Avatar: The Last Alicorn. Book 3: Unicorn

by Jeweled Pen

Chapter 43: Training

Twilight groaned as her bed was shaken. “Come onnnnn. Get upppppp,” Spike said while he shook her again and again. She didn't want to get up. She wanted to lay in bed forever. Or at least until noon. “It was your idea to have these sessions. 'If I want to be ready, I have to spend every moment I can learning the elements. I can't just sleep all day or spend too much time relaxing. My water bending especially needs work. Maybe if I--'”

“Okay! Okay, I get it, enough!” the alicorn said with a groan before lifting her head. She rolled out of bed and made her way groggily to the bathroom. “I swear you're the most annoying baby dragon I know. And I know plenty!”

“Even more than the one that spit up on you?”

“Especially the one that spit up on me!” she yelled back, before slamming the door shut. A quick mouth wash and combed mane later, as well as splashing herself with a bit of water, and she felt refreshed. Well, she felt less like laying under a wagon and letting it roll over her. That was a start at least. She stepped out from the room and glanced down at the little dragon. “You're still wearing that?”

“Rarity gave it to me for safe keeping!” the dragon said as he rubbed the necklace around his neck. Since they were now practicing both with the bending elements and the Elements of Harmony daily, the princess had given him the necklace to keep safe. He'd taken to his new duty with a passion and now wore it everywhere. Even to sleep. It had enough pointy and rough ends that the alicorn couldn't begin to imagine how uncomfortable it must be to wear.

“I hope you still take it off when you bathe. I can't imagine what your neck must smell like by now,” Twilight mumbled before heading towards the exit. “The others up?”

“No idea. Maybe? Want me to go get them?”

“No,” the alicorn said quickly. “I don't want another... incident.” She shivered as she thought about last time he'd gone to wake the others. He'd snuck up on Rarity, she'd thought he was an assassin and nearly pinned him to the wall with an ice spear. It had not appeared to be a pleasant experience.

She trotted down the halls and smiled at the ponies she passed. Many gave her quick greetings and she couldn't help but feel that things were right with the world. Everything felt good, great even. They'd been back for a few weeks, the assault was poised to begin in the next few days. Her training was going wonderfully. She was far from being a master, but her training was being expedited to the point she was at least an adept at the other three elements. Mastering the Elements of Harmony was going well also, they could now summon them at a moments notice and the power they allowed was amazing.

Unfortunately, Discord's time of release was coming fast. At night they could see it, just a dark, green speck in the sky slowly coming closer. But she instinctively knew what it was. The majority of the creature's power, returning for its chance at escape. Even now Nightmare Moon had to be in Canterlot, preparing for the ritual. It wasn't going to be easy, but in two days they would launch their assault. According to her calculations they would arrive with three days to spare. Even with the majority of the nation's forces there, with the power of the elements to help them, they would pierce through the nation and deliver a killing blow.

The other countries were, sadly, not doing as well in their rebellion as she would have hoped. They were winning, there was no doubt of that. But the fight was still going and would likely keep going for another month. All things considered, however, it would still be a short battle and they were locking up many of the Water Nation's forces outside the capital. But it meant the Fire Tribes would be the only country mustering a force for the final battle. Luckily they still had plenty of volunteers and allies residing in their lands, so the force would still be sizable. With her friends and the great dragon beside her, leading the charge, they'd end this war.

Sadly, she knew that wouldn't be the end of it. Her country was still in shambles and it would be decades, possibly centuries before the pain of the last hundred years was rubbed out. Though she made excuses and hid it, the fact was that she was hiding from her ponies. She made the daily appearance so ponies still knew she was here. She even let many watch her practice, though most were finding it boring and left quickly. But once it was over, she quickly made her escape, claiming hunger or tiredness. The truth was she couldn't get that filly out of her mind.

How many ponies had lost their horns over the last hundred years, how many generations would go before this pain would be bearable? All those ponies who had grown up without magic would now be watching a whole new generation of fire benders. Ponies with the same magic and abilities they should have had. Would have had if not for how long it took her to save them. The pain and grief most of the ponies were feeling in the city had to be astronomical. Worst of all, there was nothing she could do about it. Horns grew and could be filed and shaped, but cutting them off like that was severely damaging. The horns would never grow back as more than stubs. There was no way to restore their magic and bending. No matter how much she wanted to. Once this war was over, she'd have to deal with that.

The others tried to make her feel as if it wasn't her responsibility, though she knew it would still fall on her shoulders. She was the Avatar, the protector of the balance of the world. It was her responsibility to do everything she could to restore the balance that had been broken. Possibly even more important, she was the only pony still alive who knew about how the Fire Tribes once were. The only pony with access to past lives that had seen it as well. She'd lived with them, grown with them. Sure, she'd spent a lot of time hiding in her room and studying, but that didn't mean she missed everything. So much of their culture and history had been lost or damaged. Everything she could remember would have to be restored.

No, defeating Discord would just be the start of the next step in her life. In some ways, what came during the peace would be even more difficult than this war had been. She stopped by a window and leaned against it. Her chest felt tight and she could barely breath.

“Are you okay? Twilight?” Spike asked as he moved in front of her, staring with concern.

“Y-yes,” she croaked. It was all happening so fast. Everything. She could feel herself starting to unravel. She needed a break, just a moment to relax, but she wouldn't get it. She couldn't get it. Ponies depended on her, needed her.

No matter what, she still had her friends. She had ponies she could depend on. She wasn't alone, she just had to remember that. Soon they would beat Nightmare Moon, then she would take a break. After a month to get everything organized, yes. That's what she needed. One month and she could have a break.

The alicorn pushed off from the window and started walking down the hall again. “What's on the agenda for today?”

“The same thing as every day for the last few weeks. Are you okay? You're acting kind of...”

“Just nervous,” Twilight said with a dismissive wave of her hoof. “You know how it is. Everything is coming to a head. Just getting anxious.”

