Here the latest in the original Magnificent 10 story.
In the days following Toph running away from her overprotective and rich family, she decides to live with Mabel along with her friends in the Magnificent 10 and Loud House. Even though Mr. Befong tries to get the constable to retrieve his daughter back, but she refuses and Lynn SR talked to the police that even though she's blind he's taken good care of her but still let her become independent.
Even if Mr. Befong bribed them to make sure they bring her back, but the M10 made sure they wouldn't lay a finger on her. The Befongs send the police, personal family bodyguards who came to retrieve were forced to leave either willing or literally tossed out.
The family and residents sat in the living room and all are discussing regarding the constable and bodyguards. Lori says openly: "These guys are literally persistent." Leni adds but in her simple mind: "Yeah, and half of them didn't even say please." San speaks her mind: "Why are the parents overprotective of their daughter? I mean granted she's blind but she isn't that helpless." Steven asks openly: "Can't we just talk to the Befongs?" Mabel finishes: "No, Toph tried. They didn't listen. They think locking her away." Ashitaka says speaking his mind: "Toph shouldn't be caged up. Even if she's blind, many animals are blind but not helpless." Toph finishes the conversation: "Well if they won't accept me as who I am, than the don't deserve me." Everyone was shocked to hear this.
Lucy says regarding Toph's words: "Wow. That's cold even for me." She stated but could understand her reasons. Lynn SR speaks: "Well regardless it's over." He finishes then everyone goes their separate duties.
Steven, San, and Jean walked down the neighborhood, San says to the two boys: "I can understand Toph's reasons for running away." Steven somewhat agrees with her: "I can understand too. But she probably broke their hearts in the process." The wolf princess questions: "You keep saying 'broken hearts'. What does that mean?" Jean answers her: "It's a figure of speech, San. But if they simply sat down and actually talked this out." The young Gypsy boy states to the French inventor: "She did. From what Mabel said, she did. She pour her heart and soul and feelings but they wouldn't listen. They wanted her care for and watched 24 hours a day." He spoke about Toph's problem and her overprotective parents.
As they continued to walked, the notice someone familiar, it was an old friend of their. It was Bismuth with a bag over her back, wondering around.
The three rushes to the female African American blacksmith, and they greet her. Steven speaks first: "Bismuth! What brings you to New York?" The female Blacksmith answers with a happy mood: "I came to New York for you guys." Jean questions: "Us?" Bismuth explains: "Yeah, I'm doing a reenactment of John Henry and the steam machine. And I want you and your friends and maybe some others to join in the reenactment." The Gypsy boy and French inventor founding it to be fascinating but San was confused, the railroad. The strange metal tracks that allowed long, large, metal beasts to travel great distances in half the time horses and other animals would take. But she could watch the show instead.
Across the street, the Befong personal bodyguards who saw this and silently returned to the Befong estate.
At the Befong mansion, in the living room, the bodyguard says to his employer: "Sir, as much as I know you wish your daughter returned. But we've tried everything. Bribing the local police, personally going to the house where they're keeping her. But nothings working." Mr. Befong says still thinking of a way to retrieve his daughter: "We need a new tactic. A way to have Toph returned to us." Mrs. Befong comes up with an idea: "Maybe we should talk to her again. This time actually listen to her." But the rich husband disagreeably says: "No. I will not play negotiation with my own daughter. She needs to know that I'm trying to keep her safe." The bodyguard says to add to their report: "We've seen the members of the Magnificent 10 and some Black woman. They say their doing a reenactment of John Henry."
Mrs. Befong questions regarding the news: "What does this have anything to do with our daughter?" She asks openly but then Mr. Befong sees an opportunity: "Wait. I have an idea."
At the Loud House, Steven tells about Bismuth's reenactment and all wishes to join. Practically half of the neighborhood wants to either join in or watch the show. Lynn SR says in exciting tone: "This'll be great." Leni speaks up her volunteer work: "I can design the costumes for everyone." Steven also speaks: "I can be one of the railroad workers." Jean speak as well: "I and a few of us can make the steam machine." A lot of them jumped up and all agreed to the reenactment.
