Chap. 7
The group raced through the palace, making a beeline for the main entrance. As they came close, the guards there moved in front of them.
"I'm sorry, but we cannot open the gates during an attack." The guard on the left said.
"So we are under attack. Outta the way boys!" Toph said, as she clenched her fists and brought up her arms. There was a rumble and then the ground underneath the guards moved up and threw them to the sides.
"Toph! You can't assault the Royal Guards like that!" Poppy said.
"Later Mom." Toph said, as Benzaie and one of the Warriors pushed the doors open. The group gaped at the sight before them. The courtyard had been transformed into a battleground. All around them, the guards fought off strange, black cloaked figures armed with daggers. But they were not simply blades. As one guard brought a large boulder and hurled it at a cloaked figure, it held out it's weapon and a bolt of energy shot forth, shattering the rock and continuing to the guard, knocking back into the air.
"By the Earth God! Who are these people?" Lao asked.
"I don't know, but if we don't stop them, this whole place is coming down." Toph said.
"Wait. These things seem... familiar." Benzaie said. "But for reason, I keep thinking of comic books."
"What are those?"
"Um..."
"Linkara!" the Chick said suddenly. "He was going on about something like this coming after him... Shades! That's what he called them."
"When he talk about that?"
"During... the Linking."
"Wha... Ah yes. Have you told him about the roofies yet?"
"No. It's more fun to screw with his mind."
"As interesting as that is," Suki said. "Maybe you could tell us exactly what he said about these things?"
"Just that they were robots."
"What are robots?"
"Machines, mon ami. They are not alive."
"Well, that makes things... GET DOWN!" Suki yelled, as she hurled her fan at Benzaie. The Frenchman ducked, as the fan sailied over his head and into the hood of the advancing Shade. It stuck there, as the being shook, sparks flying from its hood. Finally, it gave one final shake and collapsed to the ground.
"It does make things easier." Ty Lee said, as Suki bent down and retrieved her fan.
"But not by much. Let's end this!" Suki said, as the other Warriors drew their own weapons.
"I am with you, my friends." Benzaie said, as he drew a small, black crossbow weapon from his jacket.
"As am I. Viva la French-Bear!"
"Merci Bearie."
"Mom Dad, you guys better get back into the palace." Toph said. "This could get ugly."
"Toph no! I can't..."
"She took on the Fire Nation, dear." Lao said. "She can handle this."
"...Thanks, Dad."
"Be careful." Lao said, as he and Poppy moved back inside the palace. As the group shut the doors, Ty Lee turned to the Chick and asked, "Hey, do you want a weapon? We've got a bunch!"
"Naw, I'm good." The Chick replied as she pulled out...
"A shoe?"
"This baby and me have been through a lot." The Chick replied, brandishing the footwear.
"...OK." Ty Lee said, as she turned back to the Shades advancing towards them.
"FOR THE EARTH KINGDOM!" Suki yelled, as she charged the nearest shade, knocking it down with a well-placed kick. The others quickly engaged the other Shades, with Toph launching rocks at them, while Benzaie fired from his odd weapon. But for all the Shades they knocked down, more seemed to appear from nowhere to take their place.
"We have to push them back! Everyone hold on!" Toph said as she leapt up and slammed her fists down onto the earth. The entire stairway actually jumped and then settled back into place. But not before sending many Shades tumbling off the sides and onto the hard pavement below.
"Always wanted to try that trick." Toph said, grinning at her handiwork. But as she celebrated, two Shades appeared from behind her, and directed their daggers at her. Toph heard them, and managed to turn around quick enough to bring up an earth shield, but the Shade's energy cut right through it, throwing her backwards. She hit the ground with a thud, as the two Shades advanced on her...
"BIG LIPPED ALLIGATOR MOMENT!"
Toph didn't know what had happened, but she suddenly heard the sounds of yodeling, the impact of dancing, and weird music. Before she could figure it out, she felt a hand wrap around arm and pull her up.
"You ok?"
"Chick? What was.. what did you do?"
"It's better you don't know. Trust me, it won't ever come up again." The Chick replied, as in front of them, the two Shades, now with alligator heads, danced about to the music.
