☯☼🏮Ninjago: The Master of Crystal💎🏹✳

A Painful Promise

(At the Monastery of Spinjitzu, in the Hangar Bay, Skylor is still freezing Nya.)

Wu: We're running out of time.

Skylor: Not sure how long I can keep this up! (Aspheera, who is sitting down and drinking tea, gets up from her seat and sliters away from them.)

P.I.X.A.L.: The cooling units are pushed to their limits, but the temperature keeps rising. If she gets too warm, Nya will completely melt.

Wu: And we'll lose her forever.

P.I.X.A.L.: (She looks on the computer.) The ninja have acquired Aspheera's staff, but there appear to have been complications. ETA 45 minutes. We need to stall Aspheera. (She, Izzy, and Wu look to Aspheera's seat, but she is not there.)

Izzy: Where is Aspheera?

(Aspheera wanders around the hangar bay. She presses a few buttons activates some robot arms before pressing more buttons that reveals the hidden compartment with the Golden Weapons of Spinjitzu.)

Aspheera: The Weapons of Spinjitzu. (She reaches for them but is stopped by Wu and Izzy.)

Wu: Please. Don't make yourself at home.

Aspheera: Isn't it dangerous to have them so close together?

Wu: They are currently powerless. There is little risk in keeping all our eggs in one basket at this point. (He presses a button and makes the hidden compartment go back into hiding.)

Aspheera: (Yawns.) I wouldn't be so bored if I had some paper. (She pulls out a snake origami I make fantastic origami. It's a hobby I picked up in prison. You know, where you sent me to rot? Where you reduced me, a sorceress and leader of armies, to folding paper into animals?

Wu: We have more pressing matters here than your arts and crafts, Aspheera.

Aspheera: Ah, yes. Your little Nya-sicle. Wish I could help, but your ninja never came back. So I'm leaving. (She starts to slither away but, Wu Spinjitzus in front of her.)

Izzy: Hey, you haven't kept up your end of the bargain yet. You can't leave!

Wu: You agreed to save Nya by draining her powers.

Aspheera: If you brought me my staff, which you didn't. The ninja clearly failed, so time for me to sssslither on down the road. (She starts slithering away again, and Wu runs after her.)

Wu: Wait! I'm sure they'll be back soon. What will keep you here?

Aspheera: (She stops.) Interesting question. When I was in prison, I spent a lot of time dreaming about defeating the Treacherous Deceiver in a variety of ways. That's you. You're the Treacherous Deceiver. (She slithers to leave.)

Wu: I know you believe that of me.

Aspheera: Then why did you stare like you had no idea what I was talking about? (She turns to Wu's face.) Don't make me the villain. (She slithers to leave again.)

Izzy: I mean, you kind of already are the villain so...

Wu: (Sighs.) What do you have in mind?

Aspheera: (She stops.) How about a series of contests? To test our strength and cunning.

Wu: With Nya in mortal danger, you expect me to --

Aspheera: (She yawns and turns to leave again, but Wu grabs her arm.)

Wu: Very well. What kind of contests? (Aspheera smirks.)