I am thrown forward as our truck skids to a stop. I look up at Samukai, who wears a sheepish grin. I roll my eyes and climb to my feet with an annoyed huff. Glancing around at my surroundings, I smile to myself. We are in the underworld; I am home. I pick up my bow, which has landed a few feet away from me, and follow Samukai to my Father's 'thrown room.' He sits in his chair of bones, waiting expectantly.
"My brother will be here soon. We must be ready. Tasha!" my Father announces, standing up and motioning for me to follow him. I do and he leads me to the corner nearest to the door.
We wait for many minutes. I have only my mask pulled on. My Father told me there was no need for the hood. My bow is held tight in my hand, ready to be used if needed. Just then, Uncle Wu walks in. He gazes around the room cautiously as he makes his way. His eyes linger on the thrown, and for a moment I thought he may have spotted Samukai. He only turns towards us when my Father speaks.
"Brother," he says with an evil laugh.
"Brother," my Uncle replies as he uncovers the Sword of Fire.
"Seize the Sword!" My Father commands.
At his words, seven Skulkins fall from the ceiling to attack Uncle Wu. Without hesitation, my Uncle does spinjitzu, knocking away all the Skulkins that try and attack him. I instinctively notch an arrow, but my father shakes his head at me. I lower my bow back to my side, but don't bother putting the arrow back into it's sheath.
"You'll have to take it from me!" Uncle Wu shouts.
Samukai then waltzes out from behind the bone thrown, the other three Golden Weapons in his hand. "My pleasure!" He hisses.
Samukai lunges at my Uncle, swiping at him with the Scythe. Uncle blocks his blow with the sword before rolling out of the way of his second attack. My Father and I skirt around the edge of their battle until we are back at the throne. My Father takes a seat with a large smile on his face. I stand to his right, an arrow still notched, ready to fire at a moments notice.
"Teach him a lesson!" My Father yells.
Samukai and Uncle continue to battle it out. After a few minutes, the ninja appear at the door way. I raise my bow with the intent to fire upon them, but something stops me. Kai doesn't allow his teammates to go help their Sensei. I lower my bow slightly, confused by this. Why would Kai stop them? Kai's eyes meet mine. They widen slightly with surprise, but quickly turn back to watch the battle in front of us. I lower my bow and turn my attention back to the fight.
Uncle Wu blasts flames out of the Sword of Fire, but Samukai is able to jump out of their way. The Skulkin leader then throws one of the Shurikens of Ice to freeze the Sword to the ground. Wu struggles to pull the Sword free. He just manages it when Samukai smashes the Scythe of Quakes to the ground, knocking him from his feet. The Skulkin then sends a bolt of lighting from the Num-chucks his way which causes him to drop the Sword.
"Bring me the Four Weapons!" My father commands.
Samukai picks up the Sword, pauses a moment, then turns towards my Father. "No! You will obey me now!"
My Father begins to cackle, much to my confusion. The weapons begin to shake and glow in Samukai's hands. He begins to panic. Uncle Wu jumps away from the now glowing Samukai to where his students are standing, bewildered.
"No one can handle all of their power at once!" he yells.
My Father glares at Samukai. "Selfish fool! Did you think I wouldn't plan on your betrayal?"
"What's happening to me?" Samukai asks in fear.
My father gets up from his seat and strides toward Saumukai. I follow him, though I am still very confused. "You've fallen right into my master plan. Not even I can handle all of their power! But now that they're combined, it will create a vortex through space and time, allowing me to finally escape this ghastly place!"
I stare at my father in shock. I had known we'd be using the Weapons to escape, but I hadn't understood how. I watch in horror as Samukai explodes, creating a bright blue swirling vortex. As I stare in awe, my Father pushes me away. I land hard on the ground in front of my Uncle. I spin around on my butt to stare back at the man that had just pushed me away.
"Father would not want you to do this, brother!" Uncle Wu cries.
"Father is no longer here. Good and Evil, there has always been a balance. Where I go, the balance can be destroyed. Soon, I'll be strong enough to possess the Four Weapons so I can recreate the world in my image!" my Father yells back. He then begins to walk towards the portal.
I leap to my feet. "Father no!" I shout as I begin to run towards him. Unfortunately, somebody grabs my arm, preventing me from reaching him.
Lord Garmadon turns to face me, his only daughter. He smiles softly. "You cannot come with me this time, Tasha."
"Why not!" I challenge, still struggling to escape the grasp of whoever holds me.
"Where I am going is no place for a child," he replies sadly.
"I am not a child!" I protest.
He just shakes his head. "You still have much to learn. Your uncle will look after you until I return. Remember who you are. Remember the power you have. When I return, we will both be stronger. When I return, we will rule Ninjago together." With that, he jumps through the portal.
I cant help the tears that begin to roll down my cheeks. He is gone. He left me. He abandoned me. My heart aches and I fall to my knees. Whoever was holding my arm has now let go. I am vaguely aware of the fact that my Uncle and the Ninja have now collected the Four Weapons. I am too upset to care. My father has left me alone. I have nobody left.
"He's gone, but he will return," my Uncle says. I look up at his words. Him and the four ninja stand in a half circle in front of me.
"Then we'll be ready for him," Kai says determinedly.
"And keep an eye out in case he has anymore of his evil plans," the black ninja adds.
"Then I have done my part. The balance has been restored," Uncle Wu declares.
I let out an airy laugh, "Balance." The five men turn their attention to me. I wipe away the tears and glare up at them. "There has never been a balance," I growl.
