DISCLAIMER: Transformers is owned by Hasbro and Avatar: The Last Airbender is owned by Nickelodeon
Transformers: Avatar Chronicles
Chapter 5: The Crossroads of Destiny Part 2
Azula and her friends looked up at the titan that stood before them, the Decepticon leader, Megatron. They looked up in awe at the tyrant, but Megatron was less enthused at the creatures that Starscream had made an alliance with.
"Starscream...a word with you," he said to the cowering seeker as he walked over to the hallway.
"Um, w-with pleasure my liege," Starscream nervously replied as he followed his master. Once they were gone, Ty-Lee peeked out from the throne she was hiding behind.
"Is he gone?" she asked out of fear.
Meanwhile, Megatron was busy pummeling Starscream to the ground and beating his head against the wall.
"Not only did your actions send us to this rock, but you have allied yourself with these miserable carbon based lifeforms!?" Megatron furiously shouted at his second in command. He was about to fire his fusion cannon when Starscream intervened.
"O-only for the tactical advantages my master!" he answered. "There is a lot about this world that I have found out during your absence!"
"Oh?" Megatron responded. "And what exactly was it that you found out?"
"You see my master, much like Cybertron, this world is at war," Starscream began. "The Fire Nation, which is the nation we have allied ourselves with, is the most technologically advanced faction as well as the winning side. When caught in a war, you always join the winning side master!"
"Hmmm, you do make a valid point Starscream," Megatron replied to Starscream's defense. "But what use could this nation provide us with?"
"Energy master, as well as materials, to possibly get us back to Cybertron," Starscream answered. "All they ask is for us to help them win their war." Megatron thought this over. It would be difficult allying himself with flesh creatures, however, this could be his only chance to get back to Cybertron and conquer what is rightfully his. After a few minutes, he reached a conclusion.
"Very well the Starscream, this little alliance will continue," he declared before walking back to the throne room to have a chat with this 'Princess Azula.' Starscream meanwhile stayed where he was and sighed in relief.
Once Megatron walked back to the throne room, Ty-Lee immediately went back to hiding and Azula tried her best not to show the slight fear she was feeling, wondering what Megatron's intentions were.
"After much deliberation, I have decided that the alliance between the Decepticons and the Fire Nation will continue," Megatron stated, which caused Azula to smirk.
"Excellent," Azula said to the tyrannous warlord.
*QUE TRANSFORMERS PRIME OPENING THEME*
Back at the catacombs, Katara told Zuko everything about the Autobots and Decepticons. The High Council, Orion Pax, the war, everything. Zuko to say the least was shocked.
"Another world in civil war where one side seeks total domination?" he asked, still in disbelief.
"Yes, because someone believed that a world where everything was one nation was a stronger outcome," Katara replied. "Sound familiar?" Zuko then turned away and remembered the tale of his great grandfather, Fire Lord Sozin, who was the one who begun this war by destroying the Air Temples. Katara saw him look away and went up to him.
"I'm sorry I yelled at you before," she said.
"It doesn't matter..." Zuko responded.
"It's just that...for so long now, whenever I would imagine the face of the enemy, it was your face," Katara admited, which slightly offended Zuko due to the scar where his left eye is.
"My face..." he said while placing a hand on his scar. "I see..."
"No, no, that's-that's not what I ment," Katara said, knowing what he was talking about.
"It's okay," Zuko responded. "I use to think this scar marked me. The mark of the banished prince, cursed to chase the Avatar forever, but lately, I've realized I'm free to determine my own destiny, even if I'll never be free of my mark..."
"Maybe you could be free of it," Katara said, remembering something from long ago she had acquired, and wanting to help Zuko.
"What?" Zuko asked, confused at her statement.
"I have healing abilities," Katara answered.
"It's a scar, it can't be healed," Zuko corrected before Katara got out a veil that contained a small amount of water and started to walk to Zuko.
