The next morning, everyone congregated in the main dining hall. Then, over a grand breakfast, they all shared what experiences each group had gone through the previous night.
Of course, the story everyone was most keen on hearing was Aang's. So the young monk told his friends the tale of what happened after he disappeared that night. As for what actually happened during the night, Aang couldn't really say. All he knew was he went to sleep in the house but awoke in a forest someplace - but as he was asleep at the time, he had no real idea of how he got there. (Though he did recall hearing something in his dreams - some sort of deep and primal chanting.)
At any rate, he awoke to find himself in a forest with the beach house nowhere in sight and only Momo for company. He spent most of the day trying to figure out where he was. Eventually, he came across a perfectly hexagonal indentation in the ground where no plant life grew. He tried earthbending it - only to discover it wasn't earth. As the thought of how to stop the Fire Lord without killing him had been weighing his mind lately, Aang thought this strange landmark would be a good place to meditate and perhaps gain some clarity.
It then occurred to him that the previous Avatars might have some insight into the matter. So he looked inward to seek wisdom from his past lives. But to his disappointment, Avatars Roku, Kyoshi and Kuruk all advised him that killing the Fire Lord was the only way! Even the previous Air Nomad Avatar, Yangchen, had all but said the Fire Lord had to die.
At length, Aang spotted land on the distant horizon - and puzzlingly, it seemed to be getting closer. It was then he realized the island he was on was moving! Curious, he took a dip under water to find it wasn't an island at all! He had been on the back of a colossal lion-turtle.
"That's it!" Calvin interrupted with a snap of his fingers - much to the ire of everyone else. "I knew I heard something that night!"
"What're you talking about?!" Katara groused.
"You said you heard chanting that night, right?" Calvin said to Aang. "And you woke up on the back of a lion-turtle, right? Well, that's just like when we met that one lion-turtle! Remember, Susie?!"
"Wait a minute!" Zuko said. "You're saying you've MET a lion-turtle?!"
"Well, YEAH!" Calvin answered, producing a flame in his palm. "Couldn't do this back on Earth… Come to think of it, I wonder if that might've been the same lion-turtle…"
"As fascinating as that is, I think we should let Aang finish his story!" Katara irritably said.
So Aang continued. He told them how he asked to lion-turtle for help and the great beast taught him the secret of energybending. The lion-turtle then left him to face his destiny. Aang climbed to the top of a high stone pillar where he would await the Fire Lord's arrival.
Soon enough, an entire fleet of airships appeared on the horizon. And at the prow of the foremost airship, Aang could see Fire Lord Ozai, burning the land before him with sadistic glee.
It was time to face his destiny.
Aang launched earthen projectiles that struck the airship's propeller. Before the gigantic vessel crashed into the mountainside, Ozai utilized the comet's power to shoot jets of flame from his feet - sending him flying through the air to perch atop another stone pillar. There he stared down the young Avatar.
Aang plead with the Fire Lord, offering him one last chance to end the conflict peacefully.
But Ozai wouldn't have it.
And so their showdown began.
The Fire Lord attacked with unending ferocity - rapidly assaulting Aang with tremendous blasts of flame. It was all Aang could do to deflect the attacks. He would counterattack whenever he found an opening - but those openings were few and far between.
Their fight carried the combatants all across the landscape (even flight was no longer Aang's advantage.) The two exchanged viscous blows. Aang fought with everything he had, but he was clearly fighting an uphill battle. Ozai simply had so much more experience - not just in bending, but in actual combat!
In an act of desperation, Aang cocooned himself in a pile of rocks to take even the tiniest repreve from Ozai's onslaught. Undeterred, Ozai kept wailing on the rocks, blastin fireball after fireball, turning Aang's would-be shelter into an oppressive oven.
Then suddenly, it just stopped.
Aang waited, but no fire struck the rocks.
At length, Aang took a tentative peek out of his shelter - and what he saw shocked him.
The sky had gone dark.
The comet was nowhere to be seen.
Aang saw the Fire Lord staring aghast at the sky. And when Ozai looked at him, his expression went from shock to rage.
The comet may have been gone, but he still had every intention of killing the Avatar.
So the fight resumed - only now, it was much more even. Even with Ozai's greater experience, without the comet, his power was so much weaker. And the Avatar had a much more versatile arsenal.
The fight wore on, both fighters feeling the exhaustion of prolonged combat, but neither willing to give up.
There came a time where the Fire Lord hid himself behind a sizable rock. And when Aang approached, Ozai lashed out with the biggest blast of fire he could muster.
And that would prove to be his undoing.
Aang was thrown backward into a rocky outcropping. And when that happened, a stone protrusion hit him in the back - in the exact same spot Azula's lightning had struck him during the fight in the catacombs beneath Ba Sing Se. And then, for the first time in so long, Aang had access to the Avatar State once again.
