Welcome to the end of the hiatus :) So sorry for the wait- I drove myself insane trying to figure out a way around it, but I couldn't. But hey, it gave me a chance to do some story-planning so hopefully it'll show in the next few chapters. If you have any questions (especially about characters, given that some... new things will be revealed) please don't hesitate to ask. I have ideas that don't always make it to the page, so I want to be sure you're understanding everything to its fullest extent.
Anyway, I'll let you get to the reading :)
- Fell_and_Fallen -
"Lloyd… Lloyd!"
Lloyd finally looks away from the side of the ship and back toward us, his eyes distant and distracted. The sound of kids laughing below cuts through the cold mountain air and onto the deck of the ship.
"Concentrate!" Kai presses for the third time in a row.
"Now that the Bounty is in our possession again, we can train you more effectively, but you'll have to focus," Zane steps forward. I can tell he's trying to be more positive with Lloyd than Kai, despite the small ninja's lack of enthusiasm. He gives the kid an encouraging smile. "One more time."
"Aw, but we've been training all day," Lloyd grumbles.
"It's all to get you ready to face your father," Cole says.
"Exactly. How do you expect to save the world if you're not ready?" I ruffle Lloyd's hair. He tugs away from me and I frown.
"Now, in position," Cole directs Lloyd back to the center of the deck, and he ambles forward with a heavy sigh. It's obvious something's weighing him down, but as the boys pull down their hoods I realize I won't get any answers. I sigh and copy their movement as Lloyd faces us with a wide yawn.
"Whatever," he grumbles as he lazily gestures for us to start.
Kai lunges first, easily deflected by Lloyd with a swift punch to the stomach. He hits the ground with a slightly surprised look at being knocked down so easily, but Lloyd's attention has already shifted to Zane and Jay, who rush toward him. Cole and I exchange glances as the two leap into the air, a silent plan flashing between us. Cole rushes to the other side of Lloyd as he knocks Zane and Jay to the deck in a tornado of green energy before turning to face me. My eyes flick to Cole and he rushes forward from behind Lloyd, sending him flying into the air with a wild yell.
Lloyd crashes to the ground painfully, looking up as the ninja close in a loose circle around him.
"That was fun," he looks up at us. "Are we done?"
"Aw, come on, you're better than this!" Jay frowns as he pushes his hood out of his face. "What's on your mind?"
"You're not worried about your father, are you, Lloyd?" I ask, pulling my mask down and exposing my face to the refreshing mountain air.
"No, nothing like that," he answers as he pushes himself to his feet. He chews his lip before finally blurting out what's on his mind. "The latest issue of Starfarer just came in at Doomsday Comics and it's a limited run. So if I don't go out and get it, it's gonna sell out!"
Kai and Cole exchange exasperated glances as I chuckle down at the excited kid.
"What, did the last issue end on a cliffhanger?" I ask. Lloyd hurriedly nods as Cole gives me the "stop-encouraging-him" look. I shoot him my own.
"Last they left off, intergalactic rogue Prince Donagan was surrounded by the Imperial Sludge, and if I don't find out if he gets out alright, I think I might have my own doomsday!" Lloyd tugs at his hair.
"The fate of Ninjago rests on your shoulders," Kai frowns, and Lloyd immediately deflates. "As the green ninja, you have a giant responsibility to hold."
"Come on, guys, cut him a break," I roll my eyes as Lloyd's sad face brightens a little. "I think Lloyd deserves some time to just be a kid. Hell, I'd give anything to be a kid again, if only for a while."
"That's not the point, Ash," Kai shakes his head. "Lloyd is the green ninja. If he has any chance of standing up to his father, he's going to need all the training he can get." He lets out a breath. "Even if it means missing out on some things."
Lloyd grimaces and wanders back to the side of the ship, the rest of us staring guiltily after him.
"Sorry, but you don't have time for such childish things," Kai says with another sigh.
"Other kids get to play and have fun," Lloyd grumbles as he stares at the small village passing by below. "All I ever do is train."
"Kai does have a point," I offer Lloyd a comforting hand on his shoulder. "We can help you as much as we can in the final battle, but if you're not ready we're all doomed."
I lower my face to his ear and talk low enough so the others can't hear. "Then again, we have plenty of time before that happens. Maybe once we're done with training, you and I can make a run to that comic book store."
Lloyd's eyes widen on mine just as Nya runs onto the deck in a panic, screeching to a stop in front of us.
"Guys, there's been a break-in at the Ninjago City Museum of History and the security cameras picked up You-Know-Who!"
"Voldemort?" I ask.
"Garmadon!" Cole breathes the thought everyone else had.
"Oh."
"We have to stop him before he uses the Mega Weapon to start another one of his diabolical plots!" Jay says as Lloyd detaches himself from me.
"Um," he starts, but as soon as the ninja turn to him he deflates with an irritated sigh. "Yeah, yeah, yeah. I can't go and it's safer if I stay here and train."
The ninja nod their agreement and Lloyd curls his lip in distaste.
"We'd better get going before Garmadon escapes," Kai says before he and the other ninja rush below deck.
Nya grimaces at Lloyd. "Sorry, kiddo. I know you were excited about that comic book."
"Whatever," Lloyd grumbles in return, slumping over the railing again.
I reach out to give him another comforting hand, but then think better of it. My fingers clench tightly against my palm as I turn to Nya.
"I'll take him as soon as we get back, okay?" I glance at the small ninja. "This shouldn't take long."
"Just come back in one piece, alright?" Nya smiles. "We'll worry about comics later."
"All ready?"
I give Kai a nod. "Whenever you are," I blow a heated puff of air into my cold hands.
Kai turns up toward his sister standing on the deck some ways above us. Lloyd stands beside her and I give him an apologetic smile he halfway returns.
"We'll meet up at the Bounty as soon as we're done," Kai calls up to Nya.
