Chapter 1: A Brutal Awakening
“Ah!” Zuko shot up in a cold sweat. Immediately, there were some warning signs. He wasn’t in his bed at the Fire Nation Palace. In place of that was the surface of a large grassland with lots of vegetation. He also noticed he had a scorching headache and his left leg was in serious pain. Upon closer inspection, he noticed that there was a huge gash going up it from his calf to his mid thigh. Fortunately for him, it seemed to have pretty much stopped bleeding. It was definitely still going to need attention, but he figured a water bender may have started healing it.
Well that’s gonna leave a nice scar, he thought as he tried to push himself up. It took a great amount of effort, but he managed to get on his feet, allowing him to get a better view of his surroundings. The first thing he took notice of was a large structure in the distance. He couldn’t put his finger on what it was exactly, but it was definitely a building of some kind. It was definitely not Fire Nation as it seemed to be covered in green, so he assumed it was Earth Kingdom. There might be people there that can help me out and tell me where I am. And if I’m lucky, they have a water bender with them.
With that thought, Zuko began to walk towards the structure. As soon as he he stepped with his left leg however, he immediately fell back down. Before he could hit the ground completely, he used his arms to catch himself and push him back up to his feet. Looks like I’m dragging this leg all the way there.
After about five minutes of limping, Zuko felt like he hadn't gotten any closer. He also felt like he had just run a marathon at full sprint the whole way, and was completely out of breath. He had obviously lost a lot of blood through that cut and it was affecting his movements. Holy hell, what happened? How did I get this cut? He tried for the life of him to recall what went down, but it was a total blank. It would be best if I sit down and rest. I need some time to collect my thoughts.
GRRR
Zuko immediately turned his head to look behind him. His eyes shot up at what he saw. No more than 15 feet behind him was a ridiculous looking creature of some kind. It had a tiger's front body and head, and a goat's hindquarters and head on its left shoulder. To top it all off, it had a snake for a tail. Zuko was completely confused by the creature, but one thing was very clear. It was hungry.
Acting on pure instinct, Zuko yelled as he shot a burst of fire right at the creature. The two heads ducked, but the snake tail didn’t see the blast coming and got hit square in the face. The tail let out a pained yell as the rest of the creature continued to advance, ignoring its fallen limb. Zuko tried to get up to run, but fell right back on his haunches as the tiger head was about to chomp down. Zuko rolled to the side of the creature and got up on one knee, that knee being the injured one as he use his right leg to keep himself up.
Zuko quickly fired two shots at the two heads. Both heads were able to duck under the blasts and continue charging. The snake tail had recovered from the previous blast and was now hit with one of the new blasts that Zuko sent its way. Can’t I hit anything vital!?! he thought as the tail fell limp yet again. This small hesitation was enough time to let the creature pounce onto the Firelord, but Zuko still had another trick up his sleeve. He opened his mouth wide and spit a flamethrower from his mouth, sending the creature flying a few feet into a nearby bush.
“What the hell is this thing!?!” Zuko yelled to nobody in particular. To his surprise, he got an answer.
“We’re a chimera, and we’re VERY HUNGRY!!!” shouted the feminine voice of the tiger head of the chimera, as it got back up and charged Zuko yet again.
The Firelord retreated back to his kneeling position. He grit his teeth and fired continuous shots at the chimera, but it was expecting this, and it dodged every one. As the chimera pounced again, Zuko used his good leg to get slightly airborne. He then let loose flamethrowers from his fists to propel himself back to gain some more distance. When he landed, he was on both feet, but was favoring his right side. The chimera went to rush him again. Zuko waited for the right moment, and when the chimera was close enough, he shot a flame burst right at its feet, causing an explosion to send both it and Zuko flying. The Firelord landed on his back hard, but the chimera ended up on its feet.
It once again charged at Zuko, who was struggling to get up. His leg was burning with pain at the overexertion of it. As the chimera got closer, Zuko threw a fireball at it, but it dodged and kept charging. It pounced at him for the third time in the fight. Zuko closed his eyes and gritted his teeth as he waited for the end. An end that never came.
He heard the chimera shout in pain and it hit the ground with a loud thud. Zuko opened his eyes and looked to his left where he heard the chimera fall. The creature was struggling to get up. Its goat and tiger faces were contorted in pain and the snake tail still limp behind it.
Zuko proceeded to look to his right, and saw something that shocked him as much as the chimera. Five technicolored creatures that seemed to be a cross between a horse, bug, and human were completely covered in armor were curiously staring at him. They were all in mid air and had gossamer wings keeping them there. The one in the middle stood out, as it consisted of much darker colors than the four others with him.
“This definitely isn’t the Earth Kingdom,” Zuko thought aloud, dumbfounded at what he was seeing.
Ten Minutes Earlier
Thorax was sitting on his throne with an inquisitive look on his face. He was staring directly in his general’s eyes. “You’re sure this plan will work?”
“Those bastards won’t know what hit ‘em!” Pharynx said assuredly. “We’ll have our best stealth operatives on the job. While they get deeper into the city, we’ll send in the rest of our troops to keep him occupied so she won’t see it coming. They’ll have no choice but to flee the base since they won’t have any coordination.”
“That’s not a guarantee Pharynx. There’s reason to believe that there’d be more than one high ranking officer in that city. They’ve been holding it for two years. And what if the stealth squad gets caught?” Thorax asked his brother. “I agree that she needs to be eliminated, but maybe we should focus our efforts on taking the base back.”
“They won’t get caught Thor-“
“What if they do!?!” the Changeling King asserted. “We cannot afford another Griffonstone! The UGR is in serious trouble, and the President made it very clear that they need Aegis back if they want a chance at staying in this war!”
