Written by: dxganronpa
The sight was almost unreal to them.
Kai took a step back, his eyes widened. Jay was just as shocked, ready to say something but his words came out empty. Zane stood there, baffled and taking a deep breath. Cole let out a tsk, but was in shock like everyone else. Nya gasped, putting a hand over her mouth and holding back tears, and Red let out a choked sigh, eyes wide.
Lloyd did the one thing that brought everyone else back to reality and screamed. With tears running down his cheeks, he screamed for the girl he loved as he pulled her body into his chest.
"Mia... Mia, no!" Nya cried, Jay taking her into his arms. But he was just as scared and worried and full of crazy emotions as the rest of the team, tears stinging all of their eyes.
"How could she do this...?" Kai mumbled, furiously wiping at his eye. "Kill one of her own..."
"She's not really gone, right...?" Cole asked, hopeful—even though he knew the dreaded answer.
"Cole, she is right in front of us!" Zane frowned deeply, shaking his head.
"There's gotta be something we can do, something to wake her up..." The earth ninja shut his eyes tightly, letting out a shaky breath. "I just..."
"Cole... she is gone," Red told him, his arm on the wall and his head hung low. He didn't know Mia for very long, he didn't know any of them for long—but she didn't deserve to die, especially in the way she did.
"I'm gonna hunt her down..." Kai shook his head, clenching his fist.
"Kai, what do you—?" Zane began, but the fire ninja angrily cut him off.
"That's not the real Scarlett! She would never kill our friend like this... I'm taking down whatever's controlling her and bringing her back!"
Red lifted his head, looking over to him. "He is right about one thing... that is not my sister. At least, not anymore... but the shadow that was once inside her is now gone."
"I'm tired of hearing everyone say that... I know deep down she would never do this. And she's fighting, I can see it... we can still bring her back—!"
"There is no bringing her back!" Red snapped, his hand on the wall clenching into a fist from reflexes. "Whatever dark being within her has consumed her completely... she may as well be just as gone as Mia."
"Don't say that. Don't!" Kai scowled, stepping over to him. "I know she's still in there! I'm gonna make their damn leader pay, because they're the ones who just killed my friend!"
"Kai, stop it... just stop." Nya sniffled, lifting her head to face her brother. "You're gonna hurt yourself just as bad."
"Does it look like I care? We came here to bring Scarlett back and get rid of those shadows for good—this wasn't supposed to happen!"
"I'm with Kai." Cole stepped forward, closing his eyes for a few seconds and letting the tears dissipate from his eyes. "Mia was a friend to all of us—no way I'm letting her die in vain."
"Are you even hearing yourselves right now?" Jay shouted, shaking his head. "Think of what you're saying... we're nowhere near prepared!"
"There must be a way to defeat them. I refuse to believe there isn't." Zane shook his head, a determined look on his face.
Lloyd was getting fed up with hearing his teammates argue. Just as he was about to scream at them all to shut the hell up, he felt a tap on his shoulder.
With red and puffy eyes, he looked up at a surprised Red. "What... what is it?"
"Strange..." The magic user eyed him, almost squinting. "Lloyd, your eyes. They've become a strange golden color."
"What...?"
Red now bent down to be level with him, staring down at the redhead and then back at the green ninja. "Is it possible she...? No, that is..."
"Red, if you know something, spill it."
Now the others were listening, circling around the two. He didn't want to give their hopes up, but it was worth a shot based on what he was seeing.
"Lloyd, if you use her powers to heal her wound... perhaps there is a chance of saving her."
Lloyd's eyes widened and he flinched. "Are you serious? I don't have her powers!"
"But he's right... your eyes are golden instead of green," Zane pointed out. "He said there is a chance—I believe you should take it."
"We can bring Mia back? Lloyd, don't even hesitate!" Jay shouted.
Lloyd looked down at the pale girl, breathing softly. He had to admit, he felt a little strange, but he never would have thought she passed her powers onto him.
And if it would bring her back to him, he'd risk it all.
"Okay..." Lloyd sniffled, unwrapping his arms from around her waist and laying her on the ground. He then put his hands on the fatal wound on her stomach, closing his eyes and doing what she always did when healing others.
A light then emitted from his fingertips, leaving everyone around him surprised. The wound on Mia began to heal, and slowly, the light disappeared as the remaining power left Lloyd's body.
And then, a cough left the redhead.