"We'll be waiting for your safe return," she answers as I lift off the ground. Kai flips the hatch of the Ultrasonic Raider closed and we take off into the city. Hopefully we can get this over with quickly so I can get back to Lloyd and his comic troubles. Then again it's never that simple when it comes to Garmadon.
We don't arrive at the museum until it's already dark. The moon shines brightly through a nearly cloudless sky as we scale the museum and onto the roof, where Zane scans for a way in.
"There's an unlocked window out front," he says, pointing toward the entrance of the building. We nod in response and make our way over, being careful to stay in the shadows.
Jay grabs a loose rope from the roof and throws it over the side. Cole holds it tightly, anchoring us to the roof as the rest of us climb down to the window ledge just below us. Jay shoves open the pane, snapping the lock to lead us inside.
We make our way toward the main gallery, carefully peering into each room as we pass. I'm not sure whether or not to be grateful they're all empty.
The viewing balcony yawns ahead of us and we creep onto it with hardly a sound. Cole puts a finger to his lips as we huddle next to the railing and peer into the dark emptiness below. A few voices can be heard from nearby, and Jay hushes us another time as light floods into the room.
A group of snakes slithers into the room, led by their generals. Cole shudders a little against me, and I press a hand against his arm. They carry flashlights that are blinding in the nearly pitch-black room, and their leader, Skales, shines light on a painting of the ancient snakes.
"Boy, did they get that wrong," he snorts at the disproportionate painting. He pointedly turns his back on it as they slink toward a golden sarcophagus near the wall.
"Why would we come to a museum if we weren't going to steal anything from it?" one of the snake generals grumbles as he stares at the sarcophagus with hungry eyes.
"Because Master Garmadon has another plan to destroy the ninja," another general answers.
"Master Garmadon?" Skales scowls. "He's no master of mine! Since his so-called Mega Weapon has failed every time, I don't see why we don't call our own shots!"
"Because this time, I will not fail," Garmadon suddenly appears in front of a large skeleton, making all of us jump and startling Skales enough that he drops his flashlight. The light rolls away and illuminates Garmadon and the skeleton in a melodramatic glow.
"Yes, Lord Garmadon!" all of the snakes apart from Skales immediately bow down to the imposing figure, and a few seconds later Skales also submits.
"Yes, Lord Garmadon," he grumbles as he lowers himself to the ground. Him and the other snakes pick themselves back up as Garmadon starts to speak.
"Behold, Dramasauratheropod Grundalkis," Garmadon turns and gestures to the massive skeleton behind him. He clutches his massive staff in one blackened hand, and it seems to glow in the faint light. "Otherwise known as the Grundal."
Spitfire moves wearily on my arm at the name, looking up at me with worried eyes that send a shiver down my spine.
"Although now extinct, in its time it was the most feared and dangerous creature in all of Ninjago; with claws that could slice through steel," Garmadon slashes his scepter through the air, "heightened senses that could detect its prey from miles away. It could track the stealthiest of ninja and once it had picked up your scent, there was no hiding from it."
"The Grundal?" Jay whispers nervously beside me. "I heard about them. Boy, am I glad we live in an age where we don't have to deal with those things."
"Thanks for the history lesson," Skales hisses from below, redirecting our attention back to the gallery. He slithers closer to Garmadon, his red eyes burning with resentment. "But what are we going to do with a pile of bones?"
"I am going to make it so the beast shall walk again," Garmadon snaps back, driving Skales back a few inches.
"Yeah, right," Skales huffs, but there's a trace of doubt in his voice. "Well… show us then!"
Garmadon turns and raises the Mega Weapon up toward the snout of the skeleton. Its empty sockets seem to spark with sinister light and Garmadon grins. "Rise, Grundal, and feel the strength of the Mega Weapon!" he shouts. "I wish to create the power to make you young! Turn back the clock so you are no longer extinct!"
A cloud of purple smoke billows up from the Mega Weapon as it sparks and shines brilliantly in the dark room, surrounding the Grundal in a swarm of darkness. "But hungry," Garmadon continues in a low voice. "Hungry for the ninja and their pesky little fire-breather."
"Oh no!" Jay springs to his feet. "He's bringing it back?"
"Not if we have any say in the matter," Zane growls as the rest of us get up.
"We'll go around back and try to cut him off," Cole's eyes flick around the room. "Ash, think you could knock it out of his hands?"
"I can sure as hell try," I answer as I pull my hood more snugly around my face. "Just say the word, captain."
Cole nods back as we spring onto the railing, catching the roomful of snakes below us by surprise. Garmadon turns around at the commotion and spots us.
"The ninja!" he shouts. "Stop them!"
The snakes brandish spears as the ninja rush away from me, still balancing on the railing as I lift from the balcony and streak in a blast of angry crimson flame toward Garmadon.
Spears shatter against the walls beside me as I dodge shafts and splinters in my attempt to make it to Garmadon's dark shape. Something crashes into me- a thick, heavy spear that throws me wildly past Garmadon and into the skeleton. I just manage to grab onto a rib before I plummet, blinking away the stars in my eyes to see Skales flash a condescending smirk. I glare back just as the ninja move onto the skeleton above me. Barely a second passes before I'm slammed by a falling body.
Zane lands halfway on top of me, trapping one of my legs beneath his as we hit the ground hard. My head cracks against the tile, thankfully ringing just a little beneath my hood. Above us, Kai dances from one foot to another as he struggles to stay upright.
"I feel pretty alone up here!" he shouts as the skeleton blazes even brighter in dark light. One of the snakes stabs at Kai's feet and he stumbles backward, twisting and throwing his blade in one smooth, lucky motion that spins and knocks the still shining Mega Weapon out of Garmadon's hands. He lands heavily on Jay, Zane, and my leg as the Mega Weapon skids to the other side of the gallery.
"Not again," Garmadon snarls. "Not again!"