“They’re the best of the best Thorax. We can take her out, and take the city-“ Pharynx was cut off by something he saw behind Thorax’s throne. Confused by his brother’s sudden pause, he looked behind him as well. They saw several bursts of fire being shot, but couldn’t make out the shooter or the target.
“Take some guards and go check that out,” Thorax ordered. Pharynx nodded and yelled to the four guards standing a little ways away, preventing anyone from getting close to the private meeting between the King and the General. They all flew over Thorax’s throne and went towards the fire.
Zuko couldn’t believe his eyes. He rubbed them to make sure he wasn’t seeing things. When he confirmed that these creatures were indeed the ones he was seeing, he went to pinch himself, but remembered the searing pain in his leg and stopped. “I’m either crazy or dead because this is not real.”
“What are you on about?” the biggest one in the middle said. He was wearing armor, but his chitin that was visible to Zuko was a dark blue-green color. “I can assure you this is very much real. The name’s Pharynx, and you look like you could use some help.”
“Ya think?” Zuko said in annoyance as he pushed himself up. As he was doing this, one of the creatures moved to support his left side. “Thanks.” The creature nodded. “So what are you guys?”
“How do you mean?” Pharynx asked.
“What do you mean ‘how do I mean!?!’ You’re species!” Zuko yelled in frustration.
“Dude, chill out. That isn’t a question we hear very often. We’re called changelings,” Pharynx said annoyed at the outburst. “You’re gonna be fine so just relax.”
“How can I relax!?! I just got attacked by some mega hybrid thing, I’m talking to bug pony people, my leg is busted up and I don’t remember how the hell it got that way, and I woke up in the middle of a random field in the middle of who knows where!” Zuko panted after he was done with his rant.
“We’re gonna take you back to our hive now. My brother will try to explain everything to you because quite frankly, I don’t wanna deal with your bullshit,” Pharynx said. “You okay with flying?”
“I’ve flown before.” With that, the changelings took off. The changeling holding Zuko received some assistance from another one and they flew back easy at that point. It took about ten minutes since they were going slower for the two changelings that we’re carrying the Firelord back, but they safely landed in the throne room, directly in front of a very befuddled Thorax.
“What are you supposed to be?” The King asked. Zuko relished the opportunity.
“I’m a human,” he said smugly, glaring directly in Pharynx’s direction. The general simply ignored it. “Where am I exactly?”
“You’re in the Changeling Kingdom. This is our main hive, but smaller hives and cities have spread throughout the grasslands in my time as leader. We mostly call this the Capital Hive or just the Capital,” Thorax said. He studied Zuko closely. The first thing he noticed was a large scar on his left eye. The second thing was the huge gash in he left leg. He could do nothing about the scar, since that was an injury he’d sustained long ago, but the cut was a simple matter. “Come closer. I can heal your leg pretty easily.”
“How?” Zuko asked in confusion. “Are you a water bender?”
“A water what now?” Thorax asked, effectively answering Zuko’s question.
“Ok. Forget I said anything. What are you gonna do?” Zuko asked. Thorax didn’t say anything. Both his horns lit up with a light blue hue. That same color lit up around Zuko’s leg. He looked at his leg curiously ad he felt the pain slowly going away until it was eventually nonexistent. When he looked to his leg, he was surprised to see it was completely healed. There wasn’t even a scar that would let you know he’d been cut to begin with.
“Wow, I- thank you,” Zuko said as he put his fist and palm together and bowed. I don’t need to be an expert on the subject to know that that was magic, he thought as he tried to piece together the situation he was in.
“No problem at all. And just so you know, you don’t need to bow here,” Thorax said. Zuko shook his head.
“It’s how we show respect and gratitude in my culture,” Zuko explained, to which Thorax nodded in understanding.
“What’s you’re name?” Thorax asked, remembering he’d never asked.
“Zuko,” the Firelord responded. I don’t think saying I’m the Firelord is gonna mean anything to these guys. If they knew they’d have probably recognized me already. I’m starting to think I’m not away from just the Fire Nation.
“I’m Thorax. It’s a pleasure to meet you Zuko. So what was the light show out there about?” The Changeling King asked. Pharynx answered this time.
“The chimera attacked him,” the general explained, making Thorax facepalm.
“It’s just one incident after the other with this thing,” the king said with a sigh.
“That monster attacks you guys regularly?” Zuko asked. Pharynx nodded.
“We’ve developed ways to deal with it, but it just keeps coming back.”
“How long has it been an issue?” he pressed.
“A few months,” Pharynx answered. “It’s a persistent motherfucker.”
“Have you tried killing it?” Zuko asked bluntly.
“Of course we have. It just doesn’t seem to stay down,” the general said.
“Well maybe find a way now!” another voice entirely yelled. All their heads shot towards the voice, noticing it to be a predominately black changeling, but with the feathered wings a pegasus would have. His eyes were like the rest of the bugs however, and were a silver color. The changeling was flying in next to the throne but Zuko had no idea where he could’ve possibly come from.
“Why?” Thorax asked the new arrival.
“Because it’s headed this way!”
”WHAT!?!?!” the other three yelled at the same time. Thorax peeked over the back of his throne while Zuko and Pharynx ran up next to it. Sure enough, the chimera was running full sprint towards the hive. Zuko immediately, and quite literally, leaped into to action, jumping off the ledge to intercept the chimera. He heard none of the protests from behind him as he used his fire to propel himself towards the freaky super hybrid. Once he was right up in front of it, he lit his foot ablaze and kicked the chimera right in its goat head’s chin. This sent the creature flying back a few feet.
“When will you quit this!?!” Zuko yelled at the creature. “What have these people ever done to you!?!”
“A girls gotta eat,” the tiger head said maliciously, as it prepared to charge again. Zuko didn’t let this happen though, as he ran towards the chimera first.
