Here's a little something from my archives. I'm not positive, but I think my brother gave me the original idea. This is actually a modified version of the original piece, edited make it work better with what we know of the Spirit World.
The Worse Reflection
"Are you sure you want to see this?"
Zuko mustered his fiercest glare and stared with all the intensity he could command at the Avatar. "She's my mother."
Aang didn't flinch. "That's why I'm asking. This is a sight you'll never forget. Even if we find a way to reverse it, seeing it could permanently damage your feelings for her."
"Not seeing it would do the same. I can't run from this, Aang. I don't know how to run. I've always kept moving forward."
Aang sighed. "If that's what you want. I can't make this decision for you, and I'll help you any way I can, but I think you're making a mistake."
"Thank you. Just... I really appreciate all you've done." Zuko almost felt tears forming in his eyes, and did what he could to clamp down on his emotions. What he was about to see would require all his strength. "Let's go."
Aang led him to the turtleduck pond in the Royal Gardens. The animals had been cleared away, so the water was flat and undisturbed. Zuko looked down at his reflection, at the scar on his face, reminding himself of the strength he could bring to bear against his life's tragedies. Aang's voice floated in the air around him. "The pond is now a special place in this world. I built a connection to the Spirits' realms, anchored to a replica in one of the shifting planes. I thought a pleasant memory would be the best shelter for her. When you look through the water, it will seem as though you're looking into a trick mirror, your place taken by her image."
The Fire Lord took a deep, calming breath. "Show me."
Aang's hand reached to the water, his tattoos glowing with that terrible light Zuko had once feared. The Avatar's finger skimmed the pool's surface, sending out the slightest ripple across the smooth water. A new reality began to write itself in the shallow pond.
His mother was sitting under the same tree that stood behind Zuko, at the edge of the water. She had a loaf of bread in here hand, wherever it could have come from, and she lethargically pulled it apart. When Ursa had a handful of crumbs, she scattered them slowly into the water, and it looked to Zuko like they were falling towards him. Turtleducks paddled over to the floating treats and plucked them out with their beaks, quacking happily. Ursa sat still as they ate, showing no reaction to them. Yet, when they had finished and swam away again, she raised the bread once more and began shredding it.
It was as if the bread were connected to Zuko. For every chunk she tore off, another piece of his heart was ripped away. He heard an anguished cry of, "Why?" and only realized it was himself when he recognized his own voice.
Aang's eyes were closed as he answered. "It was judgment. For all that she failed to prevent from happening. And..." The Avatar trailed off.
Zuko couldn't stay standing, and sank to his knees. His vision was starting to cloud with darkness, and he could no longer feel the breeze around him. His senses were quickly failing. "Tell me the whole thing." He swallowed awkwardly, his mouth somehow dry, and he couldn't hear himself anymore. "Get it over with."
Aang grabbed Zuko by the shoulders, seeing that his friend was seconds away from fainting. "Part of it was a punishment for you. Koh felt you hadn't suffered enough for everything you did while serving your father."
Zuko moaned and slumped to the ground, no longer able to stave off the darkness. Aang quickly grabbed the young Fire Lord and hurried him back into the palace proper, calling for a healer. On the other side of the water, Ursa continued the feeding, as though time didn't pass for her. Aang didn't know.
But then, this was the Avatar's first experience with a human whose face had been taken.
END
