The Day Ninjago Stood Still
Standing on one of the tallest buildings of Ouroboros was Skales and the Serpentine praised him as their one true king, for he had ended the false reign of Garmadon. Selma, Acidicus, Fangtom, and Skalidor then approached him, Selma gave him his staff, Acidicus, and Fangtom gave him a crown and armor to symbolize his place as leader and Skalidor gave him...a box?
Skales looked at the sheepish Skalidor before he knocked the box out of his hand. "Good try, Skalidor," he said before waving to his new subjects, thanking them before whispering to the other generals to join with the crowd while Selma stood next to him.
He then turned back to thank the crowd for their praise before he made his speech. "Hypnobrai, Venomari, Conssstrictai, and Fangpyre! Hear me! The troubled reign of that duplicitousss human Garmadon..."
"You're it," a Hypnobrai woman tagged a Venomari, not paying attention to Skales's speech.
"No, you're it," he tagged back.
"...isss finally at an end. And with that madman of a leader, Pythor, no longer misssleading usss all." Skales continued his speech, "At lassst, our time hasss come."
"Hahaha, no you!" The Hypnobrai woman laughed as she slapped the Venomari on the back of his head.
"Now, unfortunately, before all of thissss, the elderssss had approached me with ssssome troubling newsss." Skales announced as the Serpentine all listened to him. "The elderssss have warned me that a darknesssss issss heading our way, but we don't know when that darknesssss is coming, and if this darkness comessss, then it could be the end of the Sssserpentine."
This made the entire tribe look at each other as they chattered in worry and concern.
"For ussss to survive, we must burrow a new chamber underneath Ninjago City to wait out the darknessss!" He announced. "I undersssstand that it's risssky but dessssperate timessss musssst call for desperate measuressss!" Skales called out as the Serpentine all cheered on and Skales gave a frown, knowing that Rattalia was in the city with the Ninja and hoped she would forgive them while trying to survive.
In Dareth's Mojo Dojo, Melissa and Lloyd were blindfolded as they stood back to back as their friends surrounded them with their weapons readied.
"Don't rely on your eyes," Cole told them. "Use your ears." He instructed as Lloyd and Melissa took a defensive stance as the Ninja were prepared to strike before Dareth walked in.
"Uh, guys, I'm teaching a class later, so I appreciate a clean dojo," Dareth told them before they began sparring.
The Ninja all swung their weapons at the Ninjas of Yin and Yang, but Lloyd jumped and kicked away Zane's shurikens and knocked Jay off-balance. Melissa then caught Cole's scythe and used it to block Kai's sword. Melissa then ducked as she gave the scythe to Lloyd and he then used the scythe to spin around and kick each of them back. He even kicked Cole right at Dareth before he rushed back in.
Melissa heard him coming and quickly jumped out of the way as she crashed into the scythe before dodging Jay's nunchucks and Kai's sword. He then twisted and redirected Cole toward Dareth's fake trophy shelf.
"Ah! No! No-no-no-no!" Dareth yelled as he frantically fixed his shelf and the two friends continued to kick away the other Ninja and even kicked Jay towards the window, which he almost crashed through if Dareth had not opened it, and sent him flying outside before he closed it again, without letting him back inside.
As the other Ninja picked themselves up, Lloyd and Melissa then used elemental fire powers as green and purple flames appeared in their hands and some sparks landed on the floor. Dareth yelped and quickly stomped out the fire with his foot and then sighed in exhaustion.
"Hey, open the window!" Jay shouted from outside as he banged on the window. "Let me in!"
Meanwhile, back on the Bounty on the roof of Dareth's Dojo, Wu was looking out at the city before he took off his hat and pulled out a very old photo of himself as a teenager boy, along with his brother with very pale skin, a black kimono, and red eyes, an early sign of his change to evil, and a blond-haired, young Misako.
Wu sighed sadly, remembering how simple and good everything was back then, desperately missing the old days. He was so busy reminiscing that he did not notice Misako behind him.
"I'd forgotten how pale Garmadon's skin was before his change to evil was complete," Misako spoke up, making Wu jump before he quickly put the photo away and his hat back on.
Wu cleared his throat and turned to her. "Misako, once again you slip through my defenses," he remarked, trying to play it cool.
"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to pry." Misako apologized with a small smile as she brought out her bag. "Rachel, Luci, and I brought out my research on the prophecy of the Ninjas of Yin and Yang. I thought maybe we could go over it together." She said as she gave Wu her bag.
Wu opened the bag and the scrolls fell to the floor. "Hmm, my…" Wu remarked as he saw the amount of research. "There's so much. It will take days." He picked up one of the scrolls before the photo in his hat slipped out and he put it back up.
"I should have chosen you to look after Lloyd," Misako said as Wu was looking at the scroll.
"The past is the past," Wu reminded her.
Misako gave a smile in response. "Yes, but there is always the future." She said as she walked up towards him.
The two smiled at each other as they held hands for a tender moment before a rumbling was heard that shook the bounty as they let go.
"The ground moves, I fear from unnatural causes," Wu said as Luci and Rachel came in.
"Wu, Misako, you might wanna come see this," Rachel said in worry.
