Shadows And Stone

Chapters

Prologue: The Young Thief
Act 1: A Fated Encounter
Act 2: A Few Years Down The Road
Act 3: The Wielder Of Earth VS The Wielder Of The Moon
Act 4: The Earthbender Meets The Princess Of The Sun
Act 5: Applejack Introduces Her New Friends
Axt 6: Gems, Dogs and Earthquakes
Act 7: Applejack Has Some Competition
Act 8: The Wraith Is Reborn
Act 9: A Night Out Ruined
Act 10: The Winter Gala Derailed
Act 11: Water Park Time!
Act 12: Beach Time Fun
Act 13: I'm Right Behind You...

Prologue: The Young Thief

It was a wonderful day in the middle ring of Ba Sing Se. In a nice little park just outside of the shopping district. A boy was sitting under a tree, snacking on a few tasty apples and oranges he had swiped from a few stalls when their owners weren’t looking. This child’s name was Zhou Line. Or, what he was known more so as by the guards of the city, ‘Liū Huá Shé’ or ‘Slippery Snake’. Why a shady name for a child? Because the child has to steal to survive. And every time the guards catch him and give pursuit, he either outruns them or outreaches them. Just on cue, however. Some of the guards spotted him and recognized his face from the wanted posters all around the area. They approached him, looking down on him as he ate. He looked over just in time to see them approaching. He popped the last apple he had in his mouth and instantly jumped up, grabbing his hook swords and makes a mad dash.

“Hey, you, stop!”

The chase had begun. Zhou had hold of his hooks swords in each hand, running through the markets after having pulled up his face mask to cover the lower half of his face. The chase was nothing to him, though. This was an everyday occurrence for the boy, it also kept him in shape as well and also provided him with ideas on escape routes. The boy was quick in his movement, leaping and climbing up on stalls and rooftops to avoid his captors. He used his hook blades quite well. He didn’t use them in combat if it could be helped. But, he did use them a lot as an extension of his arms. They helped in latch onto structures and climb them as well, swing through small openings and all around increased his mobility Eventually, he even leaps through a cabbage cart, the hook blades pulling the cart apart by its supports and crumbling.

“Daah, my cabbages!!!”

“Sorry!”

Zhou shouted as he continued his evading of the guards that were chasing him. He leaps onto a roof after hooking his blades into a wall, climbing up it like it was an easy feat. Once he knew he was a good distance between them, he drops down in an alley way and sheaths his hook swords, he lifts both of his arms up in a quick motion and creates a nearly perfect wall of rock to make it look like it was the dead end. Immediately turning on his heel and sprints off to his home.

“Geez, these old men are never going to catch me. The guard needs more workout sessions for their men.”

He said with a light chuckle as he made his way to his home. It was getting to be about that time to call it a day anyways. He had dinner to make back home.Once he made it back home, he removed his bracers and shin guards after placing his hook blades on their rightful place on the wall. The building he lived in used to be a small out of the way merchant shop. Since it was abandoned, however Zhou thought it would make a great place to call home. He has been living in this out of the way building for about three years now. He keeps it as home-like as possible, having furry guests come in and visit him now and again. But most animals usually warm up to him. He offers them nuts and fruits. Since it is only mainly small creatures that come and see him. Luckily they learned to only come and see him when he is home. Maybe since he treated them so nicely, they understood. Eh, animals and their way of thought is never really clear. Why does Zhou live on his own at such a young age? Well, it all started one day when his father just...seemed to vanish without a trace.

He woke up in the morning one day and they were just gone. No signs of a struggle in the house or force of entry. It’s like they simply disappeared. Zhou lived outside the walls of Ba Sing Se away from the big city in a small tight-knit village. He was raised like any other child and discovered his talent for earthbending at a younger age. A gift that was passed down to him from his father. Fang Lin. Zhou doesn’t remember much about his mother, unfortunately. His father told her she went somewhere far far away with her mother and father. Only until later he found out that she had died while giving birth to her son shortly after. He didn’t resent his father for lying to him, though. He knew he was just trying to protect his feelings.

After dinner was cooked and consumed, Zhou washed up and got ready for bed. It was indeed that time to get some shut-eye, and be ready for the day that would come tomorrow. Once he laid his head down and closed his eyes, however, sleep would bring a dream that would...not seem to make sense to him. More like a vision than anything. Images flashed before Zhou in the dream, indicating at least two different paths that were possible an image of the glowing blue stone. An armored hand reaching out to grab him or vanishing into a blinding light. This vision continued to plague Zhou’s mind until he woke up in the morning, sitting up and breathing heavily, sweat dripping down his body...

“That dream...it felt so vivid….”

He looked out his window, seeing storm clouds coming to gather over the city.

“Is it a warning of something to come soon…?”

He asked himself as he stood up and washed the sweat from his body. He gets dressed and grabs his weapons and bag, packing his father’s earthbending scrolls and all the items he needed the most.

“I think...it’s time I find myself a new home…”

He said to himself as he tied his bag over his shoulder. He leaves behind a few fruits and snacks for the animal friends that would visit in the middle of the floor.

“Sorry guys, but I need to move on. It was fun.”

He said before jumping out his window, beginning his journey elsewhere. He pulls his hood over his mask and put his face mask on. Once he made his way to the lower ring by sneaking past the guards, he noticed it was oddly quiet. No one was out...at all today. Then he heard it. The sound of many footsteps heading his way. They were the footsteps of guards coming to surround him. He could feel it through the ground. Once they got to him and surrounded him, the captain came forward shouting out commands.

“Remove the mask and drop your weapons son. We don’t want to have to hurt a kid…”

“For what? For stealing a few pieces of food each day so I can survive? I don’t have any family to provide for me so I do what I have to do.”

The captain actually took pity on the boy, but he had a job to do.

“I know son. Your father used to be one of our brightest guards. But we haven’t seen him since his disappearance.If you come with us, we can see about helping you.”

Zhou slowly reaches behind him and draws his hook swords.

“Help me how? By throwing me in jail? Trying me as an adult in court? No thanks. I will take my chances on the outside of Ba Sing Se.”

The captain shakes his head.

“Look around you, boy. You are surrounded by guards. Where are you going to go?”

Zhou smiled under his hood, gripping his swords and going into a stance that surprised the captain, his eyes widening.

“I know that stance. That is your father’s….”

He suddenly steps back, as do all the guards.

“He is going to use the ‘Sand Snake’ technique! Get back all of you!”

But it was too late. Zhou stomps his foot on the ground and is immediately lifted off the ground slightly and begins to ride the ground on a flat thick rock. Hook swords held out as he starts to grab the guards by the ankles and trip them as he rides his way through. His objective was the main gate that leads outside of the lower wall. After that, he was free of this place. Finally, his goal was within his sight. Once he would get to the wall, he’d ride upon a stone platform and make his way down the other side of the wall. He sheaths his blades and continues riding to his freedom, only to have a massive wall start to go up in front of him. He comes to a complete stop before colliding into it. The Dai li making their appearance finally.

“End of the road kid…”

One of them said as he threw one of their signature stone hands at him. Zhou quickly deflected it and shattered it.

“My father’s scrolls have taught me all about your cheap tricks. Long Fang needs to train his troops better…”

“And just like your father, you are nothing but a nuisance. Stand down, Zhou Lin. Don’t make yourself an enemy of the state...like your father did.”

It finally hit him.

“You...are the one who took my father didn’t you..? You people specialize in quick and silent kidnapping. It had to be you!”

“Your father made his own choice, Zhou. And it ended in his demise…”

Zhou was about to go into a rage when he noticed something falling towards him from the sky. Upon closer inspection, it was that strange fine blue crystal he had seen in his dream, and it was headed straight for him. He grins to the agents.

“You won’t get the chance to take me. You may have killed my father, but you aren’t getting me!” He said as he stomped the ground again, this time a large rock pillar shoots him off the ground and into the air. He grabs the glowing crystal and clutches it tight to his chest.

“I don’t know what you do or what you are. But please..take me away from this place, even this world. Get me out of here!

“As you wish, warrior of stone and earth.”

Said the crystal in a soothing warm female voice. And just like that, in a blinding light, he was gone.

--Ponyville, Sweet Apple Acres,Midnight--

The blinding light appears once more this time spitting him out into a field of trees. And not just any trees. Apple trees. He smiles lightly to himself, happy to be away from the bigcity.

“Whatever you are...thank you..”

There was no response, but that was okay, he was still grateful. He stands up and grabs one of the apples off the tree with one of his hook swords, catching it as it falls and takes a big bite out of it.

“Aaah, sweet freedom…”

He said as he makes himself a rock shelter in the opening he landed in, making it his home...for now. Little did he know though, this world had plans for the young earthbender. And he was going to get involved in things he never thought would involve him.

Author's Note

Here you go everyone, prologue complete.

Act 1: A Fated Encounter

Author's Note

Okay, before you all get started on reading. I'd just like to say I was laughing the whole time during this chase scene at the beginning because the music I picked went so well with it. And I was laughing like a damn idiot the whole time I was typing it out. Anyways, enjoy.

May the darkness grant you peace.

Act 1: A Fated Encounter

‘Any minute now….”

Said the excited farm pony, her emerald green eyes looking over the orchard of apples as the sun started to rise. Once it did, she jumped up in delight.

“YEEEEEHAAAAAW, It’s officially apple buckin’ day!”

She said as she ran through the orchard, looking at all the apples that had grown nicely before the harvest time. The fresh, ripe juicy fruits shining in the morning light as she makes her way over to the first tree and kicks it hard. The apples falling in the baskets as they should. A noise catches her ears though. The farm filly stopping to listen for it again. It sounded like...something was being struck repeatedly and in quick strikes.

“What the hay is goin’ on here…?”

She asked herself as she went to go and investigate the sound. Applejack was a fit and spry filly. Her time on the farm had made her stronger and more sturdy than most fillies her age. But she still had her southern drawl and beautiful eyes. That would get a colt’s attention. Eventually, she came upon the source of the sound. There was a figure standing in front of one of the trees. Punching it over and over. Applejack noticed the stone structure not far from him. And a basket of apples sitting close to it as well.

Have they been living out here long…? Ah haven’t seen them before. And they have been livin’ off mah apples! That thievin’ no good…

Applejack quickly approaches the figure with a glare in her eyes, ready to beat down the figure.

“Hey, you! Stop beatin’ on my trees and give me back my apples!”

She shouted in anger. The figure quickly turned to see her approaching and quickly leaps away from his current position. Taking a stance and eyeing who it was after sliding on his hood and face mask. He was expecting a human girl to come running at the sound of her voice, but what he saw definitely wasn’t human.He stomps on the ground and forces a rock to pulls his weapons to him that laid nearby. He catches them, going into a defensive stance.

“W-what are you?! Stay back!”

Applejack stopped when she saw what he had just done. He had made land just...shift and move by a single movement of his foot! And now he held these odd but dangerous looking weapons.

“Ah should be askin’ YOU that question. You are on private property!”

Zhou looked the new being over thoroughly. He could definitely tell she was female. And he she had some human-like features, more equine in appearance overall though. And she looked like she was about his age as far as he could tell. He thinks it over for a moment and then sheaths his blades on his back.

“Look...I am just a drifter. I saw your apples and I took a few. Can’t a guy get something to eat? You have a whole orchard full of them after all.”

He said with a light smile, shrugging his shoulder. His voice was in a more carefree and playful tone than it was earlier, trying to see if he could just slide by. But it seems the filly wasn’t going to buy any of it.

“C’mere you! Let me see your face!”

She said as she leaped at him, her strong legs carrying her directly to him. Though he simply laughs and literally side-slides without moving an inch physically, the ground having shifted and carried him. Applejack lands straight on her face, looking back at him in shock.

“What the?! Hold still darn it!”

She said as she tried to leap for him again. He again slides to the side without really moving.

“Alright, Ah have had about enough of this! I don’t know what fancy magic yer usin’ But you better give me back my apples!”

He runs at her full force. Thinking he was going to attack her, she puts up her guard. But little does she know that wasn’t his intention. Instead he waits till he gets close enough and kicks off his feet, sliding right under her between her legs. He chuckles lightly and quickly pours all the apples his can into his bag before she can get to him.

"You are going to have to catch me first, farm girl!"

He said as he took off into the orchard. Oh, Applejack was furious. Not only had she been tricked by him, but he had made off with some of the hard work her and her family had done.

“Get back here, you!!!”

She said as she began the chase. Zhou wanted to use earthbending to make his escape easier but, he also didn’t want to wreck the orchard that they had worked so hard to build. He had his hook swords and agility. He would be just fine. Though he could hear the sound of hoofsteps gaining behind him. He looked back to see her close on his heels. The chase itself was comedic in its own little way. Each time Zhou hides behind a tree and peeked out, Applejack would look around another tree trying to find him. This would go on until they finally saw one another and the chase resumed.

“You are fast, I’ll give you that! But I ain’t stoppin’ till you hand over my apples!”

“Come on blondie, give me a break! I just wanted a snack was all!”

They bantered during the chase. Zhou eventually came to a white fence, leaping over it in mid-run and lands on his feet, but trips and tumbles a bit, leaving Applejack plenty of time to close the distance. Zhou jumped up quickly and took off again. They were in the open farm yard now. Just then, Zhou spotted two more ponies who looked like the one that was chasing him. An elder green furred female and a big burly male with red fur. Zhou didn’t slow down, though he heard Applejack shout out.

“Big Mac, Stop him! He has some of our apples and he isn’t gonna pay for’em!”

The young stallion ran towards Zhou and stood in his path directly. He was a big one, but Zhou knew how to handle these without causing serious harm. As he ran forth and Big Mac attempted to grab him, he drew one of his hook swords and slid past Big Mac, hooking the stallion’s left leg and using the strength and the force of the slide to flip the stallion off his hooves.

“Sorry big guy! Nothing personal!”

He shouted as he continued to run

“Big Mac! You were supposed to catch him!”

Applejack shouted as she ran past her brother, who let out a groan and a simple.

“Eeyup.”

However, the elder pony just smiled and laughed.

“Well looky there. Applejack’s got herself a new friend. Quick and spry youngin’ to!”

Big mac just grunts again, he sits up and watches them both run off further into the yard, eventually getting to the barn itself. Soon enough Applejack had Zhou in a corner outside of the barn.

“Alright, you got nowhere to run now. Hand’em over or I will hog tie you quicker than you and say ‘apple pie’!”

He had already thought ahead and moved to the side a bit. Applejack moved to block him off his escape, but that wasn’t his plan. He draws his hook swords once more.

“Apple Pie.”

He said with a smug smile under his mask. Applejack watched his eyes and then his movements, her eyes widen as she sees him run towards the wall. She knew exactly what he was doing now.

“Oh no you don’t!”

He made it to the wall before she could, however.His runs up it halfway and latches his hook swords into the wooden walls. He starts pulling himself up the wall by reaching up and jabbing the metal hooks into the structure, eventually making his way to the rooftop and claiming victory of the chase.

“Can’t get me now can you?!”

Zhou said as he holds his arms out in a ‘come get me’ gesture. He reaches into his bag and pulls out a green apple. Taking a victorious bite out of it after pulling down his face mask. His hood still concealing most of it in its shadow. Applejack growled with a death glare.

“Didn’t your parents teach ya’ll not to steal from others?!”

Zhou scoffs at Applejack.

“Pfft, the jokes on you! I don’t have parents!”

“Well your family should have taught you better than that!”

Zhou throws the apple core at Applejack, missing her by mere inches.

“I have no family for your information! But that is none of your business!”

It suddenly hit Applejack, her eyes widening as she realized she may have just stepped on a rather sore subject for the boy. She looks down and takes off that signature brown leather stetson hat of hers and rubs the side of it.

“Look..ah am mighty sorry for bringin’ somethin’ like that up. Can we just talk about this? Had ah known earlier ah wouldn’t have made such a big fuss about it. Could you at least come down? Ah promise I won’t try anythin’.”

Zhou looked down at the filly. He search her eyes for any deception.her words sounded genuine enough, though. He nods and brings his hand toward him while forming it into a fist, A large rock pillar jutting out of the ground and toward the roof. Applejack watches in shock, nearly falling back on her rear. Zhou leaps onto the rock and slides down to the ground. Stomping his foot and the rock sinks back into the earth like it was never there. Applejack hops up to her hooves. Staring at Zhou like he was a demigod or something.

“How in tarnation do you do that?! With the ground and the rock?! Out of nowhere!”

“It’s called earthbending. An ancient art passed down by my people for generations. We can control and manipulate the earth around us. We can even pull massive rocks straight from the ground.”

“So the way you were movin’ earlier..without actually movin’...”

“Yes, that was also earthbending.”

She shakes her head in amazement but gets serious.

“Look, Ah really am sorry for bringin’ that up earlier. Ah guess not havin’ any family means you have to provide for yourself somehow.”

He sighs and shakes his head.

“Look, I steal because I have to. It was the only way i could survive back where I am from. I am not greedy or anything, I just stole what I needed to survive. I honestly thought the apple trees here were wild ones. I had no idea this was private property when i was thrown into this world.”

Applejack arched a brow in confusion, placing her hat back on her head.

“What do you mean ‘your world’? And what in the hay are you exactly? You aren’t a pony that’s for sure. And the way you move is quite impressive.”

Zhou slowly removes his hood and reveals that he is nothing like a pony at all. He had semi-long white hair that was parted down the middle. But what caught Applejack’s attention the most was his bright purple eyes. They looked like they could pierce the soul if one stared into them.

“Huh...definitely not what I was expectin’ to see. Those eyes are a little unstelin’ though. Anyways, might I invite you inside? We can talk in the kitchen then.”

Applejack asked as she started walking towards the house.Zhou hesitated for a moment, then followed. Once they were in the house along with Big Mac and Granny Smith. They all looked at him with curiosity. Though Big Mac was slightly irritated.

