completely. The more Korra trained, the more enamored she became with being the Avatar. Without her fantasy and imagination she focused her time and spirit on her Avatar identity. That was also the time she completely forgot about Teo and her promise to him. Her only passion was training and being the Avatar.

Korra shook her head after the flashback ended. She knew she needed to set things right. "Do you still know where he lives?" she asked her father. It was time for her to make up for her mistakes.

"This is the place." Mako said. He and the others were standing in front of a medium sized house, fit for a family of three, but it looked as if nobody had lived here for years.
"It looks just like Moon Dancer's house." said Twilight. Realizing what she just said she tried to real it back in, "But, I'm sure it's not as bad inside. Right?"
Korra boldly walked over to the door and knocked. Instead of her hand going through it, the door tumbled and broke into a million wooden pieces. Korra blinked. "Wow, first time I unintentionally broke down a door." she took a step inside and the others followed.
The place was literally abandoned. There was absolutely no signs of life or of a person once living here in sight. The furniture was torn and had the bite marks of artic rats, one which scurried across the floor, frightening Rarity who shrieked. The kitchen had no dishes or even a sink. Mako squatted down to open the cabinets only to find the doors were already loose on its hinges and dust surrounded him. He coughed as he tried to fan the stuff away.
"I don't think anybody's home." said Rainbow Dash after cringing at the sight of the remaining side piece of a broken picture frame with no picture, or the rest of the frame. "Or, ever."
"We can't quit now. There's got to be some kind of clue that can help us." Korra insisted.
"I don't think that's an option here." said Mako after dusting his jacket, "Practically everything's been taken. There's no sink, not dishes, the rooms are completely empty. Whoever use to live here is long gone by now."
"What about this?" Pinkie Pie waved what looked to be some kind of parer. Korra took it and read the almost fainted words.
"It's a coupon for a restaurant." she said.
"Oh, great!" Bolin said with glee and read the paper, only to feel disappointed, "Awww, it expired six years ago!"
Twilight's eyes then widened in realization when she read where the coupon was from, "Wait! I remember this place. It was the same restaurant we went on our double date back during the civil wars, remember?"
"That's right!" Korra stated, "They might know something about Teo. Great work, Pinkie Pie!"
Applejack tipped her hat, "Well then what are we waitin' for? Let's go, ya'll?"
"Please!" Rarity begged, "I think I saw a dead rat!"
Fluttershy inspected it and cringed, "Actually, it's not dead."
"AHHHHHHHH!"
(~)
The team arrived at the restaurant Korra, Mako and Twilight were familiar with and noticed it was packed. Korra walked towards the waiter behind the counter, who gasped once he saw her.
"Princess Avatar Korra! It's an honor and a privilege! What brings you by our fine establishment?" he offered her a tray of something that smelled familiar to her, "Care to sample our fish wraps? Just caught the fish this morning."
The princess did her best to hold down her vomit before politely declining, "No thank you, I had a big lunch. I was actually hoping you could help us with something." she reached into her pocket and demonstrated the waiter the photo of her and Teo. "Does this boy look familiar to you?"
The waiter stroked his tiny chin hairs in thought, his eyes squinting in an attempt to distinguish the face of the boy. "Sorry, I'm afraid I don't recognize him."
Korra shoulders dropped in disappointment. "Oh. Well, thanks anyway." she sadly walked away and back to her friends. Now the had no way of finding Teo.
The group decided that they couldn't keep searching on an empty stomach so they all sat on a table to eat while also trying to come up with a new strategy.
"What do we do now?" Fluttershy asked.
"We could ask around." Rarity suggested, "Find if anyone else has seen him."
"We'd have to ask every single person in the South Pole." said Rainbow Dash, "Which should take us about….forever."
"We don't even know if Teo's still living here." Twilight said before turning her head to speak to Korra beside her. "You did say he always wanted to travel. Maybe he got enough money and left."
"We've got no leads." Mako said sadly, "No family members, no other contacts, nothing. There's no other way for us to find him, Korra." unbeknownst to him, somebody from behind was listening in on their conversation.
Korra sighed sadly, tracing her fingers through her long hair. "You guys are right. It's like finding a needle in a haystack. For all I know, Teo's already forgotten about me too."
"Are you guys looking for Teo?" A new voice asked, catching the others off guard. Before them stood a slender and somewhat petite-looking water tribe girl with two strands of braid over both her shoulders, pierced ears and adorable bangs. Her eyes were bright and innocent and she wore light pink lipstick and a simple long water tribe parka. She looked around fifteen or sixteen years old.
Korra immediately stood up before the young girl. "Yes, do you know him?" she demonstrated her the photo, making sure they were speaking about the same Teo. The young girl smiled at the picture, a tint of blush appeared on her face, hardly visible due to her tan skin.
"I do. He comes here all the time. I'm suppose to meet him here in fifteen minutes."
Korra and her friends could not believe their amazing luck. They were in the right to come to this restaurant to begin with. Fate works in mysterious ways. Korra was so excited she spontaneously hugged the young girl, much to her surprise.
"Yes! Thank you!" realizing her impulsive reaction, Korra released the girl and adjusted her parka a bit, blushing and chuckling in embarrassment. "Sorry. I'm an old friend of Teo's. My name's Korra." she extended her hand for the young girl to shake.
"Oh, I know who you are." she said while shaking the Avatar's hand. "Everybody knows you."
"Oh, right. Of course."
"It's very nice to meet you. I'm Erika." she slightly leaned to her right and waved at the others sitting at the table, "And you must be Team Avatar."
Bolin giggled with glee before grabbing hold of Rarity's arm and shaking her frantically, "Did you hear that?! We're famous!"
"Oh, you're Nuktuk! I love your movers, they're so funny!"
Bolin's excitement died down along with his dignity. "They're not comedies but, okay." he said somewhat bitterly.
Erika returned to speaking with Korra, "So, how do you know Teo? Not to sound mean or anything but he's never mentioned you before. I'm pretty sure I'd remember him telling me he knew the Avatar herself."
Korra cringed a bit while fiddling with her fingers, "It's…complicated. Let's just say I've come back to fix an old mistake."
"What kind of mistake? If you don't mind me asking?"
Korra felt terrible even speaking about it, but if she was Teo's friend she should know. "I made a promise to him long ago that I never kept."
"How many years ago?"
Korra cringed again. "Fourteen."
"Yowza! Well, better late than never, right?"
Korra looked down in regret and Erika felt sympathy for her. The promise must have meant something to her if she came all this way to make up for not staying true to it.
Before she could say another word, the doors of the restaurant opened, causing a bell to ring and in walked a young man roughly around the same age as Team Avatar. He was tall, very fit and very, very handsome. Like most watertribe folk, his skin was brown and his eyes were a piercing gray blue, enough to make any woman swoon. His figure looked like he was very athletic even underneath his parka and wore fingerless gloves. Underneath his left eye he had a small scar. His expression carried a sense of aloofness and pride within them, but that shifted quickly when he laid eyes on the half-alicorn across the room.
Korra let out a light gasp. She recognized this man, his eyes, his face, there was no question about it. The years caused his chubby cheeks to fade away replacing them with perfectly structured cheek-bones and he no longer was missing any baby teeth, having outgrown them all long ago. The stranger approached the group, his eyes blinking while shaking his head as if trying to make sure if he was hallucinating or not. Erika gently stood aside, allowing Korra to take a step forward. The others watched patiently as she finally managed to call him by his name.
"Teo?…"
The man stepped closer, silent for a moment while Korra nervously hid her hand behind her. It was then his expression shifted from shocked to happy and wrapped his strong arms around her.
"Korra!"
The princess was…very surprised by this. Here he was, her old friend who she hadn't spoken to in a whole fourteen years, hugging her like there wasn't any bad blood between them. Her friends suspected as much that something like this would happen, but even they were surprised by Teo's reaction to seeing his long lost friend.
He finally released her, Teo had grown taller, he was the exact same height as Mako. "Well I'll be a hog monkey's uncle, I never thought I'd see you face to face again."
Korra had to lightly shake her head just to gather all of this up. "You still remember me?"
"Of course I still remember you. How can I forget ever knowing the Avatar? Oh, that should be Princess Avatar now, hu?" he laughed before turning to his other female friend, "Hey, Erika. I see you two have already met."
"Yeah, we did." said the young lady, "You never told me you knew the Avatar."
"Must have slipped my mind, I guess." he turned back to Korra, "So how did you find me? I know you're here all the time visiting your folks but I never got to see you personally."
"Sorry about that." Korra apologized, now feeling a little bit better about the situation. At least Teo seemed to be just as forgiving as Minuette was. She then gestured to the rest of her friends, "Teo, I'd like to meet my friends." each one waved once she mentioned their names, "Twilight, Mako, Bolin Rainbow Dash, Rarity, Applejack, Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy. Everyone, this is Teo."
The man waved politely at them all, "Nice to meet you all. Finally. I've heard about you all on the radio. And Mako, the guy who actually managed to sweep Korra off her feet."
Mako stood up and shook Teo's hand. "It's very nice to meet you, Teo."
The two boys were a tad surprised when Bolin just zipped up in between them, and the earthbender then shook the water tribe boy's hand. "Name's Bolin, Mako's brother, so nice to see you in person." he then leaned forward, narrowing his eyes at Teo in a suspicious manner. "Just so you know, nothing gets by me." he stated in an almost threatening tone, confusing Teo a bit. He even went as far as to making an 'I'm watching you' hand gesture before sliding away to stand right behind Mako, whispering, "He's a really good looking guy." he warned his brother, who simply ignored him.
"Please forgive my brother. He can be overly dramatic at times."
Teo, being the friendly sport that he apparently was, simply shrugged it off. "It's cool, man. I also see you've had the honor of meting Erika."
Erika herself started to blush at his words, a gesture that did not go unnoticed by the others.
"Hey, you guys want to stick around and hang with us?"
"That'd be great!" Korra said with a smile and Teo wrapped his arm around her shoulder.
"Great chance to catch up on old times, ey Koko?"
The Mane Six all started to snicker at the mention of the name. "Koko?" Rainbow asked while trying not to snort.
"That used to be my nickname for her when we were kids." Teo said, making Korra arch an eyebrow.
"It was?"
"Yeah. Don't you remember?"
The Avatar tried to find an excuse not to answer that. "You know what, I'm starving! Let's eat."

