Chapter 4: Ninja Roll
It is a rainy day on Chen's Island as Chen speaks through the speaker while Trail is outside, looking around before trotting off to another part of the palace.
"Topaz, Master of Amber," Chen spoke through the speakers.
"...versus, Soundwave, Master of Sound!" Chen declared while Topaz held up a spear with a Ninja hood up while Soundwave, a blind Earth pony with star-shaped glasses and an odd afro mane, played his guitar, creating soundwaves, hence his name. "Fight!" he announced.
Topaz stared at Soundwave while spinning her spear while Chen clapped his hooves in excitement. "Eeny, meeny, miny, moe. Catch a Jadeblade by its toe!" Topaz called as she turned and threw her spear to a vase, which showed a bow and arrows as she ran up to them.
Soundwave then played his guitar as he searched his surroundings until his sound-vision (an evolved form of echolocation) spotted a red figure, which is Topaz, who ran to a pillar as he walked around. While he was not looking, Topaz fired the arrow at him.
But Soundwave ducked and ran up as he hopped onto the arrow on the pillar. He then played a high note, which created a soundwave at Topaz, who covered her ears as she ran out of the waves as they broke the vase while the remaining Ninja, Mane Six, Garmadon and Luna covered their ears until it stopped.
"The Master of Sound's gotten stronger since the last time we saw him," Garmadon commented.
"He's certainly gotten louder, I'll give him that," Luna added.
"Well, could he please not be that loud? It's hurting our ears," Rarity complained as she rubbed her ears.
"Rarity, Soundwave needs to do that so he could know his enemy's movement," Twilight pointed out. "From what Garmadon and Luna told us, he's completely blind."
"Indeed, his powers are for more than just attacking his opponents or rattling their focus. Sound is how he always knows where he's been and where he's going," Luna explained.
Soundwave walked around as he played his guitar again. Topaz was hiding behind a vase as she tip-toed behind him and she touched her hoof on his shoulder before she hid again when Soundwave turned.
Soundwave then went up to a broken vase and sensed three shurikens in it as he quickly grabbed them and turned to where Topaz is as the two opponents faced each other and Soundwave threw the shurikens at her. But Topaz quickly dodged them with a side flip as she landed on her side.
Trail then arrived as he walked past the other fighters. "Excuse me," he said while sliding across them. "Excuse me," he said again before he started stepping on the Elemental Masters' feet. "Uh, don't mean to block your view. Just passing through," Trail tried to make as little intrusion as possible, although he could not help stepping on their legs as he went past them. He managed to cross as he sat next to the others. "Sorry, all these temples look the same," he explained, having gotten lost in the Palace since most of them are identical. "Did I miss anything?"
Rainbow chuckled. "From the looks of it, you didn't miss anycreature's tootsies," she joked, pointing to the groaning fighters.
"Maybe we shouldn't be sitting together," Thunder said in concern. "I mean, the more they think we're a team, the bigger targets we put on ourselves."
Fluttershy gasped at what Thunder just said before giving him a firm look, "Thunder, don't say that!" she firmly said.
"Yeah, we are a team!" Lloyd said in agreement. "Sure, we lost Landrush, and still can't find Frost, but we're a team. Just smaller," he explained.
"All the more reason to stick together," Applejack added.
"Well, we shouldn't get too comfortable," Gaia advised, "After this battle, it's only a matter of time before Lloyd, Flash, or I have to battle next."
"And something tells me that Chen might either change the brackets or sic a tough opponent on us," Flash said with a serious look.
Trail then saw the battle. "Topaz's fighting?" he called as he stood up and saw Topaz fighting Soundwave as her horn glowed red and launched a fireball from her hoof as Soundwave blocked it with his guitar, but it caught on fire as he panicked.
"What has him so excited?" Garmadon asked curious about Trail's behavior.
Pinkie chuckled, "He's had a crush on Topaz until he found out they and Gaia might be related," she said with a cheeky smile.
"Why Gaia also?" Luna said in confusion.
Topaz's horn glowed green as she created a vine whip as she grabbed Soundwave and swung him to a wall.
"Because of that, she can use Both Fire and Li-" Flash said but was cut off when they saw Topaz's horn glow yellow and suddenly, Soundwave was picked up by a small tornado and spun around.
The Ninja and Mane Six gasped, "The Element of Wind?" Rarity asked in shock.
"She can use three different elements?!" Thunder exclaimed.
"Is she-" Flash was about to ask before Luna spoke up.
"The reason behind why she can use your Elements, is because she is the Elemental Master of Amber, the power of natural mimicry," she explained while gesturing to Topaz. "She can replicate the Element of any Elemental Master she has touched. Meaning, you three were touched beforehoof, thus she is now able to replicate Fire, Life, and Wind."
"So we're not related?!" Trail asked excitedly.
"Oh boy, here we go again," Thunder said in annoyance, seeing that Trail's crush was reignited with this info.
Topaz's horn then glowed gray as she moved her hooves like she was strumming a guitar, creating a loud sound that shattered another vase, revealing a blow dart. Soundwave flipped and caught it and blew the darts at Topaz, who dodged them with a chuckle as she did a cartwheel, which punctured the wall as a gust of wind entered the room.
Soundwave looked around as the wind made his sound vision hazy as he only saw blindness as Topaz ran behind him and broke another vase, revealing the Jadeblade. "Soundwave inferior, Topaz superior," Topaz said smugly.
"Yes! Go, Topaz!" Trail and Rainbow cheered as the audience cheered for her as well.
"Winner!" Chen declared as Topaz held up the blade before gesturing to the depressed Soundwave. "Loser. Master of Amber moves on," he said before Soundwave fell through the trapdoor. "And now, onto the next round, the next two fighters are… Maximum Powers, Master of Energy, versus Gaia Boreal, Master of Life!"
"Oh dear…" Gaia sighed before looking at Max. "Well, looks like one of us is going to lose," she said nervously as she remembered what happens to the losers when they lose.
"Best of luck to you," Max told her before walking off. "And hope I don't lose control again…" he whispered to himself in a concerned tone.
"If you do lose this, Gaia, find Landrush and tell him we'll do everything we can to get his and the others' powers back," Flash whispered to her.
"Oh, thank you ever so much for the word of confidence," Gaia told him sarcastically.
"Sorry," Flash apologized sheepishly as Gaia shook her head and continued her way.
"I hope Max goes easy on Gaia," Applejack said nervously.
"Why is that, Applejack?" Rainbow Dash asked in confusion, as did the others.
Applejack sighed, "Because what he said is true, he's got a big reason for coming here," she said, knowing what Maximum could do from what he told her.
The battle took place in the jungle treetops with the Jadeblade wedged in a large stump in the center. Gaia had already put her mask over her muzzle as Max took a battle stance with a large claymore sword and his knight visor down.
"Gaia Boral, Master of Life, versus Maximum Powers, Master of Energy!" Chen called out as all the other competitors watched from the sidelines. "Fight!"
With that, Gaia had already used her power to summon a couple of vines around her hooves and use them to swing around. Max, on the other hand, used his power to help speed up his charge as he ran up a tree.
The two elemental masters raced to the Jadeblade as Gaia kept swinging while Max jumped across treetops and landed on each branch before Max blasted Gaia. She quickly swung to avoid the blast as she used her powers to create a leaf shield from Max's attacks as she kept swinging.
