In the palace gardens of Shintaro, an elderly couple walk along the bridge, until the woman hears something. "What did you say, Engelbert?" She asked, stopping.
"Me?" He asked. "Nothing."
"Oh, I thought you made a sound."
"What kind of sound?"
"A sound like... Whoo!"
Engelbert became confused. "'Whoo'? Don't be ridiculous. Why would I make a sound like-"
Pretty soon, the mine carts and the mech break out through the tunnel entrance with Cole, Maggie, Dragon, Vania, Korgran, Fungus and Plundar, Doug, Snithik and Adam screaming as they soon land, and the mech shuts down. Korgran, Fungus, Plundar, Doug, Snithik and Adam emerge from the carts, dazed and groaning from the crash landing as Engelbert and the elderly woman were surprised to see them before noticing Adam staring at them before he screeched a little. This scared the both of them before Engelbert jumps over to the woman, who now held him bridal style, until she faints and Engelbert was on top of her. Maggie heads over to Dragon and helps him up before they turn to the mech as the visor opened, and Cole and Vania crawl out of it. "Are you okay?" Cole asked Vania. She holds his hands and smiled.
"Oh, look." She said, looking around. "We're in the palace gardens."
Fungus looks up at the sky as sounds of birds tweeting are heard as Snithik kneels down to the grass and sniffs it. "It smells like grass." He said.
"Because it really is grass." Maggie replied.
"Is that the sky?" Fungus asked, pointing at it.
"It sure is." Dragon replied.
"You mean we made it?" Plundar asked.
"We're out?" Korgran asked.
"And in fresh air?" Doug asked.
"With better smells?" Snithik asked.
Pretty soon, Korgran, Fungus, Plundar, Doug and Snithik start to cheer. Cole and Vania move away from the mech as Korgran and Plundar came over to them. "We made it!" Plundar said, putting a hand on Cole's shoulder.
Korgran giggles as he held onto Vania's hands. "We are no longer Lowly!" He said.
"We're the Upply!" Fungus said.
"Upply!" Korgran, Fungus, Plundar, Doug and Snithik chant as they move around Cole and Vania. "Upply! Upply!" Vania looks up at the palace with a look of determination.
They made their way to the throne room, where Vania opens the doors before gasping at the sight of Hayden and Chompy inside the cage before they notice them. "Cole, Master Wu!" Hayden said as he got up. "Maggie! Vania! You're alright! Thank the First Spinjitzu Master!"
"Chompy?" Vania asked, heading over to them. "Mantis?"
"Mantis, are you okay?" Dragon asked.
"Did my father do this to you?"
"No, a Dire Bat threw us in here." Hayden sarcastically said. "Who else do you think?"
"Oh, that pisses me off!" She tries to pull on the bars. "That makes me so pissed off! Just hang on, guys."
"I already tried. They're too tough."
"Cole, you know what to do." Maggie said as Cole puts the shishpar away and came up to the cage.
"Better stand back, Mantis." He said as he brought his fists together to activate his Earth Punch before Hayden stood back, and Cole grabbed hold of the bars.
He soon pulled the cage door off, and Hayden and Chompy get out. "Oh, thank goodness." Hayden said as Cole moves the cage door aside before allowing Hayden, who raised his arms over him, due to being cuffed, to hug him while Chompy flew over to Vania, who catches him before he licks her. Hayden then turned to Maggie to hug her before hugging Dragon and looks at Korgran, Fungus, Plundar, Doug and Snithik. "I see you've made some new friends." He then notices Adam. "Whoa!" He backs away a little as Chompy looks at Adam. "That... is one giant spider." Adam screeches at Chompy, who soon jumped on top of him and he started to run around the room with Vania chuckling as Hayden soon looked at the cuffs. "Now, I just need to get out of these."
"Come here, young man." Fungus said as he took off his hat and Hayden turned to him as he puts his hand inside it. "Hold your arms out." Hayden raised his arms to him and Fungus gets out some dust before dropping it on the Vengestone cuffs, which soon popped, resulting in them coming off and land on the ground, completely in pieces.
Hayden then started to rub his left wrist. "Thanks for that, magic man." He stops rubbing his wrist and started rubbing his right one. "Look, there isn't much time. Vangelis has found out the other Ninja have allied with some creatures called Munce and Geckles, and they're planning on having a truce, but he's gonna try and stop them. He's also branded us traitors, the army is on the lookout for you all and I'm awaiting to see if I've been fired from the NCPD. We gotta get into the mines before-"
"Halt!" Hailmar was heard as everyone turned to see him and some guards coming in.
Hayden rolled his eyes, annoyed at the instant interruption. "Oh, dragon's turd."
Hailmar notices Vania. "Princess Vania?"
"Hailmar!" She said.
He then turned to Cole. "You!"
Korgran gets out his axe as he, Plundar and Doug prepared themselves while Maggie hands the whip to Hayden. "Hailmar, it's okay. Cole is a friend."
"The king gave orders for the Ninja to be arrested." They move closer. "On sight! He said they are traitors." Hailmar holds his naginata out to Cole before noticing Hayden glaring at him and turned his weapon towards him. "Also, Hayden Finlay Salvos, I was told to inform you that the Commissioner of the Ninjago City Police has sent a letter, vouchsafing that you would be stripped of your position as a Ninjago City Police Officer."
Hayden soon became sad. "No." He silently muttered, shaking his head in disbelief.
"He's lying to you, Hailmar!" Vania said. "My father is the traitor!"
"Stand aside, princess!" Hailmar replied, disbelieving her.