For the rest of the afternoon, there had been non stop laughs from the group. Teo was certainly a very charismatic young lad and he had a whole load of stories to tell from his and Korra's childhood. With each new tale, Korra felt her memory jog at the mention of them. Even Mako enjoyed the young man's company. This time, it was Teo who was laughing at one of their own stories.
"Okay, okay, let me get this straight!" he tried to take in deep breaths since he could hardly breath due to his hysterical laughter and spoke to the firebender, "You and Korra liked each other but you were going out with this Asami chick, and your brother had a crush on Korra at the time." he laughed before speaking again, "And now, you're dating her!" he pointed his thumb at Korra before pointing at Bolin, "And he's dating your ex?"
As crazy as it sounded, the others just laughed it off. "I know! Crazy right?" Mako laughed along with him.
"Wow! And you're seriously still friends after all of that?"
"Well, yeah." Mako replied, "Asami and I are cool and she and Korra hit it off really well, too."
Teo still could not believe his ears, "Dang, Koko. You've really come a long way since then. I mean, I remember you used to be this rambunctious little wild child and now you're a princess with a castle, a kingdom a load of friends at your side with a ton of magic to boot! People are still talking about your coronation."
"You saw it?" Korra asked surprised.
"Of course. Probably the only time I had seen you since you left for Republic City."
This reminded Korra of why she came here in the first place. Now that she had found Teo she needed to fix the mistakes she had made. Teo noticed her saddened expression and grew concerned.
"Everything okay?"
"Actually, no Teo. It's not." the moment had come for her to come clean. The others watched as Korra began her apology to her old friend. "You see, I actually came all the way here just to find you so I could say…I'm sorry."
"For what?"
"When we were little we use to talk about our hopes and dreams and I made you a promise. That if I ever had the chance to leave the compound and go to the city, I would bring you along. But things got messed up. I started focusing more on my training and what the White Lotus wanted me to be that I forgot about you and our promise. There's no excuse for what've done and I can't make up for not staying true to my word but…I'm hoping you can find it in your heart to forgive me and, possibly give me another chance to set things right."
But, much like what happened with Twilight's attempt at an apology, Teo simply laughed it off. "Oh, man! Korra, there's nothing to apologize for. We were five-year-old kids, things are rarely taken seriously at that age anyways."
Mako gave his brother an 'I called it!' look, making him roll his eyes in return.
"You're not upset?" Korra asked, rather surprised.
"Of course not! It was fourteen years ago, I'm over it. Besides, I gave up on that whole city dream a long time ago and it doesn't bother me. We both did what we were suppose to do. You were destined for greatness and I was meant to live a simple life here at home. If you're born with something you should embrace it, right?"
Somehow, this didn't suit completely well with Korra. The way he said that last sentence made her curious. "I suppose, but I wasn't born an alicorn."
"But you were born as the Avatar. You always used to tell me all about your dreams of magical flying creatures, and now you are one. You've had it in ya all along, you just finally decided to let it out. How can I be upset about that?"
As much as Korra wanted to be happy about Teo letting bygones be bygones she couldn't deny the sinking feeling at the pit of her stomach. This Teo wasn't the one she knew as a child. Something about him had changed.
Her eyes then shifted towards Erika, who carried a look of sadness in her eyes. She wondered if she knew something she wasn't telling everyone. Korra was interrupted from her thoughts when Teo stood up.
"Well, it was nice meeting all of you but I've got to run. I'm meeting my pals for a business meting."
"Oh, you work at a company?" Fluttershy asked.
"Something like that. Let's just say, it's a job that allows total creative freedom." he patted Korra on the back, "It was great seeing you again, Koko. We should do it again some time. Erika, you coming?"
The young woman slightly flinched. "Actually, I think I'm going to stay here for a little while longer."
Korra noticed the slight change in Teo's expression from relaxed and happy to somewhat suspicious and even irritable. It happened too fast she couldn't say for certain.
"Suit yourself. Catch ya latter!" the young man waved goodbye like the casual dude he was and left the restaurant, leaving the friends and Erika to themselves. Rarity broke the brief silence, "Well, he was rather charming."
The ponies and the firebender noticed the calculative expression on Korra's face. "What are you thinking, Korra?" Mako asked.
"Something's not right. I didn't like the way he was talking. Not one bit."
"He seems happy." said Rainbow Dash.
Mako said, "Rule number one about being a detective, R.D. Nothing is what it seems."
Then, all eyes turned to Erika, who was now mysteriously silent. Her palms began to shake and sweat dripped from her brow. Erika stood up from her table, "I'm sorry, I have to go."
The young lady ran out of the restaurant before she could reveal anything else. "Well, put that on the list of suspicious antics." said Applejack.
Korra agreed, something was definitely off around her. And it was high time she found out what it was.

