Well, here it is, the dramatic conclusion! What's going to happen? Will the ninja win? What about Destiny and her mother, how will they deal with the Tiger Widow venom?!
The answers to all these questions and more await below.
First, I would like to give a ginormous thank you to everyone who has made it this far into the story. Whether you continue to join me on this journey or not it still means the world to me that you took the time to indulge in Destiny's adventure. Also, this chapter is twice as long as the previous longest chapter lol.
Now, without further ado, I present to you 'Chapter 18'. - Bananapugg
Cole could feel his jaw tighten as he clenched his teeth together from under his mask. Although he and the other ninja were at least 50 feet away he could see from here just how tired and broken his friend looked. Her skin was a sickly pale and covered completely with beads of sweat. The bottoms of her eyelids also appeared darker and baggier than before.
Yuraggi, the woman responsible for putting Destiny and her family through so much pain, now had the yellow clad girl in her reach. Destiny had freed herself from her captor for the moment, but like a starving predator Yuraggi hunted the yellow clad girl ferociously. The black ninja wanted to jump in Yuraggi's way now, and fight off the heinous villain. Acting as an impenetrable wall between her and the teenage girl who was struggling to defend herself.
The Master of Earth couldn't get to Destiny though. He and the others were separated from her by a flood of Yuraggi's goons. Normally Cole would have used his elemental powers to create a small earthquake making the goons lose their balance, or propel himself into the air over the crowd with a stone pillar. None of this was possible though. Cole called out to his powers desperately but they would not answer. Yuraggi was thorough, and had lined the entire cavern with Vengestone, blocking all of their powers.
"Guys, we need to get to Destiny!" The black ninja shouted to his friends as he punched another goon down, their unconscious form falling to the dirt beside him. The other ninja looked over to the Master of Earth, and then to the distance where Destiny was stumbling, barely avoiding the tip of Yuraggi's polearm.
"We'll clear a path for you!" Master Wu called back, knocking down several goons of his own with his staff before jumping in front of the black ninja. The green and red ninja's then moved up as well, the two of them working together with Master Wu and making a small enough path in the 'Shapeshifters' forces for Cole to squeeze through.
"Go Cole! We'll deal with these guys!" Kai informed as he threw out a well aimed kick. Cole nodded, and ran past the swarm of attacking goons and out to the other side of the battle.
"Destiny!" Cole called out as he began running to the young girls' aid.
"Cole! H-Help my mom!" Destiny ordered as she used the rest of her strength to push against Yuraggi's polearm. They both had their hands on the rod of the spear, and were using whatever might they could muster to push against one another.
Cole didn't want to leave Destiny, but as he looked to his left he saw why his friend was so worried. Janissa Pierce was locked in a cage suspended over the nearby pit of magma, however one of the 'Shapeshifters' was turning a crank that was lowering the cage towards the molten lava.
The black ninja looked between Destiny and her mother, hesitating as he had an internal argument with himself. Eventually the part of him shouting at him to save Mrs. Pierce won, and Cole began sprinting to the older woman's side.
"GAH! Someone stop him!" Yuraggi barked at her goons as she continued to push against Destiny, noticing the black ninja running towards Janissa Pierce.
Several of Yuraggi's goons heard her and left the main fight to get in the way of the Master of Earth. Cole was losing what little patience he had left and didn't slow down as he closed the distance between himself and the lackey's ahead of him.
Suddenly Cole remembered, even though he and the others couldn't use their powers that didn't mean they couldn't still use spinjitzu. Subconsciously, the Earth ninja smirked to himself under his mask before jumping in the air. Caught off guard the 'Shapeshifters' slid their feet to slow down. It was too late though, and as Cole whipped around he was completely enveloped in a cloud of earth and rock.
A few of the 'Shapeshifters' attempted to run away but all of them were pulled into the Master of Earth's tornado. Within the eye of the storm Cole struck down each of his opponents in rapid succession, incapacitating them swiftly before he allowed the whirlwind around him to dissipate. The bodies of the subdued 'Shapeshifters' falling to the ground with several thuds.
Cole then continued his sprint to stop the 'Shapeshifter' that was still lowering Mrs. Pierce into the pit. As the black ninja got close enough he threw out a punch aimed right at the other man's jaw. The goon saw the fist of the Earth ninja at the last second though from the corner of his eye, and leaned backwards causing Cole to instead land his punch into the various cogwheels of the crank machine.
