Meanwhile, in the Western Suburbs; at Moe's Tavern, Aang and Beast Boy were enjoying themselves with their friends and neighbours. On a nearby table, Buster and Plucky were at the karaoke machine, singing "99 bottles of Soda on the Wall."
Meanwhile, Beast Boy was sitting with two elderly avian's: a scruffy old owl named Ezylryb (Legends of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga'Hoole) and a richly dressed duck named Scrooge McDuck (Disney's Duck Tales).
"There's been a lot of strange folk crossing near the Shireville border," Ezylryb was explaining to Scrooge and Beast Boy. "Robots and others of more exotic nature. War's brewin'. They say that the mountains are swarming with demon armies!"
While he was talking, Beast Boy caught the sight of Terra, who was working behind the bar to help her uncle Moe. She met his gaze and smiled at him. The green changeling then turned his blushing head away.
"Ack! Far-off stories and silly tourist rumours, that all that is!" Scrooge said to his old friend, rolling his eyes. "You're beginning to sound like that old Gyatso. Cracked, he was!"
"Hmph! I should hope so," Ezylryb said. "At least he was more fun to hang around with. He had some real spirit to go with his gizzard!" He then saw Aang coming back with the drinks. "As for young master Aang, he's cracking already."
"And proud of it!" Aang beamed as he placed the drinks on the table. "Cheers, Scrooge."
"Aye," Scrooge acknowledged, "but that's no reason for you two lads to take this old fool seriously. Keep you're beaks out of trouble and no trouble will come to you. That's the Shireville way."
"Goodnight, guys." said Terra as everyone left the Tavern later that evening.
One of the patrons, a kid named Numbah 2 (Kids Next Door) got on one knee and said to Terra, "Goodnight, sweet maiden of the golden root-beer!"
"Watch who you're sweet talkin'" Beast Boy muttered.
"Don't worry Gar," Aang said. "Terra knows an idiot when she sees one."
Beast Boy then looked extremely worried. "She does?"
They made their way up the road and split up as they neared Aang's house while Beast Boy continued to his own house.
"Goodnight Garfield." Aang said.
"Goodnight Aang." Beast Boy replied.
As Aang crossed the threshold into the darkness of his house he felt something was not right as he walked further into the hallway. He then noticed that the window was opened and letting in a light breeze.
Suddenly he felt a hand on his shoulder! He whirled around to see Grim with a nervous look on his face.
"Is it secret? Is it safe?" Grim asked desperately, looking almost panicked stricken.
A few moments later after digging through a trunk Aang found what he was looking for; the old envelope with the ring inside it. As soon as Arnold brought it out he noticed that Grim had used his powers to start a fire in the fireplace. Suddenly Grim snatched the envelope from Aang's hand and threw it into the fire.
"What are you doing?" Aang asked in shock and confusion.
As soon as the ring was visible a few seconds later, Grim took some tongs and pulled the ring out of the fire.
"Hold out your hand, Aang." The bony wizard said.
Aang just looked at him confused.
"It's quite cool," Grim assured him.
He dropped the ring into Aang's palm, and Aang examined it.
"Can you see anything? Anything at all?" Grim asked, pacing around the room.
"No there's nothing," Aang replied. Grim let out a sigh of relief.
"Wait…" Aang said as he doubled-checked the ring this time seeing finely pen-stroked letters appear on the band. Also at this point Grim's hopes quickly turned into cold fear.
"There are markings, it's some form of Anime. I can't read it." Aang said as he looked at words that were on the ring.
"There are very few who can," Grim replied. "The language is that of Cyclonia, which I will not utter here."
"Cyclonia?" Aang asked, slightly confused.
"In the common tongue it says this: One ring to rule them all. One ring to find them. One ring to bring them all, and in the darkness bind them!"
The two of them were now sitting at the kitchen table, with the ring lying on top of the table as well. Grim smoked his pipe while Aang brought out some tea, but the tea was ignored for the most part.
"This is the One Ring; forged by the Dark Lord Slade in the fires of Mount Vader; taken by King Carver from the hand of Slade himself!" Grim explained to Aang in a rather concerned manner.
"Gyatso found it," Aang said in realisation as the pieces fell together in his mind. "In Zim's cave…"
"Yes," Grim answered before he continued. "An' for nearly a century now the ring has laid quiet in Gyatso's keeping; prolonging his life, delaying old age."
"But no longer Aang," he continued in a hushed tone. "Evil is stirring in Cyclonia. The ring has awoken; it has heard it's master's call."
"But he was destroyed…Slade was destroyed wasn't he?" Aang asked, now feeling worried.
Suddenly a whisper could be heard, a soft voice filled with menace. And it seemed to have come from the ring. Grim and Aang stared at it until they were sure it was safe.
"No Aang," Grim answered softly. "The spirit of Slade endured; his life force is bound to the ring and the ring survived. Slade has returned!"
Aang suddenly felt even more concerned.