Max then charged his sword with Energy and sliced it through Gaia's shield and her vines as they both fell to a lower branch. Gaia shook her head before being kicked away by Max as he made a dash for the Jadeblade. Not wanting her power taken away like the others, Gaia quickly used her powers to create a thorny root wall in front of Max.
Max skidded to a halt, "What?!" he remarked in shock before he started using his sword to cut through the roots, but made the mistake of turning his back on Gaia.
"Gotcha!" Gaia yelled as she launched multiple vines at Max, wrapping around him, causing him to drop his sword, "Terribly sorry, darling, but I believe that is mine," she smugly remarked with a smile and mane flip as she lowered the thorn wall and walked to the Jadeblade.
Lloyd turned to his friends. "In the battle of Creature vs Nature, nature usually wins," he said, seeing that Gaia had this in the bag.
"I wouldn't say that when it comes to battling the Master of Energy," Garmadon said as he noticed Max struggling against the vines.
"No… I… I have to win!" he grunted to himself as he felt his power building up inside of him as his eyes glowed, "I… must…WIN!" he yelled as his head shot up and with an enormous burst of energy freed himself before he shot out like a rocket straight towards Gaia.
Gaia saw this and was unable to react in time as Max knocked her off the branch she was on. Gaia gave a scream as she fell to the ground, "Oh, what in the name of-" she moaned before she looked up and gasped as Max surprisingly did not go for the blade, but for her instead.
Max fired a barrage of energy orbs right at Gaia as she got up and did her best to avoid the orbs.
"Ooh-hoo-hoo! Now this is exciting!" Chen said as he clapped his hooves gleefully.
"What's gotten into him?!" Flash exclaimed as he and the others were shocked at what Max was doing. "Is he trying to kill her or something?!"
"No, it's not his fault," Luna said fearfully. "It seems he is still not fully in control of his powers."
"Wait, what?!" Twilight asked in shock. "But before we arrived at the island, you said that every Elemental Master here in the Tournament unlocked their own True Potential!"
"We did, but every Master still has challenges and trials to overcome. Unlocking your True Potential is not the end of a Master's progress, but merely the beginning," Garmadon explained as he looked to Max as he punched Gaia up into the trees. "The Master of Energy's power is tied to their emotions. Their state of mind casts a different effect on their abilities, including their control over them."
"So… what you're telling us is, Max is like some kind of completely unstable, living super weapon?!" Thunder questioned sarcastically.
"Close, but accurate," Garmadon said with a nod.
"Seriously?!" Thunder asked in shock as did the others before Gaia was flung towards them before she hit a tree face first, which the others cringed.
"That's gonna leave a mark," Applejack commented as Gaia slid down to the ground with a painful groan.
"This is not my day…" Gaia moaned in pain before she felt Max land behind her and grabbed her tail, "Oh no-no-no, not the taAAAILLLL!" she yelled before Max jumped away with his hoof gripped around her tail.
Max then quickly threw Gaia into the air as he jumped high, and powered up his back hoof. He aimed right at Gaia's head with a powerful axe kick, sending her crashing to the stump where the Jadeblade sits. Gaia crawled her way to it before Max gave a rageful roar as he dove down to her.
The others gasped as Chen looked excited.
"Gaia, move!" Twilight yelled.
"Oh, I can't look!" Fluttershy whimpered as she covered her eyes.
Applejack held her hat. "Max, please! Snap out of it!" she said.
It looked like Max was about to deliver a finishing blow before a vision of his own sister ran through his head. Max gasped as he quickly stopped using his powers before he landed in over Gaia, giving off a wave of force as he took some deep breaths and looked to the blade before taking it.
"This battle is over," he said stoically before he helped up Gaia. "Sorry I lost control… again…"
"What do you mean 'again'?" she asked before Chen shouted.
"Winner!" he declared Max before he gestured to Gaia. "Loser." He then pressed a button on his throne to open a trapdoor under Gaia, as she screamed and fell through.
The Ninja and Mane Six bowed their heads as another Ninja had been defeated. "First Landrush, and now Gaia?" Trail said sullenly.
"But now we have two friends to look for Frost," Flash encouraged.
"I hope the Tournament of Elements has entertained you as much as it has me," Chen told the remaining fighters. "To thank you, I wanted to give everycreature fancy jewels and untold shiny things." The contestants cheered with excitement as they saw him hold up a basket full of gems, jewels, and other shiny things before they saw Chen's face beginning to sour. "But then! In yesterday's battle, Master Thunder and Landrush tried to undermine me by teaming up and refusing to fight each other! And that made me very upset." He stood up while still holding the basket as the competitors glared at the Ninja and their friends. "For their insubordination, all of your fancy quarters will be taken away, and tonight everycreature must sleep together in the chow house," he declared before his tone returned to its calm, jovial state. "That is all. Thank you, you can go."
The remaining Ninja felt hundreds of daggers being shot at them as the other competitors glared at them. "Well, is it hot in here all of a sudden or something?" Flash asked nervously as Trail hit Thunder.
"Nice one, Thunder," Trail growled with a glare.
"Whoa, easy, Romeo," Thunder retorted while returning the glare.
"Don't worry about them," Lloyd reminded them all. "We aren't here to make friends, just to save ours."
"Yes, but your exclusion of others has only made enemies," Garmadon told his son and the others.
"Beware how you treat those around you, for they will treat you the same," Luna added as the others felt it was going to be a long night.
In the underground dungeon, Landrush was in a cell as he peered through his door window, "You can take my suit and power, but you'll never take my super strength!" he called as he grabbed hold of the bars as he tried to break them open, but could not as he fell on his back. "All right, so you got that too," he said with his hooves crossed, now knowing he lost his strength after his powers were stripped.
The door opened as he heard a familiar voice and saw Gaia, wearing the prison suit like him, tossed into the cell before the door closed, "I hope that horrible snake swallows you whole!" Gaia shouted while shaking her hoof.
"Gaia?!" Landrush shouted in shock at seeing her. "You lost too?!"
"Yeah, and here's a little word of advice: Never make a Master of Energy angry. You won't like them when they're angry," Gaia grumbled before she realized who was in the cell with her, and then beamed. "Landy!" she cheered before galloping and jumping on Landrush. "I love you! I love you! I love you!"
"W-What?" Landrush asked in surprise with a slight blush as Gaia kept hugging him.
"I was so worried when you lost! And I was scared I would never get the chance to tell you how I felt!" Gaia declared with tears before she realized this was not a good time for a love confession and backed away from him. "Sorry, I got really excited when I saw you. But the others want you to know that they're going to do everything they can to get our powers back. For now, let's find a way out of here and find Frost."
Soon the cell door opened and both Masters of Earth and Metal saw Charm and Grimoire by the door. "What, you're letting us go?" Landrush asked the twins.
"Of course not," Charm said with a smirk.
"Both your presences are required in the factory," Grimoire explained.
"The factory?!" Both Landrush and Gaia cried out as they turned away.
"Lock us up for all we care," Landrush said with his hooves crossed.
"Because we're never going to lift a hoof for either of you, you despicable-" Gaia trailed off before the guards grabbed her and Landrush and dragged them out of the cell as they yelped.
