Avatar of Historyby ChemtestChaptersSaviorsNew WorldKingly MattersTeaching MattersInvading MattersSympathy MattersRelative PeaceResolveEndingsRising TempestSaviorsI tap my fingers in boredom as I read from my book. I spare a glance out of the window from time to time. A hundred floor view of New York sounds better than it looks. New York just lacks the authentic feel of time passing from up here. Empire State Building may be unique, but it is smothered in the glass box skyscrapers around it. This building is different though. Something to show the economic power of America. More akin to the Eiffel Tower in it’s symbolism than any other building here. I take a glance from my book, for once glad for the overly bright interior of the building. I observe my father as he seals a deal for his business with an important client. His look is one I achieved to get. Average height and build, but that is where the average ends. His bright, snow blue eyes almost seem to glow, with his dark glasses off his face and on the table. He wears a very formal suit, this client being particularly important. His face is one covered in the passage of time. Stress, happiness, all shows itself prominently. His hands are calloused from holding everything from books to briefcases. A mustache grows on his face, like it was stolen from the corpse of Wilhelm the Second. I look alike to him in many ways, only reversed in time. Middle school isn’t exactly a place for me to be stressed, or happy. His mustache has yet to grow in on me, but I expect for it to when I grow older. Unlike me, however, he has learned how to see without sunglasses and without squinting. My teachers and few friends have all made comments at one point about how my squint makes it look like I’m glaring everyone down. After all, Florida isn’t the best place for those sensitive to the sun. I return my eyes to the outside for a short period, until they start to hurt from the influx of light. I start back up on my book. But, it is then that I hear footsteps approaching. A man sits down in front of me, although it seems like he did nothing to disturb the chair he sat on. He wears some strange purple robes that seem to flow in a nonexistent wind, and has an emotionless stare that could face my own glare head on. People seem to ignore him despite his odd wear. He smiles, a smile with no humor behind it, “Hello there. What is that you are reading?” I hesitantly answer back, “A book on American History. I’m nearly at the end of it.” He lets out a single laugh as he hears me say ‘end’ and he leans forward, “Is that so? Feh, you must have gotten an old copy. If you think that book contains all of American History, you’d be wrong. After all, History is about to be made, and an ending shall be led up to.” He leans back in the chair, even though it doesn’t seem to squish to him at all, “Ah, allow me to introduce myself first. I think the name that you would understand in your limited language would be ‘Edis’.” I try to make a friendly smile, “Well, uh, hey. Look, what are you here for?” He clicks a bit, “Well, I am here to ensure a good ending, Austin. It is, after all, my job. I suppose you might more appreciate my full title. Edis, God, or Spirit if you prefer that, of Endings.” I chuckle, “Oh, you’re a nutcase then? Here to seduce me into some Scientology type shit?” He shakes his head, “Oh, not at all. I am just the distraction. Discord would try and mess it all up with his altruistic goals in mind whist forgetting the bigger picture.” With that, he looks out the window, “Ah, looks like my time is up. Oh well, guess you can have a tiny bit of time.” He waves his hand around, and seems to fade out of existence. At the same time, I can feel a pressure I didn’t know was building in my head release. With that pressure gone, I can suddenly hear something within. ”Run! Quickly, run!” The nervous and pleading tone of the voice prompts me into action. I quickly get up, and walk over to dad. It seems the meeting has reached the paperwork stage, so I am not interrupting. I look him in the eyes, our ice cold eyes locking onto each other, “Dad, we need to go.” He smiles, “Don’t worry, we’ll be out of here soon. You can explore the Empire State after I finish this paperwork. Only about ten more minutes, okay?” I shake my head as the voice insists, “Something isn’t right. We need to leave, now.” He looks over at me, “Everything is perfectly fine, Austin. We’re in the middle of New York, what could happen to us? Now go and sit-“ His eyes lock onto something behind me, and I can hear a strange whistling. He jumps out of his chair, and pulls me down, “Get down!” I can only barely process the sound of an engine and crashing below me. Rubble flies up from the ground, and something heavy lands on my head, knocking me unconscious for a bit. — “... possible terrorist attack” — “... crazy!? The floors below are filled with fire!” — I fade back into consciousness to see my dad kneeling before me. He smiles, and pats my head, “Hey, you’re finally awake. I’m going to go get help, okay? I’ll make sure that you are rescued, and everyone else here.” He takes the sunglasses off his shirt, a pair of black aviators, “Here, put these on. They’ll protect your eyes from the bright fire and the dust. Keep them on until you see me again. I will be back.” He gets up, and walks away, leaving me to fade away again. — I’m brought back by terrified screaming. I manage enough strength to stand up, and go over with the crowd. They look out the window, all in different states of shock. I look as well, to where the South Tower once stood. Now, all that is there is a pile of rubble and dust. Dad’s client loses all hope upon the sight, “This is hopeless. We’re all going to die, aren’t we? Any second now, we’ll collapse as well.” People take his despair into themselves, and all dejectedly sit on the floor. Some cry in hysterics, some lay there to await death, and a group steps up to the window. The last group is led by the client, and he looks back at me. He shakes his head, “Kid, come on. Be better to die falling than in a pile of rubble.” I step forward, towards him. I then stop, “My dad said he would get help.” The client shakes his head, “No help is coming for us. Not anymore. There is nothing powerful enough to stop this damnation.” I hear rubble collapse into our floor as I start to walk forward once more. I hear a person near me get pinned down by the rubble, and turn to look as they shout for help. They look at me, “Kid, please, help!” I shake my head, “What can I do? I am just a child, I am not enough to lift rubble. No savior comes for any of us.” I take my book that I carried under my arm. I toss it over to them, “There’s never been a savior. No being of any kind has ever come to save humanity in the past, why would they now? This is the fall of Rome all over again. This is the end of our history.” I take the clients outstretched hand, “And the end of our lives.” He leans backwards, allowing gravity to overtake him. Others fall beside us as we fall to the cloud of dust below. The only thing I know for sure is that my dad’s glasses are still on. My glasses, stay on. The ground quickly approaches, and I prepare for the pain at the end. ——— It never comes though, and I open my eyes. All I see around me is darkness, an empty void. Then, something appears. A statue of a chimera, and it begins to speak, “Perhaps you could not be a savior in that life. But, the chance now approaches.” I start to glow, and I can see the statue move itself just enough to snap, “Your mana is now open to be used in whatever form you choose. Apparently Bending if the looks are anything to go off of.” I slowly start to drift away from the statue, and it gives me a final message, “Find Discord! Free me!” New WorldI seem to fall into reality, in a way of describing it. I find myself on my knees, and I look up to see a very odd sight. Six colorful ponies with necklaces on. Pegasi and Unicorns as well, creatures of myth. Not to say that everything I’ve seen today is normal by any standard. This still takes second place. The orange one starts to speak, “Uh, Twilight, what’s that?” One of the unicorns answer, “I have no idea.” It starts to slowly approach me, “Hello? Can you speak?” I shoot to my feet, and start to back away, holding out a single hand, “Stay back! Don’t come any closer!” She stops, “Okay, I won’t. What’s your name? Do you know your name?” I don’t put my hand down, “Aus- Avatar! Just stay the fuck back!” She doesn’t move, as I requested, “Please just put down your hand. I think your bleeding, we can heal you.” I reach up to the side of my head, and feel dried blood on my hair. The wound below is closed, though, “Where am I?!” She smiles, “Ponyville. Equestria, if that is what you meant.” One of the Pegasi step forward, a yellow one, “Twilight, maybe I could talk to him?” The unicorn nods, and trades places with the pegasus. She calmly smiles at me, “Mister Avatar, I’m sure we can fill you in on everything back in the library. I know my friend, Rarity over here would love to wash your clothes for you.” I step back, “Oh yeah, I’m sure you just want to talk, don’t you! Huh, with your little friend over there with her wings spread out!” The pegasus looks at her fellow, “Rainbow, really? Put your wings down.” I take this time to shout out a question, “I don’t know where the hell I am, so let me ask you a simple question! How far away is America? United States, if you prefer!” She looks back at me with confusion evident, “A-mare-ica? I’m sorry, but I’ve never heard of it.” I back away further as she takes a step forward, “What date is it then?!” She stops, and thinks it over, “Oh, well, I didn’t exactly check the calendar this morning, sorry. Twilight, do you know?” Twilight nods, “It is the eleventh of Discord’s Feast, One thousand and One C.R.” I nod, “Okay, okay, fantasy timescale yet still the same day.” She takes another step forward, and I rush backwards a few steps, “Stay the fuck back!” The orange pony slowly takes out a lasso, “He’s in hysterics, Fluttershy. There ain’t no way o’ gettin through to him. We should just restrain him until he gets back to workin’ order.” I take quite a few steps once more, “Fuck you!” The pegasus looks at me, and shakes her head, “You might be right. I don’t like harming him, but it may be for the best if we let him cool down. I’m sorry, Mister Avatar, but you might hurt yourself if you continue denying help. Applejack, please, try not to hurt him.” She steps forward, rope in mouth, “Don’t worry a bit, sugercube, only a scrape at most.” She throws the lasso at me, with the intent to tie me up, like a damned animal. My flight or fight response activates, and brings something new with it. It is with some instinctual knowledge that I summon up a previously unknown power. My hand moves up to her rope, intent on catching it. Instead, a burst of flame comes out. The fire consumes the rope, turning it into ash quickly. She drops her rope, “What in tarnation? Magic, huh? Guess a lasso won’t be enough. Rainbow, come on!” Rainbow flies into the air, and tries to come down on me in a dive-bomb manuver. My second hand makes a swaying motion, and she starts to lose control in midair. The air seems to be controlled by me, ruffling all her feathers mid flight. With a final swat, the wind becomes an almost visible wall that shoves her out of the air, and into the ground. My other hand moves only my fingers pointed in the other’s direction. Jerky motions, yet fluid, as if someone was holding a puppet show underwater. Her body seems to lose control of itself, with muscles bending this way and that. I cause her to trip with a very sudden motion. They get up again, forcing me to face them once more. I stomp on the ground, commanding it to listen. A rock flies up from the ground, which I push forward with a strong gust of air. In nails her on the forehead, sending her crashing to the group with a big bruise. I direct careful flames towards the other, only aiming for her hat. I hit it, and distract her by doing it. I raise a wall of earth right next to her, and command her to slam her head into it. I also make sure to put her hat out with a breeze afterwards. I then raise a wall of stone between me and the group, and run into a nearby forest. ——— I stop, and rest against a tree after a good hour of walking and running. I raise my hand, and see a flame appear when I hold it out and summon it forth. I sigh, and lean my head back against the tree. My mind seems to recover given so much time to react. This is not Earth, so much is apparent. This world is dangerous, unknown, untrustworthy. I can’t risk showing any weakness to these people. I need to find a way home... no, home is gone. If the World Trade Centers can collapse, then the entire nation will collapse soon. This world may be unknown, but at least it is better than the certain death should I go back. Maybe they hit everything else as well? Capitol, White House, Washington Monument, Disney World, hell, maybe even the Lincoln Memorial? No, I must stay in this world, and I need to become something else. Austin exists no more, he showed weakness with fear and anger. He was a child, one crushed underneath the boot of history. Now... now I am Avatar. Always seemingly carefree or just blunt. Always strong, using the knowledge I have collected to succeed. All that reading will pay off now... now that I have the power to use it. Voice has to go to. Floridian accent is weak. Britain, my ancestors were from there. British accent, yes, that seems like the way to go. “Hey!” I jump a tiny bit in shock, and turn to face the voice. A manticore. A bloody manticore out of myth. I laugh a bit, “Bloody hell there, mate, you scared me near to death!” The giant cat smiles, “Oh, you understand me? Cool! Hey, what’s your name?” I smile, “Name’s Avatar, mate, what’s yours?” It shuffles it’s paws, “Oh, well, I don’t have a name.” I nod, “Well, I need something to refer to you by. How about, say, Erwin?” “Erwin?” He takes a second to listen to it, “I love it! Oh, thank you so much!” He scampers all around, and I hold up a hand to calm him down, “So, what’s a manticore like you doing out here? Where’s your mates?” He stops, and sulks, “They left me behind, kicked me out the pack. Said I acted to much like a cub for my age.” I smile, and calmly pat his head, “Hey, don’t look so down there, mate. Your a lion with wings, I don’t think you should worry about acting your own age. After all, optimism and innocence are very important.” He smiles, “Thank you. What about you? I’ve never seen one of you before. Do your travel in packs too?” I shake my head, “Nah, more like the ponies than manticores apparently. We socialize in cities and towns, not packs. You aren’t going to see another like me. Safe to say I’m far away from home. I was just traveling south in search of work.” Erwin tilts his head, “But you were going west when you came in?” I shrug, “Forest is very confusing. I don’t exactly have wings to fly my way out of here, so I just had to keep on walking.” He smiles, “Oh, oh, I have wings!” I nod, “Yes, yes you do. Say, Erwin, how would you like to come with me? I’m sure wherever there’s work for me, there’s work for you. You do need something to do now anyway, and traveling with mates is better than traveling alone.” He nods, and jumps around, “Yes! Oh, this will be so much fun! An adventure, woohoo!” He then stops, and lays down, “Climb on, Avatar, we’re flying!” Kingly MattersThe airship lands, and I am shook awake by it. I shake my head to get the sleep out of my system, disappointed that I fell asleep when I could be surrounded by enemies. I look over at Erwin, who is still asleep, and tickle his mane with a breeze of air, “Hey, mate, it’s time to go.” Erwin slowly wakes, and grumbles, “I was just about to catch that rabbit!” I wave my hand, “You can catch the bloody rabbit later, we got something to do.” The unicorn leader walks into the room, slamming the door open, “We’ve arrived, and the Storm King does not enjoy waiting!” I stand