She made sure she wasn't being followed before taking out her keys to unlock her door. After a day of running errands she was happy to finally be back home. She released a gasp when a mysterious shadow appeared behind her. She spun around only to breath in a sigh of relief.
"Princess Korra! You scared me. Wait, how do you know where I lived?"
"I followed you."
"You what?! But, how come I didn't--"
"Interesting fact: Alicorns make great ninjas. I'm sorry for disturbing you but I just wanted to ask a few questions about Teo."
"I told you, there's nothing to tell."
Korra crossed her arms but remained calm and relaxed. "You're lying."
"No I'm not!" she tried to defend herself but her nervousness wasn't helping her do a very good job. Realizing this wasn't helping she sighed. "Was I that obvious?"
"Pretty much."
"Okay, I want to tell you, honestly I do."
"And I believe you."
"But I can't! If I do Teo will hate me for it!"
"Erika, if he really doesn't have anything to hide then you have nothing to worry about. But if he's in some kind of trouble, as his friend you need to--" the girls were interrupted by the sound of a window breaking just a few blocks away. Acting quickly, Korra flew over to the source of the noise, with Erika close behind her.
The princess turned a corner and found a group of masked thugs entering the broken window of a home. The lights were off, indicating nobody was home and it was still too early for people to be sleeping. Korra magically teleported herself into the house where she spotted five young men stealing various objects within the house. Picture frames, kitchen utensils, figurines from the tables. One of the boys bended water from his water skin and aimed at Korra. The Avatar stood her ground, not flinching at all, raising her hand up to extinguish the water in a matter of seconds. Another one aimed metallic ninja stars at her but Korra simply levitated them away before crushing them with her powerful magic. Another quickly took out what appeared to be some kind of ball that released a liquid-like substance that attached itself to Korra's face, temporarily blinding her.
She cried out and tried to remove the substance off of her face but the criminals managed to roughly go pass her, causing her to tumble and fall before finally able to pry the gooey stuff from her face. Rushing outside, she spotted the criminals. Using her magic, she levitated an ice wall up ahead, that prevented the grouped from escaping.
One, on the other hand, managed to jump and roll the moment he saw the ice forge upwards and tumbled down to the ground while the rest of the ice grew even larger, creating an ice cage that trapped the remaining four inside. The last one took the chance and made his escape without Korra seeing him.
Korra now had the four men in her grasp. She counted them and realized there was one still missing. She flew up to see if she could find him but there was no sign of him anywhere. She lowered down before the other boys she had caught.
"I've always wanted to say this: You are under arrest."
While the boys were being taken away, the one that escaped managed to hide inside a trash bin, waiting for the all clear before leaving while hiding in the shadows.

It didn't take long for Korra to take the five thieves to the highest authority in the entire tribe: her father.
Tonraq sat on his throne, narrowing his eyes at the four thieves, all in handcuffs, with Korra and Mako standing guard beside them. Rainbow Dash held the bags they had carried to stash their stollen goods.
"Well done, Korra." Tonraq said proudly, "We've been trying to find these delinquents for months now." he stroked his beard, "Although, I never thought they'd be kids."
Indeed, they were all teenage boys, no younger than Korra or Mako. The Mane Six all managed to removed their masks, but the last one was stubborn and held onto his mask while Applejack tried to pry it off of him.
"This one's feistier than a new born calf!"
Finally, she managed to remove the ski mask from his head, only to receive numerous gasps that echoed the hallways.
"Teo!?"
No wonder he didn't want his mask removed, he didn't want anyone to find out it was him. Especially Korra and Tonraq. The chief stood up, looking just as shocked as everyone else. "I don't believe it. Teo, why? I never thought you would take such a path."
"Neither did I." Korra said tragically.
But Teo only scoffed and turned his head away from them. "I didn't do anything wrong." he said bluntly with no remorse at all.
Rainbow scoffed, "What are you, brain dead?! You stole from a civilian's house! How can you say that's not a crime?"
"I think the biggest crime is what was he thinking?" Rarity removed some of the objects the boys had stollen, she now held a frying pan and toilet paper in another. "Kitchen utensils, toilet paper? None of these things are of any value. Why would you want to steal this junk?"
"It's none of your business!" Teo exclaimed angrily.
"That's enough!" Tonraq's voice echoed, "It doesn't matter how valuable the stollen goods are, the fact of the matter is breaking and entering is a serious offense. Someone could have gotten hurt. I'm afraid I have no other choice but to send you to prison. Unless you boys have anything to say."
One of the boys rose up his head and spit right in Tonraq's direction, causing the others to laugh. That answered his question.
Korra didn't know these other boys, and none of them even showed the slightest sign of remorse for what happened. Teo, on the other hand, she could tell there was more to his reaction and in trying to defend his actions. It almost seemed as if he was trying to prove it to himself rather than everybody else. She couldn't let him get away like this.
"Dad, wait! Can you give me a minute to talk with Teo? Please?"
Tonraq looked at his daughter in surprise, but complied when her friends all nodded their heads in agreement. Tonraq complied as well and had his southern troops take the rest of the boys away while Korra remained with Teo in the room. She squatted down to his level and spoke with compassion.
"Teo, why would do this? This isn't like you."
"How would you know?" he responded, not even making eye contact. "You've been gone for fourteen years, don't act like you know what's best for me."
Korra slightly lowered her gaze, "You're right. It's foolish of me to expect you to stay the same after all this time. But my question is why did you become this? That's what I don't understand."
"It's who I am."
"What are you talking about?"
"I was only doing what I'm best at. Why is that such a problem?"
"How is stealing a part of your identity? It doesn't make any…." then, she placed the pieces together. It was a theory but, so far it pointed in that direction. "Oh…I see."
Teo sighed sadly, "When were were little, I didn't always tell you everything. Growing up, I had this….problem that I didn't understand. Whenever I saw something on display, even if it wasn't valuable in any way, I just had to take it. The urges were too strong for me to resist. I didn't want to feel this way but I did. The only way for me to be at ease was to just take it. Once I did, I felt better. I kept this secret from my parents because I didn't want them to think any less of me. I never told anyone, not even you. It was bad enough the White Lotus wouldn't let you have any friends I couldn't add salt to the situation if they knew what I really was."
Korra listened attentively to his story, not interrupting once. She needed to first understand him if she was ever going to help him.
"Eventually, my mom found out. She was so mad but she still let me see you. She thought maybe a positive influence was what I needed." his expression then tensed up and he furrowed his brows at her, "But then you just stopped coming over. You didn't speak to me at all. You completely shut me out like I wasn't important anymore. I hoped and waited for my friend to return but you never did. Tonraq even stopped talking to my parents because they were more occupied with your Avatar training. One day, my father went on a hunting trip. I followed him but got lost in the snow for a while. When I finally found him…he was killed by wolves."
Korra's heart broke for him. His father was truly a good man. She was almost afraid to ask. "I'm sorry. And your mother?"
"She passed away a few years back. After that, I swore I would never be hurt like that again. All my life I've been surrounded by people who never understood me until I found the guys."
"The boys you were with?"
"Yes. They were the only ones who made me realize I should embrace what I have instead of trying to contain it. I never felt more free."
But to Korra, his idea of "freedom" didn't sound like it to her. "Teo, I'm so, so sorry I wasn't there for you when I should have been. If I could turn back the clock and do it all over again, I would. But this twisted idea of "freedom" isn't for you."
Teo only scoffed at this, "You know, just because you're the Avatar and a magical princess now it doesn't mean you can tell me what to do! Besides, if you really want to make up for ditching me all those years ago then why don't you untie me and let me live my life."
"You know I can't do that. I can't let you throw your life away."
"Has it every occurred to you that maybe I was just born to be this way? Maybe I was meant to be a thief, have you ever thought of that?"
"I don't believe anyone is born to do wrong. But I do believe temptations can lead people down a dangerous path if they don't listen to reason. Trust me, I know what it's like to be deceived by something, or someone, you believe in. There is good in you Teo, I know it. You've just been surrounding yourself with the wrong crowd. But I can help you if you let me."
"No thanks." he turned his gaze away from her, "If you want to put me in jail just do it already."
Korra stood up again and crossed her arms before smirking. "You know, I'm going to say to you exactly what I've said to every person I've ever met…" she placed her hands on her knees and looked directly into Teo's eyes. "…You're not getting rid of me that easily."

