The ninja trudged out of the jungle, slipping silently back into their camp. The horns of destruction were still sounding, but they were quieter on this side of the island, more of a disturbing background sound than an earsplitting wail. Dr. Julien whipped to them. "What was that sound? The horns?" He asked anxiously. Wu shook his head gravely. "The Celestial Clock has reached zero. Garmadon's ultimate weapon is now operational, and the Final Battle between good and evil has all but begun," he said.
Misako glanced regretfully at her son. "Now Lloyd must face his father," she said. Lloyd looked away. "But where's Nya?" Dr. Julien asked, realizing who was missing. "She's been taken by the Overlord, but we'll get her back. At the moment, there are bigger things at stake, including all of Ninjago itself," Wu answered. Onyx gritted her teeth. He was right. Millions of lives were worth more than one, no matter how important that one was.
Jay shook his head. "Who cares about Ninjago? Nya was my—uh, my...you know," he said. Kai put a hand on his shoulder. "And she's my sister. I know her being captured is tough, but she's tougher. Tougher than most of us. We'll see her again," he promised. Wu turned to Lloyd. "Lloyd, your focus gives strength to invoking the power of the Golden Dragon. You cannot lose faith now. Everything rests on your shoulders," he said. Lloyd ran a hand through his hair, making it even messier than it had been before. "But Sensei, you saw what happened when I tried to face my father. I-I froze. I can't fight him," he said.
Onyx looked Lloyd in the eye. "I don't think you have a choice. At this point, it's either us or him," she said. "Remember, your father is just as scared," Misako said. "Then the battle will be decided by who is willing to fight," Wu said. "You won't be alone. I'll be right behind you. You have my fire," Kai said. The other ninja stepped forward. "You have my earth." "And my ice." "And lightning." "And my darkness."
Cole fixed Lloyd with a steady stare. "We're all in this together, kid," he said. Lloyd stood still for a moment before nodding. "What are we waiting for? Let's suit up," he ordered.
(=^･ｪ･^=)(=^･ｪ･^=)(=^･ｪ･^=)(=^･ｪ･^=)
The ninja dashed silently through the jungle, rapidly approaching Garmadon's camp. When they reached the edge of the trees, Lloyd threw his hand up, signaling for them to drop down. Onyx obeyed, sprawling to her stomach and peering through the grass at the wooden bastion. She flared her nose, trying to ignore the way the grass was tickling it. It seemed strangely quiet.
The ninja looked at Lloyd, waiting for his command. After a moment, he nodded. "Time to chop wood," Jay said with a smirk as they leapt up to storm the gates. Onyx wasn't a fan of this plan, but they had passed the point of no return. Espionage had served its purpose. Force was the option they had left now.
They kicked through the gates with a cry of "Ninja go!" Onyx whipped her katanas out, prepared to battle, but instead, they found that the camp had been completely abandoned. "Uh, where the heck is everybody?" Jay asked. "Ugh, and here I was, all ready to release the thunder," Cole complained. Onyx looked around, ensuring nothing of use had been left behind. "The ultimate weapon is gone. We're too late. Nya? Nya!" Kai cried, anxiously looking around. Onyx shook her head. "She's not here, Kai. They've taken her with them," she said. She narrowed her eyes at the ground. They wanted them to follow. Why?
Onyx's eyes suddenly alighted on tire tracks. "Guys!" She said, following them across the ground to where they trailed into the jungle, leaving broken trees and torn foliage. Lloyd stepped up to investigate them. "Whoa. That's one big weapon," he said softly. He was right; the tracks were massive. So much so that Cole could lay down and fit between them, and he was the tallest of them.
"It appears to be heading toward the coast," Zane said. "But why? Wouldn't he try to use it on us?" Lloyd asked. Onyx shook her head. She was trying to put the pieces together, but there weren't enough of them to fill in the complete picture. Suddenly, Wu, Misako, and Julien dashed into the camp. "Not on us. On Ninjago. He always wanted to turn our world into his own image. Now we know how it will be done," Wu gasped. "But if he starts turning things evil, the balance will shift and allow the Overlord to cross over into our world," Misako cried.