"What is she talking about?" the black ninja asks with slight panic.
"Yeah. Who is she, Sensei?" the blue one adds.
I chuckle slyly and stand up, pulling off my mask in the process. They are all taller than me, but not by much. I stand on the ledge, giving me a slight advantage over them. If I wanted to, I could easily attack. It probably wouldn't get me far, though. Witty banter is probably the better option. I give them my signature smirk, the same one I used to intimidate Nya, and stalk towards them. They pull their masks off.
"I am Night's Assassin, Mistress of Evil, Daughter of the Dark Lord," I say wickedly, "But you can call me Tasha."
"She is my Niece," Uncle clarifies.
I frown at him. "If you want to put it boringly, yes I am his niece."
"That still doesn't explain what you meant by 'there's never been balance'" Kai says, putting air quotes around my words.
I smile again and lean in really close to his face, so close that I can feel his nervous breath on my mouth. "Wouldn't you like to know," I tease, before swiftly backing away.
"Ooo! Kai's blushing!" the blue one shouts.
"Shut up, Jay!" Kai retorts. The blue one must be Jay.
"Sensei? Shouldn't be leaving here now?" the white ninja asks.
"You are right, Zane. It is about time we leave," Uncle Wu replies with a small nod. The white ninja is Zane.
"But how?" The black ninja questions.
"Wouldn't you like to know!" I chuckle.
"Is she always like this?" Kai groans.
"I haven't seen her in seven years, so, admittedly, I don't have an answer to that one," Uncle replies sheepishly.
"Yes, yes I am," I say with a mischievous grin. "They don't call me Mistress of Evil for nothing."
"Your games aren't evil. They're just cruel!" the black one grumbles.
"Evil and cruel go hand in hand," I reply with a shrug.
"Just tell us how to get out of here, please," Kai complains.
I cross my arms. "How did you get in here?" I ask.
"We took the dragons," Zane answers.
"So how do you think you're gonna get out?" I press.
"The... Dragons?" Jay offers.
"Ding, Ding, Ding! We have a winner!" I shout.
"But there has to be a faster way! How did you get down here?" Kai says, clearly annoyed.
"I rode with the Skulkins, but you're not exactly on their side, now, are you?" I retort with a roll of my eyes.
"Dragons it is then!" the black ninja says, interrupting my glare off with Kai. "Lets just get out of here."
~
The four ninja dropped me and Uncle Wu off at the monastery while they went to go retrieve Nya. During the ride home, I learned that the black ninja's name was Cole, which I guess is good to know. It seems as though I will be staying with them for a while. I glance around the room Uncle has given to me. It is very bright. Pale yellow wallpaper, white bedsheets, light wood floors. It's all very different from my old home. At least there's a proper training area.
This is the exact opposite of what I had expected to happen when we got the Golden Weapons. How naïve of me to think we'd escape the underworld and take over the world all in one day. My father is in a completely different dimension, and I am now living with my enemy. I cant help but dwell on his last words to me.
"You still have much to learn. Your uncle will look after you until I return. Remember who you are. Remember the power you have. When I return, we will both be stronger. When I return, we will rule Ninjago together."
A knock at my door pulls me away from my thoughts. Turning towards the sound, I see my Uncle enter my room. He uses a wooden staff as he walks, though I don't see why. He is one of the fittest old people I've ever known. It seems stupid to carry around a walking stick. Then again, it does serve well as a weapon in case of emergencies.
"I take it you know who your grandfather was?" he says.
"The first Spinjitzu master," I reply, skeptical of his purpose.
"Then you know that-"
"I have his powers? Yes, I know." I say, cutting him off.
"Then you know that you have more power than any other being in this world," my Uncle states. I nod, still not understanding why he's telling me any of this. "But you do not know why your father took you to the underworld."
I open my mouth to reply, but then close it. What could he mean by that? He took me because I'm his daughter and he loves me, right? My father is a manipulative man, though. There is always deeper meaning behind his actions. If there's something about me he hasn't told me, I must know what. I signal for Wu to continue.
"You are not meant to rule Ninjago by his side. You are destined to defeat him. That's why he took you. He wanted to make sure that would not happen," Uncle Wu tells me.
I shake my head at him. "That's not true. He's been helping me to unlock my powers. Why would he do that if he believes I am meant to use them against him?"
"He was hoping that you would be on his side when the time came. He believed that he could manipulate you so that you would use your powers for him rather than against him."
"I.. I don't understand.."
"Tasha, you are the prophesized Green Ninja. You have a destiny that is greater than anything you could ever imagine." He pulls a red bag from behind his back. He places it on my bed and unzips it to reveal the four Golden weapons. "The prophecy states that the weapons will glow for the chosen one. Approach the weapons, Tasha."
I stare at my uncle for many moments, shocked. Everything that he is telling me is crazy, but at the same time it makes sense. It explains why my Father would take me and not my brother. It explains why he encouraged me to embrace my power. It's why he raised me in such an evil environment. He believed in this prophecy and he did everything in his power to change it. I take a shaky breath before looking at the Weapons. They are about to determine my future. It's quite terrifying, actually. With a glance towards my Uncle, I approach the weapons. Nothing happens.
~
And that is the end of the pilot episodes! I'm going to be honest, I already have the entirety of season one written... so instead of updating once a week, I think that, starting next week, there will be two chapters a week. Tell me what you think about that! Until then, Wacky AWAY!
Word Count: 2352