The Little Pony Legend: Journey of Iris

*(~)*

Hebrews 4:12~

For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edge sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart

*(~)*

A New Beginning:

Earth…

Fire…

Air…

Water…

Long ago, the world of the Four Nations and Equestria were once connected by a magical portal. It opened only once during Harmonic Convergence, at the same time the two  spirit portals of the north and south poles converged, and where Raava, the light spirit, battled her brother, the spirit of darkness, over the fate of the world.

One day, Vaatu tricked a young human named Wan into freeing him from Raava's grasp, thus freeing him. Vaatu roamed the world of humans and spirits spreading his darkness into the hearts of many who were foolish enough to listen to his words. But Wan, guilt ridden by his mistake, swore to defeat Vaatu by the next Harmonic Convergence. Accompanied by Raava and two ponies.

White, a pony stallion who had long left Equestria and formed a strong friendship with Wan. And Leilani: A beautiful unicorn who was raised by spirits in the wilds. She had the gift to make prophesies that foretold the future, though even she did not always understand the interpretation of said prophesies.

On the day of Harmonic Convergence, the four friends defeated Vaatu, guided only by the power of throe friendship. The spirit portals felt their bond, and it fused Wan and Raava together, as well as transform Leilani and White into the first alicorns. Once Vaatu was imprisoned within the Tree of Time, the friends believed it best to keep their world separate until they could restore them to their rightful glory.

A choice they quickly regretted.

By closing the portal by force, any small connection their worlds once had had been severed. All Equestrian magic had disappeared from the land of humans, and all bending magic disappeared from Equestria causing ponies to loose their bending abilities. But there was still one form of magic in both worlds. The Tree of Harmony was created by a speck of Raava's light, while the Elements of Harmony were physical manifestations of Wan's original human spirit. In the human world, the Avatar still carried Equestrian magic within him, which was shared when both Wan and the ponies touched the portals, transforming them forever.

This magic was passed down from Avatar to Avatar over the centuries. But, as time went on, humans would eventually forget the magical origins of their abilities, or even their own history, just as ponies forgot of their once human brethren. Leilani foretold of the day where a very special Avatar would reunite with her Elements of Harmony, each one wielded by a pony who reflected her own spirit, defeat Vaatu forever and restore the connection between worlds like never before.

That special Avatar….was my mother. Avatar Korra.

She, along with the Mane Six, merged the two worlds magics together, becoming the very first human alicorn, and a Princess of Friendship alongside my Aunt Twilight Sparkle. Together, they had many adventures and made so many friends over the years. Eventually, Leilani stepped down as queen, thus proclaiming that all alicorn princesses that came after her, were now officially Queens.

President Raiko of Republic City also stepped down from his presidency, and in a unanimous vote from himself and the people of the city, they appointed my parents, Korra and Mako, as their official King and Queen. Even giving the city a brand new name.

Harmony City.

Now, humans, ponies, spirits, creatures of all shapes and sizes could thrive together in peace and, well, harmony. Queen Korra and her friends accomplished many remarkable things in their lives, and still do even now. However, as a result of Korra being that one special Avatar who would change the world….it also meant, she was the last. After her, there will be no other Avatar. The cycle was finally over.

Or was it….?

*(~)*

GingaCreator and MaggiesHeartLove presents

Based on the characters from Lauren Faust, Bryan Kinietzko and Michael DiMartino

………………….

The Little Pony Legend:

The Journey of Iris

…………………….

Staring:

Lucy Hale as Iris

Jessica DiCicco as Akari

Cristina Vee as Chi

Jeremy Shada as Hiro

Paris Berelc as Mai

Ryan Potter as Gallant Steed

Dove Cameron as Nori

Will Friedle as Nova Nightshade

Rebecca Shoichet as Sunset Shimmer

Jannet Varney as Queen Korra

Tara Strong as Queen Twilight Sparkle

Ashleigh Ball as Rainbow Dash and Applejack

Andrea Libman as Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy

Tabitha St. Cermain as Rarity

Jake Short as Spike

David Fautisno as King Mako

P. J. Byrne as Bolin Sato

Seychelle Gabriel as Asami Sato

J.K. Simmons as Tenzin

Vincent Tong as King Flash Sentry

Eren Fitzgerald as Ali

Laura Bailey as Mika

Benjamin Bollen as San

(~)

Iris took in a deep breath, her hands pressed together. She opened her eyes, a look of pure determination edged on her face. Her eyes darted towards her mentor, who nodded silently. Iris's eyebrows furrowed, a small grunt escaped her throat as she focused intensively. The purple star on her forehead glowed brightly and her entire body became engulfed in a dazzling light of purple. When she opened her eyes she saw that she was no longer standing at the edge of the cliff alongside Nova, but instead, she was now underneath the gazebo overlooking the city across Yue Bay. The young princess jumped for joy until another flash appeared beside her, this time Nova.

