Forest of Trials
*(~)*
John 14:26~
"But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all that I said to you."
*(~)*
Forest of Trials
Using their tails, Ali, Mika and San cleared the pathway of the massive spirit forest to for the others. Asami held the map, with Bolin close to her side, P'Li, Zaheer and Kuvira kept watch for anything that could potentially harm them, while Sunset Shimmer struggled to keep at the same paste. She really hoped her small illness wouldn't make her a burden on the others. She would have told them she had been slightly ill, but she knew if she remained in the city while her husband and sister-in-law were in the Dark Realm, she knew she would only get worse. She brushed it off and continued on.
"How much father now?" Kuvira asked, catching up to Asami, who stopped in her tracks to show Kuvira the map.
"If we continue going down this route we should arrive at a stripes tree. Could take us at least two more hours."
One of the spirit siblings, San, sniffed the air. Something caught his attention. Something close by and very familiar. He lowered his nose down to the ground and follows the scent towards a green bush. Pushing the leafs aside his eyes widened as he picked up something from the ground.
"Guys, look what I found."
Ali approached her brother, taking into her hand a light brown, almost tan colored feather with purple and pink tips. "That's one of Iris's feathers. She's been through here."
"Good, which means we're on the right track." Bolin said, making his way forward, only to get pulled back by Mika by the tail. He let out a surprised yelp. "Hey! What gives?"
Without a word, Mika picked up a nearby rock and threw it into a small little hill of grass. At first nothing happened, to which Bolin arched an eyebrow at. His expression quickly changed into one of pure terror, complete with dropped jaw, when the ground rose up and snapped shut before sinking back down.
Bolin blinked before speaking. "Whoa! What was that?!"
"A Devour." Mika said, whipping her hands clean. "This forest is crawling with them. If you see anything pretty, don't touch. Got it?"
"Got it."
The group continued on for a few more feet, but that was when Sunset Shimmer was starting to experience the consequences about keeping her illness to herself. She groaned lowly while rubbing her forehead, feeling it warmer than usual. Her vision became blurry, shapes and forms becoming distorted and colors blended in such a way she couldn't tell where they began and where they ended. Even her friends looked either taller or shorter in comparison. Her legs felt like who chopsticks trying to balance a bowl of noodles while her head as thumbing louder than Pinkie Pie's party cannon.
Finally, she could stand no more and fell to her knees on the ground. She heard Kuvira's voice call out her name but she couldn't look up. Once she did, Kuvira was right above her before crunching down to inspect the disoriented anthro unicorn.
"Sunset, are you alright?"
"Y-Yeah. I'm just…" before she could lie any further, Sunset felt her stomach turn and something rising up to her throat. Her eyes widened and her vision somewhat cleared up. She covered her mouth to which was a futile attempt since she winded up vomiting right on a bush right beside her from where she had fallen. Kuvira and the others cringed in disgust, but at the same time stared with a mixture of confusion and worry.
Sunset made horrid sounds as more and more chances came spewing out of her mouth. She was thankful the bush covered her face so none of her friends would see the vomit, which even made herself sick. Or at least, sicker than she already was.
Once she was finished, Sunset whipped her mouth with her long black sleeve. It may have been unsanitary, and she knew that, but she didn't have anything else to whip her mouth with, and she was more than certain her friends would understand.
"Okay, maybe not so fine."
Asami hunched down and placed her hand right beneath Sunset's horn. "Sunny, you're warm."
"Let's get out of this forest and find a place where she can get some rest." Zaheer suggested. "It's gonna get dark soon."
"How can you tell?" P'Li asked. No more than a second passed and a small, gentle fleck of snow fell down in front of her. She caught the frozen little spec in her hand before more and more just like it began to fall as well. Everyone looked up to see that, while the sky still resembled daytime, the soft snow was still falling.
"When it's becoming nightfall in the human world, it snows on this side of the spirit world."
One speck landed on Bolin's nose, which he casually whipped off. "Huh. Doesn't feel cold."
"Well, it's not normal snow, and it won't cover up the place. It's just one of the little things that makes the spirit world so unpredictable."
"At least it's not dark snow." Asami said, shuddering at the memory of when she had unleashed a dark winter curse on the three worlds when possessed by NightMara.
"No." Sunset shook her head as she struggled to get back up, but her feet failed her. Kuvira quickly caught her and Sunset leaned on the earthbender for support. "We have to keep moving. The kids are way ahead of us. They'll no doubt get to the Dark Realm by the time we catch on to them."
"But you can't keep going on like this."
"Kuvira's right." said P'Li, tugging on her bag. "I have some herbs in here. I can make a tonic to help with your nausea."
"Let's get out of this forest first." Asami said, "Last thing we need is some plant monster having us for dinner."
Sunset tried to protest, but her vision became blurry once again and she tumbled. Kuvira wrapped one of her arms around her shoulder. "It's okay, we've got you."
P'Li generously assisted the unicorn along with Kuvira. The spirit siblings led the group to a cave, different from the one the children had entered. It was the best place to set up camp for the night. Sunset Shimmer leaned against the cold cave wall, while P'Li worked on creating the medicine for her ailing friend. Kuvira sat close by, whipping Sunset's forehead with a cold wet rag.
Asami and Bolin pulled out the noodles they had packed and started the fire to cook the meal. Zaheer watched over the entrance until the spirit children returned.
"We scouted the entire perimeter. We should be fine." Ali said, and Zaheer nodded in reply.
San's nostrils caught whiff of the meal being made, and his mouth started to water "Mmm! Noodles and steamed broccoli! I'm starving!" He flew right over to grab one of the cans of noodles and started devouring it, without even using chopsticks.
Kuvira wet the rag once more and whipped the hot sweat from Sunset's brow. "How you feeling?"
"Could be better." Sunset muttered with evidence annoyance.
"Don't worry." P'Li said while mashing some spices and pouring them into the liquid. "Once you drink this and get a good night's sleep we should be--"
"Sleep?" Sunset snapped. "Who said anything about sleeping? I thought were just going to eat something and then go and find the kids."
"Sunset, you're in no condition to continue on like this. You need to rest."
"P'Li's right, Sunset." Bolin said. "Look, I'm just as worried about the kids too, but there is no way we're risking loosing anybody else."
Sunset groaned. "I'm sorry. I'm just scared about Nova and Chi, and everybody."