up, and brush past her, “You told me to stay in there, love, and I intended to until told otherwise.” She turns to face me as I start to stretch in the hallway, “If you take orders that literally, then this little arrangement will be short.” I smile at her, with as much charm as I can summon, “Come on, love, Storm King doesn’t like waiting.” She storms past me, and growls, “Just follow me and keep your mouth shut.” I shrug, and fall into line behind her. She marches through the airship, and three guards come out of the different halls to accompany us. Erwin smiles at the guards, only to lose that smile as they return nothing but cold shoulders. I follow as we exit, and I get my first view of Storm City. A giant castle sits upon the top of the hill that makes up the island. It is a dark grey metal, like that of a particularly strong storm. Spires poke up from it, all of which have lightning rods that seem to have wires that converge in the center of the castle. The only color on the castle are teal, horn like shapes, the same as the ones on everything else. There is a main gate on the first floor, where many creatures enter, a harbor where airships take off and land, and the military dock where I currently walk. Soldiers rush around, either to their airship, or taking prisoners into the castle. The village stretches all around the castle, spreading through the entire small island. The road system is easy. Four roads spread out, each with different branches every so often that meet with the other main streets. Then, there are the littlest roads that connect these secondary roads and keep every house boxed in. The island is split into three by these roads, and it seems like each area is a dedicated area. One is where the people live, another is where the markets are, and the final seems to be industrial. Everything is organized, and the majority of it seems very clean. We walk through a gate, exiting the military dock. The inside of the castle is very much the same as the outside. The only decorations are flags, and one or two tapestries here and there. What lines the walls, instead, are weapons, armor, and what appear to be traps. We eventually stop at a big door, and the unicorn opens it, “Be respectful.” We walk inside, with the guards staying at the doors. I look up, and see my first look of the Storm King. A yeti, such is the best way to describe him. He wears robes with his nation’s flag imprinted on it, the rest of it black. Two black horns come off his head, each one with teal energy rushing through it. And his crown is simple, only a grey version of his symbol. His eyes glow teal and he smiles as we enter, “Well, what have we here? Another bipedal creature?” He claps, “Oh, Tempest, you sure know how to please me!” Tempest nods, “Thank you, your majesty.” Storm King looks at me, “Uh, what does he do, exactly?” I smile, and create a ball of fire in my hand, “This, your majesty.” He nods, “Ah, a pyromancer. Intriguing, but is that really all?” I shift my foot slightly, causing a rock to come out of the ground. I use an air current to keep it up, and create a shield of water from the air around me, “A lot more, Storm King.” He leans forwards, “Ah, so a creature of many tricks!” He looks at Tempest, “Who is he?” I speak instead of her, “Avatar, Storm King. I hail from a far away land. The land of the Sleeping Giant, Land of the Eagles,the Third Reich, the Graveyard of Empires-“ He interrupts, “Wait, wait, can you say the last one again?” I slightly nod, “Graveyard of Empires.” He shakes his head, “No, the last last one!” I tilt my head a slight bit, “The Third Reich?” He nods, “Yes, that!” He smiles, and leans in, “Please, tell me more about this Third Reich, and I will allow you to become one of my top generals.” I ignore the shocked gasp of Tempest, and nod instead, “That’s a bloody good deal. Sure, I’ll take it!” Teaching MattersI stand in front of a group of soldiers, no more than one fifty strong, and not trained in the least. I smile, “Sitting here, you might be expecting that I will train you just like any other general. Maybe you think you will be running around the track ten times before the hour is done?” I shake my head, “Those if you who are thinking of that, stop. For you are no ordinary group of soldiers.” I turn to face them, “You are my Sturm! Listen, pay attention, and do your job! If you fall behind, you will be made into an ordinary soldier! But if you succeed, then your name will be noted as one of the greatest warriors in history.” I look at the wall, where a line of weapons are lined up, “For you will not be like the others! You will not use swords, you will not use spears, you will not use bows!” One soldier speaks, “What will we use, sir?” I smile, and grab something from the table, “A repeating crossbow!” I hold it out, “Point, fire, and another bolt is in place by the time you’ve aimed at something else.” I put it down, and pick something else up, “But you won’t be carrying that. No, we are going to make the enemy be frightened and surrender before we have to do anything.” I hold up a flail, and show it off, “Very hard to use, and we won’t. But you will carry it.” I smile, putting it down, “When we do anything, you must be swift, and sneaky. If we are to ever invade anywhere, then you must be prepared to secure the people with as little harm as possible. You must strike like lightning.” I nod, “Gentlemen, allow me to teach you the art of the Blitzkrieg.” ——— I hear a knock on my door, awakening me from my sleep. I sigh, and push my sunglasses further up, “Enter.” The door opens ever so slightly, and I create a little ball of fire in my hands to see. Tempest enters, and sighs, “Can I talk to you? Alone?” I look and see Erwin waking up. I create a bubble of air beneath him, and launch him out the door. I hide a laugh as I hear his confused screaming, and slam the door as he exits. I recover from my laughter, and turn to face Tempest, “What is it, Tempest?” She looks down at the ground, “Well, the magic that you are using... you can do it without a horn!” I nod, “Good observation, love, I ain’t exactly got a horn poking out my forehead.” She sighs, “I was wondering if...” I smile, “If?” She looks up, “Would you teach me?” I think it over, “It would be really hard. I don’t even know if you can do it.” She steps forward, “Test me, then!” I nod, “Follow me down to the courtyard.” ——— I widen my stance, and face Tempest as the moon starts to set, “There are four elements. Fire, Air, Earth, and Water. Each tap into our emotions, and each is most powerful at certain times.” I look up, “Seeing as the moon is still up, let us try Water.” She follows my movements as I turn to a nearby pond. I look at the water, “Watch the water as the moon pulls it. Reach out, and feel the water. Then, make yourself like the moon, and push and pull.” I move my arms slowly back and forth, making the water come up to me, then go back. She reaches out her hooves, and tries. Yet the water refuses to move. She growls, and turns to me, “Water is stupid anyway. What’s next?” I put the water back, and shrug, “You will only be proficient in one element, so don’t be mad.” I stomp on the ground, and cause the earth to make a pillar that holds me up, “Earth requires your brute force. You must not move, you must not flee. You must pack all your strength into one blow, and overwhelm your opponent with your strength! Punch this pillar!” Tempest charges the pillar, and punches it. The pillar doesn’t even move. She growls, “Who puts all their strength into one blow?! You need to overwhelm with the amount of attacks, not the strength of them!” I stomp the pillar back into the ground, and smile, “A good philosophy, yet not the one of Earth. Let us try Air.” I take a deep breath, “Breathe in and out, feel the air on you. Let go of the physical world, find peace in yourself.” She looks at me, “Peace? This requires peace?” She shakes her head, “Next!” I sigh, and look as the sun raises, “Fire is the element of power. The power to have a unflinching will to accomplish your tasks and desires. It is also the element of rage, and vengeance. So summon your anger, summon your will! Breathe in, breathe out, and feel the fire growing within you! Then-“ I punch, and let a blast of fire fly, “Attack!” She follows my example, and punches forward with obvious rage in her eyes. An inferno comes from her hoof, smacking against the castle walls, and turning the metal red. She then realizes what she’s done, and looks at her hoof, “I-I did it!” I smile, and pat her on the shoulder, “Congratulations, love, you’re a Fire Bender.” Invading MattersI smile, and throw an apple into the air. A bolt comes from a bush, and pins it to the wall. I then throw two up, and the same happens. By the time the first apple has hit the wall, the second bolt has hit the second one. I pelt an apple towards the bush, and one of my Sturm dive out of the bush, yet somehow manages to shoot the apple out of the air as well. I throw yet another directly at him as he is dealing with the previous one. Without even looking, he rips out his flail, and smacks it out of the air. I smile, and stomp on the ground, creating a projectile of earth. However, as I do this, I notice a guard rushing to me. He salutes, and holds out a scroll, “Sir Avatar, your pet-“ I interrupt him, “Erwin, soldier, his name is Erwin.” He nods, “Yes Sir! Erwin gave this scroll to us, and we think you might find meaning in it.” I take the scroll, and unroll it. All I see is a map, and a calendar, both of which have a hole in them. I look closer at the two, and study where the holes have been poked. On the calendar, it is a week from today, and the hole in the map is on the outskirts of the Everfree. The guard speaks up, “Sir, the Storm King is calling a meeting, he wants you there quickly!” I nod, and wave to my Sturm, “Dismissed! Go relax with your other Sturm.” The guard turns, “Follow me, Sir Avatar.” ——— I walk into the throne room, and smile, “Sorry if I’m late, your majesty, I was training my Sturm.” The Storm King waves me off, “Yes, yes, that’s all well and good. What we are here to talk about is our invasion of Equestria.” Tempest nods, “Our spies have yet to find out any moment of time when the Elements of Harmony might be separated.” I interject, “Actually, Storm King, I have an idea.” I lay out the scroll, “Erwin has been talking to one of the Elements of Harmony over the past week, and has gathered interesting information.” The Storm King leans forward, “Yes?” I continue, “I was brought to this world through the power of an entity named Discord, and it is my quest to find him. Apparently, exactly one week from now, Discord shall be brought to the Elements, meaning the Elements of Harmony will be on their bearers.” Tempest shakes her head, “Information that is useless to us. We cannot allow the Storm King to be hit by the Elements, or our entire invasion is ruined!” I smile, “That is why I have my plan. The invasion continues as normal, with airships landing simultaneously in each major city, and destroying the Equestrian nation as quick as possible. The Storm King can go to Canterlot with you, Tempest, so you may subdue the Princesses. Meanwhile, me and my Sturm shall land in Ponyville and subdue the Elements of Harmony while they are still on their bearers. If they hit me, it is an acceptable casualty, but they won’t. I can use sympathy from when they first saw me to get their guard down, then my Sturm will make them unable to fight. Then, we can safely put them on speperate corners of Equestria, thus maintaining safety and security for the entire invasion. It also gives us the additional ally within Discord when I free him.” The Storm King leans back, “The plan is unusual, but so is everything about you. Avatar, if you think it is best, then go ahead with it.” ——— Erwin approaches me as I lay down for sleep, “Avatar, you sure we should really be doing this?” I nod, “The Storm King has been nothing but kind to us, and I have no reason not to follow him.” Erwin lies down, “It’s just... something seems off about him. Like a cub who’s stepped in Poison Joke and is trying to hide it.” I look at him, “Like a machine with something broken inside?” He nods, “Yes! Like he’s always hiding away something from us. Something that doesn’t make me feel good when I think about what it might be.” I smile, “Don’t worry. I’m sure whatever he might be hiding, it won’t matter in the long run. Maybe a party for our good work?” Erwin smiles, “You really think he might be planning a party?” I nod, “I’m sure it won’t be anything worse than that. He has helped us, so we should help him back. Even if he seems like he is hiding something, we just have to trust that it isn’t anything big.” Erwin looks down, “But what if it is? I remember whenever you were describing that Reich thing to him-“ I interrupt, “He was just interested in hearing about how the Blitzkrieg failed. He listened when I told him how the atrocities led to the downfall.” Erwin nods, “You’re right.” I smile, “So let’s just get some rest. We only have a week until we start the invasion.” Erwin closes his eyes, “Goodnight.” I do the same, “Goodnight, Erwin.” Sympathy MattersI push my sunglasses up as I look over to one of my Sturm, “Initiate the plan.” He nods, and disappears into the forest. I smile, and emerge from the forest. It doesn’t take very long to see my targets. The six Elements of Harmony, surrounding the statue of Discord. I walk up to them, until I am close enough for them to hear me clear my throat, “Excuse me.” They all spin around, and take a step back in shock as they see me. The first to recover is Twilight Sparkle, as her eyes widen, “You.” I nod, “Yes, I am me. An observation lesser I would not expect from one such well spoken as you. Please, allow me to fully and absolutely introduce myself this time. I am Sir Avatar, pleasure to meet you all.” Applejack steps towards me, snorting with anger, “You lit my hat on fire!” I hold up my hands, “Whoa, whoa, easy there, love. I put the fire out before it could really damage the hat.” She glares at me, “And you think that makes you right?” I shake my head, “Oh, no, I was in the wrong mindset. I had just survived a very traumatic experience, and I was surrounded by weird creatures who decided to tie me up with rope. I panicked, but I am better now. I would like to apologize for all I did to you.” She looks me dead in the eye, and sighs as she backs up, “As long as you realize you were wrong, I suppose you’re alright.” I smile, “Thank you for your understanding. I can only hope you will be as understanding when I ask that you please free Discord.” Twilight looks at me with suspicion now, “How do you know about Discord? He was imprisoned three months ago, and you popped in only two ago.” I look at him, allowing the sun to be reflected from my sunglasses, “That traumatic experience I told you about... Discord is the one who saved me. I wasn’t close to dying, I wasn’t at risk of dying, but I had died. Yet, it seems like he captured my mind and body the moment before my death, and brought me to the middle of this town. I know that he has good within him, so I ask that you please free him.” Twilight is about to speak, but Fluttershy interrupts her, “Twilight, Princess Celestia told us to free him. If Mister Avatar here also vouches for Discord, maybe that means we can feel safe by freeing him?” Twilight looks over at her friend, and back at me, “I... I don’t know if we can trust him, though. He burned Applejack’s lasso without any effort, he gave both Rainbow and Applejack a bruse on their heads for weeks!” Fluttershy walks up to Twilight, and lays her wing on her shoulder, “I trust him, Twilight. He only attacked in defense before, and he has shown great kindness by apologizing to us. What’s the worst that could happen by trusting him?” Twilight relents, “Okay, okay, fine. We can trust him. Let’s just get this done with so we can see if we made a mistake.” I step back, “Please, do go ahead.” The six surround the statue of Discord, not noticing the