Sulley and Mike approached a small Earth Kingdom village, leading their own small army. Syndrome had sent them on ahead to take control of some smaller villages, while he headed to Ba Sing Se. Without waiting for a command, the soldiers started setting the houses on fire. Mike watched as the villagers screamed and fled. Sulley looked away, hoping that would stop the dark feeling spreading through his stomach.

The fires raged, consuming everything they touched, burning up people's homes and possessions and everything they had ever worked for. Sulley had to physically stop himself from saying anything. Then he wondered, what if he did say something? Who would stop him? He was the commanding officer here. Of course, he'd eventually have to face Syndrome's wrath, unless he was willing to flee the Fire Nation entirely. Could he do that? Give up his job, his home, everything he had ever worked for?

Then again, he'd never really wanted to be a soldier. He'd joined the army after running away from home when he was sixteen. Then, through the years, he'd just sort of gotten promotions and eventually ended up here.

A woman ran outside, carrying a little girl. "Stop! Please! My daughter is sick!" She trembled as she held her daughter closer. "We can't lose our shelter! Please!"

"The Firelord doesn't care about your sob story," one of the soldiers said. "In fact, he'd say you should be punished for even opening your mouth." He lit a flame on his palm and brought it toward the woman. The girl stared at it, transfixed.

Sulley couldn't hold his tongue any longer. "Stop!"

The soldier stopped and cocked his head at Sulley. "Sir?"

"I mean it," Sulley said, the harshness of his own tone surprising him. "Don't touch them. In fact, stop all of this! Everyone, stop!"

The soldiers around them stopped and looked at him. The woman ran away, clutching her daughter.

"Sulley, what are you doing?!" Mike hissed.

"We're in charge of this army, Mike," Sulley said. "Syndrome's not here, so we don't have to do this." He addressed the rest of the soldiers. "None of you want to do this, right? You're just following Syndrome's orders. But we don't have to!"

He looked at the other soldiers, hoping that their respect for him would encourage them to listen to him. Maybe they'd even cheer. Instead, they just stared blankly at him.

Mike made a show of laughing heartily. "Great joke, Sulley! You always had a sense of humor. Now let's get back to burning this place down, huh?"

"No!" Sulley said. "Listen to me, people! We're the ones keeping Syndrome in power; he's nothing without his army." He was painfully aware of how desperate his tone was becoming. "Rise up with me, and we can lead the Fire Nation into a new era! One without needless violence and destruction! Wouldn't that be nice?"

The soldiers let out a loud roar of solidarity. Sulley's heart swelled with hope and pride. Then he saw their faces, glaring at him with pure hatred and anger, and he realized it wasn't solidarity.

"Get him!" one of the soldiers yelled. "Burn that traitor! Turn him in to Firelord Syndrome!"

They charged at Sulley. He swung his fist, blasting a large jet of flames at them, and they backed off. He looked around wildly, scanning the crowd for any signs of movement, adrenaline coursing through his body. They'd take him eventually, but he wasn't going down without a fight.

Someone swung a flaming tentacle, driving the crowd even further back. Few firebenders could do such a precise and skilled task. It had to be Mike.

He looked over at Mike, who was suddenly standing at his side. Mike swung another tentacle. Sulley released powerful jets of raw firebending energy, clearing everything within a ten-foot radius.

"Let's get out of here!" Mike yelled, grabbing Sulley's arm as he sprinted out of the village. They plunged into a group of thorns and brush. Hopefully the soldiers wouldn't bother chasing them through that.

"You had to open your mouth and try to start a revolution," Mike scolded.

"Yeah, I did." He'd do it again in a heartbeat. He was sorry his friend had gotten tangled up in it, though. "Thanks for saving me, Mike."

