Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

The first thing Mia noticed was the smell.

The monastery smelled like smoke and dust and something faintly sweet, as though the air itself remembered incense burned centuries ago. She coughed, pushing herself upright.

The stone floor was cool under her palms. Sunlight slipped through paper screens, catching on wooden beams above her head.

The Monastery of Spinjitzu.

Her stomach flipped. She knew it instantly. She had watched this place on a screen dozens of times. But here, the walls felt alive. Every scratch in the floor, every flicker of light held weight.
She wasn’t in her bed anymore. She wasn’t even on Earth. Though it still looked realistic, not Lego. Looking down at herself, she was still human-looking, not Lego, with dark hair pulled into a braid and teal pajama pants with a white T-shirt she had fallen asleep in.

“Mia.”

The voice drew her attention. It was deep, layered, like two voices speaking in unison—one gentle, one growling like distant thunder. Standing in the doorway was a figure she’d only seen illustrated in scrolls or flashes of the past within the show: a tall man cloaked in gray, his features shadowed except for his piercing golden eyes. He radiated both warmth and danger.

Her breath caught. “You’re—the First Spinjitzu Master.”

The man, looking like the show but in human-looking form, inclined his head. “If that is what you know me as, then yes. But names are... heavy things. Best to leave them behind.”

Something nervous and reckless stirred in Mia, and before she could stop herself she said, “You look like... part dragon, part oni. What if I just call you—Dragoni?”

For a heartbeat, silence. Then, to her relief, the corners of his mouth tilted upward. “Dragoni,” he repeated softly, tasting the sound. “A name of both darkness and creation. Very well. You may call me that.”

Mia exhaled, only realizing then that she had been holding her breath.

Dragoni stepped forward, the air shifting around him as though it bent to his will. “You wonder why you are here.”

“Uh, yeah. That was going to be my next question.” Mia scrambled to her feet, brushing dust from her pants. “I went to bed last night in my world, and now—” She gestured helplessly around her. “Now I’m in this. And this is supposed to be fiction. A TV show. Ninjago.”

His eyes sharpened. “It is no fiction. What your world sees are echoes, reflections on glass. But this realm is real, and it is fragile. And that is why you are here.”

Fragile. That word curled into Mia’s bones, heavier than she wanted it to be.

“You have been chosen,” Dragoni continued. “The story must remain on its path, or all will unravel. You will watch, you will guard, and you will act only when necessary. Without your presence, the course may fracture.”

Mia swallowed. Her throat was dry. “You mean... I’m here to keep the plot on track.”

He tilted his head in approval. “Precisely.”

He raised a hand. Shadows and light sparked between his fingers, coiling until they formed something like a glowing thread. It wrapped around her wrists, cool, tingling, and metallic. It melted into her skin without pain, disappearing from view, though her veins lit up for a moment before fading back to normal.

“From your world, you carry knowledge. But you will need more than that. Your gift is of technology—of all things forged by hand and machine. You may command them, shift them, weave them to your purpose.”

Mia blinked. “So... I can control machines? Like, electronics? Gears?”

“Yes. The creations of men and women. Tools, armor, weapons. Even garments, if need be. You cannot bend what belongs to nature—the breath of wind, the flame of dragons, the strength of beasts. But what has been shaped by tool and hammer, what has been built by the design of a mind, man or machine—you may bend.”

She looked down at her hands, flexing her fingers. Technology. That’s... actually insane.

Footsteps pattered in the hallway. A pair of small figures appeared—two boys. One with pale hair and a staff far too big for his small frame. The other darker, sharper, with a grin that already promised trouble.

Mia’s chest clenched. Wu and Garmadon.
But they were children. Tiny, not the men she knew from the show, but they still looked real.

“Father!” Wu called, his voice young and bright. “Who is she?”
“A stranger,” Garmadon added, suspicious but curious, eyes narrowing. “She smells... different.”

Mia gave a weak wave. “Uh. Hi.”

“She is a friend,” Dragoni said simply. His voice carried weight, and the boys immediately quieted. “You will not question her presence. You will trust her, always.”

Garmadon frowned but nodded. Wu smiled shyly.
Mia’s heart ached at the sight. They don’t even know what’s coming for them. Not yet.

Later, when Dragoni left her in the courtyard, she found herself sitting on the steps, knees drawn up to her chest. The world stretched out beyond the monastery walls—mountains sharp against the sky, valleys hidden in mist.

She had loved this story on her screen. But here? Here, the stakes pressed heavy.

A rustle at her side drew her attention. An older woman approached, carrying a tray of cups. Her hair was streaked with silver, and her eyes twinkled as though she knew every secret already.

“I am called Mistaké,” she said warmly, setting the tray down. “You must be thirsty.”

Mia nodded, accepting the tea. The warmth seeped through her fingers. Mistaké studied her with quiet understanding.

“You are not from here,” the woman murmured. “But you will be. Time flows differently in this realm. When it begins to show on you, when your years become too many, this—”

She pressed a small vial into Mia’s palm.

“Yesterday’s Tea. A sip, and you may begin again. But be wise—every choice carries cost.”

Mia stared at the vial, throat tightening. She thought of years, of waiting, of watching Wu and Garmadon grow. Of standing on the edges of history, never fully belonging.

Am I ready for this?

That night, as the monastery quieted, Mia lay awake beneath borrowed blankets. Dragoni’s words echoed in her mind.

Chosen. Guardian. Silent witness.

She thought of the seasons she knew—the battles, the betrayals, the victories. She thought of Lloyd, the boy who would carry the weight of his father’s shadow.

And she thought of herself, a girl from Earth, now a thread in the tapestry.

The story hadn’t begun yet. But Mia was already here.
And nothing would ever be the same again.

Chapter Text

Time was strange in Ninjago.

Days bled into weeks, weeks into years, and yet Wu and Garmadon still looked like boys. Centuries-old boys, Dragoni had explained, their blood carrying both dragon and oni longevity. Mia stopped trying to measure years the way she once had—calendar pages meant little here. Instead, she counted by changes. The monastery’s roof repaired. A new grove of cherry blossoms blooming. The sound of Wu’s flute gaining skill while Garmadon’s sparring strikes grew sharper.

And herself, always hovering in the background.

Wu treated her like a sister—gentle, curious, always asking if she would join in his practice. Garmadon teased her mercilessly, calling her “ghost girl” when she cloaked herself invisible with a flicker of concentration. But even he softened when Dragoni’s gaze lingered. They were good boys. Boys who did not yet know the future carved out for them.

Her powers grew slowly, like seeds watered each season. At first she could only make a lantern spark to life, or nudge a sword from its rack into her hand. But soon she could weave the monastery’s banners into a cloak of invisibility, or coax the great doors to swing open at her will. Dragoni warned her:

“Do not abuse it, Mia. The purpose of power is not to dazzle, but to protect. You are here for the story, not for yourself.”

And so she stayed in the shadows. Always near, never leading.

It wasn’t long before shadows from outside reached them.

She watched as Wu lost his katana and when Garmadon went to fetch it he did not return. She told Dragoni to go find him and when she saw the sweet boy again his eyes had begun to flash red, blaming Wu. This was near the same time Wu had encountered a young serpentine and forbidden scrolls he was warned against touching. Mia watched in silence, only speaking up to inform and guide what needed to be done.

Over time the boys grew and so did Mia. She tasted Mistaké’s vial of tea, called Tomorrow's Tea, the first time after she had been in Ninjago for ten years. She drank again ten years after, repeating the routine methodically, always only drinking a small sip.

Dragoni crafted unique scrolls he refused to let anyone touch while the serpentine were growing in numbers. Though Wu and Garmadon still seemed interested. When Mia asked why Dragoni created the scrolls, he told her they would serve a purpose but were too powerful for even his sons to wield, so Mia would need to ensure they never fell into the wrong hands. Mia promised and life seemed to move on.

Mia was learning to read Ninjago languages from some of Dragoni's scrolls when Wu and Garmadon ran off to go swimming but didn't return until after night fell and were acting suspicious. Not knowing what to make of it, Mia let the matter go.

Dragoni had Mia write a book about a rabbit named Jack learning not to trust snakes the next day as practice with the language. Mia thought it turned out pretty good and Garmadon seemed to think so too when he read it. Wu was missing, though, acting suspicious when he was around.

He kept disappearing when Garmadon wanted to train, so Mia trained with Garmadon in the meantime. Over the next several weeks, Mia grew stronger and learned the ways of the ninja. Dragoni let Mia pick out her own ninja gi, which he sewed a unique symbol of tech into.

Her gi was turquoise with silver highlights and had silver metal plating. The grey cloak she used for invisibility, given to her by Dragoni the first night she arrived in Ninjago, Mia and Dragoni attached flexible metal plating onto for shielding protection. Mia kept her dark hair up in a bun, wrapped with a flexible metallic hair scrunchie she could transform into a makeshift hat or hood as needed.

One day while Mia was training on the training course alone, Garmadon and Wu ran into the monestary with the forbidden scrolls on their backs.

"What are you doing with those?" Mia prompted them, her arms crossed over her chest with a disapproving eyebrow raised.

"We're just putting them back," Garmadon replied, actively moving toward Dragoni's study.

"I made a mistake and had to correct it," Wu confessed.

"And will you be messing with those scrolls again?" Mia double checked, flowing the two brothers into the empty stuffy and watched them put the scrolls back.

"Never again," Garmadon promised, glaring at Wu. "It was a one time deal."

Wu nodded in confirmation. The three never spoke of it again, even to Dragoni.

Time went on and Dragoni tasked Mia with relocating the scrolls of forbidden Spinjitsu and learning everything she could to prepare her for the show's events. He tasked her with crafting the sword of sanctuary, creating the teapot that would become the teapot of tiran, and many other artifacts that would be used later on in the show. Once they were crafted, Dragoni took the items and ensured they ended up where Mia said they were supposed to be and what their roles would be.

She was at the monestary when Dragoni left for his tomb. She watched the boys meet Misako. She watched Garmadon leave the monastery in search of his own path and found a sensei in Chen. She watched Wu discover a young boy rifling through his trash that he welcomed inside and began to teach. She watched Morro walk into the room of the laid out weapons and green gi and the pain in the boy's cries at the news he was not the destined one. She watched him run away and Wu keep the monastery door open in case he ever came back, knowing full well that Wu would only encounter the bit again once he was dead.

She watched the serpentine war begin and joined the Elemental Masters in the fight—the first of their kind, wielders of fire, ice, earth, water, and more. Mia recognized their names instantly from her memories of the show’s lore. Seeing them in the flesh made her pulse race. Garmadon joined their side of the fight, leaving Chen behind.

But recognition did not mean safety. After pointing out the snake charming flutes to Garmadon, the first part of the war was over. The snakes were locked away in the tomb Mia and the master of Earth had built. Now the Hands of Time had risen, leading to the second half of the war. Twin brothers, Acronix and Krux, had twisted their gifts into weapons, seeking to enslave the land.

The first clash came at the monestary. Mia stood with the Masters, the air thick with smoke. She had assisted Ray and Maya in making the time blades, and now was in the fight against her most difficult event yet. Acronix sneered across the field, his gauntlet ticking.

“Who sends children against us?” His gaze landed on Mia, lingering on her more youthful state than the others. “No... not a child. Something else. A thread out of place.”

Mia’s heart pounded. He knows. He can feel I’m not supposed to be here.

When the battle began, Mia threw herself into the fray. Blades clashed, fire roared. She stretched out her hands, tugging at the weapons in soldiers’ grips. Spears shivered and fell apart in her wake. Chains meant to bind the Elemental Masters followed her lead, obeying her command. Every breath left her dizzy, but she fought harder.

Krux snarled, his own time-blade flashing. “You dare meddle, girl?!”

“Not meddling,” Mia shot back, voice shaking but steady. “Correcting.”

The Masters rallied, her interference tilting the balance. Fire blazed, earth split, water surged. At last Acronix and Krux were forced back, fury smoldering in their eyes as Wu and Garmadon created the time vortex and sent the captured time powers to be scattered through time.

“This is not the end,” Acronix spat, pointing directly at Mia. “The girl will pay. You all will pay! We will have revenge.”

Even as the brothers fled into the shadows of the time vortex after their time blades, Mia knew his words weren’t empty. She had painted a target on herself, despite the need to stay in the shadows.

After the battle, she sat at the monastery’s steps, bruised and trembling. Wu knelt beside her, pressing a clumsy poultice to her arm.

“You fought bravely,” he whispered.

“I wasn’t supposed to fight at all.” Mia looked down at her hands, still tingling from power. “I’m supposed to stay hidden.”

Garmadon plopped beside her, smirking despite the scrape on his cheek. “Hidden? That was the loudest fight I’ve ever seen. You nearly ripped a man’s armor off his body with your mind.”

“That’s not the point!” Mia buried her face in her knees. “If I change too much—if I ruin things—everything could fall apart.”

Wu’s voice was soft, but certain. “Father said you are here to protect the story of our lives. Today, you did.”

Mia didn’t answer. But somewhere deep in her chest, the words lodged like a spark, too dangerous to ignore.

That night, Mistaké visited her again, pressing a hand to Mia’s shoulder. “You stepped into the river today when you were meant to stand on the bank,” the old woman murmured. “Be careful, child. Every ripple touches the future.”

Mia wanted to argue. But she couldn’t deny the truth: the future she thought she knew was no longer set in stone.

And she was at the center of it.

Chapter Text

The monastery bells rang with joy.

Mia stood at the edge of the courtyard, hidden beneath a cloak of plain linen she’d sewn herself, her hands clasped tight around a bouquet she’d helped prepare. She watched as guests filled the courtyard, as banners fluttered in the summer air.

Today, Garmadon was to be wed.

The boy she had known, mischievous and sharp, now stood in ceremonial robes of crimson and gold. His smile was proud but nervous. Wu stood at his side, steady as ever. Mistaké sat among the honored guests, eyes warm as she caught Mia’s from across the courtyard, though she shouldn't have been able to.

Upon the end of the battle against the Time Brothers, Mia had been focused on becoming the fly on the wall Dragoni intended her to be. She was not too intervene or interact unless it was to assist the events of the show.

And Misako—graceful, determined, a scholar even in her wedding silks—took Garmadon’s hand.

The vows spoken that day were traditional, yet the weight of them pressed against Mia’s chest. She stood at the edge of the story, invisible to most, but she still felt the shift in the air as history carved a new chapter. She had turned down maid of honor for her job, but still came to ensure the future held.

When the ceremony ended and music filled the monastery, Garmadon surprised her by seeking her out.

“You were there, weren’t you?” he asked quietly, his smile softer than she had expected. “Even if I can’t always see you, I know you’re here.”

Mia blinked, caught off guard. “I—yes. Always.”

He clasped her arm briefly, like a brother. “Then thank you.”

And then he was gone, swept up into the crowd beside his new bride.

___________________________________________________________________________

A Child’s Cry

The first sound was sharp and thin, piercing through the hush of the monastery chamber.

Mia stood at the doorway, heart pounding. Inside, Misako cradled a newborn wrapped in soft purple cloth, her face flushed with exhaustion but glowing with awe. Garmadon leaned close, his expression unreadable—equal parts pride and unease.

Wu entered quietly, his hand brushing Mia’s shoulder as if to steady her.

“His name is Lloyd,” Misako whispered. “Lloyd Montgomery Garmadon.”

The tiny bundle squirmed, letting out another wail. Mia’s throat tightened. Lloyd.

She had known this moment would come. She had seen the importance in the show—knew the story, the destiny that would weigh on this child’s shoulders. But watching him now, so small and fragile, she felt something else swell in her chest.

A protectiveness she hadn’t fully expected. She had always loved him as a character, but now it felt like something more. Something she didn't fully understand.

She stepped forward, just enough to see him better. His tiny hand flailed, brushing against the air—and for a heartbeat, Mia swore his green eyes flickered open and met hers.

Her breath caught.

Wu’s voice was gentle beside her. “You will watch him too, won’t you?”

Mia swallowed hard, unable to speak. Instead, she nodded.

In that moment, she knew. She would not only watch. She would guard. She would fight. She would walk every step of this story alongside him, no matter how much it hurt.

For Lloyd.

For the thread of the future he needed to weave.

Time went on. Garmadon fought Wu for the weapons of Spinjitsu and fell into the underworld. Wu gave the weapons to Kai’s father to hide, before he vanished. Misako dropped a toddler Lloyd off at Darkly’s rather than leave him with Wu, Mia, or someone else trustworthy, while she began her research.

Wu kept the monastery tidy, keeping to himself until Mia told him to go find some students to use the weapons of Spinjitsu. He obeyed and before long Jay, Cole, and Zane were practicing on the training course. Not long later, Kai joined and the four gained their distinctive colors. None of four ever saw Mia, who watched them journey to collect the weapons and rescue Nya.

Garmadon traveled to another realm not long later, and Mia’s true task was about to begin.

She sought out the Destiny's Bounty and found the ship in the desert in worse shape than she remembered from the show. Glad she had thought to come, she got to work on starting the repairs and adding some tech for when the ninja would arrive.

Chapter Text

The monastery halls were rowdy but no actual training was occurring. The ninja were caught by sensei Wu playing video games and talking about the lack of need to train since Garmadon left. Mia stayed hidden in a dark corner of the room, her fingers absently brushing the floor. She'd spent years preparing for this, waiting for the day the true story of Ninjago began.

The ninja had gathered under Wu's guidance, trained in the ways of the ninja, learned Spinjitsu, and collected the golden weapons. Garmadon had traveled to another realm, destiny ready to act.

And it began with a child.

“Hand over the candy, or I'll release the serpentine on you!” Lloyd yelled at the crowd in Jaminikai village. He opened a can and threw fake snakes at the crowd, who in turn threw vegetables at the poor boy.

The ninja did nothing helpful. Upon realizing Lloyd was Garmadon’s son, they were inclined to leave the boy there alone, hanging from a sign, rather than bring him to his uncle where he could be safe and provided for. Once the ninja had left, Mia made the sign move slightly to allow Lloyd down. The boy didn't notice anything other than he was free and ran off toward the snow. Mia followed.

Finding the first tomb was an accident. Lloyd fell into the icy prison and just barely escaped the general’s control, now in control of a serpentine army. The second time was intentional, wanting revenge for betrayal. The third time was just stupid, a lonely child thinking he was in control of the situation. Mia stayed with Lloyd while the ninja figured things out.

The chosen one needed someone reasonable to make sure he ate actual food and drank water since he literally only had the clothes on his back. Just a rolled up sandwich or full canteen the boy found beside him after sleep was all she could really do without interfering. The boy never questioned the gifts, just ate and drank his fill, occasionally whispering quiet thank yous to the universe when the food appeared while he was alone, and continued on his path toward destruction.

When Pythor betrayed Lloyd at Darkly's, Mia felt relieved. The boy would be with his protectors, with his uncle, safe with people who actually would care from now on. Mia stayed aboard the bounty and kept watch.

When Lloyd was imprisoned by the serpentine again, Mia stayed with him. The snakes never gave him food or water, so Mia continued to do that task. Lloyd noticed, but never said anything other than a whispered thanks to the invisible person pressing food and a canteen of water into his hands. Nya and the ninja tried to save him but didn't have any luck.

Mia watched from inside the volcano, staffing beside Lloyd. She would be the safety net in case Kai didn't do what he was supposed to do. When Kai reached their falling apart piece of rock, she climbed on his back and made sure Lloyd was secure in his arms as Kai’s full potential was finally unleashed.

Back aboard the Bounty, Lloyd was declared the Green Ninja and all was going according to plan. That is, until Lloyd mentioned the invisible person who gave him food, to the ninja. The ninja were confused, but the senseis looked at one another with understanding. Both looked around the room and sent a quiet thank you to the room. When the ninja asked what they were talking about, Wu simply said his family had an invisible guardian who made sure destiny happened as it should and protected them as needed. The ninja did not get much more out of him than that.

The events of the season continued until the ninja went to steal the fang blades from the snakes. Mia appeared in front of Garmadon on his way off Bounty and told him to enlist the skeleton army for aid. Garmadon obeyed and the ninja survived to fight another day. Pythor stole the fang blades back from the ninja the next day. Mia untied Lloyd so he could warn the others.