Soon, they all met up in Dareth's dojo as they watched the news channel.
"NGTV reporter, Gayle Gossip, on the scene of what appears to be earthquakes rocking all the city of Ninjago." On television, the reporter, a crimson-brown-haired woman wearing glasses and a pink suit, was holding a microphone while standing near a park. "But it's an earthquake like no other, as scientists have yet to pinpoint the cause. And even more frightening still, the aftershocks are getting stronger."
"What do you think this could be?" Cole asked the others as the dojo shook.
"Wouldn't be surprised if it was Garmadon." Kai frowned. "We haven't seen him for a while since we traveled into the past." He pointed out.
"He would never," Misako defended her husband. "My husband is evil, but he would never do anything to put our son in harm's way."
"Come to think of it, we haven't seen him since the whole Grundal incident," Melissa said, rubbing her head since they hadn't seen Garmadon since then.
Wu nodded. "Misako's right. He only tried to thwart Lloyd's training." He then stroked his beard. "This is something else."
"But what is it?" Jay asked.
Zane quickly whistled and his falcon landed on his foreleg. "My friend, be my eyes and look for danger in the streets from above," the Ice Ninja told his falcon as he opened the window and the robotic bird took flight to patrol the city.
Unbeknownst to any of them, the cause was not happening above ground, but beneath them. The Serpentine were executing the plan Skales came up with as a few Constrictai were drilling underground.
"Nice work, boyssss, keep drilling!" Skales shouted as they continued further underground. But then a drop of green Devourer's venom fell on his arm. "Ugh, disssgusssting!" He repulsed, shaking his arm, "The Devourer'sss infernal venom has ssseeped everywhere!"
Skales then bumped into a Constrictai. "Hey, what's going on? Why did we stop?" He questioned in wonder.
The Constrictai bowed and gestured behind her. "Forgive me, Your Highnessss, but we've hit sssomething that we can't dig through!" She said.
"What do you mean?" Skales asked as he slithered forward, and in front of him was a giant stone wall covered in strange markings and a stranger language.
"It'sss ancient," Selma said as she studied the wall drawings. "Perhapsss older than the Sssserpentine themssselevesss."
Meanwhile, on the Island of Darkness, Garmadon was climbing up a cliff as instructed by the Overlord.
Garmadon grunted as he pulled himself up. "This is madness! You, test me?! Lord Garmadon?! Ninjago's rightful ruler?!" He demanded.
"Patience, Garmadon." The Overlord told him. "All will make sense in time. For now, follow my instructions."
"To what end?!" Garmadon demanded, "What is so important at the top of this cliff?!"
"The key to the greatest army ever seen." The Overlord answered, "And the means, to the greatest weapon ever known."
"What good will these things do for me, marooned on this uninhabited island?!" Garmadon asked him, before gesturing to the Endless Sea. "How will I return to Ninjago?!"
"My master plan has been in the works since the beginning of time." The Overlord told them as he flew by them. "Every piece moves in perfect harmony like the gears of a clock, slowly shifting the balance of power back to darkness. Every piece, that is, but you."
Garmadon growled as he scraped the ground. "Alright then!" He jumped off the cliff and just barely grabbed onto the edge as he continued climbing.
Meanwhile, back in Ninjago City, many people were running as the earthquakes were getting worse and debris from the taller buildings were dropping down onto the streets.
One dog was barking at her owner, who was across the street.
"Oh, Snickers! Stay there, Mommy's coming!" The woman shouted as she ran to her dog, only to get caught in the middle of a crevasse. Her dog barked to help her but the woman waved her off, "Oh, stay where you are! Help! Help ME!"
Just then, the Ninja came rushing to her.
"Ninja to the rescue! Go!" Lloyd declared before he jumped before the rest followed his lead,
"Go!" Melissa said, jumping after him.
"Go!" Zane spoke next.
"Go!" Kai said after Zane.
"Go!" And finally, Jay as each Ninja grabbed the prior one's legs, leaving Cole holding the living human chain steady.
"A few more inches, guys!" Lloyd grunted as he could barely reach the woman at the bottom. Cole was holding on as best as they could while the dog was barking at them.
"We appreciate the support, doggy," Cole told the dog before Lloyd grabbed the woman's hands. But then the ground began to crack and broke off as the dog jumped off and the Ninja almost fell as the dog kept barking again.
"No more help, please!" Cole groaned as he managed to pull the rest of them out with all their might.
"Oh, thank you!" the woman told them as she reunited with her dog.
"No sweat," Lloyd told her as Cole panted.
"Speak for yourself. I did all the heavy lifting." Cole complained.
"Cute dog," Melissa said as she petted the dog, which gave a cute bark.
"These things keep coming with no warning!" Kai groaned.
"That's it. A warning," Misako said as she, Rachel, Luci, Rattalia, and Wu rushed over to them before she unraveled a scroll.
"The scrolls said the earthquakes would be a warning," Rachel explained as the scroll showed them a picture of many people of Ninjago running in fear as the ground beneath them was split open while claws of shadow rose out from the fissures.
"A warning for something far worse to come," Luci added.
