//------------------------------// // Chapter 16: Training // Story: Avatar: Legend of Diamond Tiara. Book 2: Discord // by Jeweled Pen //------------------------------// The next morning Diamond woke up bright and early, huddled up tightly in the blankets. When she opened her eyes, to her surprise, she was all alone. She groaned and shoved the blankets off and gingerly crawled out of bed, looking around slowly before trotting towards the exit. She couldn't believe Silver was such an early riser. With a dad like Alicity, she couldn't imagine facing the world before noon. The camp definitely looked better after the clean up. There were less tents, but most hadn't been damaged to the extent hers had and could still be used as covers. Others were being fixed and patched up, so they could be used later. Even though the sun hadn't been up for long, the camp was already bustling with energy, ponies walking about and beginning their day. The smell of something sweet filled her nostrils and made her sniff the air. It took her only a few minutes to find the source. Pancakes. They were having pancakes for breakfast. “How?” she managed to ask, staring with amazement. “Most of our food supplies survived,” the cook said before dishing her up a few. “We'll be fine for a few weeks out here. Though most of it won't be fresh.” “Mmmmm,” Diamond said before sniffing it, then looking around for her friends. She saw Silver at one end of the camp and Acrylic at the other. Luna and Celestia were off on their lonesome. She couldn't even see Rainbow, Prism or Button, she imagined they were still asleep. She gave a sigh before trotting over to the mare and sitting down. “Hey Silver.” “Hmmm? Hello Diamond. Are you enjoying your breakfast?” “Of course,” the alicorn said before sitting by her. “Can we talk? About Acrylic?” The earth pony cringed. “I'd... really rather not.” “I know you'd rather not. But this is something we need to talk about. More importantly, it's something you need to talk with him about.” “Well... how?” Silver asked, shaking her head. “I didn't even know he... had feelings like that. He certainly never showed it!” She blinked. “W-why are you laughing?” “I-I'm sorry, but he's shown it hundreds of times. Buck, even I figured it out within like a week of meeting the two of you.” Silver's face turned scarlet. “W-what? F-for that long? I thought it was just, I thought he just—” “Oh, no. He's been crushing on you, hard, for a looooong time.” The earth pony squirmed in her seat, her eyes focused on her pancakes. “W-well, that's just, I mean, that's silly, why would he--” She then blinked and scowled. “It's... because of the company, isn't it? Because of Tomorrow Industries?” Diamond cocked an eye. “Really? Silver, I know you're panicking a bit, but that's... well, that's just mean. You and I both know that Acrylic is NOTHING like that. If he likes you, it means he likes you. And trust me, he likes you. He wanted to kill me when I... well... when I got your cutie mark stolen.” Silver glanced down at her mark, before looking back to her food. “That's... so...” She sighed and buried her head in her hooves. “Why? Why me, then? I mean, I'm not--” “You're awesome. You're kind, generous, loyal to a fault. Buck, if the elements still existed I'd say you'd probably be two or three of them.” Silver chuckled at that, a hoof over her mouth. “Oh, wouldn't that be ironic?” “Nope, you're great. And... I think Acrylic sees that. But... well... remember Button?” “What, is he crushing on me too?” “No! When he was... crushing on me,” Diamond said with a little blush of her own. “It... wasn't easy. But I had to tell him I wasn't interested in him like that. And now look at us, we're great friends, he's got a cute coltfriend. Sorta. Are those two actually dating?” Silver snickered. “I honestly don't know. To be blunt, I never imagined him the sort. I really thought he was only interested in mares.” The Avatar shrugged. “But see? It's good. He's now completely over me.” The earth pony cringed. “Diamond... he's not over you.” “What? Of course he is. He--” “When is the last time the two of you talked or hung out?” “What? We do all the time, in fact just last...” She paused. “Well... I mean... when we... errr... I guess...” She looked to her pancake. “He's been... focused on Luna, so we haven't really...” “He still has feelings for you, Diamond. He's just trying to bury them. It's painfully obvious.” The alicorn sighed. “I'm going to have to talk to him again, aren't I?” “Yes. Yes you are. It sucks, but...” Silver blinked. “N-no, don't have to talk to him. Maybe it'll just blow over if you wait.” Diamond scowled. “You're just saying that because you're hoping it'll blow over with Acrylic, aren't you?” “Yes,” Silver said with a sigh. “How about we just hide away from them together? We can go off to some far off land where they've never heard of the Avatar. Paint dots on each other, say we're special zebras. What do you say?” “Nope. You're right, I need to talk with Button. And you need to talk to Acrylic.” She pointed a hoof towards him. “Now