Dedicated to all those directly affected by the terrible events of 9/11. To those who lost their lives that day, your stories-your lives-will not be forgotten. To all those who answered the call to help and to heal, to rebuild and encourage, to help mend broken hearts and comfort the families of those who were lost, thank you. Your actions and words have helped many, and your influence will not be forgotten. Your stories will be remembered until the end of time.
To those who were not there, take a look at the events and remember. Remember those who lost their lives that day. Remember those who were bold and brave in the face of danger. And above all, remember the ones who lived on-who endured the pain of great, often heart-shattering loss.
For endurance means there's hope.
CRASH! BOOM! The young Parapup bit back a yelp as he cowered underneath the thin brown blanket, trembling like a leaf as he and what remained of the team tried to get some sleep inside the abandoned warehouse in the middle of Ninjago City. (Emphasis on tried.) He had never liked storms of any type, and thunderstorms were definitely the worst. Especially since it was too much of a reminder of what had happened only a week ago. No, Pip! he told himself. Don't think of that! DON'T THINK OF THAT! Too late. His throat stung, and hot tears sprang to his eyes as all the horrible memories of what had happened on that night suddenly came flooding back.
A feverish, delirious Lloyd lying dreadfully still and frightfully unconscious on the small wooden table in the very middle of Steep Wisdom, so badly bruised and injured that he was forced to fight for every single breath…
The literally earth-shattering rumbles of the Colossi as they stormed through the city, destroying all in their path…
The horrendous, heartrendingly sickening CRUNCH as the Bounty was crushed—right before Pip's eyes as he flew through the smoke-shrouded sky…
His and Lloyd's horrified, core-shattered shrieks combining with Twinkle's and Matthew's sudden startled cries at the numbing realization that more than half the team had been on there…
The mysteriously eerie biting chill in the air as the few who had been left behind escaped under cover of darkness to where they were currently hiding from the Sons of Garmadon—the villainous gang of criminals, led by none other than the Jade Princess Harumi, that even now roamed the city, searching for them, seeking to destroy them, to snuff out any resistance they might present to Lord Garmadon's reign…
As the memories rushed unwillingly through Pip's mind, his body shook uncontrollably as he fought back mind-splintering sobs. The worst of it all was that, out of the six Ninja, twenty Ninja Pups, and four allies that had made up the team beforehand, only thirteen total were left. Thirteen! Himself, Lloyd, Nya, Misako, P.I.X.A.L., Darreth, Skye, Zuma, Rocky, Ranger, Ella, Matthew, Twinkle—they were the only ones left! The only ones who could fight against Garmadon, and they only numbered thirteen! How could a team of only thirteen rebels—five of which were literally powerless—ever hope to succeed against a whole gang of fighters, an eerily crafty princess-turned-traitor, and an Oni/Dragon/human hybrid who could crush them all with one blow?!
His tumultuously nerve-wracking thoughts of utter anguish and overwhelming despair were suddenly interrupted by another flash of lightning, quickly followed by another clapping chord of thunder as the terrible storm continued to barrel down on Ninjago City. Or what's left of it, Pip thought with a gulp. Those Colossi hadn't shown any mercy when they had rampaged the city. It was at times like this that Pip longed to have his parents back. It seemed like ages ago that his father had been taken from him, just five years after his mother had died giving birth to him. And yet, the bitter grief of their deaths continued to rage his mind even now.
If only they were here, they'd hold me close to them, telling me that everything's okay—that everything's going to be all right. But they're not here! They're gone—gone forever! And everything's not all right! It's all horribly wrong!
He was suddenly startled by a soft tappity-tap-tap, tap-tap from outside. Did he dare to answer it? Could it be a trap of some sort? Only one way to find out, he supposed. Quietly so as not to wake the others, he slipped out from under his blanket and tiptoed to the side door. The Parapup almost tripped and fell flat on his face when a slumbering Lloyd suddenly rolled over, murmuring and slurring sluggishly in his sleep. But Pip managed to step over the still-recovering Green Ninja and silently creep the rest of the way to the door without rousing anyone. As he got up to the door, he bit back a startled gasp as his Power-Sense suddenly kicked in and he realized who was behind that door. Painstakingly raising himself onto his back paws, he slowly, ever so slowly pushed down the door handle, and the door opened with an almost inaudible click. As he cracked the door open, he was suddenly drenched by a strong gust of wind blowing rain into his face. Apparently, the rain was coming down harder than he anticipated. A craggy and wrinkled yet strong and firm hand grasped the door handle on the other side and eased the door open just a little more before a figure that Pip recognized right away as Mystaké slipped into the dark warehouse, shutting the door quietly behind her.
"Oof! Oh, boy, it is really coming down out there!" Mystaké exclaimed quietly so as not to wake anyone in there. "I almost wasn't able to find this place with all that wind blowing about!"
Pip scrunched his brow in confused amazement. "How did you even know we were here?" he whispered.
"Oh, I have my ways, small one." Pip gave a lopsided smile at the strange yet comforting nickname Mystaké had given him back when they had first met. His brow then scrunched in confused amazement. Try as he might, he had never quite been able to figure out how she knew about these sort of things. It seemed to him that the wise, kindly woman he had become connected to was even more of an enigma than Master Wu. But he didn't mind. The air of mystery she carried with her strangely intrigued him. Then Mystaké changed the subject with, "How's our young Green Master doing?"