"Far worse?!" Jay repeated. "What could be far worse?!"
"Whatever it issss, it'ssss not gonna be good," Rattalia said in concern.
"Wait, Misako? Moms? The indestructible stone warrior we fought yesterday, where did you find that thing anyway?" Melissa questioned as she had a thought.
"He was buried under the city's museum," Misako answered her.
Jay then gasped in fright as the ground shook again. "You don't think there's more, do you?" He asked in a worried tone.
"Be on guard, Ninja," Wu told them. "We must be ready for whatever comes our way."
Meanwhile, underground, beneath the city, the Serpentine were stuck in one place as they could not drill through the wall in front of them while covering their heads from the venom dripping from above. This made Skales shake his head in defeat.
"Alright, ssso, this path issss blocked, sssso let'ssss turn around and find another way to..." Skales started before he saw a certain drawing on the wall. It strangely looked like a Hypnobrai with a familiar crown on its head. "What'sss thisss?"
"It looksss like you, Sssskalesss," Skalidor noted.
Skales however frowned, "That's impossssible." He tried to get a better look, only to be obscured by a Constrictai. He frowned and grabbed her shoulder. "Move aside, I can't ssssee!" He demanded as he pushed the Constrictai away.
"Sssorry." The Constrictai troop apologized
Skales looked at the wall and felt it. He then touched a button, causing the door to raise itself open and reveal a hidden chamber.
"Ssspooky," Skales commented as he and the Serpentine walked in. Seeing a lever and pulling it, it turned on hidden lights in the chamber, "Ssspooky."
The room is revealed to have contained rows upon rows of countless samurai warrior statues covered in dust.
"Sssamurai ssstatues?" Selma asked in confusion as the Serpentine spread out and studied the statues. They could tell by the way they were carved that some of them were male while the others were female.
"Why are thesssse thingssss here?" Skales wondered.
"Look at me, I'm a ssstiff," a Venomari joked as he stood and acted like one of the stone statues.
"Ssso ssstiff!" a Hypnobrai woman said before the two laughed together.
But what they did not realize was that the venom of the Devourer had oozed into the chamber and started dripping down onto the statues. Their eyes glowed green as row by row the Stone Army was reanimated, turning from stone to flesh as they drew their weapons at the intruders.
"What?! It'sss a trap!" Skales shouted in alarm before he pointed his staff at them. "Attack!"
His army charged at the warriors. As some of the Serpentine clashed weapons with the warriors, they saw their weapons getting broken in half. Their arms did no damage to them.
"They're indessstructible!" a Fangpyre called out as other Serpentine tried to use their powers on them, but they also had no effect on these warriors at all. They were immune to the Hypnobrai's hypnotic gaze, the Fangpyre could not bite through their armor, the Venomari's venom slid off their shields and weapons, and the warriors were able to pry the Constrictai coils off them.
"Our powersss are uselessss againsssst them!" Acidicus noted to Skales. "Do we retreat?!"
"No retreat!" Skales shouted as a few of the warriors surrounded him. "We're Sssserpentine, we fight to the very lassst sssnake!" He spun around and knocked down the warriors surrounding him with his tail. The Serpentine then did all that they could to fight back against the Stone Army, but the warriors managed to overpower them and marched their way towards the exit.
Skales sat up and saw as the Samurai Army marched out as the entrance was closing. "We'll be trapped underground again!" He warned as he slithered as fast as he could to the exit. "No! Thisss can't be true!" Try as he might Skales couldn't reach the exit before it sealed shut, trapping the Serpentine once again, "NNNNNNNNNOOOOOOOOO!" he screamed as he cried and banged on the door, before he coughed from the extended scream, only to continue after briefly catching his breath.
The Serpentine watched as their new leader futilely banged on the door while crying. Skales was overcome by shame; he had failed! Just like Pythor before him, he had led the Serpentine to ruin and worse, right back to where they started.
Selma saw Skales crumbling into pieces as she went up to him and placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. "Ssskales, it will be alright." She tried to assure him.
"No, it won't be!" Skales shouted as he punched the ground. "After all that hasss happened, it hasss only led usss to end up right back where we sssstarted!" He then looked ashamed. "I wasss a fool to think I could be a greater leader than an Anacondrai! I ssshould've followed Rattalia'sss example when she joined the Ninja. Ssshe knew better than any of usss." He said in defeat as he looked down at the ground.
"Then, perhapsss her example should be the one we ssshould follow," Slitheraa said as he and the other generals approached, "Ssskalesss, you are a great leader. But even great leaderssss know when to ssstand assside and pave the way for a new and greater leader."
"My old friend… You're ten timesss better than Pythor when he led usss… But even one leader can't lead alone." Fangtom pointed out. "They mussst have hisss comradesss for advice and wisssdom to know what to do." He said.
"You were the one who wanted usss to rule asss brothersss and sssistersss…" Acidicus added. "You were the one who got rid of Garmadon."
"If anything, you're a better leader than Pythor! All he cared about wasss himssself, when you put all our needsss firssst!" Skalidor told him as the rest of the Serpentine cheered in agreement.
Skales looked at his people in shock. Even after leading them to be trapped again, they still believed in him.