"We all are, Sunset." Ali said. "We all are."
"We'll leave once the snow has cleared at dawn." Zaheer said, seeing more of the snow falling gently onto the ground as the sky slowly transcended into a tranquil aquamarine color. He looked over his shoulder at Sunset and gave a gentle smile. "I promise."
Asami crunched down beside Sunset and gently removed some hair from her wet face. "Get some sleep, okay?" she said, adding a little extra emotion to the word "okay". Sunset Shimmer nodded, this time being genuine rather than stubborn. She wasn't just worried, but she hated feeling like she couldn't do anything to help, what was worse, she didn't like feeling as if she were dragging the team down.
"Besides, I wouldn't be too worried for those kids." P'Li said. "They're very resourceful. Especially that spunky little wisp."
Sunset gave a light chuckle. "I know. But, when you care about someone, it can't be helped sometimes."
"Aint that the truth." Asami said. At the mention of this, Zaheer gave the heiress a saddened look. He didn't say anything about the topic, mainly because he didn't know what else to say that wasn't already obvious enough. He had nearly torn their family apart long ago, and this time he was determined to help bring them back together.
"Okay. Take a sip." P'Li handed Sunset the cup and the unicorn jugged it down. She cringed and sucked in her lips, shuddering at the taste.
"Ugh, it's sour!"
"That means it's working. Just lay back and relax."
"Can I have some noodles?"
"Of course."
"With sauce?"
"Yes." Kuvira nodded.
"And maybe those steam buns Bolin packed? Five or six, maybe?"
Kuvira chuckled. "Whatever you like."
Sunset Shimmer got exactly what she asked for and devoured the noodles. She didn't even realize how hungry she was. Already she could feel her strength returning. The sounds of crackling wood merged with the sweet serene sounds of the spirit crickets while the white gentle snow falling gently from the sky gave off a warm and cozy atmosphere. Kuvira and P'Li share some casual small talk with Ali and Mika while Zaheer peacefully ate in silence, listening to the sounds around him, taking in this moment of peace amongst them.
Bolin played a bit with his food, tapping the noodles with his chopsticks. Asami swallowed the food she was eating and noticed her husband's blank expression. "What's wrong?"
"Nothing. This whole thing just reminds me of when we took the kids camping."
"Was that the time where you accidentally ate a caterpillar when it landed on your sandwich or the time you fell in poison oak?"
"I didn't eat a caterpillar."
"Oh, right, that was Mai." Asami paused for a moment before she and Bolin both couldn't help but snicker at the memory. "Oh, the poor sweetheart was terrified."
"Since then she never ate another sandwich again." Bolin said in between laughs.
Asami placed a hand over her heart, recalling one precious memory from their trip. "Oh, and then Hiro used one for a mustache to try and cheer her up."
"At first I thought he was making fun of her, but then she started laughing when he said; "See? Caterpillars like me too!" Bolin placed his index finger under his nose, which made his wife laugh even harder. He always knew how to make her laugh when she needed it.
"Speaking of caterpillars, remember we dressed up like a monster worm for NightMare Nights that one time?" Ali said.
"Oh, yeah! We tried to do the old jump scare on mom and dad ha, ha!…" San's joyful expression quickly shifted to one of regret. "Then Iris almost crushed up with her bare hands."
"Served us right for trying to scare a five-year-old human alicorn hybrid." Mika said while rubbing her back. "I can still feel her tiny little grip."
Sunset, feeling a billion times better, laughed out loud. "Ha, ha! Remember that one year where Chi tried to be the one woman haunted house during the city fair? She got so much candy that night she was puking up gumdrops and candy corn for months afterwards. Nova had to call in a plumber to fix the toilet after it got clogged."
The entire cave echoed with the sound of the adults and spirit siblings laughing. It was the first time, throughout this entire trip, where they could actually relax and relive some happy moments of the past. Not only did it lift up their spirits, but reminded them of why they made the choice of coming here to begin with.
P'Li's laughter slowly died down, but her smile remained. "You guys have some very special kids."
"Yeah." Bolin smiled, though his smile quickly morphed into a frown. "I wish our parents could have met them."
Asami gently gripped his hand, resting her head on his shoulder. "Me too."
"I know they would be very proud." Zaheer said empathetically.
Kuvira listened quietly, chewing her food before swallowing. "Kuvira, you've been awfully quiet." Mika said, noticing the earthbender's sudden silence. She was happily chatting before, but now she was as quiet as a rock. Even when everyone was laughing, she looked as if she had been holding back a bit.
"It's fine." she said, her voice low and somewhat timid. It was almost extremely hard to imagine this was the same confident and tough-as-nails dictator from the past.
"Oh. We're sorry." Bolin apologized. "Here we are talking about families and--"
"I didn't have any?" Kuvira finished for him, to which Bolin quickly covered up his mouth. To his surprise, and slight relief, Kuvira only gave a very, very light chuckle, added with a very slipshod attempt at added smile. "Well, that's not entirely true. Su did raise me, and I always admired her greatly. But, as much as I loved the idea of her being a mother to me, I just could never fully wrap my head around it…"
Everyone ceased their eating and listened attentively as the earthbender opened up. Her eyes becoming buffy. "I loved Su and her family." she confessed. "But I allowed my own insecurities to grow and I eventually became the dictator the world would know me as. I wanted so badly to make sure that nobody would go through what I did and make the Earth Kingdom better." she whipped her tears with the back of her wrist. "But, I winded up doing the exact opposite."
Sunset Shimmer scooted closer and wrapped her arms around Kuvira, who rested her head on her shoulder. "That's all in the past Kuvira. Nobody sees you that way anymore."
Kuvira sat upright, her voice cracking. "I know. I just wish it didn't take..." she gave Sunset, Zaheer and P'Li a look. All of them solemnly nodded, remembering what it took to get the people of the Earth Federation to forgive her, and how Kuvira had to make a serious emotional sacrifice for her true family.
"Well, it wasn't all bad." Bolin said, smiling her way. "Before you allowed yourself to get involved with the sirens you helped improve the earth kingdom a lot. Queen Hou Ting used to speak so fondly of you and Korra trusted you with her life."
"I know she did, and I betrayed that trust." Kuvira allowed one more tear to roll down her eyes before emitting a sight of content relief, her eyes closed as she sucked in her own lips. "But you're right. That's not who I am anymore. I never imagined I would be given a second chance to redeem myself. I truly am grateful to all of you."