"Yes! I did it! I teleported!" the eight-year-old cheered with pride. "All the way from the other side of the island to the gazebo."

"Congratulations, kid." Nova said with a light clap. "And it only took you five tries."

Iris leaped once more, doing an air flip with her wings. "So, what's next?"

"Now comes the tricky part. Teleportation, multiple locations around the island. See if you can keep up."

With a glow of his horn, Nova disappeared in a flash, prompting Iris to follow him. Iris managed to successfully teleport herself from the gazebo to the beach. She looked around for Nova, only to see him perched down on a rock near the shoreline. He winked and teleported away again. Iris followed with a brooding smile on her face. Next, the two were teleported to one of the roofs of the temple, startling a few lemurs in the process, followed by near a tree, inside the eating room, surprising Rohan, who was eating his meal while reading a good book and accidentally spilling his drink. Thankfully, his book remained dry.

"Iris!"

"Sorry, Rohan!" the princess apologized before teleporting away with Nova, leaving Rohan to roll his eyes, noticing his older sister Ikki walk in.

"She's gonna be a handful, isn't she?" he asked with a deadpan tone.

Ikki giggled. "Like mother like daughter."

Iris and Nova laughed as they played chase while teleporting to various locations around the island before finally returning to the gazebo. Iris placed her hands on her knees, panting from exhaustion, but she couldn't wipe away the smile on her face. Nova wiped the sweat from his bangs.

"Okay, I think that's enough practice for today."

"Aw, come on, I'm on a role here!"

"Take it easy there, tiger shark. You've already got the teleportation, advanced levitation and that hair color changing spell….for the most part."

Iris blushed when they saw Ryu walk by with orange hair. He seemed completely oblivious to the change and simply looked at the two in confusion.

"What?"

"Nothing, looking good, Ryu!" Nova said, trying to sound convincing. At least Ryu was never one to get easily angered and carelessly walked away. Once he was out of sight, the two laughed.

"Okay, okay. But, same time tomorrow after school?" Iris asked hopefully.

"Always." Nova said as he ruffled her hair, "Well, it's getting late. I should head home and make dinner. If I don't, Chi will try cooking by herself, and we wouldn't want that."

Iris giggled at the memory and waved farewell to the anthro male unicorn as he teleported himself away. "Bye, Nova!"

Once he was gone, Iris's smile faded away and she sighed, leaning against the gazebo's railing, watching the sun set over the horizon. She sighed once more.

"If you had pony ears, right now they'd be drooping." a voice said. Iris turned around in alarm, only to relax once she saw it was Tenzin. Already sixty-three-years old, and walking with a cane. Though his posture wasn't bent, she could already see the tiredness in his eyes. He was still strong and sturdy, but no doubt he wasn't all too upset about growing older.

"Uncle Tenzin, hey." she greeted him. Even though he wasn't her biological uncle, she still refereed to him as such. The older airbender walked closer, standing beside her.

"Something troubling you?"

Iris looked down sadly and then back at the ocean. "Do you think I'm good with magic?"

Tenzin eyed her curiously. "Do you doubt you do?"

"I don't know." Iris confessed, tracing her fingers across the mark on her left cheek. Her cutie mark. Just like her mother, Iris was the only other human to have a cutie mark. That came with being part pony, along with the wings and magic. Her mark consisted of a winged heart. The wings were light purple, blue and white while the heart was yellow, pink and orange. Normally, a cutie mark appeared on a pony's flank once they have found their special talent/destiny. But, in Iris's case, she gained her by destroying Ronin's sword. That was it. But, ever since then, she didn't do anything else to showcase her gifted she was at magic.

"Still questioning the meaning if your cutie mark?" Tenzin asked. If Iris didn't know any better, she'd thing he was reading her mind.

"I just don't get it. I break a sword and I get my cutie mark? What does that even mean?"

Tenzin shrugged, "I don't know."

Iris sighed once more. She did have a habit of sighing a lot when she was upset. "Neither do I."

Tenzin smiled at the child at the corner of his eye. "Have I ever told you the story about my father?"

Iris looked at him in confusion. "What?"

"Avatar Aang." Tenzin replied.

Iris arched an eyebrow, "What does that have to do with--?"

"He used to tell me stories about his past adventures." Tenzin continued, completely ignoring the confused princess. "I remember this one time where he went into the spirit world for the first time and met Avatar Roku, the Avatar before him, and rode on his pet dragon."

"Why are you telling me all of this?"

Tenzin looked at her, tilting his head. "Telling you what?" he asked.

"About Avatar Aang."

"Ah, yes, Avatar Aang. Did I ever tell you the time where he rode on Roku's dragon?" Tenzin said, still holding that smile on his face. Iris became more and more confused by the minute.

