Chapter 36: The Gathering
"You don't remember me?" Ty Lee asked.
Ty Lee stood between her sky bison Anya and Aang, who appeared puzzled that she knew his name. Meanwhile Azula had climbed down the opposite side of Anya, hidden from Aang's view. Azula remained hidden while she heard Ty Lee speaking with Aang, counting on Ty Lee to make a good impression. Both girls had wished that Aang still had the good memories of the time spent with Ty Lee, but it was painfully clear that he did not.
"I've never seen you before in my life," Aang said.
Though disappointed by Aang's reaction, Ty Lee kept an appealing smile on her face. "Oh well, we can get to know each other all over again."
"Again?" Aang questioned. That's when Aang thought about the month long gap in his memory. "Wait, when did you say we met?"
"I didn't," Ty Lee answered. "But it was a little over a month and a half ago."
A little bit of math was enough to tell Aang that she could be right, since the time lined up with his memory loss. "Alright, refresh my memory. Who are you?"
"My name is Ty Lee," she answered. "And it's good to see you again."
"Wish I could say the same," Aang said.
Ty Lee walked over to where Aang was standing, and she offered one hand to him. "Can we try to be friends, please?"
Aang refused the handshake, while his gaze moved back and forth between Ty Lee and the sky bison with the Fire Nation insignia. "Do I look that gullible?"
"Yes, yes you do."
That voice got Aang's attention, and he saw Azula stepping out from behind the sky bison. "Azula!" Aang cursed, immediately moving into an airbending stance.
"Ty Lee," Azula said, giving an order planned in advance.
Immediately Ty Lee attacked Aang, hitting several pressure points on his arms with her fingers. Aang's arms went completely limp after they were hit, and he could not feel anything from his arms. Then Ty Lee swept one leg into Aang's feet, tripping him before striking the pressure points in his legs. Aang fell onto his back, completely helpless with all his limbs unable to move.
At first Aang was speechless, until he heard Azula walking towards him. "What just happened?" Aang demanded.
"Pressure points," Azula answered, stopping right next to Aang. "Hitting them is the perfect way to stop a bender."
"You're not going to get away with this," Aang said, believing that Azula was going to kill him.
"Get away?" Azula said. "I wouldn't dream of it."
"Wait, what?" Aang said.
"I really don't want to repeat myself," Azula said, crouching next to Aang. "So we're going to wait right here until your friends come looking for you."
"You want us to do WHAT!?" Katara yelled.
Katara, Suki, and Haru were staring down Azula and Ty Lee, alarmed to discover that their hiding place had been found so soon. Suki was holding Aang on his feet while his limbs were recovering, being able to stand now but having trouble keeping his balance. Though they outnumbered the enemy two to one, Katara wished that Sokka and Toph were with them to even the odds. When Aang hadn't been in the camp that morning they'd split into two groups to find him, a decision that Katara knew was a mistake.
"You heard me," Azula said, crossing her arms. "I want you to agree to a truce."
"What makes you think we'll take that seriously?" Katara asked.
"Because it's in your best interest," Azula answered.
"I don't see how that's possible," Suki said.
"Me neither," Haru said. "You've been attacking us since I joined this little gang."
"True, and I don't blame you for having your doubts," Azula said. "But thanks to all of you, I find myself unable to loyally serve the Fire Lord."
"You have a problem with the new Fire Lord?" Katara asked.
"He's my brother, of course I have a problem with him in charge," Azula answered. "You see, I've always wanted to become Fire Lord one day. Having Zuko on the throne during Sozin's Comet is going to make that nearly impossible."
Katara crossed her arms. "Like having you on the throne would make things any different for us."
"If you refuse my offer, that would be true," Azula said. "But right now there is a small window of opportunity where our goals align."
"How so?" Suki asked.
"Neither of us wants Zuko's plans for the Comet to succeed," Azula answered. "Stopping him there is your only chance to end the war, and it is my only chance to make his rule a failure."
"And what exactly is he planning to do?" Aang asked.
"Burn everything east of the colonies," Azula answered. She paused to see the stunned looks on everyone's faces, before amending her answer. "Well, until the Comet leaves anyway."
"How?" Aang demanded. "How can he possibly do that, even with the Comet?"
"With those sky bison you generously provided," Azula answered. She enjoyed the look of horror on Aang's face, but kept herself from smiling. "You don't remember? Zuko had you deciphering Air Nomad texts, which led to the discovery of formerly wild sky bison."