The two Ninja were dragged to a big door, they entered a room, which happened to be a noodle factory with different creature workers in prison uniforms and some machines that make the food. "A noodle factory? Ha! Why didn't you say so? Ha-ha-ha!" Landrush cheered as he was like he was in a dream that came true for him while Gaia was surprised by this.
"You have a noodle factory underneath this island?" Gaia asked the twins with a brow.
"Why, yes. How else did you expect Master Chen to run a noodle empire?" Grimoire questioned.
"Other than the Tournament, the noodle factory is where Chen made the best food for his Noodle House," Charm explained while gesturing to the factory room. "We make them, they get shipped off to Equestria by boat."
"This is my kind of place!" Landrush cheered as he ran up to a noodle machine as he inspected it. "Look, Gaia, that's how they make the noodles." He then ran up to another machine. "Oh, and that's the dumpling machine!" He went up to another machine that was making fortune cookies. "And is that how you make fortune cookies?" he excitedly picked one up and turned to a worker next to him. "You know there's a fortune inside those, right?"
"There's only one rule," Charm spoke up as Landrush was about to eat the cookie. "No eating the merchandise!"
"They're not for eating. They're for making and packing," Grimoire explained as he walked behind the door. "Charm, how about I keep watch while you check on our technician? See how she's doing with Rivet helping."
"Of course, brother," Charm nodded before she left and closed the door.
"No eating the merchandise?!" Landrush asked in shock while looking at the fortune cookies, going to work at the very place where he could not even eat them, "How cruel can this place be!?" he cried out as he ran up to Grimoire, "You're evil!" he cried out.
"Yes, but that's how business is," Grimoire said with a neutral look.
Gaia walked up to Landrush and placed a comforting hoof on him. "Come on, Landy, even back in Equestria, there are some things that creatures can't do in a business like this," she said.
"Seriously?! Oh, ponyfeathers," Landrush groaned in disappointment as the two walked up away from Grimoire and the guard as he was about to eat the cookie he picked, but the guard quickly caught it and ate it.
"Mm. Yummy," the Guard said as he enjoyed the cookie.
"Really? We can't eat the merchandise, but they can?!" Gaia complained before they walked next to Yak-Karlof. "Oh, hi, Yak-Karlof."
"Earth and Life ponies not worry. After while, not so bad," Yak-Karlof told them. "Since ponies new, Yak-Karlof show ponies how to chop noodles." He gestured to the conveyor belt and they saw noodles riding on it. He then pulled down a lever which made a chopper chop the noodles before lifting it up to let it continue.
Gaia and Landrush looked at each other with a shrug before the Earth Ninja grabbed a switch over them and he tugged it, but it released a bag of flowers from behind them as it got a worker. "Not that one," Yak-Karlof said with a dull look. Gaia then turned to the switch on the converter belt as she pulled on it and chopped some noodles. "See? Chop. Now ponies no make trouble," Yak-Karlof advised as Landrush got another switch as he started chopping with the two next.
"Wow, this is just sad," Gaia commented with a dull look.
"Well, I for one don't like following rules," Soundwave said as he was next to the three while moving the noodles to the converter belt. "The minute you tell me the coast is clear, I'm busting out of here," he said to them.
"Even if blind pony get past snaky ponies and dark magic ponies, there still big labyrinth, guarded by very big snake," Yak-Karlof reminded Soundwave as he kept chopping.
"My name's not Blind Pony. It's Soundwave," Soundwave corrected, "And you may have already lost hope, but not me and not my buddies, Gaia and Landrush. Am I right?" he asked as he turned to his right.
"Actually, Soundwave, we're on your left," Landrush pointed out.
"You're facing the wrong way," Gaia added with a brow.
"Oh. Heh. Hey, you both moved on me," Soundwave said in slight embarrassment. "Heh. Sneaky Ninja," he commented as they kept chopping noodles.
Gaia glanced at Landrush, "Who do you think this technician is?" she asked him.
"No idea, but I did hear some commotion clean down the hall from my cell," Landrush whispered to her. "My guess is one of them has to be that white cat lady we saw giving Chen his staff."
"Okay, but who's the other?" Gaia wondered as they continued to work.
In a workshop with many parts and tools lying about, Rivet was struggling to tighten a bolt on a vehicle while Dr. Gear, who was wearing a welding mask, worked on welding something together. Rivet stopped when she heard something break before she looked at the wrench she was holding and saw it break in half as she let out a huff. "That's the fifth one this week," she complained before the door to the workshop opened.
"How's the new surprise for tomorrow's match coming along?" Charm asked as she walked in and closed the door behind her. Rivet slammed the wrench down as she glared at Charm.
"We can't work with such inferior equipment!" she complained before gesturing to an engine in the corner of the room. "That engine is like a hundred years old while your tools break every five minutes! We need exact parts! Durable tools! We can't work miracles with this kind of equipment!" She then tossed the broken wrench at Charm's hooves.
"I concur with her!" Dr. Gear spoke up as she pulled up her welding mask. "If you want us to get this thing to work, we need actual working equipment and components!"
"You both better make do with what you got, or that mechanical Ninja of yours will be scrap metal!" Charm threatened before she walked up to Rivet. "Your T-screws." She levitated three thin screws over to Rivet. "It wasn't easy to get these, you know. Some of our soldiers don't even know what half of the things you need even are."
Rivet continued to glare at her before she inspected the screws. "Only three? We need six," she told Charm.
"Six?!"
"We can't make it work with only three T-screws," Rivet explained.
"Do you have any idea how much these parts cost?" Charm asked rhetorically. "We have bills to pay. We pay for the outfits for our grunts. These things don't come cheap!"
"Do you want us to make these vehicles or not?" Rivet asked with a raised brow. "You get us more T-screws and better equipment, then you'll get your vehicles."
"Fine!" Charm grumbled in annoyance. "But you both better get working!" She soon mumbled to herself as she walked out. Rivet then heard Gear let out a sad sigh before looking over to her.
"Hey doc, you okay?" she asked.
"I'm fine. It's just that I hoped I wouldn't have to be forced to make weapons and vehicles again," Dr. Gear said sadly. "This is something I have hoped to never get caught up again."
"I'm sorry this had to happen to you," Rivet said in regret. "I shouldn't have dragged you into this."
"No. It was my doing," Dr. Gear assured her. "When I heard that my son was alive, I wanted to bring him back so badly that I would do anything to see him again."
"Well then, let's make sure he doesn't get scrapped again," Rivet told her with confidence before she used the three screws to pick a lock on the shackle around her ankle.
"What are you doing?" Gear asked before Rivet unlocked her shackle.
"Starting my escape plan," Rivet told her before she pulled out a small device from her pocket. "It may take some time, but once I get this hologram projector up and running, we can escape and find your son."
"How long have you been planning this?"
"For a while now, I stayed up late just to make this," Rivet told her before she looked at the device. "The only problem is, getting the holograms to look realistic so they won't suspect anything."
"Well, maybe I can take a look at it," Gear told her with a confident smile.
In Equestria City, outside of Chen's Noodle House, some of the snake ponies are stacking some supplies into the trucks while in an alley, the D.B. Express is spying on them while Aqua, Starlight, Spike, and Smolder spoke to Wu on a holographic phone.
"And you say the noodle trucks disappear at night," Wu said after what they explained to him. "But where did they go?"
"That's what we're trying to figure out," Aqua said.
