//------------------------------// // Chapter 4: Trainees // Story: Avatar: Legend of Diamond Tiara. Book 3: Tirek // by Jeweled Pen //------------------------------// Button held out his hoof and gently tapped on the orb of metal. He kept his eyes closed as he tried to move it, struggled to feel the little rock minerals within. He took a long, slow breath and tapped it again. And again. And again. Yet he couldn't feel much of it. Each time he clicked it he could feel tiny little fragments of stone and dirt within it, little impurities in the metal that hadn't been removed when the metal was made. He couldn't touch them with his bending, though. He tapped it with both hooves, sitting in front of it and focusing everything he had on it, trying to force it to work. “Why?” he asked softly. “WHY WHY WHY? I can do this! I have to do this!” It refused to listen to him, though. He kept his eyes closed, feeling the anger bubble up in him until it seemed to be getting hotter. He tapped the metal again, reaching out with his bending and struggling to grab onto the little impurities within. He held his breath and struggled to force them to move, to make the metal obey him. It was getting REALLY hot. The orb began to move and he opened his eyes, before letting out a yelp. The metal orb was disappearing into a small pool of lava. “O-oops,” he squeaked softly. He watched while the orb disappeared into the ground and gave a soft sigh. “I'm so useless...” “I don't think you're useless,” a voice said from behind him, making him jump. He turned around and gaped at Copper Shield. The mare stood behind him, watching with a flat stare. “C-Copper, ma'am, I didn't know, I mean, h-how long were you watching?” “A few minutes,” she said softly, looking at the melting chunk of metal. “I don't think you're useless,” she repeated. He looked to it and sighed. “Yeah, I am. I can't metal bend at all. I mean... my mom is amazing, one of the best. But I can't even bend such a... easy metal.” She nudged the ground and a pillar of rock came out, shooting what remained of the metal out of the lava and onto the ground besides them, it sizzled and bubbled. “So?” “So? So what? I can't be a metal bender, then!” The mare nodded. “No, you can't. Maybe you'll learn. Maybe you won't. But that doesn't make you useless.” “Of course it makes me useless! I can't do... anything right.” “You can lava bend. I can't do that. I don't know anypony who can. That's useful.” Button blushed and nodded. “I-I guess. But it's not... metal bending.” She nodded for a moment, staring at the rapidly cooling magma. “It's not water bending.” “Huh?” “It's not air bending, either. It... might be a little fire bending. That doesn't mean it's not useful. It means it's different.” She glanced back to him. “You're different, too. That doesn't mean you're bad.” Button looked away. “But... how can I take over for mom, then?” “Why do you have to?” “I... I guess because... she's... ummmm...” “Wants you to?” He slowly nodded. “I know,” Copper said before turning towards the magma. “But Button?” “Yeah?” “You're nowhere near as good a bender as me.” He blinked, before lowering his eyes. “Thanks...” “You're also not a good leader.” “O-ouch.” “You're not that smart, either.” “Is... this supposed to cheer me up?” “You could likely never become the leader of the metal benders. Even if you could metal bend, there are dozens of other reasons why that path is impossible for you.” He froze, his eyes widening. “I... but I... I...” “So why worry? Why hate yourself for it?” She glanced to him again. “You have talents. You are strong. You have a whole world ahead of you, so many things you can do. Why focus on what you can't do?” He lowered his eyes. “But... I can.” “No. You can't. The sooner you accept that, the sooner you can move on.” Button sighed and closed his eyes. “I won't just... give up.” “Mmm hmm,” she said softly. “... Was all that supposed to comfort me?” “Nope.” “... Help me?” “Eeyup.” She tapped the ground and the metal ball rolled over to him. She reached out and grabbed his hoof, placing it to the now cool metal. “Close your eyes.” ------ “... How the buck do you make such amazing waffles?” Diamond asked while staring at her plate, still holding half of her third waffle. “Oh, you know, I've picked up a thing or two over the years,” True said with a chuckle. “The secret is to dice up the fruits so they give it a nice sweet taste.” “This is nothing, you should try his burritos. To die for,” Leadwing said with a chuckle. “Only reason I wanted to be his