“Hey big guy..sorry again”

Big Mac sighed, but nodded, accepting his apology.

“Now,how about you start up by tellin us your name, sonny?”

Asked the elder mare. Sitting down in one of the chairs of the table to rest her old bones.

“I am Zhou Lin. just a parentless kid who has been living on his own for the past three years. And clearly, I am not in my own world anymore. Especially see what you all are now.”

“Do you remember how you got here?”

Asked Applejack.

“Well, I remember this strange glowing blue stone falling towards him. I grabbed it in mid flight and suddenly, I am brought here. And assuming the apples here were free game, I made myself a little home which was the little structure you saw near by when I was training.”

“Is that what you were doin’? When you were hittin’ the tree?”

“It was. See as an earthbending I have to make sure both my body and mind are in top shape, that way I could make my way to being an earthbending master just like my father was.

This was the beginning of the young earthbender’s new life. And fate had many things planned for him to becoming a master earthbender. And it all started here with this fated encounter.

Act 2: A Few Years Down The Road

Four years have passed ever since Zhou was thrown into this world. And over that time, it hasn’t been so bad. The Apples had allowed him to stay with them. For months, he made his home outside in the barn in the hay loft. It was better than what he was used to staying in. At least it was nice and warm and the rain stayed out. But as time flew by, and he had become closer to the family, eventually becoming like a younger brother to both Big Mac and Applejack, and also becoming an older brother to Applebloom. Even Granny Smith thought of him as her own grandson. He was so helpful around the farm whenever he was needed. Being an earthbender. You train your body more physically than any other bending discipline. That meant he was able to lift many heavy objects with no issues. And if he couldn’t lift it with his bare hands, earthbending always did the trick. Soon enough, they all agreed to let Zhou move into the house itself. Giving him the guest bedroom upstairs where Applejack and her siblings slept. Over the years, it would appear that Zhou grew very close to Applejack. Zhou grew to love everyone in the Apple family and saw them as his new actual family. But he was fond of Applejack especially. Was it because she was just like him? Competitive and fun to be around yet, at the same time sweet and caring? And possibly her blunt honesty? Who knows. And now, the story comes to the present day, in which the earthbender’s unknown destiny will take its next step.

--Early Morning--

Zhou was outside in an open area that was cleared of dead trees. He had made it into a training ground/bending area so that he could improve on his abilities. He had created low inground but large pit. He did this so no rogue rocks would fly out and hit anyone. Not to mention it dulled the sounds of the constant crashing and smashing sound of the rocks and earth as well so he wouldn’t wake any of the still sleeping family members. As of what he had been working on for about a week now. It was something he had picked up back home. A little blind girl was known to possess this technique. She looked small and fragile, but he had seen her in action when the avatar came into Ba Sing Se. He was observing both the avatar and the girl in action during their raid on the earth kingdom palace before the fire nation took control of the city. And today, he finally found out her secret. It is an ability called ‘seismic sense’. He had achieved this through blindfolding himself, levitating rock and throwing it against the walls of the pit, listening and obtaining a sonar like sense. Now seeing with sound like a bat would. It was definitely a handy skill to obtain. And with a mind of a former thief and stealth user, it is only natural he would want to learn this skill for himself.

“Alright...now I need a test subject…”

He said to himself. Luckily enough he heard hoofsteps from above the pit, without even removing the blindfold, he knew exactly who it was.

“Morning AJ. Sleep well?”

Mornin’ Z. Out here again bright n’ early as usual, Ah see.”

“You know me. Gotta better my abilities till I know every single new skill from my father’s scrolls. But I actually perfected this new technique this morning. Mind if I borrow you as a sparring partner real quick? I need a live test run.”

Applejack arched a brow, but chuckled lowly and hopped down into the pit, crackle her knuckles and stretching her arms and legs a bit. Applejack had grown into a fine young mare. Very fit, but at the same time nice and ample in all the right places. Zhou knew she was no pushover when it came to physical strength, the girl can kick a tree and make every single apple fall from them after all.

“Ah was wonderin’ when we were gonna have another one of these…”

Zhou has grown up nicely as well. Tall and well built. Just like his father was. His hair had darkened slightly and he has even developed a slight beard. His constant training giving him a hardened body, but not to the point where he had muscle upon muscle bulging from his body. He didn’t want that kind of body, at all. He chuckles and made sure his blindfold was secured, taking his usual stance.

“The usual wager then…?”

He asked.

“Of course, and no usin’ your fancy earthbendin’ .You hear?”

He chuckled lightly.

“Well, considering I am fighting you blindfolded, I think it would be a bit unfair. But fine. It will make it all the sweeter when you lose.”

Applejack was the first to make the move, which is what exactly Zhou wanted. He could only describe the sense of seeing waves of sound coming from her hoofsteps. It was working. And with the new ability, Zhou felt lighter and quicker than he ever did. The spoke between punches and kicks, just like they were having a normal conversation.

“So...are you...goin’...to the sun...summer festival...tonight?”

She asked between breaths.

“I don’t...know AJ. I haven’t...gone...to any of the..others. I guess...since I am...not..a pony, I don’t...really feel...welcomed.”

He said as he blocked her strong legs with each kick she gave.

“Oh, now you..know that’s...not true! Plenty of...ponies...back in town...don’t see you as a stranger...anymore! And...are you sure...you ain’t peekin’....under that thing?!”

“Maybe...you aren’t as..good as you...think you are, AJ.”

He knew that taunt would rub her fur the wrong way. Which would cause her to get careless in situations like this. Her attacks were getting sloppy now. After a while of this, he finally decides to end the match by grabbing her arm in mid-swing. He yanks her forward and quickly pulls down. Applejack is sent into a flip. If there were any onlookers, they would see the final move in bullet time. Applejack hits the ground hard, letting out an ‘OOF!’ when she did. Zhou chuckled evilly and crouches down, looking over the exhausted mare.

“Good fight as always AJ. Big Mac can’t even keep up like you can. That said, though…”

He said as a wicked grin slowly spreads across his lips.

“I look forward to seeing you running down the road and into the lake buck naked tomorrow night.”

Applejack stared at him with an unamused face and a heavy blush. She growls at him.

“One of these days Ah am gonna be the one launghin’ at you runnin’ around naked...mark my words…”

He lets out a hardly laugh and offers a hand to help her up. She blinks at him. She knows it is all in good fun and shouldn’t let it upset her. After all, hardly anypony comes out this far from town. That is the only reason they both agreed on the terms a few years back. She takes his hand, he pulls her up onto her hooves, though she leans into him when she comes up. Though she quickly steps back. Zhou walks over to her hat and picks it up, for it had fallen off during the match. He slaps it on his legs to get the excess dirt off it, then places it on her head.

“There you go.”

He said with a big smile.

“Thank you kindly, Z.”

He nods to her before removing his blindfold, revealing his bright purple eyes that could pierce one’s soul if he ever looked into their eyes. He looks down at Applejack.

“So the rest of the family is coming by in about an hour to come and help set up the food arrangements, huh?”

Applejack nods firmly.

“They sure as sugar are.I know they will be happy to see you again. They have been writin’ to me askin’ about you a lot. You really have become part of this family, Z. You may not be a pony, but we all love you anyways.”

Zhou couldn’t help but smile to himself. He had gone from being a drifter and a thief in order to survive to a valued and loved member of a family that wasn’t even human. He wraps his arms around the farm pony, hugging her tightly. Her eyes widen and a blush comes across her cheek.

“Thank you, AJ. Thank you for everything. You, Mac, Applebloom and Granny. You all took me in and took care of me when you didn’t have to.”

Applejack closed her eyes and smiled to herself, wrapping him up in a hug.

“Think nothin’ of it sugarcube. You came here not knowin’. And we can’t fault you for that. Though Ah have to say, with you bein’ here and the abilities you possess, you have helped us a great deal. Especially with the harvestin’. I don’t know how you are able to use that fancy earthbendin’ of yours, but it sure is pretty neat. And you don’t even need magic to do it.”

Zhou releases her from the hug. They both step away from each other slightly.

“Well, we better go and get things prepared. We got a lot of work today.”

He nods in agreement.

“Indeed….bet I can knock down more apples than you can today.”

Applejack grins and glare playfully.

“You’re on…”

--A Few Hours Later--

“SOUP’S ON, EVERYPONY!!!”

Shouted Applejack. Suddenly a herd of family members rushes the area. All except for Zhou. who was back in his pit. Applejack looks around with an arched brow.

“Darn it all. Doesn’t he ever stop..?”

She looks back to the pony who had come to check on the preparation for the food for the festival. She introduces all of the family that was nearby. Then point to the pit that was a way away.

“That there is Zhou. He is the newest addition to the family.”

Sure turns and calls out to him.

Hey Z, Come meet our new guest! She has come by to check on the preparations!”

The pony in question shakes her head.

“Nono, I can see the food situation is handled. I...better get going.”

Applebloom walks up to the pony and gives her those big adorable eyes. It tugged on Zhou’s heartstrings every time she did that to him.

“Aren’tcha gonna stay for brunch?”

The pony thinks on it.

“Sorry, but I have an awful lot to do…”

Suddenly the sound of rumbling is heard and a rock juts out of the pit with a figure leaping from it. He lands on his feet and smiles to the new pony.

“Come on now. Just sample the food at least. They all worked really hard on it.”

“‘Bout time you came out of there. Twilight, this is Zhou. Zhou, Twilight.”

“A pleasure to meet you Twilight.”

He said as he reached out and offered his hand. The lavender unicorn was absolutely speechless at what she had just seen. Not only did she not know what he was, but he can control earth and stone?! Yeah, she was staying for brunch. She had tolearn more about this being.

--An Hour Later-

“And that is what earthbending is.”

Twilight smiled widely, her eyes sparkling quite a bit.

“You must let me watch and study you sometime...I would love to learn more about you and compile research data. but..I really must be going. I hope to see you around sometime!”

She did not think it, but she had unknowingly made a friend in the earthbender. And soon, his friendship would aid her in her own destiny, as would all the others that become intertwined with his and hers.

Author's Note

I feel like I made Zhou's and Applejack current relationship feel quite real with the beginning :)

Also, it's hard to find a decent picture to give visuals on AJ on my go-to site. She is still sexy, but her naughty bits are/.mostly covered. And yes I know, the gun isn't supposed to be there. But the picture is merely for body reference.

May the darkness grant you peace.

Act 3: The Wielder Of Earth VS The Wielder Of The Moon

Zhou walked down the dirt road that leads into town. E had just washed up from training and was making his way to the town hall, in which the sun summer festival as to take place this year. Yes, he had decided to go.

Hey...what could go wrong? I am not even sure if the princess knows I have been living in this world for as long as i have. And who knows, maybe I will bump into some of the ponies there from town.

Once he was in town and was coming up to the town hall, however. He stopped in mid-walk. Something wasn’t right. It was as if the ground was telling him that a very dark and negative energy was within that building. Sure enough, there was a sinister looking blue mist looking cloud that flew out of town hall. It stopped immediately once it seemed to notice Zhou. The mist started to drift closer to him. As it did this, he reached back and quickly drew his hook swords. He wasn’t sure if it would be of any use but, at least it would help him maneuver around should he need to be quick. These hook swords were the same design he had when he came here. But just recently he made a new set out of a meteorite that had crashed nearby a year ago. He needed large ones to work with his more grown-up self and the black metal blended in nicely with his choice of attire. The mist was mere feet away from him when it stopped. It quickly flew away from him.

“That...was weird…”

He said to himself. He hears hoofsteps going on behind him. He looks back to see that it is Twilight making a mad dash to the Golden Oak, the local library, with Applejack and a few other ponies in tow. His curiosity gets the best of him and he follows behind, hanging back however so that he isn’t spotted by the others. He even pulls his hood over his head and lifts his face mask up. He couldn’t help but chuckle to himself in his mind.

It’s been quite since I have snuck around. Let’s see if I still possess some of the Dai Li’s skills.

He lowers into a crouch on the ground as rock gloves form around his hands and feet. He had seen this done by the elite branch of the stealthy earthbenders and had watched them for the three years he was without family. Zhou had always taken an interest with their stealth-like skill and precise attacks. This is his first live test run however. He slides along the ground silently from building to building, following them and then sliding under an open window to listen to their conversation.

“Hmmm...the elements of harmony?”

He asked himself as he soon caught sight of the mist hovering above him, then flies off again. This time, however he gives chase. He runs into the wood after the mist. Little did he know that he was taking a different path than Applejack and the others. Though eventually, he did come across a broken bridge. That wasn’t going to be a problem for him, though He backs up a good few feet for a running start, and right at the edge of the ledge a rock propels him forward, during which he leaps across the valley and onto the other side barely making it. But he couldn’t stop now. He had to move on and see exactly what was going on.

--Thirty minutes later--

The six ponies were able to get the bridge up after Rainbow Dash’s loyalty was tested. As they crossed the bridge, however Applejack noticed a strange rock formation that did not look like it was natural. In fact, it looked like it was forced out of the ground to serve a specific purpose. Applejack stops Twilight half way across the bridge while the others go on ahead.

“Twilight...something seems very off about that rock formation. It doesn’t look natural...and Ah only know one pony who could do that…”

Twilight knows as well, her eyes widening.

“You don’t think he’d…”

They both start running ahead of the group to make their way inside, leading the herd. The other run behind them a bit confused as to why they were in such a hurry all the sudden.

--Thirty Minutes Earlier--

Zhou walks into the castle, making his way to the uppermost room after following the blue mist inside. Once in the room, he stops, looking at the mist that was floating in front of some kind of artifact display. He squeezes the hilt of his swords as he approaches.

“What matter of being are you, mortal?”

Asked the mist. Taking a solid form of a tall alicorn with black fur and dark blue armor. She has sharp teeth and slitted eyes.her armor was very revealing in all the right places but still served its purpose.

“I am just a humble human is all. You, on the other hand, must be Nightmare Moon. I have heard quite a bit of your legend.”

The dark alicorn arches a brow and slowly starts to approach the shorter male, though she stops when she sees him take his usual stance with his blades.

“I am afraid you and I are not of the same alignment. Do not let my appearance fool you.”

She laughs and draws her own sword, a shimmering black and dark blue double edge blade that glowed in the moonlight.

“And what can you do to me then? You don’t even have any magic!”

“Tch, I don’t need magic to fight you. And even if I do lose to you. I know I will have Applejack on her way here to literally kick your teeth in.”

“You dare speak to me like that?! Pathetic welp!”

She was baited by his words. Believing that no being under her has the right to speak to her in such a manner. Zhou slid across the stone floor as if he was levitating, he didn’t have his stone gloves on anymore, but he did indeed keep the stone boots around his ankles intact. With the swing of their blades and the clash of their metal, the fight began and was under way.

CLINK! CLANK! SHING!

Those are the sounds that echoed throughout the castle as Zhou and Nightmare moon went blade to blade. Through a series of acrobatic flips, jumps, and flips, Zhou was moving around Nightmare and trying to pry off pieces of her armor to make her more vulnerable. Hook swords aren’t meant to stab or impale, they were slice and slash, but also used to break apart armor. Nightmare Moon growled in annoyance as he was tearing her armor apart.

“Just what are you trying to accomplish by this?!”

She asked while still trying to keep herself covered as she swung her sword at him. He chuckled lightly.

“I am simply going to remove you of your armor. You seem to be more concerned about covering yourself rather than defending yourself. This makes you an easier target.”

He said while idly twirling his swords in his hands, even shuffling his feet along the stone floor to taunt her.

That’s right, make her angry, she will not think clearly and that will give you the timing you need….

His eyes widen as she then sends a large beam of pure concentrated magical energy at him, he slides to the side and chuckles lightly, sheathing his blades onto his back.

“So you plan on using magic now huh? I suppose I can switch it up as well.”

Nightmare lets out a hardy laugh

“Oh you brave, stupid little mortal. I am the ruler of the night! You think you can even get close to me without any magic?!”

Zhou grins widely and takes his earthbending stance, taking in a deep breath slowly, then lets it back out.

“I may not have magic, but I have this!”

Suddenly the crumbled ruins of the castle begin to roll towards Zhou and form into a large pile behind him. Without hesitation, eh back throwing punches through the air, the rocks flying at neck breaking speed toward Nightmare moon. Along with a few kicks in the mix as well. This caught Nightmare off guard, a few rocks hitting her in the ribs and midsection of her body. Not only did they cut into her flesh a bit, they were leaving bruises as well.

“How is that even possible?! You don’t have any magic!”

She screamed in anger, throwing more magic at him, landing her fair share of blows. But Zhou was resilient. Even though he was receiving burns from the concentrated energy, he still held up as he continued casting more rocks at her. She charges up another large beam of magic, however, this time Zhou blocks the oncoming blast with a large thick wall of stone that rises up from the floor, Then slams his palms against it to send to large slab flying at Nightmare. She was able to destroy the slab before it could hit her, but right behind it was Zhou, now reequipped with his glove hands and a glare. He swung his right fist directly into her cheek, blood flying from her mouth when he did so. He then proceeded to land as many hits on her body as he could

Hit her vitals, but not enough to cause her lingering damage, but make it hurt…

He thought to himself as he slid around her, landing hit after hit. She was furious now. She suddenly lets out a loud scream, a large shockwave pushing Zhou back into the wall hard away from her. He lets out a grunt of pain, then a yell of agony when he looks over to see that she had flung her sword into his shoulder, pinning him. He takes hold of the blade and pulls it out as hard and quick as he could. He falls to his hands and knees and lets out an annoyed growl.

“Tch...dirty trick….”

“All’s fair in battle, mortal...now I am going to end this once and for all!”

She exclaimed as she charged up another large beam, Zhou’s instinct is to move again, but he suddenly feels heavy, like he can’t move. He notices a dark blue aura surrounding him. Was this her magic?!

Now..die!”