Zaheer smiled as well, his own eyes becoming buffy. "You know, Iroh the first once said; Those that seem threatening in the dark, become welcome once you shine a light on them."
"What does that mean?" San asked.
"An enemy is just a friend you haven't made yet." P'Li explained, "I was talking to my students about it a few weeks back."
Bolin took one good look at everyone surrounding the fire, the dancing flames making their already smiling faces radiate with a sense of joy he never grew tired of seeing. It was the same kind of contentment his brother had found long ago, as did Korra, Asami, Twilight, and everybody who had ever felt they had lost everything.
"Man, it still amazes me." he said, slapping his knee. "I mean, Mako and me started out as poor orphans, and Asami you lived a lifelong lie with your dad."
"What about Zaheer and P'Li?" Asami pointed her thumb to the two. "When we met them they were part of a group who wanted to plunge the world into eternal chaos and tried to kill Korra with mercury poisoning."
"Sunset once turned into a daemon and Kuvira was turned into an evil siren monster." Bolin gestured to the unicorn, who only rose her hand while giving a humorous smile, as if saying 'Yeah, that's me' before lowering it back down. "Now look at us. Asami and I are happily married with two beautiful kids and the company's never been better off. Sunset's a part of Team Avatar and married to Nova, who coincidentally also had to wrestle his own darkness."
"Kuvira's now one of the most well known and respected officials to the Earth Federation." Asami continued, smiling at Kuvira, which she returned. "P'Li's a teacher, and Zaheer is now a member of the White Lotus."
"And we found a family." Ali said.
"You're a police officer, I'm a pro-bending coach, Mika's dating Spike." San said.
"We've all come a long way." said Zaheer. "I never thought it would be possible."
"With the Magic of Friendship, anything is possible." Sunset Shimmer said.
"And now with the kids, that legacy is going to carry on." Kuvira said before taking another bite of her noodles, her hunger returning.
"They'll probably go on more adventures." Bolin said, already picturing it in his mind. "Travel across Equestria."
"Face new enemies, make new friends." Asami continued. As wonderful as they sounded out loud, they knew from personal experience that not everything will be all rainbows and improvised musical numbers. "It's a little scary." she said, her voice lowering in tone.
Sunset nodded in agreement. "Scary, yes. But, then again… when haven't we felt scared?"
Silence filled the cave again, but it was silence in which everyone knew that, because of their lack of words, they all agreed on Sunset's words. They have been scared. They've seen their most beloved family members at their best and worst. But, if there was anything they had learned from their experiences, as well as from both the Alicorn's teachings, is that while darkness thrives in the void…. it will always succumb to the purity of the light.
Zaheer, having finished his noodles, placed the now empty can beside him. "We should all get some sleep."
Everyone nodded in agreement and prepared for bed. Sunset Shimmer changed into her pony form and put out the fire. She curled up next to Kuvira who wrapped themselves in a blanket. The spirit siblings all curled up together, as they did when they were younger, to keep themselves warm, while P'Li curled up in her sleeping bag, opposite from Zaheer. The two exchanged smiles before closing their eyes.
Bolin and Asami cuddled together. Asami rested her head on his chest, while he wrapped his arm around her waist, using his extra one as a pillow. The two kept their eyes open, looking out at the falling snow. Memories of winter nights in the city flooded their minds. Family dinners during Heart's Warming, the kids playing with their presents, singing carols and in some cases, making harmless fun of Asami's terrible cooking skills. She giggled at the memory.
"You know Korra and Mako are probably gonna kill us once they find out we let her daughter run off into the spirit world, right?" Bolin said, though judging by the tone of his voice, Asami knew he was just trying to lighten the mood. Deep down, he was terrified for not only the kids, but for everyone.
"We'll get them back." Asami said, snuggling closer. "All of them. We've all been through worse."
"I know. As happy as our lives have gotten, being separated is always hard to deal with."
"But we always find our way back to each other. Just have faith in that." Asami kissed her husband full on the lips. "I love you."
"I love you too."
(~)
It was late into the night, and finally the kids decided to start camp. Akari and Gallant focused on the materials they had found and using their magic, were able to create a perfect little shack made out of twigs, leafs and vines to serve as shelter for the night.
"Not to shabby." Gallant said, pridefully admiring his and Akari's worked
"Great job, Gallant."
"Thanks. You were pretty good yourself." his words made Akari blush. She knew her heart skipped a beat and for a moment her mouth ran dry. All she managed to do was nod her head in gratitude. The nerves were getting to Gallant too while he scratched the back of his neck and Akari went back to setting the fireplace, using the remaining twigs and sticks that were left behind while building the shelter.
Gallant whipped his head around when a pebble hit the back of his head. He narrowed his eyes at Hiro, who was making bizarre hand gestures. Gallant shook his head, his brows furrowed.
"What?" he whispered. Hiro made even more weird hand gestures, no doubt trying to send him a signal. He pointed back to Gallant then at Akari several times while using both hands as mouths talking to one another before clapping them together. Gallant only scoffed at his efforts until his geo-phone vibrated and he read the text from Hiro.
-ASK HER NOW, YOU IDIOT!!- it read, added with a small picture of Hiro right beside it. In all honesty, Gallant did pick up on what Hiro was trying to tell him, but he was hesitant to follow his friend's advice. He was just about to text back, but Hiro beat him to it.
-Don't say it's a bad time. Quit stalling! If you don't do it, I will-
"Hey, Akari!" Hiro called out, getting her attention, "Gallant wants--MPH!" Hiro's mouth was magically covered up by one of Gallant's spell, keeping him from uttering another word.
Akari simply shrugged it off as the boys just being silly again. Gallant blushed at his impulsive action, only to immediately rethink it when Akari got back up.
"I'm gonna go get more firewood."
"Akari?" Gallant spoke, catching both of them off guard. His body froze when Akari stopped to face him.
"Yeah?"
"I…" his brain ran wild trying to think of something to say. Thankfully, the perfect topic came to mind. "I never got to thank you for what you did. You know, back in the cave."
"Oh, that? It was no big deal." Akari said, shyly placing a strand of her dark blue hair over her pony ear.
"No big deal? You helped me walk all the way inside a dark enclosed cave."