She coughed, sitting up and forcefully opening her eyes. "Guys...?"
At first, everyone stood there, shocked. But then they all smiled, seeing their friend was back.
"Um... are you all okay?"
Lloyd couldn't stop the wide smile on his face as he engulfed his girlfriend in a hug, tears of joy now running down his face. "Mia, you're okay...!"
She didn't care how tight he was holding her. She wrapped her arms around him, smiling softly. "I could never leave you like that. I'm here, now."
Everyone cheered, happy that their friend hadn't died. That she came back and everything seemed like it was alright again, even for a second.
"God, we all thought you were a goner!" Jay let out a sigh of relief, Nya hugging him tightly with a bright smile.
"Technically, I was..." Mia smiled a bit, shaking her head. "If I hadn't given the rest of my powers to Lloyd..."
"As good as the situation was, how was there even a remainder of your powers left?" Zane questioned, putting a finger on his chin in thought. "Scarlett had taken every ounce that was left in you."
"You know... I don't think so." When Lloyd had finally released Mia, she smiled down at her hands—powerless as she was now, she still felt strong. "I have faith that she was still fighting. She wouldn't dare hurt me, but now that she's been changed... yeah, it's different, but she's still in there somewhere."
"Well said." Kai smiled, crossing his arms. "She's still in there, somewhere... and maybe that's exactly why she left some power in you. That's what I wanna believe, too."
"Would you look at that?" Cole chuckled, running a hand through his hair. "She still manages to surprise us."
Mia looked up at Red, who had a frown on his face and was staring at the ground. "Hey... I mean it. You might not have faith she's still in there, but we do—I do. And I plan on doing everything to make sure she comes back."
Red lifted his head a bit. "Those are some big words."
"And I mean every one of them." She now stood up, and although a bit weak, managed to place a hand on his shoulder despite the obvious height difference. "We're gonna get through this. I know it."
And now he smiled, shaking his head in amusement. "You are one very, very confident girl, Mia."
"Well, confidence is something we all need, especially in a situation like now." Lloyd got to his feet as well, nodding to the magic user. "I agree with Mia—Scarlett is our friend, too."
"And we will not hesitate to do anything to get her back and destroy these things, once and for all." Zane stepped forward.
Jay did the same, smiling confidently. "No matter what the situation is, if we have faith, then we will get what we want."
"And that, my friend, is your sister. You just have to believe, like the rest of us," Nya agreed.
"She may not look the part right now, but she's a Ninja. And we never leave a Ninja behind." Cole stood next to the others as they all stared at Red.
"You all..." Red began, his voice trailing off. Care so much.
Kai finally stepped toward him, a confident and determined smirk on his face. "Back on the Bounty... you were right. And that's why I plan on doing everything to get her back. No matter what, I'm making sure I see Scarlett again."
Seeing the hand he extended, Red firmly took it and smiled. "All of you... thank you."
"Now, let's go get her back," Mia demanded, turning her back to the group.
Scarlett... if you can hear me, I want you to know that we're coming for you. And we're gonna save you... that's a promise.
* * *
Scarlett held the knife to her chest, which held the elemental power of light. She opened her eyes, revealing dark brown irises for a few seconds, and smiled.
I hear you, Mia. And I'm glad you're okay.
A call to her made her eyes flash back to purple and she shook her head, placing the knife back in its holder. She looked up, seeing the queen walking toward her.
"You've succeeded in obtaining her powers... I'm proud of you, my child."
"Thanks." The dark-haired teen smiled, pulling the knife back out and holding it out for her mother. "She put up a fight, I'll give her that much. But she wasn't enough for me."
"None of them are, dear..." The queen smiled evilly, taking the knife and observing its features, a small light emitting from the point. "Without her power, she and her friends will be unable to defeat us."
"And Ninjago will be ours," Scarlett finished, the same sinister grin on her face.
The two walked off, assuming the worst fate for the Ninja—but they had no idea they would be putting up a fight.
* * *
Mia led the team out into the hall, ready to find the queen and end this for good. She was even more determined to bring her best friend back.
"Okay, they're bound to be on the other side of this door," she spoke softly, not wanting to get caught by any lurking shadow. "Are you guys ready?"
"Let's blow this popsicle stand," Jay said with a smirk.
"Hm..." Red looked behind him, almost hesitant.
"You alright there?" Cole asked.
