#Jayson Leonardo Gaudjoso

[shinobis-of-ninjago-au]

Shinobis of Ninjago

Episode 1: Rise of the Snakes

Prologue Pilot 1 Pilot 2 (Episode 1, Part 1, Part 2, Part 3), Next Episode

((Tw: Violence))

Months later, the world of Ninjago seemed more at peace. Not many knew of the Dark Lady's existence or the fact that she had left the realm, but it was a strange coincidence that everything seemed to calm down. The hectic elections had ended, domestic disputes seemed less, and gang violence was low, even Skylor seemed more relaxed. This also meant that the four shinobis were very, very bored.

Skylor and Jay had moved into the Monastery, leaving the weapons-smith shop to be maintained by the neighbours and farmers. They had been renting it out to people, making a steady income every month.

Jay had healed up well, his bandages were gone and he was now able to leave the monastery by himself (Skylor had made sure he was always in her sight). He now wore bracers on his forearms, something that their mother would often do. Before he had moved, he spoke little Ninjargon, but he had improved quickly, speaking only occasionally in broken sentences. The only change Skylor noticed in him is he was tired most of the time and would spend the days in his room sleeping or reading.

It was now early Winter, meaning the heat-lamp in the dragons' stall had been set up and there were candles lit around the monastery to keep it warm. The fireplaces were alive with burning wood and crackling with the approaching holiday season. The ninja were also excited to have their new winter yorois, or what they called a 'dragon riding suit'. It was almost the same as a regular ninja-yoroi, but it was water and wind resistant and the ninjas wore thermal clothing underneath.

Today was a warmer day, as it was still early in the season. There was the faintest amount of snow on the ground at the base of the mountain, but lots piled on top of the monastery. The ninjas sat together playing video games, Jay was nestled in his room reading, and Mystake sat in front of her incense sticks, meditating.

Soon, the shouts from the kunoichis reached her ears, disrupting her meditation. It continued for a few more minutes until Mystake stood up, having had enough of the shouts coming from the game room. She wandered the halls of the Monastery, looking at the sparse decorations Seliel had put up for one of her countries' holidays.

Mystake stopped outside of the game room, the shouts from before now louder and more clear. Sighing, she pushed them open and was greeted by a bright blue light from the television. Pop bottles, candy wrappers, and pizza boxes lay around the room, the ninjas seated comfortably in beanbag chairs and the overstuffed couch.

"Fantastic! I'm outta lives." Nya complained, hitting more buttons on her controller to get back in the game.

"But the lesson lives on." Pixal said, holding her controller at an awkward angle. "And I am getting the hang of it!" Though she had spent months with the others, she still wasn't very good at video games, unlike Skylor who had picked it up right away.

Mystake moved through the room unnoticed, surveying what they did in their free time and frowning. Suddenly, the lights turned on and the screen went black. The kunoichis looked around in confusion before spotting Mystake with the remote in her hands.

"It took us three hours to get there!" Seliel exclaimed, throwing down her controller and sinking into her beanbag chair.

"Why would ya do that? Why!?" Nya demanded.

Mystake put down the remote on the wrapper-strewn coffee table. "Just because a Lady Misako escaped through a vortex, doesn't mean she won't return one day for the Golden Weapons." She lectured.

"But Master Mystake, ever since she has been gone Ninjago has had nothing but peace." Pixal stated.

"Yeah. Peace is borin'. There's no one ta' save, nothin' ta' do." The scout added, stretching back and putting her hands behind her head.

"Yeah, we can train tomorrow." Seliel said, reaching for another slice of pizza.

Mystake kicked the box away, ignoring Seliel's gasp of betrayal. "Never put off till tomorrow what can be done today."

"Well, I was going to call that cute boy I met last week." Seliel said, reaching for her phone. "If that's the case—"

"No dates for you." Mystake said, plucking the phone from the girl's hands. "You four will spend the rest of the day in the indoor training room until supper, and then meditation until lights out."

"Uh, remember when we did a little thing called the 'Tornado of Creation'? I thought that was pretty cool." Skylor reminded her.

Mystake sighed, looking around at her students. "You four have merely scratched the surface of your full potential. There are still so many secrets you have yet to unlock. You haven't even begun to tap into what powers your weapons hold."

"Ya wanna talk secret powers?" Nya asked. "Check this out. Pix, do the thing." Pixal nodded and picked up her Golden Weapon. Extending her whip, she flicked it against the TV. The black screen flickered to life and the four picked up their controllers, re-starting the game.

"Don't get your robes in a bunch," Skylor assured her, "we'll be ready when she decides to show her face."

Jay appeared in the doorway, a piece of paper in his hands. "You need to stop jinxing self." He turned to the rest of the girls. "Lady Misako spotted approaching Jamanikai Village." As soon as he said the words his eyes widened and he looked down at the paper in his hands in disbelief.

The four girls blanked. Then the room erupted into chaos. There was swearing, grunts of pain, and shouts as they scrambled to find the tops of their yorois, weapons, and hoods.

Once everything had been located, they rushed out of the room, stumbling down the halls until they reached the staircase along the western wall. Their footfalls echoed through the narrow staircase as they raced down to the Dragon Stalls. Soon, they were hit with a new wave of heat from the lamp nestled in the top of the cavern.

The Dragon Stalls had been carved into the mountain, long before Mystake recruited the ninja. There were eight red doors, each one painted with the symbol of the element represented by a weapon. The doors of Fire, Time, Sound, and Earth remained vacant.

The dragons were sprawled about, but once they heard their masters coming down the stairs, they got up and went to stand in front of their respective doors.

The ninja burst into the cavern, and Nya, having the dragon closest to the wall, ran over and pulled on four separate levers. Saddles dropped from the ceiling, supported by chains. They were lowered onto the dragons' backs and the ninja unhooked them and began strapping the girth under their bellies.

Pixal's dragon, Byte, let out a roar as she pulled it too tight. Seliel swung her leg over the saddle. Hearing the clang of metal, she looked down, seeing her staff on the ground.

Jay walked up to Skylor, who was fastening a bag to her dragon's saddle. "Can I help?" He asked hopefully.

"Sorry, Jay Bird. Where we go danger abounds. I don't want you getting hurt, especially not by her hand." Jay let out a sigh of disappointment, even though he knew his sister was only trying to protect him from what happened last time. Skylor threw her leg over the dragon's back, only to pause. "Uh, a little help?" She asked, bending down and making grabby-hands at the reins.

Jay bit his lip and handed the reins to his sister. Pixal turned to Mystake and nodded. Mystake, who was standing by the levers, pulled the biggest one and the doors fell forward. The kunoichis cheered and took off, leaving Jay and Mystake to watch them fly off.

"Will they ever reach full potential?" Jay asked.

"In time," Mystake replied. "Maybe long time, but in time."

—————————————————-

"Just like old times, eh, Misty?" Seliel said, patting her dragon on the side of the neck. They hadn't been out riding their dragons in days, leaving the beasts to become very restless.

"You guys believe what Sensei said about our full potential?" Skylor asked a few minutes later. "I mean, we have the weapons, the skills, what else could there be?"

"We've never had ta' use the weapons, besides for our own personal gain. I wonder wha' they do." Nya said.

"I for one, look forward to the future." The kanchō said. "If there is more for us to accomplish, let it be."

"I don't know about you ladies, but is anyone else a little excited about facing Lady Misako? I've been looking forward to trying out some new spinjitzu moves." Seliel exclaimed. "'Could be the perfect opportunity."

"Ha ha, race ya'll there?" Nya challenged as she surged forward. She heard shouts behind her as her teammates struggled to catch up. They soared above the clouds and kept an eye out for Jamanikai Village, not wanting to fly past another village like they have in the past.

Jamanikai Village was located close to the Monastery, not more than a fifteen minute flight. Nestled in the South-Eastern Mountain Range, it was a quiet village, maybe only two hundred people. But it was a popular tourist spot in the summer, especially for those who lived in cities.

Soon enough they spotted the village through the clouds. Pulling their dragons into a dive, they raced forward, crashing into a deep snowbank just outside of a small cluster of shops and houses. Climbing out of the snow, the four brushed the snow from their yorois and began digging out their dragons. They then sent them on their way to fly around the village until called upon, a way of keeping them warm.

Skylor watched her dragon, Amber, take off before turning to her teammates, throwing a fist up in the air. "Yo fui la primera!" ('I was first!')

Nya whipped towards her. "No, no one was faster than me."

"Nuh-uh! My feet were down before yours."

"You are all disillusioned, it was clearly me." Pixal argued.

They were reminded of their reason for being there once they heard a scream from within the village. Putting their argument on the figurative back-burner, they got out their weapons and made their way into the village.

All the doors were closed tightly and curtains were drawn. The village almost seemed like a ghost town, empty except for the occasional face that would appear in a window. The ninja knocked on a door, hoping to get any direction to where Misako would be. A brave man pointed to the next mountain over before wishing them good luck and closing the door.

The ninja set out through the village until they reached the bridge that connected the to the next mountain. The next part of the village was even quieter than the last, if that was possible. The ninja slowly made their way down the cobblestone streets, keeping an eye out for any suspicious activity. They stopped in the heart of the village where a fountain was located.

They paused when they heard a little girl's giggles. Immediately getting into a fighting stance, they turned, facing the fountain. A small figure emerged from behind, dancing along the fountain's outer ring and singing softly.

"...Don't wake up or else you'll find a spider in your mouth." The figure paused, looking up at the four kunoichis. She stood up straight and smiled. "Finally, another human." She threw her hands up in the air. "I demand all the candy in town!"

Skylor dropped her stance, sliding her sai into their scabbards and placing her hands on her hips. "Uh, who's that?"

"Harumi Garmadon, Misako's daughter." Seliel groaned. "Looks like she escaped Darkley's again."

The doors around the small village began to open up, faces peeking out curiously. Harumi smiled at the bigger audience. "Give me candy or else I'll release the Serpentine on you!" She pulled out a can and after struggling to get the lid off, held it out to the street before her. A few rubber snakes jumped out, landing weakly on the ground.

"She's going to have to do a lot better than using an old bedtime story to scare people." Skylor said as she picked up one of the snakes. She let it drop as Seliel stepped forward to go get the young girl.

"The Serpentine are real, Skylor, and they are not something to joke about." Pixal informed her.

"¿Serpentina, real?" Skylor scoffed. "We're talking about the ancient race of snake-people who once ruled Ninjago and were supposedly locked underground."

"Sealed in five different tombs to separate the warrin' tribes, and insure they don't unify to exact their revenge on those who put them there." The teisatsu babbled.

"It's an old wives tale to teach kids not to poke their noses where they don't belong." Skylor said, waving her hand. "Don't you think it's a little suspicious no one's ever found one of their tombs?"

"That's because you'd be a fool to look for one." Seliel said as she walked back to her teammates, a screaming girl thrown over her shoulder. "If there was anything I hated more than dragons, it was snakes. Rubber or not."

"Bow down to me, or suffer my wrath!" Harumi threatened, pounding her fists on Seliel's back. "I'll give you the count of three! One! Two!"

"What are we supposed to do with her?" Skylor asked.

"Two and half--"

—————————————————-

Harumi screamed, struggling against the cloth that bound her to a chair inside a grocery store. "You've just made me your nemesis! Mark my words!" She glared at the ninja who were picking up groceries for their own home.

"Relax, young one." Said the one in purple. "Your boarding school is sending someone to come pick you up. You can wait here until then."

Harumi huffed, turning away. The ninja paid and left, but the orange one remained, walking over towards the girl. She pulled something out of one of her pockets, holding it out to Harumi. Harumi turned to her, looking down at the lollipop that was being held out towards her. The orange kunoichi removed the wrapper and gave the girl the piece of candy.

