Cole, Bree and Alana are stuck at the fortress. Maybe its in Ninjago, maybe another realm. They don't actually know yet. Nor do their friends and ninja family know where they have gone. Yet.
I update as soon as the inspiration hits me and irl gives me a chance to type. Thanks for reading, love you guys.
The chaos at the temple of air jitzu hadn't calmed in the slightest. Pixal and Zane just stood in shock. Still holding the little one in her arms Pixal then looked at Zane. He hadn't taken his eyes off the baby.
"Did he...? Is he a baby or a nindroid?" Zane asked in wonder. It wasn't often that Zane had questions that he couldn't answer.
"He just appeared. I was reading through the book and as soon as I said the words there was a huge flash. Mid flash I just felt him appear in my arms" Pixal answered him.
In the courtyard Morro and Kai were yelling back and forth at each other. Then Jay joining in and also shouting at Morro.
"I had nothing to do with this! I wasn't even outside when it happened! I swear!" Morro shouted back. His focus was not on the angry Ninja but on Harumi who was still darting back and forth yelling for Bree.
Harumi finally skidded to a stop and grabbed onto Morro. Jay and Kai simply started yelling at her as well. The noise a confusing mesh of voices with everyone talking at once. Pixal and Zane turned to them. Pixal changing the babies position and putting him onto her chest and cradling him.
"I do not think it was Morro...or Harumi" Zane told his brothers. Both stopped and gaped at Pixal with the baby.
"Where the hell did that come from" Kai yelped gesturing to the baby. Pixal giving him an ugly look and turning slightly away.
Sensi Wu had come out behind Jay. He had collected himself faster than the others had. He checked on the baby as Zane had. When the little one grasped his finger as well the baby shifted from the titanium color with blue eyes back to the yellow haired baby with green eyes. Sensi Wu raised an eyebrow at Zane and Pixal.
"I was under the impression that nindroids did not have children. Is there something you forgot to tell all of us?" he asked.
"I was reading a few pages out of that book and it just happened" Pixal said a bit sheepishly.
"The fuck it just happened. Its not your book, its not your family's book. Bree specifically told us all not to screw around with it. And the instant Bree and I are busy what the fuck do you do? Go mess with a extremely powerfully magic book" Harumi snarled in anger.
Morro had found the book on the ground and upon dusting it off handed it back to Harumi.
"What the hell page did you read? This one?!" Harumi asked. Well still snarling really. Harumi was scanning through the pages quickly. Morro watched her do so and his eyes grew wide as he read over her shoulder.
"Is this the kind of spell I think it is?" Morro asked Harumi specifically. Gesturing to the page with hearts desire on it. Harumi held the book out wider so Pixal and Zane could both see.
Pixal nodded, gently patting and reassuring the little one in her arms. Zane seemed absolutely smitten with the baby who cooed back at him especially sweetly.
"This spell is half Djin half elemental master of magic in origin. Meaning Bree's mother or Bree herself wrote it. Probably Rowena" Harumi said. Turning the book and reading the side panel written in purple. "Yes, Rowena wrote the main part and this purple is Bree's handwriting".
"What does that mean?" Pixl asked anxiously. "What about it being not permanent".
"Que sera sera basically" Harumi said shrugging her shoulders.
With the exception of Wu everyone looked at Harumi like she had two heads. With a huff she realized she was going to have to explain in depth. "Hearts desire is a wish based spell. It makes the wisher get their hearts desire. The catch is if whatever you want is not predestined to happen it will go away. If it really is meant to be then it stays. I am afraid when you read this spell out loud destiny itself decided to take take its chances. We know those bozos in cloud kingdom have been trying to alter fate to try and alter destiny. I think destiny took advantage and used this spell to shift things back to the way they were meant to be" Harumi said.
"Destiny was for Cole, Bree and Alana to disappear? And for Pixal and Zane to have a magic nindroid baby?" Jay said in confusion. Nya and Skyler had found their way over as well to listen.
"I think that Bree and Cole were meant to be else where in Ninjago right now, or somewhere else entirely. And Possibly Zane and Pixal were never meant to be nindroids at all. But human with a normal and natural progression of Zane's family line of elemental powers" Wu said. Speaking softly. And then rubbing his face and eyes in frustration.
"Sensi that does not compute, I and Pixal have always been nindroids" Zane stated.
"Your father Zane, Dr Julian was the biological son of the last master of ice. He used computer programming and his own dna to make you his first born son Zane. And Pixal was created by Cyrus Borg in memory of the daughter he lost years ago. Bree had said to Cole a few days ago that Zane and Pixal were the weirdest thing she had ever seen. Because she can see both your nindroid programming and your shared human soul," Wu said to the ninja.