"All I did was hold your hand and told you to close your eyes."
"Funny thing. With my eyes closed it didn't feel so small. When I focused on listening to your voice I…" he paused, worried he was being too forward. Thankfully, Akari gently nodded her head, urging him to continue. "I… was able to do it." the alicorn princess blushed and a smile started to form across her lips. "You're a really great friend, Akari."
He was confused when the growing smile suddenly morphed into some form of a frown. "Y-Yeah… friend. You too." she gave a light nervous chuckle and playfully punched his arm. Normally, she did it so hard it nearly bruised him but this punch was light, almost hesitant with not much effort put into it. "I'll just… go get that wood."
Akari turned away and headed off, leaving a confused Gallant behind. Iris and Mai saw her leave and followed. Hiro walked up from behind him. Gallant sighed and with a glow of his horn removed the cover up from Hiro's mouth.
"You were this close!" Hiro practically screamed into his ear, causing Gallant to flinch. "You just had to drop the "friend" card, did you?"
"What? It's true, she is a great friend."
"Dude, when you tell a girl she's a "friend" that often means she's stuck in the friend zone."
"Oh, come on! I'm sure she didn't-- I mean, she knows I…uh…" Gallant dropped his arms and face palmed himself. "I'm an idiot."
Hiro wrapped his arm around his friend in an effort to comfort him. "There, there, buddy… admitting it is the first step."
Gallant shot Hiro a death glare right before covering his mouth again and walking off. Hiro muffled something underneath the cover up, to which he was glad no one could hear.
(~)
Akari found a long, sturdy thick old tree branch that had fallen to the ground. From what she could tell, it was sturdy as if it were still new and attached to the tree… which she effortlessly snapped like a twig while gritting her teeth.
"I don't want to hear it." she said, dropping the now useless tree branch. Iris and Mai stood right behind her, completely unfazed by the scene.
"If it helps, you're a billion times better at talking to boys than I am." Mai said as she assisted Akari in picking up some good firewood.
"You heard him. He only sees me as a friend."
"Then why was he blushing the entire time?" Iris said with a cheeky grin. Akari looked at her with eyes that carried a mixture of confusion and interest. "Look, sometimes when a guy is envois they say things without thinking them through. My dad used to do it all the time with my mom."
"Same with my dad." Mai said, "Besides, we all know how flustered Gallant can be when put on the spot. Believe me, it happens." Mai said, already carrying a large pile of firewood over her shoulder without even flinching.
"Yeah, I mean, you remember what a mess Mai was in front of Iroh's nephew." Iris said. Both she and Akari flinched when Mai dropped all the firewood she had been carrying.
"What?! How did-when did--" Mai stammered before growling. "Hiro told you, didn't he?"
"He didn't have to." Iris said, "We already saw you drooling over him at the party."
"I wasn't drooling!"
Iris then took Akari's hands into her own. "Listen Akari, just because Gallant called you a friend doesn't mean he doesn't like you like you. My parents always say; a romance is just a friendship taken to the next level."
"Iris is right." Mai said, picking the firewood she had dropped earlier. "I mean, if the Queen of Friendship says it then it's worth listening to."
Akari laughed at Mai's sarcastic whip and smiled. "Thanks you guys."
"Feel better?" Iris asked.
"A little. I'll be fine. Besides, we've got more important things to worry about." Akari and Iris turned to get more firewood, only to find the ground swept clan of any remaining logs, twigs or branches. Their eyes partly widened in surprise at seeing Mai literally carrying a full body of wood over her shoulder, rivaling her slim stature.
Mai shrugged. "What?"
(~)
With the fire set, and the shelter prepared, the kids shared the food they had packed, which included some delicious fruits, vegetables and some noodles. Nori looked up into the sky, admiring its new aquamarine color as the soft snow fell all around them. "It's the sky beautiful? Feels like I'm back under the sea." her smile shifted into a frown. "I wonder how my dad's doing."
"Have you tried texting him?" Mai asked, tapping her noodles with her chopsticks.
"I did, but apparently there's no cell phone service in this part of the spirit world." Nori said, pulling her geo-phone out from her pocket and frowned. "And the battery ran out. Of course."
Iris swallowed her noodles as she stared into the fire, admiring its dancing flames. A child's laughter echoed in her mind as images started to form within the fire as the spirit snow fell down, merging with the red and orange colors.
Do it again, Momy!….
……………………
"Do it again!"
"Okay, okay, take it easy. We need to be very careful with this, alright?"
Four-year-old Iris beamed as she watched her mother create a dazzling flame on her palm before willing it to change from orange, red and yellow to white and blue. It seamlessly transitions into a cloud which then began to rain in little specks of snow that sprinkled Iris's hair. Korra then merged the cloud into a sparkly snowball, specks of snow and magical sparks spiraled all around before bursting it into the air, creating a dazzling display or gold and white specks to fall all around little Iris.
She danced happily, trying to catch the specks of magic into her hands, which disappeared upon touch. "Your magic is so beautiful, Momy." said the little child. Korra picked her up and placed her on her lap. "How come benders can't do stuff with fire like you do?"
"Well, my magic is different compared to that of normal benders, sweetie."
"But, isn't bending a form of magic?"
"Yes, in a way. Just as earth ponies have their own form of magic, so does everybody. Just because you can't cast a spell doesn't mean you don't have it inside of you."
"Do non-benders have magic to?"
"Especially non-benders. Look at your Aunt Asami. Or Uncle Varrick and Aunt Zhu Li. They don't have bending, and neither do a lot of our friends, and yet look at all the amazing stuff they can do."
"So, it's like their special talents, right? Even if they don't have a cutie mark like ponies do, it still counts?"
"Exactly! You're one smart cookie." Korra began showering her little princess with kisses, making her giggle.
"Can you teach me how to do what you did?" Iris asked.
Korra's chest filled with regret. "I'm afraid you need both alicorn magic and bending in order to do that trick, honey."
"I have alicorn magic. Can I have bending too?"
"Maybe when you're older. Sometimes bending powers show up later in life. But, if you'd like, I can teach you a cool trick without needing bending."
"Really? Yay!"
The door opened and Mako walked in. "Hey, there are my girls."
"Daddy!" Iris flew up to hug her father. Mako spun his daughter around before kissing her cheek. "Mom's gonna teach me a new magic trick!"