It took Pip a few seconds to realize she was speaking about Lloyd. "Weeeeeelllllll," he replied, still whispering for good measure, "he's, um…" His voice trailed off, as his gaze shifted to the aforesaid Green Ninja twitching convulsively in his sleep as sharp gasps escaped his lips. He suddenly kicked his blanket off of him as he rolled over again suddenly, thrashing and writhing and twinging unconsciously, clearly battling a nightmare. Without saying a word, Mystaké silently walked over to him and knelt down, laying a gentle hand on his shoulder to calm him down. Almost immediately, he stopped panting, his frenzied body settling down and gradually becoming still again, and his breaths slowly deepened as the kindly tea shop owner pulled his blanket back over him. She then ran a comforting hand over his sweat-dampened hair, and Pip drew in a sharp breath, hoping with all his might that Lloyd wouldn't wake. The exhausted leader had suffered enough already without adding sleep deprivation to the list of unpleasant aftereffects of his near-fatal battle against his father. The same battle that drained him and Twinkle of their powers, Pip thought bitterly to himself, biting back another sob. Lloyd, however, did not wake, but simply let out a long, almost inaudible sigh as his restful state deepened. Within minutes, the convulsions had stopped, and the only movement Lloyd could be seen making was the gentle rising and falling of his chest as he slept. A shuddery breath of relief that Pip had forgotten he'd been holding whooshed out of him without warning, and he nearly jumped when he heard Darreth mutter something about Gayle Gossip under his breath. It took a few seconds for Pip to realize that Darreth was simply talking in his sleep and hadn't actually woken up.
But then the young Golden Pup's thoughts were once again shrouded in darkness and despair, and, not for the first time, Mystaké seemed to know exactly what he was thinking. "What's the matter, small one?" she called softly, her voice holding a tender, clarion, timbre-like cadence as she murmured, "You seem troubled. Would you mind telling an old shopkeeper what's going on in your heart?"
Pip's voice seemed to catch in his throat, as his sorrow and grief neared the tipping point. And then, when Mystaké seemed to sense his hesitation and came over to where he was sitting on the floor, he suddenly could bear it no more. The shadows of sadness in his mind and brokenness of his spirit were suddenly too much for him to take, and he all but threw himself into her arms as he half-breathed, half-sobbed, "Oh, Mystaké, I just feel so scared and alone and I don't know what to do! Garmadon's out there somewhere, looking to hunt us down, and there's nothing—NOTHING—I or any of the rest of us can do to stop him! And I just feel so weak and helpless and afraid and I—"
And then his voice suddenly dissolved into a flood of frightened, forlorn, heartbroken sobs as he buried his snout under Mystaké's elbow and wept. Tingling waves of energy pulsed deep within him, as his Power-Sense and Golden Power alike echoed the anguished cries of his wounded core, his shattered spirit, his lonely, splintered heart. It seemed like the tears would never stop flowing down his cheeks, as he shook convulsively with fear and trauma and hopelessness.
A roll of thunder seemed to hear Pip's sorrowful cries, and his sobs were drowned out for a few seconds before a soft shushing sound pierced the heavy air of the room, and Mystaké began to gently rock him back and forth, as if comforting a small child. Gradually, the tearful Parapup began to find that his sobs were dissipating into a few scattered hiccupping coughs. And then he quietly pulled away for a second, looked up at Mystaké with shy, grieving eyes, and then smushed the top of his head into Mystaké's breast as he snuggled closer to her. As the wise woman began to stroke his fur in comforting circular motions, his heart began to flutter less frantically, and his hurried breathing slowly deepened more and more as he began to calm down from the bursting of the emotional dam within his innermost being.
If not for the sorrow trickling through his heart and soul, he could very well have fallen asleep in Mystaké's arms right then and there. But his spirit was too grief-stricken for him to feel the slightest comfort or peace.
And that's when Mystaké softly, tenderly spoke, "And yet you've come this far already. Are you saying that you would give up now—that you would abandon everything you and your team fought for? What your Ninja and Ninja Pup friends fought for?" But even her kind, loving words seemed to be a thorn or a dagger of ice piercing its way into the Parapup's throbbing, fragile heart—and without warning, he lost his composure completely. His head shot up suddenly, and a husky, wolfish growl suddenly ebbed from his snout before he totally snapped.
"You don't understand! You'll never understand!" Pip burst out in anger driven by heart-shattering sadness and distress. "They're not coming back! They're gone! The Ninja…are…GONE!" Shuddery sobs once again choked up his voice, as he repeated in a shaky, strangled, sorrowful voice, "The Ninja are gone."
Once again, he found that he could not go on, and once again, he found that he couldn't hold back the tears and anguish that racked his small frame mercilessly. For several horrible moments, he simply cried and cried and cried. In those moments, Mystaké said nothing—only held him tenderly and compassionately as he cried till he could cry no more.