(For the earthlings benefit, Aang explained that the Avatar State was a defense mechanism wherein all the knowledge and experience from all the past Avatars became available to him - granting him an exponential boost to his power.)
Ozai could only stare in fear as Aang unleashed his full fury - surrounding himself with rings of fire, stone and water and encapsulating it all in a swirling, roaring sphere of wind.
Seeing that the tables had so drastically turned, Ozai made the only smart decision he could at that moment - he fled.
He didn't make it far before Aang lashed out with a tendril of water - seizing the Fire Lord and slapping him down on top of the nearest pillar. Unable to move, Ozai gaped up at Aang with the first real terror he had felt in years. Floating above the prone Fire Lord, Aang launched a devastating attack - a giant tentril comprised of all four elements rose up then surged downward, seeking to puncture the Fire Lord's wicked heart.
But just before impact, Aang relented. The wind dissipated, the fire extinguished, the rocks clattered to the ground and the water simply drenched Ozai's face. In the end, Aang just couldn't bring himself to end another's life.
Seeing the Avatar's hesitation as a display of weakness, Ozai made to attack Aang while his back was turned. However, a trick he learned from Toph enabled Aang to feel the movement and he bended two slabs of earth to snare the Fire Lord's wrist. Ozai made to attack with his other hand - only for it to become caught as well. Aang then repositioned the earthen shackles so ozai was forced to his knees with his arms stretched out behind him. Ozai made one last attack by spewing fire from his mouth, but Aang dispersed it with a gust of wind. This placed Aang close enough to place one hand on the Fire Lord's head and the other over his heart.
And thus began the final struggle.
While not physically demanding, energybending greatly relied on the cooperation of the other party - and Fire Lord Ozai obstinately refused to yield. His spirit fought back, more vicious and aggressive than any other time that night. His fury, his malice and will to dominate all life fueled his assault against the invasive influence.
While the lion-turtle had taught him the technique, Aang had been ill prepared for the backlash of exposing his spirit to another - particularly one so hostile. So he resisted, but the Fire Lord was proving once again to be too strong.
Had it all been for naught?
Had he really come this far only to fail at the very end?
Aang thought about all the people who were counting on him - he though of the innocent people of the Earth Kingdome and Water Tribes who just wanted to live their lives without the constant shadow of oppression looming over them - he thought of his precious friends who wanted nothing more than for him to come back safely - he thought of Calvin, Susie and Hobbes who had been thrown into this conflict through no fault of their own and wanted so desperately to return home - and he even thought of the people of the Fire Nation who needed to be shown a better way of life.
Seizing these thoughts with all his might, Aang fervently pushed back! Though he was at the very brink of failure, he fought back. Ozai's spirit, driven by such evils as subjugation, arrogance and sadism, ultimately couldn't stand against Aang's righteous desire for justice and peace.
"Well,... I think you all know what happened after that." Aang finished his story with a dramatic flare. Turning a sly look to Calvin, he added "So, not bad for a brooding shrimp, huh?!"
"... I'm surprised you remember that…" Calvin replied.
With Aang's story finished, everyone turned to Calvin and Susie, curious to know what had happened to them after their mysterious disappearance.
So the earthlings recounted their experiences - their abduction by the Rough Rhinos, being brought to Azula, their incarceration and subsequent escape.
"Lava?!" Katara gawked at Susie. "You can make lava now?!"
"Um,... yeah." Susie shrugged, wilting a little under all the curious looks from everyone. "I don't really know how, it just kinda… happened."
"Well, you were under a lot of duress." Sokka mused. "A lot of people have pulled off some incredible feats in life-or-death situations."
"That's how I discovered metalbending!" Toph chipped in.
"You were being taken back to your parents, that's hardly life-or-death." Katara quipped.
"Sez YOU."
Turning back to Susie, Katara continued. "But still, lava! - it just seems more like a firebending sort of thing."
"Eh, not really." Calvin said. "I mean, we've seen you make ice before!"
"... Yes, but that's -"
"So if waterbenders can make solid water, why can't earthbenders make liquid earth?!"
"Alright, settle down." Susie interjected. "You both have good points, here. I mean, with the heat 'n all, it's easy to associate magma with fire. It was pretty shocking to me when I first realized I could turn the ground to magma -"
"Technically, what you make is lava, not magma." Calvin said.
"What's the difference?!"
"If it's under ground, it's magma, if it's above ground, it's lava."
Susie stared at him for a moment. "... That's a DUMB distinction!"
Moving on,Calvin and Susie continued their story - with occasional input from Ty Lee and Mai. They told them about Azula's attempt to coerce Calvin into telling her how to operate the teleporter, about Hobbes sowing chaos through the camp, their showdown with the Rough Rhinos and their final confrontation with Azula - all the way up to their rescue by Galaxoid and Nebular.