"Like Anya here," Ty Lee added, patting the head of her bison.
Azula nodded. "From the air Zuko and his most elite firbenders can continuously burn Earth Kingdom land without being blocked by the resulting wildfires. And he'll keep burning until all of it is gone, or until the Comet leaves, whichever happens first."
"That's insane!" Katara yelled. "He'll ruin the land he's trying to take."
"He'll ruin Earth Kingdom land," Azula specified. "A few decades afterwards new life will replace what's burned away, and under Zuko's rule it will all resemble Fire Nation land. I'm sure that's something you don't want to see happen."
There was a pause as everyone took in Azula's words, realizing that things were far worse than they imagined before. Aang was the first to break the silence. "Alright, even if we stop Zuko and make you Fire Lord, what's going to stop you from continuing the war?"
"Politics," Azula answered. "You might not realize this, but the potential victory Sozin's Comet offers is the only thing keeping public support in favor of the war. If it fails to make any progress my people will believe that the hundred years of fighting have been wasted, and they will demand that we bring our soldiers home now."
"I thought the Fire Lord dictated everything?" Haru said. "Since when does he or she have to listen to the people?"
"Rulers that ignore the people are asking to be overthrown," Azula said. She waved one hand towards the east. "You saw that firsthand in Ba Sing Se."
"She has a point there," Suki said.
"I won't argue that," Katara conceded. She paused to consider Azula's proposal, until one problem came to mind. "Even if we agree to work together, how do we know you won't stab us in the back?"
Azula smiled as she gave her answer. "I suppose you don't."
Having expected an elaborate lie, Katara was surprised by the brutal honesty. It told her that Azula expected them to keep their guard up around her, and to not treat any potential alliance as a permanent deal. And Katara also speculated that Azula expected them to break an alliance just as quickly as she would, whenever one side could find an opportunity to benefit from betraying the other. That risk was one that Katara didn't want to take without having everyone present in the decision.
Aang had a similar train of thought. "Alright we'll consider your offer. But we need to wait for Toph and Sokka first."
One eyebrow rose when Azula recognized one name, remembering it from Ba Sing Se. "Oh right, forgot about him."
As if on cue Sokka arrived with Toph behind him, approaching from a walkway to Azula's right. Sokka saw his sister and friends first, and he waved at them before walking towards them. "Figures you guys would find him first."
"And they found company," Toph added, tugging on Sokka's sleeve and pointing to where she felt Azula and Ty Lee's presence.
Sokka looked to his left and saw Azula and Ty Lee. "Oh hey Li Mei," Sokka said. "How'd you get here?"
"You've met?" Suki asked.
"When?" Haru asked.
"How?" Katara asked.
"Why'd you call her that?" Aang asked.
"Hey it's that masked girl, but without the mask," Toph said.
"Who's the cutie?" Ty Lee asked.
Azula sighed and turned her head away from Ty Lee. "Here we go again…"
The various reactions surprised Sokka at first, until he looked at Azula with a more critical eye. In particular her Fire Nation outfit got his attention, red clothes with black armor and a flame shaped headpiece in her topknot. And then there was the second sky bison behind her and the other girl, bearing a saddle with the Fire Nation insignia. All of the pieces fell into place in Sokka's mind, and he planted his face in one hand and groaned.
"How did I not see this coming?" Sokka muttered. He removed his hand from his face. "Alright, what's your real name?"
"Azula," she answered.
"She's the new Fire Lord's sister," Katara added.
Toph nudged Sokka's arm with her elbow. "You sure can pick 'em."
Sokka groaned about as loud as he could. "So I've had a face to face conversation with a member of Fire Nation royalty… twice."
"Twice?" Suki echoed.
"I was wondering if you'd met Zuko before," Azula admitted.
"It was before I met you," Sokka admitted.
"Can we get back to the matter at hand?" Suki asked. "Sokka, Toph, this princess actually wants to work with us to ruin her brother's big day with the Comet."
"Okay," Toph said.
"Really, just okay?" Azula asked. "You're not even going to question my motives?"
"Don't get me wrong, I don't trust you," Toph said. "But we need as much help as we can get."
"Fair enough," Azula said. She focused her sight on Sokka. "What do you think?"