"Why are you acting so weird?"

"I'm old, telling stories is what I do."

Iris shook her head for she knew this was not something Tenzin normally did. He was a clever old man, no doubt, but she was determined not to allow him to mess with her head again. He always did this for a reason, question what, what was his reason now?

"Look, if there's something you want to tell me, just tell me!" she fiddled with her fingers when he just gazed out into the ocean. "Is there something you want to tell me?"

Tenzin finally looked down at her with a soft smile. "Is there something you want to hear?"

Iris opened her mouth to speak, but couldn't find the right answer. Tenzin knew he got her. One thing he always knew was that the little princess was naturally curious, especially when it was something an adult knew.

(~)

Tenzin led Iris back towards a cliff where they saw Aang's statue. The two stopped, just as the sun's rays kissed the line where the sky met the sea.

"Iris, do you know how the Avatar first came to be?"

"Yeah. Mom told me the story. Wan became the first Avatar when he merged with Raava, and the magic from his friendship with White and Leilani was what made the Avatar fused with Equestrian magic."

"What else?" Tenzin asked.

Iris pondered. "Well…the Avatar has been reincarnated over and over again, protecting the world and keeping balance."

"Yes. But what did all of those Avatars have in common? Or rather, what didn't they have in common with Wan and your mother?"

Iris once again came out empty for she didn't know the answer. Tenzin squatted down and gave her the answer.

"None of them knew of the magic inside them. Like the Tree and the Elements of Harmony, the Avatar has always been a fusion of the magic from this world, and the magic from Equestria. Every Avatar did wondrous things in their lives, but none of them were connected to the magic they held within."

"Because the worlds were separated." Iris said, "How were they supposed to know?"

"Exactly. They had forgotten who they were." Tenzin stood up and took Iris's hand, walking a few steps closer to the cliff. The wind blew on their cloths and hair.

"The Avatar is meant to bring people together. That is why the Avatar is the Element of Unity. The one who connects all the others."

"That's what my mom does." Iris said, "But why are you telling me? I'm just the kid of the Avatar."

Tenzin crunched down once more, placing both hands on her shoulder. "I know how hard it is to have the Avatar for a parent. But you don't need to emulate your mother. Believe it or not, Aang's legacy is every bit yours as it is mine and Korra's. And just like them, you will achieve great things in your own way."

"Like you did?"

Tenzin smiled. "Yes. Like I did."

Iris hugged the elderly man, who in return wrapped his arms around her.

"There you two are." another voice appeared, revealing to be none other than Korra herself. "It's time for dinner, Iris."

"Sorry, mom. Uncle Tenzin was just telling me some stuff about Avatar Aang."

Korra smiled, though Iris did not catch wind of her eyes slightly widening. "Oh, was he?"

"Yeah. Though, you never did finish that one story about the dragon." Iris said to Tenzin.

"Perhaps another time. Pema will probably have my head if I'm late too."

Iris gave Tenzin a kiss on the cheek and ran down the hill happily. Korra took one step forward but turned around to face Tenzin. Her smile had disappeared, her expression still soft, but uncertain.

Tenzin shared the same look as Korra, gently shaking his head. The Avatar looked down, almost in shame before walking back down behind her daughter before the two took off to the skies. Iris flew beside her mother, but briefly stopped to look once more at Aang's statue, thinking about what Tenzin said. She quickly dismissed more of those thoughts and followed her mother.

Tenzin took in a deep breath and looked back at Aang's statue once more, sensing his father's presence as he watched mother and daughter flying off towards their castle near the island.

"Like the cycle of the seasons. The cycle of the Avatar…begins anew."

(~)

The sweet smell of spicy noodles filled the room just when his wife and daughter walked in. Naga, who had been sleeping peacefully, awoke and sprung upwards to greet her owner and her child. Mako smiled.

"Hey, girls."

"Daddy, guess what! I finally got the teleportation stuff down! Watch!' excited, Iris made the star on her forehead glow, and both parents beamed with pride as she manifested herself from the kitchen, to the living room, and finally to behind her own father, flying behind his head and playfully ruffling his hair.

Mako only laughed, "Ha, ha! That's my shinning rainbow!" he grabbed her by the waist and spun her around, catching her by surprise before wrapping his arms around her in a tight embrace.

Iris stuck out her tongue in disgust. "Dad, I'm getting too old for these spinning hugs."

"Hey, your mother's not too old for them, so neither are you." Mako said, kissing her cheek.

"Dad, Uncle Tenzin was talking about Avatar Aang today."

"Oh, telling his old man's tales again, huh?" he asked jokingly, still holding the eight-year-old in his arms. "Which story did he tell this time?"

"At first he started talking about a dragon, which I didn't get the point of, but then he started talking about his legacy and mom's. And it got me thinking…" she paused before continuing, "Do you…do you think, I could get a statue one day?"