And that's when he realized exactly what he'd done. In the heat of his anger and sorrow and overshadowing grief, he'd yelled—yelled—at his own connectee. The guilt and shame that swallowed him then caused a new set of tears to well in his big sapphire-blue eyes, as he whispered sadly and regretfully, "I'm so sorry, Mystaké. I didn't mean to—I shouldn't have—"
"Shh, shh, shh. It's all right, small one." the gray-haired woman crooned in soft, understanding, forgiving tones. "I can see that you are suffering from great distress and the despairing agony of a broken spirit. It is never easy to lose a loved one, especially for someone as young and innocent as yourself. And as shameful as it may seem, grief is not something to be sorry for. It is only natural to cry when your heart is swelling with sorrow and you feel as if the world has come to an end.
"But you must not feel as if you cannot go on. For you can—and must. The realm of Ninjago needs you and your friends now more than ever—or darkness will shroud this world forever."
Pip's stomach lurched, and his heart quailed. "For—forever?" he stammered softly. He couldn't imagine his world being cloaked in shadow forever. And yet, there was something in Mystaké's voice that gave him a twinge of suspicion. There was something that she wasn't telling him…but he shook his uneasiness away again as she answered quietly, "Yes—but you don't have to despair, small one. In fact, you cannot allow your grief to hold you back from doing what is right. No matter what may become of you or your team, no matter what the enemy throws at you, you must struggle through—you must fight on—you must endure."
Endure. Though barely audible amidst the storm raging outside, the simple, solitary word spoke volumes, ringing with importance in the darkness of the night—both literal and figurative. And yet, he simply could not comprehend how he could ever do just that, with all that had happened in a matter of days.
"But…" the Parapup sobbed, "but how can I endure, when everything seems lost and I feel so hopeless and scared and alone?"
"It's not whether you can—it's that you must. When all other lights go out, you and your friends must be the flames that drive the darkness back. If you let your hope die within you—if you give up and give in to fear—evil will triumph, and darkness will win. But if you cling to the hope that you and your team can and will get through this sorrow and heartache, the light of love and perseverance will prevail. Darkness and fear only creates more darkness and fear. But light and love creates more light and more love. And that—that—is how you can endure. For endurance means there's hope."
And as Mystaké's voice died away, Pip mused over those words. Endurance means there's hope. And then his sobs subsided once again, as he looked deep into Mystaké's eyes and gave a sad yet hopeful smile, willing to believe that what she had told him was indeed true.
And then, as his heart slowly but surely began to lift with hope and courage and peace, he gave a soft yawn before snuggling into the warmth of Mystaké's embrace and drifting happily into the shadows of a calm sleep of deep healing and tranquil rest. The twinge of suspicion in his heart had by now completely faded away.
But Mystaké knew deep within her heart that it may not last. Sooner or later, she was going to have to tell him of her true nature. But for tonight, even though the dual storm of lightning and thunder and of sorrow and grief whipped fiercely and mirthlessly about the dreary and dismal warehouse, she would just let him sleep in quietness of mind and rest for his weary heart.
She could feel her own eyes softly droop shut, and it was there that she let herself drift into a comforting slumber that lasted until the rays of dawn pierced through the dark clouds. Then she gently laid him down, made him as comfortable as she could, and slowly and carefully slipped out the side door.
He would be okay without her—at least, for the time being. And if he needed help, he knew where to find it.
Several hours later
Pip's wings ached as he crashed breathlessly to the ground. His heart pounded, and his legs felt like they were going to give out from half-running, half-flying as quickly as he'd dared back from Steep Wisdom. He and Matthew had both been out on their regular patrol when they'd run across Borg Tower, where, at the top, Garmadon had chosen to plant his big, ugly throne after turning the once shining skyscraper—a symbol of hope for Ninjago's future—into his creepy, intimidating fortress. Overhearing Harumi and Garmadon talking, the two Parapups had crouched behind a ghastly-looking obsidian-amethyst stone pillar, just tall and broad enough to hide them both from sight while still allowing them to peek out through a thin gap between it and the throne. But what they had heard while eavesdropping in on the conversation was enough to make Pip's fur stand on end and his skin crawl with trepidation and sheer, raw panic.
Harumi had just assured the malevolent Garmadon that Mr. E—a menacing, broodingly evil Nindroid who never said a word to anyone—would succeed in tracking down Lloyd and his team. From what Pip could make out hiding behind that rock, the ruthless droid would not rest until the Green Ninja was found, since he didn't need to rest and was built to be a cut (pun intended) above the rest.
Knowing that he, Pip, and the rest of the team could be in grave danger, Matthew had told Pip to go for help, while he stayed to try and stall Harumi. Pip had been suspicious that Matthew would do more than just stall her, but with no time to waste, he didn't bother to press for answers to the bazillion questions filling his mind. Thankfully, he knew exactly who to go to for help.
Mystaké. If anyone could help him and his friends out, she would. After he gave her the news and waited impatiently for her to make a few phone calls, he had bolted out of there as quickly yet cautiously as possible, making a zigzag-y beeline for the warehouse, careful not to take the direct route as he could accidentally lead the SOG straight to his teammates. Not a situation he was willing to risk happening.
Shaking his head to ward off the dizziness of his rough landing, he took off running as quickly as his sore, cramping legs could carry him, right up until he spotted the building. Then he tiptoed and scurried in a bobbing-weaving-zigzagging fashion before ducking quietly inside the door. Taking a second to catch his breath, he pitter-pattered over towards the center of the warehouse, where Lloyd and Twinkle, still powerless, were sparring P.I.X.A.L. and her Samurai X mech. Or at least they were trying to. Not wanting to interrupt the training, he stood silently in one place as his rapidly darting gaze followed the movements of the ninja and pup in question.