Sokka took a moment to think, and right away he knew the critical question to ask. "What happens if we say no?"
Azula smirked before answering. "Ty Lee and I fly back home, inform the new sky bison fleet of your location, and bring it back here to kill you all."
That answer was all the convincing Sokka needed. "Okay then, I think that settles it."
"When you put it that way," Aang added. "I guess we don't have much of a choice."
Katara sighed, then glared at Azula. "Fine, we'll work together. But we'll be watching you every step of the way."
That's when Azula smiled. "I wouldn't have it any other way."
Even with the new alliance formed, eight teenagers would not be enough to stop Zuko's army during the comet. The obvious answer to that was to form an army of their own, which would fight the majority of enemy forces so that Aang could focus on fighting Zuko. They would require every last friend and ally they had all made since the start of their journeys, just to have a chance at success.
With less than two weeks left before the arrival of Sozin's Comet, speed was of the essence. Having two sky bison at their disposal helped to remedy that disadvantage, allowing them to split up and cover ground more efficiently. Appa carried Aang, Haru, Toph, and Azula, heading straight east towards the Earth Kingdom. Anya carried Ty Lee, Sokka, Katara, and Suki, heading southeast for a quick stop in the Fire Nation.
That quick stop was on an island on one of the eastern islands, a port island that also housed an impressive mansion. That mansion was ignored when Sokka insisted on stopping at the port, seeing a familiar ship docked in the harbor. Anya landed right on the deck of the ship, startling the pirates unloading cargo. Right away Sokka found the pirate captain with his pet bird, and right away Sokka explained to him what they needed.
"Alright, you helped me, I'll help you," the pirate captain said, signing up to fight.
X
Meanwhile the first stop for Appa was in the Earth Kingdom, after running the Fire Nation blockade in the middle of the night. Haru recognized a stretch of coastline as territory near his home village, which he hoped still belonged to earthbender rebels. They changed course to reach Haru's home, finding that it remained liberated. The local villagers cheered when they saw Appa, and among the first to approach was Haru's father. Tyro was especially glad to see his son alive and well, and eagerly listened when Haru asked for help.
"Of course I'll help," Tyro assured. Nearby more earthbenders among the villagers nodded in agreement. "We'll all help."
X
A few days after Anya's first stop she also flew past the Fire Nation blockade, being able to do so during the day without any trouble, courtesy of the Fire Nation insignia on the metal saddle. Anya flew through the skies of the southwestern Earth Kingdom, and Katara asked Ty Lee to guide the bison to the Foggy Swamp. Time had improved the health of the swamp since Katara saw it last, seeing many green saplings poking through blackened ground.
Upon landing in the swamp they were greeted by the local swampbenders, whose existence surprised Ty Lee. "There are waterbenders here?"
"We were surprised too," Katara answered. She saw her teacher among the locals, and jumped onto the ground to greet him. "Hey Huu, how've you been."
"Peaceful, as we should be," Huu answered. "Have you returned for more lessons?"
"So this is the guy that taught you waterbending," Sokka said, following Katara off Anya. "If I'd known waterbenders were here it would have saved me a lot of trouble."
"You couldn't have known," Katara said. She turned her attention back to Huu, and took the time to explain the situation and ask for his people's help.
As the swamp would be in the path of destruction, Huu's choice was a simple one. "You have our help."
X
Next on Appa's flight path was a remote area in the northern Earth Kingdom, flying over vast forests near the front lines of the war. There Azula hoped to find a specific individual, one whose aid would be invaluable when the Comet arrived. The information she had was from several weeks ago, leaving open the possibility that the person she wanted was long gone. But from the air it was easier to locate camps set up to hide from ground based search parties, finding one such camp nestled in a tiny meadow surrounded by thick vegetation.
"There," Azula said, pointing at the camp. "That's got to be it."
Looking down Aang spotted the people in the camp, recognizing a few of them. "Hey I know those guys. They're Fire Nation deserters."
"Exactly," Azula said. "There's one in particular that we're going to need."
Appa landed right in the middle of the camp, surprising nearly everyone in it. At first they were relieved to see the familiar faces of Aang and Haru, but then tensions rose when they saw Azula. Nearly every single one of them took up arms and expected her to attack, momentarily ignoring the fact that Aang was there.
"I think they don't like you," Toph whispered to Azula.
