Chapter 1: Debriefing
A pair of earth ponies stood at attention, on the edge of a pier. The waves sloshed gently against the metal poles that lay buried in the middle of the lake. The guard on the right couldn't tell why, but for some reason the water sounded extra sloshy tonight. Probably his imagination. He couldn't wait for morning and his shift to be over. He glanced back towards the wooden building built on the metal frame.
The prisoners within the wooden building were some of the greatest and most dangerous earth benders the Earth Kingdom had, which was why the purest metals had been cast to create the structure, then a thick layer of wood on top of it. Their bending did them no good here. There were ten guards stationed at all times and the two guards were watching the only place close enough to the water for anypony to come aboard.
However, they weren't expecting anypony until the next morning, which made the small boat making its way towards them suddenly all the more shocking. The guard on the right tensed up and called out. “Hey! Spotters, give us some light!” He called out.
Up above, the two pegasi on tower duty moved the lights, shining its gaze on the boat. Within a few minutes the boat drifted closer and they could see that it was completely empty. The guards relaxed a little.
Then there was suddenly a splash and a pink pony holding a strange dual pronged staff and wearing a strange mask leaped from the depths. She flew through the air and landed behind them both. Her staff glowed with a yellow light and she quickly aimed it at the two of them, the light flashing out and enveloping the two earth benders. They screamed and writhed, moments before their cutie marks disappeared from their bodies. The masked pony's eyes glowed for a moment before she raced towards the building.
An alarm filled the air and she stopped and jumped back, narrowly avoiding the diving pegasus. Her staff flicked out, smashing against the pony's skull and sending her crashing to the ground before she met the same fate as the earth ponies. She raced towards the building, flames enveloping the staff for a moment before she sent them forward, blowing the front door off the building.
------
“The guards never stood a chance,” the lone pegasus said before she shook her head, tears in her eyes. “I set off our alarms, but... but by the time they got there, it was all over. All of my comrades, a-all of my friends. T-their cutie marks were gone. All of them. Not... not j-just that, either. Their... their magic. All of it. M-my partner can't even fly anymore! She's a pegasus who can't fly! She can't even stand on clouds!” the mare shrieked, covering her face with her hooves. “If... if she hadn't told me to... to set off the alarms, if I had gone in f-first... I'd b-be the same way.”
“There there, sugarcube,” Applejack said before walking forward and patting her on the back. “It's okay. We're gonna get this here Meadowbrook an' find out what she's after. Then we're gonna get these cutie marks back, ah promise yah.”
The mare nodded, wiping her eyes. “T-thank you. I just don't... I just don't k-know what I c-could have done. She was... it was all so fast. She tossed some rocks to the prisoners, followed by some... w-we managed to catch all of them except...”
“Hothoof,” Applejack finished for her. She then nodded. “Yah can go now, that's all we needed from yah.”
The pegasus nodded and then turned, trotting out.
Diamond frowned, eying the mare for a moment before looking back at the group. The only ones permitted for this discussion were the council, her, Rainbow, Rarity, Applejack, Applebloom and Sweetiebelle. Her friends had all been told to wait outside, for now.
“That doesn't make any sense,” Diamond said with a shake of her head. “The Staff of Sameness was destroyed. I destroyed it myself! Well, okay, no. It was a team effort, Acrylic got the last shot.” She then took a deep breath and looked down at the documents spread across the table. “She couldn't do... this, either. She could take cutie marks, but taking flight? That's not...”
“It gets worse,” Rarity said before shaking her head. “You see, none of us expected this to happen. We... imagined this Meadowbrook was just trying to get the cutie marks of those prisoners. Many of which she did. We figured Hothoof had escaped in the chaos. What we didn't expect was what happened next.” She looked to Rainbow. “I'm sorry.”
Rainbow nodded. “I know. Just... get on with it.”
Rarity sighed. “The prison was... underground. One of the finest Wonderbolt prisons imaginable, housing dozens of air bending prisoners. It was designed to keep them from escaping. An earth bender, though? It wasn't capable of holding up to that.” She then sighed. “Especially not two of them. Hothoof's lava bending was... unique.”
“Not anymore,” Diamond said with a shake of her head.
“Excuse me?”
Diamond smiled. “Well, a lot happened while we were gone. Button learned how to lava bend after Prince Luna fell into this big slime monster and almost got eaten.”
“EXCUSE ME?!” Octavia and Rarity said at the same time, then glanced to each other.
The alicorn coughed into her hoof. “Oh. Errr, long story short, we found Twilight's body. Had a...” She sighed again. “A lot happened. We'll go over it after this briefing. Can we move it along? I don't mean to be rude, but my friends are waiting for all this information too. But yes, to summarize, Button can lava bend now.”