Onyx's eyes widened. "That's what he's going to do. He's going to send his evil directly into the heart of Ninjago, the most concentrated civilization in the world," she whispered, realizing then and there that the Overlord was more devious and tactical than they had previously thought. Lloyd's eyebrows furrowed in determination. "Then we have to make sure that my father never fires that weapon," he said. "Then let's go," Cole said, starting down the tracks.
The ninja dashed down the tracks, following them through the jungle as quickly as possible. However, it wasn't long before Onyx noticed Dr. Julien falling behind. She ignored the elderly man. They had no extra time to spare. And besides, Zane had dropped back to speak with him. He would make the correct choice. After a moment, Zane caught back up without his father.
"Um, is anyone else thinking about how this might be our final fight together?" Jay asked nervously. "Yeah," Kai said with a nod. "Of course," Zane agreed. "It's all I've been thinking about," Cole admitted. "Yes. I don't want it to end so soon," Onyx said. Kai looked up. "We've come a long way. It wasn't that long ago when Sensei first found us," he said. Jay chuckled softly. "Hey, you remember that time Kai thought he was the Green Ninja?" He asked. A bittersweet smile spread across Onyx's face at the memories in her mind. Baking pies with Zane, racing with Lloyd, training with the others... all of it.
"Or what about when the Hypnobrai hypnotized Cole and we had to fight him?" Kai said. "We should've just kicked his butt," Kai decided. Lloyd smiled and shook his head. "Ha. You had to destroy my treehouse," he said. "Or how about that time Sensei came out of the guts of the Devourer's belly drinking Tea?" Cole said. Onyx wrinkled her nose. That had been so unsanitary. "Oh, that was so gross!" Jay exclaimed. "Yeah. I thought he was a goner," Kai admitted. Wu smacked him over the head with his staff. "Wrong again, Mr. Emptyhead," he said. The words were harsh, but the tone was endearing.
Suddenly a shape dashed in front of them. Onyx skidded to a halt, sending up a small spray of damp leaves. She ignored the other's reactions, looking around for the thing. She sensed a dark presence, but the whole island had that feeling, and it was difficult to pick it out. She narrowed her eyes and concentrated, feeling for the dark. 'There.' Onyx located the presence... directly above her head. She barely had time to leap out of the way as the thing came diving out of the tree in a grey Spinjitzu tornado.
Onyx regained her footing and whipped around to skewer her assailant. What she saw stopped her dead, blade quivering in midair. Nya. Except this Nya was all wrong. The skin was a pale, dusty grey, and the face was gaunt and shadowed, like that of a corpse. Her eyes were a vibrant purple like the color of the... of that dark substance Onyx had seen in Garmadon's camp. What have they done to you?
"Nya!" Jay cried, reaching out to her. Wu flung his staff out to block Jay. "That is no longer Nya," he said. "What have they done to my sister!?" Kai demanded. "He must've used the ultimate weapon to turn her into his own evil image," Misako realized. Nya growled, eyes flicking around at all of them. Onyx recognized that look. It was the one of someone planning out their next move. "Garmadon must have sent her to slow us down. We have to stop them from firing that weapon," Wu said. "I'll go ahead with Lloyd, Wu, and Misako! You handle Nya," Onyx ordered.
"We're supposed to stick together!" Lloyd cried. "We will! We'll catch up as soon as we can," Kai assured him, dodging one of Nya's attacks. "The ninja are right. We must go," Wu said. Lloyd hesitated. Onyx grabbed his arm. "We don't have time to argue. We have to go now," she said forcefully. Lloyd's eyes narrowed slightly, but he listened, following Onyx, Wu, and Misako.
(=^･ｪ･^=)(=^･ｪ･^=)(=^･ｪ･^=)(=^･ｪ･^=)
Onyx ran faster than she ever had before, speeding through the jungle, her three comrades beside her. She led them towards the source of darkness that she could feel. Something so dark its presence pierced through the haze of elemental energy that hung over the island like a thick cloud. She didn't want to get any closer to the energy-she could already feel it permeating every cell in her body. It made her feel dirty, like she was being bogged down in evil.