"Oh, is she now?" Mako gave his wife a suspicious look. "Maybe you can keep the silverware in tact this time."
"Ah, come on! It was one time, let it go."
"Yeah, Dad. Let it go." Iris said, trying to mimic her mother's sass, added with the adorable pout. She was the spitting image of her mother whenever she did that.
Mako mimicked the same pout to tease his daughter. "No, I don't wanna." he said, speaking in a whinny voice. "I just got home, I don't wanna let you go."
Iris and Mako started laughing when he placed her over his shoulder and he ran across the room, with Iris riding on him as if he were Naga. Korra laughed sat the tender moment, while Naga herself was wagging her tail.
"Faster, Daddy! Faster!" Iris cheered. Mako then surprised Korra by wrapping his arm around her and spun her around, with Iris still on his shoulders. Using her wings, Iris flew down into their arms, the family laughed all through the night.
……………….
"Iris!"
The young Avatar gasped when Akari called her name.
"You okay? You spaced out for a moment."
"Sorry, I was just…" Iris couldn't stop thinking about that memory. As loving as it was, there was something that kept bugging her. She was the Avatar now, which meant she needed to master her bending powers. Here she was, traveling the spirit world with her best friends, all with new powers, and she barely used hers. All she did was waterbend twice, in which each time it was to save a life. Yet, she couldn't master it by herself without using the Avatar State. If they were going to have any hope of saving her family, then she would need to bring her A game.
Iris stood up from where she sat, tugging on her hair. "I've had enough!"
"Hey, I know the noodles are a bit salty but I'd hardly call it terrible." Hiro said with his mouth full before slurping the noodles into his mouth, much to the disgust of Nori.
"No, I mea." Iris groaned impatiently. "If we're going to have any chance at saving our parents, then we need to be ready for whatever is going to be thrown at us. Which means, I have to master these elements."
The rest of the camp became silent. Akari was the first one to penetrate it. "But Iris, learning the four elements takes a long time to master. It took you years to know as many spells as you do now."
"Exactly! So, if I just look at bending the same way as mastering a spell, then maybe I can at least know the bascis. I don't expect to be a true master in one night, but I have to know something."
Hiro placed his nodded beside him and whipped his hands clean. "Well, when ya put it that way, I don't see why not." he stood up from where he sat and rubbed his gloved hands together, ready to work. "So, what should we start with first?" he asked. Iris opened her mouth, only for Hiro to immediately silence her. "Stop! That's not even a question. Obviously, we start with earth. The strongest of all the elements."
"All elements are equally powerful, Hiro." Mai stated
Nori rolled her eyes and scoffed. "If anything, Iris should learn water first. She already has the speed and agility down pegged, and her mother is from the Water Tribe."
"With that logic, she should learn firebending first too since her father is Fire Nation descent." Mai said.
"Can I make a suggestion?" Gallant rose his hand, and all eyes fell on him. "Maybe she should learn either waterbending or airbending right now since they're the safest options."
"Of course, Gallant Steed always playing the safe card." Nori said, once again, rolling her eyes.
"I'm just trying to make sure she doesn't burn down the forest or cause an earthquake that disturbs any spirits around here.
"Okay, enough!" Chi silenced everyone by hovering a few feet higher than all of them and then slowly descended back down beside Iris. "I think we can all agree that Iris needs to at least learn a few tricks when it comes to bending. Besides, I had to save two of you from a giant man-eating spirit plant, call me crazy but being cautious might be a good idea."
Gallant nodded in gratitude. "Thank you, Bubbles."
"Of course, that doesn't mean you can't take a few small risks."
Gallant pouted. "Knew it was too good to be true."
"Look, I don't care how many elements I learn, I'm fine with even learning just one." Iris said, "I just want to be prepared."
Akari sighed and rested her elbow on Iris's shoulder. "Okay, sis. If that's how you want it…"
(Parody of Chillin like a Villain from Descendants 2)
Akari:
Let me tell you something you can really trust
Everybody's got a power inside
And if you think that you could never move like us
Watch and learn so you can get it right
And so began Iris's first official bending lesson, her friends gave their advice on what to do first.
Hiro, Mai, Gallant, Nori:
You need to stomp your feet
You need to clear your head
You need to lean back
Don't slip through the cracks
You need to take charge
Nori:
You feeling supercharged?
Hiro, Mai, Gallant, Nori:
With just a little bit of help
Akari:
You'll find the best in yourself
You wanna be cool
Let us show you how
Need to learn the rules
We can show you how
And once you catch this feelin'
Yeah, once you catch this feelin'
You'll be movin', movin'
Oh, oh, oh, oh
Akari, Hiro, Mai, Gallant, Nori:
Movin' like a Bender
(Movin')
Movin' like a Bender
(Movin')
Movin' like a Bender
(Hey!)
Movin' like
Movin' like
(Hey!)
A Bender
First, Mai and Akari offered to teach Iris how to take on a normal firebending stance. She mimicked their postured to a T, but when it came to throwing a fire punch, rather than fire, what came out of Iris's fist was a blast of sparkly purple/pink magic, breaking a nearby tree branch.
Iris quickly covered her mouth in shock and embarrassment. Mai patted her on the back and she and Akari proceeded to get her to try again.
Mai:
Magic spells, well yeah, we know you're used to that
Let us teach you how to mix it up
Iris took in a deep breath and tried to bend again, this time she focused on her thrive and emotions. Channeling her desire for fire fuel her system. But, when she tried, all that came out was a simple flame. Seeing her distraught, Mai ruffled her hair.
Mai:
You're gonna slip, you're gonna fall, you're gonna loose
But don't you fret, it's all part of the quest
By the looks of it, Iris was already getting frustrated. She knew, logically, he would not be a master, but the truth of the situation was making her patience run thin. Plus, she had always wanted to know what bending was like, now that she could she didn't want to waste time to get it right.
The rest of her friends offered their encouragement.
Nori, Hiro, Gallant, Akari:
You need to watch your back
You need to stand your ground
You need to slide real smooth
Don't make a sound
'Cause if you wanna make it
Sometimes you're gonna have to break it
But if you care about your health
Akari:
Trust me, you'll find the best in yourself
Akari took Iris's hand into her own, creating a small blue fire in her palm, and encouraged Iris to do the same. Nothing came out. Never the less, everyone gathered around her.
