A little heads up before we begin our little story:

Each page break is a switch to another Lloyd's point of view, starting with Show!Lloyd.

Also, there is an age gap between the two here. Movie!Lloyd is only sixteen, with his story taking place shortly after the events of the movie. Show!Lloyd is three years his senior, at 19. His story takes place a month or two after Season 9's events.

When Lloyd sees his uncle again, he's rubbing this in his face.

The green ninja carefully perched himself up, and slowly stepped down off the pallette boards. His back makes a hideous crack as he stretches. Not the softest of landings, but he supposes he's been thrown through worse. He was on a roof he doesn't recognize, in a city he could only guess was Ninjago. Either the reconstruction went off quicker and in a completely different direction when he was out, or this was somewhere else.

Wu was back to his normal self, by the time Lloyd last saw him. The crinkle and aged rasp to his voice was just like he remembered, and with that came his overtly cryptic nature. And often misguided ideas.

"My father cherished learning and as do I," Wu lectured his young nephew, delicately piling his most ancient teas into the box in Lloyd's arms. "When a museum asks for new material, who can say no?"

"I can." Lloyd got a whack to the head for his remark.

Misako swiped at her brother in law. "Don't do that, Wu!" she chastised, forcing Lloyd down by his cheeks to cradle him. "You'll irritate his injuries again!"

"I've been out of the hospital for a month, mom!" Lloyd shook her off, "Nothing hurts anymore." Wu gestured to him, nodding to Misako in victory. She ignored him.

"I still think I should take the teas," she insisted, "My baby boy needs his rest."

Lloyd heard a loud snort from his passing teammates. He turned red, whipping around in time to see Kai pretend to cradle a baby and Cole to suck his thumb in his direction. He couldn't even protest as they raced away just as fast. "Mom!"

Lloyd almost preferred when she gave him too much space. Ever since his father was resurrected, Misako had been a helicopter.

"They're magical blends, Misako," Wu reminded, "Lloyd is as much as a protector as a deliverer." He closed the wooden box with a cick. "And it's too heavy for you. Lloyd's strong enough."

Misako was forced to pacify herself as Wu led him out to the front. The Temple of Resurrection was their current base, being the least destroyed building in downtown. The ninja and other volunteers bustled around the family.

"I still think it's a bad idea to give these away, period," Lloyd remarked, "They're bad luck."

Wu rolled his eyes. "No, they aren't, Lloyd."

Lloyd tried to rack his brain, trying to remember what all teas his uncle piled into that box. Traveler's Tea? Time Tea? Sleepy-Time Tea? Lloyd narrowed his eyes at a news billboard. He didn't sleep for a decade did he?

He hopes Wu isn't dead, he's gotta say I told you so.

The illuminated billboard gave him no clues, merely giving bulletin points on the latest Garmadon attack.

Lloyd heard him before he saw him. The metal door to the roof made that quiet click, when you try to be quiet. Normal civilians might of missed it per the symphony of the city below. But he was no normal guy. The green ninja spun around to catch the broom as it came to thwack him on the head. He swiped at the legs of his attacker, expecting a swift downfall. To his surprise the assailant tumbled back to his feet expertly, keeping a grip on the broom. He jabbed the bristles at Lloyd, shoving him against the edge.

He wore a green hoodie, well loved as whatever words were gone, leaving a barely lighter impression. He had sweatpant pajama bottoms and worn sneakers. "What are you doing on my roof? Some kinda spy?" he spat.

Lloyd quirked a brow. He pressed his back against the wall and used his feet to push off the teenager (this kid couldn't be more than sixteen.) "Why would I spy on you?" he bantered, flipping to stand on the edge. He caught the kid off guard and lept to be on top of him. "Who are you, anyway-?"

Lloyd couldn't finish, as the teen ripped his mask away.

Lloyd Garmadon wasn't exactly a normal teenager, if you could believe it. You see, he was secretly the green ninja. Well not exactly secret anymore. But still! And, his father was the most evil guy in all of Ninjago. Well, kinda? He was working on reforming himself, even on this twelve step project through Former Villains Anonymous. But, again, still. Lastly, he was hated by everyone...

Well, okay, not really, anymore at least. His life is still weird.

Lloyd was still getting used to the odd, positive attention he was getting at school. People asked him for autographs now, distracted him from his friends and class to take selfies. Being famous was uncomfortable.

He loved coming home at the very end of the day, after training. It was familiar. His mom made his favorite, dumplings, and his homework was light so he could even play video games before lights out! That's what he was doing when he heard the crash.