When Lloyd was left in charge of the Bounty, Mia helped get the ship ready to fly. The boy steered the ship toward Oroborus without too many issues, Mia ensuring the ship kept steady for him. They picked up the others on the way by happy accident and arrived at the lost city just in time for the ugly head of the Great Devourer to rise out of the ground, ready to feast.

Chapter Text

Garmadon assisted the ninja in defeating the Great Devourer before running off to begin casing shenanigans and Wu returned safe and sound.

The Great Devourer’s carcass still poisoned Ninjago City long after it was gone. Streets cracked beneath the weight of its remains, and the once-proud skyline stood scarred. The ninja worked tirelessly to rebuild, but the world had changed—and so had Lloyd.

Mia kept to the shadows of the Bounty, watching the boy who once begged the universe for sandwiches now sitting at Wu’s side as a student. He was still small, still clumsy, but his laughter came easier. He had a home. A family. Love.

---

When the ninja were turned into children Lloyd gave up his own childhood to save everyone.

Jumping from 10 to 16 in seconds, he seemed okay. In the show, Lloyd’s aging up showed no issues other than moments in the future where his youthfulness would shine through. Truthfully, Mia could see the weight he now carried on his shoulders, heavier than ever. Finally allowed to be treated like an adult, not realizing he gave up so much innocence to do so until it was gone. He never asked to be the green ninja, Kai and the others did. Destiny simply chose Lloyd and said it made sense.

That night, when Lloyd practiced his Spinjitzu alone, Mia set a lantern glowing brighter, so he wouldn’t be afraid of the dark corners in the room. He grinned, spinning clumsily, and whispered, “Thanks, whoever you are” while looking around the room.

Mia only smiled back.

---

It didn’t take long for Garmadon to step fully into his role as the enemy. Mia was there when the ninja clashed with him, when the first Stone Warriors were awakened, and when the Overlord’s influence began to seep into the cracks of the world.

Lloyd had reunited with his mother. He was unsure if he could trust her. She had given him away, practically tossed him aside to focus on other things. Yet he welcomed her aboard the team anyway, while Mia could see his doubts still lingering.

Still, in the quiet of night, Lloyd crept out onto the deck, his joy dulled by worry. “She’s here now… but she’ll leave again, won’t she?” he whispered to the stars.

Mia couldn't hold back. She placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. He froze, then lightly leaned into the touch and looked at his shoulder in awe.

“It'll work out? We'll be okay?” He asked, lightly glancing over his shoulder at Mia’s general direction and placed his hand over hers, while she remained invisible to his sight.

She squeezed his hand in reply. He grinned and squeezed back before they both let go and Mia stepped back.

On the Bounty, the others whispered about Garmadon’s growing power. Lloyd stayed quiet, hugging his knees to his chest, his fear of having to fight his father buried under determination.

Mia knelt beside him, unseen. She longed to put a hand on his shoulder again, to tell him he wasn’t alone. Instead, she slipped an extra blanket around him as he dozed.

---

The Stone Army rose, unstoppable. Cities crumbled under their march. Even the ninja’s greatest efforts seemed meaningless against the power gathering in the dark.

When the Bounty fell from the sky, Mia fought to steady it from within, invisible hands pulling at ropes and sails until the ninja regained control. She could not save them from every fall, but she could keep the blows from being fatal.

Every new encounter seemed to push Lloyd further toward the destiny Mia knew too well. His powers grew, his Spinjitzu sharpened, and the golden glow of his true potential sparked at the edges of his being. But with growth came distance.

The boy who once whispered thanks into the night now stood tall, arguing strategy with the ninja, his voice cracking but firm.

Still, when no one else was looking, he sometimes glanced into empty space and murmured, “I know you’re there.”

Mia’s heart twisted each time.

---
Dr. Julian helped build and fix things. That was a big help. All Mia could do was watch and interfere if someone mistepped or took too long to come to the right conclusion.

At the Temple of Light, when the ninja donned their new robes and gifted Lloyd with their combined energy, Mia stood unseen at the edge of the chamber, the golden glow so bright it made her eyes sting.

The boy she had fed in secret was no longer a boy. The Green Ninja had risen.

---

The final battle came swiftly.

Lloyd faced the overload in his father’s matter body atop the ruined city, golden power blazing from within him. Mia perched on the wreckage of a broken building, unable to move, unable to breathe.

Destiny hung on the edge of every blow Lloyd was dealt. Mia knew the ending, but her chest still ached as though it could shatter.

The golden power surged, light consuming darkness. Lloyd’s voice echoed above the ruins: “unless my light is bright enough!”

The overlord surrounded him in shadow, trying to block out all the light, but the light still remained within. In a flash, evil was vanquished. At least, for the time being.

When the battle was done, the ninja rejoiced, the people of Ninjago cheered, and Lloyd was hailed a hero. He had both his parents back on top of it. It was good.

Mia lingered at the edge of the celebration, her heart both heavy and light. She had guided him silently from shadows and serpents to golden destiny, but each step carried him farther from the boy who once whispered thank yous to the air.

Lloyd stood in the center of the crowd, arms tight around his father and mother, the ninja by his side.

He laughed, radiant, his future secure.

Mia smiled softly, hidden, and whispered her own thank you.

Not to destiny. Not to fate.

But to Lloyd—for surviving

Chapter Text

Ninjago City had transformed into a gleaming metropolis, powered by invention and ambition. And Mia, for once, dared to rest.

Mia found herself renting a modest apartment in New Ninjago City, its windows full of soft neon glow and the hum of hovercars. She placed her box of belongings on the floor and exhaled. No monastery. No prophecy. Just normalcy.

Her roommate, Dani—a kind, middle-aged engineer who replied to her roommate ad—became the big-brother she never asked for.

Over cups of herbal tea, Dani listened while Mia talked in enigmas.

“You look like you’ve seen more than most,” he’d say, handing her a plate of dumplings.

“I’ve seen... enough,” Mia would reply, letting herself relax into the warmth of friendship.

One late night, Mia sat at her computer, headphones on, singing softly from memory. Dani paused at the door, entranced. “What are you singing?”

She froze, then shrugged. “Old songs. From another world,” she admitted.

That was all Dani needed. The next morning, he showed up with an envelope—an audition invite from a record label. He’d recorded her voice, anonymously. She laughed, half in terror, half in disbelief.

They negotiated terms: Mia would become a pop star, face hidden behind masks or helmets. Her stage name: Lovesick Heart.

Her music captured hearts across the city. She changed her voice between songs through her tech, her voice going more masculine or feminine depending on the song she sang using memory alone. No matter the voice she used, the teal and black outfit she wore in each video was always extravagant and sexy. 

Each song from her home world, tying her to what little roots she had before Ninjago and her current life. No one knew she was the same silent guardian threaded through their lives.

But rest didn’t last. The future she embraced was fragile. The Overlord returned—not as flesh, but a virus, corrupting every machine in Borg Tower.

Mia kept watch and silently began building the technoblades alongside Borg, inserting a tiny piece of her power into them, while Borg couldn’t seem to figure out where the assistance was coming from. He never asked for fear of the Overlord finding out. Mia wrote a note on paper warning him to invite the ninja over, and thankfully he did not question the message he whispered came from destiny.

The ninja arrived as planned and luckily Lloyd had not come with them. PIXAL gave a tour of the facilities while the ninja met with Borg, failing to smuggle the technoblades out fully without setting off the alarms and starting the full technology corruption. Lloyd arrived and it was a race to smuggle Lloyd and the technoblades out of the city.

Mia climbed onto Lloyd’s jet and joined the ninja on their way to Garmadon’s new monastery, leaving Wu behind as decoy.

Mia stayed outside with Zane while the others entered. Mia kept her focus on watching for PIXAL. When she appeared, Mia turned her attention to watching for the Nindroids while Zane rebooted PIXAL near the other ninja. With so many nindroids around, Mia figured taking down a few wouldn’t hinder the plot too badly. She was torn between whether she would follow Lloyd and Garmadon or the ninja when the separation came. She didn’t have a lot of time to decide. She ended up running after Lloyd and Garmadon into the wilderness, intending to get lost in Hiroshi’s labyrinth.

It was a long and arduous journey, with Mia unable to do anything other than conceal herself, but the trio arrived at Hiroshi’s labyrinth without issues or changes to the plot. It wasn't until Lloyd had fallen asleep for the night, with Garmadon meeting watch, that Mia let her guard down.

Garmadon whispered into the air, “I know you're here.”

Mia let her invisibility cloaking tech fall, revealing herself, but saying nothing. All was quiet for a while, the two staring at each other.

“Are we going to succeed?” Garmadon asked.

“That is the plan,” Mia admitted.

“You'll make sure of that?” Garmadon prompted. “You'll protect him?”

“I'll ensure destiny is followed,” Mia promised, “and everything occurs as it is meant to.”

Garmadon signed, but nodded in acceptance. Both glanced at Lloyd, who had shifted in his sleep. Mia internally questioned if he was actually only pretending to sleep, but Garmadon gave her a reassuring smile.

“Will you be joining us?” He asked. “May I introduce you?”

Mia paused, contemplating, then shook her head.

“It's too risky. I'm not supposed to get involved except to correct wrong actions or decisions,” she replied.

“So unless you need to interfere-” Garmadon began and Mia confirmed, “don't mention me.”

Garmadon frowned, but nodded in understanding.

“How long does your mission last?” He asked, “will you ever be free to just live? Exist with us? Actually be part of our family?”

Mia shrugged. “In my home world, Ninjago is merely a TV show. I've seen up to the season 9 trailer, which had just come out when I was pulled into your world. Season 9 is set many years from now. After that?” She shrugged again. “I'll be as clueless about the future as everyone else. So, I suppose that is when I'll be free.”

Garmadon nodded back in understanding.

“How many years?” He asked.

“I'd guess at least 4 years from now,” Mia admitted. “Lloyd will be roughly 20ish or so. The voice actor changed to show he'd finished going through puberty.”

Garmadon nodded again, thinking to himself.

“Will you join us, then?” He asked, after a while. “Join the team? When you no longer know what the future holds in store and so won't know what needs to occur?”

“Maybe,” Mia whispered back and reminded, “But only if I'm sure that's the right course of action. I'm only supposed to observe, not interfere with the canon story.”

Garmadon accepted the response and watched silently as Mia walked back into the foliage and concealed herself with her cloaking tech once more. The night continued without issue.

The next morning, the nindroids had found them. Mia waited with Garmadon as Lloyd fled further into the jungle, and followed the captured Garmadon to Pythor’s airship. Once at the cliff, Mia stayed hidden near the ship until Garmadon was tossed off the cliff. Mia dove in after him, needing to ensure he survived to go help the ninja and fight a cyborg Wu.

Once again on dry land, no longer chained, Garmadon berated her for saving him rather than protecting Lloyd.

Mia snapped back “he'll survive what's about to happen and be fine by the time I get to him. You need to get back to Borg Tower and help. I'll make sure Lloyd is safe now that I know you're out of danger.”

Garmadon grumbled, but ran off in the direction of Ninjago City. Mia threw down her cloak which transformed into a hover bike she quickly got on and flew after him, grabbing him and steadying him on the machine. She got him to the edge of the city quickly, let him hop off to run in further on his own, and turned around so she could fly after Lloyd.

Tracking him but sensing his ninja gi, Mia found the ship two hours later as it began to smoke and plummet. She had just reached the ship as the door opened and Lloyd shimmied his way off it, plunging into the sea as the ship crashed into the water.

Mia remained hovering near where Lloyd submerged, silently counting the seconds in case she needed to assist. Lloyd weakly swam to the surface on his own not long later. Mia let her clothes conceal her, barely hiding as Lloyd looked around for safety. He was not too far from shore where a small village rested, but Mia stayed close to monitor his progress as he swam toward it. She would assist and reveal herself if need be, but for now Lloyd was doing well.

Safely ashore, Mia snuck Lloyd a working communicator to call the ninja. He didn't verbally question where the communicator came from, just relieved he had made it and that his dad and the others seemed to be alright on the other end. The ninja picked Lloyd up not too long later. Everyone rested for the day before getting back to work the next day.

Lloyd gave up the golden power to give the other ninja proper access to their own elemental powers and to keep the overlord and anyone else from wanting to steal the power anymore. Mia turned her attention to the next issue at hand: Perfect Arcturus.

She headed to Oroborus early, making sure the rocket would be prepped for the ninja to sneak aboard. Not wanting to actually go to space, but needing to ensure the ninja would be able to build their way back using the tech, are resolved herself to go.

Making her space suit invisible wasn't a challenge. She stayed in the cockpit of the ship, silently praying the ninja would stick to the script. She was relieved when while the ship was nearing the comet that Jay’s voice was heard over the intercom. The ninja were aboard.

She stayed on the ship after the nindroids and ninja had left. When the bugs began eating through the metal, she swatted away the ones that got too close to her with her cloak. The ship was damaged, but she ensured the important pieces were salvageable by the time the ninja got back and the nindroids flew off with the giant ball of gold that was once the golden weapons.

The ninja rebuilt what they could of the rocket, thinking it be held together by “bubble gum and a wish” but Mia ensured it would hold together. She packed herself into the last open corner inside with the ship and used her powers to assist Zane in holding the rocket monstrosity together until the rocket broke apart and the ninja used Spinjitsu and their powers to slow their descent, caught by their vehicles PIXAL programmed to catch them.

Mia let her cloak shift into a hover board to catch herself, then headed back toward Ninjago City. Rather than attempting to go over or through the city, she hurried below. She found Scales and whispered into his ears to go help the people until he listened, then she hurried above to watch Zane’s sacrifice.

She stood vigil as the titanium ninja statue was built, then walked into Borg Tower the day of Zane’s funeral. She began programming the machines to begin building his body when Zane’s consciousness awoke inside the computer. She let him take over rebuilding his body as PIXAL ran in with a joyous grin at Zane’s voice asking “are we compatible now?”

Mia let them be, heading home to the apartment and Dani. Knowing what was next to come, her favorite season to watch yet fearing actually experiencing it, Mia threw her attention back into her music. Ninjago would survive another day. She wasn't really needed again until the noodle house dinner, so she let herself breathe for the time being.

Chen would want all elemental powers. Mia just wasn't sure if hers counted. If so, Chen would try to lure her into joining the tournament. The only question was how.

Chapter Text

Mia’s life as Lovesick Heart had given her a taste of peace. The neon stages of New Ninjago City lit her mask in soft pinks and purples while her voice carried across crowded arenas. No one knew that behind the music stood the invisible guardian who had fed the Green Ninja in the snow. No one except Dani, who made sure her tea was always hot and acted as an unbiased ear so her heart never carried too much weight alone.
But peace never lasted in Ninjago.

It began with whispers. Then came the letters with a date and time to meet at the docks. Elemental Masters, one by one, received summons to a mysterious Tournament of Elements.
Mia found her own summons one evening slipped beneath her apartment door. It wasn’t addressed to her stage name, but to her true self. “Mia of the Shadows,” it read, sealed with an anacondri serpent emblem.

Dani frowned when he read it over her shoulder. “This looks bad. You’re not going.”

“I don’t have a choice,” she replied softly, staring at the parchment. “When destiny calls, it always drags me back.”

What Mia didn’t know: Chen had already moved his pawns. Dani vanished the next morning, his tools scattered on the workbench. A note, written in jagged scrawl, awaited her:
If you want him back, come play the game.

Knowing season 4 was about to start, Mia took her hover cloak to Chen's island and encountered Clouse. She spoke before he could say anything, demanding to speak with Chen or she would warn the other elemental masters of the true nature of the tournament before Chen could do anything.

The fact that Mia can strangle people and control their bodies by controlling their clothing, as noticed by how Mia got face to face with Clouse in the first place, Clouse agreed to lead her directly to Chen. On the walk, Clouse instructed the guards to change the uniform to have less restrictive clothing in case Mia were to do something like this again, which led to Chen's army's uniform on the island.

Clouse brought her to Chen warily and before Chen could say anything, Mia outright told him that she was willing to take part in the tournament so long as she got to do things her way: Mia proposes to play a special role in the tournament, she called the "Redeemer." The role would be that whenever a person in the tournament loses, they have one chance to redeem themselves and stay in the tournament, which is to face her.

Mia guaranteed that she would win the fight against any elemental master and that she would willingly give up her power to Chen at the end of the tournament after he had captured all but one other power. Mia also bargained that Dani must be treated well in the factory and will not have to face Clouse's snake, and that Dani will be freed to go home to Ninjago City after Mia gave Chen her powers, but that Mia also gets to visit Dani daily to ensure the bargain is held or Mia would take down Chen's entire army herself.

She also warned that if Chen attempted to take her powers earlier than she agreed, she would break the staff without even touching it, since it counted as tech after having been crafted. The fact that vengestone and other materials made into chains or prison bars or anything like that which block other elemental masters' powers don't work on Mia's powers makes her the most powerful person in the room, so Chen listened intently.

Chen agreed and got her room set up. Mia stayed on Chen's island for a few days, checking in on Dani and passing by Zane's cell on her way, giving him small tech boosts to finish mentally rebooting himself and awakening PIXAL's memory drive onto a small computer so she could talk to him. Mia met Skylor within the few days before the tournament was about to commence, having quiet conversations about each other's powers and what they each wanted in life. They spoke lightly of the upcoming tournament, but Mia didn't say much other than Chen had agreed to let her have a special entrance.

Mia waited upstairs when the elemental masters and ninja arrived and met Chen for the first time. When Garmadon asked what happens when anyone in the tournament loses, Mia jumped down from the top floor and landed gently on her feet without issue. She met Garmadon's surprised gaze with a calm one, dressed in a turquoise ninja gi resembling what the ninja would wear in season 4.

Chen explained that Mia, elemental master of technology, would be joining the tournament, but not as a regular contestant. Mia would be the Redeemer, giving any loser one last chance to redeem themselves and if they defeated her would stay in the tournament but if lost against her, they would be out of the tournament permanently.

“Just something to make the tournament more interesting,” Chen reassured.

Mia just stood there, staring Garmadon down while the others whispered warily or curiously to each other. Once the kabuki began leading the elemental masters to their rooms, Garmadon approached Mia.

"I have a stake or two in the tournament," Mia confessed, “but I made a deal with Chen to let me participate my own way. I won't reveal anything more, just know that I'm keeping everything on track this way."

Garmadon reluctantly accepted and asked if he could at least introduce Mia to the ninja now.

Mia shook her head, "Soon," she promised. "Not until after the first loser is eliminated. You can tell them I'm an ally, but my assistance will be limited. Don't mention anything about my mission other than keeping destiny on track, so I won't be able to help reveal anything about the tournament or anything else."

Garmadon nodded in agreement. Clouse approached Garmadon as Mia turned to head toward where Chen would want the jade blades brought. Upon her arrival, Chen announced the tournament to commence.

When Karloff was deemed the loser, Garmadon pointed out he still had the opportunity to redeem himself. All eyes turned to Mia, who approached Karloff calmly. Karloff looked wary, but put on a brave face and charged. Without even touching him, Mia sent him to the ground and looked back up at Chen who hit the button for the trap door, sending Karloff below.

Mia could feel the sudden fear in the room, both directed toward losing and toward Mia, herself. She had barely moved and had won. Without waiting for Chen to finish talking, she headed back to her room where her dinner was waiting.

After dinner, she headed back downstairs toward the pool she found a few days prior and encountered Garmadon and Lloyd. Garmadon introduced Lloyd to Mia and she invited them and some other elemental masters to the pool. Garmadon mentions he didn't have a swimsuit, but Mia pulled out one she literally just made for him. Mia, Garmadon, Lloyd, Neuro, Toxica, and a few others ended up having some relaxation time and fun at the pool. Some of the others were roughhousing and competing while Lloyd and Garmadon leaned up against the pool with Mia.