Mako and Korra looked at one another, sharing knowing smiles. "I think it's highly possible." Mako replied with confidence.

"But how? How can I be a legend like you and mom and Uncle Tenzin?"

"Well, you kind of already are." Korra said, "You defeated Ronin by breaking his sword. It got you your cutie mark."

"I guess." Iris rubbed the cheek where her cutie mark was, "But, is it enough? Mom is already the Avatar, and the Queen of Friendship. What can I be? Just the kid who broke a sword and that's it?"

At times, it baffled both Korra and Mako just how smart this child was. Then again, she was the super human powered offspring of an Alicorn Avatar, and Alicorn children are often known to mentally mature a couple years faster than most. The same way an alicorn's pregnancy was faster than that of a normal human or pony's.

Mako couldn't help but laugh, confusing Iris. "What's so funny?"

"You are your mother's daughter alright. So ambitious to know what she's capable of."

Korra kissed her daughter's forehead, right above her star. "You are going to do wondrous things, sunshine. When the time comes, you'll know it. she looked out the window and Iris followed, seeing the beautiful Harmony City. A dazzling metropolis that both physically and spiritually blended the best aspects of all three worlds. "There is a whole world waiting for you. Don't pressure yourself too early. Never stop following your dreams, but don't forget to just enjoy being a kid while you can."

(Parody of Here I Am from Spirit Stallion of the Cimarron)

Korra:

Here you are

This is home

You came into this world so wild and free

Mako:

Here you are

So young and strong

Right here in the place where you belong

As the song carried on, Korra opened the window, causing several lemurs who were perched onto the base to fly off. Mako allowed Iris to sit on the base of the window, feeling the wind in her dark brown hair, which was a much, much darker shade in comparison to her mother, adorned with her signature blue, pink and orange red streaks.

Korra and Mako:

It's a new world

It's a new start

It's alive with the beating of a young heart

It's a new day

In a new land

And it's waiting for you...

A wide smile formed on Iris's lips as her parents words sunk in. The possibilities of what the future might hold for her ignited the burning fire within the young princess, as she sang a powerful ballad. Her voice was growing stronger and more soulful, equal to that of her mother's. And like her spirit, her voice would eventually grow louder and stronger as the years went by.

Iris:

Here I am!!

(~)

Back in Ponyvile, Princess Akari, the daughter of Flash Sentry and Twilight Sparkle, galloped across the grassy fields outside the rainbow castle. The little alicorn pony was as wild hearted as the majestic eagle-hawk. Fearless, strong and swift. She galloped wildly, her unkept midnight blue mane, streaked with pink and light blue flapped in the wind. She loved nothing more than to run free and wild out in the open.

Akari:

Here I am

This is me

There's nowhere else on earth I'd rather be

The alicorn pony smiled, seeing her human friend sitting beside a tree reading a book under the shade. Akari poked her head from behind and blew a raspberry at Iris, who squeaked in surprise, only to then laugh and try to chase after the pony, who galloped her front hooves playfully.

Here I am

Just me and you

Together we'll make our dreams come true!

The two princesses took off to the skies, laughing and singing as they did so, all the while waving hello to all of the pony inhabitants. By passing Sweet Apple Acres, where Applejack, Big Mac and Apple Bloom were working happily on the farm. Applejack smiled at the two young princesses soaring across the skies like the care free youth they were. How it brought back memories for her.

Applejack:

It's a new world

It's a new start

It's alive with the beating of young hearts

The princesses flew by Rainbow Dash, who winked and waved as she zipped on by, creating a rainbow arc for the two to fly underneath and come out from the other side.

Rainbow Dash:

It's a new day

It's a new plan

And it's waiting for you

Iris and Akari:

Here I am!

From down bellow, Pinkie Pie waved at the two, two cupcakes in both hooves and the two swooped down to take them, shouting their thanks as they did so. Rarity and Fluttershy, who were taking a stroll, happily observed the two royals.

Back at the castle, Twilight and Flash observed from the balcony of the castle, seeing Akari flying higher and higher before spiraling downwards, nose first towards the ground, nearly missing it once she zoomed back upwards with ease. A cocky grin edged on her face all throughout.

Flash smiled proudly while Twilight bit her hoof a bit nervously. The stallion wrapped his hoof around her in comfort. Akari may be a bit of a wild card, but she was a highly smart as a whip wild card.

(~)

Two years passed, and Iris had grown into a strong ten-year-old girl. Mai and Hiro, her cousins, kicked the ball for Iris to kick towards Akari, now in her anthro form. Chi, Nova's wisp soul sister, giggled as she kicked the ball back. Gallant Steed sat in silence, reading his spell book. One of the island lemurs came down from the tree, curiously sniffing him. Gallant smiled and picked an apple from his backpack, happily handing it to the furry creature to eat. In gratitude, the lemur crawled up into his lap.

