The Elements of Nature, Book 2

Chapter 15, The King

After the gang get all the prisoners back to their homes, they discuss what to do next. “Look,” Blitz began, “we escaped from the Dai Li. We got their prisoners home. I'm telling you, we should go to the King of Geo Firma now and tell him about Sozin’s Comet, which arrives in ... like what, a year. We're on a roll.”

“One fine hour af'er weeks of trouble ain't much of a roll.” Applejack said to the navy blue Pegasus.

“We can build on it.” Fire’ said. “If we want to stop the Fire Nation before Sozin’s Comet comes, we'll need the King of Geo Firma’s support.”

“What makes you think we'll even get near the palace?” Terra said. “I don't know if you two have noticed, but things don't usually go that smoothly for our little gang.”

“We know, but I've got a good feeling about this. This time will be different.” Fire’ said.

“Blitz, Fire,’” Agua began, “Long Feng is in control of the city. His conspiracy with the Dai Li is too powerful. I think we should just keep heading to the Himalayas and leave this horrible place behind us.”

“I'm with Water Girl, here.” Terra said. “I've seen enough of Ba Sing Se. And I can't even see!”

“Look, there's nothing stopping us from telling the Geo Firman King the truth. About the conspiracy and the War.” Twilight said.

“See? Both Firebrand and Twilight are with me.” Blitz said.

“And besides, getting help from Geo Firma’s king is the reason we came here in the first place. We have to at least try.” Fire’ said.

“Well,” Agua began, “I guess if the King knew the truth, things could change.

“I don't trust the new positive Blitz.” Terra said as she points her hoof at him. “Long Feng brainwashed you, didn't he!?”

Fire’ then notices a few ships in the lake. “That's probably the Dai Li searching for us. So ... Let's fly!” Fire’ said as he goes elemental and picks up Spike while the pegasi and Twilight pick up the ones who can’t fly.

They fly toward the Palace, with the others holding on for dear life. They soon get closer to the palace. “There it is! That whole thing is the palace! The King’s chamber should be in the center!” Twilight said to the others.

“We have to be careful.” Fire’ said. “Long Feng's probably warned the king that we're coming.”

“Why would you assume that?” Rainbow said to him. “If you ask me, I think we're just gonna sail right in and-Aahh!” Before she could finished, a missile almost hits them.

“What was that!?” a sacred Terra asked as she frantically holds onto Rapidfire, making him blush.

“Surface-to-Air Missiles! More incoming!” Blitz said as they dodge a few more rocks. One gets launched right at Agua, but she destroys it with some highly pressurized water. Another launches at them head on and Fire’ destroys it with his sword. He then launches himself and Twilight to the front of the palace and uses firebending to knock back the palace guards.  As they continue toward the King, more guards appear and launch grenades at the gang. Terra uses earthbending to block the attacks while Blitz uses lightningbending to subdue the guards.

Agua then water-whips two guards. “Sorry!” She then turns around and hits a few more guards. More guards come and Terra uses earthbending to flip the tiles they're walking over to trap the guards. They run past them.

“Sorry! We just need to get through to see the King!” Fluttershy said to the unconscious guards.

More guards appear on the opposite end of a bridge and launch two rockets at them. Terra create an earth igloo to block the rockets. Agua creates an ice ramp to jump to the other side of the bridge and water-whips the guards into the water. She then freezes them in the water as the rest all jump across. More surface-to-air missiles appear as guards are coming down a giant staircase. Terra uses earthbending to change the stairs into a ramp, causing them all to fall. She then uses earthbending to escalate themselves up the stairs.

“Seriously,” Applejack said to them, “we is acshully on yer guys' side! So'ry,” AJ said as more guards come, but Terra pushes them away with earthbending.

“In there!” Shining Armor pointed to a door said. The then make their way inside, only to find an area with 3 doors. More guards appear, but Terra easily defeats them all.

“Terra, which way to the King?” Blitz asked.

“How should I know, Blitz? I'm still voting we leave Ba Sing Se.” Terra said as she defeats more guards. Blitz then takes a chance and heads for door number three, only for him to stumble upon a mare's dressing room, which causes a mare inside to faint.

“Sorry. Wrong door.” Blitz said as he slams the door shut, blushing.

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Meanwhile, Zuko and Iroh return from Lake Laogai, with the former very ill. “You did the right thing. Letting the Dai Li's prisoners go free.” Iroh said.

“I don't feel ... right.” Zuko said as he gets dizzy, then passes out.

“Zuko!” Iroh nearly screamed as he rushes over.