Garmadon mentioned how he and Mia grew up together and Lloyd curiously asked about how old Mia was since she didn't look old enough to have grown up with his father and Wu. Mia confessed to being over a hundred years old, not fully sure how old she actually was now, but that Mistake regularly gave her Yesterday's Tea to keep her physically and emotionally sixteen so she could live through Ninjago history and ensure all of Ninjago's destined events could occur on track.

Lloyd asked Mia if she was the one who had given him food back when he was younger and alone and Mia admitted it was. Lloyd thanked her, but asked her why she had been invisible. Mia explained how her power over tech allowed her to do cool things like that, and that she was meant to be a silent viewer and guardian over ninjago, not to interfere unless something went wrong or if someone was taking too long and would mess up the events of what she knew to be Ninjago's destiny.

Lloyd asked her why she was more involved now, and Mia admitted that her roommate Dani was kidnapped by Chen and that she made a deal with him to participate in the tournament this way for Dani's freedom, but she wouldn't say any more on the matter.

Neuro looked over in curiosity but Mia's tech told her when he tried to search her mind by setting off a beeping excessively in her ear. To keep him out of her head, she imagined Neuro in embarrassing and compromising conditions until he looked sick, and mentally warned him to keep out of her head. He did not try again.

Mia walked back to her room with Lloyd, since they had rooms next door to each other on the island. Mia went to sleep rather than follow the ninja into the secret tunnels, only to find herself being woken up in the tunnels an hour later, the ninja looking down at her curiously.

Mia looked up at her bed above her, annoyed, muttered "not again," to herself and warned the ninja to be on their guard before she jumped back up toward her bed and flipped it over so she was back in her room.

She woke up again to find herself back in the tunnels and the ninja screaming, running toward her. She guided the ninja the right way so they all landed back in Kai's room on top of each other, Mia on top. Without waiting, Mia walked out toward Kai's balcony and parkoured her way back to her room and slept through the night without falling into the tunnels again since she slept on the couch in her room this time.

The next morning, the ninja tried to invite Mia over to join them for breakfast but Mia shook her head in warning and walked with her food to a lone booth where PaleMan joined her. The Two ate in silence and Mia kept giving Neuro warning side eyes every time he looked over, so Neuro kept his attention elsewhere.
The tournament continued and each losing contestant faced Mia without success. Bolobo held his own against her the best, since his power was nature, but he was still wearing clothing Mia could use against him.

When the masters were checking the brackets and found out Jay and Cole now had to fight each other, Jay threw a fit. Garmadon asked Mia if there was anything they could do while Lloyd and the others asked Neuro for help. Mia just shook her head and got ready for the fight. Jay and Cole worked out their differences in the arena and while Jay was ushered away Mia was let into the arena to face Cole.

Cole got into a fighting stance, his expression nervous, so as she approached Mia whispered "you're going to find Zane."

Cole's surprise showed on his face as Mia triggered the stone below Cole to give way in trap-door fashion, as intended, sending Cole below without much chance to fight. Mia looked over at Chen who was huffing in irritation with a frown, but at Mia's raised eyebrow, shrugged and moved on. Skylor and Jacob fought next, and Mia sat near Chen and Clouse to watch. Garmadon glanced at her several times throughout.

Once Skylor won, Mia hopped down from her seat and approached Jacob, her tech silencing her footsteps. Mia triggered the trapdoor underneath him moments later and he fell without much else. When Mia looked back up at Chen, Chen announced that everyone would be sleeping in the chow house that night, making everyone groan.

As people began climbing into bed, Lloyd and Jay approached Mia and asked if Cole was okay. Mia admitted that Cole would be fine and that he should be finding Zane any moment, which cheered up the ninja. Everyone climbed into bed after that, Mia sleeping closer to the ninja by sheer accident, only for Clouse to wake everyone up for Lloyd and Camille to face off in Thunderblade.

Mia was the only one who did not put on a helmet and when the rules were being explained, Chen mentioned how Mia would make things interesting.

All eyes turned to Mia who looked between Camille and Lloyd alone, telling them "if you can catch me, I'll give you a lift, but whether that's a good or bad lift is up to you."

"Good lift," Lloyd and Camille both said at the same time, making Mia nod, then glance at Chen.

Chen started the count down, signalling for Mia to begin skating ahead and the game was on. Mia triggered music to play “Ninja Roll” by the Fold, which caused Chen to scream at Mia for interfering with his song choices, and Mia shrugged at him with a smirk.

None of the elemental masters were able to touch Mia, not even Turner who had super speed, since she used his tracksuit to tug him back anytime he got close. When Shadow struck LLoyd's back, Mia adjusted the track slightly so the landing popped his back to fix the aches and pains he had before, and kept skating.

Camille nearly reached Mia a few times, but Mia dodged until Kai and Jay managed to fling Lloyd into Mia, who caught him in her arms. Looking at the score board, Mia gripped Lloyd close to herself and had her tech keep her in place of the track moving as fast as Turner was running. When Kai and Skylor took the buggy from Camille, Mia assisted Lloyd jumping into the buggy while the others focused on building the alliance.

Lloyd won as Mia planned and when Chen tried to argue that he cheated, everyone protested and Mia gave Chen a withering scowl.

"No going back on your word, Chen," she warned.

Chen backed down and declared Camille the loser. Mia turned to Camille, who quickly disguised herself as Lloyd and stood next to him, trying to throw Mia off but Lloyd's actual confused face told Mia which was the real Lloyd. Mia snapped her fingers, making Camille's clothes and skates tug her closer to Mia, making the girl reveal herself. Mia gave her a sad smile and triggered the trap door, sending the girl below, then Mia turned to look at the other elemental masters and nodded, before walking off toward the food.

Everyone gathered for the celebration of everyone present's victories. Mia sat next to Garmadon during the meal, keeping quiet to herself and not being much assistance when the staff was revealed and mention of the spell occurred. Mia merely confirmed that the staff would eventually hold everyone but the one who remained's power.

When the spell came into question, Mia just looked down at her food and whispered to Lloyd that "I can't help you right now."

All remained as planned, with Nya mentioning a spy to the ninja and Skylor giving Kai the fortune cookie that stated Cole and Zane planned to break out.

The next thing the elemental masters knew, they were gathered in Kai's room trying to figure out who the spy was. Lloyd suspected Shadow of being the spy, while Neuro pointed out Mia as suspicious. Mia argued that she wasn't working for Chen, just completing a deal with him to keep her roommate safe. When Garmadon mentioned the Anacondri tattoo, Mia was the first to reveal her back.

In fact, she took off her whole shirt, unashamed, to prove she did not work for Chen since in order to work for Chen a person had to get the tattoo. Neuro still seemed to think her as suspicious, but everyone decided to move on to check everyone else while Mia put her shirt back on. When Shadow tried to escape the room on his own, Jay got hurt from the picture of Kai landing hard on his foot and Skylor used Camille's power of form to show her back while concealing the tattoo. Mia watched her go with a neutral expression and everyone else left. Mia was the only one who stayed in the room with the ninja.

"Do you know who it was?" Garmadon asked her.

Mia nodded, but didn't say who.

"You'll find out soon," she promised, then walked out of the room and headed toward Chen's room.

She arrived just in time for Nya to escape, and Mia convinced Chen to have the elemental masters hunt her down instead, giving them tech for Mia to track them down while they were at it. Chen cheered at the idea, and Mia got to work prepping the weapons and tech for Chen to have distributed around the island. That task completed, Mia headed to the blimp and waited as the other elemental masters climbed aboard.

While in the air, Chen explained Nya was the target of the hunt and mentioned for Mia to jump out now. Mia opened the door and jumped out without hesitation, shooting toward the ground quickly and using her tech to land safely.

Looking up, the other elemental masters were fighting over parashoots. Lloyd gave up his for Garmadon and nearly plummeted to his doom, but managed to summon his elemental dragon of Energy to catch himself. Mia breathed a sigh of relief at the sight, having been ready to catch him in case it didn't work.

She turned her attention to approaching where the nearest elemental master would land. Clouse and some of the guards joined her and began capturing the elemental masters one by one. Sensing when they were getting too close to Lloyd, Garmadon, or Nya, Mia directed the guards and Clouse to follow her toward the other elemental masters that were close enough to reach. One by one, all were captured except Lloyd, Garmadon and Nya.

When Chen asked where Lloyd was, Mia shrugged and said he wasn't close enough to sense. Chen shrugged and took the other elemental masters's powers, sending them to the factory. He turned to Mia and asked if she was ready to give up her own. Mia reminded him of the deal, he still had two other powers to go at the moment: Lloyd's and Skylor's. Chen nodded with a smile and asked if Mia wanted to help with Lloyd's capture. Mia shook her head and said she was happy to wait there until Lloyd was captured and Chen could face him alone without help.

Chen happily agreed and a few hours later the ceremony was beginning with Lloyd being brought in, Kai and Skylor at Chen's side and Mia sitting by Chen's feet. Chen looked at Mia who nodded her head at Skylor. Chen had Skylor give up her power first, then turned back to Mia who nodded.

Mia approached Chen and felt nothing but pain as the staff took her power. Rather than just feeling woozie, like the others had, Mia fainted and did not wake up until her power came flooding back to her, the staff shattered in Kai's hands.

Mia got up quickly and joined the fight, taking down dozens of guards at a time. Lloyd approached during the fight and asked if she was alright.

"Better, now," she admitted. "Didn't expect it to hurt so much or be so draining. I've never lost my powers before."

The fight ended and the elemental masters took over the island, Chen and Clouse in hiding with Skylor kidnapped. The ninja gathered around Zane as he danced, making them laugh. Kai asked Mia if Skylor would be okay.

"You'll find her," Mia promised with a nod, making Kai relieved.

Neuro approached not too long later with word from Skylor explaining how Chen just realized he could use the powers in his daughter as a substitute for the staff. Everyone spurred into motion to go find Skylor, but Mia stayed put, watching the water.

By the time everyone else got back, the anacondri spell transformation was occurring. Mia helped Garmadon up after the spell was completed. The fight began. Mia helped keep the doors shut while the anacondri attacked, doing her best to keep people safe.

When Chen and his army left, Lloyd vowed to go after them alone, but Mia stopped him and shook her head. "You're not alone," she promised and Zane approached with his own elemental dragon.

One by one each elemental master summoned their elemental dragons. Mia's dragon was turquoise, like her outfit, but also had matches of metal and cloth symbolizing her tech. She had Dani climb up behind her and the elemental masters flew back to Ninjago.

Mia mostly kept to herself once everyone reached Nya's Samurai X cave. When the other elemental masters went out in search of snakes or going after the trucks, Mia stayed put. When Chen called to drop the information that Garmadon had signed his name to Wu's love letter to Misako, the brothers argued and Misako asked Mia if she had known.

"Of course I knew," Mia admitted, "Lloyd wouldn't have been born otherwise and destiny would have been affected. It was a horrible thing to do to his brother and horrible to trick you, but for everything to happen as intended I never would have stopped him."

Misako was torn, as were Wu and Garmadon. Garmadon tried to apologize, saying he planned to explain when the time was right, but Wu didn't want to hear it. Mia turned her attention to the map and before long the fight at the Cavern of Elders began.

Mia stayed at Lloyd's side and once Pythor arrived, helped Lloyd get up to the Bounty to present the book. Lloyd ran off in anger when he realized his father would have to leave again, but Mia stayed put.

"We'll see each other again," Mia promised Garmadon quietly, "although I'm not sure you'll recognize me."

"Watch over them," Garmadon asked and Mia promised, "always."

Wu opened the book but Lloyd returned and sent off his father himself. The true anacondri generals returned as ghosts and cursed the pretenders, defeating Chen and his army, sending them to the cursed realm. The generals thanked Lloyd and praised the elemental masters.

Mia stood by Lloyd and watched as Clouse's spell book was burned, watching the skyline for any sign of Morro.

Chapter Text

Mia spent the next month and a half hiding in her room at her and Dani’s apartment. She was dreading the next season of events that were in store for the ninja. She always hated season 5 and all the pain it brought. Dani didn't complain about it much. In fact, he encouraged Mia to rest, promising to keep an eye on the ninja for her to let her know when the tea shop is built.

In the meantime Mia wrote a few more songs and released them without performing any shows, too depressed over losing Garmadon and dreading the next season.

While she stayed home, turns out the ninja had encountered Ronin, who temporarily stole their memories and manipulated Misako into helping him open a portal to potentially free Chen. Not having known this, Mia was alarmed when Dani reported it, but was relieved to hear the ninja figured it out and everything seemed back on track. Mia supposed these events were likely from that Ninjago game with Ronin that she hadn't had a chance to check out before she ended up actually living in Ninjago. Then again, these events could have been completely random. She wouldn't know.

Mia was both relieved and disheartened when Dani came to her with news the ninja would be heading out in the morning to go catch a giant fish that had been terrorizing fishing ships on the coast. She thanked Dani for the update and prepared her tech. Season 5 was beginning.

Mia kept to the shadows that night as she approached the soon to open Steep Wisdom shop Wu had built under the false assumption he would be able to retire. Rather than approaching the shop itself, she snuck aboard The Bounty and found a barely used closet to hide for the night.

As day dawned, she stayed put. She wouldn't interfere with what needed to happen, she insisted to herself, even if she hated it. If she left her hiding place, she wasn't sure she'd be able to stop herself from blabbing warnings against Lloyd going to the museum and being possessed. She was almost sure she'd do everything she could to prevent the possession, but it needed to happen to keep the canon show on track. Which was why she stayed put, hiding out of sight, ignoring her rumbling stomach and just sitting in the cramped space until nightfall.

She hadn't expected to feel the moment that Lloyd was possessed. But she did. She felt something deplete inside her own chest as an odd sense shifted the air. A quick test of the tech on her glove confirmed her powers still worked, so why had she felt the possession? That was odd.

She curled herself up tighter into a ball and cried until she heard the ninja yelling and felt the ship begin to lift into the air. Morro must be chasing after them already, Mia reasoned. She wiped her face, made herself invisible through her tech, and headed to the room Wu would use to make an imprint with the staff.

Mia could hear Morro’s voice through the walls. She shut her eyes closed, but was relieved to sense Wu succeeding in marking the wall with ink and staff before the ship went down. Mia let it fall, but with her hand to the wall she eased the crash so no one on board could be too harmed, and the Bounty wouldn't take too long to fix.

Once the Bounty was on solid ground, Mia hurried out of the nearest hole in the hull to hide among the trees while the ninja gathered around to camp for the night. Wu told them a “ghost story” about his encounters and teaching of Morro. How Wu thought Morro would be the Green Ninja and accidentally gave the boy’s hopes up when the golden weapons did not react to him. Morro became obsessed with changing destiny, intending to become the chosen one no matter the cost. Morro left the monastery with intent to find Dragoni’s tomb, but never returned.

Mia kept to the shadows through the night and reluctantly followed the ninja to Stiix while Wu and Misako brought Nya back to Steep Wisdom to train her to become the water ninja.

Mia kept her eyes on the ninja from a distance, not wanting to get too close lest she be too tempted to alter things. She still had to ensure the ninja survived their interactions with the other ghosts and Ronin without dying, though. Everything kept to the show’s canon without her having to interfere, but Mia did notice Morro looking around himself as if looking for someone he couldn't see in the few moments she saw him.

Mia followed the ninja to Yang’s Haunted Temple, but stayed outside while the ninja went in. There wasn't a point for her to learn airjitzu or to risk becoming a ghost. When the ninja exited the temple the following morning, the only ghost was Cole, as expected.

Mia climbed aboard the Bounty behind the ninja, keeping herself concealed, and hid herself on Cole’s mech. When the avalanche came, she jumped onto Zane’s mech and steadied it to guarantee the one mech survived and Cole could possess it, ensuring the ninja could make it to the top. She kept herself concealed so neither Zane or Cole could detect her, which could have potentially altered things. Everything stayed as planned.

When the ninja used airjitzu to enter the Blind Man's Eye, Mia used her cloak and tech to get herself up there, only having to fight the wind slightly. Without too much issue, she made it and snuck into the Cloud Kingdom behind the ninja. Fenwick did not acknowledge Mia, seemingly unable to see her as well, but one monk was staring at her with wide eyes.

Mia quickly approached the monk but kept silent until the ninja had passed. Once the ninja and Fenwick had left, Mia let her tech decloak her and all eyes turned to her.

“How could you see me?” She asked the monk in front of her.

“I was tasked with writing your destiny,” he confessed. “I can see you no matter what you do.”

Mia glanced at all of the other monks, who quickly looked away and went back to their scrolls. She turned back to the monk in front of her.

“Any advice or assistance?” She asked him. “I only know up to a certain point what needs to be done.”

The monk nodded and quickly pulled a scroll out from his desk and handed it to her.

“What's this?” She asked, just holding the rolled up scroll in her hand.

“A guide,” the monk explained. “When you come to a time where you don't know what will happen you may look at the scroll and what's next will appear to you, and only you. The scroll will appear blank to anyone else. You will be able to continue watching the…show, but it will be through here.”

Mia nodded in understanding, her eyes on the insignificant looking scroll in her hand.

“Thank you,” she told the monk, then hurried after the ninja as she re-cloaked herself.

She kept her distance until she saw Morro running with the sword of sanctuary. Then she darted back toward the Cloud Kingdom exit and dove through, landing back on the top of the mountain. Morro and the ninja arrived not long later. Mia jumped onto the boat Morro was in and did her best not to get in the way of the fight.

Mia almost cried when Lloyd managed to take control long enough to give Kai the sword. She made sure Kai ended up back on the Bounty, but stayed on the little boat with Morro and Lloyd as they fell off a cliff on the side of the mountain. She made sure Lloyd survived, before she snuck away back to Steep Wisdom where the ninja were getting ready to fight off ghosts.

Mia took an hour to just breathe before making her way to the caves of despair. She had to ensure the ninja survived the ordeal. Luckily, everything went as planned and Mia kept the mine carts moving and assisted Ronin's airship Rex to find them and take them to Dragoni’s tomb.

As the ninja climbed out of Rex, Mia hurried on ahead and entered the zoitrope. The ninja joined moments later and Mia followed them into the next cavern where a staff rested out of reach. As soon as the ninja set off enough traps to leave holes in the floor, Mia jumped down to the ice. She kept her head down and wandered through the ice maze, careful not to look at her own reflection.

She didn't want to know what was to come of her. She figured she'd just see herself alone forever, chasing after the ninja but never being part of them. She didn't want to see that confirmed.

She found a quiet spot in the maze and began digging. Just as she heard the commotion of the ninja fighting Morro in the maze, she fell through into the tomb proper. Nervously, she approached Dragoni's final resting place, feeling her eyes tear up at the sight. The realm crystal was in his hands, as expected.

Mia heard the ninja making a commotion as they appeared. Still invisible, Mia ran back to the hole the ninja had come from and climbed through back into the ice maze. She found Morro climbing out of the icicle prison moments later, dragging Lloyd’s exhausted body with him. Mia was about to turn back to the hole but a streak of color caught her eye.

In the nearest ice wall was an image of Mia staffing beside Lloyd, both looking older than they currently were. They were looking at each other lovingly and in the image of Mia’s arms was a baby swaddled in a green, gold, and turquoise blanket.

The air rushed out of the real Mia’s lungs as she felt her eyes cloud over with tears. She couldn't believe what she saw, or what she thought it meant. That couldn't be real. What about Harumi? Didn't Lloyd still have to fall for her? Didn't Mia have to stay an observer and not take part in making the story? What did this mean?

Mia’s attention was stolen again when she noticed Morro dragging Lloyd's exhausted body through the hole in the ice, toward Dragoni's body. Mia wiped her eyes and ran after them, diving into the hole and landing just two feet away. Seeing Lloyd limp in Morro’s arms, Mia felt an anger like never before fill her.

As Kai tossed the quick-heated realm crystal at Morro, Mia swipe-kicked Morro and launched herself to catch Lloyd as Morro dropped him on the floor. Morro screamed and dropped the realm crystal in the water below and Mia helped Lloyd lift himself to attack Morro, but Morro went wind Lloyd’s way and Mia couldn't grab Lloyd in time to stop his fall into the water. Mia kicked Morro over again, then quickly pulled off her over-clothes, stripping down to her underwear, revealing herself as no longer invisible, and dove in after Lloyd.

