> Finding Friendship > by cerealkiller78 > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- > Chapter 1 > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- "You were the best friend I ever had." Terra had tears in her eyes as she embraced Beast Boy, before letting him go. He seemed glued to the spot, so she moved the earth he was on to where the others were, where Cyborg pulled him away, and he finally turned and left, along with the other titans. The volcano was about to blow, that was certain. Her hands lit up with the glow of her power. She looked down, and saw Slade's mask melting in the lava. Good riddance...she thought to herself, and put all of her focus into bringing all of her power to the surface like she never had before. Then, screaming from the exertion, she unleashed it all. ....................................................... 1000 Years Later... Sunset and Rainbow Dash were out hiking, getting some excercise on a beautiful, sunny day. They would have invited the others to come along, but Pinkie was working at Sugarcube Corner that day, Fluttershy was at the animal shelter, Twilight was visiting her brother, Applejack was busy at her farm, and Rarity...was not one for hiking. "And then I said "Say that to my feet, ya limp noodle!" Sunset raised an eyebrow questioningly. "You said that...to Gilda?..." "Yup! And she never bothered me again!" "Somehow, I seriously doubt that..." Sunset replied skeptically. "What? It's true!" She insisted as they approached a cave. "Dude! Sweet cave!" Rainbow dashed inside, while Sunset eyed the cave carefully at the entrance. "You sure going in there is safe?" She questioned. "Aww c'mon Sunset, this cave has probably been here for the last thousand years!" Rainbow assured. "Well...ok." Sunset conceded and entered the cave. They didn't have to travel too far inside, before something caught their eyes, up ahead of them. "Hey, cool! Someone's been here and carved a stone sculpture!" Rainbow called after she had ran ahead of Sunset. Sunset reached the statue, surveying it. It was of a girl, about 13-14 years. She seemed to be wearing some kind of armor and had her arms outstretched. "It is pretty cool." She admitted. "Very life-like, and great attention to detail." She noted. "What's this here?" Rainbow spotted something in front of the statue. It was a word..."True". They both dug away the dirt that was covering the remainder of the message...it was a plaque that read "Terra: A Teen Titan, A True Friend." "Teen Titan?" Sunset asked. "Maybe they were some kind of group of superheroes a long time ago!" Rainbow suggested, excitedly. "Dash, it's always superheroes with you." Sunset monotoned. "It's possible!" Rainbow defended. "What else do you think of when you hear the word "Teen Titan"? Sunset had to admit she had no answer for that. It was a peculiar name... "I mean, if you think about it, we are kind of superheroes, ourselves!" Rainbow continued. "We got powers at camp everfree! You can read memories..." Rainbow trailed off, before a grin spread across her face. "That's it! You can read memories! Even in nature, like water, snowflakes, wood...You should be able to read a rock's memories too, right?" She reasoned. "Find out who made this and why." Sunset shrugged. "Only one way to find out." She looked back at the statue, and reached a hand toward it, before touching it. Fire. Pain. "You can't control me anymore!!" "You were the best friend I ever had." "Slade's right. You don't have any friends." Bright blinding light, and a scream. Sunset removed her hand quickly, eyes wide. "What? What did you see??" Rainbow asked eagerly. "Oh, sweet Celestia..." Sunset whispered. "It's a real, living person." "What??" Rainbow looked back at the statue. "Are you sure? How would that even be possible?" "Well, back in Equestria, enemies who are considered unredeemable are often imprisoned in stone." Sunset explained. "Harsh..." Rainbow monotoned. "Ya, but they're usually the worst of the worst. It's done with the elements." "Wait, so she could be a psychopath?" Rainbow asked. "Well, this isn't Equestria. I don't know how this was done, and from what I saw, she doesn't seem like a psychopath." "So, what do we do?" Sunset put her backpack down, and took out her journal. "I'm gonna ask Twilight." Twilight, Dash and I have found a stone statue of a girl in a cave. We figured it was just a sculpture, but when I touched it...I think she is real. I know this is done in Equestria to enemies when there is no other option, but from what I saw in her memories, she doesn't seem like a monster or psychopath. There is even a plaque beneath the statue that reads "Terra, A Teen Titan, A True Friend."