Cole hissed in pain as he pulled his fist back. He normally had super strength, sure, but that didn't mean punching steel at full force didn't hurt. The line holding up Janissa Pierce's cage suddenly shook, and her cage began to fall downwards. The black ninja panicked, but quickly used his unhurt hand to grab hold of the chain connected to the top of the cage.
The black ninja was now caught between a rock and a hard place, literally. The sudden force and weight of him grabbing the cage chain had caused him to fall onto the ground and he was now laying on his side. One arm outstretched over the cliffside with an iron grip holding onto the chain, his other arm held up above him pushing against the weight of the 'Shapeshifter' that was now trying to defeat him.
"Can't do much now! Can you ninja!?" The goon taunted as he continued to push against Cole's arm.
The Master of Earth let out a muffled scream as he struggled with all his might to keep his strength up. If he wavered for even a moment he would lose his grip and Janissa would die. Simultaneously though Cole could feel the same arm holding the cage up begin to bend further backwards than it was meant to. If he kept this up much longer the bone in his shoulder would undoubtedly snap.
Suddenly the 'Shapeshifter' was pushed off of Cole, and he did his best not to let the wave of relief he felt distract him. As he looked up to see what had happened the raven haired boy saw several familiar figures. Jay, Zane, Jimmy, and Nya all ran to the cliffside and grabbed hold of the chain the Master of Earth was now struggling to hang onto. The group then heaved upwards at the same time, walking backwards until the cage below was pulled safely to the top.
The white ninja then made his way to the cage, a small dagger sliding out from beneath his sleeve and he used it to begin picking the lock. Once the door was opened the Ice ninja then helped the weak woman to her feet, if he hadn't been supporting her weight then she would have collapsed. Setting her down gently onto the ground the nindroid scanned the ill looking figure.
"This is not good." Zane spoke worriedly as the results of his scan appeared in his internal interface.
"What? What's wrong?" Nya questioned as she turned her head to look behind her.
"Mrs. Pierce has been injected with Tiger Widow venom." The white ninja informed solemnly. "There is no antivenom for it."
"T-There has to be something we can do!" The teal ninja tried to argue as she ran over to the pair, kneeling down and placing a hand onto the sweat covered forehead of the hardly conscious woman leaning on her friend. "Maybe if you took a blood sample? Maybe you could-"
"Even if I could, the process to manufacture an antivenom would take too long…" Zane trailed off sadly. The teal ninja frowned beneath her mask, she felt helpless along with her fellow ninja. There was nothing they could do.
With Destiny -
The yellow clad teen stumbled backwards again as Yuraggi swung the polearm at her. Destiny's vision was fuzzy, and it felt like her mind was disconnected from the rest of her body. As the large polearm was thrown her way again Destiny was too slow, the rod hitting her in the side and knocking her into the wall of the cavern behind her.
Yuraggi then began pressing the length of the polearm against the teen's throat, causing a weak choke from the smaller girl. Destiny scrambled to grab a hold of the spear, missing her target several times before finally making contact. She didn't have any more strength left in her though, she wanted to push against Yuraggi, she wanted to fight against the monster that had murdered her father, but it was no use. Destiny was now clinging onto life by a thread, and any moment now the venom in her system would finally make her body go limp.
"You represent everything that has ruined my life, and as soon as you're gone Ninjago can finally be rid of Herman's mistakes!" Yuraggi shouted into the young girl's face as she continued to push her to the wall.
"When you're gone I can finally be happy!" Suddenly the blade of Yuraggi's spear began to glow, and a beam of yellow light was being pulled from Destiny's body and into the steel. "Herman's power will be mine! Herman will be mine! Forever!"
Destiny let out a cry of pain as she felt the energy being forcibly taken from her body. This was it, this was the end. She silently scoffed in her mind at Yuraggi's mention of happiness. Yuraggi had taken her happiness when she had taken her father away from her. Why was Destiny even fighting still?
With the venom coursing through both her and her mother's veins there was no hope for either of them. There was no cure, no antivenom. Even if Destiny managed to beat Yuraggi here, the maniac of a woman had already won. Destiny could then feel herself begin to fade.
The feeling of Yuraggi pushing against her was numbing away. The sounds of fighting were now muffled; and the sudden weight of keeping her body standing upright began to grow heavier as her eyelids fluttered shut.
