“So tell me everything!” Diamond said with an excited squeal the moment they broke out into the tunnels. “I wanna know I wanna know I wanna--”
“DIAMOND!” a voice rang out, making her cringe. She looked up and gave a meek smile to Blaze.
“Errr... hi.”
“Fido said you sacrificed yourself to allow him time to escape, how-- Sunburst? You're okay?” the pegasus said, her mouth falling open.
“Of course,” the stallion said with a polite bow of his head. “We ran into a little trouble, but we kept low once we saw the island under her control. I wish I had known you were working with the diamond dogs. It would have made finding you much easier.”
The pegasus nodded. “Yeah, it's been pretty hectic around here. It's good to see you're okay.”
“So, where's my mom?” Button asked with a grin. “The rest of the council is here, right?”
Silence reigned in the tunnel, the momentum shattered. Diamond gulped and slowly reached out, putting a hoof on his back. “I uhhh... about your mom. She... well...”
“What? She on a mission?” the stallion asked with the biggest grin on his face. Slowly she shook her head.
She could see as realization dawned on him. The spark left his eyes and the corners of his mouth slowly began to descend. “W-wait... you mean my mom is...”
“She's now one of the unmarked,” Blaze said softly. “At least, we believe so.”
The earth pony stared for a moment, his eyes getting misty. Then a weak, forced smile formed on his lips. “W-well, that's not... that's fine. I mean, she'll get her cutie mark back when we win. A-and we'll... we'll win soon. Yeah. Just uhhh... I'm gonna go check the place out.” He quickly turned away and trotted off.
“Button,” Diamond said softly, reaching out.
“It's cool! I'm fine! I'm going to EXPLORE!” he snapped, walking all the faster. She took a step forward, but was blocked by Acrylic's hoof.
“He'll be fine. Just give him some time.”
The unicorn watched him for a few moments, before slowly nodding. “So... uhhh... Blaze. How goes the gathering of the other council leaders?”
The pegasus smiled and gave a nod. “It goes. They haven't returned yet but hopefully they will. What of Hornclipper? Did he...?”
The Avatar shook her head. “I don't think so. Meadowbrook isn't... I don't think she'd lose. Not to him, at least. But he bought us time, I...” She paused and then looked back towards the wall she'd just come through. “I... didn't even hesitate.”
“I'm sorry?” she asked, looking confused.
“I just let him fight her, one on one. I didn't even second guess the decision to run away,” she mumbled.
“Well, of course. Fighting her when we needed that equipment would have been a stupid decision. You likely would have been crushed,” the mare said with a shrug. “Frankly, when Fido came bursting in claiming you'd bought him time, I was considering grabbing a few and launching a counter attack to try to save you in time.”
The unicorn's eyes widened. “Wait, really?”
“Yes,” Blaze said before looking to Sunburst. She gave him a small smile. “It's good to have you back, Councilor Sunburst. We need to talk.”
He nodded. “Of course. What's this equipment you were risking all their lives over exactly?”
“Radio equipment.”
The unicorn went deathly silent, before looking around at the ponies and other creatures in the room. Finally, he lowered his eyes and sighed. “It has... come to that, hasn't it. Calling for aid?”
Slowly, she nodded. “It has. There's no longer anyway we can fight this on our own. We need the aid of the four countries.”
He sighed. “You do realize what this means, don't you? This... request?”
“Of course, sir.”
“Calling them now is... no matter,” he said with a shake of his head. “I'll make the call myself. If anypony should be requesting aid, it should be me.”
Blaze sighed. “There's no need to--”
“This is my fault,” he said firmly. “I was the one given emergency power. And I was the one who failed to stop this with that power. I have made mistake after mistake while fighting this force. I will suffer the consequences.” He paused and then looked to Diamond for a moment, before closing his eyes. “For the ponies of this world, no. For all of this world, no sacrifice is too great. Let's get this started.”
Blaze nodded and turned around. “Come with me, we'll prepare.”
The two walked off together.
Diamond watched him for a moment, before turning to Acrylic. “I'm sorry,” she mumbled softly.