Selma then held his shoulder and smiled. "You may not be the greatessst leader, Skalesss, but that doesss not mean you are not a great leader. If anything, you ssshould perhapsss lead usss until the day our true leader comesss to us." She said with a warming smile. "And we ssshould follow Rattalia's example and try and mend our warring passst if we want to sssettle the differencesss of us sssnakes and the sssurface world in the future." She said.
"She is correct, my king," An elderly voice remarked, coming from deep within the chamber. Soon four figures slithered out of the shadows and the four of them looked like Serpentine generals, only older and their staffs were a different color of metal. The female Hypnobrai Elder had a dark blue staff, the female Fangpyre Elder had a crimson red staff, the male Venomari Elder had a dark green staff, and the male Constrictai Elder had a dark orange staff.
"There isss a greater threat on the horizon, and for usss to face it, we mussst abandon our warring waysss and move forward," the Hypnobrai Elder said.
"For as they sssay in Ninjago, 'The passst is the passst'," the Fangpyre Elder started.
"'…and the future isss the future'," the Venomari Elder finished.
"Ssso, we mussst leave the passst if only to embrace our future." The Constrictai Elder explained. "If we are to have any hope of sssuviving what isss to come."
Skales listened to their words before nodding and turning to Selma. "You've alwaysss been by my ssside, Ssselma. And for that, I think it'sss time to ssshare this burden." He said.
Selma went wide-eyed when Skales said that, having a feeling what he meant. "Y-You mean…?" She trailed off in a stun.
Skales nodded and looked at his subjects. "Fellow Sssserpentine, though we are once again trapped here in the underground, we ssstill keep our ssspiritsss high, asss we build a new age of peace, here in our new home, until our true leader comes!" He declared as the Serpentine cheered before he took Selma's hand, "And, Ssselma, my oldest friend and…my love, I thank you for helping me realize how to be a true leader. And for that, I ask if you will help me protect our people until we find our true leader."
He held out his hand as Selma looked at it in shock. After an encouraging smile from Skales, she gave a tearful smile and nodded.
"I will." She said as Skales pulled her into a kiss with their eyes closed in bliss. A glow engulfed Selma's body as her legs then merged to form a tail, she held Skales's hand as the Serpentine cheered for them and Slithraa looked at them proudly.
"Thank you, my brothersss and sssistersss, I promise to help Ssskalesss and my fellow Generalsss guide you to a greater future!" Selma promised before turning to the elders, specifically the Hypnobrai Elder. "Now, Mamba, you sssaid there'sssss a darknesssss coming for usss to face."
She nodded. "Yesss. Now gather round everyone, and lisssten to the Curssse of the Golden Massster," Mamba said as every Serpentine listened carefully.
Selma then grabbed Skales by the arm and dragged him away from the other Serpentine.
"Ssselma what issss it? Ssssomething wrong?" Skales asked.
"Ssskales, I know that we're gonna try and make a new life down here, but what about Rattalia?" Selma asked in concern. "She'sssss still in Ninjago City with the Ninja and doesssn't know anything about what's going on with ussss."
"Oh dear. That issss bad." Skales said in concern as well. "And if she noticed no Sssserpentine activities, she might notice our absssence."
"And thosssse stone ssstatues are heading to Ninjago City, she won't ssstand a chance against those thingssss!" Selma said worriedly.
Skales could see the problem as he gave a sigh and placed a hand on her shoulder. "Don't worry, Ssselma. The Ninja will find a way to ssstop them. They alwaysss have." He assured her.
"Let'ssss hope ssssso. I don't want anything bad to happen to her, she'sssss been through sssso much." Selma said in concern before Skales gave her a quick kiss, which made her surprised before she returned it, feeling a bit better before Skales broke the kiss.
"Rattalia is a sssstrong Anacondrai. After being with the Ninja, nothing can sssstop her." Skales assured her. "And if sssshe ever findssss us down here, we'll bring her into our family, ssso she'll finally have the family sssshe deservessss."
Selma was surprised by Skale's words as she gave a warm smile as she gave a hug to Skales. "Thank you, Ssskales. You always have waysss with wordsss." She said as Skales returned the hug before they went back with the other Serpentine, ready for their new lives.
Meanwhile, above ground, a Samurai Warrior burst out of the ground in an alleyway as it roared its freedom. Zane's falcon flew by and saw the Samurai Warrior destroy a fire hydrant and sent the footage back to Zane himself.
"Sensei, it's just as we feared!" Zane told Wu. "Another Stone Samurai Warrior is loose on the streets."
The ground beneath them began to burst as another one was rising behind them and scared them as more and more burst from the ground.
"No, no, no!" Jay shouted as more and more hands rose out of the ground around them. Three of them turned a corner and saw the Ninja.
"No! We're under attack!" Wu shouted as they took a defensive position.
Throughout the city, the Samurai Warriors were terrorizing the city while the news reporter from earlier kept her broadcast going with her assistant.
