Ally Beifong

36: Poison

"Zaheer has us captured and I can't bend my way out of this. I'm about to be poisoned by a madman and I have no idea who's safe... and who's not. I failed, I couldn't protect anyone, and now I'm about to be gone forever. I failed as the avatar, and I failed the world." 

"You will not survive when I get out of this!" Korra yelled. 

"Don't worry, you won't get out," Zaheer jeered. "We're going to administer a poison that will force your body into the avatar state. But unfortunately for you, it'll be the last time you enter it."

"No," Ally said. "No! The cycle will break!" 

"Exactly," Zaheer replied. "We're watching the dawn of a new age, a new era. You will never be reborn, but your names will echo through the years. Alice and Korra, the very last avatars." 

"No!" Ally screamed. 

"Poison them," Zaheer told the men. The men in black cloaks metalbent the poison into their bodies, through their forearms and calves. As the poison went into their body, the women yelled in pain, it was unbearable. Ally tried to resist, but Korra's eyes were flickering white, she couldn't hold out. 

"Korra! Come on, hold on!" Ally begged, but she was fading too. She let out a scream of pain and writhed in her chains. The Red Lotus prepared to take them out when they entered the Avatar State. They were sweating as the poison went further into their bodies, forcing them into the avatar state. The pain was unimaginable and they started to sweat and hallucinate, Ally's eyes flickered. 

"It's almost time," Zaheer said. 

"Korra!" Ally yelled. "Come on, you can do this. Beat it! Beat it!" 

Ally's voice knocked Korra out of her hallucination, but it was too late. It was almost time. Ally let out one last scream before she entered the avatar state, maybe for the last time. She curled her wrists inwards and broke her chain, reaching out, she sucked some of the poison out of Korra's body and put it into hers. She got as much as she could out, but it wasn't enough. They broke from their bonds and its one motive, destroying Zaheer and the Red Lotus. The women were unrecognizable, with haggard features and an intent to murder, they were dangerous and scary. They flew out of the cave using a combination of fire and air and threw things at Zaheer as she went. As soon as she got close, Ally drew more poison out of Korra and put it into her body. Korra kept fighting Zaheer, throwing rocks balls of Fire at him. Ally let out a yell and slammed her hands down, causing the earth to crack around her, she raised up two huge rocks and threw them at Zaheer with all her force. 

"Ally!" Lin yelled, but her daughter was too intent on her mission. 

They kept fighting, a battle in the air as Zaheer evaded their attacks. Korra bounced off the sides of the mountain and was thrown to the ground. But she got back up, just to be thrown down again. She let out a yell of pain but kept fighting. She threw a boulder at the Airbender, determined to crush him. She was able to wrap an ice block around his foot and brought him down, but as she was about to deliver the final blow, her eyes flickered she fell hard. Ally was fighting the poison as much as she could, but she was fading. She took more poison out of Korra's body to help her, but it wasn't enough. They kept trying to fight, but it was too much to do both, fight the poison and him. Jinora led the airbenders in a circle to create a tornado of wind that would assist Korra and Ally. 

Ally kept trying to get more poison out, but she couldn't, she fell to her knees as sweat poured down her face. Zaheer flew down to them, knocking them down again and again until they landed. Ally took the hardest hit, she created a pillow of air to help Korra's landing but landed on a rock herself. Zaheer formed a dome of air over their heads, sucking the life out of them. They were close to death, when the tornado distracted Zaheer in time, just enough to give Korra her breath back. He tried to fly away but was caught in the tornado. Ally used most of her strength to bring him down to the ground. As she did, the poison finished its work. Ally knelt by her friend and her eyes flickered. She was in so much pain, but she used the last of her strength to get the poison out of her body. She couldn't stop it from entering her body and she crawled forward and collapsed, her hand outstretched. 

"No," Su whispered. 

"Ally!" Lin ran over and gathered the young woman into her lap, Korra was starting to wake up, but she still had a lot of poison in her. Ally looked up at her mom with shining white eyes and reached up to touch Lin's face. Then her hand fell and died in her mother's arms. "No! Ally, no!" Tears filled her eyes and she bowed her head and put her forehead on Ally's chest. 

"The poison is metallic!" Jinora exclaimed. "There's still hope." Lin gasped and laid Ally down on her back. She made a dragging motion, starting at her legs and working her way up. Then the poison left her mouth and Lin threw it away. Su did the same for Korra and both of them were okay. Ally sacrificed herself and her body to help Korra, but Korra was still paralyzed from the ankles down. Ally was in worse condition, she was completely paralyzed from her waist down and the metal had done a number on her. 

"Oh, Ally!" Lin murmured as she pulled her daughter ink a hug. "I'm not letting you go, you hear me, I'm not letting go." The next few weeks passed in a blur, and Ally's eyes dimmed. She and Korra had been through hell and back, and for what? Lin tied Ally's hair back in a Dutch braid down her back and helped her get dressed. She touched her legs, she could barely feel her finger. She put on a brave face and smiled. 

"Let's go," she said gently. Lin wheeled her out in a wheelchair where everyone was waiting. Lord Zuko bowed with respect to the young women and Ally returned with a nod of her head. 

"Welcome back, Avatars," Raiko said. "Officially. And I know last time we talked it wasn't the best, but thank you for everything." Korra didn't say a word and just looked down at her lap. Lin bent a rock to get her daughter and Korra up the temple stairs, Ally tried to stand but collapsed. Lin wrapped an arm around her daughter's waist and helped her stand. And when she found her footing, she was good to go. 

"Today, we anoint the first master in many years," Tenzin told the crowd. "My daughter, Jinorah, is the first airbending master in a generation. When our existence was threatened and the Avatar's lives were in jeopardy, Jinorah remained hopeful. I see a bright future with her leadership, and thanks to Avatars Korra and Ally, there will be an air nation. They were willing to lay down their lives to protect us. They've done so much, and we will follow their oath of service, and of sacrifice. While they heal, we will roam the earth and help all of the nations. We will work wherever there is chaos, and we'll restore peace. Avatars Ally and Korra, we will bring harmony."

He bowed to them both and took of Jinorah's hood. Her head was shaved and revealed an arrow tattoo, the mark of a master. The airbenders blew incense all around the temple to ring bells and fill the area with a sweet scent. A tear dripped down Ally's cheek as she looked around, but she couldn't help but feel helpless. She could t even stand on her own, she felt like she failed. She clapped and tried to smile, but she was breaking inside. She couldn't protect the world, she couldn't protect her family, she blamed herself for everything. She was the avatar, and she couldn't bring balance, she couldn't bring peace. It had been 2 weeks and everyone expected her to bounce up, she couldn't do it she felt like a failure because of it. She felt like she failed the air nation, failed the world, failed her mom.