Chapter 7: The Stone Army
In the City of Ouroboros, the Serpentine were having a small-scale Slither Pit tournament, two Venomari were fighting until one of them won. Suddenly, a Rattlecopter hovered down, the two fighters moving out of the way for a landing.
A Constrictai walked out, rolling out a purple carpet and carrying a chair and umbrella. A couple of Venomari were laying down two towels, one midnight blue and the other light green. Finally, three Hypnobrai were putting up lounge chairs as a female Fangpyre hold a tray with drinks with tiny umbrellas in them. "Ready!" she shouted as Garmadon and his Legion of Doom walked out of the Rattlecopter.
Garmadon sat down on the chair while the others took their spots and took his drink, "It's so bright!" Garmadon complained, "I never understood how your kind could withstand such heat."
"I don't understand why we couldn't come here at night!" Nightmare Moon complained as she and Chrysalis laid on the towels. "You know I'm a nighttime mare!"
"Indeed. I look forward to when we turn Equestria into a world of darkness," Sombra said on his chair.
"If we can, you mean," the Storm King corrected, wearing sunglasses. "So far, every plan ever since this Garmadaddy pony has gone to smoof! And the last one did cost us our magical ace in the hole~"
"For once, I agree with the Storm King. What are we going to do, now that the Mega Weapon is gone, along with the Golden Weapons?" Chrysalis asked as Tirek had a grin on his face.
"The Golden Weapons and Mega Weapon may have been powerful… but thankfully, I may know a new direction," he said as the Serpentine Generals approached them.
"Lord Garmadon, Legion of Doom," Skalidor greeted as he and the other Generals slithered towards them. "What brings you all to our humble home?"
"The Ninja may have destroyed my Mega Weapon," Garmadon lamented. "However, Tirek may have a new idea, so please, my friend… speak."
Skales asked the others in a hushed whisper, "Are we ssstill allowing them to be in charge of usss?" The Generals grumbled in agreement, remembering their abuse towards their people.
"Back when the Mega Weapon brought back Salt-Beak and his crew, Garmadon discovered the captain's old log, and I've taken the liberty to look further into it. Apparently, the logbook mentions they had been looking for a fabled Island of Darkness," Tirek told them.
" Island of Darkness? I've heard of it," Sombra said. "Legend has it that the very soil of the land is made from pure evil itself. If we were to find it, its concentrated dark powers could help us conquer all Equestria!"
"Oh, pleassse!" Skales spoke up as he slithered up to them. "You're having us chase after fairy tales, now?"
"Not fairy tales, but a real place that existed long before any of us were around," Garmadon told them. "A place full of untold power."
Fangtom was the first to show genuine interest. "Untold power? Count me in!" he said.
"A place just dripping to the brim with darkness!" Nightmare Moon added with a smile.
"Darkness sounds nice!" Acidicus said as the other Generals smirked, already coming up with a plan.
"We're looking for a few brave Serpentine!" Sombra shouted. "Who'll join us?!"
The three Serpentine Generals cheered as Skales just facepalm himself.
All four of them joined Garmadon and his Legion of Doom back in the Rattlecopter before it took and the search for the Dark Island began.
Back on the Bounty, the Ninja were sleeping until they heard the alarm clock ringing and groaned. Thunder then threw a stone at it, knocking it into the gramophone which only made it go off louder.
The Ninja groaned in pain, except for Frost who was still sound asleep, before Lloyd blasted the clock with his light energy, finally ending the horrible noise. As the Ninja sighed in relief, they all sat up.
"Is it Wednesday already?" Lloyd asked groggily.
Gaia checked the calendar and moaned, "Ugh, indeed," She answered, scratching her bedmane, "and that means one thing, and one thing only, boys."
"Sunrise exercise," Thunder groaned. "I hate sunrise exercise."
Wu then entered the room as he was finishing up a cup of tea. "Ah. Good morning, morning, morning! Up, up," he told his pupils. "It's a new day, students!"
The Ninja got up, still tired.
"Sensei, we just got back after saving all of time! Can't we just catch some more z's?" Flash complained, to which Wu gave a light chuckle.
"A true Ninja never lets his guard down, Flash. True, you have saved destiny by destroying the Mega Weapon, but Garmadon and his forces will find another way to alter it. For destiny is never in a straight line, and so we must be wary."
"Now, before we being sunrise exercise, Ultra Dragon accidentally made another mess outside," Wu told them as he opened the blinds. "It looks like a two-pony job." He chuckled as he left the room. What they just heard quickly roused them from their sluggish state.
"Uh what was that, Sensei?!" Landrush said as all the Ninja, minus Lloyd, frantically ran around.
"You know I think training is an awesome idea!" Flash yelled as the Ninja quickly got ready while Lloyd looked around in confusion.
"Did I hear an S.O.S. call come in?" Trail asked.