“What? Why?”
“I sent you two off to get him and... I didn't succeed at anything. I just kind of... failed all around. In every possible way. I'm sorry.”
He shook his head. “It's not your fault.”
“But it is. I should have been able to stop this, I--”
“Why? Because you're the best?” he asked with a roll of his eyes. “Listen, you--”
“No, not because of that. Because I'm the Avatar. Because it's my job. Because... I need to be the Avatar that ponies need me to be. I need to be strong enough to stop ponies like this. But again and again I've failed. Twilight wouldn't have. She'd probably have been all like... 'Grrrr, super mega awesome bending!' and then pow, Meadowbrook would have been beaten. Instead I've just kind of been lame and sucky and haven't gotten anything right.”
He smiled and reached out, giving her a pat on the shoulder. He then paused and moved forward, giving her a hug, making her squeak. “You've gotten... a few things right. Not a lot, a few. And this isn't all your fault. Just because you're the Avatar doesn't mean you need to do everything. I don't think anypony expects you to do everything. Just... do what you can. I'll do what I can. We'll all do what we can. And hopefully, in the end, it all works out. You know?”
She smiled and hugged him back. “Yeah... I just don't know what I can do now. We just... we're so outnumbered.”
“Then we have to be prepared. Just because we're outnumbered doesn't mean we're doomed. Besides, I don't think most of the unmarked are bad. I think a lot of them are scared. We... well... we ran into a few of them, while we were running.”
Diamond cringed. “What happened?”
“They were more scared of us than we were of them. They didn't even try to put up a fight. I don't even think they wanted to fight. They just didn't want Meadowbrook or her cronies to hurt them. Once we defeat her, I think it'll all be a lot better.”
“Yeah. Maybe,” she said with a weak smile. “You uhhh... you don't think... well...” Her cheeks turned a little red. “Do you think I can beat her?”
“Not a chance.”
Her ears lowered and she pouted. “What? Come on!”
“I'm sorry, but she's kicked your flank how many times now? Also, you're wayyyyy too clingy to fight somepony like her and win.”
“I am not clingy!”
“Diamond. You're STILL hugging me.”
Her cheeks turned red and she bounced back. “Y-you started it.”
He nodded. “Yeah, because you needed a hug. That right there? Too much hug. Just too much.” He then paused. “But... you know what? I don't think you can beat her. But I think we can. All of us. We're a team, right? You, me, Button, Prism, Blaze, Sunburst, all of us. We may not be an Avatar, but we're still pretty good in our own rights. If we all work together, we'll know what to do. And we'll have aid from the other countries soon.”
She nodded and then sighed. “Yeah, I guess. I just wish... I wish I could have handled this on my own. Avatar Twilight would have.”
Acrylic snorted. “Oh, please. If half the stories mom told me are true, then she was HOPELESS without her friends.” He chuckled and started walking down one of the tunnels. “But that was fine. Apparently she was really, really good at making friends. So long as you've got ponies helping you and fighting by you, it doesn't matter if you can't do everything yourself. Right?”
She nodded and chuckled before following after him. “I guess not,” she said with a light smile. “Hey, Acrylic?”
“Yeah?”
“I think this tunnel goes down to a dead end.”
He paused and turned around. “And that's why it's a good thing we don't have to do everything alone.”
She snickered and walked with him.
------
Diamond gulped and tapped her hooves nervously. The radio equipment was almost all set up, Sunburst had prepared, the rescue team for the rest of the council hadn't returned yet but there was still hope. Now it was only a matter of time.
“Are you sure you know how to work this thing?” Sunburst asked the dog as he fiddled with the wires.
“Pony make strange, weird device made of more duct tape than metal,” the dog grumbled. “Pony want try fix up? Want try get work? No? Then pony shut mouth and let dog work on own.”
The unicorn sighed and shook his head, but kept his eyes forward to watch the work. Suddenly there was a light crackle, followed by a high pitched buzz, followed by another crackle. “Is that it? Is it working?”
