Announcement: To one and all and all and one (kinda redundant don't you think?), I have a new job so, my posting is going to be even less so than it usually is AND I lost my travel-drive with ALL my fanfics and other stuff so I'm sacrificing most of my stories to adoption. If you see "UP FOR ADOPTION" on the summary, please PM me for details.
I own nothing both tweaks, seriously, the fortune cookie is from Jean-Jacques Rousseau; Now, on with the show, or at least part one:
A dark shape flew by in the desert. It landed on a telephone wire by the road, now a falcon, scaring away some birds, and then looked directly at Zane.
"Wake up, Zane," it said in a deep voice, "I know where you come from."
Zane quickly lifted his head up, waking, and smashed it on the bottom of Kai's bed. With a gasp and a groan, he rolled out of his bed. He looked out window and smile, the falcon was out there. He noticed that the other boys were not in their beds. Checking Glen's room across the hall, Zane noticed he wasn't there either.
Zane opened the door the bridge and walked in.
"The hunt starts early today," he remarked.
"A watchful eye never sleeps," Sensei Wu looked up from a map.
"As long as Lloyd, Alexis, and the Serpentine roam freely," Nya said, "no one in Ninjago is safe."
"Where are the others?" Zane asked.
"Training on the upper deck," the old man answered.
Zane walked out of the bridge and to the upper deck, only to find it empty. He noticed the swirling clouds around the ship, meaning they were flying. A cawing sound caused him to look up, though. The falcon was sitting on the top of the mast.
"You were in my dream, little friend," Zane said smiling, "Last time I saw you; you led me to good fortune. What reason have you returned?"
The falcon cawed again, and flew off. Zane ran, following the bird until it flew past the ship and Zane could not follow it. The white ninja continued watching it; however, a dark presence alerted him.
"Lord Garmadon," Zane realized as he turned around, "But, you were banished!"
"Only to return for the weapons of Spinjitzu," Lord Garmadon said and then pulled two silver swords off his back, "Soon, I will have the power to re-create Ninjago... in my own image!"
Zane jumped as the Dark Lord swung his two swords, and the ninja landed behind the lord of darkness, and whipped out his shurikens.
"Give me your shurikens of ice!" Lord Garmadon demanded.
"You'll have to take them from me!" Zane shouted, "Ninjaaaaa-Go!"
With that, he spun into his tornado and moved towards Lord Garmadon, only to get caught by the throat and flung back into a pile of metal and machinery by the dark lord.
"So be it," the villain muttered, slicing a rope.
At the end of a rope was a large crate directly above Zane. Once the rope was severed, the crate came hurtling towards the ninja. Zane looked up and raised a hand to his face instinctively. He closed his eyes... and didn't feel the crate. Zane opened his eyes again and saw a blur of green holding the crate up. The blur moved, and Zane could then clearly see it.
"The Green Ninja," Zane marveled, "The legend's true."
And it was true. The Green Ninja stood before him, glowing with a faint green light. Zane then turned his attention back to Lord Garmadon. The lord of darkness brandished his swords and flipped towards the two ninjas. The Green Ninja moved with agility and attacked Lord Garmadon in mid-flip and with an advanced butterfly kick, knocking him a few feet back. The ninja stood in front of Zane, who watched in awe, the emerald hero seem to know every move his opponent was going to make before it even happened!
Lord Garmadon narrowed his red eyes and rushed towards the Green Ninja, who jumped up and landed on the flat sides of Garmadon's swords. The ninja was hurled towards the mast, and he swung around the width of the mast. He dodged the swords and whirled into a green tornado.
The white ninja was dumbfounded as he witnessed the Green Ninja then fight Lord Garmadon with the golden nun-chucks. The Green Ninja finally ended the battle and flung the villain off the side of the ship, into the clouds. Zane looked to the other ninja, whose eyes were now burning like fire. He held a ball of flames in his right hand, and the falcon sat calmly on his left arm, an aura of pure energy surrounding the two.
"Who are you?" Zane asked and got up, "Kai? Glen? Is that you?"