wingmate. Should have seen him back at the academy, every few weeks he'd be cooking up some weird thing or another and it was always amazing.” True chuckled and shook his head. “Oh, you flatter me. I just learned a few things over the years. Found out what I liked, then what I liked a lot more.” Diamond nodded and gave a light chuckle. “That's pretty good. So, how do you two like training under Blaze?” “She gives us a lot of freedom,” Leadwing said with a shrug. “But then, most of our training was already done.” “Really?” Diamond asked. “I thought you were sent down here to start it?” “Nope, just finish it,” True said with a nod. “But mostly just the end, more or less an intern position. We just need her to okay us, then we're good to go. In the meantime, there are two more Wonderbolt trainees to help around town if any problems come up. To avoid another Meadowbrook incident, due to how... small the Wonderbolt representation is here.” “There's plenty of air benders,” Diamond said quickly. “Yep. But not many Wonderbolts,” True said with a shrug. “Besides, most of the air benders here are Harmony citizens. The Air Nomads have quite a low amount of pony power here to support in the event of a catastrophe. Something the Meadowbrook incident threw heavily in our faces.” Diamond blinked a few times before taking a bite of her waffles. She watched him for a few moments before sighing. “Why do they want more... pony power here, though? Harmony isn't a part of the Air Nomads.” “Twilight was one of the greatest heroes the world has ever known,” True said with a soft chuckle. “I mean, she managed to unite almost everypony in the world to break Discord. Even now most of us have grown up on the tales of her adventures, listening to all the hard work and dedication she showed. Harmony is more than just a new country, it's a sign of peace. If it can succeed, if all four nations can work here... well, perhaps in the future it can work on an even a grander scale. Maybe one day there won't even be a need for the four nations. Maybe just one great, big Harmony.” Diamond blinked a few times, before glancing towards the window. “Y-yeah. A great, big Harmony. That would be... something else.” “Already there are little versions of Harmonies popping up all over the place. Cities where the four bender types are blending together,” True said before sipping his drink. “All of the nations are working to be more open, allowing their borders to waver more. In the wake of... Discord's destruction during the last Avatar, even the Air Nomads and Earth Kingdom were able to come to great terms of agreement and there are even a sizable amount of air benders living in Fillydelphia. That's not even mentioning the Fire Tribes and Water Nation. Water Lord Rarity has worked tirelessly to ensure all the damage that was done has been healed. Or at least, most of it. What can be.” Diamond nodded slowly. “That's... odd. I don't remember seeing many non-earth-benders back home.” “Perhaps. But all those benders who trained you would have attracted a lot more attention, if not for the doors that your predecessor had created. You might have been found a lot sooner.” She blinked and smiled sheepishly. “Y-yeah. That might have been a good thing, though.” “Perhaps,” True said softly, before taking another bite of his waffles. “But this is... a golden opportunity, Avatar. You predecessor set up a brand new world, one where true, lasting peace between all of the nations is possible. Harmony is proof of that. And while there are those who wish it to fail, there are far more who would do anything to see it succeed. I'm very curious to see what you'll do with this opportunity you've been given.” She nodded slowly, staring at her waffles. She was suddenly feeling far less hungry. She pushed the plate away. “It uhhh... it was very good but I really should head out to meet with the others. Rainbow and the others are probably... waiting for me.” True blinked. “O-oh, of course. I'm sorry, Avatar. I do hope I haven't made you uncomfortable.” “No, it's fine. It's nothing I didn't already know,” she said before getting to her hooves and walking out. Once she left the building, she glanced across the courtyard and over the wall surrounding the complex towards the city. Harmony truly was a pinnacle of peace. Something that only Twilight could have crafted. But now she couldn't help but wonder. Would she be the Avatar to help it grow into a permanent facet of the world, flowing out into the other countries? Or would she be the one that made it crash and