“Don't worry so much,” Spike said. “You're the Avatar. You've got all this in the bag. Besides, you've come out of far worse than this without a scratch.”

The Avatar chuckled before picking him up and giving a light nuzzle. “Thank you, Spike. I don't know what I'd do without you and everypony else.”

“Oh, that's easy. You'd break down and mess everything up. That's why you've got me to watch your back.”

She snorted and gently put him down. “Gee, thanks for the vote of confidence. Come on, let's get some breakfast.”

Plenty of her friends were there, but only three of the elements. Rarity, Fluttershy and Applejack. She figured Pinkie was probably awake, but likely throwing a party or some madness. The city likely had more parties in the last month than it had had in the last hundred years. It was keeping morale high at least, so there was that. Rainbow would of course be sleeping. She didn't wake up before noon for anypony. It didn't really matter though, Twilight had more air bending practice than she did any of the other elements aside fire. She mostly needed to work on her earth bending and water bending.

“So, any new news?” she asked as she took a seat.

“Nothing to worry about,” Ashmane said from across the table. “Supplies are still being prepared and all our air ships are undergoing a final inspection. Everything will be more than ready before the final assault. How are you feeling?”

“A little worried, but I think I'll be fine.”

“Don't worry, darling,” Rarity said with an encouraging smile. “Your bending is increasing dramatically. Even without the Elements of Harmony you might be able to win this war. With them, there will be no stopping you.”

Twilight chuckled before giving out a soft sigh. Even with all four elements practiced as she was, she doubted she could take on Nightmare Moon. Just the thought sent a chill down her back. “Well, here's hoping I'm worthy of your expectations.” She plucked up a small alfalfa salad and an apple.

“Ah for one think you'll be fine,” Applejack said with a shake of her mane. “Yah still got a long way tah go with your earth bendin' before ah'd allow yah tah fight with meh in an earth bendin' tournament. But with all four of your elements ah wouldn't wanna mess with yah at all. Ain't no earth bender out there who could do what yah do.”

Twilight nodded and leaned back in her chair. Her horn glowed as she picked up her food in her magic and brought it to her lips to nibble.

“So, after breakfast we can work on more double training,” Rarity said with a smile.

“Of course,” the alicorn said with an obedient nod.

“Something wrong?”

“Nothing. Just a little tired. I'll be fine for training though, it needs to be done.”

Applejack frowned. “If yah don't feel up to--”

“No. I need to keep practicing. We don't have much time left and we can't waste it. I can relax after this is over.” A lie, but it was a small lie. She knew she could rest eventually. For now, too much depended on her success and every form she learned could be the difference between life and death.

Rarity and Applejack shared a look and she could practically see the silent conversation they were having. It did lift her heart a little to know the princess was getting more and more accepted into their group, but she really wished they wouldn't silently plot to get her to rest. At least not directly in front of her. “I said I'm fine. We have to keep working, you know this as well as I do.”

The two sighed before giving their own accepting nods. With everything for the assault being planned and organized by other ponies, it at least allowed her to focus on the coming practice session. She was getting a lot better with every training session and Rarity was even talking about teaching her a new type of bending that Celestia had once shown her. Supposedly it would allow her to counter poison bending, but it would be very difficult to use. Hopefully it worked better than her previous plan. Running for her life.

“No, I want you to keep holding onto it,” Rarity's voice penetrated her thoughts.

“Huh?”

“I was merely speaking with Spike,” the princess said, before motioning to the little dragon. The necklace was still dangling from his neck. “Are you certain you're feeling well?”

“Yes, sorry. Just thinking about the next training session,” she said before pouring into her meal. She wasn't really hungry and she barely tasted the food. But she knew she had to eat. Besides, if she didn't then her friends would just worry. Even now she could see everypony at the table peering at her when they thought she couldn't notice, ensuring she did eat an adequate breakfast. Not that she could blame them. The coming battle depended on her. If she wasn't ready, they'd all fail.

Once she'd finished enough to satisfy them, she pushed out from the table and got to her hooves. “I'm going to go down and start practicing. Thanks.” She trotted out of the room and the moment the door was closed behind her, she let out a sigh. Everything would come to a head soon, but she just felt as if she was spiraling down a drain. Going faster and faster, no time to slow down, to breath. Just struggling to keep her head above water.

She trotted through the halls, occasionally smiling and waving when she passed other ponies. The worst of it was that she was somehow managing to feel overwhelmed by everything she had to do, yet helpless to do anything at the same time. Everypony was depending on her to defeat Nightmare Moon, which she would do. Her friends would help her, support her. Together they would get it done. But she still felt so much was out of her control. The assault was being planned by other ponies, coordinated by other ponies, the city was being run by other ponies. So many things were being done by other ponies, many of whom she didn't know.

She had no idea how well things were really going, if ponies were lying to her to keep her calm. Maybe everything was going horribly and they were trying to keep her from having a panic attack and in the next few days, everything would crash down and the assault would fail because of it. The only pony she really knew was Ashmane and even she wasn't known very well. Vinyl and Octavia were well known, but they weren't as involved in the assault as some others.

Twilight took another deep breath and started walking faster. Everything was riding on her shoulders, but she was riding on the shoulders of ponies she barely even knew. What if one of them tripped?

She already knew the ponies in command were hiding things from her, though she didn't know how much. After the first week back in the city she'd asked about the zebras. They hadn't been hiding with the other ponies and she had wanted to thank Zecora for saving her life. They'd merely shrugged and said the zebras had disappeared soon after the escape from Fillydelphia. If they had time, she'd have tried to track them down and find out why, but she didn't. She had nothing aside from responsibilitys, everything depended on her but she had no power to dictate how it would happen. She just had to react and make sure not to fail.

