Chapters *Gasp* Choa sat upright as for the first time in her life she struggled for air. It felt as if her lungs were full of stale air that had been sucked out and forced back in. She knew not where she was as she stood and observed her surroundings. Rocks everywhere, just rocks and a few grass patches overshadowed by the blue mist. She noticed a cave and as she watched, something moved within the cave.
Choa, startled, immediately compressed a ball of air between her hands only to have it dissipate shortly after its creation.
"You will have to forgive me dear. While I may be hard to injure I can still feel pain and I would rather just simply avoid any conflict."
"What are you?!" Choa demanded in a not so friendly voice. "Just because I can't manipulate any air doesn't mean I can't kick your ass."
"Now calm down I mean you no harm. I just want to make friends, here let me start. My name is Discord."
"That isn't what matters, what matters is where I am right now, I remember falling asleep last night and waking up here."
"I know; I brought you here."
"Why?"
"Well for fun mostly, but if you must know, there is a deeper reason. I just don't want to tell you. That would ruin the fun."
"I am not having fun."
"Did I say your fun?"
Choa was thoroughly confused yet more than willing to play along if it meant going home.
"Now look, it wasn't easy but I brought you and three others here. You can all manipulate a different element."
"That's standard for Benders."
"I know. Now listen, you four need to get together before I can tell you the next step. I recommend traveling to the location marked on this map." With that Discord snapped and a map appeared in a small bright flash and promptly landed at Choa's feet. "Now off with you, young lady, you don't have forever, this little game does have a time limit. But for now I must return to Fluttershy's; She is expecting me soon." Discord then pulled a black circle out from behind him, dropped it on the ground in front of him, and jumped in disappearing. The black circle then popped sending confetti everywhere, which promptly melted and evaporated.
Gasping, Victor sprang upright, struggling for air. Once his lungs had returned to a comfortable state he opened his eyes and looked around, quite surprised to see a bunch of brightly colored cartoonish horses standing around him gawking. Suddenly Victor's world was plunged into purple as a purple bubble formed around him. Standing up Victor stumbled over to the edge of the bubble and put his hand on it quickly recoiling in pain as the purple substance burned his hand. Victor backed up until he was in the center of the bubble.
"Good. It’s smart enough to stay away from the edges," came a muffled voice. Victor swivelled on his heels to face the general direction the voice had come from. He looked for a woman as the voice was clearly female but all he saw was a purple horse with wings and a horn. Confused Victor cleared his throat and said. "He...Hello?" All of the ponies around Victor gasped and backed up a few steps while the Purple horse in front of Victor stepped forward out of curiosity.
"How can this thing talk, Twi?" Asked a curious blue horse with a rainbow mane and tail as she descended from the sky.
"Obviously it’s like a parrot; it hears words and can then repeat them," Twi said.
"If I am just a stupid bird then how is it I can form intelligent sentences?" Victor asked in an irritated voice.
"Watch how you speak to her, you ruffian," said a white horse that walked forward through the crowd to join the blue and purple horses.
Victor was beyond confusion now; he was in a state of denial and self-preservation, but the latter he was only slightly moving into.
"Either way, I don't recognize it." Stated the purple horse-thing matter of factly to the other two horse-things.
"Don't tell Fluttershy, but when the guards get here, I am going to have them wrangle it in so I can do a vivasection and see what it is."
At that second, thousands of red flags went up in Victor's head and he went into his Fight or Flight mode and generally Victor was one or the other but today he felt like both. Victor lifted his right leg and brought it down with a smash sending a stone flying out of the ground, which he promptly kicked at the purple wall in front of him. Disappointingly, the rock simply shattered and fell back to the ground in pieces. Victor searched his mind frantically while Twilight took out a quill and parchment and began to write down her observations.
Then something sparked in Victor's mind, and he lifted his leg again, once again bringing it down hard on the ground, the only difference was this time a rock burst out of the ground directly under Twilight's jaw. The rock did its work, and by the time anypony knew what had happened, the bubble was gone and Victor was high tailing it out of there. A loud bang a blue blur ending in a rainbow trail zoomed into the sky and before Victor knew what was happening the rainbow itself seemed to be dive-bombing him. Victor snapped, He had been through quite enough and he wasn't dealing with any more.