The four finally reached the source of the elemental darkness, breaking the cover of the jungle and dashing out onto the beach, the grey sand catching their shoes and slowing them down. As they ran, they saw Garmadon, standing in a vast mechanical tank, raise his hand to press a button. None of them knew what that button would do, but they knew it would spell doom for Ninjago.
"Father, don't!" Lloyd cried desperately. Garmadon whipped around. "Lloyd!" He gasped. "What are you doing? Push the button!" An unfamiliar voice rent the air, a harsh, terrifying, grating sound that hurt the ears and struck horror into the hearts of men. Onyx stared, paralyzed as a floating orb illuminated itself in the sky, hovering above Garmadon's head and pulsating with pink and purple colors. She instinctively knew that this was the Overlord. Its presence made her feel ill, both physically and mentally.
Beside her, she could see that the voice had had the same effect on Lloyd. He was fighting to keep his hands from shaking. "So, the balance has sent my son, my brother, my wife, and a child of darkness to try to stop me? It looks like my little surprise has kept the ninja busy," Garmadon growled, glaring down his nose at them. "Don't do it. If you alter the balance, it will allow the Overlord to cross over," Misako pleaded. "The balance will be destroyed, and we will all pay dearly," Wu said.
"How do you know he won't betray you the moment you help him?" Onyx demanded. "Don't listen to them. They're the ones who betrayed you!" The Overlord roared. Onyx shivered. The orb didn't have any discernible eyes, but she knew that it was looking at her. "I don't want to fight you, but I will if I have to. This is about more than just us. This is about what is right," Lloyd cried, his tone becoming guttural with desperation.
Garmadon's eyes flickered with... something. Pain? Regret? "Don't you see? I will never do what's right. The evil in my blood can never go away. It has corrupted every ounce of my fiber, every bone in my body. I am Lord Garmadon. Destiny took my family from me, and the only way for us to be together is to turn everything in this world into my image. Then you'll all see what I see, feel what I feel!" He shouted. Onyx's face darkened as she realized what he was saying. And that there was no going back now. Lloyd's face displayed the same horror that Onyx felt. He, too, realized that they had passed the point of no return.
"It is not too late!" Misako made one last desperate plea, but it fell on deaf ears as Garmadon whipped around and slammed his hand into the button. "You've made your decision, and I have made mine!" There was a moment of silence as everyone waited for the end of the world. Instead, the machine spoke in an automated female voice. "Garmatron warming up. In T-minus 20...19...18...17..." "Warming up? You could've warned me it had to warm up!" Garmadon shrieked. "How could I? You were monologuing," the Overlord spat. 16...
"We still have time!" Onyx whispered. "We have to get to the top and shut it off," Lloyd agreed. He and Onyx gave each other a glance before nodding and simultaneously leaping onto the tank, scrambling to make it to the top and stop the weapon from firing. As they kicked away Stone Warriors, Onyx realized that they wouldn't be able to make it up in time at this pace. "Lloyd!" She cried, dropping into a crouch and clasping her hands. Lloyd realized what she was trying to do and ran for her, leaping onto her hands. As his tabi came down on Onyx's hands, she sprung up, helping Lloyd fling himself up into the air.
As he spun, Onyx tackled another warrior, bringing it crashing down into the sand with her. In her peripheral vision she saw Lloyd land behind his father with seconds to spare. ...6...5...4...3... Lloyd lunged at his father, only for Kozu to appear out of seemingly nowhere and force him to the metal floor. ...2....1. "No!"
They gave simultaneous screams of horror as a missile burst from the tank and into the sky, leaving a dark trail staining the clouds as it flew rapidly out of sight. "We're losing," Lloyd whispered. Everything was spiraling out of control as Garmadon and the Overlord began screaming, "Again!" In tandem, missiles flying across the sky. Onyx gave a pained cry as a blade of agony cut into her head. The darkness was growing strong. Too strong. And it hurt. "The-the balance!" Onyx cried, struggling to process what was happening through the haze of pain.
"Lloyd, you must focus and put a stop to this!" Wu shouted, a fearful note in his voice that Onyx had never heard before. Lloyd gathered green light around his fists, using it to fling Kozu off. He lunged at his father, but Garmadon countered with a roundhouse kick that sent Lloyd flying, landing in the sand at Onyx's feet. She grabbed him and yanked him away, realizing that there was nothing they could do now. They had failed. "Our worst fears," Wu whispered.