Aang jumped off Appa and landed in front of several pointed spears. "I can assure you all, there is an explanation for this."
"I can think of one." At the sound of that voice people moved out of the way, allowing Jeong Jeong to approach Aang. "So the Fire Princess finally got too impatient to wait for power."
Azula climbed off Appa and then glared at Jeong Jeong. "It's not quite that simple."
"Nothing ever is," Jeong Jeong added. He crossed his arms and glared back. "Why are you here?"
"I was looking for my uncle," Azula answered. "I figured he would have joined up with you deserters by now."
"Sorry to disappoint, but he's not here," Jeong Jeong answered. He paused and put one hand on his chin. "You must be desperate if you want his help."
"Not even close," Azula said. "Any firebender will be useful during the Comet, no matter their skill."
"Well Jeong Jeong is a master firebender," Aang said. He bowed to his firebending teacher before politely making a request. "Jeong Jeong, we could really use your help against the Fire Nation when Sozin's Comet arrives."
"Since the whole world is at stake, of course I will assist," Jeong Jeong said.
That's when Azula remembered who Jeong Jeong was, the admiral that had once taught her now dead cousin firebending. "Well you're no Dragon of the West, but you'll do just as well."
X
Over another day Anya flew south down the Earth Kingdom coastline, and kept flying south after reaching the southwestern corner of the continent. A couple more hours of flying brought an island into view, one that Suki sorely missed since leaving it many months ago. It felt like a lifetime since leaving Kyoshi Island, and yet it seemed like nothing had changed in that time.
In the middle of the morning Anya landed right in front of the training dojo on the island, when the Kyoshi Warriors would in the middle of their daily practices. The landing was loud enough to be heard through the walls of the dojo, getting the attention of everyone inside. Immediately every last Kyoshi Warrior exited the dojo and stood outside, staring at the sky bison that was different from the one they had seen before.
Suki jumped off Anya and landed between the sky bison and the Kyoshi Warriors, seeing their shocked espressions. "Hi girls."
"SUKI!" all of the warriors screamed, ecstatic that their leader had returned. All at once they rushed to her and made one gigantic group hug, laughing and crying with joy.
"Easy," Suki said, having trouble breathing while squeezed between her comrades.
"We all missed you," one warrior said, backing off a few inches with the others.
"I missed you all too," Suki admitted.
Still on the sky bison Ty Lee watched the reunion, wondering if all of her sisters would react in the same way. Even though it was clear that the Kyoshi Warriors weren't directly related to each other, they seemed like a closer family than her own. Ty Lee turned towards Katara, who seemed to know Suki most. "Hey, do you think she'd let me join up with them?"
"Don't push your luck," Katara answered.
X
At the other end of the continent Appa flew towards Ba Sing Se, towards the last stop on their recruitment drive. Toph wanted to bring in some of the fighters from professional earthbending tournaments, and had last seen one that she knew personally inside the city. Odds were that the fighters were long gone after Ba Sing Se's government collapsed, but the trip would still be worth it if any remnants of the city's military could be recruited.
"Are we there yet?" Toph asked.
"Almost," Aang said. He saw Appa fly over the outer wall of the city, which remained unbroken in spite of being rather vulnerable. "Azula, why hasn't the Fire Nation broken through the wall yet?"
"Oh, Zuko was saving that for the sky bison," Azula answered. "Nothing spreads fear like making the enemy's biggest defense completely worthless. Last time I checked he plans to fly straight here during the comet, burning down everything below him along the way."
"Okay, I get that," Aang said.
Azula casually looked over the side of Appa's saddle, taking in the view of the Agrarian Zone. She a large lake with an island in the middle, but didn't recognize the landmark from a bird's eye view. Movement on the island caught her eye, but couldn't tell what it was from so high up. So she grabbed a spyglass and used it to get a closer look, seeing dozens of men walking around and wearing the same green uniform.
"We have Dai Li agents down there," Azula informed, pointing them out while handing the spyglass over to Aang.
Aang looked through the spyglass and saw the agents, and then put the spyglass away. "We'll go around them."
"Hang on," Toph interrupted. "Take us down there, I have an idea."
"Uh Oh," Haru muttered. "Why don't I like the sound of that?"