burn, a fiery inferno and failed experiment? ------ “Not bad,” Smoothglide said when he landed on the railing of a roof, his chest barely moving when he breathed. Daring was doing much the same, the speedy flight almost gentle compared to what she was used to. Pinionwing, on the other hoof, was panting with exertion. He'd barely managed to keep up and keep in formation. “You'll need to work on your stamina, Pinionwing. As flying Shadowbolts, we're often the first responders to major events in the cities, due to our flight.” He then glanced to Daring. “You kept up nicely enough, though seemed to falter a few times during formation changes. Anything wrong?” She sheepishly nudged the ground. “No, sorry. Just, uhhh, not used to the formations.” He nodded. “Ah. Well, if you have any questions or concerns, feel free to ask me. I'm here to teach you, so always feel free to ask me anything.” He looked around, before hopping off the railing and landing on the roof proper. He trotted towards the center. “So. Daring, I hear you've practiced with Ironwing?” She perked up and gave a nod. “Yes sir!” she said quickly, a grin on her face. “Me and him sparred all the time!” “Good, good.” He turned to face her, spreading out his wings. “Show me. Come at me as best you can.” She blinked a few times, before chuckling. “Err, are you sure? I mean... I did train with Ironwing. If I go all out--” “Don't worry, I'll be fine.” She blinked, before shrugging and rushing forward. She went straight for a feint to the right, before dashing towards his left side. To her amazement, he moved back with ease, weaving around her hooves as she struck, making each of her movements miss by mere inches. On her fifth strike, he suddenly pushed in close and his hoof shot out. She wove to the left, trying to get out before it could hit, but realized too late it was a feint. He caught her in the back of the head with his wing, stunning her for a moment before his hooves lashed out and numbed her hooves. She nearly fell forward, but he caught her under a hoof. “Very good,” he said with a nod. “I can see that Ironwing taught you well. You need to work on your speed a bit and you give a bit too much show with your wings, but very nice. Don't worry, we'll work you through that.” Her eyes just stayed wide. “How?” “Hm? Well, Ironwing was never the best teacher,” he said with a chuckle. “A great leader, but not a teacher. Besides, I doubt he's been able to keep up on his practice like us rank and file members. Though I'd still rather not have to ever go up against him.” He let her go once the feeling started to return to her hooves. He then glanced to Pinionwing. “Now, Pinion, how about you?” “I didn't get much training, sir,” he said nervously. “I don't imagine so, basics doesn't cover much these days. We'll start with the beginner stuff.” He moved away from the two and then sat back down. “Now, the most important thing about our training is the locations. Disabling a bender is as simple as hitting their point of power. For earth benders, the hooves, for air benders, the wings, for fire benders, the tip of the horn and for water benders, the base. Now, the precise locations--” Daring gave a soft sigh as she watched him, before glancing to Pinionwing. The colt was watching with rapt attention. However, she couldn't help but feel annoyed. She already KNEW all this. She was good with the points, she just needed to practice them. She was half tempted to go flying off, come back after the lecture. But she imagined Ironwing would have been furious, so she held still. For now. ------ Ironwing gave a soft, gentle sigh as he took to the air, on the right wing behind Coppertips. Silenthoof was on his left and Freshmint was behind. They were flying in a diamond formation over the city. Ironwing felt pretty good. It had been so long since he'd been able to just relax and fly, not have to worry about command. He just had to follow orders and do as he was told. In a way, it was freeing. He frowned when his eyes caught movement below. An earth pony stepped on the ground below and sent a light cloud of dust into the air. A few moments later he was galloping out of the dust, a package on his back. “Earth pony, east.” He started to signal to go lower, then stopped when he remembered he wasn't the one in command. “I see him,” Coppertips said before signaling to lower. The others moved in perfect unison, diving at the pony. Coppertips then signaled for them to come in for a low side assault. Ironwing blanched. That was an EARTH bender. “Sir?” “Not