"Yeah, yeah, let's just hope I don't regret it!"

~~~~

"We're coming up on something," Barley said, looking at their map. "The Serpent's Pass."

A large rocky path stretched out across a wide lake, rising and falling in stiff peaks and deep valleys. The sight of it made Ian's heart sink a little. He wasn't looking forward to that walk.

"This leads straight to Ba Sing Se," Barley said.

"Great!" Ian said. "Let's go!" He could make that trek knowing their destination was right on the other side.

"Uh, guys?" Luca pointed at a nearby sign. "ABANDON HOPE!" it read.

"Oh," Ian said.

Alberto scoffed. "Come on, we're not gonna be scared of a rock!"

"Yeah, especially when we've got a master earthbender!" Barley said, clapping Ian on the back.

They started walking. Hours later, they were still walking. All of them were considerably less optimistic now. The sun beat down on them, and their feet felt sore and bruised. They were all mentally checked out, just automatically putting one foot in front of the other, hoping the journey would be finished when they checked in again.

Then they stopped. The lake had completely swallowed the path ahead of them. Ian tried to raise the ground above the water level, but it was too deep and obscured by the water. He couldn't even feel the earth.

"What now?" he asked.

"Maybe Luca and Alberto can freeze it," Barley said.

Luca nervously stepped forward. He still hadn't actually managed to freeze water yet, but he did remember Lucius's lesson. Trust that the water wants to obey you. Don't try to force it. Let your instincts guide you.

He bent down and touched the water. Nothing happened. His heart was pounding. Everyone was depending on him. He couldn't let them down now. He focused hard, even though he knew that would make it more difficult. He didn't know what else to do.

He remembered Alberto's old advice: Just do it. Don't think about it.

He took a deep breath and tried to relax. Starting at his fingertips, a thin layer of frost began to form, spreading over the lake. He gasped excitedly. "Look, Alberto! I'm doing it!"

He turned to see Alberto standing with his arms crossed, an unimpressed expression on his face. Almost bored.

Luca's face fell. He'd expected his friend to cheer him on the way he used to when it was just the two of them bending alone at the South Pole. And he knew what he'd done was impressive, so Alberto was purposely not reacting, trying to downplay his accomplishment.

Barley stepped onto the ice, testing its strength. "This isn't very thick, so be careful." He started walking across slowly. Ian went next. Then Violet, Alberto, and Luca in the back.

Luca kept his eyes down, not wanting anyone to see how upset he was. Especially not Alberto. Suddenly, he saw a shadow gliding under the water.

"Uh, what's that?" he asked.

"What's what?" Barley asked.

A giant sea monster burst out of the water, shrieking. Its body was a rippling tentacle of muscle and flashing blue scales.

"That!" Luca screamed, pointing.

"The serpent!" Ian yelled.

"Run!" Barley shouted.

The monster crashed down on the ice, smashing through it and separating Alberto and Luca from the rest of the group. The ice beneath them shattered, and they plunged into the lake.

The others screamed. "Alberto! Luca!"

They surfaced.

"It's okay, we're good swimmers!" Alberto called.

They started swimming over to the others. Then the monster emerged again. Luca screamed and tried to climb on Alberto's shoulders, but only succeeded in pushing them both underwater.

"I recognize this creature," Barley realized. "It's an enemy you can encounter in 'Tales of the Four Nations!'" He cupped his hands around his mouth and yelled at Alberto and Luca. "Guys! Try to get on its back!"

"What?!" Luca exclaimed. He didn't want to be within ten feet of that creature.

"You can tame it, if you can get on its head! Just try it!"

The serpent went back under the water. Alberto swam over to its shadow and treaded water there, waiting for it to surface again. Luca stayed back, too afraid to get close.

The creature surfaced again, way too quickly for Alberto to grab it. It shrieked again and snapped at Alberto. Luca screamed and froze the water around it. He kept freezing it as it thrashed around, trying to break the ice.

Alberto managed to grab the scales on its neck and climbed up to its head. He grabbed the fin on its head and pulled on it. The serpent jerked around, responding to his guidance.

He steered it over to Luca and made it bow down so Luca could climb on. Luca just stared at it in fear. Alberto put out his hand, and Luca reluctantly took it and let Alberto pull him up.

Alberto guided the serpent to the others and let them climb on.

Barley cheered. "Onward! To Ba Sing Se!"

~~~~

"Fire Nation soldiers? Really?" Woody groaned. They'd just arrived in Ba Sing Se, and now it was being invaded? "Are you sure?"

Buzz nodded. "They weren't attacking anyone, yet, but I'm sure they're planning to."

Woody thought of all their fellow refugees who had come here to escape the Fire Nation. Now the war was on their doorstep yet again. "We need to tell the Earth King."

"I'll do it," Buzz said. "You go warn Bo and the other Red Panda Warriors."

Woody nodded. Buzz went outside and flagged down a horse-drawn carriage.

"What can I do for you?" the lady inside said with a wide smile.

"I request a visit to the palace, to speak to the Earth King," Buzz said. "It's urgent."

Her smile widened even further. "The King is very busy."

Something about her tone, along with the smile on her face, was unsettling. Buzz shook off his unease and said, "I understand. It must be difficult, dealing with a war and everything."

"War?" She laughed. "There's no war in Ba Sing Se!"

He frowned. "Okay. But there's a war outside, and I actually saw some Fire Nation soldiers…"

The carriage drove away before he could finish. He stared after it, dumbfounded.

He noticed a pale, jittery man watching him from across the street. The man looked around to make sure no one was watching, then beckoned Buzz over.

"They don't talk about the war here," he whispered in Buzz's ear.

"Why not?"

The man shrugged. "All I know is, those creepy ladies who roam the city shut down all talk about it."

"But the Fire Nation is here!" Buzz said.

The man shushed him, his eyes darting around nervously.

Buzz lowered his voice. "Turning a blind eye to it won't make them go away. They'll burn down the city!" Was that what the Dai Li wanted? Were they working with the Fire Nation to bring down Ba Sing Se from the inside?

"Maybe the King would listen, if you could get an audience with him. But you probably won't. Nobody's seen him in years."

