thanks for much for 1k views! seriously, you guys make my day
They were back in their current hideout, a scrappy little hut that had seen better days but stood firm nonetheless. Kind of like the Resistance itself, ironically.
Screams echoed down the streets as the Sons of Garmadon tore their way down the river.
"It's chaos out there," Nya reported as she entered the shack. "But we're safe for now." The shouts became muffled as she shut the door behind her.
Lloyd, who'd finished his ramen a while ago but had been waiting not-so-patiently for Mystake to finish her tea, spoke up. "All right. We've all had our fill. Now, are you gonna tell us how you turned into a rat?"
Mystake took one final sip of tea, setting down the empty cup at last. "Ahh. The rat is easy! How about this?" She morphed into Master Wu himself.
The Resistance collectively gasped.
"Not too shabby for an old woman." Mystake shifted back into herself and giggled cheekily.
Lloyd finally realized, "You're an Oni!"
"But we were told that Oni are dangerous and all they want to do is destroy!" Dareth exclaimed.
"We are," Mystake said darkly. "You don't want me on your bad side."
"How did you get here?" Nya wondered. "When-"
"During the time of legend," guessed Lloyd. "When she crossed over in pursuit of the First Spinjitzu Master. When he fled the Realm of Oni and Dragon."
Mystake hummed in confirmation. "You listen well, Master Garmadon. Since your grandfather was born of both worlds, our mission was to follow him into this realm and turn him to our side! Or destroy him. But he wouldn't serve. And I fell in love with this world he created," she explained. "My fellow Oni wanted to complete our mission, but I turned on them, and I have helped the First Spinjitzu Master ever since. Did you ever wonder how Master Wu and Garmadon have lived so long? It is our Oni blood."
"How have you kept this secret for so long?" asked Skylor.
"Transformation is a powerful ability," Mystake replied.
Lloyd frowned. "But if I'm part Oni, why can't I do that?"
"Transform?" Mystake assumed. "You've been doing it all your life! From a bratty child to the destined Green Ninja and now to our great leader of the Resistance. But to endure your father, you must transform again."
"Into what?" Lloyd pressed.
"There is but one final step for you, young Master. Have faith," told Mystake. "You will figure it out."
ଘ(੭ˊᵕˋ)੭* ੈ✩‧₊
Y/n remembered it all.
Chasing after Cole before he could go off to train with Master Wu. She'd grabbed him by the sleeve and refused to let go until he told the truth as to where he was going (which was definitely not Marty Oppenheimer School of Performing Arts, for the record).
All those days left on the Bounty with Nya while the boys split up to race the Serpentine to the Four Fang Blades. Of course, Nya had been sneaking out as Samurai X whenever Y/n wasn't looking. And when Nya was gone? Y/n was training furiously to earn her keep on the ninja team, swinging around the ship's mast and diving off to catch anchor. Even then, she'd had a thing for jumping overboard.
Then there was finding the green ninja, sailing to the Island of Darkness, and the Final Battle. Charging in against the Stone Army, wielding her signature twin blades, Y/n had joined her brothers in battle for the first time. Once Dareth had the Army subdued, Y/n had escorted the green ninja up the winding staircase up Borg Tower.
The rest of her life came as a whirlwind. Discovering that she was the master of wind, getting lured to Chen's island, meeting the master of amber and learning that the wind refused to answer to those it had not chosen to tame it. How everyone had scrambled to protect Ninjago from the army of imposter-condrais. Tracing Ronan down in the city of Styx, selling their shares of Wu's tea shop, and racing Morro to the tomb of the First Spinjitsu Master. They'd lost. Nya uncovered her ability to control water and came in clutch to sink the Preeminent in Devil's Trench. Losing Wu to the clutches of time.
Y/n was back to training to the bone as the ninja searched every corner of Ninjago for their master. The only thing that'd saved her from self-destruction? A friend.
The Royal Palace's bombing. Getting kidnapped by the Sons of Garmadon. That hollow feeling of vengestone on her wrists. Escaping and crashing down through the canopy of Primeval's Eye. Fighting through Harumi's vortex to stop her ritual, which ended up succeeding anyway. The state of emptiness that vengestone caged her in again, except paired with the heartbreak of betrayal.
Then losing it all.
Her memories.