bushes all around shaking. Instead, they are preoccupied with floating into the air, and having a beam of light connecting them all. If I didn’t have my sunglasses, then I would have to avert my eyes from the scene. A bright light comes out of them, and hits the statue of Discord. As it does, stone starts slowly crumbling away and the six float down to the ground. The last piece of stone hits the ground, and Discord is free. He stretches his body out, and looks at his surroundings. He smiles deviously, and begins to float into the sky, “Oh, stretching space, finally!” He picks up a stone from the ground, and smiles, “I was losing my marbles in there!” He looks at the Elements, “Oh I thank you, Elements, truly. You have no idea how painful it would’ve been to be trapped whilst all this chaos goes on outside!” Twilight looks up at him, “Chaos? What chaos?” Discord smiles, “Well, that should be obvious.” He looks to the sky, “Oh, things are really looking up in the world!” Twilight follows his eyes, her own landing on the mysterious black clouds that seem to be all over the sky, “So what? A few wild storms from the Everfree are no big deal.” Discord leans down, and looks her in the eyes, “Storm? Yes, correct, one hundred points! Wild? Nah, incorrect. You guessed the Everfree, but I think it is from behind Door Three instead.” He raises his talons, and nods, “Don’t worry, I won’t spoil the suprise!” I watch as he disappears, and decide to begin speaking, “He is correct when he says those aren’t wild storms.” Twilight looks back at me, “What do you mean? Do you know about this?” I nod, “See, in the period of two months since I last saw you, I have found someone to serve. The Storm King, he has taken care of me for the last two months, and I am in servitude to him as a general. His Kingdom is failing. We don’t have enough food, we don’t have enough resources, and we do not have enough space. Equestria has always been the land of plenty. You can have parties where you feast on cakes every day. You have rolling plains and fertile farmland that is not used. Most of all, you have magic. Magic to control the weather, magic to control the plants, and magic that can even bring souls back from death itself. Yet most of all, you are hypocrites. Despite your preaching of generosity, kindness, loyalty, and honesty, your nation has yet to meet a single point. You abandoned your allies, the hippogriffs, to be taken over by a rouge band of pirates. Your Princess lies constantly, saying that the world is in Harmony. When everyone knows that it is instead a Equestiran lead Order. You selfishly and cruelly hold valuable resources that other nations could use.” I look at them, “At least, that’s what Tempest told me. Desperate times call for desperate measures, loves. I may not agree with our invasion, but it does not matter if I agree or not. I now serve the Storm Kingdom and it’s interests, and this invasion will lead to our benefit, and your benefit as well.” Rainbow Dash spreads her wings, “So, you’re invading Equestria?” I nod, “Yes. The Storm King listened quite well when I told him about the Blitzkrieg. By the end of today, Equestria will fall under Storm King rule.” I stand straight, and push my glasses up to hide my eyes, “The Storm King has decreed that the Elements of Harmony are the greatest danger to him and his invasion plan. According to international law set in the Geneva Convention of Nineteen Seventy-seven, I am to take you captive under humane conditions until such a time that you may be released. I can promise that you shall not come to undue harm nor punishment whilst under our captivity.” Fluttershy looks at me with tears in her eyes, “You... you betrayed us?” I try to look at her, but have to look down at the ground. I sigh, “I’m sorry, I truly am. I hope you can forgive me one day.” Rainbow charges at me, “Fat chance!” I hold up my hand, and try to blast some fire at her. Only, when I try, nothing comes out. I don’t have time to think as she gets closer, so I shout, “Sturm, thunder!” A bolt comes out of a bush, catching Rainbow by her fur and pinning her to the ground. Only a few steps away from me. The force of ten more Sturm come out of the bushes, pointing their crossbows at the Elements. They all take out hoof-cuffs, rope, and magic suppressers. They cuff all of them, tying the wings of the pegasi, and suppressing the magic of the unicorns. One comes up to me, “Sir Avatar, the village has been secured.” I nod, “Keep it that way. Make sure to give these six the best hospitality you can. Return them home, but make sure they never leave without at least two guards.” He salutes, “Yes, Sir Avatar.” They all leave, leaving me alone by the edge of the forest. I hold up my hand in a fist, and try to fire bend once again. Yet it seems, despite all my efforts, nothing will happen. It is then that I hear a snap behind me, and a cackle. I turn to see Discord there, “Oh, oh, that’s priceless!” I glare at him from behind my sunglasses, “What?” He points at me, “You actually thought you could bend! Ha ha, oh, I needed that laugh.” I walk closer to him, “What do you mean? I bent all four elements!” He looks at my eyes, “No, you never bent anything. I gave you some of my magic, and it expressed itself like that. I only needed you to free me and cause the Storm King to take over. Now, I can defeat him, and the entirety of Equestria shall call me their hero! Fillies will sing my name in the streets, and I shall claim my proper title! King Discord!” He laughs madly. Until, he snaps back to me, “There’s only one loose end. One man who is too dangerous to keep alive.” He sneers, “Be glad that I can’t kill, Austin. But then despair once more, as I will give you no chance of survival.” He snaps, and I disappear. ——— I wake from my unconscious state, only to find myself in the middle of the Everfree Forest. Wolves howl in the distance, and their howls get closer every second. I pick myself off the ground, making sure to pick up my sunglasses as I get up. I look into the distance, and know I am screwed without my bending. I turn the opposite direction of the wolves, and start to run as fast as I can. Relative PeaceI rush into a clearing in the forest, almost able to feel the breath of the wolves on the back of my neck. Yet, as I enter the clearing, karma decides it’s time I really pay. A root catches my foot, causing me to tumble and lose all my speed. I manage to get to my feet, only to see wolves made of wood surrounding me. I put up my hands, “I suggest you retreat, mates, before I have to harm you!” I slash my hand around, going into a spin, and trying to launch a spiral of air at the wolf. Yet nothing happens. I take a step back, and stomp on the ground with all my strength. The only effect is my foot now hurting. I look at the wolves, and smile, “Perhaps we could talk this out?” They get closer and closer, growling and snapping at me. I press up against a tree, trying to get a grip and climb. Yet I fail. I turn to face them again, only to see one preparing to pounce on me. I hold my hands in front of my face and neck, not willing to go without giving a fight. Yet, right before the wolf springs into action, he is interrupted by the sound of glass smashing and a wolf’s yelp of pain. A female voice shouts, carrying a strange accent, “Run, run you wolves of wood! Before I kill you as I should!” The wolves all snap their head’s to a different part of the clearing, before retreating. With them gone, I am left alone with my savior. I look to see a zebra standing there, wearing a brown cloak with bottles all over it. I nod to her, “Thank you, I would’ve been dog chow. I’m Avatar.” She looks at me, “You say the title is Avatar, yet are you sure that’s what you really are? You may not be pony, but there is more than what I see. A boy who decides to cower, yet he acts like a man with great power. One who boasts and says he swaggers, even as he falls and staggers.” She shakes her head, “You have gone through a lot for one who’s year is few. Come with me, please, and figure out who is you.” She turns around, and I feel compelled to follow her, “What do you mean?” She smiles, “You need to be set straight, so come with me and meditate.” I nod, “If that’s what you ask, mate. You saved me from being ate.” She looks over at me, “And if I had been too late, you definitely would’ve lost weight.” I laugh, “Ah, but my figure is already great. I’d give myself an eight.” She laughs as well, “If you continued at that rate, then you’d be served on a plate.” I shrug, “I had some time to wait, for my planning creates an unsurpassable gate.” She looks ahead, “I don’t mean to agitate, but your guts would probably be used to decorate.” ——— “I don’t mean to debate, but Equestria used to be a slave state.” She looks over at me, “Very impressive rhymes, we must have gone a hundred times! Zecora, such is my name. I suppose one could say that rhyming is my game.” I nod, “Very nice to meet you, Zecora.” She pushes open the door to a hut, “Please, come into my hut. I have a nice soup of almond and coconut.” I walk in, and see a caldron burning in the center of the room. All around the walls are African-like tribal masks, and shelves filled with different alchemical ingredients. I smile, “So, you’re an alchemist.” “Herboligy, in fact.” I reach to touch something, but she snaps her head to me, “Don’t touch that, important artifact.” She takes out a bowl, and ladles some soup from the cauldron into it, “A warm soup to calm your mind. So you can see what you can find.” I take the bowl, and take her motioning to eat. I drink the thing down, and it has a pretty pleasant flavor. It sits in my stomach, and seems to radiate warmth through my entire body. She nods, “Ah yes, you can feel it set in. Now, close your eyes and rest, explore what is hidden within.” I follow her advice, getting comfortable by sitting down, and allowing my mind to drift. ——— Fire. That is all that I can see. I wheel around, and I see a city in flames. Creatures run through the streets, yet I cannot tell what they are. Human, pony, storm creature? In fact, this city isn’t identifiable either. A huge bright palace seems to be on the top of the hill, yet it seems to be merged with a dark metallic castle. Airships, pegasi, airplanes, all seem to share the airspace in equal terror. Vehicles rush all down the street. Fire trucks, ambulances, carriages, carts and chariots. Their destination seems unknown, but they move with urgency nonetheless. I see the sky flash with different colors, and twirl around. Two, tall towers scrape the sky. Fire is consuming them, and it’s deathly smoke fills the air and turns it dark. Yet, even as the smoke fills the air, two rips create a clearing in the smoke. The two cuts resemble a pair of horns, and glow. They fill the sky with their cold, unfeeling blue light. But the smoke and blue is only enough to fill two thirds of the sky. A third portion of it is filled with a sickly green glow. Two circles in the distance, almost like eyes, glow their deathly green hue, and fill up the rest of the sky with it. Yet there is a portion of the sky that remains safe. Right above the castle and palace are two black mirrors that halt the lights and smoke in it’s path. Until two yellow circles with red dots fill the inside of them. The circles, that resemble eyes, continue to grow until the mirrors have shattered. The rest of the sky is filled with smoke, cold blue, and deathly green. The chaos fills the air, suffocating me. The only repreave comes when a rainbow appears in the air. It arcs toward the causations of the lights, planning to return to sky to normal. Yet as it gets near, the green eyes absorb the rainbow. It has a second where it is weakened, and the others take the sky. Yet, in a flash of green, it destroyes the towers, and repairs the cuts. Now, the entire sky is filled with deathly green. The city changes all around me. Everything goes from flames to being destroyed, and the road is filled with bones from every sort of creature. The bones start to claw at me, dragging me down into them. I claw and grab at anything I can, yet only find more bones that drown me. I am eventually completely submerged by them, yet I do not stop falling. I look down, only to see firefighters and police rushing around and yelling. I am falling towards the pavement, and other people surround me on the same trip down. A single breath fills my lungs with the scent of dust and smoke, making me choke with that one breath. I meet the pavement, yet I still fall through that. I eventually land in the middle of a metal facility. I land on my feet, giving me an excellent view of what is going on. Two Storm Guards drag a mare by her front hooves, letting the rest of her drag on the rough floor. They walk up to a little chamber in the center of the room. They open it, and toss the mare in like a ragdoll. They slam the door shut, not listening as the mare claws at the door and begs for mercy. Instead, one walks over to a switch, and another to a lever. They both flip them at the same time, causing the entire chamber to light up in flames. The mare doesn’t even have time to scream. Within five seconds, all that remains of her are bones. The smell of burned hair and flesh fill the air, causing me to gag. Yet the guards don’t care. They breath through heavily filtered masks, and walk to get another pony. “Austin.” I twirl around to see who said my name. All I see is an old man with flowing white hair, and a long beard. He wears red robes with a motif of fire, and his hair is contained in a type of bun with a odd headpiece. I take a step back, “Who are you?” He smiles, “My name is Avatar Roku. Not a name that you should be familiar with considering the odd situation.” He bows, “Pleasure to meet you, Avatar Austin.” I look at him oddly, and bow the best I can, “Uh, nice to meet you too?” He nods as he raises back up, “You still have a long way to go, and a lot to learn. You are the most unique Avatar, as you do not have any other bender who could instruct you, nor do you understand bending as much as every other Avatar. I am here to guide you, Austin, to guide you in the way of the Avatar.” I nod, “Okay then. Do you have something to do with this vision?” He shakes his head, “No, this vision is only your mind warning you. A vision of three great atrocities, and three great enemies. Past, present, and future.” I look back at the furnace, “You mean this is happening right now?!” He nods, “Yes, it is. The one you served, known as the Storm King, has decided to wipe out his enemy entirely.” I turn all around, “I need to go help them!” Roku steps forward, “No, Avatar Austin! If you charge off now, you might die and shatter the bonds of the Avatar to this world! You need my instruction and teachings on firebending and how to be an Avatar!” He looks right at me, “If you leave now, you may never return this world to balance.” I shake my head, “I don’t give a shit! People are dying, someone has to do something! I am the only one who has the power to! If I could firebend before, I can do it now!” He looks at me again, and a light smile reaches his face, “You truly are a firebender at heart.” I hold up my hand, and try to slap myself awake. ——— I regain my consciousness right where I was before. My mind feels rested, yet I am filled with something new. I get up, and rush to the door. Zecora looks my way, “Off you go to fulfill your destiny. If you ever need someone to talk to, then remember me.” I nod, and smile at her, “Thank you, Zecora. I need to go now, no time to waste!” This shall not be the end of Equestrian history. No innocent shall die without hope, and a savior coming to get them. Help comes, something is powerful enough now. There is a savior, come to save Equinity. I am enough. I am not just a child. And I will never stop fighting. There is hope, and this is not the end of our lives! ResolveI rush through the gates of Canterlot, and instantly smell the acrid scent of burnt flesh and fur. I look around, seeing the buildings still intact, and ponies held