Rarity nodded. “I... see. And my son?”
“Is fine. Possibly kind of dating Button, long story. Very confusing story, even. So, what happened next?” she said quickly before the Water Lord could get side tracked.
“What? Oh, yes. So, as I was saying, Hothoof's talents were unique. While his metal bending skills were...”
“About as good as a thimble of water in a pig pen,” Applejack offered.
“... Quite. His lava bending makes him a dangerous and unique threat. Even if he lacks the... he uhhh...”
“Is about as sharp as a twenty year ol' axe,” the earth pony offered.
“Not... quite how I would put it, but indeed,” Rarity said with a sigh. “Nopony imagined he would be hard to locate, if difficult to capture. But for some strange reason, he has opted to work with this Meadowbrook and, together, they launched an assault on the prison holding Shining. This time, there were no escapes, everypony there was stripped of their cutie marks and, more disturbing... this Meadowbrook seemed to have gained their bending. It was mentioned that she could fire, earth and air bend. A... dangerous combination.”
Diamond gulped. “I... I'd only ever seen her fire bend before.”
“She's apparently been practicing. Not only that, her bending seems to be extremely powerful, we aren't sure how, but she's managed to tap into the power of the cutie marks she has stolen and she has stolen a LOT of powerful magic. With... this encounter and the loss of Shining, it was... quite obvious what was happening,” Rarity said before holding her head with her hoof. “Hothoof was once the protégé of Applejack, Shining the student of Rainbow. This pony had obviously been targeting those we had trained and... there was only one I had trained. Well, one imprisoned.”
“Dazzling?”
“Indeed,” Rarity said with a sigh. “An... unfortunate remnant of the Water Nation's past that I tried, and failed, to fix. When it became obvious that nothing we could do would help his... broken mind, we had him locked away in one of our metal prisons in the south.” She lowered her eyes and shook her head, the guilt flooding into her voice. “I... am sorry for this, Avatar. It was my failure that... allowed them to free him.”
“It's not your fault, Rarity,” Sweetie said as she moved over and nudged her sister. “We tried, heck, you still had him seeing therapists all the time. He just didn't want to listen.”
“A-anyway,” Rarity said before taking a deep breath. “My sister and I went to engage them. Unfortunately... we were ambushed on the way. Dazzling intercepted us and destroyed our air ship, making us crash to the ground. I must admit, it did remind me of old times.”
“Huh, so it was the whole group, not just Twilight,” Diamond muttered.
“Excuse me?”
“Nothing, continue.”
“By the time we made it to the prison, they'd already come and gone. They took Dazzling and well...” She took another slow breath. “The cutie marks of many of the ponies that were there. Since then, they have been in hiding. A few ponies have turned up here and there across the nations, without their marks, but we had no idea where they could be. But... dear Avatar, it seems you have become their target. This... Meadowbrook is likely looking for revenge after her last defeat. Even worse, she has somehow managed to convince three of the most dangerous benders in the world to aid her.” She raised her eyes to Diamond. “That's why we came to a decision, Avatar. With Rainbow here, that makes it easier.”
“Huh?” Diamond asked.
“We will be taking over your training. I will be aiding you in your water bending, Applejack in your earth bending. I assume Rainbow will help train you in air bending.”
The alicorn's ears wilted. “P-please no. She's insane! Have you ever seen how she trains a pony? She--”
Rainbow snorted. “That's all well and good, Rarity, but I want to go after Shining. She's my--”
“We are all going after Meadowbrook,” Rarity said firmly. “That is why the Avatar will require our help.” She took a long, slow breath. “Avatar, these three are very, very dangerous. Meadowbrook is possibly more so. If you try to fight all four of them, there's a good chance you will die. In fact, it is nearly guaranteed. However, you and your friends have defeated Meadowbrook before, you should be able to again.”
Diamond squeaked. “W-wait, what? I-I mean, she was weaker then. She just stole marks, she didn't steal magic, I can't--”
“Nonsense, dear. If there is one thing I know from my travels with Twilight, it is that with her friends, there is nothing the Avatar can't do. We will train you every step of the way, make you better, stronger, faster. Train you as best we can to face the coming challenges.”
“What about the Water Nation?” Diamond asked softly.
“Colgate can run the nation in my absence, she has done it before. As future Water Lord, she will need the experience. I will also be sending Celestia and Luna back home to aid her, together the three will be more than adequate in whatever may come the countries way. However, these three are our mistakes, so we must deal with them and aid in whatever way we can. That is our responsibility.”
Diamond nodded, then glanced back. “I... I should go and talk to my friends. I need to tell them everything,” she muttered before backing up. “You... uhhhh, guys have fun.” She trotted towards the door. “I'll be back for my report after.”
