AN: Random thing I wrote after seeing episode 84.

Warning, spoilers for the end of season 8

Lego owns Ninjago and Bryan Adams owns 'Sound the bugle'

'Sound the bugle now,

Play it just for me.'

As the shock and adrenaline of his confrontation with Harumi faded, Lloyd was struck full-on by the realization that his friends...his brothers... his uncle...were dead. Grief forced the exhausted ninja to his knees, feeling the wooden hull of the boat bruise his kneecaps.

Misako, understanding that her son needed time alone, moved to the bow of the boat, checking for any pursuing Sons of Garmadon, her own heart aching with grief.

They're all gone...Master Wu, Zane, Jay, Kai, Cole, all of them...Lloyd felt a mild sting gather in his eyes, as he crouched, morning his lost bothers and his uncle. Reaching up, Lloyd was surprised to feel tears running down his face, landing on the hardwood of the hull like rain drops.

'As the seasons change,
Remember how I used to be'

Memories of them, of the years they spent together, flooded his mind, forcing new tears from his eyes. When they first met, when they let him join their group even though he was just a stupid child, the time they spent training him...and now I've let them down. Master Wu had trusted him to care for the team, and Lloyd's heart fell as he realised he'd let his uncle down. He was supposed to be the green ninja, their leader. He was supposed to keep them safe, not let them get crushed by a golem made by his father.

I was so foolish...none of this would've happened if I wasn't so gullible. Harumi's tricks, Garmadon's resurrection, the destruction of Ninjago city...it was all because he hadn't seen the dark side of people. Lloyd always thought he was grown up, but really, he was still a silly little kid.

'Now I can't go on,
I can't even start'

What was he supposed to do now? Master Wu is gone, truly gone this time. No special loophole or fancy magic would bring him back. Only he and Nya remained, the only ninja still alive. Were they even a ninja team if there are only two of them? Garmadon and Harumi have taken the city, and Lloyd was powerless to stop them. Maybe Harumi was right...

'I've got nothing left,
Just an empty heart'

I'm alone...again. He should never have brought the team back to Ninjago city. He could've dealt with SOG himself, or at least tried. Then they would still be alive, safe, just like Lloyd wanted them to be. But no, they were dead, killed by his own father. None of this would have happened if he'd never left Darkly's. The serpentine would never have released the Devourer, and Harumi would never have taken revenge. I let down everyone I cared about...

'I'm a soldier,
Wounded so I must give up the fight'

What hit him the sharpest of all, was the realization that he couldn't do anything about Garmadon this time. In the past, every villain had been defeated by the team, working together. Now though, the team was severely reduced, and Lloyd was powerless.

The loss of his elemental power ashamed him. He felt vulnerable, helpless, like he was still a little kid trying to get his father to notice him. This new weakness scared him, and made Garmadon's rule over Ninjago city seem endless. I barely defeated him last time, and I had golden power then...now I have nothing.

'There's nothing more for me, lead me away,

Or leave me lying here'

The boat slowed to a halt at an unfamiliar dock. The grief-stricken ninja barely registered that Misako was trying to get his attention, telling him to get off the boat. Lloyd merely looked at her numbly, and let her lead him onto the dock.

She talked to him, something about a safe house and contacting Nya, but he wasn't really listening. His thoughts were still on his dead friends, and the bleak future he'd doomed Ninjago to.

'Sound the bugle now,
Tell them I don't care'

They reached a broken down building, on the outskirts of the city. Dogs barked in the distance, and street lamps lit the area in a pale yellow light. His mother told him to stay here, and before he really understood her words, she was gone.

Exhausted, confused, and alone, Lloyd lowered himself onto an old wooden chair nearby, trying to get himself under control. Tears still fell, but now he made an effort to wipe them away.

'There's not a road I know,
That leads to anywhere'

What now? If Nya was still okay, would they try to fight Garmadon and Harumi? Or would it be better to just give up, and hide? He didn't want to abandon Ninjago and its people, but further attacks would probably fail, leaving only more victims. Is it better to just stop trying?