... I want to get her out. Whatever happened, I don't think she deserves to be stuck in there forever. She didn't have to wait too long for a response. Sunset, Yes, I agree. If the plaque says she is a true friend, then by all means, she shouldn't be stuck in there. I wonder how it happened in the first place...and what are "Teen Titans"? I guess you'll have to ask her when she is out. Use the elements you have on that side. They should work the same as the ones over here. Sunset put her journal away. "Well, we are going to get her out, but we need everyone else here. It will require the elements." "Aww ya, we're gonna save a superhero!!" Rainbow squeed. "Dash...we don't know for sure that she is a superhero." Sunset reminded. "Well, I'm calling it now, that she is." Rainbow insisted. They exited the cave, and made their way back into the city. "I wonder what kind of super powers she has?" Rainbow could hardly contain her excitement at soon meeting a real life superhero, no matter what Sunset had to say about it. "Maybe she'll invite us to be Teen Titans too, when she sees we technically have powers too." "You really don't think you're getting ahead of yourself Dash?.." "No way! They probably even have their own theme song...something like "When there's trouble, you know who to call, Teen Titans!" Sunset rolled her eyes. Rainbow Dash was hopeless. > Chapter 2 > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Sunset had called the girls, and arranged to have them meet up at Sugarcube Corner the following day to discuss what she and Rainbow had found while hiking. "Let me get this straight..." Applejack spoke after hearing Sunset's explanation. "Dash and ya think there is a REAL living girl in this stone statue that has been frozen in time fer who knows how long?" She asked incredulously. "Is that even possible?" "I have to agree with Applejack." Twilight spoke. "Even if this is possible, chances are she'd be dead. Can she even breathe in there? And what about eating and drinking?" She wondered. "It's worth a shot, isn't it?" Sunset asked. "We have the elements." "The elements may work to melt the rock, if there is in fact a person inside...but all I'm saying is, don't be shocked if we end up with a dead body...or a skeleton." Twilight said. Fluttershy gasped, and put a hand to her mouth at the mental image. "But would I have been able to see the memories of a dead person?" Sunset asked. Twilight had no answer for that. "Even if she is alive, she might need psychological help after being in there. She likely will need a hospital, and she may not even be sane. Chances are she won't even remember who she is." "But we have the elements of harmony!" Rainbow argued. "Aren't they supposed to fix stuff like that?" Sunset sighed. "I honestly don't know. They do in Equestria, but here?" She shrugged. "Only one way to find out. I would assume they work the same over here as in Equestria, but I can't guarantee that. Although, she must remember...otherwise, I wouldn't have been able to see her memories in the first place." "Well then, let's go get her out!" Rainbow said, ready to leave then and there. "I agree with Rainbow." Rarity said. "If there is even the slightest chance of there being a living person in there, we need to get her out as soon as possible." "Oh, umm...I think I will stay behind..." Fluttershy barely spoke above a whisper. "But we need everyone to make this work!" Rainbow argued. "You need to come Fluttershy!" She pleaded. "I...I don't know..." She said hesitantly. "Is it because of what Twilight said about finding a dead body or skeleton?" Rainbow shot a glare at Twilight. "Forget that. There isn't going to be any of that." She assured. "You promise?..." She asked. "Cross my heart, Flutters." She stood up from the booth they were occupying. "Now, let's go get her out!" She insisted, heading for the door already, with the others following suit. ................................................... "It's just inside this cave!" Rainbow said excitedly when they had finally gotten to their destination. "Oh, thank heavens...my legs are killing me." Rarity complained. They entered the cave and found the statue. "Terra, huh?" Applejack read the plaque, and looked over the statue. "Wonder what the "S" stands for." She wondered, when she spotted the letter on the armor. "Probably "Super!" Rainbow answered. "Dash, would you let the hero thing go?" Sunset was starting to get annoyed. "Nope!" Rainbow answered. Sunset sighed. "Maybe it's the insignia of a crazy mercenary she used to work for!" Pinkie blurted. Everyone went silent. "Pinkie...that would make her evil." Rainbow said. Pinkie shrugged. "Sunset used to be evil." She gave a nervous chuckle immediately after, turning to Sunset. "Uhh, no offense..." Sunset merely grumbled. "Let's just focus on getting her out." They gathered around the statue, and took out their geodes. "Umm, how do we go about doing this?" Rainbow asked. "Uhh...try touching the geodes to her." Sunset suggested. They all put their geodes to the statue of the girl, with no results. "Hmm..." Sunset moved her geode to the armor that she was wearing instead. The others followed, but still, nothing happened. Sunset removed her geode from the girl, and stepped back, surveying the statue. "There's gotta be some way to do this..." She thought quietly. "Why not try it on the "S"? Pinkie suggested. Sunset look at Pinkie questioningly. "The elements always destroy the evil and restore the good, right? If that "S" is