“Almost done. Soon,” the dog mumbled before adjusting the dials and knobs. The static got louder and quieter, before finally going out. He then picked up the speaker and held it out to the fire bender. “Pony try talking now.”
Sunburst gulped and took the speaker from the dog and held it up to his mouth. He cloeared his mouth before pushing the button with his magic. “Hello. Can anypony read me? This is Sunburst, head councilor of Harmony.”
There was silence for a few moments before he repeated himself. The dog tried adjusting the knobs a few more times. Finally, on the fourth attempt there was a response.
“Hello, this is Corporal Ready of the Fire Tribes airship Fireburst.”
There was a sudden cheer from the gathered spectators, drowning out the stallion's response. He glared at the crowd, before turning back to the mouthpiece. “Hello! My name is Sunburst and I am sending out an emergency message. Harmony has fallen to the unmarked, under the direct control of the terrorist Meadowbrook. Please listen carefully.” He took a deep breath. “Harmony is officially requesting aid from all four countries. I don't know how long my connection will last, but do know that the city is now under her control. They have weapons and they have fliers. Anypony who comes here alone may be turned into the unmarked. Please, send aid as soon as possible.”
There was a moment of silence, before the pony spoke up. “Errr, sir. I'm just a corporal, I don't--”
“Then get your commanding officer,” Sunburst snapped. “Ponies are suffering and we need aid now. We need a message sent out to all the other nations before this threat can spread.”
Diamond smiled and softly shuffled her hooves. She couldn't believe it, they were actually doing it. Help would be on the way now. She held back an excited sqwee once he finished with the ship, telling them how to contact him. Then, to her surprise, he kept going. “What's he doing?” she asked softly as the dog adjusted the frequencies.
“Contacting others,” Blaze said softly.
“What? Why? But he just got the message out,” she said, looking confused.
“To one ship. We're going to need this message out as far as we can. As quickly as we can. They're going to contact every ship they can.”
The Avatar nodded. By the third contact, she found much of the thrill had evaporated. She got to her hooves and looked to Blaze. “So... ummm... any news on Ironwing?”
That made the pegasus look up. “Oh! Yes, actually. He's okay. Well, mostly okay.” She shuffled a hoof from side to side. “He'll live. I was actually going to go check on him in a bit, if you want to--”
“Yes,” Diamond said quickly. She couldn't help it. She was bored. Watching somepony else make radio calls was just boring.
The pegasus chuckled and waited two more long, torturous radio calls before turning and trotting towards the door and down the tunnels. The Avatar followed closely behind.
“So, he's going to be okay?”
“Eventually. Probably be a bit before he can actually do much, but we're hopeful he'll wake up soon.”
“That's great. Uhhh... does his mom know about... err... his dad?”
There was a few moments of silence, before she nodded. “That he was captured? Yes. She's fine with it, I think. We'll get his cutie mark back after all. There's no need to worry about it. After almost losing her son, I think having her husband just lose a cutie mark doesn't quite seem as bad.”
She nodded. “When we were there... uhhhh... Meadowbrook seemed to hate him. A lot. Said some things. Who exactly was he? Hornclipper?”
Blaze went silent. Diamond was about to ask a second time, before the mare spoke up again. “You... could have called him an executioner... or monster... or something different. He was a... deadly kind of pony during the war. He was the pony tasked with removing the horns of all the fire benders.”
Diamond almost tripped over her hooves, her mouth falling open. “Wait, what? I remember hearing about that! Why wasn't he... I mean, why isn't he imprisoned? He should be! He just--”
“He did what the Water Nation made him. What he was forced to do,” Blaze grumbled, though there was just a hint of anger in her voice. “Now, I'm not going to claim to like him, or even trust him. But the Avatar allowed him to live in the city. Scootaloo seemed to like him well enough. I'm sure there's some good in him. But, to be honest, I know very little about him aside from that. He's not the kind of pony who socializes. Not the kind of pony that others want to socialize with.”
“Oh. Errr... So Ironwing uhhh... is his son?”
“Yeah. Both are stubborn as mules and--” They walked into the room in time to see Ironwing throwing whatever was at hoof at Prism. Fortunately, the former didn't have much strength and there was very little nearby aside from his pillows, so they only went a few feet.