Appa flew down towards the lake, reaching the surface at the lake's edge. From there he flew just above the water and heading towards the island, approaching a forested side. With hardly a ripple or a breeze giving him away Appa reached the island, completely unnoticed by the Dai Li agents on the other side of the trees. Quietly Toph and Aang climbed off Appa and walked through the trees, leaving Haru behind to keep an eye on Azula.
The Dai Li agents were in the middle of cooking their supper when Toph emerged from the trees, surprising all of them. They all stopped what they were doing and assumed earthbending stances, thinking that they were being ambushed by a very dangerous earthbender. That assumption was only reinforced when Aang stepped out of the trees, believing that the Avatar still held a grudge against them.
But instead of attacking the agents, Toph smiled and waved. "Hi guys, remember me?"
A confused agent relaxed his stance a bit. "You're the Bei Fong girl, right? The one Long Feng hired?"
"Yup," Toph answered. "Say, whatever happened to him?"
"He's dead," the agent answered. "Weren't you there?"
"Oh yeah, forgot about that," Toph admitted. "Well that will make this easier."
"Make what easier?" the agent asked.
"Nothing much, just taking over what remains of the Dai Li," Toph answered.
"Wait, what?" all of the agents said at once.
"Wait, what?" Aang blurted out.
From just behind the trees came Haru and Azula's voices at the same time. "Wait, what?"
"You all heard me," Toph said. "Starting now, I'm in charge of the Dai Li."
"What makes you think we'll work for you?" one agent asked.
"This," Toph answered. She started earthbending the ground around herself, creating one of her thirty foot tall rock golems. And then Toph made the torso section split open and reveal her inside the golem. "Work for me, and I'll teach you how to make your own."
"Are you sure about this?" Aang asked.
"This is going to be awesome," Toph said to Aang. To the agents she sweetened her offer. "And if all of you join up right now we can get started on something even better than what I've got right now, something that's going to completely devastate the enemy."
The Dai Li dropped their stances and grouped together, discussing Toph's offer and their alternatives. They spent nearly half an hour talking amongst themselves, keeping their voices down so they wouldn't be overheard. When they came to an agreement one agent left the group and walked towards Toph, and then he bowed to her.
"We accept your terms."
Toph smiled. "Sweet."
X
Near the bottom of the world Anya was flying straight south, heading for one last spot on their little world tour. Katara and Sokka couldn't help but notice the irony, that their last destination was also the start of their journey long ago. It felt like years had passed since leaving their home at the South Pole, and even longer since the siblings had been separated. Sokka regretted ever letting Katara out of his sight to begin with, and he felt great relief to be returning home together.
However, Katara was surprised to see dozens of wooden ships next to the glacier's edge, docked in what appeared to be a harbor made from waterbended ice. "Okay, what happened while we were away?"
Sokka smiled at the sight of the ships, recognizing some of them from the North Pole. "Looks like Pakku and the others made it here safely."
"Who's Pakku?" Katara asked.
"Master waterbender," Sokka answered. He looked at each of the docked ships in turn to check if all of the refugees made it. All of them were there, and a few extra. "That's strange, they picked up more ships on the way here."
"Hey is that what I think it is?" Katara asked, pointing towards one of the ships.
As Anya flew closer Sokka got a better look at the ship Katara pointed out, and he wasn't sure if he could believe his eyes. "No way," he muttered, recognizing the ship from nearly three years ago. "That's Dad's Boat!"
Katara nearly shoved Ty Lee out of the way to get at Anya's reins. "Faster bison, faster," Katara commanded.
As if feeling the siblings' enthusiasm herself, Anya flew faster towards the glacier. She flew over the ships and then over the ice, heading to a village further from the glacier's edge. That village had grown considerably since Katara and Sokka had left it, expanding to accommodate an influx of refugees. Gone were the old tents of bone and animal skins, replaced by structures waterbended from the very ice they stood on.
Anya landed next to the largest ice building, which Katara and Sokka knew would be used as the village's main hall. Both of them jumped off Anya and hurried to the front door, barging into the main hall with no respect for traditional protocol. Inside there were dozens of men and women sitting at a long table having dinner, and the far end of the table had the seats for the leaders of the tribe. Four people were there, Master Pakku, Gran Gran, Princess Yue…
…and Chief Hakoda.
"DAD!" Katara and Sokka yelled, seeing their father for the first time in years. They ran through the hall on opposite sides of the long table, racing each other to get to Hakoda first. The race ended with a tie, Katara and Sokka throwing themselves onto Hakoda for a hug, and momentum knocked his chair and all three of them over onto the floor.