Her powers.
Okay, so maybe she didn't remember everything. Y/n frowned, tugging at her hair in frustration. What was she missing? Why had it not come back? What was she forgetting?
She shook the feeling off.
You have to get back to your friends. Who knows what they've gotten themselves into.
ଘ(੭ˊᵕˋ)੭* ੈ✩‧₊
After hours of cruising over the dunes to put distance between them and Iron Baron, the ninja and company were taking a break. Jay chugged water from a leather flask.
"I'm parched," groaned Kai. "And you drank my water!" He snatched the flask from Jay's hands.
Jay laughed humorlessly. "Your water? That's my bag!"
"Hey! You said we were sharing it!" Kai protested. "It's already half gone!"
"I'm the only one? Zane had a little!" Jay accused.
"Zane doesn't need to drink!" Kai pointed out. "Admit it! You're a water hog!"
Jay sighed. "Where's Nya when-" Faith marched up to them, dragonbone blade in had. "Whoa, whoa, hey, hey!"
Kai threw his hand up in surrender. "Careful, careful . . ."
Faith surged forward, the boys jumping out of the way in fear. She sliced the cactus that'd been behind them before they moved, revealing the water inside of it. "Now we all have water."
"Thanks!" Kai called as Faith walked back to the speeders.
"Thanks, Faith!" Jay turned to Kai. "We're sharing that, y'know?"
Faith sighed. "How you have survived this long is beyond me."
A little further off from the group, Wu stared off into the distance. "You know, eventually, Master, you're gonna have to tell her you don't know where the Dragon Armor is," Cole said.
"My father told me to have faith," Wu responded. "Then we meet a person named Faith the same day! Not a coincidence."
"But that was a dream!" countered Cole. "What if you're wrong? What if there is no armor? What if you're leading us to . . . to something worse?"
Wu shook his head. "I choose not to focus on that."
"It's hard to admit when you're wrong, but it's harder to do what's right," Cole lectured. "And you've never taught us to take the easier path. Now, I know you have faith, but you also have a responsibility to tell her the truth."
"There's great trouble behind you," Wu warned.
Cole frowned. "Don't go making this about me-"
"No, there's great trouble behind you!" Cole finally glanced over his shoulder to see a battalion of gas-guzzling vehicles coming at them at top speeds. A massive cloud of dust kicked up in the brigade's wake.
"Uhh, guys?"
Faith narrowed her eyes at the nearing jets. "Baron's Hunters. We need to go." She grabbed her hat and they set of on their speeders.
Jet Jack was the first to reach them. "Always knew you were a defector!" she called down to Heavy Metal.
More speeders pulled up beside the ninja. Arkade's slot machine rolled up with three chain symbols. "We won!" Jay exclaimed. Arkade shot a length of chain around Jay and Zane's jetwing. "Uh, maybe we lost." Not a moment later, their other wing was snagged as well. Jay sighed. "Definitely lost."
Zane tried to steer loose, to no avail. "I can't break free," he reported. "Prepare to reverse."
"What? If we reverse at this speed-" Zane slammed the brakes, causing the speeders that'd been flanking them to swing forward and crash into each other. "We did that! Ha-ha! Let's see what you've got."
Faith prepared to swerve, alerting Kai, "Hold on." She steered to dodge Chew Toy's chains, letting them fly past her and toward Jet Jack's speeder instead.
"Ha! We did that!" Kai celebrated. Jet Jack ditched her speeder, metal wings unfolding. She shot into the air by jetpack. Kai sweatdropped. "Which isn't much."
Zane's unnaturally blue eyes widened at the sight of a relaxing ice dragon. "Uh-oh." The ground rumbled as a dozen jets roared past it. The dragon growled in annoyance and bolted after the vehicles.
Cole stared at the charging creature, frozen in fear. "Uh, guys?"
Faith didn't miss a beat. "Switch." Kai swapped placed with her, taking the drivers cabin. "Lose it in the canyons," she advised. They sped into the rocky maze, weaving in and out as the ice dragon galloped after them. "Steady," Faith ushered. She fired with impeccable aim, chains encircling the dragon's legs. It crashed to the ground, taking down the Hunters with it.
"All right! We're home free!" Cole noted in a relieved tone.
