Chapter 12: I Do
Movie Ninjago
The entire battle seemed to freeze the instant UltraViolet sent Luh-Loyd flying towards the ocean.
"NO!" came the furious shouts below as everyone watched Luh-Loyd arc through the air and then plummet towards the sea.
"LLOYD!" shrieked Koko at the same time Lord Garmadon yelled, "SON!"
Lil'Loyd yanked on his dragon's reins and sent them diving after his big brother, but couldn't reach him before Luh-Loyd vanished beneath the waves. Sick with worry, he had Ultra circle above the water hoping desperately for him to surface.
The Sons of Garmadon cheered, and UltraViolet dropped the Green Dragon Mech to the sand with a proud "HA!"
Big mistake.
UltraViolet was too busy basking in the feeling of a job well done, that she almost didn't notice the roar of the Green Dragon Mech starting up again beneath her, but even she couldn't miss it when the mech sprang to life once again and surged up towards her with its mouth blazing.
She yelped and yanked the controls back, barely able to dodge, but the mechanical dragon kept coming after her far more violently than when the Green Ninja was piloting it.
One look at the driver's seat, and it quickly became clear why.
Lady IronDragon and Lord Garmadon were both perched where their son had once been and were glaring at her with murder in their eyes.
Far from being intimidated by this, UltraViolet was elated. "You wanna go!" she shouted. "Sounds fun! Bring on the carnage!" And with that, she yanked her controls to fight the green mech once again.
But as she soon found out, fighting angry parents was an entirely different beast. Where the Green Ninja was cautious and evasive, the bride and groom were brash and destructive, not seeming to care what damage they took so long as they could get a shot at making her pay!
Having prepared for the former strategy, UltraViolet was having trouble with the latter.
But then, senseless destruction was why she was a fan of Lord Garmadon in the first place.
"So awesome!" she cackled as their mechs traded blows of slamming tentacles and slashing claws.
"It'll be more awesome when I shove this sword right up your-!" Lord Garmadon snarled but was cut off when UltraViolet managed to get in a lucky swipe, and tangled up the mech again.
Without missing a beat, the bride and groom leaped from the mech and began racing across the tentacles to reach Ultra Violet on foot, working together seamlessly to dodge and weave whatever she threw at them to stop them.
Seeing them closing in, UltraViolet did the only thing she could think to deter them and sent one of the tentacles to loom over the helpless guests hiding among the rocks away from the fighting.
"Come any closer, and I crush them!" she called to the advancing couple.
Lord Garmadon looked like he didn't care, but Lady IronDragon gritted her teeth and held out a hand to stop him.
UltraViolet grinned at the sight and opened her mouth to gloat, but before she could even get a word out, another voice cut her off.
"I don't think so!"
UltraViolet froze as she recognized the voice, then let out a squeal as her entire mech jolted beneath her.
Everyone whipped around to see the mechanical tentacle looming over the guests was now being crushed beneath several organic versions of the same thing, prying it loose from the mech and tossing it into the sea.
Following the new living tentacles up to their source, every Son of Garmadon's jaw dropped.
There, standing atop a real Leviathan, dripping wet but very much alive, was none other than Lloyd Garmadon, his younger counterpart swooping above him on the Ultra Dragon and grinning like a loon.
The guests that said Leviathan had just saved could only gape up at the monstrosity.
All but Rusty Echo, that is. "Oh good. He found Taffy," he said to Dr. and Prof. Julien. The young Nindroid then waved up at the sea monster and called, "Hi, Taffy!"
"Taffy?!" Harumi squeaked in incomprehension. She had definitely not planned for this.
The sea monster waved back to the Nindroid.
"Taffy," said Gene with a decisive nod, as if that confirmed it. "It seems the Green Ninja's repertoire of monster pets is growing.
"So awesome!" said Brad, with stars in his eyes.
"Taffy!?" Harumi shrieked again, sounding outraged on the monster's behalf. "A fearsome giant monster and he named it Taffy!"
Rusty Echo glanced over at her. "Oh no, I named it when it was keeping me and my father hostage for years in a lighthouse," he said as calmly as he was talking about the weather.
Everyone's stares shifted to him for that explanation. Even the Nindroid's father, who no longer remembered it.
"It kept us what?" asked Dr. Julien in utter confusion.