"So you're really from another planet?" Zuko turned a curious gaze toward the cycloptic extraterrestrials.
"That is correct." Nebular confirmed.
"But you're from a different other planet than Calvin and Susie?" Sokka asked.
"That is also correct." Galaxoid stated.
Suki hummed. "Must've been quite a shock to find humans living on two completely different worlds."
"Not especially," Nebular replied. "There are several planets in the galaxy bearing lifeforms that are genetically identical to humans." He continued his meal, giving no heed to multitude of wide-eyed stares facing him from all around the table.
After a great length, it was Toph who oh so succinctly broke the silence. "Um,... WHAT?!"
Nebular finally seemed to notice the boggled expressions on everyone's faces. "... Is there a problem?"
"There's MORE?!" Sokka exclaimed, jolting out of his seat. "You're telling us that humanity isn't unique to this world?! That there's a whole bunch of them out there?!"
Nebular sat staring at him for a pregnant moment, before simply stating "That is correct."
Sokka fell back into his seat, limp, slack-jawed and at an utter loss for words.
"How is that even possible?" Katara asked.
"Well, we know that space travel's possible." Calvin ventured. "Who knows, maybe some ancient space-faring race stopped by prehistoric Earth, picked up a few human specimens and seeded them across the galaxy…"
"Or dropped them off on Earth." Galaxoid countered. "Though we will likely never know for certain."
After a while of conversing over breakfast, Sokka spoke up again. "Okay, there's one thing I still don't understand." turning to the aliens and, gesturing to the earthlings, said "How did you know that they were here?"
Calvin paused with a clump of rice halfway to his mouth. "Hey, that's RIGHT! We were on Earth when you gave the teleporter to me! So who told you to come to this planet to find us?!"
Nebular swiveled around to look at him. "Well, you did."
A baffled silence followed that statement.
"Um, care to elaborate?" Susie asked.
"Very well." Nebular said. "I returned to your dwelling place after a length of time in hiding. When I requested the translocator's return, you informed me that you already had. It was thereafter that you informed me of the mishap that had occured which landed you in this predicament."
"But, we've been here for months!" Susie breathed.
"Susie's right! How could I have been home on Earth when I was here?!"
"A fascinating conundrum, to be sure." Galaxoid said. "One that I've given considerable thought to ever since that night. And I do believe I have a theory…" He explained his idea to the table - but no one really knew what to make of it. For the natives of the planet, the words were a nonsensical mass of gibberish. The earthlings didn't fare much better, only understanding about every other word.
But ultimately, that wasn't what was important. "So if you're right about this, we… we can go HOME." Susie said with tears glistening in her eyes.
All around the table, excited chatter broke out - the planet natives speaking congratulatory words of encouragement to the displaced earthlings.
Once everyone had settled down again, Zuko spoke up. "I'm happy for you and all, but… I hope you won't leave so soon."
"Oh it's fine." Susie said. "I'm sure we can stick around to see you coronation. Right guys?" she turned to look at Calvin and Hobbes and the two aliens - none of whom gave any objections.
"I'm grateful for that, but I had a more immediate request." said Zuko. Turning to the aliens, he continued. "I need to regroup with my uncle. If you're willing to take me in that ship of yours, I could get to Ba Sing Se much faster than usual."
"Why not just take the teleporter?" Calvin suggested. "It'll get you there even faster."
Zuko, Susie, Sokka, Ty Lee and Suki all emphatically told him "NO!"
They arrived at Ba Sing Se later that afternoon.
It took a great deal of questioning the astounded populace, but Zuko eventually learned his uncle was at a small station the Order of the White Lotus had set up to provide aid to those who needed it. When the Fire Prince finally found his uncle, the two of them wrapped each other in a warm embrace - both so glad to see the other alive and well.
Zuko shared his experiences from the previous night with Iroh, who listened with rapt attention.
When Zuko asked about the retaking of Ba Sing Se, Iroh answered. "Yes, we had a battle,... but to be honest, we met surprisingly little resistance. Oh, they held their ground, like any good soldier should. But… their hearts just didn't seem to be in it."
"That's weird." Zuko observed. "Why d'you suppose that is?"
"I haven't the faintest idea, Prince Zuko." Iroh said. Then, turning his gaze to the side, he said. "But I think there is someone who could shed some light on the situation."
Zuko followed his uncle's gaze until he saw a man - a Fire Nation soldier - seated on a crate with his leg propped up in a cast. He sat slumped over with a downtrodden look on his face.
The soldier looked up at the sound of footsteps approaching - and saw the face of the man he recognized as leading the charge against him and his troops the previous night. He flinched at their approach, but the old man assured him they hadn't come to stir up trouble - they simply wanted to know why he and the other soldiers hadn't fought as hard as they ought to.