Wu glanced up at the sound of blaring engines. "Spoke too soon." Jet Jack dropped from the sky and onto his and Cole's speeder. She began to swipe at Cole through the open bars of the cockpit.
"Hey. Come on," he chided. "Get out from there. A little help?" Wu switched on her jetpack, sending her shooting backwards. "Ha! Nice work!"
Wu grinned. "Just taking responsibility."
The roads now clear, Faith had settled down. "Where to, son of Spinjitzu Master?"
"An easier path," directed Wu. "This way."
Faith nodded. "We'll follow you."
ଘ(੭ˊᵕˋ)੭* ੈ✩‧₊
The sky was a dusky grey as Faith and Co. pulled up to a line of impaled dragon skulls. Faith shivered in the ominous air that surrounded the place. A frown settled across her face. "Are you sure it's this way?"
"Well, we're not going back, 'cause then it'll be our skulls on pikes," Jay pointed out.
"Think before you answer, Master Wu," whispered Cole. "You have a responsibility to at least do that."
Wu was conflicted for a moment before deciding to continue his facade. "Yes. The Dragon Armor is this way."
Faith sighed. "I was afraid you'd say that."
"Afraid?" Kai echoed. "Heh. You don't look like the type of person who'd be afraid."
"This is Oni land," Faith explained. "As long as we stay on our side, they will stay on theirs. But we need the Dragon Armor."
"Need? Pfft. "Need" is such a strong word," Cole tried to brush off. "There could be other ways of getting home."
"Gaining the Firstbourne's trust so that her Dragons can ferry us home is the only way back to Ninjago," informed Zane, much to Cole's dismay.
"How dangerous are these . . . Oni?" Wu asked.
"Dangerous enough that when Iron Baron and his bravors crossed this line to get the Dragon Blade, he was the only one to come back," told Faith. "Oni have a dark magic about them, a destructive magic. They are like nightfall, consuming darkness. After the stories Baron told us, we know better than to search these lands." She looked back at Wu. "Are you sure the Dragon Armor is this way?"
Wu faltered after hearing her tale. "I think so?"
"Do not let fear guide you," Faith pressed. "Your first instinct is usually correct. We must go before it gets dark," she decided.
"After you, Master."
They gingerly drove onto Oni land, waiting for demons to pounce from the shadows and tear them to shreds. The fog was thick as they traveled at a hesitant pace.
"It's a dead end!" Cole whispered worriedly, recalling every other time he and his brothers had been met with a "dead end".
Jay tried to ignore his comment. "So these Oni," he mentioned. "If they're shapeshifters, how do we know when we see one? I mean, how do we even know one isn't already pretending to be one of us?"
Kai scowled at him. "Oh, zip it, Jay."
Jumpscared by a silhouette in the murky darkness, Cole cried, "Oni!"
Kai reacted with record-breaking reflexes, hurling a fire ball at the figure. "It's a statue."
The group went on in tense silence before coming to a mass of ornately carved stone. "A gate," Zane deduced.
"To an Oni stronghold," Faith informed. "But it's open." She began to gravitate towards it.
"Um, should we be walking toward it? I really thought we'd be walking the other way," Jay said nervously. His concerns were met with unimpressed glares. "Zip it. Duly noted."
They cautiously entered the Oni stronghold, ancient gate creaking as they pushed it slightly more open. The stronghold itself must've been breathtaking once upon a time, but now its great stone pillars had crumbles. All that remained were rubble and dust.
"One thing you forgot to tell us about Oni: they're slobs too," Kai remarked.
Cole wondered, "Where is everyone?"
"Wherever they are, they haven't lived here for centuries," Zane concluded from the ruined architecture.
Faith was fuming. She kicked a chunk of rock clear across the courtyard. "That liar! All this time, he lied to us," she spat bitterly. "It was just a story, made up."
"Uh, what are you talking about?" questioned a puzzled Kai.
"Iron Baron. He made us believe this was Oni land." Faith waved her hand at the mess around them. "No one has ever seen one because look around. They're all gone."
"But where did they go?" Jay pondered in a hushed voice.
Faith was too busy venting her frustrations to hear. "Argh!"
"He used fear to control you," realized Kai.
"He wasn't enslaving Dragons. He was enslaving us!" Faith cried. "How could I have been so stupid? Is any of it true?" She whirled around to stare Wu dead in the eyes. "Is there even the Dragon Armor?"