Back in the battle, cheers immediately began ringing out at the sight of Luh-Loyd's triumphant return, and the SoG were definitely looking nervous at the sight of Taffy. It had honestly been a relief to them when they got word from their leader that the wedding was in a location too far out to sea for Meowthra to show up. They had no idea the Green Ninja had another monster pet.
Said monster pet was quick to encapture the Leviathan Mech's metal tentacles in its own and begin ripping them apart like the first one. Lil'Loyd, not to be let out of the action, sent Ultra Dragon after the remaining mechanical tentacles and controls, blasting them with elements.
UltraViolet was especially feeling the heat. Between Taffy and the Ultra Dragon, she was barely fending them off.
It wasn't until the cold edge of a blade was held at either side of her throat that she froze and realized her fatal mistake.
She'd forgotten about Lord Garmadon and Lady IronDragon.
While their sons kept her attention with their monsters, they had finished climbing up to UltraViolet and were now holding her at swordpoint.
"Step away from the controls, and we will grant you mercy," said Lady IronDragon, her voice hard as ice.
"Or don't, that's fine too," added Lord Garmadon, rage still evident in his tone. "I'm not feeling all that merciful at the moment."
UltraViolet slowly took her hands off the controls and raised them in surrender.
Seeing their best chance at winning give up, the rest of the Sons of Garmadon knew it was over.
"Shame," muttered Harumi softly as she watched all this through her binoculars. "But we know when we're beaten." With that, (and with Brad and Gene moving to shield her from view), she reached into her purse and hit a trigger disguised as a tube of lipstick.
Immediately, the Leviathan Mech began emitting waves of smoke that covered the battleground in seconds.
The heroes yelped and coughed at the sudden smog, and tensed for another fight.
But when the smoke cleared, the Sons of Garmadon were already racing back to the beach, where they had parked the speedboats and jet skis they had arrived in.
"YOU HAVEN'T SEEN THE LAST OF US!" shouted Killow from the bow of one such speedboat as it took off. "WE'LL BE BACK!"
"REMATCH! LOSERS!" added UltraViolet as she shot off on her jet ski. "I WANT A REMATCH!"
When the last of the Sons of Garmadon vanished in the distance back to the city, the heroes finally breathed a sigh of relief, and the rest of the guests slowly trickled back in.
"Oh dear," said an elderly woman when she saw the wrecked remains of what had been the wedding area. "What a terrible commotion."
Far from being upset at his trashed venue, Lord Garmadon, who still stood atop the Leviathan Mech next to Koko, beamed down at them. "I know! Isn't it great!" he called, waving his sword emphatically.
Koko couldn't help but laugh. "Reminds me of our last wedding," she said.
Luh-Loyd slid down one of Taffy's tentacles to join them, and Lil'Loyd hopped off Ultra as the dragon flew past. "Mom, Dad, are you alright?" the older of the two asked.
"Never better!" said Lord Garmadon with a grin.
Koko, meanwhile, immediately moved to fuss over Luh-Loyd. "What about you, Sweetie?" she asked. "Are you hurt? How hard did you land?"
Luh-Loyd rung some water out of his jacket, and said, "I'm fine, just wet. The armor on this suit did the trick."
"Told you," said Lil'Loyd proudly as Koko checked him over as well.
"And Taffy found me pretty fast. I think it likes to swim around here," Luh-Loyd concluded, patting Taffy's tentacle appreciatively.
"I told you, Luh-Loyd. Leviathans are awesome!" said Lord Garmadon, grabbing all three of them in a group hug.
Taffy groaned as if in thanks at that.
"Seriously," Garmadon continued. "Best. Wedding. Ever! I married the most beautiful, kick-butt ninja queen in the history of ever, we got to have an epic smackdown, and I get my Leviathan Mech back!"
"Uh, actually, Lord Garmadon," called up Jimmy the cop from where he was making sure Gayle and Nana had come through the fight unscathed. "The mech's going to have to be impounded again. The Sons of Garmadon must have stolen it from our lot to get it here. Legally, the police have to take it back as evidence."
Lord Garmadon blew a raspberry on hearing that. "Alright, well, no day can be perfect."
Koko tried to hide a grin. "Aren't you forgetting something, Garm?" she asked.
Lord Garmadon blinked at her in confusion. "Uh, the reception?" he asked.
Koko and the Lloyds laughed. "The wedding's not over yet, Dad," Luh-Loyd said.
"Yeah! You still need these!" said Lil'Loyd, pulling the rings out of his coat pocket where he'd kept them for safekeeping.