She shouted before making direct contact with the beam. Zhou lets out a loud scream of pain as it burns all over his body. And to make matters even worse, all this happened right in front of Applejack when she and the others made it up to where they heard the commotion. Her eyes widen as she sees Zhou fall to his knees, covered in bloody wounds from the blast and the shoulder wound he had received from Nightmare’s blade. Zhou looks over to see Applejack, tears flooding her eyes as she watches him fall to the ground, it felt like an eternity as she watched.

“Sorry AJ...I guess I didn’t train hard enough…”

He said with a weak smile before hitting the ground.

“ZHOU, NO!!!”

Was the last thing he heard before he lost total consciousness.

_________

It was dark. Zhou's body laid motionless in the dark void, nothing but the sound of his own heartbeat slowly starting to come to a stop. He felt like this was indeed going to be the end, that is until a white light filled the void he was in. It lowered down and revealed a figure, he couldn’t tell who it was because of his blurred vision. Though once it made contact with him by wrapping its arms around him in a gentle, warm embrace and not to mention the soft ample breasts that pressed against his body, it was definitely female.

“You can’t die here, Zhou...they still need you, and she will need you even more so.”

The voice he heard was warm and soft. It made him shiver, that warm tingly feeling running down his spine when he heard her.

“You are a brave man, Zhou. And you did what you thought was right. But you need to train more and become a master of your element. Those six will be needing your power sooner down the road…”

She said as she wraps her wings around him lovingly.

“Now...return to them, Poor Applejack is sobbing over your body as we speak. Don’t let her shed anymore tears.”

_________

Zhou slowly opens his eyes and takes in a breath, Applejack was leaning over his body with her head buried in his chest, her arms wrapped around him tightly.

“Please come back….Ah need you Z...the family needs you…”

He slowly lifts up a hand and lightly runs his fingers through ehr mane, a weak smile forming on his face once more.

“”Come on AJ...you can’t be rid of me that easily.”

She gasps and lifts her head up to look at him. He was alive!

“Oh thank Celestia!”

She shouted as she hugged him tightly.

“What...about Nightmare Moon?”

“We took care of her, Z. it’s all said and done.’

“Good…”

He said before his stomach growled.

“...Because I am starving. Did you bring any food?”

Applejack sighs and shakes her head, lightly bumping her forehead with his.

“You are a dang fool. You know that, right?”

Author's Note

Alrighty, gonna stop here for now. If you guys want more, let me know.

May the darkness grant you peace.

Act 4: The Earthbender Meets The Princess Of The Sun

After having been out of the hospital for a few days, Zhou was fully recovered and back to throwing rocks and splitting the ground as if he never got hurt from his encounter with Nightmare Moon. Not only that, but the loss had given him the mindset that he needed to train more everyday. That he needed to improve his earthbending and hook sword skills. Though he started right when he was released from the hospital. And the doctor clearly told him to take it easy. But like all earthbenders, he was stubborn and strong willed. He fought through the aches and pains while he trained. Though it did concern Applejack and the other members of the family. But all was well in the end.

As always, Zhou was up early in the morning before everyone else. Doing his usual training when he heard what sounded like the beating of wings in the air coming towards him. He looked up to see two of the royal guard in their golden armor land in front of him a few feet away. They were tall and muscular. But then again so was Zhou, but if they wanted to take him with force. He would have no trouble with them. They looked like all they had was regular swords. Something earthbenders can easily combat.

“How can i help you boys today?”

Zhou asked as he crossed his arms over his chest arching a brow at the two.

“We have orders to retrieve you. From Princess Celestia herself. She wants to meet with you personally.”

“Am I being charged with something?”

“Not at all. She said it was about the...incident with Nightmare Moon.”

One of the guards walks up to Zhou and holds out a clear small crystal that seemed to radiate with magic.

“Take this and you will be brought before her.”

Zhou takes the crystal hesitantly, a minute goes by.

“Uuuuh….when is it gonna hap-.”

Suddenly he is swallowed by a bright light. He appears suddenly in a large decorated white room and a red carpet leading up to a throne. He stands there with wide eyes and blinks a few times. He feels a slight tingly sensation throughout his body, probably the aftereffects of his first teleportation.

“What...just happened?”

He asked before turning around and seeing who was sitting before him. A beautiful white alicorn, with a mane and tail that seemed to flow freely as if on a gentle wind, but that was none. Not to mention that they were both of a multi-colored spectrum. She was curvy in all the right places and she looked like she stood about eight feet tall. So this is the princess of the sun he had heard so much about. Celestia herself.

“Ah, I see my guards have retrieved you for me.”

She said as she stood up and began walking down the stairs that her throne sat upon. Zhou watched her movements. She was graceful in her steps, but she had a very nice sway to her hips.

“And you have been living here for nearly six years now? How is it that you have been staying under the radar for so long, young one?”

He lightly shrugs.

“It’s quite easy for me to do actually. I spent three years on my own when I didn’t have a family back in my world. The guards in the kingdom even gave me a pretty sweet name because I stole food and pieces of gold to survive.”

He said with a big smile, his arms crossed over his chest as he stands proud. Celestia however arched a brow at him. She understood that he had to steal to eat. But why was he so proud of it?

“And what was this name they gave you?”

“They named me ‘Liū Huá Shé’ or ‘Slippery Snake’ because I’d always slip away from them, even when they caught me. When you are an earthbender and a master of moving around on foot, you are hard to capture.”

There was that word she was interested in, ‘earthbender’. Twilight had told her mentor about the human and his abilities, including the name. She was as curious as Twilight when it came to them. After all, the young man can manipulate and toss dirt and massive rock like it’s second nature.

“Yes, my student, Twilight Sparkle mentioned your abilities to me. She says that you are quite a capable warrior. She told of these weapons you possess called...Hook Swords?”

Zhou nods and unsheathes them from his back. The guards immediately take a defensive stance and get ready to rush the human, but Celestia puts a hand up to stop them. Zhou walks over to the princess and twirls them in his hands, the hilts facing toward her now as he holds them out to her.

“You can take a look at them if you want to.”

He said as he placed them together. Celestia gets a curious look in her eyes, taking both of the black steel blades and examines them fully. They are definitely something she had never ever seen before. And she had never seen such dark steel. She was really curious as to what kind of ore he had created these out of.

“It is not like any other sword I have seen before. Is there a purpose to having the ends curled into hooks like this?”

He took his blades back after she handed them back to him, he sheaths one but keeps the other out.

“As you can see, the back of the blade itself is often used as a regular sword. The hook, however is quite versatile. It can be used to trip, slash, and even disarm my enemies. But when you are someone like me..well, you find evasive ways to use them. For instance, let’s say your wingless guard are trailing after me in the town below because i stole a piece of fruit or something. I am sure, being a city of many building, I could scale the walls and climb the roofs, using these swords as an extension of my hands and arms. Easily propelling myself about. Especially if you have lots of rope line for me to glide across.”

Celestia was genuinely fascinated by this. Such improvisation and creative skills. But now, it was time to ask him about his greatest ability.

“And would you please tell me about this…’earthbending’ you can do? Twilight Sparkle seemed very excited when she told me about it.”

Zhou rubs his chin in thought, then nods.

“Honestly Princess, all I can tell you is that it is an ancient art passed down from my people. Some of us are born with the ability, some are not. I could show you how they work exactly but, I am not sure you want me to wreck this room. Considering this is all made from rock.”

He said with a light chuckle. Celestia blinks and nods. She definitely did not want her throne room destroyed.

“Then, perhaps you can show me in the training grounds?”

“A wise idea.”

“Very well, if you will take my hand please young one.”

Zhou slowly reaches out and does so, when he felt her touch, it was...gentle and warm, even more so when she wrapped his fingers around his hand. It made him blush a bit. Suddenly in a flash of light, they were in the training grounds. Other guards were there as well, getting their own training regiments in for the day. Though when they saw the princess appear, they quickly stopped and bowed. Though seeing the human with her, they all got a confused look on their faces.

“Um...Princess? Who exactly is that with you?”

One of the guards asked.

“He is a guest here. Nothing to worry about. Though, I do need you and the others to clear out for a few minutes. I wish to see the abilities he possesses.”

The guards hesitated for a moment but comply. They move to the sidelines and watch on with their own curiosity. Zhou nods and moves into the middle. He looks back to Celestia.

“Mind if I borrow a few of your archers?”

She raises a brow.

“May I ask why?”

“Well, I can’t show you a decent amount of my skills if I don’t have anything to defend against. Don’t worry, I won’t hurt them and they won’t hurt me. You have my word.”

Celestia was hesitant, but nods. A few archers line up in front of him and aim their arrows at him. They pull back on the strings and release. The projectiles make their way towards him, only to have hand sized rocks thrown directly at them in great accuracy, effectively destroying both the rocks and the arrows. They all watched at what just happened with wide eyes, even Celestia was quite impressed.

“Come on guys, empty your quivers. Not a single one will hit me.”

They grin and accept the challenge, taking aim at him again. All but Celestia didn’t notice, however that rock was forming around his boots.

Wouldn’t that just slow him down…?

She thought to herself. But to her surprise, she saw him...sliding across the ground as if he was gliding. Evading the oncoming arrows with ease. But now, was the fun part. He stopped and took a firm stance, raising a hand up as a large slab of stone came up in front of him and stopped the arrows entirely. The slab falls apart into smaller pieces of stone, he begins to move his arms around fluidly and the rocks start to flow around him like a river. They all stared at this display in complete shock.

“He isn’t even using magic…”

“Who in Equestria is this pony?”

The guards continued speaking among themselves. Celestia however, was quiet and in deep thought.

This being...he can control earth itself without any magic. This is a potentially useful ally...but could be a dangerous enemy. I will have to monitor him over time. But for now, he seems like a very genuinely good stallion. A good heart, a little show-offy. But what stallion isn’t his age?

She giggled to herself at the last part.

“Alright, you can stop now. I am quite impressed with you skill. You do things that even the most powerful unicorns can’t. That being said…”

She said as she walks over to him. He tosses the flowing stones aside as she does. He looks up to her, she was so tall compared to him.

“I will ask you this now. Do you have any ill intentions as far as causing my subjects any trouble?”

She asked with a serious look in her eyes. Zhou simply shakes his head.

“I do not. I am simply living out my life here in Equestria. I know I am not one of your kind. But I have a new family here now who I love more than any being in this world. And I will not do anything that would compromise that relationship.”

Celestia nods a warm smile formed over her muzzle.

“What is your name, warrior of stone?”

“I am Zhou Lin. A pleasure to meet you, Princess.”

She liked that name a lot it seemed, the name just sounded so...strong and firm.

“Very well, Zhou Lin. I also still need to express my thanks to you.”

He tilts his head.

“May I ask why, Princess?”

“You helped save my sister from her darker self. You weakened her considerably before Twilight and her friends brought her back to her senses. You see, Nightmare Moon is in fact, my little sister, Princess Luna.”

Zhou blinks a few times and remembers that night, how he had almost died from that large blast.

“Yeah….somehow I came out alive after that one…”

She nodded a genuine look of slight sadness on her face.

“I am very very sorry for what happened. Should you have died that night, I’d imagine the Apple family would be devastated. But it seems Faust had other plans for you. But, regardless. You helped considerably…”

She walks up to him and wraps her arms and wings around him firmly but lovingly.

“...thank you. Thank you so so very much. I missed my sister all these years, and to have her back means the world to me. I owe you a great deal Zhou, great warrior of stone.”

When she hugged him, he blushed heavily. She was so so soft and warm. Her embrace made him feel...safe and not to mention her ample breasts pressing against his body made his heart rate jump a bit.

“I-I only did what I could. I was only following my father’s footsteps I suppose. He always jumped into other people’s business of he felt he could help for the greater good.”

“Well, I know it wasn’t your business, you could have just done nothing. But you chose to not stand by. And I am grateful for that. Thank you again, Zhou.”

And with that, Zhou’s path was continuing on its way. Later down the road, however. A fork in his path of life will stop him. And he will need to make a critical decision that will change him, forever.

Author's Note

Here ya go everyone, enjoy!

May the darkness grant you peace.

Act 5: Applejack Introduces Her New Friends

Author's Note

Sorry everyone, I know I have been slowing down as of late. A legally blind man finding a job is pretty hard these days. But I will keep pushing the chapters out when I can.

May the darkness grant you peace.

Act 5: Applejack Introduces Her New Friends

Its was just another day for the earthbender. Up before the sun, training before the morning chores, and then breakfast. However, Applejack was going into town for a little while and had asked Zhou to come with her to meet her new friends. Those being the ponies she was with that night that Nightmare Moon had returned. They both walk along the road quiet at first, but then Zhou decides to poke at Applejack a bit.

“Don’t think I haven’t forgotten our bet, AJ. You better hurry while you can. Fall will be on it’s way soon.”

Applejack glared up at him, unamused.

“”Ah will do it when i get good and ready. You just wanna see me without my clothes on don’tcha?”

Zhou was about to say something when he indeed thought about it. Sure, the bet was fun when they were younger. But now that Applejack was a fully grown mare, and a very beautiful one at that. Fit, yet still has those lovely feminine curves, not to mention that sexy southern drawl of hers, it was getting rather hard for Zhou to see her as just family.

“Well...kind of?”

He said with a sheepish smile. Applejack’s eyes widened and a blush slowly crawled across her face.

“I am not gonna lie AJ. I have been with you for all this time like a blood brother. But as I got older, well I started seeing you as a mare that is very lovely to look at.”

She looks down a bit, that blush of her looking adorable on her freckled cheeks.

“Gosh Z. I never really knew you saw me that way at all. I know Ah should be thinkin’ that it’s a bad thing to look at me like that, but I know it’s not because well...you are not of blood.”

Zhou shook his head with a light smile.

“Forget I even said anything, AJ. I really shouldn’t have just sprung it on you like that.”

“I-it’s alright, Z. Honestly you have turned into a fine stallion yourself. You are both clever and strong. Not every stallion can lay claim to both of those. I think when you meet the others, they will be all over you.”

She said with a light jab in his side with her elbow. This making him give a light chuckle. They walked and talked a bit more on their way to town. The walk was nice and peaceful, just him and Applejack.He enjoyed moments like this. If he wasn’t training or working with the family in the orchard, you could always find Zhou lounging under a tree, hands behind his head and the occasional butterfly perching on his nose. Yes, life has been pretty sweet in this world for all the years he had been here. And honestly, he felt like nothing could ever replace it

They finally made their way into town, both of them waving to the familiar faces they knew and even to some they didn’t. The came up on a small restaurant with a few tables on the outside. The group in question was sitting at one of this tables looking over the menus until Twilight’s eyes caught both Zhou and Applejack approaching. She smiled widely and waves her hand to them to motion them over.

“We are over here!”

She said while flailing her arm about, something that Pinkie Pie should have done really. But she was too busy with stuffing her muzzle with a rather large bowl of ice cream. Both Zhou and Applejack wave back with smiles on their face.

“Hey gals! Sorry we took a little longer than expected.”

Applejack says as she quickens her pace towards the group. Zhou walked up to the table to see all other than Twilight and Applejack staring up at him with eyes of curiosity. The first one to stand up and approach him was Rainbow Dash, the cyan blue pegasus with a rainbow mane. He could tell that she was an athlete pony, just by her body structure and the muscles she had. Though Applejack had a bit more on her.

“I just wanna say...it was pretty cool of you to weaken Nightmare Moon the way you did. And all by yourself to! I don’t know what you are, but you are pretty tough! ‘Name’s Rainbow Dash, the greatest flyer in all of Equestria!”

She said before reaching out with her hand. Zhou smiling lightly and takes it, giving it a firm shake.

“Nice to meet you. My name is Zhou Lin. You can just call me Zhou, or ‘Z’ if you’d like.”

Next to look up at him was Rarity, a very posh and elegant looking mare. Out of all her features that caught his attention were her sapphire blue eyes. They were absolutely beautiful to look at, not to mention the rest of her was nice as well. She kept a girlish figure, but also had curves in the right spots, especially a generously sized chest. Though, he saw her eyes trail up and down his form, mainly looking at his clothing.

“My name is Rarity. A pleasure to meet you, darling. Though I must say...your clothing is rather unique. Odd, but at the same time, inspiring. Though, judging by the platting around your arms and legs, I imagine it is meant for combat. And yes, what Dashie said is true. But you nearly died on us that night. You should have been more careful.”

Zhou chuckled lightly and looked to the side.

“Well, I am afraid confronting enemies and problems head on is part of my nature. I am an earthbender after all. We don’t back down.”

Rarity giggled lightly at this, she looked him up and down with half lidded eyes.

“I must say...you do have an impressive physique. And you are rather handsome for not being a pony. I bet you would look rather dapper in a tuxedo with a tailcoat. Would you mind terribly if I took your measurements at one point, darling?”

Zhou blinks a bit. The thought of him wearing something so...fancy just didn’t strike with him.

“I think I will stick with what I got. But it is very sweet of you to offer Rarity. Thank you.”

She gives him a bit of a pouty face while crossing her arms under her bust. Just then then, the pony who was face first in ice cream suddenly appears in front of him with a big smile. Somehow with no ice cream all over her at all. He didn’t question it.

“Hey there, big guy! My name is Pinkie Pie, it’s a pleasure to meet you! Wow, six years and i have never seen you in Ponyville?! That is crazy! Well, we will have to throw you a party anyways! And I promise it will be the best party ever!”

“A party? Well that is sweet of you to offer, but you don’t have to..”

He said as he puts his hands up in front of his chest.

“Oh I insist! There we be music, food, games and all kinds of fun stuff there!”

Zhou smiled and caught a bit of movement in his peripheral vision. It was that of a yellow pegasus mare with a pink mane. She stared up at him with a shy, but curious glance, hiding her face behind her mane slightly. Zhou had one thing going on in his mind when he saw this.

So...adorable…

He turns to look at her, his blue eyes locking with hers.