"What?!"
"Just give me two weeks with him. If he hasn't changed at all in that time then you can place him in prison with the rest of his crime buddies."
Tonraq could not believe what his daughter was asking of him. She wanted to be Teo's personal parole officer to try and change his ways. Or at least point him in the right one.
"Korra, I'm not sure if two weeks will be enough to change him."
"I'm not expecting a full on transformation, that's crazy. But I know I can help him realize there is more for him than these urges he has." she gently gripped her father's strong arms. "Please, dad. Give him a chance."
To seal the deal, she gave him her big puppy dog blue eyes while pouting her lips. He tried to turn away from her oh too powerful gaze, but was unfortunately met with even more of the same stare from the rest of the Mane Six. And worse, they had their pony ears lowered. That was just the icing on the cake.
"Alright, fine! Two weeks."
"Thank you, daddy!" Korra and the Mane Six all hugged the man. He just hoped they knew what they were doing.

Mako and Bolin awaited for the others outside of the throne room in the hallways. The firebender immediately walked over to his girlfriend the moment she walked in. "What did your dad say?"
"I have two weeks to try and get through to Teo. Maybe if he can see for himself that it's possible for people to change he'll come around."
"You sure that's enough time? I mean, I know you're good with people and all but…"
"I understand your concern, but this was the best I could do for now. This isn't the first time he's broken into a house. I may be a princess and the chief's daughter but even I can't completely bend the laws of my tribe when it suites me."
Mako just stood there, blinking in shock at her words. "Who are you and what have you done with my girlfriend?" Korra responded by powerfully punching him in the arm. Mako rubbed it, stilling feeling the impact even afterwords, but smiled non the less. "There she is!"
"I'm serious Mako, I need to know if I have your support on this."
He stopped rubbing his arm and took both Korra's hands into his own. "Of course you have my support. I want to help in any way that I can."
"Then, can you do me a favor?"
"Anything."
"I need you guys find Erika. I think she might be of help to us but I can't risk letting Teo out of my sight. And if she knows anything about those others guys then maybe she can help in finding the one that escaped."
Mako nodded his head in agreement. Like everyone else, they could tell that girl was hiding something and whatever it was they needed to know in order for them to help Teo. For now, Korra would do her best to rekindle their broken friendship in hopes that he can see things differently, but also they needed Erika to help them fill in the blanks in case Teo wouldn't.
Rainbow wrapped an arm round Mako's neck, "You can count of us, A.K.!"
"Thanks, R.D."

This was going to be a lot harder than Korra originally thought. For one, Teo was just as stubborn as she was. He wouldn't talk to her, wouldn't even make eye contact with her as they walked down the streets of the south pole's city. While the others searched for Erika, Korra tried to make the most out of this situation. She cleared her throat to start a conversation but Teo beat her to the punch.
"I know why you're doing all of this so don't even bother." he said bluntly while taking a few steps forward, but Korra rushed to his side as they bypassed a few fruit stands.
"Look, I don't blame you for being mad at me but the least you can do is acknowledge that I'm trying to--" she stopped once she noticed he was eating an apple. "Where did you get that?"
"Hey! Thief!"
Korra stopped Teo by holding onto the back of his shirt when the owner of the stand came running towards them, but not before bowing to the princess. "Your highness, that boy took one of my--"
"Will this cover it?" Korra silenced the man by tossing a few yuans onto his palm to paw for the fruit. "I apologize, he's…well, it's a long story. Can you let this one hiccup slide?"
The vendor counted the amount of money he had and nodded his head in agreement. Korra sighed in relief but she couldn't allow this to happen again. So, desperate times calls for desperate measures.
Teo felt his hips suddenly become wrapped with a sparkling cyan strong with the other end wrapped around Korra's wrist.
"Are you kidding me? Do I look like a pet to you?"
"So long as I hold this lasso anything else you try to swipe, I'll know it before you do."
Teo tried to pull onto the leash to no avail. "This is crazy! Let me go!"
"You can pull all you want it's not going to work. It's magic so, unless I say the word, you're stuck with me."
Teo gave up and growled in annoyance. "I liked you better when you didn't follow the rules."
"People change, Teo."
"Says you."
Korra had to take in slow deep breaths to calm herself. This was going to be a long two weeks.
While the two made their way down the streets, the mysterious figure from before was observing them from afar. His crystal gray eyes sparkling with a sinister vibe.