"It's a school night, I want you in bed before eleven," Koko commented firmly across their small apartment. She was putting away the last of the dishes in the kitchen, Lloyd on the couch just two feet away.

"I will, mom," he rolled his eyes, flopping over on the couch to look at her. Her strawberry blonde hair was loose, pajamas on. "I just wanna beat this level."

Koko eyed him.

"I promise!"

She relented. "Okay. Goodnight, honey." With a kiss to his forehead, and one last reminder, she was off to sleep herself.

Okay so maybe it was two levels. Lloyd tried to be as quiet as he could as he wrestled with the giant oni monster on screen. He was button mashing to heal himself before a horrible demise when it happened.

What sounded like a thunder clap and whirlwind in one exploded from the roof, followed by a crash of wood and solid thud. Lloyd whipped up to look at the ceiling in shock.

"You Died!" the screen rubbed it in. The oni threw him through a concrete wall.

"Aw man.." he mumbled.

Movement caught his ears once more. Footsteps. Someone was up there.

Lloyd immediately went ninja mode. Pulling the hood of his hoodie up and stuffing his feet into his old sneakers, he grabbed his closest weapon. A broom, this will do. There was a sword in his apartment, but that was in his mom's room, and there's no time for that.

He'd sweep the floor with whoever it was, anyway. Heh. Sweep the floor. He's hilarious.

What he didn't expect was for his assailant to be a copy of him. This.. other him seemed to notice the resemblance, the recognition in his eyes as he quickly jumped off. Lloyd scuttered backwards.

"What the..?" His doppelganger mumbled.

Lloyd gaped. "No.. no, no.. Dad said he wasn't serious about the cloning technology! And he promised no human guinea pigs!" He lept up and pointed an accusing finger.

The other him was thrown, "What did you just call me?" he asked.

No, that wasn't right. This clone wasn't exact enough for his father to sign off on. His jaw was too sharp, whatever skin was exposed was too littered in scars. And the gi wasn't right, either. He almost looked.. older!

Lloyd gasped. "You're from the future!" he shouted. The other him stumbled as he got closer. "Me from the future!" he waved his arms, knowing he'd be kinda excited at the prospects if he wasn't so anxious right now. Lloyd held his head. "Are you here to warn me about something horrible? The apocalypse?" he urged, "Zombies or economic collapse I think I'd only survive one of those."

The doppelganger grabbed his shoulder. "Okay, chill out there," he commanded. Lloyd noted how authoritative he sounded in the future and immediately shut up.

"I'm not from the future, first of all."

Aw.

The doppelganger paused and scanned their surroundings again with a critical eye. "Yeah, definitely not from another time." He grabbed both of his shoulders and forced Lloyd to look into his eyes.

"I'm from another universe."

".. like in Spiderverse?"

"Excuse me?"

"It's a movie about Spiderman and.. nevermind it's probably a my universe thing."

Lloyd wracked his brain, trying to focus on the very serious matter at hand. But also it's him from another world and this is so fucking cool you guys. The other him was watching his existential crisis silently.

Finally he pulled it together, kinda. "Did you come here on purpose or?" he asked slowly.

His doppelganger shook his head. "Accidental." He let go of Lloyd to study the surrounding area, kneeling down to pick up what looked like crushed tea leaves from the broken pallettes. "I was jumped by Sons of Garmadon members, when I get back we have to crack down on rounding them up." He mumbled the last part to himself. He huffed at the tea, letting it fall back to the ground. "I told uncle this stuff was bad luck.."

His doppelganger snapped his fingers, turning back to Lloyd. "Uncle Wu! You have one here, right?"

Lloyd nodded. "Yeah, yeah I got a Wu!" Perfect. For the world's most cryptic man, he always had an answer. In riddle form. "His ship is down at the docks!"

"Good, let's head out."

This guy goes to leap off the building to begin heading towards the beach in the horizon, and Lloyd has to wonder if this is how his mom felt when he told her he liked to parkour across skyscrapers to get home. Their complex was no skyscraper but it wasn't no two-story either. "Whoa hang on!" he makes a mad dash to grab his calf before he could jump.

"I gotta get dressed! And, there's a tram that can take us there."

His doppelganger blinks at him. "Oh."

Lloyd leads him back to the door to the roof. "We have to be kinda silent," he instructs, "Mom's a light sleeper, and she'll flip if she sees you."

"I'm quieter than you."

Misako threw the door open before this other him could even get the key in the lock.

"Lloyd Montgomery Garmadon! First you stay up past your bedtime, then you-!" she quickly went quiet, when she noticed the teen she was trying to drag inside wasn't her son. Lloyd awkwardly waved his free hand. She dropped his wrist in shock.