"So far, we only got that, but not much else, which is weird since these trucks kept disappearing at night," Starlight commented with a suspicious tone.
"Seriously, where do they go after going to a noodle house?" Smolder questioned in annoyance as the trucks then started moving.
"Perhaps if we follow them, they can lead us to more answers," Spike suggested.
"Good idea, Spike," Aqua said in agreement as the others nodded before turning to Wu. "We'll report more when we uncover more." She turned off the communication to Wu as his hologram disappeared. "Initiate replicate software," she stated as she pressed the button.
The D.B. Express then transformed into a replica of the Noodle Trucks. "Wow, Aqua! That's awesome!" Smolder exclaimed in awe.
"Thanks. They're not the only ones who can disappear," Aqua said as she started driving.
In the Noodle House, Dareth, and surprisingly the Washouts, are inside as they talk to the cashier. "What do you mean he discontinued the Puffy Potstickers? They were my favorite," Dareth called out.
"And they're my favorite too! Nopony knows that! NOPONY!" Short Fuse yelled out angrily as his hooves slammed on the countertop.
"It's true. They are his favorite," Rolling Thunder said dully.
"Do you even know who you're dealing with?" Dareth questioned the cashier.
"Yes, Master Dareth," the cashier replied before he looked at the Washouts. "And you three are the nutjobs who were kicked out of the Wonderbolts Academy."
"Okay, don't rub it in or you'll get your snout swollen," Lightning Dust warned as she sighed. "Is there a way to get them back on the menu? Because my friend here really needs his Potstickers," she questioned dully as Short Fuse huffed and snorted.
"Well, if you ponies have a problem, take it with them," the cashier said while gesturing to the trucks that were leaving.
Dareth and Short Fuse then rushed out of the shop as Lightning Dust and Rolling Thunder sighed in annoyance as they followed them, "Wait! Come back!" Short Fuse yelled.
"We need our Puffy Potstickers!" Dareth cried out next.
"Boy, these two have a problem with these Potstickers," Lightning Dust said.
"We only came here for food, not for getting one of them back on the menu," Rolling Thunder said in annoyance. "We should've kept going and gone out for pizza."
"You and me both," Lightning Dust said in agreement as the two mares followed the two stallions as they followed the trucks.
At the Palace, some of the competitors were sleeping on tables with blankets and pillows while others slept on old bunk beds. The remaining four Ninja were still up and had worried looks on their faces as Thunder let out a sigh. "Couldn't sleep either?" he asked Flash and Lloyd as they got out of bed.
"Not when we still have to get Frost, Landrush, and now Gaia back," Trail whispered when he jumped down from his bed. Lloyd let out a grunt as he stretched his back a bit.
"Speaking of backs, these new beds are the worst," Lloyd complained. "All right, let's do-" The lights suddenly turned on as the sounds of a small gong were being played over the intercom.
"Quick, back to bed," Flash told the others before they quickly jumped back into their beds.
Just then, Charm and Grimoire came in with a few of Chen's minions while one of them was banging a gong, which got everyone up, "Good morning, fighters," Grimoire called.
"Oh, that's right. It's the middle of the night," Charm said with a mocking smirk.
Just then, Chen's Cultists started going to everycreature's legs as they placed something on them. "Hey, what are you doing?" Lloyd asked.
"Do you know what time it is?" Thunder complained.
"What are you putting on our legs?" Flash questioned.
"Roller skates?" Trail asked in surprise as he rolled across the floor, trying to keep his balance as the other Elemental Masters all had roller skates on their feet too as they skated around the room. Trail lost his balance as he skated in front of Topaz. "Whoa, aah! Ugh," he groaned as he fell on his back while Topaz gave a small smile and helped him up. "Thanks," he said with a smile.
Lloyd skated around as he gave a knowing look. "Let me guess, another one of Chen's impromptu battles?" he questioned in annoyance.
"Oh, roller skates," Thunder said in excitement, not bothered by this as he skates around perfectly, "I love roller skates!" he cheered as he did a twirl and landed on his hooves perfectly.
"Well, at least one of us does," Flash said with a brow at Thunder. "You think we should be getting used to this by now," he commented.
"Did I ever mention I once played first in the mother-son Skate-Off? Heh, heh," Thunder chuckled as he skated across the table, jumped off, and landed on his hooves. "I should have never admitted that," he said as he faced Pale Hound.
"Weirdo," Pale Hound said to Thunder.
"Master Chen wants everycreature in the Royal Arena," Grimoire called out with a small smirk.
"We wouldn't be late if we were you," Charm advised.
"If most of us have already fought, why are we all in skates?" Topaz questioned the twins in confusion, as did the other masters.
"Only two of you will be fighting, but the rest of you will have a chance to affect the outcome," Grimoire explained to them.
"Who's fighting?" Turner asked in excitement. "Tell us now," he urged.
The twins walked back a bit as Chen's minions ran out of the room, "The Light Ninja versus the Master of Form," they said in unison as the door closed on them, which made the Elemental Masters mutter in shock at this while Lloyd was confused.
"Master of Form? Who's that?" Lloyd asked Trail next to him.
"You haven't heard?" Trail asked in surprise before placing a hoof on his chin. "I hear she can look like anyone, almost as good as Changelings. She'd be right under your nose, and by the time you figure it out, she's already discovered all your weaknesses, then it's game over," he explained while skating around Lloyd before placing a hoof on his shoulder. "But you're the Light Ninja, what weakness could you have?" he asked.
Before Lloyd could say anything, Flash rolled in and knocked Trail back, "Hooves off!" he told the red pegasus.
"Flash? What are you doing?" Lloyd asked in shock.
"Yeah, Flash? Why did you do that?" Trail asked innocently.
"Drop the act, you're not Trail," Flash said with a serious tone. "I know my friends very well, and he's not a good skater like Thunder," he said as Thunder cheered as he jumped across the tables. "And also, Trail is over there," he pointed behind them as Trail clumsily skated to them.
"Skates," Trail started.
"Trail?!" Lloyd asked in shock at him seeing two Trails.
"Why did it have to be skates?" Trail questioned before he tripped headfirst as his friends watched him.
"See?" Flash said to 'Trail' with a look, "And since you're good at skating, you're not him, Master of Form," he said.
'Trail' looked shocked before he was a little impressed and transformed into a female hippogriff, with a dark purple coat and hot pink claws and wearing what looked like a pearl shard necklace but with some other magical gems surrounding it. "Guess I can't fool a Royal Guard-slash-Ninja," she said as she skated around them. "I guess you're too smart for me," she had a mischievous grin on her face as she skated away from them.
"Thanks, Flash, I almost gave away my weaknesses," Lloyd thanked as he rubbed his back.
"Yeah, we gotta be careful around her," Flash mentioned right before Twilight bumped into him. He quickly turned to see she was wearing roller skates but was not doing very well. "You okay, Twi?"
"Yeah… just not a big fan of roller skates…" Twilight mentioned before Flash helped her up before she saw Lloyd trying to stretch out his back. "You okay, Lloyd?"
"Yeah, my back is just sore from these so-called beds," Lloyd complained before Twilight smiled.
"Good to know," she mentioned before she rolled away.
"Hey guys," a familiar voice called out from the opposite direction of Twilight and both Flash and Lloyd did a double take when they saw her and the girls walked in. "Why are you wearing roller skates?" Twilight asked.