in cages on top of carts. I gag, and look to see a Storm Soldier walking up to one of the cages, “You, soldier! What are you planning to do with that pony?!” He looks in my direction, “Sir Avatar! I am planning to escort the Equestrian to the furnace workers, as the Storm King orders!” I walk up to him, and push into his chest with my finger, “You are going to let this pony free, soldier. You are going to let every pony free, and you are to order a full retreat back home immediately! And if I hear of any ponies dying from this point on, then it’s on your ass!” He salutes me, “Of course, Sir Avatar, at once!” I look as he runs off, and see two other soldiers, “You two! Get General Tempest, and tell her to report to the Palace immediately!” The salute, “Yes, Sir Avatar!” I look towards the Palace, and rush towards it with new energy. No guard nor soldier stands in my way as I rush to the throne room, where the Storm King is sure to be. I reach the doors, and slow my pace. I push up my glasses, and style my hair. I push the doors open, and take a step in. Immediately, I spot the Storm King on the pony’s throne. He smiles, “Avatar, I assume your mission went well?” I walk further in the room, “Yeah, you mind explaining to me what the fuck you think you are doing?!” He looks all around, “Sitting down? Oh, wait, you probably mean phase two of the invasion.” He looks at me, “It’s as you told me, the Third Reich was rich and clean when it made itself pure. There was no internal strife, no corruption, no one left to fight Hitler’s will. He was an absolute monarch, the only one who ever could be. Except, I plan to make myself the same.” I glare at him from behind my sunglasses, “Did you not listen to a single word I said?! The Reich fell as countries fought against the atrocities he was committing!” He nods, “But we have no such enemies. The Griffons don’t have a king to unite behind, the Yaks are small in number, the Zebras are in constant strife due to their tribal warlords, Minotaurs are so head strong and stupid that they won’t think they are in danger, and the Changelings are starving to death! Every nation is flawed! Equestria was a nation of hypocrites, too peaceful and pacifistic to do anything about the world crumbling around them! But look as us, look at all I have done! We are pure, we are perfect!” I growl, “Perfect!? Pure!? You are slaughtering millions of innocent ponies for the nonexistent crime of existing! You forced the Hippogriffs into servitude, you have entire towns in the desert dedicated to slavery!” He sighs, “Towns that are run by other races. Races that we will slaughter! Races that sew chaos and discord across the land!” He looks at me, “But we are different. We are not chaos, we do not cause discord. We are order, and I hold the power of the Old King!” I step forward, not breaking eye contact, “You’ll never get the chance to leave this room, Storm King! I am here to stop you before you destroy everything!” He laughs, and raises his staff into the air. With a flash and a boom, a lightning bolt leaves it and hits me. I’m knocked onto my back by the lightning, and I feel energy coursing through me. Enough to kill any man. My vision goes white, and my body screams with pain. Until it stops. The pain hasn’t gone away, the wound hasn’t disappeared. There is still a large hole in my shirt, and charred flesh on my body. But I don’t care. I push the pain out of me, I push away the wound. My mind is focused with a single intent, and I’m not letting anything stop me. I get up from my back, and stand strong on my feet. I glare at him, “You will never defeat me.” He hits me with another lightning blast, sending me flying against a wall. Yet, once again, I pick myself up and push away the pain. I stagger forward, “Go ahead, try again. I will not fall. Equestria needs someone to save them, and here I am!” He blasts lightning at me once again, yet I feel that energy within me spike. I take a surer stance, and punch forward. A bright inferno comes out of my fist, stopping the lightning in it’s tracks. I smile with surprise, happy to feel my fire return, stronger than before. I stand straight, and look at him. I allow little bursts of flame to come in and out with every breath. I twirl my hands about, creating a line of fire that stretches all around me. I crack my neck, and smile, “I am stronger than you ever will be, Storm King! Your magic may be great, but you lack what I have!” Yet, before I finish, the throne room doors open behind me. The Storm King slams his staff down, and a bolt of lightning travels right past my shoulder. I look back to see it impact Tempest, and send her flying into a wall. Bits of roof fall, and pin her to the ground. I turn back to face the Storm King, and growl, “Really? A hostage?” I can hear Tempest groan, “Avatar, please... help.” I close my fist, and a pillar of fire launches out of the ground next to her. It sends the debris on top of her back to the roof, and out of it. The Storm King growls, “Give up, you can’t win!” I keep my eyes on his, “I wasn’t done with what I was saying before. I will never give up.” I charge towards him, “My Resolve is too strong!” I jump into the air, gathering my hands into fists. I land, and shove both of them forward, releasing a wave of fire. The Storm King slams his staff down, trying to protect himself from the fire. Yet the staff can only protect one side of him. He can’t do anything as I enclose him in a cylinder of fire, and slowly start to close it. I can hear his screams from within the flames, and I crush the entire thing into a pillar. The flames subside, and all that is left is a pile of ash, and his staff. I walk up to it, and pick the staff up from the ashes. I take the blue crystal from within, and crush it within my fist. I throw the staff down, and drop the crystal’s powder in the Storm King’s ashes. With that done, I turn around to help Tempest. She is badly injured, I can pick up that much. I pick her up the best I can, and smile, “Come on, love, you aren’t really going to die from one blast of lightning? You’ll get healing soon, we’re going home.” She smiles faintly, “The King?” I look back at the ashes, “Gone. For good.” I then look, and see two statues in the corner of the room that seem to be cracking apart and coming to life. I nod to the Princesses that are slowly being freed, and walk out of the room, “We gotta go before those two can chase us.” As I exit the Palace, I see ponies roaming the streets of Canterlot once more. Some trudge around, others gleefully embrace friends and family. Yet, even among all this joy, there are ponies that are sobbing to themselves. There are more of those ponies than I would like. I walk through the streets, and nopony seems to take mind of the human carrying a unicorn. A single airship sits at the port, and I begin my walk to it. EndingsI look up at the throne in front of me, and the crown upon it. I look at the Storm Creature, and back at the crown, “Are you sure, Elder?” The Elder looks at me, and nods, “It is written that the bravest warrior, the most determined soul, and the kindest leader shall take the throne. Tempest Shadow has told us none would fit the throne better than you. The crown is yours.” I look at it for a while, until I finally take a step towards the throne. I pick up the crown, and put it on my head. The golden headwear fits perfectly, sitting comfortably, and firmly on my head. I turn to face the Elder, and see them bow to me, “Welcome, King Avatar. The people await a speech from their King.” I look, and see a balcony. I walk towards it, barely even noticing as the Elder slips a cape onto my back. I step onto it, and look over the town. Storm Creatures stand in the streets below the balcony, eagerly waiting for their King. Waiting for me. I look at the thousands below me. Soldiers, merchants, men, women, children. Thousands of eyes on me, waiting for me to start the new age in history. I start to speak, not even thinking as I do. A spell amplifies my voice for all to hear. “People of the Storm Kingdom. My people. For too long, you have been held under the madman known as the Storm King. He who forced entire races into servitude, and tried to purge the entire race of ponies. He has paid for his crimes, and now is nothing more than a pile of ash on the Canterlot Palace’s floor. Now as his ashes blow away in the wind, his mark upon this place blows away as well! We will change with it! No longer shall we look to the world to help us! No longer shall we kill and commit atrocities in order to force the world under our control! We shall serve the world! We shall serve the nation we almost killed! Our existence is now to help in every way possible! This is a new chapter in our history. This is our golden age! No longer are the Storm Kingdom! We are now the United Storm! And we shall unite this world in balance and harmony! No matter how long it takes, no matter how hard it is, we are strong enough!” The crowd below erupts in applause. I smile, and give a wave as I exit back to the throne room. Yet, as I enter, I see two figures that shouldn’t be there. A man stands there, wearing purple robes that flow in a nonexistent wind. I take a step back, “You?” He nods, and his emotionless eyes stare into me, “Yes. Edis, God of Endings.” I narrow my eyes, “What do you want?” He smiles, yet it has no meaning, “Your help.” I glare even more, “More specific.” He sighs, “You’ve seen what the Storm King can do, yes? There’s somebody out there who succeeded. And she killed every race, except the ponies. I need your help to defeat her.” I raise an eyebrow, “Like, right now?” He shakes his head, “No, but sometime soon. I know that what the Storm King almost did sickens you. And I know that you will help.” I sigh, “Fine, whatever, if someone has done something so evil.” He vanishes, and leaves me with the other figure in robes. Avatar Roku stands there, yet he seems to glow blue. He smiles, full of emotion, “Now that you have defeated the King, maybe you will have time to chat? At least learn the Avatar history?” I move past him, and take a seat on the throne, “If you insist upon it, mate. Go on.” ——— A pony moves through the halls of Canterlot Palace, ignoring the speech the Princesses are giving to the hurt populace. They say no action is to be taken. They say the one who caused it has died. They will sit around and do nothing to avenge them! They are weak. I am strong! I move into the throne room, and see the pile of ash in the middle of it. The flesh falls off my bones with every step I take. The only thing keeping the bones together is my cloak, and my determination. The cloak she made. The determination she caused. The strength she made. The flesh and bones she forged. The love I gave her. The magical tricks to impress her. The strength for her. The flesh I would gladly give up to save her. The insanity fills my mind. The power fills my bones. The fire fills my eyes. The anger at her loss! The revenge I shall get! The lives taken for her! The lives I shall take! I summon up the power, and the ashes glow green, “Rise from the grave, King of Storms! Rise, and fight to pay back the death you caused! I call you to serve my will! To kill for her death!” I laugh, letting the insanity finally take over, “For I am no longer a pony! I am no longer weak! I am no longer blind!” The ashes start to forge together, and I laugh louder, “I am Nerazîbûnê! And I shall have revenge!” Rising TempestI give a light pat to Erwin’s head, “We might want to land soon, mate. Take a rest.” He shakes his head, “Nah, I’m perfectly fine continuing on. Don’t worry, I’ve still got the energy of a cub!” I smile, “Bloody hell, Manticores must fly a long time then. It’s been upwards of three hours.” He nods, “Oh yeah, we’re what they call ‘stamina’ hunters. Birds might have us beat in speed, but they don’t have the energy. If I really tried, I could fly all day!” I look up into the horizon, “Looks like we’ve got a storm approaching us. Don’t worry, I can cover that.” He looks up at me as I start to move my arms. I reach out to the air, and command it to move aside. It works, but I can feel something within, “That isn’t a storm.” I see as the smoke screen dissipates, showing a dark zeppelin within. I smile, “Alright, Erwin, go in for a landing on that platform.” He stops, and hovers for a bit, “What if they’re dangerous? What if they’re pirates!?” I laugh, “I don’t think we have to worry about sky pirates. If they are, then I’ll knock them out, abandon them in the desert below, and steal their ship.” He nods, and goes in for a landing, “If you say so.” We land in the middle of the metal structure, and I dismount from Erwin. I instantly hear the pounding of feet on metal approaching us. A creature wearing dark armor marked with blue symbols, turns the corner. He carries a two-pronged spear, and a shield, his teal dots glaring at me as he rushes us. I can see his violent intent clearly, and stop him before he gets to me. I send out a thin line of fire at his feet, tripping him and setting his feet on fire at the same time. He then rushes away, trying to put the fire out. Another appoches from my other side, and Erwin pounces onto him. I turn back to my side as one emerges from a door beside me. I clap my hands together, causing a pop of air right inside his ear. He passes out, a tiny bit of blood trickling from his ear. I flow my arm around, and summon the blood to form a tiny dagger. I send it flying into the knee of one of the other creatures. I turn around to see how Erwin is doing, to see he is about to be stabbed through with one of those spears. My instincts take control, causing one of my hands to involuntarily snap. With that snap, the spear turns to dust. I use my other hand to gather up the dust, and send it blowing into the eyes of the creatures, blinding them and sending them falling to the ground as they try to get the dust out. I flip around once more as I hear a different type of steps. A dark purple unicorn with a broken horn, and dark pink hair. She wears a light, black vest with the same symbol on her flank. Eyes best described as sea green reflect off my glasses as we stare at each other. She looks around her to all the fallen and pained creatures, and she turns back to me. She nods, “You are good at fighting, for a pirate. Never thought the day would come when my guards would be beaten by a bipedal mistake with a wild animal at his side.” I smile, “Sorry to disappoint, love, but we aren’t pirates. We were simply looking for a job when your mates decided to attack us.” She shakes her head, “You were looking for a job by attacking a ship? This is Storm King airspace, and you just attacked one of his ships.” I shrug, “Sorry, love, didn’t know about that. But, how about I propose a mutually benifical plan, yes? I managed to take down your ships guards without killing a single one, you even said it yourself that I was good. Now, I’m sure your Storm King could probably use a warrior, especially one with a previously unheard of magic.” She leans forward as she hears about magic, before looking uninterested once more, “And what is it you are asking for in return?” I smile, “A job, a place to live, and someone to serve. Look, love, I just really want to become part of something. If this Storm King chap seems good, then I will definitely join under his banner. Besides, it seems like you need someone to teach strategy to your guards. This showing was... disappointing so to say. To just rush at me is a terrible idea.” She smirks, “You think you know strategy? We’ve had generals claim so before, and they all failed.” I laugh, “Love, I got strategies you’ve never heard of. Unless if one of you somehow came up with the Blitzkrieg, then I know a lot more. I promise thag you won’t be disappointed if you allow us to join.” She takes a second, and finally nods, “If you want to pledge fealty to Storm King, then you will be allowed to. However, you must stay within the waiting room of the ship, and not exit there until we arrive.” I nod, “Whatever you say, love.”