"Destiny!" A voice screamed, causing the teen to flinch.
No. She wanted them to go away. Everything was so comfortable and she wanted to sleep.
"DESTINY!" The voice screamed again, this time louder than before.
Destiny stirred as the voice echoed through her mind again. What? What could this noise want from her?
"DESTINY! PLEASE! WAKE UP!" The voice called out again. It sounded more desperate than before, and Destiny felt something twist uncomfortably in her stomach this time. Why did she suddenly feel such a strong sense of dread?
In a final attempt to keep herself from slipping away completely her body was energized by one last flood of adrenaline. This gave her mind the jump start it needed, and she came back to her senses even if it was only for a moment.
Destiny opened her eyes again, she was still having her power drained by Yuraggi. In the distance though were the ninja. They all had their masks on, but the young girl could see all the fear and worry in their eyes from where she was standing. The noise she heard before, that voice, it had been Cole's. He was running over to her, but he wouldn't make it time. Yet, he was still trying, determined to outrun fate.
The small girl was hit with a sudden realization. Remembering the conversation she had had with Master Wu earlier in the day about how even though her father was gone that didn't mean that happiness wasn't unobtainable. Looking at the Master of Earth the yellow clad girl understood now what the ninja Master had been trying to teach her.
Her father was gone, he would never be coming back. It had broken Destiny. She would never hear his voice again, never feel the warmth of his embrace again. No one would ever be able to replace him. However, that didn't mean there weren't others that could fill a similar role.
The black ninja had done those exact things for the young girl. Every time she was defeated he had embraced her. Cole had comforted her when she needed it most, and any time she was ready to give up his voice broke through the walls forming around her.
All the ninja had been there for her. They had protected her, cared for her, and came for her when she needed them most. The thought overwhelmed Destiny. The ninja cared for her, and she cared for them as well. The ninja had managed to sneak their way into her heart, and only now did Destiny realize that they made her happy.
Why was Destiny fighting still? She was fighting for them. She was fighting for those who fought for her. She was fighting for her family.
Yuraggi grunted as she was blinded by a sudden golden light in front of her. The woman squinted her eyes as she turned her gaze to look back down at the young girl that was pinned against the wall.
"W-What's going on!?" Yuraggi questioned frustratedly as her eyes began to sting at the increasingly growing brightness.
Destiny stood back up straight as she began to feel the strength return to her body. The yellow clad girl then placed her hands onto the polearm that was up against her before pushing back on it. Yuraggi attempted to push the small teen back again but the young girl was much stronger than before. The beam connecting Destiny to the chrono-steel blade severed itself, the power retreating back into the teenager.
"NO! WHAT ARE YOU DOING!?" Yuraggi screamed as she watched her carefully executed plans begin to crumble away in front of her eyes.
Destiny then felt her body changing, shifting into an unfamiliar form. White reptilian scales appeared along her skin, and the pupils of her eyes changed from circles into slits. Feeling she needed more room Destiny pushed against Yuraggi harder, causing the massive woman to go sliding backwards several feet, her shoes leaving lines in the dirt.
The others watched in awe as their friend disappeared and her spot was taken by a large gold and ivory dragon. The large creature spread its wings out, the undersides reflecting the glow from the lava below and shining like the sun. The previously dark and dreary cavern was now filled with bright golden rays of light, and the dragon roared loudly.
Yuraggi looked up at the dragon with terror-filled eyes. Destiny had transformed, and was now staring down at her with unforgiving emerald orbs. Destiny raised a clawed hand and swung downwards, knocking the chrono-steel polearm from Yuraggi's hands before stepping on it. When she removed her hand all that remained of the spear were small slivers of metal.
With Yuraggi disarmed several of the ninja apprehended her, tying her up with some of the nearby chains that had been lying around. The dragon form of Destiny then turned to where her mother was, her body still leaned against the Master of Ice.
As the large dragon got close enough for Zane to feel her breath against his metallic skin he watched intently. He wasn't scared, and instead waited patiently to see what was going to happen next. Mrs. Pierce suddenly moved a weak hand up to touch the snout of her daughter's dragon self, a soft smile present on her tired face.
The dragon then closed her eyes and a golden mist slowly wrapped itself around Janissa like a warm blanket. As the cloud disappeared Janissa took in a loud deep breath.
"Mrs. Pierce- are you okay?" Nya questioned, looking at the older woman with a look of concern. Janissa nodded her head, the smile still present on her face.