Something black flashed in front of his face and again.
"What's the meaning of this?! Who are you, Green Ninja?!"
Again and again, over and over, black shapes shot by close to his face, until he was surrounded by dozens and dozens of falcons. The Green Ninja just stood there, watching him.
Zane woke with a start, hitting his head on the underside of Kai's bed. He groaned in pain then opened his eyes and saw the three other ninjas already awake.
"Oh, sleeping in?" Jay's voice reached his ears, "You're gonna be late for training. Glen's been out there since before sunrise."
The white ninja sat up in his bed and asked, "How come no one awakened me?"
"We didn't think you wanted us to," Kai answered, "Looked like you were having some dream."
"How do I know this isn't a dream…" Zane was saying before he got interrupted by Cole whacking him in the face with a pillow.
"Does that feel like a dream?" Cole grinned.
"No," Zane snapped, rubbing his head, "Thank you for your help."
The other boys laughed.
The boys walked out onto the upper deck, where they found Glen working out. Zane blinked and saw Glen's form as he repeatedly and effortlessly beat up a punching bag. When he stopped, he turned at kicked a hanging dummy, sending it back four feet. Zane starred in awe at his moves, similar to what he saw in his dream, and didn't notice Kai tapping him on the shoulder.
"Ha-ha-ha! A little slow today, huh?" Kai said to Zane.
Glen heard him and stopped what he was doing. He stretched and walked to the other boys.
"Morning," Glen yawned, "What's this about Zane being 'a little slow'?"
"He had a dream," Cole replied.
"What exactly did you dream about?" He looked confused.
"I saw the falcon again."
Glen blinked and Jay said, "Whoa, Zane, every time you see that bird, something big happens. First, it led you to Lloyd and Alexis' secret tree house."
"Then, it led you to the Bounty," Cole added.
While they were talking, Sensei Wu walked out onto the deck and stopped in front of them.
"Alright," he said, "Stretches... First: the swooping crane."
He turned around and assumed a pose. The four ninjas copied him as Glen stood back and watched.
"This time, it showed me the Green Ninja," Zane whispered.
Three shouts of "The Green Ninja!" were heard. Sensei Wu turned around and saw Zane copying the pose, Cole covering his ears, Kai covering his eyes, and Jay covering his mouth. Glen just looked confused.
"That looks like the 'shocked monkey'," the old man said, "Bad form, more focus."
He turned around and posed again, the other ninjas following.
"You can't just drop a bomb like that," Jay explained, "Spill the beans."
"Yeah, what else did you see?" Kai asked.
"He was fighting Lord Garmadon," Zane answered.
"Who?" Glen asked, becoming a bit more interested.
"Evil dude trying to take over Ninjago," Jay quickly explained.
"That's what the prophecy said," Kai confirmed, "That the Green Ninja would defeat the Dark Lord."
"Yeah, but, did you get a chance to see which one of us was him?" Cole asked.
"Yeah, didja see?" Jay repeated.
"I could not tell," Zane admitted, "He shared attributes each one of us possess, even Glen's martial art mastery."
"Now!" Sensei Wu crouched low to the ground, "Pinching crab!"
The ninjas copied him and Glen spoke up, "So, the Green Ninja might be… me?"
Zane shrugged, "He performed your moves, so it may be possible."
"Well, tell us everything! And don't spare any details," Kai said, "There has to be a clue that tells us which one of us is gonna be the Green Nin… Ow, ow, ow! Hey!"
While Kai had been talking to Zane, their teacher had walked up to him and pulled his hair.
"What was so important to ignore my teachings?" the man asked.
"Uh, nothing," Kai responded.
"It was nothing, Sensei!" Cole insisted.
"Yeah, we don't talk while you teach," Jay shook his head.
"Everyone was paying attention," Zane said.
"They were just bringing me up to speed," Glen tried to defend them.
Unfortunately, their mentor did not believe them.
"Since you all appear to be lacking focus," Sensei Wu said, "Then you can all share in the punishment! You too Glen, since you seem to need it most."