Back on the top of the hive, the three changelings stood there stunned at what Zuko had just done.
“He is a very talented fire mage,” Thorax commented. Pharynx just dumbly nodded but the third changeling shook his head.
“That isn’t magic.”
“What the hell do you mean, Ross?” Pharynx asked, snapping out of his stupor. “What else could it be?”
“It’s called fire bending,” Ross explained. “For one thing, it doesn’t use mana. It uses the sun and other celestial objects, like comets, as the main source of power, and Zuko can manifest that power by using chi.”
“How do you know this? We just met this guy?” Pharynx questioned.
“I know a lot of things. Like that he’s a human,” Ross said nonchalantly. Both Pharynx and Thorax blinked repeatedly at this comment, since he was not there when Zuko told them that, but they didn’t pay it any more mind as they had more pressing matters.
“I’m gonna go help him,” Pharynx declared as he flew down to the action.
Meanwhile at the fight, Zuko shot multiple fireballs at the chimera, hitting it with far more than he was earlier. “Not so tough now that I’m upright, huh?” he taunted as he fired more shots.
Zuko rushed the chimera once he had it backed up a bit, but before he could reach the monster, a purple beam of magic shot the chimera, stunning it further. Zuko to the opportunity to strike. He cupped both of his hands together and fired a powerful vortex of fire directly at the chimera. The fire swirled with multiple colors and was far hotter than anything else Zuko had shot at the chimera today. After about ten seconds of this, Zuko let up the blast and surveyed the results. It was burnt to a crisp. Pharynx stared in awe of what the Firelord had just done, but quickly shook it off.
“There is no way that thing is getting up again,” the changeling general said as he landed next to Zuko. “That was some ridiculous firepower man.”
“Yeah. It really was. Thanks for the assist. I’ve been working on that for years but it's pretty difficult to do and very draining,” Zuko said with a tired sigh, slightly surprised at what he was just able to unleash.
“Let’s get back to the hive.” With that, Pharynx grabbed Zuko and sped towards the hive. Once they got back, Ross and Thorax stared at the Firelord wide eyed.
“That was unbelievable Zuko!” Thorax said, walking up towards the human, his hand outstretched. Zuko returned the gesture and shook hands with the king. “I can’t thank you enough, although that might’ve been a bit overkill.”
“Well what’s done is done. Can’t dwell on it now,” Zuko said, letting go of the king’s hand. “I'm gonna cut right to the chase. I have a ton of questions.”
“Ask away,” Thorax said.
“Where am I exactly? And I mean everything you can give me. This location, the country, even the planet.”
“Well this is the Capital Hive of the Changeling Kingdom as I said earlier. Our whole country consists of what we call the Grasslands. It used to be a barren wasteland, but ever since we stopped consuming love, it’s become a beauti-“
“Wait a second. Consume love? You ate emotions?” Zuko asked, his mind barely processing the information.
“Yes,” Ross butted in. “Since you don’t know that, I’m guessing when I tell you the planet is called Equus, you’ll come to the conclusion that your home isn’t gonna be anywhere you look.” Zuko nodded dumbfounded and sat against a nearby wall to collect himself.
“How the hell did I get here? What happened to force me off of my home planet?”
“I don’t know the answer to that, but what I can tell you is that you’re definitely not in Kansas anymore,” Ross said. This only got confused looks from Thorax and Zuko, but a certain general was just annoyed.
“Why are you still here!?!” Pharynx yelled.
“Because this man can help us with our situation,” Ross explained.
“What situation?” Zuko asked.
“Damn it Ross,” Thorax said annoyed. “We’re not dragging him into this.”
“Dragging me into what? What’s going on?”
“Ugh... I’ll explain,” Thorax said, sitting in his throne. “Get comfortable because this is a very long story.”
Author's Note
https://youtu.be/SQtlPPZ6FFE
Chapter 2: The Mutt Problem
“Seven years ago, the recently formed nation of diamond dogs, Canadia, declared war on the United Griffin Republic, or the UGR,” Thorax started. “Canadia was only around for five years, but their army was already one of the best. They spent all their money they recieved to aid them in starting the country’s defense and armed forces, and used the precious gemstones that are plentiful in their lands to pay for other necessities.”
“First off, what’s a diamond dog and what’s a griffin? Second, why would they declare war if they were just starting out? They wouldn’t have any major enemies yet, so why would they create one?” Zuko questioned.
“A diamond dog is basically a bipedal dog that is very proficient at digging and able to eat large gemstones. Griffins are lion/eagle hybrids, but they walk on two legs unlike lions and eagles. And to your point That the diamond dogs wouldn’t have any enemies is not necessarily true,” Thorax said solemnly. “Griffins and diamond dogs as species have been at one another’s throats for centuries, and Canadia is right on the northern border of the UGR, where some creatures known as bug bears are known to reside. In fact they trained them to attack out troops.”
“Bug bears?” Zuko deadpanned.
“Last time I checked you’re world has something called an armadillo lion, and various other mishmash animals, so you really aren’t in a position to shit on the admittedly retarded creatures that live here,” Ross called out, causing Zuko’s jaw to drop slightly. He quickly closed it, deciding he’d put it off until later. There was something more pressing at hand. Thorax took the silence as a queue to continue.
“When the leader of the diamond dogs, Emerald Soran, came to the World Leaders Summit 13 years ago asking for aid in creating a nation for the diamond dogs to call home, we all voted on it. The UGR president, Angel Claw, and I were the only ones who voted against it,” the king explained.
“How many countries voted?” Zuko asked.
“There are 57 countries that participate in the summit. So if you do the math, 55 of them voted in favor of making Canadia a reality, and the 58th country to join the WLS.”
“Are all the countries one race?” he pressed.