“And who are you then?”

“I am….Fluttershy. It is nice to meet you Zhou. I have seen you around town the few times I got to the market.But I am...usually pretty shy when it comes to meeting new ponies.”

He chuckles lightly and slowly reaches up, lightly patting her on the head with a nod.

“And it is nice to meet you as well, Fluttershy.”

The mare flinched at first when he did this, but then seemed to nuzzle in his gentle touch with a sway of her tail. They may be sentient and humanoid, but they still loved being petted, even Applejack did when she wasn’t in public. After introductions were made, the group sat down and ordered lunch. They group asked Zhou about where he came from and and what exactly earthbending was. Twilight taking down any notes that she could that she hadn’t found out about him already.

“So, let me get this straight. You can control and manipulate the ground, rocks or any form of earth WITHOUT magic…?”

Asked Rainbow Dash, still in a state of disbelief after he had got done explaining his methods of earthbending.

“Mhm, earthbenders are born with the gift. Not sure how, but we can work on it over time and we become masters of it. Back where I am from, there was a little girl that was an earthbender, and she was blind. And yet, she beat everyone down she came across. It was amazing.”

“You will definitely have to show me sometime! I’d definitely like to spar against you as well!.”

“Well, I won’t lie. You will have me at a disadvantage since you are a flyer. I have never faced an airbender before, but I know that style of bending is one that I would have trouble facing off with. But sure, I am down for a good spar.”

Dash’s smile broadened and she jumps over to him, wrapping an arm around his shoulder with a giggle.

“Huh, pretty cool of you to admit I would be a challenge for you, Z. You are alright!”

“And he is a pro at using these things on his back to. He never leaves the house without them. In fact he actually made these himself just last month. He impresses me and the family with every new talent he shows.”

He lightly rubs the back of his head and chuckles lightly.

“Awww..come on AJ. You are a pretty talented mare yourself. Not only are you good at bucking apples, you are an excellent fighter yourself. You have many talents, all of you do. You may not know it, but you tap into them each day. They may not be on your flanks, but still.”

The group listened to him as he talked. It is something they never really thought about, Sure, they had the special talents, but they never thought about the talents that branched off from that main one.

“You know, when you put it that way, it does make me feel like I have more to offer...you have quite the optimistic outlook on life…”

Said Applejack as she rubbed her chin in thought. Smiling up at the man.

“Oooh, clever and strong….you don’t find that in a lot of stallions these days, darling…”

Said Rarity as she bats her eyelashes at him flirtatiously.

“I can only imagine what else we can learn from him. It’s rather exciting!”

Said Twilight as she clapped her hands together while she bounced in her chair, ever the hunger for knowledge with this one it seems. Yes, things did start rolling in motion for the earthbender. Who knew that he would end up in a world like this, become a member of a family of these being and end up befriending five more in the future as he lived in the world. Even meeting it’s rulers, Things were being set into motion for his destiny. Though what his destiny was, would have to be learned down the road in his life. As the young man will indeed be facing trials. Emotionally, mentally, and physically.

Axt 6: Gems, Dogs and Earthquakes

Rarity walked down the road which leads to Sweet Apple Acres. She had a very important job that needed to be done, as a client had asked her to make more outfits with more gems than she had already. Knowing full well of somepony who could help her in her endeavor, she went to seek him out. The beautiful fashionista saw her friend, Applejack, who was in the middle of carrying a basket of apples on the way to the barn. The unicorn smiles and waves to her.

“Applejack! Good to see you again, darling!”

Applejack stopped and smiled to Rarity, bowing her head in greeting, seeing as her hands were full at the moment. She wandered over to Rarity.

“Howdy Rarity. What brings you by this mornin’? Come to pick up some apple pie?”

She shakes her head.

“Oh no, I need to watch this figure of mine after all. No, I am actually here looking for Zhou. I need someone to help me look for gems for an extremely important client, and with his unique talents, and he would be an absolute big help. Do you know where I can find him?”

Applejack chuckles lightly and shakes her head.

“Your guess is as good as mine, Rarity. He's around the farm somewhere. I know that much. His usual spots are either on the roof of the barn or under the big apple tree that is in the middle of the orchard. He isn’t training’ at the moment, otherwise I'd suggest going to the pit.”

Rarity sighs and whines a little, feeling a little frustrated about that.

“Alright, I will go and look for him, thank you Applejack.”

The farm pony nods and resumes her work. Rarity walks up to the barn and tries calling out to Zhou, hoping he was on the roof.

“Zhou! Are you up there sweetheart?! I could really use your help with something, if you’d be so kind!”

Luckily for Rarity, he was actually up there, napping the day away. The man sits up and lets out a yawn. Shifting himself to sit on the roof with his legs dangling over. He smiles down at Rarity and waves to her, happy to see her as always.

“Hey there Rarity. On my way down.”

He said as he slid off the edge of the roof. Rarity’s eyes widen and a sharp gasp comes from her as she watches him drop quickly. But when he lands, the ground cracks slightly under his feet. No harm came to him however. He smiles and approaches her, though the mare looks up at him with a very unamused and concerned face.

“You are going to hurt yourself one day, Zhou! Don’t scare me like that!”

He laughs lightly and shakes his head, crossing his arms as he puffs his chest out a bit.

“Come on, Rarity. You know better than that. I am an earthbender after all. The ground may as well be my own soft landing pad.”

“Well, that may very well be. But I will not be very happy to see you hurt yourself.”

“What are you? My mom now?”

He asked teasingly. Rarity crosses her arms under her ample breasts and puffs her cheeks cutely. Zhou responds with another chuckle.

“I am just teasing you. It’s nice that you care so much about my well-being. Anyways, what was it that you needed my help with?”

He offered her a gentle smile. For some reason, the way he smiled. She just couldn’t stay mad at him when he did. It was a...charming smile. And for not being a pony, he was quite handsome. And his body wasn’t hard to look at either...even more so she was sure if she’d ever get a peek under that clothing of his.

“I need help with a bit of gem gathering. You can control and manipulate the earth, so I figured you’d be the perfect stallion for the job. I will search for them, and you can unearth them for me…”

She leaned into him and looked up, batting her eyelashes at him, her usual trick to winning a stallion over. However, Zhou crossed his arms and arched a brow.

“Now rarity...batting those pretty eyes at me isn’t necessary. You don’t have to do that to get what you want or need you know. You could have just asked.”

She blinks a few times and steps away from him, blushing a bit in embarrassment. It seems that her lady-like charms are not needed around him. This made her feel...strange about him now, in a good way it seemed.

“O-oh...it’s quite unusual for stallions to not be affected by my charm. That being said however...I think it makes me want to try even harder with you. And I don’t know why…”

Zhou blinked a few times and laughed. Surely she was joking with him about that...right? Nonetheless, they were soon on their way to their destination. They walked side to side, none bothering to speak. It wasn’t that they didn’t enjoy each other’s company, it’s just Zhou didn’t really know what to discuss with Rarity. Though she decided she’d break the ice, as she did want to learn more about the man.

“So, how are you able to do the things you do? Even a skilled unicorn would struggle to move the ground and rock, but you make it look so easy. And the motions of your body seemed to be very intuned with the way the earth flows as you control it.”

He chuckles lightly and places his hands behind his head as they walked along.

“All I can tell you is that it is no form of magic. Like i have told Twi before, it is an ancient art passed down for generations. Some of my people were born with it, some are not. But it’s not just earthbending, there is firebending, airbending and waterbending. I would love to have learned all four of them, but sadly that ability belongs solely to the Avatar.”

“And who is this…’Avatar’ you speak of?”

“Well, the Avatar is the one who, back in my world, made sure that the balance of the world was maintained. Before I was brought here, we were at war with the Fire Nation. They were trying to bring down the Earth Kingdom so they could get a good foothold. I am not sure what’s going on there now. But I do hope my people are still safe.”

Rarity listened to him intently as they spoke. She remembers Applejack telling her that he had been here since he was younger. She wanted to ask him about his parents but didn’t want to be so insensitive about.

“You are probably wondering about my parents?”

She blinks a few times. What is he? A mind reader to?! She nodded hesitantly.

“It’s alright. I don’t mind talking about it. I never got to know my mother very well for she died when I was but an infant. And my father...well...he was always busy. It wasn’t till I grew up a bit more and discovered that my father had been killed. Before I came here, I was living on the streets, stealing to survive.”

Rarity could only imagine the life that he had to live. She grew up in a well-loved home, and her parents are still around. She looks up at him and then suddenly brings her arms around him into a gentle hug. This caught him off guard.

“Well, you don’t have to deal with that anymore. You have not only the Apples, but you have me and the other girls to. We are all going to be your family. And should you ever need anypony to talk to, I will happily set aside time for you.”

She said as she lightly pats his cheek.

“Thanks Rarity...it’s very sweet of you to offer.”

She giggles lightly and gives a smile to him, taking his hand and pulls him along.

“We mustn’t waste anymore time! Gotta get those gems!”

After a bit more of a walk, they finally made it to their destination. Rarity smiles and places her hands on her hips, looking around before her horn starts to glow, she walks around until she carves an ‘X’ into the ground.

“Right here, darling. There is a good bundle of gems here.”

Zhou nods and walks over, this was going to be fairly easy since he was just unearthing gems. A simple stomp of his foot and the fly up. Zhou holds out his tough leather bag he had taken from his room before they departed, the gems falling into place perfectly. Rarity was further impressed at how effortlessly he did that.

“My goodness, I should bring you out here more often! Think of the gems we could find together! Of course I’d compensate you for your services!”

He chuckles lightly and reaches up, lightly petting her on the head. She blinks a few times and blushes lightly at his touch.

“Well...just treat me to lunch and we will call it even, huh?”

She nods again after he takes his hand from her head.

“Mhm!”

As they continued to hunt for gems however, Zhou felt that they were not alone here. As he felt the vibrations of multiple footsteps coming from the bushes not too far from them. He looks to Rarity and gets close to her.

“Rarity..we aren’t alone here. Stay close to me.”

She noticed the tone in his voice went from lighthearted and pleasant, to serious and deep. She saw the look in his eyes as they scanned around. She was a bit worried now.”

“Aaah, so you sensed us before we should ourselves did you?”

Out of the bush came three figures of canine-like appearance, on really tall, one short and thick, the other about in the middle. They slowly approach, keeping their eyes on their prize.

“We first thought it was you who could sniff out the gems, but it’s the pony we want. Give her to us, now!”

“I am sorry guys, she isn’t for the taking. Though you are welcome to try me if you want…”

He said before encasing her in a multiple rock shelter. He draws his hook swords and twirls them in his hands., getting into a combat stance and forming rock boots on his feet. The diamond dogs growl in annoyance has the man cuts them off from who they are after.

“You see boys, I am an earthbender. Defense is part of my specialty. So if you don’t want to end up eating rocks for lunch, I suggest you go on back to where you came from.”

The dog grin and start to dig under the ground, and immediately go for the shelter that he had set up. He arches a brow and takes his other sword into his other hand so he’d have a free hand. He lifts it up into the air as the shelter was lifted up, now having a solid stone foundation. A loud ‘thud’ was heard under the ground, the dogs coming up with large knots on their heads.

“You really think I’d leave my shelter to such vulnerable attack? Sorry, but you are going to have to be smarter than that.”

The dogs growl loudly and leap out of their holes, charging for the man, who got in a fighting stance, ready to see what these new hook swords are capable of. He takes on the first one, sliding across the dirt as if he was skating on ice. This was one of his signature abilities he incorporated, it was like his father’s ability he used, but without the flat rock to aid him. He takes the hook end of his sword and latching onto the dog’s leg and pulls hard, making him flip five times in the air before landing on his face.

“Come on guys, you won’t get very far if you are sloppy!”

He said with a big smile on his face. Rarity watched through the small hole he had left in the shelter he made. He has gone back to a more lighthearted tone and he seemed to be..enjoying the battle! It was like a game to him! She watched his toy around with the dogs as he slid around and hit them with his hook swords. He was hurting them without actually hurting them. There were bumps and bruises sure, but not a single cut or bit of blood shown.

He continues to glide across the ground with that smile on his face, avoiding their attacks like it was nothing.

“You know, if you dig underground, I am sure you have lots of gems stored somewhere don’tcha? How about you go and retrieve those for me? My friend and I would greatly appreciate it!”

That made them angrier apparently, as they came on more with their attacks, trying the best to catch the slippery earthbender, but either end up on their face or on each other.

“Well, if you will not cooperate, then I have no choice it seems!”

He said with that smile of his, sheathing his swords and encases them all with a quick motion of his arms, stones squeezing around their bodies and squeezing tight, there couldn’t move. What happens next though, frightens Rarity a bit as she watches on. He walks up to the dogs and crosses his arms.

“So then, are you going to be good pooches and do as I ask?”

“Never! We will never give you our gems! They are ours!”

Said the leader as he struggled in his stone prison. However, once he said no, his and his companions’ prisons got tighter around their bodies, they all let out a cry of pain as the rocks dig into their body, the tightness slowly but gradually furthering.

“Hmm, unless you want to be crushed by these rocks, you better rethink your answers on that. Or better yet, how about I just destroy the ground entirely here?”

The dogs seemed to really hate the idea of him doing that as they growled at him again, another weakness for him to exploit.

“Well, I didn’t really think you wouldn’t care...but seeing that response on your faces and the growling, I can imagine there must be something VERY valuable here.”

He walks over to where Rarity was and breaks down the shelter, allowing her freedom again.

“Rarity, if you’d please maintain a safe distance behind the tree line please?”

“What..are you going to-?”

She was cut off by him slamming his hands into the ground, his muscles throbbing under his clothing as the ground around the whole area begins to crack and crumble over time, this wasn’t easy work however, as this was a new technique that Zhou had been working on, sweat now dripping down his face as the ground began to collapse in on itself and part in the middle, the whole area was shaking from the tectonic movement that he was inducing. The dogs eventually fell through the large cracks as the rock that was holding them had broken apart. Rarity did indeed make her way to somewhere safe, but watched on in awe as this one being was able to move and destroy the land around him so easily. After all the dust and rubble had settled, there, in the large hole he had made, sat a large pile of gems, jackpot. He must have hit one of their storage rooms. He stands up and starts bending the crystals, they are a form of rock, so it really wasn’t that hard. After filling up each of their bags, Rarity had more than enough gems they needed for her client’s outfits. There were only a few left, so Zhou tossed them back in the hole and looked down to see the dogs huddled together, shaking in fear. He lifts a hand and waves to them.

“Thanks guys! We may be back for more!”

They made their way back to Ponyville. On the way however, Rarity couldn’t keep her eyes off of Zhou.

That was so scary...but at the same time, he went out of his way to make sure I was protected. While he may not be a p0ony, he is quite the gallant knight. I could really fall for a stallion like him..

“Thank you Zhou...for helping me with the gems and keeping me safe from those brutes.”

He looks over to her and shakes his head.

“No thanks are necessary...though after that last bit of bending...I am really REALLY hungry. I could definitely eat a place out of business…”

She can’t help but let out a loud but adorable laugh as he said that.

“Well, then let’s get these back to my home and I will get you whatever you want, you earned, my dear.”

Author's Note

Here ya go guys, another one! And no, no rarity shipping happening here! :P

May the darkness grant you peace.

Act 7: Applejack Has Some Competition

Zhou walked along the streets of Ponyville. He wasn’t in town for any reason specifically, he figured he’d just come in and check on things. Today was a slow day up at the farm so everypony was doing their own thing for the day. The same friendly faces that Zhou knew waved and smiled, he returned the gesture as well. However, one familiar pony will definitely give him something to think about by day’s end.

He decided that he would stop by Sugarcube Corner. Something sweet did sound pretty good, even though he wasn’t quite a fan of them. But a cupcake once in awhile was always good. He walks into the building and looks around, spotting Pinkie and one other pony who was waiting for her order of a box of muffins.

“Do you think he will really like them..?”

Asked the gray pegasus mare with a blonde mane and tail.

“Of course! What pony doesn’t like muffins?! I am sure he will love them!”

The mare smiled happily and took the box of muffins. Though on her way out she wasn’t paying attention and bumps into Zhou. She falls back and the box flies into the air. She gasps as the horror as the muffins she had ordered for someone dear to her was about to fall to the ground. Luckily for her, Zhou was quick on his feet and catch the box before it even got close to the floor.Seeing this, the mare smiled widely, her eyes sparkling. Zhou offers his hand to her and helps her up, then holding the box back to her.

“Be more careful next time. We don’t want these tasty treat ruined now.”

The mare took the offered box into her arms and nodded, wrapping him in a one armed hug.

“Thank you so much, sir! I will be more careful! Thank you again!”

She said before making her way out. Zhou heard clapping, Pinkie seemed impressed.

“Zhou coming in to save the day again, huh? Be careful there, hero. You may be getting more attention than you can handle with all your heroic deeds. Especially from the mares.”

She said as she walked up to him and nudged him playfully in the side, raising her eyebrows up and down then giving a little giggle.Zhou laughed lightly and shook his head.

“Naaah, I am good at a few things, but come on. Can you imagine a mare really wanting to be with me? Granted I do find them very attractive. You are pretty adorable yourself, Pinkie.”

The party pony blinked a few times and blushed lightly, turning away from him slightly.

“Oooh..you ol’ charmer…”

She said before she makes her way back behind the counter.

“Anyways, what can I get ya?”

She asked shaking off her blush. Zhou rubs his chin in thought and originally thought of getting a cupcake, but one of those large cinnamon rolls were actually looking pretty tasty. He points to exactly that.

“Oooh good choice, I just brought these out actually!”

She said before reaching under the counter and picks one up and places it in front of him.

“What do I owe you?”

He said before reaching into his pocket.

“That’ll be two bits!”