"Wait, you were just… and then…" Flash stuttered in confusion before he heard the other Twilight tackle before she shapeshifted back into the Master of Form.
"Watch your back, Light Ninja," she warned Lloyd as she skated away before a magic laser struck her in the back. "Ow!" she yelled in pain as she turned and saw Twilight glaring at her with her horn glowing.
"Watch your own while you're at it," Twilight said as she brought her horn close to the Hippogriff's throat. "And never get close to my coltfriend, in my form, again." Her warning was received immediately as it made the Hippogriff gulp in fright and skate away from the angry princess.
"Dang, I love that mare," Flash muttered with a dazed smile at Twilight.
In the underground noodle factory, the imprisoned workers were still working while Gaia and Landrush are sorting the noodles as the guard gives a burp after eating some as he walks out of the room. Soundwave heard the door creak, which made him realize that there were no guards there.
Soundwave smiled as he ducked under as Gaia and Landrush turned and saw Soundwave sneaking around the factory, using his hearing to hear where the guards were as he rolled across the floor, they were about to join him, but Yak-Karlof stopped them.
"Eh… Make noodles, not trouble," Yak-Karlof advised the two Ninja as Soundwave kept out of sight of the guards.
Soundwave then quietly moved a cart to the exit, which he stopped at the front door, but as he opened it, Grimoire came walking up to them. Landrush tried to warn him, but Yak-Karlof covered his mouth while Gaia looked in shock at what the Master of Metal was doing.
Soundwave turned before he sensed Grimoire in front of him as he turned to the three while Grimoire held him, "Hey! Not one of you could've warned me?!" he questioned as he tried to break free.
"Make an example of him while teaching him a lesson," Grimoire told the guard that dragged Soundwave away. "Take him to play with our pet serpent. And if he tries it again, he'll be feeding our pet next time."
"What did he mean by 'feeding'?" Gaia asked worryingly.
Yak-Karlof grunted at the thought. "Yak-Karlof not make trouble, Yah-Karlof make noodle." He pulled a lever, which was the wrong one as a bag of flour fell on Landrush and a bucket of orange sauce on Gaia.
"Yah-Karlof!" Gaia yelled in anger at being covered in sauce.
Yak-Karlof looked at them and flinched at Gaia's look. "Uh, sorry." He sheepishly went to the right switch and continued to chop noodles.
"I'm so not into this dumpling dump after all," Landrush said, now starting to dislike being in a noodle factory.
"That makes two of us," Gaia said as she wiped some sauce off her. "Oh, I'm so in need of a shower after this."
"Ditto," Landrush said in agreement, "I hope the others are faring better than the rest of us."
The competitors were soon seen rolling their way towards the next round while Trail was struggling to keep balance on his skates. "I don't like the looks of this," Lloyd whispered to the others.
"Don't worry, we got your back," Trail assured Lloyd before he fell on his back when he lost his balance.
"Well, most of us," Flash commented as they all skated into the Royal Arena, which had been made into a skating rink. They turned to Chen, who was skating toward them.
"Welcome to my favorite event," Chen spoke as he stopped in front of them, "Thunderblade!" he called.
"Hey, I know this game," Turner said with a smile, feeling familiar with this game. "It's just like-" He tried to speak but Chen cut him off.
"No, it's not like that!" Chen interrupted, feeling insulted and defensive. "This is my game, I made it up! Fully original!" He picked up a Jadeblade. "A Jadeblade for you, Lloyd, Master of Light." He tossed Lloyd a Jadeblade and a green helmet before he pulled out another Jadeblade. "And another for Shelly Shifter, Master of Form. Where…?" he looked around for her before one of his henchponies shapeshifted into Shelly. "Oh, there you are. Ha, ha," he chuckled as he tossed her a purple helmet and her blade. "Rules are simple. Each lap you complete with your blade in possession, a point." He gestured to the scoreboard with a timer that had fourteen minutes and a picture of Shelly and Lloyd. "Most points before time expires, you win."
"Whoa, whoa, whoa, what about us?" Turner asked in confusion.
"Yeah. Are we supposed to just stand here?" Max asked with a brow.
"You get to help out anycreature you wish, or hurt for that matter," Chen instructed the others. "You're free to choose sides. I'm not a dictator."
Turner bumped into the Ninja as he rolled his way toward the purple helmets displayed on a few racks. Most of the other competitors chose the orange helmets while Max was the only one who picked a green helmet.
"Hey, how come you're on their side?" the Master of Shade questioned.
"My way of saying sorry to them," Max answered before looking towards the Ninja. "You know, for almost hurting your friend."
"Thanks, but the odds are still against us," Flash mentioned as they were outnumbered.
"What was that you said about us having targets on our backs?" Lloyd asked Thunder with concern.
"Don't worry, we're still a teaaaaaam!" Trail shouted as he lost balance and fell face-first on the ground.
Thunder sighed as he shook his head. "I gotta be honest. This doesn't look good," he groaned as they turned to the rest of the competitors against them.
Chen sat on his throne as the competitors all got ready to skate. The Mane Six, Garmadon, Luna, Grimoire, and Charm stood on the sidelines next to Chen to watch this round.
"Lloyd, Master of Light versus Shelly, Master of Form," Chen declared as both competitors stood at the starting line while the others were behind them. "Most laps with their Jadeblade when time runs out wins, loser is out. Thunderbladers on your mark, get set, good luck to everyone!" he announced as he spun on his throne before quickly adding the last part, "But mostly Shelly because we all want the Light Ninja out. Now go!" The horn then blared as Shelly and Lloyd ran on the track. "Oh, how about some spectator ambiance?" Chen asked as he pressed a button, creating the sounds of an audience cheering through the speaker as the rest of the competitors followed right behind the two. Soon the horn blared again, signaling the other competitors to go.
"Come on, Lloyd! You can do it!" Pinkie cheered as she was suddenly in a cheerleader outfit.
"Where did she get those clothes?" Charm quickly asked in confusion after seeing Pinkie.
"It's Pinkie Pie. Don't question it," Rainbow told her before they saw their friends skating up while Trail tried to catch up.
"It's us against the world, guys," Thunder said to Flash and Trail. "If Lloyd has any chance of moving forward in the tournament, it's up to us to help him."
Max rolled up to them, "Don't pretend you're the only one who has something important to fight for," he reminded them.
"Just ignore what Thunder said, he's been paranoid since day one when we got here," Flash advised Max, "We're glad to have you on board."
"Thank you. Now, let's ensure you don't lose any more friends today," Max said with a smile.
The three skated ahead while Trail was due to his poor skating. Topaz soon skated right next to him. "Next to Max, Lloyd's your greatest competition. If he loses today, only Max is left to stand in your way of winning it all," she questioned.
"I'd never think of it," Trail shook his head, never thinking of what would happen if Lloyd lost.
"Maybe you should," Topaz said coldly as she pushed past Trail, which caused him to lose his balance and fall to the floor, which the Cultist snake ponies laughed at him.
Both Shelly and Lloyd skated the first lap, in which the bell rang as they each scored a point, while the other Elemental Masters tried to block the rest of the Ninja and Max as they pushed at one another.
"We have to give Lloyd room," Flash told them.
"And just how are we supposed to do that?" Trail questioned.
"I got an idea. Don't touch anyone," Thunder said as he let go of Trail and skated ahead.