go. Do the mature, responsible thing.” Silver groaned. “But I don't wanna be mature and responsible!” “Go do it or I'll have to ask Dr. Alicity to help you.” She snickered. “You think daddy can do mature OR responsible?” “Sure. He's responsible for more than a few explosions I've seen,” Diamond said with a smirk. Silver sighed and got to her hooves before trotting towards Acrylic. “Stupid Avatar and being all... nosy and right.” She stopped a few feet from him. “Is uhhh... this seat taken?” The unicorn glanced up, before looking away. “Go ahead. The uhhh... ground is free for anypony.” She nodded and sat by him. The two sat their in silence, looking at anything they could aside from each other. “Listen,” they both said in unison before quickly going silent, their faces bright red and struggling to keep their eyes lowered. Silver took a slow, deep breath. “We... need to talk. About what happened. About... the kiss.” He sighed and gave a nod. “I... figured we would.” “Well... I just... I... I need to know. How long?” Acrylic took a deep breath and then looked over to her. “You... remember about... you remember your dad's automatic window opener?” Silver cringed. “Oh yeah, now that was a waste of good bits and--” She paused. “W-wait, since then? But we'd only known each other a few weeks!” “Yeah, I know. But... I remember watching the prototype explode. Before any of us had even moved you jumped to the left and tackled me out of the way. I mean... you could have gotten really hurt and I... remember seeing that. You barely knew me and then you did that. That was when I really started to notice you.” He poked his hooves together. “And... then I found so many other things to like. You... were always so shy, a bit soft spoken. But whenever something important to you came up, you were so... tough. So strong. When you believe in something, you just... push for it so well and...” He squirmed a little in his seat. “You're... kind. Dedicated. I mean, you've only just met the Avatar and you created an airship the likes of which the world has never seen, just to help her on her journey.” Silver looked away, her eyes lower. “I'm not... I don't... I...” “I know you'll never admit it.” He reached out and put his hoof over hers. “But you're a sweet, kind, generous mare. I... I know I don't deserve somepony like you, but--” “Don't... just... please, don't,” Silver said, shaking in place. “I can't... I won't...” He sighed and pulled his hoof back. “I... understand. I'm sorry. I never wanted to make you uncomfortable or hurt you.” He gave a little smile. “If you're not interested, it's fine. We can still be friends.” She nodded. “Right. Friends. I just... Acrylic, I'm not...” He nodded. “Don't worry about it. I uhhh... I need to go get some practice in. Okay?” He got to his hooves and trotted off, leaving her alone. She watched him go, before her eyes lowered to the ground. “I'm... not... as good as you think I am,” she whispered. ------ Button woke with a yawn, groggily rubbing his eyes and slowly sliding out of his bed. “Mrgl...” he grumbled before stepping out into the camp. He sniffed the air and licked his lips. “Mmmmm. Pancakes!” he said happily before trotting towards the breakfast line. He paused for a moment when his eyes saw Luna, off with Celestia. He grinned wide and trotted over, abandoning his food for now. “Good morning beautiful.” “Good morning,” the two said in unison. Button blinked, before shrugging and sitting by Luna. He reached out and gently put a hoof on his. “How are you doing this morning?” “It has been a fine morning, so far,” Luna said with a shrug. “Though I must admit, I am quite... excited to learn more about this place. So close to the Spirit World, it is all I can do to avoid running into this Forest of Spirits.” “If you want, we can go together,” Button said with a wide grin. There was a pause, before the prince sighed. “No. Such... movements would ultimately be futile, possibly disastrous. We are here for the Avatar, to support her. For now, we must lick our wounds and regather what we can, repair and prepare for the voyage home. Only when we are ready, should we venture into such a dangerous place.” Button nodded rapidly. “Right, of course. You're as wise as you are beautiful, and you are beautiful.” Luna's cheeks reddened just a hint. “Of course. You should go get something to eat, Dear Button. There is no telling what dangers or tribulations we'll face today, so best not to face them on an empty stomach.” “Mmmm hm!” Button said before trotting off. Celestia snickered. “Dear Button? My oh my. Are you really starting to get feelings for him?” “While I have not agreed to any... particular romance... I must admit I am beginning to find it tempting. That stallion has... quite a charm about him. He is far from perfect, of course. But... his serenades are... fascinating.” “And off key.” “My my, sister, could you be jealous?” “... Maybe a little bit. I haven't had any ponies showing me any interest in a while,” she grumbled darkly. Luna gave a soft little giggle, a hoof to his mouth. “We are