With a weary groan, the man explained. "It seemed like such an easy gig - support the occupation, keep the people in line, that sort of thing. But our occupation here has been anything but easy. Right at the start, a rebellion formed… and they've been nothing but trouble from day one! They've been harassing us from all sides - stealing our supplies, sabotaging our weapons, laying traps.
"I don't know who's leading them, but they're obviously masterminds, employing guerilla tactics, ambushes, hitting hard and fast before vanishing into the night…. It's almost like they have inside knowledge of how the army oppereates…"
Meanwhile, their return to Be Sing Se had Susie feeling nostalgic. While everyone else went about their business, she convinced Calvin to take a trip to the old teashop. He agreed without a word of complaint - Susie surmised that the prospect of returning to Earth must've put him in an especially good mood. And so, hand in hand, they made their way back to their one-time place of employment.
The three earthlings entered the shop to find a full crowd seated about the tables and cheerfully talking amongst themselves. They also noticed a few new waiters walking around. It appeared that Pao had managed to do well for himself despite the Fire Nation occupation.
Speaking of Pao, the trio eventually managed to find him giving instruction to one of the waiters. Pao was glad (albeit a little surprised) to see them again, but their former employer welcomed them with open arms and brought them to a cozy little nook off to the side and offered them some of his best tea - on the house. And while Susie tried to protest, Pao was quite insistent.
A few minutes later, Pao returned with a tray bearing a teapot, cups and even a plate of cookies which both Calvin and Hobbes readily dug into. As she sipped her tea, Susie mused how odd it must be to see a tiger eating a cookie. Of course, she had learned, throughout the course of their journey, that Hobbes could pretty much eat anything humans could with few adverse side-effects; but to a passer-by, it must look very strange to see an obviously carnivorous animal eating something that had absolutely no meat in it.
But those thoughts could wait for another time. "So, it looks like you're doing pretty well for yourself." she told Pao.
"Yeah, the occupation doesn't seem to've hit you all that hard." Calvin added.
Pao smiled. "It was a little touch-and-go at first, but things sorted themselves out.
"Actually, the occupation was pretty tolerable… once the Resistance formed."
"... Resistance?..." Calvin asked, quirking an eyebrow.
"Oh yes! Several concerned citizens banded together and swore they would fight the occupation to the bitter end!" Pao exclaimed. "... And from what I've seen, they've been quite successful. I don't know the full extent of what the Resistance has done, but they've certainly been running the soldiers ragged! Why just the other day I saw a squad of soldiers patrolling the streets and let me tell you, I've never seen people act so paranoid! They kept looking every which-way, jumping at the slightest sound - as if they might be attacked at any moment!"
That got an amused snort out of Calvin. Susie smiled along and Hobbes' whiskers pricked up in his version of a smirk.
They spent the next few minutes chatting, catching up with each other and learning what had happened since they last saw each other.
Suddenly, there was a great scuffling of chairs and excited murmurs. The four of them turned to see what the commotion was about.
When Pao saw what was happening, his eyes widened and a bright, beaming smile spread over his face. "My goodness! It's them! They've actually come into my shop!"
"'Them?!' Them who?" Calvin asked.
"The leaders of the Resistance!" Pao exclaimed, scrambling to his feet. "To think they would actually visit my shop! Come, come, you must meet them!" and with that, he was off to join the growing crowd.
Curious, the three earthlings rose to see who these leaders were. Just who were these heroes who had garnered such adoration out of the populace?
At length, the chattering throng parted, and they could finally get a look at the Resistance's leaders.
"OH GREAT GOOGALY-MOOGALY!" Calvin skittered back into the wall. Susie's teacup dropped to the floor and Hobbes' tail bushed out like a bottle brush.
In the midst of the people stood Gaan and Zhu. Zhu's arms were a bit more defined than the last time they saw him and Gaan was now sporting a collection of new scars - including a big one that trailed from the corner of his eye all the way down his neck - but it was definitely them! They just stood in the middle of the crowd with warm smiles, genially accepting their praise and gratitude.
"Is it ture?!" Someone in the crowd cried. "Has the Fire Nation really been defeated?!"
"It's true." Gaan's voice boomed out. "Last night a band of bending masters and warriors called the Order of the White Lotus finished the fight the Fire Nation started! The last of those Fire Nation scoundrels beaten with ease. They'll be out of our city before the day's though!" This was met with a joyful cheer from the crowd. "Rejoice, my friends, this war is over! And Ba Sing Se STANDS!"
"BA SING SE STANDS!" the crowd chorused.
Without any conversation, the three earthlings unanimously agreed that it was time to go. They pressed themselves against the wall and slowly but steadily made their way toward the door. Softly, quietly, closer, closer they slinked along, skirting around the crowd as they drank and toasted the health and fortune of their local heroes.