"And you said it wouldn't fail," Skales sneers as Garmadon lets out a wild yell.
"Retreat!" he orders as he runs to snatch up the Mega Weapon. Zane finally untangles himself from me as Kai, Jay, and Cole start to scramble to their feet.
"I didn't mean to hit you," Zane apologizes as he helps me stand.
"Hey, no hard feelings," I grin a little twistedly back as my leg pops painfully. "Just- ah- don't do that again, okay?"
"Haha, we stopped him!" Jay cheers as our enemies flee.
"It didn't work!' Kai calls out to Garmadon, who looks back at us with a glare.
"Curse you, ninjas," he growls before he rushes out the door after his snakes.
"Haha, well, I thought we handled that well," Jay chuckles as movement catches the corner of my eye.
"Hey, wait a second-"
"Hey, hey, hey! They're trying to steal the golden sarcophagus!" Jay shouts as the four snake generals lift the massive relic and rush out a side door with it. We chase after them and into a half-lit street.
"After them!" Kai grits his teeth as he pushes himself faster. I try to spark my hands, but they fizzle out in only a few seconds. I try again, but they still won't light. That's strange. It's already been enough time since I last flew. I shake the strangeness aside and keep running, feeling my lungs shudder with exertion as I struggle to keep up with the other ninja. Ahead of us, the snakes turn a corner and disappear from sight.
The road seems to yawn endlessly in front of us, even though we're all pushing ourselves to our limits. It feels like I'm running with broken heels - jerkily, slow, and like my legs aren't nearly long enough to cover the distance. My teeth grit against each other as I try to ignore the discomfort and focus on the street ahead.
An eternity later we finally make it to the corner, heaving for breath. My mask sticks to my face, streaked with sweat, and shifts uncomfortably as I try to shift it with trembling hands. My vision is a blur of sweat and exhaustion as I glance around the corner to where the sarcophagus lies crookedly against a wall near a manhole cover. Air moves raggedly through my lungs, tugging my attention away from the botched robbery to my labored breathing.
"I can't believe we couldn't catch up to them," Jay gasps beside me, his voice high-pitched and strained from breathing so hard. "I'm usually faster than that. It's like my legs were half the size."
"I feel you," I clutch at my sides, which scream for air and strangle my voice to barely a squeak. "Are we really this out of shape?"
"I don't remember that thing being so big," Kai muses in a similar voice, his gaze still fixed on the sarcophagus. "Did it grow?"
"Or did we shrink?" Zane asks. His voice his higher pitched too, as if he's also exhausted from the running. But that's impossible. Zane never gets tired. I look up at him and suddenly find myself staring at a guy half his size.
"Uh, guys?" Kai's eyes widen on a window across the street, its panes lit with our reflection.
It's normal- the four ninja and me, but then I realize we're all… so…
"What the hell?" I scramble backward as my eyes focus on a sight I haven't seen in at least five years.
Jay rips off his hood off in a wild panic. "We shrunk!"
"We-we're kids!" Kai tugs off his hood and we all follow suit, staring at each other before bursting into wild screams.
"This isn't possible!" my jaw shudders as I stare down at tiny, trembling hands. I tug up my sleeves. "What the hell- even Spitfire!"
A thin salamander of a dragon swirls in a panic on my tiny wrists, huffing tiny smoke rings that look like Cheerios. I tug my sleeve back over him and force back the hysteria that tries to claw its way up my throat.
"Oh, this is bad!" Jay's eyes scramble between himself and his reflection. He staggers back and bumps into Kai, who nearly jumps into a fit. "This is so bad on so many levels!"
"No, it's impossible," Cole shakes his head, scattering tiny, ruffled curls that I would usually think are adorable, but now are absolutely terrifying. "We must be dreaming. Zane, tell me we're dreaming!"
"Nindroids don't dream," Zane swallows hard. His tiny jaw shifts as he struggles to piece this together- a feat I'm completely incapable of as I continue to stare at my hands. "Perhaps Garmadon succeeded in turning back the clock, but instead of reviving the Grundal it only affected us."
"Yeah, but Nindroids don't turn into kids!" Jay drives the white ninja back against the wall. "Explain that, genius!"
"I-I've extended my logic parameters, but nothing is coming up," Zane's chest heaves as his eyes scramble with electricity. "This… does not compute!"
"Okay, fine, I get it. We're all in this together," Cole takes a deep breath to calm himself, only for it to explode between his lips. "Oh, I can't be a kid again! I hated being a kid! You can't drive, nobody listens to you-" An expression of pure horror takes over his face. "Oh, oh no! BEDTIMES!"
"That's what you're worried about?" my chest heaves as a scorch of fire spurts from my clenched hands. "Do you even understand what's just happened? The last time I was like this I burned my entire village to the ground and that was without Spitfire! Who knows what I'm capable of now that I'm-!"
The nearest streetlight explodes above us, scattering the ninja as a shower of glass cascades out into the street in crash of light and sound. Weary eyes find mine as I suck in a deep breath and struggle to calm my pounding heart. A few scattered, wild flames spark from my clenched hands, but I manage to keep the nauseating fire within me under control. Barely.
"We have to get this fixed," I sip another scorching breath. "But until then, no one can upset me. Alright?"
The ninja carefully nod as I take another deep breath and hold my hands a little tighter to my sides, forcing myself to think happy, calming thoughts.
"I told Nya we'd meet back at the Bounty," Jay says as he looks up at the nearest street sign, looking for some bearings to lead us back to the ship. "I'm sure Sensei will know what to do."
The blare of police sirens slices through the air as a squad car suddenly squeals onto the street in front of us, turning wildly to engulf us in its brilliant headlights. Kai scrambles back against me, shielding his eyes as I struggle to blink away the sudden explosion of color under my eyelids. Fire sputters around my hands and Zane quietly extinguishes it by pushing my arm against the wall.
