RISE OF THE GUARDIANS
Part Two: A New World
Chapter IX
The Eternal Gorge
Realm of Madness
Saturday September 29, 2018…
At the stroke of midnight, when Friday turned to Saturday, Rikayla stood at her favorite perch overlooking the Eternal Gorge in the Realm of Madness.
"I sense a great change in the way things are ordered," the Queen of Darkness muttered. "As if a balance has been achieved."
She closed her eyes. "As if… as if a door has been opened. A door opened, for my enemies."
Rikayla turned around and began to walk in the direction of the Shadow Palace.
"And I am starting to fear that the door has been opened wide, indeed."
The Elemental Temple; Billingsley, Alabama
Earth
The same moment…
"There is an order to all this," Mack said to his fellow gathered Guardians, who stood on the eight pedestals around the fountain in the Elemental Temple.
"The elements move in a cycle, and every event pertaining to the balancing of these elements goes according to this cycle: Wind, Water, Earth, Fire, Ice, and Lightning.
"This is the order in which we will find the Golden Weapons. Once we have found them all, they will reveal the Super Bolt."
"And then," Danny added, "we thrash Rikayla."
The others nodded and voiced their eagerness to fulfil their duty.
"So, wind first?" Zee asked. "Where do we start?"
"We don't exactly have a map this time," Kai said.
"Meditation in sufficient presence of your element will reveal the location of your Golden Weapon," Mack explained.
Zee snorted. "I guess I'll go to Walmart and buy a bunch of boxed fans."
The other ninja laughed at this.
"I know that was a joke," Mack said, "but that will probably work. We'll go shopping in the morning."
After a relatively short sleep and sunrise exercises, Mack, Zee, Kai, and Garmadon took Mack's white pickup truck (akaOld Faithful) and drove fifteen minutes to Walmart Superstore in Clanton, the nearest town to Billingsley.
Unfortunately, Walmart would not allow anyone to buy up all their boxed fans during the most extremely hot time of the year.
"Listen," Kai said to the manager. "This is important."
"We'll bring them right back," Zee promised.
"I'm sorry," the manager shrugged. "We have our policies, and—"
"Okay, look," Garmadon interrupted. "We're doing an experiment, and we need lots of fans to do it."
Garmadon hated to lie, but he couldn't exactly explain the situation without surely causing a panic.
"If you won't let us buy the fans," Mack bargained, "do you have a storeroom with a lot of fans that we could do the experiment in?"
The manager sighed. "Follow me," he said as he began to walk toward the back of the store.
After reaching the back of the store, the manager unlocked a door and let the ninja in. "It opens from the inside, so you won't get locked in. There's a delivery coming in an hour, no one should bother you 'til then."
The group thanked the manager, who then left them alone in the storeroom.
"Well," Zee looked around the room, "there certainly are a whole bunch of fans in here."
"Lots of wind," Kai observed. There must have been a hundred fans in the room, all on full blast.
"How'd you know this was here?" Kai asked Mack, gently elbowing him in the arm.
Mack shrugged. "Just lucky, I guess."
Zee closed her eyes and sat cross-legged in the middle of the floor.
"Focus on the Daggers," Mack said softly. "Reach out to them; feel them reaching out to you."
After a few minutes, Zee spoke up. "I hear them. They're somewhere high, somewhere where the wind is unrivalled. The windiest place this side of the Earth."
Mack thought for a second. "Well, the strongest winds on this side of the world are found on Mount Washington—"
Zee gasped and her eyes shot open. "That's it! As you said that, the Daggers howled to me, 'climb the mountain.'"
"So, we climb the mountain," Garmadon said firmly.
"Not so fast," Mack replied. "Mount Washington is in New Hampshire. That's well over a thousand miles away."
Zee stood up quickly. "We can teleport. I can see the mountain clearly; it's like I've been there before."
"Is it really going to be this easy?" Kai asked. "Meditate for a few minutes, zone in on our Golden Weapons, teleport over there, grab it, and go fight Rikayla?"
"Let's not get ahead of ourselves," Mack held up his hands. "We should all go to retrieve each Weapon—we're in this together. So, let's get home and regroup, and then we can leave together."
The Hut; Billingsley, Alabama
When Zee, Mack, Kai, and Garmadon returned home, they gathered the rest of the ninja into the common space in the Hut.
"Did you find the Daggers?" Morro asked as he took Zee's hand in his own.
Zee nodded. "Yes—we're going to teleport there."
"Everyone," Mack addressed the group, "we don't know what will happen when Zee takes possession of the Daggers of Wind. But we all need to go, so that we know what to expect for the retrieval of the next Golden Weapon, and the next, and so on."
"Got it," Lloyd said. "Let's do this."
Peak of Mt. Washington; New Hampshire
The ninja appeared just a few yards down from the peak of the mountain, and the wind was intense. All of the ninja were present on the mountain; Garmadon even came along.
