Hello again :) Here is the much longer chapter I promised. It was easier to type out now that I'm feeling better, and I hope you enjoy it! I'm thinking of including some... extra chapters in this, the next being one of them. Let me know what you think :)

- Fell_and_Fallen -


Plaster rains down on my head in a scatter of dust and ceiling that I disperse with a shake of my head. The floor rumbles beneath me as I scramble to my feet, catching my balance against the rattling wall.

"That was a good break," I grimace to Spitfire as something crashes in the hall, sending another shower of drywall and molding clattering on my head. Someone shouts from the training room. "Shit, Lloyd."

"What was that?" Cole's voice comes from the training room as I approach at a run. He sounds dazed, but unhurt. I just blast through the screen of beads when I'm smacked with a massive cloud of swirling, choking dust. My lungs heave and convulse as I struggle to breathe in the congested room, but thankfully the dust settles quickly and I manage to clear my lungs. That's when I notice the gaping hole in the wall.

"What the hell?" I cough as I approach it. I glance around at the sprawled ninja around me. "Is everyone alright?"

"I think I bruised my elbow," Jay moans as he emerges from a pile of shattered plaster.

"Where's Lloyd?"

"Here!" the small ninja scrambles from beneath a cloud of dust. I let out a breath of relief.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa!" Dareth shoves past me from behind, spurring me forward as he runs toward the destroyed wall. "This wasn't supposed to happen until tomorrow!"

I approach the wall as the ninja get to their feet around me, brushing dust and debris from their clothes.

"Tomorrow?" a voice asks, and I notice a construction worker and foreman standing just outside the jagged hole. A gleaming wrecking ball looms behind them. "Let me see that order."

The construction worker hands the foreman an official looking piece of paper, which he scans quickly. "Oh yeah, my bad," he lets out a little laugh. "Sorry about that. We'll be back in the morning."

They turn and walk away cheerfully, seemingly unaware of the devastated sensei they've left behind. Dareth lets out a whimper as he picks a mutilated trophy from the floor.

"Uh, Dareth?" Cole asks, his dark hair choked with white dust. I reach out and brush a bit from his shoulder. "What is this all about?"

The sensei grimaces. "Well, I fell behind on some of my payments and some developer named Darnagom Enterprises is buying the entire block to put in some stupid Frisbee golf course," he lets out a depressed sigh. "They say if I don't come up with $50,000 by tomorrow, the dojo is gone."

"But we already lost the Bounty!" Jay cries. "We can't lose the dojo now!"

"Dareth, how did you get $50,000 in debt?" I ask. "I mean, no offense, but this place isn't exactly a palace. Where did you spend $50,000?"

He holds up his trophy. "They're solid gold," he whimpers before hugging them to his chest. "My trophies, oh, my fake trophies!" He bursts into tears and I offer him an awkward pat on the shoulder.

"Wait a minute," Zane holds up a hand as he peers closely at the sign on the wrecking ball. "Dar-na-gom? Rearrange the letters and you get…"

"O Grandma?"

"No!" Kai hits Jay with a glare. "Garmadon!"

"Right," Jay chuckles nervously. "That would make more sense."

"My dad is behind this?" Lloyd grimaces. I shake a mountain of dust from his hair, but can't think of any words to offer. He shrugs me off.

"If he destroys the dojo, where will we train Lloyd?" Cole turns to Sensei Wu.

"Hey, you're a princess, aren't you?" Dareth looks at me with watery eyes. "Can't you order someone to bring you $50,000? Or maybe you can just buy back the block?"

I shake my head. "I'm royalty in name only."

"Worry not, Dareth, you are not in this alone," Sensei steps forward, holding his tea now healthily seasoned with bits of broken plaster. "We're all with you."

"Did someone say 50,000-?"

Jay interrupts Nya with a gasp as she walks in, grimacing at the decimated dojo. "You didn't happen to win the lottery?"

"No," Nya shakes her head with an amused laugh. "But I heard about Ninjaball Run."

"Ninjaball Run?"

"It's the biggest road race in Ninjago with a price of 100,000 big ones!" she announces. "And it's tomorrow!"

"Convenient," Kai nods.

"I thank you, little lady fighter," Dareth sniffles as he moves a loose curl from his forehead. "But you're talking about the most dangerous race known to man. Only the most serious of racers even stand a chance."

"But didn't you just do a few upgrades on the Ultrasonic Raider?" Kai asks Nya, and she nods. "Maybe we might stand a chance."

"And I can enter with my dragon," Lloyd nods excitedly. Cole gives him an uneasy look that he returns with his own. "You did say I needed practice."

"Hey, if flying counts," I shrug and ruffle Lloyd's hair a little, dispersing a cloud of drywall. "Now that my shoulder's healed, I think I'm up for a little heavier movement."

"So it is agreed," Sensei says. "You will all enter Ninjaball Run to save the dojo."

Dareth lets out a shuddered breath and wipes at his tear-streamed eyes.

"Are you still crying?" Nya asks him with a comforting smile.

"Yes," Dareth admits. "But these are happy tears. With all of you racing, one of you is bound to make it across the finish line."

"Thanks for the vote of confidence," Jay rolls his eyes.

"Don't worry about it, Dareth," I touch his forearm gently. "We'll win this race."

"I believe you, princess," he sniffles. "I believe you."


"Ash, wait."

I turn at the sound of my name over the roar of the audience, shifting my focus from the herd of racers beside me to the familiar face approaching.

"Oh, hello, Hale," I greet the archer. He's dressed as usual, wearing a loose gray t-shirt and faded jeans smeared with old stains (more than likely from the workshop he crafts in) and his hair is tousled like he just woke up. He looks more or less the same as the last time we spoke, but now he holds a long rectangular box under one arm.

I offer him a grimace. "It's been a while, hasn't it? Sorry I haven't been around the shop lately."