"As this army of samurai warriors sweeps over the city, no one is safe!" Gayle Gossip reported as some of the Samurai Warriors were chasing people down the street. "Mayhem and destruction are their only want." On the televisions, Gayle could be seen talking as another Samurai Warrior cut out a glass shaped like itself, "Attempts at communication have failed, prohibiting even the desperate option of surrender! The Royal Family has already called for a massive evacuation!"
At Doomsday Comics, Rufus ran out of his store when the Stone Warriors broke in before he noticed an Illuma-sword on the ground, "What's this doing here?" He wondered before he took it and charged back in.
But then he ran back out while holding a bunch of comics he managed to grab as a stone warrior chased him.
At the bank, the bank owner found himself cornered by two Stone Warriors before he locked himself in his own safe.
As he trembled inside, he suddenly wished he hadn't fired Cole, as he could really use the Ninja right now.
On the streets, a Stone Warrior was walking before he picked up a mailbox and saw the mailman behind it as he looked at the warrior and rushed off.
"What about the privacy of the mail?" The mailman asked as he rushed to an alley and rode off on his bike.
At Grand Sensei Dareth's Mojo Dojo, a Stone Warrior walked into the dojo and cornered some of Dareth's pupils.
"Run!" Dareth told his pupils as he popped up in front of the warrior. "You picked on the wrong dojo." He grabbed a sword from the weapon wall, swinging the sword at him before she quickly caught it and tossed it behind him.
Dareth however looked undeterred. "OK, amateur hour is over," he said before striking the warrior with a scythe only to get punted towards his 'trophy' shelf and then rolled out of the way of a punch. "Nice knowing ya!" he waved before running out.
Dareth ran outside until he bumped into Gayle Gossip's cameraman and the two fell.
"That's it, I'm out of here!" the cameraman said as he quickly got up and ran away.
"Quitter!" Gayle Gossip shouted before she quickly turned to Dareth. "You. Wanna be my cameraman?"
Dareth looked at Gayle in awe before fiddling with the camera a bit nervously, "Uh, not really but yeah?" He said.
"Great, follow me!" Gayle misheard as Dareth reluctantly took the camera and stood up. "I need this shot." Dareth pointed the camera at the chaos around them as the Stone Warriors were trashing the city. "Are you getting this?" Gayle asked.
"I hope so," Dareth told her before he pointed the camera back to her.
"Ahem… I'm standing outside Grand Sensei Dareth's Mojo Dojo, training headquarters of the Ninja, only to find that even here, no one is safe," Gayle reported, completely unaware that one of the Stone Warriors spotted them from behind her.
"Uh, Gayle, um..." Dareth tried to warn her as the warrior approached from behind her.
"Hey! I talk, you film!" She interrupted.
"But Gayle..." Dareth tried to warn again as the Stone Warrior got closer.
"No buts!" Gayle interrupted again before she was grabbed from behind before he was kicked away by Zane who then caught Gayle.
"You seemed to be in need of assistance. "Zane said before the others rushed over.
"Thank you, Ninja." Gayle thanked as Zane put her down. And then more Stone Warriors came charging at them.
"Stay strong. Show no weakness," Cole said as they stood their ground.
Then at the last second, the Ultra Sonic Raider appeared, knocking the warriors away as Wu, Rattalia, Rachel, Luci, and Misako jumped off while Lloyd and Melissa remained inside.
"The giant Stone Warrior we fought yesterday was tough, but how do we fight an army of them?!" Melissa exclaimed.
"We can't," Luci said with a concerned look. "They have the same invincibility as the one we fought. They're impossible to beat in an army."
"And I don't think the bottomless pit will work this time," Rachel added with concern.
"Then we have to protect the people!" Wu said as they walked around. "Gather as many as you can and get them to our evacuation point." He instructed them.
On the Ultra Sonic Raider, Nya contacted them, "We got problems with that evacuation point, guys!" She said as she was hovering the Bounty over them while having trouble landing. "I can't find a safe place to land!" She called out as Stone Warriors were on the ground as they tried to jump onto the Bounty but couldn't reach it.
"Damn it!" Melissa exclaimed as she banged the side of the Raider. "We don't have a safe place to land the Bounty! If the Stone Warriors wreck it, then we have no other way out!"
"We need a new evacuation point to land the Bounty safely. Somewhere with no ground." Lloyd said in thought.
Gayle then rushed to Wu. "There might be a place safe to land your ship. The NGTV office building has a helipad on the roof." She told him.
"Yes. Higher ground." Wu said with a nod. "Lloyd, Melissa, tell Nya to head there!" He told the two as they nodded.
Rattalia was about to follow but then she stopped in her tracks and realized that the Serpentine didn't stand a chance against these Stone Warriors which meant they could be in danger.
"Rattalia, you coming?" Lloyd asked as he and Melissa saw that she wasn't following them.
"Go on without me, guyssss!" Rattalia told them much to their shock.
"What! Why?" Melissa asked.
"The Sssserpentine won't ssstand a chance against thesssse thingsssss." Rattalia stated in concern. "I need to find where my people are and ssssee if they are OK!"
"But, Rattalia, you're our friend!" Lloyd cried out in worry.
"Yeah, we can't just leave you!" Melissa pleaded.
Rattalia then slithered up to Lloyd and Melissa and hugged them both. "You two have been the bessstesssst friends I have ever had, and I promise we will ssssee each other again."