Cole nudged the young master. "I think she's asking you."
"I . . ." Wu's gaze fell to the cracked ground beneath them. "I don't know," he admitted at last.
"Don't know? Don't know?!" Faith mimicked. "Do you know how much I sacrificed to help you? If we can't get out of here and Iron Baron finds me, he-he'll . . . Argh! Why did you tell me you knew where it was?"
"My father told me in a dream I must have faith. Then we found you. I still believe we will find it, even if you don't," Wu said firmly.
Faith turned away from him, unsure of who to be mad at anymore. She began to abuse the door.
Cole squeezed Wu's shoulder comfortingly. "I know that was hard to do, but it's better to admit the truth than carry on a lie."
"Even if we never get home, the least we can do is raise you up to be the person you raised us to be," Jay agreed.
Kai sighed. "It's a shame about the armor. I was starting to believe in it myself."
"We all were," Zane said.
"Look." Wu pointed at the door that Faith was currently pummeling.
"Ah, it's sad, really," Jay droned. "She has a lot of pent-up issues to resolve. That's what can happen when you're born in a cruel world."
"Not her," corrected Wu. "The gate." He walked up to the gate, which looked about ready to collapse in on itself like a house of cards.
Faith kicked it repeatedly. "No, no, no!"
"Do you mind?" Faith stood back in shock as Wu pushed the doors closed, revealing a map of the First Realm.
Kai placed his hand on a familiar golden symbol. "The Dragon Armor . . ."
"It's in the nest of the Firstbourne . . ." Cole breathed. Silently, he realized: That must be where the dragons took Y/n. The stars were finally alining.
"It's . . . real . . ." Faith muttered.
"We have faith. Now we have a map," Wu finished. "I told you."
ଘ(੭ˊᵕˋ)੭* ੈ✩‧₊
By the time Y/n returned to the main cave, its dragon residents were wise awake. They watched her curiously and even stepped out of her way, giving her a wide berth. Y/n, puzzled but just glad that they weren't coughing smoke at her, walked on.
She decided that if she wanted answers, Stormbringer was her best bet. Not that dragons spoke Ninjagoan, of course. This was going to be a difficult conversation.
Stormbringer found Y/n before she found her. The energetic wind dragon landed in the empty lane that stretched before Y/n (courtesy of the social distancing dragons). The ivory animal's head lowered, which Y/n took as a request for head pats. She rubbed Stormbringer's snout, feeling the coolness of her scales beneath her skin. Stormbringer felt nothing like Rocky, who had more leathery of scales. Y/n smiled at the memory.
It felt so good to know.
"Stormbringer, right?" Y/n tried. The dragon chortled in confirmation, unsurprised that this human knew her name. "Why am I here? Why didn't you bring my friends?"
Stormbringer tilted her head cluelessly.
Y/n sighed. "Sorry, I know you probably don't understand."
The green-eyed dragon suddenly perked up. She nudged Y/n with her snout, then flicked her tail towards the center of the cave. It was by far the brightest part of the den, being lit by the massive natural skylight. She bounded off. Y/n followed on significantly shorter legs, but considering that speed was her strength, she managed to keep up.
Her heart panged with that feeling again. The feeling that something was missing. The feeling that green eyes brought her.
She brushed it off and screeched to a halt. It turns out that the cave's heart hosted a deep pit, a single strip of rock half-bridging over it. A set of golden armor sparkled in the starlight. Stormbringer pushed Y/n onto the bridge. She chittered in an alerting way.
The cavern shook as a massive vermillion dragon rose to her claws, towering over Y/n and blocking the skylight. On the inside, Y/n was about ready to take a nosedive off of her rock platform, but she tried to remain calm. It helped that the night wind was whispering to her in reassurance.
She won't harm you.
ehem so like this except i can't draw and i didn't look up a firstbourne reference so please have mercyyyyyyy
Firstbourne had to dip her head to observe the human before her, snorting a plume of smoke. Her emerald eyes (there they were again, so familiar) seemed to stare into the depths of Y/n's soul, and maybe they were. It felt like eons later that she backed away with a satisfied purr. She curled her wings and looked down her snout at the girl expectantly.