"This is water from the Spirit Oasis from the North Pole," Katara explained. "It has special proporties, so I've been saving it for something important. I don't know if it would work, but..." She then placed a hand on his scar, ready to try and see if her theory would work, but then the wall crumbled, and from the other side was Aang, Optimus and Iroh.
"Aang!" Katara exclaimed in relief as she ran up to him and hugged him while Iroh ran up to hug his nephew.
"(Optimus!)" Bumblebee beeped when he ran up there as well.
"Good to see you as well Bumblebee," Optimus responded.
"Aang, I knew you'd come," Katara said to Aang. Zuko however, wasn't as thrilled with this rescue.
"Uncle, I don't understand!" he exclaimed. "What are you doing with the Avatar!?"
"Saving YOU, that's what," Aang retaliated. Zuko tried to walk up to him when Iroh stopped him.
"Zuko, it's time we talked," Iroh said to his nephew before turning to the other four. "Go help your other friends. We'll catch up with you." Aang and Optimus bowed to the general before the four of them ran through the hole. Katara managed to look back at the exiled prince with sympathy before leaving.
"Why Uncle?" Zuko asked.
"You are not the man you use to be Zuko," Iroh began. "You are stronger and wiser and freer than you have ever been, and now you have come to the crossroads of your destiny. It's time for you to choose. It's time for you to choose good." Zuko then shuts his eyes and absorbs his uncle's words, but before his wisdom could fully sink in, Iroh was blasted backwards by a sudden purple laser blast. Zuko looked behind him to see Azula and Megatron standing right there with Knock Out and Soundwave beside them.
"Such foolish words that only Optimus Prime could rival," Megatron said. Zuko's eyes widened, seeing yet another metal monster on Azula's side.
"What did you do to my uncle you monster!?" Zuko demanded, which obviously angered the Decepticon leader.
"You DARE to interupt me flesh creature!?" Megatron shouted and was ready to annihilate him when Azula motioned for him to stop.
"There's no need to Megatron, I will handle this," Azula stated as she walked up to her brother.
"I expected this kind of treachery from Uncle, but Zuko, PRINCE Zuko, you're a lot of things, but your not a traitor, are you?" she asked her brother. "It's not too late for you Zuko. You can still redeem yourself." Then, Iroh spoke up.
"The kind of redemption she offers is not for you!" he said.
"Silence flesh creature!" Megatron commanded before Azula continued.
"I need you Zuko," she said. "I've drempt of this day for too long. 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," Iroh said to his nephew. "I am begging you, look into your heart and see what it is you trulely want." Zuko looked back at his uncle, unsure of who to listen to. He then shuts his eyes and hangs his head, thinking. Does he want to choose the path of good, or does he want his honor back.
"You are free to choose," Azula said before walking to the hole that Aang had created.
"Soundwave, detain the prisoner," Megatron commanded. "Knock Out, follow me." With that, Megatron and Knock Out followed Azula to the hole and Soundwave took Iroh to be locked up, leaving Zuko alone in his thoughts, his mind in turmoil over this critical moment that could change everything.
Meanwhile, Aang, Katara, Optimus and Bumblebee were running through the catacombs to try and find a path to where their friends were while Bumblebee briefs Optimus on what was going on.
"(Based on what I've seen, Rumble and Frenzy attacked me, and with them, Soundwave is likely with them as well, but that's all I know we're up against besides Starscream,)" Bumblebee reported to Optimus. Then, suddenly, a lightning bolt and a purple fusion cannon blast stopped them dead in their tracks. They turned and were in shock to see who was with Knock Out and Azula.
"Still as predictable as ever Optimus," Megatron taunted to his rival.
"Megatron," Optimus growled slightly as he and Bumblebee got their weapons ready as did Knock Out. Megatron and Knock Out then charged to the two Autobots while Aang and Katara readied themselves to fight Azula. Katara started by bending a large portion of water in a channel and charges at Azula, crashing the water onto her, but Azula reacts by shielding herself with a wall of blue fire that instantly evaporated the water before it hit her. The large portion of steam it produced hid Azula from Aang and Katara's eyes as they look left and right, preparing for a sneek attack from the Fire Nation princess. Meanwhile, Optimus was clashing his sword with Megatron's while Bumblebee tried to get a clear shot at Knock Out with his wrist blasters. Suddenly, Knock Out fired from his electro-staff, sending Bumblebee flying to the wall, which distracted Optimus.