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Back at the palace, the team arrives at a pile of rubble. Fire’ climbs on top of it and sees a gigantic door. “Now that's an impressive door. It's gotta go somewhere,” he said as he drops down from the rubble and attempts to kick the door open, but the door does not move even a centimeter. Fire’ then starts pushing it open, but to no avail, only for Terra to jump in from behind and bust the door down, knocking Fire’ forward in the process. “A little warning next time?!”

“Sorry, Flame Head,” Terra said as they arrive in the King's chamber with Kuei, a Unicorn stallion with a bright green coat, yellow-orange mane and a gold coin with a square in the middle for a cutie mark, sitting in his throne, while Long Feng and his Dai Li agents stand in their way. The team take on fighting stances against them.

“We need to talk to you.” Fire’ said to the king.

“They're here to overthrow you.” Long Feng said to the King Kuei.

“No, we're on your side. We're here to help.” Twilight said.

“You have to trust us.” Agua said.

“You invade my palace, lay waste to all my guards, break down my fancy door, and you expect me to trust you?” Kuei said as he stands up.

“He has a good point.” Terra said to them.

“If you are on my side, then drop your weapons and stand down!” The King Kuei said to them. They look at each other for a moment in hesitation, but Fire’ drops his sword, followed by Agua’s trident, Terra’s scythe, and Blitz’s nun-chucks.

“See? We're friends, your Kingliness.” Pinkie said to the king, who says nothing. Long Feng then signals the Dai Li to cuff their legs.

“Detain the assailants!” Long Feng said with a sinister smile as his Dai Li rush behind Team Avatar.

“But, they dropped there weapons. We're your allies.” Rainbow said to Kuei.

“Make sure the Avatars and their friends never see daylight again.” Long Feng said, only to realize his mistake as he looks at the king, who looks at him in shocked.

“The Avatars?” Kuei said as he points at Rainbow. “You're one of the Avatars?”

“Uh, no.” Rainbow said as she points to Firebrand, Agua, Terra, and Blitz. “Them.

Fire’ then melts his cuffs and raises one of his hoofs. “Over here.”

“What does it matter, your Highness?” Long Feng said. “They're enemies of the state.”

“Perhaps you're right.” The king said, only to see his bear, Bosco, sniff and lick Fire,’ who smiles at Long Feng. “Though Bosco seems to like him. I'll hear what they have to say.”

Fire’ then walks forward. “Well, sir, there's a war going on now. For the past 2000 years in fact. The Dai Li's kept it secret from you. It's a conspiracy to control the city, and to control you.”

“A secret war? That's crazy!” Kuei said.

“Completely!” Long Feng added.

“Long Feng didn't want anypony to tell you, so he in-prisoned innocent Geo Firman refugees and blackmailed them to keep quiet. And blackmail is the least of his crimes; he brainwashed our friend!” Fire’ said.

Long Feng quickly turns to face his king. “All lies.”

“Your claim is difficult to believe. Even from an Avatar.” The king said.

“These hooligans are part of an anarchist cell that my agents have been tracking for weeks.” Long Feng whispered into Kuei’s ear. “If you listen to them, you're playing right into your own destruction.”

“I have to trust my advisor. So, unless you can prove he’s lying, I won’t believe you.” King Kuei said to Fire,’ who thinks for a moment.

We won’t be able to get back to the Dai Li’s secret base, they probably already destroyed all the evidence, also we won’t be able to find the prisoners again, assuming the Dai Li hasn't recaptured them, Fire’ then remembers the drill at the outer wall. Thats it! Theres no way they can cover that up, Fire’ then turns to the king again. “If you come with us to the Outer Wall, we can prove to you that the secret war is real,” Fire’ said to King Kuei, who’s slightly surprised.

“No Geo Firman King has ever been to the Outer Wall. I don't have anymore time for this nonsense.” King Kuei firmly said.

“If you come with us,” Fire’ said as he points toward Rainbow, “you can ride on Rainbow Dash.”

“Say what?” Rainbow said while Kuei smiles at the thought of soaring above the clouds.

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Back in Iroh and Zuko's apartment, Zuko is asleep, but he wakes up. “You're burning up.” Iroh said as he dips a cloth in water. “You have an intense fever.” He then places the cloth on Zuko's forehead. “This will help cool you down.”

“So thirsty.” Zuko said as he sits up, but Iroh makes him lay back down.

He then grabs a bucket with a spoon in it and takes out the spoon. “Here's some clean water to drink. Stay under the blankets and sweat this out.

Zuko grabs the spoon from Iroh and drinks the water. He tosses the spoon aside and grabs the bucket. He drinks from it, while spilling some out. He then tosses the bucket aside and lies back down. Iroh pulls the covers more over him.