Akari grabbed the ball in her hands and tossed it at the studious unicorn. "Gallant, catch!"

Just when it seemed the ball was about to hit him, Gallant was able to levitated the ball, stopping it in mid air, without so much as removing his eyes from the book.

Akari was impressed. "Nice one!"

"Come on, Gallant. Play with us!" Hiro insisted.

"You guys know I'm not good at sports." he said, lowering the ball and taking it in his hand.

"Don't worry, we'll teach you." Mai said, taking the anthro male unicorn by the hand and led him to the others. The poor boy gulped nervously and reluctantly took a stance.

Akari noticed his poor posture and walked by to help him. "Your posture is all wrong." she said, adjusting his foot work and where his hands were, "There. You'll have a better chance at catching the ball."

"Um. Okay." Gallant gulped once more and Hiro kicked the ball right at the unicorn. Gallant whimpered and closed his eyes shut, only to successfully catch the ball in his hands. "Oh. What do you know."

Akari leaped for joy, "Yeah! I told you!"

Gallant smiled triumphantly and proceeded to play catch with the others. To his surprise, he realized he was enjoying sports almost as much as reading. From inside the Air Temple, Starlight Glimmer walked by, smiling proudly as she watched her son playing happily with his friends.

(~)

Mai peeked from behind the wall, watching in awe at the many workers in the Future Industries factory. The nine-year-old was so incredibly fascinated by the shinny machines. She studied how the workers build them, memorized every small detail under the hood of the cars, which had become sleeker and more modern as time went on.

She spotted one of the workers fiddling with the engine of a car but briefly stopped when one of his co-workers called his name. Mai snuck over and looked at the hood, noticing that the third plug was badly burned. She saw the new one nearby, pulling a pair of too big for her hands gloves, Mai replaced the plot within minutes. She smiled triumphantly, only to notice that the worker from before had arrived. His jaw dropped. Asami and Bolin walked on by with Hiro, equally shocked by this.

"How did you do that?" Asami asked, pointing her finger at the replaced plug.

"I just did what you always do when you replace the plug. It wasn't that hard." Mai said with a shrug, only to be lifted up by her dad and placed back down to the floor, a way from the vehicle. It was rather impressive how Mai was naturally able to be close to a vehicle without getting hurt at her age. But, none the less, her parents were still her parents.

"Okay. New rule, never do that without me or your mom around." Bolin said, "Actually, just don't do it even when we're around."

"I can't help it!" Mai exclaimed, "I love cars! I love building stuff!"

Asami placed a hand on his shoulder, "Actually, honey, I think we can find a compromise here."

Mai tilted her head in confusion…until latter on when Asami handed Mai some old--completely safe--training tools for Mai to play around with. It may not have been an actual satomobile, but it was something at least.

(~)

It's a new world

It's a new start

It's alive with the beating of young hearts

During their family visit to the Crystal Empire, Akari and Flurry Heart were racing across the snowy terrain, while their parents took a stroll in the snow. The two princesses laughed as they galloped fast. Akari loved the speed, the cool wind on her face and the sensation of the snow around your hooves.

"Catch me if you can!" Flurry Heart taunted playfully.

Akari speeded up, bypassing her cousin downwards from the hill. Akari almost tripped had she not regained her balance and slid down the snowy slope. Flurry Heart stopped herself before she would slid down as well.

"Akari, look out!"

"Woo-hoo!" Akari shouted with glee as she slid down the hill…right where her parents, aunt and uncle were walking by. They tried calling at her to stop, but Akari was having far too much fun. She slid right by her family, creating a wave of snow to fall all around them. Once she came to a stop, Akari was galloping like wild. "Yeah! That was awesome! Can I go again? Oh…" She reeled back, seeing her family completely coded in snow. Her parents narrowed their eyes, as did Flurry Heart's parents.

Akari blushed in embarrassment. "Sorry."

It's a new day

In a new land

And it's waiting for me

Here I am

While visiting her grandparents, Iris was playing with the local children, and Naga, when she heard the sound of howling from not too far away. Curious, Iris followed the sound towards the fishing parts, where she saw a fishermen pull out a strange looking creature. A black and white creature with a long fish tail, a canine-like face, and paws.

Iris bravely approached the man, "Hey, stop it!" she exclaimed, "You're hurting that orca-wolf pup!"

The fisherman looked down at the creature, who whimpered. "I wouldn't go near it, little princess. These things are dangerous."

"Isn't that what people say about polar-bear dogs?" Iris said, placing a hand on her hips, and Naga growled defensively.

"Hey, it tried to steal my fish and bite at me!"

"Maybe because you provoked it. Please, just let him go."