"Goodbye, Rattalia," Lloyd said with a slight sad tone as he and Melissa hugged Rattalia in return.
"We'll miss you," Melissa added before they separated the hug.
"I'll missss you guys, too, goodbye and good luck, my friends, Go Ninja Go!" Rattalia exclaimed before turning invisible.
"Goodbye, Rattalia." Lloyd and Melissa said in slight sadness before they recovered and they turned to each other and nodded as they rushed off to the others.
"Citizens of Ninjago City who have yet to evacuate the city, head towards the NGTV building rooftop," Gayle told the people of the city. "Our heroic Ninja will evacuate you from there! But hurry. We're running out of time."
Across the city, everyone saw Gayle's report and immediately rushed to the NGTV building for the evacuation.
Wu turned to Misako. "And you, stay out of trouble," he told her.
"Looks like that won't be possible," Misako commented as more Stone Warriors appeared.
Lloyd looked behind him and saw even more coming. "Uh oh, there's more of them!" He said.
Just as they were getting close, Ultra Dragon landed and knocked the ones behind them down.
"Yeah! Ha! Ha!" Lloyd cheered.
"Good boy, Ultra!" Melissa cheered as the four-headed dragons landed before the warriors in front of them and roared challengingly.
Wu then turned to Melissa and Lloyd. "Lloyd, Melissa, did you practice your Elemental Quakes and energy shockwave?" He asked.
"Who needs to practice, when you're natural?!" Lloyd bragged.
"He's right on that. Plus, they're the easiest skills we can do." Melissa said with a smirk. "Let's go, Lloyd!" She said as she jumped forward.
"Right behind ya, Melissa!" Lloyd called as he jumped next as they flipped over the Ultra Dragon and Melissa landed first, creating a purple energy wave that sent the Stone Warriors back while Lloyd smashed down next, creating a quake wall that blocked the Stone Warriors as the others entered the Sonic Raider.
"Thanks, boy," Lloyd said as he and Melissa petted Ultra. "Now, see if you can help us find a way out of here."
"Because we need a quick exit," Melissa added as she and Lloyd flipped back and they landed on the Sonic Raider and the Ultra Dragon used its ice breath to freeze the Stone Warriors and flew up as the Ninja took off, using the ice as a ramp. "Good, boy! Now, save yourself! We'll meet you at the rendezvous point!" She called as the Ultra Dragon gave a roar in response and took off as the other Stone Warriors that were not frozen gave a yell.
"Hey, Melissa, you can understand these things, right? What are they even saying?" Lloyd asked.
"There's too many words to say from how many there are, but after what just happened, they're tricked off," Melissa said with giggles.
"Yeah, sounds right," Lloyd said with a chuckle.
Back on the Island of Darkness, Garmadon finally managed to climb to the very top of the spire, "Hah, finally, made it, to, the top!" He panted as he then found an odd machine that seemed to be made of gold. "What is this? Some sort of clock or a planetarium?" He asked in awe as he approached it and saw a helmet that looked like one of the Stone Warriors but it was all black and more Garmadon's size.
"This is the Celestial Clock, created to countdown to the final battle." The Overlord spoke as Garmadon looked at the clock and the helmet. "Once one takes the Helmet of Shadows, the clock will start." He said as Garmadon eagerly was about to grab it before the Overlord continued. "But be warned, though he who wears the Helmet of Shadows can travel between the islands at will, once it is removed, the countdown cannot be stopped." He warned.
"Any more warnings?" Garmadon asked impatiently.
"No," The Overlord answered.
Satisfied, Garmadon took the Helmet of Shadows, replacing his own with it as he placed it on his head. As Garmadon laughed evilly, he gained new armor like the Stone Warrior's but all in black and had a tattered purple cap flapped over his back.
Then, automatically, the Celestial Clock began ticking down.
"At last, the countdown to the Final Battle has begun!" The Overlord declared as Garmadon watched as the planets of the clock started rotating, "This helmet is your birthright, and with it, you control the army."
"What army?" Garmadon questioned.
"MY army." The Overlord answered as Garmadon laughed sinisterly that luck was finally at his side.
Back in Ninjago City, the people entered the NGTV building as the Sonic Raider packed in front of it and the Ninja and their friends exited the vehicle and rushed into the building.
"Barricade the door!" Cole shouted as they all started barricading the doors with anything they could find.
"Now we head to the stairwell," Zane said as everyone started running up the stairs.
"Stairs?" Dareth asked as he looked up and saw how many stairs and how tall the building was. "It's twenty floors. Let's just take the elevator guys." He suggested as he pressed a button on the elevator next to him.
"It is unwise to take the elevator during an emergency, Dareth," Zane admonished him.
Dareth merely shrugged as the elevator reached the ground floor, "Yeah, well, I'll take my chances," he said, but his tune soon changed as a Stone Warrior was also in the elevator. It tried to attack him, only to step in a bucket, slip back into the elevator, and bounce around it like mad as Dareth dialed it to the lowest level.
"OK, stairs it is! Let's get climbing, everybody!" Dareth said as they all ran up the stairs.