She let out another soft sigh when she entered the small training grounds that had been set up in a large open room on the ground floor. Originally they'd practiced with water and sand, but after spending a few hours trying to get all the sand out of their eyes, amongst other places, they moved onto dirt. It was slightly less invasive.

The room wasn't very big, only about the size of a good sized lobby, with twice the normal head room. It was still a bit rough around the edges as they'd had to remove a few walls and the ceiling in order to get the needed space. But it worked and allowed her to get the practice she needed. Large bowls of water were stationed at each corner of the room and the ground was covered in a layer of dirt only a few inches thick.

It wasn't the nicest area they practiced in, but it was the most private. Right now that was all she wanted, some privacy so she could practice in peace. When they trained outside she couldn't deny that a part of her hated it. Even though fewer ponies watched them now, she could still feel as if everypony was watching her. Judging her. Waiting for her to mess up. The slightest imperfection made her feel like a foal, even though she doubted they could notice. She couldn't afford to just be an adept, she had to be a master. In everything. Too many lives depended on her not failing.

She began by splashing the water onto the dirt, then lifting both together. She focused on lifting them separately, so neither dirt nor water would spill off. From there, she turned some of the water to ice and began manipulating all three at once. Separating them, bringing them together, swirling them until they were all so mixed it was impossible to tell one from the other, before once again separating them into their three base components. Water, ice and earth. It wasn't an easy task and it made sweat bead on her forehead, but it was excellent training in control, which she could always use more of.

“Yah know, watchin' yah do that kinda makes me happy ah ain't the Avatar,” Applejack said as she trotted into the room.

“Huh? Why?” Twilight asked, though she didn't allow the grouped up resources to fall. Mix, swirl, separate.

“Masterin' one element is tough enough, ah couldn't imagine havin' tah do all four.”

“You get used to it,” the alicorn lied. It wasn't true, but it was close. She did have one advantage at least. Each element had its own different methodology, so they didn't always mesh. But it felt as if she'd learned them all before. Each stance or skill she trained seemed almost natural after a few tries, as if she had known the methods all her life and had just forgotten. She figured her avatar training had something to do with that.

But natural born talent would never be enough to compensate for lack of experience. Her past lives could only help her learn so much before she had to master the rest through hard work and dedication. She only had to go a little further. That was all. Today would probably be their last training session, tomorrow would be final preparations. She just had to make it one last day.

“Well, come on. Rarity will be down in an' hour or so,” Applejack said, though she was obviously exaggerating. She just couldn't stand the unicorns slow, methodical style of eating. “We can start with your earth bendin'.” She threw a rock.

Twilight deflected it with her bundle of elements and the training began. It was hard, difficult work, attacking, blocking, fighting with an element she was only moderately good with against a master. But in a way, it was refreshing. While she practiced, she couldn't think of anything aside from what was in front of her. Even though she was bruised and battered by the sessions, she always felt happy during them. Especially when Rarity joined them and, after many more hours, Rainbow. She fought and trained, her mind blank aside from the things she had to think about right now. Such as, would they come from all three sides, or plow straight at her. Were their attacks feints of full assaults. All that mattered was the here and now and for those glorious hours, everything was clear and simple. She just wished they had more time, that it didn't have to be so rushed. She longed to experiment and develop her own techniques, but too much rode on her success to allow them to waste time on her own ideas.

After training everything would get rough again. They weren't trying to hurt each other during the training sessions, but they still ended them sore, bruised and more than a little battered. They'd all have to go see the healers afterwards. While the healers tended to her, she got yet another idea of what she was working for and what they'd already lost. It used to be after the practice sessions, Fluttershy would always tend to them and help them heal up for the next day. She'd even taken it for granted, barely focusing on it over what she'd learned.

But her friend had given up her powers in order to save her life. How many other ponies had lost their bending due to her? All those fire benders. Even if it wasn't directly her fault, she could have stopped it a hundred years ago. If she hadn't disappeared. Each bruise that disappeared was a stark reminder of how much ponies had given up to give her this next chance, how much ponies were depending on her. The only thing that helped was the fact that the sessions were quick and before she knew it, she was sent away, bruise free with only mild soreness.

Lunch was after that and she had her own little ritual. She was still the Avatar and ponies still wanted to see her. So she made a habit of having lunch with the Great Dragon. It gave her an excuse to be seen, while also allowing her to remain private and away from the other ponies. His great size made many ponies wary of going near him, for fear of angering him. It didn't help that he had once thrown a pegasus over the city's walls when she had annoyed him. The pegasus had been fine after, of course. Just a bit ruffled.

“Is all well, Avatar?” the dragon asked.

“Huh? Oh, of course,” she said as she nibbled on her sandwich. “Just a little worried about the coming invasion, that's all.” She wondered how worried she must look now. Everypony kept asking her.

“Soon,” he said before reaching out to pat her head. “I know you must be worried, but do not allow the stress to overwhelm you. If you need rest, take it. While you still can.”

Twilight smiled and shook her head. “Of course. Don't worry, I'm not doing anything too bad. I'm getting the healing that I need, too. I'm fine.”

“Everypony needs the occasional break, dear Avatar.”

“I can rest when this is over. It's only a little longer,” she said gently. “Besides, if I rested now, how would that encourage anypony? They're all working as hard as they can to get me this opportunity. The least I can do is work just as hard.”

He chuckled. “I do believe you passed working 'just as hard' many moons ago. But, in the end it is your decision. Just be careful and do not harm yourself.”

“Of course,” she said before looking down at her sandwich. She leaned back and closed her eyes, resting against his tail. It was always peaceful with him, outside the city walls. One of the few places she could relax. He didn't speak again, but she didn't mind. Silence and relaxation was what she wanted, even needed. In a way she was certain he knew it.

Sadly, all good things must come to an end. She allowed herself a short, guilty moment of rest but she soon returned to the others to begin their next stage of training. This time it took place on the wall of the city.