out in the middle of nowhere. There are very few ponies who could, or would. Our... lineage makes it an even more complex matter.” “Button doesn't seem to mind.” “Button seems to be... quite the unique stallion.” “Simple, you mean. He does know that... at best he could likely be a consort. Right?” Luna scowled. “Sister...” “Fine, fine,” she muttered before leaning back. “Really, I'm happy for you. I'm just... well, bored. I keep missing all the exciting stuff! Pirates attack, already trashed by the time I get to the main deck. Giant worm, I spend the entire fight buried under my luggage. We even had a giant fire bending thing yesterday, and I slept right through it! I wanna do something, I wanna get in on some of the action, too!” The prince gave a soft giggle before shaking his head. “Of course you do, sister. You will get your chance, I am certain.” Celestia nodded. “Yeah, I'm sure. Just wish something fun would happen when I was there to enjoy it.” ------ Daring snored softly as she lounged about on her cloud, the sun nice and warm today. She had a second cloud hovering over her, giving her shade while she relaxed. To her annoyance, the shade was removed and she stared up at the smirking face of Rainbow. “Ughhhhh. It's like... not even noon yet, what do you want?” the mare asked before rolling over. “You and I need to talk.” “Fine, then talk, but give me back my shade.” “Oh, also, you're coming with me.” “I don't wanna!” “You're gonna wanna when you find out what I have in store.” Daring buried her head in the clouds. “No.” Rainbow chuckled. “You know, the other day you got me thinking. Did Twilight teach you any fighting?” “Of course not. I told you, I'm not a bender. There wouldn't be much point in me learning to fight with my sister here.” Rainbow gave another soft snicker. “Really? Then Twilight never told you about the Shadowbolts, did she?” The mare froze, before nodding. “Y-yeah. She told me a few things about them. The anti-benders. Deadly, dangerous. Able to take away a ponies bending. What about them?” “You're going to learn how to fight like one of them.” Daring gave a loud laugh, shaking her head. “Oh, you're hilarious. Why would I want to learn something like that? I--” “You want to leave this place, don't you? Go out into the world, see new things, live an adventurous life. Like your mom?” Daring turned back to the blind pegasus. “Yeah. But what does that have to do with anything?” “This is your chance. There's a Shadowbolt master here, who can train you. If you ever wanted to learn how to fight, how to really fight, this is your chance.” “There's no point,” the pegasus grumbled. “I've tried fighting, it doesn't work. Sunset always kicks my flank.” “Then you need this even more. Here's your chance to be able to kick her flank.” Rainbow held out her hoof. She then pulled it back. “But hey, if you'd rather not learn, that's your business. I figured this was a once in a life time chance for you, but hey, if you'd rather--” “Do you really think I could beat Sunset? I mean, she--” “She's a fire bender. With practice and time, yeah. Bending is strong, but it isn't all there is. With the right training, a Shadowbolt can take on any bender.” “Oh? Even you?” “Of course. Granted, I've never met the Shadowbolt who could handle this much awesome. But I'm sure if there was one as awesome, talented and worked as hard as me, then they'd have a decent shot. But good luck with that.” Daring slowly got to her hooves and stretched out. “Well... okay. So then, who is this trainer?” “Good ol' stick in the butt. Ironwing. Don't mind him, though. He's a bit... intense, but you get used to it. He's really just a big softie once you get to know him. Besides, I've still got... plans for him, anyway.” “So uhhh... why do you care, anyway?” Rainbow sighed. “You're Twilight's daughter. That's... really reason enough.” She grabbed the other mare's hoof and jumped off the cloud, dragging her along. “Ack! Hey! Stop!” Daring shrieked, but had no choice but to come along. Rainbow ignored her, zooming down towards the ground before charging at one of the tents. She stopped just outside it, before flapping her wings once and send a big gust inside. After a few seconds Ironwing stumbled out, wrapped up in his blankets and looking frazzled. “Dang it, Prism! I swear I'm going to--” He paused. “Rainbow?” “Hey, Ironwing. You've been sleeping too long.” “If you're up, I really must be. Is it noon already?” The air bender scowled. “Oh, ha ha. No, it's not.” She dropped Daring, who yelped and hit the ground. “Gotta remember to use your wings. So, Irownwing, I've got a job for you.” “I'm not going to have anything to do with--” “It doesn't involve my son.” That made the stallion pause, before he nodded. “Okay. What is it, then?” “I want you to train Daring all those fancy anti-bending tricks of yours.” Ironwing chuckled. “You're kidding, right? Shadowbolt training isn't a toy! It is a dedicated, graceful art that--” “Either do it or I will make you the target of ever new prank I can think of for the next month.” The stallion