Zee looked around and asked, yelling over the gale, "Where are the Daggers?"
"You need to focus in on them," Mack replied. "They'll show you what you need to do to reveal them."
Zee closed her eyes for a moment and then began to move her hands in front of her. As she did, the direction of the winds shifted with her movements.
The winds swirled around the mountain, clearing away from the peak. Zee closed her hands into fists and the wind stopped. She then opened her palms and touched them together, and the wind bristled toward the peak from every direction.
There was a brilliant flash of golden light from the peak, and the wind began to gust away from the light. Zee approached the peak, fighting the gale, and reached into the light. The golden light grew in intensity before fading away.
The winds returned to their normal gust, and Zee stood upon the peak of Mount Washington holding the Daggers of Wind. The Daggers' blades glistened with images of thin dragons with wispy wings.
Before anyone noticed that anything was happening, the group was teleported—supposedly by the Daggers of Wind themselves—back to the Hut.
Zee's eyes reflected the golden glow of the blades. "They're… beautiful," she gasped.
"One down," Garmadon observed.
Mack nodded. "Still a lot to go."
The Shadow Palace
Realm of Madness
An intense dread came over Rikayla as she felt the powers of light rejoicing. The Queen of Darkness stood from her throne, frowning.
Tenebris was in the throne room, standing against one of the pillars with his arms crossed. "Dark one?"
"Silence," Rikayla snapped. "Get out."
Her second-in-command inclined his head respectfully and left the Shadow Palace.
"Nature has cried out in joy," Rikayla muttered. "Why? What has he accomplished?"
It has become difficult to watch the Green Ninja, she thought to herself, as he has learned to block my gaze.
"I need to send the twins back to Earth—I must know what he's doing."
Mack's Family Property; Billingsley, Alabama
Earth
Sunday September 30, 2018…
The following day, Zee could notice a considerable difference in the strength of her connection with her element. She knew it was because of the Daggers of Wind.
Mack's grandmother had finished making ninja garb for Zee, Kasey, and Danny (the outfits were smoky gray, deep purple, and such a light shade of icy blue that it appeared white, respective to the order of the Guardians mentioned), and Zee wore hers as she engaged in what looked like a graceful dance in the middle of the green-turning-brown grass.
The Daggers glinted in the sun as the wind swirled about the Gray Ninja. Morro watched with a proud smile as he leaned against what Mack called a "shade tree." He could also tell that the Daggers made Zee stronger in the powers of Wind.
Zee stopped her dance, and the wind went still.
"I wish you could see yourself," Morro said. "You've come so far."
Zee smiled and tossed one of the Daggers to Morro. "Care to spar?"
Morro smirked. "Sure." He then tossed the Dagger back to Zee. "But you earned that."
The Gray Ninja concentrated, and the Daggers disappeared. "How about a little powers-only spar?"
As the pair of wind ninja sparred, a pair of dark figures appeared in the woods nearby.
"Back here again," Dubito sighed.
"Patience, my brother," Scio replied. "We are our master's most important allies. Our work ensures that she understands our enemies' movements."
"Yes, I know," Dubito groaned. "But…"
Scio cocked his head. "But what?"
Dubito sighed again. "It's just so hot here."
Wednesday October 17, 2018…
Kasey had been trying to find the Spear of Water, but it proved a difficult task, especially meditating "in sufficient presence" of water.
Meditating in the yard with the sprinkler turned onto her didn't work.
Meditating beside the swimming pool at Mack's neighbors' house didn't work.
Meditating at the bottom of the Coosa River didn't work (as one may have a hard time concentrating when holding one's breath past a minute).
Frustrated, Kasey decided waiting for rain may be the best course of action.
But Alabama and the rest of the American South was in the middle of a drought, so she had to wait for much longer than anyone would have liked. Kasey watched the weather report every day hoping and praying that Mark Tempest would finally report that a front would be coming through and bringing rain.
Finally, on Wednesday October 17, the ninja went outside for sunrise exercises and were met with cloudy skies and a strong wind from the northwest. Mack's father Ronnie happened to be heading out for work as the exercises were concluding.
"Mack!" he called across the yard. "Make sure you get the lawn chairs into the garage before long! Looks like storms are on the way!"
"Yeah, I'll take care of it, Dad!" Mack yelled back.
Ronnie gave a thumbs-up and took off in his car for work.
"I'll help you out with the chairs," Cole offered.
"No," Mack shook his head. "You and Morro have to get inside in case it starts raining."
"Yeah," Kai laughed. "We don't have time to take a detour into the Cursed Realm to get you back if you get disintegrated."
Jay also laughed.
"We'll help you, Mack," Lloyd gestured to himself and Danny.
"Yeah bro," Danny nodded. "We got you."
As Mack, Lloyd, and Danny got the chairs into the garage (which made up the greater part of the same building as the Hut), Kasey rushed to get her phone out to tune into the news; the weather report should be coming on any second.