Y/n, who managed to be just as socially awkward with dragons as humans, stammered out a, "Hello . . . m-ma'am? Miss Firstbourne? Missus Firstbourne . . ?" She internally screamed. How are you supposed to address the mother of all dragons?!
Firstbourne snorted in disappointment.
That question rang in Y/n's ears yet again, loud and clear: who are you?
So there Y/n was, introducing herself to the first dragon in the first realm. She took a deep breath, swallowing her nerves. "I am Y/n L/n Brookstone, peach ninja and master of wind."
Firstbourne nodded contentedly. All throughout the cave, dragons bowed their heads. Y/n watched in awe. Were they doing this for her?
A memory surfaced in her mind. Back when they'd lost Zane and she'd worked at Mystake's shop, the elderly lady had said, "Dragons are the creatures that ride the wind, and you are the master than tames it. Naturally, every master of wind before you has had the respect of dragons across the realms."
Now Y/n was standing in the First Realm, having no idea where she was but finally feeling like she knew who she was. She was the master of wind and so much more. A sister. A comrade. A student. A warrior. A leader.
Firstbourne awaited her questioning.
Y/n shook her head. "No, it's alright. I know why you brought me here. Thank you."
The scarlet dragon bowed her head, a gesture that Y/n was now familiar with. She stroked Firstbourne's ruby red scales, which were worn by the powers of time but still polished and sharp. Y/n's forehead met Firstbourne's (moana vibes are real), and she was taken away into a vision.
A vision of her stranded friends, now with a new ally, on their way to Firstbourne's nest. Y/n, overwhelmed, flinched away from the contact. The scene cut out. She regained her bearings and sighed.
"I guess they're fine on their own," she concluded. "But while I'm here . . ." She nodded in thanks to Firstbourne and turned to face the crowd of bowing dragons.
"Has anyone around here seen an Ultra Dragon?"
ଘ(੭ˊᵕˋ)੭* ੈ✩‧₊
Ninjago's citizens scrambled to hide as the Sons of Garmadon tore down their street. Killow grabbed a fleeing man in his fist.
"The Green Ninja. Have you seen him?" The man shook from terror but didn't respond. Deciding that he was worthless, Killow tossed his aside and into the river.
"Who can tell me?" Harumi roared, knowing that behind all the barrels and around the corners hid the people. "I know you're hiding him!"
Dareth had been watching through the slats of their blinds. "They're here, he gasped. "And they brought Harumi."
"We need to leave," Nya said urgently.
Skylor started grabbing their few belongings. "I'll pack our things."
Lloyd stopped her, shaking his head. "No. No more running. It's time to change things up."
A mischievous grin spread across Mystake's face. "And what were you thinking?"
ଘ(੭ˊᵕˋ)੭* ੈ✩‧₊
Two citizens whimpered as they were cornered by the Sons of Garmadom. "The Green Ninja. Have you seen him?" Killow demanded. The man shook his head.
Harumi narrowed her eyes. "He's lying. Make him tell the truth." Before her goons could press the defenseless Ninjagoans, a whistle caught their attention. The source was "Lloyd", crouched on the roof above them.
"Don't let him get away!" Harumi ordered.
Killow tried to pursue the nimble "ninja", landing on a boat on the river. The boat began to skew off into a tributary. He stared, puzzled, at the boatman. "How are you driving the boat?"
Nya smirked, her signature mole peeking out from beneath her hood. "I have my ways."
Two grunts chased "Lloyd" into an alleyway, turning the corner to find only a rat on the ground. "Huh? Where'd he go?"
The rat scampered behind a pile of trash bags. Mystake stepped out a moment later, much to the bikers' surprise. "Were you expecting someone else?" she asked innocently.
Skylor came up from behind to knock them out. She flashed Mystake a thankful smile.
In yet another alley, Harumi wandered in search of the green ninja. She surveyed the area for even a trace of him. From the roofs above, a voice came. "Those who cannot change, cannot change anything."
Harumi's gaze rose to see the green ninja himself. "Lloyd. You speak of change, but look what you've become. Nothing but a beggar in rags."
"You took my friends from me, so I took yours."
The Resistance surrounded her.
"Who's the beggar now?"
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i'm trying to stall y/n until wu and baron come along, is it obvious? 🥲