glared, but finally sighed and gave a nod. “I... suppose you do make a compelling argument. Or at least blackmail well enough. Very well.” He turned to Daring. “Tell me. Did Twilight give you any training?” “Only how to read and write.” “Of course. Daughter of the Avatar, can't even--” “Hey, she fights just fine,” Rainbow interrupted. “She took on that giant worm well enough.” Ironwing sighed and put a hoof to his head. “Why can't you train her, Rainbow? You're a far better fighter than I.” “One, I'm blind and even if I make do well enough, I can't make out all that precision that I'd need. Two, she's not a bender. No bending, no bending techniques. But you have all that fancy Shadowbolt stuff and I KNOW how dangerous that junk can be.” Ironwing nodded. “Fine. Daring, come with me. Let's see what you can do.” Daring trotted after him, though she glanced back to Rainbow for a moment before looking back. “So uhhh... thanks. I heard of the Shadowbolts from my mom.” “We're a lot different than the ones she encountered, most likely. For one, we no longer affiliate ourselves with the Water Nation. Two, we no longer make ourselves a pegasus only group. Three, well, our techniques have changed. Been refined. The zebras actually had their own art that has been incorporated into our style to create a few new techniques. I should tell you now, though. This kind of training isn't easy. Even if you succeed, to fight a bender you have to out think them. Sometimes you won't even be able to get close enough to hit them with the moves I'll show you, you'll have to plan and scheme. Even fight dirty. Do you think you can do that?” Daring snickered and gave a nod. “Thinking fast? Oh, trust me, I do everything fast.” “Oh heavens. Are you sure you're not Rainbow's daughter?” he asked with a shudder. He stopped a little from the tents and then stopped, turning to her. “Try to hit me, however you please. You'll only get one chance, though.” She dove forward, flying forward as fast as she could. His eyes widened, but he swiftly ducked down, moving around her hooves before reaching out, tapping her leg three times as it sailed by. When she landed, her front hoof went out on her and she fell face first into the dirt. “Well, you are fast, at least. I will give you that. A bit... direct, though. Tell me, have you ever fought a pony before?” “I've fought the pirates around here plenty of times.” “Really? I imagine they aren't ones for finesse, then.” Daring slowly got to her hoof. “What did you do to my leg?” “Disabled your magical flow. It's what we use to disable benders. Hitting them in the right spot eliminates their ability to use their magic. Hitting other places can disable limbs or other things.” He tapped the ground. “Now, it won't last long, I didn't hit it too hard. But the important thing to know about benders is they all have a weak point.” “Really? Where's the fire benders?” “The upper half of their horn. If you pay attention, you'll notice that their horns tend to glow from the tip when they use their fire bending. A water benders, in contrast, is the base of the horn. Most of their water bending covers their entire horn. An earth benders is in their hooves and an air benders, obviously, is in their wings. Even partially disabled, strong benders can sometimes use their bending, I'm sure you've seen--” He paused. “Actually, I suppose you wouldn't have. However, some ponies learn to use them from other parts of their body, such as their mouth. Also, these techniques can work on non-benders, as I just demonstrated. The effects are... a little different, but not too much. It's most often used against non-bending unicorns to stop them from using their magic to teleport and other things.” Daring nodded and shook her hoof. “It still feels all tingly.” “It will for a while. Did you mom teach you anything about air bending? Mayb--” “NO! Okay, no, she didn't. I'm not a bender so she just didn't bucking care, okay? Sunset was the only one who she thought thought was important enough to teach this kind of stuff to!” Daring yelled. Ironwing just stared back, unflinching. Finally, he nodded. “Well then. I guess we should start with the basics. Dodging.” “Dodging? How is that the basics?” “Because when a pony throws lightning, shards of ice or boulders the size of trees at you, you either dodge or you die.” Daring nodded. “Okay, so how do you do that, then?” “The important thing is to watch the bender, first. Track their movements, find out how they move, what weaknesses they have. For example, most fire benders tend to drive their bodies forward when they attack. They use big explosions, break things, hit as hard as they can and as often as they can. It makes them very dangerous if you get hit, but very, very predictable.” “Really? So how do you fight them?” “It depends on the location and the fire bender. They have two common weaknesses. One, the tip of their horn. If you can get close enough to strike it, you can usually disable them. The second is their hooves.” “I thought you said earth benders were the ones who had their magic