Meanwhile, the others were doing their best to find Erika. Korra had already told them where she lived and were only a few blocks away from her house.
They finally reached Erika's home and Rainbow Dash was the first to knock on the door. The owner inside opened the door a creek, but upon seeing the anthro pony Erika quickly attempted to close the door but Rainbow held onto it.
"Hey, we're not here to scare you. We're here to talk."
"I don't know anything, I swear!" Erika tried to close the door again but Rainbow was physically stronger and managed to pry open the door with ease, leaving Erika rather distraught for having allowed this to happen.
Mako walked up to her, speaking in a calm tone. "We're sorry to disturb you like this, but we have some questions about---"
"I'm sorry, I can't."
Rainbow gesture to Mako, "So, we doing the whole, good cop/bad cop thing, or what?"
Mako shook his head and turned back to the young water tribe woman. "Erika, please. We know you're just trying to protect Teo but if you know something that could hurt him or anybody else you have to tell us. I promise, nothing bad will happen to you."
"Depending on what it is." said Rainbow Dash, earning her a look from Mako. "What?"
Erika knew she couldn't hide this any longer. So, she invited them all inside and made them some hot tea and a plate of some cookies she had. Bolin and Applejack enjoyed the sweet treats while Erika sat on the main couch to explain everything to the others.
"So, now you know about Teo's problem." she said.
"That he steals without much control and is part of a street gang? Yeah, pretty much." said Applejack.
"How long have you known?" Twilight asked.
"Teo and I met once in school. He was alone during lunch so I became his first real friend. It didn't take long for me to realize that he had a stealing problem. He would steal my lunch, sometimes without even thinking it. But I didn't let that effect our friendship. The more time we spend together became best friends. But his habits became too frequent. After his mother passed, he just snapped. He decided to steal without feeling any guilt at all. He just accepted that it was what he was and that even trying to change his ways wasn't an option. Eventually he joined those guys and encouraged him to start breaking into houses to take anything and everything he wanted. I tried to help him but eventually I realized maybe there wasn't anything I could do. If stealing was how he was able to cope with his anxiety and loss of his parents then maybe I should let him. I mean, friends accept friends for who they are, right?"
The room was silent for a moment before Twilight spoke up, placing her cup of tea on the table. "You're right on one thing, Erika. Friends do accepted friends as they are. But, a true friend must also know when to speak the truth, even if it's not what they want to hear. It's not only about making somebody happy, it's also about helping to stir them in the right direction. If you know that what he's doing is wrong then you need to say something to him."
"But I don't want him to hate me. I can't bare to loose the only friend I've ever had."
"It's honorable to think about a person's feelings. But it's even more honorable to think about a person's reality."
"You shouldn't prioritize what is right to fit his needs if you know it's not helping him or anyone around him." said Mako, having learned from experience.
Erika took their words into thought. Maybe she was focusing more on how to make Teo happy with his flaws than realizing this 'flaw' was destroying him and he didn't even know it. Maybe, out of fear of rejection and loneliness, she brushed off what her conscious was saying in order to still have a friend. She couldn't do that, she was pulling a veil over his eyes and not allowing him to see that what he was doing was wrong. He said it was in his nature but deep down she didn't believe that.
It was hight time she started being a true friend to Teo.

In hopes of reminding Teo of the good times they shared, she took him to his old house. "Why are we at this dump?"
"Don't you remember? When I snuck out of the compound we would climb up to the roof and talk for hours until I had to go back."
"Or until my mom caught us."
"Ha! You do remember!"
"Of course I remember. How could I forget all of the promises you made me only to completely forget I exist so you could be the world famous Avatar like you wanted."
Korra's face turned red with embarrassment. This was a lot harder than she anticipated. "Now I know how Twilight felt when she was talking to Moon Dancer." she muttered to herself before spreading open her wings to fly up, dragging Teo along with her. He screamed in terror once his feet left the ground.
"AH! Hey, what are you doing?! I hate heights!"
"You didn't always." Korra replied before gently placing him on the roof of his old house. He screamed and held onto where he stood for his dear life. Being here was like traveling back in time.
Korra softly landed beside him and extended her hand to him. He was terrified of standing back up but, seeing as he really wasn't going to get rid of him, he complied. He took her hand and wobbly stood up…only to be left completely speechless once he saw what was before him.
His house was tall enough for him to see almost the entire ocean from afar, as well as the compound where Korra use to live at. He had not been here for ages, and seeing it all again was bringing back such innocent and carefree memories from the past. Korra took notice of the growing smile on his face, but Teo quickly dismissed it and tried to act aloof.
"So what? You see one view you seen them all."
But Korra could spy an act when she saw one. Boys were particularly easy to read at times. After all, that's how she got Mako to confess he liked her. She pointed down towards the ocean.
"Look over there. It's the spot our parents used to take us fishing, remember?"
Teo looked in the direction she was pointing and could see the place clearly. It was a simple little area where anyone could rent a small boat to go fishing. He then chuckled at a certain memory, "Remember that time you passed out?"
Korra pouted her lips in annoyance. "Yeah, yeah, don't rub it in." she then pointed to her old home. "And look at that. The compound was never that far off from here."
"I never knew what it was like in there." said Teo.
"It was like a prison." Korra responded, recalling her own not so pleasant memories of her childhood.
"Must not have been that bad if you stayed for so long." Teo sat down once again, crossing his arms.
"Look, I didn't bring you up here for any more poignant reminders of what a bad friend I was. I brought you here to show how much I really want to set things right."
Teo scoffed, "Of course, because you're the "Princess of Friendship" and what-not!" he used air quotes to say her tittle. "Look, I get why you stopped coming over here. You always told me how the White Lotus wanted you to focus more on your studies and training and didn't want you thinking about anything else. It was only a matter of time before their words finally sunk in. Even back then I knew having the Avatar for a best friend was risky. Though, the least you could have done was say you couldn't see me anymore."
But Korra was not about to let those words hurt her. "You're right, Teo. It wasn't fair to you, at all. And yes, their words did eventually sink in. They sunk in so deep I had to give up a lot. I gave up on my childhood, my friends and my dreams so I could become the Avatar they wanted me to be, and worse, I was starting to agree with them. I thought, because I was born the Avatar that was all I could ever be. That identity became my own. In some ways…my idol, even. The day I became an alicorn made me realize I could be so much more than that. I struggled with both who I was becoming and that one identity I made for myself, trying to keep a balance when finally I realized I needed to let one of them go."
"So you just chose not to be the Avatar anymore?"
"In a way…yes. Yes I did."
Teo scoffed, believing the idea was silly. "Yeah, right."
Korra placed her hands on her hips, "Let me ask you this: haven't you wondered why the name "Princess" comes before "Avatar"? Or it's simply, "Princess Korra"? I can't forget my past or change it, but I can learn from it. I believe everyone's life is a story, and once you figure out what it means you can share it with others. That's why I'm here, Teo. Because I firmly believe your story's not finished yet, regardless of what you think."
All Teo could do was sit there and listen. It literally really was all he could do at this point. He couldn't escape without her watchful eye, and deep down he knew it was for a good reason. She was making a serious effort to mend their broken friendship. Maybe, a chance wouldn't be so bad. At least, if he complied, she would finally leave him alone. Being in a prison cell would most likely be more peaceful than having this winged human alicorn hybrid carry him on a leash all day.
"I want to help you Teo, if you'll let me."
His eyes snapped open when Korra magically made the lasso around him disappear. "Wha--what are you doing?"
"What I probably should have done to begin with. You can leave right now and want nothing to do with me, but that also means I will be forced to take you to prison. Or, you can stay and give me a second chance to be your friend, which also means you'll have to deal with me being around you for the next two weeks. Your choice."
"You're actually giving me the liberty to choose?…Really?"
Korra nodded her head in 'yes', making Teo blink in surprise. He smiled and rushed to the side of the roof, ready to leap off. However, at the last moment, he stopped. Korra wasn't moving, she stood where she was, as if still waiting for him to choose differently. Somehow, this made him think twice. Here, he could finally be free to do what he wanted, what he believed he could do. But, then again, this person from his past was willing to help him even though he still didn't believe he needed help. Somehow, leaving right now didn't feel like much of a victory.
"You win."