"Then who am I supposed to hold onto?" Trail questioned as he tried to keep his balance.
Thunder did not say anything as he used his lightning powers to shock the competitors away, giving Lloyd an opening.
"Thanks," Lloyd said before Trail grabbed him.
"Sorry," Trail said as he held onto Lloyd, but they lost their balance and they fell to the side as the Elemental Masters skated past them while the Cultist laughed at them from that.
"Use your powers!" Trail said to Lloyd.
"On roller skates? You crazy?" Lloyd questioned Trail in disbelief as he stood up, "I'd never stay on track!" he pointed out as he skated away.
Shelly started laughing as she made it to another lap, earning her another point as Flash, Max, and Thunder skated to Trail.
"Nice help there, fire Ninja," Max commented with dry sarcasm.
"You're supposed to be helping, not hurting his chances," Flash reminded him.
"Thanks for the tip, but I can't skate!" Trail yelled out as he skated backward.
"Well, we better think of something or we'll be down to three by the end of this match," Flash said while pointing to the scoreboard that showed Lloyd being one point behind Shelly.
Back in the docks of Equestria, the Noodle Trucks were all being boarded to the boat to Chen's Island, while Aqua, Spike, Starlight, and Smolder were at the back with the D.B. Express still in disguise as one of the trucks.
"Nothing unusual to see here," Aqua said.
"Yeah, just a technologically advanced mobile base camouflaged as a noodle truck," Starlight spoke next.
"Yeah, nothing weird about that," Smolder sarcastically said while leaning back.
"Yeah, though it's still top five strange," Spike added while looking bored.
Just then, at the side of the door, they were startled when they saw Dareth and the Washouts at the side of the door while Rolling Thunder and Lightning Dust gave bored looks, "I beg you, you gotta tell Master Chen not to give up on the Puffy Potstickers!" Dareth begged.
"They're the most amazing foodstuff there is!" Short Fuse cried out.
"Jeez, can you two give it a rest already?" Lightning Dust questioned in annoyance as the four in the D.B. Express sighed from this.
"Seriously?" Smolder questioned in shock. "I mean, Dareth I would've expected, but the Washouts? That's a surprise, if there was one."
"And all this for Potstickers? Heh, that's weird," Spike commented.
One of the Cultists saw the back of the truck before Aqua lowered the window for Dareth and the Washouts to see them. "Huh? Aqua? Spike? Starlight? Smolder?" Dareth asked in surprise.
"Huh, when did you four start slinging noodles?" Lightning Dust asked in amusement. "Trying a career change?"
"Quiet. You're gonna blow our cover," Aqua whispered to them.
"Cover?" Dareth asked as he got excited, "Oh, my gosh, you're all on a mission," he said excitedly.
Rolling Thunder then touched the truck as its cloaking tech frizzed a bit. "And why is your truck tripping us out?" she questioned.
The group then grabbed the four ponies into the truck before the cultists saw them.
"HEY! What's the big ide-!" Short Fuse tried to say before they saw the inside of the D.B. Express. "Whoa," he said in awe.
"Far out," Lightning Dust commented.
"Wait a minute. I don't see any noodles," Dareth noted.
"It's not a noodle truck, you dingdongs!" Starlight whispered as she leaned close to them, which they shrunk back.
Spike whispered next. "The Ninja, Twilight, and the girls are missing, and we may have a lead on where they are," he explained as they saw the cultists go back to their trucks. "They're heading to some uncharted island."
"And this vehicle is our only hope of getting on that Island," Smolder added.
"The Ninja and Royals gone on a mission?" Dareth asked, getting excited again, "Sounds like a job for-" He was cut off when Aqua spoke.
"No, it's not. You and the Washouts are not coming with us," Aqua said firmly.
Lightning Dust looked ahead as they noticed they were the last ones to be boarded. "Look like you four don't have a choice," she pointed out. "Besides, you might need a little air power."
The four groaned in defeat, seeing that they could not talk them out of it and that it was too late to get them out or they'd blow their cover and drive closer. "Somehow, I feel we're gonna regret this," Starlight commented dully.
"That makes the rest of us," Aqua said as Spike and Smolder nodded in agreement, seeing this was gonna be a long ride.
Back on the island, Lloyd is still behind Shelly by one point and there were less than 7 minutes on the clock while Chen clapped his hooves in excitement.
"Thunderblade never fails to deliver," Chen said as Shelly's team crossed the lap, "Did you know I hold the record with a hundred points?" he asked them.
"Is it because you played on your own?" Rainbow asked with a brow.
Chen looked nervous at what Rainbow Dash just asked as he turned to the twins. "Uh, Charm, Grimoire. You two tell them," he commanded them.
"You were born with skates on, Master," Grimoire and Charm said dully.
"True story," Chen said with a smile.
Luna and Garmadon looked unconvinced. "True story, hmmph," Garmadon huffed.
"Just like all of his far-fetched endeavors," Luna added with a look.
Grimoire and Charm walked up to Garmadon and Luna as they whispered to their ears. "There was once a time when you two were quite comfortable with lying," Charm whispered to Luna, who glared at her. "Celestia is a good example, is she not, Little Luna?"
"It worked on Misako, didn't it, Garmadon?" Grimoire asked him with a smirk before he was backhoofed. "Agh!" he yelled and rubbed his snout.
"Buttons, buttons, I love buttons," Chen cheered as he eyed the buttons on his throne as the other Elemental Masters began blocking Lloyd before he pushed past him. "Aha! Let's even the playing field, shall we?" he asked as he pressed a button.
Then a ramp rose from the tracks, but Lloyd got over it as he rolled across the floor and skated ahead. Trail was behind as he was still struggling to keep his balance. Just then, another ramp appeared, which flipped him up as he yelped and fell on his back again while the cultists laughed at him.
Thunder then saw Lloyd behind him as he raised his hoof, "Grab my hoof! I'll whip you," he said as Lloyd reached for his hoof.
Until Flash rammed into Lloyd and he turned out to be Shelly disguised as Lloyd, "Fool me once shame on me, fool me twice shame on you!" Flash told the Hippogriff.
"Get off me!" Shelly growled as Lloyd moved past them, earning a point, but Shelly bucked Flash off her and scored another point, still ahead of Lloyd as she skated next to Shade, "Ah. His back is hurting him," she said as she turned to Shade, "Shade, strike his back!" she called out as Shade nodded and disappeared.
"Wait, where'd the Master of Shadow go?" Thunder asked as he and Flash skated behind Lloyd.
After asking, Shadow appeared behind Lloyd and pushed his back, making him fall and drop his Jadeblade. Pale Hound kicked away from Lloyd before snatching it but was blasted away by Max as he took Lloyd's Blade.
"You sure know when to strike, Max," Lloyd commented as Max rolled over to him.
"This is fierce competition, Lloyd, you must time your every strike," Max said before passing the Blade. "And this isn't the time to judge. It's time to skate faster!" he reminded him as they kept skating while Lloyd earned another point.
Soon the other Fighters were bumping Lloyd, trying to knock him off balance as Flash, Thunder, and Max tried to keep them off his back as best they could while Trail still lagged on behind. Soon the other Fighters came around before Turner bumped into Trail and they both fell hard with the others skating on. "Ha, ha!" Thunder cheered as he flipped over Trail and Turner.