The wall was now far, far more durable than it had ever been before. Thanks to them. In fact, the city was more defended than it had been in the last hundred years. Their training sessions allowed them to tap into amazing powers which they practiced by creating better defenses for the city. A small, likely useless effect, but it was still training. They'd also used them to help the farms outside the city, drawing the best soil up above the sand and finding the underground water that flowed deep below. Even the lava rivers had been recreated through their use, as well as a small tunnel that the dragons could use. So far Spike tended to be their main user, but he sometimes brought one or two of the babies down with him. They all seemed to like that.

“So, what are we going to build today?” Rainbow asked with a snort of annoyance. She was bored with the whole thing, which Twilight didn't blame her. Summoning the elements was easy and their powers were extraordinary. They weren't even that difficult to use, it more just amplified everything about what they could already do. With a hint of regret, Twilight wondered if having the elements properly could have saved Fluttershy from losing her powers.

“We're going to just make more bricks,” Twilight said softly as she looked down. The walls were made of extremely compressed sand. After one of the sessions they'd tried breaking a brick with a hammer. The hammer had dented first. It was the encouragement they needed to keep going and working, but the walls were already thick and strong. The bricks could still be used for making homes and other things they needed, but the only ones who could make the bricks were her and Applejack, which left the others standing there and, as they described it, being sucked dry.

Still, it gave them a chance to practice with the elements. It only took them a few seconds to summon each element, after which she could tap into the power. Even though it was something they did daily now, it still felt amazing. It was as if every one of her friends was a river, drawing their powers from a tremendous outside force. Then redirecting all that power into her. While they were all made significantly stronger, she received the brunt of the power. She found she was able to do magics she'd never dreamed of doing with the elements.

She took a deep breath and gathered them all up in a sphere of her magic, raising them off the ground. “Okay, get ready.” The sphere, with them in it, disappeared. A moment later it appeared in the sands just outside the city. She smiled. The first time she'd tried that, they'd ended up up in the middle of the city, and she'd only been trying to move a few feet. Now she was only inches off from her desired position.

“Welp, time tah get tah work! Get along, lil doggies!” Applejack yelled before stomping her hooves. The mare's earth bending was even getting better. Her sand bending, even when she wasn't using the Elements of Harmony, was amazing. With the elements there seemed to be no limits on what she could bend.

Twilight smiled and looked up at the sky. They were all developing, all working. It was almost time. She still didn't know if they'd win, or if they were ready. But they would be as ready as possible when the time came. They were all seeing to that.

By the time they finished, there was a massive pile of sand bricks stacked by the city walls. Ponies would come by later to take them into the city or just outside the walls, either to build homes or any other number of tasks. The Avatar wiped the sweat from her brow before closing her eyes. With one final burst of power, the six were teleported into their main headquarters. After a few seconds the elements disappeared and she looked around. “How does ever-- whoa.” She fell over with a squeak. Her friends didn't fare much better as they shook their heads.

The elements did make them feel like they had a river of power flowing through them that drew from a vast ocean. But once they were no longer in use, being cut off from all that power was quite disorienting and exhausting.

“Hate this part,” Rainbow groaned as she grudgingly pulled herself back up. “I'm going to go take a nap. Wake me up if anything is needed.”

“Ugh... ah think ah'm gonna go ahead an' follow Rainbow's example. Always feels like ah jogged through a mountain after we turn them things off,” Applejack said with a groan.

“Awww, I think it feels great! Like when your sugar rush dies and then you just need to eat more cupcakes!” Pinkie said as she hopped about, albeit in a weak, slow manner. For her.

“Twilight, I know you've been kind of tired and off tonight,” Rarity said softly as she trotted over. “So I understand if you don't want to--”

“It's fine,” the alicorn said with a small smile. “Come on, let's go to my room. We can do it from there.” The two trotted off to the privacy of her quarters.

Each day after all their training and practice was done, the princess and the Avatar retired to somewhere private where they could practice a different spell. Rarity was still trying, desperately, to contact her father. Twilight couldn't imagine why, but she hadn't pushed the issue. It was the princess' secret, so she'd let her keep it. She joined to keep guard, as well as practice her own abilities. They were so used to it that it only took them a few seconds to get back into the Spirit World.

It had changed considerably over the last few weeks. The ice and glass were melting away, revealing lush fields with trees and all manner of strange, exotic plant life. They'd even almost been eaten by a giant flower thing once. She chose to take that as a good sign, that the world was returning to normal. The two sat down in a small clearing and began.

Twilight watched Rarity disappear into her own meditations and she spent a few seconds eying her and ensuring nothing bad came. Once she was sure the princess was safe, she leaned back and took a deep breath. She reached within herself and, after a few seconds, Starswirl appeared in front of her.

“Hello again, young Twilight,” he said with a gentle smile. “I take it all is well?”

“Yes,” she said, before looking around. Her practice allowed her to still maintain awareness of the Spirit World while they talked, she no longer had to close her mind off from all distractions. Before long, she might even be able to contact him outside of this world.

“Shall we continue where we left off yesterday?”

“Please.”

The past Avatar took a slow, steady breath before nodding. “Very well. Now, in those days there were still quite a few problems going on in the world. The Avatar before the last had stopped an invasion from the Fire Tribes in its infancy, but there was still a small amount of distrust from them. In fact, my earth bending teacher suggested I get a teacher to come to me, rather than going to their lands themselves.”

“Did you? Summon a teacher, I mean.”

“No. I was the Avatar, the balance between all nations. It was my duty to go and learn from all of them. I couldn't abandon the Fire Tribes just because ponies who were long gone had caused a war. Besides, I had made many friends in all the nations, I failed to see how the Fire Tribes would be any different.”

Twilight nodded and took a deep breath. They were finally getting to the important things. “What was my home like, then?”

“Well... I would be lying if I said it was the most welcoming of greetings I'd ever received. The way the Avatar cycle works means that, since the past Avatar had been earth and the one before air, my incarnation would have been fire or water. There were plenty of ponies disappointed that there hadn't been a fire Avatar.”