The goal was in sight - just a couple more steps and they could make a break for it. They just needed to -
"Oh, it's you!"
Feeling their hearts seize, the earthlings looked up to see the crowd part as Gaan tromped over and fixed them with a sizzling look. They held their breath, hoping the former soldier would at least have the sense to realize what bad PR it would be to attack two teenagers right in front of his adoring fans.
But then, Gaan's leer turned into a broad smile. "Everyone, gather 'round!" he called, bringing the crowd's attention to the teens and tiger.
"As much as we appreciate all the praise, these kids deserve your gratitude as well!"
The earthlings gawked at the man, blinking in befuddlement. "... huh?" Calvin croaked.
"Were it not for them, Zhu and I never would've come to Ba Sing Se, and the Resistance wouldn't have formed."
"It's true." Zhu nodded, giving affectionate squeezes to the two women hanging off his arms.
Gaan grabbed a drink and thrusted it in the earthling's direction. "So here's to you, kids, and to all that your actions have wrought! Long life to you! And may fortune ever smile upon you!"
"Hear, hear!" Zhu cried, raising a cup of his own. And soon the entire crowd was raising glasses with great cheering.
The next few minutes passed by in a blur. Calvin, Susie and Hobbes could only stare foreward in a daze as one-by-one nearly everyone in the shop stepped before them offering thanks and blessings on them.
When all was said and done, the trio ambled out of the teashop in a bewildered stupor.
"... What the HECK did we miss?!" Calvin shouted.
A couple days passed and Team Avatar made their way to the Fire Nation capital. The day was pleasantly warm with a soft breeze gently blowing. The sun beamed happily in the clear blue sky while various birds sang in the trees. It was a perfect day for a coronation.
They walked along, joined by a great concourse of people who had come out to witness the ceremony. The people chattered excitedly to one another - greeting their neighbors, speculating on how the new Fire Lord's reign would turn out and giving bewildered glances at the two little one-eyed, tentacled monsters passing by.
"You guys didn't have to come, you know." Susie said
"And leave us alone with nothing to do all day?" Galaxoid tsked "No, thank you."
"Besides, we may as well observe the local culture while we're here." Nebular added, smiling to the people he passed - who responded by quickening their paces.
"Aw, let 'em alone, Susie!" Calvin said, wrapping an arm around her shoulders. "I mean, no one in their right mind would attack what they assume to be spirits!"
Beside him, Hobbes made a low moaning sound. From the tiger's expression, Susie got the impression he didn't quite agree with Calvin's insouciant assessment. Susie wasn't sure she agreed with it either - still, they had made it this far without incident.
"Hey! Take a look at that!" Calvin suddenly said, trotting off to the side. Susie, Hobbes and the two aliens followed after him with exasperated sighs.
It turned out what had caught Calvin's attention was a man seated behind an overturned crate that had an assortment of rocks of various shapes and sizes. The man barked out to the passing people. "Yes sir-REE, the war's ended and a NEW Fire Lord crowned! It's the dawning of a brand new world, my friends! Now YOU can commemorate this MOMENTOUS occasion with these genu-WINE fragments o' SOZIN'S COMET! Come an' GIT 'EM, folks!"
"Oh, you're not seriously considering getting one of those?!" Susie snapped when she saw Calvin eyeing the man's rocks.
"And why not?" Calvin asked.
"You realize those are probably just rocks he picked up somewhere!"
Calvin shrugged. "Eh, even if they are, it'd still make a nice souvenir…. Plus, we still have some of this planet's money that we're not gonna need anymore!"
"If you would like, I could analyze them." Nebular volunteered. "I could determine whether they originated from this world or from outer space."
Susie eyed the man after nebular made his offer. He was giving Nebular a wide-eyed glare with a slightly curled lip. She couldn't tell if it was because Nebular's offer had ruined his scam, or just because… he was an alien.
Undeterred, Calvin simply scooted Nebular aside, saying "Now, now, Im sure his business is perfectly legit. There's no need to scare off his customers like that." But as he ushered Nebular away, Calvin leaned over and whispered "Later."
Moving into the main courtyard, the little group of extraterrestrials found a great mass of people congregated. Amid the throng they could see Toph talking with a group of earthbenders, Katara and Sokka had reunited with their father and Suki (in her full Kyoshi Warrior outfit) had reunited with the other Kyoshi Warriors.
As they walked along, a voice suddenly spoke up from behind. "Quite a turn out, isn't it? But then, I suppose it's not every day a new Fire Lord is crowned." The earthlings turned around to see a stooped elderly woman gazing at them with a soft smile.
"Kei!" Susie exclaimed. Indeed, it was the old woman who had taken them in when they first arrived in this world. She ran over and enveloped the elder in a warm embrace. "It's so good to see you again!"
