"I expected this kind of treachery from Northern Wall of the Water Tribe." Azula said, gesturing to the trapped Kurai. Zuko moved into protection of her. "But Zuko, Prince Zuko, you're a lot of things, but you're not a traitor, are you?"

"Release her immediately." Zuko cried angrily.

"It's not too late for you, Zuko. You can still redeem yourself." Azula whispered enticingly.

Kurai stared at Zuko. "The kind of redemption she offers is not for you."

"Why don't you let him decide, Ice Queen?" Azula said mockingly. "I need you, Zuko. I've plotted every move of this day," Azula Made a fist. "this glorious day in Fire Nation history, and the only way we win is together. At the end of this day, you will have your honor back. You will have Father's love. You will have everything you want."

"Zuko, I am begging you. Look into your heart and see what it is that you truly want." Kurai pleaded.

"You are free to choose." Azula said firmly.

She gestured at the two Dai Li agents to leave, who earthbended themselves out. Zuko contemplated his choice as Azula left to follow Aang and Katara.

Xxx

Aang and Katara ran through the Crystal Catacombs.

"We've got to find Sokka and Reiko." Katara said.

A bolt of blue lightning attacked them from behind. Aang stopped it using earthbending. Azula was the source of the lightning. Katara used waterbending to stop another lightning attack. The mist from the vaporized water allowed Azula to jump onto a crystal and firebend two blasts of blue fire. Together, Aang and Katara used waterbending to stop the blasts. Azula finished her jump by landing on a rock pillar. Aang used earthbending on the pillar, and Azula gasped once she noticed the pillar crumbling. She jumped off and landed between Katara and Aang. She pointed at both of them, preparing to attack.

A fire blast stopped her from attacking, and they looked to see the source of the fire blast to be Zuko. Zuko looked from Azula to Katara and Aang, choosing who to attack. Aang gasped once he realizes Zuko would attack him and Aang used airbending to jump away from the blast. Azula started dueling with Katara, and Zuko threw multiple fire blasts at Aang.

Xxx

Kurai slumped in her bonds, tears running down her face. "Zuko...you...you TRAITOR!"

Her Firebending heated and snapped the crystal. She took off running after Zuko.

Xxx

Kuei, Sokka, and Reiko were in a prison cell. Sokka looked out the door's barred window.

"See any Dai Li agents nearby?" Reiko said.

"Nope, all clear." Sokka said.

Reiko cracked her knuckles and placed her hands against the cell door, preparing to metalbend it. Outside the prison cell in the where the door crumpled and got thrown away from the doorway.

"Let's go." Sokka said.

"I'm not leaving without Bosco!" Kuei said.

Xxx

Sokka grabbed the Earth King's hand and followed the rest of the group. Zuko and were Aang fighting. Aang airbended the air currents around him to make a human-shaped gust of air at Zuko, knocking him down. Aang attacked Zuko with more airbending, but Zuko maneuvered around the attacks and got back up on his feet. He fired more blasts at Aang who is clinging on to a rock pillar. Aang jumped onto a clump of crystals to avoid the attack. Furious, Zuko summoned a greater blast of fire. Aang earthbended some crystals to protect him, but the crystals shattered, sending Aang flying to another clump of crystals. Zuko used fire whips to attack Aang once again, but Aang jumped to another patch of crystals and Zuko kept attacking.

Azula ran away from Katara, who sent a wave of water that cut her hair. Zuko was still using his fire whips to attack Aang, who was now jumping along the cave's ceiling. Aang kicked down a stalactite and follows it, using earthbending to increase its impact and sending Zuko flying.

Katara encased herself in water and used it to stop Azula's firebending attacks. One water tentacle captured Azula's hand and another one captured her foot. Zuko freed his sister using firebending to break the tentacles. Azula looked toward the crater Aang had created with the stalactite. Aang crawled out, exhausted. Azula runs toward Aang. Katara quickly defended him. Zuko turned to help Azula when—

"ARE-TO!" Kurai trapped Zuko with spiritual chains. "I thought you had changed?"

"KA-SHA!" Zuko snapped the chains. "I have changed."

"RAN-GU!" Kurai cried, and a giant spirit lion attacked Zuko.

He cowered back. "M-MA-NU!" Zuko quickly captured the beast in a spirit cage.

"How can you! Using Maram this way! After what your Uncle taught you?!" Kurai shouted at him.

"Don't you see that it doesn't matter anymore?!" Zuko snapped back. "None of it does!"

"What about me?!" Kurai cried. "I was going to be your Fire Queen!"

Zuko dropped his guard, held his hand out. "Y-You still can be..."

Kurai hesitated, then unleashed the most powerful Lotis of all: Love. "MA-NOU!"

It fired through him like a blast of light. But Zuko was prepared.

Kurai saw in his eyes what he was going to do before he did it.

"DI-SU-RI!" Zuko cried.

That was it. The Ultimate Maram. Pure Hatred.

The blow struck her—and everything surrounding—and decimated it all.

As darkness over took her vision, Kurai could just barely hear Zuko speak.

"I'm sorry."