"Oh, right, that," said Lord Garmadon. He glanced down at the trashed venue. It'd be a little hard to finish their vows amongst all the rubble, all the guests would have to stand awkwardly at distance to avoid stepping on the shattered remains of chairs, flower pots, and toppled burning torches.
They needed a new altar stat.
Looking down at what he was standing on, Lord Garmadon grinned as he got an idea.
"Hey, cop guy!" Lord Garmadon called down. "Does the mech have to be impounded again now?"
Jimmy, looking startled at the question, thought for a moment. "Uh, well, I have to call it in first, and it'll take some time for the guys back at the station to arrange transportation for it to go back, so it's likely gonna be stuck here for a while."
"Perfect!" said Lord Garmadon, reaching for the controls.
The guests watched in confusion as the former warlord activated the remaining undamaged tentacles and had them lower carefully to be next to them.
"Everyone take your seat!" Lord Garmadon. "Also, General #7!"
"Yes, sir?" said Nana.
"Get your butt up here. We've got a wedding to finish, and we're doing it in style!"
Nana grinned and snapped a salute. "Right away, sir," she said and climbed onto a tentacle, the rest of the guests followed suit.
Once everyone was seated and holding on tight, Lord Garmadon lifted the mechanical tentacles into the air so they had a clear view of the driver's station in the center.
General #7 hurried to retake her position as the officiant. Clearing her throat, she said, "Where were we, oh right. All objections to this union have been thoroughly denied, and I believe those dramatic declarations of love you made were some pretty good vows, so that leaves… the rings, right, kid?"
"Right!" said Lil'Loyd cheerfully, holding them out.
General #7 took them and handed them to the couple. Lord Garmadon and Koko each took a ring from each other and placed it on their yin and yang symbol.
"Do you, Lady IronDragon, take Lord Garmadon to be your husband?" asked General #7.
Koko beamed at him as she placed the yin symbol around his neck. "I do."
"Do you, Lord Garmadon, take Lady Misako 'Koko' IronDragon to be your wife," said Nana.
"Do I ever!" Lord Garmadon exclaimed, placing the yang gently on Koko.
"Then by the power vested in me, by my boss and the course I took online for this, I pronounce you husband and wife," said Nana. "You may now kiss the bride."
"Don't mind if I do," said Lord Garmadon, pulling Koko into a dip. Koko rolled her eyes at his antics but was grinning as the two kissed.
Immediately the entire wedding erupted into cheers so loud, some of the guests nearly fell off their perches, and Master Wu belted out the wedding march on his flute.
"I'm so happy for them!" Nick Jay said wetly, as he (as predicted) began crying.
Pep Zane, who had ended up next to him, and was also sobbing ice cubes. "I always cry at weddings," he said.
The two ended up hugging each other and trying to muffle their happy tears, while their teammates stifled their laughter at the sight.
When Lord Garmadon and Koko finally pulled apart, Nana announced, "I now give you, the Lord and Lady Garmadon… again!"
The cheering was even louder, and this time a guest did fall from the mech.
"Do you think he'll be alright?" asked Zen Zane as the Fuchsia Ninja tumbled out of sight to the sand below.
"He'll be fine," said Cyan Nya, not looking worried. "He was probably just looking for an excuse to vanish anyway."
"Who is that masked ninja anyhow?" asked Red Nya curiously.
"No one knows," said DJ Cole.
"It's all part of the surprise," agreed Buddy Kai.
"That, or he's just a weirdo," added Freckles Jay.
With the ceremony done, Lord Garmadon grabbed his family in another hug and announced to all the guests, "NOW LET'S PARTY!"
A/N Because no way any Garmadon wedding would be normal, and that's just how they like it. Thankfully, Luh-Loyd was fine, and Taffy showed up in the nick of time to save the day. Something I'm sure Garmadon also liked since he thinks Leviathans are cool. This story isn't quite over yet, as there is still a reception to tie up loose ends and an epilogue still to come. Still, I hope you enjoyed this wild and crazy ceremony.
Major thanks as ever to Kay Hau for beta reading this fic. As said last time, having a leviathan show up to the ceremony was her idea. She initially meant Taffy, but the idea helped me decide to use both Taffy and the mech. Also, I think she's the one who first joked Nick Jay and Pep Zane would cry at the wedding.
Next time: With the eventful ceremony over, it's time for the reception and all the intermingling that brings.