Akari:
You wanna be cool
Let us show you how
Need to learn the rules
We can show you how
And once you catch this feelin'
Yeah, once you catch this feelin'
You'll be movin', movin'
Oh, oh, oh, oh
Akari, Hiro, Mai, Gallant, Nori:
Movin' like a Bender
(Movin')
Movin' like a Bender
(Movin')
Movin' like
Iris:
I don't wanna sound distraught
And I'm giving it my best shot
But it's way harder than I thought
Chi:
It's not different from the magic you've been taught
Akari:
She's right, Iris that's your key
Now show us what a bender you can be
Iris:
Like this?
With a snap of her fingers, Iris focused on both the fire, and her magic as one thing rather than two separate powers. Once she had that mind set, she was able to change a small magical spark into legitimate natural fire. She tried the same procedure again, and again, before finally punching fire into the sky before it exploded into a patch of sparkly golden flakes.
Akari:
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah!
Iris:
Oh, yeah, I think I got this
Let's go, I'm ready to rock this
And I wanna thank you for your help
I think I found the best in myself
Iris hugged her friends and proceeded to learn more about her newfound powers. Or rather, another side to her powers. She just had to be reminded that her alicorn magic and her bending were one in the same. Now, she was ready to learn the rest.
Everybody:
You wanna be cool
Let us show you how
Need to learn the rules
We can show you how
And once you catch this feelin'
Yeah, once you catch this feelin'
You'll be movin', movin'
Oh, oh, oh, oh
Movin' like a Bender
(Movin')
Movin' like a Bender
(Movin')
Movin' like a Bender
(Movin')
Movin' like a Bender
(Movin')
Movin' like a Bender
Chi did an air flip, pounding her fist into the air. "Alright, kid! You've got it!"
"Yes!" Iris too jumped up in victory. "That was incredible! I never knew firebending could feel so epic! No wonder fire's my mom's favorite element. So, what's next?"
Mai jumped in front of Iris, gripping her shoulders, gently shaking her. "Whoa, who, whoa, put on the breaks there, girl. You still haven't learned the real basics on firebending."
"Yeah, that was just a warm up." Akari said.
Iris, while still excited, managed to somehow will herself to tone it down a notch. "Oh… well, let's keep at it then." she pounded her fists together and let out a loud, "Whoohoo!" flapping her wings, ready to continue her training.
Mai whispered to Akari. "I think we just unleashed the beast." the alicorn simply nodded in agreement, but couldn't help smiling at seeing her best friend so excited. This was probably the first time in this entire trip where she was actually joyous about anything.
(~)
Sunset Shimmer quietly walked away from the slumbering Kuvira, careful not to wake her and slowly approached the cans of noodles they had eaten. A few of them still remained, and even late at night they still smelled good to her. Using her horn, she heated the noodles and ate outside. She had gained a sudden urge to eat something, yet didn't dwell on it too much. Her growling stomach had won over her free will.
"Can't sleep, huh?"
Sunset jolted, the noodles still in her mouth, levitating the chopsticks with her magic. Asami leaned against the opening of the cave, arms folded and covered in a long jacket.
"I was just a little hungry." Sunset said, making sure to keep her voice low as to not wake anyone else up.
"It's okay." Asami sat beside the pony, who continued eating the noodles. "Why didn't you tell us you were sick?"
"I'm not sick, okay."
"Could have fooled me when you puked on that bush hours ago."
Sunset sighed, lowering her noodles. "Fine. I didn't say anything because I didn't want to stay home knowing that my family is in danger out there. I know it was irresponsible of me, but I wasn't feeling this bad before. And if I go back now, I'll only get worse because I'll never stop worrying. And now I'm slowing you guys down."
Asami affectionately petted Sunset's mane. "I think I can help you with this."
"How?" Sunset asked. All Asami did was smile empathetically.
(~)
Iris's nose twitched when something soft and delicate brushed off the surface of her skin. Her eyes fluttered open to see a familiar white and blue colored butterfly before it flew off. Rubbing her sleepy eyes Iris felt a sudden change in the wind. The fire was out, and the shack remained exactly where it was. Beside her, Akari, in her pony form, slept on her back, her back leg twitching like that of a dog and small droplets of drool dripped from her open mouth, snoring lightly.
The sky was yellow once again, the snow had stopped falling and Iris looked at her geo-phone, which was running now on battery, yet had enough for her to see the time. It was almost noon. She gasped and sprung up from her sleeping bag and gently shook Akari away with her foot before proceeding to wake everyone else up.
"Akari! Guys! Come on, we have to…" Iris pushed a large leaf from her way, only to see that the entire scenery had changed drastically. Rather than more forest and the abnormal sky coloring, what she saw was the downtown of her home, complete with the spirit vines and urban buildings. The sky was its natural clear blue color, complete with the same soft clouds that looked like white cotton candy. Even the air smelled the same, right down to the sound of whooshing cars in the far background and soothing music being sung by the little spirits.
"Harmony City? I'm… I'm home?" Iris traced her hand over the tree beside her. She gasped in confusion and stepped back in horror to see that the tree had begun to shrivel up, turning into nothing but sooth, being blown away by the strong winds that started to pick up. Iris's friends were all absent and a pair of familiar voices crying out in the far distance, yet she could hear them crystal clear.
"Iris!"
"Mom?"
"Iris!"
"Dad?"
The same black sooth that had killed the tree began to spread, turning into a massive black cloud of smoke. It grew into a storm, complete with roaring thunder and green colored lightning. It covered the skies, devouring everything in sight. The sounds of the city had disappeared, overlapped by the roaring sound of the darkness that spread faster than any mere pegasus could. Not even the Wonderbolts could fight against this monstrosity of nature.
"Iris!"
The same voices continued to call out their daughter's name until the two figures ran out of the spirit wilds, looking terrified, and from the looks of it, worn from battle. Iris tried to move, but her feet were suddenly cemented to the ground by a pair of black brambles with sickly green thorns. The couple held one another, the man shielding his wife as the storm engulfed them both. All Iris could do was watch helplessly.