"It's alright," he shrugs and offers a soft smile. "I heard what you and the ninja were doing. Saving Dareth's old dojo? It's pretty… inspirational."

"I wouldn't call it inspirational," I laugh. "It was really spur of the moment and self-motivated."

"Well, it inspired me to help you guys out somehow, so I decided to give you this," he holds the box out to me.

I take it and gently shake it, but nothing rattles inside. "Hale, what is it?" I ask. "You know I don't use weapons anymore."

"I know," his smile broadens. A childish excitement sparks in his grey eyes. "That's why I made you something useful. Open it."

"Alright," I gripe playfully. "If you insist."

I pull the top off the box easily and tuck it under my arm. The box is filled with plain white packaging paper, and as I move it aside my smile disappears.

I look up at Hale in absolute disbelief. "How did you-?"

He laughs at my expression. "I knew you'd like it," he grins. "Go on, take it out. I need to see if I got your measurements right."

I put the box on the ground and I carefully lift the shimmering black suit from its wrappings. It's sleek and looks like it's been woven out of thousands of obsidian scales that catch the light and distort its outline. The top part is split diagonally near the bottom, revealing a crimson, softer underside that burns bright against the black, and a scarlet slash runs from the collar to what would be my sternum. The bottom half is pure black and tapers at the ankles.

"There's more in the box," Hale nods at my feet. I glance back at the box and notice a pair of his best, soft-soled leather boots. I'd noticed them in the store before, they were ridiculously expensive as is, but now that they've been customized with the same scaled pattern as the suit…

I shake my head in awe. "Hale, I-I don't know what to say," I rub the fabric between my fingers, marveling at the snake-like softness to it. "This is just… amazing."

"The material resembles dragon skin, at least that's what the book said," he mumbles the last half more to himself, "and it's extremely durable, insulated, and completely fireproof. Sensei Wu told me what happened to your shoulder-"

"You talked to Sensei?"

He shrugs. "I have some teas in the shop I like to share with certain customers, but that's not the point," he shakes his head. "An injury like that won't happen while you're wearing this. The scales will spread the blow across the entire suit and minimize the damage. The only way you're getting hurt is if someone manages to stab you right between the scales."

He grimaces slightly. "I started to make this suit after… after I found you in the woods, to keep you safe. But after everything that happened, well… I never found a chance to give it to you."

"Hale, this is beyond anything I could ever have imagined," I shake my head. "I don't even know how I can begin to pay you back-"

"Don't worry about it," he waves the thought away. "It's a gift."

I give him a smile. "Well, thank you. This will really help me out. Especially today."

"Thanks," he smiles back. "Your praise means a lot to me, Iris. I mean, Ash."

I falter. "You still call me that?"

He grimaces. "It's who I remember you as," he lets out a sigh. "Then again, you're kind of different than the girl I remember from the village, and Desmond changed you much more than he changed me."

I grasp at his arm without thinking. "Desmond changed both of us drastically, Hale. I just managed to run away."

Hale's eyes soften on mine as he relaxes under my touch, sparking with something I can't explain as a new voice enters our conversation.

"Hale? What are you doing here?"

Hale's expression darkens dramatically as Cole approaches. I take my arm away and glance toward the others. They're making final adjustments to the Ultrasonic Raider under Nya's guidance and seem completely unaware of the bitter argument that's about to ensue.

"Just dropping by to watch the race," Hale answers carefully, his eyes never moving from Cole's. "I do every year."

"He made me a suit," I hold it up for Cole to scrutinize. "It'll keep me from getting hurt again."

Cole moves his eyes from Hale and notices the suit in my hands for the first time. He glances at the other guy before pulling me aside a few inches.

"So what's the catch?"

"Catch? Cole, do you see this?" I hold the suit up higher. "It's absolutely amazing."

"Right. What if he's just telling you it's amazing so you'll take more risks?" his voice rises a few decibels. "What if he's trying to get you hurt?"

I give him a pointed look. "He wouldn't hurt me."

"Really? Cause he seemed perfectly capable of shooting arrows at your face-"

"Cole, I told you already, Hale's changed," my eyes bore into his. "Desmond warped his mind just as much as he warped mine. He saved Lloyd when he could have let him get kidnapped by snakes. Sensei has conversations with him over tea!"

"Sensei also trusted Garmadon before he stole our weapons and sailed off without us," Cole hisses back. "I'm just telling you to be careful around Hale. Something's really off about that guy."

"Oh, I'm sorry, Cole, are you angry she's actually beginning to trust me?" Hale's gray eyes cloud with hostility.

"Back off, Hale," Cole growls. "Your good-guy act might convince the others, but you're going to have to do more than play hero to convince me."

"Is that what this is about?" Hale snorts. "You're jealous I can protect her more than you can?"

Cole fists clench tightly at his sides. "I'll never be jealous of you," he snarls. "Just like I'll never trust you."

"What will it take, Cole?" Hale stalks a bit closer. "Do you want me to just walk away? Say you're the winner and leave? Because I never will. Our little contest might not have been serious, but the wager sure was. I will fight you so long as I have a chance of redeeming myself to her."

Cole's jaw clenches at the mention of the game they played so many months ago, with the chance to date me as the reward. The memory pisses me off too, but for an entirely different reason.

"You've done more damage than you could ever fix," Cole hisses. "Not with all the gifts and nice words in the world."

"My suit will protect her much more than your dragon bracelet ever will."

"You helped your dad try to kill her."

"I've known her since childhood."

Cole snorts. "Funny, cause I'm her boyfriend."

Something sinister sparks around Hale's clenched hand, and I finally can't hold back anymore.

"That's it, from both of you," I growl. "I don't care what either of you thinks about the other, but I want it to stop Now. I'm going to go put this suit on and when I come back the two of you had better be such good friends you're finishing each other's sentences and wearing matching outfits, understand?"

