Admiral Lung led his forces toward the edge of the capital, to the great path that linked the docks with the main street leading into the Fire Nation's capital. Alongside him marched the generals and admirals of the Fire Nation, and behind them stood nearly every soldier the capital could muster, all ready to resist the enemy's advance.
Though his orders had been to prepare for war, Lung had also sent a small portion of his men to evacuate the civilians, urging them to flee behind the mountains to the far side of the island. He had even given strict orders that two soldiers were to see to his wife's safety personally, no matter what.
He gazed out over the horizon, where black columns of smoke curled upward, a grim omen of the battle raging closer with every moment. After a pause, Lung turned to a soldier standing at attention. "Go back," he commanded, his voice steady despite the weight in his chest. "Tell the citizens that anyone who can take up arms or bend fire must come and help us defend our homes." The soldier bowed sharply and sprinted away.
One of the generals, a stern man with streaks of gray in his hair, approached. General Chen's voice was low, heavy with disbelief. "I never thought I'd live to see the day our capital would be under invasion."
Admiral Lung's face was grim as stone. "They took us by surprise," he admitted. "But do you truly believe they can defeat us? Even with the Avatar among them, it will be a bloody and costly fight for them only to fail at the end."
General Chen hummed, his expression thoughtful. "Who knows what they are thinking. Perhaps they're hoping our homeland is poorly defended, that they can win through shock and fear. We must admit, it is not a bad strategy. After all, most of our armies are scattered across the Earth Kingdom."
Admiral Lung sighed, the sound heavy with tension. "The scouts estimate between fifteen hundred and two thousand soldiers in the invasion. But the Avatar… he is our greatest concern."
General Chen nodded gravely. "The Avatar is indeed our greatest threat. I only wish your son was here. I would feel far more at ease with the strongest bender in history fighting by our side. I will never forget the day he saved me and my men from King Bumi's trap."
At that, Admiral Lung's grimness softened into a small smile. "Part of me regrets allowing him to go off exploring so often. And this time, he even took the princess with him. She is skilled, intelligent, and blessed with the charisma to lead. If she stood here in place of her father, I daresay she would be commanding us already. To be frank, I would trade her for him any day of the year."
General Chen chuckled. "You're right about that."
From nearby, General Shugi, who had been standing silent, listening to every word, raised his voice. "Can you two save the disrespectful and, I daresay, treasonous talk until after the invasion? We have more pressing matters to worry about than comparing the Fire Lord to his daughter."
Admiral Lung and General Chen both broke into laughter at his sharp remark. The sound was grim but strangely relieving in the tense air. Even Shugi, despite himself, allowed a faint smile as he shook his head.
Soon after, the enemies arrived, and the Fire Nation defenders stood shoulder to shoulder, their eyes fixed on the approaching army. From the sky came the Avatar's flying bison, looming above the battlefield. On the ground, endless ranks of earthbenders and waterbenders marched in unison in a steady formation. The invasion force surged closer like a tidal wave.
Admiral Lung raised his arm high, his voice thundering across the line of soldiers. "Remember! Behind us are our homes, our families! Do not let the enemy pass us!"
A roar rose from the Fire Nation army, and with that, the bloody clash began. The two forces collided with a deafening crash, earth and water against fire. The battlefield was swallowed by chaos, neither side able to hold back or afford failure.
High above, on Appa's back, Aang watched the carnage unfold with a heavy heart. His gray eyes filled with sorrow. "I should help them," he whispered, guilt pressing on his chest.
"You can't, Aang," Sokka said firmly, gripping his sword. "Your job is to stop Tai Lung when he arrives and then defeat the Fire Lord. You have to preserve your strength."
Katara's brow furrowed as her gaze swept the battle below. "But… where is Tai Lung? According to the Earth Kingdom intel, his last location was in the Fire Nation not long ago and no other sightings of him in the Earth Kingdom, he should be still here. But why hasn't he joined the battle?"
Sokka frowned deeply. "Maybe he's waiting. He always shows up when things start going bad for the Fire Nation. Or… maybe he's on the other side of the island and hasn't even been notified of the invasion yet."
Aang's fists clenched. "The eclipse is only a few minutes away. Our forces won't make it in time at this rate. And if Tai Lung arrives after the eclipse is over…" His voice trailed off, dread settling in.
Sokka cut in, his tone grim. "Let's not think about that right now."
The team guided Appa behind enemy lines, overlooking the capital below. Thousands of people were streaming through the streets, women clutching their children, elderly leaning on staffs, men carrying bundles of belongings. Families hurried desperately, trying to flee before the war reached them.
Aang's face fell. "This is… so sad."
Sokka's jaw tightened. "This is what they've been inflicting on the rest of the world for a hundred years. But it'll be over soon."
Aang gave a slow nod, but Katara suddenly pointed ahead, alarm flashing in her eyes. "What are those?"
They turned to look. From the far side of the city, massive black shapes were rising into the sky. Flying machines, monstrous, iron vessels accompanied by dozens of smaller red balloons.
Sokka's eyes widened. "Did the Fire Nation… figure out a way to fly?"
Aang and Katara stared in horror as the colossal machines began advancing toward the battlefield.
"Whatever they're planning, it's not good," Aang said. "We need to stop them." He leapt from Appa in a rush of air, diving straight toward the flying ships.
Sokka seized the reins. "Yip yip!" Appa veered sharply, speeding after Aang.
But before they could approach, the sky itself seemed to explode. Hundreds of blazing fireballs rained down from the ships, forcing Aang and Appa to swerve desperately. Fire streaked across the sky like a storm, blocking their path.
"I can't get close!" Aang shouted over the roar of flames.
"What are they planning?" Sokka yelled back. His eyes narrowed as realization struck. "Fire won't even reach the army from this high up!"
Then it happened. The eclipse had started.
Aang said urgently "The eclipse is starting!! Our forces are nowhere near the palace!"
Sokka said "But it seems all the Fire Nation soldiers are clustered down there, if we take them down during the eclipse, the capital will be defenseless and those flying monstrosities can do nothing!! We still have a chance to win this!!"
Aang nodded but their glee didn't last long, the lead ship soared directly over the battlefield and began dropping heavy, black objects from its belly. The bombs tumbled down, striking the ground with thunderous explosions.
"They're throwing bombs!!" Sokka screamed, his voice breaking.
The earth below erupted in fire and dust. Earth and water soldiers cried out as explosions tore through their ranks, dozens falling in an instant. The ground quaked, filled with the screams of soldiers caught in the blasts.
Aang's eyes widened, horror twisting his face. His grief and fury surged into him like a tidal wave. The blue tattoos on his skin lit up, and his eyes began to glow as his body pulsed with power.
"I must stop them," he spoke, his voice overlapping with the past Avatars.
Aang took flight again, soaring toward the flying ships. With the eclipse sapping their firebending power, no fire rain came to meet him this time; the fleet was completely defenseless against the Avatar.
With a wave of his hand, he drew water from the city below, from homes, wells and reservoirs sending it arcing into the sky. With more waves from his arms, the water torrents were shaped into glinting spears that pierced the red balloons and shredded the ships' hulls.
One by one, the airships began to fall. Two of the massive airships, seeing the overwhelming onslaught, turned and fled. Aang did not pursue them. The Fire Nation's flying fleet was defeated.