"Well, well, what do we got here?" one of two cops sneers at us as they emerge from the cruise. "Looks like we got our culprits to the museum heist. Who would've thought it was just a bunch of brats? What do you got on, apple dumpling gang? Pajamas?"
He and the other cop roar with laughter.
"These aren't pajamas!" Jay huffs from beside me. "We're ninja!"
"Yeah, yeah, and I'm Santa Claus," the second cop rolls his eyes.
Kai growls and I just manage to flatten myself against the wall before Jay, Zane, and Cole are tugged into his clumsy spinjitsu tornado and thrown lopsidedly onto the hood of the cruiser.
"Our spinjitsu doesn't work!" Kai gasps as he staggers to a stop beside me. "We're too small!"
"Easy, kiddo," the second cop grabs Cole from the hood and reaches for me and Kai. "You're coming with us to the precinct."
"Look, officers, this has been a great misunderstanding," Kai tries to bargain with them. "My friends and I are simply trying to help out-"
"Hey, you can tell all the stories you want when we return to the museum tomorrow to explain why you stole this."
"But we didn't steal it!"
"Zip it," the cop snaps as he shoves him and Cole into the back of the car before turning to me. "I wonder what your father will say when he finds out you've been running around with a bunch of boys in the middle of the night."
"Look, I know it's hard to believe- impossible to believe really- but they really are the ninja, and I'm the Dragon Queen of Ninjago," I pull up my sleeve and show the officer Spitfire's less than intimidating form. "I know it isn't much right now, but this is undeniable proof that I'm-"
"You even have a tattoo," the cop grabs me by the back of suit, strangling my words into a high-pitched squeak. "I pity your poor parents." He then throws me unceremoniously into the car, where I land heavily on top of Cole and Kai, who yelps as my hands burn a hole in his suit.
"You have the right to remain silent," the second cop growls at us.
"Kids," the first cop rolls his eyes as the doors slam shut and they climb back into the front.
"Guys, what are we going to do?" Jay whispers as the car starts to move.
"Don't worry, as soon as we don't come home Nya and Sensei will come and look for us," Kai says as he and Cole struggle to make room for me.
"Yeah, but they'll be looking for teenagers, not little kids," Cole shakes his head. "I don't know, guys, but it looks like we're stuck."
"Maybe when they call our parents they'll realize who we are."
"Jay, they didn't believe us when Kai attempted spinjitsu or when I showed them Spitfire. What makes you think they'd believe our parents?" I growl as I manage to find a seat sandwiched between the two ninja.
"Hey, quiet back there!" the first cop shouts back at us. A stray flame sparks from my left hand, but I don't extinguish it.
"Maybe I can use my power a little," I whisper, my eyes fixed on the rude cops. Jay's eyes widen.
"Maybe we can find another way out of this," Cole touches my arm and gives me a pointed look. I stifle the flames with a grumble. "I mean, all we have to do is apologize for stealing the stuff, right? Once we do that we'll be free to go. I mean, it's not like they'll put us in jail or anything."
"Cole does have a point," Kai says. "We're just kids- they'll just let us off with a warning."
"Then we just have to find Nya and Sensei," Jay adds. "No stress, no craziness, no chances of being burned to a crisp."
A smile quirks my lips. "Only a small chance if we get out of this okay."
"Then it's agreed," Kai says, and everyone nods. "Operation False Confession is a go."
"We're sorry for stealing," we say as we lower ourselves to the ground in front of the museum curator. Zane hesitates, staring down at us in confusion.
"But we didn't," he says. "I don't understand."
"Ssh!" Kai waves him down in a harsh whisper. "We discussed this already! The quicker we get out of here the faster we can figure out how to return our bodies back to normal!"
Zane blinks and finally throws himself on the ground next to us. "I'm sorry for stealing, too!"
"Thank you, children, for returning the sarcophagus. You did the right thing," the curator nods. "But what about the bones?"
"Uh, what bones?" Jay asks as he lifts himself to his knees. "We didn't steal any bones."
"The Grundal bones."
"The Grundal bones?" Jay echoes as he follows the curator's outstretched arm toward the center of the gallery.
The skeleton's stand stares emptily back at us.
A strangled gasp explodes from Jay's lips. "They're gone!" he turns toward us, lowering his voice so only we can hear. "You don't think-"
"It just walked out of here?"
"Theoretically, it is possible that if Garmadon successfully reversed the years on us, he reversed the years on the Grundal and brought it back to life," Zane says, and an ice cube rolls down my back.
"No," the other four of us shake our heads as Jay turns to plead to the curator.
"You guys have to believe us!" he cries. "The Grundal's been brought back to life and it's on the loose! Its whole existence is to hunt down ninja and as long as we're here everyone's at risk!"
The three adults just laugh as the cops force us back onto a bench to the side of the gallery.
"Well, we'll keep a good look out for anything that goes bump in the night, okay?" the second cop chuckles. "Now, you five sit still until we call your parents to come pick you up." He and the other officer then walk off, still chuckling to themselves about 'our generation'.
"We gotta get out of here," Cole grimaces, his coffee-colored eyes flicking around the gallery for some way of escape. "Like, now."
A crowd of kids clamors by behind us, following a teacher on a tour around the museum and chattering excitedly to each other as they pass through an arch and into the next exhibit. Kai turns to us with a plan sparking in his eyes.
"Follow my lead," he whispers as we get off the bench and run off after the tour.
Some of the kids have bags with extra clothes hanging out the sides, and they don't even turn as we tug them out and pull them on over our own. I end up in a baggy, girl's sweater with some pop icon plastered on the front surrounded with bright pink lettering. It takes all my willpower not to trade it in for something else.
"Ugh, this is so humiliating," Jay whines as he looks down at his blue butterfly shirt.