Neither of them tear their gaze away from the other when I'm finished, and even when I pick up the box and start to move away they stay tense, frozen like statues.

"Men," I grumble under my breath as I head toward the bathrooms.


The suit is sleek and soft against my skin, molding comfortably to my shape without being vacuum-sealed to my body. I look at myself in the bathroom mirror, noting with a small smile how intimidatingly red my eyes blaze against the black and crimson.

I start tugging my hair into a ponytail, then pause as my thumb brushes against something at the bottom of my neck- a thin, long slit just below the collar. Curious, I drop my hair and reach into the slit, feeling softer material against my fingers. I tug on it and the fabric falls out in two connected pieces, one crimson, one black. I stare at it curiously for a few seconds before I realize it's a hood and mask. Like the ninja's, but sleeker.

I pull it on carefully, smelling Hale's lofty scent as I pull the crimson part over my face. It melts seamlessly down my neck into the red slash on my top, while the black side curves down the back of my head and blends perfectly with the rest of the outfit. I can't hold back a breath of admiration at Hale's perfect handiwork.

The announcers' voices drone from the outside, declaring a five-minute warning. I make one last attempt to try and stuff my hair into my hood, but the thick strands just tumble back into my face as I leave the bathroom and head back to the racetrack.

"Welcome, everyone, to the 14th Annual Ninjaball Run!" an announcer chimes over the speakers.

"The grand prix where it doesn't matter how you get there as long as you get there first," the second announcer adds.

A thousand eyes follow me as I make my way along the edge of the racetrack and toward the starting line. My stomach flops at the thought of so many people watching, and I struggle to force the feeling aside and concentrate on the task at hand.

"Well, let's take a look at the racers," the first announcer says.

"I see the starter's line," the second announcer says excitedly. "We have a few familiar faces…"

Lloyd lands the Ultra Dragon with a slam as I step into my spot beside him, wincing a little as the mailman next to him falls off his bike with a, "Watch it, you big oaf!"

"We also see some new ones," the first announcer continues. "There are the famed ninja and, who's this? The Queen of Ninjago?"

The butterflies in my stomach do backflips through a ring of fireworks.

"With a wonderful new outfit, too," the second announcer adds. "Technically, she has no vehicle, but here at Ninjaball Run, whatever wins the cup is good enough!"

"You look nervous, Lloyd, you okay?" Cole asks from the other side of Ultra Dragon as I try to calm my quivering hands.

"Maybe for you guys," Lloyd chuckles. "I'm totally fine."

"Are you alright, Ash?" Zane's voice pulls me out of my slight hysteria.

"Yeah," I shake my head as I step out from behind the dragon to face them. "I'm fine. Just- uh- a little jittery."

"Wow, so that's the outfit Hale made you?" Kai looks up from fixing a tread. He shoves a few fallen strands of auburn hair from his forehead. "How'd he get your measurements?"

Cole's eyes narrow and I roll mine. "Seriously, he lived with my father for a few years. All he had to do was ask."

"I think it looks cool," Jay shuffles closer to inspect my suit. He pinches my sleeve and Spitfire whirls, shining bright red beneath the slightly translucent material. "This must be scalatian silk. It's extremely rare, but super-durable and-"

"Completely fireproof," I finish. I give him a cheeky smile. "My favorite part's the hood."

"Yeah, you look like a real ninja now," Kai grins.

I shake my head as I pull down the mask. "Not a ninja. An assassin, remember? Even if it was a one-time-only deal."

"Now one final thing," Nya jumps down from the Ultrasonic Raider, ending the conversation. "I installed a pretty cool upgrade, so if you're ever in a really tight spot, pull that lever. What it does is-"

The roar of an engine completely drowns out Nya as I catch a blur of gray among the bright colors of the audience. I look up and notice Hale taking the seat beside Sensei Wu, who greets him with polite nod. Hale notices my gaze and smiles back, offering a small wave before the announcers bring my attention back to the race.

"Alright, the race is about to start and officials are saying pit crews must take their places! We're about to begin!"

A truck pulls up in a chorus of sonorous voices, and Cole's face brightens with a smile.

"Look, it's my dad," he points out, giving me a sideways glance that makes me smile. It's been a while since Cole confessed to his father, and seeing their relationship recover so well is comforting.

Another car pulls up in a wild squeal of tires, blocking Cole's dad and pulling a loud groan from Jay's lips.

"Oh, no."

"Jay, Jay!" his mother waves frantically from the passenger side of the car before turning to her husband. "Oh, look, he sees us, Ed."

"I see, Edna, you don't have to embarrass the boy," Jay's father chuckles from behind the wheel.

"Ugh, is there anyone we don't have to compete against?" Jay gripes just as a massive dark portal appears from nowhere and a giant skeleton truck crashes onto the race track. Everyone gasps.

"Wait a minute; it appears some skeletons have crashed the party!" the second announcer comments. "Is this against the rules?"

"Rules?" the first announcer snorts. "There's only one rule in Ninjaball Run, and that's cross the finish line first! Let's take a look at the course!"

The crowd and racers look up at the pillar of screens that descends above the racetrack as the announcer outlines the course.

"The first grueling leg starts out on the streets of Ninjago City and empties out into the treacherous Sea of Sand. Racers, look out for the dangerous trade-away known as Crash Course Canyon where the slightest mistake can be your last!" he says dramatically. "The next two legs of the race take us into the winding maze known as the Birchwood Forest! Then through the perilous and icy Glacier Barrens! Finally, in the fourth and final leg, racers must beat the desert heat in the Badlands, which then takes us back to the finish line here at the heart of Ninjago City!"

"Looks like this is it," Kai mutters. His voice quavers with the slightest trace of nerves, but his eyes are determined and intense.

"Feel free to land with us or Lloyd if you need to recharge, okay?" Cole's gaze flicks to the archer in the crowd. He lowers his voice as if Hale might hear. "Are you sure you trust Hale's word on this?"