in their hooves?” “They do, but the fire benders share a lot with them. When they attack, they push their bodies forward and try to break through things. Explosions, blasts, fire balls, all of them require stability. A clumsy fire bender tends to have their attacks blow up in their own face a lot. But a good fire bender will keep themselves planted and stable, they'll make sure they don't trip or fall. You need to make sure they do. Distract them, disorient them, drive them somewhere with wet ground.” He spread out his wings. “You have wings, use them. Most fire benders are stuck on the ground, they have no way to catch you in the air, aside from fake wings. Or... well...” “Fire hooves?” Daring asked. “Yeah. I've... seen a few benders who could do that. But the good news is that takes a lot of energy to maintain and most can't do it for long, nor are they nearly as precise as true flight. I imagine Twilight could do it?” “No. But Sunset can,” Daring said bitterly. “Mom never needed to use it, but she made sure that Sunset learned it. She can't do it for long, though.” “There are ways to fight them. But to beat a bender, you need to be a better bender than them. You need to know their skills, their techniques, inside and out. More importantly, you will get hurt. But you need to make sure they get more hurt than you do.” “What? You'll get hurt? But then how do you win?” Ironwing smiled. “Some things benders can do are almost effortless, others not so much. For example, I've fought quite a few air benders in my time. When they go all out, there is literally nothing I can do. If they want to blow me away, I can't stop them. Especially when they decide to go all tornado and create a wind tunnel around themselves. In that case, I just have to wait them out. Even Rainbow can't maintain something like that forever, and she's one of the greatest air benders to have ever lived. You'll often get hurt a little, but if they're too exhausted to stand and you just have a few bruises, you'll be fine.” Daring nodded, licking her lips. “I... I see. What if someone... doesn't fight like a normal bender?” Ironwing chuckled. “All benders have a style. The truly good ones can switch it around and know multiple kinds. But when you know them just as well, you'll learn how to fight them.” He glanced to the side. “Shadowbolt training is not easy. In fact, very few ponies ever get past the stage of initiate.” “What are you?” “I'm, at best, an adept. I still get hurt a...” He cringed. “Well, I've made more than a few mistakes and gotten hurt quite a few times. But I can take out most benders with enough time to study them and learn their weaknesses.” “But not the Avatar, right?” “Who, Diamond? No, she's easy. She's far too direct and leaves herself open in a dozen areas, at least. Frankly, I'm amazed she was even able to beat Meadowbrook, but then, that is another important thing a Shadowbolt must learn.” “Hmmm?” “Teamwork. A good Shadowbolt can work alone. A great Shadowbolt has people they can fall back on to help them. Most work in teams of two or three.” “Really? Who do you depend on?” “Styx,” he said instantly, before cringing with a little red in his cheeks. “Well... I often work alone. It can be done. Shadowbolts all go through similar training, so when the time comes we can work together, even if we don't know the other team mate too well. We'll get to that eventually, if you want to learn.” “If I get this training, do you think I'll be able to take on my sister?” “Oh, of course. It's a ton of fun when you get to beat the pains in your flank after a few years,” he said with a grin. “Cool. Then let's get started! Teach me how to dodge!” ------ Diamond took a slow, deep breath while she stared across the small field at Sunset. The wind was soft and gentle as it blew around them, gently swirling her mane. The other mare stared at her intently. “So... uhhhh, should I just use fire bending?” “No. You have three of the elements, do you not? Use them all,” the unicorn said as her eyes slowly looked her up and down. “All three? But... I uhhh...” She coughed into her hoof. “That's not really fair. I mean, you can just fire bend and--” “My mother was an alicorn with all four elements and years of experience. Do you really believe, even for a second, that you can compare to her? Are you truly that prideful?” Diamond ground a hoof into the ground, wanting to yell yes. Slowly though, she nodded. “You're right. Probably not yet. Three elements it is.” “I'll let you make the first strike, attack me when you're ready. And yes, you may fly as well. My mother never held back against me, I'll expect nothing less from you.” The alicorn nodded, eying the other mare for a few moments. She smiled. 