“I really must say it is quite a pleasure to see you, Rainbow,” Rarity said softly. “It has been so long.”
“Oh yeah, it's been forever,” Rainbow said with a cocky grin. “I can honestly say you've never looked better.”
Rarity chuckled with delight. “Oh, Rainbow, you flatt--” She then blinked, before looking flatly at Rainbow and Applejack as they laughed and shared a hoof bump. “Truly? Do try to act your age, dear.”
Diamond stepped out of the room and smiled nervously to her friends. Acrylic and Button were off on their own, talking, while Silver was pacing back and forth. Prism was standing out by one of the nearby windows, staring out and talking softly with Daring. Luna and Celestia were off on their own, chatting as well. However, the moment the door opened the seven galloped to her side.
“What happened?” Acrylic asked.
“Yeah! Tell us everything,” Daring said, a big grin on her face. “Can't believe they kicked us out.”
“It's protocol,” Prism said quickly. “To allow the briefing to go faster, they have to--”
“I know why they did it, doesn't mean I like it,” Daring snapped.
Diamond took a deep breath. “Well... I guess, um. We were kinda right. Those four that attacked us? Definitely Meadowbrook and those other ponies. They escaped. Apparently Meadowbrook broke out of prison soon after we entered the Badlands. Even worse, she has her staff back.”
“Impossible,” Silver muttered.
“I know. Somehow she repaired it,” Diamond said with a shake of her head. “For now, there's no telling what they are going to do, but the whole world is on alert and working to find them.” She glanced to Prism. “And... until further notice, Rainbow, Rarity and Applejack want to take over my bending training.”
Prism blinked a few times, before chuckling into his hoof. “Oh, may the stars be merciful on you, for my mother shall not.”
“You're uhhhh... not mad?”
He shook his head. “No. Why would I be?”
“W-well, you've... trained me up until now and... I mean...” She shuffled her hooves a little.
He sighed, before smiling to her. He stepped forward and gently put a hoof on her withers. “Diamond, I have known you for... well, not very long at all, though it feels like years. When I first met you, you were a little brat who I wanted to punt off the roof of this building. In that time, you have grown, matured and become a fine young lady. You're not perfect, but every day you improve a little more. I am happy to say that I was a part of that transformation, but now I trust you to continue to grow and mature on your own.” He then sighed, before moving in to give her a hug. “I am a little saddened that I won't always be there to see it. But I know that you will make me proud, as you already do so often. If anypony can help you grow, it's my mother.” He then pulled back.
Diamond sniffled, barely holding back the tears and wiping her eyes. “T-thank... thank y-you Prism. That... really means a lot to me. And... and I'm happy you were there to help me. I couldn't have asked for a better teacher. E-even though I did, like, a dozen times.”
Prism snickered and gave a nod. “Besides, this will mean I'll have plenty of time to be with my wife, something that, frankly, I quite miss. I know working with my mother, you'll do fine.” He took a step back, shaking his head and wiping his own moist eyes. “W-well, err, guess you better talk to your friends.”
“Right!” Diamond said, looking away from him. She smiled to Celestia and Luna. “Well, err... it seems you two were right, you'll be going back home to... Canterlot. Your mom wants you to help your sister during these times. While she'll be away.”
Luna nodded. “Of course. We will likely be away before the sun sets, then.” He glanced towards Button. “I... suppose we'd best say our good byes, then.”
Button gulped, nodding. “R-right. Yeah... I uhhh... guess we should. For now, then. Huh?”
Acrylic coughed, before smiling to Diamond. “I am happy to know they'll be with you during this time. The Water Lord and the others. I...” He took a slow breath. “I think I'll be taking my mother up on her offer.”
“Huh?” Diamond asked.
“I think I'm going to join the Moon Raisers. I've been... putting it off for too long. Always making excuses why I couldn't join, why I wasn't good enough. I've been holding myself back too long. So... for now I'm going to practice and train.”
“Weren't you... already doing that?” Diamond asked with a cocked eye.
“I mean with full dedication,” he said softly. “No more traveling, no more games. I'm going to talk with my mother and... work for it. For real. I've been working on a couple other things but I still have a ways to go. I... might not be able to help you this time.”
Diamond's eyes widened. “W-what? Wait, no, Acrylic, come on, you've been with me since like, day one, you can't—”
“You'll have the Water Lord, a far, far better water bender than I've EVER been. Probably ever will be. You're in good hooves, so you won't need me this time.” He smiled at her. “So no worries, okay?”
Diamond frowned. “I-I don't like it. You were with me when we beat Meadowbrook last time. Without you--”
“I'm not saying I won't help,” he said quickly, shaking his head. “I'm just... not going to be traveling all over again until I'm sure I can be useful. That's all.”