SaviorsI tap my fingers in boredom as I read from my book. I spare a glance out of the window from time to time. A hundred floor view of New York sounds better than it looks. New York just lacks the authentic feel of time passing from up here. Empire State Building may be unique, but it is smothered in the glass box skyscrapers around it. This building is different though. Something to show the economic power of America. More akin to the Eiffel Tower in it’s symbolism than any other building here. I take a glance from my book, for once glad for the overly bright interior of the building. I observe my father as he seals a deal for his business with an important client. His look is one I achieved to get. Average height and build, but that is where the average ends. His bright, snow blue eyes almost seem to glow, with his dark glasses off his face and on the table. He wears a very formal suit, this client being particularly important. His face is one covered in the passage of time. Stress, happiness, all shows itself prominently. His hands are calloused from holding everything from books to briefcases. A mustache grows on his face, like it was stolen from the corpse of Wilhelm the Second. I look alike to him in many ways, only reversed in time. Middle school isn’t exactly a place for me to be stressed, or happy. His mustache has yet to grow in on me, but I expect for it to when I grow older. Unlike me, however, he has learned how to see without sunglasses and without squinting. My teachers and few friends have all made comments at one point about how my squint makes it look like I’m glaring everyone down. After all, Florida isn’t the best place for those sensitive to the sun. I return my eyes to the outside for a short period, until they start to hurt from the influx of light. I start back up on my book. But, it is then that I hear footsteps approaching. A man sits down in front of me, although it seems like he did nothing to disturb the chair he sat on. He wears some strange purple robes that seem to flow in a nonexistent wind, and has an emotionless stare that could face my own glare head on. People seem to ignore him despite his odd wear. He smiles, a smile with no humor behind it, “Hello there. What is that you are reading?” I hesitantly answer back, “A book on American History. I’m nearly at the end of it.” He lets out a single laugh as he hears me say ‘end’ and he leans forward, “Is that so? Feh, you must have gotten an old copy. If you think that book contains all of American History, you’d be wrong. After all, History is about to be made, and an ending shall be led up to.” He leans back in the chair, even though it doesn’t seem to squish to him at all, “Ah, allow me to introduce myself first. I think the name that you would understand in your limited language would be ‘Edis’.” I try to make a friendly smile, “Well, uh, hey. Look, what are you here for?” He clicks a bit, “Well, I am here to ensure a good ending, Austin. It is, after all, my job. I suppose you might more appreciate my full title. Edis, God, or Spirit if you prefer that, of Endings.” I chuckle, “Oh, you’re a nutcase then? Here to seduce me into some Scientology type shit?” He shakes his head, “Oh, not at all. I am just the distraction. Discord would try and mess it all up with his altruistic goals in mind whist forgetting the bigger picture.” With that, he looks out the window, “Ah, looks like my time is up. Oh well, guess you can have a tiny bit of time.” He waves his hand around, and seems to fade out of existence. At the same time, I can feel a pressure I didn’t know was building in my head release. With that pressure gone, I can suddenly hear something within. ”Run! Quickly, run!” The nervous and pleading tone of the voice prompts me into action. I quickly get up, and walk over to dad. It seems the meeting has reached the paperwork stage, so I am not interrupting. I look him in the eyes, our ice cold eyes locking onto each other, “Dad, we need to go.” He smiles, “Don’t worry, we’ll be out of here soon. You can explore the Empire State after I finish this paperwork. Only about ten more minutes, okay?” I shake my head as the voice insists, “Something isn’t right. We need to leave, now.” He looks over at me, “Everything is perfectly fine, Austin. We’re in the middle of New York, what could happen to us? Now go and sit-“ His eyes lock onto something behind me, and I can hear a strange whistling. He jumps out of his chair, and pulls me down, “Get down!” I can only barely process the sound of an engine and crashing below me. Rubble flies up from the ground, and something heavy lands on my head, knocking me unconscious for a bit. — “... possible terrorist attack” — “... crazy!? The floors below are filled with fire!” — I fade back into consciousness to see my dad kneeling before me. He smiles, and pats my head, “Hey, you’re finally awake. I’m going to go get help, okay? I’ll make sure that you are rescued, and everyone else here.” He takes the sunglasses off his shirt, a pair of black aviators, “Here, put these on. They’ll protect your eyes from the bright fire and the dust. Keep them on until you see me again. I will be back.” He gets up, and walks away, leaving me to fade away again. — I’m brought back by terrified screaming. I manage enough strength to stand up, and go over with the crowd. They look out the window, all in different states of shock. I look as well, to where the South Tower once stood. Now, all that is there is a pile of rubble and dust. Dad’s client loses all hope upon the sight, “This is hopeless. We’re all going to die, aren’t we? Any second now, we’ll collapse as well.” People take his despair into themselves, and all dejectedly sit on the floor. Some cry in hysterics, some lay there to await death, and a group steps up to the window. The last group is led by the client, and he looks back at me. He shakes his head, “Kid, come on. Be better to die falling than in a pile of rubble.” I step forward, towards him. I then stop, “My dad said he would get help.” The client shakes his head, “No help is coming for us. Not anymore. There is nothing powerful enough to stop this damnation.” I hear rubble collapse into our floor as I start to walk forward once more. I hear a person near me get pinned down by the rubble, and turn to look as they shout for help. They look at me, “Kid, please, help!” I shake my head, “What can I do? I am just a child, I am not enough to lift rubble. No savior comes for any of us.” I take my book that I carried under my arm. I toss it over to them, “There’s never been a savior. No being of any kind has ever come to save humanity in the past, why would they now? This is the fall of Rome all over again. This is the end of our history.” I take the clients outstretched hand, “And the end of our lives.” He leans backwards, allowing gravity to overtake him. Others fall beside us as we fall to the cloud of dust below. The only thing I know for sure is that my dad’s glasses are still on. My glasses, stay on. The ground quickly approaches, and I prepare for the pain at the end. ——— It never comes though, and I open my eyes. All I see around me is darkness, an empty void. Then, something appears. A statue of a chimera, and it begins to speak, “Perhaps you could not be a savior in that life. But, the chance now approaches.” I start to glow, and I can see the statue move itself just enough to snap, “Your mana is now open to be used in whatever form you choose. Apparently Bending if the looks are anything to go off of.” I slowly start to drift away from the statue, and it gives me a final message, “Find Discord! Free me!”
New WorldI seem to fall into reality, in a way of describing it. I find myself on my knees, and I look up to see a very odd sight. Six colorful ponies with necklaces on. Pegasi and Unicorns as well, creatures of myth. Not to say that everything I’ve seen today is normal by any standard. This still takes second place. The orange one starts to speak, “Uh, Twilight, what’s that?” One of the unicorns answer, “I have no idea.” It starts to slowly approach me, “Hello? Can you speak?” I shoot to my feet, and start to back away, holding out a single hand, “Stay back! Don’t come any closer!” She stops, “Okay, I won’t. What’s your name? Do you know your name?” I don’t put my hand down, “Aus- Avatar! Just stay the fuck back!” She doesn’t move, as I requested, “Please just put down your hand. I think your bleeding, we can heal you.” I reach up to the side of my head, and feel dried blood on my hair. The wound below is closed, though, “Where am I?!” She smiles, “Ponyville. Equestria, if that is what you meant.” One of the Pegasi step forward, a yellow one, “Twilight, maybe I could talk to him?” The unicorn nods, and trades places with the pegasus. She calmly smiles at me, “Mister Avatar, I’m sure we can fill you in on everything back in the library. I know my friend, Rarity over here would love to wash your clothes for you.” I step back, “Oh yeah, I’m sure you just want to talk, don’t you! Huh, with your little friend over there with her wings spread out!” The pegasus looks at her fellow, “Rainbow, really? Put your wings down.” I take this time to shout out a question, “I don’t know where the hell I am, so let me ask you a simple question! How far away is America? United States, if you prefer!” She looks back at me with confusion evident, “A-mare-ica? I’m sorry, but I’ve never heard of it.” I back away further as she takes a step forward, “What date is it then?!” She stops, and thinks it over, “Oh, well, I didn’t exactly check the calendar this morning, sorry. Twilight, do you know?” Twilight nods, “It is the eleventh of Discord’s Feast, One thousand and One C.R.” I nod, “Okay, okay, fantasy timescale yet still the same day.” She takes another step forward, and I rush backwards a few steps, “Stay the fuck back!” The orange pony slowly takes out a lasso, “He’s in hysterics, Fluttershy. There ain’t no way o’ gettin through to him. We should just restrain him until he gets back to workin’ order.” I take quite a few steps once more, “Fuck you!” The pegasus looks at me, and shakes her head, “You might be right. I don’t like harming him, but it may be for the best if we let him cool down. I’m sorry, Mister Avatar, but you might hurt yourself if you continue denying help. Applejack, please, try not to hurt him.” She steps forward, rope in mouth, “Don’t worry a bit, sugercube, only a scrape at most.” She throws the lasso at me, with the intent to tie me up, like a damned animal. My flight or fight response activates, and brings something new with it. It is with some instinctual knowledge that I summon up a previously unknown power. My hand moves up to her rope, intent on catching it. Instead, a burst of flame comes out. The fire consumes the rope, turning it into ash quickly. She drops her rope, “What in tarnation? Magic, huh? Guess a lasso won’t be enough. Rainbow, come on!” Rainbow flies into the air, and tries to come down on me in a dive-bomb manuver. My second hand makes a swaying motion, and she starts to lose control in midair. The air seems to be controlled by me, ruffling all her feathers mid flight. With a final swat, the wind becomes an almost visible wall that shoves her out of the air, and into the ground. My other hand moves only my fingers pointed in the other’s direction. Jerky motions, yet fluid, as if someone was holding a puppet show underwater. Her body seems to lose control of itself, with muscles bending this way and that. I cause her to trip with a very sudden motion. They get up again, forcing me to face them once more. I stomp on the ground, commanding it to listen. A rock flies up from the ground, which I push forward with a strong gust of air. In nails her on the forehead, sending her crashing to the group with a big bruise. I direct careful flames towards the other, only aiming for her hat. I hit it, and distract her by doing it. I raise a wall of earth right next to her, and command her to slam her head into it. I also make sure to put her hat out with a breeze afterwards. I then raise a wall of stone between me and the group, and run into a nearby forest. ——— I stop, and rest against a tree after a good hour of walking and running. I raise my hand, and see a flame appear when I hold it out and summon it forth. I sigh, and lean my head back against the tree. My mind seems to recover given so much time to react. This is not Earth, so much is apparent. This world is dangerous, unknown, untrustworthy. I can’t risk showing any weakness to these people. I need to find a way home... no, home is gone. If the World Trade Centers can collapse, then the entire nation will collapse soon. This world may be unknown, but at least it is better than the certain death should I go back. Maybe they hit everything else as well? Capitol, White House, Washington Monument, Disney World, hell, maybe even the Lincoln Memorial? No, I must stay in this world, and I need to become something else. Austin exists no more, he showed weakness with fear and anger. He was a child, one crushed underneath the boot of history. Now... now I am Avatar. Always seemingly carefree or just blunt. Always strong, using the knowledge I have collected to succeed. All that reading will pay off now... now that I have the power to use it. Voice has to go to. Floridian accent is weak. Britain, my ancestors were from there. British accent, yes, that seems like the way to go. “Hey!” I jump a tiny bit in shock, and turn to face the voice. A manticore. A bloody manticore out of myth. I laugh a bit, “Bloody hell there, mate, you scared me near to death!” The giant cat smiles, “Oh, you understand me? Cool! Hey, what’s your name?” I smile, “Name’s Avatar, mate, what’s yours?” It shuffles it’s paws, “Oh, well, I don’t have a name.” I nod, “Well, I need something to refer to you by. How about, say, Erwin?” “Erwin?” He takes a second to listen to it, “I love it! Oh, thank you so much!” He scampers all around, and I hold up a hand to calm him down, “So, what’s a manticore like you doing out here? Where’s your mates?” He stops, and sulks, “They left me behind, kicked me out the pack. Said I acted to much like a cub for my age.” I smile, and calmly pat his head, “Hey, don’t look so down there, mate. Your a lion with wings, I don’t think you should worry about acting your own age. After all, optimism and innocence are very important.” He smiles, “Thank you. What about you? I’ve never seen one of you before. Do your travel in packs too?” I shake my head, “Nah, more like the ponies than manticores apparently. We socialize in cities and towns, not packs. You aren’t going to see another like me. Safe to say I’m far away from home. I was just traveling south in search of work.” Erwin tilts his head, “But you were going west when you came in?” I shrug, “Forest is very confusing. I don’t exactly have wings to fly my way out of here, so I just had to keep on walking.” He smiles, “Oh, oh, I have wings!” I nod, “Yes, yes you do. Say, Erwin, how would you like to come with me? I’m sure wherever there’s work for me, there’s work for you. You do need something to do now anyway, and traveling with mates is better than traveling alone.” He nods, and jumps around, “Yes! Oh, this will be so much fun! An adventure, woohoo!” He then stops, and lays down, “Climb on, Avatar, we’re flying!”