'It can't hurt to go a little easy on her, at first. Three elements on one is hardly fair.' She let flame burst from her horn, sending it propelling at the mare. Sunset spun around and kicked out with her back hooves, sending a raging blast of fire at the Avatar, enveloping the flames without stopping. Diamond yelped, spread her wings and took to the sky, barely avoiding the flames. A shadow fell over her and she looked up to see Sunset over her, flames sprouted from her hooves and rocketing her into the heavens. The flames died and she spun, driving her back hooves into the alicorn. Diamond yelped before she was sent rocketing to the ground, hitting it hard. A moment later Sunset landed on her back, driving her even harder into the ground. “There. Now, will you take this seriously, or shall I do that again?” Sunset asked. “W-whimper...” “Well?” “I-I'll... b-be serious... as soon as I-I can... s-stand...” “Good.” ------ Diamond shrieked as she galloped through the field, flaming rocks pelting her from all sides. Explosions tore around her. Worst of all, however, was Sunset wasn't kidding. She truly did know how to use all of the elements. Whenever her explosions tore through the ground and sent rocks flying into the air, she'd jump up and strike them, sending them rocketing at the alicorn. It felt like she really was fighting an earth bender. Except one that was on fire. Which somehow made it worse. It didn't help that her friends were watching her get her flank kicked. “So, how's she been doing?” Silver asked as she trotted up. “This... Sunset has a very unique style,” Luna said cautiously. “I have never known a fire bender to fight in such a manner. It is quite the sight.” “It's bucking awesome,” Button said with a grin. “I wonder if I could ever do that. Make like... fiery rocks or something. Like... I don't know...” “Lava bending?” Celestia asked. “Yeah, something like that!” “I do believe there was a pony who was able to do that, a student of Miss Applejack,” Luna said, before frowning. “Sadly, he went much the way that Dazzling did.” “He died?” “No, believed he was too powerful and tried to kill his teacher. Locked away, now. But I believe such a skill is possible, albeit rare.” Button chuckled. “Cool. But I'd never be able to do something like that. I mean, I can't even metal bend.” Luna shrugged. “Some ponies are more gifted than others, but that doesn't mean much. We all have special talents of our own.” “Eeee,” Button said before giving him another little nuzzle. Luna blushed slightly and looked to the side. Silver cringed when Diamond was sent hurtling forward, before having a boulder drop on her. “That... looked like it hurt.” “It probably did,” Acrylic said softly, his eyes scanning over the battle. “She's... amazing. How is she able to do those things? It's really like she is bending with all the elements, not just fire.” “Well, her mom was the Avatar,” Button said with a shrug. “Probably had all kinds of neat tricks she developed over the years. I wonder what kind of earth bending tricks she made.” Acrylic nodded, before glancing towards Celestia. “Hey. Would you mind having another sparring match with me? I... think there's some more things I wanna try.” “Again?” Button asked, cocking an eye. “Man, bro, it seems like all you do these days is practice. You're already pretty awesome, why not take a break?” “I've still got a long way to go,” Acrylic muttered. “Sure, it'll be fun. I hope your ice has gotten colder,” Celestia said with a smirk. The water bender nodded before trotting off with her. He'd never really paid much attention to the other elements in his training, aside from how to fight them. But now he was beginning to see a whole new world to them. Button used to be one of the worst benders he'd ever known, but since he'd learned to mix fire bending practices with his earth bending, he'd improved dramatically. Sunset mixed all four with her fire bending, Celestia mixed water with hers. Was it possible that his focus on just water bending was holding him back? His mother had always been an amazing water bender, far better than he had ever dreamed. He had thought that meant he would be one as well, but what if he wasn't? Maybe it was time he started to examine the other elements, to find where his mix was. Where his talents truly lied. Once they were a bit away from the others, he glanced to Celestia. “Hey... uhhhh... I know this might sound odd, but could you teach me a bit of fire bending?” “Huh? Why?” “Well... it's just...” He sighed. “I know I can't fire bend, I'm a water bender. But watching you and Sunset, it got me thinking. Maybe... learning the basics wouldn't be so bad for me.” She gave a nod. “Sure! I don't think you'd be much of a fire bender, though. I mean, you're kind of... wellllll...” “Kind of what?” “Puny. I mean, you're kinda small, thin, your bending isn't very strong. It's precise, I'll give you that, but it's not very fire bendery. But hey, maybe that's just it. Maybe you need a bit of fire bending to give you that extra oomph. Right?” He sighed, but nodded. “Yeah, maybe.” “I'm not really much of a trainer, but I can give some of the basic run downs. First, basic fire bending is about power. But more than that, it's... well...” She tapped her chin. “Let's compare it to earth bending. Earth bending is never being shoved around. Fire bending is shoving everything around, you know? So we'll start with that.”