Returning to the Befong mansion, Mr. Befong is meeting with a particular inventor, and not just any inventor the same one who made the same Steam machine that competed against John Henry himself. The rich man says to the inventor: "As you know, you created a steam powered machine that went against the freed slave John Henry. Am I correct?" The inventor says to him: "Yes. I worked my fingers to the body making that machine and to get rid of the workers who just wanted a small piece of land for their work. Me, I would've gotten my mark in history. But that that's to that large man who defeated my machine and halted progress." Mr. Befong bring a briefcase with gold bricks and says to him: "If you do something for me. You'll be handsomely rewarded."
But the inventor replies: "You can keep your money. But I will need it, to remake and even upgrade my steam machine." He stood before the rich man and leaves with enough gold for his plans and machine.
As for the Loud Family, the Magnificent, and even Bismuth and half of the neighborhood. Leni sowed the clothes, meanwhile Jean, Dipper, Lisa and Connie are working on a way to make a steam machine but with no blueprints or schematics they didn't know what to make, but when they tried to combined their intelligence but they argued more than creating the steam machine.
Bismuth was sharpening her hammers and making sure their ready for the show. She turns to her right to see the cloth covering something special, she thinks to herself, hearing pounding and ringing in her mind. Thinking back when she was a slave in her youth being told by some slave owner. But now being a free woman not bound by any chains, she even remembers her mentor who forged the very chains into the hammer that made him a legend.
The days went by till on March 6th, the whole China town, the neighborhood where the Casagrandes and their residents lived sat with food and drink ready to see the show of a legendary hero.
Ashitaka stands before the audience and speaks narrating about the reenactment: "Ladies and Gentlemen. I'm please and honored to tell the story of heroes of this country who became a legend. Pitting his own flesh and blood against the gears and wheels of approaching modern machine. In a time when African Americans were beginning to make their place and mark on the world, one stood above the rest. John Henry was said about him was extra extra large. His hammer, his appetite his believed to move mountains. Ladies and gentlemen I give you the tale of John Henry." He steps out of the way, where they see the performers which is Steven, Lincoln, Ronnie Anne, Dipper, Mabel, Marco, Connie, some people of China town including Aang and Sokka.
They acting making a railroad that was not connected to anything. Ashitaka narrating the scene: "Many years ago after the slaves were set freed, a strong man named John Henry ventured out to find work. Rumor had it that the railroad company was offering 50 acres of land to the men who would finish the railroad." The volunteers acting, playing the working pounding in the nails into the tracks, Dipper was playing the Irish boss who is leading the workers, the main protagonist is playing as John Henry is Bismuth herself.
Bismuth is wearing a flannel button shirt, overhaul jeans and boots. She is carrying a 20 pound hammer. "John Henry came to tracks. They said he forged the chains that bound him as a slave, and turned them into a mighty 20 pound hammer." He spoke of the story regarding the main protagonist.
As the Blacksmith enters the scene, she says acting like her mentor: "Hello. I heard the railroad company is offering 50 acres to the workers on the railroad." Dipper answers with a pour Irish accent: "That's right. So what brings you here?" Bismuth replies: "Well, I hope to join in the building of the railroad." Dipper still acting asks her: "Do you have any experience in building railroads?" The former slave answers: "No. But I like to started working." But the male twin refuses accept the proposal: "Well, but I think we got it covered."
The Blacksmith refuses her to accept no for an answer. But she finds a loophole and makes a bet with him: "I'll wager a spot on your team and that hat of yours I can wedge three nails in one swing each." Marco says to her: "That's impossible, it takes four swing to drive one nail in. It takes Sokka nine." He gets an angry stare at the Latino man, but Bismuth still takes the bet: "So it'll be an easy victory." Dipper accept the bet and says: "You got yourself a deal."
Mabel pick up three nails places them in the railroad holes, Bismuth says to herself: "When in doubt the only way get through, is with Grit, Sweat and love." She removes the cloth over the object revealing the hammer which impresses the audience. Sid says to person next to her and it's Toph and Lisa: "Look at the size of that hammer." Toph replies to her: "I can't see, you know because I'm blind." Lisa uses an abacus and uses it and mathematics: "With the weight of the hammer, the strength of Bismuth, the speed and gravity will drive the nail into the railroad in one blow." She explained.
Ashitaka still narrates regarding the story: "What they didn't know, was that John was the greatest hammers smith in the south. So this makes the job a whole lot easier for her." With that Bismuth lifts her hammer over her head and bashes into the nail driving it in, with only one swing, Dipper's confident smile turn into a shocked frown. Bismuth drives in another nail in and the last nail. All with one swing each, Bismuth turns to Dipper and says to him: "I recon I win."