'Without a light,
I fear that I will stumble in the dark'

Oh, how he wished Master Wu was still here. He'd know what to do. It was foolish of Lloyd to ever believe that he could be a master one day. After only one year in charge, the whole of Ninjago city had fallen to an unstoppable gang of motorcyclists. Lloyd tried to imagine what Wu would do, faced with this dilemma, but he just couldn't see Wu ever getting into a situation like this. I failed...

'Lay right down,
Decide not to go on'

Was it even worth fighting? Harumi had only wanted the ninja to be destroyed because she believed they had caused suffering to the citizens of the city. Would she just leave them alone now?

But, Garmadon was another matter. He was, as much as Lloyd didn't want to admit it, pure evil. He'd have no qualms about attacking and killing innocent civilians. Thinking of his father as a ruthless murderer brought fresh tears to Lloyd's eyes, blurring his vision.

'Then from on high,
Somewhere in the distance'

At that moment, he noticed that Misako had returned, with Nya. Wiping his eyes of tears, trying to look like he wasn't breaking down inside, Lloyd watched them approach him. Surprised, he also noticed that others were following them. Dareth, Pixel, Ronin, and Skylor.

They stopped in front of him, and the green ninja stood up to meet them, confusion frowning his face. Skylor spoke first, determination and fury in her eyes.

"Well, are you just going to sit here and be sad, or are we going to do something about SOG?" Her grief for Kai showed slightly in her voice, but the statement was still strong and aggressive.

'There's a voice that calls,
"Remember who your are"'

Lloyd frowned at her harsh words, replying despondently. "But there's nothing we can do? Harumi and Garmadon have won."

Skylor and the others quickly voiced their disagreement, calling words of determination that he wished he still had.

"They've only won when we let them, when we stop fighting! We cannot let them defeat us!" Nya snapped, glaring at Lloyd. "I never thought you would just give up like this, Lloyd."

Her words stung, but Lloyd could see the truth in them. Just because he had lost his brothers, and his uncle, did not mean he could give up trying. Master Wu always said, "ninja never quit", and the last thing Lloyd wanted to do was disappoint his uncle, who had believed he could be a master from the beginning. Seeing his friends in front of him, still willing to fight, filled Lloyd with a tentative but strong sense of hopeful determination.

'If you lose yourself,
Your courage soon will follow'

"You're right, I'm sorry, We can't give up!" Lloyd responded, letting hope fill his voice. "Ninja never quit, and I know Wu and the others wouldn't want us to give in."

Nya, Skylor, and the others cheered their agreement, looking at him with expressions of fiery obstinacy and resolve. Faced with this small, yet determined group, Lloyd almost believed they could still defeat Garmadon. His promise to Harumi, to blight her every move, may still hold.

'So be strong tonight,
Remember who you are'

He was a ninja, the green ninja! He may not have his power anymore, but his fellow ninja had been powerless many times, and yet they had still saved Ninjago. If they could do it, so could he. Even if they never defeated Harumi and his father, at least they could protect the citizens as best they could. That's what it meant to be a ninja!

'Yeah,
You're a soldier now,

Fighting in a battle,
To be free once more'

And who knows, maybe one day they'd be victorious? As long as they fought on, there was still a chance to save the city. Lloyd couldn't give up now, or he'd be letting down his brothers, the ones that taught him everything he knew. They deserved to be avenged, and Lloyd would not stop until Harumi was defeated, or he died as well.

'Yeah, that's worth fighting for'

Just the chance of freedom for Ninjago was worth the pain of fighting. If he could live the rest of his life trying to free everyone from this mess he'd created, he would be satisfied. His brothers may be dead, but Lloyd was not going to let that destroy him. He would live his life in their honour, trying to repair this broken city.

Because ninja never quit!

AN: I'm sorry, I know I should be updating my other stories. But I have no inspiration for them at the moment. And I didn't want to put this on my 'trials of a ninja life' fic.

I hope you liked this, anyway. I thought of it after listening to the Spirit sound track after watching the last episode. It was so great, and I can't wait to see season 9!

I'm currently on my Easter holidays, so I might be writing again soon. But exams are less than two months away, so I need to revise for them first. And I have no inspiration...

Please review and follow.

Bye

Wyrenfire