"Yes." She answered simply before turning her attention back to her daughter. "I'm okay."
The dragon form of Destiny gently nuzzled the tip of its nose against her mother before the bright light shone brighter, blinding the ninja and causing them to look away for a moment. When they turned back Destiny was back to normal.
The yellow clad teen swayed unevenly, but before she could fall the Master of Earth caught her. He then gently guided her down to a sitting position, sitting down with her as well. None of them fully understood what had just happened, but it had expended whatever energy Destiny had left.
"Destiny, are you okay?" Cole asked quietly as he noticed Destiny's eyes flutter open a bit.
The young girl looked up at the black ninja, studying his face just as she had the first time they met. The raven had since taken off his ninja hood, his hair a mess from all the fighting he had done. Destiny couldn't help but giggle a bit as a smile crept its way onto her face. She then nodded as she sat up, hugging the boy tightly.
"Thank you Cole, for everything." Destiny whispered as she clung to the older boy. Cole wasn't expecting the hug but he felt himself soften as he wrapped his arms around the young girl.
"You really had me worried y'know." Cole stated as the two of them remained in their embrace.
"You were here to save me though, just like before." Destiny replied as she continued to rest her head against the Earth ninja's chest, listening to the soothing sound of his heartbeat.
Everyone else then made their way over to the two groups situated on the floor. While Cole and Zane were seated with Destiny and Janissa the rest of the ninja opted to stay standing, eyes continuously scanning over the ground littered with subdued 'Shapeshifters' in case any of them woke up and attempted to escape.
"Oh man Destiny, you turned into a dragon!" Jay shouted excitedly as he got closer.
"It was so cool!" Jimmy added with a wide smile.
"How did you do it though?" Kai questioned, looking down to the yellow clad girl that was still wrapped around the Earth ninjas' arms.
"I too would be interested to know how you managed to use your elemental powers. This entire cave is surrounded by Vengestone." Zane chimes in, looking over to Destiny as well. Understanding how tired his newest student was though Master Wu decided to answer for her.
"It was because she unlocked her true potential. Her power showed itself to her, and there is nothing stronger than an elemental master unlocking their true potential. Not even Vengestone." The elder explains with a smile.
"Wait, what about the venom?" Nya asks, causing concern to reappear on the rest of the ninja's faces. The group looked to the white ninja for an answer, and after running a brief scan on both Destiny and her mother Zane responded.
"My scans detect nothing abnormal. The venom is gone, just as if it never existed in the first place." The nindroid reports. Master Wu chuckles a bit.
"They will be alright. Destiny transformed into a healing dragon after all." The ninjas' Sensei informed the group.
"Well, we better start taking care of all these guys then." Lloyd speaks up, turning to look at all the 'Shapeshifters'.
"There will be no need for that. Pixal and Misako have already informed the police of everything. They are on their way now." Zane says with a smile.
~~~~~~~~~~ ONE MONTH LATER~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Come on guys! We gotta hurry or else we'll be late!" The yellow ninja shouts as she continues the sprint down the long corridor.
"If the elevator hadn't been broken then we wouldn't be running late!" Jay complains from behind the newest ninja.
"What? Couldn't handle taking the stairs?" Kai teases. From the tone of his voice the other ninja could all tell that there was a smirk on his face, and everyone chuckled a bit at the red ninjas' statement.
"Focus ninja! The doors are straight ahead!" Master Wu points out as the group began to close in on the large set of double doors in front of them. Destiny outstretched her arms, barreling into the room as her and the other ninja ran through the open doors. The loud entrance caught the attention of everyone in the room, Janissa Pierce included.
"Destiny! Oh, I'm so glad that you made it, and not a moment too soon!" Destiny's mother says happily as she walked over to her, wrapping her child in a loving hug.
"Of course I'm here. I would never miss the chance to see my mom act in person." Destiny teased as she returned her mother's hug.
Ever since the events that had transpired involving Yuraggi, Destiny and her mother had had several important discussions. They talked about how each of them had been feeling about her father's passing, and did their best to understand where the other was coming from. They apologized for the faults, and for their mistakes. While Yuraggi's goal had been to destroy Herman's family she had instead indirectly brought Destiny and Janissa closer together.