"I sense I need to be somewhere else!" Frost pointed out.
"My mane is a mess! gotta get that fixed!" Gaia cried as she quickly brushed her mane.
Thunder then went up to Lloyd. "Hehe, Lloyd! I'm sure the legendary Light Ninja can handle a job like this!" he nervously chuckled as the Ninja made a beeline for the door.
"Ah. You might've been able to dump chores on me when I was smaller, but I'm grown up now," Lloyd told them which made them halt. "That's not fair!"
The Ninja sighed in guilt. "Ah. You're right, Lloyd," Flash said as they turned to him. "It's not."
"Flash is right, we need to settle this like adults," Trail said as they all gathered around. "With a game of Rock, Paper, Scissor!" They all join their hooves in the center while Lloyd just gave an annoyed look before joining his in. "Okay, on three. One, two, three!" The six of them had their hooves out flat while Lloyd had his closed tight.
The Ninja pulled away as the six Core Ninja whooped in victory and Thunder smirked at Lloyd, "Haha! Paper beats Rock!" he declared as they won and he lost.
Lloyd grumbled. "Agh, I'll never understand how paper beats rock!"
Gaia just grinned as he handed him some equipment. "Well, you can figure it out while you clean up Ultra's mess," she said as Lloyd sighed in aggravation as he took it.
Lloyd, wearing goggles, gloves, and nose plugs, held a big brown bag filled with… "dragon mess", and he glared at the others. "I always have to do the dirty work!" he complained.
Flame chuckled sheepishly. "Ha, sorry dude. When a dragon's gotta go, a dragon's gotta go," he reasoned.
"Hey, taking care of a dragon is a big responsibility," Landrush told the Light Ninja. "I mean, look at Twilight, and she only had to care for one mouth!"
"Didn't your mom ever at least had a pet?" Thunder asked before Gaia bumped him. "Oof! What?!"
"I don't remember my mother," Lloyd told them somberly as he used his magic to take off the goggles. "She abandoned me when I was really young. I wanted to ask my dad about it before he left but…"
The Ninja frowned. "But if your mom was missing and your dad was in the Underworld, who raised you?" Flash asked.
"I spent my whole life at Darkley's Boarding School," Lloyd answered as he looked down madly. "Besides, my mom was probably a mortal mare my dad met a thousand of years ago, so she's probably… gone by now," he sniffed as the Ninja comforted him.
"Hey, I just realized. If your dad is a thousand years old, how did you not age more by the time we met you?" Thunder asked as the others thought the same.
Before they could get an answer, Aqua rushed towards them. "Hey, I have a mission for you guys!" she told them. "It's the Museum of History! They've asked for you guys! Twilight and the others are there waiting for you, right now! Something really strange has happened."
"What kind of strange?" Flash asked.
"You're gonna have to see it to believe it," Aqua replied.
"Here, Aqua. Hold this!" Lloyd told her as he handed her the goggles in the bag before rushing off with the Ninja.
"Wait, what am I supposed to do with these?" she asked before she turned to Ultra Dragon and realized. "Oh," she frowned before pulling the bag away from the smell.
"Sorry, when a dragon's gotta go, a dragon's gotta go." Flame retorted as Aqua groaned.
The Ninja and Wu ran as fast as they could until they swiftly arrived at the museum. There they saw the Mane Six, Spike and the Royal Sisters already waiting for them. "Hey guys," Rainbow said as they all came together at the entrance.
"Come, the curator is waiting," Luna said as they walked in and saw the curator pacing around inside.
"Oh, thank heavens you're here!" he remarked in relief before bowing to Twilight. "And please forgive the unexpected request, your majesty."
Twilight waved him off. "It's fine, sir. We were told there was a problem?" she asked.
"Yes, come, come. Quickly, this way," the curator explained as he lead through the hallways where workers were mopping up something. "The Stone Warrior exhibit opens to the public today, and this couldn't come at a worse time!" he expressed as Wu, Celestia and Luna gasped silently.
"Stone Warrior?" Celestia whispered in dread as the three glanced at each other.
"Um, what couldn't have come at a worse time?" Spike asked as they kept walking.
The curator then explained, "Equestria City appreciates your help in destroying the Great Devourer some time back." They walked past the workers and saw they were gasmasks as they mopped away a strange green, glowing liquid, as he continued. "But it appears its toxic venom has seeped into the city sewer system and has had the most unusual after-effect."
The Ninja and Mane Six immediately repulsed when they caught a whiff of the smell. "Pee-yew! What a stench, and I smelled Big Mac after eatin' Aunt Apple Jam's seven-alarm chili!" Applejack complained as the others shouted or coughed as well.
"Oh, that stinks!" Landrush added as the curator led them to the gift shop.