now,” Coppertips said, before diving in. Ironwing sighed and swung around wide, coming in from the earth pony's right side. He was about ten feet from him when the earth pony snapped a hoof down. A wall of stone came up from under him, making him fly up and over the wall to avoid slamming into it. He spun around once, evading the attack before diving back at the pony's side. However, as he watched the earth pony stomped on the ground, sending out surges of rocks from all sides, forcing Ironwing to take flight and shoot straight up to avoid the pelting attack. His comrade on the left wasn't quite so lucky, Silenthoof letting out a shriek as rocks sent her toppling back. Coppertips came down on the earth bender's backs, his hooves flashing out and dropping him like a sack of potatoes. Ironwing mentally cursed and flew over the two, moving to Silenthoof's side, kicking the rocks off her. After a moment she was uncovered. “Are you okay?” he asked. “Y-yeah, I'm fine,” she said softly, before giving a cringe and straightening out her wing. “Silenthoof, what was that?” Coppertips asked, walking over to her while Freshmint was busy dealing with the now paralyzed earth bender. “Sorry, sir, I didn't see the stones until I cleared the wall.” “There were four of us, nopony should have gotten hit at all,” Coppertips snapped. Ironwing blinked a few times, before glancing towards Coppertips. “Sir, you ordered us to come in low against an earth bender. That's a dangerous method to take even in the best of cases, it's only natural that such a reckless move could get someone hurt.” “I wasn't asking you,” Coppertips said firmly. “Silenthoof, this is the fourth time you've gotten hit this week. You need to be more careful.” Ironwing bit his tongue, watching as the stallion chewed the mare out. After a few moments they took to the sky and he mentally sighed. He wasn't in charge anymore, he didn't have a say in the matter. ------ Blaze gave a soft sigh as she heard a small pop in her back. The soft scent of strawberries wafted in the room and she looked over at Prism. “You know... I think you were right. I really did need this.” “Mmmm hmmm,” Prism said with a grin, licking his lips before nibbling one of the strawberries. His wings were being gently, and delicately, massaged by the mare at his side. “We should try to do this more often.” “Election time will be coming up, soon,” Blaze said softly. “Maybe it's time I retire from the council. I'm sure there's plenty of other air benders who could do the job better than I,” she said softly. Prism chuckled. “I doubt that. You were the best air bending council member they ever had, you haven't had any opposition in years. I seriously doubt any is going to pop up now.” She snickered and then gave a soft, content sigh. “Probably. We managed to settle the zoning issues in the east quarter while you were gone.” “Really?” “Mmmm hmm. We had a few problems with the manticores and diamond dogs, but they managed to work it out by one going above ground, the other under.” “Really? Diamond dogs went underground?” “Oddly enough, this time the manticores did. Something about it being cooler for their gyms,” she said with a sigh before shrugging. “Sometimes I don't know how those species operate,” she muttered, before groaning again. “We've also been having a higher influx of... representatives from the other nations.” “Oh? What kind?” “Fighters, what else?” she mumbled softly. “After the whole Meadowbrook incident... not to mention now that three of the past Avatar's friends are stationed here, it seems everypony wants to suddenly lend us a helping hoof. At least we shouldn't have any problems, security wise, for a while. Though I'm not sure how we're going to deal with them all. We have most of them being moved in with the metal benders for now, Copper seems pretty good at keeping them all organized. We might have to set up a new security division, though. Maybe a fire and wind group.” Prism chuckled. “Really? Any idea who would head those?” “Well, the air one I'm thinking of nominating you,” she said with a teasing chuckle. “After all, you have been slacking lately.” He harrumphed. “I have been training a very powerful, very immature child,” he said defensively. “Slacking was not a part of it. Until later. Then I just took a ton of naps,” he said with a sly grin. She snickered. “Though, in actuality, we've been talking about one large, harmonized defense force. One that the Shadowbolts, Moon Raisers and earth benders could all call on. Rather than having the three having