Twilight gave a nod and chuckled. “I suppose the Water Nation needed one more, huh?”

“Indeed. The Avatar appears where he or she is needed most. Now, while I wasn't the most welcomed pony, I did still manage to make many friends. The dragons in those days were quite the sight. Did you ever see the dragon migrations? I managed to be privy to one and it was quite fascinating.”

She shook her head and gave another soft sigh. “I'm afraid not. I was always so involved with my studies. I figured there would be time to see it later.” There was another soft, gentle stab at her heart. Now there would never be time.

“Well, in those times the dragons and ponies lived in harmony. I was able to visit one of their many lava pools and it was marvelous, seeing dragons of all shapes and sizes bathing in such heat.”

She nodded again. “I see. But the dragons aren't... around now. At least, not like they were before. I want to know about the culture, the ponies. What they did, what they danced, their art, their culture.”

He frowned. “You lived through this, shouldn't you know most of it?”

She sighed and lowered her gaze. “I... was around for most of it, but I missed so much. I know a lot of the holidays and celebrations, the clothes, the dances. But only on a superficial level. I know we prefer reds and blacks, but I don't know all the reasons.” Shame flooded her, but she felt a gentle hoof placed on her shoulder.

“There there, Avatar. There was no way you could have possibly known this would happen. You cannot blame yourself. There are ponies who know these things, there are records.”

“Many of the records were destroyed or lost,” she said softly. “The Great Dragon knows a lot as well, but ponies look to me. Not to him. They want me to show them the way, to remind them of what life was like a hundred years ago.”

He gave a soft, gentle sigh before nodding. “Very well. Then there is one thing I can tell you about the Fire Tribes. They burned in all things. At all times there was sound and excitement. Due to the extreme heats, the nights were the most popular times and even at the latest hours you could still find dozens of ponies running, talking, playing. Plays, sports, even their art burned with a fiery passion no matter where you went. Believe me, I traveled through all corners of the country and even the smallest villages would be moving until long after most ponies would sleep.” He grinned. “In fact, I remember being amazed at the durability of many of your ponies. Some would put the Earth Kingdom to shame.”

“Oh? Why?”

“The ponies of yours burned with a fiery passion and rarely thought of the consequences. I'd seen the children playing such rough games and pushing themselves to such amazing limits that I could barely believe they'd grow to adult hood. That was the thing I saw most impressive about your home. The passion.” He looked her up and down. “In fact, I'd say you were an excellent example of them.”

“What? Why? I was never passionate, all I ever did was study,” Twilight said with another sigh. The last true fire bender from a hundred years ago, and she was nothing like them.

“No. You are just like them. You are filled with a burning passion that makes life flow through you. Your passion is for learning, studying. There were other ponies like you, who threw themselves into such thing. The Fire Nation was filled with that, ponies who threw their passion into everything they did.” He shivered and a little hint of red flowed in his cheeks. “And, uhhh, many times ponies wouldn't take no for an answer.”

She cocked an eye. “What? You mean they wouldn't give up on their arts?”

“Oh, indeed that,” he said with another cough. “More than a few... well. It made the dragons and fire benders amazing allies. I remember in my youth, when I was first learning to fire bend. I asked one of the older dragons why they looked over and protected the Fire Tribes. They were intelligent, powerful creatures. Beings that could have their own country, yet they lived in harmony with them. Do you know what he said?”

“What?”

“He compared your tribes to children. Each pony would live only a fraction of a time that a dragon would. But even in their great life times, he doubted he'd ever meet a dragon with as much energy and fire as one of your ponies. That something like that was worth protecting.”

Twilight nodded and leaned back. “I can't believe I missed all that.” She thought back to all the festivals she'd been to, every time she spent more time buried in a book, rather than enjoying what was there.

A hoof was pushed to her chin and he slowly lifted her head up to look into his eyes. “Twilight. You do hold that passion within you, that desire to learn. But I can feel it melting away, evaporating. You must not allow yourself to be pushed so.”

“How can I not?” she asked softly as the tears began to mist up her eyes. “Everypony is depending on me. This isn't for fun anymore. A hundred years ago, learning all these forms would be amazing. Different types of bending and training? I'd have adored it. But now, when I mess up, ponies die. Countries die. I can't test, I can't experiment, I just have to learn! I have to get it perfect, I HAVE TO--” She was silenced by a hoof covering her mouth.

“Avatar. Listen to me,” he said softly. “What you are doing is important, but you must be who you are. That passion must continue to flourish. You must learn, yes. But experiment. Test. Do whatever you feel needs to be done. What you want done. It is a part of you and, so long as you enjoy it, you'll advance far faster than if you just try learning everything.”

“B-but what if I miss something? Mess up on something? What if I waste precious time trying to do something that is useless, when I could have learned a new form that would have--”

“It doesn't matter.” He reached up to put his hooves on her shoulders. “You're not alone. You have your friends, they will support you, hold you, carry you if need be. Now, you have us as well. Your past lives. Our contact grows stronger with each night. You are the Avatar, but you are a fire bender as well. Do not suppress one part of yourself in order to try to strengthen the other. It is only when you, yourself, is in balance that you can balance the world.”

She nodded slowly before smiling. “Okay. I... I'll try. I would like to hear more about the Fire Tribes from before.”

He chuckled softly. “Have you considered trying to dive deeper, to the last fire bender? Perhaps--”

“I don't want to contact Clover. I... don't believe she and I would see eye to eye. She wished to be alone and... I don't think I could live like that.”

He frowned. “I see. You are the Avatar now, Twilight. It does not matter what your past lives think or say, in the end how you live your life is your decision. Your choice. Not ours.”