As Victor ran, he launched slabs of stone out of the ground, not very thick slabs but slabs thick enough that when the rainbow smashed through one, it lost control and smashed into a house in a large resounding boom. Victor turned a corner and sped on, but a tightness in his chest slowed his escape as he turned yet another corner, trying to lose the pony creatures chasing him. Victor ran out of an alley and into the main path leading through the town he was in. He half ran half-stumbled and his breathing became more and more labored. Victor saw the form of a foreboding line of trees. Victor put everything he had into continuing to that line of trees, but the frantic shouts from behind him and his own asthma said otherwise. Normally, the asthma wouldn't hurt him until he had finished running, but this time it crashed down on him. Bending worsened his state and now every rock he had manipulated seemed to crash down on his lungs as his breathing failed, and he dropped to his knee.
Reaching into his pocket Victor pulled out his rescue inhaler and struggled to pull the cap off. Right as he was going to force it into his lungs to save his life, a purple flash knocked it from his grasp and Victor dropped to his other knee. Victor's vision started to flicker as he was surrounded. The edges of his sight flickering black as a very smug looking Twilight Sparkle walked up to him with a band aid covering her lower muzzle.
"That took less time than I thought it would. You really can't run very far can you?"
Victor knew by now he had crossed enough ground to make up for several professional football fields. The severe lack of oxygen was getting to him as his eyes drooped shut and his world was plunged into darkness. The last words Victor remembered hearing were from twilight as she shouted to the guards.
"Chain him and bring him to my castle, we are putting this creature to trial. Spike take a letter."
Victor was jolted awake by an electric feeling coursing through him. Victor tried to stand, but was forced down. A sword’s pommel entered his view for a split second before he heard a loud crack and was sent rolling across what felt like... Crystal? Victor was an expert on rocks and could generally recognize a type of rock from how it felt, this was indeed crystal. But where would somebody get enough crystal to make a floor out of it these days. And holy shit, everything around him was crystal. Victor looked around confused as his vision focused. Victor once again saw the pommel flying towards him and tried to bring his hands up for protection, but as they were chained behind him, the pommel hit its mark.
Victor was perplexed by many things. Where was he? How could anyone get this much solid crystal? Why was he being beat with a really old-fashioned weapon that seemed to have nothing holding it? Somewhere in the room, Victor heard a loud cough, obviously meant to bring attention. Looking in the direction he heard it from, Victor saw three-horned horses, or the closest thing he had ever seen to unicorns. But these had wings; all three of them had wings. The purple one named Twi from earlier was there, as well as a white and black one, each with flowing manes. All three looked down on him as if he was a smudge on an expensive dress. The largest of the three spoke up. "Ehrm. Do you understand what I am saying to you now?"
Victor nodded.
"Good that simplifies things and proves Twilight's words all at once."
Now the black one spoke up. Or was it Navy Blue? Victor just dropped the question and marked it as not important.
"Do you know why you are here, creature?"
"I don't even know where the fuck I am."
Speaking up again the white one declared in a voice loud enough to make his ears ache.
"You will not speak to a princess in such a manner."
"Excuse me Ma'am but I will speak however the fuck I want to."
The two on either side of the large white one gasped. Victor didn't care what they thought of him, he just wanted to leave.
Speaking up once more the white one said with a normal yet agitated voice. "You are on trial for one account of assaulting a princess, one account of assaulting a citizen of Ponyville, and one account of disrespecting royalty. What have you too say to these charges?"
Victor thought for a moment. Victor always had a loud mouth and it seemed very loosely hinged today but he thought better of making the situation worse. "I admit to every account but if your little purple friend here hadn't attacked me first none of that would have happened."
"Do not try to blame me. If you had done what we said and waited patiently in my custody none of this would be happening to you," she angrily said to him.
Victor could tell he was in deep shit now and he had no idea how to get out of it.
Speaking up again, the black one declared in a tone of authority. "My sister and I have decided what to do as your punishment."
The white one added. "We are going to banish you. As you can manipulate rock, we have decided to drop you in a place with no rocks. You will be banished to a Desert south of Saddle Arabia."