no real... overlap between them.” “Oh? Air, earth and sea not enough anymore?” he asked with a chuckle. “Well... it's more the metal benders are all earth benders, they have little idea what to do with the other benders. The Moon Raisers only know about water bending. The Shadowbolts are all anti-benders. We just don't get a lot of call from the other benders to join,” she said with a shrug. “Usually the air or fire benders that do decide to join up, end up working directly under the council, there just hasn't been much call for them before now. But the other countries are trying to get more and more representation out here and, well, you know we can use it. But we need to keep it under control, too.” He nodded and then gave a sigh. “Have I ever told you how thankful I am to not have your job?” She snickered. “Oh, you'd be fine. You've led your own squads plenty of times.” She let out a sudden yelp when her leg popped, before groaning. “We are so getting a nice steam after this,” she purred. He chuckled and gave a nod. “Whatever my little council mare wants. And those are just squads, I can't imagine trying to run this city. Especially with all those other council members.” “It's really not that bad, dear,” she muttered. “For the most part, the full council is rarely needed for decisions. Only when it directly pertains to one of us. Most of it's just paperwork and listening to the requests of the air benders in the city.” She then gave a shudder. “Though, if they ever decide to cut out the bender members and make it just the three pony types... I shudder to think of the paperwork THAT pony would have to go through.” Prism chuckled and gave her a loving smile. “Well, nopony could handle it better than you, dear.” He glanced back towards his masseuse. “I think I'm feeling nice and loose. Are we done?” The pony nodded and pulled back. “Of course, sir. Spa room four should be open.” He paused. “Remember, we do have rules for their use.” Prism chuckled and nodded. “No worries. Nothing worse than a bit of snuggling with my wife.” He then walked over and nuzzled her nose. “I'll see you there, darling.” Before turning and trotting away. Blaze sighed and closed her eyes. “Maybe the occasional day off isn't so bad...” ------ Acrylic took a long, slow breath as he slowly moved his horn back and forth, letting the water swirl around it with ease. As it moved, it slowly turned to ice, then water, then vapor, before back to water and ice again. As much as he hated it, he wasn't able to skip the water step, he had to go through each one individually. He just wasn't good enough yet. “Mmmm hmmm,” his examiner said as she wrote down a few notes. “That's it?” He nodded slowly. “Y-yes.” “Shifting speed is a bit slow. Control is nice, though.” She paused and started trotting off. “Follow me.” He nodded and followed behind her as they trotted through the building up towards the roof. There, the two stood out on the roof of the building and looked out over the pier. “Now. Tell me, what do the Moon Raisers do?” He blinked a few times. “Ma'am?” “Normally I'd go into a brief spiel about them. But you're Lady Scratch's son. I'd expect you know all about them.” She glanced back towards the sea. “Now, tell me. What are the Moon Raisers?” Acrylic took a deep breath and looked to the south. “First and foremost, we're the guardians of the moon raising spell. That spell was lost long ago, and recovered by Avatar Twilight. Now, we guard it and make sure it can never be lost again. As a place of true neutrality, we ensure that the moon can never be used as a weapon by any of the countries and that it can always sign as a beacon of what the Avatar did for us.” He paused and glanced down at the ships. “Secondly, we're the first line of defense in the event there is any water assault on Harmony. We patrol the lake and keep an eye out for any dangers that may move by the waters. Usually pirates, but those are rare enough. At least, ones that get this far up here. However, we also move up and down the rivers here, aiding any transport vessels that move along the waters. Search and rescue and the like.” He glanced over towards her. “Is there anything I missed?” “Nope, it sounds like you have a pretty good grasp of what we do,” she said with a nod. “You're still a rookie, though. You'll be starting on dock patrols for now, keeping an eye out for trouble.” He blinked. “Wait, in the city?” “Yes.” Acrylic sighed. “This is my mother's doing, isn't it? Trying to keep me safe and secure in the city? Listen, I can take care of