“That may be, but I'd rather not have to listen to her tell me how disappointed she is. Or how she thinks I should leave my friends lest they get hurt.” She closed her eyes and thought back to Fluttershy. “I know they're getting hurt by this. I don't want them to. If I could do something to stop them from getting hurt, I would. But I'm not strong enough to do this on my own. I'm not... as powerful as she was. I need their help.”

He nodded and gave her a gentle pat on the shoulders. “I know. I was exactly the same, as many Avatars have been. There is no shame in needing help from somepony else. Even non-avatars require such aid.”

Twilight leaned forward and gave him a hug. “Thank you. I... think I need you, too. Somepony who I can still talk to about all this.”

“Of course, Twilight. Now, shall we speak more about the past world? Would you like to hear about the Ritual of the Second Sun?”

She slowly pulled back and nodded. “Yes, I would.”

He nodded and soon she was sitting at rapt attention, listening to how the Fire Tribes used to be. She began to relax and let the words flow over herself, imagining all those past experiences. Things that she could probably do once the Water Nation was beaten. This time she wouldn't hide in the library and let them pass her by, either.

Eventually she let the stallion go and she slowly stood up, stretching. Rarity was sitting away from her, lightly sobbing. The Avatar moved closer and put a hoof on her shoulder. “What's wrong?” she asked softly.

“I... I can't do this,” the princess whispered.

“What? But we've been training everyday. You have the elements under control and--”

“Not that,” she said with a shake of her head. “I can't... I just can't. My mother, I can't replace my mother...”

“What?”

“Aunt Celestia wants me to lead the Water Nation when mother is gone. I can't. I can't be a ruler. I just, I wanted to talk to my father. To ask him for advice, to find out what he would do. But I can't reach him!” she screamed, laying her head down on her hooves. “It's not fair! I can't do this! I can't be the ruler. I don't know what the Water Nation needs. Auntie needs to rule, she's the best pony for this!”

“Rarity,” Twilight said gently. “Relax. If you're aunt thinks you should rule, then--”

“I'll ruin the country. Don't you understand?” She looked up, tears in her eyes. “I... I can't do this. After... we defeat my mother, the Water Nation will be in shambles. Assassinations will practically be a currency. The leaders will rebel against me. There will be so much death, so much destruction. All of it will fall at my hooves. I'll have to fix it. Me. I can't. I... I just can't. I... I need my father. I need to know what he thinks, what he'd do...”

The alicorn slowly reached out and pulled the mare's head to her chest before her wings slowly moved out to wrap around the princess. “There there, it'll be okay. You won't be alone, your aunt will be there. So will I. All of our friends. You're not alone.”

“O-of course I'm alone,” the princess whispered gently. “Don't you see? It'll all be my responsibility. You have enough on your hooves as it is. You won't be able to help. My aunt is already planning to stay out of the light, so she'll only be able to give me the barest amount of help. I... I can't do this. I won't. I'm not a ruler, I--”

“You are a ruler,” Twilight said as she made the princess look up, into her eyes. “It is your destiny. You will lead the Water Nation into a time of peace. Do you know why? Because you're smart and you know how to keep ponies happy. You were the one plotting and planning when it came time to rescue my ponies. You know how the masses think. Celestia has taught you all she knows. You can, and will, succeed. It'll be hard, I know. But your friends, all of us, will always be there to catch you when you trip. It doesn't matter if your father isn't around. What matters is that we are.”

Rarity stared up for a moment before, slowly, nodding. “I... I guess if...” She took a deep breath. “If... if you're... sure.”

“I am,” Twilight said with a smile.

Rarity nodded and took a slow, steady breath. “Thank you, Twilight. I... I really feel I needed that.” She stood up and wiped the tears from her eyes. She still looked off balance, but at least she had control again.

“All things considered--”

“I know,” the princess said softly. “Tomorrow we'll be too busy for this. I knew... today was my last day to contact him.” She took another deep breath. “But... I... I'll be fine.” She lied. She was certain they were all wrong, that she'd fall apart and ruin everything. But she couldn't focus on that, not now. She buried it down and gave a small smile. “We should go back.”

“Indeed,” Twilight said before taking her hoof. Within a few moments the two fell back to their bodies and awoke in the real world.

Something was wrong. There was a pony in her room, pacing back and forth, anxiety on her face. “What's wrong?” the alicorn asked quickly.

“Avatar!” the earth pony said before rushing forward. “You must come to the south wall. The Water Nation, they're here!”

Twilight froze for a moment, before grabbing Rarity's hooves and pulling the mare behind her. The sky was dark and the moon hung high overhead. Ponies were running about through the streets, moving to hide in their homes while soldiers got their weapons. “Meet me on the wall!” the alicorn yelled before taking off into the air and flying up.

Something was very wrong, but she couldn't quite place it. She just had an awful feeling. She caught sight of the fleet and nearly dropped out of the air. It was massive, dozens of ships, each holding massive containers under them. They hadn't launched an attack yet, so that was good. But their numbers were still horrifying. How many ponies would die from this attack? Their ships weren't ready, but they couldn't dare start lifting them into the sky now. They'd be helpless targets.

She joined the mass of ponies on the wall, blending in with the pegasi who were entering and leaving guard positions.

“Avatar, we've been waiting for you,” one of the ponies said before forcing a megaphone towards her. “I don't think they'll accept stalling for much longer!”

The alicorn nodded and looked around. Applejack, Rainbow, Fluttershy and Pinkie were all here, looking towards her expectantly. She took the megaphone in her magic and smiled. “Rarity is on her way, send some pegasi to get her. I'll stall as long as I can.” She stepped forward, radiating confidence that she did not have. Everypony was expecting her to stop this fleet, but she didn't know if she could. With a deep breath, she slowly raised the megaphone. “Water Nation vessels! What is the meaning of this? I am the Avatar and I demand to know what you're planning here!”

There was a sudden laughter, radiating from the nearest air ship. It was cold, calculating. A laugh she knew all too well. Nightmare Moon strode forward across the bow of the ship. Twilight tried not to hold back her glee. The elements would all be gathered soon and they could wipe out the ruler in one fell swoop. They were going to win. Sooner than expected.