"Bumblebee!" Optimus exclaimed before Megatron slashed his chest hard, causing him to fly into the wall as well.
Back with Aang and Katara, Azula suddenly emerged from the steam from one of the large crystals above, firing two fire blasts at the two of them, but Aang and Katara easily shield themselves with more water from the channel. Azula then lands on a large stone pillar, but Aang was quick to act and started to send a shock wave to it. Azula looked down and gasped as the pillar started to collapse and drops down between Katara and Aang, but not before Optimus and Bumblebee got up and went to them, Bumblebee standing behind Katara and Optimus behind Aang with their weapons drawn. Megatron and Knock Out ran beside Azula with their weapons drawn and Azula pointing her fingers at Katara and Azng, ready to incinerate them if they make a move, but looking back and forth at them nervously.
But suddenly, a blast of red fire lands between the two groups. They shield themselves from it and turned to see Zuko walking towards them, ready to make another move. He looks between Azula, who gazes at him harshly, and at Aang before making a decision on who to attack. Unfortunately, it's Aang. The airbender gasps and reacts in time before Zuko sent another blast by shielding himself with a spiral of wind. Azula and the Cons took advantage of this moment by attacking their opponents while Zuko fiercely sends blast on top of blast towards Aang. The chaos had continued.
Meanwhile, Sokka, Toph, Momo and the Earth King were inside a jail cell. Sokka was looking back and forth through the small barred window of the cell trying to see if the cost is clear.
"See any Cons?" Toph asked.
"Nope," Sokka answered. "All clear." Toph then cracked her knuckles and walked to the door before metalbending in off the hinges.
"Let's go!" Sokka said as they all immediately left the cell.
"I'm not leaving without Bosco!" the Earth King claimed while Sokka grabbed his arm and dragged him out.
While that was going on, Warpath and Ironhide were being held at blasterpoint by Skywarp and Thundercracker when they saw Toph, Sokka, the Earth King and Momo hidding behind the pillars. Toph motioned for them to take out the two seekers. Then, the two of them immediately socked them in the face without the two Cons given a chance to fire their weapons and were knocked into temporary stasis as the two Autobots got their weapons that they confiscated and joined the humans on their rush to get back to the throne room to get Bosco.
Back at the catacombs, it was pure pandemonium. Zuko kept barraging Aang with fire blasts to which Aang quickly dodged them, then Aang shifts his chest and sends an air blast in the shape of his body. Zuko gasps as the gust hits him, launching him several feet backwards and knocking him to the ground. Aang then leaps up to Zuko, but he easily rolls out of the way and counters by blasting fire at Aang's legs. Aang jumps high to dodge it and lands in a pillar of earth. Zuko then goes back to barraging Aang with fire blasts, but Aang easily jumps up to a crystal to dodge them. However, Zuko then lowers his stance to gain as much energy as possible to send a large fire blast at Aang which hits him despite Aang earthbending the crystals upward to shield himself and sends him flying backwards. Zuko then created two fire-whips and swings them both at Aang who jumps to higher ground to avoid them. He uses the same tactic to dodge another swing of Zuko's whips and jumps back to the pillar.
Optimus and Megatron in the meantime were engaged in a sword duel to which Megatron was easily gaining the upper hand.
"I will not allow you to bring our war to this planet Megatron!" Optimus declared, which earned him a punch to the face that knocked him down to the ground as Megatron walked to him.
"You don't have a choice Prime," he replied. "Zeta Prime could not stop me, and neither will you..." Optimus then surprised Megatron by getting his blasters ready and fired at the tyrant. Megatron immediately went for cover and started to fire back.
Meanwhile, Azula and Katara were busy duking it out as well. They start to run to each other when Katara starts bending a small puddle of water and thrusts it at Azula, but she barely dodges it as only a few hairs from Azula's bangs were cut.