"Good to see you too, deary." Kei said, returning the gesture. "And what's this, you've finally learned the language?"
"Well, I didn't exactly learn it…" Susie muttered.
"Eh? And what, exactly, do you mean by that?"
"That's kinda complicated." Calvin said as he strolled over. "In fact, I'm not even sure we fully understand it."
Kei gave Calvin an appraising look. "Well, as long as things worked out, I suppose I don't need to know the details." Looking the two teens up and down, she said "So, what have you kids been up to these past months? I confess I was rather worried when you didn't come back from the fair."
"Oh, y'know." Calvin said. "We were banished to the Earth Kingdom..."
"We made some new friends!" Susie added.
"And some new enemies."
"We met a lion-turtle…"
"Learned to bend…"
"Met the AVATAR!..."
"Went to Ba Sing Se…"
"Worked in a tea shop…"
"Escaped Ba Sing Se…"
"Fought the Rough Rhinos…"
"Met Prince Zuko…"
"Joined the Avatar's team…"
"Orchestrated a prison break…"
"Hid out in the Fire Lord's old summer home…"
"Got kidnapped…"
"Learned to make lava…"
"But most importantly, we've finally got a way to back to our own world!"
"Salutations." Nebular spoke up, waving a tentacle.
Kei watched the earthlings speak, making no movement, save for her eyes darting back and forth whenever one of them started speaking. After a time, she simply said "Well,... seems you've had a rather busy summer…"
She then bent down to take a closer look at the aliens. "I presume that you are the ones who will be taking them home…"
"Indeed." Galaxoid confirmed.
"See that you do." Kei said with a curt nod. "Agni knows these kids have been through enough."
She then turned back to look at the teens. As she gave Hobbes an affectionate scratch behind the ear, she smirked at Calvin and said "If you don't mind my saying so, young man, it seems to me that the two of you are a bit… closer than when I last saw you."
"Yeah, yeah, rub it in, old lady…" Calvin muttered under his breath while his face flushed.
Susie was about to ask what Kei meant when the ringing of a gong sounded.
Everyone turned to face the palace to see Zuko had appeared - resplendent in all his regalia. The assembled crowd began cheering fervently
Zuko raised a hand for silence. "Please, the real hero is the Avatar." he stepped to the side to reveal Aang - now decked out in saffron yellow garments with a long shawl draped over his shoulders and a pendant with the Air Nomad symbol around his neck - stepping foreward.
The cheering picked up with renewed vigor as Aang gazed out over the multitude, a humble smile on his face.
"Today, this war is finally over!" Zuko said - resulting in the loudest cheer yet. "I promised my uncle that I would restore the honor of the Fire Nation… and I will!
"The road ahead of us is challenging, a hundred years of fighting has left the world scarred and divided. But with the Avatar's help, we can get it back on the right path, and begin a new era of love and peace."
Zuko then knelt as one of the attending Fire Sages carried the crown to him. The sage then proclaimed with a loud voice "All hail Fire Lord Zuko!" before placing the crown in Zuko's topknot. The new Fire Lord then rose as the cheers surged out anew.
Zuko then strode to the edge of the platform, beckoning Aang to follow. And there the two of them stood, gazing out on the exuberant crowd; the Fire Lord and the Avatar - the ones who would usher in this new era of peace.
The next day dawned bright and for Team Avatar, the day was bitter-sweet. They all congregated in the courtyard of the Fire Nation palace where Galaxoid and Nebular's spaceship sat, softly purring.
The time had come at last for the misplaced earthlings to return home.
"I'm really going to miss you guys." Susie said with misty eyes as she embraced Katara.
"Me too." Katara replied, her voice choking a little. "I'm glad for the chance to've met you. Good luck on the trip back!"
"Thanks." Susie stepped back and surveyed the sea of faces before her. Katara, Aang, Sokka, Toph, Suki, Ty Lee, Mei, Zuko… so many friendships formed in their brief time on this world.
"I almost wish I could go with you." Sokka said to Calvin.
"What?!" Suki said, eyeing him.
"Well, yeah." Sokka replied. "I mean, think about it - it'd be fascinating to see what human life is like on a whole different world!"
Calvin scratched the back of his head. "Y'know, if you really wanted to, Nebular could probably arrange something…"
"Really?!" Sokka beamed.
"Of course, you wouldn't want to be taken so far away from your family, would you?!" Katara pointedly asked.
"Or your doting girlfriend?!" Suki added.
Eyes darting back and forth, Sokka tugged at his collar saying "Well,... I, uh, did say 'almost'!"
Calvin snorted as Zuko and Aang approached him.
"Be safe." Zuko said, clapping a hand on his shoulder.
"We'll never forget you." Aang added.
"I'll never forget you, either!" Calvin said, clapping both their shoulders. "No matter how hard I try!"