"NO!" Tears ran down her cheeks as she outstretched her arm to reach them, but it was already too late. The two had disappeared, their cries echoing before merging seamlessly with the roaring thunder. "MOM! DAD!" Iris reeled back when thorns began sprouting upwards from the ground, surrounding her in a garden of sickly plants. Snarls and howls were heard and a gray colored fog surrounded the area. The same changeling wolf creature from before appeared, along with more of its kind. Their green eyes stared into Iris's soul, her heart pounding hard against her chest. In a frenzy of tearful rage, Iris attempted to blast at them, but no magic nor fire came out of her hand.
A wicked laughter was heard all around her and a large shadow, with cat-like green eyes towered over her, while more of the black brambles wrapped around her wrists. Iris fought to break free, feeling as if her wrists were bleeding.
"Who are you? Where are my parents?!" she demanded to know. The shadow only cackled, clearly taunting the child in a slithery female voice.
"Say goodbye to your parents, Princess. You will never be able to defeat me."
"Help…"
Iris gasped, hearing the sound of another completely different voice. Female too, only… younger for some reason.
"Help me… please…"
"Don't listen to it!" the shadow warned. "You can never save your family! You can never save anyone! After all, what can one little Avatar like you do? Go. Run on back home, in your safe little palace, where you belong."
"IRIS!!!"
…..……………..
"Wake up, already!"
Iris felt Akari's strong grip shaking her shoulders roughly like a maniac. Iris's eyes bursted open and she shoved Akari away from her, panting as if she had just ran a ten mile marathon.
"What's the big idea?"
"You were talking in your sleep." Akari replied.
"Yeah, you kept saying stuff like, "Darkness", "Changelings", "Shadow", "Help". We tried waking you up, but you were seriously deep under. Almost like you were dead." Hiro said, earning a slap in the chest, curtesy of Nori.
Iris shook her head, rubbing her temples before getting up. "Sorry. I guess I was just having a weird dream."
Both Akari and Chi shared the same concerned expressions. The last time she had a weird dream was during the Soarin fiasco years back. "Did you see anything?" Chi asked. "Anything… weird?"
Details from the dream were rather foggy at the moment, but what remained with her were the terrified looks in her parents eyes, the shadow taunting her and the young girl's voice crying out for help.
"Like Hiro said. I saw a shadow. The changeling wolves and, some voice crying out for help." Iris brushed it off and levitated her bag towards her. "It's probably nothing. Anyway, let's keep going."
Iris marched onward first, leaving her friends to look on in worry. Given their family's history, it was probably best not to think too lightly about the dreams an Alicorn Avatar had.
"What's the hold up? Come on!"
The team brushed it off for now and continued on their way. Unbeknownst to them, a pair of green eyes watched from above a tree, snarling in satisfaction.
(~)
"Is it yellow? Is it slimy? Is it larger than a breadbox? Smaller than a breadbox? Is it a breadbox?"
"Hiro, we're not playing that game!" Gallant groaned as they walked further into one area of the forest with thin, tall trees with branches and leafs that towered over them like buildings.
"How much more until we reach the stripped tree?" Nori asked, her ears lowered in exhaustion and her feet feeling like she was walking on hot coats. "It's been at least two hours."
"Only five more miles." Mai said, looking down at the map. "We're almost there."
"Oh, thank Neptune!" Nori groaned in relief, dragging her feet across the hard ground, feeling the tips of the small grass against the top of her foot. The group stopped abruptly when a strange echoing sound came booming through the trees. Several winged spirits flew off in a frenzy. Chi hovered beside Iris and Akari, shifting her hand into a sword.
"What was that?" Iris asked out loud. Akari held a blue colored flame in her palm, narrowing her eyes at the unseen threat. Everyone else took on a defensive stance. They gasped and flinched at the sound of a mighty roar.
A massive creature emerged from the trees and bushes. A giant dragon-fly like creature with a head resembling that of a dragon and large insect-like wings, long legs, antennas and a long tail. It roared in anger at the team.
"What is that thing?!" Nori exclaimed.
"Not sure." Akari created two blue flames on both palms. "But whatever it is, it's blocking the way!" she thrusted forward, shooting blasts at fire at the giant dragon-fly. The spirit roared in her direction, lifting up its massive dragon-like claws to smash her. Akari flew away from the beast, unleashing her blast, followed by Hiro and Mai, both using their respected bending powers to fight the creature away.
Hiro bended the earth around him, levitating the rocks from the earth and sent them flying towards the creature. Its long body allowed it to move with all the agility and swiftness of a snack, knocking Hiro away, crashing him into his sister, both of which rolled away, grunting in pain.
Nori jumped into the action, unleashing her pearled shields at the beast, one of which cut right through his side, causing it to cry out in pain.
"That's for my friends, you overgrown slug!" she exclaimed tauntingly, proudly pounding her fist in victory. The creature roared in her face--literally--causing her hair to become frizzy and droplets of saliva fell on her eye. She wiped it off, visibly disgusted and used the pearls to shield herself when the beast aimed to slap at her withs its claws.
The monster felt something tug on its tail. Mai, using her supper strength, managed to yank the beast away from her friend, throwing it all the way towards a row of trees where they all cracked and crumbled at the seems when the beast collided with them. For a moment, it would appear the beast was defeated, but it was only a minor injury, for the creature quickly got back up, flapping its insect-wings to fly. Once it was airborne, Gallant noticed that the creature was flying rather off.
Its body kept on wiggling in an unbalanced manner, its wings flapping frantically before coming for a screeching landing. Its anger flared and Chi then proceeded to use her super speed to try and subdue it. The wisp spun around the creature, continuously punching it. She then shifted her hand into a sword, but before she could strike, the beast threw her off with its tail, causing Chi to fly into the air, landing hard on the ground.
"Chi!" Iris exclaimed before jumping into action. Using the amount of knowledge she had gained from her training last night, Iris took to the skies and unleashed a powerful stream of fire at the beast, showering it in a powerful display of her firebending. The creature, however, managed to slither away with little damage. The flames just seemed to bounce right off of the surface of its body. It would appear that, true to its nature, fire had no affect on it.
None the less, both Iris and Akari proceeded to attack from above with magical blasts. The creature then rose upwards, like a snake, and swatted both girls away with its claw. The girls were thrown to the ground, groaning as the monster loomed over them.
"STOP!"
Before he could unleash the final blow, Gallant Steed blocked its path, outstretching his arm at the beast, ordering it to cease the fighting. The creature growled threateningly, but Gallant steed didn't flinch. Not even once.