He nodded and placed them on the counter top, then takes his cinnamon roll and bites into it. Oh god...it was amazing! Still fresh and warm with a gooey center. It was absolute bliss.

“Wow...you made this? I knew you were good Pinkie. But this?”

He said before taking another bite. She smiles at his compliment and fiddles with her hands a bit.

“I actually added a bit more cinnamon frosting than i was supposed to, they just didn’t taste right without the right amount..”

“Well, you did the right thing in my book. Keep doing what you do Pinks. And thanks, I may have to come by again tomorrow.” he said before finishing off his snack and makes his way out, waving to her. Once he was back out on the streets, however, a voice called out to him.

“Zhou, darling!”

Shouted Rarity as she ran towards him and leaped onto him, wrapping arm around his and nuzzles into him affectionately.

“O-oh, hey there Rarity! Good to see you as well.”

She continued to nuzzle into him, not letting go of his arm. Not that he didn’t appreciate the attention. It’s just...where was it coming from? He wasn’t going to lie though, she was pretty, and she smelled really nice…

“Never thought you’d be this excited to see me.”

He said in a rather surprised tone of voice. However, Rarity made herself clear on why she was acting the way she was.

“Well, did help me so much the other day. You helped gather gems for me and you protected me from those dreadful mutts. If that doesn’t deserve affection from me I don’t know what does! I am so glad you are here today!”

She said as she then pulled him along, heading to her home.

“Please, you must come with me! I need a stallion’s opinion on something I am working on, and I know you will do just fine! I will even make you some tea!”

H-Hey, wait!”

He said as he was being dragged along by her. Eventually, she was able to get him to follow her home.

“Now you just make yourself comfortable, I will go and get the tea made. You like green tea if I remember correctly?”

“Y-yeah i do but you don’t have to.”

“Oh it’s fine, I enjoy making tea for my friends!”

She said before vanishing into the kitchen. It was quiet except when she started humming. Zhou just sat there on the couch, still a bit stunned from the sudden invitation to Rarity’s home and her rather close show of affection. He did remember the things he did for her the other day, but was it really worth all that? After a few minutes, she came out of the kitchen with a tray.She sat it on the coffee table in front of them and sat down next to him, taking up her own cup of tea. Zhou reaches down and takes his as well. She was right, he did enjoy green tea very much. And he just couldn’t let a good brew go to waste. He takes a sip and nods, giving her a smile of approval.

“It’s very good Rarity, thank you for making this for me.”

She lets out a small gasp of happiness when he told her that.

“Oooh good! Now then, about a matter I need your help with. I chose you because I believe you are the right stallion for this. I..well I need an opinion on a new line I am working on.”

Zhou can’t help but laugh lightly after putting down the glass. He puts his arms out to his side in a ‘look at me’ fashion.

“Do I look like someone who you wish to take fashion advice from?”

She looked him up and down, granted he definitely needed a wardrobe upgrade in Rarity’s eyes, but that isn’t what she needed from him.

“Well, it isn’t so much as advice..it’s more of a male’s likes and dislikes.”

She blushed heavily at what she was about to tell him.

“I am making a new lingerie line and...I want to show them off to you...with me wearing them!”

Had he been drinking tea at that moment, he would have spat it out.

“You want me to...what?!”

He asked with his own heavy blush. Seeing Rarity in such revealing articles of clothing would just be...wow! He liked the idea for sure, but why him? Couldn’t she get someone more professional and not someone who’d ogle her like a piece of meat? He knew how he’d react to that situation.

“Rarity...you don’t want me eyeing your body like that...trust me.”

Rarity lowers her head and pins her ears against her head, then looks back up at him.

“You are right, Zhou. I don’t appreciate it when random stallions eye me in such a vulgar way. But...I feel like I can trust you. Otherwise, I wouldn’t ask you of this. Professionals aren’t always honest, but as a friend, I know you will help me. You are a healthy stallion. Your opinions will help me no doubt.”

She gets up and closes the windows of her shop and locks the door to prevent any entry.

“I am going to go and slip into the first set. Please don’t hold back whenever you see it.”

After she had left to go change, Zhou sat there with his head down, his eyes widen with a bit of shock. He could feel his heart getting ready to explode out of his chest.

O-Okay...calm down. She trusts you with this. Don’t act like a babbling idiot when you see her. Keep it together...keep it together!!

After a few minutes, she comes out and stands before him. His eyes still locked to his hands that rested on his thighs.

“Zhou...please look at me…”

She slowly lifted his head to see her wearing thigh high stockings, lacy and tight fitting panties that hugged her nicely, and a bra that was revealing, but not too revealing. And it had a see-through veil that split open in the middle of the front. She spun around to give him a full view. He most definitely liked what he saw, there was no doubt about that.

“Well..?”

He takes in a deep breath and gains his senses back.

“Honestly Rarity, I am sure you look stunning in everything you make. But since this is for your customers. I could definitely see this selling off the racks quickly. For me, though, it’s the thigh highs that sell it for me. I can definitely see a pony like Fluttershy wearing something like this. Perfect for somepony with her shy nature.”

She blushed heavily at his comment but then listened intently to what he had to say about the outfit. She needed in agreement with his assumption about a pony with a shy personality would definitely want to wear this for their partner.

“Yes, thank you for sharing. Now then, I will be back once more. I have a few more to show you.”

He sat and waited again, this time however, she came out in a black and purple bustier, VERY form-fitting and a black dangerously revealing pair of panties, the bustier connected to the black and purple striped stockings. This nearly made his heart explode yet again. The poor guy was having to deal with an erection from all this. Luckily the clothing he wore prevented that from being seen.

“Oh wow...I can tell you right now. Lots of stallions will go crazy if their partners wore that to the bedroom. In fact, I would take you right n-I mean...oh geez…”

He buries his face into his hands after those words. A heavy blush forming across Rarity’s face as she knew exactly what he was about to say. This went on for about an hour. Outfit after outfit. Eventually the onslaught stopped, he laid there on the couch nearly dead from the mini heart attacks he had. He slowly sits up and looks over to Rarity who was coming down the stairs fully clothed. Zhou stood up and got back to his senses.

“Thank yo, Zhou...you really helped me out with the final designs on these.”

“I am just glad it’s over...too much excitement for me in one hour, thats for sure. I need to get outside and get some fresh air.”

He was on his way out when Rarity grabbed him by the wrist and pulled herself closer to him, hugging him gently.

“What you almost said earlier...I don’t think it would be such a bad idea...should you get to know me better. It was amazing how you have such will power, I caused you so much stress when I was showing off to you. But you still refrained. I’d really like to get to know more about you, Zhou. You are sweet...caring and protective. Please, don’t be a stranger, come see me anytime.”

She said before leaning up and kissing his cheek lightly.

“Be careful out there, Zhou.”

Once they said good bye and he was on his way. Thoughts were swirling in his mind.

She is a lovely mare don’t get me wrong...but what about Applejack? She has known me way longer and I really like her to…

Yep,things were about to get very complicated for the earthbender. VERY complicated.

Author's Note

A little love rivalry is always fun!

May the darkness grant you peace.

Act 8: The Wraith Is Reborn

It was the day of Nightmare Night. All the ponies were getting ready for the celebration at hand and Zhou was busy prepping the farm for it’s usual festivities. There was bobbing for apples, pumpkin catapults, all kinds of games for ponies of every age to enjoy. He was busy putting up all the hanging decorations in the orchard, getting the hayride for all the little ones ready.

“This will be a better Nightmare Night than all the ones we have done put together.”

He said to himself after he put up the last fake ghost and stood back with his hands on his hips, admiring his handy work. He then heads back to the house to take a lunch break, but then he hears something eerie call out his name, like a quick whisper.

Zhou~

He quickly turned and shifted his eyes in each direction. Looking for the source of the voice. However, he could find nothing. He scratches the back of his head and shrugs. Then begins his walk back to the house. Not giving the voice a second thought.

“Hmm, must go going crazy. It wouldn’t be the first time.”

He said while poking fun at himself. He chuckles lightly and makes his way back to the house and grabs something to eat in the kitchen. He made himself a nice big bowl of soup that was full of shredded chicken and noodles. Luckily all the ponies that knew him understood that he ate meat, but they didn’t have to fear him eating them, thankfully. He was the only one in the house at the moment. The others must still be getting everything ready. But he was only in for lunch, poor guy didn’t get to grab breakfast this morning so he had been looking forward to finally getting something in his belly. Once he had finished eating and washed his bowl out, he makes his way back outside and runs into Applejack on the way out. She smiles up at him and lightly pats his chest.

“Got hungry huh?”

He nodded with a chuckle. She could still clearly smell the scent of the soup he had made.

“Yeah, that’s what I get for skipping breakfast. Was just so excited about prepping for tonight though.”

Applejack gave a giggle and nodded, knowing that Nightmare Night was one of his favorite holidays ever since he had his first one.”

“Well, most of everythin’ is done. Big Mac could use your help with the bails of hay though. We need them for both the hay ride and for settin’ them up for ponies to sit for breaks. Mind givin’ him a hand?”

Zhou nods and lightly pats her shoulder as he walks by.

“Consider it done, AJ.”

“Thank you, Z. Y'all be careful now.”

“Come on, I am an earthbender. This is easy work for me!”

She chuckled again and poked fun at him.

“Yeah, only because Ah know you will find some kind of lazy way to distribute them across the farm.”

She knew him well, a wicked smile formed across his face. As his plan was going to be both fun and quick.

“Just make sure to watch your head, AJ. I am glad Apple Bloom is with her friends, otherwise I wouldn’t be able to do this.”

--A Few Moments Later--

BOOM!!!

A flat stone rose as it launched the hay bail across the farm in a perfect place, then another, then another. Applejack watched in amazement as they landed in a nearly complete circle. She shook her head with a sigh but smiled at his accuracy.and skill.

“Boy howdy. Sure wish Ah had skills like him. Though, Ah really do hope he like my costume. I just hope it won’t be showing too much fur.”

Applejack wanted to look amazing for him. Ever since he told her about how he felt about her and how he thought she was absolutely beautiful. She has had it on her mind every day and is starting to have similar feelings for him as well. Well, more like hidden feelings that have slowly rose to the surface and are getting harder to contain day by day. Little did she know, however, that one of hr best friends was having the same exact feelings about him as well. Would it create tension between the two? One would assume so.

--Nightmare Night--

Zhou walked around the farm making sure everything was in order. He smiled at all the colts and fillies running around in their costumes and enjoying themselves with the games and food that was offered. Applejack was nowhere to be found though, nor were her friends.

“Hmm, she must still be getting ready And the others must be on their way here.”

Zhou was acting as sort of a security measure, making sure that there wasn’t any issues forming about the farm. He had his hook swords with him, just in case something like that did occur. However, something cause his eye when he was about to walk past the orchard. A black and purple fiery orb of sorts appeared to be floating behind the tree line. Zhou arched a brow and slowly made his way towards it.

“What the…?”

As he got closer to it, it started to drift away from him, weaving and circling through the trees as it headed deeper into the orchard, the mark darker part of it anyways. It was off the beaten path where the hayride was being used. Curiosity got the better of him, however, and soon he gave chase. He leaped through the orchard after the orb, sometimes even swinging from tree to tree to catch up to it. Though eventually, it brought him to an opening in the orchard. The orb stopped in the middle for a moment, then proceeded to speak with Zhou.

”My my~ You are quite the agile human, aren't you? Especially for one your size.”

Said the eerie ghostly voice with a light giggle. Clearly, it was a female by the sound of it. And the fact that she knew he was human caught his interest right away.

“How exactly do you know what I am, spirit?”

”Because, silly boy. I am from your world as well. Well, from your spirit world anyways. I am the spirit of the shadows. And I have been watching you for quite some time.”

The orb approached him and began to circle around him, the tail gently brushing against him in a flirtatious manner. Zhou kept an eye on the orb, however, ready to respond should she try to attack him, but so far it seemed like she was enjoying his company.

“But how am I able to see you? I thought only the avatar could see spirits and communicate with them. And clearly, he isn’t in this realm. And how did you get here anyways? You are a far way aways from home.”

The orb bounces around in front of him, then responds.

“I know I am. I have been trapped in this realm for quite a while now. Hoping, praying that a human would come along and release me from this place. But not just any human would do, oh no. They had to be strong in body, mind, and heart. And who should come to this land but you, my dear earthbender? I watched you grow from a young boy to a finely matured man. The devotion you have for your training, your loyalty towards your new family and friends and your sheer willpower. They are qualities such as a spirit such as myself admire greatly in human. So, here is what I ask of you. Would you allow me to use your body as a portal to return to the spirit world from where I came from? And in exchange, I shall grant you the powers of the Wraith.”

Zhou’s eyes widen as that name. He heard the legends when he was younger, but he never believed it to be true.

“You mean...the same Wraith that was one with the shadows and took down nearly a whole fire nation army in one night during the one-hundred-year war? THAT Wraith?”

She lets out another giggle.

”Ah~ Someone has done their homework I see. Such a sharp-minded man you are. Yes, that Wraith.”

He stood there in complete shock, still quite surprised that the spirit of the shadows truly existed. He looks to her again and crosses his arms.

“So what? Am I to become a killer that will slit the throat of evil beings in this world if I accept your gift?”

She lets out a loud, but adorable laugh.

”Oh my dear, what you do with the gift of the Wraith is none of my business. You can do whatever you wish with it. You could become a simple thief for all I care. You have experience in that line of work, don’t you~?”

He lowers his head and forms his hands into fists, the spirit sees this and goes quiet for a moment

”Oh, don’t worry, handsome. I didn’t mean anything negative by it.I know that you only stole to survive back when you were alone. I see nothing wrong with that. But you are a better person now. And you should be proud.”

She floats closer to him and gets close to his face as if she was gazing into his amethyst eyes.

”So then, do we have a deal?”

Zhou thought about it for a moment, the nodded.

“Alright, I will act as your portal. But first, tell me the rules of the Wraith. What can and can’t I do?”

“”The power of the Wraith is it’s own. Meaning once to you the form of the Wraith, you will not have access to your earthbending at all. And while in this form, you are susceptible to pure light magic, and the light of the sun. Should you be touched by any of this in the Wraith form. You will be injured very severely, possibly even die. SO I caution you to use it only when it is night time. Now the upside to this is that when you are hidden in the shadows, even in plain view, no one will even notice you are their. So wherever you see shadow, simply stand there and you will go unnoticed. Not to mention you can travel from shadow to shadow as quick as light. And should you need to form a temporary spot of shadow to get you where you need to go? You can do that as well. Be warned though. Should you use your new abilities too much, your shadow essence will drain. Should this happen, make sure you retreat to the shadows in order to refill your lost energy. Those are the rules and regulations of the Wraith.”

Zhou nodded and listened to her intently. Taking in all the needed info he needed from her. After which he nodded again after she finished.

“I understand completely.”

”Very good~. Let us get started then.”

Zhou lowered himself to his knees and sat on the back of his heels, placing his hands on his thighs with a nod. The spirit’s orb began to expand and glow brighter as if she was gathering energy and getting ready to attack. She flies into his body with great speed and lifts him into the air. He floats there with his hands held out at his sides as the black and purple fire begins to engulf him. He thrashes about in slight pain as he felt a burning sensation going through his body. The fiery aura clears and reveals the young man cloaked in black and red clothing that had strange symbols on them that glowed a bright white. He falls to his feet with his head lowered, slowly lifting it before opening his eyes.

With that finished, The spirit lifts out of his body and begins to drift up into the air. Another giggle coming from her as a small portal opens up behind her.

”Consider the Wraith's garments as an extra gift. Thanks again, handsome. And good luck with those two mares. I imagine it’s going to be quite an adventure in of itself.”

Before he had time to respond, she vanished into the portal without another word, leaving him alone in the quiet darkness of the orchard. He looks down at his hands, then along the new clothing that the spirit had left with him, noticing the glowing marks on his arm and on what appeared to be a..cloak of some sort. This must indicate how much power he has before he recharges.

“Well, at least I don’t have to worry about a costume tonight.”

He said to himself but noticed his voice had an obvious change to it. Everytime he spoke, there was a whispery tone to it before his words even came out.

“Oh wow...the girls are going to FREAK when they see this…”

Once he makes it back out of the orchard and into the area where everypony was. He walks about the crowd as if everything was alright. He noticed that in the moonlight, his energy wasn’t drained nor did it hurt him. This was a good thing, nor did smaller light like lanterns and such hurt him either. So he was safe. However, he wasn’t safe from the eyes of the others as all attention turned onto him. He heard a collective ‘Oooooh…’ As ponies started to gather around him

“Wooooow...great costume!”

Exclaimed one mare.

“What are you supposed to be?”

Asked a stallion.

“Well, it’s called a wraith.”

“What’s….a wraith? It looks pretty scary…”

Said a filly who was hiding behind her mother.

“It’s...a bit of a long story.”

“Z, where are you?!”

He heard Applejack call his name and smiled under his facemask.

“Oooh boy.”

He said before making his way through the crowd to find her, he approaches behind her and lightly taps her shoulder. She whips around and appears to see….nothing.

“What in tarnation...Ah could have sworn somepony was behind me…”

Zhou blinks a few times and waves his hand in front of her.

“AJ, I am right here…”

“Zhou…? What...where..? I can hear you but I can't seen you…”

Zhou blinked a few times then looked down, his was completely cloaked in black except for his eyes and markings on his clothing. He was standing in Applejack’s shadow. When she said he couldn’t be seen at all in shadow, she really meant what she said it seemed. He steps back a bit, reappearing in front of Applejack. She lets out a surprised scream and falls back on her rear, scooting away from him a few feet.

“Th-that’s your costume…? I never saw you workin’ on it! It looks super scary! But how did you...I mean you weren’t there and then…”

“It’s a long story AJ…”

“And your voice...Zhou, you don’t sound like you. What the hay is goin’ on?”

He walks over to her and offers her a hand, helping her up to her hooves.

