Ninjago Pilot Episodes - The Beginning

King of Shadows

          The ninjas rode on a large sailboat in the middle of a cracked glacier, sailing past the huge ice blocks and fighting against the massive force of the snowstorm. Large snowflakes caked the ship's railings and sails like a thick layer of icing, and all of their fingers were freezing beneath their ninja gloves.

          Their skin pricked uncomfortably as the cold bit into their warm flesh, the cloth of their gis pressing against their bodies. However, Jay distracted himself—and the others—by ignoring the cold and playing I Spy.

          "I spy something... white," he said, leaning on a wooden railing, clearly bored out of his mind. Tall walls of ice shot up into the sky, a mix of bright, skye blue and white slightly blinding them.

          "Ugh, could you try to be quiet for once?" Cole asked lightly, trying to stay calm. "This ain't easy."

          Jay remained quiet, but he grew irritated with having nothing to do. Suddenly, the ship shook, rocking ungraciously as it jerked forward, causing them to tumble a little. Cole quickly grabbed a hold of the steering wheel, his point proven.

          "Oh! I spy something broken," Jay continued, unimpressed. Kai sighed, standing with Zane.

          "If Sensei knows the way to the next Golden Weapon," he started, breathing unevenly, "then why isn't he steering the ship?" Gesturing to his Master, they saw him perching on the front of the vessel, standing one-legged on a sculpted head of a dragon. He was perfectly balanced as he posed, completely calm throughout their journey.

          "We've been drifting aimlessly for miles..." Kai trailed off, becoming upset with this problem.

          "Sensei's wisdom is beyond my own," Zane informed him, partly interested to what his Master had to say about this.

          "The most powerful move in Spinjitzu can only be accomplished when all four elements are combined," Sensei Wu finally responded, turning around to look at them. He jumped off and landed on the planks.

          "Earth. Ice. Fire. Lightning," he listed, spinning as he did so, emphasizing each element in its own specialty.

          "Uh, what happens when all of them are combined?" Jay asked.

          "The Tornado of Creation," his teacher answered, uttering the word with such delicacy as though it were an incredible source of power. "The power to create something," he pulled out a teacup from absolutely nowhere, "out of nothing."

          Kai aimed a few kicks and punched into the air, striking whatever space he could reach as practice. He was desperate to learn more about it, to prove he could do it.

          "No, Kai! If done incorrectly, it will lead to disastrous consequences," Sensei Wu warned him.

          "'Disastrous consequences'? Heh, right." Just then, the ship rocked even harder, throwing them all off their feet. The sails froze completely, turning into actual ice. Cole backed away from the steering wheel.

          "Uh, wasn't me," he said with a shrug.

          "Did I do that," Kai wondered aloud, looking at his hands. Sensei Wu walked to the edge of the ship. "No," he replied distractedly, looking far ahead.

          "We are here."

          Huge columns of ice pillars rose into each other, looking very much like an ice-version of a volcano. There was a frosty doorway leading inside the Ice Fortress, and sharp pillars stood near the entrance, threatening to destroy anything or anyone if they intruded the sacred grounds. It was brighter and snowier than anywhere else in the area, and they knew they were in the right place.