I nod. "You heard what Jay said about it," I reassure him. "I'll be fine. The only thing you should be worried about is that $100,000 cash prize."

He doesn't look entirely convinced, but doesn't say anything. Instead, he gives me a hug that lasts a few seconds longer than usual before climbing into the Ultrasonic Raider. Lloyd throws me a thumbs up as I make my way back to my spot under his dragon's wing. Spitfire swirls expectantly under my sleeve.

"One final word," the first announcer adds suddenly. "Let's have a good clean race!"

"I thought there were no rules," Lloyd chuckles down to me, and I laugh.

"So good luck to everyone!" the first announcer finishes as the overhead screen flashes with a red light.

Lloyd clenches the reins tightly in his hands as the other racers rev their engines and inch a little closer to the starting line. I pull the mask back over my face and take a calming breath, smelling the traces of Hale's scent still infused in the fabric.

The light flashes to yellow.

"On your mark…" the first announcer counts down. "Get set…"

Cole is wrong about Hale, I know it. So much time trying so hard to redeem himself to me… It can't be a lie, can it?

The light changes to green as the announcer shouts, "Ninjaball, go!"

My thoughts explode away from my mind as I sputter forward in a cloud of flames. Lloyd calls to his dragon and it lurches into the air behind me with a roar. I wait for the telltale sound of the Ultrasonic Raider surging forward after us and the other racers, but instead there's an explosive crash. I glance over my shoulder long enough to see the Raider's tread rip itself apart, allowing the other racers to scream past it in clouds of smoke. I hesitate, caught between helping them and going after Lloyd, but I catch Sensei's eyes in the crowd and he waves me forward. I swallow my hesitation and keep going.

I fly just above the middle floor of the high-rises that surround us, following the tip of the Ultra Dragon's tail as I try to conserve my energy. It wouldn't be good to sputter out during the first leg. But then Lloyd veers off in an entirely different direction, turning away from the course and out to another part of the city.

"Lloyd?"

"Go on without me!" he shouts as he gets farther and farther off track. "I'll catch up!"

I stifle a hopeless grimace. Less than five minutes into the race and I've already lost my backup. Even if they somehow manage to catch up, I'll probably be out of fire by then. At this rate, we'll be lucky to even place.

I struggle to force my doubts aside and focus back the race.

I keep pace easily with the mid-level racers, conserving as much energy as I can. Without the ninja or Lloyd, I'm going to need to be careful about how much power I'm using.

The section of building beside me suddenly explodes in my face, nearly knocking me out of the sky as I'm thrown into an opposing street sign. I blink to recover from the smack of splintered wood and stone to my face and glance downward to notice a van of familiar pirates armed with a small cannon.

"We meet again, Queen of Ninjago!" the captain shouts up at me, brandishing his sword. I scowl back. "Do you like our fireworks?"

"I'll show you fireworks," I hiss as an orb of flames scorches around my hand. I send it streaking toward them in a hiss of fire, but another bus appears out of nowhere and deflects it into another building. It takes me a few seconds to process it, but then I recognize the green-tailed bus of snakes. A growl dies in my throat. As much as I'd love to knock them and the pirates into an alley, I have to conserve my firepower. I force myself to drop my arms and streak forward, blazing ahead until I'm almost in line with the lead: Jay's parents. A pleasant surprise given how ancient their car looks.

The race empties into the desert and I rise in a disturbing spatter of fire. As the other racers fan out beneath me, I focus on the outline of the canyon ahead. Maybe I can land there long enough to recharge without putting myself too far behind…

Below me, Jay's parents release the inflated canvas balloons on their tires, sending them bouncing into the other racers. The pirates are hit straight on, tumbling end over end into the sand where they come to an explosive stop. The captain lets out a furious roar and I can't hold back a snicker as I enter the canyon.

I just cross into the shadow of the cliff when my fire sizzles in a hiss of smoke and I realize with a cartoonish expression that I'm all out of power.

I drop, a wild scream tearing away from my lips as I plummet toward the unforgiving rock face blow.

I land on something hard, jarring my entire right side as my shoulder hits, but surprisingly there's no bolt of pain. I open my eyes and find myself completely undamaged and riding on the top of a familiar vehicle.

"Hey, Ash," Jay calls up to me through the window. He grins. "Nice of you to drop in!"

"Are you alright?" Zane asks, craning his neck slightly to see me.

"Yeah, fine," I look myself over a couple more times, but nothing feels broken. "Looks like the suit works."

"We're also no longer in last!" Jay whoops from his seat. "Things are looking up!"

A dark shadow suddenly blankets the Ultrasonic Raider, and I sit up as it slows to follow us.

"Oh no, Garmadon!" Kai shouts as the Bounty looms into view behind us.

"What?" Jay gasps as the other three follow my gaze.

"Dammit," I growl as the Bounty's roar joins the Raider's. "He must know we're trying to save the dojo!"

I stand up carefully, balancing myself on the jolting Raider as I try to give myself lift. A few scattered flames curl around my ankles, but sputter out. Above, one of the Bounty's cannon slides out.

"I can't get up there!" I shout. "And he's prepping a shot!"

"Ah, we're sitting ducks!" Jay cries. "There's nowhere to run!"

"Ash, can you make a shield or something?" Cole shouts up, and I nod in response.

"But I don't know how big I can make it!" I yell. "There isn't much time!"

"Do whatever you can!" Kai looks up at me with a pleading gaze. "Anything's better than nothing!"

I turn back toward the Bounty as it moves to our side for a wider shot. I concentrate my power, gathering a wide circle of flames around my hand and every speck of power I can manage from Spitfire. My head strains and my vision pops as I struggle to use every bit of power that exists in my body to sculpt into a shield. I glance up at the Bounty, at the cannon aimed right at the Raider, and I know it won't be enough. Not so soon. I clench my eyes shut.