“You foals, you dare to rise up against the Water Nation that held you in its gentle embrace for so long?” The ruler spoke into her own megaphone, her eyes looking over the crowd. Even though she felt victory at hoof, the alicorn couldn't help but shiver. “But I am a merciful ruler. I offer you one chance to surrender. The Avatar shall become my prisoner and every dragon here will die! Your city will once again fall under my command with... a minimum of casualties. Those are the only terms you will receive.”

Twilight glared up at the mare. “There is only one dragon here and he--”

“Don't you lie to me!” Nightmare Moon roared. “I know there are more dragons hiding away in your little city. I will exterminate every one of those foul creatures. I give you this one chance to surrender. Immediately.”

Twilight glared, before looking back. They were still waiting on Rarity, so she had to stall. Just for a little while longer. She glanced towards the left of the city, where the Great Dragon could be seen outside the walls. He was ready to take off at a moments notice, but she didn't wish to involve him, at least not yet. There was no need to fight. The elements would end this in a second.

“I'll need time to think about it. Please give us--”

“There will be no delays! Surrender now. Or I will flatten your city to dust and slaughter all within. Dragon and pony.”

Twilight gritted her teeth before yelling. “No! We will not--”

“Very well,” Nightmare Moon lifted a hoof. “Then you will all die.” Her horn began to glow.

Twilight waited for the water under the ships to move, but they didn't. Instead, horns all across the fleet began to glow brilliantly. In the night it was almost blinding.

The alicorn took a step back, her mouth falling open. “No no no no.” Her eyes widened with horror as she looked up, finally realizing what it was that seemed so strange.

The sky was empty. There wasn't a star in it. Only the moon. From the ships, towers of magical light shot up into the sky until, after a few moments, all the light was gone. The alicorn stared at the sky, her heart beating so fast she swore it would burst from her chest. The other ponies called out to her, asking what was wrong. They didn't know. They couldn't know. It had been over a hundred years since that spell had last been seen. She was the only pony still alive who had ever seen it.

The first star appeared in the sky and began its descent towards the city.

Comments

[Iamawesome]

Great fleshing out the Dialogue between Twilight and Starswirl. This was exactly what I was hoping for last chapter.

And the ending...

I sure didn't expect this. That was truly masterful use of Chekhov's Gun. Those falling stars were last mentioned in the beginning of book one and maybe one or two times afterwards. I had completely dismissed them as some part of worldbuilding, a way of showing that you do things differently than the tv-show original.
Everything was leading up to battle and you hint at these large containers playing an important role. And then this happens. I always love scenes where the moment something happens you actually notice how stupid you were not to expect this.

I still hate you for all your damn cliffhangers, but this one was totally epic!

[GMZ_Casper]

Wait, Nightmare Moon is with them?! Oh crap, she was supposed to be working on that ritual! If she’s there with the attack...oh boy, that is not a good sign, not a good sign at all...

“It was your idea to have these sessions. 'If I want to be ready, I have to spend every moment I can learning the elements. I can't just sleep all day or spend too much time relaxing. My water bending especially needs work. Maybe if I--”
> Need a single quote before the ending double quotation mark.
...avatar...
> Capitalize ‘avatar’.
They'd all have to go see the healers after wards.
> Correction: ‘afterwards’.
By the time they finished there was a massive pile of sand bricks stacked by the city walls.
> Comma after ‘finished’.
But there numbers were still horrifying.
> Replace ‘there’ with ‘their’.

[eric-emanwu]

Oh man, this is like Sozin's comet after all!! It's about a quiet training period shattered by the sudden arrival of evil, using a tool from the past to use their powers to reign fire from the sky in order to try and cull the resistance once and for all. But of course, that comes after a time of relative quiet, and thus, came as a bit of a surprise all things considered.

Anyways, so while the end is where stuff happens, what this chapter really does is describe a routine that twilight was going though from day to day. Wake up early, practice water and earth through separate control, work water specific with Rarity, have lunch with the red dragon, practice and help ponies with the elements of harmony, meditate in the spirit world, and then wrap up, rinse, and repeat.

So Spike woke her up first, getting the new title of most annoying baby dragon ever. Spike was also wearing Sweetie and rarity's necklace. Man oh man. I know it's been a long time since I pitched this, but I still suspect that we're going to see spikezilla before long, because that necklace isn't just a sign of sisterly love. It's also a sign of affection in another universe. So I suspect that his having it will be significant in the future.....maybe it's a sign of his needing to take up the mantle as backup element of magic for the backup elements. And their members are sweetie, flower, scoots, spike, blueblood and...er....one of the mentors. (Ok, so I can't think of any other characters that have as personal a connection to them all, unless it's angel or something)

Though the bit on rarity being jumpy only shows that she has a different upbringing than the others. one based in a deeper fear due to her being royalty. So, it's written in the sky that Discord's returning, and that means they need all the time they can get to save the day. However, still in her mind, twilight couldn't forget her superman dilemma. And the whole generation who would have to watch the next one have what they don't have. And yet, I feel that this might also cultivate an upbringing of gratitude among the tribes, with them telling the younger generation to appreciate what they couldn't hold onto. Though, since Twilight is the element of Magic, perhaps we will get our energy bending before long to both restore and take magic as necessary. Well, we shall see. And there's also the restoration of culture as well.

But it also seems that twilight's OCD and control freak side is starting to creep through again. She learned gratitude long ago, and began to understand the limits of her growth, but what she still needs is a strong dose of humility. See the difference between what she can change, what she can't, and what she might need help with as well.

Though, it also seems that Pinkie's been kept busy. Helping with morale thanks to her miracle party powers.