Dipper with his pour Irish accent asks her: "So, when you can you start?" The Blacksmith says to him: "I recon I just did." Dipper give his hat to Bismuth and she put it on.
The audience watches as the volunteer players act like the real railroad workers driving hammers into nails making tracks. During the lunch break, eating a sandwich Sokka sat as Bismuth eats a prime rib. Sokka asks her: "So John when you gonna do with your 20 acres of land? I'll do some hunting every once in a while. Then I will search for oil on my land and hopefully never have to work a day in my life again." Bismuth answers acting like John: "Me? I think I'll do some planting. Then after that I'm gonna open up my own forge. Making tools to help out and raise livestock while I'm at it." The Eskimo teenager says to her: "That sounds pretty hard. A lot of hard work even for you." But Bismuth replies with ensuring he like it: "Yep. But it'll keep me busy all day long." The audience can feel the emotions of what they're saying even some people can understand the hard work some people have to endure. Dipper still in character walks up and says: "Yeah, and with things going, it'll be perfectly. And we'll all be settling down in the new lands." He stated as he held a map that signifies his progress of work.
Then Ashitaka steps in and narrates regarding the sense: "Now this wouldn't be a great story if everything was going 'perfectly'." He spoke in a sarcastically/condescending in the end of his sentence speaking the word perfectly. "For it turns out the railroad company was working on something so hence, so revolutionary and yet diabolical. That John knew he found his adversary."
In the building where Jean, Lisa, and Dipper were working on the steam powered railroad working machine but even with their combined intelligence they didn't have time to construct it for they didn't have the money or time. So they were going to have to tell that the John Henry part where he vs the steal machine is over.
Jean and Lisa rushes to explained but before they could reach the play someone beat them, which shock to see it.
The audience and cast thought this was part of the play. The steel machine came in, to everyone's surprise to see it. Bismuth whispers to Dipper: "Wow! Dipper, you, Jean, and Lisa really outdid yourself." Dipper not in character replies: "Uh…Bismuth, that's not our machine." The blacksmith African American woman questions: "Come again?" The young male twin replies: "That's not ours. Mean, Jean and Lisa didn't have time to make it." Then that's where Jeana and Lisa rush to the scene.
Lisa asks to them regarding the machine: "Did you see that? A mechanical Marvel?" Jean adds in agreement: "Yeah it's incredible." The whole group was amazed by it.
The conductor who was a long haired and beard wearing a leather apron and goggles. The conductor says to the audience: "Everyone as a former member of the railroad company I'm hear for a rematch from the apprentice of John Henry and come for Toph Befong." The audience was confused as were the cast of John Henry.
Toph knew what this was, her parents sending someone to do their dirty work for them. Toph says to everybody in both cast and audience: "Everyone, this isn't part of the reenactment. This guy's hired by my parents to bring them back home against my will." The whole audience was shocked to hear this, Ronnie Anne speaks: "Wow, wow, wow! Your parents hire this guy to take you back? Why don't they just simply talk to you? It be a lot easier and cheaper." Toph answers with sadness in her voice: "Because my parents want me back, so they can keep me locked back in that house." The whole audience and cast feels empathy for her. "You see, even though I'm rich, I live in a fancy house and have people catered to my every whim. But the one thing I never had was my parents love or accepts. To them they saw a helpless obedient blind girl. But that isn't me. I ran away a few times, became part of an underground back ally fighter. Despite by all my feeling into putting who I truly am, they'd prefer the image of their daughter in their eyes. Not the real me." She said with sadness and tear running down her cheeks.
Everyone was also teary eyed feeling the sadness, many were shedding tears, Bismuth knowing the feeling, places her hand on Toph's right shoulder and says to her: "I know the feeling. As many of you know I, my people, my parents, ancestors, and my teacher were slaves. So I know the feeling of oppression. Granted I was forced to work manual labor being treated like property and you a rich girl who was trapped like a bird in a cage. It's like comparing apples to oranges in this case, but the principles the same." They nodded in understanding, San says in confusion: "I never understood slavery. Why do some humans make other humans do all the work and never praise them?" Some people didn't know either.