A loud roar rips through my thoughts. My eyes fly open just as Ultra Dragon veers around the corner and knocks into the Bounty, sending it into a wild pivoting turn just as the cannon fires. The black dot of the cannonball flies toward us in a wide arc still aimed to hit us, but now I'm prepared.

"Ash?" Jay calls up nervously as I concentrate my power and turn it into a flaming red disc around my hand.

"I got it," I raise my hand and face the giant rock of iron head on. I throw all of my power behind my shield as the cannonball hits and the world explodes in a burst of fire, sand, and blistering heat. My arm shudders and nearly gives, but I push back against the crushing force with all of my strength.

The massive weight suddenly vanishes as the canyon walls reappear around me. I let out a burst of air as my lungs heave for breath and a chorus of cheers erupts beneath my feet.

"You did it, Ash!" Jay shouts.

"No," I shake my head. "It was Lloyd. He bought us the time I needed."

"Nice going, Lloyd!" Kai yells as Ultra Dragon soars just above us. The reins suddenly appear in front of the Ultrasonic Raider followed by a falling Lloyd who just manages to catch them before he hits the sand.

"You saved us," Cole thanks him from the driver's seat.

"I did?" Lloyd asks in disbelief as he steadies himself on the lurching reins. "I mean, I did! Hey, what do you say we work together?"

"Yeah," Jay agrees. "I say we show them what we ninja, and assassin, are all about!"

A few sparse flames curl around my ankles when I focus, and I manage a smile.

"I should be recharged soon," I say. "Then we can really show them everything we've got."

"Good," Cole grins as he steps on the gas. "Because we have a cup to win."


Cole's dad crashes into a snowbank right in front of me, sending snow flying into my face as I gain some altitude and try to avoid it. My flames shudder in the freezing air, but hold.

"We'll never get through those trees to catch up," Kai's voice carries to me as I catch up to the Raider.

"I'll find a shortcut," Lloyd shouts from his dragon. "Up, boy!"

The dragon soars higher into the trees at his word, and I can't hold back a proud smile.

He returns a few seconds later. "Follow me!" he shouts, leading us down a thinner path with a loud cry of excitement.

"Wow, he's getting the hang of it," Jay whistles.

"And it looks like we made up the lost time," Cole adds before looking up at me. "Ash, keep a lookout. We don't want any surprises, especially with Garmadon hanging around."

"Duly noted, captain," I give him a mock salute as I rise into the towering trees.

As if on cue, the skeletons' monster truck comes alive with movement, and a giant crane skeleton hand flies out from its top, reaching for Ultra Dragon.

"Lloyd, watch out!" I yell as the hand curls around the dragon's leg and, as the truck turns sharply, tugs him toward the ground. I rush forward instinctively, sending a burst of fire toward the chain that misses and careens wildly into the sky.

"Ash, get out of there!" Cole's voice yells to me from nowhere as one of Ultra Dragon's wings slams into me, sending me flying backwards. The sky and ground spiral over and around me as I struggle to right myself, then something tugs on me from below and the world shakily returns to normal.

"You okay?" one of three Kais asks as I scrunch against him in the seat.

I blink and gradually the three Kais solidify into one. "Yeah, I'm fine," I shake my head before craning to look out the window, but all I see are barren trees and snow. "What about Lloyd?"

"He's out of the race," Zane answers. "The skeletons are too."

"I should go back for him-"

"Lloyd will be fine, Ash," Kai says.

I give him a pointed look. "Last time you said that, snakes raided our apartment and tried to kidnap him."

"Garmadon is doing everything he can to stop us from winning the race," the Raider lurches as Cole turns to avoid a careening car. I wonder not for the first time how he managed to get his license. "His focus is on us today, not Lloyd."

A hiss of smoke slips between my teeth, making Kai cough. I quickly apologize. "Alright," I glance up at the hatch. "I guess I'll get back out there then."

"Stay in here a bit," Cole says before I can leave. "The road's about to get really bumpy, and we can't afford to lose you just yet."

"Just yet?" I raise an eyebrow. "Trying to get rid of me already, I see."

Cole rolls his eyes. "I've seen the bags you and Nya come home with. I don't think I trust you with $100,000."

"You weren't complaining when I bought that dress a few weeks back," I smirk, and Kai lets out a snicker.

I settle back against the red ninja, squirming a little to try and give him more room. The attempt is minimally successful.


The Raider lurches as we start our ascent up a mountain. Other racers scream past us and into igloos, barely avoiding unsuspecting people as they rush by. The mailman flies into a snowman and disappears into a snow bank, earning a decent flinch from all of us.

"Careful, Cole," I cringe as another racer wipes out. My ears strain against the sudden difference in air pressure, but settle as Zane punches a few buttons to equalize it. "Let's not lose because you decided to run us off the road."

"You kidding, Ash?" Kai chuckles beside me as we scream past a dozen racers. "Nothing can stop us now!"

Something pops and the Raider shudders, blaring an alarm through the pod. The screen in front of Kai suddenly flashes with a row of blinking circles, but I still don't understand what's going on.

"Did we hit something?"

"No," Zane shakes his head. "We've used up all of our fuel! We're not going to make it to the finish line!"

"No," my mind scrambles. "There has to be something."

"We're running on fumes," Kai scowls at his screen. He swipes a hand over a few options. "I'm trying to reroute some of our energy, but it's not going to last."

Jay grimaces. "Aw, I don't want to say it, guys, but I think our goose is cooked!"

A horn blares from outside and we look up to see Jay's parents grinning back at us.

"You guys look like you could use a hand there!" Jay's dad shouts. "We heard on the radio that you're all trying to save Dareth's dojo!"

"Oh, yeah, we're so proud of you, son!" Jay's mom beams from the passenger seat.