Lloyd was too weak from the possession to save himself at the moment and Mia was determined to ensure his head was above water by the time Kai could help if nothing else. Mia reached Lloyd in record time and lifted him so he could breathe while she treaded water. Lloyd was barely conscious, but clung to her with what little strength he had left.

Looking around, Mia could see Zane and Jay fighting Morro while Kai and Cole were rubbing after her and Lloyd. Mia tried swimming toward shore but holding herself and Lloyd up, with Lloyd still wearing heavy clothing, was not helping.

“Get in here, Kai!” She yelled over the taking water, inching closer as the water continued to push her and Lloyd toward the water fall.

Kai reluctantly jumped into the water with them and with Kai’s help they made progress toward shore. The problem was that they were still nearing the water fall and when Kai asked for Cole’s help, Cole mentioned his fears about his lack of reflection.

“You'll get to turn invisible!” Mia screamed over the rushing water. “You'll be fine. Just take Kai’s hand and pull us up!”

Surprise alighted the ninja's eyes as far as she could tell, but Cole reached out and managed to pull them all ashore. Morro used his wind to fetch the realm crystal and left, so Zane and Jay joined the others who were mostly catching their breath.

Lloyd muttered about needing to go after the realm crystal, but Mia shushed him with a finger over his mouth. He stared up at her while she shook her head.

“You need to rest. You'll get it back later.”

Lloyd slumped back down to rest at that, his ninja brothers surrounding them with relief at seeing Lloyd exhausted but okay.

Mia looked back across the water to see her clothes and summoned them to her, snatching the flying clothes with one hand and quickly put them back on. Once dressed, she turned her attention back to the ninja who were looking at her with surprise and confusion.

“How long have you been here?” Jay asked.

“I've been following you all the whole time,” she admitted. “I always do.”

“Why didn't you help earlier?” Kai demanded, wrapping his arms around Lloyd in a protective hug that Lloyd didn't shut away from.

“Where I'm from, Ninjago is a TV show and the first Spinjitzu Master brought me here to ensure all events occur as they did in the show,” she admitted. “I'm only allowed to intervene if something takes too long or goes off course from the show.”

“So I was supposed to become a ghost?” Cole asked.

Mia looked down but nodded, then met Cole’s gaze again. “You've been and will continue to be a big asset this way for a while. Just stay dry and you'll be fine.”

“How long does the show run for?” Zane spoke up.

Mia shrugged. “Season nine was being teased when I was summoned here. I don't know everything that happens, but I will do everything in my power to ensure you all survive and so does Ninjago.”

“Thank you,” Lloyd spoke up.

Mia gave him a nod and a small smile. Then she looked up at the other ninja and told them “we need to get back to the Bounty.”

The ninja agreed and while Kai and Jay assisted Lloyd in walking, Mia led the ninja to the exit where they could see the Bounty waiting.

Lloyd was muttering about Ninjago about to be cursed by the ghosts but the ninja encouraged him that everything would work out, especially since as Lloyd regained his strength so would the ninja and the ghosts hadn't “even seen us at full strength.”

A quick look at Mia, who was nodding confirmation, reassured Lloyd and everyone climbed onto the Bounty.

Wu and Misako embraced Mia as much as they did Lloyd and the other ninja. Wu asked Mia to assist in the fight against the ghosts and with a quick glance at Lloyd nodding encouragingly back at her, Mia agreed but warned she would need to leave again after the battle was over.

Wu muttered something about the women in his life never changing and Mia just shrugged at him.

“Your dad's the one who gave me this job,” she retorted. “Next time take it up with him.”

That shut Wu up.

They made it back to Steep Wisdom where Wu had sold the place to Borg to pay for new vehicles for most of the ninja. Kai was bummed at only having a headband, but Mia took it to look it over and nodded encouragingly at him to make him feel better when she handed it back. Lloyd was just happy not to be possessed and with his family.

When Kai pointed out Nya was the ninja's secret weapon, Nya tried to argue against the statement saying she was still learning and hadn't even found her true potential yet. Mia put a comforting hand on Nya’s shoulder and assured her “you'll do great. You've got the best plan to succeed.”

“Really?” Nya asked and a confident nod from Mia seemed to give Nya back some confidence in herself.

Then both girls turned to look at Lloyd, who looked between them in confusion.

“What?” he asked.

“Nya needs to borrow your clothes,” Mia replied.

Everyone but Nya was confused.

“I'll distract Morro by making him think I'm you by wearing your gi, then attacking the ghosts with water. Meanwhile, you'll sneak in and destroy the realm crystal so the preeminent doesn't come through the portal,” Nya explained, then glanced at Mia for confirmation. “That right?”

Mia nodded. “That's the plan.”

Everyone snuck into Stiix an hour or so later, Mia keeping closer to Lloyd until he made it to Ronin’s shop. Seeing Lloyd was there, Mia ran back to the dock to get the boats ready. Wu, Misako, and Ronin joined her not long later, trying to get the people to safety as the preeminent entered Ninjago and tried to swallow people whole.

Mia focused on keeping the boats running until she couldn't any longer. When Nya unlocked her full potential, Mia focused on keeping Cole dry.

In the end, the ninja won and Wu collected the realm crystal from a semi-redeemed Morro. Wu used the crystal to retrieve Lloyd who rolled out of the portal with the sword of sanctuary and wearing his father's robe of protection. He was quickly embraced by his family, Mia keeping to the sidelines, unsure if she was welcomed. Lloyd approached her and hugged her anyway, whispering that he wanted to talk to her before she would leave again.

Mia nodded in response, curious. Lloyd turned back to the other ninja, giving the speech from the show but glancing at Mia after looking at the sky. Mia wasn't sure what to think about that, or the way Lloyd was looking at her.

Mia and Nya worked together to make the ship move back to Stiix and once there, the ninja helped the people while Lloyd pulled Mia aside to talk.

“I was in your world,” was the first thing Lloyd told her. “In your room.”

“What?” Mia asked in surprise.

Lloyd nodded. “When I retrieved the sword we were in your room. The show was tuned up on your computer,” he confessed.

“What season? Episode?” She asked.

“This one,” Lloyd confessed. “I think the show may be following where you are in the story right now.”

“That's interesting,” Mia decided.

“You have a role to play,” Lloyd told her. “I think it would be best if you joined us. As a ninja.”

Mia quickly shook her head. “That's not the canon story,” she replied.

“I don't care,” Lloyd replied. “You're supposed to be with us, I know it.”

Mia shook her head, denying.

“I want to,” she confessed. “More than anything, I want to join you. Be part of your team and help while you know I'm here and helping. But I can't.”

“No, you're choosing not to,” Lloyd pointed out.

“I was given a task by your grandfather centuries ago to ensure everything happened as it did in the show,” Mia explained. “If I joined, I would be changing things.”

“For the better,” Lloyd argued.

“You don't know that,” Mia pointed out.

Lloyd opened his mouth but Mia cut him off.

“I almost didn't let Morro possess you,” she confessed. “I was so close to saying ‘screw it’ and preventing this whole season.”

“Would that have been so wrong?” Lloyd asked.

Mia shrugged. “I don't know,” she confessed. “But if Jay hadn't seen his future and the realm crystal was never recovered, season six would not happen. That's a fact. And Jay and Nya’s relationship will turn out differently. Good or bad? Don't know, but it would be different. And if Cole wasn't turned into a ghost, the events at Day of the Departed might not even happen and that would change the events with-”

Mia slapped a hand over her mouth, eyes wide, realizing she had told too much of the future.

“You didn't hear any of that,” Mia warned Lloyd who just stared at her.

“If I had stopped Morro, it may have saved some pain today. Maybe,” Mia agreed, “but some things that need to happen wouldn't happen.”

“Okay,” Lloyd accepted. “But why can't you assist and guide us while with us?”

“Because it'd be too tempting to reveal too much like I just did,” Mia confessed.

Lloyd sighed with relevant acceptance.

“You know up to season eight, right?” He checked.

Mia nodded.

“Could you join us after you don't know our future anymore?” He asked.

“That's several years away,” Mia replied.

“Still,” Lloyd said. “Would you join us then?”

Mia gulped. “Maybe,” she replied.

Lloyd seemed to accept that.

“We'll be waiting for you,” he told her. “I'll be waiting. However long it takes. I know we're supposed to be together somehow.”

Mia opened her mouth to say something about not interfering but what came out was “I love you, Lloyd.”

A pleasant surprise lit up his face.

“But I don't want to hurt you,” she finished.

Confusion returned to his face.

“For one thing, I'm centuries older than you, though I may not feel it or look it,” she confessed. “But worse, there is someone you need to meet before I can join you, if you even still want me to join your team by then.”

Lloyd’s confusion grew but Mia explained before he could ask. “I hate her, but she's written as a love interest for you and I can't get in the way of what I know needs to happen. I can't get in the way of your destiny.”

“But you'll at least stay close?” Lloyd asked. “You'll still help us when you can?”

Mia nodded. “Always.”

“Then join us when you can,” he replied. “I don't know what the future has in store, but nothing is set in stone.”

“If you'll still have me when the time comes,” Mia replied. “I'll join. However you want me to.”

Lloyd gave her an encouraging smile and a nod. He pulled her into a tight hug.

“I'll be waiting,” he confessed, “stay close?”

“I will,” she replied and with that, Lloyd let Mia walk away.

Mia cloaked herself invisible a few feet away and turned around to watch Lloyd stare back at her, as if he was watching her walk away. Eventually he turned around and left to rejoin the ninja.

Mia followed for a bit, the ninja returning to the Bounty. Mia watched as Lloyd pulled his mother aside to talk. Mia listened as Lloyd told his mother about the things Mia and Lloyd discussed, including the love confession and mention of a future love interest Lloyd was torn up about.

“I don't want someone new,” Lloyd admitted to his mother. “I want Mia. She's been there for me no matter what's happened.”

Mia left after hearing that. She wasn't sure if she'd be able to stop herself from consoling Lloyd if she stayed. She returned home to Dani who held her close as she cried into his chest.

She only had a few weeks before season six would begin.

Chapter Text

Mia didn't stay far for the most part. For a week, she spent nights checking in on the ninja to watch out for any nightmares or issues following Lloyd's possession and Cole's ghosting. For the most part, everything seemed fine, but Mia did notice Kai feeling guilty for not being enough to stop Morro sooner, Cole still having self doubts now that he was a ghost, and Lloyd having nightmares of Morro.

Lloyd reassured Kai enough on his own, so Mia didn't try to interfere. With Cole, there wasn't anything she could do but let him figure out the invisibility side of being a ghost. With Lloyd, she added more blankets on top of him and left mints on his pillow. He woke up with excited grins when he saw those mints, and he seemed to snuggle into bed easier as the nights went on.

Quiet whispers of “thank you” were told to the room, but no response was heard.

Mia also kept a close eye on the ninja by just watching their fame rise. Over only a couple weeks the ninja's popularity skyrocketed and they became big time celebrities. Over the next two months, the ninja were employed for promotional education-based action videos, on talk shows for videos, and on the front covers of magazines.

But as the ninja's fame rose, Nya was overlooked by the fans as anything other than a love interest or someone to want to be only because of the fact she was in the group. Dareth wasn't helping that fact and was just making it worse. Mia sympathized with her, but withheld doing anything other than sending Nya a direct message saying “it gets better.”

When the ninja started being framed, Mia started prepping her tech. She didn't do anything else until after the ninja were already in jail. Then she cloaked herself and snuck into the prison, finding where the ninja were being held in the hole. While Lloyd was coming up with a plan, Mia just unlocked the bars and the cuffs.

“Mia?” Lloyd asked, looking around.

“Quiet,” she whispered. “Just keep to your plan.”

“Right,” Lloyd replied with a grin and led the ninja out of the prison, grabbing Captain Soto on the way out.

Mia took care of keeping the ninja concealed long enough to get out of the main prison area, and kept Cole dry while Nya used her water to get outside the building. Once out, Soto gave the last bit of info on the spider venom to the ninja, then walked off laughing.

“Who is he talking about?” Nya asked “What's he laughing for?”

“He's laughing because you look just like Nadakan's dead love, Delara,” Mia replied, revealing herself as well.

All eyes turned to her in shock.

“What!?” they all exclaimed

Mia shrugged. “That's why he's laughing.”

“Do we need to worry about that?” Kai asked.

Mia turned to Nya and told her, “just don't marry the djinn and we're good.”

“Marry him!? Why would she marry him?” Jay asked.

“Exactly!” Mia replied, “just don't do it.”

“Can you help us?” Lloyd asked.

“Just in my usual way,” Mia replied. “I can't get too close and risk making a wish and ruining everything. Even if I were to wish for something like everything to happen like it did in the show, some sort of repercussions would still happen.”

“How?” Zane asked.

“Every wish, no matter how good the intention, has repercussions,” explained. “Don't trust him. That's all I can safely say.”

“But you'll stay close?” Lloyd checked.

Mia turned to him and nodded. “Always,” she promised.

Lloyd nodded back and Mia turned her invisibility tech back on. The ninja looked around themselves for a second, then realized the alarm was still blasting from the prison, so they ran off. Mia followed close behind.

When the ninja encountered Nadakan the next day, Mia rushed straight to the docks and climbed aboard the yacht. The ninja, now missing Kai, climbed aboard a few hours later.

While out at sea, Mia was careful to ensure Cole didn't get wet, especially when they crash landed on tiger widow island. Zane was missing, which led to the reveal that Jay had already made two wishes and didn't say anything, which made the other ninja mad at him.

Mia had a difficult time ensuring Jay got the venom without dying and that the venom ended up with the ninja rather than being emptied by Nadakan. Mia then focused on getting Dareth to the island to come rescue Lloyd, Nya and Cole since the creatures in the sand were being unhelpful.

Once the ninja were safely back in Ninjago, a new plan was made. That plan did not work, but it did get the ninja to Jay and got both Nya and Jay away. Mia went with Jay and Nya, riding on the back of their hydroelectric dragon toward safety for the time being before Mia jumped off.

Inside Dr Julian's old lighthouse prison, Mia coaxed Echo Zane into position by the time Jay and Nya arrived. The developing couple discovered Echo Zane shortly before the ambush from Nadakan's pirates. Mia did her best to hold the pirates back enough for Jay to escape through the traveler's tea portal, then ran to the junkyard to go find him.

Mia arrived at the junkyard just in time for Jay to be ready to go find a makeshift team. Mia revealed herself and the two nodded at each other. Mia helped Jay collect everyone, making up a ragtag team in Dareth, Skylor, the Commissioner, Ronin, Echo Zane, and Captain Soto.

While Jay was going over the plan with the group, Mia, visible to everyone, spoke up and muttered to the room without moving her lips very much that some of Nadakan's pirates were monitoring them through the window. Jay started saying random words, acting like nothing was wrong, while Echo Zane scanned for the pirates. Then the race to get to New Djinnjago was underway.

Mia helped Jay get the sword, then got everyone into the shed where Jay entered the sword to get the others out while Mia kept the shed intact.

Jay and the other ninja, plus Misako and Wu came out of the sword a few moments later, just in time to join the flight.

Lloyd quickly wrapped him arms around Mia in a hug before just as quickly letting go and joining the fight. Mia stared at Lloyd a few seconds too long later until she also joined the flight.

The floating land started falling to the land below, so Mia ran to stop the land from falling while some of the others rescued the people out from underneath. Mia was exhausting herself by using so much of her power to hold up the islands until she couldn't anymore.

Just as she found the last of her strength leaving her, time began to rewind and Mia was back on her couch in her and Dani's apartment with the ninja on the news atop the hospital roof. Jay and Nya were hugging mid-airjitzu. They were a couple at last!

Mia flopped back on the couch and sighed from the exhaustion she felt only moments before, now gone. Dani walked into the room with a fresh cup of tea, glancing at the screen.

“Something to be worried about?” He asked.

Mia shook her head. Dani sat down, placing the cup of tea on the coffee table.

“You get a break for a bit?” He asked.

Mia shrugged. “Just until the Day of the Departed,” she confessed, “then it's gonna be go go go for a while.”

Dani sighed and leaned into the couch beside her. “At least you get five and a half months to rest.”

Mia nodded in agreement. “None of us will get much rest afterwards,” she replied.

For now, Mia was happy to see the ninja being happy on screen. And a few hours later, she stopped by Stiix to kick Clouse into the harbor, where he was sent back to the cursed realm without hope of returning to mess with anything else. Then she returned to her apartment for a good nap.

Chapter Text

Mia and Dani celebrated Day of the Departed a day early together. They wouldn't get to celebrate it together otherwise. Mia was celebrating Dragoni while Dani was celebrating some of his relatives. They had a nice quiet evening discussing the departed reverently with nostalgia and occasional laughter.

Dani let Mia sleep in the next morning. She would have a long night ahead of her. Mia appreciated it, but once she was up she prepped for the long night ahead.

She arrived at the museum before the ninja did. She surveyed the exhibits in the meantime.

Once the ninja had arrived, collected their lanterns, and explored a little of the museum, Mia kept an eye on Cole. Once he disappeared from view and the other ninja walked off, Mia made herself visible.

“Cole?” She lightly called. “I can't see or hear you but you should be here.”

She looked around, but not even her tech picked up on Cole’s location.

“If you're still here,I want to make you aware of what needs to happen,” Mia continued, still looking around. “Yang cast a spell so none of us can see or hear you, as if you were completely departed. He's messing with you. You need to take his blade from the museum and go face him. The rest of us will join you when we can. Okay?”

Nothing seemed to happen.

“Please have heard me,” Mia muttered to herself anxiously. “Please know you're not alone or completely forgotten.”

A small sound caught her attention. Yang’s blade was being lifted out of its casing before vanishing entirely. Mia smiled at the sight and nodded.

“It's gonna be okay,” she promised. “I'm gonna go meet up with Lloyd and the others. Just go after Yang. You'll figure it out.”

With that, Mia ran out of the museum and used her cloak to fly herself to the Corridor of Elders. Mia didn't bother cloaking herself invisible this time. She pulled up beside a surprised but welcoming Lloyd and Misako in front of Garmadon's statue.

“Mind if I join you?” Mia asked as she stepped off her tech and wrapped her cloak back around her shoulders.

“The more the merrier,” Lloyd replied at the same time Misako said “we're happy to have you.”

The three lifted their lantern into the air in Garmadon's honor. Shortly after, Pythor showed up ready to fight.

“Do you remember what I said?” The snake taunted Lloyd.

“If anyone was going to rule Ninjago you'd rather it be you,” Lloyd replied.

Mia hit Pythor first, making him scream in fright. He hadn't noticed she was there.

“You!?” He exclaimed, looking a bit more nervous.

“Ready for a new type of tomb, old chum?” Mia sneered back.

“You know him?” Lloyd asked, fighting Pythor alongside Mia.

“I was one of the ones who sealed him into the anacondri tomb,” Mia admitted.

The flight continued.

“I can help you see your father,” Pythor tried to coax Lloyd.

“Shut up you overgrown wet noodle,” Mia yelled back at the snake. “Keep talking like that and I won't let you show up anywhere else than an obituary.”

Lloyd managed to kick Pythor off the rock, making him land hard several stories below. Weakly, Pythor began slithering off while Mia and Lloyd looked down at him from the rock cliff.

“Head back to the museum and meet up with the others,” Mia told Lloyd. “I haven't seen Pythor show up again in the show yet so I don't know if I'm actually allowed to kill him or not, so I'm gonna take him back to prison where he can't hurt anything for a while. I'll meet you all where I need to.”

Lloyd nodded. “Thanks for coming,” he told her, pulling her in for a quick hug, then ran to hug his mother goodbye before heading back to the museum.

Mia ran after Pythor. She caught him not too far away, limping. She knocked him out and flew him back to kryptarium prison. After ensuring Pythor was locked up tight, Mia hurried to Yang’s Haunted Temple, which was beginning to rise into the air with ghosts visible on it and a vortex was beginning to form. The time had almost come.