“No. A lot are various equine nations that have never had anything to do with Equestria until the summit was formed, like Saddle Arabia, Mexicolt, and many others. And not all the countries operate within the WLS. Boiled down, the summit is only once a year, and is just a week of meetings in an attempt to maintain world peace. But they’ve all effectively fuckin’ ruined everything they tried to build by giving Emerald what she wanted.” The king paused, taking a deep breath.
“The reason Emerald went to the WLS is because she wanted the assistance to build the army and strike down the griffins, something she wouldn’t have gotten if she started up the country on her own, or if she told them all that was her to begin with. No other nations would help the UGR once Canadia attacked them. It was actually the contrary. A couple asshole leaders are actually working with Emerald, namely the Minotaurs and the Kirins, both of which having nothing to do with the summit,” he continued, sighing in near despair.
“Helping the griffins fell on me, and me alone. I’m the only one who backed up President Claw and the summit, and I’m the only one backing her up now. I’ve been good friends with her for many years,” Thorax explained. If Zuko needed any more confirmation that he wasn’t on his home planet anymore, the 57 countries, plus however many weren’t with the summit, would’ve been the clincher. That also makes it more impressive that it was pretty close to unanimous.
“This song has a familiar tune,” Zuko said. “The only difference is that in our war, I was initially on the wrong team. My country, the Fire Nation, fought for a hundred years in a futile attempt to achieve world domination. It started with the very near extinction of the Air Nation and it’s air benders, and almost ended with the fall of the Earth Kingdom. Towards the end, I fully realized that my country was wrong, and I helped stop them from taking over. What I don’t understand is why the rest of the WLS is turning away from this conflict. I can’t be the only one who sees this coming.”
“I can’t tell you the exaxt answer to that. The only plausible reason I can think of is that it’s two WLS countries at war, and if more countries pick sides, the whole thing could collapse. But you’re right, and that’s the point I’ve been trying to make to Equestria, the country that we share a border with. The major problem with that is, the four ruling monarchs there won’t help us no matter how much I beg and plead. Even if one or two of them change their minds, according to their laws, in order to declare war, their decision needs to be unanimous,” Thorax said angrily. He took a few deep breaths to calm down, before changing the subject in an attempt to cool off. ”By the way Zuko, that’s pretty impressive. Not many people can change their stance like that.”
“Well... I did have some guidance,” Zuko said with a sad smile, thinking of his uncle; the man who steered him in the right direction. I’m not gonna bother saying I’m the Firelord now. There really isn’t much of a point, and it isn’t gonna help me much at the moment, Zuko thought.
“Well that’s enough of me and my world. Our war is over and everything is peaceful. What’s the status of your war at this point?”
“We’re losing, badly,” Thorax said.
“It’s not that bad,” Pharynx butted in.
“It’s definitely that bad, Zuko,” Thorax said, shooting down his older brother. “The UGR has been pushed to the southwest corner of their country, losing four fifths of their territory to the dogs. Fortunately, we can get there without any resistance from our Port Hive in boats and airships, but it just isn’t enough. We need more support.”
This gave Zuko an idea. “Are there any countries you’re close with outside of the summit that would be willing to help?”
“Yes!” Pharynx jumped in. “The Dragon Badlands. Thorax is very close with their leader but he refuses to go ask her for help.”
“Why wouldn’t you ask them? They seem like the perfect candidate,” Zuko said. Thorax just sighed.
“Dragon Lord Ember only very recently united the dragons that live there under one banner. She would’nt want any part of worldly affairs until she can get everything squared away with her own country,” the Changeling King explained.
“That does make sense,” Zuko commented. “But like I said, Emerald isn’t stopping at just the griffins. Ember’s hand will be forced at some point. And you need allies to get anything done.”
“To make matters worse, The Badlands and the UGR are very close to each other. The dogs would likely move on them next,” Pharynx agreed. “We have to go to Ember for aid!”
“I don’t see what we’d have to lose,” Ross cut in. “The worst that can happen is you get told no.”
“I appreciate the assistance man, but why are you still here!?!” Pharynx asked. “Aren’t your parents waiting for you for something?”
“Oh shit yeah! It’s my Mom’s birthday!” Ross yelled in realization. “Zuko find me later. I need to talk to you privately. It’s important.” With that, he ran off.
“What’s with that guy?” Zuko asked nobody in particular.
“He’s a powerful fighter, a karate master to be more specific, and a smart young changeling in his early adult years,” Thorax said. “I’m good friends with him and his family.”
“About that, he looks different from all the other changelings I’ve seen. The wings in particular stand out. Does it have anything to do with his parents?”
“It does,” Pharynx answered. “His father is a black pegasus pony and his mother is a changeling.”
“Pegasus? You mean a horse with wings?” Zuko asked, to which Pharynx nodded in affirmation. “Damn this place just keeps getting stranger. This is all so much to take in.”
“You’re taking it pretty well all things considered. How do you plan on trying to get home?” Thorax asked the Firelord.
“I have no idea where to even begin with that,” Zuko said. “I don’t know anything about this place past what you’ve told me.” Zuko put his hand to his chin. But can I really go anyway right now? This world is on the brink of complete turmoil, and from the sound of it, there’s nothing like an Avatar here that can help restore balance. If that’s the case, I can’t go back home yet anyway. These people... they need help, and maybe I could give it, but I’ve got responsibilities at home. What would Aang do?
“Zuko?” Pharynx waved his hand in front of the Firelord’s face.
“Huh, wha-“
“You spaced out there for a minute. You good?”
“Uh... yeah. Just thinking.”
“About what?” Thorax asked.
“I want to go talk to the Dragon Lord for you,” Zuko said to the king, vocalizing his thoughts. All the two changelings could do was stare at their guest.