“Let’s just say...I ran into a spirit and did her a favor, and she gave me something in return. I think it was a fair trade.”

She blinked a few times and shook her head.

“I swear, you get into the strangest situations, Z. No wonder Ah worry about you so much.”

“Your costume looks great by the way, AJ. You look very pretty.”

She was wearing a mid length brown duster that matched her hat, a black leather top and black leather short that was snug in all the right places. All with a golden sheriff star pinned to the jacket He definitely did like what he saw.

“You..really like it, Z?”

“I do AJ. Then again, in a costume or not. I...think you are beautiful either way.”

He said as he looked to the side a bit. As did Applejack, a heavy blush coming across her cheek.

“Well ain't you just a sweet talker...come on, the girls just arrived. They are going to be so surprised when they see you like this!”

She grabbed his hand and lead him along. The rest of the night went off without a hitch. Everyone was having a good time. What Zhou didn’t know, is that the critical choices he’d have to make in his life would also affect his path of the Wraith. What will happen? Even Faust herself wasn’t quite sure.

Author's Note

There you go everyone, enjoy!

May the darkness grant you peace.

Act 9: A Night Out Ruined

Zhou sat on a small hill shaded by a tree in the Ponyville park. He was sitting cross-legged with the back of his hands resting on his knees laid out flat. That’s right, he was meditating. The park seemed like an appropriate place to do so. During the day when all the colt and fillies were at school, it was a tranquil place to be. With apple bucking season now finished, he had a lot more time on his hands. Ever since Nightmare Night, his new abilities have been on his mind quite a bit. So he has been coming here and meditating, trying to get deep within this gift that was left to him when he helped that spirit. However, his meditation was soon broken after he felt something poke at his cheek. He opens his eyes and shifts them over to the direction to see a white furred hand in his peripheral vision. He then looks up to see Rarity gazing down at him with a curious gaze.

“Hm? Hey there Rarity. What’s up?”

“My goodness, I had no idea you were into the art of meditation. How very...zen.”

He leans back against the tree he was sitting under and stretches his legs out. He lets out a light yawn and nods to ehr.

“Mhm, as a warrior, meditation helps out quite a bit. Then again, it can help anypony really. You just have to have the patience for it in order to have it work properly.”

Rarity smiles and lowers herself next to him, sitting on her hooves. She fidgets with her hands a bit as she tries to find the courage to ask something of him once more. As she knows her usual way of getting favors out of males doesn’t work on him. The poor mare is a hot mess after what he did for her last time.He doesn’t even look her way when he speaks.

“What’s on your mind, Rarity? You should know you can talk to me about anything, I will listen.”

She closes her eyes and and lets out a small whimper. She then turns to face him, leaning forward and placing her hands on his legs.

“Oh Zhou, it’s so hard to ask you of this, but I need another favor you! Please…?”

He puts his hands up in front of him for a second then lightly places them on her shoulders, a bit surprised by her behavior.

“Alright..calm down. What do you need, Rarity?”

“I have a very important event I have to go to tonight. It’s to show off my new winter line I had just created. The thing is I do not have a date to go with me! So…”

She lets out an adorable little whine as she pushes against him

“...Will you go with me?! Please?!”

Zhou blinked a few times in great surprise. Out of all the stallions in Ponyville, even in Canterlot, she is asking him? This is certainly something the human did not expect.

“But why me Rarity? You have your reputation to think about. The rest of those uppity ponies are sure to scoff at you for bringing someone such as myself with you. I am sure there are many eager stallions wanting to go with you.”

She leans in closer, mere inches away from his face.

“But I don’t want any of them to go with me! I want you to!”

Zhou leans back a bit. He gazed into those sapphire blue eyes and could tell that she really had her heart set on him going with her. He sighs and lowers his head a bit, then looks back to ehr.

“I don’t have anything fancy to wear, I can’t show up to such an event like this. Though, knowing you I am sure you have planned ahead?”

She lets out a gasp of delight and bounces lightly.

“So..you are saying..?”

“Yes, Rarity. I will go with you. I don’t want you to show up there alone because I said no. I...wouldn’t want you to be sad at an event that could possibly be a great venture in your business.”

He said as he looked away from her with a slight blush on his face. She quickly jumps on him and wraps her arms around him tightly, nuzzling into him.

“Oooh thank you, thank you, Zhou! And yes, I do have something prepared for you. We will leave later tonight, come by later just before sunset and I will help you get ready! Thank you so, so much again!”

She said as she quickly got to her hooves and ran off before Zhou could say anything else. He simply shakes his head and rests back against the tree, looking up before closes his eyes.

“What does she even see in me anyways?”

--Late Afternoon--

Zhou knocked at the door of Rarity’s home, awaiting for her to come and open it. He hear what sounded like to be tripping sounds and a lot of noise going on. This worrying him slightly so he knocked again.

“Rarity? Are you alright in there?”

He heard her scream out, then he heard a male voice as well.

“Hold still you little bitch!”

Zhou’s eyes widen as he tries to open the door, it’s locked. He didn’t want to do this, but she sounded like she was in trouble. So he stood back and and formed a rock gauntlet from the earth and hit the door with all his strength, the door shattering into pieces as he runs in and looks at the male who was leaning over Rarity, her current outfit was ripped apart and he continued to try and remove it further. Zhou was beyond angry at this point. This was supposed to be a good night for her, and it had to start like this. Zhou drew his swords and approached the stallion, who had pulled out a knife and placed it to Rarity’s neck, grinning at Zhou with an evil gaze.

“No a step closer Or I spill her blood on her beautiful neck.”

Zhou sheaths his blades and nods.

“Zhou..please help me…”

She said in a shaky scared voice, tears falling from her eyes, as she watched him. Zhou smiled to her.

“Don’t worry Rarity, he has already made the mistake of even touching you. He will pay for it with a few broken bones.

The stallion laughs as he presses the knife to her throat a bit harder.

“And what are you doing to do from way over there, monkey? You don’t even possess mag-”

He was cut off by the sounds of chains flying through the air, they quickly wrap around his throat and tighten, immediately cutting off his air supply. The knife falls to the floor next to Rarity and the stallion is dragged across the ground as Zhou pulls him away from her with force. That’s right, he has been practicing his metalbending, and has always kept this chain hidden under his sleeve wrapped around his arm ever since. Zhou drags him over all the way to him. He stomps on his chest and pulls tighter at the chain

“Well now, looks like I didn’t need to step closer…”

The stallion kicked his legs and continued to try and pull at the chain that was around his neck. However, Zhou wasn’t letting go.

“Now tell me. What even gave you the stupid idea to even come here tonight? Did she turn you down when you asked if you could go with her? And she shot you down?”

Zhou spoke calmly, hiding his brutal intent behind his eyes as he stomped on the stallion’s chest, digging his heel into his flesh.

“Gah! She shouldn’t be acting like she is hot shit! She sweeps every stallion she comes up to away. She flaunts her looks and her successful life style!”

“And that gave you incentive to try and rape her? Ooooh they are going to love you in the prison block.”

He removes his foot from the stallion’s chest and stand next to his head.

“Sweet Meats, that’s what they will be calling you as they reach through the bars…”

He said before delivering a swift stomp to the stallion’s face, knocking him out cold. Luckily the city guard were actually doing their job for once and heard the commotion. They came in and took the stallion away, but not before listening to a request from Zhou.

“Make sure you put him in the cell with the largest on. A bit of ‘prison justice’ will do him some good.”

With that he return to the still shaking mare who was covering herself as best as she could with her arms. Zhou grabs a blanket and places it over her back and around her shoulders.

“He..didn’t hurt you too badly did he, Rarity?”

He asked with genuine concern, lightly rubbing her upper arm gently as he tried to comfort her. She turned to look at him with tear filled eyes. She wraps his arms around him tightly and begins to sob into his chest, the mare was shaking from her horrible experience.

“Zhou..he was going to...he was going to…”

He brings his arms around her in a protective embrace. He lightly stroked her mane with one hand and run the other up and down her back soothingly. Closing his eyes as he holds the mare closely.

“I know Rarity. But it’s over. He is gone.”

He said as he continued to comfort her as best as he could. She wasn’t going to let go for a while. Zhou knew that this experience was going to leave slight mental scarring, but had he been later, it could have been extremely more worse than that.

“Are you going to be alright for tonight?”

She wanted to say yes, she needed this to get her business out there further, but at the same time, she was mentally and physically exhausted from the ordeal. She shook her head and buried her face into his chest again. He perfectly understood her decision. He carefully lifts her into his arms and carries her upstairs to her room.

“Where is your sister?”

“S-she’s at a friend’s house for the night, thank Celestia she wasn’t here for this…”

She grabs hold of his clothing over his chest, squeezing tightly.

“He...came in claiming he wanted to buy something...and then when I was busy taking inventory, he came up behind me and...started touching me in such lewd ways. I struggled to fight with him but he overpowered me. And then he pulled out a knife. I thought he was going to…”

“He continues to cradle her in his arms closely. Once he gets her into his room, he places her on her bedt gently. He pulls the covers over heri and runs his fingers through her mane again.

“He didn’t. And he never will. Not as long as I am here to make sure you are safe.”

He kneels down ar her bedside and sits on his heels. Continuing to lightly stroke her mane. This was extremely comforting to Rarity. He was strong, very built. But at the same time, his touch was so warm and protective. She had a feeling that he’d come to help her. Even when he was close to having his way with her, Zhou came. When he was most needed. She could not be happier that the human she had secret feelings for came to her aid when she needed it the most.

“Zhou..you saved me twice now. I cannot tell you just how grateful I am to have you as such a close friend. You are brave in the face of danger, and you are clever in situations that seem like they are impossible to get around. You truly are like the knights I read in my books when I was a filly…”

Zhou shook his head with a soft smile as she called him a knight.

“No, I am no knight. In fact, I am just an earthbender who was looking for a chance to test out his new toy. But at the same time, I am glad I was able to get to you before he did. Had he done what he set out to do,. He’d most likely be dead. Because then a pony that I care about would have to live with that haunting memory forever.”

Rarity takes hold of his wrist and gently squeezes it.

“Will you stay with me tonight, Zhou? Please?”

“Like I said, I am not going anywhere. Whatever you need.”

“Then, will you sleep with me? I felt so safe in your arms. It would help me sleep better if..”

He nodded and stood up, removing his armor from his arms and legs and the extra layers he wore in his usual outfit. He didn’t want to strip down nearly naked because...yeah. He crawled into her bed beside her. She immediately pressed herself into him to get as close as she could. She wrapped her arms around him.

“Zhou...hold me. Please?”

He does so, wrapping her into another protective embrace and lightly runs his fingers through her mane once more.

“I got you. And I won’t let go.”

“Thank you, darling. For being here when I needed you the most.”

She falls asleep in his arms, happy that she was in them.

Author's Note

Here ya go everyone. Looks like he is going to get two mares sometime very soon. ;3

Also, if there are any errors in the story I am sorry. My program hasn't been doing it's job as of late x.x

May the darkness grant you peace.

Act 10: The Winter Gala Derailed

The Grand Galloping Gala was to be held during winter this year. Which Zhou felt like it was more appropriate to have during this time given the nature of the event. Not to mention he found winter nights more appealing when gathering with friends and going to events. It’s just how he was. As of now, however, he was in one of the dressing rooms of Rarity’s boutique. He was putting on his new outfit that she had made just for him and she was more than excited to see him put it on. Then again, that’s how she always was. But she was extra excited in this case.

“Oooh, hurry up, darling! I want to see how it looks on you!”

She said as she bounced on her hooves in excitement. Not only she was there, but all the others as well. Even Apple Bloom and her friends were going as well. There we all getting ready for the evening as well. Beautifying themselves and pulling on their own dresses. Even Applejack was putting on things she’d normally never wear. Not that Zhou was complaining though. Sure, he thought Applejack was already beautiful, but seeing her doll herself up a bit wasn’t so bad either.

“Alright, it’s all on. I am coming out.”

He said as he pulled the curtain back and stepped out into view. Rarity lets out a happy gasp as her eyes widen and her pupils enlarge, placing her hands on her cheeks. The outfit that he was wearing fitted him to the letter. Rarity and the others thought so as well. He turns around and shows it off to them, holding his arms out as he gazes over the detailed design, the black, red, and ash gray colors coming together nicely.

“Oooh my….you look absolutely smashing, Zhou! It’s even better than I had hoped!”

She said as she wraps gently runs a hand up and down his arm, feeling the material, using it as an excuse to get a feel for his muscular arms. Quite the smart mare. Trying to get the edge on Applejack most likely. However, she walks over and leans against him with a smile.

“Ah reckon you are gonna be quite the center of attention tonight, Z. Don’t you go and let it go to yer head now.”

The rival between Applejack and Rarity competing for Zhou’s attention has become more obvious over the last couple months. With Applejack finally realizing that she had genuine feelings for her adopted brother, and Rarity having being won over by just him letting her be herself around him along with his strong, but caring nature. Zhou was no fool, nor was he naive to how their feelings were growing. Things were getting just a tiny bit tense between these two mares. Even Twilight and the others knew about it. Twilight was quick to move in and separate them both from the human.

“You two should finish up getting ready after all. We are going to be leaving in about twenty minutes after all!”

“Oh, my dear Twilight you are right! I haven’t even gotten in my dress yet!”

She said as she quickly ran off with her dress in hand into one of the changing rooms, Applejack Not having really finished dressing herself up either.

“Yeah, we better hurry up! We don’t wanna be late!”

She said as she ran off as well. When they were gone, Zhou lets out a sigh of relief and smiles thankfully to Twilight. He bows his head in thanks to her.

“Thank you so much, Twilight. It’s getting a little tense with these two nowadays.”

She giggles lightly and nods. The others come over as well and huddle into a group around him, whispering lightly to keep the two mares from hearing their conversation.

“So which one do you like more?”

Asked Rainbow with wide curious eyes, leaning in closely as she awaits his answer.

“Well, I...I don’t know.Honestly, I like you all. You are such wonderful friends and I am happy to have met you all.But when it comes to romantic feelings? I don’t know who I like out of the two of them the most.”

“Oh I know it’s hard, Zhou. I don’t mean to sound mean or anything. But I am glad I am not in your shoes. I couldn’t deal with all that attention from stallions myself. Me being so shy and all. How in Equestria do you deal with it…?”

Zhou knew that Fluttershy did indeed get a lot of attention from males all around town. She is both sexy, and adorable in one whole package. He chuckles lightly at her question and lifts a finger up in a matter-of-factly fashion.

“The trick is to be unreadable, Fluttershy. Never let anypony else know what you are thinking. Earthbenders have a natural talent for that, it’s like a mental stone wall. Once we put it up, it is hard to break through. Does that make sense?”

Fluttershy gives a little ‘Ooooh’ and gives a couple of nods.

“I don’t think I could ever do that though. I am just too timid by nature…”

Zhou chuckles lightly and reaches up, lightly patting Fluttershy on the head.

“Don’t worry Fluttershy. We all move at our own pace. There is no need to rush. Besides, I think you are fine just the way you are. All of you are. Even you, Ms. Party Pony. Even though you go overboard sometimes.”

He poked fun at Pinkie, lightly poking her in the side, causing her to giggle snort a bit, which was adorable.

“I may go overboard, but I never hear any complaints!”

“Well, that is true. I just like poking at you a little bit. Figuratively and physically.”

--At The Gala--

The Gala was now in full swing now that everypony had arrived. All the ponies dressed in the best clothing, talking to one another and acting at snobbish and self-important as usual. There we a select few though. Twilight and the others of course, but a few nobles came by and spoke with Zhou. They asked about his outfit and he told them about how Rarity made it especially for him. He was boosting her business, that was for sure!

He kept a watchful eye on his friends, making sure that they were having a good time and that their night wouldn’t be ruined. So far, everything looked good. The only pony that wasn’t in the main room was Fluttershy. No doubt outside looking for animals to bond with.That is just what she likes to do after all. Once it came time for the dancing to begin. Zhou was approached by somepony who he’d not spoken with in quite some time.

“My my, look at you. You look even more handsome when you aren’t dressed as somepony who deals with shady business.”

Zhou knew exactly who it was just by her warm and caring voice. He grinned and turned to look up at the sun princess. He gave a slight bow to her and nodded.

“Good to see you again, Celestia. And thank you for the compliment. It does feel kind of nice to be dressed in something nice. Though, this kind of party really isn’t my style. I am only here because the girls asked if I’d come along with them. But, it is good to see you nonetheless. I’d figured you’d be drowning in ponies right about now desperate to get your attention.”

Celestia places a hand over her mouth and giggles.

Normally you are right, but I have guard surrounding us to keep them at bay.”

Zhou arched a brow and leaned to the side of Celestia to indeed see ponies being blocked off from approaching them. He looks back up to her with a laugh.

“The perks of royalty huh? I take it there is something you wanted from me then?”

“You are correct. I have chosen you as my dance partner for tonight if you should accept of course.”

Zhou takes a step back. A little shocked that she’d choose him of all others.

“I’d be honored to dance with you. Though I am not sure about how two certain mares would feel about me dancing with the beautiful princess of the sun. They may think of you as competition “

“You are quite handsome, and a very sweet stallion. I don’t see why they wouldn’t think of me as competition when a pony they love is dancing with a princess. But no worries, Zhou. I wouldn’t add more mare problems to your plate. I just want you to dance with me is all.”

He nodded and took her hand gently, a smile forming across his features.

“Then I accept. Though my dancing isn’t as good as one would hope.”

Once they got to the dance floor, everypony watched as the human male danced with their princess. Some were amazed, some were angry and some were just disgusted that their beloved princess would dance with a lowly human. One of these ponies was her nephew, Prince Blueblood. He most certainly wasn’t going to have any of that. After the dance, he approached Zhou with a look of anger on his face, getting right into Zhou’s to confront him.