Mia silently prayed for everything to go according to plan. If it didn't, she wasn't sure how she'd fix it. Luckily, Cole made it through the portal alongside the other students of Yang, with Yang choosing to stay as the last ghost in the temple. Cole was human again and the temple remained floating in the air.

Cole told the others about his experience that night and the ninja decided Yang’s temple would become their new base.

Mia day beside Lloyd in the circle of the campfire on the lawn, once again invisible to the eye. That's didn't stop Lloyd from feeling along the log he was sitting on, taking her hand, and pulling her close to sit beside him. Mia didn't fight it. She let herself lean against Lloyd’s shoulder and enjoy the quiet and relieved atmosphere.

“Thank you for your help,” Lloyd whispered to her without moving very much to alert the others. “Cole mentioned you told him to come here and made him feel better about not being seen or heard.”

“I just didn't want him to feel alone,” Mia whispered back.

Lloyd squeezed her hand for a moment.

“Neither of you are alone anymore,” he promised.

“I can't stay,” Mia warned. “I'll make changes.”

“I still don't think that's a bad thing,” he whispered back.

Mia just hummed lightly, nuzzling further into his side and letting herself relax a bit.

“Just be sure you all go to the museum tomorrow to clean up the mess Yang made of the exhibits,” she muttered quietly.

“Okay,” Lloyd hummed back, resting his head against hers, which rested on his shoulder.

“You falling asleep there, green bean?” Kai asked, stealing Lloyd’s attention.

Lloyd lifted his head and Mia got up, heading back to her apartment as Lloyd denied being sleepy already.

Mia felt herself grinning as she walked home, ready for a few hours of sleep before the Time Brothers could wreak havoc.

Chapter Text

Mia spent the next morning writing in her journal.

She had started writing the events of the show back when she was still living with Dragoni at the monastery, that way she would keep the events of the show fresh in her mind and could reference what was supposed to happen so she could prepare.

Dragoni had even used some of what she wrote as reference when writing the scrolls about the legend of the green ninja and the events that would take place on the dark island, and shared some of the legend of the golden master what would become the Overlord in season 3.

Mia was still a little baffled at her writing assignments from Dragoni all those centuries ago being worth reference as prophetic legend that even Wu and Misako would use later in the show.

After she had written all she could remember from the show, Mia had worked on creating various artifacts with Dragoni that would be used later in the show. Dragoni had also helped her catch the Great Devourer, lock it underground, build the city of Oroborus over it, and craft the fang blades out of some of its teeth before Dragoni left for his tomb. Mia had been tasked with hiding the fang blades and other artifacts from the show in their show-based locations. She crafted the five tribes' serpentine staffs and gave those to the serpentine generals before Garmadon left to train under Chen. She wrote all she did and where she put everything just before the Serpentine Wars began and the elemental masters were summoned.

After the hands of time had been defeated by the other elemental masters, Mia had traveled the world to ensure everything was in place. She started a new journal with those travels in it and began another one later.

Wu had started collecting Jay, Cole, and Zane, as Mia began writing down all the events that actually came to pass and wrote in where she had to step in and make adjustments.

Most of what she wrote followed the events of the show, especially the first two seasons, but as Mia wrote down the events from the night before and looked over the events over the past couple of events, she noticed herself getting involved more and making small changes that were unnecessary.

“Need to keep an eye on that,” she told herself, and put away her writing materials.

She checked the time, then hurried out toward the old monastery in all its burned down glory. The ruins had remained almost the same since the settlement originally burnt it down in season 1 and the ninja discovered The Bounty. Wu was meditating among the ruins, checking the clock just as Mia arrived and cloaked herself invisible.

The time portal opened and Acronix fell out. Mia stayed quiet and watched their fight, Wu winning until 6pm when the first timeblade arrived and Acronix got the upper hand, time punching Wu. Acronix had just thrown Wu over the side of the mountain when the ninja arrived on The Bounty.

Mia rushed to where Wu fell, trying to pull him up while the ninja faced Acronix. Mia turned off her invisibility while attempting and failing to fully lift Wu up. Lloyd was at her side not long later and helped lift Wu. Together they got Wu onto The Bounty and Mia hurried Wu onto a bed.

“We need to get him to Misako,” she told Lloyd while the ninja fired up the engines.

During the flight the ninja were cheering at having ‘defeated’ Acronix but Mia shook her head at them. “He'll be back,” she warned and turned her attention back to Wu.

She called up Mistaké as The Bounty pulled up at Yang’s temple.

“I'm gonna need more tea,” she told Mistaké on the other line.

Mistaké grumbled about Mia wasting good tea until Mia muttered “it's for Wu. I'm gonna need some for his healing.”

Mistaké muttered something about Wu being a fool and hung up. Mia sighed and sent her cloak off in the direction of Mistaké’s Tea shop to collect her order while she and Misako looked Wu over and made him comfortable in the temple.

Mia sensed get cloak returning half an hour later and turned to see it carrying the tea box through the window toward her. Mia quickly took the box of tea leaves, wrapped her cloak back around her shoulders, and set to work making the tea for Wu while Misako checked Wu’s vitals.

Mistaké had sent both healing tea and Yesterday’s tea. Mia portioned the tea leaves and added both types into the pot she brewed. Mia let Misako believe it was just healing tea and gave as much to Wu as she could to postpone what she could of the time punch’s effects.

Just because Wu had Dragoni's long lifespan didn't mean he had endless time to burn. Especially since the time punch would be lasting Wu most of the season and the same punch had almost killed Ray in less than an hour. The tea didn't even change Wu’s appearance due to how old Wu was. Just looking at him made Mia feel old and worried. She hurried to make more tea, knowing the more he had the better he'd last for when Krux and Acronix kidnapped him.

The ninja asked Mia what was going on with Wu but Mia refused to tell them, saying they would learn in due time and she didn't want to mess anything up. Lloyd asked Mia to stay and help at least, and Mia agreed to stay to help take care of Wu until he is better. That seemed to reassure the ninja.

After Wu had drunk ten cups of tea, he tried to assure everyone he was fine but glances at Mia’s frown left everyone doubtful. Mia gave Wu another cup of tea and after he drank it, Mia’s shoulders visibly relaxed, making everyone else relax.

Everyone dispersed for a bit to work on unpacking their stuff into the temple when the first Vermillion warrior was spotted at Borg’s event. The ninja rushed off to go face the snakes while Mia stayed with Misako looking after Wu.

“He seems okay,” Misako muttered while Wu napped. “Other than being tired, I mean.”

“Seems that way,” Mia agreed with a friend and her arms crossed. She had gotten a decent amount of both teas into him, but was still worried about not giving him enough.

“You can't tell me anything?” Misako double checked.

Mia shook her head. “Everyone will find out when they're supposed to.”

Misako let the silence hang for a bit, then she asked how Mia still looked so young. “You've never told me,” she added.

“Yesterday's tea,” Mia confessed. “Like the Tomorrow’s Tea that aged up Lloyd but this tea does the opposite. I take it every couple of years to stay young or at least de-age to remain strong and spry. I keep all of my memories but my mentality, maturity, and hormones go back to my teen years. I don't let myself go over twenty eight before I take the tea again. I don't know why, I've just never let myself age older than that.”

“Does it have anything to do with the ninja?” Misako asked. “My son, for instance.”

Mia shrugged. “I don't know. Maybe. Maybe to keep me in a related mindset, maybe something else. I don't know. I'm mentally nineteen again is all I know.”

“Close to Lloyd and Nya,” Misako commented.

Mia nodded, listing off details on her fingers. “Tomorrow's Tea aged Lloyd from ten to fourteen to face the overlord the first time. Then the overlord came back three years later, making him seventeen alongside Nya. Only about a year and a half has passed since then, leaving the two youngest ninja as eighteen for the moment, last I checked.”

“Sounds right to me,” Misako agreed,” although it's hard to believe how much has passed in so little time.”

Mia nodded in agreement.

“When did you last take it?” Misako asked.

“Shortly after the overlord was defeated the first time,” Mia confessed. “And since I'm supposed to be monitoring the actions and events surrounding the ninja, I'm not sure if I'll even need to drink it again.”

“Would it be so bad?” Misako asked. “Aging naturally from here on out?”

Mia shook her head. “The tea was just to ensure I survived to fulfill this role. I don't think it's needed anymore other than to help Wu now.”

“You're giving it to Wu?” Misako questioned, a confused frown on her face.

“He needs it,” Mia confessed. “He'll admit why later. For now, it's the only thing keeping him from deteriorating too quickly.”

“Is he going to die!?” Misako asked, rushing to Wu’s side in worry.

Mia shook her head. “He doesn't die as far as I know.”

Misako let out a relieved breath. “Is there anything you can tell me about what's to come?” She asked.

“We'll get another break from issues for about a year after we defeat the current enemy,” Mia replied with a shrug, “but I don't know everything that happens after we begin facing the next enemy.”

Misako looked both surprised and alarmed at that.

“How do you intend to continue your role then?” She asked. “Won't you be as lost as the rest of us?”

Mia shrugged. “I received an interesting scroll from the Cloud Kingdom that's supposed to help when the time comes, but until then I'll figure it out as I go.”

“Will you be able to join us then?” Misako asked. “I know Lloyd has been asking you to. He cares for you.”

Mia looked down at her hands as she replied, “I don't know. I want to, more than anything, I want to. But I received my mission from the First Spinjitzu Master himself and his order is supposed to come before anything I want, so I'm intending to do the job first. If I'm able to join once I have to use the scroll, I will happily do so.”

“And Lloyd?” Misako prompted.

“I love him,” Mia admitted. “Even back when he was just a character in a show I watched centuries ago, I loved him. I just don't know if I should be allowed to love him.”

“What do you mean?” Misako asked.

“I'm over three hundred years old,” Mia pointed out, looking up at Misako. “Because of when Dragoni brought me into Ninjago’s timeline, I am the fourth oldest person currently living in Ninjago. I was at Lloyd’s birth! There's a serious age gap there.”

“Yes, but as you said you're mentally about his age,” Misako pointed out. “And I know you and you would never have poor intentions about him.”

“True,” Mia agreed. “But there's also a distance between us because of my job. I'm not supposed to get involved unless I'm keeping the events of the show on track. I was never in the show when I originally watched it, thus I'm not supposed to even be part of his life.”

“But you're here now and should be allowed some happiness and joy for all of your efforts,” Misako argued. “Surely the First Spinjitzu Master would grant you that.”

Mia shrugged. “I don't know. He's not here to ask. But even then, Lloyd is supposed to meet someone new next year. A girl I particularly hate but she's his love interested anyway, as far as I know. Sure she's a pain after a while, but she was written into the show and I was not.”

Misako gave Mia a sympathetic frown. “We'll see what happens,” she assured, pulling Mia into a comforting hug. “Like you said, you don't know past a certain point in the upcoming future. That side of destiny isn't set yet. We'll find out what happens together.”

Mia nodded into Misako’s shoulder, sniffing back a few tears. Mia pulled back and wiped her eyes.

“Thanks for listening,” she muttered.

“Of course,” Misako replied with a comforting smile.

They turned back to looking after Wu and the ninja returned, though Nya had taken Zane to her Samurai X cave to fix up the nindroid. The ninja asked Wu about the helmet of a Vermillion warrior they brought back.

Wu barely said “time waits for no one” before passing out again. Mia frowned. Wu woke back up seconds later asking about lunch. Mia shook her head and passed Misako another cup of tea to give to Wu. Wu drank and went back to sleep shortly after. Mia frowned again at the sight.

It was both a good and bad sign: good in the fact he was acting as expected in the show but bad because it meant the time punch was moving faster than yesterday's tea. Mia made another batch to be ready to give to Wu when he'd wake up again.

Mia overheard Lloyd ask Misako if Mia was alright. Mia paused to listen to Misako explain that Mia was fine, just stressed about her job at the moment and about the job potentially changing within the next year or so causing some turmoil Mia was currently dealing with. Lloyd glanced over at Mia and Mia got back to work making tea, trying not to think about Misako practically giving her blessing earlier and having to deal with too many unknowns.

The ninja headed out to brainstorm what to do about the vermilion warriors. Lloyd stayed with Mia and Misako to look after Wu for a bit. Wu spilt some of his tea when he next woke up, so Mia quickly cleaned up after him. Lloyd and Wu talked for a bit but Wu fell asleep again. Lloyd joined the other ninja outside for a bit.

Wu woke up a few minutes later from a nightmare and begged Misako not to tell anyone about something. The ninja came back in shortly after and Wu fell back asleep three seconds later, waking back up just as quickly. Mia frowned at the teapot in her hands. She double checked the tea box, and yep, it was the correct two teas. She quickly added a little extra of yesterday's tea into the pot.

The ninja headed back out but Lloyd stayed. Wu said something that cut off so Lloyd misinterpreted the message. Mia shook her head, remembering what was going to happen.

“No, Lloyd,” she explained, “he meant ‘you’as in the team, not just you as an individual.” She then proceeded to smack her hand over her mouth and muttered “you are supposed to learn that later.”

“It's okay,” Lloyd reassured with a small smile. “Thanks for the clarification.”

Mia just hummed with a frown, mentally chastising herself for revealing so many spoilers already. Between Lloyd and Misako, Mia wasn't sure she wouldn't just blab the next season’s events to the next person who walked through the door. Mia took her glove and stuffed it into her mouth to keep her quiet, which made Lloyd raise a confused eyebrow at her.

Lloyd went outside to talk to the others. Ronin and Dareth arrived to inform everyone the vermilion warriors were stealing metal so Cole, Jay, and Kai left to go kick some snake butt while Lloyd elected to stay and help keep an eye on Wu. Mia didn't push the issue until the power for the city went out. Mia turned to Lloyd and inclined her head toward the window. Lloyd nodded back and headed out to join the ninja.

As Wu told Misako he didn't make many mistakes before falling back asleep, Misako muttered that he only made a really big one. Mia scoffed and shook her head.

“He's made a few,” she argued. “Most of them long ago, but for the moment? Yeah. But he should be fine.”

Mia turned to grab some of her things that had made their way around the room, including her cloak.

“You joining them?” Misako asked, taking the offered tea box from Mia’s outstretched arms.

“Might as well,” Mia replied. “Make sure he keeps drinking it, just in case.”

Misako nodded and with that Mia headed to the power plant to go help the ninja.

Mia arrived in front of the door where Lloyd was standing just before the others arrived. Zane was still malfunctioning, though Nya had done a good job on his repairs. Nya asked Mia if she could finish the repairs real quick but Mia shook her head.

“I shouldn't, not yet at least” she argued, “but he'll be fixed in a bit.”

Lloyd came up with a plan which defeated the current vermilion warriors enemies they had to face. Mia quickly fixed the power, then fixed Zane quickly after. An alert of vermilion warriors at mega monster amusement park came over the nearest TV and Zane noticed PIXAL wasn't in his head anymore.

Mia patted his shoulder in comfort and told him, “don't worry about it. You'll find her in a bit. Just take care of the calculations yourself for now.”

Zane seemed reassured by that and everyone except Jay rushed off to the mega monster amusement park. Jay rushed to his parents’ junk yard to protect them from the vermilion warriors showing up there for metal. Mia followed Jay, since he was otherwise alone fighting the snakes there, and sent a digital message to Zane through her tech about the situation.

After helping Jay fight snakes, Mia helped Jay and Ed build Jay’s bike quickly. Mia then flew ahead as soon as the bike was done, Mia heading to the amusement park to join the others.

Kai was grumpy, yelling “about time you got here” once the ninja spotted Mia.

Mia located the time blade and Jay arrived, saving his mom but going extremely fast. Mia focused on fighting the snakes but they kept reforming into vermilion warriors.

Eventually the ninja got the time blade and slowed the snakes down with it, then everyone ran to their vehicles which had crash landed. Mia checked to see if anything could be salvaged quickly into something useful.

Deeming one course of action as best, Mia told everyone to “get into something.”

The ninja each climbed into a vehicle. Lloyd grabbed Mia and pulled her into the jet with him, sitting on his lap since there was no other room. Mia closed her eyes to focus and controlled all of the vehicles, making them head back to the temple. Lloyd noticed the ride was shakier with the ninja talking so he told everyone to be quiet so Mia could concentrate. Mia squeezed his knee lightly as thanks and the ride was smoother from there.

Once back on the floating island that held Yang's temple, Mia let go of control over the vehicles which resulted in all of the vehicles falling apart. Mia switched her focus onto letting the debris from crushing anyone, whimpering from the rain and exhaustion from doing so much on so many different pieces of tech at once. She hadn't had to lift, move, and control so much big tech at once before without Dragoni’s assistance.

Even when she was holding up the floating islands during season 6, she was only having to focus on one island at a time and only focusing on a few sections for only a few minutes. She had to fly these vehicles clear across Ninjago to get everyone back. Normally multiple things at once was challenging, yes, but normally she only had to move them a few feet not miles! This was a lot.

There were a few grumbles as everyone piled out of the vehicles, but otherwise everyone was just focused on getting inside. Lloyd carried the exhausted Mia out, Mia letting a relieved groan out once she didn't have to hold up the tech anymore. She slumped into Lloyd’s arms and let him carry her inside the temple.

“You okay?” He asked while carrying her.

Mia just groaned and flopped her head back and forth into a choppy nod. Lloyd brought Mia to his mother to look over.

“She's just exhausted,” Misako explained a few minutes later. “Too much held for too long.”

Mia nodded in agreement. “Kinda like overdoing it in the gym where you keep going even though you know you've passed your usual limits. I'm just feeling the repercussions," she explained with another groan and let her head flop back against the top of the chair.

Lloyd didn't look completely reassured while the other ninja started playing with the time blade and Nya attempted to locate her old Samurai X suit. Misako gave Mia some plain healing tea since Wu was up and walking about so Mia was resting on his previous bed. The tea was soothing and Mia felt her eyes close with a worried Lloyd still watching beside her.

She woke back up to the ninja fighting the vermilion warriors around the temple. Mia forced her still exhausted body into the fight, but Misako quickly snatched her back and made her drink more of the healing tea which knocked her out again.

Mia woke back up to discover Wu had been kidnapped and Lloyd was trying to motivate the team but the others were not as cheery. Lloyd came up with a plan that cheered everyone up except Kai and Misako gave Lloyd his birthday present early: the Destiny’s Shadow. Misako nearly slipped up on her promise to Wu but then clammed up and wouldn't elaborate, which was fine by Mia.

Mia still felt like she had been run over by a truck, but at least it wasn't as bad as earlier when the pain was closer to being crushed under The Bounty with eight hundred stone warriors on it. Mia might have been exaggerating a bit, but like hell it hurt. The pain had definitely lessened, though she was still clearly exhausted.

So exhausted in fact, Mia didn't hesitate to tell the ninja that Wu had been hit by a time punch that was causing him to age rapidly. Misako confirmed this, though she was looking at Mia with a shocked expression while doing so.

“What's that look for?” Mia asked her.

“You're just sharing a lot more freely than usual,” Misako replied with a small shake of her head.

Mia shrugged. “Probably the pain loosening my tongue,” Mia replied.

“Should you be about of bed if you're in so much pain?” Lloyd asked with concern.

“I'll be fine,” Mia insisted. “Just a bit grouchy and coming with whether you can see me or not.”

“Okay,” Lloyd relented. “Then you should come with me and Zane.”

Mia agreed and climbed into the Destiny's Shadow with Lloyd and Zane. Zane read the instructions while Lloyd drove, Mia lightly using her power to keep the vehicle steady since Lloyd kept getting distracted each time he discovered something else about the vehicle. If the boys noticed her keeping it steady, neither mentioned it.

The three met up with Cole and Jay at the museum and began looking around. Out of anger, Jay began breaking things as they all looked around. Cole tried to show off his control over his new post-ghost limbs and ended up punching a hole in the wall and revealing the secret entrance to Krux’s lair. Mia entered without hesitation and the boys followed. Vermilion snake eggs were still still being incubated in one area and Cole found the secret tunnel further, which Mia led them through.

When the group encountered a big spider, Mia was the only one not to freak out. Jay agreed for a better solution than walking the rest of the way and Mia looked at Zane who summoned the Destiny's Shadow. Everyone climbed aboard and down the tunnel they went until they encountered Scales and Scales Jr.