"Embrace your power." he heard Nya urge gently yet firmly from where she sat slurping take-out noodles and gesturing with her bamboo chopsticks. "Before you can use it, you must find it within!"
Lloyd leapt high into the air as the mech arm punched the floor with a force strong enough to crush anyone caught in its wake. He managed to land feet-first on the mech arm, but then his foot slipped, and he tumbled backwards off the mech. Twinkle moved to catch him, but in doing so she put herself right in the sweeping range of the mech, and her reaction time was a split-second too slow. Suddenly, she found herself flying headlong into a pillar with a sickening thud.
Pip could tell by the expression on her face that she was both dazed and disappointed in herself. Twinkle's agility was partially a result of her link to Lloyd, and having lost her powers when Lloyd lost his had put both energy-child and connection-pup at a disadvantage. Pip watched trepidatiously, his attention laser-focused, completely fixed on the outcome of this sparring match—which so far, wasn't going so well.
Twinkle shook her head vigorously, clearly trying to rid herself of her sudden dizziness before Lloyd scrambled to his feet and leaped back into the fray. He ducked to avoid yet another blow from the mech, and then backflipped once, twice, three times before skidding to a halt and steadying his stance. He brought his hands in front of him, clenching and unclenching his fists semiconsciously before straining to call on his powers.
As was to be expected, nothing happened.
"Come on!" he hissed in dismay, struggling to make just one spark of green energy appear—but it was no use. With a shallow sigh, he strove forward, aiming to leap back onto the mech's arm again—and this time, hopefully stick the landing—but P.I.X.A.L. was too quick for him. Twinkle shouted a warning—too late! The mech arm fired a long chain, and before Lloyd could dodge it, it tangled around his legs and chest like a boa constrictor, pinning his arms to his sides, sending him sprawling to the floor. He writhed and thrashed desperately within his bonds for a few seconds before giving up and going limp and still, panting in exhaustion, gasping for breath, sucking in great gulps of air as if his lungs were going to give out at any moment. He winced and wheezed in agony, and Pip's heart sank as he saw that the scars on the back of his neck had been scratched at, clawed in a fiery desperation to release the pain inside the Green Ninja.
Lloyd was suffering even worse than Pip had realized. It wasn't just the physical scars harming him—it was the shattered crystalline fragments of his being, the wounds that tore his heart in two, the brokenness of his very spirit, the splintering of his very core.
And the pain, the agony, the anguish and misery and despair of the whole matter, was tearing the Green Ninja apart with its very throes and existence.
"Fight it, Lloyd!" Nya admonished him, dropping her noodle box and approaching him with determination and purpose. "Be stronger than what holds you back! Fight it!"
"I can't!" Lloyd begged, his voice filled with hopelessness and despair and anger and pain all at once. His body began shaking, trembling uncontrollably, as if he was fighting to keep his hurt hidden, to hold back the sobs rolling up inside him, threatening to burst out of his throat at any second.
"You have to, dude!" Zuma cried from where he stood behind Nya. Pip moved to say something, but the words seemed to die in his throat before he could even shape them with his snout.
"I-I can't!" Lloyd repeated even more fiercely, fighting to keep his quivering voice steady before howlingly shrieking, "JUST LET ME OUT OF THESE STUPID CHAINS ALREADY!"
Nya signaled P.I.X.A.L. to do as Lloyd said, and the female Nindroid complied. The chain dropped, and Lloyd wriggled out of it, measurable weakness clearly marked in his movements and stance. It was then that Pip's heart sank even more, all the way down to his paws.
Lloyd's injuries were even more severe than the Parapup had realized. A week before when the small band had escaped Harumi and her forces, it had been too dark to see much of anything, and everyone's spirits had been so heavy that no one had thought to check for wounds. But looking at Lloyd now, Pip realized that the Green Ninja was way more hurt than he'd been willing to let on.
Pip could see all too clearly the wounds on Lloyd's neck, the welts on his hands, the scrapes on his knuckles, the ugly, jagged gash on the back of his head, and the scars on his wrists, and the pup suspected that Lloyd sported probably half a dozen other wounds underneath his green gi. The Green Ninja was also cradling his right arm in his left, right up against his right side—and the way that he was failing to bite back the subtle winces of pain that hissed out from between his teeth told Pip that Lloyd had most likely suffered blows to his shoulder blades or bruising on his ribs—or maybe both. The sight was enough to send shivers crawling up the Parapup's spine as the hairs on the back of his neck rose in horror.
Lloyd had nearly died the night the Colossi attacked. But not even Pip could have estimated the sheer number of scars and wounds and pains that had driven the Green Ninja to that point—where he'd been hovering unsteadily between life and death, between painful wakefulness and eternal slumber.
Whether these scars were ones suffered within the past week, or whether they were from wounds that Lloyd, in his despair and grief and depression, had deliberately reopened, Pip did not know. What he did know was that even the tea that Mystaké had given to Lloyd to heal his wounds and restore his withering, fading core to normal hadn't been able to cure the wounds of his heart and soul, his mind and his core, the unseen part of him that bled and wept and suffered even when his physical scars had faded away.