Back with Zuko and Aang, Zuko starts going balistic with his fire-whips as he tries to hit Aang, who easily dodges them. Aang pushed off a stalactite with his legs and kicks another one, causing its tip to fall. He grabbed onto the top section, swings down under it, and kicked off, launching himself down into the stalactite, plunging it down and causing it to crash into the ground. The shock wave knocks Zuko back and his body hits a crystal.
Katara in the meantime started to cover her entire body except her head with water as Azula got up from a water blast Katara launched at her earlier. Azula tries blasting fire at her, but Katara reacted too fast for her and not only did she extinguish the fire with a long tentacle of water from her arm, she covered Azula's arm with it. Azula tries to counter with a fire kick, but Katara extinguishes that and covers Azula's leg with another tentacle and starts to lift her up when Knock Out comes in and slices the tentacles with his staff, freeing Azula, and then Knock Out sends a surge of electricity from his staff to a tentacle and starts to shock Katara. She then falls to her knees in serious pain and the water around her falls after ten seconds.
"Shock and drop," Knock Out remarked with a smirk. Bumblebee, seeing this, starts charging to Knock Out in a fit of rage. The Decepticon medic had no time to react before Bumblebee tackled him, then picked him up and smashed him into a crystal, then starts to run and drag Knock Out across the crystals as Knock Out screams in terror and pain. Once he ran out of crystals, Bumblebee tossed Knock Out aside. The medic got up and, much to his horror, saw the extensive damage to his paint job via a crystal.
"No...NOOOOOOOO!" Knock Out yelled before getting up and turning to Bumblebee. "You scratch my paint, I scratch yo-GAH!" Knock Out was interupted by Optimus tossing Megatron straight at him, causing the two of them to fly into a wall. Megatron immediately tossed Knock Out aside when he realized he was on top of him.
"GET OFF OF ME KNOCK OUT!" Megatron commanded as he extended his wrist sword and lept up towards Optimus only to be greeted by an uppercut from the Autobot leader.
Azula meanwhile turned her attention to Aang, who was dizzy from his attack on Zuko. The princess then lunges to the airbender. Zuko tried to join him but was inturupted by a water whip from Katara. Zuko then reformed his fire whips and countered anything Katara threw at him.
"I thought you had changed!" Katara shouted to Zuko before lunging her whips to him to which Zuko easily blocked.
"I have changed," Zuko replied before sending another attack.
Amidst the chaos, Azula and Aang stared each other down, waiting for the other to attack. After a few seconds, Azula firebended backward from her hands and feet causing her to rocket towards Aang while Aang encased himself in a crystal armor while using his earthbending to joust himself toward Azula. Just a few inches from colliding however, Azula suddenly stopped and propelled the fire she emitted towards Aang which makes contact and sends him though a wall, destroying his armor in the process.
Meanwhile, Sokka, Toph, the Earth King, Momo, Warpath and Ironhide were running to the door to the throne when Starscream dropped down, pointing his missiles at the humans.
"Well well well, what have we he-" Starscream stopped and his confidant smirk was exchanged for a look of fear when he sees Ironhide and Warpath behind the humans. Ironhide was punching his open hand with his other hand, ready for a fight.
"Oh scrap..." was all he could say.
While that was going on, in the throne room, Ty-Lee, out of her Kyoshi disguise, was trying to teach Bosco to walk on his front feet while Mai just sits on the steps to the throne, obviously bored and also out of her Kyoshi disguise.
"C'mon, it's easy," Ty-Lee said to Bosco, who was just sitting down in front of Ty-Lee. "You just walk on your front paws instead of your rear ones, like this." She then demonstrated by walking on her hands. She was then interupted when Starscream came blasting through the door screaming and crashes into the throne. While wondering what was going on, Ty-Lee's hands were trapped into the floor via Toph's earthbending. Ty-Lee's feet then landed on the ground where they too became encased into the floor. Bosco, who was watching this, clapped his hands and grunted with enthusiasm.