"So, how exactly did you learn to do that lasso thing?" Teo asked, as he and Korra walked and talked down the street.
"I've been learning new spells from Twilight. You'd be surprised just how many there are."
"You didn't always used to like studying."
"I don't think of it as studying, more of curiosity. If something interests me I learn it. Next to bending, magic is another passion of mine."
"Must be nice to have a hobby." he said with a genuine smile, which was one of the first Korra managed to get out of him that day.
"What else do you like to do? Aside from stealing, that is?"
Teo fiddled with his fingers nervously, "Well, it's kinda silly, actually."
"I have a pony who's nothing but silly, I'm sure I got you beat."
"It's actually something we and Erika bonded over." he said, his cheeks already turning a soft shade of red. Korra recognized that kind of blush anywhere. She arched an eyebrow and smiled.
"Really?"
"What's with the tone?"
"What tone?"
"That "Really?""
Korra chuckled, "It's nothing. So, what did you and Erika bond over?" before she could react, Teo grabbed her by the hand and led her to an area where there were less people around.
"Promise me you won't laugh."
"Cross my heart, hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye." she resided the Pinkie Promise.
Teo looked at her weird but shrugged it off before demonstrating Korra his secret. For a moment, Korra was speechless.
Teo's feet moved with such speed and flexibility, as well as grace. He spun around on his axis effortlessly before doing a splits and jumped back up, crossing his arms in a final pose. Korra had never seen anyone move like that before, not even the airbenders.
"Wow! That's amazing, Teo you have a real talent."
"I don't know." he said while scratching the back of his head, "I just like to dance in my room when I'm bored."
"How long have you been dancing?"
"A few years. The first time I tried I was a mess. But, thanks to Erika, I got better. It, seems to help me when I'm upset."
"I thought stealing was how you copped?" Korra asked, rather suspiciously.
"Well, dancing can only help so much. I haven't done it in a while."
"How long in a while?"
"Three months. I'm a little rusty."
"Why did you stop?"
"I got too busy with the guys I decided to leave it for a while. Not like it's going anywhere, right?"
"Have you told Erika?"
Teo's shoulders dropped, "Erika's great but…I don't think she'd understand. That's the problem with folks like me Korra, not everyone can understand, even if they try they don't. My friends are the only ones who do understand me because they know what it's like."
"You mean those guys who had you break into an innocent person's house?" she said sternly.
"We weren't hurting anybody. Besides, don't real friends accept one another for who they are."
"Yes they do. But they also know when to snap their friends back into reality. If being friends means good and wrong need to go out the window then that's not friendship, that's deception. False friendship."
For once, Teo didn't know what else to say. He didn't want to believe his friends were taking advantage of him. He felt more free to do what he believed he was suppose to do than be something he wasn't. But Korra was trying to show him he could be more than a thief. For once in his life…he didn't know what to do. The silence was interrupted when Korra suddenly gasped.
"What's wrong?" he asked.
"One of my ponies is calling me."
"I didn't hear anything."
Korra demonstrated her old friend just how she was able to communicate with her pony friends. A projection-like object emerged from her palm and a shimmering ruby lightning bolt appeared, blinking while a voice was head from it.
"Korra! You have got to get over here!"
"Rainbow, what's wrong?"
"Trust me, it's gonna flip your wings!" the element disappeared as did the projection. Rainbow didn't sound distressed, rather excited.
What was it she wanted her to see so badly?

Korra was able to find where Rainbow and the others were. She and Teo noticed a large crowd of people, shouting and cheering in awe. There must have been some street performance, which was odd since there hardly were many around here.
Korra and Teo passed through the crowd and gasped at what they saw.
With Pinkie Pie playing on some pans for music, Erika, along with Fluttershy and Rarity, did a spectacular dance performance in front of the crowd. Korra already knew Erika could dance but she had no idea she was this good. They moved to the beat, while the anthro ponies kept up with Erika, her movements carried much an incredible amount of passion which was reflected in her eyes.
Korra then, at the corner of her eye, noticed the way Teo was admiring Erika's dancing. She knew that look anywhere and a smile appeared on her face. Maybe all this time he wasn't completely lost in the dark if he managed to find some enjoyment in simply watching this young girl perform. In fact, she had never seen his eyes sparkle the way they did right now. The gears in her mind spun round and round. An idea was forming.
Once the dance was over, the people applauded before dispersing one by one. Korra noticed the rest of her friends and was immediately greeted by Rainbow.
"So, this is what you wanted me to see?"
"I know! How cool was it?!" Rainbow's wings flapped in excitement like they always did.
"She was absolutely smashing!" Rarity said in agreement while placing a hand on Erika's shoulder.
The Avatar turned to the young dance performer. "Erika, you were amazing!"
"Thanks." she blushed, "I was just showing Fluttershy and Rarity a few moves and next thing I knew we had an audience."
Teo stepped forward to the girl, his eyes still carrying that sense of wonder and admiration. "Erika, that was unbelievable. I didn't know you kept on dancing."
"I was kind of hoping if I did then, maybe you would pick it up again. I miss dancing with you, Teo."
Erika's cheeks became red, as did Teo's. These gestures were noticed by everyone. Then, Korra's idea finally came into full swing.
She knew exactly what she needed to do.
"Hey, I just got an idea! Why don't you guys do a dance performance at the palace?"
Teo's eyes widened, "Whoa, whoa, slow down there, Koko. I don't do performances. Besides, I haven't danced in months, I'm way too out of practice."
"That's why I recommend Erika to be your partner. She's clearly been practicing."
The young lady blushed, whiles fiddling with one of her braids, "I--I--I don't know. Dancing in front of a few people is one thing, but to dance for the chief?"
"It'll be great! You both have incredible talents, it's not fair for them to go to waste."
"I couldn't agree more!" said Rarity.
"Of course, that's only if you really want to. If not, then I'll understand."
Erika did like the idea of dancing with Teo again. But Teo himself was hesitant. "But why in front of your dad? You think that'll be enough to get him to ease up on my criminal record?"
"Well, if you'd rather dance in front of a million strangers." Korra said, crossing her arms while smirking. She knew Teo hatted large crowds, ever since he was little. He bit his bottom lip, thinking. He really didn't want to do this…or did her.
He also missed dancing with Erika, and seeing her dancing just now reminded him just how much he missed it. And if Tonraq was impressed maybe he would be off the hook. Maybe one dance wouldn't hurt, and it did kind of fill his heart up with a joy he didn't think he could feel. Maybe this wouldn't be so bad after all.
"Alright. Why not?"

