Ninjago: Yin and Yang

The Day of the Dragon

The loud crackle of fireworks exploded into the air, lighting up the sky with their colorful brilliance that gave the people of New Ninjago City a surge of excitement. Drums pounded proudly to the beat of the festival music. Children holding lanterns on sticks ran through the streets laughing, as their parents chased after them. The large parade of dragon puppets, musicians, and performers made the streets of Ninjago alive and happy again. The sound it made was almost deafening, as people cheered and sparklers exploded. It was good to see the city happy again.

Ari Pamidala walked through the crowd, small children running past her giggling. She couldn't help but smile as they did, nostalgia coming back to her. She had always loved the Day of the Dragon, or Ninjago New Year. The city was so beautiful, so happy. It had been 23 years since the Ninja had defeated Emperor Garmadon, and the Day of the Dragon had over the years, morphed into a celebration of his defeat. No one could help but feel happy.

Kai adjusted his position on the rooftop of an apartment, watching the parade go by. Had it really been a year since Garmadon was defeated? It felt so long ago. Kai shook his head, he'd rather not think about that at the moment. Besides, the parade was so much more fun to watch,

Ari snuck into an alleyway, away from the crowd. Her eyes followed the building upward. It wasn't that tall, she could climb it with the escape ladders. She stretched for a minute, tightened her hijab, and she was off. With the grace of a spider, she made her way to the roof, taking in the parade from above. She sat on her legs and sighed, a smile seemed to be permanently etched on her face.

Kai couldn't help but feel slightly uneasy. He had tried to distract himself with the parade, but he couldn't chase away the feeling that he shouldn't be there. It was sort of his fault that Garmadon returned in the first place, he was the one who let himself be manipulated by Harumi. He was the one who put power before his own friends. He was the one to betray the ninjas and join the Sons Of Garmadon.

Ari dug into her bag to pull out a bag of chocolates, and a can of soda. Opening up both, she absentmindedly indulged in them as she was mesmerized by the parade. Even the cold concrete below her couldn't keep her grounded in reality. Her mind was drifting away, but her eyes still remained trained on the parade. But even as she watched the fabulous show, in the back of her mind, something was off. She could sense something dark, but she couldn't quite place it.

He pinched himself, trying to chase away those thoughts. This new life, away from those he hurt, this is what he deserved. He knew that. That's how he was going to live, and that was fine. But even then, what Garmadon had said to Lloyd, "They will come, they will come and there will be no stopping them." It left Kai with chills. He didn't sense anything dark but he knew:

She knew:

Something was terribly wrong.