"I did not know" Pixal spoke in surprise. "But my greatest wish was to have a normal family with Zane. Odd for a nindroid. But what I wanted..what we both have wanted for a long time." Pixal finished looking to Zane with affection.
"Is it at all possible that the writers in cloud kingdom are the ones that altered fate so both ended up as Nindroids instead of humans... and if so would that just be another attempt to kill off the elemental masters. One way or another." Skyler added with unnerving certainty.
Every one looked at her in shock.
"What? It makes sense. The curse was not ending the lines quickly enough, the kappa were taking too long. Morro and myself had other curses on ourselves. What better way to get rid of the elemental masters than to make sure no new ones are born. Its not like there was a huge next generation. Other than Bree's daughter none of the current elemental masters even have children." Skyler added.
"Ninja, I think we may have found at who is behind this. But... I think the writers must have had help. And who and why we still do not know" Wu stated to the group.
"But how are we going to get Cole back?" Jay interjected into the somber group.
"Bree didn't go willingly, she fought to stay. They didn't realm jump, it didn't feel like that. I might be able to track them down using the book" Harumi said.
"Then what are we waiting for?!" Jay asked impatiently.
Harumi rolled her eyes at him in disgust. "Yes please let me, the half ass trained half Djin use the monstrously powerful book of magic like its a a gps tracker in a hurry. Merely reading from it didn't end well last time. Give me a dam moment to figure it out without killing us all" she snapped at him.
"Do you think its possible they are still in the realm of Ninjago" Wu asked gently. He was greatly concerned that whatever destiny had in store. That it was possible he would never see his...daughter or granddaughter again. Or Cole one of his precious students. That thought shook him to his very core.
"Im about seventyish percent sure they are. But they could be injured. Or something else is wrong. Neither Bree or Cole has tried calling via cell or using a communicator right?" Harumi asked.
"Not that I have detected" Nya answered. "I started checking the moment we knew they were gone. Given the way the guys disappeared to the first realm Pixal and I wrote protocols about this kind of thing."
Harumi grimaced. She remembered exactly when and how the ninja had disappeared before. And she had plenty to do with it. With Morro following Harmui walked away to a far part of the courtyard and sat on the edge of the stone wall. Paging through the spell book. Looking and hoping to find a way to locate her family as soon as possible.
At the fortress.
"Bree! What in the hell are you doing?!" Cole yelled. He watched her using her magic to forcefully drag a goat up the steps of the fortress and threw the front gates open. Pulling it up and off the ground every time it would jerk and fight. Bree was sweating and swearing profusely.
"Don't just watch me, help me!" Bree snarled to Cole. She managed to get the goat drug into the newly patched stable yard. Shoveling the goat in with her magic and kicking the gate shut with her leg Bree dropped the purple magic and sank to the ground. "I win you stupid goat" She said. All Bree got in response was the female goats angry bleating and the kid goats pathetic cry's for its mother. Pulling the tiny baby goat out of her bag Bree more gently shoved it in the pen with its mother and latched the gate. Looking up Bree saw a annoyed Cole and giddy Alana looking down on her.
"Why do we have a goat?" Cole asked in exasperation. Cole had been watching Alana while Bree said she had some work to do.
"I spent all morning looking for a goat with only one kid you know that?" Bree said. Not getting up but still sitting on the cobbles of the courtyard.
"Again. Why do we have a goat. No, two goats?" Cole asked Bree as she pushed herself up to stand beside him and offered to take Alana back.
"We need the dam goat so I can get some milk. So Alana can have milk and I can make cheese and other foods. Just like we need the wood I drug up here for the fireplace and the other food I have been dragging up here" Bree told him. " I need a shower so desperately. And speaking of shower I need to find out where that hot spring is coming up. Its not getting into any of the water closets like it should."
Bree took Alana and started heading into the main keep with Cole following. Cole shaking his head as they went.
"I don't understand why you are dragging all this stuff up here" Cole said. Ducking under a broken beam as they headed into the first level.
"Because Id rather not starve to death when it turns to the darkest of winter Cole". Bree responded. "Hey where was the kitchen again. I was thinking that the water was stopped up around that level. The hot water spring comes out from under there somewhere on the outside of the cliff face."
"Do you really think that we are going to be stuck here that long" Cole said to her.
"Considering we have been here two weeks and we can't figure a way out so far. Or how to call for help I think we're gonna be here a while" Bree replied.
"I hope not, kitchen is down this way, across from the library. Hey if you gotta learn you gotta eat" Cole said laughing.
"Right like you ever stop eating to read a book" Bree giggled.