Just as she got her news app loaded up, Mark Tempest appeared on the screen. On the screen behind him, the radar showed a giant blob of green to the northwest of the state of Alabama that was slowly creeping southwest.
"It's been an awfully dry few weeks," Tempest reported, "but folks across the South can finally get some relief today as this cold front will be moving through throughout the day.
"We'll see rain in places Tuscaloosa and Birmingham around 10 o'clock and the rain will reach places like Montgomery and Auburn by noon. The southernmost parts of the state—Mobile, Enterprise, and such—won't see rain until about 3 o'clock and it will have considerably dropped in intensity by then. While we're looking at a heavy rain event today, there is no risk of severe weather.
"I'm Mark Tempest with ABC 33/40 News out of Birmingham, and this has been your morning weather report."
Kasey got giddy inside. Billingsley was further north than Montgomery and Auburn, so the rain would arrive there before noon. It was profound to think that, after weeks of waiting, Kasey had a hope of finding the Spear of Water before noon that day.
Sure enough, around 11:30am, it started to rain.
"This is it," Kasey said. "I can finally find the Spear."
"Wherever it is," Garmadon thought aloud, "the Spear is probably surrounded by water."
"Yeah, yeah," Cole groaned. "We know, ghosts have to stay home."
Morro also looked disappointed at having to stay behind. "We'll hold down the fort here until you get back."
"Sorry," Zee said, rubbing Morro's arm to comfort him.
The group minus the ghosts went outside into the rain, pouring ever harder every minute.
Kasey stood in the middle of the large clearing that was the front yard and sat cross-legged on the soaked grass. She closed her eyes and immediately felt the pull that Zee had described when meditating surrounded by fans.
Water, she thought. I see water. Nothing but water; I need to know more.
Kasey concentrated harder, broadening her eye so that she could see where the water stopped—where the shore began.
I see… fluffy white sand, beachgoers, and a flag. What is that flag?
As Kasey zeroed in on the flag she spotted on the beach, she saw that it was white with a broad red X.
The Alabama state flag?
Kasey snapped out of her meditation and stumbled to her feet.
"Kasey?" Jay reached out and kept the Purple Ninja from falling.
"I saw water, a beach, and the Alabama state flag," Kasey described.
"So, we're looking for a beach in Alabama?" Lloyd asked.
Kasey shook her head. "I think the flag was just a clue. I had to broaden my search to see it; before that, I just saw endless water on all sides—the Spear is out in the water."
Mack thought for a moment. "The only body of water that big that borders Alabama is the Gulf of Mexico."
"The Spear is out in the water, but I can teleport us to the shore," Kasey suggested. "To the beach I saw."
"I saw on the news that there's a rip current warning today," Danny said. "Beaches are closed, so we could fly our dragons out over the Gulf without hundreds of people seeing."
Mack nodded and turned to the group. "We're going to the beach. Everyone ready?"
"What are we waiting for?" Kai beamed.
"This isn't a vacation; you know that, right?" Lloyd elbowed the Red Ninja, who rolled his eyes.
"Gather around," Kasey motioned for the group to surround her.
When the ninja and Garmadon were gathered around Kasey, she teleported them away.
From the woods bordering the large clearing from which the group had teleported, Dubito growled. "Where are they going? I could barely hear anything they said."
"I only heard the red one mention going to the beach," Scio replied. "I think they're looking for something…"
"Then we should report to Rikayla," Dubito suggested. "Maybe she can find them."
The Gulf of Mexico
Nine elemental dragons—of the elements Wind, Water, Fire, two of Ice, Lightning, Golden Light, Green Balance, and Shadow—tore across the sky over the Gulf of Mexico, off the coast near Orange Beach, Alabama. As they flew farther from the shore, the sky darkened, and the water below was getting choppy.
"Look!" Jay called out, pointing ahead.
Mack squinted and then his eyes widened as a waterspout formed ahead of the group of dragons.
"Kasey, head for the waterspout!" Mack yelled. "Everyone else, stay back!"
The ninja except for Kasey pulled up and hovered where they stopped, while the Purple Ninja streaked toward the waterspout, knowing she would find the Spear of Water there.
When she reached the waterspout, she dived off her dragon directly into the vortex. Rather than tear her apart, the funnel gently took her down to the surface of the water. At the surface, Kasey reached out her hand and the ocean spat the Spear of Water into her open hand.
The weather instantly cleared up, and Kasey fell into the now calm water. The rest of the ninja appeared in the sky above her a moment later. Mack pulled Kasey out of the water.
"You got it," the Green Ninja observed.
Kasey nodded and dove back into the ocean. After a second, she launched into the air, seemingly pulled by the Spear of Water held out in front of her, and the Purple Ninja materialized her elemental dragon.
Kai smirked. "We are so gonna kick Rikayla's—"
Whatever indecent word Kai was about to say was interrupted when the Spear teleported the group back to the Hut.