Also, I find it neat that rarity and AJ are getting on the same wavelength, and silently plotting to give twilight the nightmares and dreams treatment to get her to rest. Oh yes, definitely N&D. Also, good catchup on the zebras. I wonder what they've been up to? Though twilight, technically you have learned them all before. You just don't know that you did. You know, being an avatar and all that. Also, technically avatar, since you were so young at the time, I'm not even sure you COULD have stopped nightmare moon's attack. Not only would your training be incomplete, but you wouldn't have the elements without your true friends. So actually, perhaps your getting lost in that purple rock was the best thing you could do once you fell. Even though it made the world more difficult for years, it gave you time and legendary recession time to finally find friends that would help you now in this most crucial of times. Fluttershy or not, perhaps it was the best of a bad hand.

It also seems that the last kind of training is a good one. Past life checking. Getting advice from who she use to be. And it also seems that the spirt world is improving some. Which I suppose is the best of a mediocre situation for the spirits. After all, Crysalis rules this realm, so any improvements it has right now makes her kingdom better, though I suspect when discord comes back, it's going to go all wonky again.

It seems that what twilight's really getting from starswirl though is a history lesson. Showing that even in the past, avatars had to do damage control from the ones before them. In SS's case, he needed to help ease tensions from an avatar 2 before him between the fire tribes and the other nations. Also, I wonder who the air avatar was. I figure that cadence was the earth bender since she built her city in the earth kingdom, and clover as reported here was a fire bender, and ss is water. So who was the air avatar? Also talking some of culture and past relations between dragons and ponies. And it seems that like with their bending, drive and passion were tremendous among their people. Also, Sex joke. Ha Ha.

And it seems that starswirl's also trying to tap student twilight in this session. Reminding her of her thirst to know everything. Something that being a warrior and leader has made a bit more difficult, but not impossible. Never let your roll change your character Twilight. It's what gives an avatar personality apart from each other. Though, the OCD stuff you could definitely learn to lighten up on. Also, Clover could have changed later in life. Learned to appreciate friends as the time rolled on. Wait, wasn't clover part of the 2nd generation of MLP? Didn't she end up having like 6 friends and more? And besides, wouldn't it be interesting to hear how she found her power? Try and understand the avatar hermit?

Rarity meanwhile was still going through insecurity issues with the ruler question. She wanted to see sombra, hear what he'd do as ruler, but it was no use. He was too far gone, so she'll just need to go it on wisdom and advice. And rarity. After the war is over, the Water nation won't need much more than to rebuild, to share and to love again. That won't be too hard. And look at how you organized everything here. You're already thinking like a leader. And the aang/zuko paralells are really strong here too. Both of them are putting on brave faces for what comes next, even though both of them are freaking out even before this part is over.

And this part is far from over. For thee water nation has returned. With the fleet. Could this be what NM was aiming for with that dragon tracker? Something to charge with and purge her enemies? Although, it seems that Twilight was secretly a little happy about this change of events. If they can give Nightmare Moon the rainbow gun right now, then they'll cut off the head of the water nation, and with sweetie leaning towards the side of angels, that would be game over for discord and the nation. And yet, there was danger. Great danger on the horizon. After all, they don't call her Nightmare for nothing. It seems she's using the star shower power. This...will be pain. Though, if Rarity can get up there in time, they can use the elements to turn those stars into dust.

But if rarity is still coming, and is alone....Oh DAMN YOU DISCORD!!!!!!!!

Why do I say this? Well, the way I see it, this was Discord's true master stroke. Why he needed things to work the way they did. It would be too easy to have things just roll out as in Avatar with the end of the fire purge having team avatar harmony fight a winning battle, crush the ships, stop the fire and bring peace to the lands. However, if I understand it correctly, Discord's actually created a fascinating yet horrific Xanatos Gambit where depending on the outcome, he wins no matter what. He needed trixie alive because he needed a minion in the physical world who would answer directly rather than indirectly to him. The water nation was a great sledgehammer, but they still had their own personalities no matter how much he corrupted them. What he needed was trixie as his right hand mare to do any house cleaning necessary. He needed spike sent to the water nation, because Spike needed to get the element to rarity. Not just because it was black in the middle, trying to corrupt her, since the more she plunged into the elements, the more her heart would purify it. No, what I'm suggesting is something much deeper.

He then sent trixie to stall Rarity, because he knew if done too quickly, then the story would end in avatar victory. This stalling helped him send his creature of darkness to kill team avatar. If he killed them, then the saga would end in his release. However, with Sombra's death, this still wasn't a great setback for big D. No, not yet. Rather, it was about incorporating rarity into the team to get their trust while secretly making her a sleeper agent for his master stroke.

With team avatar logically moving onto manehatten as the largest city in the immediate area, this then could have him subtly direct an assault via nightmare moon where several bad scenarios could play out.

1. The water nation kills everyone including elements, he gets released, game over.
2. The water nation doesn't kill everyone, but rarity is held up by trixie again, meaning that she wasn't there to help her friends in time, making everyone think she purposefully didn't help them, casting doubt and discord upon the elements, so that when the battle comes, they can't summon them, Discord gets released, game over.
3. Rarity gets to the top, and they activate the elements, stopping nightmare moon, but in doing so, they have to interact with the seed of discord. As the elements both seal and release him, he'll use the power channeled through that seed to get an early release, game over.
4. They stop nightmare moon, but they can't stop the citizens from turning on the elements for failing to protect them from the fire in the sky. Team avatar must attack greatly diminished, unable to break through, discord is released, game over.

In every one of these scenarios discord gets out, does great damage to team avatar harmony, and wins (in theory). So yes, Ido think that this is Discord's master plan to get himself released based in a small amount of time, using things his rival Pinkie wouldn't possibly suspect. A villain who was dead, and heroes who were suppose to be good. Man, he's so evil, and yet so good too.

Well, let's see what comes up, and if this really IS discord's doing. Is he as smart as I thought he was, or could this be team avatar harmony's final trial?