The curator opened the door and they all saw little Samurai-taur figures made of stone with glowing green eyes messing up the place. "Now, that's something you don't see every day," Spike remarked after seeing the figures.
"The toxicity in the venom somehow brought our merchandise to life!" The curator cried as the bobbleheads ran crazily across the shop. "They're so unruly. I just don't know who else to call!"
One of the figures jumped in Frost's hoof before hitting him in the head. "Ah!" Frost grunted before crushing the figure.
"Heh, don't worry sir," Rainbow assured as she cracked her hooves. "We faced things a lot worse than a few toys!"
"And please, could you contain the fighting to the gift shop?" the Curator asked as they went in. "The doors to the new exhibit will be opening soon. Thank you." He then closed the door quickly.
The group quickly got to work, but it was easier said than done. The bobbleheads were fast, slippery, and mischievous most of all! "Hey, get away from that!" Pinkie said, failing to catch one who broke a vase.
Thunder smashed some with his Nunchucks as Lloyd was cornered by a horde of bobbleheads before some dropped a bust statue of a Stone Warrior on his head. "Ouch!" he yelped as he rubbed his head and then glared at the little creeps laughing at him. "Stupid little guys!" he growled before smashing them.
"Get out of my hair!" Rarity and Gaia cried as the bobbleheads messed up their manes, causing them to accidentally broke more merchandise. The others slipped on spilled marbles, causing the bobbleheads to laugh at them.
"All right, play time's over!" Flash shouted as he was now annoyed at them. "NINJA, GO!" He did Spinjitzu and destroyed a few more bobbleheads.
"NINJA, GO!" The rest of the Ninja minus Lloyd did Spinjitzu and they managed to destroy all the bobbleheads in the gift shop. Once they stopped, they saw that they destroyed more than just the possessed toys as everything in the gift shop was destroyed.
"Uh… oops," Frost said after seeing what they did.
"Um, maybe we should tell the Curator this was an accident?" Fluttershy suggested than Wu and the Royal Sisters noticed one bobblehead had slipped out and chased after it down the halls.
The bobblehead laughed as the three were getting irritated. "Come here, you little-!" Wu demanded before he stomped on it.
Luna sighed in relief. "Finally! I don't think I could handle any more of that infernal giggling!" she said before they heard the door behind them opened and turned to see Star Swirl walking out with a middle-aged mare with a silver coat, green eyes and graying blonde mane, wearing a beige archeologist jacket, green scarf, and silver round glasses.
"Star Swirl? And-" Celestia remarked, surprised to see her mentor before he and the mare turned to them and Wu and the Royal Sisters gasped in shock as they recognized her.
"Misako," Wu said in awe.
"Wu, Celestia, Luna," the mare responded as Wu blushed hard. "It's been a long time, old friends."
The former Princess of the Sun giggled at Wu's reaction before they approached Misako, "It's so good to see you again, Koko," Celestia replied as the four shared a group hug.
"It's good to see you too," Misako replied as Luna gave her a hug too.
Luna then broke away with a frown. "But, how are you still alive?" she asked, but before Misako could answer they heard a throat clearing and turn to see the Ninja, Mane Six and Spike entering.
"Sorry to interrupt, but are you going to introduce us?" Thunder asked as they took off their hoods.
"And it's great to see you again, Star Swirl," Twilight added.
"And to you as well," Star Swirl said before clearing hist throat. "Everypony, this is my new partner into the history of Equestria, Misako Mesozoic."
Misako bowed her head to them. "It's an honor to meet you all," She said before giving an apologetic smile. "I hope my husband hasn't given you too much trouble."
"Um, why do you say that?" Gaia asked with a raised brow.
"Because she is Garmadon's wife… and Lloyd's mother," Wu answered them which shocked them to the bone, especially Lloyd.
"My… my mother?!" he asked in shock.
When Misako saw him, she gasped in surprise. "Lloyd? My little colt," she said with a smile as she approached him. "You're so much bigger than I remember."
She tried to hug him but he pulled back. "Yeah, well that what happens when you live your kid in an evil boarding school for a long time!" he retorted.
Misako sighed, "Oh, I didn't want us to meet like this," she said before frowning. "I have a reason for being away-"
"Yeah, well, I don't want to hear it!" Lloyd yelled, interrupting her before he stormed out.
"Lloyd, wait! Lloyd!" Misako called but he did not respond and slammed the doors behind him. Everypony turned to Misako in concern as she sighed in guilt.
Meanwhile, out at sea and hovering in the Rattlecopter, Garmadon, the Legion of Doom, and the Generals were searching the waters for the Dark Island. "Nothing but endless sea," Garmadon murmured as he moved his spyglass away from his eye. "I don't understand."
"You'd think an island nearly as big as Equestria would be easy to spot," The Storm King commented.
Skales then slithered up to them. "It's because there'sss no land this far west of Equestria," he said. "We've been sssearching all day."