They continued to run up for a few floors, but Dareth was running out of breath. "Guys, I need to rest." He panted before he heard a noise. He looked down and then out of nowhere...A Stone Warrior popped out under the stairs.
Dareth screamed and zoomed up the stairs. "Second wind!" he yelled as he ran past Misako, knocking off her research without her noticing. As they all ran up the stairs, the Stone Warriors were catching up.
"We must buy time for our getaway," Zane said to the others.
"Well, I'll tell you guys this," Melissa said as they watched the Stone Warriors climbing up to them. "Unlike the big Stone Warrior yesterday, these guys are the right size to tumble down."
"She's got a point. At least, we can hold our ground." Jay said with a shrug.
"Don't jinx us, Jay!" Melissa told him in a firm tone as they then faced the Stone Warriors.
"NINJA, GO!" They all exclaimed as they did Spinjitzu and went down the railings and they started knocking the Stone Warriors down as they fell down before they tossed them over the stairs as more kept coming up.
Melissa and Lloyd then stepped forward as they faced another squad.
"Lighting up!" Lloyd shouted as he used his powers to blind the stone warriors.
"Let's see if these blockheads are afraid of the dark!" Melissa said before she blasted the Stone Warriors back, they gave a yell as the blast sent them over the stairs and they fell down.
"Hah, not so tough!" Lloyd boasted as they saw the Stone Warriors falling to the ground, but they got back up and looked up with a rageful look. "Oh, so tough." He cringed, regretting saying that.
"You were saying?" Melissa asked, giving Lloyd a look as he gave a sheepish chuckle.
"Let's hope we've brought enough time," Zane said to them.
Everyone made it outside and was wondering where Nya was. "Where's the Bounty?" Dareth asked as they looked around for it.
Rachel then saw something that made her smile. "Look!" she shouted and pointed to the Destiny's Bounty flying in. Then everyone cheered as Nya brought the Bounty onto the landing platform. Wu and Misako were about to join hands before the crowd got in the way and he was forced onto the Bounty.
"Hurry, they're coming!" Lloyd told the people as they walked onto the deck, while the larger dragons carried as many creatures as they could on their backs. But then Misako realized her bags were gone.
"My research!" Misako cried as she knew the only place it could be and rushed back to the entrance.
Lloyd then stopped her, "No, Mom! It's too dangerous to go back!" He cried.
"That research is too important to leave behind!" Misako argued before she smiled sadly and kissed her son's forehead. She then turned and rushed to get her research back.
"She'll be fine, Lloyd, we need to go now!" Melissa urged while grabbing Lloyd's hand and rushed up to the Bounty.
"Now, now!" Kai shouted as they led some creatures below deck. Wu struggled to get past the crowd as the photo was coming out of his hat and he pushed it back in.
Once inside, Misako saw her bags tangled in the lighting. She then turned to the Stone Warriors coming right at her, as she dodged and fought her way through them before sliding down the railing.
Some of the Stone Warriors managed to get onto the roof and charged at the Bounty.
"They just keep coming!" Lloyd complained when he saw them.
"Don't these freaks know when to quit?!" Melissa wondered in annoyance.
"Hurry, hurry!" Kai told everyone as they headed below deck.
Then, one of the Stone Warriors with a hammer jumped up to one of the front boosters and smashed it.
Nya gasped as she got a warning alarm, "Uh oh, this is bad." She spoke. The boosters then got ready to lift off. "We have everyone? We've gotta get out of here! Our only remaining booster won't last much longer!
"We have to wait for my mom!" Lloyd told her.
Wu then darted his eyes around and then remembered something.
A young Misako was holding a baby Lloyd in her arms, humming a melody as the baby boy cooed and reached his little hands to his mother. From the doorway, Garmadon and Wu watched her with smiles.
Wu turned to his brother, noting the big smile on his face, "I say brother, this is the first I've ever seen you smile so much." He joked.
Garmadon barely acknowledged the joke as he continued smiling at the sight of his wife and son, "I just can't take in enough of the sight of my loved ones." He said before frowning in worry, "It breaks my heart knowing, someday, I cannot be with them anymore." He said solemnly, looking at his hand where the evil flowed through his vein.
"Do not worry, brother, they will be alright," Wu assured, placing a hand on his shoulder.
Garmadon turned to his brother. "Wu? If there comes a day when I can't be there for my wife or my son anymore… promise me that you will always protect them," he asked his brother.
"I promise," Wu whispered before he jumped off the ship and then bounced off the samurai's heads before rushing back to the entrance.
"UNCLE!" Lloyd cried to his uncle as Wu turned and saw the Bounty taking off as the Stone Warriors chased after him.
"What's he doing?!" Melissa questioned in shock.
"Where else?" Luci said with a smile.
"Saving Misako." Rachel finished with the same expression as they knew what Wu was doing.
Misako could see her bag below where she was and was just out of reach. As more Stone Warriors appeared, she slid across the railing and swung on the lights to get to the bag. She managed to grab them but lost her grip and nearly fell off before she managed to grab onto the ledge.