"Hailmar, listen! My father is lying to you! He's using you! Cole, Maggie, and these men, they were betrayed by my father." She points to Korgran, Fungus, Plundar, Doug and Snithik. "They were cast into the mountain!"
"Stand aside! On the king's orders!"
Vania turns to Cole. "Go!" She whispered.
"What?" He asked.
"He won't hurt me. Just go."
"Cole, I will stay with her." Dragon whispered as Cole grabbed onto the shishpar.
"Me too." Hayden whispered. "It's time for some payback for locking me in a cage."
"Find the others, save them."
"On the king's orders, I command you, stand aside!" Hailmar yelled, swinging his naginata before flying into the air.
Cole, Maggie, Dragon, Hayden, Vania, Korgran, Fungus, Plundar, Doug and Snithik prepare themselves before Adam shoots out a net of webbing, which traps two guards to the ground. "Master Wu, catch!" Cole said, throwing the shishpar to him, which he catches before raising it to block a guard's naginata and punches him back. He then turned around to strike another guard coming at him as two more come up behind him, but their naginatas suddenly fly out of their hands, and they turn to see Maggie, hair glowing silver, catching them before her hair returned to normal, and, using the naginatas as poles, raised her good leg to kick them both. Hayden turns to a nearby guard, who comes at him before swinging the whip at the guard's leg and pulls it back, sending him falling down and cartwheels to kick another guard down. Dragon charges at another guard to trip him before Hayden swung the whip at another guard, wrapping it around the guard's naginata before pulling it back, dragging him along until Hayden punches him, knocking him out and catches the naginata while Cole ran for the door, punching a guard down as he ran, Maggie limping along before sliding underneath another guard and raised the two naginatas to jab him in his back before getting up. Korgran spun around as he swung his axe while Plundar kicks a guard down, Fungus throws some magical dust at another, Doug does a handstand for Snithik to jump onto his feet before he bends them and Snithik bounces off to punch another guard, and Adam moves towards the entrance with Chompy still on top of him.
"Stop! I command you!" Hailmar throws his naginata at Adam, which strikes the ground in front before he turned around as Chompy jumps off and Adam charges forward.
"Chompy!" Vania said before he roars and grows as everyone looked on in surprise. "Chompy?" Chompy roars as Hailmar and some guards look at him.
"Attack!" Some guards fly at Chompy, who simply swats them back, and Hailmar and some guards move out of the way to see them land while Cole, Maggie, Korgran, Fungus, Plundar, Doug, Snithik and Adam head for the doors. "STOP!" Hailmar and some guards move to pursue them, only for Chompy to come in front of them and roars at them.
"Hailmar, stand down!" Vania called out. "I command you." Dragon and Hayden each take down a guard as they came up next to Vania, who holds a guard's naginata. "I am the heiress to the throne of Shintaro and your future queen."
Hailmar descends and turns to them. "Call off your dragon!"
"Not until you're ready to listen!" Hailmar glares at Vania, who does the same before he grabs a nearby guard's naginata and charges at her with a yell of determination as Vania did so as well, passing each other in the process, she soon stood up as Hailmar's wings come off and he lands on the ground. The rest of the guards prepare to go at her when Vania turns to Hayden. "Mantis, as new leader of the Army of Shintaro, you will relieve Hailmar of his weapon while I explain the situation!"
Hayden walks over to Hailmar while throwing his seized naginata aside to grab Hailmar's, just as he was about to grab it. "Don't even think about it." He said, picking it up. "And you shall listen. Now, that is an order from your new head honcho."
"What?" Hailmar asked before turning to Vania, but Hayden puts the end of the naginata handle on his neck to before he could speak.
"As you can see, I have your new leader on my side." Vania said, pointing to Hayden. "Now, lower your weapons." The guards don't comply and prepare to charge.
"If you don't lower those weapons, you are all traitors and a disgrace to the Army of Shintaro!" Hayden said.
The guards were in complete shock to hear it before they lower their naginatas. "Princess, you let this prisoner take my position?" Hailmar asked, referring to Hayden.
"He is not a prisoner." Vania replied. "My father lied to you. He lied to all of you. The Ninja have seen what was in the mines, and Cole came back to tell my father, only to discover that he was the true mastermind all along, using the Skull of Hazza D'Ur. Those five men who left with Cole and Maggie, they were the missing explorers. My father banished them simply for opposing him when he wanted the skull's power for himself."
"Lies!" Hailmar soon hissed as Hayden pressed the naginata in a little.
"Silence!" He said.
"It is all true." Vania said. "When we found out who he really was, he dropped me, Cole, Maggie and Dragon down the pit, and pinned the whole thing on Chompy and Mantis to throw you all off. Anyone who opposes to the truth, will be stripped of their duties as part of the Army of Shintaro, and branded traitors." They look at each other before bowing as Dragon did so as well. Hayden backed away from Hailmar before bowing as well.
"What is the meaning of this?" Hailmar gets up. "Pick up your weapons! Arrest the traitors!"
"Hailmar, this is your final warning."
"I refuse!"
Vania soon held the naginata at his neck. "Would you wish to spend the night in a cell?"
Hailmar was soon shocked before he immediately bowed. "I apologise, Princess."
"Good." She turns to the guards. "Now, we need to prepare for battle. Every single guard must be informed. We are going down to the mines."
To be concluded...in Ninjago: The Truce
(A/N: Well, that's it for Master of the Mountain. Yes, Mantis has been fired from the NCPD, sorry for those who wanted him to stay. Now, since there was no legit explanation Vania managed to convince the army to join her, I decided to believe that she threatened them with treason. Anyway, to conclude the story, continue on in The Truce from Chapter 8, which I'll upload in a couple of days)