Victor's eyes grew in horror. He really had very little to no control over sand and being in a desert was not on the top of his bucket list. Either way Victor had no say in what was going to happen to him as he was already being hefted into a cart by two Pegasi. Victor felt like garbage the way he was being tossed around. At least for the time being Victor could see. That would end soon however as what felt like a potato sack was drawn over his head and tightened. Victor decided he would behave well as the cart then pulled into the air. Victor would rather be dumped in a desert than fall from any height. Victor hated to be separated from the ground. Earth was his primary power and to be forced from the ground made him feel vulnerable. At least the cart was made from bendable metals such as gold. Victor could not manipulate any metals but he could sense vibrations through them, and using this ability, he was able to at least see his captors.
~Many Hours later~
Victor felt the cart slow down and descend. Victor prepared himself; he had a plan, a plan that required perfect timing. For this, Victor would have to wait until his feet touched the ground before he could take up his favorite fighting stance and use the sand to see what he could with a bag over his head. Victor would take up the Drunken Fist Technique to fight the guards. He didn't know what he would do if he won, Victor never thought things through enough to actually escape a problem. Sadly enough the guards simply tossed Victor out into the sand, far enough that he could not reach them nor sense them through the sand.
The sand on its own only provided a fuzzy image to him, one he could not make out. Before Victor could take his stance and prepare to attack, he heard the cart taking off into the sky, leaving him alone, blind and lost. "Damn Horse things, you could have at least removed this bag from my head." Victor said as he struggled. Victor continued to struggle with his bonds until he screamed with frustration. The rage built up in Victor until it reached its peak and boiled over. The Dam cracked and every bit of anger spilled out and flooded Victor's senses. Screaming Victor slowly stood. He began to spread his arms eventually pulling the chains taught. Victor pulled harder and harder stopping every now and then to let his wrists rest from the pain. The more Victor failed to break the chain the angrier he got until he roared with rage. Entering a state he referred to as his "Hulk State" Victor wasn't the most tactical fighter. In all truth, he was the opposite preferring to go berserk. Often randomly sending stones hurtling at his enemies. Victor did not Berserk every fight but when he did, he normally won, despite causing himself almost as much damage as his enemies. Victor entered his "Hulk State" and completely lost any control he previously had over his actions.
Sand began to swirl around Victor dangerously fast as the chains began to moan. Finally, after much struggle the chains snapped with a resounding crack that spread across the desert like a thunderclap. Victor raised his arms in triumph and beat his chest like an ape as sand continued to swirl higher and higher into the sky. Finally, Victor hit his limit and collapsed. Having exerted so much energy not only trying to rend his binds apart but also letting his bending get out of control Victor had given every bit of his strength trying to get loose. As Victor fell to his knees and then to his face the sand he had manipulated also fell, slightly obscuring him.
~A Few Hours Later~
Victor woke to a soft bed and a bright light above him. Confused Victor tried to sit up and met with resistance. Trying harder Victor felt a sharp pain in his arms and fell back to his bed clenching his eyes shut. Hearing a soft voice speaking Victor forced his eyes open to find the source. A small yellow Pegasus with a pink mane was looking directly into his eyes with concern.
"Oh dear. Is it okay, doctor?"
"I think so. I have never seen anything so strange and alien. Its skeletal structure is unlike anything I have seen."
"What do you mean?"
"Its bone structure is strange. Look at this X-ray. The closest bone structure I have seen to these creatures is a Squirrels Paws. Hmm very strange."
"Um excuse me Doctor but I think it’s in pain."
"No shit I am in pain! I just broke a set of chains with my arms!"
The little Yellow Mare jumped back with a small squeak. "You can talk?"
"Of course I can talk. I kinda just did."
"Magnificent," the doctor said under his breath.
"Can I like, please get up?"
"Afraid not," declared the doctor. "Your arms are fractured around the wrist areas. You won't be able to move them properly for a few weeks to months." Victor looked at the doctor in horror.
"Wait I need my arms. They are essential to my bending."
"I am sorry but I don't know what you are or how to fix your bones. My magic could very well make it worse. All I can do is bandage them and let them heal naturally."
Laying back, Victor began to curse profusely. "Can't you give me a better guess as to how long they will take to heal?"