“Why? This has nothing to do with you,” Thorax said, signs disbelief plastered all over his features.
“Back home, we have someone called the Avatar. This person would be responsible for restoring balance and peace. You don’t have someone like that here, do you?”
“No, we do,” Pharynx started. “They’re called the Elements of Harmony, but they’re all Equestrian, so their help is pretty much out of the question.”
“They’ll have to interfere at some point then,” Zuko said, recalling his friend. “Back home, I’m actually close friends with the Avatar. He’s an air bender named Aang.”
“You mentioned those before. What is that?” Thorax asked.
“Oh right, I never explained all that. You have magic here. On Earth we have elemental bending. Air, Water, Earth, and Fire.” He emphasized the last one by lighting a flame in his hand. “Normally, a person can only have a single type of element that they can bend, and they can learn whatever abilities come with that specific element. The Avatar however, is capable of mastering all four of the elements. Once the Avatar dies, he is reborn into the next element in the cycle. For instance, once an Avatar who was born an air bender dies, a water bender is born to take his place, then an earth bender, then fire, and then the cycle wraps around again.”
“What are the specifics of fire bending?” Pharynx questioned.
“It basically allows me to control fire. I can blast fire from my hands, legs, and can even breathe it,” Zuko started. “It also comes with the ability to shoot and redirect lightning.”
“What the- how!?!” Thorax asked, shocked. “Only top level mages can use lightning spells!”
“Same goes for fire benders. You need to be a very skilled fire bender in order to control it. Lightning is considered to be ‘the cold blooded fire’ where I come from. It can be lethal to both the target, and the user if it isn’t properly wielded. These factors make lightning bending widely regarded as the most dangerous fire bending technique, and potentially the most dangerous bending technique period. I’ve only ever redirected lightning and I intend to keep it that way,” Zuko explained.
“So you can’t conjure lightning then?” Pharynx asked.
“I don’t know. I’ve never tried it. It’s far too dangerous,” Zuko started. “I think I’d be able to pull it off with training though, since I am able to redirect it.”
“That’s fair enough. But if you are going to be seeing Ember, there is a highly likely chance that she will fight you for whatever reason. Dragons tens to be like that. It’s kind of a cultural thing. To beat her, you may need lightning. And if you see Emerald, as you predict she may possibly invade the Dragon Badlands in the near future, then you’d absolutely need lightning to kill her,” Thorax said, getting up from his throne. “She’s also completely ruthless. A few years back, she gave a brutal demonstration.”
“What did she do?” Zuko asked, worry creeping on his face.
“General Razorblade, the UGR general, and I planned a mission a couple years back to kill Emerald,” the changeling general started. “We invaded the capital of Canadia, Ottawa, where she was at the time, with a massive invasion force,” Pharynx paused, shivering. “She pretty much single handedly wiped the whole damn thing out. In the process, she killed hundreds of her own, including civilians just trying to live their lives.”
Zuko’s expression turned into one of pure shock and horror. “How? If she’s a brawler then she would’ve had to beat them all to death.”
“That’s just it. She’s not only a brawler,” Thorax cut in. “She’s a powerful magic user. I don’t know how she does it without a horn, but she does. We didn’t know this back then, but ever since we found out, we’ve been getting crushed at every battle. I think the fear is settling in the soldiers, and how could I blame them.”
“That settles it then,” Zuko declared as he stood up. “I have to go to the Dragon Lord and try to get her to help you guys. I know I need to find a way home, but I can’t do that in good conscience without at least getting somebody to help you. Not with your world on the brink of total chaos.”
“She won’t help us! She’s got her own problems!” Thorax yelled in frustration.
“What other options do we have!?!” Pharynx shouted back. “We’re on thin ice, brother! If we don’t at least try to get Ember’s help, then we didn’t do right by the people we’ve lost! She’s out only chance at evening the playing field!”
Thorax to a deep breath and contemplated it a bit. He looked to Zuko. “You’d seriously do this?” he asked.
“Of course. I can’t sit idly by while innocent people suffer. It’s true that I have people back home, yeah. But there might not be any people left here if I don’t stay and do at least this. I can’t justify going home right now, if there’s even a way to do that.”
“I can’t thank you enough Zuko,” Pharynx said, smiling at the human. “So for fuck’s sakes bro, are you in or not because I’ll do it anyway.”
The king only sighed, putting a hand to his forehead and gently massaging it. “I’ll have to go with you, since Ember won’t listen to you.” Zuko and Pharynx smiled, the latter’s being quite a bit larger than the Firelord’s. Said Firelord nodded in understanding.
“Will it just be us?” he asked, walking towards the exit of the throne area.
“No. I’ll probably bring one of of my top mages with us, and definitely Ross,” the king said, much to Zuko’s surprise.
“Why Ross? I know you said he’s a capable fighter, but he’s just a normal guy,” the Firelord said. Well he’s certainly not normal looking. At least to me.
“He’s far from a normal guy,” Pharynx said. “He’s extremely skilled in martial arts, like I said, and he’s got a knack for magic of all kinds. He also has weird knowledge that none of us know how he learned. Come to think of it, he knew what fire bending was.”
“Excuse me?” Zuko’s train of thought came to an abrupt stop at that. “How is that possible?”
“I don’t know. I know for a fact he was born here. My wife helped to deliver him,” the general said, stroking his chin. “He just has vast sums of knowledge that nobody else seems to possess. I don’t know where he could’ve possibly gotten it all.”
“Well he did want to speak to me. Where can I find him?”
“I’ll take you to him,” Thorax said, going to where Zuko was standing. “It would be easier that way.”
“Happy birthday mom!” Ross said cheerfully as he presented the cake his father baked to his mother.