Kingly MattersThe airship lands, and I am shook awake by it. I shake my head to get the sleep out of my system, disappointed that I fell asleep when I could be surrounded by enemies. I look over at Erwin, who is still asleep, and tickle his mane with a breeze of air, “Hey, mate, it’s time to go.” Erwin slowly wakes, and grumbles, “I was just about to catch that rabbit!” I wave my hand, “You can catch the bloody rabbit later, we got something to do.” The unicorn leader walks into the room, slamming the door open, “We’ve arrived, and the Storm King does not enjoy waiting!” I stand up, and brush past her, “You told me to stay in there, love, and I intended to until told otherwise.” She turns to face me as I start to stretch in the hallway, “If you take orders that literally, then this little arrangement will be short.” I smile at her, with as much charm as I can summon, “Come on, love, Storm King doesn’t like waiting.” She storms past me, and growls, “Just follow me and keep your mouth shut.” I shrug, and fall into line behind her. She marches through the airship, and three guards come out of the different halls to accompany us. Erwin smiles at the guards, only to lose that smile as they return nothing but cold shoulders. I follow as we exit, and I get my first view of Storm City. A giant castle sits upon the top of the hill that makes up the island. It is a dark grey metal, like that of a particularly strong storm. Spires poke up from it, all of which have lightning rods that seem to have wires that converge in the center of the castle. The only color on the castle are teal, horn like shapes, the same as the ones on everything else. There is a main gate on the first floor, where many creatures enter, a harbor where airships take off and land, and the military dock where I currently walk. Soldiers rush around, either to their airship, or taking prisoners into the castle. The village stretches all around the castle, spreading through the entire small island. The road system is easy. Four roads spread out, each with different branches every so often that meet with the other main streets. Then, there are the littlest roads that connect these secondary roads and keep every house boxed in. The island is split into three by these roads, and it seems like each area is a dedicated area. One is where the people live, another is where the markets are, and the final seems to be industrial. Everything is organized, and the majority of it seems very clean. We walk through a gate, exiting the military dock. The inside of the castle is very much the same as the outside. The only decorations are flags, and one or two tapestries here and there. What lines the walls, instead, are weapons, armor, and what appear to be traps. We eventually stop at a big door, and the unicorn opens it, “Be respectful.” We walk inside, with the guards staying at the doors. I look up, and see my first look of the Storm King. A yeti, such is the best way to describe him. He wears robes with his nation’s flag imprinted on it, the rest of it black. Two black horns come off his head, each one with teal energy rushing through it. And his crown is simple, only a grey version of his symbol. His eyes glow teal and he smiles as we enter, “Well, what have we here? Another bipedal creature?” He claps, “Oh, Tempest, you sure know how to please me!” Tempest nods, “Thank you, your majesty.” Storm King looks at me, “Uh, what does he do, exactly?” I smile, and create a ball of fire in my hand, “This, your majesty.” He nods, “Ah, a pyromancer. Intriguing, but is that really all?” I shift my foot slightly, causing a rock to come out of the ground. I use an air current to keep it up, and create a shield of water from the air around me, “A lot more, Storm King.” He leans forwards, “Ah, so a creature of many tricks!” He looks at Tempest, “Who is he?” I speak instead of her, “Avatar, Storm King. I hail from a far away land. The land of the Sleeping Giant, Land of the Eagles,the Third Reich, the Graveyard of Empires-“ He interrupts, “Wait, wait, can you say the last one again?” I slightly nod, “Graveyard of Empires.” He shakes his head, “No, the last last one!” I tilt my head a slight bit, “The Third Reich?” He nods, “Yes, that!” He smiles, and leans in, “Please, tell me more about this Third Reich, and I will allow you to become one of my top generals.” I ignore the shocked gasp of Tempest, and nod instead, “That’s a bloody good deal. Sure, I’ll take it!”
Teaching MattersI stand in front of a group of soldiers, no more than one fifty strong, and not trained in the least. I smile, “Sitting here, you might be expecting that I will train you just like any other general. Maybe you think you will be running around the track ten times before the hour is done?” I shake my head, “Those if you who are thinking of that, stop. For you are no ordinary group of soldiers.” I turn to face them, “You are my Sturm! Listen, pay attention, and do your job! If you fall behind, you will be made into an ordinary soldier! But if you succeed, then your name will be noted as one of the greatest warriors in history.” I look at the wall, where a line of weapons are lined up, “For you will not be like the others! You will not use swords, you will not use spears, you will not use bows!” One soldier speaks, “What will we use, sir?” I smile, and grab something from the table, “A repeating crossbow!” I hold it out, “Point, fire, and another bolt is in place by the time you’ve aimed at something else.” I put it down, and pick something else up, “But you won’t be carrying that. No, we are going to make the enemy be frightened and surrender before we have to do anything.” I hold up a flail, and show it off, “Very hard to use, and we won’t. But you will carry it.” I smile, putting it down, “When we do anything, you must be swift, and sneaky. If we are to ever invade anywhere, then you must be prepared to secure the people with as little harm as possible. You must strike like lightning.” I nod, “Gentlemen, allow me to teach you the art of the Blitzkrieg.” ——— I hear a knock on my door, awakening me from my sleep. I sigh, and push my sunglasses further up, “Enter.” The door opens ever so slightly, and I create a little ball of fire in my hands to see. Tempest enters, and sighs, “Can I talk to you? Alone?” I look and see Erwin waking up. I create a bubble of air beneath him, and launch him out the door. I hide a laugh as I hear his confused screaming, and slam the door as he exits. I recover from my laughter, and turn to face Tempest, “What is it, Tempest?” She looks down at the ground, “Well, the magic that you are using... you can do it without a horn!” I nod, “Good observation, love, I ain’t exactly got a horn poking out my forehead.” She sighs, “I was wondering if...” I smile, “If?” She looks up, “Would you teach me?” I think it over, “It would be really hard. I don’t even know if you can do it.” She steps forward, “Test me, then!” I nod, “Follow me down to the courtyard.” ——— I widen my stance, and face Tempest as the moon starts to set, “There are four elements. Fire, Air, Earth, and Water. Each tap into our emotions, and each is most powerful at certain times.” I look up, “Seeing as the moon is still up, let us try Water.” She follows my movements as I turn to a nearby pond. I look at the water, “Watch the water as the moon pulls it. Reach out, and feel the water. Then, make yourself like the moon, and push and pull.” I move my arms slowly back and forth, making the water come up to me, then go back. She reaches out her hooves, and tries. Yet the water refuses to move. She growls, and turns to me, “Water is stupid anyway. What’s next?” I put the water back, and shrug, “You will only be proficient in one element, so don’t be mad.” I stomp on the ground, and cause the earth to make a pillar that holds me up, “Earth requires your brute force. You must not move, you must not flee. You must pack all your strength into one blow, and overwhelm your opponent with your strength! Punch this pillar!” Tempest charges the pillar, and punches it. The pillar doesn’t even move. She growls, “Who puts all their strength into one blow?! You need to overwhelm with the amount of attacks, not the strength of them!” I stomp the pillar back into the ground, and smile, “A good philosophy, yet not the one of Earth. Let us try Air.” I take a deep breath, “Breathe in and out, feel the air on you. Let go of the physical world, find peace in yourself.” She looks at me, “Peace? This requires peace?” She shakes her head, “Next!” I sigh, and look as the sun raises, “Fire is the element of power. The power to have a unflinching will to accomplish your tasks and desires. It is also the element of rage, and vengeance. So summon your anger, summon your will! Breathe in, breathe out, and feel the fire growing within you! Then-“ I punch, and let a blast of fire fly, “Attack!” She follows my example, and punches forward with obvious rage in her eyes. An inferno comes from her hoof, smacking against the castle walls, and turning the metal red. She then realizes what she’s done, and looks at her hoof, “I-I did it!” I smile, and pat her on the shoulder, “Congratulations, love, you’re a Fire Bender.”
Invading MattersI smile, and throw an apple into the air. A bolt comes from a bush, and pins it to the wall. I then throw two up, and the same happens. By the time the first apple has hit the wall, the second bolt has hit the second one. I pelt an apple towards the bush, and one of my Sturm dive out of the bush, yet somehow manages to shoot the apple out of the air as well. I throw yet another directly at him as he is dealing with the previous one. Without even looking, he rips out his flail, and smacks it out of the air. I smile, and stomp on the ground, creating a projectile of earth. However, as I do this, I notice a guard rushing to me. He salutes, and holds out a scroll, “Sir Avatar, your pet-“ I interrupt him, “Erwin, soldier, his name is Erwin.” He nods, “Yes Sir! Erwin gave this scroll to us, and we think you might find meaning in it.” I take the scroll, and unroll it. All I see is a map, and a calendar, both of which have a hole in them. I look closer at the two, and study where the holes have been poked. On the calendar, it is a week from today, and the hole in the map is on the outskirts of the Everfree. The guard speaks up, “Sir, the Storm King is calling a meeting, he wants you there quickly!” I nod, and wave to my Sturm, “Dismissed! Go relax with your other Sturm.” The guard turns, “Follow me, Sir Avatar.” ——— I walk into the throne room, and smile, “Sorry if I’m late, your majesty, I was training my Sturm.” The Storm King waves me off, “Yes, yes, that’s all well and good. What we are here to talk about is our invasion of Equestria.” Tempest nods, “Our spies have yet to find out any moment of time when the Elements of Harmony might be separated.” I interject, “Actually, Storm King, I have an idea.” I lay out the scroll, “Erwin has been talking to one of the Elements of Harmony over the past week, and has gathered interesting information.” The Storm King leans forward, “Yes?” I continue, “I was brought to this world through the power of an entity named Discord, and it is my quest to find him. Apparently, exactly one week from now, Discord shall be brought to the Elements, meaning the Elements of Harmony will be on their bearers.” Tempest shakes her head, “Information that is useless to us. We cannot allow the Storm King to be hit by the Elements, or our entire invasion is ruined!” I smile, “That is why I have my plan. The invasion continues as normal, with airships landing simultaneously in each major city, and destroying the Equestrian nation as quick as possible. The Storm King can go to Canterlot with you, Tempest, so you may subdue the Princesses. Meanwhile, me and my Sturm shall land in Ponyville and subdue the Elements of Harmony while they are still on their bearers. If they hit me, it is an acceptable casualty, but they won’t. I can use sympathy from when they first saw me to get their guard down, then my Sturm will make them unable to fight. Then, we can safely put them on speperate corners of Equestria, thus maintaining safety and security for the entire invasion. It also gives us the additional ally within Discord when I free him.” The Storm King leans back, “The plan is unusual, but so is everything about you. Avatar, if you think it is best, then go ahead with it.” ——— Erwin approaches me as I lay down for sleep, “Avatar, you sure we should really be doing this?” I nod, “The Storm King has been nothing but kind to us, and I have no reason not to follow him.” Erwin lies down, “It’s just... something seems off about him. Like a cub who’s stepped in Poison Joke and is trying to hide it.” I look at him, “Like a machine with something broken inside?” He nods, “Yes! Like he’s always hiding away something from us. Something that doesn’t make me feel good when I think about what it might be.” I smile, “Don’t worry. I’m sure whatever he might be hiding, it won’t matter in the long run. Maybe a party for our good work?” Erwin smiles, “You really think he might be planning a party?” I nod, “I’m sure it won’t be anything worse than that. He has helped us, so we should help him back. Even if he seems like he is hiding something, we just have to trust that it isn’t anything big.” Erwin looks down, “But what if it is? I remember whenever you were describing that Reich thing to him-“ I interrupt, “He was just interested in hearing about how the Blitzkrieg failed. He listened when I told him how the atrocities led to the downfall.” Erwin nods, “You’re right.” I smile, “So let’s just get some rest. We only have a week until we start the invasion.” Erwin closes his eyes, “Goodnight.” I do the same, “Goodnight, Erwin.”