"Crime doesn't pay, niña. Next time try paying for your candy."

And with that, she was gone.

[shinobis-of-ninjago-au]

Shinobis of Ninjago

Pilot 2: Ruler of Shadows

Prologue Pilot 1 (Pilot 2, Part 1, Part 2, Part 3), Episode 1

((Tw: violence, blood, injury, mild language, death))

After checking each other over and finding minimal injuries, besides Nya's face, the three returned to their camp. They packed up what little of their belongings the Skeleton Army had left intact and set off towards the Amber Temple.

When they reached it forty-five minutes later, they dropped their packs at the start of the bridge. Crossing over, they stopped at the doors.

"Skylor?" Seliel called. "Sensei?"

Pixal removed her hood, frowning as she stared at the temple. "The Sai of Absorption were here, as well our friend, but I only sense loss." She said, sitting down on the steps that led up to the door. "The elemental weapons have left this realm and are now in the Underworld."

Seliel groaned and flopped down. She removed her zukin, pulling at her pink hair in frustration. "The one place no mortal can cross over."

"We might not be able to cross over, but I know someone who can."

The three turned around, seeing that the doors had been cracked open, a person clad in orange leaning on them for support. Skylor smiled weakly. "Hey."

Nya jumped up, running over to wrap her arms around her teammate. She stopped about halfway, pointing to the figure hanging limply at her side. "Who's that?" She asked.

"Señoras, I'd like you to meet my brother, Jayson Guadjoso."

Seliel was on her feet and beside Skylor in seconds. She lifted up Jay's chin, inspecting his face before calling the Purple Ninja over. She removed Jay from Skylor's arms, handing him to Pixal. "He looks pretty bad. His pulse is weak. See what you can do and we'll drop him off at a hospital."

Pixal nodded, taking Jay to where they dropped their packs, hoping they had medical supplies that would help him. Seliel turned back to Skylor. "Not really the way I envisioned meeting your brother."

"Yeah, well, I didn't really envision becoming a ninja."

"Touché." Seliel patted Skylor on the back as she went to join Pixal in taking care of her brother.

Nya floated over to Seliel. "I was right."

Seliel turned to look at her. "About what?"

"Someone related to Skylor has to be attractive."

Seliel blanked before bursting into laughter. "Let's just hope he's nicer. And speaks Ninjargon." Seliel muttered under her breath. She knew how hard it was to learn a new language.

"I doubt that. Guadjoso siblings: pretty and feisty."

"You should get that engraved on something."

"I'm thinking 'bout it." She left Seliel's side to stand next to Skylor who was watching Pixal clean out the cut on Jay's face. "Ya said you knew someone who could get us into the Underworld?"

Skylor turned around and let out a sharp whistle. There was the sound of flapping wings as a dragon shot out of the volcano. It landed next to Skylor, staring curiously at the other three shinobis.

"Are you insane!?" Seliel shrieked.

"Once she realized we were trying to protect the sai, she actually became quite a softie." Skylor explained, patting the dragon on the nose. "I'll take her and run to Ignacia with Jay. I'll come back to get you guys and we can go get the weapons."

"There's not enough room for all of us on that... thing." Seliel stammered.

Skylor hummed. "Y'know what? You're right." Seliel let out a sigh of relief. "But I got a way to fix that."

Skylor pulled Nya and Pixal up onto the dragon's back. Jay was nestled in between Nya and Skylor. Seliel, however, refused to go near the dragon. Instead she went back to the Horse Carriage. She leaned against it as she watched the other three take off.

A few seconds later she fell backwards, her back hitting the floor of the wagon as she was lifted into the air. She peered over the edge, seeing the trees getting smaller and smaller. She took note of the large talons gripping the sides and the large wings flapping overhead.

"Skylor!" Seliel yelled. "What the hell are you doing?!"

Skylor's face appeared over the dragon's side. "Taking my brother to the hospital."

"Put me down!"

"Okay."

The dragon released its hold on the Horse Carriage, Seliel screaming as she plummeted towards the ground. Suddenly, she stopped. Looking up she spotted the dragon, Skylor smirking evilly and her teammates trying to stifle their laughs.

"Ha, ha, very funny. Now I know why you're the agitator. Let's just get to Ignacia so I can stand on the ground again." Seliel buried herself far in the corner of the wagon for the rest of the long flight, refusing to converse with her friends.

Instead of stopping at the weapons-smith shop, they flew past it into the closest village, Scarleton. The citizens in the parking lot scattered as the dragon lowered itself onto the asphalt. The ninja dismounted, and started heading for the door. They attracted a lot of attention, not only from the dragon but from the shinobis, as such warriors hadn't been seen in Ninjago since before the Serpentine Wars. (But it was mostly the dragon.)

A doctor rushed out, wanting to see what all the commotion was about. When his eyes landed on Skylor he rushed back inside. He soon re-emerged with a team of nurses and a stretcher. They took Jay and immediately took him inside, leaving Skylor at the front doors to fill out paperwork. When she was done, Pixal was waiting for her by the doors.

"Where's Seliel and Nya?"

"They wanted to get Nya's cheek checked out. She got hit pretty bad." Pixal eyed Skylor up and down. "We should get you home and clean you up." Skylor opened her mouth to protest. "We will know the second Jay wakes up. Come."

Climbing onto the back of the dragon, they took off, traveling the mile to the blacksmith shop. The dragon was left in the yard as the two ninja went inside.

Half an hour later, Skylor's ribs and wrists had been bandaged and they were sitting in the main shop when a knock sounded at the door and the phone rang.

Pixal stood to get the phone as Skylor opened the door. Seliel and Nya entered, immediately sitting down and sighing from exhaustion. Skylor took note of the Horse Carriage in the yard and thanked them for bringing it back.

They heard Pixal thank the person on the phone and hang up. All heads turned to her.

"Your brother's alive, lots of cuts and bruises, broken ribs, fractured ankles and wrists, dislocated arm." She paused, looking as if she didn't want to say something. "They had to jumpstart his heart. They said it was nothing like they've ever seen, like his life was sucked out of him."

Skylor's face went white as she slowly sat down. Shaking her head, she puffed out her chest. "I know mi hermano, he'll be okay, he's stronger than he looks. Misako's going to get the crap beat out of her though." Her teammates nodded in agreement. "Alright ladies, rest up, we have a big day ahead."

————————————————

At sunrise, the four stood outside, rested, bellies full, and with a new determination: to avenge their sensei, retrieve the weapons, and save the continent of Ninjago.

Climbing atop the dragon, they raced to the Western Coast, the Eastern Mountain Ridges, and the Forest of Second Glances.

Around ten o'clock in the evening, they were flying above the clouds, wind in their face and clouds above their heads.

"I hate this!" Seliel screamed as she clung to the dragon that had been guarding the staff. "I hate this!"

"Stop being such a baby." Skylor said. "This is awesome!"

"Yes, this is quite fun." Pixal agreed.

Nya squealed in surprise and enjoyment as her dragon did a barrel roll. "I think I'm going to call him Tsunami." She exclaimed.

"So how exactly do they cross over to the Underworld?" Seliel asked over the sound of rushing wind.

In response, the dragons pulled into a nosedive. They pulled their wings in and spun at rapid speed. Nothing seemed to be happening and the ground was getting closer with every second. The ninja closed their eyes and braced for impact that never came. Instead, there was a blinding flash of white light and a sudden stillness.

When the ninja opened their eyes, they gasped in amazement. They were racing through tunnels, little balls of purple and red light floating in the air and crystals of all colours reflecting the light.

"Is it over?" Seliel asked, hands still over her eyes.

"Nope!" Skylor replied. "Chica, you gotta see this."

Seliel carefully peeked through her fingers before letting her hands drop, staring in awe at the scenery around her.

Minutes later they reached an open cavern. The dragons skidded to a halt and collapsed on the ground, the journey seemingly having taken a lot out of them. The kunoichis dismounted, gazing around the cavern.

The little balls of light were still floating, and torches were mounted on the walls. The air seemed filled with static that only seemed to increase as they went deeper underground. They walked for a while longer, occasionally ducking behind something when a skeleton passed by. They walked through winding tunnels until they reached a cavern similar to the one they had landed in. The chamber was massive in comparison and dropped off into something resembling a main foyer.

On the opposite side of the cavern, there lay an entrance to a headquarters of some sort. Guards were positioned all along the walls, grips tight on their spears.

"They're expecting us." Skylor whispered. "This is now a pure stealth mission. Keep quiet from now on. We're going to hide ourselves down in the next cart and they're going to give us front row seats to kicking Misako's culo."

"Hey, I'm the leader. I give the orders." Seliel said.

"Okay then. What are your orders, all great and powerful Phantom Ninja?"

Seliel paused. "Do exactly what Skylor said. Stealth. Cart. Kicking Misako's butt."

They waited for a few minutes until the next cart arrived. Two guards were escorting it to be handed off to another two waiting on the platform of the elevator. As soon as the first two guards left to go get the next cart, the ninja sprung into action. Slipping into the cart before the other two could notice them, they took cover in crates and barrels. Skylor and Nya shared the biggest one, as they were the smallest. Pixal and Seliel had taken refuge in separate barrels.

The elevator ride was painstakingly slow. The cart jostled around as it was rolled off the platform and onto the hard rock.

Pixal peered out of a knothole in her barrel, seeing guards lined along every inch of the wall. When they neared the entrance she pulled back.

"Nothing gets through without inspection. Dark Lady's orders."

At that moment, the four shared the same thought, though it was Skylor who voiced it.

"Shit."

Pixal's crate was opened first, but she was waiting. "Nighty-night, bonehead." With a smirk on her face, she punched the skeleton with all her might, it flying backwards and out of the cart.

The other three stood up, a stupidly big grin on Skylor's face. "That was the most badass thing I've ever seen you do."

Pixal smiled, not quite sure if it was a compliment, but took the konran's expression as a good sign. "Thank you."

Seconds later the kunoichis found themselves surrounded by armed guards. "I count twenty boneheads to every one of us," Seliel said. A smile donned her countenance. "And I like those odds."

"Any ideas?" Skylor asked minutes later. She snap kicked a skeleton. "I'm all ears."

"What about the Tornado of Creation?" Nya yelled back.

"But it could destroy us!" Pixal reminded them.

"I'm getting those weapons or I'm going to die trying." Skylor said. "Who's with me."

Seliel hesitated before nodding. "Let's do this."

Quickly spinning into their spinjitzu, the four took down as many skeletons as they could. They began to be pulled together and knowing that it might be the end, they closed their eyes.

"Ugh, does anyone else feel like they jumped off a ten story building and landed on concrete?" Skylor moaned. There were three other consecutive groans as the kunoichis got to their feet. When Skylor finally decided to get up, she was met with three faces grinning obnoxiously. "What?"

"You love us." Nya drawled happily. "You loooove us."

"What?" Skylor spluttered. "No—I don't know what you're talking about."

"Mystake said we needed a bond strong enough so we wouldn't be destroyed. Ti nas voliš." ('You love us.') Seliel cooed, matching Nya's tone.

Skylor looked down. "Yeah, maybe, so what?" She mumbled. She grunted as she was embraced by the three. "Okay, we've established I like you guys. Can you let go, though? Bruised ribs and all." Her teammates let go, apologizing.

"Hey, did anyone see where the boneheads went?" Nya asked. At the sound of muffled shouts and angry grunts, the four turned, seeing that the army had been locked up in some sort of cage made from the elevator and the entrance to the base. The ninjas smiled and gave each other high-fives.

Pixal smirked and pulled up her hood. "Let's go get those weapons."