"I'll go to the palace and find him, and make him listen," Buzz said.

"I wouldn't," the man warned. "I haven't survived this long by going around stirring up trouble. But if you insist, a word of advice: beware the Dai Li!"

"The what?"

"The secret police that run around Ba Sing Se. They watch the palace like a hawk and keep visitors away from the King. You'll have to get through them if you want to see him."

Buzz felt like he could handle that. He may have been out of the service for a few years, but his training was still with him. He didn't think it was something he'd ever forget.

"Thank you, kind stranger," Buzz said.

"If anyone asks, you never met me," the man said, disappearing into the shadows.

Buzz started walking. The palace must be in the Upper Ring of the city.

When he reached the palace, he was greeted by two guards. They were wearing dark green uniforms and conical hats. He eyed them suspiciously, wondering if they were part of the Dai Li.

"You're not invited here," one of the guards, a handsome man with light brown hair, said.

Buzz ignored this. "I'd like an audience with the Earth King."

The other guard laughed. "You hear that, Ken? This guy thinks he can just walk in and get a meeting with the Earth King."

"It's an emergency," Buzz said.

"No one gets a meeting with the King," Ken said aggressively. "You're not special. Now scram."

Buzz wanted to argue. But he sensed that wouldn't get him anywhere.

He sized up the two guards. They weren't too intimidating; he was sure he could take them in a fight. But maybe he should look for another way in first. He looked around and spotted a high window that appeared to be unguarded.

"Sorry for wasting your time." He bowed and walked away. When the guards weren't looking, he started scaling the wall. He peered through the window. There didn't seem to be any guards around. With a hard kick, he smashed the window open and crawled through.

He started walking down the hallway, trying to keep his footsteps as silent and stealthy as possible. The throne room must be around here somewhere. It would probably be heavily guarded, so he would have to be strategic here.

"Well, well, well. What do we have here?"

Someone grabbed his shoulder. Without even turning around, Buzz raised his fist and smashed the attacker in the face. He turned to see Ken stumbling back. Buzz charged at him and punched him in the throat to keep him from alerting anyone else.

Ken fell to his knees, clutching his throat. Buzz quickly put him in a headlock.

"Take me to the Earth King!" Buzz commanded.

Three guards ran over and dragged Buzz off of Ken. Ken walked over and punched Buzz in the side of the head.

"You shouldn't have come here," Ken snarled. He drew his arm back and punched Buzz again, harder. Buzz's head swam as Ken continued to hit him.

He must have passed out, because when he woke up, he was tied down in a chair. He strained, but he couldn't break the ropes. Ken and the other guards glared down at him.

"Let me go!" Buzz snapped.

"I don't think so," Ken sneered. "So what's your business here? Why are you snooping around and trying to bother the Earth King?"

Buzz struggled against the ropes. "You don't understand! The Fire Nation is here!"

"Lies!" Ken yelled. "Why are you trying to undermine the authority of the Dai Li?!"

"I'm not! I'm just–"

"What is going on here?" a startled voice interrupted.

Silence fell as a middle-aged man walked over. The only sound was the quiet thump of his wooden cane on the stone floor. He had dark red hair and a weary face.

"L-Lotso!" Ken stammered. "We were just interrogating this troublemaker."

He must be their leader, Buzz thought, which seemed odd. He didn't look aggressive or cruel. His eyes were soft, and his grizzled face had a kind look to it.

Buzz looked Lotso in the face. "I want to speak to the Earth King."

"We said no!" Ken snapped.

Lotso chuckled. "Now hold on. I appreciate the initiative this young man has taken. Untie him."

Ken reluctantly did as he was told. Buzz glared at him and went over to speak to Lotso.

"Thank you, sir."

"Of course. That's no way to treat a guest." Lotso put his arm around Buzz. "Now what did you want to speak to the King about?"

"There are Fire Nation soldiers inside the city, sir," Buzz said. "They're bringing the war here."

Lotso frowned. "Don't you know that there's no war in Ba Sing Se?"

"But I saw them! They're going to destroy the city and kill a lot of people unless you or the Earth King does something to stop them."

Lotso's grip on Buzz tightened. "There is no war behind these walls! You insult us by implying otherwise!" All friendliness and kindness was gone from his tone.

"But–"

Lotso banged his cane on the floor. "You think I deposed the Earth King and turned this city into a sanctuary, just for you to come here and tell me I failed?"

"You what?"

Lotso pushed Buzz back toward Ken. "Put him back in the chair."

"No!" Buzz yelled. He couldn't let them take him. He had to get out of here and tell Woody about the Dai Li and the Earth King.

Lotso watched as he fought the Dai Li. It wasn't a bad effort, for one man against an army.

Finally, the guards overpowered Buzz and forced him back into the chair. They tied him up, pulling the ropes so tight that they dug into his skin.

"Looks like we have a soldier here," Lotso mused. "He might be useful to us. Reprogram him."

Ken grinned. "With pleasure."