"That is a nice trick," joked Toph as she emerged from the dust with a piece of earth levitating beside her. Sokka got out his boomerang, Warpath charged his cannon and Ironhide readied his blasters as they walked to Mai, who in no way wanted to fight.
"Just take the bear," Mai said. The Earth King then ran up to hug his pet.
"Bosco!" he exclaimed happily. They then ran off to try and join with Aang and the others. Starscream got out of the rubble seconds later and exclaimed in anger before darting through the exit to the throne room.
"Hey! Little help here!?" Ty-Lee asked who was still trapped in the floor.
Back at the catacombs, Katara was left fending off both Azula and Zuko. Zuko launched a blast to Katara to which she easily dodges, but then Azula came from behind a crystal beside her and shoots a blast which Katara blocked before landing beside Zuko. The two of them then launch a blast each at her. Katara tries to block it, but fails and is sent to a crystal. The impact undid her loopies and knocked her out.
Optimus meanwhile was still clashing with Megatron when the tyrant punches him to the ground and kicks his head which sends him into the same crystal Katara was knocked out on and sends him into a temporary stasis. Bumblebee, seeing this, jumped on Megatron's back and starts shooting his face, but to no avail. Megatron then grabs his neck and brings him face to face.
"I knew I should have taken more than your voice box, Scout!" Megatron states before tossing him to the crystal and knocking him out as well. Megatron then advances to the three of them with Azula, Zuko and Knock Out, all ready to finish them when they hear rumbling where Aang was sent to. Aang, who has awoken from unconsciousness, launched himself out of the wall and slammed into the ground, forming a rock mound that starts rolling towards them with Aang on top of it. Azula, Zuko and the Deceptcions ready themselves for Aang when suddenly, Rumble and Frenzy drop from the cealing and pound the ground with their pile drivers and all of their might which causes the rock mound to collapse and send Aang flying. When he lands, he looks up to see the rest of the Decepticons, Skywarp, Thundercracker, Soundwave and Ravage drop from the cealing as well and surround Katara and the Autobots, the former of which awoken and formed a protective barrier around the three of them while Zuko, Azula, Frenzy and Rumble advance towards Aang. Aang looked back and forth at his situation and Katara and Optimus'.
"There's too many of them," Aang said to himself. Then, he remembered what Pathik told him to do in order to master the Avatar State.
"The only way, is to let her go..." Pathik said in Aang's memories. Thinking the only way to save everyone is the Avatar State, Aang looks down and closes his eyes.
"I'm sorry Katara..." he says sadly to himself as he encases himself in crystals and meditates.
Inside Aang's mind, we see him come face to face with the Avatar spirit, high above the planet and surrounded by the heavens. The spirit surrounds Aang in an orb conjured between his hands, and Aang's tattoos start to glow.
Outside his mind, Aang opens his eyes, which were glowing intensly. He had mastered the Avatar State. Then the crystal that protected him exploded with spiritual power. Everyone shielded themselves from the bright light emmitted from the explosion. Optimus and Bumblebee awoke to witness Aang levitating upward, his tattoos and eyes glowing white, witnessing an incredible sight. Katara too looked upward, smiling with hope returning to her.
"Oh scrap," Rumble and Frenzy said at the same time, thinking it was the end, but then...the unthinkable happened. A purple blast of energy strikes Aang's body. Everyone turned to see who the culprit was, and it was Megatron, smiling wickedly with his shark like teeth showing and his fusion cannon emmitting smoke. He had fired at Aang with his cannon's full power, not just a stun blast like before with the other Decepticons.
Back inside Aang's mind, the orb vanishes and the spirit collapses. The path of heavenly light Aang was standing on vanished as well, causing Aang to plummet to the Earth.