A lone figure stalked through the Skeleton Army base. They were not a skeleton, for they had muscles and skin. They wore white robes, which were soiled and torn.

They carefully made their way through the hallways, ducking out of sight when anyone approached. Not having a destination in mind, they soon found themselves at the heart of the underground base.

The room was darkly lit, a simple chair made from bones in the center and the far walls black with shadows.

"Sister." A quiet voice greeted. "It is so nice to see you again. When was the last time? Eleven years ago, correct?"

"Sister." Mystake growled. "I thought controlling the Skeleton Army would be beneath you."

"Oh, it is. But they do make loyal minions." Misako paused. "Tell me, how are your little kunoichis? The one seems to have behavioural issues. She was very mouthy the last time we met. I would... love to fix that."

"You will not lay a hand on my students."

Misako let out a little laugh. "Students? Is that what you're calling them now? Such a high ranking name for lowly puppets, don't you think?"

Mystake narrowed her eyes. "You will not talk about my pupils that way." Mystake's eyes finally adjusted to the dim lighting and she could make out a figure lounging in a throne, robes draped loosely off her body and a warrior's helmet resting on the arm of her throne.

Misako waved her hand. "Yes, yes. The boy was useful though. I must thank you for handing him over to me."

Mystake flinched, Skylor's face flashing in her mind. 'Because of you my brother is gone.' 'You let him get captured.' 'Your fault!' " What do you want, Misako?" Mystake hissed.

"You already know what I want. But your head would be a nice bonus." Misako snapped her fingers, Samukai appearing from within the shadows. "Seize the sai, and if you can, get rid of my sister. Her voice is starting to annoy me."

Samukai bowed. "With pleasure, Mistress." Three weapons were handed to her from skeleton slaves in the shadows. Samukai stepped out, seemingly admiring the three Golden Weapons in her hands. "One more to complete the collection."

Samukai began to circle Mystake, searching for a weak spot. Stopping at the right side of the woman, she lunged forward with the trident.

Side-stepping the attack, Mystake grabbed Samukai's arm and twisted it behind her back. Samukai kicked backwards, hitting Mystake in the knee. The Sensei gasped, letting go and stumbling back.

"Why don't you use the sai, Mystake? They would no doubt help you in your dire situation." Samukai teased.

"And let you see their perfection? Never."

Samukai growled before lunging forward, this time with the bo-staff. Mystake was hit square in the chest, and fell to the ground. Samukai came at her once again, the white-clad woman somersaulting out of the way. As she got to her feet, she was hit by something sharp in her back. She fell forward onto the ground, a pair of feet appearing next to her.

Samukai kicked her over onto her back, coiling the whip in her hand. She bent down and reached inside Mystake's pack. Pulling out the sai, she stood up, turning to her master.

"What have you done?" Mystake croaked, the pain in her back growing.

"What needed to be done." Misako answered. She held out her hand. "Bring the weapons to me."

Samukai looked down at the four weapons in her hands. "No." She began slowly. "You will obey me now. I hold the power."

Misako threw back her head and cackled. Four different coloured figures stumbled into the room and she laughed harder. The four ran to Mystake who was laying on the floor, her robes becoming even more soiled with red.

The one in orange looked up Misako, her eyes narrowing and catching the light. "You. You're going to pay for what you did to my brother you—!"

Mystake reached up, grabbing the pant-leg of her student. She shook her head and Skylor stepped back, not taking her eyes off Misako.

"Remind me to deal with you at a later date." Misako said. She turned to Samukai who was staring down at the weapons in her hands, a bright golden light creeping up her bones. "No one can handle all their power at once." Misako reminded her. "Selfish fool. Did you think I wouldn't plan on your betrayal."

"What's happening to me?" Samukai exclaimed as the glow began to encase her neck.

"I've had you under my heel this entire time. You and your army were simply pawns. Not even I can handle all their power! But now that they are combined, it will create a vortex through space and time, allowing me to finally escape this ghastly place."

Samukai screamed out as the golden light encased her face, beams of light shooting out of her eyes and open mouth. There was a blinding flash of light and she was gone, the weapons laying on the ground along with her armor.

A bright portal appeared, spinning with silver, white, and golden light, the edges crackling with electricity. Misako stood from her throne, placing the helmet on her head. She walked down the few steps to the main level and stopped in front of the portal.

"Mother would not want you to do this, sister." Mystake reasoned.

"Mother is no longer here, sister. Good and evil, there has always been a balance. Where I go, the balance can be destroyed. Soon I will be strong enough to posses the four weapons, so I may recreate the world in my image." She paused, looking Mystake in the eye. "You, you were always her favourite."

With that, she was gone. The portal disappeared and the weapons lay on the ground, long forgotten. The static, which had seemed so strong before, was now gone, leaving the Underworld feeling even darker than before.

"She is gone, but she will return." Mystake winced as Pixal pressed a cloth against her back to try and stop the bleeding from the wound caused by the whip.

"Then we'll be ready for her." Skylor claimed, picking up her sai and tossing the weapons to their rightful holders.

"Then I have done my part. The balance has been restored." Mystake sighed and closed her eyes, a smile on her face.

————————————————

The five raced through the skies, happy to be out of the gloomy place that was the Underworld. Mystake was seated behind Pixal as they flew towards Ignacia. Instead of stopping at Scarleton, they continued towards the weapons-smith shop.

Skylor landed first, and was already dismounting by the time her friends had even reached the yard. Skylor looked around, now that there was light outside she could see that the neighbours had tried to fix up the yard as best they could. At the sound of a door creaking open, she turned, her face so bright it could rival the sun.

Their neighbour, Mr. Mathews stood there, pushing a wheelchair. And in that wheelchair was Jay. "Skylor!"

"Jay." She breathed.

Skylor ran over to him, wrapping her arms around his torso. His left arm was in a sling and all of his wrists, ribs and ankles had been bandaged. His right temple had been covered and all cuts taken care off.

"¿Qué te tomó tanto tiempo?" ('What took you so long?')

Skylor let out a small laugh and wiped her tears away. "Primero tenía que convertirme en ninja." ('Had to become a ninja first.')

"La naranja se ve bien en ti". ('Orange looks good on you.')

"Te extrañé." ('I missed you.')

Jay paused at the sudden topic change before wrapping his right arm around her, bringing her in closer. "Yo también te extrañé. Nunca más te vayas por tanto tiempo." ('I missed you too. Never leave for that long again.')

Skylor pulled away. "No puedo prometer eso. Ella regresará, y quiero poder protegerte." ('I can't promise that. She will return, and I want to be able to protect you.')

"Ya me has protegido." ('You've already protected me.')

"¡Casi te matan porque no pude ocuparme de unos estúpidos esqueletos!" ('You were almost killed because I couldn't take care of some stupid skeletons!')

"Casi. Estoy aquí para ti y no en el Inframundo." ('Almost. Because of you I'm here and not in the Underworld.') He wiped her cheek and smiled up at her. She smiled weakly back and he brought their foreheads together.

Skylor took a deep breath, overwhelmed. She pulled away from Jay, giving his hand a squeeze.

Jay smiled. "¿Te importaría decirme quiénes son porque me saludan como si me conocieran y no quiero ser grosero?" ('Now, do you mind telling me who they are because they are waving at me like they know me and I don't want to be rude.)

Skylor laughed, thanking their neighbour who was already headed down the path and taking control of Jay's wheelchair.

"Jay, saluda a mis hermanas".

[shinobis-of-ninjago-au]

Shinobis of Ninjago

Pilot 1: Way of the Ninja

Prologue (Pilot 1, Part 1, Part 2, Part 3), Pilot 2, Episode 1

Ignacia was known for the beautiful rice fields and small villages that dotted the region. Perhaps one of the most popular stores to visit was nothing more than a tiny weapons-smith shop run by two teenagers. It was about a mile outside of the nearest town, but the journey was worth it for the beautiful handcrafted weapons. The store was very traditional, only hammers, chisels, and other simple tools were used to make the products.

The shop was run by siblings, both under the age of fifteen. The eldest, a red-headed girl who was known for her temper, was the age of fourteen and was responsible for supplying for their small family.

Her brother, a thirteen year old boy, was a magnificent mechanic. If it was broken, he could fix it. From cars to toasters to computers, he knew his way around machines.

Today was a quiet day for the blacksmith shop. It was days like this that the siblings loved. They would work for hours on orders and fill up the stock. The girl was bent over an anvil, hammering a piece of steel. She had been at it for a while now, perhaps an hour.

She lifted up the sword she was creating and plunged it into the barrel of water behind her. The steam barreled up as she held it there before dissipating. She pulled the sword up in the air triumphantly before sighing, her confident stance dropping. The metal had cracked, meaning she had to start over again.

The boy looked up from where he was working on a outboard motor for a boat, wiping sweat from his brow. "Lo hiciste demasiado rápido, Skylor. Ten paciencia, si papá todavía estuviera aquí, diría--" ('You made it too quickly, Skylor. Be patient, if father was still here he'd say–')

"Lo sé, lo sé. 'No importa cuántos materiales tengas, la experiencia no es algo que aprendas de la noche a la mañana'. Eso puede funcionar para ti, Jay, pero voy a ser un mejor herrero que papá." ('I know, I know. 'No matter how many materials you have, experience isn't something you learn over night'. That may work for you, Jay, but I'm gonna be a better swordsmith than dad ever was.')

Skylor had been so caught up in her failed sword, she hadn't noticed a woman enter the shop. She caught the attention of the siblings when she spoke.

"Your metal is loud and heavy, useful to slow one down, useless in the art if stealth." They looked to the figure standing next to a display of helmets they kept next to the door. Her white robes were spotless and she had a wide-brimmed straw hat pulled down over her face. She tilted her head curiously. "All tools for a samurai. But nothing for a ninja?"

"Ninja?" Skylor scoffed, putting down the sword and quickly switching to Ninjargon. "You're a long way from finding a ninja in these parts, old woman. And the shop is called 'Four Weapons' not 'for browsing', either buy something or go peddle your insults somewhere else."

The woman looked up at the redhead, revealing shining grey eyes and a wrinkled face. "Too bad, thought I'd find something special here." She said as she exited the shop.

Jay made a motion with his hands for Skylor to do something. They needed good reviews if they wanted to keep putting dinner on the table.

Skylor ran to the back of the store and returned a few seconds later with a sword in her arms. "If it's something special you're looking for, let me show you-" She trailed off, looking for the woman who had been roaming the store.

"Qué es?" ('What is it?')

"Ella era sólo--olvídalo." ('She was just–forget it.') Skylor said, returning the engraved katana to the back of the store.

—————————————————————

The sun was just beginning to set as the rice farmers finished filling their last buckets of the day. On the horizon purple and black clouds formed, racing towards the town. The farmers looked up with curiosity, as there wasn't supposed to be a storm until later this week. Large vehicles soon came into view, the designs far from anything the people of Ignacia were used to. They stopped a kilometer away from the blacksmith shop.

They seemed to be humans at first glance, but underneath all the armour they wore, you could see rib bones, in fact, you could only see bones. They were skeletons, with piercing red pupils in their eye sockets.

"Oh, let me go first! Please, oh, please! I'm dying to go down there!" One of the skeletons in the largest vehicle pleaded.

"You nit-wit you're already dead! Try to control yourself in front of Mistress Samukai!" Another snapped. She cleared her throat and turned to the largest skeleton. "Uhh, with all do respect, Mistress... last time you did say I could go first." She added sheepishly.

Samukai was by-far the biggest skeleton of the army, piercings and scars visible on her bony face. Thick armour was draped over purple and black robes. She frowned at her Top Generals' antics but soon smirked. "Sorry girls, this one's mine. Just remember what we're after, and find that map!" She put one of her arms forward, signaling the drivers to advance on the small shop in the distance.