"I-I can't." Lloyd stammered now, facing away from his friends, not wanting to meet their gazes. "I…I just can't." he repeated, walking away from then, fixing his eyes aimlessly on the bare, discolored warehouse walls, not wanting to see the distraught faces of his companions, not willing to disclose how much he was aching, how much he was hurting and grieving—both within and without.
"You can't?" Nya persisted, her tone speaking volumes as she too struggled to hold back her somber sadness and grieving spirit. "Or you won't?" she added, poignantly set on getting to the bottom of this as she placed a gentle hand on Lloyd's shoulder. The Green Ninja, whose eyes were welling with unwelcome, unbidden tears, flinched from her touch, turning away from her like a melancholy flower refusing the sun's rays, staring down at the floor in a coldness and despondency unlike any Pip had ever seen in him. But Nya wasn't so easily deterred. She simply kept going—kept talking, even as she turned away from him and walked a few paces away, recognizing he needed his space right now.
"You're not the only one who lost everything." she elaborated, failing to keep the sorrow out of her quavering voice. "I lost my friends. I lost my boyfriend. My brother."
Zuma sadly approached her, placing a tender paw on her thigh as the other pups followed suit, quietly approaching Nya, sparkles of sadness and heartache and secret tears glinting in their soulful canine eyes as each one remembered the friends—nay, the family—they'd lost that night.
For Twinkle, it was Andrew.
For Ella, it was Tuck.
For Matthew, though he was not with them yet, it was Bark and Gracie.
For Ranger, it was Strider.
For Rocky and Skye and Zuma, it was Chase and Marshal, Everest and Tracker, Sweetie and Rex and Rubble.
Not one sibling team had stayed together. Not one friend group remained unscathed or undivided.
Everyone had lost someone that night.
Everyone.
Even Pip.
Even Lloyd.
Even Nya.
"But they'd want us to fight, Lloyd!" Nya continued, struggling to drive the point home even through her own grief, even though her own inner despair and darkness of sorrow was threatening to choke up her voice with tears of remorse and fear. "They'd want us to keep on going, even without them on our side!"
"You…you don't understand!" Lloyd burst out angrily, whirling around with a hurt, stricken glare on his face. Then his expression was darkened with sorrow and guilt, as he took in the pale faces of his teammates. They had never, ever heard Lloyd react like that.
"I'm…" he stammered, his now-coal-black eyes beginning to well with unbidden tears. "I didn't…I mean I wasn't trying to—" His voice trailed off, and then Twinkle placed a gentle paw on his arm.
"We're all still struggling, Lloyd. It's okay to cry—to express how you feel." As Pip watched, wondering how he should respond, Lloyd's legs buckled underneath him and he collapsed tearfully to his knees, whispering mostly to himself, "What if—what if my powers don't ever come back, Nya? How can we face my father if Twinkle and I are powerless?"
As he struggled again to his feet, a breathy, tearful sob escaped his throat, even as he tried to hold it back. His legs seemed to tremble unconsciously, and his chest was heaving with silent, heartsick cries as his lip quivered and his soulful jade-green eyes welled with unbidden, colorless tears. Nothing—not the Great Devourer, not the Overlord, not Morro, not even the Time Twins—had ever struck this deep and this painfully at his wounded, scarred core, at his broken and shattered spirit. And it showed—the pain, the agony, the guilt, was written all over his face, seemingly engraved into his aching heart, mirrored in his glassy, mournful eyes.
Nya seemed dumbstruck. Her mouth twitched and squiggled, but all that came out were puffy, strangled breaths of air as she quite visibly struggled to fish for the right words to answer Lloyd's question without upsetting him even more.
P.I.X.A.L. opened up the mech and hopped out, landing cleanly on the dusty, dirt-stained floor of the warehouse and approached the tiny group gathering in the warehouse's center. Noticing Nya's hesitation to answer Lloyd's inquiry, she answered it for the water-wielder as she placed a caring hand on Lloyd's shoulder—"We keep on going. We fight with what we have."
"And we build what we don't." Nya added, putting her own hand on Lloyd's other shoulder. "We get stronger—each and every day."
But Lloyd felt no comfort from the words. The sheer look on his face betrayed his thoughts. The words, though gentle and loving, seemed to be tearing into his flesh, clawing and scratching and biting at his heart, sending whirlwinds of pain surging through him, like a raging storm gone out of control, like wild, unbridled winds and waves that would not be calmed or stilled.
He brushed his friend's well-meaning gestures away as he began to trudge forward heavily, his shoulders tautly hunched, as if the weight of all Sixteen Realms was weighing down on him, "I…I watched the Bounty get c-crushed to pieces." he stuttered, his voice wispy and breathless, full of a despair even stronger than that which he experienced in the aftermath of Morro's failed schemes. Tears continued to pour down his cheeks, and Lloyd squeezed his eyes tightly shut, as if struggling to block out sneering tones and mocking voices battering inside his very skull, seeking to push out of his brain and take form in his heart. His whole body was shaking even more fiercely now, as he continued, "And my friends—Kai, Jay, Zane, Cole, the pups—they all gave their powers to save my life—to save Twinkle's life. And there was nothing—nothing—I could do! All I could do was…watch…"
"We all feel their loss. We're all that's left." Nya breathed compassionately yet firmly in Lloyd's ear as she approached him once again. "But as long as I have my power, and breath in my body, I'm going to protect you and Twinkle. And you two are going to defeat your father! Because…what else is there for us to do? Give up?! I won't give up! And I hope that…"
"Hope?" Lloyd questioned. "How can we have any hope now? Don't you get it?! The Ninja are GONE!" He collapsed to his knees once again, slamming his fists into the ground so hard that his scraped-up knuckles began to bleed. But he didn't seem to notice as he breathed once again, his voice choking up with uncontrollable sobs, "The Ninja are gone."