“Very... well. How about you, Button?”
The earth pony blinked, then gave a sheepish smile. “I uhhh... I actually... was kinda thinking the same thing. I learned lava bending, right? After that, metal bending should be a piece of cake. Once I pick up that, I can come back.”
The alicorn felt a light twist in her heart. “But you two... you guys are my friend. You can't just...” She yelped when suddenly Silver hugged her.
“Oh, stop being so over dramatic,” Silver said with a friendly smile. “They aren't abandoning you, they're just trying to get stronger. Come on, you have three of the best, strongest benders of all time besides you now, can you really think of a better time for us to get stronger?”
“Well... no, I guess not, wait, not you too?”
“Well, I do have a business to run. Honestly, though, I've been thinking of a few minor... improvements to the enhancements daddy has been making. I know he'll be working on his ships for a while, so it's the perfect time for me to test them. If I wait until he gets back, he'll keep butting his nose in and want to double check everything I do. He'll probably still try to from across the world.”
Diamond pouted. “Y-you can't alllll leave me!” she whined. Then glanced to Daring. “Et tu?”
“Heh heh. Honestly, I want to see about getting some more Shadowbolt training. It's actually been a lot of fun and Ironwing said he's going to try and get me in. As well as return, himself.”
Diamond sighed and lowered her eyes. “It... just won't feel the same, you know? I mean, you guys have been here... all the time.”
“We'll still be there, Diamond,” Silver said with a smile. “We'll just be doing our own things, too. That's all. That's what friends do sometimes.”
The alicorn nodded. “Okay. I... I guess. Still feels weird.”
“You'll be fine. Even if we aren't by your side all the time, you know if you ever need us, we'll be there.” Silver moved back and motioned towards the others. “And we'll all be better for it. Right?”
“Right. I uhhh... guess this is good bye then, guys. I'll uhhh... see you around.”
“...” Silver face hoofed. “Diamond. We all still live in the same city, it's not like we're all going to different countries. Well, except Luna and Celestia. Sorry, you two.” The two merely chuckled. “Anyway, we can all meet up for dinner at my place tomorrow night, okay? I want to see how the repairs on the city are going today. I hope everypony has homes by now...”
“They should. Everything should be finished, or close to it, by now,” Prism said with a quick nod. He pushed open the window. “I'm going to return home, see if I can prepare something special for my wife. Diamond, you'd best discuss things with my mother and the others, okay? See what they have in store. I know whatever happens, you'll be more than capable.” He then dove out the window and took off through the air.
Once he was a little bit away, he let out a soft, sad sigh. He hated admitting it, but he couldn't help feeling a little sad that he wouldn't be training the Avatar anymore. Or at least for a while. Diamond did have a tendency to be annoying and bratty, but she had really become an excellent student. He'd have loved to take all the credit for it, but he knew it wasn't just that. In the last encounter with Meadowbrook, the young mare had been pushed to the brink and nearly lost everything. Most ponies would have fallen at that point, have broken. Nopony could have blamed her. But instead she had risen to the occasion and become stronger, even when she lost her cutie mark.
He could really see now why she was chosen to become the Avatar and he couldn't think of anypony better.
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HOLY SHIT!
IS THAT A MOTHERFUCKING AVATAR REFERENCE?!
8362179 Well, more a crossover. Book 7, to be exact.
It lives, etc. etc.
In any case, thanks for adding a chapter to the last story. Probably would have missed this one otherwise.
Glad you're continuing, I like this series.
And we're back! I've been looking forward to this since the end of the last one, glad to see it going up.
I've always loved the way you fused these two 'verses - I cannot find fault with the way bending has been combined with the nature of the ponies, and the way you've put the ponies into Avatar-verse roles without compromising their original characterisation is nothing short of brilliant.
I think I speak for all of your readers when I say we wait with bated breath for the next chapters. Please, keep up the excellent work!
This series needs a wiki, or a recap chapter, or something else. I remember them being great stories, but I don't know if I'm up for rereading a quarter of a million words to refresh my memory.
I'm hoping that just reading this new work will be enough, but I have a feeling it won't.
8363583
I know, that was a meme.
8363810
Thanks! To be honest, its always been probably my favorite/one of my favorite series to write. It sadly was just never that popular(I think the last chapter had like.... 50 viewers last I checked?)
8365137
Awwww, thanks!
8365260
Awwww, shucks. Its been one of my favorite stories to write. It just allows sooooo much room to expand in it.
8365643
There is a TV tropes page? And yeah, I feel you. I've been actually re-reading all the previous books and going over my notes to try and get back into the head space needed to write the book as it is.(There is just SO MUCH that goes into this story that I forgot about. >.<)
8365657
Ohhhh. I've never heard of that meme. Sorry.