Laughter broke out throughout the hall, quickly followed by Katara, Sokka, and Hakoda laughing with them. Tears of joy fell from all three of their faces, and they all helped each other get up and back on their feet. The reunited family made a group hug in front of everyone, sharing a moment that they wished could last forever.
"You've both grown so much, Hakoda said.
Next to the family Gran Gran smiled, particularly at Sokka. "I see you managed to catch up with your sister."
The interruption ended the family hug, prompting the three to take a polite step away. "It wasn't easy,"Sokka admitted.
"I'll bet," Hakoda said. "Imagine my surprise to come home and find both of my kids off exploring the world, and helping the Avatar no less."
"That was mostly Katara," Sokka corrected.
"Don't sell yourself short," Pakku said, getting up from his seat. "You helped us survive the loss of our home, and your kin have accepted us into yours."
As if to reinforce the point Princess Yue looked at Sokka with a smirk on her face, silently reminding him of their out of body, and very private, experience.
"Yeah, you have a point," Sokka conceded. Then he changed the subject. "Dad, when did you get back here?"
Hakoda's expression turned grim. "Well up until a few months ago we were defending a place called Chameleon Bay, it's near Ba Sing Se. We were receiving support from the Earth Kingdom government, but one day that support completely vanished."
"Yeah, that's kind of our bad," Sokka interrupted, rubbing the back of his neck in embarrassment.
"We kind of destabilized their government, and it collapsed," Katara added, mimicking Sokka's gesture.
"Impressive," Pakku said. "Not a good thing to do, but still impressive."
"Anyway," Hakoda continued. "Since we couldn't hold the bay by ourselves for much more than a week, we decided to leave and start ambushing the Fire Nation along the Earth Kingdom coastline. That's when we received news of the Northern Tribe's fall, and we immediately sailed home to assist in any way we could."
"And we're grateful for your hospitality," Yue said.
Hakoda nodded in respect. "Well you're earning your keep and then some," he said, referring to the help of the northern tribe's waterbenders.
"Now what brings you two back home?" Gran Gran asked.
That question made Sokka get serious. "Dad, Pakku, we're preparing one last ditch attempt to stop the Fire Nation. We're throwing everything we have at them while we still can, before they can wear us out and grind us down. That's because if we don't stop them now, we never will."
Pakku stood up and faced Sokka. "All you had to do was ask."
"We're with you,"Hakoda added. "I'm not letting the Fire Nation separate this family again."
Three days before the return of Sozin's Comet, an army began to coalesce within the central Earth Kingdom. Already anchored next to the shore of a wide river was the pirate ship, whose crew were selling weapons to earthbender rebels at end of the world prices. From the north small riverboats were transporting deserters to the rendezvous point, and from the south canoes were transporting swampbenders to the same destination, meeting in the middle to each other's surprise. Neither had known that the other existed, a fact that the pirates quickly capitalized on by acting as paid mediators.
The exploitation ended when the Kyoshi Warriors arrived, offering to introduce the deserters to the swampbenders for free. Once they all knew they were there for the same reason everyone got along, sharing strategies and combining the tactics of different bending elements. Not only did the different factions become organized, they prepared for the arrival of more forces to come. They just weren't expecting the Dai Li to show up.
Arriving on high speed mounds of earth the Dai Li came from the northeast, and in front of them was Toph in her old uniform. Behind them and in the sky was Appa, bringing Aang, Haru, and Azula to the growing army. After they arrived Toph spent every waking moment with the agents, teaching them her techniques and what she wanted them to do with the knowledge. Toph wasn't telling anyone but the agents what she had in mind, and made the agents stay silent about it as well.
Last to arrive was the Water Tribe, having the greatest distance to travel by water. Just ahead of them was Anya, bringing Ty Lee, Suki, Sokka, and Katara back to their friends. With their arrival all three waterbending factions were brought together, North, South, and Swamp, becoming one United Water Tribe.
Alone, each faction had no chance against the Fire Nation. But together, under the banner of Avatar Aang, they were a force to be reckoned with. Water was theirs alone to command, Earth was their ally, Fire was no longer the enemy's sole domain, Air was exclusive to the last airbender. The four elements were together in an army the world had never known before, united under a single goal.
Stop the Fire Nation, No Matter What.