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Meanwhile, en route to the Outer Wall, the King is riding on Rainbow, holding on for dear life and screaming at the top of his lungs in fear. “First time flying?” Terra asked him as she and Rapidfire fly next to them.

“It's both thrilling and terrifying!” King Kuei exclaimed.

“Yeah. I hate it too.” Terra said.

“I got to admit, I never thought the Lower Ring would be like that.” Kuei said when he sees the dark and cramps apartments.

“So you've never been outside the Upper Ring before?” Twilight said from behind.

“I've never been outside the palace.” Kuei pointed out. “ But I have to be honest with all of you: part of me really hopes that what you're telling me about this war isn't true.” The king said as they slow down a little.

“I wish it wasn't.” Fire’ said to King Kuei as they approach the Outer Wall.

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Meanwhile, Zuko is having a dream that he is the Fire Lord, with no scar on his eye. One red and one blue dragon appear and start circling around the pillars on each side of him. The blue dragon starts circling around Zuko. In Azula's voice, the blue dragon says that, “It's getting late. Are you planning to retire soon, my lord?”

“I'm not tired.” Zuko said to the blue dragon.

“Relax, Fire Lord Zuko. Just let go. Give in to it. Shut your eyes for a while.” The blue dragon said as Zuko starts to shut his eyes, but widely opens them upon hearing the other dragon, who has Iroh’s voice.

“Don't, Fire Lord Zuko! Do not listen to the blue dragon,” The red dragon said. “You should get out of here now. Go! Before its too late!

“Sleep now, Fire Lord Zuko.” The blue dragon said as they disappear, and the room they're in, as well as the guards watching Zuko, crumble to nothing. The blue dragon then reappears in front of him. “Sleep. Just like mother,” It then charges at Zuko and opens its mouth. Inside the dragon's mouth, Zuko sees his mother, Ursa.

“Zuko! Help me!” She cried as Zuko disappears through the floor.

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Meanwhile, Team Avatar arrives at the Outer Wall with the king, who sees the drill. Fire’ then points to it. “It's still there!”

“What is that?” The king asked, shocked.

“It's a drill. A giant drill made by the Fire Nation to break through your walls.” Blitz said as Kuei looks on in horror.

“I can't believe I never knew.” Kuei said, still shocked.

Long Feng then appears on an elevator with two Dai Li agents. “I can explain this, your Majesty. This is nothing more than ... a construction project.” Long Feng said, but he knows there are flaws in his explanation, which Agua takes advantaged of.

“Really?” Agua began. “Then perhaps you could explain why there's a Fire Nation insignia on your ‘construction project’ down there.” Agua said as she and the otters land around 10 meters away from Long Feng and his Dai Li.

Long Feng then looks at the king, who is looking at him suspiciously. “Well, it's imported of course. You know you can't trust domestic machinery. Surely you don't believe these foals over your most loyal attendant?” Long Feng said, though Kuei can tell he’s lying.

King Kuei looks at Team Avatar and then at Long Feng, and makes his decision. “Dai Li! Arrest Long Feng! I want him to stand trial for crimes against Geo Firma!”

Long Feng and Team Avatar look shocked at the king. The two agents behind Long Feng share glances of shock at each other, before they shackle Long Feng and pull him away. “You can't arrest me! You all need me more than you know!” He yelled as he's taken away.

“Looks like Long Feng is Long Gone!” Fire’ happily said, getting stares from the others. “Yeah, I've been waiting to use that one.”

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That night at the Palace, King Kuei is talking with Team Avatar. “I want to thank you, young heroes, for opening my eyes,” he began to say. “All this time, what I thought was a great metropolis was merely a city of fools. And that makes me the king fools. We're at war. With the Fire Nation.”

“That's why we came to Ba Sing Se, your Highness.” Twilight said to him. “Princess Celestia wants you to help us end the war.”

“Why?” Kuei asked.

“There’s a comet that will arrive in about a year and a half from now, and if we don’t stop the Fire Nation before it arrives, they will get power that will make them virtually unstoppable.” Fire’ said to Kuei, who’s completely shocked by what her just heard.

“I don't know,” A hesitant Kuei said. “That would require moving troops out of Ba Sing Se. We'd be completely vulnerable.”

“Yer already vulnerable,” Applejack pointed out. “Th' Fire Nation won't stop until Ba Sing Se falls. Yo' kin eifer set back an' wait fo' thet t'happen, o' take th' offensive an' give yo'seff a fightin' chance.”

The King then thinks for a moment. “Very well. You have my support.” Team Avatar then celebrates, with Pinkie suggesting a ‘We-Saved-the-King-of-Geo-Firma-and-now-he’s-going-to-help-us-party.’