"A dance show? Really?" Tonraq was rather surprised by his daughter's request. "Since when can Teo dance?"
"I know it's a strange favor to ask but I really think this could help Teo. I know he likes dancing, and he likes Erika. If he can see for himself just how much he loves to dance it may help him with his…you know, problem."
"Korra, I don't think doing a little performance is going to reinvent him."
"I'm not trying to reinvent him. I'm trying to open his eyes the way my friends did for me. Please dad? I promise, I won't ask you for anything else, ever."
Once again, Tonraq was face to face with Korra's puppy dog eyes. There was really no winning with this.
"I suppose it couldn't hurt. And there's really no crime to, 'get down on the dance floor, yo!'" he said, trying to sound hip and young. Korra cringed a bit.
"Yeah…don't ever do that again."

Since there was still two weeks left, the group of friends took that time to see Erika and Teo practice. Korra still had her job of keeping an eye on him. So far, the two of them proved to posses incredible talents and skills. It was like their feet were in perfect harmony with each other.
The others helped in providing the music for their performance, and Teo had never had so much fun. For a moment, he even forgot about stealing. He hadn't stolen anything in these past few days. He was too excited and occupied with dancing with Erika again. It was a great chance for them to bond again, and Korra couldn't be happier. Even if Teo wouldn't admit it, he was happy. Happy to be doing something that was doing him more good rather than harm.
Not only that, but she even managed to catch on on the gestures and expressions shared between Erika and Teo. There was no denying there was something going on with these two.
The day before the event, the friends all gathered once again at the restaurant where they all first met their new friends. Teo was laughing along with his companions, sitting beside Erika with Korra and Mako on their right.
Pinkie Pie was entertaining everyone with her latest airbending tricks. "Okay, okay, this is one Meelo said his grandpa used to do all the time when Tenzin was a kid." she placed her two hands only a few meters apart and a marble spun around rapidly in between them, all while smiling broadly. In all honesty, it wasn't that impressive, but the way Pinkie was doing it, they couldn't help but laugh. She always had a way of making anything and everything funny.
"You guys are gonna wow Tonraq tomorrow." said Rainbow Dash, "I'd say you two have a real future as dancers."
Teo blushed at the idea, "I don't know about that."
"Well, I do."
Unfortunately, Teo's happiness would soon come crumbling down when he noticed someone else enter the restaurant. He recognized this young lad with the pale skin, as white as that of a ghost, his eyes a dazzling yet frightening gray shade and his long dark hair styled into a long ponytail with a long cuff covering one eye. He wondered what had happened to him before and now he was back.
"Uh, I need to use the bathroom. I'll be right back." Teo politely excused himself and headed towards the bathroom. He splashed his face with the liquid in hopes calming himself. This couldn't be happening. Not now. He started to feel anxious, he needed to do something or else he would loose it. He did the craziest thing at that moment, taking rolls of toilet paper like they were valuable somehow. He need to take something, anything.
"Having fun, Teo?"
Teo gasped and spun around when the mysterious boy stood before him. "What are you doing here?"
"I escaped, remember?" he said while removing his wig to reveal he had shaggy short brown hair.
"Yeah, I do. I also remember you left me and the others out to dry."
"Oh, come on, bro. It's the past. Forgive, forget, right?"
"Look, I don't know what it is that you want but I'm not interested."
The boy laughed, thinking it was a joke. "You're not serious, are you? What, you think these pansies have changed you? In case you haven't noticed, you were just taking a roll of toilet paper."
"Get out, Tikaani!"
The boy, Tikaani, arched an eyebrow, "So…you finally caved in, didn't you? You're becoming exactly the kind of person they wanted you to be. That's the only reason they're spending any time with you. You can play all you want, but I know who you really are. You're just like me. You steal because it feels good, because nobody else can understand what you feel, right?"
"It's not the same thing." Teo said defensively.
"Tell me, Teo. Are you really doing this because you want to, or just so that pretty water tribe girl can like you."
"Korra is just a friend." Teo stated.
"I wasn't talking about Korra."
Teo's cheeks flustered and he froze in place.
"Because you never once did any of this before that feathered freak showed up."
Could what he said be true? Could he really be lying to himself just to feel accepted into this new circle of friends? So Erika would like him again? Was he really caving into what he didn't want anybody to do to him? To change him? Was he changing because they wanted him to? What was he doing? None of this ever happened before Korra came back.
"Are you seriously willing to give all of that up? The thrills, the freedom, all of it just for them? I may have left you guys, but you're doing something worse. Leaving who you are, and all just so they can like you. That's low, man. When we found you we didn't ask you to change. We didn't tell you to be something you weren't, so why are you being a hypocrite now?"
"I'm not a hypocrite!"
"Then prove it. Help me break the other guys out…tonight."
"Tonight?"
"If you do me this solid, then I promise not to bother you again. But, if you don't, then you'll always be nothing but their perfect little pet. Your choice."
This was all becoming too much. It was like a whole other door was opening up for him these past few days.
And he was just too much of a coward to go through it. He would be leaving behind everything he had come to know. And that big change terrified him. He couldn't go through with it. He wouldn't.
There was only one way for this to end. Even if it meant loosing his friend all over again.

That night, Teo was in his home, rummaging through his stuff, mostly stolen stuff, to stuff into his bag. He need to do this. He wanted to do this. There was no possible way anybody would want him around if he continued his ways. Korra was hoping he could change, but he just couldn't. He was too scared to change now. He jumped up when he heard a knock at the door.
"Teo? Can I talk to you?"
Quickly hiding his things he opened the door and allowed his guest to enter. "Hey, Koko. What brings you here?"
Korra entered the apartment and sat down on his couch. "I came by to say…I'm really proud of you."
Teo's eyes blinked for a moment. "You're…what?" nobody had ever said that to him before.
"I know you didn't want to do this to begin with but, honestly, I had faith you would make the right choice."
Teo kept on being surprised.
"I know life hasn't been easy on you, believe me I get it. I've seen and experienced a lot of things in the past two years. I've had my powers taken away, my memories, my boyfriend, I've been poisoned, bound to a wheelchair, heck I even faced Armageddon. But, despite all of that, a lot of good came out of them too. I used to think there were only heroes and villains in the world…but, now I know it's not that simple. There are no labels…there are only choices. What we do determines who we really are. That's why I let you go, so you could make your own choice."
"I…I don't know what to say."
"You don't have to say anything. In fact, you should thank Erika."
"Erika?"
"Before I came back, she was the only one who still believed in you. You're very lucky to have a friend like her. She really cares about you and wants what's best for you. She always did."
Teo just stood there, unsure on what else to say.
"Well, I should be heading back. I'll see you tomorrow." before leaving, Korra gave him one last hug and exited the door.
Teo gently closed it and looked back at his stuff…right before picking it all up.
His choice was made.