The man knew better than to argue with the daughter of the Avatar Queen. Besides, it wasn't like anyone would have payed for this kind of creature, and he really didn't need the money. He sighed and untangled the net, allowing for the orca-wolf to swim free. It poked its head out of the water, giving a happily sound. Iris waved farewell and bowed to the man.

"Thank you, sir." Iris went on her way, but as she returned to her grandparent's place, she heard something following her. It was the orca-wolf from before. Stinking out its tongue happily.

"Hey, are you following me? Whoa!" Iris was thrown backwards into the snow, and the orca-wolf pup started licking her face. "Ha, ha! Stop it that tickles!"

"Iris?" her grandmother Senna called out, followed by her husband, daughter and son-in-law. "Is everything…okay?" everyone stopped to see the young princess playing with a wild orca-wolf pup.

Iris giggled and hugged the creature, who continued to pant happily and wagging its long fish-like tail. "Can I keep him?" she asked.

Everyone else simply smiled and shrugged. Korra chuckled, "Well, Naga always did wanted a pup."

(~)

The years went by, and Nova continued training Iris in her magic. The young princess was already to the point where she could fly almost as fast as Rainbow Dash. Nova couldn't be prouder of his student. Every day, after training with Iris, Nova would retreat to his favorite cafe in the city, where he would meet Sunset Shimmer. The two had become incredibly close friends. Nova had never met anyone as brave, selfless and fearless as Sunset, and Sunset was more than happy to have met Nova. She saw nothing but good in him, regardless of his own insecurities.

They chatted, hung out, they were best friends. And, one day, while walking along the beaches of Air Temple Island, their friendship had transcended into something more. Nova never knew he could love anypony again, the same way he loved Midnight. But, standing before him, was a unicorn he knew that he couldn't imagine his life without. They didn't need to say any words that day. Everything they ever needed to say. Everything they ever wanted to expressed.

Could be said with that one single kiss.

(~)

Here we are

We've just begun

And after all this time our time has come

Yeah

Here we are

Still going strong

Right here in the place where we belong!

No more than a year and five months later, wedding bells were heard. Three times, actually.

First, was for Applejack and Double Diamond. The white earth pony had proposed to the country pony at sunset at her apple orchard. Applejack was so tongue tied she didn't know how to say yet at how chocked up she was. Thankfully, Double Diamond understood her words perfectly. They were married at Sweet Apple Acres, with Big Mac as the minister. He cried tears of pure joy, it was difficult for him to get the words out. Applejack and Double Diamond build their own little house near the farm, and the two lived happily flowing fields and bucking apples. Double Diamond was happy he could work every single day with the mare of his dreams.

The second wedding came not too long after A.J's. Pinkie Pie and Cheese Sandwich had a grand, party-themed wedding at Pinkie's family rock farm. Maud was the minister this time and she gave the most heartfelt speech anyone had ever heard. Or at least, that's what Pinkie Pie said.

The third time, as for Nova and Sunset Shimmer. Their wedding was just as simple, but rather than be held in Equestria or Republic City, it was at Camp Everfree. Sunset wanted her human world friends to be there on her big day, so Gloriosa arranged a private ceremony at camp. The alumni of Canterlot High, Crystal Prep and of course everyone in Team Avatar was present. The Human Six cried tears of joy as Sunset and Nova were made husband and wife. Human Twilight and human Flash brought with them their son, who they named after their deceased friend….Timber Spruce.

As for Rainbow Dash, she wasn't in any rush to get married. She was perfectly happy with what she and Soarin had. But, one day, the speed-loving pegasus pony opened her locker at police headquarters, only to gasp at the sight before her…an engagement ring!

Rainbow Dash was left speechless when she turned around to see her boyfriend, Soarin, now down on one knee, his uniform ironed and held a single rose in his hand. "What'ya say?" he asked, "Want to be partners for life?"

Rainbow Dash was never one to go for these types of mushy romance stuff, but in all honestly, she loved it. Whenever Soarin did something sweet for her, like bring her flowers or even the latest Daring Do book, it make her realize just how lucky she was to have found him. Rainbow didn't even need to say her answer, because she replied with action, by wrapping her arms around him, crying tears of joy.

Their wedding was held at police headquarters, where Mako married the two off. Even he couldn't stop himself from crying!

In each of the weddings, Fluttershy would always encounter Thorax, the now king o the changelings. After having rebuild their home, which was now a lush beautiful forest with a large variety of animals, the changelings had scattered all across the world, spreading joy and sharing love. They especially cared for the animals. Thorax was especially found of the creatures, and vice versa. Fluttershy happily introduced him to her new animals friends, and they would find new homes for them to live and have families of their own.

It didn't take long for the two kind-hearted souls to eventually start dating. Korra was only waiting for when he popped the question to send out the invitations.