Drained of all resolve, lost within the depths of his grief, he withdrew into himself, crawling on the floor over to a nearby pillar and curling up in the tiniest ball he could manage, pulling his knees to his chest, cupping his hands under them and letting his head fall forward onto them as the flood of sobs finally escaped his throat and poured out of his lips. His chest heaved erratically as the tears came trickling down like twin waterfalls of regret and remorse and deep, dark, heart-wrenching hopelessness. The others just stared, unsure what to do—how to approach him—how to give him even a spark of hope that somehow, someway, this wouldn't go on forever—that he would one day find the strength to face his grief head-on and let go of his guilt and self-hatred.
But it seemed there was nothing they could say to save him from drowning in his own sorrow, to rescue him from the depths of anguish that battered and tossed and wounded and scarred his tortured, pitiful soul.
And it was then that Pip realized only he could say the words that needed to be said.
Slowly and boldly and calmly, he approached Lloyd, hunkering down beside him, pushing his snout into Lloyd's side firmly yet gently to let him know, I'm here. I'm here for you, Lloyd. I'm here. I'm right here for you.
Chewing on the inside of his cheek, he sucked in a breath and began to speak as softly and compassionately as he could. "I understand how you feel, Lloyd. I feel it too. I feel just as weak and helpless and afraid as you are."
Lloyd raised his head and looked at the Parapup with red, puffy eyes, his gaze bleak and misty, his pupils filled with a silent, haunting, imploring plea. He didn't tell Pip to stop, to be quiet or to hush up. He didn't push Pip away or turn away from him. Instead he just looked and listened as the Parapup kept going—"Someone once told me that it is never easy to lose a loved one. And as shameful as it may seem, grief is not something to be sorry for. It is only natural to cry when your heart is swelling with sorrow and you feel as if the world has come to an end. But we as a team must not feel as if we cannot go on. For we can—and we must.
"Our team needs to stand together now more than ever. We have to stay strong—stay smart—stay bold in all we do. We're the only ones who have the ability to fight back, to fight on. We cannot give up when all seems lost. That's what cowards do. But heroes step forward, while cowards step back."
As Lloyd took it all in, let Pip's words sink slowly into his mind and heart, the tears began to flow anew. He didn't want to admit it—but Pip was right. They did have to go on. They did have to keep fighting. A memory from a distant past—a memory he couldn't quite pinpoint—came swirling back into his mind in that very heart-stilling moment—"Our character is defined not by the battles we win or lose, but by the battles we dare to fight."
Pip, spurred by a new hope and determination, kept on speaking—"We cannot allow our grief to hold us back from doing what is right. No matter what may become of us, no matter what the enemy throws at us, we must struggle through—we must fight on—we must endure.
"When all other lights go out, we must be the flames that drive the darkness back. If we let your hope die within us—if we give up and give in to fear—evil will triumph, and darkness will win. But if we cling to the hope that we can and will get through this sorrow and heartache, the light of love and perseverance will prevail. Darkness and fear only creates more darkness and fear. But light and love creates more light and more love. And that—that—is how we can endure as a team—a family of friends. For endurance means there's hope."
Time seemed to stand still—to slip into nonexistence, frozen and unchanging and unmoving, for several seconds. Lloyd just stared at Pip, blinking in shock, more than ever struggling to take this all in. Then he opened his mouth and half-sobbed, half-whimpered, "Then maybe…maybe you should lead the Resistance, Pip."
Once again, Pip felt his heart sinking all the way to his paws. Had Lloyd not understood a word he'd said? Or was he just too heartbroken to admit his grief was holding him back? Before Pip could say another word, though, the door to the warehouse burst open, and Misako, Darreth, and Matthew appeared, panting in exhaustion and fear.
"We have to leave!" Misako all but screeched.
"Like…like pronto!" Darreth panted beside her, as he clutched his side, wheezing and gasping for breath.
"What's going on?" Twinkle exclaimed, worry streaking over her face.
"What's happened?" Skye added, fear edging her tone as she involuntarily began to tremble.
"I couldn't stall Harumi any longer!" Matthew blurted, his eyes wide with dismay, fear, and guilt. "I tried, but she was too slick for me to stop her!"
"What does that mean?" Pip cried in a panic, his mind suddenly in a frenzied tizzy of fright and confusion.
"Garmadon's forces are sweeping the entire block!" Misako explained.
"And we're not talking with brooms and dustpans, but a full-on battalion!" Darreth added, looking about as panicked as everyone else felt.
"Come on, everyone!" Twinkle cried, snapping to attention in an instant. "We have to get out of here! Hurry! We have no time to lose! Go-go-go-go-go!"
Lloyd scrabbled to his feet at the same time as Pip did, and the two made a break for the door as everyone—ninja, allies, and pups—fled for their very lives, knowing that if the SOG found them, they were all dead.
Pip could only hope that they weren't too late already.