Between Destiny training to be the Master of Species, and Janissa slowly working her way back into the public eye neither had been able to hang out very much. When they did spend time with one another though those moments were filled with happiness and rekindled love. Every minute spent together was cherished by both of them, and that only made Destiny's presence here all the more special.
Destiny knew her friends were simply interested in being in the atmosphere where stars were crafted, but she figured they could all use a break from working so hard. She had moved in with the ninja now, and was practically fused at the hip with the group. Destiny had slowly begun to find herself again, and couldn't only think to thank the ninja and Master Wu for that. They indeed were her family now as well, and she was theirs. Where before there seemed to be no hope was now filled with life, laughter, and love.
"Oh! I almost forgot!" Janissa spoke up, pulling Destiny from her thoughts as they ended their hug. "Dareth? Dareth where are you?"
From the other side of the room a middle aged man with combed back hair looked up at the mention of his name. He ran a hand through his hair before wiping the crumbs off of his brown colored suit. He then walked over, swallowing whatever food he had just finished shoving into his mouth.
"Dareth? What are you doing here?" Nya questions as she looked at the man with a confused expression.
"Dareth is my manager!" Janissa answers Nya's question happily.
"Hello ninja! Ever since I stopped managing you all I had to find another managing gig. Luckily Mrs. Pierce needed a manager around the same time you all decided you didn't want to be big tv stars anymore!" Dareth explains, a smile plastered across his face. Just as Dareth finished speaking two more men appeared behind him. One was dressed in an odd bounty hunter-like outfit while the other was wearing a suit, carrying around a cane.
"Ronin? You're here as well?" Lloyd questions, referring to the man dressed as a bounty hunter.
"And dad? What's going on here?" Cole adds as his gaze is drawn towards the older man carrying the cane. The fancily dressed man smiled at Cole, using his fingers to twist one of the edges of his well groomed mustache before answering.
"Hello son! I was just visiting the studio to watch in on the final singing number for the movie! The studio needs some more investor money, and I was asked to see if I could invest. You know, being the lead singer of the Royal Blacksmiths and all!" Cole's father boasts as he waves his cane around in the air a bit. Cole simply sighed and rolled his eyes, a small smile on his face as well.
"Seeing as I am a well known businessman myself, I was also asked if I could look into investing into the movies' musical compositions." Ronin leans in closer to the group to finish the rest of his sentence, a smirk present across his lips. "You never know, if this movie blows up I could be swimming in cash by the end of this month."
"Of course." Kai states in an unsurprised voice.
"This is terrible news!" A rando voice yells, catching everyone's attention. It was a man surrounded by an entourage of people coming straight towards Janissa Pierce.
"What's wrong Danny?" Destiny's mom asks. It was obvious that Danny was stressing out over whatever the devastating news was.
"It's your co-star, Kelly. Apparently she had a bad allergic reaction to some seafood and now she's out of commission for the rest of the final number! Her throat is completely swelled up! I- I mean, what am I supposed to do!? She's supposed to be the main vocalist, but now I have no vocalist!" Danny explains as he starts to sob dramatically into the script in his hands.
Destiny glanced over to her mother. Janissa now had a saddened look on her face. Throughout the pair's previous discussions the yellow ninja had learned that the whole reason her mother had taken a role in this film in the first place was because she had hoped finishing it would help her.
The movie was about a widow trying to find purpose in her life after the passing of her long-time husband. Destiny's mother thought that by acting in this movie that she would be able to make peace with her father's death.
The yellow ninja frowned. She didn't know who Kelly was, but her absence was indeed a problem. Suddenly the young girl got an idea, and felt her stomach twist itself into a knot. This idea could work-.. but she was nervous about it. Mustering up the courage Destiny finally spoke up.
"What if, what if I be your main vocalist?" Destiny suggested nervously, regretting the words as they spilled from her mouth. Danny looked up from his sobbing and shot the teen a hopeful look.
"Really? You would do-" Danny's face expression changed to one of confusion as he paid attention to who had spoken, "Wait a second, who are you? I've never seen you here before." Before anyone else could answer Mrs. Pierce spoke up, placing her hands gently onto her child's shoulders.
"Danny, this is Destiny. My daughter." Janissa introduced with a small smile. Danny seemed to perk up at the mention that the yellow ninja was related to such a well known movie icon.