“Go buck yourself!” Ironwing snapped.
“You go buck yourself!” Prism snapped right back.
“Enough! Out!” Scootaloo snapped, pointing towards the door. Prism gave a snort, another glare, before finally storming out of the room.
“What... happened?” Diamond asked, looking between the two.
“I have no idea. I'm happy you're awake, Ironwing,” Blaze said before turning to chase after Prism.
The Avatar slowly moved forward, helping to pick up the pillows. “Errr, nice to see you're doing better. So uhhh, how do you feel?”
“What are you doing here?” he asked, looking annoyed.
“Honey...” Scootaloo said softly. “She was worried about you. Just like all of us.”
“Why?” he asked again, still glaring at her.
She gulped. “Because you were hurt and are still a pony,” the Avatar said. “I know we're not really close, but that doesn't mean I can't be worried when you get hurt or almost die. Does it?”
He glared for a few more moments, before finally sighing and gave a nod. “Fine. Whatever. Not like I care or anything,” he grumbled.
“So, what was that about? Why were you and Prism fighting?”
“He's a big jerk who needs to get bucked in the face,” the stallion grumbled.
“He was worried about you,” Scootaloo said softly. “Even if it he is an idiot who does need to get smacked upside the head.”
“What happened?” Diamond asked again, looking between them.
“Acting as if all that was my fault.”
His mom sighed and then smiled to her. “He was... fine at first. Said how worried he was. Then he said he forgive Ironwing for messing up and--”
“What happened wasn't my fault!” the stallion objected. “I did what I could, he was the one who was too busy slacking off and not doing his job properly! If he had been there, then--”
“Just let it go,” Scootaloo said, shaking her head. “I swear. It's been years since that happened. You both need to just let it go. Rainbow was... is awesome. Yeah. But she knew what she was dealing with. There's no way either of you had anything to do with that.”
“Will somepony please just tell me what all this is about?” Diamond asked. “I really feel like I'm only getting half the story here.”
Ironwing crossed his hooves and just glared at her, making her pull back.
“R-right, never mind. Some... other time then. Eesh.” She looked away and shuffled her hooves. “So, uhhh, how do you feel?”
“Like a safe fell on me.”
“Yeah, you kind of looked like that. Honestly, your face used to be a lot cuter, but now it's kind of...” She trailed off at the glare she was getting from Scootaloo. “Errr, right. I'm happy you're okay. It's all... we're making progress.”
“The city has fallen, hasn't it?”
Scootaloo nodded. “Yes, dear. It's fallen for now. But we'll get it back.”
He sighed and then a little red flooded his cheeks. “Was... Styx okay? Was I able to--”
“He didn't get anything worse than a sprained wing, thanks to you,” Scootaloo said with a smile. “Actually, I imagine he'll be racing down here the moment he finds out you've woken up. He wanted to stay with you at all times, but the bat ponies we have and the council still need him. He didn't leave your side until he was sure you were going to make it.”
The pegasus shrugged. “Whatever. I was just doing my job.”
She nodded. “Everypony, would you mind giving us some privacy?” There was the soft, shuffling hooves as most the ponies left the room. “Avatar, you too.”
“What? Oh! Right, yes, sorry,” Diamond said with a sheepish smile before running off.
The mare then smiled. “I know you're upset about being removed from the Shadowbolts, but it'll be fine. Once this ordeal is over, you'll be reinstated.”
He nodded slowly, before closing his eyes. “Do... you think I failed?” he asked softly. “I keep playing it over and over in my head. Everything I could have done differently. Reacted differently. Maybe if I'd put a bit more focus on these disappearing ponies and unmarked before... all of this. What if I had stopped it before it had gotten too powerful? Kept the anti-benders from gathering?”
“There was no way you could have known,” Scootaloo said with a shrug. “You can't beat yourself up for things you can't change and have no power to deal with now. Trust me. It sucks. You just end up getting upset and worried and certain everything is going to go wrong.” She paused. “Then paralyzed by poison and just... it's a whole big thing.”