"His demons have multiplied," Grim continued, "and his fortress of Shadowspire has been rebuilt in the land of Cyclonia. Slade only needs this ring cover all the lands in a second darkness! And now he is seeking it, seeking it, all his thought's bent on it. The Ring itself…yearns to return to the hand of its master. For you see, they are one: the Ring and the Dark Lord. Aang, he must never find it."
Aang then grabbed the ring off the table.
"All right then. We put it away; far away!" Aang said, thinking it was the safest solution. "We never speak of it again. No one knows its here."
He suddenly noticed that Grim didn't share his enthusiasm.
"Do they Grim?" Aang asked in worry.
"There is one other who knew that Gyatso had the ring," Grim answered. "Only one. I looked everywhere for that little creep Zim; but the enemy found him first."
We now see a torture room where a strange green creature is being tortured on a rack by some demons. All that can be seen of the creature that is being tortured are his hands and antenna.
"I don't know how long they tortured him. But amidst his strange babble, they discerned to words…" Grim continued.
"Shireville! Ah! Gyatso!" Zim screamed out of pain.
"Shireville? Gyatso?" Aang said before the fear set in. "But that would lead them here!"
What our hero didn't know was that the enemy's minions were already in Shireville.
A watchman by the name Cat-in-the-Hat (Dr Seuss) walks by with a lantern in his hand when he suddenly hears the sound of motorcycles coming down the road; he then raised his lantern and asked, "Is that an intruder I hear? Now who goes out there?"
Suddenly, several shapes came out of the fog. Dark riders riding on sinister looking motorcycles. One of them swang his crystal-enhanced dagger and sliced Cat-in-the-Hat's hat in half.
"My hat! You mother*$&#'s!" Cat-in-the-Hat shouted angrily as the Night Crawlers rode off into the night.
Back at Appa's Sanctum, Aang then extended his hand which held the ring out towards Grim.
"Take it Grim!" He said desperately.
"No Aang," Grim replied out of fear.
"You must take it!" Aang tried again.
"You can not offer me this ring," Grim answered with more dread on his face.
"I'm giving it to you." Aang said trying to convince Grim to take it.
"DON'T TEMPT ME AANG!" Grim yelled. This caused Aang to leap backwards a bit.
"I dare not take it, not even to keep it safe." Grim continued in a calmer manner. "Understand Aang: I would use this ring form a desire to do good. But through me it would wield a power too great and too terrible to imagine." He further explained.
"But it can not stay in Shireville." Aang said
"No, no it can't," Grim said softly.
Aang suddenly understood.
"What must I do?" Aang asked.
Aang begins packing a few things as he is about to leave Shireville as Grim instructs him with a few details.
"You gotta get the heck out of Doge and quickly." Grim said
"Where do I go?" Aang asked.
"When you leave Shireville; make for the village of Traverse Town. I'll be waiting for you at the inn of The Krusty Krab. The owner's a bit of a cheapskate, but he owes me a favour." Grim answered. "And while you're at it, you may want to think of an alias for yourself; the name of Aang won't be safe outside Shireville."
"Well, where are you going?" Aang asked him.
"I must see the head of my order; he is both wise and powerful, trust me Aang he will know what to do." Grim replied. "And don't use the roads, they will be watched."
Aang was ready to go with a backpack filled with spare clothes, some food, and a spare coat; while he had on a green cloak over his current attire and his staff in his hand.
"I can cut across country easy enough," Aang said.
Grim then smiled at him like a proud parent.
"My dear Aang," Grim said before continuing. "Airbenders truly are amazing creatures; you can learn all there is to know about them in a week and even after a hundred years, they'll still surprise you."
This lifted Aang's spirit a little bit.
They then both heard a rustling noise underneath the window.
"Get down," Grim quietly told Aang. The young airbender quickly obeyed, dropping to the floor.
Grim then edged closer to the window. And then he poked the blunt end of his scythe out the window and hit who or what ever it was on the head.
"OW!" a voice said.
Grim then pulled the source of the voice into the house through the window. The wizard then found himself just a little annoyed at who he found.
"Dang it all, Beast Boy, have you been eavesdropping?" he asked the startled changeling in frustration.
"I wasn't eavesdropping honest Mr. Grim, I was just cutting the grass under the window if you follow me." Beast Boy explained still a little scared of Grim. At the same time, Aang got up from off the floor.
"A little late to be hedge trimming, isn't it?" Grim asked not believing him.
"Well, I did hear some raised voices," B.B. answered.
"What did you hear? Speak!" Grim asked in a demanding tone.
"Nothing that important! Well, except something about a ring, a dark lord, and the apocalypse that'll occour if the two of them come together." Beast Boy answered quickly. "Oh please Mr. Grim, sir, don't hurt me or turn me into anything unnatural." The changeling begged.
Grim then got an idea on what he should do with Beast Boy.
"No, perhaps I won't. I think I have a better use for you." Grim said with an evil grin. "BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"
Well, the story is coming along nicely, don't you think? Please read and review!