"It's only temporary, right?" I tear my gaze away from my hideous outfit. I make the mental note to burn it the first chance I get. "Besides, our first problem is that skeleton."
Zane nods. "I'm afraid if we can't use our spinjitsu, we'll be no match for the Grundal."
"Then we have to get back to the Bounty," Kai says. "Before that thing finds us."
"Agreed," I nod. "We all heard what Garmadon said. If that thing finds us, it's game over-"
The heat inside me jerks and I tug it back with a sharp breath that scorches my throat.
"You okay?"
"Yeah," I grimace back at Cole. "Just- uh- imagining the fight of our lives wasn't a good idea. Let's just get this fixed pronto, alright? I hate feeling like a ticking time bomb."
We follow the tour out of the museum, doing our best to blend in before we finally break away and take off down the street. Someone shouts something after us, but we ignore them as we run down the sidewalk and away from the museum.
"There's a bus stop up ahead," Kai calls back. I'm starting to get a better feel for the limitations my tiny legs bring, and I'm able to breathe easier than I could last night. Still, the rapid movement kindles the heat in my stomach, and I struggle to swallow it. "We should be able to get on it and head back to the Bounty. Cole, do you still have bus tokens?"
"Yeah," Cole digs into his pockets and tugs out a few bronze tokens.
We turn a corner where a towering bus hovers to let riders on. We fall in behind the last person and climb the steps together, letting Cole go first to put the token in the box. But the driver puts his hand over the coin slot and gives us a scrutinizing look.
"Do you have a signed bus pass?"
"Bus pass?" Cole blinks.
"You need a signed permission slip from your parents to ride without adult supervision," the driver answers. "Sorry, kiddos, but if you don't have a pass, you don't ride."
He shoos us off the bus before taking off into the city traffic, leaving Cole to replace the token in his pocket and for us to come up with a new plan.
"There has to be something kids can do around here!" Jay huffs as we linger on the curb.
I notice something over his shoulder and point it out. "Could we use the payphone?" T
The ninja follow my outstretched hand to the phone booth just down the street.
"Do any of us have coins to spare?" Jay asks as we all dig in our pockets.
"A little," Kai says as he holds out a handful of dusty coins, which Jay takes gratefully.
"Looks like enough," Cole nods.
"Okay, so we'll call the Bounty and get Sensei and Nya to come pick us up," Jay says as we start to make our way toward the payphone.
"Sounds like a plan," I nod.
We crowd around the small booth before Jay turns to us. "Alright, Kai and Cole- give me a boost so I can call," Jay says.
"Zane and I will keep watch," I add. "I'm sure the cops have noticed we're gone by now."
"Good idea," Kai nods as he, Jay, and Cole enter the booth. They each hold one of Jay's feet in their hands as they hoist him up to the phone. His knees shudder a little with the sudden shift of balance, but he manages to keep his footing. He slides in the coins into the payphone and dials the operator.
"Collect call, please!" he says into the phone as Cole and Kai wobble slightly beneath him. He gives them a pointed look. "Keep me steady."
A few seconds of silence pass before Jay finally gets a connection.
"Lloyd, it's Jay!" he almost shouts into the phone. "Let me talk to Sensei!"
Jay goes silent for a few more seconds as Lloyd answers, then he rolls his eyes. "Apparently you need parental permission to take the bus and we can't seem to get out of the city!" he shakes his head. "Ugh, never mind, it's a bit complicated. Just meet us at Buddy's Pizza in ten minutes! And bring our weapons!"
Jay hangs up the phone and clambers down from Cole and Kai's grasp before they exit the booth.
"Lloyd's coming to help us," he explains.
"Are you sure that's a good idea?" Cole grimaces. "Couldn't we just wait until Sensei gets back?"
"We're sitting ducks out here without weapons," Jay answers. "Besides, Lloyd's spinjitsu actually works."
I grimace. "Jay, the Grundal is a monster that hunts ninja. We're putting Lloyd in extreme danger-"
"Garmadon wouldn't hurt him," Kai shakes his head. "He's safer than any of us. If anything, he might be our best shot of beating this thing."
I let out a breath. "I hope you're right, Kai. I really hope you're right."
"Really, of all places we could meet, you pick this place?" Cole grumbles at Jay, who shrugs back.
"What? I like their pizza!"
I sit up as a small shape lumbers by us. Well, small to my older self. I elbow Cole. "It's him!"
Kai blinks and tries to wave the kid down. "Psst! Lloyd!"
Lloyd turns, but his grey eyes don't register who we are. Instead, he snorts at us. "Beat it, brat, I'm on a mission." He shifts the weapons in his arms and starts to walk away, but Kai turns him back toward us.
"It's me! Kai!"
Lloyd blinks in surprise, giving us another scrutinizing look before letting out a wild gasp and dropping everything in his arms.
"Whoa, what happened? You're uh, uh, small!"
Everyone in the restaurant turns at Lloyd's outburst, and Kai glares at the kid.
"Keep it down!" Kai hisses. "We're trying to lay low! Your father's Mega Weapon not only turned us into kids, but unleashed a creature whose sole purpose is to hunt down ninja!"
"Typical Garmadon," Cole smashes a small fist against the table.
"And now every time we try to tell someone, they won't believe us!" Jay grumbles as Lloyd starts to pick up the weapons he dropped. "Because we're kids!"
Lloyd starts to straighten up, then starts laughing.
"What's so funny?" Kai growls.
"Well, I guess you now know what it feels like to be treated differently," Lloyd snorts as he throws the weapons onto the table.
"Look, this is serious," Zane glowers, his own ice-blue eyes narrowed with frustration. "If we don't turn big so we can use our spinjitsu, we don't stand a chance against the Grundal!"
"Not to mention princess here is set to explode at any minute!" Jay says, and I shoot him a pointed look that sends another wave of heat into my hands. "No offense."