The Shadow Palace
Realm of Madness
"RAAAAAGGGHH"
Rikayla screamed out in rage and destroyed an unfortunate nearby one of her soldiers with a blast of black and purple energy from the Hammer of Night.
Scio, Dubito, and Tenebris were also in the Shadow Palace's throne room. After a moment of shock, Scio dared to speak up.
"M—master?" he stuttered.
"That's why they're on Earth," Rikayla barely whispered. "That's why… that's whyeverything."
Tenebris frowned. "What is it, dark one?"
"The Green Ninja didn't go to Earth looking for elemental masters; he went looking for the damned Golden Weapons of Spinjitzu. The elemental masters he recruited must have been specially chosen by the elements to wield the weapons…"
"The Golden Weapons?" Dubito asked. "Scio, didn't you read something about those a while back?"
"Yes," Scio replied. "When we raided Cloud Kingdom—right after Morro did, so it was easy to get in and out in the chaos. One of the scrolls we stole mentioned a scale that would balance the universe, revealed by the 'six Golden Weapons of Spinjitzu.' I thought the scroll was crap, since everyone knows there are only four."
Rikayla growled. "A scale? To balance the universe? Our raid on Cloud Kingdom must have upset the elemental balance; the elements have obviously revealed information about this 'scale' to the Green Ninja."
"And now he's searching out the Golden Weapons," Tenebris inferred.
"And FINDING THEM!" Rikayla roared again, but this time she refrained from destroying any of her soldiers.
She's a mess, Tenebris thought.Totally unprepared to handle the fact that her enemies are becoming more powerful.
Tenebris buried his traitorous thoughts. "What will we do about all this?"
Rikayla's eyes were wide mad. "I will make these 'Guardians' wish they had never been chosen to hold elemental energy inside them.
"I will create new creatures—new warriors. They will take the Guardians' strength and transform it to be their weakness."
After a moment, Rikayla continued, a bit calmer. "And perhaps, a little chat with the Green Ninja is in order."
Country Diner; Clanton, Alabama
Earth
Saturday October 20, 2018…
Autumn was finally in swing in Alabama: the leaves were falling from the trees and the temperature was dropping.
As the sun reached its peak on a beautiful clear Saturday, Mack sat alone reading the news off his phone at a table for two at one of his favorite spots: the Country Diner in Clanton.
"Can I warm you up, sweetie?" a waitress asked Mack.
"Yes, please," Mack replied with a smile. The waitress topped off Mack's mug with coffee.
"Still waiting for your date?"
"She's not late; I'm early. I just wanted some time to clear my head before seeing her."
The waitress nodded in understanding. "Alright, hon. Just holler when she gets here and we'll get you taken care of."
"Yes ma'am; thank you."
After a few moments, a new voice from across the table spoke. "So polite."
Mack looked up from his phone and found himself looking at the Queen of Darkness seated at the table across from him.
"Having a nice weekend?" Rikayla asked, her face void of any expression.
Mack looked around the restaurant and asked, "Should we take this outside?"
Rikayla chucked. "How noble of you, but they can't even see me."
"Ah," Mack smirked. "You're not actually here. Just projecting an image of yourself to me. Clever—and cowardly."
Rikayla returned the smirk. "The things I'm working on require more energy than I would like to expend traveling back and forth to your world.
"That's why I stopped sending my scouts to follow you when they reported that you were looking for the Golden Weapons."
As Mack squinted his eyes, Rikayla continued. "Yes, I know that's why you are in the realm of Earth. I know you're seeking the Golden Weapons, because you need them to unveil your own weapon, which you believe will give you the power to stop me."
"AndIknow that you are going to try to overwhelm the Apex at the Sea of Sand on November 21, and that's when we will face you and stop you. Since you know all these things about us, you also know that once I have the Super Bolt, it becomes a certainty that wewilldefeat you, don't you?"
Rikayla impulsively grinded her teeth in response to this. "The scroll my scouts stole from Cloud Kingdom last year claims that the 'Super Bolt,' as you called it, will 'balance the universe.' But whoever wrote that scroll clearly didn't understand the extent of the powers of darkness."
The Queen of Darkness leaned in slightly over the table and whispered, "I am not concerned by any quantity of power you amass, Green Ninja. I will fulfil my destiny, and I don't care if you bring amillionGuardians to face down my army."
Mack actually laughed, to which Rikayla became visibly agitated.
"How dare you laugh?" she fumed.
"You're afraid of me, aren't you?"
"What?!" Rikayla quickly stood up. "What did you say to me?"
In contrast to Rikayla's boiling rage, Mack remained seated and calm. "You're feigning arrogance, trying to get in my head. But I'm not a fool. Your fear is plain on your face."
Rikayla growled and Mack continued, "That's why you won't face me yourself until the Apex—you have to project this image instead. I'm afraid this little visit wasn't very productive for you, Your Highness. If you don't mind, my date will be arriving soon."
Breathing heavily like a rabid animal, Rikayla resigned to a vague threat.
