tournament | ninjago {featuring your ocs!}

15 | sunset

The sun has begun to slip below the horizon by the time everyone regains their bearings. It casts long shadows across the walls of the canyon, staining the sky soft hues of red, orange, and pink. It's beautiful, like something out of a painting or a dream.

In the heart of the Corridor of Elders, the Elemental Alliance gathers. They're all sweating and panting like dogs as they recover from the events that have just transpired. Most of them have injuries that weren't there before: scars, scrapes, bruises, the works. One or two walk with a hint of a limp. Overall, though, nothing too severe has happened—certainly nothing that could contain their excitement. Whoops, cheers, and laughter echo far and wide throughout the canyon. High-fives, fist bumps, and hugs are given. Everyone pats each other on the back and congratulates one another.

"That. Was. AWESOME!" Taylor whoops as she bounces on her feet. "Did we show them or what?"

"I'd say we definitely did," Apollo smirks, violet eyes glinting in the dying sunlight. "Good work, everyone. That was pretty awesome, if I do say so myself."

"It was amazing getting to meet you all." Kira smiles as she gazes at her fellow Elementals. "Thank you so much for fighting with us. I hope we can keep in touch."

"Agreed! If you ever need our help in the future, just holler," Jay adds.

"You too, starboy," says Ivan. Jay chuckles at the nickname and rubs his shoulder, making him blush.

"Aww, so it's over?" Lemon pouts, folding her arms across her chest. "I was having so much fun!"

"Same here," Rose smiles shyly. "This might sound weird, but...well, even though we haven't known each other very long, I feel super attached to all of you. You're my friends, and I feel sad leaving you."

"Ditto," Katlain says. "I wish we hadn't spent so much time at each others' throats." Ray nods in agreement.

"Hey, all that is water under the bridge." Rain nudges her, tail wagging. "We're all friends now, right?" Everyone else murmurs in concurrence.

"So, um..." Razhai pipes up. Her gaze travels across the canyon, which has been trashed, to put it lightly. "Who's gonna clean up this mess?"

Silence falls over the group. Everyone looks at one another.

"Welp," Samuel sighs with a shrug. "Guess we're on cleaning duty."

The Elementals all share a laugh at their words before getting to work. They scatter across the place, still engaging in friendly conversation as they clean up the machinery and debris. Their allies join them, and soon, nearly half of Ninjago is pitching in. With their help, the cleaning process wraps up fairly quickly. When they finish, the Elemental Masters make their way to the top of the canyon, where a bonfire is formed thanks to Kai. Everyone gathers around it, letting the flames warm their skin as the chill of evening settles over them.

The Ninja, Nya, Misako, and Wu all hold cups of steaming tea, while Lloyd clutches Clouse's spell book. The presence of the object in his arms sends chills down his spine, like the book itself is pure evil.

"To the Anacondrai," says Kai. "The greatest warriors of their time."

"We thank you for your help." Kira's voice is soft, the bonfire casting shadows across her face. "Without you, this battle couldn't have been won."

"Yeah. And now, it's our turn to make our ancestors proud," adds Jay.

"Because we're proud of those who were here before us to show us the way," Lloyd says firmly. He hangs his head, a scant breath escaping him. "Goodbye, Father."