The villagers shouted as they climbed out of the wet rice fields, some holding sickles or scythes. The small crowd ran at the fast approaching army of skeletons, trying to scare them off. This was one of the best crop years they've had in a while, they didn't want anything to ruin it. Samukai shouted at the group. The simple action made all the villagers retreat to the river or fields.

The small army raced on toward the blacksmith shop, stopping in the front yard and ripping up the gardens the siblings kept such good care of.

"¿Qué son ellos?" ('What are they?') Jay whispered, handing his sister the sword she had asked for.

"No lo sé," ('I don't know,') Skylor said, slipping on a helmet. She led Jay to the cellar under the store, making sure he was hidden behind rice barrels. The siblings embraced each other, promising the other that they would be safe. Skylor brushed his hair out of his face, and pressed their foreheads together; an Ignacian gesture. "Quédate aquí." ('Stay here.') She climbed the stairs and hid behind Jay's workbench.

The creatures didn't seem to be interested in weapons or money, they seemed to be searching for something. Skylor watched as two moved towards the display of katanas they kept outside, close to where she was hiding. They knocked over the stand, disappointed when they didn't find what they were looking for. The creatures started to move closer to Jay's workbench, unaware of the young girl hiding behind it. They each had a baton made of bone in hand, but their grips were loose. Skylor realized this and used the opportunity to sweep the legs out from underneath the two. The skeletons laid on the ground, stunned, barely even noticing when the girl drove her sword into their skulls.

The sound of bones clattering to the ground must have alerted the rest of the army, because Skylor soon found herself surrounded by more skeletons. They formed a circle around her, weapons at the ready. Using what little knowledge of weapon techniques she knew, she defended herself, even managing to take down a few opponents. She soon learned that if you hit them in the back, legs, or rib cage hard enough, they fall to the ground useless.

A loud thud caught her attention. She kicked one in the legs and turned around, blanching when she saw what was behind her. Jay stood there, a gardening hoe in hand and a skeleton laying at his feet.

Skylor's surprised expression soon turned to worry and anger. "¡Pensé que te había dicho que te quedaras atrás! ¡No te involucrarás en esto!" ('I thought I told you to stay back! You are not getting involved in this!') She shouted.

"De ninguna manera voy a dejar que solo tú te diviertas." ('No way am I letting only you have fun.') Jay smirked, leaving no room for argument as he took down another skeleton.

During the fight, the siblings must have gotten separated, but Skylor always made sure she had Jay in her line of sight. She took note of him fighting on the path that led to their shop, holding his own against a few skeletons.

Feeling a presence behind her, Skylor turned. There stood a skeleton, maybe six or seven feet tall, with four arms, each holding a curved dagger. Skylor started slowly walking backwards, the skeleton matching her pace and moving forward.

Before she could comprehend what was happening, the skeleton was running forward, swinging her four daggers at the girl. Unable to counter, Skylor was pushed backwards. With one final hit, Skylor was sent flying backwards, slamming into one of the cherry trees.

Groaning in pain, Skylor looked up from her spot in the dirt. Though her vision was blurry, she could make out a tall figure walking towards her. What Skylor saw next, she was unsure of, for there was no possible way that a miniature golden tornado took down a skeleton.

The tall figure from before, the skeleton, spoke. "Sensei Mystake, your spinjitzu looks rusty!"

The golden tornado slowly spun to a stop, revealing a figure dressed in white and a wide-brimmed straw hat. The woman–Mystake– placed her bamboo staff on the ground, "Nothing like bone to sharpen it's edge, Samukai."

Samukai glared at the woman, furious that she stopped the battle between her and the redhead. Samukai glanced at her previous opponent struggling to stand at the base of the tree, then Mystake, debating which she should take care of first before she spotted something behind the white-clad woman. Chuckling darkly, she threw her four daggers. Mystake turned, watching as the blades hit the supports of the water tower positioned outside of the shop.

In a flash, the bright gold cyclone appeared and was moving rapidly towards Skylor. The tornado picked up the girl, moving her and itself out of the way. As soon as is appeared it was gone, Mystake standing in its place, hovering over Skylor. The water tower came down with a large crash, sending a wave of water washing over the yard.

Samukai used this distraction to retreat back to her large vehicle, calling the rest of her army back as well. She was handed a rolled up piece of parchment by her top generals as she settled into her seat. "Lady Misako says take the boy!" Samukai shouted. A skeleton in the back of the vehicle readied a claw-like hand made of bone. It was fired and it soared through the air before closing around Jay. The look of terror on his face as he was pulled back to the army was the most pain Skylor had felt in her short fourteen years of life. He screamed out her name, as she did his.

The army wasted no time leaving the weapons-smith shop, taking Jay along with it. Skylor tried to follow, running after the vehicles. The pain in her head soon became too much to bear and she fell to the ground, crying in pain, anger, and grief.

At the sound of footfalls behind her, she whipped around, wishing that she hadn't as another jolt of pain shot through her head. In front of her stood the woman who had come into the shop earlier, the one who had turned into a golden tornado.

Skylor glared at her, trying to stand up. Once she was on her feet, she pointed an accusing finger at Mystake. "You could have done something! You could've used your spiny-whatever!" The woman opened her mouth to speak. "But you did nothing. Because of you my brother is gone!" Skylor looked around the soaked, teared up yard, walking over towards the cherry trees. She picked up her sword, pushing past Mystake. "I'm going to get my brother back."

"Where they go, a mortal cannot." Skylor stopped in her tracks and turned back to the old woman who was shaking her head. "That was Samukai, Queen of the Underworld. And if it's true that she is carrying out orders for Lady Misako, Then I fear things are far worse than I had ever thought."

"Lady Misako? Underworld? What's going on?" Skylor demanded, trying to convince her pounding headache to go away. "What do we have that's so important to them? And why would they take my brother!?"

"What's so important? How about everything in Ninjago itself!" Mystake snapped. She gestured for Skylor to take a seat on the bench outside of the shop. It was there for the rice farmers when they would have lunch. The farmers and the siblings were very close, close enough that Skylor and Jay would occasionally make lunch for the farmers that stopped by. Skylor settled into place on the wooden bench, looking uneasy.

"Long before time had a name, Ninjago was created by the First Spinjitzu Master, by using the eight Weapons of Spinjitzu. The Scythe of Quakes, the Nunchucks of Lightning, the Shurikens of Ice, the Sword of Fire, the Staff of Illusions, the Trident of Water, the Whip of Technology, and the Sai of Absorption. Weapons so powerful, no one can handle even four at once."

"Yeah, yeah, I know the story backwards and forwards. Four of the weapons were destroyed in the final battle to differentiate good from evil and save Ninjago. What's the point?"

"But that is only half the story. Maybe if you listen for once, you would hear what others have to say. It might prove useful in the future." Mystake cleared her throat, continuing the story. "When she passed away, her two daughters swore to protect the four remaining weapons. But the oldest was consumed by darkness and wanted to possess them. A battle between sisters broke out, and the oldest was struck down and banished to the Underworld. Peace returned and the younger sister hid the weapons. But knowing her older sister's relentless ambition for power, she placed a guardian to watch over each weapon. And for fear of her own demise, a map for a honest man to hide.

"That honest man was your father. The older sister is Lady Misako. And I need to find those weapons before she does." Mystake finished, turning back towards Skylor.

"You're the younger sister," Skylor realized. "So you came looking for the map in order to stop your sister." Her expression changed to anger. "The one who took my brother."

"No," Mystake shook her head. "I came here for something greater." She placed her staff of Skylor's shoulder. "You."

Mystake turned away from her, pacing in thought. "As my sister cannot enter this realm, she must have struck a deal with Samukai. If she were to collect the four remaining weapons, I would not be able to stop her again. But you! The absorption grows throughout you; the ability to borrow another's power for a limited time. I will train you to harness it, use it, and become a spinjitzu master!" She tapped her staff on Skylor's shoulder with every word.

Skylor pushed the stick away. "I'm flattered. But nothing is stopping me from saving Jay. I am not getting involved in your sibling rivalry." She stood, grabbing her sword and pushing past Mystake.

"How do you expect to rescue your brother from the clutches of one of Ninjago's strongest armies? I do not think that concussion will fare you well."

Skylor's shoulders slumped as she turned back towards the old woman. "If you have any ideas I would love to hear them. Especially since you let him get captured."

"If you want to get your brother back, you must control the power inside. Only when you become a Spinjutsu Master, will you be able to face Lady Misako."

"I don't care about Misako. If it means I get my brother back, when do we start?"

[shinobis-of-ninjago-au]

Shinobis of Ninjago

Episode 1: Rise of the Snakes

Prologue Pilot 1 Pilot 2 (Episode 1, Part 1, Part 2, Part 3), Next Episode

((Tw: Violence))

The ninja sat inside Mystake's meditation room. Admittedly, they hadn't been practicing this technique so they were nowhere near as focused as they had been a few weeks ago. They all sat in a line, Mystake in front of them. She was facing a large collection of incense, the thick smoke billowing up and forming some sort of screen.

She jolted from her sitting position. She turned around, facing the ninja who hadn't flinched. "The Serpentine are back. Jamanikai Village is in danger."

The four didn't move. Instead, Seliel sighed, "we were there yesterday. It was just a little kid—"

"The Spirit Smoke does not lie." Mystake snapped. "An ancient evil has been released. Go!"

Suddenly, Skylor broke concentration. Reaching for her Dragon Suit, she bolted out if the room.

"What's wrong?" Nya called after her.

"My brother's there right now!"

Before the kunoichis even arrived at Jamanikai, they heard the screams. But for some reason, as they got closer the screams seemed fainter, less.

Not bothering to stop outside of the village like they have in the past, they landed their dragons in the main square. Their dragons took off to circle the mountains, leaving the genin to wander the streets.

"I'm never coming down from this sugar high!"

Now that caught their attention. Seliel motioned for them to take to the rooftops and close in around the source of the shouting. A minute later they jumped down, startling a young girl who was riding in a wheelbarrow filled with candy.

"Sorry to bust your buzz, little Garmadon." Seliel said, her tone far from apologetic.

"But it's already past your bedtime." Nya added.

Skylor dropped her stance. "Really, What is it with you and terrible one-liners relating to sleep?"

"I thought that was pretty good, actually." Pixal complimented.

"See, at least someone has taste." Nya huffed.

"Oh, yes, believe the girl who doesn't even know what a joke is."

"Joke, noun, something said or done to provoke laughter—"

"Get them!"

A figure beside Harumi spoke, raising a gold staff in their hand. "Seize them." More of her kind revealed themselves, stepping out from behind buildings.

"The Serpentine?" Skylor asked incredulously, picking up her stance again. "They're real?"

"It's not just them we have to worry about." Seliel kept her gaze on figures behind the Serpentine. The citizens of the village were walking towards them, eyes glowing the same red as the Serpentine in front of her. "The whole village has been hypnotized."

Nya began to pull out her trident, but the kanchō pulled her hand down. "No. Our weapons are too unstable. We can do more harm than good."

"I guess that leaves us with... run!" The teisatsu shouted. The ninja leapt to the rooftops once more. They continued on until they were certain they were away from prying eyes before ducking in a back alley behind a building.

At the sound of metal clattering to the ground, they turned, pulling out their weapons. A figure stumbled out from behind a cluster of garbage bins, stumbling in the snow.

Nya rushed forward, catching them as they fell forward. "Jay, you're alive! What happened?"

Jay groaned, tightening the arm he had wrapped around his torso. "Serpentine landed lucky punches. They have hypnotized the town."