"Be wary of my growing power, Green Ninja," she snarled. "Enjoy your date."
Rikayla then disappeared into thin air. As she did, Mack's girlfriend Anna arrived at the restaurant.
Mack stood to greet Anna with a hug. "Hey," he said.
"Hey," Anna replied as the couple sat down at their table. "I'm glad I could see you."
"I'm sorry we don't spend as much time together as we used to," Mack said as he waved toward the waitress from earlier.
Anna responded with a gentle smile, "No, it's alright. You have a lot of pressure with your mission and everything. How is all that going?"
"We've found two of the Golden Weapons—Cole is searching in meditation for the third."
"That's great," Anna beamed.
Mack nodded. "And we're making her nervous—Rikayla, I mean."
"Nervous?" Anna cocked her head to the side. "How?" she asked.
"Well," Mack replied, "she projected an image of herself to me, trying to act tough. But she knows that once we have all the Golden Weapons—especially when I get the Super Bolt, she will lose."
The waitress came to the table at this point and took the couple's orders. "We'll get that right out for y'all," she said before leaving.
When the waitress had gone, Anna reached across the table and took Mack's hands in her own.
"You're gonna win, Mack," she said softly. "I know it—I believe in you."
Mack smiled in response. "Okay, enough about all that. What's going on for you?"
The Hut; Billingsley
When Mack returned to the Hut after a very pleasant date, he was surprised to see all of the ninja plus Garmadon gathered in the common space.
Before Mack could ask what was going on, Jay blurted out, "Cole found the Scythe!"
"Dude!" Cole smacked Jay in the back of the head. "Let the man get in the door before hitting him with that."
"Jeez, sorry," Jay rubbed his head.
"How was your date, man?" Cole asked.
"It was great—where's the Scythe?" Mack rushed with wide eyes. "And how did you find it?"
Everyone rolled their eyes good-naturedly at Mack's insistence on getting down to business.
"I found it by meditating in the gravel pit on Highway 22," Cole replied. "It's in a giant canyon in a desert."
Mack nodded. "The Grand Canyon; that's in Arizona."
"Why didn't y'all call me?" Mack asked after a few moments.
Kai snorted. "And take away your precious time with your girl?"
"No way, bro," Danny said. "You deserve spending time with her."
"And getting away from this mission for a while," Lloyd added.
Mack smiled in response. "Well, I appreciate that. Let's go get the Scythe, then I'll tell you about mine and Anna's date when we get back."
"Sounds like a plan," Lloyd held up his hand for Mack to fist bump.
Mack fist bumped Lloyd and turned to Cole.
"Cole," he said, "teleport us to the Scythe."
Cole held out his hand. "Alright, all hands on deck."
The Grand Canyon; Arizona
The ninja appeared at the bottom of the enormous canyon, and before them stood a cave.
"It's a big ole' ditch, ain't it?" Mack observed as everyone craned their heads back to look up toward the top of the Grand Canyon.
"A ditch?" Morro asked, exasperated. "Isn't that understating it?"
"Absolutely," Zane replied. "Geological activity and erosion from the Colorado River eroded this 'ditch' over the six million years, meaning we are looking at six million years of Earth's geologic history in the mile or so of rock layers."
When all heads turned toward Zane, he quickly responded, "I did some research while we were waiting for Mack to return from his date."
"Well," Lloyd said after a moment, "let's get the next one."
"The Scythe is in this cave," Cole said. "I feel the pull."
Mack nodded. "Lead the way."
As Cole and the rest of the group at his back entered the cave, they were plunged into almost complete darkness. The only light came from far ahead: a faint golden shimmer that could only be emanating from a Golden Weapon.
As they approached near enough to see the shape of the Scythe of Quakes standing on the bottom of its long hilt, Cole slowed to a stop, as did the rest of the group.
"What's up?" Kai asked.
"Lloyd, give us some light," Cole said.
Lloyd created an orb of brilliant golden light in his hands, and an enormous gap in the cave floor became visible only a few steps in front of Cole's feet.
"Whoa," Jay exclaimed. "Good instincts, Cole."
"Thanks," the Black Ninja replied. "How do I get to the Scythe? The ceiling is too low to use my dragon."
"Then use your element to reach it," Mack instructed. "Earth is all around you."
Cole was silent for a moment and then held out his hands in front of him, over the gap.
The cave trembled slightly, and a narrow bridge ascended from an unknowable depth within the gap and situated itself to allow crossing to where the Scythe rested. Cole crossed the bridge he had summoned and took the Scythe of Quakes.
As with the other Golden Weapons, once it had been retrieved the Scythe teleported the ninja back to the Hut.
"That's three down," Cole said.
"Now it's my turn," Kai smirked. "But first…"
Kai put his arm around Mack's shoulders. "Tell us all about your date."