"What?!"
"Punishment?!"
"It was all Zane!"
"I was merely answering their questions!"
"I'm not even one of your students!"
"No free time, no quiet time, and no video games," their sensei said, "The rest of the day can be used for training... And tomorrow, for that matter..."
He began walking away.
"Training?!" Kai complained, "For how long?"
"Until you can answer this simple riddle," their mentor turned around, "What is the best way to defeat an enemy?"
"Easy, with a sword!" –Kai.
"Your fists!" –Jay.
"Spinjitzu!" –Cole.
"Tornado of Creation?" –Zane.
"Break or destroy the enemy." –Glen.
Glen's answer made the other boys uncomfortable but they were more concerned that it wasn't the right answer.
Sensei Wu sighed and walked up the stairs, saying, "Pace yourselves, you have a lot of training ahead of you. Make sure you sharpen your mind, as well as your skills."
The boys lowered their arms and their whole bodies drooped for a moment. Cole walked to a box full of training gear.
He pulled out a sparring stick and sighed, "What's the best way to defeat an enemy? ... It could be anything!"
Jay set up the training equipment and began using it, saying, "Come on, guys, we're smart. We can figure this out."
Kai threw a blow to a punching bag, and then looked up, Sensei Wu was gone. He, Cole, Jay, and Glen gathered around Zane.
"Yeah, but let's hear more about this dream," the red ninja said.
"Let me just say," Zane began, "The Green Ninja is awesome!"
The entire Fangpyre army marched across the white snow; the mutated vehicles led the way. While Alexis shivered and tried to warm herself up, Lloyd shouted orders to the army and watched their progress to the Hypnobrai lair eagerly. Far ahead, the Hypnobrai army marched forward, with Skales at the front.
"The Hypnobrai," Lloyd muttered, raising his hands from where they were resting on Fangtom's tail, "Now, we teach them a lesson for betraying Lloyd Garmadon and Alexis… Wait, what's your last name again?"
"I'm an orphan, I don't have one," Alexis stated, "But if you wanna call me something else, my middle name's Karai."
Fangtom stared at the children; Lloyd then replied, "Um... do your thing, Fangpyre, we released you for a reason."
"Attack!" Fangtom's second head shouted.
The kids' ears almost burst from the roar of the Fangpyre and the Hypnobrai armies. Both tribes charged forward, until Skales saw Fangtom. He stuck his staff in the ground as Fangtom jumped off the vehicle he was on and slithered to him. But at the last moment, Alexis could've sworn she heard a record being scratched.
"Skales, my old chum…!" Fangtom's first head exclaimed.
"I didn't think I'd be fighting you!" his second head said, "Mmm, moved up in the world, have we?"
He bumped fists with the new Hypnobrai general.
"Well, if it isn't the Fangpyre!" Skales hissed, with a snakeish smile on his face, "Of all the cold-blooded to creep up on ussss, I'm glad that it is a friend."
"Okay, didn't see that one coming," Alexis blinked.
"Wait," Lloyd said, "I thought you were enemies... Not friends!"
"We were at war," Fangtom turned around and explained.
His second head spoke, "But, seeing as how Skales is leading them, well... I don't see why we can't be comrades."
"Had you released the Constrictai," Skales said, "the Venomari, or, heaven forbid, the Anacondrai… then we would've had a tussle."
"A tussle? A tussle?!" Lloyd yelled, "But, I'm Lloyd Garmadon, Bringer of Evil!"
Alexis looked at him and muttered, "You're somethin' alright."
The Serpentine generals just chuckled and turned away from the children.
"What should we do with them?" Skales asked Fangtom, loudly enough for Lloyd and Alexis to hear.
"I could turn them into one of us."
"Hmm... The girl might be a good fit but the boy…. Nah... The little tyke is pretty useless."
"What if you hypnotize him, and make him think he is a pig?"
"That would be pretty funny!"