Oh, it's a new world

It's anew start

It's alive with the beating of young hearts

It's a new day

It's a new plan

And it's waiting for you

Here I am!

Yeah, here I am!

(~)

Iris wasn't the only child of Korra and Mako who was growing up. The adopted spirit children, Ali, Mika and San were the most loyal and playful older siblings Iris could ask for. The winged lizards were now the size of a large cat while on all fours. But, most of the time, they walked upright, using their front claws as hands.

Ali, the oldest, had decided to follow in her father's footsteps and trained to become a police officer. She was the first spirit in known history to ever be appointed as a new officer at Harmony City Police department. Mako couldn't be prouder.

Ali, the middle one, grew into a beautiful and loving lizard who loved caring for children and animals. She worked at a pet store, and often catered to the plants around the city. She was well organized, sociable and down-to-earth she charmed all who knew her.

San, the youngest, decided to follow his uncle's former career and became a coach at the pro-bending arena. He loved encouraging, and yelling, at the rookies. It was definitely his dream job.

Speaking of the arena, when Butakha decided to sell the arena after having fallen for an exotic fire nation woman and decided to leave the city for good, Bolin was able to buy the place, promising to treat it with the upmost respect and love as the pro-benders did. He allowed San to make the attic his new place to live, along with his sisters. Needless to say, they loved it!

(~)

Iris was now thirteen-years-old as was Hiro. Akari was twelve, as was Mai, while Gallant was the youngest by eleven. Chi, the wisp, had become a permanent member of their group, proving time and time again just how devoted she was to her friends.

The friends attended Harmony High, a school where humans, ponies and even spirits attended to study and learn. P'Li was one of the teachers there. Despite being much older than the others, at least biologically, Chi still resembled a fifteen-year-old girl, and had the mentality of one as well. Still, Nova insisted that she attended school in order to experience what it was like being like every other kid. Chi only cooperated because she would be with her friends, but she often sleeps during most of her classes.

Mai had become a protege engineer, constructing extravagantly detailed race car tracks with her tools, models cars that actual worked, and even used her firebending to fix a few bugs in the mechatanks, which Asami allowed due to the child having full control of her firebending.

Hiro trained in the pro-bending junior leagues, with Akari, as the firebender, and Gallant as the airbender, since they now allowed airbenders to play the game. However, they were still short a waterbender.

One hot summer day, the kids were at the docks of the city, where they ate some of the seashore food at the nearby shack. Hiro felt something hit his head.

"Ow! Hey!"

"What's wrong?" Chi asked.

"Something juts hit my head!" Hiro looked down to see that what had hit him was an old shoe, which smelled like low tied. "What the heck?"

Mai winced in pain when something came flying at her and hit her shoulder. "Ouch! Okay, what gives?" she looked down to see that it was a paper plate, crumbled and wet. She picked it up with the tips of her fingers, making sure to keep it as far away from herself as possible. "Who throws plates in the ocean and then back?"

Iris looked over the railing to try and find whatever it was that was throwing these things. She saw bubbles on the surface and then something else was thrown upwards. Iris quickly dodged it and tried to see who was the culprit. She saw something that appeared to be a fish tail. A sea creature, maybe.

"Hey, you down there! Show yourself!"

Akari approached and saw the silhouette of the fishy culprit. "It's okay, we won't hurt you. We just want to talk."

The others approached the railing and saw something approaching the surface. Gallant instinctively hid behind Chi, who only rolled her eyes. The creature finally popped up from the surface, revealing herself to be an anthro earth pony girl with lilac skin, ears and aqua green colored hair with purple streaks and a seashell hair clip. Her eyes were a dark magenta, and a pale blue musical note with a pearl was on the left side of her cheek.

The others were rather surprised by this reveal. "You're a pony?" Gallant asked, no longer frightened.

"Well…sort of." the girl lifted up her tail to showcase to the others…which was actually a fish tail!

The others gasped in shock. The girl had the upper half of an anthro pony, and the lower half of a fish! Her scales were a dark lilac, with long fins that almost resembled a flowing dress, the fins were a paler lilac shade with the tips fading to a green color.

"No…way!" Akari said, her jaw dropped, "You're a merpony!"

"Yeah. My name's Nori. My dad and I moved into an underwater cave here at Yue Bay. I'm sorry for throwing that garbage at you, I was just trying to clean the ocean. You wouldn't the believe the junk that gets tossed down here, it doesn't do my hair any favors."

"We're sorry to hear that." Iris said, "I'll talk to my parents and I'm sure we can solve that problem for you."

"Really?" Nori then gasped, "Wait a minute! Are you…Princess Iris? Daughter of Queen Korra?!" she asked in awe. Iris blushed and nodded her head. "Oh, my Neptune! I'm such a huge fan of her and the Elements of Harmony! It's an honor to meet you. Oh, hang on a sec, I'll be right up."