Mack's Family Property
Sunday October 21, 2018…
The next afternoon after the ninja attended Mack's church, Kai insisted on building a giant bonfire so he could meditate and find the Sword of Fire. He was rather adamant, saying he felt "an intense need to meditate near fire."
So, the ninja worked for about an hour to assemble a massive pile of firewood, and Kai set it ablaze. The Red Ninja then climbed up and saton topof the burning mountain in cross-legged meditation position.
In the next few moments, the fire grew so hot that it incinerated the pile of firewood into a much smaller pile of ashes with Kai laying spread-eagle in the middle of it.
"It's in some place called 'Death Valley,'" Kai cried out before standing up. "I saw a road sign in a desert, like how Kasey saw clues on that beach."
"Death Valley?" Jay exclaimed. "Why couldn't it be Candy Valley or Kitten Valley?"
"Death Valley, California is pretty much recognized as the hottest place on Earth," Mack said, ignoring Jay's comments.
"Makes sense for the Sword to be there," Danny thought aloud.
"Did you see anything else? Any other clues?" Mack asked, directing his question to Kai.
Kai nodded. "There's a patch of glass in the desert. At high noon it gets so hot that a little bit of it vaporizes. I think the Sword will be revealed when that happens."
"High noon? What time is it now?" Morro asked.
"1:46," Zane promptly responded.
"Great," Morro rolled his eyes. "So we have to wait 'til tomorrow to go get it."
"Actually, we can go now," Mack replied. "California is in a different time zone, so over there noon will come in fourteen minutes."
"Thirteen," Zane corrected. "The time is now 1:47."
"Okay, so let's get going!" Kai beamed.
"Wait a second," Mack halted. "We're all dressed for fall weather. Death Valley still hits a hundred degrees just about every day this time of year. Everyone, take five minutes and put on some cooler clothes or we'll be totally miserable out there."
After changing, the ninja and Garmadon met back in the fountain room of the Elemental Temple and Kai teleported the group away.
Death Valley; California
As the ninja appeared in the middle of a great desert, they quickly discovered that the fall weather in Death Valley was hotter than even the hottest summer day in Alabama. The patch of glass Kai mentioned was right in front of them, and a sign that read "DEATH VALLEY NATIONAL PARK" could be seen a little ways in the distance.
"Let's get this over with," Zee groaned. "I hate sweating."
"Then just don't sweat," Morro teased.
Zee playfully shoved Morro. "We can't all be ghosts, you know."
"We can't 'get this over with' for another five minutes," Kai said. "The sun will shine on that glass and reveal the Sword at noon."
"Thanks for the reminder," Jay snapped. "I needed it, since the heat is MELTING MY BRAIN!"
"Calm down, people," Mack appealed as Kai rolled his eyes. "We'll only be here for a few minutes—don't let the heat get to you."
When noon finally came after what seemed like an eternity languishing in the heat, the patch of glass in the sand began to glow brightly. After a moment, it emitted a beam of golden light into the sky.
"This is it," Kai said, barely above a whisper.
Kai then reached his hand into the beam and felt something solid.
"I've got it!" he cried. "I got the Sword!"
The beam faded, and all could see Kai holding the Sword of Fire before being teleported back to the fountain room in the Elemental Temple.
The Ninja Residence; Ninjago City
Ninjago
the same moment…
Sensei Wu's midday meditation amid the Spirit Smoke afforded him an unusually clear view across the Ethereal Divide and into the events taking place in the realm of Earth. When his meditation session concluded, he exited his chambers and entered the kitchen for lunch where Nya and Misako were waiting.
When they saw the smile on his wise old face, Misako voiced what they both were thinking.
"What's got you in such a good mood?" she asked.
Wu simply replied, "They're close to coming home."
Throne Room; the Shadow Palace
Realm of Madness
Thursday October 25, 2018…
"You've really done it this time, master."
Scio expressed what all Rikayla's close allies were thinking as they gaped at a dozen new dark creatures.
"I have named them theImperia," Rikayla said, standing proudly in front of the creatures with her back to them. "The word in the dead Earth language of Latin for 'strengths.'"
The Queen of Darkness continued talking about her creations: "Notice that the Imperia have no weapons. They have no need of them, for they have an extraordinary power. Allow me to demonstrate. Imperium Seven!"
The seventh of the line of dark warriors stepped forward.
"You will spar with me now," Rikayla ordered.
Rikayla handed Tenebris the Hammer of Night, and she and Imperium Seven squared off.
Rikayla formulated an orb of dark energy in her hands and flung it at Imperium Seven, who caught it in his hand and threw it back at his creator twice as hard.
The allies of darkness gasped as Rikayla caught the energy and dissipated it. "That'll do; thank you, Imperium Seven." Her sparring partner bowed and fell back into the rank.
"As you can see," Rikayla explained, "the Imperia have the power to replicate and enhance elemental powers used against them. Their power will decimate the Guardians; for in attacking the Imperia, the Guardians will grant them strength."