“Thank you sweetie,” the light blue changeling said as her red eyes glared at the cake hungrily. “This looks amazing Steel!”
At that, Ross’ father, Steel Wing, entered the dining area with a wide smile, wiping his silver mane out of his face. “I made it with extra love, Sadie.”
“Dad. Shut the hell your mouth,” Ross deadpanned, causing his parents to laugh boisterously.
"Oh come on son! Lighten up a little," the black pegasus said with a chuckle, smacking Ross on the hard back. The hybrid winced a bit but heeded the gesture no mind, as he knew his father meant no harm.
Ross and Steel sat at the table with Sadie, who was smiling widely. Ross lit up his horn in a silver aura, picking up a nearby knife and cutting three slices out of the cake. He then levitated them all onto paper plates and passed them out.
“Thanks sweetie,” Sadie said as she grabbed a fork, readying herself to scarf down the cake. Before she could get started though, there was a knock at the door to their apartment.
“I got it,” Steel said, getting up off his chair and heading to the door. Once he opened it, he was pleasantly surprised. “Your Majesty!”
The king in question smiled. “Please, Steel. I told you that you could just call me Thorax,” he said as he hugged his friend. It was at that moment that Steel saw the man standing behind Thorax.
“Who’s this? As a matter of fact what is it?” Steel asked as he broke the embrace with the king, causing Sadie and Ross to try and look to see who it was.
“My name’s Zuko, and I’m a human,” the Firelord said as he held out his hand. Steel did the same. “I’m here to speak with your son.”
“And thank god you are,” Ross cut in, waving the two inside the apartment. They both obliged, and Thorax went to hug Sadie.
“Happy birthday Sadie,” he said. Sadie hugged him back.
“Thanks Thorax. It’s so great that you came here.”
“I would’ve dropped by sooner, but Pharynx and I have been planning out are next move all morning,” the king explained, causing Sadie to give him a sad smile.
“It’s bad, isn’t it?” she asked, already knowing the answer.
“Yeah. It’s worse than it’s ever been, but that’s another reason why we’re here. You’re son said that Zuko would be able to help us, and Zuko has said as much himself.” At that, Zuko waved at the changeling, who waved back.
“It’s nice to meet you Zuko,” she greeted, her smile turning more joyful.
“Same to you,” Zuko replied, turning his gaze to Ross. “So what did you wanna talk to me about?”
Ross for the first time that day donned a serious expression. “I want to talk In private. We’ll do it after we’re done here.”
“I’m sure anything you can tell Zuko, you can tell us, Ev. And if not us, at least the king,” Steel said to his son. Zuko’s remaining eyebrow rose at this.
“Ev?”
Ross let a small smile creep onto his face. “My full name is Everett Ross, but most people just call me Ev or Ross. Feel free to refer to me as either, but don’t call me Everett. Ever.”
“Uh... son?” Steel said, coughing to get Ross’ attention.
“Yes dad?”
“What were you planning on talking to Zuko about?”
Ross sighed in irritation. “Dad. It’s for his ears only. Period, end of story,” he said through gritted teeth.
“Ross, relax,” Thorax said, putting his hand on the younger changeling’s shoulder. “You can talk to Zuko alone. I won’t get broken up about it.”
“Thanks, Thor,” Ross said, exhaling in relief.
“Yeah,” he replied, looking to Ross’ parents. “Mind if we sit?”
“Please,” Sadie said, gesturing to the remaining to chairs. “Would you like some cake?”
“Sure,” Thorax said. Sadie cut him a slice then looked to Zuko.
“No thanks. I’m good,” he said. Sadie shrugged and handed the cake to Thorax, who gratefully accepted it. The king sighed, readying himself to speak.
“There’s something I need your son for.” Everyone except Zuko raised their eyes at that.
“What would that be?” Ross questioned, as he was now the main focus.
“Pharynx and I have agreed that we need to go get the Dragon Lord’s help,” Thorax explained, taking a pretty large bite out of his cake.
“Well it’s about god damn time,” Ross said, getting glares from his parents. Thorax ignored this and continued.
“Zuko has agreed to come with me and I’m going to head over to Ocellus’ place next.” Thorax paused, taking a deep breath and looking to Ross. “And that brings me to exactly why we’re here. I’d like for you to come with us.”
“WHAT!?!?!” Steel and Sadie shouted in disbelief. Ross only looked stunned.
“Why me?” he asked, scratching his head.
“Because you’re a capable fighter, you’re persuasive, and Ember’s daughters like you, albeit in very different ways,” Thorax pointed out, causing the changeling/pegasus hybrid to blush.
“Oh yeah! Tohru and Kanna!” Sadie said cheerfully. “They’re both sweet girls. And Tohru just turned 19, right?”
“A couple weeks ago, yeah. I thought you’d wanna go wish her happy birthday Ross,” Thorax said, grinning as the hybrid’s blush deepened.
"I wouldn't mind that," he said sheepishly. Thorax and Ross' parents chuckled at this, while Zuko just watched.
Wow. This girl seriously makes him lose it. Maybe I should help him out, the Firelord thought, crossing his arms. "That's all well and good, but we should focus on more serious matters."
"Zuko is absolutely right!" Ross explained, jumping on the opportunity the human presented him. "But Thor, what made you change your mind all of a sudden."
"I think the fact that a third party agreed with Pharynx, without my brother even bringing it up. Pharynx has also been bugging me about it for months so just doing it and gettin the ‘no’ will shut him up," the king explained, looking to Zuko. “He’s highly experienced, and hearing what his country tried to do, it may be inevitable for Ember to enter the fight anyway.”
"I'm essentially a veteran, in the broadest possible sense, and I've seen this all before," Zuko cut in. "If you guys have dragons on your side, these dogs will fall flat on their asses."