Scales gave the ninja a map, warned them what was going on, and sent them the rest of the way. The swamp was not a pretty sight. Lloyd called Nya to come with Kai. Lloyd was brainstorming a plan during the wait but eventually Kai and Nya joined the group.

Mia volunteered to go with Kai and Nya, which Nya was fine with but Kai looked grumpy about. Lloyd didn't question Mia’s choice, focusing on his own task. Everyone left to complete their tasks. In their little group, Kai led the way while Nya held the map, trying to make sense of it, which Mia followed quietly behind. Nya realized where they were right before she saw it and rushed after her brother. Mia followed behind without changing her pace.

When Kai started attacking Ray, Mia just rolled her eyes and grabbed him to hold him back when Nya yelled for them to stop. Kai tried to fight Mia’s hold but she snapped at him. Ray looked shocked at the sight of Mia, but didn't question it further.

“Shut up and listen, Kai! They were being blackmailed. They thought they were protecting you by leaving and being here. Let them explain!”

Kai slumped a little and Mia let him go. Ready and Maya began explaining their side of the story and it was at last a decently happy reunion. Kai frowned a bit more when Ray and Maya mentioned Mia had helped with making the time blades, which she ran over to the fight while Ray and Maya were too weak from exhaustion. Mia spoke up, explaining how there were a few reasons Krux didn't have her working as a slave for him too: he didn't have anything to blackmail her with, he couldn't find her, and he hated modern technology so it was almost a guarantee he couldn't reach her.

As the four family members finally seemed to be happy to be together properly, the Time Brothers arrived.

Krux threw a hissy fit at the sight of Mia who just stuck her tongue out at him and cloaked herself invisible just as he attempted to attack. Unable to see her, he missed. Mia whispered into Nya’s ear that she would return when needed, then ran off to go help elsewhere.

Mia met to with the other ninja at the dome but didn't reveal herself right away. Borg tried to fight the ninja disguised as vermilion warriors until they revealed themselves, then assisted him in getting to the Iron Doom that would soon become a time machine to attempt to shut it down.

Mia placed a hand over Jay’s mouth and whispered into his ear “it's Mia. One sound and you'll blow your cover. Keep quiet.”

Jay kept quiet and still. Mia was relieved to not have to fight more vermilion again so soon, but knew it wouldn't last. Then Samurai X showed up, blowing everyone's cover except Mia’s, since she was still invisible. Mia growled and uncloaked herself to focus her tech on attacking the vermilion. All of the ninja looked happy to be able to see her. The fight continued.

When the time brothers arrived, Mia was even more annoyed. The time brothers froze Mia and Zane in time, which prevented Mia from doing literally anything including using her powers. This seemed to be the only real way to dampen her powers which was both interesting and irritating.

Kai, Nya, Ray, and Maya arrived not too long later on the fire and water fusion dragon. Kai and Nya followed Krux and Acronix back in time. Once the time brothers were gone, Mia could finally move again. She fell to the ground at the sudden change, groaning. Lloyd helped her up as Ray and Maya approached.

“I should have gone with them,” Mia muttered before suddenly doubling over in pain.

Lloyd caught her and gently lowered her down to the ground, still resting in his arms. Lloyd tried to ask what was wrong but Mia just screamed in pain.

In her mind, Mia could see her memory changing. Krux and Acronix were finally getting their revenge on her. Upon arriving back in the past, they sent a swarm of vermilion warriors directly after Mia. Exhausted and being swarmed on all sides, Mia was not fighting at her best and paying for it.

In the present, Lloyd kept asking what was wrong, trying to figure out how he could help. Mia couldn't stop screaming except to take in pained breaths. Everything happening to her in the past she felt in the present. She felt new scars forming and quickly fading again since the yesterday's tea would have wiped the scars away. This just left the vermilion warriors creating new wounds to create new scars. Ray and Maya did their best to explain what was happening, noticing their own memories being rewritten.

Mia only felt relief once Krux and Acronix called their vermilion warriors back to the Iron Doom. Finally able to breathe properly again, Mia let Lloyd sit her up and noticed Ray’s deteriorating state. Mia dug into her pockets and pulled out her last personal vial of yesterday's tea. She handed it to Lloyd and told him “give Ray this. It'll slow the time punch, hopefully long enough to get help.”

Lloyd passed the vial to Maya who gave it to Ray. Shortly after Ray swallowed, his hair returned to dark brown and the wrinkles faded. He looked back to normal, but already Mia could see the grey hair starting to return.

Around them, Ninjago itself began to change. All high tech and modern tech changed for older tech, closer to what was around only forty years prior. Zane seemed to deteriorate as well, causing the ninja to panic.

“It'll be okay,” Mia reassured. “So long as everything goes as planned, everything will go back to normal.”

The ninja still seemed nervous but a few minutes later and everything was back to normal as Mia promised. She let out a relieved sigh at the sight, Zane rebooting and acting confused at what just happened to him. Mia kept her eyes toward the sky, searching for Kai and Nya. She spotted them a few minutes later.

Kai used the time blade to heal Ray and the siblings alerted everyone that Wu had remained on the Iron Doom. Jay declared Lloyd to be the ninja’s new master, aka leader. Lloyd agreed to the role and turned to Mia, asking where Wu is.

“That's what you need to find out,” Mia replied, getting to her feet. “He's lost in time. You have to find him.”

With that, Lloyd declared that the team would not rest until they found Wu. Mia nodded at that declaration with a proud smile. When Lloyd asked if Mia would help, she shrugged.

“I've gotta go,” she told him. “I need to make sure everything is in place.”

“When will you be back?” He asked.

“I don't know for sure,” she admitted, “but it'll be at least a year before any of you will see me.”

Lloyd nodded solemnly at that and pulled her into a tight hug.

“I'll be waiting for you,” he whispered into her ear before letting her go.

She gave him a teary eyed smile and nodded back in response.

“Just tell me one thing?” Lloyd asked before Mia could leave. “Will we find Master Wu?”

Mia nodded with a grin. “You just won't recognize him immediately,” she warned.

This seemed to confuse everyone.

Mia met Lloyd’s gaze as she added, “I'll be back after you meet her.”

Confusion passed over his eyes before recognition lit up his expression. He nodded in reply. Mia waved goodbye to everyone, unwrapped her cloak, and used it as her hoverboard back to her and Dani’s apartment.

Dani was at work, so Mia had the place to herself. She began writing everything about season seven that just occurred, then made note of everything she would need to move into place over the next several months.

For one, she needed to ensure Misako found Wu and both ended up in the clutches of the Sons of Garmadon. She needed to ensure the Oni masks were in place. And, she needed to ensure Dareth updated his apartment and traded his dojo for a karaoke bar.

Everything written out, Mia flopped down into her bed and took a well deserved nap.

Chapter Text

Mia was dreading season 8. After only a week of wallowing in her apartment, Dani sent her to go talk to Mistaké for advice. Mistaké welcomed Mia into her tea shop and set her to work assisting in the shop as they talked. Mia told Mistaké of what she knew about what was to come, reluctantly mentioning that Mistaké’s fate appears to make an end toward the end of the season, but it was offscreen so Mia doesn’t know for sure. Mistaké just hummed at the news, thinking to herself.

“You might be able to slip away,” Mia suggested. “I don’t know your fate for sure. You just need to help when the time comes.”

Mistaké hummed again and nodded in agreement. “I will,” she promised, “but just in case, I will need to make preparations.”

“As in a will?” Mia double checked.

Mistaké nodded. “I want to leave my tea shop to you,” she decided.

“Me?” Mia asked in shock. “Why me?”

“You are as familiar with my teas as Wu or Garmadon is,” Mistaké reasoned, “and you may need them in the future. Wu planned to have his own shop at one point, did he not?”

“He did,” Mia agreed, “but why would I need shop?”

“Who knows,” Mistaké replied, beginning to write a list of tasks to complete. “But I will leave it to you if something happens to me.”

“Okay,” Mia reluctantly agreed. “If you’re sure.”

“I’m not sure of anything” Mistaké told her with a knowing glint in her eye. “But I do know the First Spinjitzu Master chose you for this role for a reason and I am inclined to do the same. I will leave you my things and they may be of use to you in the future.”

Mia nodded in understanding and the two women got back to work. Mistaké had Mia come into the shop regularly to work over the next several weeks, ensuring Mia knew the ins and outs of not only the shop but Mistaké’s home and possessions in case something were to happen.

When she wasn’t at Mistaké’s tea shop, Mia was recording more songs as Lovesick Heart, but refused to perform any of her songs in person. She willingly recorded music videos for her songs, only letting people see the back of her head if her helmet or mask was off. She never revealed anything personal about herself in any of the few online interviews or messages sent to her, wanting to keep to her job and remain as anonymous as possible. A few people claimed to be Lovesick Heart, trying to ride on her fame, but a quick video online and she could dispute the claims without leaving the couch. Few people claimed the role after that, knowing they wouldn’t get away with it.

Mia also began to publish the books she had written in her spare time over the past few decades, using Lovesick Heart as her pen name. She kept her journals of records to herself, but the fictional stories she wrote in her spare time over the past few centuries were decent enough to talk to publishers about. The books sold quickly, becoming the next craze.

Some critiques and analysts tried to say Lovesick Heart must be in love with someone she couldn’t be with since most of the main characters in seven of the thirteen books Mia published over the course of eight months had unrequited love stories. Other critiques and analysts argued against that notion, pointing out happy relationships and happy endings in eleven of those stories as well. What everyone agreed on was that Lovesick Heart must be under pressure to perform since every single one of the books involved a main character with the weight of the world on their shoulders.

She planned to donate her records to the museum once there was no longer a need for them, though she wasn’t completely sure when that would be. With publishing her books, recording more songs, and working in Mistaké’s tea shop, Mia wasn’t sure if she’d have time to do anything else for a while. Maybe it was for the best.

She called up Misako a few months later to check in on the progress. No luck yet, but everyone was still hopeful. Hearing this, Mia told Misako “you will be the one to find Wu, but you will find him on your own. I don’t know when or how, but it will happen relatively soon. You might want to go research on your own for this.”

“Okay,” Misako agreed, determination in her voice. “And you’ll rejoin us sometime after I’ve found him?”

“Something like that,” Mia promised. “I’ll help when I can, but I don’t want to come in too early and interfere.”

“Alright,” was Misako’s response before Mia ended the call.

That taken care of, Mia began looking into the progress of the Sons of Garmadon. It seemed the bikergang/cult was growing but not yet at what Mia knew from the show. This was promising since it meant everything still seemed to be on track on that front. Mia then began checking on the locations of the oni masks and from the look of things everything would be ready in time. Relieved, Mia took another nap.

She decided to check in on the ninja about a month later, cloaking herself invisible to remain hidden.

The first thing Mia noticed was that Lloyd was growing his hair out, hs green eyes were a brighter green, and his voice had gotten deeper. Mia had been upset at the voice actor change back when she watched the show, but it made sense now since his voice changing signified he had gone from boy to man. He was an adult now at nineteen. The other ninja had changed a little too, with Kai having a scar through one eyebrow and a bandaid above his other one for some reason; Jay now had freckles and wacky hair; Cole’s hair was longer; Zane could now change his appearance like Mia could cloak herself; and since when did Nya have that little mole on her cheek?

Wu in the timestream had changed a few things, though Mia knew that the movie had played a role in the ninja’s appearances. Mia hated the movie. It was like the movies that called themselves Percy Jackson movies: taking only a few aspects of the actual story and making a monstrosity almost completely different that just happened to have a few entertaining jokes that were deemed the only good thing about the movie. Did Mia mention she hated the movie? She hated it, but she understood that the writers had been trying something out and were attempting to bring the movie fans into the show interest-wise by adjusting the show’s characters’ appearances to appeal to that audience. She understood that and the ninja didn’t look bad, but the movie still sucked. Moving on…

Mia noticed Lloyd started showing up at Mistaké’s tea shop over the next few weeks. Mia ducked into the back room or turning invisible when she saw him. She didn’t want to interfere with the season that was about to start. As a result, Lloyd started growing close to Mistaké, and Mia was happy to see it. She still wondered if Mistaké was secretly Lloyd’s grandmother, wife of Dragoni, but Mistaké always denied the claim when Mia asked. Mia still suspected though, and Mistaké being happy to see Lloyd when he walked into her shop always added to the suspicion.

At last, the first oni mask was stolen and Lloyd called the team in. Mia was both relieved at the news and dreading what was next to come. Mr Hutchins met the ninja at Borg Tower and explained about the oni masks and requested the ninja to watch over the royal family over the next few days since they also had an oni mask in their possession. Once again, Mia was trying to figure out how long the royal family had even existed in Ninjago, not remembering mention of them at all up until now, and decided the royal family must have been another change to the timeline created by Wu being lost in time.

It was the only reasonable explanation, meaning that once again Wu was the cause for most of the issues taking place in Ninjago. Think about it. Wu is the reason for Garmadon being bitten by the Great Devourer and being sent to the underworld, the events with Morro, fighting the Hands of Time on his own which led to this, and who knows what else in the future. Garmadon may have been one of the show’s greatest villains, but Wu was the cause of a lot of issues and just never told the ninja until it was relevant to the plot. Moving on…

Mia followed the ninja to the royal family’s public encounter, keeping quiet and invisible all the while. When she saw Lloyd noticing Harumi, she felt an ache in her chest and her eyes stinging a little. Mia agreed with Nya’s comments about her disapproval of the royal family, but didn’t say anything. Mia was pretty sure the royal family were just figureheads anyway, not really doing anything in Ninjago other than being “royal” for whatever reason. Maybe they were just a rich family that decided to call themselves royal at some point and the title stuck? They were never viewed by the public enough to be much more than figureheads anyway.

Mia followed Lloyd when he followed Harumi out of the palace. Harumi being no older than sixteen at most and Lloyd being nineteen made the insinuation this outing was a date feel weird, but then again if it weren’t for Tomorrow’s Tea, Lloyd and Harumi would be the same age. The thought made Mia feel like a creep, even though Yesterday’s tea made herself no more that twenty both mentally, which was closer to Lloyd. Mia frowned to herself and shook her thoughts away, continuing to follow Lloyd and the secretly evil princess as she kept quiet to herself. Mia half joked to herself that maybe she should be called the quiet one, but quickly shut down that idea since that would make her too much like Harumi and she didn’t want anything to do with the other girl.

Mia watched Harumi’s calculated attempts to get close to Lloyd and make him fall for her. Knowing Harumi, this whole situation was manipulation to get on Lloyd’s good side. However, the closer Mia looked, the less it seemed like Lloyd was interested in Harumi. He seemed more confused and worried about keeping Harumi safe than romantically interested in her. That was a surprise. Mia wondered if she had anything to do with the change or if she was remembering the events of the show wrong. Either way, Mia wasn’t complaining. Maybe Lloyd wouldn’t be as hurt by Harumi’s betrayal this time? If it would save him from some pain, Mia was happy for the small unintentional change.

When the palace of secrets was destroyed, Mia waited for the team and Harumi on The Bounty. Lloyd was having a little trouble getting The Bounty airborn, so Mia assisted silently. Lloyd seemed to notice the assist, since as soon as The Bounty started lifting into the air, he looked around like he normally did when looking for Mia, then turned his attention back to ensuring they all got out of there to safety.

Harumi also seemed to have noticed Lloyd looking around since Mia overheard her ask Lloyd what he was looking for.

“Just an old friend,” he replied with a fond grin, his eyes still roaming around for a sign of Mia. “I like to think of her as my guardian angel of destiny.”

Mia slapped a hand over her own mouth to keep from squeaking. Lloyd glanced in her direction for a second, but didn’t seem to actually see her. Harumi frowned in confusion and looked around as well, but definitely didn’t see anything. Mia was grateful word of her hadn’t really been spread outside of the elemental masters based on Harumi’s confusion. Ignorance of Mia on Harumi’s part would be helpful.

Mia followed the boys to Mistaké’s tea shop while Nya remained on The Bounty with Harumi. When Mistaké went to have a look in the back, Mia followed her.

“Is it time?” Mistaké whispered in Mia’s direction.

“For you to tell Lloyd about the Oni and the dragon? Yes,” Mia whispered back.

Mistaké just nodded and brought the tea off truth she grabbed back to the ninja, Mia following. Cole and Zane ran off to the police station with the tea while the others stayed. Mia listened to Mistaké recount the tale, then followed the boys back to The Bounty.

When Cole got captured and Zane snuck into the Sons of Garmadon, Mia stayed on The Bounty and watched Harumi. It was clear Harumi couldn't see Mia, but Harumi was glancing around occasionally and mumbling to herself about her likely noticing if someone was there to spy on her and ruin her plans. Mia rolled her eyes and kept quiet.

Zane’s cover was blown and the ninja came to the rescue, picking up Cole and baby Wu on the way. Once Zane was recovered from his flight with Mr E, Mia quickly got to work stabilizing Zane and assisted in the beginning of Zane’s repairs. Meanwhile everyone was baffled by baby Wu, not used to caring for babies and thus not knowing what to do. Harumi soothed baby Wu with a creepy lullaby about spiders, though, so that happened.

Mia followed Lloyd and Harumi out onto the deck where they talked about their deceased parents. When Harumi told Lloyd she'd be there for him when his father is resurrected, she leaned in for a kiss but Lloyd pulled away, looking nervous. No kiss happened. Mia blinked rapidly as Lloyd stepped back further, and left Harumi standing on the deck with a confused frown. Mia was confused, herself.

Mia decided to follow Lloyd as a storm rolled in, Cole giving tea to baby Wu to drink since he refused to drink anything else. PIXAL discovered Mr E had set up a trap, having planted a virus on Zane that infected PIXAL’s system right around the same time Cole discovered baby Wu was wrapped in a map. The Bounty had a bit of a power outage and PIXAL admitted she was the new Samurai X and her body was being controlled, heading towards The Bounty to fight them all.

Lloyd began giving orders, ensuring everyone knew what task they had. Once everyone had a job, Lloyd looked up at the ceiling and called out “Mia! If you're here like I think you are, we could use some help!”

Harumi blinked at Lloyd in confusion, looking around for Mia when Lloyd turned to get and offered her a katana. Harumi argued that she couldn't fight but Lloyd argued back “but you want to live, right?”

The fight began. Harumi was grabbed by the Samurai X mech and Lloyd jumped onto it to save her. Mia used her powers to ensure Lloyd remained secure and steady while on it. Then Mia decided she was done letting everything just happen like in the show and used her power to steady the ship and assist Nya in locating the source of the virus.

When Lloyd and Harumi fell into the woods, Mia revealed herself. Zane helped Nya destroy the virus, but then The Bounty began to crash due to all the power going out completely. Mia cursed and used her power to steady the ship during the crash so that the damage was minimal. As soon as The Bounty had crash landed and stopped moving, Mia passed out from exhaustion, barely noticing the ninja calling her name.

Mia woke up to see the ninja standing around her, looking concerned. She must not have been out very long since they hadn't even moved her.

“You okay?” Nya checked.

“I'll be fine,” Mia replied, pulling herself to her feet.

Looking around at where they had landed, and knowing what was about to happen, Mia decided “screw canon. We're almost done anyway.”

“Huh?” The ninja replied.

“Harumi is the Quiet One,” Mia revealed, leaving the ninja in shock, “check the scanners and you'll find Mr E had a phone call with her on the ship. Also, the baby is Wu. He was de-aged after a different time punch but he should begin aging back soon.”

“Wait, what!?” Cole exclaimed.

Mia just kept talking. “You all need to get The Bounty back online. It didn't take too much damage so it shouldn't take too long. I'm headed after Lloyd and Harumi. See you in a bit.”

With that said, Mia dove over the side of The Bounty, landed on the ground not too far below, and began running through the jungle in search of Lloyd. She used her powers to sense Lloyd’s clothes and used that to track him. She heard him before she saw him and cloaked herself invisible again as she got closer.

Mia saw them just in time for Harumi to kiss Lloyd’s cheek, surprising him and thus distracting him from questioning how she threw the sword so well.

