Onyx and the Way of the Ninja

A New Dawn

The ninja stood at the top of a staircase that spiraled down into darkness. "Are you sure this is where we're supposed to go?" Kai asked Onyx, who nodded. "Yeah. There's something with a dark presence down there. I think it's Garmadon, which means that Sensei should be there too," she said. The boys nodded, and they began to descend the stairs.

They ran in circles down the steps, spiraling deeper and deeper into the depths. As they drew closer to the stairway's end, they started to hear shouts and bangs. 'It must be Sensei and Garmadon,' Onyx thought.

The five burst into a room and stopped, taking in the sight in front of them. Two men were fighting eachother in front of an obsidian throne. One was Sensei Wu, and the other had pitch black flesh, glowing crimson eyes, and a furious expression. "Garmadon," Onyx breathed. This was the dark presence she had sensed. It was so powerful that it almost hurt.

Cole started forwards, but Kai blocked him with an arm. "No. This is Sensei's fight," he said. Cole struggled with himself for a moment before stepping back. Onyx watched tensely, praying that Sensei would triumph. Wu, wielding the Sword of Fire, slashed it at Garmadon, who leapt back, narrowly avoiding the blade. The tip of the sword clanged into the black stone and wedged itself into the ground. Before Wu could yank it out, ice suddenly snaked across the floor and enveloped it, freezing the gold to the ground. "What the-?" Kai exclaimed.

A familiar laugh echoed through the room, and from behind the throne stepped Samukai. The Nunchuks, Shurikens, and Scythe were in his hands, while the daggers rested on his hips. "You!" Onyx shouted at the skeleton. So this was where he had taken their stolen weapons. "You're too late," Samukai taunted, swinging the Scythe into the ground. Huge fissures spread from where it hit, separating Wu, Garmadon, and the Ninja from the Sword.

"Bring me the Weapons!" Garmadon ordered. "No!" Wu shouted as Samukai reached for the sword. Then the skeleton paused. He looked up at Garmadon as a twisted smile grew on his face. Onyx had seen that smile plenty of times in her few mangas. That was the traitor's smile. Samukai pulled the Sword from the ice and pointed it at Garmadon. "No! You will obey me now!" He cackled.

Wu calmly leapt over to the ninja. "No one can handle all of their power at once," he said calmly. "But-but he still has them all!" Onyx protested, preparing to do... something. She didn't know what, but something. Wu put a hand on her head. "Calm down. There's nothing we can do now," he said.

Garmadon began to laugh as Samukai's arms flew out to the sides, and he started to shake violently. "Selfish fool! You've walked right into my trap! You thought I wouldn't plan on your betrayal?" Garmadon lashed. Samukai's eyes widened in terror. "What's happening to me!?" He barked, struggling to hold on to one last strand of authority. "You're part of my master plan. Not even I can wield all of their power at once. But they will open a portal into Ninjago, and I will be free!" Garmadon answered.

Cracks began to run through Samukai, golden light shining through them. Then, with a final scream, he shattered into shards of bone that scattered across the floor before vanishing into nothing. At the same moment, a dark vortex opened before the throne. Garmadon approached it. "Father wouldn't want you to go through with this!" Wu warned. Garmadon snorted. "Father isn't here. Good and evil. There's always been a balance, and wherever I go that balance is destroyed. Soon I will be strong enough to wield the weapons, and then I shall remake Ninjago in my image. You were always his favorite." Garmadon spat before leaping into the portal.

The ninja were frozen as the vortex closed. "Did we fail?" Onyx asked. Wu shook his head. "No. This was prophesied to happen. Now we must prepare for when he returns," Wu said, leaping over to where the weapons were, the ninja following. Onyx retrieved her daggers and looked them over, checking for any damage. To her satisfaction, the blades were still in perfect condition. Onyx nodded to herself and slipped them back into their sheaths, which she fastened to her back, them being a bit too big to keep comfortably on her hips.

Kai flung the Sword over his shoulder and looked determinedly at where Garmadon had vanished. "When he returns, we'll be ready," he said. "Yeah," Jay agreed. Cole nodded. "We will stop him." "He'll never know what hit him," Zane said. "If we work together, then we can do anything!" She exclaimed, knowing full well that it was cliche, but not caring. Cole ruffled her hair with a laugh. Wu nodded. "Then I have done my duty. The balance is restored for now," he murmured.
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Onyx peered down at the ground as the ninja flew over Ignacia. Kai was leading them to his family's blacksmith shop, where Nya was waiting for them. As they flew, Onyx saw a small building atop a hill. She noticed a flickering orange light in the window, and realized that Nya had kept her promise.

"This is the place!" Kai shouted, swooping down. Onyx piloted Fade after him, touching down on the ground a few moments after him. As the other ninja landed, Nya came running out of the shop. "Kai!" She cried, crushing him into a hug. When she let go, Jay jumped up to her. "Hey, my turn!" He cried. Nya laughed and turned to give him a hug too. Kai shook his head, then gave a helpless smile.

Onyx slipped off of Fade's back and patted her on the nose. A loud cheering behind their small group made her jump and draw the daggers. Zane grabbed her arm. "It is just people. They are expressing their thanks," he said, pointing. Onyx sheathed her weapons, face flushing in embarrassment as she turned. The citizens of Ignacia were gathered before them, cheering. "Hold on. We can't celebrate yet," Cole said. "Garmadon is going to come back," Onyx explained. The people quieted and gave each other scared looks. "But we'll be ready for him," Kai promised. The Ignacians burst into cheers again. Onyx frowned at the fickleness of these people.

"Yeah!" Jay shouted, raising his weapon. Onyx and the others clinked the weapons together in a strange version of a high five. It was a mistake. The second the gold touched, a strong force repelled them, pushing the ninja away from each other, knocking them down. "We didn't think that through," Onyx said. "We've got to remember not to do that," Kai said. "Good idea," Cole groaned from his spot on the ground. "Yeah, let's stick to high fives instead," Jay said. "Agreed," Zane said. Onyx smiled. Then she started laughing. After a moment, the others joined in.

They all stood and turned, united as one, to look out at the horizon, where the sun was rising in a brilliant new dawn. The five slipped their hoods on, prepared to face the darkness.