"Yes, just... I feel like something is off. We have not been attacked by any shadows on the way here... nor did we have to sneak past any."
"Don't worry, you'll feel much better when we win this fight once and for all." Lloyd shot him a determined grin.
Without waiting another second, Mia kicked down the door and ran in with the group, expecting them all to be there.
But upon seeing the empty room, the team stood there, dumbfounded.
"Uh, what the hell?" Cole lowered his ninja mask, raising an eyebrow. "Where the hell is everyone?"
"We probably have the wrong room. I mean, this place is huge!" Jay suggested, him and the other ninja also lowering their masks.
"No..." Red stepped back out into the hall, looking left and right. "Unfortunately, that is not the case. I was worried about this."
"Worried about what?" Nya asked. "You sure know a lot more than you let on."
"The shadows... they've all left. They're gone."
"What do you mean, gone?" Kai had widened eyes. "Like, they just walked out of here?"
"Precisely."
The voice of the queen startled everyone, making them whip their heads around. There she sat, atop her throne-like chair, smirking deviously at the ninja team.
"You... where is Scarlett?" Red clenched his fist, glaring at her.
"Oh, your dear sister isn't here. If that's what you all came here for, then it was a waste. She's come home."
"You're wrong!" Mia shouted. "Scarlett's not gone—she never will be. You just have her under control."
"I'll admit, I did have her under control for some time. But now, she's acting all on her own," the queen told her. "There's morning you can do now to save her."
"Not if we have anything to say about it!" Just as Kai was about to attack, the queen held her hand out, her dark powers forming over his head. In just a second, his eyes fluttered shut and he fell unconscious.
She did the same with everyone else before they could even think of fighting her, each member of the team dropping one by one. Mia scowled, trying to stay awake for as long as she could, but even that attempt was in vain.
"N- No... I can't fall now..." she told herself, fighting off the power.
The queen stood, walking over to her and lifting her chin with her finger. "Mia Brooklyn, dear... it's time you rest. All will make sense when you wake up again."
"N- Never!" She yanked herself away, falling on her back without realizing it.
But the redhead looked up to see Red pushing the queen down, removing the power from her head as she didn't yet fall unconscious—the others were down, the power already getting to them.
"Oh... right. The shadows' powers don't affect you... because you have the same magic." The queen sighed, rising to her feet.
"Are you alright?" Red asked Mia, turning around.
"I... I think so." She nodded, shaking her head and standing up. "Yeah, thanks!"
"Fortunately, I have other tricks up my sleeve."
Without another word, Red felt something pierce his neck and he winced, placing his hand on the spot. When he looked down at his fingers, there was blood on them and he felt his mind going blank.
"No, Red!" Mia cried, ready to rush to his side to help him—only to realize she didn't have her powers to heal anymore.
"What a pain..." Scarlett mumbled, fanning out the small pin she made from her dark powers.
"As for you..." The queen placed her hand on Mia's head, glaring down at her. "I'm going to make this hell for you."
And without a second to fight back, the redhead felt her head spinning. Pain shot throughout her entire body and she let out a cry before her mind also went blank and she fell unconscious.
Once seeing the entire team down, the queen let out a sigh of relief. "For a second I thought those two would have managed to... distract me. I really did forget the powers your brother possesses."
"I gained control of their ship—the rest of them are waiting. You didn't come, so I got a little worried..." Scarlett admitted.
"And you were right to—thank you." Her mother smiled, looking down at the fallen group. "Now... let's get them aboard. Let's show them what's become of their beloved city."
* * *
When Mia opened her eyes, the first thing she did was move around. Only to find out that she couldn't because she was tied up.
"What the hell...?"
She looked around, seeing the others tied up as well. They slowly stirred before waking up and coming to their senses.
"Mia," Lloyd spoke up, looking over to her. "Are you alright?"
"Y- Yeah, I think so... but we're all tied up. The last thing I remember is..."
"Getting knocked out by some sort of spell," Cole finished. "I can't believe she managed to hit us all in one shot."
"Well, not all of us..." Mia found Red tied up at the end of the line, although he was still unconscious. "Scarlett came in last second and knocked him out with something different... he was bleeding bad."
"Zane, you got any idea on what to do from here?" Jay asked, hopeful.
"For once... I am at a loss," the nindroid answered with a frown. "We could really use more of his knowledge."
"Oh, you don't need anyone's knowledge."