“What?” he asked with a cocked eye.
“Nothing, never mind. Just don't worry about it. You aren't the only pony who bucked up on this. The council didn't see this as a credible threat until it was too late. Nopony could blame you for what happened.”
“Some ponies will.”
“Yourself included. But that doesn't mean it's true.” She reached out and patted his head. “You're a good pony. You try your hardest and never give up. This was just... outside of our league. Too much happened too fast and we were swept up in it before we could do anything. Now we just have to try to stem the tide. You tried your hardest, that's all anypony can ever ask of you.”
He nodded slowly. “O-okay. Thanks mom,” he mumbled softly, his eyes lowered. “Is uhhh... dad coming?”
That made the mare go silent for a moment. Then, gently, she reached forward to give him a hug. “Daddy was... captured.”
He froze, his entire body going still . Then, slowly, he nodded. “Okay.”
“Honey...”
“It's fine. He'll be fine,” he mumbled softly, his hoof slowly digging into the bed. “I'm still feeling pretty weak. Would you mind if I took a little nap?”
His mother nodded. “Of course. I'll--”
“I'd like to be alone,” he mumbled softly, before laying on his side.
------
Diamond trotted through the tunnels, occasionally looking around. She wondered why these places had to be so big. Were the dogs normally expecting such a large occupancy? She shivered as she realized all of the tunnels were right under the main city. At any time, if they wanted, they could launch an attack to try and take over. There would be...
Okay, they had metal benders. There would be PLENTY they could do about it. Normally. Collapsing a whole town on their home probably wouldn't be the smartest idea, anyway. But it still kind of rubbed her the wrong way.
She couldn't help feeling a bit aimless and lost. What was she supposed to do now? Sunburst was making the call. She couldn't leave the tunnels. Now wasn't exactly a training time. There had to be--
Her eyes widened as she saw a striped flank off in the distance. A black and white one. She galloped ahead. “Hey! Zecora! Zecora, wait!” she called out.
The zebra stopped and turned. Slowly an eye cocked. “Yes, young bender? I do hope you need not a defender,” she said with a low chuckle.
“What? No. Not at all. I wanted to talk with you about, well... you knew Avatar Twilight, right? I just wanted to know... how much do you know about the spirit parts? I mean, the spirits? And... well... talking to... I mean, if there are past lives and such?”
The zebra stopped in place. “Ahhhh, I see what you seek. Remember though, information such as this is not for the meek. The realm of the spirits must not be taken lightly, or you shall encounter something most frightly.”
“Do you have to talk in rhymes all the time? It's really annoying,” Diamond said with a roll of her eyes.
The zebra stared for a moment, before turning to walk off.
“Wait, no, I'm sorry! I'm sorry, I take it back, please!”
The mare sighed, before turning back. “The Avatar of this age is connected with all those past, though sometimes I feared Avatar Twilight would be the last. For this is a trait unique to those like you who only one is born, a pony with the true might of the alicorn. With the elements gone and much damage done, I know not if a connection to your lives can be performed by anyone.”
Diamond paused. “W-wait. You mean... when the... in my past life, they were able to talk with past Avatars, but I might not be able to?”
The zebra nodded.
“That's... that's not fair.”
“Twilight did all she could to repair this fault, but Discord was a creature none other could halt. To fight him great prices had to be paid, sadly the Elements were lost before giving their aid.” She paused and rubbed her chin. “But Twilight was still able to talk to those of her old lives, so perhaps this ability yet thrives. If you wish me to aid you in what I know, follow me where I may go.”
Diamond followed after the mare after a few seconds. “Okay, you know, you're very, very confusing sometimes. Is this why the zebras chose you to represent them? Hoping you'll get what they want by being all mysterious and stuff? Confuse the ponies into doing what you want?”
“Manipulating ponies is a skill I have in spade, so why not use it to give my people aid?”
The Avatar paused for a moment, stumbling after the mare. “W-wait, what? Really? That IS why you were chosen? That's awesome!”
The zebra chuckled softly.