Quickly and quietly, Misako and Nya ushered the group out into the open. Pip's nose ached and itched with the smell of smoke, his eyes watering. His throat seemed to dry up from the acridness of the destruction's searing, seething scarring of the terrain around them as he and his friends ran and ran and ran, ducking and dodging, bobbing and weaving and zigzagging in a desperate attempt to mask their escape, to flee unseen and unnoticed. The whole team ducked into an abandoned street full of bags of garbage, so smelly and rotten and putrid that Pip wanted to gag his lungs out from the mere stench. Suddenly, the roar of motorbikes pierced the still air. The SOG must have figured out that they had left the warehouse without taking anything with them. And now the bikers were coming. A long line of bikes zoomed past in a blur of motion and a cacophony of smoke and noise and chaos.
"We have to go the other way!" Nya breathed in terror, Zuma shrinking in horror against her leg.
"Too late—look!" Twinkle whispered back, pointing in the opposite direction at where another line of bikers were zooming past, blocking any path of escape.
"They're coming this way too!" Misako echoed Twinkle's thoughts. Pip wanted to scream, to cry, to whimper and howl. This wasn't right! It wasn't fair!
"They're boxing us in!" Skye and Matthew realized at the same time, looking at each other with expressions of petrifying fright. There was nowhere to hide—nowhere to run.
They were trapped.
No! Pip's mind screamed at him. Don't give up yet! You've got to hang on to hope, Pip! Figure out what has to get done and then DO IT!
His gaze darted around to the trash bags surrounding the tiny group, and he had an idea.
A few moments later, the SOG bikers flooded into the street on their bikes. Pip didn't dare move a single muscle or squirm a single inch closer to the bikes as he watched Killow hold up his hand and call, "Wait." to his companions. There was a faint scuffling and squeaking of a rat close to where Pip, Skye, and Rocky lay hidden on their stomachs underneath a pile of trash bags, and Pip had to bite back a shrill shriek when he thought he could feel something skittering and scurrying over his back paws. The other members of the team were hiding under their own garbage bag mounds, and Pip's sharp ears could pick up faint shuffling noises as Lloyd, Nya, and Darreth shifted slightly to ensure the bikers wouldn't see them. It took all of Pip's willpower to not cry out, "You're making too much noise! Stay perfectly still, or they'll catch us!"
To his utter astonishment and relief, the bikers seemed to not figure out that the team was hiding right under their noses. Killow heaved a large sigh and spoke again—"Keep searching. They can't have gotten far!" The bikers then zoomed out on their bikes, and Twinkle signaled the all-clear. Slowly, the team members crawled out of their hiding places and stretched their legs, sucking in shaky sighs of relief that they hadn't been found—not yet, anyway.
"That…was…close!" Nya exclaimed, her voice wobbly.
"Yeah. Way too close!" Ella concurred, shivering a bit.
"Ugh, if I were a lemon," Darreth complained as he moved the trash bags he was hiding in aside, "I'd be lemonade!"
"Those punks won't be gone for long." Matthew piped up. "We'd better keep moving."
The team then prepared to flee the street and find a new place to hide, but then Lloyd stopped in his tracks. He turned and looked at a broken wooden picture frame—a frame that held within it a photo of himself and the rest of the team—including the lost Ninja and pups. He seemed to be mesmerized by it, picking it up slowly as if in some sort of trance. He gazed sadly at it, most likely remembering days gone by. Noticing Lloyd's hesitation, Twinkle motioned for the others to wait, and the other team members stopped, unsure of what Lloyd was doing.
Finally, Lloyd seemed to collect himself and murmured, his voice filled with a grim and sullen sadness, "The Bounty." He was sucking in shaky, faint breaths now, as his hands began trembling. "This is…where it…was destroyed." he breathed a second later, his voice quivering uncontrollably.
Once again, Lloyd struggled to hold the tears back, a quiet sob bursting from his throat as he stood there, transfixed by the picture, his feet seemingly rooted to the ground. And once again, Nya placed a gentle hand on his shoulder, as she exclaimed softly, "We have to move on." At first, Lloyd couldn't seem to let go. But before he could put it back, something happened. Twinkle squinted and suddenly seemed to notice something.
"Wait." the Connection Ninja Pup suddenly whisper-yelled. "There's something on the back of it!" she added, pointing to the picture frame. Pip looked down to where Twinkle was pointing and gasped in wonder as he realized that what Twinkle was saying was true. Ranger noticed too, and he pulled at P.I.X.A.L.'s garments, trying to get her attention as Lloyd extracted the object from off the back of the frame. It looked like a flower bud newly opened, but it was dried and of a gold-and-green color.
"It appears to be a tea leaf." P.I.X.A.L. commented matter-of-factly as she studied it with curious eyes.
"A flower that's a tea leaf?" Ella questioned, her eyes beginning to shine with intrigue and wonder.
"But the only tea that looks like that is—" Ranger added, his voice suddenly catching in his throat.
"Traveler's Tea." Lloyd finished softly, his pitch softly elevating as a note of shaky, yet shining hope rang out from his voice. "Everyone, look around for clues!" he cried out a moment later, and the other pups and Ninja did as he commanded, new hope beginning to shine in their eyes and quiver in their movements.
"Over here!" Ranger cried, pointing eagerly at something as he added, "I only see one thruster!"