"Sorry but no. Like I just said, I don't know what you are or how you work. The best I can do is guess."
Victor began to breathe fast as his heart rate rose. Victor now had more to add to his little list of fucked up things that have happened to him.
"So let me get this straight doc. I woke up maybe a day ago in a strange place. I have been persecuted for crimes I have not committed. I was banished to a desert. And now I cannot bend any element for maybe a few months?"
"Well I didn't know about all of that other stuff but the broken bones thing is a yes."
"Shit" Victor resigned as he for the last time that day fell back into his pillow.
*Gasp* Keahi bolted upright, greedily filling his lungs with air. It felt like he had not taken a breath in years; yet it had most likely been a mere few minutes. Keahi sat for a while, trying to ease the pain in his lungs. After a few minutes had passed, Keahi took his mind from the task of breathing, allowing that task to fall back into his subconscious mind. Bringing his focus back to his surroundings, Keahi could sense eyes on him. A quick survey of his surroundings alerted him to his situation. Looking around, Keahi felt confused. Where was he?
Jumping back in surprise, Keahi tried to run, but was blocked by another dragon, this one brown with thick but short blue horns adorning its head.
"What do you think we should do eh, boys?" the red one asked with obvious malice in his voice.
"I think we should have a little fun with it, Garble," said a skinny purple one with what looked like blonde hair.
"Yeah we should have fun with it, Fume," Garble replied.
Keahi backed until his back hit a wall.
The dragons continued forward, continuing to seal off any escape paths. Garble let loose a small jet of flame towards Keahi's feet, Fume and the brown one following suit. Jumping Keahi realized how they planned to have ‘Fun’ They obviously intended to make him dance until he stopped and got burned. If they wanted to play with fire then Keahi would help.
A flame sparking to life in his hand Keahi punched forward his fist becoming engulfed by flame before landing a solid left hook to Garble's snout who in turn backed up in pain grabbing his snout and clenching his eyes shut.
The other two stopped their games and looked back at Garble with worry. Keahi not being the type to speak much stepped forward, and in performing a simple technique delivered his foot directly into the Maw of the fat brown dragon before bringing his other leg crashing down on the head of Fume. Keahi continued to flip from the heads of the two dragons to land and role until he was directly under Garble.
He rolled to his feet and then launched upwards, grabbing Garble by the throat and tackling him, bringing his fist down to once again meet the unfortunate dragon’s snout with a roaring flame. The other two dragons, now shaking away, the confusion managed to grab Keahi, each holding one arm. Despite their firm grasp, Keahi used this to his advantage by lifting his legs up above him and performing a perfect split bringing each leg to rest on the dragons shoulders. He then wrapped his legs around their necks applying pressure until the two dragons could not breathe.
Keahi stepped towards Garble who had just regained consciousness. Realizing his two friends both lay out cold behind Keahi, Garble got to his knees and began to beg.
"A wise man once said: ‘Treat others the way you wish to be treated.’" Keahi then proceeded to throw a fireball at Garbles knees.
Jumping back, Garble yelped.
Keahi continued to throw more fireballs making Garble dance like a moron. "How do you like it, huh, dragon?"
"I don't like it. Please, man I already apologized."
"A wise man once said: "An eye for an eye."
"Why are there so many wise men?"
Keahi tossed another fireball, and he did not intend to stop throwing fireballs until he got a good workout by moving his arms. Although Keahi was more than willing to stop when an enormous dragon landed next to him and Garble and let out a long loud roar. As Keahi prepared to haul ass Garble stood with a wicked grin on his face.
"Oh no. You seem to have angered Big Daddy. Now you’re really gonna get it."
Big Daddy? What a stupid name. Keahi did not really care about its name no matter how accurate it was. This dragon was huge. Once it had stopped roaring, it rose to its full height giving Keahi something to really fear. The dragon then did something neither Keahi nor Garble expected. He cleared his throat and spoke.
"My name is Ehecatl. Obviously, you are not a simple creature that wondered here from the woods. Your skill with flames clearly exceeds that of many dragons, especially three that I can think of."
Keahi didn't know what to say. All he could do was back up a few steps and stare.