"This isn't working! There's too many of them!" Ty Lee yelled, as she flipped over one Shade and dropkicking another.
"We...uhhh... need something... big... any ideas?" Suki yelled.
"I have the thing we need! Move the others back!" Benzaie yelled.
"You heard the man! Everyone fall back!" Suki yelled. The other Warriors quickly broke off, as did the few remaining guards, as Benzaie sheathed his weapon and withdrew...
"What are you doing?" Suki yelled, as Benzaie held Bearie, then reared back and threw him at the small army of Shades. The bear hit the lead Shade in the face, who suddenly began to scream as if the bear was attacking. The other Shades tried to pull it off, but as they came close, Suki heard a clicking noise, then suddenly there was a huge explosion, taking all the Shades with it.
"Well done Bearie!" Benzaie said, as he looked into the fiery remains of the Shades. Suki just looked on in shock, until she saw more Shades advancing on them.
"Benzaie, can you do that again?" she asked.
"Not until I repair Bearie."
"We're gonna need it sooner then that."
Benzaie quickly drew his weapon and began to fire again, while Suki and the other warriors also began to attack. But they had barely landed any blows, when suddenly the Shades were engulfed in flames. As they ran about in panic, Suki looked up and saw a familiar bison flying through the skies...
"What is that?" Benzaie yelled.
"The cavalary!" Suki yelled, as Appa landed and Aang, Sokka, and Katara leapt off the saddle. But along with the trio, four others leapt off and immediately began to battle the Shades. Suki looked on in puzzlement, but as maddening laughter filled the air, Benzaie looked in happy disbelief and called out, "Joe!"
One of the newcomers, a dark skinned man in a jacket who was laughing in a mad rage, nodded at Benzaie, and then continued to fire his weapons. Two others, a blonde man and a purple haired woman, fired as well, while the last of them, a man in glasses, a coat, and a strange hat, fired while slashing away with a dagger.
"Aang, who are these people?" Suki yelled out, as she fought.
"Friends!" Aang yelled, as he and Katara let loose with a double burst of water that knocked the Shades back. Sokka loosed his boomerang on others, while the guards kept launching rock after rock. Suki realized that it finally looked their were going to win.
But then, something happened. The Shades began to glow, and then suddenly winked out in a burst of light. As the group looked around in confusion, a voice said, "I shall not let my forces lose to this pitiful fleshbags!"
"My God! MECHAKARA!" the coat man yelled. "I should've known you would have something to do with this."
"You have no idea, Linkara. Soon, I will see the end of this world, and with it's power, I shall rid mine of it's weak humans once and for all, while Lord Vyce takes your world for his own!"
"I beat you once! And I'm not alone this time!"
"Build as large an army as you want. None can defeat me, not after Lord Vyce's upgrades..."
With that, the voice faded away, leaving the others there in confusion. That is, until the newly named Linkara turned and said, "Benzaie? It got you too?"
"Wee, my friend." Benzaie said, as he walked over to the others. "Do you know what has caused this, Linkara?"
"No. But I think I know why we're here." Linkara said. "Who are your friends?"
"My name is Suki. I'm leader of the Kyoshi Warriors." Suki said. "And you are?"
"His name's Linkara." Sokka said. "And these are, Marzgurl, Angry Joe, and Film Brain. They come from 'another world' where we're a 'cartoon' and..."
"Enough with the finger quotes, Sokka." Katara said. "The bottom line is that they know whose causing this, and they want to help us."
"Great. 'Cause we're gonna need help with the cleanup first." Said Toph, as she and the Chick walked down the stairs to the others. The group looked back up and then gasped, starting at the huge pile of broken Shades in front of the palace.
"Toph! How did you..."
"It.. uh.. actually wasn't me Katara." The Earthbender said sheepishly. "It was the Chick here."
"What kind of bending did you use?" Aang asked.
The Chick merely held up her shoe, which Aang gave a cockeyed look at.
"Trust me, she's lethal with that thing." Linkara said. "Ask the people in Molossia. Now Aang, you said we need to get to the Fire Nation next?"