At the look of their incredulous expressions, he said "Ah, I'm just kidding you guys!" then, under his breath, added "Mostly."
Hobbes wound his way through the assembled bodies, brushing affectionately against them as he went. He received several pats and scratches in return (mostly from the girls.) Toph even gave him a surprisingly tender hug. To the gathered humans surprise, Momo then flapped down and rubbed his paw over the tiger's nose, chittering in an almost melancholic way.
The assembly was then disrupted when Nebular appeared in the ship's doorway. "Preparations are complete." he stated. "We are ready to depart."
"I guess this is it." Susie said.
"I guess it is." Calvin replied.
The earthlings climbed up the ramp, and in the doorway, turned to wave one last goodbye to their friends below.
Everyone waved back, calling out their farewells and well-wishes. "What was it you said back then?" Aang called up. "'Let the power be with you'?!"
"Eh, close enough!" Calvin called back just before the door slid into place.
The engines roared and the three earthlings could feel the ship rising off the ground.
"I can't believe it's really happening." Susie breathed, her voice thick with both elation and trepidation. "We're really going home!"
"I think I'll miss the scarecrow most of all." Calvin said, squeezing Susie close to him. Then, jerking his head, he said "C'mon!... We've only been on this planet a few months, but it feels more like eight years."
Calvin, Hobbes and Susie headed toward the cargo bay where Nebular awaited them. The one drawback with the ship was that it wasn't really designed to accommodate humans. The seats were too small and too low to make the trip back comfortable for them. So, after much debate, it had been decided that the best course of action would be fore the earthlings to be sedated and strapped down in the hold.
Truth be told, the earthlings were a little wary of the jury-rigged apparatuses that would hold them in place. But this was their only chance to go home, they weren't about to pass it up.
Once they were all strapped in, Calvin looked to Susie with what he hoped was a reassuring smile. She smiled back and reached out her hand as far as it would go. Calvin reached his own hand out just far enough that he could clasp onto the tips of her fingers. They remained that way until Nebular came around with the sedative. Calvin felt a prick in his leg and a slight burning sensation. With one last look at Susie, he softly told her "See you on the other side." before his senses faded to black.
Sunlight simmered over Calvin's eyelids, rousing the boy to consciousness. He craned his neck against the solid tree trunk he lay against, gazing up through the canopy of leaves that shimmered in the light breeze. He pulled himself to his feet, wincing as a feeling like trillions of needles prickling his skins swept from his head down to his toes. As he rubbed feeling back into his limbs, he found an odd lump in his pocket. He pulled it out to find a rock; the rock he had bought from that street vendor… the rock that may or may not have once been part of Sozin's Comet. "Huh. Never did get Nebular to analyze this…" he mused.
Thought of the alien snapped Calvin back to the circumstances he had just been through. He quickly scrambled around the tree. On the other side of the trunk, the figure of Susie lay nestled amongst the thick roots, slumbering tranquility. With a soft smile and a relieved sigh, Calvin crept over to her and gently shook her shoulder. "Suuusie… Susie, c'mon, wake up!"
Susie moaned and rolled over. Slowly, her bleary eyes creaked open. "Calvinnn...? Did, did it work? Are we ba-AAAH!" she suddenly hissed as her body clenched inward.
"Yeah, I know." Calvin said, sympathetically. "Don't worry, it'll pass. There we go, upsy-daisy…" he took her hands and pulled her to her feet.
"Is this it?" she asked. "Are we really back?!"
"Yeah!" Calvin answered. "I recognize this area. We're in the woods right outside my house!"
With an overwhelming joy, Susie flung herself into Calvin, wrapping her arms around him and planting her lips onto his own. Calvin reciprocated by squeezing her tight to him and twirling around. After a brief, blissful moment, the two teens broke their kiss, yet remained in their warm embrace. "We did it!" Susie breathed, tears sparkling in her eyes. "We're HOME!"
"Raaah, FINALLY!" Calvin and Susie startled at the sudden shout. Wheeling around, they saw a tiger… standing on his back legs and twisting his arms and shoulders back and forth. "Words cannot describe just how good it feels to be standing again!" he said as he stretched his arms upward.
"Hobbes!" Calvin cried, running over to the talking cat. "Welcome back, buddy!" he said, punching Hobbes on the shoulder.
"Good to be back!" Hobbes said, returning the gesture.
"Hobbes?!" Susie said, walking toward the tiger with wide, wondrous eyes. "Is… is this the… real you?!"
"It most certainly is!" Hobbes answered with a smug grin. He then leaned in, taking Susie's hand into his paw. "And can I just say how nice it is to properly make you acquaintance." he said in a low, rakish voice.
"Oh." Susie breathed, her face flush. "I had no idea you were such a charmer."