Outside his mind, Aang started to plummet to the ground. Katara, in absolute shock and tears falling from her eyes, started to bend a tidal wave and started to ride on it in hopes of catching Aang, but Soundwave noticed this and jumpped up to knock her off the wave, causing the wave to fall to the ground, but then Optimus came through and punched Soundwave out of the way and lept upward to catch Aang using one hand to hold him and the other to grab onto the wall, sliding downward from the wall. He then lands on the ground and lets Aang's now lifeless body down. Katara came up and bursted into tears, seeing Aang's body. Azula, Zuko, and every Decepticon advanced to the three of them. Optimus glared at Megatron and got out his swords in a fit of rage.
"MEEEGAAATROOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOON!" he shouted as he charged to the Decepticon leader, bashing the other Cons out of the way, but Megatron merely got out his wrist sword and blocked Prime's attack and punched him down to the ground.
"Always fighting to your last breath, even when all hope is lost," Megatron said without mercy as he pointed his fully charged cannon at Optimus. "You've failed Optimus Prime...Now the Decepticons will take the victory that is so rightfully ours!" But just before he could end everything then and there, a lightning bolt ran straight through his chest and caused him to fall backwards.
"What!? Who dares..." he shouted before Iroh came down and blocked Aang, Katara, Bee and Optimus from the Cons and the other firebenders.
"You've got to get out of here!" he shouted to them. "I'll hold them off as long as I can!" Iroh then sent fire blasts to the Cons, Azula and Zuko as Katara got Aang's body and water jetted upward through the hole Frenzy and Rumble created when they came down from the cealing. Optimus and Bumblebee ran through the tunnel Aang created earlier. Once they were gone, Iroh surrendered and looked at Azula and Zuko with disappointment, especially Zuko, before Knock Out shocked him into unconsciousness. Then Starscream ran up to Megatron.
"My master! The prisoners have escaped!" Starscream reported.
"It matters not Starscream," Azula said to the seeker with a smirk. "The Avatar is dead, and Ba Sing Se is ours."
"Agreed," Megatron added. "They can run, but they have nowhere to go..."
Outside the palace, everyone regrouped with each other. Katara layed the lifeless body of Aang down as she got out the spirit water from her veil and bended it out.
"Please...let this work," Optimus said before Katara started to hold the water over Aang's wound. The water glows with energy as Katara places the water on the wound and the water seeped into it. Once it was gone though, nothing. Katara held Aang close to her as Optimus places his fingers on his optics, fearing the worst has truly happened, but then, Aang's tattoos glowed for a second and Optimus looked upon the sight, knowing one thing.
"It worked," Optimus said relieved. Katara's eyes shot open as she looked at Aang, who starts to groan and awaken. Katara gasped and smiled with joy and holds him close, grateful that he is alive.
"(What do we do now Optimus?") Bumblebee asked his leader.
"I'm afraid we'll have to split up for now," he answered as he walked to Warpath and handed him a beacon. "Warpath, you will need to follow the children who will leave the city on Appa, and activate this beacon when you land."
"Got it sir," Warpath replied, not as enthusiastic as usual, realizing the seriousness of this situation.
"Autobots, transform and roll out!" Optimus commanded as he, Bee and Irohide transformed and rolled for the exit while the humans and Momo got on Appa and took flight with Warpath flying beside them.
Back at the palace's throne, Azula is sitting on the throne with a triumphant look on her face. Zuko stood beside her.
"We've done it Zuko," Azula says to her brother. "It's taken 100 years, but the Fire Nation has conqured Ba Sing Se." Zuko however looks down, thinking of what he has done.
"I betrayed Uncle," he says regretfuly as Azula stands up.
"No, HE betrayed YOU," she corrected. "Zuko, when you return home, Father will welcome you as a war hero." But then Zuko remembered that his job was to CATCH the Avatar, not kill him.
"But I don't have the Avatar," he replied. "What if Father doesn't restore my honor?"
Meanwhile, as the humans on Appa and Warpath flew away from the city, the Earth King takes one last look at what was once his home.
"The Earth Kingdom...has fallen," he says hopelessly as Katara holds an unconscious Aang next to her and they continue flying into the dark, cloudy horizon.
*QUE AVATAR ENDING THEME*