The Master of Poison turned and unleashed a poison gas in the others' path. "Poison gas, evasive maneuvers!" Flash called out as they turned in different directions to avoid the gas. Trail however was not so lucky as he rolled right into the gas and felt a little light-headed.
"Thanks for the warning," Trail groaned as Flash blew the poison back at Shelly's team.
"Release the buggy!" Chen declared when he pressed a button and a trapdoor emerged along the track. An engine was heard being revved up before a high-tech buggy emerged from said trap door and drove along the track.
The fighters then wrestled before they saw the buggy, "Look out, Lloyd!" Thunder called as he moved Lloyd out of the way as the buggy passed them, with Shelly holding onto the back as she laughed.
"She has the lead and she gets a lift?" Lloyd questioned in annoyance, "I know Chen wants my power, but this is getting ridiculous!"
"You and me both," Flash said as they kept skating as Thunder saw Tox skating by.
"Sorry, Tox," Thunder mocked as he pushed Tox aside. "Must be my allergies kicking in."
Shelly and her team held onto the tail of the buggy as they did a swipe at Lloyd, holding him as the others went to him to help but they got him, "Watch this," Turner said to Grey.
"Gotcha," Grey nodded, having read Turner's mind. Turner then got behind Thunder before using his speed to push him faster around the track. He soon pushed Thunder into Lloyd and the others as they all fell to the ground.
"We are so not loved here," Flash groaned in pain after that little surprise just as Shelly got up to eight after going another lap.
Trail was still struggling to keep up as Topaz rolled up next to him. "You're very convincing," she told him. "In no time, Lloyd will be out."
The group stood up as Lloyd gave a smile. "This did wonders for my back, though," he mentioned, feeling that his back pain was now gone as they kept skating.
"And he'll never suspect it," Topaz added before rolling away.
Trail looked up as he saw Lloyd was still behind as he was tired of not helping, "Argh! That's it! I may not be able to skate, but that doesn't mean I can't help," he said as he used his firepower to give up a boost, he screamed as he boosted towards Shelly, who he grabbed and caused them to fall to the ground, dropping her Jadeblade and the buggy stopped.
Thunder quickly grabbed Shelly's blade. "Ha, ha!" he cheered as the cultures groaned from this and they panicked a bit.
"Excellent, Trail," Max told him as he skated by.
"Now we're cooking with fire!" Thunder cheered. Lloyd soon passed the line as he was now up to six. Tail tried to get up before Shelly bounced off him and went to try and get her blade back. "I got it, you want it!" Thunder teased her as he waved the blade in the air. "Come and get it! Come and get it!" Just when she was about to grab him, Thunder quickly tossed the blade over to Flash as they were now playing a game with her.
"Keep away!" Flash joked as Shelly tried to get her blade back, but Flash moved aside as she crashed into her team, which caused them to trip and fall as Lloyd jumped over them.
Topaz skated to Trail, who was leaning on the buggy to catch his breath, "What are you doing? We need Lloyd out," she reminded him.
Trail turned to Topaz with a look, "We need to stick together. I'm a Ninja," he firmly said to her.
"Ha! That's right, and the rest of us aren't," Topaz mentioned while she had a disappointed look on her face. "I should've known better."
Trail looked on as she skated off while the other fighters rolled past and noticed a glare on their faces as well. Trail let out a sigh just as Thunder and Flash skated up next in. "Lloyd's closing the gap, but the clock's against us," Thunder pointed out as they had about three minutes left.
"So is everycreature else," Trail added.
"Looks like Garmadon and Luna were right. The more we exclude everyone, the more they gang up on us," Flash mentioned. "Max is only helping us because he felt bad for what he did to Gaia."
"What are you saying?" Thunder asked him.
"I'm saying that Applejack was right. We should tell the fighters about Chen," Flash explained. "If others knew what this tournament was really about, maybe they'd help us."
"I agree. They could help us better if we tell them," Trail said in agreement.
"Argh. Worth a try, but time's running out and Lloyd's got a lot of ground to make up," Thunder pointed out as Lloyd got another point, but was still two points behind as he had seven while Shelly had 9 and only got three minutes left.
Shelly then appeared and bumped into Thunder and took her blade back. "Gimme! I've got a job to finish!" she called.
Trail spins around before he grabs onto Topaz. "Are you trying to take me out too?" she questioned Trail.
"No, you're right," Trail said as they skated together. "We aren't all Ninja, but Chen's the real enemy," he said while pointing to Chen on his throne. "He doesn't care about who wins. He only wants to steal our powers and magic so that he can perform some sort of spell," he explained.
Lloyd and Shelly jumped over a ramp as Shelly tried to strike Lloyd with her blade, but Lloyd did a flip to dodge them as he landed on his hooves and Shelly fell on her rump while she gave a yell when she hit the floor.
"Wait, this whole tournament is a fraud?" Max asked as he was having a bit of trouble believing this news.
"And all for a spell?" Pale Hound asked as he skated next to Trail and Topaz, "What kind of spell?" he asked.
"I don't know, but we have to stay in the tournament to find out," Trail said as Flash and Thunder spoke to Turner and Max beside them.
"This isn't about winning or being called the greatest warrior in Equestria," Flash told Turner and Max. "This is about all of us stopping Chen."
"And why are you telling us this now?" Turner added just as Lloyd rolled up to them.
"Because it's never too late to do the right thing," Lloyd told them just as Tox was coming up behind him. She was about to knock him down before Grey rolled in and pushed her back.
"He's telling the truth. I know," Grey told the other fighters as he read Lloyd's thoughts.
"Then why have you now decided to help?" Thunder asked Grey.
Grey turned to him with a smile. "Forgive me. I'd rather be on the right side this time," he explained.
"Then do the right thing and let's win this thing!" Lloyd declared as Grey gave Lloyd a boost.
Chen saw this as he looked at the fighters, Shelly then knocked Trail over and turned to him as she hissed at him before Max slugged her. "Hurry! Use the Buggy to get Lloyd back in the lead!" he told the Fire Ninja as he chased after Shelly.
Soon the buggy raced down the track as it caught up to Lloyd and he could see who was in it. "Need a lift?" Trail asked with a smirk on his face.
"You took the buggy!" Lloyd said before he saw Topaz riding beside him.
"We took the buggy," Trail corrected before he gestured to Lloyd to get in. "Take the wheel!" Lloyd then jumped onto the buggy just as Trail and Topaz jumped out of it. The moment he took the wheel, the buggy suddenly transformed as it turned silver with his elemental symbol on the hood.
"Whoa!" Lloyd said in awe before a holographic image of Dr. Gear appeared before him. "What, Dr. Gear?"
"Lloyd, if you're seeing this, then you have taken control of one of the vehicles Rivet and I were forced to make," the holographic image played back. "I don't have time to explain how I got here. All you need to know is that you must find a way to stop Chen, before he's collected all the Elements he needs for his transformation spell. I have faith that you and the others will succeed and find me and my son. Good luck, Ninja."
Now more determined to stop Chen, Lloyd revved up the buggy and drove as fast as he could around the track. Chen was not going to let him win as he pressed a button on his throne as a ramp suddenly popped up in front of Lloyd. But it did not slow him down as he drove up the ramp and kept driving on. The score was now 11 to 9 as Lloyd kept going.