The Engineer says out of proportion: "Oh, boo-hoo! So what if some people were treated like dirt? Or a rich girl never had freedom or her parents' love? I came to bring her and have a rematch, and I tend to have it!" Many people found him insensitive, Katara says in a angry tone as she glares at him: "So insensitive. And if you ask me, Toph shouldn't have to go back than she shouldn't." Carlota agreeably says to Katara: "Yeah, she's not a piece of merchandise or some clothes. If her parents can't accept her than they don't deserve her. I mean she could've hurt them. But when you look at it from her side, she's the victim in all of these." Mabel adds: "I should know. I've seen her parents, she poured her heart and soul to them. And how they respond? They wanted her to be cared for and guard 24 hours a day without freedom." The whole cast and audience were still not too thrilled about the Befong family's way of raising their child in this manner regardless of being blind."
Bismuth hearing enough to see Toph's point in her side of the story, and can't stand the sight of the machine. So she points her hammer at the Engineer and his machine with her hammer and says: "I came to give an reenactment of the legacy of John Henry. So I accept your challenge, woman vs machine. If you win, I accept defeat, and you can take Toph back home. No fuss, no bother, no nothing. But if I win, you take this lopsided piece of junk out of here! Or we'll tear it apart bolt! By! Bolt!" The Engineer agrees to the terms, and shakes her hand acceptance.
Bismuth readies herself, but Dipper, Marco, Steven even Aang walk with her, and tries to talk her out of it, Dipper no longer playing the character say to Bismuth: "Bismuth, I understand what your trying to do. But think this through." To which the African American woman with rainbow dreadlocks says: "There's nothing to think about. If Toph parents want her back so bad than they should talk to her instead of sending someone else." Marco says to her: "But Bismuth, that thing's gonna be too fast." Bismuth replies simply: "I'll be faster." Aang points out to her: "It's too strong." The woman argues: "I'll be stronger." Steven argues: "It's made out of steel, gears and wheels powered by steam. It's never gonna quit." Bismuth finishes: "Neither will I!" She continues onward to prepare herself.
Toph walks up to her and says: "Bismuth you don't have to do this for me. You have nothing to prove." She tries to convince her not to fight her battles for her, to which Bismuth replies: "Toph, if you go back to your parents like this. They put a chain around your soul, locking you away from the world. You got to believe in me." He placed her hand on Toph's chin to ensure her, that with faith she can defeat the steam machine.
Ashitaka still narrates even though he was just as confused in the beginning but now understands it all, and says: "Well now this went from a reenactment to a rematch of biblical proportions. The mighty machine Goliath versus the woman who vowed to never be beaten again. Let's see how this plays out." He finishes, then Lincoln says calling out his sister: "Hey Luna, we might need some challenging theme music for this scene." The musicians sister replies with her personal guitar: "You got it bro. And I know the perfect song for this." She begins to play her guitar that's a country music theme.
Bismuth and the Engineer on his steam machine were on the tracks ready to begin the race. Dipper now back in his Irish character says: "On your mark, get set, Go!" He fires a gun with a blank in the air. The two opposing workers began.
Luna singing: "Like David,
fought a against the giant philistine.
And I will rise.
With the power the good Lord gives to me."
Bismuth and the steam machine began to smash their race, with Bismuth's hammer and the steams machine's penetrating tool, both driving the individual nails into the none connecting train tracks.
"And I will smite.
The ones who fight.
To keep me and mine from going home.
From going home.
I'm going home!"
The cast and some of the audience including the Loud Family, Casagrandes, the Changs and other variants began to help build the tracks, the city of New York began to see this, and were watching Bismuth and the Steam Machine drive the nails in, the constable saw this and even they couldn't stop this race.
"Go, get out my way!
You can't stop this train!
I'm running on grit, sweat and love!
I broke my chains!
You can't stop this train!
I'm running on grit, sweat and love!
Grit, sweat and love!"
Bismuth kept pounding her hammer, but the steam machine's new upgrades made it pound three nails faster, but Bismuth was starting to feel tired, but she refuses to give up, so she pounds them harder and faster than she said before.
"My hands!
Are calloused from the fire of suffering.
And I lift them high,
With the faith of a mustard seed I cry.
Cause the good Lord said
Tell the mountain to move
And the mountain will move
So my good Lord said.
My good Lord said!
He said it all!