Ferra responded with a sinister grin. "When the day of our battle with the Guardians comes, they will not even present a challenge."
"Don't underestimate them," Rikayla said firmly. "Every time they collect a Golden Weapon, they become stronger, and I have been totally blocked from surveilling our enemies.
"I am certain that they will retrieve the Super Bolt, and that will give the Green Ninja power that can match mine. Only our very best and most furious efforts will result in our success."
"We will do our part," Scio promised.
Silently, Tenebris wondered if perhaps Rikayla was worthy of his loyalty after all.
Mendenhall Glacier Ice Caves; Alaska
Earth
The same moment…
Meditating to find the Shuriken of Ice was hard enough for Danny (even with the guidance of Zane, whom Danny saw as a great mentor), but actually reaching the Shuriken was an entirely different challenge.
Danny's meditation revealed that the Shuriken were deep in the ice caves within the Mendenhall Glacier in Alaska, a stark contrast from the scorching desert from which Kai retrieved the Sword of Fire.
After stepping into the stunning blue underworld, Danny and the rest of the ninja, donning heavy winter gear, quickly lost their sense of direction. For the last half hour, they wandered guided only by the Shuriken's vague pull on Danny.
"I think we're getting closer," Danny said, his voice echoing throughout the caverns.
No one responded, not wanting to risk breaking Danny's concentration. Before Danny began meditating to find the Shuriken, Mack explained that Ice was the most reluctant element to accept a connection with its masters.
Danny stopped walking. "I don't get this."
"I feel the pull," Danny continued, turning around to face the rest of the group. "The Shuriken are pulling me right here. This spot. What gives?"
"Don't panic," Mack calmly said. "Keep the connection; let the Shuriken tell you how to retrieve them."
Danny took a deep breath and exhaled shakily due to his shivering. "Stand back," he said after a few moments.
The rest of the ninja backed away several feet as the walls began to move. Danny closed his eyes and stretched his hands out to his sides, and the icy walls moved in to consume his hands. The walls stopped moving and a golden light beamed throughout the glacier.
Danny opened his eyes and relaxed, and the walls returned to their natural state. When the light dissipated, all could see the Shuriken of Ice in Danny's hands. In the next moment, the group found themselves teleported back to the welcome warmth of the Hut.
"And that's one more," Garmadon gasped, caught off-guard by the sudden change in temperature.
"We're so close," Cole replied before clapping Jay's back affectionately. "Now it's your turn, bro."
Jay nodded. "Yep. It's up to me."
"No pressure," Kai teased good-naturedly.
Billingsley Community Center; Billingsley, Alabama
Earth
Wednesday October 31, 2018…
The ninja from Ninjago were intrigued to learn of the Earth holiday of Halloween (just as two days prior, Mack, Zee, Kasey, and Danny had been intrigued by the Ninjago tradition of the Day of the Departed).
While a little strange, it did seem like fun. Children (and often, adults as well) dressed up in costumes intended to be scary, funny, or both. And there was more candy present at the Billingsley community Halloween party than any of the ninja had ever seen—including the Earth-native ninja, as there was more and more candy involved every year.
Costumes were a must for the party. Cole and Morro both dressed as sheet ghosts (mostly in attempts to hide their translucency from the general populace). Zee, Kasey, and Danny played along by wearing Ghostbusters costumes.
Mack and Anna dressed as Jack and Sally from The Nightmare Before Christmas (a popular Earth Halloween/Christmas movie to which the Ninjago natives were introduced the evening prior to the party).
Zane went as a robot (and won the costume contest for his extreme realism), and the remaining ninja simply wore their ninja outfits, gaining eyerolls from the select few in the community who knew who the ninja were.
After the annual chili cookoff (Cole was disappointed about not hearing about it in time to enter), the band took over the party; a full combo composed of piano, acoustic bass, drums, and a trio of alto, tenor, and baritone saxophone players kept the atmosphere fun lively. At this time, Mack revealed his somewhat hidden skill as a musician, taking up his own alto saxophone and playing along with the combo on a few songs.
Even though Mack insisted that the ninja take the party as an opportunity to relieve some of the stress of the coming battle with Rikayla, Jay couldn't help but notice a buzz in his head, likely brought on by the high volume of neon lights at the party.
He could feel an intense need to push everything away and clear his mind so he could find the Nunchucks of Lightning, so he decided to sit in a chair in a corner and meditate.
When the band finished a particularly rowdy tune, Mack noticed Jay in a chair with his eyes closed.
"Want to run another one, Mack?" the bass player asked.
"I think I'm gonna let you guys run the show now," Mack replied, shaking the combo members' hands. "Thanks for letting me play with y'all."
After stepping away from the band, he walked up to Kai and Danny, who were talking by the snacks table.
"Guys," Mack addressed the pair of Guardians. "Don't be obvious about it, but keep people from disturbing Jay. I gotta try to help Mom win the cake walk; we do it together every year."
Mack gestured toward Jay's spot in his corner.