"The island must be out there," Sombra said as he took the spyglass from Garmadon. "If it didn't, then neither Salt-Beak nor his crew would have learned about it."
"It is quite possible that some meddling creatures deliberately erased any knowledge about this island, possibly to keep creatures from seeking the island out," Tirek guessed, before he rubbed his chin. "Or perhaps to keep something from leaving the island."
"Either way, we will find it!" Chrysalis hissed.
"We'll do another lap, then," Nightmare Moon suggested as they had their backs to the four generals.
"Garmadon is without his Mega Weapon," Skales whispered to his fellow generals. "They're vulnerable."
"We know. Thisss venture wasss a ploy ssso we could get rid of them," Acidicus whispered back.
Skales smirked, glad that his fellow Serpentine had come to their senses.
"But how do you plan on getting rid of them?" Skaildor asked.
"Turn this Copter around!" Garmadon ordered the pilot. "We need to find that island today!"
"Yes, Lord Garmadon!" the pilot complied as he turned the Rattle-copter around.
Then Skales pointed out to the open ocean. "Ooh, there!" Skales shouted as he pointed out. "Isss that the island?!" That got Garmadon's attention.
"Where?!" Garmadon asked as he looked out to where Skales pointed before Acidicus spit his venom in the other villains' eyes and pushed them off with Garmadon, who was pushed by Skales. The six screamed as they hit the water with a giant splash.
After seeing the six land into the ocean below, Fangtom declare, "It'sss about time we had a SSSerpentine back in charge! All hail SSSkales!"
"All hail, leader of the SSSerpetine!" the three Generals said in unison as they bowed to their new leader. Skales howled with a victorious laugh as the Rattle-Copter flew back to Ouroboros to celebrate the coronation of the new leader of the Serpentine. However, they failed to notice a strange powerful current carrying the ousted Lord and his Legion of Doom further out to sea.
Back in Equestria City's Museum of History, Misako opened a door to the Stone Warrior Exhibit. "Lloyd? Lloyd!" she called for her son as they all walked into the room and saw a large object, obscured by a large white tarp.
"Wanna bet that's the large Stone Warrior that's gonna be on display today?" Trail asked Rainbow and Spike.
"Lloyd must be around here somewhere," Star Swirl said as they spread out. Misako then noticed the door to another room was slightly open, she walked in and found her son sitting close to the edge of very deep hole and in front of him were several stained-glass windows of a series of events that seemed to involved the First Spinjitzu Master.
Misako the walked up to him. "I'd watch your step, that hole doesn't have a bottom, son," she gently warned as Lloyd flinched. "It's where I found the giant Stone Warrior."
Lloyd then turned to her with resentment' "Uh, 'son'? You've been gone my whole life. A life I spent thinking you were dead!" he told her before looking away, "There's nothing you can say to me."
"Well, I'm going to talk anyway," Misako told him as she walked around the hole. "You wanna to know how I'm alive and what I've been doing all this time? Long before Wu, Celestia, or Luna ever knew who would be the Light Ninja, I knew it would be you. And I knew you would eventually have to fight your father. But I also knew you needed to do so in a different time. With help from Clover the Clever, she and I made modifications to Star Swirl's time spell and we went forward in time," she explained as Lloyd was surprised by what Misako said as the others walked in as well. "I then dropped you off at the Boarding School so I could go learn everything I could about the prophecy, in hope of one day preventing the final battle of good and evil. All this time, son, I've been trying to save you and your father," she then looked to Star Swirl.
"Star Swirl, shall we tell them what we found?" She asked her partner as the old unicorn nodded and walked over to the stained-glass windows.
"It is time that they knew the full story. Long before time had a name, Equestria was created by the First Spinjitzu Master," he recited the legend before Rainbow interrupted him.
"Yeah, yeah! We've already heard the story a hundred times already, Beardo!" She retorted before Twilight elbowed her.
"Perhaps, but you only heard half of it," Star Swirl told her. "The story I'm going to tell you, is how this land came to be." He then manipulated his magic making the stained-glass images seem like their moving.
Misako then took over the story telling. "In Equestria, there has always been balance in the forces of magic between opposing forces of Destruction & Creation, Order & Chaos, and of course, Good and Evil," she said as the stained-glass formed the shape of a serpentine dragon with a lion-like mane, whiskers and antlers roaring, before it turned to a stallion wearing a bamboo hat and holding a golden sword. "So, you know how the First Spinjitzu Master created Equestria, using the six Golden Weapons." The stallion then thrusted his sword up as mountains rose from the earth, forests grew, and rivers ran across the land around him.