Calvin then pushed Hobbes aside. "Yeah, yeah. Lest you forget, she's spoken for!" he emphasised his statement by draping an arm over her shoulder.
Susie smirked, rolling her eyes. She then thought of something. "Calvin, you remember what the lion-turtle said about energies?"
"Uh,... Kinda. Why?"
"It's just, if Hobbes can speak now, I wonder if…" She stepped away from Calvin and took a deep breath. She then stamped her foot against the ground - a simple earthbending move she had done countless times before.
The ground remained unchanged.
Seeing this, Calvin took a deep breath of his own before thrusting his fist out.
No flame emerged, not even a spark.
"So…" Susie said with a heavy voice. "... I guess that's that…"
"Oh well." Hobbes sighed. "Let's go home!"
"Hold on!" Calvin said. "There's one last thing we need to check up on! C'mon!" he then dashed off.
Susie looked to Hobbes. And Hobbes looked back with an unhelpful shrug before running after the blond boy. Though it was slower, he ran on his back legs - he had been running on four legs for quite long enough now, thank you!
Calvin, Hobbes and Susie ran to the street, then hurried down the block. As Susie was about to question where they were going, she saw it.
A flash of light suddenly appeared down the street from them. Underneath a sprawling maple tree, a huge ball of crackling, pulsing electricity surged, growing bigger and brighter by the second. And within that cage of lightning, three figures frantically looked around for any means of escape. For a brief second, Calvin caught the eyes of his past self. And then in a final flash, they were gone.
"That… that was us!" Susie gaped.
"... Yep." Calvin answered.
"... We just watched ourselves get teleported to the other planet." Susie said.
"That's right." Calvin confirmed.
"So, as far as anyone else on Earth knows… nothing happened." Hobbes said.
"Looks like it." said Calvin.
"No one's gonna believe what happened to us." Susie sighed.
"... Eh, Don' worry 'bout it!" Calvin shrugged. He then turned to face his friends and said. "We know what happened. And that's good enough for me! For now, we've been away from home long enough!"
And so, with their adventure over, the three lost wayfarers finally returned to their rightful homes. And though the world would never know that anything out of the ordinary had happened to them, the three of them would never forget this incredible journey.
A/N: Whew! Welp, that's it! Eight years and thirty four chapter later, this story is finally finished. I'd like to take this moment to thank everyone who stuck it out this long.
Deleted Ideas
So, eight years is a pretty long time to write a single story. As you can imagine, I came up with quite a lot of ideas during the writing process - many of which were cut short or flat-out dropped completely. I thought I'd share a few of them for those who are interested.
One such idea was that each chapter would be prefaced by a quote or song lyric or snippet of poetry that had something correlation to the events of the chapter. Calvin singing the chorus of 'It's The End Of The World As We Know It' is all that remains of this idea.
Remember those two instances of Calvin and Susie playing Rock-Paper-Scissors to make decisions? Well, originally, that was meant to be a running joke; with Calvin coming up with more and more outrageous signs until Susie finally threatened to throw a real rock at him. (She would almost immediately have been proven to've made a bad call, afterward.)
Another running joke was that Calvin couldn't remember Sokka's name. He would end up calling him things like Soccer, Socrates, Sekhmet, Sokar, Succotash, Socket-Wrench, Sock-Puppet and Super-Soaker. Then at the Boiling Rock, he would reveal that he actually hadn't forgotten Sokka's name, but was just doing it to mess with him.
I had originally intended for the earthlings to accompany Sokka, Toph and Suki when they infiltrated the airship. The only reason for this was I wanted an instance where Sokka would tell Calvin "Open the pod bay door, Cal!" To which Calvin would reply "I'm sorry, Dave. I'm afraid I can't do that." admitting afterward that it was too good to pass up.
My reason for cutting this was mainly a logistics issue. It still ended the same way - the earthlings are confronted by Izo, the comet is destroyed, Izo blames them for it and then the aliens deus-ex-machina them out of danger. The problem was, I couldn't figure out how to get them to that point.
The event I eventually came up with was actually a pretty spur of the moment thing. I just realized I had all these disparate elements laying about and thought Hey, I can put these together and it'll actually WORK!
When Zuko saved Azula's life at the Western Air Temple; originally, he was going to save her from HOBBES! Basically, Azula realized it was Susie who scarred her face and so tried to shoot her with lightning. This, in turn, drove Hobbes berserk! He would fight her in much the same way as in the actual story, the difference being that this time, he actually had his claws out and was furious enough to actually kill her! Among other reasons, I opted out of this because it would lead to a lot of Hobbes Moping and brooding - fearing that he was actually becoming a savage beast.
And, of course, there are a few minor details that aren't interesting enough to list here.
Anyway, thanks again for reading. Until next time, this is Blu Taiger signing off.