"It's okay. I'm not going to fight you." Gallant said, speaking softly. The creature growled and let out another roar. "I know, I know. We're sorry for trespassing." Gallant said. Upon hearing this, the dragon-fly slowly calmed down, its roaring reducing to a mere confused growl or gurgle sound.
Gallant gestured to the creature's tail. "May I please see?" he asked. The creature, though a bit unsure, allowed Gallant to look at its tail. It had two fins on each side, to which one of them was torn, as if some other creature had taken a bite off of it.
Gallant cringed and hissed empathetically at the sight. "Ouch. That's gotta hurt." he bravely approached the injured tail, stroking his chin in thought. "Mmm. I think I can help you out here." he said. Thinking fast, Gallant pulled out some materials from his bag, as well as some leafs from nearby. Using a pen, and measuring the length and durability of the fin, Gallant got straight to work. He used the spells he had memorized from his mother's collection of spells, and gathered a piece of cloth, a few twigs and leafs. He merged the leafs onto the cloth, creating a sturdy surface, added with a blue magical cloak over it to ester durability, giving it a slight rubbery feeling, yet sturdy enough. Then, he used the twigs to help create the outlines. As he worked, the others watched in silence.
Once he was finished, the material felt exactly like the other unharmed fin, to which Gallant used his magic to attach it with a sturdy rope. "Okay, you should be all set." Gallant stepped back, wiping his hands from the remaining dirt and dust, and nodded to the uncertain dragon-fly.
"Go on ahead." the unicorn encouraged. The dragon-fly flapped its insect wings and took to the skies, flying in a straight and eloquent manner. The others stared in awe at not only the creature's beautifully graceful flying, but also at Gallant's sheer bravery and kind gesture that managed to win the day.
The dragon-fly landed before Gallant, nuzzling his face in gratitude. "You're welcome."
"How did you know about the fin?" Akari asked, visibly impressed.
"I didn't. I saw him flying really weird a moment ago and thought maybe he was just injured or something. When I spoke to him he explained everything."
"Those talking to animals powers sure do come in handy." said Hiro, playfully punching his arm.
The dragon-fly let out a grateful snarl, to which Gallant bowed in respect. "You're welcome." he said. The spirit then snarled at the others. "He's waiting for an apology."
"We're really sorry." Iris said, "And, I'm especially sorry for trying to blast you with fire."
"Me too." Akari said, her ears lowering in regret.
"And I'm sorry for pulling on your tail." Mai said.
"And for slicing you with my pearls." Nori said, her ears perking up in realization. "Oh, that reminds me!" she pulled out a bottle of water from her bag and proceeded to heal the cut she had voluntarily caused with her pearls. "I'm really sorry. Guess I got a little carried away there. No hard feelings?" she got her answer when the dragon-fly nuzzled her cheek. "Awww, you're just a big sweetie pie, aren't you?"
Iris breathed a sigh of relief. "Now that that's over, let's get to that stripped tree."
The dragon-fly let out a light groan, which Gallant translated. "He says he knows a short cut. He'd be more than happy to give us a ride."
"Uh, fly?" Nori said in alarm, taking a tentative step back. "A-As in, in the air? You know what, how's about we just keep on following Mai's map, huh? Safely on the ground? Please?"
"Don't worry, he's a great flyer." Gallant said, translating more of what the dragon-fly was saying. "Besides, this'll save us time."
Nori stubbornly folded her arms, only to get forcibly dragged by both Chi and Akari. They forced the merpony onto the dragon-fly's back, and everybody else mounted on top. Nori continued to protest.
"No, no, no, no, no, guys you know I have a terrible fear of HEEEEEEIGHTS!" Nori screamed once the dragon bird took flight, its body movements reminiscent of the chinese dragon from lore. Gallant cheered with delight at the feel of the fresh wind on his face. Akari was seated right behind him, taking him off guard when she placed her hands on his shoulder, equally overjoyed by the scenery down bellow and the feeling of ridding the dragon-fly across the sky. Gallant blushed at her hands touching his shoulder, while Nori was hanging on for her dear life, gripping Hiro's jacket, her eyes shot open, her teeth chattering. She swore to not move a muscle until this was all over.
In only a few short minutes, the dragon-fly landed on a small hill, right next to a tree, gray colored with blue to purple colored stripes on its trunk. Everyone else climbed off of the dragon-fly, minus Nori who was literally frozen in place, still gripping Hiro's jacket, her nail literally piercing into it, and her eyes were now closed shut.
"Nori, you can open your eyes now." Hiro said.
The merpony slowly, and hesitantly opened up her left eye seeing the familiar green grass bellow her. She bolted right off of the dragon-fly's back and breathed a deep sigh of relief.
"Oh, thank Celestia that was short." she exasperated, then received a sweet nudge from the dragon-fly. "Nothing personally, starfish. Merponies and flying just don't mix." she explained. The dragon bird nodded his head in understanding before nuzzling against Gallant's face.
"Take care, my friend."
The dragon-fly nodded his head before taking off, unleashing a happy roar as it flew off into the distance.
"Gallant, that was incredible!" Akari said excitedly. "Score one for the Element of Kindness."
"Oh, I, uh, I didn't even think of it that way." Gallant confessed, shyly scratching the back of his neck. "It was just a happy accident, really."
"Still, thanks for jumping in back there for me and Iris." Akari said, already blushing, which in turn made Gallant blush.
"Uh, anytime."
Iris, regretfully, tapped Akari on the shoulder. "Really hate to interrupt but…" she nodded her head towards a tall, slim mountain of polished marble rock and gray colored circles swarming around the top, contrasting with the rest of the naturally blue skies and white as snow clouds. Everyone looked on with serious expressions.
"There's the entrance."
(~)
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The part where Nori said she was afraid of heights, I can only guess that's a part from Disney's Hercules. Also, I'll come out and say it, no doubt about it. Sunset's pregnant, hands down!
Great chapter! But I was wondering. "One Woman Haunted House" Does that mean she turned into a haunted house or she was just the only one in one?
8333860
Only one. She can shapeshifter, remember.
8333981
Gotcha. Just that part was a bit confusing for me
now I really want to see my oc in chi's haunted house.
Ah! you remembered her nickname! 😄
8427791
Thanks for pointing that out. Don't worry, I'll fix that right up. Thank you! Phew, that was a close one.
8427791
Fixed it! Thanks again, that was totally embarrassing.