"But what if we were tell you in order for there to be light, there must be shadow. And within shadow, there is darkness," Star Swirl went next as the stained-glass fragments flipped over showing a dark pit, with black smog bellowing from it, and within that smog a creepy purple smile and magenta eyes glowed, as a haunting laugh was heard, sending chills down the younger ponies and dragon's spines. "The blackest of darkness that existed from the very beginning. An ancient and evil spirit called the Overlord." The smog then erupted upwards showing a black shadowy form floating over a forest, screeching loudly.
Fluttershy yelped and jumped into Landrush's hooves trembling. Twilight looked at the shadow in shock, "The Overlord?" she whispered.
"The living embodiment of all that is evil and dark in Equestria," Celestia said as she, Luna and Wu stepped forward. "With not a single drop of love or compassion in its heart."
"You knew about this?" Frost asked the three.
"We had hoped if we kept the secret, that name would never be spoken again," Wu explained.
"Until now." Luna said before Misako continued.
"The balance was at stake, and their battle could've gone on for eternity. Each side powerful, either could truly conquer or be rid of the other," she said as the stained-glass showed the Overlord and the First Spinjitzu Master clashes repeatedly, until the Overlord was flung back. The stained-glass then show the Overlord creating a Samurai-taur with stones. "Until the Overlord created his indestructible warriors: the Stone Army." The stained-glass then show rows on rows of Samurai-taurs, some with four arms, others with two that the Overlord had created.
"The Spinjitzu Master did what he could, but he knew against such numbers with such strength he would soon be defeated," Star Swirl said as the stained-glass showed the First Spinjitzu Master surrounded by stone warriors before he struck the ground and a crack of light formed across the ground. "So instead of losing the battle, he used all his power to divide the land in half! Thus, creating the land of Equestria and the land which would only imprison the Overlord." The stained-glass then showed the land breaking off from a black landmass as the two drifted away from each other.
"And lucky for us, since then there has been no trace of the Overlord, or his Stone Army," Misako said, "until our most recent discovery."
"So that's why the battle has yet to be decided," Flash spoke up. "It was never finished in the first place."
"But where is this Dark Island?" Rarity asked. "I've never heard of such a place."
"Disappeared, we presumed," Misako guessed. "But the legend states that so long as the balance between good and evil remains even, the Overlord shall remain trapped from this world. I have always feared your father's ambition will ultimately lead to a shift in the balance. That is why he must be stopped."
"We have each felt the power of the First Spinjitzu Master pass on to us in the form of the elemental weapons and overtime, we have also felt the Overlord's influence through those who wish to bring about an age of darkness and suffering, even ones who didn't seem likely as threats like the Washouts, Iron Will." Starswirl spoke up as Luna winced, knowing he was also talking about her. "But now the power of the Spinjitzu Master has been inherited by the Light Ninja, which is why only Lloyd can defeat the ultimate evil. Or else all of Equestria will fall to darkness."
"Leaving you, Lloyd, was the hardest thing I've ever had to do," Misako admitted. "But faced with saving you and the world, I had no other choice."
Meanwhile, creatures have gathered outside the room where they are talking in the front of the large tarp where the Curator stood next to. "And now, fillies, gentlecolts, and creatures of all kinds, I present to you this museum's greatest find," he spoke to them. "It outdates every other piece we have here, found right underneath this very building. I give you…" He then went up to the tarp. "An ancient Stone Samurai Warrior!" He removed the tarp to reveal a giant four-armed Samurai-taur statue nearly double the size of Tirek.
The crowd applauded so loudly that none of them noticed a single drop of Devourer venom dropped down on to the statue's head, reanimating it as its stone body turned black and red. It then flexed its arms and the ponies gasped in shock, "It's alive!" One stallion yelled as they all backed away.
"Impossible! It just looks life-like," the curator assured before the Stone Warrior grabbed him and spoke in an incomprehensible language. It then threw the curator at the stallion as the crowd ran out of the room. It looked around and heard voices.
"So, have you found a way to prevent me from facing my father?" Lloyd asked his mother and Star Swirl, but the shook their heads.
"Unfortunately, no," Misako said, before she smiled. "But I have reason to believe that there is still hope-"
She was then interrupted when they heard a smashing sound and turned around and saw the Giant Stone Warrior at the doorway pointing his swords at him.
"WHOA! Excuse me for saying this, but can somepony please tell me," Gaia started before she pointed at the giant Centaur, "WHAT IN EQUESTRIA'S NAME IS THAT?!"
"The Stone Centaur Warrior," Star Swirl answered with a glare.
"How is it moving around like that, though?!" Spike asked as he hid behind Twilight.
"The Devourer's venom must've reanimated him!" Frost realized.
"Grrr… great! Even in death, that overgrown snake is causing us problems!" she complained before turning to Trail, "Trail, take care of him!"
"Um, me?" Trail asked nervously before he looked at the stone giant that almost seemed to be taunting him. He frowned before flipping up his hood and drawing his sword, "Okay rockhead! Take this!" He charged at the warrior with his sword aimed at it.