myself, going to the--” “No,” she interrupted, before glancing up to him. “Frankly, your water bending is good. Quite good, in fact. Excellent control and power. But your ice and mist bending are atrocious. How often do you practice them?” He cringed. “I... didn't use it that often.” “It clearly shows,” she said with a shake of her head. “Before you go out into the field, with the actual ships, I want you to pass through a bit more training. Work on your ice bending in particular. You shift it far too slowly and, in emergency situations, that can be deadly. It wasn't very strong from what I saw, either.” He nodded slowly, closing his eyes. “Of... course. My apologies. I just thought...” “Your mother hasn't been involved in any of your recruitment.” The mare paused. “In fact, she's stayed far away. If you were hoping to go straight to moon raising duty... well, I'm afraid that's a while off for you. Only our best are put onto the moon raising team, but you're not near that yet.” “So it's not protection duty, it's... I'm not competent enough to do something more difficult, duty?” “More or less. It's safer, less stressful. If you screw up, less ponies will get hurt. After a few weeks and more training, we'll discuss where you go from there. Understand?” He nodded, a smile on his lips. “Good. Go to requisitions to get sized up for your uniform and location of your locker.” She held out his clip board, handing it to him. “Congratulations, Acrylic. You're a Moon Raiser.” He nodded, trotting away happily. He knew it was a low rank job for now, tiny and insignificant. But he didn't care. It was HIS job. Something he'd at least earned. He was a Moon Raiser because he was good enough, no special treatment. Now all he had to do was keep working himself up, becoming that good a bender. Just-- “Acrylic, hey!” a voice said from behind him suddenly, making him jump. He glanced over and saw Tittering besides him. “H-hey. Uhhh, long time no see.” She nodded. “Was pretty surprised to see your request come across my desk.” “You... were?” he asked nervously. “Mmmm hmm. Happy to see you passed, though,” she said before swiping the clipboard from him. “Ohhhh, these your measurements? Ouch. But hey, we all start somewhere. Ohhhh, nice control though. Above average... wait, really? You can do that? Not too shabby. Shame about your ice manipulation, but all of us have weaknesses, eh?” Acrylic frowned and looked to the side. “Y-yeah. I know, your numbers are all... the best, right.” She blinked a few times, before reaching out and putting a hoof over his shoulder. “Awww, come on, you know I didn't mean it like that. When I got here, I'd already had years experience with the Water Nation. You're young, still learning. You have all the time in the world to get better. Not to mention you're in with the right crowd and all that,” she said with a wink. “The right crowd?” “The Avatar, right? You're one of her buddies! I can't imagine a better way to get stronger.” He blinked a few times, his mouth falling open. “How... in the world would that help me get stronger?” Tittering chuckled and jumped off, trotting besides him. “She's the Avatar, silly billy. She just attracts trouble! Like some kind of... trouble... attracting magnet! Like, there could be one big bad pony in all the world and, boom, they'd find their way to her.” “I... I guess. I don't see how that really... she has better ponies helping her now, though. Wonderbolt Rainbow, Water Lord Rarity--” “So? She's the Avatar,” Tittering said with a shrug. “Just think about who... Avatar Twilight surrounded herself with when the times got tough. Emperors? Queens? Generals?” She turned to him and gave a wink, putting a hoof to his chest. “No. She had her friends near her. And if there's one thing I know, the Avatar doesn't just choose her friends willy nilly.” He snorted. “Yeah, but Diamond didn't really choose me, either. We more got... thrust into each other.” “Everything happens for a reason, Acrylic. You've stuck with the Avatar this long, I'm sure there's a good reason for it. I'm kind of curious what you'll end up showing us.” He sighed and gave a nod. “And if I don't show anything?” “Hey, not everypony on Team Avatar has to kick flank. You could always try being the comic relief!” she said with a grin. “It's funner than it sounds, trust me.” Acrylic stopped and turned to her, speaking flatly. “Oh. Joy. I can hardly contain my excitement.” “See? Dry, flat humor. It's always a crowd pleaser.” Acrylic sighed and mentally reminded himself that, technically, she