"Oh! Well, if you're Janissa's kid then I'm sure you'll do great!" Danny said ecstatically as he sprinted over towards the 'Director's Chair'. The young girl took in a deep breath moving to walk onto the nearby set, but before she could get very far she felt the grip on her shoulders tighten a bit, gaining her attention.
"Destiny, are you sure you want to do this? I haven't heard you sing in years. Not after you said how embarrassing it was to sing with me when you were growing up into a pre-teen." Janissa says in a hushed tone, giving her daughter a worried look.
Destiny could feel her cheeks begin to burn in embarrassment as some of the ninja try to stifle their laughter.
"Mom!" Destiny warns in a loud whisper, notifying the mother that she had embarrassed her.
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry." Janissa apologizes as she backs off, "I just want to make sure this is something you want to do."
Destiny's gaze softens, and she moves one of her hands to squeeze her mother's.
"If it's something that will help you then I will do it. No matter what." The young girl says with a smile, giving her mother a reassuring nod. Janissa could begin to feel tears well up in her eyes, and did her best to blink them away so they wouldn't ruin her makeup.
"Everyone to set please!" Danny's voice shouts through his megaphone. Destiny then gave her mother and the other a final nod before jogging over onto the set.
"Good luck Destiny!" All of the ninja whispered to a degree and they watched their friend depart.
"Break a leg!" The Earth ninja adds with a smile.
"Cole? Why would you tell Destiny to break a leg?" Zane questions in a rather shocked whisper.
"So she can get into the cast! Obviously!" Jay remarks, proud of the joke he had just made.
"Quiet on set please!" Danny shouts through his megaphone again, and all noise in the room comes to a halt. "Que music, aaaand action!" Danny orders.
Oh no. Oh no.
Destiny could feel herself starting to panic.
Is it just me or is it getting really hot in here? Why am I sweating so much?
Destiny looked up at the bright spotlights that were beating down on her, and in the corner she could see the red bulb marked 'Recording' illuminated.
Everyone's looking at me. What if I mess up? Oh man, this was a terrible idea. I've never even practiced the song before! Oh, I feel like I'm gonna be sick.
Past all the lights and cameras though a familiar face caught her attention. It was Cole. The black ninja could pick up on the young girls' nerves from where he stood. As the two of them made eye contact the Master of Earth subtly raised both his hands to the bottom of his diaphragm, gesturing for his friend to take a deep breath.
Destiny followed through with the raven haired boys' instructions, and slowly took in a deep breath before exhaling. As she turned her attention back to him Cole showed her a thumbs up, silently mouthing a 'you can do this!'. Destiny took in another deep breath.
I can do this. For my mom.
Destiny was then motioned to read off a nearby screen, lyrics scrolling upwards as soft musical notes began to fill the room.
3rd Person POV - (here is the link to the song if you want to listen to it as you read! watch?v=2OsSpyD7KIQ)
The silence of the studio was ended by the pre-recorded accompaniment being played, soft notes of a piano echoing throughout the space. Everyone noticed Destiny take a deep breath before she started singing the lyrics appearing on the screen in front of her.
Everybody's got a thing…
Destiny started off in a very weak and nervous voice.
But some don't know how to handle it.
Always reachin' out in vain.
Accepting the things not worth having, but~
From the sidelines everyone's faces were shocked. Most of them were unsure of how Destiny's singing voice would sound. Now, even those who had expected her to be good were surprised that she was even better, despite her rather shaky tone at the moment.
Don't you worry 'bout a thing.
Don't you worry 'bout a thing, mama.
'Cause I'll be standin' on the side.
When you check it out~
Suddenly, the soft piano accompaniment picked up the pace, and switched to a heavy brass accompaniment instead. This clearly caught Destiny off-guard, but she continued to sing the lyrics anyways. The new accompaniment supporting a new shine in her voice as well.
They say your style of life's a drag.
And that you must go other places!
Just don't you feel to bad
When you get fooled by smiling faces
Don't you worry 'bout a thing!
Don't you worry 'bout a thing, baby.
'Cause I'll be standin' in the side when you check it ooout~
When you get off your trip ~
Everyone was even more surprised now, they couldn't believe that Destiny was the same person who had been singing just seconds earlier. She had been so nervous and shy, but now she was beginning to belt out lyrics like there was no tomorrow.
Cole meanwhile, couldn't help but feel like the lines she had just spoken were directed at him. Baby though? Why would Destiny call him baby? Cole's thoughts were interrupted by his father.