Star Swirl's eyes widened. "Wait! Trail, don't!" he called but he was too late. The moment Trail's sword struck the Stone Warrior's sword, it shattered into pieces.
"Well, in my mind's eye, I saw that playing out entirely different," Trail said before he was picked up by the Centaur by his back leg.
"The Overlord created his Stone Army from an indestructible material only found on the Dark Island!" Misako explained.
"Ah. Great! You could've mention that earlier!" Trail complained before the Centaur tossed him over his shoulder. He then crashed into some pots.
"Lloyd! Use your powers!" Wu ordered as Lloyd charged up his Light energy and blasted the Centaur. The others cheered for Lloyd before they gasped in shock as the Stone Warrior was unharmed. It then spoke in its indecipherable language, sounding quite angry.
"Wait a minute. How are we supposed to destroy this thing?" Landrush asked.
"We can't," Star Swirl told him as they backed up as it was beating down the door frame.
The Ninja and Mane Six charged at the statue, but all their attacks bounced right off it as it just swatted them away.
Frost and Gaia threw their weapons, but the Stone Warrior knocked them away.
Landrush tried to swing his scythe but missed and then got kicked away with Applejack when she tried to buck its leg.
Thunder and Pinkie charged at it but were quickly punted away. "Oh, that didn't work!" Pinkie said before she noticed the giant about to squish them under its hoof.
However, at the last second Flash and Rainbow flew around its head to confuse it, making it miss the two on the ground. The floor shook when its stomped, and Thunder and Pinkie rolled away from it.
"Heh, easy big guy, maybe this is a sign you need to lose a few pounds," Thunder joked as he and Pinkie giggled but then they were elbowed and Thunder slid towards the pit. He panicked as he got close but thankfully Pinkie caught him just in time, "Whew, close one. Thanks, Pinkie," he thanked as Pinkie helped him up.
"Don't mention it."
Soon, they heard Rainbow and Flash scream as they flew over their heads and faceplanted against the wall. "Ooh, that's gotta hurt," she and Thunder winced while the latter peeled the two from the walls with his magic.
Twilight and Rarity fired magic lasers at the Stone Warrior, but it deflected them with its sword and knocked them away. It then noticed Spike chewing on one of its legs before the young dragon groaned as he rubbed his jaw. "Ooh man, it's so tough!" he grunted with soreness before he got tossed away and then caught by Twilight.
Frost then jumped and tried an air kick at the Stone Warrior's chest but he only got bounced off. The Stone Warrior then thoroughly pummeled the heroes before he tossed them out of the room one by one, and they hit and slid down the walls.
"Oh, is everypony okay?" Twilight asked, as they moaned a 'yes' as they all helped each other back their feet.
"Ugh, this is gonna much harder than a bunch of bobbleheads, guys," Flash groaned as Twilight helped him up.
Pinkie then walked up to the doorway. "Well, then I suppose it's a good thing we're in a museum," she said nervously.
"Why is that?" Misako asked before the Stone Warrior burst through the doorway.
"'Cause we're all about to becone history! RRRUNNNN!" Pinkie screamed as they all ran for it.
They ran as fast as their legs could go but the Stone Warrior managed to stay with them as it was surprisingly fast for its size, "Aw hayseeds, the feller's got a pair of horseshoes on 'im!" Applejack said as she urged them to keep running. "Pick up the pace, y'all! Go! Go! GO!"
They ran across the museum but no matter where they went the Stone Warrior stayed right on their tails. "Oh man, he's pretty fast for a big guy!" Trail noted.
"Actually, despite their sturdy, indestructible nature, the Stone Army's armor and bodies were surprisingly light, making their maneuverability astonishing!" Star Swirl told him as they entered another room and barracked the doors.
For a moment they thought they were safe but then the Stone Warrior stabbed the door, scaring them as it roared and tried break down the door.
"This monstrosity is unstoppable!" Gaia said as the Stone Warrior kept crashing at the door.
"Indestructible, to be more precise!" Frost commented as they saw the door was beginning to crack.
Trail backed away. "That door's not gonna hold him forever!" he said.
"Then let's settle this like ponies," Thunder suggested. "With Rock, Paper, Scissors! Loser has to face him, so the others can escape!" With that the Ninja and the Mane Six all put their hooves in.
But when Lloyd and Twilight put their hooves in Rarity pushed them out. "Ah, ah, ah, not you and the Ruler of Equestria, Chosen One!" she retorted to Lloyd, as he stared at their hooves, "Alright, on three, darlings," That was when Lloyd and Twilight got an idea. "One, two-"
"WAIT!" Lloyd and Twilight shouted, halting them. "That's it!"
"What's it?" Wu asked with a raised brow.
"If you guys can distract him, I think me and Twilight know how to stop him," Lloyd said.
Twilight nodded, "Trust us."