"Thanks, mom!" Jay yells back, his face flaming with embarrassment. "But we're out of gas!"

"Ooh, then take ours!"

Jay glances backward at the stream of racers still clinging to the road. He grimaces. "But how? If we stop now we'll lose the lead!"

"Well then, we'll have to do this the hard way, son," Jay's dad grins as he pulls a long coiled tube from beneath his seat.

Jay's dad hands the wheel over to his wife before he carefully crawls over the back of their car toward their gas tank. The hatch opens above our heads and Jay starts to head out into the cold mountain air.

"Ash, where are you going?" Kai asks as I start to clamber out after Jay.

"To make sure he doesn't fall," I answer as I emerge onto the top of the Raider. I carefully get to my feet, heart lurching a little as the Raider clatters over ice and snow.

"Take this end, son!" Jay's dad shouts from their car as he holds the open end of the tube toward Jay. The blue ninja carefully shuffles toward him and I follow, bracing myself against the brutal wind and cold as Jay descends to the gas tank. He wobbles a little on his feet, tensing every muscle in my body before he regains his footing.

"Keep it steady," he calls nervously to Cole, who slows down just a touch.

Jay opens the tank with trembling hands as the other racers appear over the crest of a high hill, moving closer with every second. The Bounty looms high over them, hanging like a guillotine over our heads as it crawls closer.

"I don't mean to rush you, Jay, but we're kind of in a hurry," I grimace as a flurry of loose snow flies into my face.

"I'm hurrying!" Jay grabs hold of the tube and connects it to the gas tank before turning to his father. "Ready, dad!"

Jay's father wrenches a lever on the tube, unleashing sloshing gas that flows from their car to ours. The Bounty streaks toward us, casting a shadow over the Raider. I tense as a dozen dark shapes suddenly plummet from the ship and I realize with a start they're snakes being thrown overboard. A few of them land on the back of the green bus a ways behind us, and as they get to their feet they glare at us with murderous gazes.

"Cole!" I yell over my shoulder, hoping he can hear me before I turn to Jay. "We don't have much time."

"I know, I know!" he shakes the tube a little. "But this thing is going too slow!"

"We've got company, boys!" Cole's head appears from the front of the Raider as he warns Kai and Zane of the advancing bus snakes. I tighten my stance on the lurching vehicle as they leap from the bus and onto the Raider.

I vaguely hear Jay's voice as a burst of fire blazes from my hands and into the oncoming wave of snakes. A few of them scream and fall sideways into the snow, but a few make it through and snap at me with scaled hands and fangs. One of them grasps at my arms, but I pitch him over the edge with a solid blow to the stomach.

"We need some help, guys!" Jay shouts desperately as I barely avoid a snap at my neck.

"We've got your back!" Zane's voice is whipped away by the wind as he and Cole make their way toward us. A snake swings wildly at my head and I catch his arm, twisting it until he cries out and tumbles from the Raider.

A blaze of red catches my eye and I see a snake crawling toward the gas tank with a sinister chuckle. My eyes fly to Cole.

"Cole, the gas!" I yell as I'm almost shoved off the Raider by a strong wind. Cole notices and moves to dispatch the snake. My gaze follows him for a second before I'm suddenly grabbed from behind. A snake hisses into my ear and I barely turn, meeting his eyes filled with panic as he teeters on the edge of the Raider.

"Let go!" I scream as I try to tear its grip away from my shoulder, but I'm pulled too far off balance. The Raider disappears under my feet as we both tumble into the snow

The snake's scaled hands tug on my body in a desperate attempt to stop me, but I struggle against him, willing all my fire into my legs and hands as I drive my palms into his chest. He screams and finally lets me go, throwing me violently into the air with a screech of steam.

The world slowly settles around me, and I blink away the haze in time to see every racer tumble down the face of the mountain in a wild and uncontrolled avalanche of snow and racers that comes to a stop just feet from the cliffside.

"Oh no," I breathe as I streak down toward the familiar and, thankfully, mostly unharmed shape of the Raider at the bottom of the cliff. I nearly make it before my fire sputters out and I plummet into the snow.

"Ash!" Cole's voice calls from somewhere as I struggle to remember which way is up. "Are you alright?"

I sit up carefully, wincing a little as my face stings. I wipe at it, streaking blood across my fingers in a blaze of scarlet. I rub it away in the snow and get to my feet a little dizzyingly. "Yeah, I'm fine," I answer Cole, shaking my head to clear it. "Must've scratched myself on the landing."

He frowns a little. "I thought-"

"The hood doesn't cover that part of my face," I give him a pointed look. "I'm fine."

"Good, because we're going to have to fix the Raider and fast if we're going to win this race," Kai says as he and Zane start to work on restarting the engine.

"Wait, stop!" Jay rushes off toward the steaming wreckage of his parents' car. They stand a little off to the side, looking up as Jay approaches them. Thankfully, they seem unhurt.

"Oh, thank goodness you're okay," Jay breathes a heavy sigh of relief. Any trace of his earlier embarrassment is gone, instead replaced by the love he obviously feels for his overbearing parents.

"Oh, we're fine, son," Jay's father chuckles. He glances back at their totaled car. "I just wish I could say the same for the old Jalopy."

"Yeah, shame she didn't get to the finish line," his wife sighs.

Jay stares at the car for a second, a plan clicking into his green irises as he grabs a pipe from the hood. "I'll make sure a part of her will," he promises just as the Raider roars to life behind us.

"Looks like you're riding with me again, Ash," Kai says as he and Zane start to climb back into their spots. I wipe another streak of blood from my face and start toward the Raider.

"You sure you're alright?" Cole asks again. I roll my eyes.

"Peachy," I answer. I give him a smile to hopefully calm his raging nerves. "Just as long as there are no driving mishaps until we get to the finish line."

He answers my smile with one of his own as we again pile into the Raider. All that's left of the dozens of racers that entered the completion are us, the Bounty that flies ahead, and mangled bits of ruined cars. I grimace.