was his superior. Even if she was at least as crazy as his mother. He gave a shudder. ------ Diamond took a slow, deep breath as she eyed the building holding the council. She supposed she had to do this eventually, she just had no idea really how, or when. Usually the council called her, it was rare she came to see them. Still, she supposed it was one of those times. She trotted into the building and smiled to the secretary. “H-hello. I'm here to see the council.” “Hmmm? Which one?” the mare asked. Diamond blinked. “All... of them?” “Well, most of the council seems to be out today and there are currently no large meetings on the agenda until tonight.” The mare flipped through some paperwork. “And... about half the council members seem to have not arrived yet, Miss Avatar.” “Oh. I guess... I just... sorry.” The mare blinked. “You don't need to be sorry, miss. Were you summoned?” “Not... really but I thought... well... I mean, I was curious if there were any more leads or... what they wanted me to do. I wasn't...” Diamond nudged at the ground sheepishly. “I didn't really think this through, I think. I thought I'd be training with Rainbow or the Water Lord right now or something. I guess they're probably busy or something, though.” The mare blinked a few times, before pulling out a small file. “Ah, actually. I was permitted to give you these, if you requested them,” the mare said before holding them out. Diamond took them in her hooves. “What are they?” “The locations where Water Lord Rarity, Wonderbolt Rainbow and metal bender Applejack are staying. I assume they'll be waiting for you.” Diamond's eyes lit up. “Thank you! I'll go see them immediately!” She turned and galloped out of the room. She was a few feet out the door before she realized there was a fourth address, before cringing. It was for Plasmahoof. Her old fire bending teacher. It seemed he was staying at her aunt's home. She frowned for a few moments and thought about it. Finally, she shook her head and started towards there. It had been a long time since she'd seen family. ------ “You're moping,” Celestia said with a big grin as she glanced to her brother. “I am NOT moping,” Luna said, his voice tinted with annoyance. “You totally are. You wanna know how I can tell?” “Not that I am moping, but how?” Celestia held up her glass of ice. Luna blinked a few times, before eeping and waving his hoof so it turned back to water. “T-that means nothing!” “Awwww, come on. Admit it. You miss him.” “I... may miss his company to a mild degree.” “You want to huuuuuug him.” “Stop it.” “You want to kiiiiiiiss him.” “Knock it off.” “You want to go back to Harmony and tackle glomp him.” Luna took a slow, deep breath. Before shrugging and waving his hoof, the water exploding out of the cup and nearby pitcher to splash on Celestia. The mare looked barely phased. “You're just proving my point.” “I merely miss his company. It was... enjoyable compared to my current companion.” “You could have insisted that he come with us. I would have.” Luna snorted. “He was... already on the rocks enough as it was. Forcing him to come to our country against his will would have hardly done much to relieve those fears.” “I never said anything about forcing. Come on, you've got a cute enough body, I'm sure you could have thought of ways to entice him and--” “ENOUGH!” Luna roared, his face turning bright red. “I... I will do no such thing. My relationship with Button... he will come to terms with it on his own. Without... tricks.” “It's not tricking a pony showing them how you feel about them,” she said with a smile. “Well, okay, SOME ponies use it to trick ponies, but you don't. Come on, just admit it. You wish he was here.” Luna sighed and gazed out over the horizon, his eyes staring at the blank, empty expanses of water and fields below. “I... do wish he was here. But this is for the best. Distance will... serve us well. It will allow me time to settle my own emotions as well. Without his consistent...” “Inane chatter?” “Yes, some of it was inane. But that was just the way he was,” Luna mumbled softly before closing his eyes and putting a hoof over his heart. “Even if he wasn't quite the most... intelligent pony I ever met, he was creative. He had a rather... unique way of looking at the world. So full of life and excitement. So loyal. So... loving. A pony like that... anypony would be lucky to have.” He then gave another sigh. “And I cannot force him if he does not wish to be with me. It is better we separate now, lest I get too attached. Let him sort