significant of something evil, the elements should activate and destroy it." Pinkie reasoned. "That's what they've done in the past." It did make sense...Sunset agreed, and put her geode to the "S" on the girl's chest, and the others followed. Suddenly, the geodes lit up, and a sizzling sound was heard as the geodes began melting through the rock. "Sick!!" Rainbow watched in wonder. "That is so cool!" The geodes began causing the rock to crumble away, and they began to see a real person inside. "There's actually someone in there!!" Rainbow cried excitedly, and they began picking at the rock, as it was coming off pretty easily now. She had blonde hair. The armor was still on, but the place where the "S" should have been was burned away. She was stick thin. Whether that was because she hadn't eaten in so long, or simply because that was her build, they didn't know. But she was definitely alive. "It worked! It really worked!" Rainbow cheered when she was finally out, and Sunset caught her, setting her on the ground. They all looked down at her, as her eyes fluttered open, revealing bright blue eyes. > Chapter 3 > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Terra had known nothing but silence and darkness for as long as she could remember. She had no concept of time. She may have been sleeping for as long as she could remember. She didn't even know anymore. All that she did know, was that even the little bit of intrusive light that there suddenly was when she found herself opening her eyes, was blinding. It was as if she was opening them for the very first time. There were a bunch of blurry figures above her, but her eyes weren't focusing on anything. She groaned and squinted her eyes tightly shut. Slowly, her memories began coming back. Slade, the volcano, her betrayal to the Titans... The Titans! She forced her eyes open again, trying desperately to make out the blurred figures as her vision slowly improved and came back. "Easy there, sugarcube. Ya'll with us? How many fingers am ah holdin' up?" That...didn't sound like any of the Titans. Maybe someone else had found her? "...two?" She guessed, her voice coming out in a rasp. "Four actually. Not too bad, just give it some time." She brought something out. "Are ya able to drink some water?" At the mention of water, Terra suddenly realized just how thirsty she was. She nodded. The figure carefully propped her up, so she could take a drink from the bottle. But her throat, after so long of not taking anything in, seemingly forgot how to swallow properly, and Terra ended up coughing and hacking the water back up. When it eventually calmed down, the water was placed back to her mouth, and she took slow, careful swallows, hydrating herself. By the time she had her fill, her eyes were focusing a lot better. What she saw, confirmed her suspicions. These were not the Titans. But then, how had they gotten her out? If the Titans couldn't get her out, then how... Overwhelming hurt suddenly washed over her. Was it that they couldn't get her out...or, was it simply that they had chosen not to? Terra didn't think she could bear to know the answer to that... "How...how did you get me out?" She asked quietly. "Umm..." Unsure of how to tell her, Sunset dismissed it. "It's...complicated." "Are you a superhero??" Rainbow blurted, unable to contain herself any longer. "Dash!!" Sunset glared at her. "I'm sorry, but I need to know! The plaque says you're a Teen Titan, and that really sounds like a superhero name!" Sunset face palmed and groaned. Terra didn't even know the answer to that anymore. Was she a hero? After what she did?... "Plaque?" Terra finally settled to question, not aware of any plaque. "Well ya, there is a plaque where ya were." Applejack shifted Terra to an angle so she could see the plaque. "Terra, a Teen Titan, a True Friend." Applejack read. Terra stared at the plaque. A true friend?...They still thought of her as a true friend?And, a Titan? They had forgiven her? After everything she had done? One detail stood out about the plaque though. It...looked old. "Rainbow Dash here, thinks "Teen Titan" refers to a group of superheroes." Applejack continued. "You...don't know who the Teen Titans are?" Terra asked, surprised. Everyone knows who the Teen Titans are. "Never heard of them, sugarcube." "But...everybody in Jump knows who the Teen Titans are." "Jump?" Applejack asked. "Jump...city? This city?" Terra raised an eyebrow. They looked at one another. "Oh boy..." Applejack sighed. "Sugarcube...ah don't know how long ya was stuck in that rock for, but...this isn't Jump City anymore. No longer exists. This place is now known as Canterlot." "Canterlot?..." Terra raised an eyebrow. "Is that supposed to be a play on words of "Camelot"? "Whatever is Camelot, darling?" "You...really have never heard of Camelot?" Terra asked, growing concerned. "I cannot say that I have." She confirmed. Terra didn't like where this conversation was going. If these people really had no idea what Jump City...or even Camelot was, then... Exactly how much time had passed while she was in that stone?