"Is he…?" Kai trailed off.
"Yep, meditating," Mack answered. "Must be all the bright lights, lots of electricity."
"We'll make sure he has his space to find the Nunchucks," Danny promised.
Kai and Danny quietly took up a position between Jay and the rest of the room. It turned out to be unnecessary for his concentration, however, for Jay soon opened his eyes.
"I found them!" he gasped.
"Where are they?" Danny asked.
"The darkest spot in the country. There's a thunderstorm there that'll give me the opportunity to claim the Nunchucks."
"The darkest spot in the country?" Kai repeated.
"Don't look at me," Danny shrugged. "Mack is the geography expert."
Kai nodded. "We'll ask him in a minute—after the cake walk."
"Number 16!" the elderly woman running the cake walk yelled when the music stopped.
Mack's mother Sharon cried out in joy.
"Sharon," said the elderly woman behind her (one of many participating in the cake walk), "your tile is number 15."
"I know," she replied, "but my son is on number 16, and we agreed to split the cake if one of us won, so I WIN!"
Sharon and Mack high-fived, and the elderly woman grumbled something about how back in her day, the cake walk was about pure luck, not convoluted and shady strategy.
After Mack and Sharon picked out their cake, the Green Ninja was back on task and sought out Jay's corner, where Jay was talking with Danny and Kai, no longer meditating.
"You found them, didn't you?" Mack asked as he approached.
"I learned that they're in the darkest spot in the country," Jay repeated what he had previously told Kai and Danny.
After a moment of thought, Mack snapped his fingers. "Big Bend National Park is famous for having the darkest night sky in the United States. It's in Texas."
Morro never considered himself to be an anxious person, but after about an hour he started to become extremely uncomfortable in the crowd at the party. He stepped outside for some space and sat on the community center's porch; a moment later, Zee also stepped out.
"Hey," she gently addressed the ghost. "You okay?"
"Better now," Morro smirked.
Zee tried but failed to fight a grin and sat on the porch right next to him. "Looked to me like you got a little overwhelmed in there. Too many people?"
"I guess," Morro shrugged. "I'm used to just being around you and the other ninja, and Mack's family occasionally. This is just a little much for me."
Zee rubbed Morro's back. "I understand. I'm pretty introverted, so being in that crowd makes me anxious too."
Morro nodded but didn't respond. Instead, he took a deep, steadying breath.
"Hey," Zee poked Morro playfully. "You make a cute ghost."
Morro smirked bashfully. "I'm glad you're here with me."
The couple's eyes locked, and their faces moved closer. When they were an inch apart, the door behind them burst open and the rest of the ninja came out.
Their moment shattered, Morro and Zee separated.
"Whoa, sorry to interrupt," Lloyd said.
"You two lovebirds wanna go hunt down some nunchucks?" Jay asked enthusiastically.
Big Bend National Park; Texas
After a quick trip home to change into their ninja gear (for those who hadn't worn it to the Halloween party), the ninja gathered in the Hut and Jay teleported them away.
They appeared in the middle of a desert, similar aesthetically to the desert in which Kai retrieved the Sword of Fire, but not nearly as hot. A thunderstorm raged around them, but no rain fell—one might call it an electrical storm.
"This is wild," Kasey exclaimed.
"I think I know what to do," Jay called out over the thunder. "Stand back!"
The other ninja all stepped away from Jay, and the Blue Ninja stretched his arms to the heavens. For the shortest moment, the lightning stopped. Then, lightning seemed to issue from every point around the basin into Jay's hands. Though it was the dead of night, the now golden lightning was brighter than the light of day.
The lightning stopped and the thunderclouds disappeared. Jay held the Nunchucks of Lightning above his head.
Before teleporting away, the ninja looked above them and marveled at their view of the Milky Way's untold number of stars. Morro and Zee clasped their hands together as their surroundings transformed into the Hut.
"We have the Golden Weapons," Lloyd gasped.
"All but one," reminded Garmadon.
Mack took a deep breath. "Congratulations, all of you. Because of your dedication, we will now be able to use the collective power and wisdom of the Golden Weapons to locate the Super Bolt.
"For tonight, rest. You've earned it. The search for the Super Bolt begins first thing tomorrow."
The Eternal Gorge
Realm of Madness
The same moment…
Rikayla could no longer look across the Ethereal Divide to peer at her enemy, but she knew without a doubt that he was close to accomplishing that which he set out to do on Earth. The Elements cried out in joy, eager to be balanced and elated to know that their champion, the Green Ninja, was prepared to retrieve the tool that would allow him to achieve that balance.
"The Guardians have found the Golden Weapons," she whispered to the Hammer of Night. "And now the Green Ninja will claim the Super Bolt."
The Queen of Darkness sighed heavily. "I am ready to face him, no matter the power he has amassed, no matter the balance he thinks he can achieve.
"My army is ready, and my power is great. I eagerly await our battle on the day of the Apex."