"It sounds like Miss Pierce has an eye for you son, and she's a magnificent singer! You better not throw away a chance like this! You'll never find another girl half as astounding!" Lou says ecstatically, bobbing his head to Destiny's continued singing.
Of course his father would say he approved of Destiny because of her singing. I mean, how could he not? She was amazing. Did he really mean the other stuff he said though? Could it be true that Destiny liked Cole? The black ninja found it hard to believe. Thinking back on the conversation he and Nya had had all those nights ago on the Bounty about romantic love Cole began to wonder if he had developed those feelings for Destiny. These feelings he felt now were new, unexplored territory to the Master of Earth, and he was unsure how to navigate them. He would need to ask the others for their opinions on his current situation later.
Everybody needs a change,
A chance to check out the new~
You're the only one who sees the change you can take yourself through!
Ooh~!
Destiny was fully invested in her performance at this point. It was like everything else had disappeared for her. Her voice was ringing through the building, and she was the focus of everyone's attention. People and staff from other sets in the building had actually started pouring into the room too to see where the singing was coming from.
Don't you worry 'bout a thing!
Don't you worry 'bout a thing!
Don't you worry 'bout a thing!
Don't you worry 'bout a thing!
Ba, ba ba, ba, ba, b-baa
Ba, ba ba, ba, ba, b-baa
Ba, ba ba, ba, ba, b-baa
Don't you worry 'bout a thing!
Don't you worry 'bout a thing, mama!
'Cause I'll be standin', I'll be standin' by you~!
Oooh, ooh! Oohhhohh!
Don't you worry 'bout a thinggg~!
As Destiny belted out her final notes the accompaniment came to a loud and dramatic stop as well. With the end of her performance the set stayed completely silent for a moment. As soon as the red 'Recording' light turned off though an uproar of applause flooded the room.
"I would like to invest full heartedly into your film!" Lou Brookstone shouted to Danny in the midst of all the commotion.
"Hey, don't count me out! That was amazing! How much of an investment are you looking for?" Ronin buts in.
Suddenly all of the ninja and Janissa run up to Destiny, engulfing the small girl in an enormous group hug.
"That was amazing!", and "Where did you learn to sing like that?" As well as various other statements and questions filled Destiny's ears as the group hug disbanded.
"I'm so proud of you Destiny." Janissa spoke up through all of the commotion. Destiny looked to her mom with an expression of pride before responding.
"Thank you mom. I'm just glad that I could be here for you." Dareth then cut in, ending the sweet moment.
"Listen here kid, Destiny. With a voice like that I could make you an overnight sensation!" He says with an almost smug looking smile.
"Hey! Don't think you can pull the rug out from underneath my feet!" Ronin shouts as he runs over to the group. "How about I manage you kid? I've got way more experience than 'Mr. Brown Ninja' over here." Destiny looked at the two men with a flustered expression for a moment.
"Thank you both, but I have other important things going on. This was really only a one time gig." Destiny tried to reason with them.
"C'mon kid, just think of it! The fame, the fortune! You'd never need to worry about being popular or lack of funds ever again!" Ronin tries to persuade.
"I'm sorry, to both of you. Just, being a singer is not in my plans. I want to continue to train as a ninja, with Master Wu." Destiny explains, turning to gesture and the ninja and aforementioned Sensei.
"Yeah! She's on our team guys! We just got her, you can't take her away!" Jay tries to defend, and Destiny could help but let out a giggle.
The two men grew saddened expressions in the face of defeat, but accepted Destiny's refusal. Well, mostly (Ronin would continue to pester Destiny every once in a while).
"Well, now that Destiny's performance is completed what does everyone say to getting back to the Bounty for some dinner? I'm starving." Jay says, earning a laugh from everyone.
"I'm ready for some food!" Lloyd says with a smile.
"Me too!" Nya shouts. Everyone sprinkles in their agreements to Jay's proposal. After saying their goodbyes the ninja left the studio building and made their way back home to the Bounty.
So? What did you guys think of the last chapter? :D
I had so much fun writing this! Though, I will admit writing in the singing there at the end was a bit cringe I enjoy shows and movies that incorporate songs into their scenes. It just adds a whole other tier of depth and emotion imo (ex. Steven Universe)
Anyways, give me your thoughts and feedback! I'll be sure to read them! Also, be sure to stick around for what's coming next! 'Cause we're just getting started :D