Wu saw her in trouble and the only thing stopping him from reaching Misako was the Stone Warriors climbing up the stairs. He spun around his bamboo staff and took a battle stance as he began to fight off the Stone Warriors to Misako. As Misako held on to the edge, she heard fighting while she watched the Stone Warriors and their weapons falling off the edge and towards the bottom. One even grabbed her bags.
The Stone Warrior laughed before Misako screamed as she lost her grip on her saddle bags and dropped them and the warrior. The Stone Warrior screamed as it fell and Misako caught her bags with her leg.
"Can't hold on..." Misako groaned as she was losing her grip.
"Misako, hold on!" Wu called out as he fought off the Stone Warriors and raced to her.
"...much longer!" She shouted as a tear was running down her face.
Sensei Wu knocked down a few more warriors as he was getting close to her. The moment she could no longer hold onto the railing, she was about to fall when Sensei Wu quickly caught her by the hand.
"I have you now!" Wu said as he pulled them back up onto the stairs. They stared at each before more Stone Warriors appeared. They leapt from the edge and ran, "This way!" Wu then led Misako into another room but there was only a sheer drop in front of them. "There's no place to hide. We have to fight! Do you still know Spinjitzu?" Wu asked as he turned to the Stone Warriors.
"Did you forget you and Garmadon could never beat me?" Misako joked as she bumped him.
Wu looked sheepishly at her. "I confess, we weren't really trying," Wu admitted.
Misako smirked. "Neither was I," she said as they turned back to the Stone Warriors.
"NINJA, GO!" The two shouted as they both did Spinjitzu, with Misako being silver, and did their best to fight off the Stone Warriors.
On the Bounty, Zane walked to the bridge as he sensed something was about to happen. "Nya, descend." Zane said to her as Nya looked at him in confusion. "Do it, now!"
Both Wu and Misako were surrounded and outnumbered as they were backed up into a corner near an open window.
"I'm glad we go together!" Wu told his sister-in-law.
Misako looked out the window and saw something that gave her an idea. "Then let's go!" she told Wu, implying that they would jump, as he looked at her like she was crazy. But her smile dismissed those thoughts. Then with one giant leap, they jumped from the building...
...and onto the deck of the Bounty, "What?" Wu said in surprise before a strong wind blew off Wu's hat, Misako caught it but the photo of their youth was lost to the wind. Wu sighed sadly as he watched the photo fly away.
Misako then passed him his hat. "The past is the past," she said to Wu.
"But there's always the future," Wu smiled.
Lloyd saw that his mom and uncle were okay and sighed in relief as Melissa approached him and put a hand on his shoulders.
"I told you that they would be OK," Melissa said with a smile.
"I never should've doubted you." Lloyd said, giving her a smile back before he went to check to see if everyone was OK while Melissa was watching him leave with a lovestruck stare and a blush on her face.
Misako saw this as she noticed Melissa looking at where her son walked off to as she noticed Melissa giving a light blush to Lloyd, which made her smile as she realized what's up with her. 'Just like when I met Wu and Garmadon." She thought to herself, having a feeling that there's a connection between Melissa and Lloyd that is more than just friends.
While the Bounty was flying away from the city, they all then frowned as they saw the Stone Warriors destroying the city as chaos was around every corner.
Then, suddenly, the Stone Warriors stopped and began moving west toward the coast.
"They're leaving." Nya said in shock.
"But why?" Kai asked in wonder.
"Something must be commanding them. But what?" Zane wondered.
"I believe they are being summoned by their master." Misako spoke grimly. "Someone must have found some way to control the Stone Army."
"And I believe we know only one person capable of that." Wu said as they looked off into the west side of Ninjago and off into the distance.
On the Island of Darkness as the Celestial Clock continued ticking, Garmadon stood atop a tall spire, "Garmadon is back, baby!" He declared. "Garmadon, is BACK!" He let out maniacal laughs on the Dark Island.
To be continued...
A/N: And that was The Day Ninjago Stood Still and the Serpentine are stuck underground once again but now the Ninja have to worry about a new threat, the Stone Army, how will they stop this new enemy? Find out as the story progresses I hope you all enjoyed reading the chapter, leave a review and tell me what you think.
Up Next: The Ninja make the journey to the Island of Darkness and Zane runs into someone unexpected.
Here's the Cast List
Jillian Michaels as Lloyd and Selma; Tara Strong as Melissa, Female Constrictai, and Fangpyre Elder; Vincent Tong as Kai and Venomari; Michael Adamthwaite as Jay; Andrew Francis as Cole; Brent Miller as Zane; Paul Dobson as Wu, Acidicus, Rufus McCallister, and Venomari Elder; Kelly Metzger as Nya and Female Hypnobrai; Mark Oliver as Garmadon and Constrictai Elder; Kathleen Barr as Misako; Scott McNeil as The Overlord; Veronica Taylor as Rachel; Alyson Court as Luci; Tabitha St. Germain as Rattalia; Alan Marriott as Dareth and Stone Warriors; Kelly Sheridan as Gayle Gossip and Female Dog Owner; Ian James Corlett as Skales and Male Constrictai; Mackenzie Grey as Fangtom; John Novak as Skalidor; and Nicole Oliver as Mamba.