Cole rolled his eyes as he pushed the large but plain door open.
"Why is this place such a dusty mess?" Bree asked then sneezed. "Wait... I know this place. Its... I've seen it in visions."
"Seen how" Cole asked. Frowning at the filthy kitchen and hanging pots and pans covered in so much dust he was unable to see what type of metal they were even made of.
"I've seen this place, me talking to Harumi, your friends were here. Skyler, Nya and Pixal. Children running through on their way out to the courtyard. Harumi's and Alana" Bree answered him. She didn't mention that she thought several of the wild pack of children were hers, because she just didn't believe that was how destiny and fate were going to turn out.
"So that means we get out of here, or they get in" Cole surmised.
"Eventually, Alana was several years older. Harumi had several children and shes not even dating anyone" Bree answered. Dusting off several counters and an ancient stove and fireplace. She looked at what must have been a sink. Long dry. Around and above the sink were levers and pulleys on chains. She tried pulling up or down on them and they were stuck shut off.
"Well thank goodness her and Lloyd didn't work out. That was weird seeing them together" Cole said.
"Any weirder than you and Nya?" Bree asked laughing.
"You know about that?" Cole asked in surprise and with a twinge of embarrassment.
"Harumi told me every little thing about you guys. When you aren't trying to not die the never realm is a boring place. I have heard all about your terrible dates" Bree said laughing again.
Wanting to change the subject Cole took Alana from Bree and tucked her into the back carrier. Putting his hands above Bree's on the main lever he summoned his lava arms and shoved up on the lever. With groaning and creaking they both heard hissing and rattling of old pipe works. Then water came spitting out of the sink spigot a rusty color.
"Gross its ruined" Cole said in disgust.
"It hasn't been used in years, it has to run for a while before it runs clear. In fact that's what we'll have to do with all the bathrooms and water closets. And I was wrong. The waste water does not run down to the pond, it goes down the cliff, into a stream and out into the forest past the invisible barrier. And no, we can't get out under it. I tried that last week" Bree replied.
As the water started to turn from rust colored to clear both Cole and Bree felt a ripple of power. Looking back and forth they both froze.
"Is that the barrier?" Cole asked excitedly. "Maybe the ninja have found the fortress and they are trying to break in from the outside.
With that both ran up the steps with Alana in the carrier still. The barrier was still rippling but neither could see any sign of the ninja, or Harumi or even any of the other elemental masters.
"Oh what the fuck!" Cole growled out. "I can't even see a dam bird! So what set off the barrier?"
With a sigh Bree looked at Cole. Then at some of the broken stone around them. The edges chipped on the stone and some even loose.
"Cole..." Bree started off quietly. " The barrier rippled when we fixed the water. Remember what I said about we triggered the thing in the first place. And how our moms had said this was a place of safety and magic for us?"
"Yea well its less defensive fortress and more decrepit mess" Cole snorted.
"Exactly! This place is a abandoned magical fortress. It needs fixed and repaired. It was built by our ancestors. Going that far back there were multiple clans of every kind of elemental master. This place could house whole villages of elemental masters and magic users!" Bree exclaimed.
"Get to the point women" Cole said grumpily.
"I think the fortress needs repaired in order for the barrier to go down. The fortress doesn't want to drop the barrier because it knows its half broken and it can't use whatever defenses it has properly." Bree continued.
"So what, we fix this dump up and it will let us leave? Cole replied in disgust.
The barrier rippled again. And this time the very stone under foot vibrated.
"Yes Cole, master of rude" Bree said huffing. "I don't think she likes being called a dump either".
"Whys it a she and how are we going to figure out if you're right?" Cole asked.
Bree said nothing in reply. But took her hand and placed it over Coles. His arms lighting up a bright orange. He was glad Bree was not looking at his face to see him flush pink. He wished his powers wouldn't do that around her. Using her elemental magic and his Bree directed Cole to fix the broken stone steps and ramparts. With a grinding earthy sound and a purple glow Bree dropped Cole's hand and turned quickly to see the barrier rippled again.
"Huh. So how long do you think this place will take to fix up" He asked.
"If we survive the winter, don't starve or get ourselves killed in the process? Years maybe. I am no stone mason or carpenter" Bree answered dejectedly.
"You are such a pessimist" Cole laughed. "But lucky. Because I am both" He grinned.
"Well we're going to die here" Bree laughed.
"You've got me sweetheart, we'll fix this place up and get out of here before it snows" Cole laughed. Grabbing Bree by the waist and swinging her around. Thrilled to have a direction to go and a challenge to fight. Alana giggling at the momentum.
"Yup, definitely gonna die here" Bree replied looked up at Cole with a smirk.