“That’s not necessarily the case,” Thorax said, crossing his arms. “I’m sure they have some sort of contingency plan for the dragons. They’ve know for years that dragons possibly entering the war has been their geatest looming threat. And if you’re right, and they intend to invade dragon country, then they would need to have a way to take even the biggest dragons down.”
“Yeah you’re probably right, but still,” Zuko started, scratching his chin. “Dragons can do some heavy damage. It’s still worth it.”
“And you can count me in,” Ross said enthusiastically.
“You really wanna see her, don’t you?” Steel teased, making his son get up and grab Zuko by the collar of his shirt.
“What the-“
“I need to talk to you,” Ross said as he dragged Zuko out of the apartment, all its remaining occupants laughing at the hybrids expense.
Ross dragged Zuko up to the very top of the hive, a scowl on his face the whole time. Zuko didn’t resist, understanding of the changeling’s situation. He was however, mildly confused.
“What was that about exactly?” the Firelord asked.
“About ten years ago, Dragon Lord Ember made a diplomatic visit here to talk about various trade deals and treaties and whatnot,” the changeling started, scratching his head. “That was when I met her daughter, Princess Tohru. I was completely enamored with her. She’s pretty much everything I want in a mate.”
“And that is?” Zuko asked, keeping it in his mind to be respectful towards the flustered changeling.
“I don’t really know man,” Ross said, shrugging his shoulders. “Just everything about her makes me weak in my knees. I’m not gonna say much more than that ‘cause it’s all cringey, stereotypical, romantic crap and I’m not really into that.”
“But you’re into her.”
“Very,” Ross said, a wide smile on his face. “And I can’t wait to see her again, but that’s not why I brought you here.” His expression turned serious. “I’m here to talk about you. More specifically your powers, and your past.”
“What would you like to know?” Zuko asked, fully ready to answer the man’s questions.
“Nothing.” This caused Zuko to raise his eyebrow. “I already know enough.”
The Firelord blinked in confusion. “What do you mean by that?”
“I’m aware of a lot of the highlights of your life.”
“Prove it,” Zuko challenged. Pharynx did tell me he knows what fire bending is, but that doesn’t mean he knows all about me.
“Let’s start with you’re scar,” Ross said, looking to the human. “When you were 13, you’re uncle, Iroh, allowed you to attend a Fire Nation war meeting to learn the inner workings and whatnot. I don’t remember exactly what was said, but I do know you didn’t like the sound of it, and you spoke up. This displeased you’re father, Ozi, and he forced you into an Agni Kai. You, however, thought you were fighting the guy you spoke up against, but it was your father that you faced. You were unprepared and hopelessly outmatched, and he gave you a permanent mark that would constantly remind you of his disappointment in you. On top of that, he banished you, forcing you to search for the Avatar, and you wouldn’t be allowed back home until you found him.”
Zuko was stunned, and didn’t know how to respond to that. That was pretty much all he needed to hear, but he wanted to know what else the changeling knew of him, and motioned for him to continue.
“What else do you need to hear?” Ross asked. When he got no answer, he continued. “Okay then, let’s skip to redemption. On the day of the solar eclipse, you approached your father and told him you would train the Aang in fire bending. Once you approached the group you chased for months, they didn’t trust you initially, but over time, they became more accepting of you and were willing to make peace. You taught Aang fire bending, he took Ozi’s bending away, and the rest is history.”
“I don’t know what to say. How do you know all of this?”
“I know all that I do from time that I spent in another universe. And no, not yours,” Ross explained. “Most of what I know was useless to me until now. You see, I can’t go into much detail because my... sponsor? Yeah we’ll go with that. My sponsor wouldn't be too pleased if I told you about what they did for me too specifically. The most basic way I can put it, is that I was reborn in this body to new parents, and I know many things about many other universes and multiverses. Most of the time, it just makes me a pain to figure out, but with you here now, it finally comes in handy.”
“How did this sponsor of yours do this for you? What even is your sponsor?” Zuko asked, still not entirely getting it.
“They’re a god of sorts. They talk with me all the time and we’re actually pretty close friends.”
“You keep saying they. Is it more than one person?”
“No. I’m saying they so you don’t know the gender. We have a very specific list of ground rules set out and if I don’t follow them to a T, there’s very strict punishment,” Ross explained with a shudder.
“Would they kill you?” Zuko asked concerned.
“No, nothing like that. Let’s just say it’s bad and I really don’t wanna have to deal with it... again,” Ross said, shivering at the memory. “They’ve given me express permission to talk with you, and a list of things I can tell you about them, so I’m doing that. You deserve to know since you’re in a pretty similar situation to me, except I have no intention of going anywhere.”
“About that. I’m not exactly sure what to do,” Zuko said, causing Ross’ ears to perk up. “After hearing everything, I don’t know if I should leave, but I have a lot of responsibilities back home, as I’m sure you’re aware.”
“I am,” Ross said, putting his hand on Zuko’s shoulder. “I will help you get back to your world whenever you decide to do so, but I’m not sure how yet, and there’s no guarantee that there even is a way back.”
“Let’s not worry about that now. I’m 100 percent staying until I talk to Ember,” Zuko said, doing a respectful bow. “I appreciate you telling me all this. It’s good to know that someone knows what I’m going through.”
Ross returned the gesture. “Talk to me anytime Zuko. I have a feeling we’re gonna be around each other a lot in for the next few days.”
“Will do.”
“I’ve gotta get back to the apartment. I’ll catch ya later.” With that, the changeling sped off, leaving the Firelord to stare off into the horizon.
He was extremely cryptic, and it’s all hard to believe, but he didn’t seem like he was lying, and he didn’t look like he had any ill intent. I just hope trusting him doesn’t bite me in the ass later.