The two Serpentine generals laughed. While they were distracted, Lloyd climbed off the mutated vehicle and began running, Alexis right behind him. They stopped for a moment and realized the Fangpyre were slowly cutting off their escape. Lloyd hopped onto the tail of another mutated vehicle and helped Alexis up; the vehicle felt them and, narrowing its eyes, threw them off, making the kids scream. Lloyd landed face-first in the snow a few yards away with Alexis a few feet behind him to his left.
Both kids pulled themselves out of the snow with Alexis bitterly remarking, "Well, that was fun."
"…With his fist on fire," Zane concluded.
The four listening boys "Ohhh"-ed and Kai mused, "So, I'm the Green Ninja."
"What are you talking about?" Cole snapped, "He had incredible strength to lift the cargo and save his life. It's me."
"Um, hello? Did you miss the part of the story where the guy pulled out nun-chucks?" Jay took out his nun-chucks, "I have nun-chucks!"
"I think you are all missing the point of this dream," Zane interrupted, the four looked at him, "The point is, the falcon flew on his arm, and it was my dream. So, naturally it's me."
"How could this Green Ninja person be you," Glen questioned, "When in your dream you were too busy watching his battle?"
"I think we can cross Cole off the list," Jay stated, "I could lift it ten times!"
"Whoa, whoa, whoa, cross me off the list?" Cole interjected, "What about Glen? The Green Ninja had to have been a ninja, so he can't be him!"
"I never said I'm to be this green ninja warrior!" Glen protested, "I'm just trying to understand this vision Zane had."
"The Green Ninja was holding fire! It's me!"
And the boys began arguing.
"Since you are not training…" The five broke off with little jumps and turned around and saw the ninja master was walking towards them, "You must have already found the answer to my riddle: What is the best way to defeat an enemy?"
"Uh..." Kai thought for a moment, "The best way to defeat your enemy is to... train, Sensei?"
"Feeble and incorrect!" The sensei said, "Maybe more training will help you focus."
"Wait! I know," Glen spoke up, "There is no one good way; it's a trick question, right?"
"No," Was the response, Glen groaned.
"Remember what happened to your vehicles when you lost focus, or how Glen was so easily snuck up on at the junkyard," the old man continued as he backed into a lower part of the ship, "A razor-sharp weapon is an extension of a razor-sharp mind."
And with that, the door slammed shut. The ninjas sighed.
"How am I supposed to focus when we don't know who the Green Ninja is?" Jay whined.
Glen raised an eyebrow and asked, "How is that a priority?"
"I don't want to be training all day," Cole said, "Let's work together on this riddle."
"Had you released the Constrictai, the Venomari, or heaven forbid, the Anacondrai, then we would've had a tussle," Lloyd mocked the Serpentine generals as he and Alexis walked across the desert.
"In hindsight, if the Fangpyre can't beat four braindead ninjas, an old fart, a tease, and an old couple," Alexis thought aloud, "They probably wouldn't have been able to beat the Hypnobrai."
"Whatever," Lloyd dismissed, not taking his eyes off the map, and asked, "Can you find the next tomb like last time?"
"Don't have to; look up."
He lowered his map and immediately saw a large, off-white fang marking in the desert.
"We found it!"
He ran to the door just under the fang and brushed away the sand and dust.
"The Anacondrai," Lloyd whispered, "The most feared and powerful Serpentine of them all! If they're afraid of the Anacondrai, then the Anacondrai is what they're gonna get! Mua-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha!"
"Are you insane? The Anacondrai were known to eat their enemies whole and disappear without a trace," Alexis rebuked him, "If you can't control mind controllers and vampire snakes, how are you gonna command man-eaters?"
"You don't understand Alexis, I have to try," Lloyd replied in a low voice as he opened the doors and walked inside.
He had to become braver over the past month that Alexis had joined him. Her mere presence had a weird effect on him, not the mushy-gushy lovey-dovey garbage, more along the lines a sudden need to protect her. Maybe it was a symptom of her powers, maybe an ingrained need to defend a female, or even it was the sheer fact that she was his only true friend. He puffed out his chest slightly as he thought of his bravery in even thinking of releasing the Anacondrai.