“I bet you think you are some kind of big shot, dancing with my aunt like you were her specially chosen coltfriend.”

Zhou backed away a bit to give himself some room, a smile on his face.

“Well, she DID pick me to dance with her tonight. So yeah, I guess I was specially chosen. Though I am not her mate. Not that I wouldn’t mind if i wasn’t being pursued by two other lovely mares. One who you lost because of your horrible attitude at the last gala.”

Celestia couldn’t help but giggle behind her hand as Zhou nailed him with what happened last time, remember who the whole event from the last gala was completely ruined, but made it all the better. She was secretly hoping something similar along those lines would happen tonight. Blueblood, on the other hand, didn’t find it amusing at all.

“That unladylike mare who so desperately wanted my attention? Please. She was the one who got my clothing and mane all dirty. She is just a lowly peasant who is just good at making clothes, nothing more.”

Zhou simply smiled at the stallion, not saying a word.

“What’s the matter, monkey? Got nothing to say n-?”

Blueblood was cut off but a pie to the face. Where it came from? No one knows. Zhou does though. He had stomped his foot and directed a piece of the marble flooring to rise and hit the table right under the pie, causing it to launch forward and nail the arrogant prince in the face. This caused the whole room to turn their heads and gasp as they saw this. Looks like Celestia was about to get was she wanted. Zhou jumped up on one of the tables and shouted.

“Listen up ponies, you want this to be a stuffy no fun party? Or do you all wanna get back at Blueblood for all the stuff you had to put up from him?!”

He said before picking up a punch bowl and pouring it over the stallion’s head. The room was quiet for a moment, then another stallion bellowed out.

“FOOOOD FIIIIIGHT!!”

And the chaos began.. The food was flying everywhere as all the nobles let loose, every stallion and mare began pelting one another with cakes, fruits, anything they could get their hands on.And of course, a lot of them were going after Blueblood. Others were just having a good time with this turn of events. Celestia was actually having a laughing fit while watching the nonsense from the second floor. Even her sister who was with her was in a giggle fit. Twilight and her friends had just come in from being outside when they came into the midst of the mess.

“What in the name of Celestia?!”

Shouted Twilight as she watched the scene unfold. Shielding herself and her friends in a magical bubble. They all watched as Zhou was flinging food and punch bowls using the marble flooring as a catapult to launch said items. Rarity was more impressed that he was able to keep his outfit from getting anything on it even in the midst of it all.

“Uuuh, I think we need to grab Zhou and go…”

Said Twilight as she teleported to him and wrapped her arms around him, teleporting him back to the exit as they drag him out. They made a hasty retreat to the last place they gathered, Donut Joe’s shop.

--Later--

“Oh my dear, I am so sorry you had to deal with him...he isn’t exactly a stallion that is fit to be with any mare.”

Rarity said as she gently place a hand on his shoulder.

“Well, I wasn’t going to let him get away with talking about you like that. I would have loved to do worse to him. But I figured I’d let the nobles get a crack at him. It was enjoyable all the same. Besides, it’s always a fun time when a snobbish prince gets a pie to the face.”

They all laughed and just continued to enjoy the night together, catching up on all the things they did at the gala and just happy to be together for the rest of the evening. He was just happy that Applejack or Rarity didn’t see him dance with Celestia. That could have caused some issues. It was a good night though, he had to admit that.

Author's Note

Food fight and the song I chose for it went well together. I think so at least :P

May the darkness grant you peace.

Act 11: Water Park Time!

With winter now finally wrapped up and cleaned away from the land the springtime sun now warmed the grassy lands surrounding inner Equestria. Which means it was time for sun and fun. Zhou was certainly enjoying himself as he made himself a large rockboarding pit just outside of the farm where the land was wide open. It was his little getaway from the work of the farm. He had completed his duties for the day which was planting the new seeds for the new year’s crops. And being an earthbender, that job isn’t too difficult.

“Wooohoooo! YEAH!”

He exclaimed as he came down from the sky after pulling a full 360 spin. He tore through and shredded the dirt like a master. He hasn’t done this in quite some time since he came to this world. As a kid, he did it all the time outside of the outer walls of his home city. But now that he had one just outside the farm, he couldn’t be happier. Little did he know that he had acquired an audience in his time of play. Applejack and Applebloom had been watching him for quite a bit. Both admired his abilities with how he could just glide along the dirt and rock like it was snow. Applejack finally called out to him, trying to get his attention.

“Hey, Z! I need ya to stop for uh moment and come talk to me! I got somethin’ that ya might like to hear!”

Zhou’s attention was caught by Applejack’s words. He comes to a stop and hops of the flat rock he was using and climbs his way to the top of the pit. He wipes the sweat from his forehead and smiles to both of them.

“What’s going on AJ?”

He asked as he reached down and ruffled Apple Bloom’s mane playfully. She giggled and pushed his hand away gently afterwards.

“Well, with everything so ahead of schedule. We have a bit of time off. So we figured we’d go to the water park they just opened up in Las Pegasus. Twilight wanted us to go along with her and the others.”

Zhou rubs his chin in thought and nods. He definitely liked the idea of some water-themed fun with his friends and family. Little did he think that it was going to be quite the trip. Especially with Rarity AND Applejack in the same place.

“Is Mac coming to? We can’t leave him out after all.”

“Well, we did offer to bring him along. But he said he was going to spend his off time with other plans. I wonder what they could be..”

Zhou knew exactly what Big Mac was going to do. As brothers usually talk about, he was going to go and spend time with a certain mare who taught at the Ponyville schoolhouse. Applejack saw that smirk on Zhou’s face as the thought came to him.

“You know what he is up to dontcha…?”

Zhou chuckled and placed a finger to his lips.

“That’s a secret between brothers only, AJ. So when do we leave?”

“Well, we leave later today actually. And we will be gone for four days. So ya better get to packin’. Our train leaves in a couple of hours.”

“Sounds like a good time. I will go and get my things packed up then.”

--Later That Afternoon--

Twilight and the others waited on the train station’s deck for the train to pull in. Each one of them wore something very springtime-y and rather attractive. Even the two fillies with them were dressed rather cutely. Poor Zhou was about to be outnumbered by mares and fillies. Hopefully, he could find some stallions to hang out with at the water park and get to know. While it is not such a bad thing to be surrounded by beautiful mares, it can get rather exhausting when two of them will be fighting for his attention.

“Oh, where are they? At this rate, they will miss the train!”

Exclaimed Twilight as she looks around for Zhou and the others. A slight look of worry on her face as her amethyst eyes search every spot she could see clearly. Rarity was also looking around as well. But not for Applejack. She was looking for the first glimpse of her earthbending knight. Her affections for the human had grown stronger ever since he stood up for her and protected her. Though none of her other friends really noticed, but her little sister knew all about it. Which only made her smile to herself.

“Oh I am sure they will get here in time. Zhou is usually pretty punctual.”

Said Fluttershy as she shifts on her hooves a bit. Even she was dressed rather boldly for somepony like her. Not that the stallions looking around had any issues with it.

“This is going to be so much fun! The beach, the pools, the water slides! I am so so excited about this!”

“Oooh me too! It’s gonna be funna fun fun!”

Pinkie and Rainbow said to each other as they bounced around the group. Soon enough, Zhou, Applejack, and Applebloom came into view with their bags. Though Zhou’s bag was an old military bag he had obtained through a yard sale, but it suited him just fine. Plus it had enough room for him to store his hook swords in. He couldn’t very well wear them on his person. But he always took them with him, vacation time or not.

“Ah, there you are, handsome! We were beginning to worry that you wouldn’t make it on time!”

“Hey ya’ll we made it!”

Said Applejack as she and her sister walked up to their friends, Rarity, however, made her way over to Zhou and pressed against him as she hugged him tightly, nuzzling into his chest as she looks up at him with half-lidded eyes.

“I am so glad you decided to come with us...wait till you see the swimsuit I have...I think you will really like it on me.”

She said as she looked up at his blushing face. She could see that he clearly didn’t mind that idea. And that he looked adorable as he shifted his gaze to the side. But then she noticed that he was wearing his usual attire and pouts softly.

“Oh darling, when will you ever find a change of clothes? You wear the same thing every day. Good thing I took the liberty of making you a pair of swimming trunks just in case~.”

She said as she reached into her bag and pulled out a pair of black swim shorts with slate gray stripes running down the sides. She offers them to him with a smile on her face and a sway of her tail. They looked pretty comfortable to be sure. He took them and slid them inside of his bag and smiled back to Rarity.

“Thank you for doing so. But it really wasn’t necessary. You already do so much for me.”

“Oh, it’s no trouble...especially for you.”

“Come on y'all. We need to get on the train and get going’!”

SHouted Applejack as she and the others got onto the train. Zhou hoisted his bag over his shoulder and takes Rarity’s as well since he was right there. He smiled at her again.

“Here, I will take this for you. It’s the least I could do.”

Rarity couldn’t help but blush and smile widely, letting out an adorable squee of happiness.

“Oh thank you very much. Such a gentle stallion!”

As they rode on the train, Zhou laid back on one of the seat and stared up at the ceiling in thought. This was going to be tricky. While he seems like he is oblivious to the feelings between him and AJ and Rarity, he knew exactly what was going on. He was going to have been very careful at this point. He hears hoofsteps approaching him, he opens his eyes to see Sweetie Belle, Apple Bloom, and Scootaloo leaning over him with knowing smiles

“You just can’t decide can ya Z?”

Asked Apple Bloom with an arched brow. Sweetie and Scootaloo giggle and sit beside him. He sighs and sits up, crossing his legs in the process. He looks back to the mares then back to the fillies and sighs.

“They are both wonderful mares. But choosing one is just too difficult. I...I like them both. But to break the other one’s heart in choosing…”

“You know, you don’t have to choose one or the other. Having more than one marefriend isn’t uncommon.”

“I know that, Sweetie. But the who concept is still so foreign to me. After all, I came from a world where one female was all a male needed. I am going to need your help when we get to the resort we are staying at. Will you three aid me in this?”

“Of course!”

They all three said at the same time. Huddling close as they listen to Zhou’s idea.

--At The Resort--

Once everyone got their bags in on the cart and settled in, it was time to decide who is rooming with who. This where Zhou’s plan would take hold.

Alright, So it will be Me and Pinkie, Rainbow and Fluttershy and-”

“Actually Twilight, I will be having Zhou staying with me tonight.”

Said Rarity as she walks up to his side and loops an arm around his. Though Applejack quickly objected to the idea. She immediately grabbed his other arm and pulled her in his direction with a glare.

“Now wait just a doggone minute. He is stayin’ with me and Applebloom. It’s only right since he is counted as family.”

They both give each other death glares before Zhou chuckled lightly and pulled himself free of both the mares. He walks over to the three fillies and pats them on the heads.

“Actually, the girls and I will be sharing a room. We figured it would be best. You and AJ can get much-needed relaxation time, and I will watch the girls for you all. Plus they thought it would be more fun to hang out with me.”

They all three nod and giggle, each of them hugging around Zhou’s waist.

“Yep, he is gonna take us to all the fun spots!”

Exclaimed Apple Bloom. The clerk at the desk smiled to Zhou and handed him his room key.

“Your penthouse suite key, sir.”

He reaches out and takes the key and bows his head, sliding the mare behind the counter a few extra bits. AJ and the others just stare at him with deer in the headlights eyes. Where in all of Equestria did he find the funds to afford a four day stay in a penthouse suite?! Turns out he had been working construction jobs on the side with his earthbending and being paid handsomely for it. He waves to the group as he and the girls walked off.

“We are going to go and get settled in our room. See you all soon!”

Once they were out of sight and upstairs, the four of them laughed lightly on their way to the room. The three fillies bouncing around in excitement as the plan was set into motion. Once they got to the door, Zhou opens it up with the card key. He lets them go in first and closes the door once he goes in. While they run around the luxurious room, he sets his bag beside the large couch and sits on it with a sigh of relief.

“Whew...we avoided that powder keg of a situation. Thanks again for doing this you three. You really helped me out.”

“Oh, no problem.Besides to tell you the truth...we kinda wanted to spend time with you anyways. Apple Bloom Tells us about you all the time and we never really got to hang out with you.”

Scootaloo said as she sat on the couch next to him, Apple Bloom sitting on the other side of him as well. Sweetie Made herself comfortable on the bed facing them.

“Well, we will be having to head to the resort’s restaurant here in an hour. So you girls do what you need to do to get ready. I am just gonna take a little nap right he-”

He leans his head back and begins snorting lightly. The three look at him in amazement at how he can just fall asleep like that.

“Wow...he even rival’s Dash’s ability to do that. Very cool!”

Scootaloo whispered in amazement.

“We will wake him up when we are ready. For now, let's go and get ready. I looked in the bathroom and the tub was huge!.”

With that, the fillies made their way into the bathroom and began washing up. Once in there, they began talking amongst themselves quietly so as to not wake Zhou.

“You know, Ah can see why Rarity and much big is really like him so much. He is handsome, kind and he doesn’t put any pressure on them but encourages them to become better ponies. And he is just...humble and easy going. Yet powerful with his abilities and strength. Ah, can’t help but feel like I’d fallen for him too.”

Said Applebloom as she blushes lightly. Sweetie reacting the same way as she confessed as well.

“I know what you mean. He is so nice to Rarity and helps her without any complaint or even asking anything in return. If anything. I think he deserves both of them. But he said that’s not how it worked in his world.”

“Well, you know what? We are gonna be with him for the next few days. And we should definitely help him out. Something tells me that he isn’t ready to make a choice yet. So we gotta do what we can for him. Are you girls with me?”

Asked Scootaloo as she puts her hand out, the others reach in and places their hands on top of one another and nod.

“We got this!”

Author's Note

Another chapter? What fresh hell is this?! :P

May the darkness grant you peace

Act 12: Beach Time Fun

The day couldn’t have been more beautiful for a nice time at the beach. The sun was shining, the waves were perfect. Everyone was having a good time relaxing and playing. The sounds of both adult and young ponies rang out as Zhou laid under the large umbra that he had sat out for an area for all his friends to join. Since all he had to do was slide some swim trunks on, it didn’t take him long at all to get ready and get out to find a decent spot before the beach was out of good places to set up. He laid comfortably on a beach towel he had brought with him. The sounds and the wonderful breeze was comfortable enough to make him fall into a light sleep.

“Oh my….look at him. He is definitely a creature I have never seen before. But he is sooooo handsome…”

Whispered a random mare who was passing by with her friends. Zhou really didn’t pay much attention, nor did he really care. The group of mares was about to walk over to him to engage in conversation with him when his friends showed up, both Rarity and Applejack glaring at the approaching mares with a look of ‘Dont. You Think about it.’ This made chills run up their spines and just as quick as they started to approach, they turned away with a look of fear on their faces.

“Hey Z! We are here! ANd ya picked uh good spot too!”

“Indeed, this is quite the perfect place indeed. Thank you for getting everything set up as well, sweetheart~.”

Said Applejack and Rarity. Zhou opened up his eyes slowly as he sat up and turned to look at the approaching group. What he saw was a amazing sight. They all looked so very nice in their swimwear. Even Twilight and Fluttershy who usually wore more reserved clothing looked amazing. But his gaze fell on both Applejack and Rarity. They both looked amazing indeed. But he then noticed Twilight with a book in her hands and couldn’t help but laugh.

“You all look amazing. But seriously Twi? Are you reading a book even on vacation time? Come on now.”

“Hey, this is leisure reading. It doesn’t count as studying~.”

She said before sticking her tongue out at him in a playful manner. He places his hands up in an ‘okay you got me there’ manner. He stood up and came out of the shade of the umbra. All six of them went wide-eyed as they saw Zhou’s exposed upper body in the sunlight. Rarity and Applejack especially entranced by his muscular but not overly so physique. And how was he able to keep his skin such a fine pale with how much he worked in the sun? Even Twilight couldn’t take her eyes off of him.

“Oh my...I knew those would look good on you...VERY good. Hehe.”

“Umm...where are the girls?”

“Oh, Scoots and the others said they were gonna check out the water park Before they met up with us. They’ll be here in a couple of hours.”

Said Dash as she got herself settled on her own towel, sliding on her cool shades and looking cool just for the sake of cool. She was about twenty percent cooler now. Zhou nodded and made his way back to his towel and sat down on it and got comfortable again. Noticing that Rarity was quick to make her spot on his right side. Perhaps a statement to Applejack claiming to be at his right hand at all times? However, Applejack was quick to sit on his left. Zhou could feel the tension between them both And it was rather unsettling.

“Darling, you look tense. How about I give you a good massage with some lotion?”

Zhou arches a brow and looks over at her. Wasn’t he supposed to offer that?”

“Um, that should be my job shouldn’t it?”

“Oh no, it would mess up my fur! However...you don’t have any. And you need to make sure that lovely pale skin of yours is well protected from the rays of the sun. Please, I insist. It is the least I could do for all you have done for me…”

Zhou didn’t want to cause any more tension between the two mares. But Rarity’s hopeful gaze and words had definitely won this round. She is just….so adorable. He lowered his head a bit and gave a soft smile to her then gave a nod.

“Alright. Thank you for doing this Rarity. It is kind of you to offer.”

He said before rolling onto his front and resting his chin on his arms. Rarity carefully climbed onto him and sat on his lower back. She dabbed lotion on her hands and rubbed them together. Her eyes trailing down his well toned back and looked at her with his muscular legs. She was going to lather him up good, that was certain.

I will take good care of you, my gallant knight. A proper lady should treat her savior and friend to something special. And I can do this...for now.

She thought to herself before she placed her hands on his back and began rubbing him down. And she liked what she was feeling. Though the poor guy was so very tense in places. She could feel knots here and there and could swear that he was overworking himself. Applejack was a little peeved that she hadn’t offered it first to him, but then she notices a sign near them that said ‘Sand Castle Contest Today!!!’ She chuckled internally as looked down at the now relaxed human.

