All's Fair in Love and War |ATLA| |Reader Insert|

Snow Pinnacle: The Ghost Planet

The five of you were riding Appa through the sky. You were sleeping in the saddle, clutching your hand to your head. You were asleep, but a part of you was still awake.

"Hey, Y/n?" Sokka gentle placed his hand on your shoulder. Your eye snapped open. "We're getting off. I think you should see this." Grunting, you sat up, slowly making your way out of the saddle. You blinked a few times, clearing your vision. The area around you was no green and lush, but burnt and dead. No doubt the Fire Nation ripped through here. Even the dirt under your feet was dry.

You sighed lightly, letting some of the dirt slip between your fingers.

"Y/n? You okay?" Katara asked, noticing your hostile expression. You nodded.

"Yeah... cool as a cucumber."
Katara wasn't 100% sure if you were lying or not. You suddenly straightened up and looked to the side to see a man walking towards you on a cane.

"The hell are you?" You asked, walking towards Aang.

"When I saw the flying bison, I thought it was impossible." He hobbled over to Aang. "But those markings... are you the Avatar, child?" Aang looked at you. You nodded slightly. He smiled and turned to face the old man.

"My village desperately needs your help," he said.

~
Nearer towards sunset, you arrived in a small village. It was slowly falling apart, but the old man led you to a building in the back.

"This young person is the Avatar," the old man. There were multiple people taking refuge in the building.

"So the rumors of your return are true," a younger man said, walking up to Aang. "It is the greatest honor of a lifetime to be in your presence." Him and Aang bowed at each other.

"Nice to meet you too," Aang replied, "... so... is there something I can help you with?"

"I'm not sure..." The man replied. You quirked a brow.

"Our village is in crisis," the old man said, walking up to the other man's side. "He's our only hope. For the last few days at sunset, a spirit monster comes and attacks our village. He is Hei Bai, the black and white spirit."

"Like a panda," you spoke. You were nudged by Katara.

"Why is it attacking you?" Sokka asked.

"We do not know," the younger man replied, walking closer to Aang. You instinctively got closer to him as well. "But each of the last three nights, he has abducted one of our own." He passed you four to stand at the entrance.

"We are especially fearful because the Winter Solstice draws near."

"What happens then?" You asked.

"As the solstice approaches, the natural world and the Spirit World  grow closer and closer, until the line between them is blurred completely," the old man replied.

"Hei Bai is already causing devastation and destruction," the younger man said, "Once the solstice is here, there is no telling what will happen."

"So what do you want me to do exactly?" Aang asked.

"Who better to resolve a crisis between our world and the Spirit World than the Avatar himself?" The old man crouched in front of Aang. You knew where this was going. "You are the great bridge between man and spirits."

"... riiiight... that's me," Aang replied. You tapped him on the shoulder.

"Aang, can I speak to you a minute?" You asked. He followed you to the side.

"Don't mean to state the obvious, but you seem unsure as hell," you said, crossing your arms.

"Yeah. That might be because I don't know anything at all about the spirit world," he replied. Katara and Sokka joined you two and looked at each other.

"It's not like there's someone to teach me this stuff," Aang continued.

"So... can you help these people?" Katara asked.

"I have to try, don't I?" Aang inquired, but he still seemed worried. "Maybe whatever I have to do will just... come to me." You smiled at him.

"I believe you can do it," you said.

"Yeah... we're all gonna get eaten by a spirit monster."
You smacked Sokka on the back of his head

"YEEOUCH!!!"

~
Some time during the night, you fell asleep... like always. You were back in the pitch darkness you call a dream.

"Once upon a time, there was a family that ruled over the entirety of the Fire Nation! They were unstoppable!"
You looked around for that unfamiliar voice.

"Hello?" You called out, "Mom?"

"But the Avatar was incarnated into a member of that royal family. That screwed everything up!"

"Are you talking about Ozai's family?" You asked.

"But that Avatar was deemed too evil by the Fire Nation. A coup was deployed which dethroned the original Royal Family. Then Sozin was placed as the next heir!"

"Sozin?" You repeated. You spun yourself around. "Who are you?!"

"The Avatar's bloodline was tarnished and wiped from history! Then reincarnated into the next person. But the Dark Avatar still lives on in their family."
A clone of yourself appeared in front of you.

"THE FUCK?!?!" You stumbled back. A hand shot out of the darkness and ripped off the cloth from your eye. You quickly covered it with your hand.

"OPEN YOUR EYES!!"

With a gasp, you sat up, slapping your hand against your face. When you felt the cloth there, you let out a sigh, calming your breathing.

"Are you alright?" The old man crouched down to you, placing a hand on your back.

"Yeah." You nodded, looking around. "Where's Aang? Where're the others?"

"Y/n?" Katara appeared in the doorway. You popped up from the floor and ran to her.

"Katara!" You slid in front of her. "Where are the other two? What did I miss while being asleep?"

"Sokka was taken by Hei Bai. Aang went after them... but they haven't come back." She looked down, wrapping the blanket tighter around her shoulders. You opened your arms and wrapped them around her shoulders. She gratefully accepted your hug, leaning into you.

"They'll be alright," you assured.

~
You and Katara took Appa and scouted the forest for quite some time. But you didn't see them.

"It's no use Y/n. I don't see them anywhere," Katara said. You looked over the saddle.

"Neither do I. I'd be surprised if they're still in the forest."

"Our best hope is to go back to the village and wait." Katara steered Appa back in the direction of the village. It was quiet between the two of you.

"Do you think they're all right?" She asked quietly.

"Aang is fine and can hold his own," you replied.

"... and what about Sokka?"

"He's..." You paused, "... he's an idiot... but I'm sure he's alive too." Katara looked down.

"I hope you're right."

Ja ne!

{Ruby Red}