"Mind control." Seliel muttered. "How is this possible?"

"They are Hypnobrai. When you hear a rattling sound, do not look in eye, that is how you fall under control." He paused at the looks he was getting from the shinobis. "¿Qué? I have to keep myself busy somehow. You learn lot when you can read only for months."

Nya turned back to her teammates. "What're we supposed ta' do now? We can't use our weapons and now we've gotta fight with our eyes closed? Perfect."

"One with staff is in charge. The staff holds anti-venom, if we can get that we can free everyone." Jay said.

Skylor turned to her teammates. "Let's forget about the whole Green Ninja thing. Saving Jamanikai is our top priority." She placed her fist in her open palm. "The four of us; we're a team."

"Now you're talking." The kishu bounced on the balls of her feet. "Let's go save a village, ladies. And Jay."

Jay nodded in thanks and the five took to the rooftops once more. Nya, being the the scout, went ahead, reporting back that Harumi was in the middle of the village, near the fountain.

About halfway to their destination, Jay pointed to a group of guards. Seliel, as the kishu, jumped down, taking the three Hypnobrai by surprise. Without waiting for them to recover from their shock, she closed her eyes and spun into her tornado of spinjitzu.

Without control of her direction, Seliel managed to take down the three Serpentine, but eventually ran into an abandoned stand that was selling homemade hats and scarves.

Skylor sighed. "Okay, we're really out of shape." She pulled Seliel back up onto the roof and they took off, following the path that Pixal, Nya, and Jay had left for them.

When they arrived, a battle was already in progress. Harumi was running through the square, pushing a wheelbarrow full of sweets. Skylor stepped forward, only to be held back by Seliel. The kishu pointed to Pixal who was sitting on top of one of the rooftops.

Pixal pulled out her whip and cracked it in the direction of the young girl. She had intended to just startle her, but instead the thong extended and hit the wheel. The wheelbarrow tipped over, sending the girl flying.

When Harumi looked up the kanchō was standing in front of her, securing her whip to her belt. "Master was right; we should have dealt with you the first time."

Harumi scrambled backwards, abandoning her cart of candy. "Retreat!" She shrieked, running towards the gates that surrounded the village.

The general raised her staff and her eyes glowed briefly. As she turned around, she received a double kick to the face, sending her tumbling to the ground. Her staff clattered to the feet of the Phantom Ninja, who bent down and picked it up. "Go ahead. Give me a reason."

Slitheraa looked at her staff, and then to the human holding it. She scrambled back in fear, slithering after Harumi. Seliel held up the staff triumphantly, only for someone to grab her shoulder harshly.

Seliel was met with red eyes that seemed to swirl and a calm voice laced with a low hissing. "Look into my eyes... I control you..."

Seliel's eyes began to take on their own shade of red as her body relaxed. "You... control—"

"Seliel!"

The spell was broken when someone delivered a solid punch to the serpentine. Seliel's vision cleared and she found Jay standing in front of her, gripping her shoulders. "You have anti-venom. Use own staff. I will cover you."

"Good idea." Seliel pulled out the gem from the Serpentine staff and dropped it onto the ground. She brought her own staff down over the gem, shattering it.

Concentrating deeply, she tried to squeeze her inner elemental power into the staff, watching as a turquoise mist began to creep out of the ground. It filtered out from between the rocks, filling the village.

When it cleared, the once angry villagers were looking around in confusion, clutching their heads in pain. Jay came up to her, taking the Serpentine staff.

"Are you okay? You look pale."

Seliel shook her head and smiled. "No, I'm fine, just a little tired. Maybe I should train with the staff more before I decide to use my life force to activate it."

Jay wrapped his arm around her to support her as they headed to where Nya was waving them over.

"When did Sensei get here?" Seliel asked.

"No idea." Nya whispered back. "She just showed up."

"We're sorry Sensei," Skylor apologized. "If we dealt with Harumi before she became a problem, none of this would have happened."

"Even lessons learned the hard way, are lessons learned." Mystake paused. "A great evil has been released, I fear troubling times will come. This is only the beginning."

"Then we will train, and be ready for the Serpentine." Pixal assured her.

"It may not be Lady Misako, but that doesn't mean we won't bring our A-game." Seliel added.

Skylor nodded, turning back to Mystake. "Train us. Teach us the secrets behind the weapons of spinjitzu."

Mystake hummed. "There is much to teach. Let us return to the Monastery. I believe Seliel would like to rest."

The kunoichis took off on their dragons, doing a final check of the village to make sure everyone was un-hypnotized and there were no more Serpentine who had been left behind.

"When am I going to get own dragon?" Jay asked, taking a seat on a bench to watch them.

Mystake smiled, dipping her head so the shadow of her hat covered her face. "Patience Jay, your time will come."

—————————————————-

Deep underground in the Hypnobrai tomb, Slitheraa and her second in command were arguing in hushed voices. The raid on Jamanikai Village had been a complete failure, Skales wondering why they even went in the first place and exploited their resources for a human child.

"The girl set us free." Slitheraa exclaimed, offended that her second in command would question her judgement.

"She is a child!" Skales argued. "She is not one of us."

"I may not have the staff but I am still your general." Slitheraa hissed. "Stand down."

Skales bowed deeply, backing away to join another group of Hypnobrai. "You coward. We all know she is under the girl's spell." One muttered. "You are Lieutentant, and still you do nothing?"

"Now is not the time." Skales hushed them. "I still hold the key to destroy the ninja. And when I do that, everyone will see it is I who should be in control."

[shinobis-of-ninjago-au]

Shinobis of Ninjago

Episode 1: Rise of the Snakes

Prologue Pilot 1 Pilot 2 (Episode 1, Part 1, Part 2, Part 3), Next Episode

Skylor met up with her teammates a few minutes later, letting out a sharp whistle and watching Amber land beside her. Taking her portion of groceries, she opened the saddlebag, only for a scroll to tumble out, Transferring the items to the bag, she bent down and picked it up.

"This isn't mine." Skylor noted the golden drawings on the backside of the scroll, far fancier than the ones she used for lessons or most she had taken from home.

Pixal dismounted from Byte, taking a closer look at the saddlebag. "This is Master Mystake's bag. You must have accidentally taken it in the rush."

Seliel and Nya slid off their saddles, coming up behind Skylor to look at the scroll. "What's it say?" Seliel asked.

"I remember seeing a lot of scrolls like this back at the monastery." Nya said. "I never took the time to learn the language."

"It's the ancient language of our ancestors." Pixal said. "It hasn't been used in centuries, though I think I can read a little of it." Her eyes scanned over the paper and eventually she pointed to a symbol. "This means prophecy." She was quiet for a few more minutes. "One warrior will rise above the rest and become the Green Ninja. The warrior destined to defeat the Dark Lady."

"Dark Lady?" Seliel echoed. "You think it means Lady Misako?"

Skylor unrolled the parchment further, revealing a picture of four shinobis clad in different colours surrounding another in green. "Is anyone else thinking what I'm thinking..."

Nya smiled. "Like how good I'm gonna look in green."

"Isn't it obvious that I'm gonna be the Green Ninja?! I have the most history with Misako." Skylor exclaimed.

"Technically, I am the best." Pixal butted in.

"Everyone stop it!" The kishu ordered as she grabbed the scroll from Skylor. "Remember why Sensei brought us together in the first place, we're a team. We weren't meant to see this and probably for good reason." Seliel rolled up the scroll and put it in her saddlebag. Climbing onto Misty's back, she turned to the other three. "Come on, we have training to do."

—————————————————-

Harumi pulled her hood further over her head. Escaping from the Darkley's employees was like second nature to her; as soon as they drove up in the car to take her back to school, she waited until they were a reasonable distance away before jumping out of the backseat.

Currently she was making her way up a snow covered mountain, wind blowing harshly in her face. She was cold and hungry, the lollipop from the orange kunoichi had only lasted so long.

"Stupid ninja. I'll show them who they're dealing with." She muttered.

Harumi let out a grunt of pain as she ran into something. Not seeing anything in front of her, she looked down into the blanket of fresh, white snow. She began digging and soon enough she unearthed the thing that interrupted her monologuing. A metal rod stuck out of the ground, resembling a lever.

Her childlike curiosity got the best of her and she pulled it. The ground began to shake, sending the girl tumbling forward. The ground began to slide open, a crevice getting bigger by the second. Harumi tried scrambling away and was close to reaching the edge when she lost her grip. She slid down the stone slab and braced herself for the impact.

Her back touched cold ice as she somersaulted down into the ground. When she finally skidded to a halt, she lay there for a few minutes, groaning. Deciding to move, she sat up, gazing around. Harumi seemed to be in an underground ice cave, though some walls were marked with carvings.

"You are not of right mind to venture so far from home, little one."

Harumi bristled at the voice and turned around. There stood a figure with deep blue scales, ruby red eyes looking curiously at her. A long tail was draped across the ice and robes featuring ancient scrawl and symbols covered their chest. They had the head of a snake, with a hood that fanned out like a cobra.

They moved closer, Harumi crawling backwards as she eyed the golden staff in the snake-person's hand. The serpent looked down at the staff, then back to the child and smiled. "Do not worry, I will not harm you. Just as long as you give your mind to me. Look into my eyes, young one. You will obey me."

A low rattling escaped the serpent's chest and Harumi covered her eyes, her back coming in contact with a wall of ice. When Harumi opened her eyes, she looked up at the snake-person. They stood perfectly still, a dazed look in their eyes.

Harumi stood up and circled them before deciding on a conclusion: they were under her control. She smirked and crossed her arms. "I think you are mistaken. I will control you from now on."

The Serpentine bowed respectively. "What shall you have us do, mistress?"

"Us?" Harumi echoed.

Almost as if on cue, more Serpentine emerged from behind ice pillars and walls, their scales the same deep blue as the first one's. A low hissing filled the room, no doubt murmurs about the young girl, as the last experience they had with humans was not pleasant.

Harumi's smirk grew bigger as she realized what this meant. "My own army of snakes."

—————————————————

"—then we agree; the prophecy states that one o' us will become the Green Ninja, and the issue will not rest until it's decided." Nya stated, leading the team back up the stairs into the Monastery.

"May I suggest a tournament? Last shinobi standing is the best." Pixal suggested.

"And will be declared the Green Ninja and be promoted to chūnin." Skylor finished. "Sounds good to me. But I'm getting changed first, I don't want to do this soaking wet."

Minutes later the four met outside of the indoor training room, changed into training gis and warmed up from the cold weather. Nya pushed open the doors, only to pause when she saw it was occupied.

The other three peered over her shoulders, seeing Jay practicing with a punching bag. Once he noticed them, he stopped, leaning on the bag and smiling. "Hola."

Skylor stepped forward. "Are you wearing the—"

"Wrist braces? Yeah, do not worry." He paused and began to take off the braces around his wrists, reaching for his bracers and a towel. "What happened in town? Fake alarm?"

"Yeah, nothing we couldn't take care of. But, uh, we're gonna need the space."

Seliel opened one of the cabinets and pulled out four helmets and armoured vests. "Two matches, the winners of each face off for the title, armour for our own protection. It's time to see what our weapons can do."

"Hey Jay, wanna stay and watch me mop the floor with them?" Skylor offered, a confident smirk on her face as she slid on the vest.

"No thank you, I will visit Chai's in Jamanikai Village. Have fun." He turned and headed out the door, closing it behind him.

Pixal sent Skylor a look, silently asking who the Chai's were. "Old family friends." Skylor answered.

Nya squealed. "His accent is so cute. Ya have to admit that."

"I have the same accent as him."

"My point still stands. But he speaks in such a cute way. Not... like ya."