Sympathy MattersI push my sunglasses up as I look over to one of my Sturm, “Initiate the plan.” He nods, and disappears into the forest. I smile, and emerge from the forest. It doesn’t take very long to see my targets. The six Elements of Harmony, surrounding the statue of Discord. I walk up to them, until I am close enough for them to hear me clear my throat, “Excuse me.” They all spin around, and take a step back in shock as they see me. The first to recover is Twilight Sparkle, as her eyes widen, “You.” I nod, “Yes, I am me. An observation lesser I would not expect from one such well spoken as you. Please, allow me to fully and absolutely introduce myself this time. I am Sir Avatar, pleasure to meet you all.” Applejack steps towards me, snorting with anger, “You lit my hat on fire!” I hold up my hands, “Whoa, whoa, easy there, love. I put the fire out before it could really damage the hat.” She glares at me, “And you think that makes you right?” I shake my head, “Oh, no, I was in the wrong mindset. I had just survived a very traumatic experience, and I was surrounded by weird creatures who decided to tie me up with rope. I panicked, but I am better now. I would like to apologize for all I did to you.” She looks me dead in the eye, and sighs as she backs up, “As long as you realize you were wrong, I suppose you’re alright.” I smile, “Thank you for your understanding. I can only hope you will be as understanding when I ask that you please free Discord.” Twilight looks at me with suspicion now, “How do you know about Discord? He was imprisoned three months ago, and you popped in only two ago.” I look at him, allowing the sun to be reflected from my sunglasses, “That traumatic experience I told you about... Discord is the one who saved me. I wasn’t close to dying, I wasn’t at risk of dying, but I had died. Yet, it seems like he captured my mind and body the moment before my death, and brought me to the middle of this town. I know that he has good within him, so I ask that you please free him.” Twilight is about to speak, but Fluttershy interrupts her, “Twilight, Princess Celestia told us to free him. If Mister Avatar here also vouches for Discord, maybe that means we can feel safe by freeing him?” Twilight looks over at her friend, and back at me, “I... I don’t know if we can trust him, though. He burned Applejack’s lasso without any effort, he gave both Rainbow and Applejack a bruse on their heads for weeks!” Fluttershy walks up to Twilight, and lays her wing on her shoulder, “I trust him, Twilight. He only attacked in defense before, and he has shown great kindness by apologizing to us. What’s the worst that could happen by trusting him?” Twilight relents, “Okay, okay, fine. We can trust him. Let’s just get this done with so we can see if we made a mistake.” I step back, “Please, do go ahead.” The six surround the statue of Discord, not noticing the bushes all around shaking. Instead, they are preoccupied with floating into the air, and having a beam of light connecting them all. If I didn’t have my sunglasses, then I would have to avert my eyes from the scene. A bright light comes out of them, and hits the statue of Discord. As it does, stone starts slowly crumbling away and the six float down to the ground. The last piece of stone hits the ground, and Discord is free. He stretches his body out, and looks at his surroundings. He smiles deviously, and begins to float into the sky, “Oh, stretching space, finally!” He picks up a stone from the ground, and smiles, “I was losing my marbles in there!” He looks at the Elements, “Oh I thank you, Elements, truly. You have no idea how painful it would’ve been to be trapped whilst all this chaos goes on outside!” Twilight looks up at him, “Chaos? What chaos?” Discord smiles, “Well, that should be obvious.” He looks to the sky, “Oh, things are really looking up in the world!” Twilight follows his eyes, her own landing on the mysterious black clouds that seem to be all over the sky, “So what? A few wild storms from the Everfree are no big deal.” Discord leans down, and looks her in the eyes, “Storm? Yes, correct, one hundred points! Wild? Nah, incorrect. You guessed the Everfree, but I think it is from behind Door Three instead.” He raises his talons, and nods, “Don’t worry, I won’t spoil the suprise!” I watch as he disappears, and decide to begin speaking, “He is correct when he says those aren’t wild storms.” Twilight looks back at me, “What do you mean? Do you know about this?” I nod, “See, in the period of two months since I last saw you, I have found someone to serve. The Storm King, he has taken care of me for the last two months, and I am in servitude to him as a general. His Kingdom is failing. We don’t have enough food, we don’t have enough resources, and we do not have enough space. Equestria has always been the land of plenty. You can have parties where you feast on cakes every day. You have rolling plains and fertile farmland that is not used. Most of all, you have magic. Magic to control the weather, magic to control the plants, and magic that can even bring souls back from death itself. Yet most of all, you are hypocrites. Despite your preaching of generosity, kindness, loyalty, and honesty, your nation has yet to meet a single point. You abandoned your allies, the hippogriffs, to be taken over by a rouge band of pirates. Your Princess lies constantly, saying that the world is in Harmony. When everyone knows that it is instead a Equestiran lead Order. You selfishly and cruelly hold valuable resources that other nations could use.” I look at them, “At least, that’s what Tempest told me. Desperate times call for desperate measures, loves. I may not agree with our invasion, but it does not matter if I agree or not. I now serve the Storm Kingdom and it’s interests, and this invasion will lead to our benefit, and your benefit as well.” Rainbow Dash spreads her wings, “So, you’re invading Equestria?” I nod, “Yes. The Storm King listened quite well when I told him about the Blitzkrieg. By the end of today, Equestria will fall under Storm King rule.” I stand straight, and push my glasses up to hide my eyes, “The Storm King has decreed that the Elements of Harmony are the greatest danger to him and his invasion plan. According to international law set in the Geneva Convention of Nineteen Seventy-seven, I am to take you captive under humane conditions until such a time that you may be released. I can promise that you shall not come to undue harm nor punishment whilst under our captivity.” Fluttershy looks at me with tears in her eyes, “You... you betrayed us?” I try to look at her, but have to look down at the ground. I sigh, “I’m sorry, I truly am. I hope you can forgive me one day.” Rainbow charges at me, “Fat chance!” I hold up my hand, and try to blast some fire at her. Only, when I try, nothing comes out. I don’t have time to think as she gets closer, so I shout, “Sturm, thunder!” A bolt comes out of a bush, catching Rainbow by her fur and pinning her to the ground. Only a few steps away from me. The force of ten more Sturm come out of the bushes, pointing their crossbows at the Elements. They all take out hoof-cuffs, rope, and magic suppressers. They cuff all of them, tying the wings of the pegasi, and suppressing the magic of the unicorns. One comes up to me, “Sir Avatar, the village has been secured.” I nod, “Keep it that way. Make sure to give these six the best hospitality you can. Return them home, but make sure they never leave without at least two guards.” He salutes, “Yes, Sir Avatar.” They all leave, leaving me alone by the edge of the forest. I hold up my hand in a fist, and try to fire bend once again. Yet it seems, despite all my efforts, nothing will happen. It is then that I hear a snap behind me, and a cackle. I turn to see Discord there, “Oh, oh, that’s priceless!” I glare at him from behind my sunglasses, “What?” He points at me, “You actually thought you could bend! Ha ha, oh, I needed that laugh.” I walk closer to him, “What do you mean? I bent all four elements!” He looks at my eyes, “No, you never bent anything. I gave you some of my magic, and it expressed itself like that. I only needed you to free me and cause the Storm King to take over. Now, I can defeat him, and the entirety of Equestria shall call me their hero! Fillies will sing my name in the streets, and I shall claim my proper title! King Discord!” He laughs madly. Until, he snaps back to me, “There’s only one loose end. One man who is too dangerous to keep alive.” He sneers, “Be glad that I can’t kill, Austin. But then despair once more, as I will give you no chance of survival.” He snaps, and I disappear. ——— I wake from my unconscious state, only to find myself in the middle of the Everfree Forest. Wolves howl in the distance, and their howls get closer every second. I pick myself off the ground, making sure to pick up my sunglasses as I get up. I look into the distance, and know I am screwed without my bending. I turn the opposite direction of the wolves, and start to run as fast as I can.
Relative PeaceI rush into a clearing in the forest, almost able to feel the breath of the wolves on the back of my neck. Yet, as I enter the clearing, karma decides it’s time I really pay. A root catches my foot, causing me to tumble and lose all my speed. I manage to get to my feet, only to see wolves made of wood surrounding me. I put up my hands, “I suggest you retreat, mates, before I have to harm you!” I slash my hand around, going into a spin, and trying to launch a spiral of air at the wolf. Yet nothing happens. I take a step back, and stomp on the ground with all my strength. The only effect is my foot now hurting. I look at the wolves, and smile, “Perhaps we could talk this out?” They get closer and closer, growling and snapping at me. I press up against a tree, trying to get a grip and climb. Yet I fail. I turn to face them again, only to see one preparing to pounce on me. I hold my hands in front of my face and neck, not willing to go without giving a fight. Yet, right before the wolf springs into action, he is interrupted by the sound of glass smashing and a wolf’s yelp of pain. A female voice shouts, carrying a strange accent, “Run, run you wolves of wood! Before I kill you as I should!” The wolves all snap their head’s to a different part of the clearing, before retreating. With them gone, I am left alone with my savior. I look to see a zebra standing there, wearing a brown cloak with bottles all over it. I nod to her, “Thank you, I would’ve been dog chow. I’m Avatar.” She looks at me, “You say the title is Avatar, yet are you sure that’s what you really are? You may not be pony, but there is more than what I see. A boy who decides to cower, yet he acts like a man with great power. One who boasts and says he swaggers, even as he falls and staggers.” She shakes her head, “You have gone through a lot for one who’s year is few. Come with me, please, and figure out who is you.” She turns around, and I feel compelled to follow her, “What do you mean?” She smiles, “You need to be set straight, so come with me and meditate.” I nod, “If that’s what you ask, mate. You saved me from being ate.” She looks over at me, “And if I had been too late, you definitely would’ve lost weight.” I laugh, “Ah, but my figure is already great. I’d give myself an eight.” She laughs as well, “If you continued at that rate, then you’d be served on a plate.” I shrug, “I had some time to wait, for my planning creates an unsurpassable gate.” She looks ahead, “I don’t mean to agitate, but your guts would probably be used to decorate.” ——— “I don’t mean to debate, but Equestria used to be a slave state.” She looks over at me, “Very impressive rhymes, we must have gone a hundred times! Zecora, such is my name. I suppose one could say that rhyming is my game.” I nod, “Very nice to meet you, Zecora.” She pushes open the door to a hut, “Please, come into my hut. I have a nice soup of almond and coconut.” I walk in, and see a caldron burning in the center of the room. All around the walls are African-like tribal masks, and shelves filled with different alchemical ingredients. I smile, “So, you’re an alchemist.” “Herboligy, in fact.” I reach to touch something, but she snaps her head to me, “Don’t touch that, important artifact.” She takes out a bowl, and ladles some soup from the cauldron into it, “A warm soup to calm your mind. So you can see what you can find.” I take the bowl, and take her motioning to eat. I drink the thing down, and it has a pretty pleasant flavor. It sits in my stomach, and seems to radiate warmth through my entire body. She nods, “Ah yes, you can feel it set in. Now, close your eyes and rest, explore what is hidden within.” I follow her advice, getting comfortable by sitting down, and allowing my mind to drift. ——— Fire. That is all that I can see. I wheel around, and I see a city in flames. Creatures run through the streets, yet I cannot tell what they are. Human, pony, storm creature? In fact, this city isn’t identifiable either. A huge bright palace seems to be on the top of the hill, yet it seems to be merged with a dark metallic castle. Airships, pegasi, airplanes, all seem to share the airspace in equal terror. Vehicles rush all down the street. Fire trucks, ambulances, carriages, carts and chariots. Their destination seems unknown, but they move with urgency nonetheless. I see the sky flash with different colors, and twirl around. Two, tall towers scrape the sky. Fire is consuming them, and it’s deathly smoke fills the air and turns it dark. Yet, even as the smoke fills the air, two rips create a clearing in the smoke. The two cuts resemble a pair of horns, and glow. They fill the sky with their cold, unfeeling blue light. But the smoke and blue is only enough to fill two thirds of the sky. A third portion of it is filled with a sickly green glow. Two circles in the distance, almost like eyes, glow their deathly green hue, and fill up the rest of the sky with it. Yet there is a portion of the sky that remains safe. Right above the castle and palace are two black mirrors that halt the lights and smoke in it’s path. Until two yellow circles with red dots fill the inside of them. The circles, that resemble eyes, continue to grow until the mirrors have shattered. The rest of the sky is filled with smoke, cold blue, and deathly green. The chaos fills the air, suffocating me. The only repreave comes when a rainbow appears in the air. It arcs toward the causations of the lights, planning to return to sky to normal. Yet as it gets near, the green eyes absorb the rainbow. It has a second where it is weakened, and the others take the sky. Yet, in a flash of green, it destroyes the towers, and repairs the cuts. Now, the entire sky is filled with deathly green. The city changes all around me. Everything goes from flames to being destroyed, and the road is filled with bones from every sort of creature. The bones start to claw at me, dragging me down into them. I claw and grab at anything I can, yet only find more bones that drown me. I am eventually completely submerged by them, yet I do not stop falling. I look down, only to see firefighters and police rushing around and yelling. I am falling towards the pavement, and other people surround me on the same trip down. A single breath fills my lungs with the scent of dust and smoke, making me choke with that one breath. I meet the pavement, yet I still fall through that. I eventually land in the middle of a metal facility. I land on my feet, giving me an excellent view of what is going on. Two Storm Guards drag a mare by her front hooves, letting the rest of her drag on the rough floor. They walk up to a little chamber in the center of the room. They open it, and toss the mare in like a ragdoll. They slam the door shut, not listening as the mare claws at the door and begs for mercy. Instead, one walks over to a switch, and another to a lever. They both flip them at the same time, causing the entire chamber to light up in flames. The mare doesn’t even have time to scream. Within five seconds, all that remains of her are bones. The smell of burned hair and flesh fill the air, causing me to gag. Yet the guards don’t care. They breath through heavily filtered masks, and walk to get another pony. “Austin.” I twirl around to see who said my name. All I see is an old man with flowing white hair, and a long beard. He wears red robes with a motif of fire, and his hair is contained in a type of bun with a odd headpiece. I take a step back, “Who are you?” He smiles, “My name is Avatar Roku. Not a name that you should be familiar with considering the odd situation.” He bows, “Pleasure to meet you, Avatar Austin.” I look at him oddly, and bow the best I can, “Uh, nice to meet you too?” He nods as he raises back up, “You still have a long way to go, and a lot to learn. You are the most unique Avatar, as you do not have any other bender who could instruct you, nor do you understand bending as much as every other Avatar. I am here to guide you, Austin, to guide you in the way of the Avatar.” I nod, “Okay then. Do you have something to do with this vision?” He shakes his head, “No, this vision is only your mind warning you. A vision of three great atrocities, and three great enemies. Past, present, and future.” I look back at the furnace, “You mean this is happening right now?!” He nods, “Yes, it is. The one you served, known as the Storm King, has decided to wipe out his enemy entirely.” I turn all around, “I need to go help them!” Roku steps forward, “No, Avatar Austin! If you charge off now, you might die and shatter the bonds of the Avatar to this world! You need my instruction and teachings on firebending and how to be an Avatar!” He looks right at me, “If you leave now, you may never return this world to balance.” I shake my head, “I don’t give a shit! People are dying, someone has to do something! I am the only one who has the power to! If I could firebend before, I can do it now!” He looks at me again, and a light smile reaches his face, “You truly are a firebender at heart.” I hold up my hand, and try to slap myself awake. ——— I regain my consciousness right where I was before. My mind feels rested, yet I am filled with something new. I get up, and rush to the door. Zecora looks my way, “Off you go to fulfill your destiny. If you ever need someone to talk to, then remember me.” I nod, and smile at her, “Thank you, Zecora. I need to go now, no time to waste!” This shall not be the end of Equestrian history. No innocent shall die without hope, and a savior coming to get them. Help comes, something is powerful enough now. There is a savior, come to save Equinity. I am enough. I am not just a child. And I will never stop fighting. There is hope, and this is not the end of our lives!