"Looks like it's down to us and Garmadon," I flinch as Kai accidentally digs his elbow into my side. He quickly apologizes.

"We just need to keep our focus," Zane says, though his hands tighten imperceptibly beneath his gloves. It's a little unnerving to see the usually resolute nindroid so rattled, but I try not to focus on it for too long.

Jay is the last one to enter the Raider. He takes a few seconds to attach the small bit of his parents' vehicle to the front of our own before jumping into his seat, nodding to Cole to pull down the hatch as the engine roars.

"Let's go," Jay grins under his hood. "We've got a dojo to save."


"Looks like it's just us and Garmadon," Cole grins as the Bounty looms above us. Empty stretches of desert sand and electrical poles sprawl on either side of the road, and, in the distance, we can see the outline of Ninjago City.

"This time, let's make sure the good guys don't finish last," Kai says as he reaches over to push a lever. The speedometer's number on screen starts to climb as the Raider speeds up, pushing close to 100 as we start to gain on the Bounty and then overtake it.

"Heh, looks like we have this in the bag," Jay chuckles as the Bounty grows smaller behind us.

Movement ahead catches my attention. "Guys, what's that?" I ask, raising my arm in the scrunched space to point to where a dark smudge begins to split the sand in front of us, spreading and thickening before our eyes.

"Huh?" Kai follows my finger to where the smudge has grown.

Something clicks in my head. "It's a cliff!"

Cole slams on the brakes, nearly throwing us all onto the dashboard as the Raider screeches and swings toward the gaping canyon that's suddenly opened before us. We come to a screaming stop just an inch before we tumble off the cliffside, barely regaining our wits before the Bounty flies past us, speeding toward Ninjago City.

"Ugh, that's totally cheating!" Jay cries after it as Cole straightens the Raider out. Being so close to the cliff had nearly stopped my heart, so the distance is very welcome.

"Guys, it's impossible to cross that divide," Zane grimaces.

"Ash, you have to get to the Bounty!" Cole turns to me. "You're our only chance!"

"Right," I open the hatch above us and start to feel the flow of power surge into my limbs. "Just-uh, be careful, alright?"

"Don't worry about us," Kai says as I emerge into the arid, dusty air. "Just win the race. We'll catch up if we can."

I nod and burst from the roof in a scatter of flames. The Bounty is far ahead of us now, but I with a push of fire I easily catch up. My fire flickers as I come in line with the deck, but thankfully holds as I keep pace with the ship.

Don't go out, don't go out I grit my teeth as my hands clench around my flames. I cannot lose. Not only is Dareth's dojo on the line, but Lloyd's training as well. It's taken us this long to find him a suitable place to begin to work on his power. Losing the dojo now could ruin everything we've worked for. I have to win, I have to-

Something crashes into me, blowing me out of the sky and into something solid. My face hits with a scream from the tear across my cheek, but thankfully nothing else hurts. I tug off my mask to wipe the new smear of blood from my face and get my bearings, but something slams into my side, throwing me onto my back with a crack of my head.

"I see you're meddling in things again," Garmadon's blazing red eyes find mine. He grasps a massive staff in one hand and leans against it heavily, like he's exhausted from throwing snakes off the side of the deck. Still, he kicks me again, hard enough to rattle my head against the floor. "I thought it was the rulers' duty to watch Ninjago, not interfere in its business."

"A threat against my friends is a threat against me," I wipe a streak of blood from my face as I struggle to my feet. "There are no rules against personal business, especially against tyrants."

"Tyrant?" he chuckles as he stalks closer. "Need I remind you of your own mistakes? Trusting complete strangers over your own father, choosing them over the man who raised you."

"I did what I knew was right," I let my hands drop to my sides. "Just as Desmond did when he tried to avenge his wife's death. All the good was squashed out of him the day she died, but you've showed us that there's still some good inside you."

I take a step toward him. "Please, Garmadon, I know you're better than this, and Lloyd does too. He loves you, he really does, but you and him can't be a family again until something changes. You can prove to him you're not all bad. You can prove to him you're the hero he wants to believe you are. Please. End this now."

I let out a strangled cry as Garmadon grabs my throat, pulling me up off the ground despite his weakened state. I claw at the hand crushing my windpipe, but he doesn't let go.

"What do you know of my son?" he hisses into my face. My vision strangles and pops with bursts of color as his hand tightens on my throat. "You would drag him into your war against evil, use him as a soldier for your own cause. Don't you see I'm trying to save him? If he never becomes a ninja, he will never have to fight me. He will eventually come to his senses and join me where he belongs. You know nothing of peace, your highness."

I struggle to take in enough breath to say something, anything, but he just tightens his hold as he lurches toward the side of the ship.

"You may have chosen your friends over your father, but I will make it so Lloyd never has to choose," he holds me over railing and lets my feet dangle in empty air. White noise screams between my ears as I struggle to focus enough to spark some sort of fire inside me, but my energy is quickly slipping away to blackness. "I will make it so he never has to fall victim to meaningless prophecies, I will make it so he never has to fight me, I will make it so he will never choose worthless friends over his own father." – he leans close to me, red eyes burning into mine as my vision swims with black dots- "He will be free."

The iron vice around my throat disappears and, for a second, my lungs fill gratefully with air before time restarts and I plummet. My chest shudders with a croak as I struggle to scream, to try and right myself, but I can't. The ground rises up to meet me and I'm powerless to stop it.

My body slams against something too soon, hard enough to knock the weak breath out of me for a second time. My eyes fly open as I feel a familiar smooth metal beneath me and an even more familiar face next to mine.

"Kai pulled the lever," Cole explains as I look up at him with a mixture of extreme shock, confusion, and gratitude.

