So. Recap. Things had been going great. Ever since stopping the Anacondrai warriors, the Ninja had become celebrities. Which came with all sorts of perks, like free food, free merch, sponsorship… It was a comfortable life. A great life.
They had actually grown complacent in their fame. They were getting frustrated with it. Nya complained she was only seen as the "girl" ninja, Cole complained Kai spent too much time with his fans and Jay… Jay was just a little bit sour that he was the least popular of the Ninja (how was even Morro beating him? Stupid ghost…)
Then. Then. Everything had gone so wrong; it was like they had been hit by lightning! Repeatedly! And Jay would know because he was the Master of Lightning!
First, they had been called to Stiix to track down Clouse, only thanks to someone not wanting to take his stupid hand, they had been caught by their "adoring public" and unable to leave Ninjago City. Then- then when they finally did get to Stiix, they found out in the worst possible way that they had been framed by someone and just like that, their entire reputation was gone! They went from the most beloved heroes of Ninjago to the most wanted criminals in an instant!
Not a big deal, Cole had oh so wisely said, they would keep a low profile, while Pixal used her digital network to prove their innocence. Then… Pixal had been taken. Based on available data and evidence, Zane deduced that (against all likelihood) it had been a djinn. He didn't say much after that. No one blamed him.
Just as they figured out what was going on though, just when things looked to be turning around, Ronin had shown up, caught them, and dragged them to the authorities, who consequently locked them up in Kryptarium. Unsurprisingly, their presence caused a lot of ruckus and predictably a fight broke out (Zane had come alarmingly close to being dismantled by some creep called the Mechanic. Thankfully, Morro had noticed his absence very quickly and was able to save him… even though Morro definitely went overboard with the whole "protecting" thing. Definitely veered way more intro straight-up sadistic revenge…)
Thanks to their little "stunt" during lunch, they had been locked up in the hole. A deep, dark pit with only one exit far above them.
This is where their next great adventure had led them. They were cuffed with vengestone, locked in Ninjago's greatest prison, sitting in a hole with no weapons, no tools and no one to get them out. Skylor had attempted to do so earlier, but apparently Cole didn't get the memo about break-out cake and being a ghost, he could digest anything he put in his stupid piehole. So, there went their one chance.
"This has to literally be our lowest point. We're in a hole. Rock bottom," Jay complained loudly. Kai murmured something in agreement. Cole didn't look too thrilled either, though he didn't voice it.
"Well, on the bright side, at least we're all together?" Nya asked. Morro immediately snorted.
"If anything, I think that just makes it worse."
"Morro…" Kai warned. Morro levelled a glare at him, but backed off. The latest ghost on the team had been doing a lot to prove that he still knew what it meant to be a student of Sensei Wu. He had come far from his cursed realm days, but he was still usually a bitter sour-grape at the best of times.
"If only we could use our powers again…" Zane muttered, looking up at the iron gate. If they didn't have vengestone cuffs, they could so easily escape from their predicament.
He frowned. Perhaps it was not a good thing that vengestone had so easily incapacitated them. If Sensei Wu were still around, he would probably be telling the Ninja that they had become too reliant on their elements; that they had neglected what it really meant to be a ninja. There had to be a way out of here without the use of their powers… But he was at a complete loss.
Far above them, Zane spotted a shadow moving in the dark. His eyes narrowed, and it didn't take long for the others to notice and likewise look up. Finally, from the shadows emerged a grinning face, staring back down at them, looking very amused.
"You know, I always figured you guys would spend the rest of your lives in a pit, but I thought some bad guy would put you there. Not the people you protect!" Lloyd gleefully chirped from.
"What are you doing here?" Cole demanded, half confused, half annoyed.
"When I heard the Ninja had gone bad and got locked up in Kryptarium, I had to come and see for myself. I'm surprised you're in the hole already! Most people have to work super hard to get in. Only two Darkley's students have ever managed to get locked in Kryptarium, but no one has ever achieved the hole! If you guys were Darkley's kids, you'd be immortalized for getting in on day one! Who knew the Ninja would be so good at prison life?"
They all groaned. Just what they needed. Lord Garmadon's kid, here to rub it in their faces. Zane was looking at Lloyd suspiciously though.
"You believe we are 'bad' now?" he asked. Lloyd wrinkled his nose.
"You guys are still my arch-enemies. So, duh, obviously you can't be bad," Lloyd explained in a very manner-of-fact tone. "Everyone knows you're still the good guys. At least, everyone at Darkley's. It's very obvious."
"Great. So, the only people that know we're innocent are also the biggest brats Ninjago has ever seen. Yay," Morro muttered. Nya shot him a warning look, to which Morro only rolled his eyes.
"How did you even get in here? No one has ever broken out of Kryptarium, let alone in!" Jay exclaimed. Lloyd shrugged.
"I might not pass classes like Malicious Psychology or Philosophy for the Villain, but I've always been an ace at practicals. You're looking at the best of the best here," Lloyd explained, twirling something around his finger. It smacked him in the face, and he accidentally dropped it. "Ow."
"Well, as you can see, we really are locked up in here," Cole bit out. "So, can you leave now? Or are you here to make things worse?"
"Don't encourage him," Kai hissed, right before Lloyd spoke.
"You mean sitting ducks, like you? Man, anyone would be an idiot to let a chance like this slide! You know, some guys back at Darkley's have a list ten feet long for what they will do to you if you're here for another night!" Lloyd explained happily. Then his face fell. "But you won't be here tomorrow night. 'Cause…" He groaned dramatically. "I'm here to bust you out."
They all looked at him dumbstruck.
"What?" Kai finally asked.
"As much fun as it would be to leave you here, you can't be my arch-enemies if everyone thinks you're the bad guys. So, I need you to get out and prove you're innocent. Also…" And this, Lloyd mumbled very quietly, "I have a friend who's a super big fan of yours, and she begged me to help you, so I don't really get a choice."
The others couldn't hear it, but Zane, with his heightened senses, heard it perfectly. He actually smiled. So, there was hope for even the spawn of Garmadon. Not that Zane had ever doubted it.
"Ok, that's great and all, but what's the plan? You're up there and powerless, and we're down here and powerless!" Jay called up. Lloyd ignored him, simply throwing something into the hole. It landed near where Cole was sitting.
It was the thing Lloyd had been twirling earlier. A keyring. With keys. That fit in their locks.
"So. Here's the plan," Lloyd announced, once again grinning from up above.
This is set during the events of That Darkley's Boy. Or rather, this is what That's Darkley's Boy would look like if I sat down and thoroughly wrote out every season instead of doing a more summarized, one POV style. Enjoy.