ResolveI rush through the gates of Canterlot, and instantly smell the acrid scent of burnt flesh and fur. I look around, seeing the buildings still intact, and ponies held in cages on top of carts. I gag, and look to see a Storm Soldier walking up to one of the cages, “You, soldier! What are you planning to do with that pony?!” He looks in my direction, “Sir Avatar! I am planning to escort the Equestrian to the furnace workers, as the Storm King orders!” I walk up to him, and push into his chest with my finger, “You are going to let this pony free, soldier. You are going to let every pony free, and you are to order a full retreat back home immediately! And if I hear of any ponies dying from this point on, then it’s on your ass!” He salutes me, “Of course, Sir Avatar, at once!” I look as he runs off, and see two other soldiers, “You two! Get General Tempest, and tell her to report to the Palace immediately!” The salute, “Yes, Sir Avatar!” I look towards the Palace, and rush towards it with new energy. No guard nor soldier stands in my way as I rush to the throne room, where the Storm King is sure to be. I reach the doors, and slow my pace. I push up my glasses, and style my hair. I push the doors open, and take a step in. Immediately, I spot the Storm King on the pony’s throne. He smiles, “Avatar, I assume your mission went well?” I walk further in the room, “Yeah, you mind explaining to me what the fuck you think you are doing?!” He looks all around, “Sitting down? Oh, wait, you probably mean phase two of the invasion.” He looks at me, “It’s as you told me, the Third Reich was rich and clean when it made itself pure. There was no internal strife, no corruption, no one left to fight Hitler’s will. He was an absolute monarch, the only one who ever could be. Except, I plan to make myself the same.” I glare at him from behind my sunglasses, “Did you not listen to a single word I said?! The Reich fell as countries fought against the atrocities he was committing!” He nods, “But we have no such enemies. The Griffons don’t have a king to unite behind, the Yaks are small in number, the Zebras are in constant strife due to their tribal warlords, Minotaurs are so head strong and stupid that they won’t think they are in danger, and the Changelings are starving to death! Every nation is flawed! Equestria was a nation of hypocrites, too peaceful and pacifistic to do anything about the world crumbling around them! But look as us, look at all I have done! We are pure, we are perfect!” I growl, “Perfect!? Pure!? You are slaughtering millions of innocent ponies for the nonexistent crime of existing! You forced the Hippogriffs into servitude, you have entire towns in the desert dedicated to slavery!” He sighs, “Towns that are run by other races. Races that we will slaughter! Races that sew chaos and discord across the land!” He looks at me, “But we are different. We are not chaos, we do not cause discord. We are order, and I hold the power of the Old King!” I step forward, not breaking eye contact, “You’ll never get the chance to leave this room, Storm King! I am here to stop you before you destroy everything!” He laughs, and raises his staff into the air. With a flash and a boom, a lightning bolt leaves it and hits me. I’m knocked onto my back by the lightning, and I feel energy coursing through me. Enough to kill any man. My vision goes white, and my body screams with pain. Until it stops. The pain hasn’t gone away, the wound hasn’t disappeared. There is still a large hole in my shirt, and charred flesh on my body. But I don’t care. I push the pain out of me, I push away the wound. My mind is focused with a single intent, and I’m not letting anything stop me. I get up from my back, and stand strong on my feet. I glare at him, “You will never defeat me.” He hits me with another lightning blast, sending me flying against a wall. Yet, once again, I pick myself up and push away the pain. I stagger forward, “Go ahead, try again. I will not fall. Equestria needs someone to save them, and here I am!” He blasts lightning at me once again, yet I feel that energy within me spike. I take a surer stance, and punch forward. A bright inferno comes out of my fist, stopping the lightning in it’s tracks. I smile with surprise, happy to feel my fire return, stronger than before. I stand straight, and look at him. I allow little bursts of flame to come in and out with every breath. I twirl my hands about, creating a line of fire that stretches all around me. I crack my neck, and smile, “I am stronger than you ever will be, Storm King! Your magic may be great, but you lack what I have!” Yet, before I finish, the throne room doors open behind me. The Storm King slams his staff down, and a bolt of lightning travels right past my shoulder. I look back to see it impact Tempest, and send her flying into a wall. Bits of roof fall, and pin her to the ground. I turn back to face the Storm King, and growl, “Really? A hostage?” I can hear Tempest groan, “Avatar, please... help.” I close my fist, and a pillar of fire launches out of the ground next to her. It sends the debris on top of her back to the roof, and out of it. The Storm King growls, “Give up, you can’t win!” I keep my eyes on his, “I wasn’t done with what I was saying before. I will never give up.” I charge towards him, “My Resolve is too strong!” I jump into the air, gathering my hands into fists. I land, and shove both of them forward, releasing a wave of fire. The Storm King slams his staff down, trying to protect himself from the fire. Yet the staff can only protect one side of him. He can’t do anything as I enclose him in a cylinder of fire, and slowly start to close it. I can hear his screams from within the flames, and I crush the entire thing into a pillar. The flames subside, and all that is left is a pile of ash, and his staff. I walk up to it, and pick the staff up from the ashes. I take the blue crystal from within, and crush it within my fist. I throw the staff down, and drop the crystal’s powder in the Storm King’s ashes. With that done, I turn around to help Tempest. She is badly injured, I can pick up that much. I pick her up the best I can, and smile, “Come on, love, you aren’t really going to die from one blast of lightning? You’ll get healing soon, we’re going home.” She smiles faintly, “The King?” I look back at the ashes, “Gone. For good.” I then look, and see two statues in the corner of the room that seem to be cracking apart and coming to life. I nod to the Princesses that are slowly being freed, and walk out of the room, “We gotta go before those two can chase us.” As I exit the Palace, I see ponies roaming the streets of Canterlot once more. Some trudge around, others gleefully embrace friends and family. Yet, even among all this joy, there are ponies that are sobbing to themselves. There are more of those ponies than I would like. I walk through the streets, and nopony seems to take mind of the human carrying a unicorn. A single airship sits at the port, and I begin my walk to it.
EndingsI look up at the throne in front of me, and the crown upon it. I look at the Storm Creature, and back at the crown, “Are you sure, Elder?” The Elder looks at me, and nods, “It is written that the bravest warrior, the most determined soul, and the kindest leader shall take the throne. Tempest Shadow has told us none would fit the throne better than you. The crown is yours.” I look at it for a while, until I finally take a step towards the throne. I pick up the crown, and put it on my head. The golden headwear fits perfectly, sitting comfortably, and firmly on my head. I turn to face the Elder, and see them bow to me, “Welcome, King Avatar. The people await a speech from their King.” I look, and see a balcony. I walk towards it, barely even noticing as the Elder slips a cape onto my back. I step onto it, and look over the town. Storm Creatures stand in the streets below the balcony, eagerly waiting for their King. Waiting for me. I look at the thousands below me. Soldiers, merchants, men, women, children. Thousands of eyes on me, waiting for me to start the new age in history. I start to speak, not even thinking as I do. A spell amplifies my voice for all to hear. “People of the Storm Kingdom. My people. For too long, you have been held under the madman known as the Storm King. He who forced entire races into servitude, and tried to purge the entire race of ponies. He has paid for his crimes, and now is nothing more than a pile of ash on the Canterlot Palace’s floor. Now as his ashes blow away in the wind, his mark upon this place blows away as well! We will change with it! No longer shall we look to the world to help us! No longer shall we kill and commit atrocities in order to force the world under our control! We shall serve the world! We shall serve the nation we almost killed! Our existence is now to help in every way possible! This is a new chapter in our history. This is our golden age! No longer are the Storm Kingdom! We are now the United Storm! And we shall unite this world in balance and harmony! No matter how long it takes, no matter how hard it is, we are strong enough!” The crowd below erupts in applause. I smile, and give a wave as I exit back to the throne room. Yet, as I enter, I see two figures that shouldn’t be there. A man stands there, wearing purple robes that flow in a nonexistent wind. I take a step back, “You?” He nods, and his emotionless eyes stare into me, “Yes. Edis, God of Endings.” I narrow my eyes, “What do you want?” He smiles, yet it has no meaning, “Your help.” I glare even more, “More specific.” He sighs, “You’ve seen what the Storm King can do, yes? There’s somebody out there who succeeded. And she killed every race, except the ponies. I need your help to defeat her.” I raise an eyebrow, “Like, right now?” He shakes his head, “No, but sometime soon. I know that what the Storm King almost did sickens you. And I know that you will help.” I sigh, “Fine, whatever, if someone has done something so evil.” He vanishes, and leaves me with the other figure in robes. Avatar Roku stands there, yet he seems to glow blue. He smiles, full of emotion, “Now that you have defeated the King, maybe you will have time to chat? At least learn the Avatar history?” I move past him, and take a seat on the throne, “If you insist upon it, mate. Go on.” ——— A pony moves through the halls of Canterlot Palace, ignoring the speech the Princesses are giving to the hurt populace. They say no action is to be taken. They say the one who caused it has died. They will sit around and do nothing to avenge them! They are weak. I am strong! I move into the throne room, and see the pile of ash in the middle of it. The flesh falls off my bones with every step I take. The only thing keeping the bones together is my cloak, and my determination. The cloak she made. The determination she caused. The strength she made. The flesh and bones she forged. The love I gave her. The magical tricks to impress her. The strength for her. The flesh I would gladly give up to save her. The insanity fills my mind. The power fills my bones. The fire fills my eyes. The anger at her loss! The revenge I shall get! The lives taken for her! The lives I shall take! I summon up the power, and the ashes glow green, “Rise from the grave, King of Storms! Rise, and fight to pay back the death you caused! I call you to serve my will! To kill for her death!” I laugh, letting the insanity finally take over, “For I am no longer a pony! I am no longer weak! I am no longer blind!” The ashes start to forge together, and I laugh louder, “I am Nerazîbûnê! And I shall have revenge!”
Rising TempestI give a light pat to Erwin’s head, “We might want to land soon, mate. Take a rest.” He shakes his head, “Nah, I’m perfectly fine continuing on. Don’t worry, I’ve still got the energy of a cub!” I smile, “Bloody hell, Manticores must fly a long time then. It’s been upwards of three hours.” He nods, “Oh yeah, we’re what they call ‘stamina’ hunters. Birds might have us beat in speed, but they don’t have the energy. If I really tried, I could fly all day!” I look up into the horizon, “Looks like we’ve got a storm approaching us. Don’t worry, I can cover that.” He looks up at me as I start to move my arms. I reach out to the air, and command it to move aside. It works, but I can feel something within, “That isn’t a storm.” I see as the smoke screen dissipates, showing a dark zeppelin within. I smile, “Alright, Erwin, go in for a landing on that platform.” He stops, and hovers for a bit, “What if they’re dangerous? What if they’re pirates!?” I laugh, “I don’t think we have to worry about sky pirates. If they are, then I’ll knock them out, abandon them in the desert below, and steal their ship.” He nods, and goes in for a landing, “If you say so.” We land in the middle of the metal structure, and I dismount from Erwin. I instantly hear the pounding of feet on metal approaching us. A creature wearing dark armor marked with blue symbols, turns the corner. He carries a two-pronged spear, and a shield, his teal dots glaring at me as he rushes us. I can see his violent intent clearly, and stop him before he gets to me. I send out a thin line of fire at his feet, tripping him and setting his feet on fire at the same time. He then rushes away, trying to put the fire out. Another appoches from my other side, and Erwin pounces onto him. I turn back to my side as one emerges from a door beside me. I clap my hands together, causing a pop of air right inside his ear. He passes out, a tiny bit of blood trickling from his ear. I flow my arm around, and summon the blood to form a tiny dagger. I send it flying into the knee of one of the other creatures. I turn around to see how Erwin is doing, to see he is about to be stabbed through with one of those spears. My instincts take control, causing one of my hands to involuntarily snap. With that snap, the spear turns to dust. I use my other hand to gather up the dust, and send it blowing into the eyes of the creatures, blinding them and sending them falling to the ground as they try to get the dust out. I flip around once more as I hear a different type of steps. A dark purple unicorn with a broken horn, and dark pink hair. She wears a light, black vest with the same symbol on her flank. Eyes best described as sea green reflect off my glasses as we stare at each other. She looks around her to all the fallen and pained creatures, and she turns back to me. She nods, “You are good at fighting, for a pirate. Never thought the day would come when my guards would be beaten by a bipedal mistake with a wild animal at his side.” I smile, “Sorry to disappoint, love, but we aren’t pirates. We were simply looking for a job when your mates decided to attack us.” She shakes her head, “You were looking for a job by attacking a ship? This is Storm King airspace, and you just attacked one of his ships.” I shrug, “Sorry, love, didn’t know about that. But, how about I propose a mutually benifical plan, yes? I managed to take down your ships guards without killing a single one, you even said it yourself that I was good. Now, I’m sure your Storm King could probably use a warrior, especially one with a previously unheard of magic.” She leans forward as she hears about magic, before looking uninterested once more, “And what is it you are asking for in return?” I smile, “A job, a place to live, and someone to serve. Look, love, I just really want to become part of something. If this Storm King chap seems good, then I will definitely join under his banner. Besides, it seems like you need someone to teach strategy to your guards. This showing was... disappointing so to say. To just rush at me is a terrible idea.” She smirks, “You think you know strategy? We’ve had generals claim so before, and they all failed.” I laugh, “Love, I got strategies you’ve never heard of. Unless if one of you somehow came up with the Blitzkrieg, then I know a lot more. I promise thag you won’t be disappointed if you allow us to join.” She takes a second, and finally nods, “If you want to pledge fealty to Storm King, then you will be allowed to. However, you must stay within the waiting room of the ship, and not exit there until we arrive.” I nod, “Whatever you say, love.”
