Onyx and the Legacy of the Green Ninja

An Utter Defeat

The ninja spread out to hold off the stone army as Wu and Misako prevented the warriors from reloading the cannon, flinging as many missiles as they could into the water, where they sank out of reach. The opposing forces went back and forth, clashing blades and launching elemental attacks at each other, each side becoming more desperate as the clash went on.

And then everything seemed to freeze as Lloyd and the Overlord came face to face, standing several yards apart on the dreary beach. It seemed deathly silent, the roaring of the ocean fading away as the air charged with a foreboding tension. "All this time, everything has led to this," Lloyd said softly. "Stupid boy. I've been planning this for thousands of years," the Overlord snarled. Lloyd's eyes narrowed in determination. "Eat green!" He shouted, throwing a blast of energy at the Overlord.

It made direct contact with his chest, slamming into the armor that Garmadon had worn. Two droplets of deep crimson blood fell from the open wounds on his joints, and yet he didn't even flinch. "No," Jay whispered, everyone realizing just how powerful the Overlord was. He had taken a direct hit to the chest, one that would've destroyed any other being, and it hadn't even done anything. Onyx took a step forward, preparing to do... something. Anything.

The Overlord flung his hand out, and flames of a dangerously purple hue sprang to life, forcing the others to stay back. "The battle for good and evil. I can do this for eternity, but can you? Your friends can't help you now. You are all alone," he hissed, slowly waving his arms at the flames surrounding him and Lloyd.

Lloyd gritted his teeth. "No, I'm not. My father is still in you. He will fight with me," he said, refusing to believe that his father was truly gone. The Overlord froze, his eyes flickering from magenta to red. "L-Lloyd. Stay strong." The words came from his mouth in Garmadon's voice. A leap of hope sparked in Lloyd's chest. His father was still there. His father was fighting with him.

The Overlord shook his head. "Fool, you cannot defeat me!" He snarled, throwing a beam of violet light at Lloyd, who threw his hands up, countering with a beam of his own. In his peripheral vision, he could see the others watching helplessly, but he couldn't tell more than that. Because in this moment, it was just him and the Overlord. "I can try! Fight, Father!" He shouted, pushing back against the Overlord's overwhelming darkness. "L-Lloyd..." Garmadon's voice returned. "Fight him!" Lloyd's voice was a guttural cry, strained and pleading.

The dark form shook, eyes flickering back and forth. "You...will...not..." Garmadon's voice was shaky and weak, but the eyes began to settle on red. "WIN!!!" The Overlord gave a furious roar, head flying back with a disgusting snap. "Your father is GONE!" He slashed his hands, claws of black energy slashing across Lloyd's face and throwing him back, through the violet flames and down the beach.

Onyx's heart felt like it had stopped beating as she watched Lloyd fly backward, tumbling along the beach until he came to rest, unmoving, facedown in the sand. No one could move. No one knew what to do. Had they truly failed? Had they... lost? It was when the Overlord made a run for the tank that Onyx was able to will her legs into moving. She ran for Lloyd, knowing that she had to protect him. He had to survive, whatever the cost. She slid to a halt in front of him, arms flying out, praying that she could shield him.

As the cannon moved down to point at her, the others slid up beside her, mirroring her stance. Onyx felt hands bump her own, and she instinctively clasped them. She recognized Zane's cold flesh in her right hand and Cole's steady, strong grip in her left. The ninja joined hands, staring rebelliously at the Overlord as he brought his hand down on the button. They knew what they were doing-they knew that at this close range they would most certainly perish-but it didn't matter anymore. Nothing did, as long as Lloyd survived.

Onyx's grips grew tighter as she saw, as if in slow motion, the final dark missile emerge from the tank, flying towards them, spinning through the air. Cole gave her a reassuring squeeze, and Zane slipped his thumb between her wrist and palm, preventing her from clawing herself. Her eyes met the Overlord's, and she lifted her chin slightly. He would kill them, but he wouldn't be able to take Lloyd.

And then-moments before the missile utterly obliterated the five, something crashed to the ground in front of them, shielding them from the blast. They stood there, hands locked, unsure of what had just happened. After the cloud of sand had settled, Onyx recognized the mangled hull of the Destiny's Bounty. Dr. Julien emerged from the ship, shaking his fists. "I might not be able to fight, but I can fly!" He shouted at the Overlord. He leapt down in front of the ninja. "That went well," he remarked.

The Overlord gave a furious snarl. "Enough! We don't need to waste our time with their pestering! We'll go to Ninjago City to finish this once and for all!" He roared at his minions, waving his hand and making a swirling indigo vortex appear. The Ninja finally gathered themselves enough to react, dashing for the Overlord as he started through it. "If they leave, that means we'll be stuck here with no way to get back! Get to the vortex now!" Kai shouted.

The ninja pushed their aching legs as hard as they could, but with everything that had happened, exhaustion had begun to set in, and Onyx realized they wouldn't be able to make it in time. As the vortex started to shrink, the thing that used to be Nya seemed to appear from nowhere. "Bye-bye! Forever!" It snarled, voice gravelly and chilling. "NOOO!" Kai gave an anguished scream as the vortex closed mere seconds before they all reached it. Onyx stood on the sand, staring at the spot where the vortex had closed. Now what? Was there even anything they could do?

She heard soft shifting on the sand behind her. She inhaled a soft gasp. "Lloyd!" Onyx whipped around to hurry back to where he had landed. He was moving slightly. "Did I...did I win?" He whispered, struggling to stand. "No. But you're alive," Wu said, helping him into a sitting position. Onyx had to force herself to not wince as she looked at his face. The Overlord's dark claws had managed to slash him. The injuries weren't too bad-more like deep scratches than slashes, but still. They were bloody and stood out against Lloyd's skin, which had paled slightly.

"But the prophecy..." Lloyd tried to get to his feet but immediately swayed. Onyx grabbed his arm and flung it over her shoulders. "Easy, kid. You've been through a lot," Jay said soothingly. Lloyd tried to put his foot down but immediately winced and gave a soft whimper. "My leg," he whispered. Then he looked around. "Did we lose the Final Battle?" He asked, his tone making it clear he was afraid of the answer. "What's important is we didn't lose you," Wu said, effectively dodging the question.

Lloyd looked down, and as he did, he noticed a piece of wood from the Bounty. He carefully leaned down to pick it up. "The symbol for destiny," he whispered. As he looked at the wood, Lloyd's eyes narrowed, and a determination filled them. He looked out at the horizon in the direction of Ninjago. When he spoke, his voice was filled with a serious authority. "Destiny showed us who was stronger today. But destiny also wanted us around to fight another day. We didn't lose the battle. Today, we just lost the fight," he declared.

Cole gently pat him on the back. "There we go, kid," he said. Kai crossed his arms. "When I get my hands on that bastard, I'm gonna beat the crap out of him," he promised. "And I'm gonna get Nya back," Jay swore. "I will ensure he doesn't harm you again," Zane said. Onyx gritted her teeth. "He's going to pay for what he did," she hissed. The ninja nodded in agreement as she continued. "When we're done with him, he'll wish he never set foot in Ninjago."

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Everyone is so done with the Overlord's crap in this scene and I love it. And Happy New Year! Here's to a year of excitement, education, and significant progress on this series! 🥂

Top Three Musicals of 2023:

Frankenstein: A New Musical

Phantom of the Opera

Hamilton
(I rewatched these three the most last year. I hope to one day see them live. If you watched any of the musicals I recommended, please, tell me what you thought!)