Tox was about to use her powers on Lloyd, but Turner ran up towards her. "Cut the light stallion some slack," he quipped as he pushed Tox out of the way.
Chen then started pushing more buttons. "Buttons, buttons, buttons!" he exclaimed as more obstacles tried to block Lloyd, but he managed to drive past them and make sure he was out of the way as he past Shelly. Chen growled in frustration as Luna, Garmadon, and the Mane Six gave smiles at this as Lloyd and Shelly were now tied to 12 to 12 as he kept driving.
Chen pressed more buttons to stop Lloyd, but then he brought the two blades on the buggy up to block it as he drove next to Shelly. "We don't have to keep fighting each other," Lloyd said to Shelly, who turned to him with a smirk. "We can all win," he said while offering his hoof.
"All of us?" Shelly asked.
"United," Lloyd answered with a smile. But the moment she grabbed his hoof, she quickly pulled him out of the buggy and tossed him behind her as she laughed.
"Only one can remain," she recited as she skated on with Lloyd going after her. After jumping from the ramp and once close, the two clashed blades with each other.
Chen then looked at the scoreboard and got worried. "Lloyd might win. Do something!" he ordered.
"Silicore-" Both Grimoire and Charm were about to use their dark magic, but Garmadon, Luna, and the Mane Six tackled them before they could cast a spell.
"No cheating or dark magic in this game!" Twilight told them firmly while lighting her horn as a warning.
Grimoire turned to the cultist on the scoreboard with a nod, which he returned, knowing that he had to deduct one point from Lloyd. Trail saw this as he growled and turned to Topaz. "He's rigging the match! I'll stop him-" he called out as lit up his hooves on fire.
"Let me," Topaz offered with a smirk as she lit up her horn and she levitated the cultist with the power of gravity, stopping him from rigging the points.
Meanwhile, Lloyd and Shelly continued to clash Lanes with each other as the others watched in anticipation as they were nearing the finish line. Soon Shelly tripped Lloyd up before she lost her balance and fell to the floor with him.
Lloyd tried to get up before Shelly pounced and jumped off him to get a head start on him, only for Lloyd to use his blade to trip her up. They skated side to side before Shelly pushed Lloyd aside and was ahead as she skated towards the finish line. Five Seconds remained as the two of them were neck and neck and they all watched in anticipation before Shelly got in front of Lloyd and crossed the line.
Everycreature looked at the two, wondering if either one, but then Lloyd lifted his Jadeblade up as cheering could be heard as Shelly realized she did not have her blade with her. "Huh?" she asked in shock.
"She dropped her blade!" Flash pointed out as her blade was a few feet from where she fell. The others cheered for Lloyd as he won the match.
"Lloyd won!" Trail cheered.
"Oops, I almost forgot," Topaz mentioned as she canceled out the gravity power and dropped the stallion onto the scoreboard. This caused Lloyd's score to change to 106 as Garmadon, Luna and the Mane Six smirked at Chen.
"Look at that, he broke your record," Garmadon taunted.
"Sorry, Chen. But Lloyd won fair and square," Luna added with a smirk.
Chen growled as he turned to the fighters. "No. No! No! He cheated!" he complained in a childish tantrum. "Lloyd loses!"
"No way, Lloyd won fair and square," Turner stood up for Lloyd. "You were the one who cheated."
"My tournament. My rules," Chen declared as he sat back down in his throne and turned away from them.
"And just what rules are these?" Pale Hound questioned. "If Lloyd's out, then so am I," he declared.
"Me too," Trail said next to Lloyd.
"Me three," Thunder spoke up next.
"If you kick us all out, what kind of tournament will you have then?" Flash asked as Chen turned back around. Chen then looked at Grimoire and Charm as they nodded to him.
Chen grumbled in frustration and crossed his front legs in defeat. "Find! Have it your way. Form loses!" he coincided as he pressed a button, which caused a trapdoor underneath Shelly to open as she fell in with a scream.
The others all cheered at their victory as they saved Lloyd and defeated Shelly. Trail tripped a bit as Topaz quickly caught him and got him to face her. "If what you say is true, you are playing a dangerous game," Topaz warned. "Chen will find other ways to get you out of the tournament."
"Which is why we'll need all the friends we can get," Trail said as Chen walked away in defeat with Charm and Grimoire behind him. "There's always hope."
Meanwhile, in the underground dungeon, the losers of the tournament were being hauled to the factory in chains before both Gaia and Landrush heard a familiar voice coming from one of the cells. A voice they have not heard in a long time. "I don't know, Pixal. But I sense these chains are unbreakable." They looked around and saw that the voice was coming from the cell they were passing by.
They both stopped and went over to the cell, "Could it be?" Gaia said as she and Landrush looked at each other with smiles.
But when they stop, the chains connected to Yak-Karlof and the other prisoners stop as well. "What ponies doing? No make trouble," Yak-Karlof said to them, but they ignored him as they went closer to the cell.
"Frost. Is that you?" Landrush asked hopefully.
"Are you in there?" Gaia asked hopefully as well.
One by one, the other prisoners stopped since they were all connected to the chains as the guard felt them as he turned to them, "What's the holdup?" he demanded before seeing Yak-Karlof on his knees.
"One second. Yak-Karlof, err… tie pony shoe?" he lied a bit poorly, not wanting him, Landrush, or Gaia to get in trouble while hoping that they be quick about it.
Landrush and Gaia kept looking through the cell before a different yet familiar face appeared in front of them as Frost looked through the cell, much to the two Ninja' joy. "Heh, Buddy!" Landrush cheered in joy.
"Oh, Frost! You are alive!" Gaia cheered with tears of joy before she and Landrush noticed his new appearance. "And you're silver now?" she asked.
"Titanium," Frost corrected before seeing his old friends covered in flour and sauce. "Landrush, you look white. Gaia, you look orange."
Neither Gaia nor Landrush cared as they laughed in joy at seeing their old friend again. "Boy, it's great to see you!" Landrush cheered.
"Look at you, you look brand-new!" Gaia told Frost as tears of joy ran down her cheek.
"Tie pony shoe?" the guard asked as he realized something. "Yaks don't wear shoes!" he pointed out that since the other prisoners hardly had any footwear.
Landrush and Gaia realized that they would get caught as they took one last look at Frost. "Don't worry dearie, we will get you out of here!" Gaia promised as she, Landrush, and Frost touched hooves.
"We're getting us all out of here," Landrush finished as Frost smiled at them as they separated. "That's a promise!"
"We'll be back, Frost. Just stay strong," Gaia added as the two went back to their positions just as the guard walked up to Yak-Karlof.
"Where's Gaia and Landrush?" the guard asked before he moved Yak-Karlof aside and saw them into position.
"Right here," Landrush said with a bright smile. "Keep it real, big guy."
"Yeah, it looks like you've seen a ghost," Gaia joked as the guard walked back up to the front. "From here on out, Yak-Karlof, Landrush, and I are making more than just noodles. We're making trouble," she started.
"Chen can try his best to split up our team, but he's about to find out what happens when we put ourselves back together," Landrush added with confidence.
Meanwhile, the noodle trucks were approaching Chen's Island just as Aqua, Starlight, Spike, Smolder, Dareth, and the Washouts stood on top of the D.B. Express while looking out to the island. Ready to find their friends, find out what's happening on that island and find Frost.