The others looked at each other before Landrush spoke up. "I say we give the kid and Princess a shot!" he said.
"You're just saying that, 'cause you're too afraid to face him!" Rainbow frowned at him.
Landrush raised a brow. "Oh, then I suppose you wanna face it?" he asked as Rainbow turned to the Stone Warrior still banging on the door.
She frowned in fear, gulping a bit before smiling at Lloyd and Twilight. "I say we give the kid and Twilight a shot," she said as the two nodded at her.
Flash then approached Twilight. "Good luck Twi," he smiled and she smiled back before giving her a kiss.
Misako the walked up to Lloyd. "Be careful Lloyd, and good luck to you as well," she said to her son.
Lloyd smiled. "Thanks, mom," he thanked before he stood next to Twilight and she teleported them away.
"I can't believe that's actually Lord Garmadon's son," Misako sighed as she looked at where Lloyd and Twilight had vanished.
Celestia then smiled sympathetically at her. "Don't forget, he's also the son of Misako as well," she said as she turned to Wu.
"He's had a good teacher," she smiled.
Wu smiled and gestured to the six Ninja. "You mean, teachers," he corrected.
Garmadon and his Legion of Doom are found washed up on a beach of a small island. Somehow, they had survived. His Legion held their heads as the venom was wearing off on them. "When… I get… my hooves on th-those S-S-Serpentine…" Chrysalis grunted as well as feeling nauseous. Little that they know that through the palm trees, something was looking at them.
"Wh-Where are we?" the Storm King asked as was still a little dizzy.
"This is no island I'm familiar with," Tirek said as he sniffed the air while the others stood up, "but the magic seems… different."
"You're right… It feels different," Sombra said, as the magic around them felt… darker. He then gasped. "We are not alone," he whispered to the others, as the villains also felt that something was watching them.
"Ah… I've been waiting for you all," they heard a weak, raspy voice call out, coming from within the jungle, the voice sending chills up and down their spines.
"Who goes there?!" Garmadon asked as they looked for the source of that voice, frantically. "Who are you?! Where are you?!"
"What is this place?! Where are we!?" Nightmare Moon demanded as they noted the palm trees. "This isn't part of Equestria!"
"It is the place you were always meant to find," the voice wheezily responded. "Destiny brought you all here."
The villains realized what the voice meant. "Wait! You mean, this… this is the Dark Island?!" Sombra asked. "The one mentioned in Captain Salt-Beak's log?!"
"I kinda pictured it a little more… gritty and miserable-looking," the Storm King commented.
Garmadon picks up some sand and then turns to where the voice was. "But then, who are you?" he asked again.
"I have worn many names in my lifetime, but you mortals may call me...'Overlord'." the voice rasped out.
The villains gasped. "The Overlord?" Chrysalis asked.
"I thought you were a legend!" Tirek said.
"I've heard of you," Sombra said simply.
"The who now?" the Storm King raised a brow, looking rather unimpressed, which earned a glare from his fellow villains.
"I assure you, I am very real," the Overlord told them, "and I believe, there is a reason you have come to the Dark Island."
"Yes, there is. I… I order you to give us the power to defeat the Ninja!" Garmadon demanded. "Give us the power to turn Equestria into our own image!" The only answer they got was the Overlord howling with laughter.
"Why do you laugh at us?!" Nightmare Moon demanded.
"Soon, all of you will have everything you desire, but first, there is something you must do for me," the Overlord told them as he revealed himself to be a black orb covered in purple smoke.
"And what would that be?!" Storm King asked.
Back in Equestria, the Stone Warrior finally broke down the door and stomped into the room, but noticed that nopony was in here. As he walked around the room looking for the Ninja and their allies, he didn't realize they were hiding above him. Star Swirl then gave Gaia a signal and she nodded before racing across the room, jumping over to hanging skeleton, slicing a rope, and dropping a massive creature's skeleton. The Stone Warrior looked up just in time to see the skeleton burying him under a pile of bones.
"Whoa! Direct hit!" Thunder cheered as they came out of their hiding places.
They slid down the skeleton and cheered. "Nice job, Gaia!" Landrush congratulated the mare as she gave her a hoof bump.
They all stood where the skeleton fell on the centaur. "Did we get him?" Gaia asked before the Stone Warrior's fist burst out from the bones as he roared.
"He's still here!" Trail shouted as they backed away from the pile.
"Do you think Twilight and Lloyd are ready with their plan?" Frost asked.
"I sure hope so," Applejack said as they all ran out of the room as the Stone Warrior's body erupted from the pile, with the creature's skull on his head. As they ran, Misako tripped and fell before Wu helped her up.
"I might not be a Ninja, but I can look after myself," Misako assured him before she jumped over a railing and slide down a piece of tapestry. The others followed her example and slide down the tapestry themselves.
