Hot Sands and Hard Rocks

Earthbenders vs. Earthbreaker

We all are right in front of the drill, ready to execute our plan of attack. It's way bigger this close... Hopefully nobody gets hurt.

"Alright, once I whip us up some cover you won't be able to see, so stick close to me." Toph tells us.

"No problem here." I say.

"How about you help me out. The more the better." She tells me.

I nod and follow her. We jump forward and she extends her arms and stomps, causing dust to form. I swirl my arms around creating some dust as well, albeit not as much as she could. This is where growing up in the desert has it's perks. Like my goggles for surprise storms and such, which I put on to help my vision.

"Run!" Toph commands.

We all run into the cloud, and I make sure to stay right by Toph, just as she said.

We reach the drill, and Toph creates a hole in the ground.

"Everyone into the hole!" Toph says.

We all jump down into the dark pit as she closes it behind us.

"It's so dark down here! I can't see a thing!" Yells Sokka.

"Oh no! What a nightmare!" Toph exclaims sarcastically.

Almost out of instinct I feel around, and soon grab something soft.

Is it... Hair? By the shape and volume, I think it's Toph's. Plus, her voice came from this direction.

"Hey who's got my hair!?" She yells as she starts swinging violently at my hand.

"Just me! No need to hit!" I tell her.

She calms down, but then gets one solid punch to my stomach, making me let got as the wind is taken from my lungs. Wait, she should've known it was me from her bending right?

We emerge from another earthbent tunnel, this time under the main body of the drill. Sokka points at a small entrance in the center of the mechanical beast.

"There!" He shouts.

Momo flies in, and Aang leaps up, helping Sokka and Katara up while hanging on with his legs. After a second, Sokka peeks his head out from the hatch.

"Toph, Y/N, come one."

I start to go, but stop when I hear Toph speak.

"No way am I going into that metal monster! I can't bend in there." She says.

"Yeah not to let you guys have all the fun, but I think I'll stay here with Toph, we'll try to help from out here."

Sokka nods to the two of us.

"Ok, good luck." And with that, the rest of the group leaves.

Toph immediately starts to shove pillars of earth into the bottom of the drill, but they don't do much, only slide and shove her along with them.

"Y/N? Any help?" She asks, grunting as she's shoved.

I run to the stone, leaning against it, but I don't seem to help at all.

"Not like that! Stand firmer! Face the rock, and dig your hands into it!"

"Alright!" I tell her.

I turn around, and try to copy her wide and stiff stance. It feels weird to try to bend like this, but she knows what she's doing. I then place my hands on the stone, pressing firm, but nothing happens.

"It won't work!" I yell, frustrated.

"You aren't used to rocks, so don't treat it like one. Just try to loosen the small parts of it and make it more like sand!" She says. "Like this!"

She puts her left hand on top of my right, and softly presses my palm into the stone.

"Now bend some sand!"

I feel the small particles of the earth and focus on each small grain. After a second, the rock turns to nothing but sand, and I can strengthen my grip with it.

I do the same with Toph's hands, wrapping them with sand. This seems to help, as the drill has slowed down a considerable amount. Even though it isn't stopped, this should help them out in there.

"So why'd you stay out here, anyway?" Toph asks, snapping me out if thought.

"Well I'm not very good in a fight, and you couldn't be expected to do this on your own." I tell her.

"I'm not weak, you didn't need to stay here.." She says, slightly trailing off.

"I know that you're plenty capable, you're definitely more capable than me. I stayed because I wanted to, and I wanted to make sure nothing goes wrong and you get hurt trying to slow this."

I look down and over to the small girl, and she seems to be blushing. I've never made a girl blush like that before.. Maybe I should change the subject.

Embarrassed, I speak fast and loudly. "Well besides I learned some actual earthbending too so that's good- Not that I didn't think you could teach me I just thought I wouldn't be able to learn it but I did and that's probably just from you understanding my bending and helping me but yeah I'll shut up now.

I'm out of breath and find that I'm blushing too now. Why do I have to be so awkward all the time.. If I didn't have my hands full with the drill problem, I would be burying me face in them. Since I can't, I just look away.

"Of course I'm a good teacher, but you're an earthbender at heart, so you can learn this stuff. Even if it's not as natural to you." She says.

"Y-yeah.. Thanks." I say.

We go a few moments without speaking, just listening to the almost deafening sounds of the treads of the drill.

We start to hear the crash of the drill into the wall, but also hear the sound of rushing water.

Rocks are raining down on the machine, echoing around the metal. Toph and I give up our positions holding the drill, and run to the back, where we see Katara bending a type of slurry from the mining into the machine. I see why. If it's plugged up, the build up will make it burst! Slurry shouldn't be too different from sand..

"Just bend the slurry woman!" I hear Sokka yell, just before Katara does just that, knocking him over with some."

"You guys need some help?" Toph asks as we get out from under the drill.

I try bending the slurry, which was quite easy, and I pick Sokka back up.

"You two, help me plug up this drain!" She yells.

I nod, and Toph and I shove the sludge farther into the machine. I see a girl in there, but judging by the lack of Katara caring and her outfit, she's not on our side.

"Where's Aang?" I ask.

"He's on top of the drill, we weakened the beams inside, so once he delivers the final blow on the top, it should all explode!" Sokka says, seemingly excited.

After a minute of holding the slurry back, we can hear loud sounds coming from around.

"This is it! We did it!" I yell in celebration.

"Here it comes!" Toph warns.

She pulls me closer to her and Katara and raises the ground beneath us, saving us from a disgusting fate in the sludge as it spills all around.

Steam exits the broken machine, and the drill winds down.

"First day in the city and we already saved it, that's gotta be pretty good, right?" I say turning to the team smiling.

Toph punches me twice, once in each arm.

"One's for earlier." She says.

"I won't even ask." Sokka says. "Group slurry hug!" He shouts, pulling us all in together in a big hug.

Yeah, today was definitely 'pretty good'.