Mia looked away for a moment before approaching, careful not to get too close to reveal her presence. She noticed Lloyd looking around a bit, his face still a bit shocked.

They kept moving until they found a boat. Mia snuck aboard and let Harumi start the boat without her assistance. Mia was careful not to hint at her presence to Lloyd, knowing Harumi would likely pick up on her presence if Lloyd did. Lloyd checked how shallow the water was ahead as Harumi steered, Mia sitting in the middle of the boat just making sure it didn't sink with them on it.

Harumi and Lloyd started up another conversation. Harumi was explaining how the greatest villain was the one who was never discovered and thus the one who got away.

“The quiet one,” Lloyd finished with a nod. “Kind of reminds me of an old friend, but she wasn't anything like that.”

Mia felt her chest tighten at the words, not sure if being compared to Harumi again was a good or bad thing.

“The friend you referred to earlier?” Harumi checked.

Lloyd just nodded, then changed the subject.

When the river creature appeared and attacked, Mia focused on keeping the boat from capsizing as they headed toward the waterfall. When they went over the waterfall, Mia focused on keeping Lloyd safe with her powers while Lloyd focused on keeping Harumi alive. Mia would have preferred to let her drown, but didn't hinder Lloyd in being his heroic self.

Mia stayed quiet and still at the edge of the water so as not to indicate her presence while Lloyd and Harumi reached shore. Lloyd noticed the Oni temple and as they entered, Mia followed them at a close distance. When Harumi purposely tapped them all inside the temple and claimed she didn't touch anything, Mia just rolled her eyes and continued to follow the teens as they made their way through the temple.

Lloyd noticed the story of the Oni inscribed on the walls. A little further in, they found the mask of hatred. Harumi attempted to grab the mask but failed, then stated that “only someone with Oni blood can take the mask,” while looking at Lloyd expectantly.

Lloyd picked up the mask with a friend, quickly pulling it out of Harumi’s grabbing reach. “How did you know I was part Oni?” He demanded.

When he realized Harumi was the quiet one, Harumi quickly denied it and continued to try to take the mask from him. She tried to lie her way out of it but Lloyd saw right through her. She told Lloyd she loved him and tried to kiss him but he pushed her away. Finally, she revealed her true nature, how her parents died because of the great Devourer which led to her being adopted to become the princess she never wanted to be, and even confessed to using Lloyd.

When Lloyd still refused to give her the mask, Harumi kicked him aside and Mia had had enough.

“Screw canon,” she exclaimed as she revealed herself, gaining both Harumi and Lloyd’s surprised attention.

“Mia!?” Lloyd exclaimed as Mia tackled Harumi, kicking the mask toward Lloyd and thus out of Harumi’s reach.

“Long time no see!” Mia replied while wrestling Harumi.

Lloyd got up and joined the flight, turning the flight into a game of keep away with the mask. Harumi tried distracting her opponents with what knowledge she had, using her words from the show on Lloyd and telling Mia that Mia had deceived Lloyd just like she had. Harumi claimed Mia was just like her: quiet, hiding in the shadows, waiting for the right moment to do the most damage. Mia screamed at Harumi to shut up and attacked more aggressively when Harumi asked Mia if she was just using Lloyd too.

“I have never used Lloyd and I never will, you bitch!” Mia screamed as she kicked Harumi back down.

Lloyd threw the mask over the side of the cliff and Harumi dove after it, just barely catching it, and put it on. Mia grabbed Lloyd and pulled him out of the way before Harumi could hurt him further. The fight turned into Lloyd and Mia just dodging attacks until Harumi got fed up and ran down the hall.

“Incoming water!” Mia warned, wrapping an arm around Lloyd and pulling off her cloak with the other. “It'll make us rise out of here but I know a quicker way. Hang on!”

Lloyd clung to Mia as she used her cloak to fly them up into the air and out toward the other ninja and Sons of Garmadon surrounding them.

“Thanks for the assist,” Lloyd muttered into her ear as they landed.

The fight continued. Eventually the Sons of Garmadon began to leave on The Bounty while the ninja were still off of it. Nya and Zane used their powers to get Lloyd onto the ship’s anchor and Mia used her tech to follow him. As soon as Mia reached the ship, the Sons of Garmadon grabbed her and Lloyd. They quickly knocked Mia out, Lloyd screaming Mia’s name being the last thing she heard before everything went black.

Mia woke up to the sway of being carried, though she could tell by feeling alone that she was thrown over someone big’s shoulder like a sack of potatoes. She kept her eyes closed and allowed her body to sway with each step, keeping up the appearance of sleep. She heard Lloyd speaking nearby alongside Harumi replying, so Mia figured they were back at the Palace of Secrets and the ceremony to bring back evil Garmadon was approaching.

Mia felt herself be slammed down onto the ground and couldn't help the groan that escaped. She heard Misako scream and Lloyd called out for his mother. Mia peeled her eyes open to see Lloyd looking up at the contraption holding Misako inside.

Mia forced her tired and hurt body up and attacked every Son of Garmadon in reach until Ultra Violet started choking Lloyd. Mia stopped moving, holding her hands up in surrender so Ultra Violet would stop choking him, which she did but still kept her hands near his neck in clear threat. Mia met Lloyd’s gaze in fear and just barely noticed Harumi ordering someone to knock Mia out again before her vision went black again.

When Mia woke up again it was night time and she had vengestone shakes on. Lloyd and Misako were both in the cage contraption. Mia quickly pulled her arms apart, breaking the vengestone like it was nothing but a rubber band, when Mr E grabbed her. Mia glared at the robot as she shut it down with her power, making the robot power off and drop her only for the big guy to snatch Mia with one hand and wrapped his other hand around her throat in warning.

“Mia, it's okay!” Lloyd called out to her from the cage. “Don't fight them!”

Mia remained still, glancing between Lloyd and the hand down at her neck as the ceremony began. When the ninja showed up to help, Mia lifted her leg and kicked back to kick the big guy in the crotch, effectively getting him to let go. Mia dove for the contraption as it began moving to send Lloyd into the water below. Mia stopped it's movements quickly and freed both mother and son. With them freed, the fight was a bit easier having the whole team.

The ceremony was stopped, Harumi prevented from finishing the spell, and Lloyd defeated Harumi. Mia stood by while Lloyd talked to Harumi in the squad car, telling her she wasn't the one who got away. This angered Harumi considerably, but the squad car’s doors closed and Harumi and the other Sons of Garmadon were taken away.

Mia joined the team at Dareth’s karaoke bar, standing off to the side a bit since she wasn't sure what her place was at the moment. Seeing her off to the side, Lloyd approached her and asked if they could talk. Mia agreed and followed him into a private room.

“So are you here for good?” Was the first thing he asked.

Mia shrugged. “I'd like to be,” she admitted.

“What's stopping you?” He asked. “Is the season not over yet?”

Mia shook her head. “But I don't want to wait any longer,” Mia confessed. “I want to be with you, however you'll have me.”

Lloyd’s expression shifted to confusion. “However we'll have you?”

Mia shook her head. “I love you and have for years. I want to be with you, if you'll have me.”

Lloyd shifted closer as Mia continued to talk.

“I know I'm a lot older than you and it might be weird but the tea makes me mentally close to your age and I know Harumi was supposed to be your love interest in the show but she's a bitch and wasn't ever worthy of you, and I know I'm not worthy of you either but I still love you and want a better life for you and I'm tired of staying in the shadows and just letting you get hurt when I could stop it and I just-”

Lloyd cut her off by pulling her into a kiss. A proper one. Mia let her eyes close as she savored Lloyd’s lips on hers, his arms pulling her closer.

He briefly pulled away to whisper against her lips, “I want you.”

“You can have me however you want,” Mia promised. “I'm not leaving you again.”

Lloyd kissed her again and they ended up on the floor, exploring each other by touch and taste. Mia used her powers to clean them both up after going all the way, Lloyd holding her close afterwards.

“I'm yours,” she promised into his shoulder. “For however long you'll have me, I'm yours.”

Lloyd kissed her again. “Does forever sound good?” He asked with his lips against her neck.

Mia nodded, a relieved breath punched out of her chest.

“You've protected destiny for so long,” he continued. “I've come to associate destiny with you.”

“Really?” Mia asked.

Lloyd nodded and chuckled lightly. “You're my destiny now,” he said, “I finally have you. It's always been you.”

Mia stuck her tongue out at him, which he chased in another kiss.

“We've probably been away from the others too long,” Mia pointed out. “They'll probably come looking for us soon.”

Lloyd just hummed and nodded. Reluctantly he got up and they helped each other put their clothes back on and look presentable. Mia ensured no evidence of their activities remained before they walked back to join the others who were having fun singing karaoke.

“Good talk?” Misako asked when she saw Mia and Lloyd approach.

Lloyd nodded while Mia blushed. Misako grinned when Lloyd pulled Mia closer to himself, wrapping an arm around her. Mia glanced away to see the ninja singing the theme song poorly with baby Wu giggling.

“That's the theme song,” Mia pointed out to Lloyd.

“Really?” He laughed and Mia nodded.

Their attention was stolen away by the sudden news report that Harumi was broken out of police custody and on the video footage it was clearly Lord Garmadon who was with her.

“We stopped the ceremony, didn't we?” Lloyd asked Mia who shrugged.

“We did, but he still came through,” she admitted. “He did so in the show. I wasn't sure if we succeeded this time, but it looks like it's still happening.”

“So what do we do?” Jay asked.

“What we have to,” Mia replied. “He's just the Oni side of himself now. He has no memories of any of us, as far as I know. He won't care that Lloyd is his son. He'll just want to rule Ninjago.”

“That's not good,” Kai decided.

Mia shook her head. Lloyd came up with the plan of attack. He sent his mother and Wu to hide out at Dareth's apartment while the rest of the team went to talk to the police. Turns out Harumi and Garmadon entered kryptarium prison and never came out. Despite the villains being in the prison, this was not good news since the villains were now running the prison, having kicked out the guards and warden.

The team headed back to The Bounty to plan. Lloyd was sure he had to face his father, but the others said it wasn't worth it. Mia flat out told Lloyd that this version of Garmadon was just an Oni, not his father, and intended to fight him to unlock his powers and would beat Lloyd up on live television more than anything else. Lloyd was stubborn, though.

He asked everyone if they could think of another way but no one could answer. Mia just shrugged. “I won't stop you,” she told him, “but in the show that fight doesn't go well.”

Lloyd ended up going anyway, and Mia followed him without bothering to cloak herself. Lloyd didn't stop her from joining him, but that was likely due to the fact that she wasn't stopping him from going. Once they made it to the prison, Mia cloaked herself to sneak in behind Lloyd and the fight did not go well as expected. Mia assisted Lloyd as much as she could, but Lloyd refused to use lethal force on what was left of his father while Garmadon did not hold back.

Mia uncloaked herself and stole Garmadon's attention off of Lloyd, dodging his attacks as they came. “Remember who you are!” She told him as she continued to dodge, “you are the eldest son of the First Spinjitsu Master. Your younger brother is Wu. Your wife is Misako. Lloyd is your son. Remember them!”

Lloyd and Garmadon continued to fight so Mia tried to intervene again. “Remember me? I'm Mia. We grew up together. We lived together and trained in the monastery. You used to call me ‘ghost girl,’ remember?”

Garmadon just glared at her and attacked again. Talking to him was doing nothing and it was clear he was stronger than both of them even before he unlocked his powers. Mia managed to keep Lloyd from getting too hurt before he was thrown through the brick wall, though, after Garmadon claimed he had no son. Mia noticed the cameras when she saw that.

“This isn't over,” Mia told Garmadon before using her power to shut down the cameras while running to Lloyd who was unconscious.

Mia lifted Lloyd onto her cloak and flew them back to the approaching Bounty. Once back on The Bounty, Mia passed out from exhaustion.

She woke up beside Lloyd at Mistaké’s Tea shop. Lloyd was still unconscious and in bad shape, but not as he could have been. The ninja still had used their powers to try to save him, which helped a little bit but Lloyd was still unconscious.

What made Mia get up out of bed was when Mistaké gave Jay a bag of tea “to go.”

Mistaké made Mia sit back down a moment later, giving her a cup of reenergized tea to help get her strength back. Mia thanked her and drank. Shortly after, everything began to shake and screaming was heard outside. The boys ran outside to see what was happening, yelling back for the girls to stay put and watch over Lloyd as they did so. Mia wasn't going anywhere. Mistaké gave her another cup of tea.

A few minutes later Lloyd woke up screaming “father!” and Nya rushed over to check on him. Mistaké was acting shocked that the tea had worked in healing Lloyd this much, which Mia thought was weird. Mistaké should know it would work.

Lloyd said he had a dream but Mistaké called it a vision. Lloyd tried to use his powers but couldn't. “You're too drained,” Mia pointed out. “Like Skylor after Chen’s spell.”

“Will it come back?” Lloyd asked.

Mia shrugged, “I haven't seen that far.”

Lloyd nodded in understanding, a friend on his face. “Guess you were right,” he muttered.

Mia just nodded.

Lloyd started mumbling that he wasn't the green ninja anymore without his power and Mia scoffed at that.

“So long as you exist, you are Lloyd Garmadon, the green ninja. That doesn't change just because you can't use your energy, fire, lightning, earth, or ice powers,” she told him.

Lloyd looked doubtful, but didn't argue. Nya pointed out that they needed to go save baby Wu from Garmadon who was apparently targeting him now. Mia helped Lloyd walk while Nya led the way. Mistaké stopped Lloyd long enough to give him a parachute and told him that being the green ninja wasn't what made him special; it was knowing what to do and when to do it. Mia agreed.

They arrived just in time to find Garmadon attacking Wu and Misako. Nya got them out of the way as Misako passed Wu to Lloyd and Nya told Mia to get the boys out of there. Mia grabbed Lloyd’s arm and guided him out with Wu in his other arm.

They reached the roof but Harumi arrived to make everything difficult. They ran across rooftops, Mia using her powers to protect them as they ran since Lloyd couldn't. They made it to the cable car and noticed Harumi getting close just as The Bounty came into view.

Mia was running out of energy and was physically fighting off Harumi while Lloyd yelled for the guys to get The Bounty closer. Mia also senses Mistaké’s boat approaching below. Mia fought Harumi as long as she could before Harumi kicked her off the cable car. Lloyd threw baby Wu to Cole, who caught Wu without issue, as Mia fell.

Mia used the last of her energy to slow her fall into the water, where Nya and Misako pulled her into Mistaké’s boat moments later. Mia looked up to see Lloyd and Harumi still fighting above her as Garmadon destroyed The Bounty. Lloyd jumped off the cable car and parachuted down toward Mia, Nya, and Misako. Once in the boat, Nya sped the small group away while Misako hugged her son.

“The others are alive,” Mia told them, which clearly shocked them.”

“How?” Lloyd asked, his voice pleading.

“Mistaké gave them traveler's tea to go,” Mia explained. “They used it right before The Bounty was destroyed.”

“Where are they?” Misako asked.

“According to the show, they're in the first realm now, the one of dragons and Oni.”

“How do we get them back?” Nya asked.

Mia shrugged. “I've only seen the trailer showing them alive in that realm.”

Everyone was quiet after that. Mia pulled out her Cloud Kingdom scroll from her pocket and unrolled it to see a lot of words. Reading over what was written, Mia discovered that the monk had given her HER Scroll, with her story written on it. Looking down at the end of the writing, she noticed the words appearing on their own, writing out what was currently happening. It wasn't showing the future, though, so it wasn't being very helpful. Mia put it back into her pocket and leaned back against the boat to lightly rest for a bit and fell asleep.

Chapter Text

Mia woke up to them docking the boat. Mia got up and followed the group. They ended up hiding inside an abandoned storage room and started making a plan. The girls would help Lloyd get back on his feet properly while Dareth focused on food. Lloyd was a bit depressed at having lost his powers and missing the ninja, but not as depressed as he would have been if he still thought they were dead. Everyone kept hoping that his powers would return, but no luck yet.

Mia had Nya temporarily flood the room to chest level, Misako, PIXAL, Nya, and Dareth staying dry while sitting on the higher stage boxes while Mia and Lloyd sparred in the water. Lloyd was supposed to dunk Mia, but Mia kept dodging out of reach or splashing him, not bothering to use her powers. She was trying to build his confidence up by sparring through the dunking game. He only managed to dunk her a few times, but it was clear he was more confident afterwards, especially when Mia told him “neither Wu or Garmadon ever beat me at the dunking game.”

“Really?” Lloyd asked with a small grin.

Mia nodded. “They even had to use their powers to come close but they never beat me even then. You did it without powers, so when your powers return just think of all you'll be capable of. I'm sure your power will return eventually. You just need to be patient and think outside the box in the meantime.”

Lloyd nodded in understanding, thinking to himself. Lloyd trained together with Nya and PIXAL as well through the week. The better he did, the more confident he seemed to be. Plus, during the night Lloyd kept pulling Mia into his arms to sleep.

They stayed in that storage room for a week before they were nearly caught. Mia had just left the storage room to check on Dareth’s progress with the food when Dareth came running back warning they needed to run. The Sons of Garmadon had located them in the storage room, so they fled and ended up hiding under the ruins of only half of The Bounty. At the realization that half The Bounty was missing, Mia grinned at the others too confirm this meant the ninja and Wu escaped to the first realm.

Then the Sons of Garmadon showed up again and the Elemental Masters came to the rescue in a garbage truck. On the drive, everyone began catching each other up on what happened. The elemental masters mentioned the good people of Ninjago selling out allies of the ninja to Emperor Garmadon and his lackeys, which struck a cord in Mia. Her thoughts went to her music and writing career, wondering if there was something she could do to remedy this issue and bring the people back together against their oppressors. Lloyd was supposed to bring the people together, right? Mia could help with that. She could even reveal her identity to help get people to pay attention.

When Lloyd asked for ideas on how to change the people’s view, Mia raised her hand. “I’ve got an idea,” she said, “but I’m going to need a camera.”

“Perhaps I could help?” PIXAL offered, and Mia nodded with a smile.

They arrived at the garbage depot, PIXAL sneaking her mech inside as well. Skylor confirmed that her powers had returned over time, when Lloyd asked, giving him hope of his own powers returning. Nya found some scrap metal she could use to build some helpful equipment and Karloff offered to help. Mistaké happened to be at the garbage depot as well and talked to Lloyd privately while PIXAL and Mia prepared for Mia’s surprise.

When Lloyd and Mistaké finished their talk, Lloyd both looked a little more calm and a little more anxious. Mia wanted to comfort him, but one look at PIXAL reminded her she would be more help to him by doing what she was already doing. No one aside from Dani and maybe Mistaké, since she just knows things like that, knew about Mia being Lovesick Heart, so this would be as much of a surprise to the team as to the rest of Ninjago. Hopefully this would go well.

Mia set PIXAL up to act as her camera and livestream source, though Mia set it up so she would be streaming through PIXAL to the broadcast studio at Borg Tower, taking over Ultra Violet’s annoying broadcast. As Mia and PIXAL finished getting set up, Mia began contemplating what revealing her identity would mean for her after this was all over. Would she become even more famous, like the ninja in season six? Would those who knew her be excited to learn it was her this whole time or bothered by the fact she had kept another thing from them. Would they be disappointed? She wasn’t sure, but it didn’t really matter in the end. All that mattered was what she could do to help Lloyd and the rest of the team.

Nearby, Mistaké was making Lloyd train in guiding and influencing other people. She had him coach Dareth through fighting Karloff, which did not end well but didn’t end horribly, either. At least Mistaké knew what she was doing. Lloyd was still unsure.

Mia pulled Lloyd aside and tried to reassure him that he would be fine. They had a game plan. Lloyd and some of the others would break into Emperor Garmadon’s broadcast studio and broadcast a message of hope to the people of Ninjago, showing that the resistance is alive and fighting while Mia would broadcast herself as a distraction until Lloyd and the others got into place.

“Here,” she said, placing a small piece of metal into his hand.

“What’s this for?” Lloyd asked, looking at the small piece of metal, then looking up to meet her gaze.