Go get out my way!
You can't stop this train!
I'm running on grit, sweat and love!
Grit, sweat and love."
Luan stops for a moment, Bismuth was ahead and is still bashing her hammer, driving in nails till the tracks stops in front of an old abandoned building. The group stops, looking at it, and it was condemned. Dipper says regarding the building: "Well this means, this race is over."
The Engineer on the other hand disagreed but not with words, he shows another upgrade to his steam machine revealing a quadruple rotating drill which allows it to go through the building with ease.
Jean says regarding the machine: "It's an incredible device and unique tool. If it wasn't used for evil." Dipper adds regarding it as well: "It's gonna go through the building like it's nothing." Star admitting defeat says: "That's it, we're done." Toph says to Bismuth: "You did your best Bismuth. That's all you can asks. That's all anyone can asks. Thank you for trying at least." She knew what would happen, she'll return to her parents who will lock her away this time for good. Never to experience love, growth as a person or make new friends.
Bismuth says to the cast of the reenactment and some of the audience: "What's with all this sadness? You're acting like you're throwing in the white flag of surrender." Ashitaka says to her: "But Bismuth, it's drilling through a large building." To which she replies in the form of a question: "So? This is nothing compared to a mountain, made out of dirt and rocks." Nadia says to her: "Yeah, but a 20 pound hammer isn't fast enough to crash through a building." Bismuth finishes: "Than it's time to bring in the big hammers." This surprise everyone.
To which the older male eskimo sibling questions: "Wait, that ain't the big hammer?" To add to the question the Latino girl questions as well: "There's a bigger hammer?" The African American woman with rainbow dreadlocks simply says: "There's always a bigger hammer." She spoke with a smirk of confidence, she turns to Luna. "Hey Luna can you continue the song?" To which Luna answers: "You got it."
Luna singing: "It'll all be over soon.
Don't you worry 'bout a thing.
It'll all be over soon.
Just sing, just sing.
One more swing."
as Steven, Connie, Ashitaka and Jean struggles to carry two apparently heavy objects covered in a large cloth. After bringing the heavy objects to Bismuth, she removes the cloth to reveal two 50 pound hammers. Everybody was in complete shock to see her able to lift a 50 pound hammer with one hand each. Bismuth raises both hammers, and she says: "Time to take care of Bismuth." She jokes and begins to swing her hammers through the building slowly but surely catching up to the steam machine.
Luna singing: "Go, get out my way!
You can't stop this train!
I'm running on grit, sweat and love!
I broke my chains!
You can't stop this train!
Get out my way!"
Bismuth and the steam machine were now neck to neck the building was crumbling all around them, as they smashing and drilling through walls and support beams. Outside the cast and audience rushes to reach the end to see who comes out on top.
"You can't stop this train!
I'm running on,
I'm running on,
I'm running on,
Grit, sweat and love."
As the end the wall was bursted from the inside, they covered their eyes to avoid being hit by the debris, as the dust settles the one who emerges victorious was Bismuth.
The whole crowd was amazed and shocked to see her in the first one to win against all odds the machine came in second to the dismay of the Engineer, was furious for his machines had upgraded that was a revolutionary in the industrial but he couldn't even defeat the student of John Henry.
As for Bismuth was exhausted and falls down, they were shocked Marco and Star places their hands on Bismuth, Star exclaims in fear: "She's dead!" Toph using her sixth sense, says: "No. Her heart still beating slowly returning to normal. She's just unconscious. Why would you think she's dead?" The rebel princess replies regarding the state: "I presume that with bashing through a building is the same like bashing through a mountain." Lisa disagree and explains: "Highly unlikely. You see a mountain's made out of rock, stone and other earthly materials based on the location would make it difficult to cause the heart to seize function after being overworked. As a building it's made out sturdy material, but not too dense and would make the heart work but not enough to cause death." Just then the building crashes them down do to the demolished low baring walls and support beams.
In the end, Bismuth was taken to a hospital for medical treatment, as for Toph sensing Bismuth was willing to go beyond and putting her life on the line so she can be free. Toph now felt it was time to stand up to her parents and tell them what for.
So what do you think of this chapter or Bismuth even as a human is able to lift and two 50 pound hammers? Please leave a comment down below. Also in the next chapter we'll see Toph stand up to her parents and I'll introduce Zuko.