The others looked at one another in confusion when Nori started swimming towards the wooden port and sat on it, raising her tail up. She revved to have been wearing a yellow green full body dress with a dark aquamarine undershirt, a blue belt with a pink seashell buckle, and two straps, styled into an X across her chest, the ends of the straps hung loosely at the front of her shirt. The others watched as her tail was magically turned into a pair of lilac legs, with fins attached to the back of them, and wearing flat shoes. She had the same fins on her arms, which faded from lilac to a darker shade, similar to her tail, same as her legs, which were darker lilac from the knees down.

She effortlessly walked up the stairs and approached the others, bowing in respect. "It's very nice to meet you all, and thank you for helping me out."

Mai's jaw was still dropped and pointed to the merpony's now legs. "How did you do that?!"

"Oh, we merponies have the ability to change our tails into pony legs. Or, human legs in my case. Or is it anthro legs? Never mind, You get the idea."

"Well, it's very nice to meet you, Nori." Iris said, "And welcome to Harmony City. I think you're really gonna like it here."

"I think so too."

And Nori did enjoy her time in Harmony City. She enrolled at the same school as her new friends, and she immediately fell in love with Rarity's boutique. The merpony loved the fashion of the surface world, and Rarity was so thrilled to have another young pony who shared her passion. Nori practically begged to work there, and Rarity was more than happy to hire her. The merpony was such a friendly and bubbly soul. And her father…was quite the dashing stallion for one that lived under the sea.

(~)

Iris sat on the edge of the cliffside of the island, where her loyal pet orca-wolf, now the size of a leopard, nuzzled her cheek. She gazed at the statue of Avatar Aang. She snapped her fingers and made a single plant grow from the ground. She had grown strong with her magic, but had yet shown any signs of bending. She theorized she took after her grandmother Senna and just didn't bend. Not that it mattered much, she still had magic. Still, even with these powers, and the knowledge of what she did to Ronin in the past…she had yet to do anything else as extraordinary. She wondered if she would ever get the chance.

Her doubts were put on hold when she saw her best friend Akari flying towards her, encouraging Iris to come along. Iris smiled, petting the orca-wolf's head and took to the skies.

Meanwhile, Tenzin watched the two from his place underneath the gazebo.

Tenzin:

Here I am

This is me

There's nowhere else on earth I'd rather be

He smiled when he saw the rest of the kids; Chi, Mai, Hiro, Gallant Steed and Nori all greet their two princess friends and started chasing one another on the beach.

Oh, and here you are

Still growing strong

Right here in the place where you…

Belong

(~)

Ohhhhhhh!

Iris, Akari, Chi, Mai, Hiro, Nori and Gallant Steed all danced in the Grand Galloping Gala, with their parents and friends, with spirits and ponies singing and dancing beside them. Iris and Akari wore the most stunning princess gowns, being twirled by their respected fathers, and doing a choreographed dance number for everyone present.

Applejack and Double Diamond happily danced with their twin children; a boy named Half Pipe and a girl named Sweet Gala, both five-years-old.

Pinkie Pie and Cheese Sandwich also had a five-year-old child. A daughter named Cookie Cream Pie.

Rainbow Dash had given birth to a healthy gill, who she named Fire Fly. She was the spitting image of her mother, except her eyes were green like her father's, and her rainbow mane had more of yellow, green, orange, purple and pink.

Spike had recently become a police officer as well, and was already one of their top detectives. He shared a dance with Mika, while Ali danced with her brother San.

Iris sang and danced for everyone, alongside her friends. Even if she still didn't fully know what her destiny was, aside from being the daughter of the Avatar, which couldn't be where her story ended, there were times where she was just happy to be with her friends and family.

Iris, Akari, Chi, Mai, Hiro, Nori and Gallant:

It's a new world

It's a new start

It's alive with the beating of young hearts

It's a new day

It's a new plan

And it's waiting for you

Oh, oh!

It's a new world

It's a new start

It's alive with the beating of young hearts!

It's anew day

It's a new plan

And it's waiting for us

Nori:

Waiting, waiting, waiting, Oooh

Together:

Here I am

(Here I am)

Ooh, right next to you

(Here I am)

And suddenly the world is all brand new

Here I am!

(Here I am)

Here I am

Iris:

I'm gonna stay!

Everyone:

Here I am

Iris:

There's nothing's standing in our way

Oooh!

Here I am!

Everybody:

Here I am!

Once the song came to a close, Iris happily embraced her parents. Her crown became slightly crocked and she quickly rearranged it. Only for Akari to playfully crock it again, making Iris arc an eyebrow, and playfully ruffle the pony's hair, and was surrounded once again by her best friends.

All the while Tenzin quietly observed from afar with a knowing smile.

(~)