His doppelganger came between them. "Um, Mom, this is.. me. From another universe."

Misako looked at her son, then at Lloyd, then back at her son, then at Lloyd again. "I'm brewing some coffee. Do you drink?"

First weird thing about this version of his mother, she went by Koko. Apparently Misako was too long and embarrassing of a name for her style.

Also, she looked different. Younger. She, Koko that is, had Lloyd much earlier in life than his own mother, having her a young late-30's now as opposed to pushing 60.

The gray he knew his mother to have was there, sparsely, though bizarrely she was a strawberry blonde, not a brunette. She was also way more fit and battle worn. His mother knew self defense, sure, but was never a fighter. Koko had to keep reminding him to continue his story in several ways over their cups of coffee. His doppelganger, hilariously, was denied coffee and made a glass of milk. A helicopter in ways, he could relate.

Lloyd finally finished the cliff notes version of his autobiography. Koko leaned back. "So, magic tea brought yu here? Not the strangest thing, I suppose. I've seen weirder." Lloyd snorted in agreement.

"I was gonna bring him to Uncle Wu," his doppelganger told his mother. He had a milk stash.

Koko turned to her son with a parental rage in her eyes. "Not tonight, it's a school night!" School? "It's already half-passed midnight, young man!"

His doppelganger turned a bright red, giving him a quick and embarrassed side-eye. "Mom!" he chastised through gritted teeth, "You expect me to go to school tomorrow? There's another me here!"

Koko turned thunderous. There was look to here that told him that this was not up for discussion. He was surprised to find himself straightening to attention under her gaze. "You can take.. him to Wu's after school! No buts about it!"

Koko stood, satisfied that her son wouldn't talk back to her. "There's an air mattress in the closet. Set it up and then straight to bed with you." His doppelganger threw his head down in a blush and stumbled out to do as his mother said. Another difference, Lloyd notes. This kid is so much more of a mama's boy than he is. Though he supposes he can't really say anything as Koko guns for him next.

"You're Lloyd's size, there are pajamas in the dryer," she rips the coffee mug from his hands as he goes in for a sip, "I'm sure you're mother wants you to sleep healthy too."

"Sorry about mom," his doppelganger apologized the minute Lloyd entered the room, fully smothered in blankets to show his mom he was sleeping. "She's.. we've.. been through a lot lately."

Lloyd huffed something of a laugh. "Trust me, I relate," he said, "I am you."

His doppelganger laughed, flipping onto his back. "I mean, Dad takes over the city one time.." he waved his hands. Lloyd felt his heart slam into his stomach. No. No. This kid was too young, younger than him.

"I guess I have to be thankful, one parent worries about me."

Lloyd gripped the blanket, trying so hard to still his shaking fingers. He felt those claws around his neck.

"But dad's getting better now, so-"

"We should go to bed."

The words left Lloyd's mouth too fast. "Are... are you okay?" The doppelganger had been through things, he could tell, but not the things he had. There was still naiveness to him.

Lloyd notes the biggest difference between them; Garmadon.

Lord Garmadon prowled the inside of this glass tube he'd been forced into. A poor excuse for a prison, if the walls and doors and windows and cuffs weren't lined with vengestone, he would be out of this hole in no time.

The tv screen in the corner was something he hated, there to keep his sanity as the prison psychologist explained to him. All it did was distracted him from his schemes of escape. It showed a lot of news, and on the news were those brightly colored pests that kept him from his destiny.

A primal growl rumbled in his throat as the green one came on screen for the fifth time. They called him an inspiration, their hero. Pictures flashed of this spawn helping rebuild homes with his bare hands, visit small civilians in sterile hospital rooms, kiss babies and help the elderly cross the street. It was filthy.

He threw the sludge they called food at the wall. Lloyd Garmadon was hidden behind grainy potatoes and salisbury sauce. He could help but chuckled.

Hands slamming against his bowl jolted him back to reality. Lord Garmadon saw Misako on just the other side. He almost didn't recognize this woman he created that green thing with. Locks of hair weren't in the braid, crunched up like she'd been pulling it herself. Her eyes were red and puffy, but boiling with some white hot fury.

She almost looked feral.

"What did you do to him!" she screamed, hitting the wall again, "What did you and your followers do to him!"

Lord Garmadon peered down, quirking his brow. "Do with who?" he asked slowly.

Misako gasped, tears pooling in her eyes again. "My son! Lloyd is missing and I know you had something to do with it!" She pounded her fists at him.

"Lloyd is.. gone?"