Legends hold that two people from feuding towns met at the top of a mountain, and fell in love. Although it was dangerous for them to meet, the loving couple found a way to continue their relationship in secret. After learning Earthbending by observing the natural skills of Badgermoles, massive animals that inhabit the mountains separating their two villages, they created a labyrinth which only they could navigate as a place to be together, and others who would try to follow them would be lost forever in the tunnels.
However, one day the man did not come - he had been killed in the war between their two peoples. While the woman's fury was initially expressed in a display of her terrible Earthbending powers, which could have destroyed both of the warring towns, she instead declared the conflict at an end.
The two villages later created a city to honor the couple's love, which eventually grew into the city of Omashu (the names of the lovers are revealed to be Oma and Shu, whose names were joined together). The final line in the script states "love is brightest in the dark".