Glad that’s over with, Ross thought as he landed on a hill far away from the hive. It was still in his view, but he wouldn’t be seen from it due to the distance.
“You know Ev, you told him a little too much,” a feminine voice said disapprovingly from behind him. Ross’ head whipped around as he heard it, slightly startled. When he saw who it was, he sighed in relief.
“Am I gonna get punished?” he asked, quivering at the thought.
“No it’s fine,” she said, allowing Ross to sigh in relief.
“Sorry Eris,” he said, another long, heavy sigh escaping his lips. Eris sat down next to him and wrapped her bear arm around his shoulder.
“It’s fine. It wasn’t too bad, but you know the rules. People can know we’re friends, but nobody can know how we really met, or that it was me who brought you here. But thanks to everything we want him to do, he’s an exception,” she said, her tone getting serious at the last part.
“I know. Not that I want anybody to know where I’m from anyway. Earth sucked ass,” he replied, staring at the vast grasslands. “I can’t thank you enough for what you did for me.”
“I know,” Eris deadpanned. “You only remind me every time we meet in person.”
“Well I mean it. My life was horrific when you moved me onto this planet. If I were anybody else I probably would’ve shot myself. Fortunately for me, I never think like that.”
“Again, I know,” she said, this time facepalming with her talon. “I’m the one who pulled you out of it.”
“Yeah. Thanks for that,” he said smugly, causing Eris to playfully tackle him to the ground. She then proceeded to give the changeling a noogie, the likes of which no one has ever seen. Ross tapped out. “Okay okay! I’m sorry!”
The two proceeded to laugh hysterically at their antics. Eris was the first to compose herself. “So... do you really think he has the potential to end this disaster. When we were searching through the multiverse, you spoke very highly of him.”
“I do. In hindsight, there may have been more powerful options, but they had bigger things to worry about. Not to mention they’d probably be strong per than the princesses which would freak everybody on this planet out. Zuko just achieved world peace on his home planet, and he’s a fire bender with a great skill set. I’m confident he’s capable enough to give the dogs some permanent damage,” Ross explained, sitting himself upright. “And I also figure he’d be one of the only ones to put others before himself, and choose to stay.”
“Well that has yet to be seen,” Eris said. “He didn’t say he’d stay through the whole thing.”
“He’ll get on board. I know it.”
“I hope your right,” she said, pausing for a moment. “I’m surprised he wasn’t panicking at the gravity of his situation.”
“Adrenaline probably. Before the fuckin’ chimera attacked him, he said he had no immediate memory of what was going on before you pulled him here and his leg was hurt before the chimera fight as well. What happened?” Ross asked.
“He was in a duel earlier in the day and he badly injured his leg when landing on it awkwardly thanks to a huge fire blast. He won the fight, but it wasn’t at all easy to do so,” she explained.
Ross nodded in understanding. “Probably an Agni Kai, but for what reason?” He thought about it for a moment, deciding he would ask Zuko later for a deeper explanation behind the Agni Kai, with the hope being that asking him will jog his memory. “Anyway, he’ll be pissed when he finds out the truth.”
“Well don’t tell him anything else and he won’t figure it out,” she said, pushing herself up from the grassy floor. Ross looked at her with skepticism, but let it go.
“I hope you know what you’re getting into. He may have changed for the better, but a temper is a temper. We have to tell him at some point,” Ross said, leaning his head against the chaos goddess’ shoulder. She nodded in agreement, and returned his gesture by resting her head on top of his. They sat there in silence for a few minutes until the changeling broke the silence.
“Why the fuck did you make me conscious while I was coming outta Mom?” he asked in mock annoyance, with a hint of sincerity.
“I told you a thousand times! I was 15 and didn’t have full control of my powers yet! I’m sorry!” she said in exasperation.
“I will never forget that shit. It was horrifying,” he said, looking up to her with an ‘angry’ glare.
“I’M SORRY!” she shouted, putting her head in her bear paw, tears starting to roll down her cheeks. Ross quickly realized his mistake and embraced the draconequus.
“Hey hey hey. I was playing around. I’m sorry,” he said in a panic. Eris sniffed, returning the embrace.
“I never meant for that to happen. You may joke about it now, but you were really horrified at the time,” she said, wiping her eyes. “I love you like a son. I hate that I hurt you like that.”
“Whoa whoa whoa, hold up a minute. You’re only 32 years old. You’re way too young to be mother to someone who only a few months ago became a legal adult,” Ross said, trying to lighten the mood. It worked, Eris chuckling at the remark. “I’ve always thought of you more as my older sister that I never had, and never knew how much I needed. Sort of the same effect, but our relationship is too damn weird to be considered mother/son. Mothers and sons don’t roll in the grass on a hillside giving each other noogies.”
Eris lightly laughed again. “Fair enough. I didn’t really think of another way to put it, given the fact that I reset your physical age and zapped you into your mother’s womb, but I guess you’re right. And be that as it may, I love you Ev. Mother wasn’t available to me often as a kid and Dad was too busy dicking around to actually spend much time with me,” she said with mild irritation. “Fluttershy essentially raised me. Since I don’t have much else in the way of family, you’ve meant so much to me over the years,” she said, hugging the changeling harder.
“Same situation for me, Eris,” Ross said, returning the gesture. They sat there in silence for a minute before the changeling continued. “We’ve got a long indefinite amount of time ahead of us.”
The draconequus sighed at that. “That we do, Everett. That we do.”
“Don’t call me Everett.”
“But that’s what you wanted me to name you!” Eris shouted in annoyance.
“I was stealing a Marvel character’s name. I said call me Ev or Ross,” he replied.
“Whatever man,” she deadpanned, shaking her head.
Author's Note
https://youtu.be/VNWbXikSJVE