"Firstly: We've talked about this. No one is to make moves on my brother. Secondly: What's that supposed to mean?!"

"Match One: Skylor versus Nya." Seliel announced, interrupting the premature argument.

The two got into position, facing each other. They bowed and got into a ready stance. Seliel blew a whistle she had gotten out of the cabinet and she barely had enough time to jump out of the way.

The two wasted no time in drawing their weapons and lunging towards each other. Skylor caught Nya's trident between her sai and twisted it over her shoulder. With a grunt of effort, she sent her fellow ninja flying across the room. Nya got to her feet, twirling her trident around. She pointed it at Skylor, intending for it to shoot her with a water beam like she heard in legends. Instead, she found herself drenched in water and Skylor stifling her giggles from across the room.

Nya growled, running forward with her trident at the ready. Skylor sidestepped the attack and kicked Nya into the wall. She threw her sai, pinning Nya to the wall by the sleeves of her gi. Nya sighed, dropping her trident.

Skylor helped her up and the two bowed before the konran punched the air in victory. The two took a seat, kneeling as they watched the other two bow and assume a fighting stance.

Unlike the two before them, Pixal and Seliel did not advance right away. Instead, they circled each other, evaluating the other's footwork and stance. Pixal pulled out her whip and cracked it in the direction of her opponent.

Seliel brought out her staff, the thong wrapping around the shaft. Seliel twisted her staff and pulled, bring Pixal closer. She stuck out her leg, tripping the Purple Kunoichi. Pixal pulled off an impressive rotating chest stand, landing a solid kick to Seliel's chest.

Getting to her feet, Pixal pulled her whip back. Flicking her whip in a simple X pattern, she shot forward, the technique serving as a shield against Seliel's attacks. Seliel managed to get a lucky jab through the shield, the whip wrapping around her staff one more. She yanked her staff away, the handle leaving Pixal's hand and leaving her defenseless.

Seliel lunged forward, tackling Pixal to the ground. She held her staff tightly over Pixal's torso, pinning her arms to her side. Pixal glared at Seliel and then to her weapon across the room. She sighed, her body relaxing. "I yield."

They got to their feet and bowed respectively. Pixal went to go join Nya in being a spectator. Skylor jumped to her feet, giving her teammate a high-five and bouncing on the balls of her feet, ready for a fight.

"For the prize and title of the best kunoichi, Green Ninja, and promotion to chūnin, you may begin."

Skylor rushed forward, surprising Seliel with the sudden attack. Trapping the staff with her sai, she threw it over her head. Hey, the move worked well on Nya.

The staff flew across the room, crashing into the wall between Nya and Pixal, none of whom flinched. Skylor turned back to Seliel, only to find her missing from where she had been a mere second ago. Turning around she barely had enough time before something collided with her cheek.

Sitting up, she glared at Seliel who was standing over her confidently. Growling, her grip tightened on her sai and she lunged forward, sai ahead of her. She stopped mere inches from Seliel's face, for the sai in her hands were glowing brighter than before.

Skylor dropped them in surprise and as soon as they made contact with the floor, a thick navy mist escaped them, not unlike the one the staff produced when they faced off against the dragon months ago.

The room soon became filled with the smoke, the four unable to see anything in front of them. The door to the indoor training room was opened, a figure stepping inside and gasping. They managed to find the Staff of Illusions and the mist soon disappeared.

Mystake stared down at the heap of kunoichis that was supposed to be her students; the saviours of Ninjago.

"Could someone please get their elbow out of my stomach?"

"Whoever's ass is in my face should remove it before I make sure they never walk again."

"If one of you doesn't stop kicking me I will lose it!"

"Ow, ow, ow, watch the hair!"

Ninjago was doomed.

Mystake cleared her throat, the complaints ending abruptly. The ninja slowly untangled themselves and got into a line. They knelt before her, heads hung. "What were you thinking?" Mystake snapped.

"We were trying to figure out who's the Green Ninja." Nya replied, earning a backhand to the head from Pixal. "U-Uh, did I say Green Ninja? No, I'm sorry," She cleared her throat. " What I- what I said was lean!"

"You were not supposed to see that scroll." Mystake sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose.

"But Sensei, we wanna know. Which one of us is the elegido?" ('... chosen one?') Skylor asked.

"None of you if you don't unlock your full potential and earn the title of chūnin." The four lowered their heads again.

"But my sai, they were so bright and they did that thing with the smoke." Skylor said, risking a look at Mystake. "Is this what you meant by unlocking our elemental weapons?"

Mystake sighed, placing her hands behind her back. "You are only at the beginning. And the road is long and winding, but yes; this is what I meant." She paused. "If this is what it must take for you to train, then so be it. But none of you are near the level of what it takes to become the Green Ninja."

—————————————————-

After hitching a ride on a bus and one trolley ride later, Jay arrived at Jamanikai Village. He wandered the streets until he came upon a familiar store. Knocking twice, he barely had to wait before the door was opened, a young boy peeking out nervously from behind it.

"Devon," Jay greeted. "Ha sido un largo tiempo." ('It's been a long time.')

Once the boy realized who it was, he opened the door fully, jumping into Jay's arms. Jay laughed and picked up the boy, entering the warm General Store where he was greeted by more children.

He had decided to spend the night with the Chai's, calling Skylor to let her know. The Chai's were a nice family, Amelia was a single mother of four, with another on the way. Jay had been sad to hear that Mr. Chai had passed and that he and his sister couldn't attend the funeral as they were otherwise... occupied.

He was woken up at sunrise, the four kids eager to play with him. He spent the day keeping the youngest two busy while Amelia and the eldest two worked in the store.

Later in the day, Amelia asked if he could run into town and grab a few groceries that they needed and that their store did not have. When Jay agreed, Amelia gave him some cash and thanked him before having to run back to the cashier stand.

After dressing the youngest two—Devon and Claire—for the weather outside, the three set off. Minutes later, they were inside a grocery store, picking up food when they heard screams from outside.

"¿Ahora que?" ('What now?') Jay muttered. He lifted the two out of the cart and placed them on the ground. Turning to Devon he said, "Necesito que vayas a casa y lleves a tu hermana allí. ¿Puedes hacer eso?" ('I need you to go home and take your sister there. Can you do that?')

Devon nodded confidently, puffing out his chest. The two left, and Jay was thankful the direction of their house was the opposite of the screaming. Abandoning the cart, he set off, carefully making his way through the streets until he caught a glimpse of someone clad in black. Pressing himself against a wall, he peered around the corner.

A young girl was seated in a wheelbarrow, her blonde hair tied back in braids. "Take the candy! Take it all!" Jay realized this must have been the person causing the disturbance yesterday, Misako's daughter.

He covered his mouth to stop himself from shouting in surprise when he saw who was accompanying Harumi. They looked human, if it wasn't for the blue and white scales covering their body. The robes they wore were covered in markings, no doubt an ancient language, and ruby red eyes gazed over the village. Her head resembled that of a snake, a large hood starting at her neck and fanning over the crown of her head.

Serpentine. And from what he had been learning, a Hypnobrai.

"Slitheraa, tell your army to advance. I want all the candy in town." Harumi said, watching as a Hypnobrai soldier dumped an armful of candy into her wheelbarrow.

Slitheraa, the general of the army, raised the gold staff in her hand. A low hiss escaped her mouth as her tail rattled. The soldiers stopped wandering around, depositing armfuls of candy to the wagon. They started moving out in different directions in hopes of claiming more sweets for the girl.

"This makes no sense General; raiding an entire town, for sweets?" One questioned, coming up beside Slitheraa.

"You will do as I command." The general snapped. "Because I hold the staff!"

At the sound of hissing, Jay turned, spotting a Hypnobrai standing there, a bag of throwing stars attached to their waist.

Jay got into a fighting stance. "¿Quieres bailar?" ('Wanna dance?')

[shinobis-of-ninjago-au]

Shinobis of Ninjago

Pilot 2: Ruler of Shadows

Prologue Pilot 1 (Pilot 2-Part 1, Part 2, Part 3), Episode 1

Later in the week, the ninja had neared the final weapon: the Sai of Absorption. The temple they were sealed in was carved out of a dormant volcano deep inside a forest. Mystake had decided to stop about half an hour or so from the temple, wanting her team to be at their best when they retrieved the weapon.

That night, when they made camp, they relaxed. Seliel had brought a set of travel drums and was singing. Nya, Pixal, and Skylor were dancing around the fire, occasionally singing if they knew the words. Mystake had tucked herself away in the corner against a tree and was meditating.

Skylor bent down next to Seliel and whispered something to her. Seliel smiled and nodded. She began to play a different beat, one that was bouncy and folk-like. Skylor began to dance, twisting and turning. She pulled in Nya and Pixal and spun them around a few times. When she finished, the others applauded and began asking her questions.

"That was an Ignacian dance." Skylor explained. "Kids are taught that dance and we perform it at parties and the Harvest Festival. But that was nothing, you should see Jay and I dance together."

Everyone grew quiet, looking to one another. "Umm, who's Jay?" Nya asked.

"Jay, mi hermano. Have I never said his name before?" Her teammates shook their heads and she looked down, ashamed for overlooking such a simple detail.

"It's fine." Seliel shrugged. "As soon as we get the sai, we're going to save your brother. Obećanje." ('Promise.')

Skylor smiled gratefully. "Thanks."

They continued to dance the night away. Sooner or later they fell asleep, letting the fire die out as it was a warm night. They had taken hour shifts and it was Skylor's turn, perhaps around three o'clock in the morning. She sat up against a tree with a little bit of rope, tying it into knots and untying it.

She thought about what she would do when they rescued Jay. She would hug him tightly and probably not let go for the longest time. Skylor sighed, undoing the figure-eight knot she had just done.

"Skylor."

At the sound of her name she looked up. Spotting a shadow in the bushes she stood up. "Who's there?"

"Relájate, soy solo yo." ('Relax, it's only me.')

The konran's face drained of colour as Jay stepped out of the bushes. His clothes were clean, as well as his face and hair. His skin was pale and his eyes were grey, devoid of any colour. Skylor blamed it on the moonlight and stepped forward, too shocked to say anything.

"Tengo que ir." ('I have to go.') Jay whispered. He turned around and disappeared into the bushes. Without thinking, Skylor scrambled after him.

They chased each other through the forest, Jay's giggles echoing through the trees, but they were dull, unlike his usual ones that were filled with life and could get anyone laughing.

Skylor stopped, looking around, for she had lost track of Jay. She groaned, turning around and punching a tree in frustration. How could she have lost him! He was right there.

"¿Jay? ¿Jay, dónde estás?" ('Where are you?') She called, cupping her hands around her mouth.

Hearing a twig snap behind her, she turned seeing Jay with one arm extended. His face was relaxed, no worry visible in colourless eyes. A loose smile formed hollow words, echoey almost.

"¿Vienes, Skylor?" ('Are you coming Skylor?')

Skylor smiled, taking his hand. He led her through the trees, both laughing as they danced under the stars. She wasn't sure how long they were gone from the camp, but at this point, Skylor didn't care. Jay was back.

They stopped dancing, giggles dying down. "Sígueme." ('Follow me.') Jay said before taking off again. She followed him until they reached the dormant volcano where the sai were supposedly located. Skylor stopped, letting Jay enter the volcano as she stared at the temple.

It had been carved into the rock, golden pillars framing the entrance made of red doors. As she walked across the stone bridge, she peered over the side into the water. It was dark, black in the nighttime light.

One of the doors had been cracked open, most likely Jay's doing. Pushing open the door further, Skylor gasped in amazement.

The walls were stone and carved with golden drawings, only reflecting the light from the golden pair of sai that lay on a miniature version of the temple located in the centre.