"All of our powers are compromised," I turn back to Lloyd. "It's like Zane said- even with weapons, we're hardly a match for the Grundal."
"Well, what about me?" Lloyd offers. "I know spinjitsu."
"Yeah, but you don't know the Grundal," Kai shakes his head. "We all need to be at full strength. What we need to do first is to find someone who might know more about how to defeat one of those things."
"Where do we even look?" I ask. "We can't go back to the museum- they've probably put out a bounty on us by now."
Lloyd's grey eyes flick around the restaurant, then suddenly grow wide as something behind us catches his attention.
"Ugh, Lloyd, focus!" Cole growls at the distracted kid.
"I am," Lloyd grins as he turns back to us. "I think I know just the guy. Follow me."
Lloyd starts to leave the restaurant and we all exchange glances.
"Well, it's not like we have anything better to do," I shake my head and start to leave the booth. "Come on."
The boys grab their weapons and start to follow, but Jay hesitates.
"Aw, but we haven't gotten our pizza yet!"
Kai rolls his eyes and returns to retrieve the blue ninja, grasping his sleeve to drag him from the restaurant. Out on the street, I run to catch up to Lloyd and fall into step beside him. A frown tugs my lips as I realize I'm shorter than him.
"Where are we going?" I ask, shaking the new fact aside.
"You'll see," he grins back. "You know, it's funny to see you guys down on my level."
"For you, maybe," I shake my head and feel the heat inside me churn uncomfortably. "This has been nothing but hell for me. All this time learning to control myself and now I'm back at stage one. The sooner we're back to normal, the better."
Lloyd waggles blond eyebrows. "Didn't you say this morning that you'd love to be a kid again?"
I hit him in the arm, but he just laughs as my tiny hand smacks into him. "As soon as I'm bigger, you're getting quite the beating, Lloyd Garmadon."
"Yeah, yeah, cool it, pint-size," he snickers back, earning another glare from me.
We walk another block before Lloyd leads us to a building marked "Ninjago Doomsday Comix". Zane gives me a dubious look as we follow him inside and into the small store.
"You brought us to a comic book store?" Cole gives Lloyd an exasperated look.
"Trust me," the kid says as he starts to lead us to the back. "If there's anyone who knows how to defeat a monster that doesn't exist, I know just the person to talk to."
"We're not going to pick up your stupid comic, Lloyd!" Kai growls, grabbing the kid's arm before he can go too far. "This is serious business!"
Jay suddenly gasps from behind us. "Oh, look! A first edition Daffy Dale!" he brandishes a comic. "I used to love that nut growing up!"
He laughs excitedly before noticing our expressions, then coughs instead. "So juvenile," he tsks as Lloyd shakes his head and starts to lead us back toward the counter.
"Fellas, meet Rufus McAllister," Lloyd gestures to the man sitting behind the desk. "AKA, Mother Doomsday."
"Well, if it isn't Lloyd Hemorrhoid Garmadon," Rufus greets Lloyd with a crooked grin. "Sorry if you came looking for the latest Starfarer. I'm all sold out."
"Wha- sold out?" Lloyd's strangled gasp dies under a careful cough. "Oh, actually, Mother Doomsday, we need help."
The man rests thick arms on the counter. "Well color me intrigued."
"We have a problem," Lloyd says. "There's a Grundal on the loose and we need to know how to deal with it."
"Ah, a theoretical question," Rufus nods appreciatively.
"Uh, yeah, theoretical," Lloyd grimaces. "Can you help?"
Rufus' head disappears behind the counter as he slips from his tall chair and steps out from behind the counter.
"Dramasauratheropod Grundalikis, hoo!" he whistles between his teeth as he walks toward a nearby rack of comic books, all plastered with bright-colored depictions of a vicious monster. "Although extinct, there have been a plethora of film, television, and comics exploring the mythology around the primordial predator. Supposedly, they always get their prey."
"Sounds like he knows his stuff," Kai whispers to the rest of us.
"Can it be stopped?" Lloyd asks.
"First thing you need to know is its thick shell-like hide is invincible to swords, scythes, nunchucks, throwing stars, and fire," Rufus answers. "So your cheap imitations will do nothing but slow him down."
A frustrated breath explodes from Cole's lips. "Swell."
"Second of all," Rufus continues. "It's nocturnal and will only hunt at night."
"Oh, good, it's still daylight," Jay sighs in relief. "So we can relax for a bit."
Rufus gives us a confused look and Kai coughs, giving Jay a pointed look.
"Uh, I meant theoretically."
"And the only way to defeat it is with light," Rufus leads our gazes to a display case on the wall filled with slim light swords. "Like a vampire, with enough of it, it can potentially destroy him. If I had my weapons of choice, may I recommend the Illumisword."
He pries open the display case. "These are authentic replicas that will come in handy were you to live long enough to face a Grundal.
"And if swords are your thing," He points to the opposite end of the store where another display case holds exact replicas of our outfits, but in smaller sizes. "Maybe I can interest you in authentic ninja gear, signed by the very ninja who saved the city. Next to them is an exact replica of the outfit owned by the Queen of Ninjago herself, handmade by its original creator, of course. It also comes with a semi-permanent dragon tattoo if you're a fan."
"Uh, we'll just take the light swords," Kai reaches out to their display case, but his hand snatched by Rufus.
"Not so fast," the comic seller shakes his head, scattering his ponytail like a fishing lure. "This Starfarer combo pack can only be won in the Prince Donagan Tribute Battle Royale." He gestures to the opposite side of the store where a group of other kids chatter excitedly to each other. "Do you have what it takes to be the best?"
Something flickers in Lloyd's grey eyes, and I tug sharply on his sleeve. "You haven't read the last comic-"
"You can do this, Lloyd," Jay claps a small hand on Lloyd's shoulder.
Lloyd returns the grin, and I feel my heat churn. "Sign me up!"