“Oh, darling...you need to take it easy every now and then. Your muscles are as tight as a drum. So many knots. Don’t you worry, momma’s gonna make sure that you are well taken care of.”

“Yeah well, after you are done with that, I know somethin’ you are gonna like even more, Z. There is uh sand castle contest here today. Sounds like your kind of contest. Wouldn’t ya say?”

That certainly did appeal to Zhou. This was going to be the easiest contest to win ever. The rules said no magic. But Zhou doesn’t use magic now does he? Nope, he uses earthbending. And if he can bend metal, he can certainly bend sand. He gave a nod to Applejack and chuckled.

“We got this one in the bag. And I already know what I am going to make….oh..a little higher please..right there. Mmmmh.”

“That’s right Zhou. I am going to give you the full massage you so deserve. Somepony has to look out for your well-being when you work so hard…”

Applejack took that as a shot at her and arches a brow down at Rarity who had a knowing smile on her muzzle. She crosses her arms and grumbled lightly to herself.

“He only overworks because he doesn’t know how to stop. Ah, know he pushes himself. But that’s what he does. He wants tuh get as strong as he can for those he cares about after all. Especially his family.”

Applejack said with a proud smile. Knowing that she was fully right. Zhou smiled at Applejack and nodded to her in agreement.

“You know me too well AJ. But someone’s gotta make sure things get done on time. You and Mac and Applebloom and especially Granny can’t do everything by yourselves.”

After Rarity finished rubbing down Zhou, she was satisfied just as much as he was. She got to feel his powerful form all over and took her time doing it. And it made her want him even more. In her mind, he was definitely the perfect lover for her. He is so kind to her. Not because she is pretty or well known for her work. But because he has gotten to know her for her. That combined with his strong yet soft touch made the fashionista long for a more...intimate relationship with the human. In her mind, no other stallion would do. Zhou stood up and stretched out his body and smiled down at the mare.

“Thank you again, Rarity. I really really needed that more than I thought. I will most certainly desire to repay the favor soon. But for now, time to go win a contest with ease.”

Applejack stood up and went with him as he walked off. But Rarity didn’t care. She would definitely accept his offer and tonight was going to be the night that she’d make her move on him. But Applejack had to same intent as well, however. And she wasn’t going to give in easily.

--The Contest Begins--

Zhou sat there in a rather relaxed state as he watched ponies young and adult begin making their castles Applejack and the others watched on in curiosity as they wondered what Zhou was planning. The last thirty seconds of the timer was counting down. He stood up and cracked his knuckles and made sure there was plenty of room for his creation. He slams his hands into the sand has with one swift motion, the sand sinks into a perfect replica of the Earth Kingdom city that he had grown up in. The ponies watched in amazement as they scaled structure seemed to appear out of nowhere.

“Hey, that’s not fair! He used magic!”

Called out one of the contestants who seemed pretty upset that her hard work was outdone by another entry. Zhou chuckled lightly and placed a finger up, lightly waging it side to side.

“If you remember, an anti-cheating spell was cast before the event started. One that wouldn’t allow magic for the duration. And had I used magic, it would have gone off. So you need to calm down there. I used earthbending. No kind of magic.”

The mare seemed like she wasn’t buying his answer. The thought of losing to someone who built his creation within seconds didn’t sit right with her. She did not notice that the judges were actually looking over his creation and seemed to be rather impressed by it. So she took matters into her own hands and levitated a bucket of water over the scale model and drowned it in water until it was ruined. She gave a smirk and crossed her arms as if she was proud of what she had down. Everypony gasped and started whispering at how much of a sore loser she was being.

Disqualified!”

Shouted one of the judges as he pointed to the mare. She gasps and starts to act as if she is the victim in all this. Zhou walked up to her with a feign angered looked and his fists balled up. She grins up at him and arches a brow with a ‘you can’t touch me, I am a mare’ look in her eyes. She was right. He wasn’t going to touch her, but his hands aren’t what she had to worry about. Rarity, however, was being held back by Applejack who wanted to give the mare a piece of her mind.

“It doesn’t matter how he made it! He didn’t use magic! It was a beautiful work of art and you went and ruined it you jealous sore losing-!”

Rarity’s mouth was covered by Fluttershy as she wasn’t sure if that name-calling would go rather...untamed for young ears. However, Zhou had this well in hand. A wicked smile comes across his face as he stomps into the sand, a small hole swallowing the mare up to her shoulders in sand. Zhou looked down at the now wide-eyed mare and lifted a hand in departure.

“I don’t need to touch you to get back at you. I will let the sand take care of it. Have fun digging yourself out.”

He walked over to the judges and rubbed the back of his head slightly, looking a bit embarrassed by all this.

“Sorry about this. Just...go ahead and give the prize to the runner-up. I mainly joined in on this for the fun anyways.”

“HEY, you can’t just leave me here like this! What about high tide?!”

He turned his head back to the yelling mare who frantically thrashed. He chuckled lightly.

“You better get to digging then miss priss.”

He walked back over to Applejack and the others with a big smile on his face. Moving them along back to there spot on the beach.

“Come on girls, let’s go back to enjoying ourselves. Hey Dash. I bet I can hold my breath underwater longer than you can!”

“Oh, you are SO on!”

--Later At Dinner--

Zhou and the others sat at the table in the resort restaurant eating and talking about the day’s event and what a good time they had. It certainly was a fine day to start out with on a vacation. Things were going great. He was happy, and Rarity and Applejack were happy as well. Nothing could ruin this vacation time and the time he was spending with his friends and family. Suddenly the lights went out in the whole entire resort. Every single one. Was it a power failure? No, it certainly was not

“Alright boys, get everypony down onto the ground and make sure none of them try to escape! If they do, hurt’em. Bad.”

Soon the place was overrun with ponies in black tactical military-grade gear and their faces completely covered to hide any chance of identifying them. Zhou, however, was quick enough to go for the girls that were sitting close to him. He knew the mares would be alright if they stuck with each other. But he wasn’t about to leave Apple Bloom and the others alone.

“W-what’s goin’ on?!”

“Zhou...I am scared…”

Said Applebloom and Sweetie. Zhou pulled all three of them close through the darkness, bringing them to the others who were under the table. Once safely with Rarity and the others. Zhou peeks out from under the table cloth and scans what he could. He looked back to the girls and moved his hand up and down as if saying ‘stay here. And don’t move.’. It was time that Zhou put his new gift to use to protect those he held dear. The gift of the Wraith.

Author's Note

Time for things to get interesting!

May the darkness grant you peace.

Act 13: I'm Right Behind You...

It all came down to this. ALl the practice he has been doing in this form of his when everypony thought he was asleep. All the times he has studied and improved on the techniques shown to him by that spirit are about to be tested. Zhou quickly takes his Wraith Form Which immediately changes into a complete shadow form as the darkness shrouds him. He could have used his seismic sense, but in this form, he had the advantage in this form, He couldn’t be seen, nor could he be heard. And as long as there was shadow, he could move about freely and anywhere he wanted. He just hoped that there wasn’t a pony around who knew how to use light magic. Or he’d have to deal with them first.

“So who are we looking for again?”

Asked one of the ponies who seemed to be carrying a weapon that that looks like it was meant for close combat, the other one carrying a crossbow of whom he was speaking to. Zhou listened carefully as he snuck about. He vanishes and reappears on the main chandelier in the middle of the room without so much as making it jiggle or move once.

“The boss said to look for a pale skinned creature with long silver hair. Apparently the mistress was embarrassed and humiliated by him and told the boss man about it. Now he wants us to bring him to him so that he can deal with him personally. We better start looking. He will be sure to get impatient should he have to wait too long.”

“Yeah, you are right about that. He gets pretty pissy when he can’t get who or what he needs quickly. Alright, you go search this half of the room i’ll go this way.”

“Yeah, sounds like good idea-.”

The one with the crossbow fell to the floor as something sharp severed the tip of his spine that lead directly to the brain. Instantly ending his existence and dropping to the floor like a sack of potatoes. It was starting. Zhou was making his move after he had thrown a shadow kunai at the ranged weapon holder. He slowly descends behind the now completely shocked pony and quickly covers his mouth and places the blade that the spirit gave to him to the pony’s throat. A voice dark and sinister came from Zhou.

“Tell me why I shouldn’t have you end up like your buddy here on the ground. You come here and threaten all these ponies simply because your bosses wife got upset over a small little spat between some stanger? Your boss and his wife must feel pretty entitled don’t they?”

Thankfully his voice was morphed and disguised in this form. So no one could recognize who he was in both voice and appearance. The pony dropped his weapon out of fear and lifted his hands up slowly. The only thing he could see in the mirror that was across from him was a glowing face that resembled death. And it drove him to the point of starting to shake.

“H-hey...easy. I am just doing what the boss told me to do! I have nothing against anypony here. It’s just my j-”

He felt the blade press against his neck a bit more harder.

“I don’t care about your life’s story. Tell me where your boss is and the layout of any more of your buddies that are scooping out this resort. Answer quickly or I will spill your blood onto this shiny floor. I don’t think the clean up crew will be happy with you…”

“T-they are mostly at the hotel part of the resort. We were sent here to make sure that the guests never tried to leave. It’s all I know, I swear!”

The blade slipped away from the pony’s neck. Zhou stepped away and said nothing at first. But with a quick movement of his hands, a shadow serpent sprouted up from the ground and latched it’s jaws around the pony’s head to muffle and silence any sound. It processed to drag him into the ground with nothing left. Zhou kneeled next to the body of the other and placed a hand over it, the corpse sinking into the ground as well. No evidence left behind. Nopony needed to see the bloodshed. Especially the younger ones. Zhou quietly disposed of any more of those same ponies that were left in the area. Once that was done. He approached the table that his friends were under. At which point they cowered in fear of who they were looking at.

“You two. The blue and orange one. I need you to listen to me.”

He said as he slid weapons he had gathered from the ponies he had slain. Both Applejack and Rainbow looked at him in a confused manner.

“I need you two to gather the strongest ponies together and hand out the weapons to them. You two seem quite capable. So I know your judgment will ring trust. Get the guests out of here and onto the beach. You will be safest there since they have already searched thoroughly over there. But I need you to make sure that all here are safe.”

“Wh-what about the ones out in the restaurant? What...did you do?”

Asked Sweetie as she stared at Zhou in complete fear. It hurt him a bit to see her look at him like that. Even more so when he could see the fear in both Rarity’s and Applejack’s eyes along with all his friends. Though Applejack hid her fear with a fierce gaze as her and Rainbow made their way in front of the group to defend them. He lowered his head and then spoke.

“They are gone, little one. That’s all you need to know. They won’t be bothering you.”

He then turned his attention to Rainbow and Applejack.

“Get them out of here. You are wasting time.”

“Wait!”

Shouted Rarity. Zhou’s gaze turned to her just as he was about to leave.

“Have you seen a non-pony around here? He is tall, long silver hair, pale skin, amethyst eyes? I heard them say he was looking for him and my friends and I are quite worried for him...”

“I do believe I saw him sneaking about around here somewhere. Perhaps he has gone to help in his own way as well? He looked like he could take good care of himself. Should I run into him again, I will aid him in any way that I can. I promise.”

“Thank you, Sir. And thank you for helping us. Even though you look rather...unsettling, we greatly appreciate the help.”

Zhou hated lying to them. He said nothing and left them to go and take care of any other armored and armed ponies that may be a threat to anypony who isn’t fortunate enough to be able to defend themselves. Soon enough however, the lights came back on and the resort was at full power. Zhou was quick to change into his normal self, and just in time to as he made it back to the room and grabbed his hook swords and chains from his shoulder pack. Once he had those in hand, he made his way through the corridors of the resort once more. Soon he heard a voice come over the PA speakers.

“Whoever you are that caused the disappearances of my soldiers. You are quite good at what you do. Maybe you are the only my wife spoke about or maybe you are just some do-gooder who simply wants things taken care of so that nobody gets hurt. However, if you want to make sure no innocence get involved, you will come to the beach and face me. Or I can’t promise the safety of these ponies…”

The pony whom he had threatened for information lied to him. Zhou was happy he didn’t let him go now. The earthbender was very upset now that his loved ones were in great danger. He wasted no time in making his way towards the beach. He didn’t care who got in his way at this point. Anypony who tried to stop him with force was going to be taken down.

--At The Beach--

Zhou walked up on a group of armed ponies, standing in the middle of them was a tall, well tone stallion with a long black mane and tan fur. He wore a business shirt with a tie and a knee length long coat. He looked like he was definitely the head of some kind of organized criminal syndicate or something along those lines. He sees Zhou with his weapons drawn, the blades dripping with blood as he approached. The stallion started clapping his hands slowly and smiled to Zhou.

“Very impressive. You took down all the ponies I sent after you and you only make it here with a scratch. And you are just in time for the show. Now that you are here, I am going to show you what happens when you mess with me or my wife. Bring them forward!”

He shouted as he brought forth Rarity and the others and forced them onto their knees with crossbows pointed at the back of their heads. Even Applebloom and her friends as well. There was a monster swelling up inside of him, and he was doing everything he could to keep it in check...for now.

“This doesn’t concern them. You wanted me here and here I am. It’s your fault for all this happening anyways.”

“Zhou...please help us…”

Pleaded Rarity as her eyes were about the well up with tears as she felt the cold steel of the crossbow pressing against her head. He looked over to her and gave a small nod. Reassuring her that she will be just fine. She noticed the way he was shifting his feet. In a rather distinct way actually. Applejack knew what he was doing however.

Heheh, clever as always…

She thought to herself as she feigned fear. The stallion turned back to Zhou and soon his wife joined him at his side. A wicked smile on her face. It was indeed that same mare who had lost to him earlier that same day. She wrapped her arms around her husband and giggled evilly as more of the ponies surrounded Zhou with their weapons drawn.

“You messed with the wrong mare today. And now you are going to pay the price. And should you resist, these little whores of yours will be put to death the moment you fight back. So I suggest you drop your swords and die like the dog you are.”

“Any last words,my friend?”

The stallion asked. Zhou lowered his head. Everything was in place...or every hole was in place actually. Zhou tossed his blades into the air. All the ponies including the boss stallion looked up in sync. They fell for it Suddenly the ponies behind his friends sand into the sand, not even leaving their heads above the ground and a wall of stone that was deep within the sand rose up around the group of his friends and the other ponies that had gotten caught in all this mess. The ponies that were surrounding him wasted no time in firing their crossbows at him, in which time Zhou’s blades landed back in his hands and he began deflecting the bolts. Twirling the blades in his hands and performing acrobatic flips and dodges as he does so. Minimizing his damage to a few of the bolts cutting into him or barely grazing him.

“What are you doing?! Kill him now! Now Now NOW!”

Screamed the now angry mare whose wishes were not being met. Eventually the group ran out of bolts and resorted to close combat. Zhou decided it was time to release that built up anger he had been keeping in check. No one threatened his loved one like that. Even if the plan was foiled, it was still enough to have his blood boiling. Zhou swung his blades towards anypony that got close enough. Kicking sand in the directions of them all into the faces unfortunate enough to get close. The anger that was fueling Zhou was apparent as his blades soared through the air with precise cuts and yanks with the hooked ends. Eventually the men left over were bleeding out from all the wounds they have received. Unfortunately his hook swords have taken such a beating that they were now unusable. He had to make a new set it seemed. He tosses the blades aside and gets into a fighting stance, his eyes now glued to the stallion who was removing his jacket and shirt. He was clearly a well muscled stallion and looked like he knew how to fight by his stance.

“I am going to enjoy beating you down...you should have never threatened those i care for…”

“To be honest, I was hoping you’d make it this far. I was only in this to see what you are capable of. When my wife told me of your abilities, I knew there was more to it than...sand castle making. Come at me with all you got…”

Zhou and the stallion rushed each other and began to fight like to martial artists in an area. Kicks connecting with one another and punches connecting with faces and ribs. His wife was screaming and yelling at him over and over. And he wouldn’t lie, it was starting to annoy him. The stallion was having the time of his life facing down a worthy fighter, one that could keep up with him no less and his wife was running the whole thing.

“Shut up, Priss, I am busy at the moment as you can plainly see!”

He shouted as he kept his focus on Zhou who was still trying to land every punch he could on the stallion. The fight went on for a good while, but when the stallion felt like he was losing, it was time for his last resort. He quickly pulls out a knife that Zhou wasn’t able to catch in time and stabs Zhou in the chest barely missing his heart. Zhou quickly leaps back and falls to the ground in pain. He lets out a cry of anguish and begins to slide himself away from the approaching stallion. He kneels in front of Zhou with a smile on his face. Not a sinister one, but more of a ‘you have earned my respect.’ kind of smile.

“You have fought well, my friend. But I cannot die here. I am sorry but resorting to cheap tactics is just the way the business world works. This is nothing personal. You got a lot of spirit in you. I will miss you, that’s for sure.”

Zhou coughs up a bit of blood and gives a smile.

Then why don’t we go together and continue this fight...in hell?”

He said as he holds out his hand and the chain around his arm unravels itself and wraps around the stallion’s neck. He didn’t have time to react because he wasn’t expecting this from the human. Zhou takes hold of the chain and gives it one swift pull to the right. A sickening crack was heard as both the stallion’s neck and spine had been separated. Death was instant. He falls to the side in a limp heap as he wife watches in horror.

“You will pay for this...you will pa-.”

She was suddenly taken down by a pony in golden royal armor who was accompanied soon by more. Zhou’s vision blurred after that. As blood loss began to set in from his wounds, especially the one to his chest. A large white figure walked up to him and kneeled beside him, gently placing her hand under his head to hold him up.

“Hang-..there-..get-...help!”

Was all he heard before his eyes closed.

Author's Note

Some good ol plot progression coming up I got something fun planned.

May the darkness grant you peace.