"Jay?" Skylor's voice echoed through the empty temple. Turning back towards the sai, she found Jay standing in front of them. "Ahí tienes. Vamos vamos a casa." ('There you are. Come on, let's go home.')

Jay tilted his head. "¿Por qué? Me gusta aquí. La maestra ha sido tan agradable". ('Why? I like it here. Master has been so nice.')

"Maestra?" ('Master?') Skylor murmured. "¿Qué estás diciendo? ¿Qué has hecho con mi hermano?" ('What are you saying? What have you done with my brother?')

"No sé de qué estás hablando, hermana, estoy aquí..." ('I don't know what you're talking about, sister, I'm right here.') His voice morphed from hollow to that of a woman's, cold and calm, sending a shiver down Skylor's spine. His body faded, a shadow taking his place on the wall, red eyes shining off the stone.

"Misako." Skylor growled. She reached for her sai, only to realize that her scabbards were empty.

"Forgot something?" Misako asked, a smirk audible in her voice.

"You can't hurt me, you're banished, trapped in the Underworld." Skylor said, trying to hide her shaking hands.

"That is why you are going to remove the Sai of Absorption for me." Misako's shadow shrunk and moved to the side, gesturing to the sai.

Skylor scoffed, placing a hand on her hip. "Yeah, I don't think so. There's no way you can make me do anything."

"Are you sure?"

At the sounds of chains rattling, Skylor looked to the back of the temple. A figure dropped from the ceiling, hanging limply. Skylor's eyes widened in realization and horror before narrowing in anger.

Jay hung there, clothes torn, skin caked in dirt and mud, and hair matted. Cuts were visible on his arms and legs, clothes brown with dried blood in places and a deep gash on his face, running through his right eyebrow and down his cheek. When Skylor called out his name and he didn't respond, she knew he was unconscious, or worse.

"What the hell did you do to him?!" Skylor shrieked, turning on the shadow.

"If you don't remove the sai, how else shall you save your precious little brother?" Misako teased, ignoring the screaming girl in front of her.

They chains dropped, bringing Jay closer to the back of the temple, where it dropped off into the old dormant magma chamber.

"Tick-tock, tick-tock, tick-tock." Misako's voice echoed through the large room, only adding to Skylor's anxiety.

Skylor closed her eyes, forcing back tears. She wasn't going to lose Jay, not again. Taking a deep breath, she mentally went through her plans. She should've woken the others, not run into this without thinking.

Knowing she would regret it, Skylor took off running. Grabbing the sai, she ran up the wall, getting momentum and using it to push off. Grabbing the chain, she stuck one of the sai through a link and broke it. Using one hand to hold onto Jay and the other to the rest of the chain, she started swinging. She knew she probably shouldn't be moving her brother, but having no other option, she let go of him, watching as he landed safely on the other side of the temple.

She swung off after him. Picking him up and tossing him over her shoulder, Skylor started for the doors. Misako's shadow appeared in front of her and she got into a fighting stance.

"You can't hurt me, you're only a maldita shadow." Skylor proclaimed.

Misako hummed and clicked her tongue. "Little girl, you must learn that everything has its uses. Though I must thank you, your brother was very helpful."

"What. Did. You. Do. To. Him."

"Oh, I wouldn't worry about that. I would be more concerned for your own well-being."

Skylor's shadow began to peel off the wall, becoming three-dimensional. Laying Jay on the ground, Skylor pulled out the golden sai. Twirling them in her hands, she lunged forward, only to go right through the shadow. Turning around, she roundhouse kicked it, the move unsuccessful.

Her shadow reached out, grabbing her shoulder. Bringing Skylor close, the shadow brought up its knee into her chest repeatedly. The shadow dropped Skylor to the ground where she doubled over, coughing.

"Am I being too hard?" Misako questioned.

"Not at all." Skylor replied, getting to her feet. She swayed side to side, her vision being filled with spots, but she stayed standing.

Skylor continued to throw punches and kicks at the shadow, including swings with the sai. The shadow in return, threw its own, landing multiple hits. The shadow threw one final punch, sending Skylor spinning back to where Jay was laying.

A bright light appeared on the wall next to the shadow. The konran looked over, seeing a figure standing next to a flashlight. They moved their hands in front of the beam of light, fingers appearing on the wall.

Forming a finger person, the shadow puppet kicked the shadow, sending it skidding back a few feet. The shadow shook its head and ran forward, prepared to attack. The shadow puppet sent another kick, Skylor's shadow flying across the temple before shattering into dust against the wall.

The figure turned off the flashlight, shoving it into a satchel strung over her shoulder, and running over to where Skylor was. She helped the girl to her feet, making sure she could stand before picking up Jay over her shoulder.

"Mystake?" Skylor croaked.

"Yes." She answered. "Come, let's get you and your brother out of here."

"Sister." Misako greeted, voice as calm as ever. "I see you protect one, but what of the other three?"

"They are safe." Mystake replied. "Far from your grasp, Misako."

"I would not be so confident..."

Ignoring her older sister, Mystake turned to Skylor. "My sister must not unite the four weapons. We must keep them apart." She led them past the miniature temple and towards the doors.

"Awaken guardian of the deep!" Misako cried, putting on a facade. "They're stealing the sai! You must not let them escape!"

There was a low rumbling from the back of the temple, deep within the magma chamber. Skylor froze, looking over her shoulder. A dark figure shot out of the hole and soared over top of their heads, landing in front of them, shaking the ground.

Skylor reached over to Mystake, pulling the flashlight out of her satchel and turning it on. The beam fell upon a spiked tail, then a scaled body that moved with every breath of hot air. Wings were stretched out as Skylor moved the beam to the creature's face. Yellow eyes stared down at them, the flashlight reflecting off tips of fanged teeth.

The dragon let out a roar, so loud that Skylor surprised Jay didn't wake up.

"There's no way out. Misako's taken away all our options." Skylor said, voice shaking as the dragon's tail thumped against the ground, sending a shockwave through the temple.

"All but one."

Before Skylor could ask what Mystake meant, Jay was shoved into her arms and the sai in her hands were gone. Turning around, she spotted Mystake standing by the edge of the drop.

Skylor let out a nervous chuckle. "Mystake, what are you doing?"

"If Misako is to bring the weapons here, then I will take the Sai of Absorption to the Underworld. It is my sacrifice to make." Mystake said, pulling out a cloth from her bag and wrapping the sai.

"No, it's mine, I shouldn't have come on my own. There's got to be another way." Skylor pleaded.

Mystake replied by smiling and falling backwards, disappearing into the magma chamber.

"I will see you there, sister." Misako's shadow disappeared, glowing red eyes gone from the wall.

Skylor fell to her knees, flashlight dropping to the ground and turning off. She pulled Jay close, sobbing into his chest.

"I'm sorry. I'm so, so sorry. I messed up. I messed up bad. I shouldn't have come alone. You're hurt, Mystake's gone, I don't know where my team is. I failed." Skylor took a deep, shuddering breath, listening to Jay's faint heartbeat. "I'll be a better sister. Please, I just want you to be okay. I'm sorry."

She curled into a tighter ball, Jay still in her arms and the dragon's hot breath against her neck.

————————————————

Seliel rolled over, for something felt off, though she wasn't sure what. She opened her eyes, squinting in the light. Light? It couldn't have been dawn yet, Skylor should've woken her up a long time ago. Though Seliel knew that the redhead was eager to retrieve the sai and save her brother and would most likely have stayed awake the entire night, they all had enough honour to respect Mystake's orders. Sitting up, she realized her teammates were nowhere to be seen, as was her Sensei.

What she did see was skeletons. Maybe one and a half dozen surrounding their camp. Not taking her eyes off the one in front of her, Seliel reached for her staff, but only getting a fistful of dirt.

The one in front of her, one of the top generals if she remembered correctly, held up her staff, waving it teasingly. Seliel made a move to stand up, but before she could, two skeletons grabbed her arms and began dragging her backwards. Two more were waiting for her, Pixal and Nya in their arms.

A gag was shoved into Seliel's mouth and a cloth tied around her head, keeping it in place. The three ninja were thrown against a tree, rope being pulled tightly around their torsos, binding them to the trunk.

Her eyes drifted over to where Samukai was bent over the golden weapons, examining them. Seeing that they were the real things, she picked them up.

She turned towards the ninja, looking down at them. "I believe these belong to Lady Misako now." She turned back to her troops. "To the Amber Temple!" She ordered. The army cheered, beginning to climb aboard their vehicles. Samukai walked over to hers, but was stopped by a shadow appearing in the tire. Realizing the darker shade and red glowing eyes, Samukai bowed. "Mistress." She greeted.

"My sister has taken the sai to the Underworld. Return immediately and bring the weapons to my hand."

The shadow disappeared, leaving Samukai confused, but she followed her master's orders nonetheless. "To the Underworld!" Samukai shouted, changing plans. "The Dark Lady wants us to return home."

The army cheered once more, climbing into their vehicles: trucks and motorcycles alike. The party sped off, leaving the ninja sneezing in the dust.

Seliel exhaled, something resembling a sigh. Nya began to shift beside her and she peered around the trunk, seeing a glimpse of steel. Nya moved her leg to the side, revealing a sword hidden underneath. She used her leg to slide it up to her hand. Gripping the hilt, Nya used the sword to cut through the ropes. It was slow going, but eventually the ropes snapped.

The shinobis removed the gags from their mouths, breathing deeply.

Seliel ran over, squeezing Nya tightly. "Nya you lijepi genij! ('beautiful genius!')

Nya smiled and flipped her hair playfully. She knew that from Seliel's tone it was a compliment. "I try."

Pixal patted Nya on the back. "Well I must say that was an excellent performance, we might need to save the compliments for later. There are more pressing matters at hand."

Nya and Seliel nodded, following Pixal to where the skeletons had dumped their weapons and bags. Donning all the knives and shurikens they had taken off before going to sleep, they grabbed their main weapons from the pile. Taking to the trees, they set off after the skeletons.

"Hey," Nya said. "Did ya'll see Sensei or Skylor?" Her teammates shook their heads. "Should we go back an' look for them?"

"I think they'll be okay." Seliel assured. "The weapons are our main priority." They stayed quiet as they ran through the trees until Nya started chuckling. "What?"

"Nothing, just... they took the Golden Weapons but left our regular ones lying around. Sometimes I forget how stupid they can be."

Seliel joined in the giggling. "Well, they're skeletons. They don't really have brains."

After a few minutes they reached the main road that led through the forest. Hearing the revving of engines down the road, they followed the noise. Minutes later, the red glow of taillights filtered through the trees, and the three kunoichis picked up their pace.

When the vehicles came into full view, the ninja slowed to match the pace of the vehicles. They could hear Samukai shouting at the drivers to go faster. The motorbikes leading the party disappeared in a flash of light, leaving the bigger vehicles to race through the forest without an escort.

The kishu signaled her team to advance, and the three jumped down. They landed on the largest vehicle—something resembling a monster truck—the one that happened to be housing the Golden Weapons as well as Samukai.

Seliel and Pixal waved at Samukai teasingly, keeping the attention away from Nya. The scout scooted her way along the side of the monster truck, careful not to fall off. The Golden Weapons were stored in a locked cage at the back of the truck, two guards keeping watch.

Grabbing the sash of one of the guards, Nya threw them over the side. Side-kicking the other, she turned to the cage. Reeling her fist back, she punched the lock. "Okay, that's why they make keys." She hissed, waving her hand to ease the pain.

Knowing she would need a lock picking kit and that she left hers at camp, Nya crawled on top of the cage to get one of her teammates' attention. She was met with the end of a staff in the face.