"It's down to the final two!" Rufus announces with a flourish of his meaty hands. "This question is for Lloyd."
"Lloyd, Lloyd, Lloyd!"
Rufus casts squinty brown eyes on the small ninja. "What is Prince Donagan's famous catchphrase?"
Lloyd thinks for a second, staring down from the small stage before he lifts his chin. "Fair? Fair is not a word from where I come from."
"Correct!" Rufus nods before turning to the audience. "We're all tied up."
The crowd erupts in cheers around us, and I let out the breath I've been holding for hours.
"Just one more question," I take a deep breath. "He just has to answer one more question."
Zane's cool eyes reflect anything but relief. "It's getting dark," he reports, his voice muted under the audience's shouts. "The Grundal will be on the prowl soon."
"Don't worry," Kai gives him a reassuring smile. "I've got faith Lloyd can win those Illumiswords."
Jay slurps beside me as he digs into his fifth stick of cotton candy, earning yet another disapproving look from Kai.
"Is this really the best time to be eating cotton candy?"
"It makes me feel young," Jay sticks his tongue out at him. "Deal with it."
"Final question!" Rufus announces, pulling our attention back to the competition. "The first person to answer this will win!"
He turns to Lloyd and his rival, a kid just a little younger than him. Or us as we are now. Rufus' voice quiets into a theatrical hush. "In the latest issue of Starfarer, how did Prince Donagan escape the Imperial Sludge?"
Lloyd's eyes go wide as he scrambles for an answer. "Uh- it- uh- but I haven't read the latest issue!"
My face sinks into my hands as the other kid answers with a grin, "By reversing the polarity of the ship's gravity transducer!"
"We have a winner!"
The audience around us bursts into wild cheers and applause as the ninja and I exchange disappointed glances and the lights suddenly go out.
The room goes completely silent.
"Who shut off the power?"
Rufus is answered as the sign outside the building explodes, spraying a show of sparks as it crashes to the sidewalk. The crowd screams and suddenly compresses to the back of the store.
"It's here," Kai breaths, his voice even smaller with terror.
Rufus' terrified gaze turns to the tiny red ninja. "What's here?"
"You know that theoretical discussion we had earlier?" Jay chuckles nervously as a dark shape moves onto the roof above us.
A massive, scaled foot crushes the glass beneath it, followed closely by its pair before glowing, electric blue eyes fix on us. A primal roar rips through the comic store, nearly tearing through our eardrums as we finally face the monster that hunts us.
"Grundal!" Rufus screams as he and the rest of the crowd scramble to the back of the store.
"We've got to get out of here!" Zane shouts and the six of us rush toward the door.
Zane reaches it first and tugs on the handle, but the fallen sign outside leans heavily against it. "The door is jammed," Zane says as he struggles to shove past the sign. "We can't get out!"
"It's coming!" Jay shouts, and we turn as the Grundal chases after us from above, its glowing blue eyes fixed entirely on us. Its foot suddenly crashes through a pane of glass, dangling hopelessly for a second before the ceiling gives way and the giant creature lands in a shower of broken metal and glass in front of us.
The people in the back of the room let out screams of panic as the Grundal's tail sweeps over them, and despite my terror I find myself stepping forward and raising my arm.
"Ash, what are you doing?" Kai demands hysterically. "It's invincible!"
"It's afraid of light, isn't it?" I gasp back, squeezing my eyes shut and finally letting the heat in my stomach go.
There's a spark and a sudden explosion as I'm blown backward into the ninja. One of them catches me as bright spots burst under my eyelids, followed by a surge of energy that threatens to explode from my body. The Grundal reels, at the sudden burst of light, crashing into the outfit display case behind it as it struggles to regain its senses.
"You okay?" Kai's voice asks somewhere near my head and I manage a nod.
"I think so," I shake my head to disperse the spots that cloud my vision. Uncontrollable streaks of flame spurt from my fingertips, and I tug the fire back as hard as I can, wincing as my temples sting with the exertion. "But was the last of my control."
"Quick, this way!" Jay yells and I'm pulled somewhere to the left. I force my feet to move after the ninja's shapes, focusing on them until they slowly start to solidify into actual figures.
We come to a stop near the back of the store. Jay gulps as he faces the terrifying monster, and Cole turns to me and Lloyd with a grimace.
"Lloyd, take Ash and find somewhere to hide!" he orders. "We'll take care of this."
Lloyd nods and a different warmth fills my hand as he leads me toward the comic counter, pulling me behind its tall shadow and shielding us from the impending fight.
"Okay, all we have to do is stay calm," he says, though I can't tell if he's talking to me or himself.
"What's happening?" I ask him as a thousand fighting noises erupt from beyond the counter. Each sound sends a new surge of heat through my body, and it's all I can do not to explode. I focus even harder on holding it back, gasping as my head throbs even more, but fighting to see what's going on.
Lloyd peeks around the counter for a second before slumping back beside me. "The swords aren't doing anything!" he growls. "They need my help!"
"Lloyd-" I reach out a hand to stop him before something heavy jars the counter at my shoulder, knocking me off balance for a second and letting a wide flurry of flames suddenly escape from my fingertips. I shove my hands into my pockets and can only watch as Lloyd pulls what looks like his hood over his face and clambers onto Rufus' stool. There's a low snarl from beyond the counter, and suddenly I can hear the terrified screams of the four ninja. Lloyd struggles with the chair and I know I have to move.
I roll out from behind the counter and allow a burst of flame to spiral toward the massive shape in the middle of the room, relieving my head for a few seconds before I pull it back and collapse against the ninja. I gasp for breath as I replace the vice over my power and stare directly at the Grundal and its every terrifying detail.
It leans its head down toward us, opening its wide, cavernous mouth to reveal rows of saber-like teeth that drip poison. The ninja let out a new wave of terrified screams just as another shape appears above us.