They all looked up to see a smiling Scarlett walking toward them—although she was far from who she was before, her purple irises almost shining. "Think about it. Where are you right now. Come on, you know this."
Nya looked at their surroundings, being the first to answer with widened eyes. "We're on the Bounty..."
"Right! And can you guess what I'm about to do?"
"Scarlett... this isn't you." Kai frowned up at her, gaining her attention. "Please, hear us out..."
"You know, I'm tired of hearing people out. Let me be leader for once, yeah?" She sighed, crossing her arms. "Now, I just wanna show you this before I move on. It'll be great, I promise."
She then let the dark power flow from her fingers onto the wrists of all the ninja, the magic becoming Vengestone. On Mia, Red, and Nya, there were just regular chains.
"Okay, now stand up."
"Why should we listen to you? You knocked out your own brother!" Jay shouted, scowling at her.
"Because—" Scarlett walked over to him, holding her hand out and letting a knife form from her powers. "—I fucking said so."
She then stabbed the knife into his upper arm, earning a shout from the blue ninja.
"Jay!" Nya cried.
"Now, are you gonna listen or am I moving on to the next one?" Scarlett stepped over to Nya, trailing the knife down her cheek slowly. "God, she's so pretty... I would hate to ruin such a face."
"Don't touch her!" Kai shouted.
And as soon as it happened, Scarlett froze. She felt her mind changing again, her coming back. In a split second, her eyes changed to dark brown, Kai being the first to notice.
"Scarlett...! You're still in there, fight it!"
But she looked to Jay, frowning deeply. "I'm so sorry... I didn't mean to...!"
"Fight it, Scarlett!" the blue ninja cried, shaking his head at her. "We know you're in there!"!
"Scarlett, please..." Mia frowned up at her friend. "I know you can do it! Break through and come back to us...!"
And she tried, she really did. But her eyes were flashing from purple to brown and she held her head from the pain.
"I... I can't!"
Her teammates continued shouting for her, but it only seemed to make it worse. She then shouted, "Enough!"
Her eyes were purple and she angrily slashed her knife across Nya's face, the latter crying out. She glared up at Scarlett despite the blood falling from the scratch on her cheek.
The dark-haired teen panted, gripping the knife tightly. "Not again. I'm not letting that happen again... and I'm not repeating myself."
"You're a monster..." the samurai spat.
"Nya..." Jay glared hard at his former friend—of course not wanting to see Nya harmed anymore than she was, he rose to his feet, forced to ignore the pain and the blood dripping down his arm, the rope around him already falling off, and walked to the rail of the deck. He stared out at the city, his eyes widening as he let out a gasp.
"What? What is it?" Lloyd asked.
Scarlett smirked triumphantly, seeing as one by one, the ninja got to their feet and stared out at the city. Their expressions soon turned to the same one Jay had—despair.
She walked over to her brother, who had just begun to stir. "The city you once lived in is gone. Your mother, also gone... and the one last remaining family you have left, me... you'll never see her again. You're all alone."
Red only scowled, trying to remove himself from the chains. "You are despicable. You are not the sister I once had."
Scarlett laughed, twirling her knife. "No, you're right. I'm better. But I guess you don't wanna see the city, then..."
She stepped over to the ones standing, unable to control the grin on her face. "So, how's the view?"
"I... there's no way..." Cole said with shaky breath.
"Our city..." Jay's eyes were widened, mouth agape.
"How could we let this happen...?" Zane questioned, just as shocked as his teammates.
Mia whipped her head around, fear written all over her face. "This... this all has to be a dream..."
"Nope! This is what's supposed to happen."
Ninjago City, now with its darkened sky, was overrun with shadows. On every corner, every street, the citizens were replaced with the dark beings. Any person left was forced to run, hearing their screams every once in a while.
"Well, I'll leave you all to it. It's not like you can do much, anyway." Scarlett pointed to the chains and Vengestone on their wrists. "I love seeing the looks on all of your faces... ciao!"
She then left, making her way to the Bridge. The queen stood there, watching through the large glass window. Hearing her daughter enter, she smiled. "You've become ruthless."
"Oops. I may have gone a little overboard..."
"No matter, dear. Because we've finally achieved what we've been working for all this time." Putting an arm around the dark-haired teen, the queen stared out at the city with a wicked grin. "Ninjago is finally ours."
Scarlett nodded, and as her mother laughed evilly, she began to as well.