Tikaani awaited for Teo behind a tree. Before him was the prison where they would free their comrades. He heard a noise coming from behind, only to see it was Teo. He smiled with pride.
"I knew I could count on you. You got the stuff?"
Teo did not reply with words, rather he showed him the bag he carried, which contained many of tier burglary supplies.
"Perfect! Let's do this, brother. Just like the old days. This time, we aint letting the team go." he ruffled Teo's hair to which he remained unresponsive. The two snuck their way closer to where the large walls of the prison stood. Two guards stood out front and Tikaani took two tranquilizers and shoot them directly at their necks. He was the best thief of the group, having acquired many of their tools.
The two boys took the mens' uniforms to disguise themselves as guards to enter the prison. So far so good, they walked pass several other guards with ease. Once they made it to the cells Tikaani spotted their other friends in one of them.
"Hey, Tika--"
"Shush! Quiet, idiot. We're gonna get you out of here."
"We?"
Teo appeared beside Tikaani, making the others smile. "Hey, Teo! Where have ya been, buddy?"
"I had to wait for the right moment to pry him away from the Princess Avatar." said Tikaani just as he was about to open the door. But then, he realized he was missing something. "Where are the keys?"
"You mean, these?"
Tikaani spun around, only to find that Teo had the keys.
"Teo! What are you doing?"
"I'm making my own choice."
"You've got to be kidding me! You think this'll make you some kind of hero? Quit lying to yourself, Teo! You're a thief and that's all you'll ever be!"
"You're right about one thing. I am a thief. But today…I choose not to act like one."
Without a second thought, Teo punched Tikaani directly in the face, knocking him out and his helmet came flying off. Teo also removed his helmet and sighed in relief. He felt like a huge weight had been lifted off of his shoulders.
"Well, done."
Teo gasped when he heard a familiar voice behind him. "Korra?! What are you--how did--when did--hu?!"
"Erika knew something was up when she saw that guy at the restaurant."
"Erika?"
"She told me everything so I followed. You're very lucky to have a friend like her."
"But, if you were here the whole time, why didn't you do something?"
"I wanted to give you a chance to make the right choice. And you did."
"But, what if I hadn't?"
"Then it would have been a shame. But I had faith that wouldn't happen. In my experience, I've gotten pretty good at knowing when a person has changed. And you have."
Teo had never felt more relieved in his entire life. "Korra, I am so sorry. All this time I was mad at you for what happened, but you did everything you could to make it up to me, and I repaid you by breaking and entering and almost letting these criminals escape. How can you ever forgive me for that?"
He received his answer when the princess hugged him. That was all the evidence he needed.

The next day, Tonraq and Senna sat on their thrones to watch the event. Korra sat beside them as well, already excited to see her new friends wow her parents.
As expected, Mako and Rainbow played guitar and Pinkie Pie played the drums. Erika and Teo took front and center to dance while Fluttershy and Rarity danced behind them as backup. Twilight, Applejack and Bolin watched alongside Korra.
Erika was not only a good dancer…but a good singer too.

("What's gonna happen" from barbie and the secret door)

Erika:
All I really wanna do is be right here
And be just who I am
Yeah, I'm finally stepping up to center stage
To lend a helping hand

Teo took her hand and flipped her, making her dress move elegantly as she twirled.

Everybody
Has a story
This one will be mine
Cause I'm in the perfect place and now's the perfect time

Tonraq and Senna were tapping their toes and clapping their hands to the music as Teo and Erika danced like never before.
Teo had never felt happier in his whole life. He felt like he was finally where he needed to be. He never realized that "thief" identity was him trapping himself in a cage. Now, he felt free.

Teo and Erika:
What's gonna happen
I can't wait to see
What's gonna happen
It's all up to me

I'm gonna turn the page
Prepare to be amazed
Now that I've got it made
Woah oh
It's nothing I'd expect
What's gonna happen next?

Oh, yeah!
It's nothing I'd expect
What's gonna happen next?

Once the dance was over, Tonraq and Senna applauded for the two. "That was incredible!" said the chief. "Teo, my boy, you have a remarkable gift."
"Yeah…I know." he said with a smile. It was a smile he never thought he'd smile before. It was one of pure bliss and happiness. He then took Erika's hand. "Thanks for ratting out on me."
Erika smiled in return, "That's what friends do." the two dancers hugged as the others surrounded them in a hug as well. Teo had never felt more at home.

Sadly, it was now time for the friends to leave. "You sure you don't want to come with us?" Bolin asked Teo, "You did say you always wanted to see the city."
"Thanks, Bolin. But, I think I'll pass for now. I've still got a lot of stuff to make up for what I did. And Tonraq and Senna agreed to sign me up for an anonymous helpers group."
"Does this mean you're going to keep on dancing?" Twilight asked hopefully.
"I'm not giving that up." Teo turned to Korra, "It was really great to see you again, Koko. You really have grown up to be a great hero, just like I knew you'd be."
"I promise we'll come back and visit." she said before hugging him.
Teo then turned to Mako, "You better be good to her, you hear me?"
The firebender chuckled, "You've got nothing to worry about."
The two boys shook hands but Mako surprised Teo with a brotherly hug. Any friend of Korra's was a friend of his. Once the hug ended Erika and Korra hugged once more.
"Thank you Korra. For everything. I promise, I'll keep an eye on him."
"Oh, I'm counting on it." the Avatar winked in her direction, making the young girl blush.
With one final goodbye, Teo, Erika, Tonraq and Senna waved at their friends as the airship rose up into the sky. But then, suddenly, the ship stopped and the catwalk extended.
Mako angrily walked out and approached Teo and extended his hand. "Seriously?"
"I'm working on it." Teo replied as he gave Mako back his wallet.
Mako went back and, this time, they were on their way back home. The firebender returned to steering the airship when his brother walked up to him. "You know what, Mako? I'm proud of you."
"For what?"
"You didn't show one small sign of jealousy when Korra was with Teo."
Mako sighed in exhaustion, "Bolin, for the last time, there was nothing for me to be jealous about!"
"I know. Now that Teo's got Erika, you're in the clear."
Mako face palmed himself for his brother's denseness. No matter what he may think, Mako was never, ever jealous of Teo and Korra's history. Why? Because he trusted Korra as well as her feelings for him and vice versa. Besides, if he was allowed to have a close friendship with his ex-girlfriend and have his current be perfectly okay with it, who's to say he couldn't be that way with her old friend who just so happened to be male. He loved Bolin, but he still had much to learn.
Meanwhile, Korra and Twilight were once again standing right where they did when their trip began.
"Good job, princess." said the alicorn.
"You too, princess."
And so, from that day forward, Teo had never been happier. He finally found his calling, his bond with Erika grew more and more by the day, and even Twilight's old friend Moon Dancer got a happy ending.
Korra watched as the princess helped the airbender unicorn to use her glider. It warmed her heart to see them bonding again. While they were having fun, she was writing on a special kind of book.
Away from the city, somewhere in the earth kingdom, Kuvira heard her magical book vibrate. She opened the pages to read the words her friend had written.
"Hey, Kuvira. Been a while. I thought maybe we could catch up for a bit."
Kuvira did have some paperwork to file…but, maybe one break wouldn't hurt. She sat down and started writing a reply.