"Not to worry, I'll take care of this!" Lloyd shouts as we all turn up to see him.
He concentrates and a ball of blazing green energy lights up the room, sending the Grundal back with a piercing scream that rattles the walls. My body starts to relax as the others cheer from beside me, but then the Grundal's tail swings at us from nowhere, shoving the counter back against the wall and sending us flying into it.
My head slams into something hard and everything flashes with color. My consciousness slips, but I clamp down on it and force myself to stay awake. I blink to readjust my eyes and find myself looking again into the throat of the Grundal.
"This is the end, isn't it?" Kai whimpers as he flattens himself against the wall.
Cole's hand clutches mine, squeezing tight enough for me to scorch his cuffs as I force myself to take a deep breath and raise my other hand.
His eyes widen. "Ash, don't-!"
The door suddenly crashes open and Nya and Sensei rush in. They scan the room quickly before turning their attention to the people cowering in the back.
"Everyone out!" Nya orders, and they immediately comply- evacuating the store as Sensei turns to us.
"Use this!" he shouts as he raises a jar and tosses it to Jay, who narrowly catches it.
"What is it?" Jay asks as we retreat up the angled counter, struggling to put distance between us and the Grundal.
"It will turn forward the hands of time!" Sensei yells back. "Turning you old and reducing the Grundal back to dust and bones! But be careful, there's no turning back!"
"Grundal, prepare to be extinct!" Jay crows, waving the jar at the monster's dripping snout.
"Wait!" Cole lets go of my hand and steps in front of Jay, shoving his barely-working light sword into the Grundal's face to hold it back. "What'll happen to Lloyd? He'll grow old too!"
My chest halts as I turn to look at the kid slumped against the wall behind us. He scowls back. "Just do it!"
"You'll miss out on the rest of your childhood, dude," Jay grimaces.
"We can't do that to you!" Kai shakes his head.
"You have to!"
"Lloyd, I had my childhood ripped away from me by forces I couldn't control!" I shout, feeling the heat inside me bubble with my rising pulse. "I won't let the same thing happen to you!"
The Grundal slashes at Cole's sword, swatting away into the store and leaving us completely defenseless. Its blazing blue eyes scorch into us with a fire of their own as it growls and snaps at us with its powerful jaws. Jay staggers back, knocking the rest of us into the wall and sending the jar flying high into the air.
I crash to the ground beside Lloyd before I'm trapped by Cole's falling body. The jar spirals above us with dramatic slowness before in the small ninja's lap. His grey eyes narrow as his jaw shifts and he starts to get his feet.
"Lloyd, don't do it," I gasp as I read his face. I struggle to breathe as Cole scrambles to shift in the tiny space. "I swear, Lloyd, I will never forgive you-"
He doesn't stop, and I feel the heat inside me threaten to explode as my eyes fill with scalding tears. "Lloyd, stop! Please! It isn't fair!"
"Fair?" he turns a softened smirk on me. "Fair isn't a word from where I come from."
Lloyd fixes his grey gaze on the Grundal, his jaw setting as he throws the jar directly into the Grundal's face. The glass shatters and explodes in a cloud of thick, suffocating, purple smoke.
The world around me erupts in a hurricane of swirling wind and screeching noise as I'm suddenly lifted from the ground with a scream. I'm tossed around in a wide, fast circle, like I'm riding an out-of-control-carousel that whips my breath away and strangles the blazing inferno within me. The clamp over my mind suddenly lifts, and everything seem to grow smaller around me before I'm suddenly thrown unceremoniously to the ground.
My chest fills with grateful air as I open my eyes to a familiar scaled face on my arm, twirling happily and puffing smoke. I slowly get to my feet, my head still spinning from the wild ride as I glance around at the decimated store and the older figures standing next to me.
"What happened?" Cole asks in a deeper, more familiar voice. His eyes widen on his larger hands. "We're not kids anymore!"
"It worked!" Nya cries happily as the dust slowly starts to clear.
"They… are the real ninja," Rufus gasps reverently as he looks up at us. Where he hid during the fight, I have no idea, but I have to respect his devotion to the small comic book store.
"But what about Lloyd?" Sensei asks just as I spot a familiar green shape huddled on the ground. I race toward it, falling to my knees beside him as I shove aside a thick piece of broken furniture to reveal…
"Oh no," I stagger back, scrambling to get back on my feet but failing miserably as my heels slide over shards of glass and scattered comics. The others step back as Lloyd slowly gets to his feet, moaning as his much longer legs unfold beneath him. I can feel my heart struggling to beat in my chest as he finally straightens up, shoving soft, white-blond curls aside to reveal an older, angular face that scrunches with confusion and discomfort.
"I'm… older," Lloyd mutters in a voice much different than the one I'm used to. My stomach churns with something other than fire.
His soft grey eyes fix on me, and my breath strangles in my throat as I finally find my footing and get to my feet. He's taller than me now- taller than any of us- and looking up at him nearly makes me scream.
"How could you," my voice is flat, smaller than it was even when I was a kid, and I only shrink more as Lloyd's face twists into a familiar grimace. "Do you realize what you've done?"
He takes a step toward me, and I shuffle back one. He pauses, his new, longer fingers tightening against his palms as he takes a deep breath. "I know you're upset-"
"Upset?" my voice cracks. "Lloyd, you just- you just threw your childhood away. Years of your life- gone in just a couple of seconds-"
"I gave up my childhood a while ago, Ash," his lips quirk into a sad smile, and I clench my eyes shut as I glimpse the little kid I fought with only a few minutes ago. "The second I became the green ninja, I gave it up. This just… makes it official."
"The time for the green ninja to face his destiny has grown nearer," Sensei says solemnly, but Lloyd's gaze doesn't leave me even as I turn away from him, my mind still scrambling to make sense of… all this. Instead, he takes a deep breath.
"I'm ready."
