Hey guys! I'm coming at you with a short story. This was originally a one shot, but it got too interesting for me to stop it there. Don't expect too much. Enjoy!
Kai almost dropped a hammer on his foot. The ninja were helping Sensei clean out his closet, and he kept some truly weird stuff in there. A crystal ball would be a good example. Or an ominous black notebook with names scribbled inside. That was weird too.
"Sensei?" Zane called out from the other side. "I found a rather large mirror. Where do you want it?"
Sensei looked towards his student, pondering this, and directed him towards a corner of the room. Zane nodded, and hoisted the object onto his shoulder. He set it down, and admired the design of the mirror. Intricate designs wound about the edges, and the glass itself shone like a crystal.
"Look out!" Lloyd called as he bumped into Zane, which made the startled Nindroid loose his balance.
"Wait! Zane!" Sensei ran to his student as he fell through the mirror.
"What just happened?" Cole stood next to the bewildered pair, and the others soon followed.
"Zane just fell through a mirror." Jay couldn't help but chuckle.
"This is not good." Sensei mumbled. Just as Lloyd was about to ask why, the mirror started to glow.
From the mirror, Zane shot out again. But it didn't look like Zane the ninja knew. He was dressed in all black and light blue, and the Mega Weapon was grasped in his hands.
"What? What just-" The other Zane looked around. "How the hell- how are you alive?" He stared at Lloyd.
"Me? Of course I'm alive. And did you just swear?" Lloyd gazed in confusion at the character, who stood and brushed himself off.
"Where am I? This isn't a meeting." He scanned over the remaining ninja.
"So... you're not Zane." Jay sighed.
"Of course I am, you idiot." The imposter Zane leaned back against a wall. "But it sounds like I'm not the Zane you know."
"No, you're not." Jay frowned, slightly insulted by being called stupid.
"Well, you aren't the bumbling morons I'm familiar with, either. I suppose your Zane isn't the supreme ruler of Ninjago?" He grinned.
"What!" The ninja shrieked. In a different dimension, their Zane was having similar troubles.
"Where am I?" Zane stared in shock at the scene in front of him. A long table of Ninjago's top leaders... in chains?
"The board meeting, sir." A man next to him mumbled.
"Um, the meeting is... cancelled." Zane stammered, and ran out the doors behind him. People in the halls flinched away from him.
"Something wrong, Lord Zane?" One person squeaked out, and something clicked in Zane's head.
A portal. That's what that mirror was. That means whoever runs this place... is in my Ninjago.
"No, everything's fine, thank you." Zane stood up a bit taller, and tried to act as regal as he could. If no one stopped him, maybe he could find his way home.
As he paced the halls, he decorations on the walls began to scare him a little. Banners and art depicted a black-clad version of himself stabbing Lloyd, standing over people in shackles, sitting on a crystal throne, and many other disturbing scenes.
He realized how little trouble he had wandering the palace. Before he knew it, library doors stood in front of him. His first objective was to learn how the heck he became overlord of Ninjago.
He located a book with a promising title. Ninjago's Dictatorship: How our Immortal Leader Came to Power
Zane's stomach dropped, but he began to read the book that detailed how he enslaved Ninjago.
"You... you rule over Ninjago?" Lloyd gawked.
"Oh. Your Zane doesn't. That's a shame, he's wasting his potential." Imposter Zane shook his head.
"Of course he doesn't! That's horrible!" Jay exclaimed.
"Not really. It's quite easy, really. Kill the chosen one, obtain the Mega Weapon, and enslave the people. Really not hard for a robot." He winked at Lloyd, who gulped. Hopefully he didn't meet the same fate as his counterpart.
"First of all, that's awful. Second of all, Zane is now an overlord!?" Cole said.
"Yup. He's probably tarnishing my title as we speak." The other Zane grimaced. "Or, if he's smart like me, he's trying to find out a way to get home." He tapped the mirror, which was now as solid as any normal glass.
"So, how exactly did you kill me?" Lloyd laughed nervously.
"Simple. But I'll leave that to your Zane, in case he changes his mind about the whole hero thing." He chuckled.
"Heh... I just remembered, I have a party to go to... bye." Lloyd dashed out of the room, presumably to go and hide in his bed.
"Weak." The Nindroid grumbled. At least the other Zane must be having fun, right?
Zane was not having fun. After reading a rather detailed description of Lloyd's murder, he shut the book gently and placed it on a table next to him.
"Dinner, my lord?" A voice from behind Zane made him jump. A servant behind him held a platter of assorted foods. Zane was about to decline, but felt his energy running low.
"Yes, thank you." Zane nodded, and was handed the plate.
He had never really had good cooking that wasn't his, since Jay was the closest thing to his skill, and even then, the inventor could only create mediocre dishes. He noted the sun setting outside, and after his delicious meal was eaten, decided to call it a night.
He wandered the halls until he found a rather grand door, and followed a gut feeling saying that this was his bedroom. At the very least, you could call it an upgrade. A balcony, a king size bed, and a master bathroom were only a few of the luxuries.
He opened the closet to find all black robes. The dresser? All black pajamas. Although it felt weird dressing more like Cole than anything, he slipped into his plush bed, and sank into the mattress. After hours of tossing and turning, Zane gave up. As comfortable as the bed was, he couldn't sleep.
"Forget it." Zane mumbled, and stepped out glass doors onto the balcony. Silk banners hung from the sides, decorated with ice and shurikens.
To his horror, the feeling of being in control didn't feel strange. It felt... right. He leaned against the railing, and gazed upon the usually bright city. The buildings were dark, and the stars truly shone through without the light blocking them.
A soft flutter beside him startled him. Zane couldn't help but smile when he saw the Falcon perched on the railing.
"Hello, my friend." Zane reached out and stroked the bird's head. He chirped, and climbed onto Zane's shoulder. It was nice to see somethings never change.
"I'll figure this out. I don't know how, but I'll return to my brothers." Zane promised himself. He needed to escape this place, even with it's luxuries. he turned and walked back inside, the Falcon in tow.
Although Zane didn't noticed, a blue-clad figure scaled the railing as he shut the doors. Jay, with a flash drive in tow, planted his feet on the banister.
He pressed a button on an earpiece, which crackled to life.
"I've got the dirty traitor in sight. It's go time."