Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender or any of its brilliance.

A/N: This idea has been buzzing around in my head for awhile, so I figured it was about time to write it! It's mainly friendship/family and canon pairings if any. I have changed this fanfic and reposted it because of my own and others' feelings about the original text. I will probably add more once I make appropriate changes to the rest of it. Please note that it is supposed to follow canon up until the actual events of the play, then it takes on AU. I hope you enjoy my twist on "the Ember Island Players". Read and review!

The gang's first thought was unanimous: This is supposed to be theatre? Zuko had warned them that the "Ember Island Players" were hardly top quality performers, even though the Firelord and his family had seen their shows many times. The ex-prince grimaced back at Aang when the boy gave him a look of utter disbelief at the casting of the avatar as a bald lady. The unscarred portion of the firebender's seemed to say "I told you so", though their wasn't a trace of smugness in the expression. None of them were having a good time.

It wasn't until after the first intermission that Zuko wasn't just vaguely annoyed but downright pissed.

"Wait, what's that? It looks like your honor!" Cried the actress playing Azula.

"Where?" Said the false Zuko, looking around.

"They make me look like a humorless jerk who's obsessed with his honor!" He whispered furiously to Katara. She just gave him a look and crossed her arms. Well maybe he used to be kind of like that…

He frowned and turned back to the stage.

After what seemed like hours, the group finally made it safety on a captured Firenation ship. But what happened next in the show, none of the friends had expected. The scenery changed to show the Firelord's chambers, and the actor Zuko strolled onto stage.

"I'm home, father!" He cried happily. Zuko exchanged looks with the others. What was going on? Why were they showing his return, that had nothing to do with the avatar!

Zuko could here Toph whispering to Katara until Sokka shushed her. She said,

"Why are they showing Sparky?"

They all quieted though when the actor Firelord recited his lines.

"Ha! It is my failure son, back to beg for forgiveness!"

Zuko stared at the stage, horrified. No, no they couldn't make fun of this, of him! It wasn't fair and it wasn't right! He could feel the anger building inside him. Small burns appeared on the seat for he was gripping it so tightly.

"Even if you did kill the avatar, why would I want you back here?"

"But father!" The actor Zuko whined. It was so uncharacteristic, Zuko fumed.

"I banished you for good reason, you worthless failure!"

A gong tolled, and the actors quickly ran off as a sign was brought on. Its characters read "Zuko: The Traitor's Story". The lights came up on a scene featuring a young boy playing Zuko: A thirteen-year-old, unscarred version. Behind him, Zuko heard Sokka groan; he hadn't quite realized the gravity of the situation yet.

"When will they get back to us?" Sokka moaned. This time Aang shushed him. Beside Zuko, Katara whispered, evidently worried,

"This isn't going to be good."

And she was right. The child Zuko yelled at his Uncle, the pure picture of a palace brat.

"Uncle, I want to go to the war meeting! It's so unfair, everyone else gets to go!"

"Alright, Zuko. But only if you do not speak a word." His uncle cautioned.

The scene changed; they were now inside the Firelord's throne room with others: the war generals. A general stood and said,

"As is the right of our great nation we must take the Earth Kingdom city of Dao Ming. Now I believe we should send in the forty-first division to defeat them."

"But sir, the forty-first division is entirely new recruits. They don't stand a chance against the powerful earthbenders."

"No. But they can provide us with a chance to claim victory if they nobly lay down their lives while our formidable troops attack from the rear. It is a sad sacrifice, but they will be remembered with honor." Said the general, overemotional with his hand on his heart.

Zuko growled lowly in his throat. They blew it all out of proportion. It wasn't like that, he kept thinking, it wasn't like that. Suddenly, the young Zuko burst forward and cried in a painfully shrill voice,

"You can't sacrifice a whole division like that! It's not fair!" He whined. As if he could make it any worse, Zuko thought, he balled up his hands into fists and stomped his foot.

Then there was laughter. Laughter. These people thought this was funny? Was his pain all just a joke to them? He leaned about as far forward in his seat as he could, gripping the edge with scalding hot fingers and clenching his teeth as tight as he could.

"How dare you, Prince Zuko!" Yelled the Firelord in a booming voice. "You must be rightfully punished for this! You will fight an Agni Kai!"

Dark music filled the air, and the child Zuko clutched at his face making an absurdly over-the-top face of terror.

"Zuko?" Whispered Aang from beside him. He paid him no mind. All he could think of was how wrong it all was. That's not how it was. I wasn't scared. I wasn't scared because I didn't know.

The scene changed. While it was still dark he heard Toph ask Katara,

"What's an Agni Kai? Is it some kind of warrior or something?"

"Fire duel." He heard himself gasp in a hoarse voice. He hadn't realized he'd been holding his breath.

From behind him, he heard Sokka ask,

"You mean, like, to the death?" To the death. Maybe that would have been better, Zuko thought savagely. It would have saved him from a world of shame and misery and pain. It would have saved him from banishment.

The lights came up on the Agni Kai arena. The young Zuko was jumping back and forth and punching the air, like a little kid pretending to fight. Zuko choked back a whimper. No. No, this couldn't be happening. He had prayed they wouldn't show this part. But as always, things didn't work out in his favor.

The boy turned around to face his opponent. That moment had seemed like a lifetime when it had actually happened. That was the moment everything changed.

"Father? No! It can't be!" Cried the actor Zuko, making a fake distressed face.

The real Zuko heard his friends gasp. He felt a hand on his shoulder, gripping tightly. It was Aang. Only then did Zuko realize he was shaking uncontrollably.

The actor Zuko threw himself down on the floor and moaned,

"No, father! No, please, I didn't mean it! Don't hurt me!"

Coward, Zuko thought. Had he really been that weak, that pathetic? Again the audience laughed. They gloried in the fall of their prince.

"You will learn respect, and suffering will be your teacher!"

Aang's grip had tightened almost painfully. Zuko looked down at the floor. He knew what was coming, he didn't need to watch.

Then the scream. A bloodcurdling scream echoed in through the theatre. The burn. Had he really screamed like that? He didn't care. He couldn't care. But he couldn't listen to it. He almost jumped from his seat in his rush to get out of there. He tore out of the theatre without looking back, the boy's scream extinguished to nothing as he closed the door.

He fell back against the wall and closed his eyes, breathing heavily. He tried to center himself. He focused on the rhythm of his heartbeat, concentrating and trying to slow his breathing and clear his mind. It doesn't matter, he told himself, it's just a stupid play. It doesn't matter.

He heard the creak of the door.

"Hey, Zuko? Is everything okay?" It was Aang.

Zuko nodded absently.

"Yeah. I…I just need some air." He said.

"Okay." Aang said shrugging his shoulders He turned to go back inside but paused and added,

"This play is really terrible. I mean it's not accurate at all, right?"

Zuko knew he was fishing for an explanation for the scene they had both just witnessed. But he wasn't about to give it to him. It was his business, and Aang didn't need to know. It didn't matter that much for him to know.

"No. It's not." He replied. It wasn't a lie, really. The whole show was the result of rumor and Firenation propaganda.

Aang went back inside with the understanding that Zuko would follow in a few minutes. That time Zuko had completely lied. He didn't care to see whatever else the stupid playwright had decided to make up about him. He waited outside in the night air, trying to work out just why his past always felt the need to follow him.