"I tried." Lloyd's voice was shaky and weak, like a terrified child's. Onyx wrapped her arms around him, just as much for her own comfort as his. "I know," Wu said softly. "Ngh!" Onyx gave a gasp of pain as the presence of the light completely faded. Now, the only light she could sense was from Lloyd. She focused on that power, using it to keep herself grounded. "It's gone. The light is gone," she choked.
The Overlord's chilling laughter filled the air, whirling around them and boring deep into their ears as the clouds in the sky turned black and began to roil dangerously. "Stop laughing now! This is my victory! What's happening?" Garmadon shouted. The air charged with a dangerous tension. "You've helped offset the balance. Because of you, I can now cross over into your world. I'm finally free!" The Overlord cried, laughter growing even louder. "Wait a minute! You stole that from my playbook! Well, you can forget about it. Ninjago is mine!" He cried. "No. It was never going to be yours. It is mine!" The Overlord snarled.
"Get dowaauugh!" Onyx's hasty warning turned into a scream that matched Garmadon's as the darkness spilled over with a blinding flash of pink light. Her eyes were glued to Garmadon as he began to shake. "Sorry we're late. Did we miss any-holy unholy!" Jay exclaimed as he and the other ninja dashed up in a spray of colorless sand. No one could move as Garmadon began to convulse, falling against the dashboard.
"What's happening to meAAAUUGH!" Garmadon's voice pitched up into a guttural scream of pure agony. The sound of snapping bones filled the air as his body began to twist and warp, changing shape with a revolting, fleshy, squishing sound. His limbs lengthened, the black flesh at the joints tearing slightly, revealing deep maroon muscle. His fingers grew, the metacarpals breaking through with a spurt of blood. His face, with a horrific grinding sound that none of them would ever forget, lengthened, the blackened bone breaking through the skin.
Onyx didn't want to watch this-sight-this-this... horror-and yet she couldn't tear her eyes away. Behind her, she could hear one of the boys vomiting into the sand and someone whimpering. Lloyd's grip on her hand, which he had kept when they dropped to the sand, tightened so much that Onyx could feel her blood vessels breaking. "Wh-what the hell...?" That was Jay's voice, weak, trembling, and barely audible over the pitiful screams.
And then they stopped. "The metamorphosis has begun!" The Overlord's voice split the air once more, but this time, it was coming from what had once been Garmadon's body. "W-what does that mean?" Kai choked. "Metamorphosis is a biological process by which someone or something changes into something new," Zane answered out of reflex, but he was just as terrified as the rest of them. "Yeah... into whatever that thing is," Cole said. "F-father," Lloyd barely managed to force the words from his mouth. He was trembling, eyes wide with shock and horror.
"No, Lloyd. That is no longer your father," Wu said. "But-but the prophecy. I have to face my father," Lloyd said. Onyx didn't have the heart to tell him that, even if his father were still there, his body was too broken for him to ever recover. The looks on the others' faces said the same. "You still must, but now the Overlord has... possessed him. Unlike your father, the Overlord will show you no mercy," Misako said softly, grasping Lloyd's shoulder. "Lloyd, we don't have a choice. It's him or us now," Onyx whispered, squeezing his hand, ignoring the pain in her own.
"You can do this, Lloyd." "We're here and behind you all the way." "He's tough, but you're tougher." "But we have to act before his evil gets more powerful." The others fired off with their own agreements. Lloyd took a breath, steadying himself. He still hadn't recovered from what he had witnessed-none of them had-but he had gathered himself enough to speak. "Okay. Let's do this," he said.
He couldn't quite hide the tremor in his voice.
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Oh boy, body horror ramped up to eleven! Seriously though, that scene terrified me as a kid. It still bothers me now, and I look at necrotocizing fasciitis for fun. I can handle other body horror just fine. I don't know what it is about this that bothers me.
Second Musical of the Day: Moulin Rouge (a raunchy tale of a prostitute who makes a LOT of poor life choices.)