Xxx

Azula and Aang were standing opposite each other. Azula used firebending to charge at Aang. Aang earthbended crystals around him into a crystal encased armor and charges at Azula. Azula stopped, and used her firebending to break Aang's crystal armor and send him flying back into an old building.

xxx

Mai, Ty Lee, and Bosco were in the Earth King's throne room.

Ty Lee turned To Bosco. "Come on, it's easy. You just walk on your front paws instead of your rear ones." She demonstrated. "Like this."

Suddenly, the floor trapped Ty Lee's hands and her feet when they touched the ground. Bosco started clapping.

Kuei, Reiko, and Sokka were there.

"That is a nice trick." Reiko said.

Sokka rook out his boomerang and Reiko earthbended a large block of the ground in preparation to fight against Mai.

"Just take the bear." Mai said.

Kuei Ran to Bosco. "Bosco!"

xxx

Zuko and Azula were both fighting Katara. Hopelessly outnumbered, Katara got knocked down. Aang jumped from the old building and earth surfed toward Zuko and Azula to stop them from attacking Katara. A Dai Li agent broke Aang's surf, knocking him down. More Dai Li agents gathered behind Zuko and Azula. Katara started regaining her focus and Dai Li agents surround her. Katara used the octopus form to defend herself. Aang stood up and surveys the scene.

"There's too many." Aang looked a Katara.

The only way is to let her go.

"I'm sorry, Katara." Aang said.

Closing his eyes, he turned away from Azula and Zuko and earthbended a crystal shelter tent. Aang started meditating. Inside Aang's mind, a giant version of himself in the Avatar State, the Avatar Spirit, held an airbending sphere with a normal-sized version of himself in the Avatar State. Back in the crystal shelter, Aang entered the Avatar State and the crystal shelter starts glowing, alerting those outside. Inside the shelter, Aang opened his glowing eyes and broke the crystal above him.

Katara looked up to Aang, now rising in to the air, with hope. But before Aang could let Katara go and control the Avatar State, a bolt of lightning struck him in the back.

Kurai's eyes opened wide, coming to consciousness at the same moment, screaming. "NO!"

Azula watched Aang get struck, standing in a lightning summoning position with her fingers smoking. The Avatar Spirit let go of Aang and fell out of the plane of existence. As Aang fell down, Katara, tears now falling down her face, created a wave to catch Aang. The wave knocked down the Dai Li agents. She looked down at Aang and back up with tears in her eyes. Zuko and Azula prepared to attack Aang and Katara, but a blast of fire stopped them.

Iroh jumps down from the wall of the cave and joined Kurai, shielding Aang and Katara from Zuko and Azula.

"You've got to get out of here! I'll hold them off as long as I can!" Iroh Fired some blasts at Zuko and Azula.

Katara prepared to get Aang out of there, but looked wistfully back at Kurai. "Aren't you coming?"

"Go Fire Lady!" Iroh said, looking at Kurai.

"I-I'm not..." Kurai stammered, standing firm and protecting her friends. "I'm not his Fire Lady. I never will be. He used Ma—"

"Have faith." Iroh said. "Now go."

Katara walked away slowly with Aang's body to a waterfall, and she used waterbending to lift her and Aang up its path.

Zuko took one last long look at Kurai. She glared fiercely back, a furious look of betrayal, then turned away and followed Katara.

Iroh held off the Dai Li agents until after Aang and Katara leave. He submitted to the Dai Li, who used earthbending to encase him in crystals. Zuko looked at Iroh and Iroh closed his eyes and turns away. Bosco, Kuei, Reiko, Kurai Sokka, Aang, and Katara were riding on Appa. Appa moaned sadly. Katara placed Aang's body on Appa. Katara opened the vial around her neck and used water healing on Aang's wounded back. The glowing from the spirit water stopped, and Katara started crying. Aang's tattoos glow for a second and Aang gasped. Katara looked at Aang, who smiled a little, and she held him closer.

Xxx

In The Earth King's throne room Azula sat down at the throne with Zuko at her left.

"We've done it, Zuko. It's taken a hundred years, but the Fire Nation has conquered Ba Sing Se." Azula smiled.

"I betrayed Kurai. I betrayed Uncle." Zuko said hollowly.

"Uncle betrayed you." Azula said. "And honestly, are you still hung up on that halfbreed trollop?"

Flames flew from Zuko's fingertips. "Do NOT speak ill of her!"

"Calm down, Zuzu." Azula stood up from the throne. "Zuko, when you return home, Father will welcome you as a war hero."

"But I don't have the Avatar. What if Father doesn't restore my honor?" Zuko asked hopelessly.

"He doesn't need to, Zuko." She put a hand on Zuko's shoulder. "Today, you restored your own honor."

Zuko turned away, full of self-loathing over what he had done. The memory of Kurai's face, full of hurt and betrayal, haunted him.

Xxx

Kurai looked down from on Appa's back, eyes full of pain and longing.

Katara was sitting next to an unconscious Aang, and looked up. Appa flew over the walls of Ba Sing Se.

"The Earth Kingdom ... has fallen." Kuei whispered sadly..