Before they could run again the Stone Warrior crashed in the middle of them, knocking them all, minus Misako, down as it smashed the skull on its head before turning to the mare.
Misako ran as it brought its sword down and nearly hit her. It then gave chase to her as the others recovered. Misako ran down a hall and into a hallway filled with large pots and hide behind one of them. The Stone Warrior started smashing pots one by one, getting angry as he kept failing to find her, not realizing she was hiding behind a pillar. As he was about smash another one, he finally noticed her before she gasped and ran away again.
The Stone Warrior smashed open doorways as she led it back to its exhibit room and she ran into the stain glass room. "Over here!" Twilight called as she saw her with Lloyd waving to her and some buckets of paint and paper around them, and the pit was missing as well.
"Hurry!" Lloyd shouted.
"Lloyd! Princess!" Misako cheered before she over to them and the Stone Warrior broke the doorway again. Misako stood next to them as it roared at them.
"Hey loser!" Lloyd called to the Stone Warrior.
"You think you're unbeatable, huh?" Twilight challenged. "Well, we got news for you!"
"Paper beats ROCK!" the two shouted as the Stone Warrior roared and charged at them.
The three rolled out of the way just in time to where Stone Warrior was standing where they were and fell into the pit hidden under the paper, screaming to the bottom. Lloyd, Twilight, and Misako walked over to the pit.
"Of course, the bottomless pit," Misako realized.
Twilight smirked. "Ha! Looks like the Overlord didn't give his indestructible army any brains!" she declared as she and Lloyd hoof bumped.
The others rushed to where they were and were relieved that they were okay. "Oh, thank goodness," Rarity said in relief.
Misako hugged Lloyd. "I'm so proud of you," she said as Lloyd smiled and flipped up his hood, wanting to hear that for so long. "I feel like the balance has brought us together." She then kissed his cheek.
Flash then trotted up to Twilight and pulled her into a kiss. "I knew you could do it," he said as he broke the kiss.
The others approached, with Wu making an offer. "Stay with us. Help us fight the good fight."
Misako smiled and turned to Lloyd. "If that's okay with my son," she said.
"Hey. The more, the merrier," Lloyd quipped as Misako smiled and they hugged again.
Back on the small island, Garmadon and his Legion of Doom made their way through the jungle, pushing through the foliage. "How much further?!" Garmadon asked.
"We've wandering this jungle for miles! How far do we have to travel to do this favor for you?" Sombra asked.
"Until I say so," The Overlord said as the orb floated above their heads, "You do want to turn all of Equestria into your image, right?" he questioned.
"Of course, I do!" Garmadon retorted as he pushed away a branch, "It's all I've ever wanted!"
"You could at least tell us what you need us to do!" Nightmare Moon hissed.
They soon came across a clearing on a hill and walked up to a large rock sitting on top of it. Four front pressure plates were revealed to be on. Tirek looked at each detail and noticed something.
"Four hooves?" he pointed out before looking out in the jungle where the Overlord was watching them. "Is that a coincidence?!"
"I told you, it is destiny!" the Overlord said, almost amusedly.
"Just do it Garmadon, and let us see this 'destiny' he's been going on about," Chrysalis told the Dark Lord.
Garmadon rolled his eyes. "Whatever," he said as he stood on his back legs and pressed the plates.
All six of them felt rumbling after he pressed the plates and the rock began to sink down as other larger rocks began to rise around the small island.
The Overlord howled with laughter as the villains were getting freaked by what was happening, "HAHA! Rise! Yes, RISE!" The Overlord yelled to the sky as it went dark as more rocks began to form out of the ocean around them. Pretty soon the rocks and pillars transformed the island into a dark mirror image of Equestria.
All six of them stepped back and gazed at their surrounding now that the scenery has changed. "Well, at least we know why no creature ever found this hunk of rock," the Storm King commented
"The ultimate battle between good and evil has been foretold." They turned to see a purple orb of dark magical energy float, a Blackish core pulsating as it spoke with the Overlord's voice. "And with all of your help, we will rule this world!" All six villains laughed maniacally as they had found the island they have been searching for: The Island of Darkness.
Meanwhile in the Realm of Chaos, Discord was sitting on his cloud chair, reading a newspaper when suddenly his body went all squiggly and he gasped in shock. "No… It can't be him… Can it?" he asked himself, literally as there was another Discord with glasses next to him.
"There is no denying it; he has returned!" the other Discord told him ominously with his eyes narrowed. An awkward pause came before the glasses-wearing Discord poked his copy's nose. "Well, don't just stand there like a Canterlot Gardens statue! Go and warn Celly and the others!"
In response, the first Discord snapped his claws, covering himself in an army uniform. "Sir, yes, sir!" he saluted before teleporting away.
The other Discord looked at the fourth wall and smirked. "Stay tuned viewers, this story is only halfway finished."