"Well either way. Why have you been attacking these dragons?"
"They attacked me sir."
"I don't see any reason better than self-defense. How is it you can use fire so easily?" Ehecatl asked with honest curiosity.
"I don't really know? I just can."
"Not the best answer but that’s fine. How did you get in here unseen?"
"I woke up here."
"These three dragged you in, most likely."
Garble started to protest, but was silenced by a sharp glare.
"You look a bit like a teen dragon. Moreover, you can cast fire as easily if not better than any teen dragon I have seen. I think you could fit in here if you wish to stay."
"I guess. I have nowhere else to go."
"Then it’s settled. You can stay with us for a while. We have a cave you can sleep in tonight."
Thoroughly confused at the recent events, Keahi simply complied and followed the massive dragon to a cave that seemed much too small for most dragons, but it was perfect for Keahi.
Keahi slept neither comfortably nor peacefully. If anything, he slept with an eye open, something he had grown used to in his world being an outcast from society to such an extent that they wanted him dead for his powers. This is also how he learned to fight multiple targets at once. His formula was disabling one in a three versus one so that he could handle the last two. Either way Keahi managed to get enough sleep over the night to have plenty energy for the next day. Waking up and stepping out of his cave, he found Garble waiting expectantly. Upon seeing the firebender, Garble approached. Keahi was almost afraid, as Garble seemed slightly pissed off.
Keahi followed Garble to the mentioned area and found the other teens there. Not knowing what to expect Keahi readied himself for another fight that he would undoubtedly win. The dragons around him all stared as if he were their prey and he had just stumbled in front of them.
"Don't be too afraid scaleless one we are just going to finish your initiation into our dragon clan."
Keahi was still confused, but he was beginning to understand. The dragons had more tests for him. A simple fight and display of firebending wouldn’t be enough to gain their trust. As Keahi watched Garble join the rest in their circle around him, he drew in a breath sharply filling his lungs to the brim in which the other dragons followed suit. Keahi expected to face more fire but not like this. Each dragon opened their maw one at a time and Keahi could see the light forming in the back of their throats. As each dragon let loose a flame Keahi dropped to his left knee and prepared a counter attack.
*Gasp* Adrian bolted upright. Adrian tried to stand which resulted in a splitting headache causing him to fall to his hands and knees. Grasping hair in each hand Adrian Fell into the fetal position for what felt like hours before the headache subsided. Trying more cautiously Adrian stood with more success. Finally being able to see his surroundings Adrian found himself on a beach. To his left was more beach ending in a rocky shore. To his right was what looked like endless beach. Adrian stood confused until he heard a crash of water. Looking to his left, he saw water crashing against the rocks. It seemed like more than water though; someone or something was crashing into the rocks from the water. Running towards the rocks Adrian began to move his arms, feeling the tingling sensation of control over water.
As she spoke, for its voice was clearly female, its breathing grew heavier until she finished. After finishing, she seemed to lose will and pass out, falling back into a limp form.
Still firmly confused, Adrian stuttered and blinked for a few seconds before brushing his shock aside. Helping an animal and helping a sentient creature are two different things. If it is sentient, it knows pain and Adrian was compelled to remove that pain. Holding out his arms, he began to trace them lightly over the creatures form doing his best to heal what he could. Finding the worst wound he could see, he began his work. The wound was a large gash to her side, a gash Adrian imagined came from the rocks. As he worked Adrian’s mind wondered.
“I think so. Thanks to you,” the Merpony said weakly.
“Its something anybody would have done if they could have.”
“No… really it’s not.” Her eyes were downcast.
“Why?” Adrian inquired, curious.
“Merponies are not… thought well of.”
“Why not?”
The Merpony summoned some newfound strength to straighten up slightly in the water, allowing her to look at the Waterbender with less strain... “We are not evil, but the common pony thinks of us as Sirens, which are evil.”
Adrian pondered the answer before giving his own. “Well… I guess that sorta makes sense in a weird objective and racist view.”
“So you are not afraid of me?” she asked, somewhat surprised.
“Should I be?” Adrian honestly had no idea why he would be afraid. She seemed nice enough, the fact that he was conversing with a creature that you’d normally read in a fantasy book.