"Do you see the other?" Twinkle asked Nya, excitement rising in her voice.
"No." Nya murmured in astonishment. Then she gasped as she noticed something else. "And there's only one sail! I see the anchor, but no rudder!"
"You're right, Nya, dude!" Zuma added, hope filling his voice and shimmering in his eyes. "The rudder's completely gone! But there's no signs of it being stolen! It's as if it just…disappeared!"
"But that means—" Ella exclaimed as she realized what everyone else was realizing with her.
"This is only half the ship." Nya finished, confirming everyone else's thoughts. "Our friends, they—" Her voice trailed off, as her throat choked up with emotion.
Lloyd finished Nya's thought for her, excitement and wonder building up in his voice, "They—they could still be…alive!"
The others shouted and cheered in excitement. Pip beamed, his heart rising with wonder and excitement and hope. The Ninja and the other pups—they were alive! They were alive!
But then the happy reverie and euphoria of the moment was shattered by the sound of bikes rolling in towards the tiny band on all sides. The SOG blocked both ways, cutting off the team's escape. Pip gulped and whimper-yelled, "Um, guys, I think they found us."
"Uh-oh!" half the pups replied, their voices filled with gripping fear.
"Busted." Matthew murmured, shrinking back against Lloyd's legs.
"We're so hooped!" Ranger expressed, his own frame shaking with fright. Pip felt his heart sinking again. They were cut off—cornered—trapped in here, with SOG members on all sides. There was no way they could take all the bikers at once—not on their own.
Twinkle looked as if she was about to pounce, but the other pups recognized that she was no match for the bikers and began forming a circle of protection around her and Lloyd. The other allies followed suit—all except for Darreth. He had stepped out from the circle, posing in a manner of "come-and-get-me-if-you-dare."
"Get Lloyd and the pups out of here." he commanded, his voice low and dead serious. "I'll hold them off."
"But Darreth, there's too many of them!" Nya protested, her fingers twitching as if she was itching to join him, but was also too afraid of what would happen to Lloyd and Twinkle if she did.
"You'll never be able to hold them off on your own!" Misako added, with fear and determination intertwining in her voice.
"I promised I'd give my life to protect you!" Darreth exclaimed, posing in half a dozen different fighting positions to punctuate his words. "I may be slow and out of shape, but I keep my word!"
Killow simply snarled at the words, scoffing and charging forward at a full-out bolting charge, barreling towards Darreth like an angry bull. Darreth, realizing he was far too outmatched in strength and bulk, screamed like a little girl and cowered away from the giant of a man rushing him. Killow swung his fist out to sock Darreth to the ground—but the punch never landed as an equally strong punch slugged Killow and sent him flying, knocking him unconscious when he hit the ground seconds later.
Cracking his eyes open, Darreth let out a silent sigh of relief as he blinked in shock that he hadn't been pummeled into ashes. Pip, on the other hand, was confused. Where had that defense punch come from? Then as he and the others looked back at their defender, they saw a very familiar muscle-man with a set of very familiar metal mitts.
"Back in Metalonia, it not be polite to scare weak man." Karloff, the Master of Metal, boomed in his rough, thick Metalonian accent.
"Karloff?" Nya asked in amazement, just as Shade, the Master of Shadow, materialized behind her and crooned, "Good to see you again, gorgeous."
"Shade?" Rocky asked in equal amazement. But the team were even more amazed when a familiar speedster dashed by in a blur of white.
"It's been a while—" Griffon Turner, Master of Speed, commented, "but it looks like—you guys—could use our help!" As he spoke, he zoomed around at the speed of lightning, taking out SOG bikers left and right.
"It's the Elemental Masters!" Lloyd cried in delight.
"They came back!" Twinkle added, sharing his enthusiasm. Pip glowed with tingling happiness and sheer joy. Mystaké had come through! The Elemental Masters had come to their aid!
Then a large garbage truck pulled up, and the trailer door opened almost instantly. Then the window on the front portion rolled down, revealing Skylor in the front seat. "Get in!" she called to the team, and the pups wasted no time in scrambling aboard.
"Skylor? How'd you find us?" Lloyd asked as he raced to clamber in the back with his friends.
"Let's just say we've had our ears to the ground." Skylor explained, motioning for everyone to climb on board. With that, Nya, Lloyd, Misako, P.I.X.A.L., and the other Elemental Masters piled aboard.
"Wait for me!" Darreth screamed as the truck began to pull away. He ran and took a flying leap into the back of the truck, with Griffon grabbing one arm and Karloff grasping the other before they both yanked the self-proclaimed Brown Ninja over the edge and into the center of the truck trailer. He shook his head in confusion as the truck began driving away from where half the Bounty lay in smithereens and shambles, leaving the SOG far, far behind.
"And you thought we were alone in this." Nya mused aloud, looking at Lloyd standing against the trailer's side with the biggest smile he'd had in days. "We have friends." Nya concluded, gazing in gratefulness at the Elemental Masters who had come to aid the team in their escape.
"Pip, thank you." Lloyd breathed contemplatively in genuine joy and thankfulness as he turned to face the young Parapup. "You're right—endurance does mean that there's hope."
And as Pip watched the Bounty's remains get farther and farther away, he gave a secret smile, as the truth of those words echoed once again in his mind.
Endurance means there's hope.