"I'm glad you did," I answer in a feeble voice, coughing slightly as the air slowly starts to move more normally through my throat. "Remind me to buy Nya a gift when we're done."

"We're almost to the finish line!" Jay shouts a little farther up the Raider-plane as we pass the outer edge of the city and reenter the streets. Cole and I crawl up closer to him and Zane, watching in anticipation as the Bounty and Raider fly neck and neck toward the center of town and the finish line.

We turn a corner and a crowd of screaming people meets us, flying past us in a blur of color as we streak toward the finish line. My hand finds Cole's and he squeezes it tight as we fly toward it at top speed with the Bounty just above us.

We scream over the line just as Kai forces the Raider down and onto the street in a squeal of sparks and metal, twisting it just in time to not crash into a tower. We disembark from the Raider, looking at each other in a few seconds of stunned relief and anticipation before the entire crowd of people surrounds us, chanting god-knows-what before we're suddenly lifted into the air, me with a slight scream.

"You almost gave me a heart attack, princess," a familiar voice says beneath me, and I look down to find myself on Hale's shoulders. "On more than one occasion."

I smile back at him. "I hope it was worth it," I cough as I tug a little at the fabric around my neck. The speakers suddenly scream to life.

"Ladies and gentlemen, we have a winner!" the first announcer blares over the speaker, and the crowd goes completely silent. Everyone's attention flies to the screen where the last second of the race is displayed.

"It's close," Hale whispers, his hands tightening slightly around my ankles.

I hold my breath as the picture expands, but then red circle surrounds the small pipe Jay had pulled from his parents' car and attached to the Raider's nosepiece… giving us an extra inch that pushed us over the finish line!

"The ninja! The ninja have won!" the announcer shouts as the crowd goes completely nuts. I let out a barely contained scream of excitement as Hale lifts me from his shoulders and pulls me into a tight hug.

"You did it, Ash," he mutters into my ear in stark contrast to the screaming crowd.

"Thanks to your suit," I smile as I pull away. "I wouldn't have survived half of that without you."

Hale smiles softly back, but whatever his response is, it's cut off by a brutal voice.

"No, that's not fair!" Garmadon shouts from beside the Bounty, watching as Jay tugs off the pipe that won us the race. "That thing wasn't even part of the vehicle in the first place! It's not even street legal! My ship was-"

"Your ship?" Lloyd's voice pierces through the crowd, and I look up to see the small and his Ultra Dragon looming together on the Bounty. He glares down at his father. "I believe this belongs to us."

Police sirens blare as two cops screech to a stop beside the Bounty. They leave their cars and approach the would-be overlord. "Alright, Garmadon," the first of them says. "You're coming with us."

There's another squeal of tires and the cops are suddenly intercepted by the familiar green shape of the snakes' bus. Before anyone can move, Garmadon clambers onto the bus and screeches away and around a corner, disappearing from sight in seconds.

"Well, I guess that's that," Jay shrugs.

"You're not going after them?" Hale asks.

I shake my head. "I think we've had enough of saving people today. One victory's enough."

"You're telling me, princess!" Dareth's voice blares from nearby as he revels over the giant bowl of a trophy filled to the brim with money. "We did it! We saved the dojo!"

"We?" Kai raises an eyebrow with a chuckle. "I didn't see you risking your life on the track."

The excited sensei completely ignores him as he turns to us with an ecstatic grin. "Look what I can do! Cannonball!" Dareth leaps into the trophy, sending a spray of money flying to our faces as he sits comfortably among the bundles. Everyone bursts into laughter as he looks up with us with his usual happy-go-lucky face and wades among the pile of money.

"I should probably get back to the shop," Hale chuckles as I turn to him. "I have to finish some stuff for tomorrow."

"Why don't you stay and celebrate with us, Hale?" Zane asks, and the archer looks up with him with barely concealed surprise.

"Yeah, no offense, Ash, but without your suit you probably would've gotten squashed," Jay adds with a slight laugh.

"Thanks for the overwhelming confidence," I roll my eyes.

"But really," Kai says. "You helped us out. This victory is just as much yours as it is ours."

Hale's gray eyes move to the black ninja, who meets his gaze with a carefully controlled expression. "Only if Cole invites me."

Cole's jaw shifts, but he says nothing.

"Come on, Cole, his suit kept Ash safe," Jay pushes his arm, but he still doesn't budge. "Isn't that enough for you?"

"If it helps, I detect no traces of deception or harmful intent from him," Zane adds.

Cole lets out a growl. "Fine," he grumbles as if he's pulling out a tooth. "If you guys think he's okay, who am I to be a stick in the mud?"

"Was that really so hard?" I ask, giving him a smile that he doesn't return.

"Yes," he scowls before giving me a pointed look. "But I swear this is as far as I go. We are not going to wear matching outfits."

"Never," Hale grimaces. "I look terrible in black."

"Surprise, surprise."

Hale gives Cole a look. "What happened to being a stick in the mud?"

Cole clicks his tongue. "I'm just saying, only certain people can pull off full black. Then again, you didn't have much of a problem wearing it when you were pretending to be Fang or whatever-"

"Cole!"

"At least I wear a different color palette every once in a while," Hale scowls back. "I mean, seriously, are all the clothes you have copies of the same outfit? Because every time I see you you're wearing the same thing-"

"Hale, stop-"

"We have to be prepared to fight evil at any time, day or not," Cole narrows his eyes. "Sorry, Hale, but not all of us can sit around dusty weapon shops and dream about other people's girlfriends all the time-"

"That's enough from both of you!" I shout loud enough to snap them out of their argument. They've moved so close to each other that in just another few inches they would be nose to nose.

"He started it!" they both growl, glaring at one another as they realize the other said the same thing.

"Well, that's a start," I laugh as everyone apart from Hale and Cole bursts back into laughter. The two guys stay tense, but the hostility between them seems to have lessened, if only a little bit.

Progress I think to myself. Progress.