Suddenly, Spike burps out a scroll from Celestia. “Wow, thats the first letter from the Princess in weeks.” Spike said as Twilight takes the letter.

“Thats odd.” Twilight said as she reads the letter. “She’s worried sick about us since she never got a reply after sending hundreds of letters to us. Why would she be so worried, and why didn't we get any of her letters?”

“I can answer that,” a Unicorn stallion with a light brown coat, a yellow mane and a silver coin with a square in the middle for a cutie mark said as he walks up to Team Avatar and bows to the king. “I apologize for the interruption.”

“Who are you?” Spitfire asked.

“This is General How. He's the leader of the Council of Five, my highest ranking generals.” King Kuei answered.

“We searched Long Feng's office. I think we found something that will interest everypony.” General How said.

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Later in Long Feng's office, Team Avatar, General How and King Kuei are shown a box of papers on the desk. “There are secret files on every, single resident in Ba Sing Se. Including you guys.” General How said to Team Avatar.

“Secret files?” Fire’ asked with curiosity.

King Kuei then takes out a scroll and reads the side. “‘Terra Beifong.’” He then gives the scroll to General How, who gives it to Terra, who lets Twilight take it and read it.

“It's a letter from your brother.” Twilight said, making Terra's eyes widen with shock. “He wants to know how you’ve been doing.”

“Long Feng intercepted our letters from home?” Terra said as shakes her head. “That's just sad.” Another solider then arrives with a scroll and gives it to the Avatars. Fire’ uses his magic to open it and when he reads it, he is utterly shock.

“What is it, Fire’?” Twilight said to him.

“I can't believe it. There's a stallion living at the Eastern Air Temple. He says he's a guru.” Fire’ said.

“What's a guru? Some kind of poisonous blowfish?” Pinkie asked.

“No, Pinkie. A guru is a spiritual expert. He wants to help us take the next step in our Avatar journey. He says he can teach us to better to control the Avatar State. It even says that he’ll tell us where the remaining Elements of Nature are at!” Fire’ said, surprising Agua, Blitz and Terra.

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Meanwhile at Iroh and Zuko’s apartment, Iroh is pouring some tea. “You should know that this is not a natural sickness, but that shouldn't stop you from enjoying tea.” Iroh said as he feeds Zuko the tea.

“What's happening?” Zuko manage to say.

“Your critical decision. What you did beneath that lake. It was in such conflict with your image of yourself that you are now at war within your own mind and body.” Iroh said as he feeds Zuko some more tea.

“What's that mean?” Zuko said with some coughs while lying down.

“You are going through a metamorphosis, my nephew. It will not be a pleasant experience, but when you come out of it, you will be the beautiful prince you were always meant to be.” Soon, Iroh and Zuko are asleep.

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Zuko then wakes up and walks to the kitchen. He then washes his face with water. When he looks in the mirror, he sees himself with no scar, a flame red coat, and a mane that's like Soarin’s. Zuko now looks just like Firebrand. He’s horrified and screams himself awake... 

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...And breathes heavily. Zuko touches the scar on his face and closes his eyes.

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In a prison, Long Feng is sitting in his cell. A Dai Li agent appears outside of the cell. The agent than slides a tray of food underneath the door. “Dinner,” the agent said as Long Feng grabs some food. “The Council of Five and the Military are loyal to the King, but the Dai Li remains loyal to you, Long Feng, sir.” The agent said while he walks away as Long Feng eats his food, smiling sinisterly.

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Back at the palace, as Fire’ and the other Avatars prepare to leave for the Eastern Air Temple, while three Ice Knights of Pegasus City walk up to the king and bow. The Ice Knights have helmets in the shape of a wolf's head and have leg braces and greaves, their faces are painted, each one different but they still have the basic black and white color. The middle ‘knight’s’ helmet is black while the other two helmets are a light brown. The rest of the uniform is in a variety of blues and whites. “Who are those guys?” Rainbow asked.

“Looks like members of the Ice Knights of Pegasus City.” Agua answered. “There a special task force that went to fight in the Fire Nation War about a year before you guys showed up.” But before Agua could explain further, she’s takes by the tail be Terra.

“I hate to interrupt the political lesson, but we need to get to the Eastern Air Temple soon.” Terra said, clearly impatient.

“Awww, I wanted to ask them about Hielo.” Agua complained as she takes Terra and flies off toward the Eastern Air Temple, followed by Firebrand and Blitz.

“In our hour of need, it is with the highest honor that I welcome our esteemed allies, the Ice Knights of Pegasus City!” Kuei said as the ‘knights’ look up as him.

“We are the Geo Firman King’s humble servants.” The middle warrior said. She has gold eyes, meaning only one thing: its Azula with Mai and Ty Lee.