out his feelings, then decide if he wishes to come with me.” “I still think you should have just kept him locked down. You could have easily convinced him.” “Maybe. But he has to decide on his own if he wants to be with me. It has to be his decision. His... desire. He doesn't deserve to have to settle for somepony who he's not fully interested in.” He lowered his head. “And for all my faults, I know I deserve somepony who truly wants me.” Celestia sighed and put a hoof over his shoulders. “Awwww, come on, Luna. Don't be like that. You're awesome, you deserve all the cute mares and stallions you want.” “Mmph...” the prince grumbled. “And he'll come around, he's just kind of slow.” “Probably. And if he doesn't...” “If he doesn't, I'll use him as a lightning rod.” Luna burst into laughter, covering his mouth. “Don't you dare, I'll beat you to within an inch of your life.” “Fine, I won't. But it got you smiling, at least,” she said with a snicker before glancing back on the horizon. “He will come around, though. I bet right now he's thinking about you. Missing you.” ------ Button groaned and laid on one of the benches, panting with exertion. He'd tried everything, tapping, dancing, pounding, even begging. Yet the metal refused to move in the slightest. Copper just stared at him. “How do you make it look so easy?” he asked softly. “Practice.” “But how can I practice it if I can't even get it right from the beginning?” he asked before shaking his head. “I'm pathetic...” he muttered, holding his face. “Yes, you are. Get up and try again.” “Ughhhhhh. I don't want to.” “Then give up.” “I don't want to!” “Then get up and try again.” Button groaned, but slowly got to his hooves and tapped the metal rock again. He gave a sigh and shook his head. “How can I ever be a metal bender if I can't even metal bend...” “You can't, obviously,” Copper said, before putting her hoof on his. “Feel it. Feel the earth. Sense it.” He sighed, tapping his hooves again as his frustration built up. He then pulled back. “What if I can't?” “It's possible,” Copper said softly. He blinked a few times. “Wait, what?” “It's entirely possible. Some ponies can't metal bend. Their talents lie elsewhere.” She looked him up and down. “Perhaps you cannot. Perhaps instead you can lava bend.” Button sighed and face hoofed. “Dang it. I have to, though. My mom was a metal bender, my...” He shook his head. “If she can do it, why can't I?” “You're not your parents. You need to sense better. You need to feel the earth, sense the--” “I know! I just can't do it through all the metal, okay? I can barely even sense things through normal dirt, it's impossible through metal!” Copper went silent, eying him. He glared back for a few moments, before lowering his eyes. “Right. I'm sorry. I know it's not your fault... I'm just... frustrated, you know? I've been trying so hard and... getting so much better. But I still can't do this. I just... I just don't know what's wrong with me...” “Failing to do something doesn't mean something is wrong with you. It only means you failed.” He sighed and then blinked a few times, before looking up at her. “Copper?” “Yes?” “You're uhhh... well, I mean... I think I've only ever heard you say three words. Yep, nope and uh huh. Well, four words. Why uhhh... are you taking such an interest?” She blinked a few times, before looking back to the stone. “Lava... bending is interesting. I am curious.” “Curious?” “How you do it. What is it about you that... makes you able.” He blinked a few times. “O-oh. I thought just... I mean, but you're a metal bender, right? That means you can... well, I mean, it's way cooler than lava bending.” She blinked a few times. “Neither is cooler. They are just different. A new style of bending means new methods can be developed. What is it about it that makes it so special? How are you able to do it?” Button blinked and looked back down. “I... maybe it's because of my fire bending? I mean, I've been training in fire bending. Diamond taught me and I just... learned from there. I guess. Maybe the two are connected?” “Maybe. You have a gift, Button. Do not believe it is useless just because it is different from mine.” Button nodded slowly, gazing down at the rock. He then smiled. “Hey, uhhh... you wanna try a little... sparring match? My lava bending versus your metal bending?” Copper tapped the ground, chunks of metal rising into the air. “Yes.” Button stared for a moment, before the color started to drain from his face. He quickly realized who he'd just challenged and gave a little squeak.