“Well…it’s just that all other ponies wouldn’t have helped. In fact they probably would have killed me over leaving me to die, much less putting me back in the water.”
“Speaking of the water. What exactly cut you?” Adrian asked.
“Th-the rocks?” She tried to brush off the question.
Looking at the scar the Merpony shuttered. She looked back at Adrian.
“I do not remember what it looked like. All I remember is two large eyes. They were yellow and each a different size. It had large, white fangs, and then I was near the rocks where the Merponies do not swim. It’s dangerous, you see.”
“I saw. Just be glad I managed to get you out.”
“I was wondering about that. How exactly did you do that?” the Merpony asked, perplexed.
“Well you see I am what my people used to call a Waterbender. I can take control of water and move it to my will. It’s not always easy, but I can. So what I did was, I lifted the water and you and brought it to the beach.”
“How is that possible?” The Merpony seemed more amazed than confused; but both emotions where in her eyes.
“Well it’s like how I healed you. I can move water almost with my mind. Well it’s more like my mind is the first step. I have to acknowledge the water and then I can use my arms and to a smaller extent the rest of my body.”
“What do you mean acknowledge the water?”
“Well water is everywhere. In the ocean, that tree, inside of you and me, and even in the air. I can’t quite pull water from the moisture in the air but I know it’s there. I have managed a subset of blood bending. You see your blood has water in it, not all that much but enough to make it a fluid and allow me to move. I can’t control you with it like the one good blood bender in my family, but I can move it around enough to heal wounds. In fact I think it took several hours to heal one wound.”
The Merpony’s awe seemed to increase at this strange being’s abilities. “That is amazing. What else can you do with water?”
Adrian pondered for a moment. “Well… I can freeze it almost instantly. It’s not easy but I can do it.”
“How?” Now the Merpony really seemed excited. Adrian could see the curiosity in her eyes.
“Well everything in live is made of parts. These parts can be in three specific forms. Solid, Liquid, and Gas. In all three of these forms the pieces move. As a solid, they move slowly, the pieces get closer to each other and have less room to move so they move slower. As a liquid like water, they have more room and move a bit faster. The fastest of the three is gas. In this form, the pieces can move as far apart as they want, and move as fast as they want. When I freeze water it’s like I make the pieces get close together and move slower.”
“So can you do the opposite?” the Merpony asked.
“What do you mean?” Adrian replied, unsure.
“Well can you make them move faster?”
“So boil the water at command?”
“Yes,” she replied.
“Well I have never tried that before but let me see what I can do.”
Adrian began to dig a hole in the beach. He knew if he placed water in a saturated beach, it wouldn’t all sink into the sand. When Adrian finished he stood and began to move his arms. Lifting the water in a line, he moved it directly to the hole until it filled and stayed full. Sitting down Adrian once again took hold of the water and focused. At first, nothing happened and Adrian began to lose hope.
Then he noticed steam and redoubled his efforts. Bubbles began to form as the water itself heated and began to boil. Once it had achieved a full boil Adrian severed his control of the water and it cooled again. Adrian then looked back to the Merpony who stared at the water with the same look of wonder that she seemed to have during the whole conversation.
“That was amazing.”
“I know. I’m sweating now,” Adrian panted.
“Um what is sweat?” she asked, genuinely confused.
“Uh… nothing… just forget I said anything.”
“I wish you could come see my people. I am sure they would be more than happy to meet you. Especially since you saved me.”
“Well I breathe air. I can hold my breath but-”
“So what. You have cities?”
“Oh yes. We have cities with large magic shields that the bearded one made for us. Starswirl was the one pony to understand us for what we are.”
“So you live in large bubbles of air under the water? How do you keep wet?”
“Waterways and pools.”
“Well I can use my water-bending to make a bubble around my mouth when under water. I simply have to separate the air from the actual water. Anyways. I should be able to follow you deep then.”
“Then it is settled. You must meet my people. They will love you.”
Further down the beach, laying down in perfect comfort among the jagged rocks was a familiar Draconequus.
Sighing, he sat up. “It is about time they left. I was afraid I would be sitting here all night. I didn’t know my tooth could do that much but hey. You live eons and you learn.”