At the sound of something hitting metal, Seliel turned around, taking note of her teammate lying on top of the cage. Taking down one more skeleton with her bo-staff, she knelt down, placing a hand on Nya's back. "Nya! Sorry I didn't see you." Nya sat up and removed the lower part of her mask, her cheek and angry red. Seliel winced. "We'll get that checked out soon."

The truck jolted forward, seemingly going at twice the speed it was before, impossible by human standards. Not used to the speed, the ninja soon lost their grip on the truck, tumbling onto the dirt road. The last of the army disappeared with a flash of light, leaving the three kunoichis coughing in the dust. Nya began to say something, but was hushed by Seliel.

"Save your breath, you don't need to say it. Znam. ('I know.') We've lost."

[shinobis-of-ninjago-au]

Shinobis of Ninjago

Pilot 1: Way of the Ninja

Prologue (Pilot 1, Part 1, Part 2, Part 3), Pilot 2, Episode 1

They spent the night at the weapons-smith shop, getting many visitors asking if the siblings were okay, scared that the skeletons harmed them. When they asked about Jay, Skylor lied, saying he was upstairs sick.

Skylor told their neighbours that she would be leaving for a while, though she wasn't sure how long. The farmers said they would look after the shop and collect the money from the orders that had to be picked up and give it back to them when they returned. They also said they would keep an eye out for new shipments of metal and jewels. Nightfall soon came, visitors leaving and Skylor set up the orders that would be picked up when she was gone and closed down the shop.

Once morning came, they set off. Mystake said it would be a five day journey on foot, travelling through forests and mountains. They would stop in towns for meals, but be walking the rest of the day. On the evening of the fifth day they reached the base of a mountain, one of the tallest in the southern region of Ninjago.

Skylor looked at Mystake as if she had grown a second head. Mystake simply smiled and started walking around the base of the mountain until she came upon an old willow tree. She pushed aside the branches, revealing a stone staircase carved into the side of the mountain. Skylor sighed, hoisting up the pack on her shoulders.

An hour later, they reached the summit. White stone walls circled around the top, bright red circular doors engraved with a golden dragon marking the entrance. Skylor notched a wooden contraption off the end of a platform. Upon the end of inspection she concluded that it was a handmade elevator.

"¿¡De Verdad!? Are you kidding me? I climbed this mountain for nothing!" Mystake simply shrugged like she had no idea what Skylor was talking about. "How long is this training supposed to be?" Skylor asked. "I'm in a rush. Trying to save my brother, y'know. Oh wait, you do know. Because you were the one who let him get taken."

Mystake opened the large double doors, used to the blame of Jay's capture being thrown her way as it had been the topic of discussion for the past two days. "You will be ready when you are ready. Not a minute sooner." She walked down the few steps into a large open courtyard, a simple golden dragon statue in the middle.

Skylor followed, dropping her pack at the base of stairs and looking around. "A monastery? You expect me to learn how to fight in a place of peace?"

"Not fight, train." Mystake corrected. "To become a true ninja, to carry the honourable name of the Garmadon Clan on your back, you must first be able to see what others do not."

"But there's nothing here!" Skylor yelled, clearly distraught.

Mystake gestured to the small golden dragon statue beside her. There was another in the same spot on the opposite side of the stairs. She gave the post a little tap with her staff, and the statue fell back, revealing a tiny button. Skylor stared at it curiously as Mystake pressed it.

There was a faint sound of whirring before the dragon in the centre slowly raised out of the ground, four pillars in the corners following it soon after. Wooden planks and beams came next, filling up the space between each pillar, forming some sort of obstacle course.

"What does this have to do with anything?" Skylor asked, hand on her hip as she gazed around. "I thought you were going to teach me to fight–sorry, train me–so I could rescue my brother. Not do some stupid elementary school exercise."

"My, my, what a way with words you have. If you want to save your brother, complete the course before I finish my tea." Mystake walked over to the porch that lined the building on the opposite side of the courtyard. A teapot, along with a tray had been set up. Mystake sat down, crossed her legs and placed a cloth in her lap. She poured her tea and popped in two sugar cubes. After downing the cup in a few seconds, she looked to when Skylor was standing, unmoving from where she was thirty seconds ago.

"Today you fail. Come now, we must take care of that concussion of yours. Until you recover, you will rest and learn the way of the ninja."

"No way. I'm getting through this course today and saving my brother." Skylor said, planting her feet in the ground.

"We will see when you cannot even make it down the mountain. Come now, I have dinner waiting."

--------------------------------

It took a few more days for Skylor to recover from her concussion. It had been a very small one and Mystake mentioned something about Elemental Masters healing at over twice the rate of regular humans, and her helmet had protected her from any further head injuries. For the next week, she spent the mornings studying with Mystake and training in hand-to-hand combat. The afternoons she spent trying to get through the obstacle course. So far, everyday, she had failed, her anger and frustration growing.

After over two weeks of staying at the monastery, Skylor walked out into the courtyard with a new mindset. If she could get through the course, she could not only save Jay, she could prove Mystake wrong. And that was enough motivation for her.

The course at first glance seemed simple, but in reality, it was quite hard. As soon as Mystake made a motion to grab her napkin, Skylor took off, army-crawling under swinging planks. She continued to race through the course. When she was about a third of the way through the course, she threw the wooden sword he had been armed with at Mystake, knocking the cup out of her hands.

Mystake looked down at the soiled napkin in her lap, reaching for another. When she was done making her second cup of tea, she looked up at the course, only to find Skylor missing.

"Was that one sugar, or two?"

Mystake looked to her right and saw Skylor leaning against the porch holding out the bowl of sugar cubes, smirking smugly up at the woman. Mystake scoffed and stood up, taking the bowl from Skylor and placing on the tray along with the rest of her tea set.

"So, am I going to learn this spinjitzu I've been hearing so much about?" Skylor asked, getting to her feet and dusting herself off.

"You already have." Mystake replied. "Your final test comes tomorrow. My advice is to get some sleep, you might need it."

--------------------------------

That night, Skylor was uneasy. She laid in bed, unable to fall asleep. She tried reading, training, chamomile tea, but nothing was working. Maybe it was nerves about her final test, or perhaps she was anxious about rescuing her brother after two weeks. Who knew what he had been through.

She rolled over in bed, staring at the wall when she heard a faint thud above her head. Turning on the lantern next to her bed, she gazed upwards. Not seeing anything, she crawled back under the covers, keeping the light on. A few minutes later, another thud, this time coming from the other side of her room. Tossing the covers to the foot of her bed, Skylor got to her feet.

Cautiously creeping to the other side of the room, lantern in hand, Skylor shone the light on the corners. She froze when the light caught something. It was brief, but the glimpse of metal was all she needed.

"I know you're there, come out."

Three figures stepped out of the shadows. All were clad in black and had a weapon in their hands: a bo-staff, a trident, and a whip.

Slowly walked backwards as the three advanced and made a dash for her dresser. She hopped on top and pulled herself up into the rafters of the monastery. The three followed her through the roof until Skylor jumped down over the main foyer. She ran through the doors into the courtyard, looking around for anything that might prove useful.

Spotting the small dragon statues by the staircase, Skylor darted across the courtyard. Flipping back the dragon, she pressed the button, watching her three attackers fail to overcome their surprise and receive a few bruises from the obstacle course.

After the shock of the course springing up, the three warriors were filled with a new emotion for the red-haired girl. Abandoning their weapons on the ground, they charged towards Skylor. Soon, Skylor found herself on top of one of the warriors, but flattened under the other two. Skylor raised her fist in the air, only to have it grabbed by the two on top of her. Before it could escalate further, a cry rang out through the courtyard.

"Stop!"

The four stopped, looking up at Mystake who was standing in the doorway. They slowly got off each other, heads hanging as they moved into a line. "Hai, Sensei," The four said in unison, bowing.

"Wait, wait, wait. I thought I was your only student. You have more?" Skylor asked. Mystake nodded and Skylor placed a hand on her hip, looking to each person. "No impresionada." ('Not impressed.')

"Hey!" One cried. "You couldn' take us down, remember tha'. You needed the obstacle course to save ya butt." They had a bit of a drawl to their voice.

"With all due respect, Sensei Mystake, you never said anything about a fourth. I thought we were to retrieve the weapons, the three of us." Another said, they spoke with a bit of an accent, hinting that Ninjanese wasn't their first language. Mystake tilted her head curiously, so they continued, wringing their hands nervously. "What I mean is, us three have trained together. We are solid."

"No me pareció tan sólido," ('Didn't look so solid to me,') Skylor muttered under her breath, crossing her arms.

Two of them shot her deadly glares as the third spoke to Mystake. "Master Mystake, I am afraid I do not understand. What is the meaning of this?"

"Each of you have received a gift passed down through generations of your families. An ability in tune with elemental properties. But first, change into these." Mystake went inside for a few seconds before emerging with four neatly folded ninja-yorois.

Minutes later, the four emerged out of the monastery, gathering in the courtyard. Orange, maroon, navy blue, and purple. The yorois were soft and loose, though Skylor wasn't sure what the scabbards attached to her belt were for.

"Not bad." Skylor complimented. "But why the colour coding? Can't tell us apart, old woman?"

"There are reasons behind my methods. Remember that." Mystake snapped. She turned to the rest of her students. "You four have been gifted with special elemental properties. Skylor, Master of Absorption, the ability to absorb another's power for a limited time through skin contact." She said, placing her staff on on Skylor's shoulder. "You shall be the team's konran, the agitator. I think it fits you well."

Mystake moved her staff to the girl beside Skylor who was wearing a maroon gi. She had short raven hair and grey eyes that shone as Mystake directed her attention to her. "Nya, Master of Water. Ability to control and manipulate water. Also referred to as hydrokinesis. You will make a wonderful teiastsu."

Mystake moved her staff to her next student, a dark skinned girl with bright pink hair that had a blue streak running through it. "Seleil, Master of Phantom. Stealthy like shadows. Your special skill set will serve you well as a kishu." Seliel bowed respectively as Mystake moved on to the last girl. "Pixal, Master of Technology. Like her name, she is ahead of her time and seer with sixth sense. An excellent Kanchō.

"You four are the chosen ones who will protect the four Weapons of Spinjitzu from Lady Misako."

"Hold on, you said we were saving my brother first! What about him, or did you forget, old woman." Skylor sneered.

Nya gasped, missing the point of Skylor's statement. "We're saving a boy? Is he cute?"

"Nya..." Seliel warned, watching as Skylor's eye twitched dangerously.

"I-I just wanna know what we're getting ourselves into. Ya know how hard it is to get a date when ya live on a mountain." She said. She leaned in close to Skylor, whispering, "Does he like maroon?"

"Back. Off. Or so help me, I will steal your kneecaps while you sleep." Skylor threatened.

Seliel nodded approvingly. "Creative insult."

"Oh trust me, chica, I got tons more."

Mystake interrupted before the argument could go any further. "If you want to save your brother, we need the weapons to do so. Come now, we will set off for the first weapon at dawn."

"Whoa, hold on a minute. You said you were going to teach us spinjitzu." Seliel said.

"I already have." Mystake answered. She turned around, heading back inside and leaving the doors open for her students.

Seliel sighed as Nya complained, "ugh, why she always gotta be so cryptic?"

"No clue. All I know is that I was stuck with crap like that for two days with nothing else to do." Skylor huffed. She stretched, starting towards the door. "Since you interrupted my sleep, I'm going to go get some shut eye. Noche, señoras."

"Yeah, well, ya weren't actually sleeping so we didn't wake ya up! So... ha!" Nya called after her. She sighed, disappointed in how her words came out.

Seliel patted her on the shoulder. "It's okay, Nya, she's not worth it. Come on, let's go get some rest."