“It’s part of my cloak,” Mia explained. “I’ll sense it better than anything else. Squeeze it twice to let me know you’re in position and ready so I can announce you before switching the camera to you at the station. Squeeze three times if you’re in trouble and I’ll find you, tracking your location with it. Squeeze once if you’re safely in the clear.”

Lloyd hummed with a growing grin, his eyes dancing with mischief. “Making sure I’m okay, as usual.”

“Always,” Mia agreed with a nod. “Just setting my mind at ease, mostly.”

Lloyd pulled her in for a kiss, then pulled away to promise, “I’ll be back before you know it.”

Mia nodded, then sensed a flex of the metal. “Safe and sound,” she hummed, confirming for Lloyd she felt him squeezing the metal.

“Let’s keep it that way,” Lloyd decided, then headed out with his team of elemental masters while Mia got in place in front of PIXAL, careful to keep a neutral background Harumi and the others couldn’t identify and track them from.

She felt a small buzz at her side indicating Lloyd was squeezing the metal about five minutes later. She took a deep breath, nodded at PIXAL, and threw her cloak over her head. Her clothes shifted around to show off some skin to stick with her signature style for performing her music videos. As she pulled her cloak off, some of the metal remained on her face, forming into her Lovesick Heart mask.

Some of the resistance members still in the depot gasped at the sight before Mia started the broadcast, cutting off Ultra Violet’s manhunt show.

“Hey, Ninjago,” Mia spoke through her mask, looking directly at PIXAL. “Miss me?”

She didn’t wait long before continuing, everyone else in the room remaining quiet so as not to disrupt her.

“For those of you who may not know me, I’m Lovesick Heart. I dabble in music and recently in writing. Those who know about me know I like to remain as anonymous as possible, but that’s going to change today. I’m not hiding in the shadows anymore. Want to know why?”

Mia placed her hands on her hips and continued.

“Because an ass formerly known as Princess Harumi decided it would be a good idea to kill people because she was mad at the ninja for fighting the Great Devourer but not doing it the way she wanted. She developed a sick hero worship of Lord Garmadon for finishing the Great Devourer off and decided it would be a great idea to bring him back from the dead, but just the evil side of him so that she could use him as a weapon while she whispers ideas into his ear. She’s using him as much as the rest of the Sons of Garmadon, which she started by the way. All of our problems right now are because she blames the ninja for the death of her biological parents, which the ninja are not at fault for.”

Mia felt another buzz from her side, still just one squeeze, so Mia continued.

“Why do I know all this? Because the First Spinjitzu Master himself tasked me with protecting the historic events in Ninjago. For centuries I have been destiny’s silent guardian, ensuring destiny wins. Harumi has disrupted that, as far as I'm concerned and I won't stand for it.”

Mia lifted her hands and removed her mask, finally revealing her face to all of Ninjago.

“My name is Mia,” she continued, “elemental Master of technology, and from here on out I own all broadcasting tech. No more manhunts, it's time to band together and take back the Ninjago we know and love.”

Mia felt the buzz indicating Lloyd had squeezed the metal twice.

“Speaking of,” Mia finished with a grin, “I have someone here who has some words to say on the matter.”

With that, she used her powers to flip the channel back to the broadcast station where Lloyd was ready. Mia watched the broadcast on her phone.

“Hello, Ninjago. It's me. Lloyd Garmadon. The Green Ninja,” Lloyd began, making Mia smile. “Lord Garmadon wants you to be afraid, but I need you to be brave. What Mia said is true. With the help of Princess Harumi, Lord Garmadon struck a major blow against Ninjago City. We are ready to strike back. There is a resistance. And we may be small, but we are powerful.”

Mia felt an odd flicker from her tech, noticing a screen near Lloyd at the edge of the video flicker to show him injured from Garmadon's attack just a week ago. Lloyd paused at the sight. Mia flicked her wrist and that screen changed to her own feed, nodding at Lloyd encouragingly. Lloyd nodded back and turned back to the camera.

“I may have lost my elemental powers,” Lloyd continued, “but I call upon the power of the people. When we get knocked down, we rise up. Stronger than before. This is our city. He thinks he can bully us with stone giants. Well this isn't the first time our city has faced ruin. Buildings fall, but we rise!”

Mia could hear some cheering from the elemental masters and the resistance people around her, then Lloyd continued.

“And to you, Father, I say this: fighting me may make you feel powerful, but you're about to see what real power is. The Resistance never quits.”

“He has found his voice,” Mia overheard Mistaké a few feet away, sounding proud.

Mia felt Lloyd squeeze the metal twice again, so she adjusted the broadcast so it repeated Lloyd saying “the resistance never quits” on loop and signed herself and Lloyd off the broadcast. She disconnected PIXAL from the broadcast and the two walked over to Nya and Mistaké to wait for the team to get back.

Mia felt Lloyd squeeze the metal once again right before he walked back into the depot. Mia ran to him and pulled him into a tight hug and kiss.

“You did great,” she told him with a grin, and he grinned back.

Everyone else gathered around to celebrate the success, cheering Lloyd on and some marveling about Mia secretly being Lovesick Heart. Some complimented her voice, while others asked for autographs, which surprised Mia. Apparently even Shadow enjoyed her music. As some of the others talked to each other, Lloyd whispered to Mia that he had suspected it was her the whole time.

“Really?” Mia whispered back. “What gave me away?”

“You only did your music when you weren't watching me,” he replied with a shrug. “I know when you're with me.”

Mia stuck her tongue out at him. “You sure about that?” She teased.

Lloyd hummed in confirmation, pulling her closer in his arms as he numbered off on his fingers. “Keeping the others from noticing you sitting beside me in the spaceship on the way back from that steroid was difficult. I nearly looked in your direction one too many times. Keeping Morro from not noticing you was the most exhausting part of being possessed. I had to get the others to switch their attention away from you every time you turned invisible and pretended to walk off. And keeping Harumi from noticing you before and after the water fall was the hardest thing for me to do. I wasn't sure if I'd be able to hold myself back from looking in your direction again.”

“You knew I was there all those times,” Mia muttered in surprise.

Lloyd just nodded. “I've known when you're near ever since you helped me off that sign as a kid,” Lloyd confessed.

Mia pulled him in for another kiss, Lloyd cradling her face in his hands.

“Get a room you two!” Shadow teased.

“Later,” Mia shot back at him, making him shut up on the matter.

Spirits high and celebration underway, it was time to discuss the next plan of action. Dareth was wanting some power of his own, so Mistaké gave him a lot of odd tea to drink. Mia pulled out her scroll from the Cloud Kingdom to check if any helpful updates were on it. The scroll stopped writing for a moment, something odd she couldn’t read at the bottom. Mia wondered if it was a warning.

“Lloyd,” Mia called, moving closer to Lloyd with the scroll.

“What’s up,” he replied, turning his attention from the table to her.

“I think something may be wrong,” Mia replied, handing the scroll to Lloyd.

“Isn’t this-” Lloyd started to ask but Mia cut him off.

“My scroll from the Cloud Kingdom, yes. One of the monks gave it to me to supposedly help once we reached past season eight. That’s irrelevant, can you read what this says here?”

Mia pointed at the text in question and Lloyd frowned, shaking his head. “What language is that?” he asked.

“I don’t know,” Mia admitted. “It’s not any from Ninjago or my home world that I recognize, but I think it may be a warning of some kind.”

Then Dareth ran into the room screaming something about ‘brown power’, then ran around the depot looking for a restroom. Mia just watched him run in confusion while Lloyd handed Mia back her scroll, which she put back in her pocket.

“Listen to,” Lloyd regained everyone else's attention. “Mia has reason to believe something may be up, so keep a lookout and prepare for anything.”

The team nodded, looking around for the potential danger. Then Mia’s body tensed up with a cold and negative feeling washed over her body. Mia looked around, pulling metal from around her suit to form into X-ray goggles, which she used to help look around and gasped.

“What's wrong?” Lloyd asked as she dropped the goggles, which returned to their precious state made of pieces of metal in various places on her suit.

“Ambush!” Mia screamed just as The Sons of Garmadon broke in.

They were completely outnumbered by the Sons of Garmadon, but everyone fought anyway, trying to protect themselves and the base. Mia ran after Ultra Violet and Killow since they were wearing Oni masks. She couldn't control the masks since they were made by Oni but she could control the rest of their clothes. Using their clothes to fight them was easier than it had been facing Harumi in the mask. Problem was, fighting them was draining a lot more energy since they were wearing the masks, which Mia did not appreciate.

Mia overheard Harumi order the Sons of Garmadon to take Lloyd alive, so she switched her attention to location Lloyd in the fight. Skylor was closer to him, focused on trying to get him out of there. Mia ran over to help. Skylor and Mia’s powers made them the power houses of the resistance just as the Oni masks made Harumi, Ultra Violet, and Killow the power houses of the Sons of Garmadon.

Mia noticed one of the Sons of Garmadon going after Mistaké while Skylor yelled at Mia and Nya to get Lloyd out of the fight. Lloyd refused to leave and insisted he would keep fighting so Mia ended up physically dragging him out of the fight and into Nya's new tank of a car she had been building. Mia also snatched Skylor into it on the way out. Lloyd insisted on going back, fearing the fate of the others, but the girls refused, pointing out Lloyd as more important at the moment. They managed to snag Dareth into the car as well,

On the ride out, Garmadon's Colossus began following the battlewagon and was closing in. In almost no time at all, it was stepping on the car to crush the inhabitants. Mia did her best to keep the car in tact, but it was difficult. Mia couldn't control Garmadon's Colossus at all since it was made and controlled by Garmadon’s Oni powers and not man or machine made. That giant thing working with gravity to crush the car was not helping Mia keep the integrity of the car secure.

While Mia kept the car from being completely crushed, Nya kept trying to drive out of there. Just as Mia thought her strength may give out, she senses PIXAL’s mech approaching and almost wept when PIXAL distracted Garmadon enough for them to escape. PIXAL’s suit went down but the Colossus went down too, which made the girls cheer. Mia crumbled to the floor of the car in exhaustion, Lloyd quickly pulling her into his arms as she passed out.

Mia woke up as Nya, Skylor, Lloyd, and Dareth were changing out of their ninja-related clothes and dressing like hobos to hide their identities, then burning their ninja-related clothes. Nya and Skylor told Mia she should do the same. Mia just frowned at that and looked down at her own outfit.

Normally Mia wore a form fitting suit and boots made of dark coated metal, almost black looking, with teal highlights along the stitching and belt, as well as the symbol of destiny stitched onto her back. Plus, her hooded cloak made it the same material as her suit and boots, with the interior being slightly reflective to appear slightly teal with the light shining on it.

She was currently wearing this outfit and did not appreciate the notion to burn it. It was difficult to make and Dragoni himself had sewn the symbol that later became known as destiny onto the back of her suit. There was no way she was burning it.

Instead, Mia used her power to adjust the outfit, rearranging the material around her body so the metallic parts shifted underneath the cloth, making the teal and warped into a teal qipao with hip-high slits on either side over black pants. The cloak also flipped so the teal side was on the outside and the metallic side was the interior side. Mia pulled the cloak more closed around herself and the hood up instead of just wearing it like a cape. Her symbol was covered by the cloak anyway, so no need to flip it inside out.

At the confused and surprised looks from the others, Mia pointed out “I can still turn invisible if needed, ya know?”

The others nodded and didn't press her into burning her clothes after that. They gathered for food on the street to eat after that, assuming the other elemental masters and resistance members had been captured by the Sons of Garmadon and were taken to kryptarium prison. Lloyd was depressed at the thought. Mia and the others did their best to comfort him.

Then Mistaké showed up, disguised as a rat. She transformed back into herself and ate most of the food the group of five had gathered, since she was hungry. As she ate, Mia pulled out her scroll to check for updates.

She was surprised to see new lore appearing on it, explaining how Dragoni had created dragon armor alongside a dragon called Firstborn and that because Dragoni couldn't unite the First Realm, he left it to create Ninjago but the Oni chased after him, wanting him back. Mia guessed she was learning this because the other ninja were learning it in the first realm. That made the most sense.

Nya regained Mia’s attention with a hand on her shoulder, saying “we need to move inside.”

Mia nodded and put the scroll back in her pocket. The sun was beginning to rise as they entered a wooden hut, where Mistaké explained some things.

Mistaké admitted that she was an Oni from the first realm that had followed Dragoni into Ninjago and had been tasked to turn him to the Oni side or destroy him, but instead she fell in love with the world he had created and decided to stay. She turned on her own and helped Dragoni ever since, choosing to live out the rest of her long life in peace. She also explained that the Oni blood in Wu and Garmadon, as Dragoni's sons, had granted them long lives as well, hinting that Lloyd would also have an extremely long life ahead of him without actually saying so.

“And you're Wu and Garmadon's mother, right?” Mia checked.

“What!?” Lloyd exclaimed, eyes wide.

Mistaké shook her head. “I am not,” she denied, “though I did know their mother many centuries ago.”

“Who was it?” Mia demanded.

Mistaké just chuckled and replied, “a very kind woman who is no longer in this realm.”

Mia pouted. “Like that narrows it down,” she grumbled to herself.

Lloyd stole Mistaké’s attention, asking why he couldn't transform like her if he was part Oni. Mistaké argued that Lloyd had been changing his whole life: from being a bratty child to the destined green ninja to the leader of the resistance. She also told him he would need to change again, into something new, if he was going to defeat his father this time. Lloyd looked at Mia for clarification on what he needed to change into now.

“How am I supposed to know?” Mia she'd with a shrug, “I just found out new lore on Dragoni and learned Mistaké isn't actually your grandmother like I thought she was.”

Everyone looked at her in confusion.

“Who's Dragoni?” Dareth asked.

Mia rubbed the back of her neck as she explained, “that's what I've been calling the First Spinjitzu Master since I arrived in Ninjago. He let me call him that, but I've never really mentioned it to anyone else but him now that I think about it. It's just that The First Spinjitzu Master is a mouthful to say every time and it's more of a title than a name and he let me call him that so I do.” She shrugged after that.

Then a scream was heard outside. Dareth checked the window and announced that the Sons of Garmadon had arrived. Skylor quickly packed up the food to get ready to run but Lloyd stopped her, saying “no more running. It's time we changed things up.”

Mistaké nodded proudly, Lloyd told them the plan, and everyone got into action.

Mistaké disguised herself as Lloyd and went on a little catch me if you can boat ride with Nya while Skylor backed them up. Mia cloaked herself invisible and stayed with Lloyd who waited in the perfect hiding spot to catch Harumi who was now at their mercy since all of her henchmen were distracted elsewhere. Mia tied her up and brought her back into the storage room from earlier in the week while the others joined them. Harumi tried to talk down everyone but Mia held a knife to her throat with her power, which shut Harumi up.

Skylor and Mistaké found the mask of hatred with Harumi’s things and gave it to Lloyd in case he wanted to use it since his power was currently out of commission. He threw the mask at Harumi's feet, arguing that this all must be a trap since Harumi would only get caught if she wanted to be. Mia didn't doubt that idea since she would likely have done something similar: she wasn't easy to catch.

Harumi then ranted about Garmadon going to destroy Lloyd since Lloyd didn't have it in him to destroy his own father. Mia rolled her eyes and asked if she was allowed to cut out Harumi's tongue. Harumi shut up at the question while the others looked at Mia with odd expressions.

“What?” Mia asked. “She's annoying and would deserve it. Next time we see him, ask Neuro why he keeps out of my head.”

They all shrugged at Mia's words, not knowing what to do. Lloyd walked off and Mia followed him. She smiled as she watched him change back into his green ninja gi. He smiled back sadly at her so she kissed him to get a real smile, which he gave her. Mia changed her own outfit back to normal as well. Then he asked Mia to call the others up to the roof to talk.

Once Dareth and the girls arrived, Lloyd explained that he had made peace with the possibility he may never get his powers back, but he wasn't afraid. He had a new plan. Skylor would control Garmadon's Colossus, which she would need to touch him to do so Mistaké would disguise herself as Harumi to get Skylor close. Mia would go with them, staying invisible, to ensure they were protected.

Mistaké showed herself disguised as Harumi to Harumi in order to properly study how Harumi spoke to land the role. When Harumi threw a fit, Nya gagged her and made her face the corner. That done, the three girls headed out to Borg Tower while the boys and Nya stayed behind to watch Harumi.

All was going well until Harumi escaped because of Dareth being careless and arriving back at Borg Tower at the wrong time. Skylor and Mia barely escaped and made it back to Lloyd and the others, but Mistaké didn't make it. They didn't have time to mourn, however, since Garmadon and the cult was after them.

They got up to the roof where Skylor tried to control the Colossus, but Garmadon got it moving before she could. Lloyd tried to coach her through it and although it was difficult she managed to take control of the Colossus. She also broke Oni mask of deception in the process and sent the crazy girl flying through the air, turning the tide of the fight.

She sent the Colossus after Garmadon, making it climb the tower after him while Garmadon fought Skylor for control over it. He didn't succeed at first, and then he did. He took back control of the Colossus, hurting Skylor in the process. One of the buildings near the giant thing Harumi was seen on top of, and everyone watched in both surprise and horror as the building went crumbling down.

Garmadon screamed in anguish at the sight.

“He chose her as his daughter, didn't he?” Mia mumbled to herself. “He chose that brat over his own son.”

Then they heard Garmadon screaming more, yelling “you want this city, Lloyd? Then you can have it in ruins!”

Garmadon began breaking more buildings with his Colossus as Mia warned the others “we need to move!”

Mia looked at the others to find Nya checking Skylor over, saying that Garmadon’s power was poisoning Skylor and that she couldn't wake her up. Skylor seemed to be in a paralyzed trance, her eyes and odd pink color. Lloyd agreed that they needed to get Garmadon's power out of Skylor. Dareth screamed at the sight of the Colossus moving toward them, which got Lloyd and Nya's attention.

Mia grabbed Skylor and threw her over her shoulder. “Let's go!” She exclaimed at the others and began running across the rooftops, the others following after her.

Dareth was scared and so was not being helpful but they managed to keep running and not die. Dareth argued that they needed to run for the battlewagon, the battlewagon, which Lloyd agreed to. What Lloyd did not agree to was Dareth’s argument to skip town. Mia agreed with Lloyd.

They had almost reached the battlewagon when Mia began to sense familiar tech and turned to see the source. Ultra Violet was there, ready for another flight. Nya stayed behind to fight her while the others kept moving. They made it to the battlewagon and came to Nya’s aid. Mia lifted a car off of Nya thanks to her powers. Nya’s shoulder was a little hurt, but otherwise she was okay. Ultra Violet broke the Oni mask of hatred on the battlewagon, which only enraged the crazy girl more.

The Sons of Garmadon surrounded what was left of the ninja team, who fought as best as they could when a portal opened up in the sky. Out of the portal came the rest of the ninja, riding on dragons, who came to the rescue as Mia cheered. Upon closer inspection, a young Wu was riding the biggest dragon and was brushing a goatee.

“Finally reached age one hundred fifty, huh?” Mia asked him, to which Wu gave her a confused look.

“You're rapidly aging up to your normal age, are you not?” Mia tried to clarify.

“He doesn't have all of his memories,” Kai spoke up to explain as the ninja dismounted their dragons to hug everyone.

Mia turned back to Wu. “So you don't remember me?” She asked.

“You look familiar,” Wu admitted, but his tone indicated he still had no recognition.

Mia just nodded and the group gave each other quick run downs of everything important to know. Then the ninja climbed back aboard the dragons to go take down the Colossus. Nya and Dareth were to watch over Skylor while Lloyd had to face his father. Mia wasn't going to let him fight Garmadon without her and Wu was determined to join. Mia and Lloyd rode up with Wu on Firstborn to go fight Garmadon at the top of the tower.

Garmadon was hiding in the shadows when they arrived, night having fallen. Garmadon tried to jump them and the fight began. Mia was the only one fighting without a sword, using her tech and the tech around her to fight. Garmadon wasn't wearing anything made in Ninjago, so she couldn't control his movement through his clothes, which was a bummer.

Firstborn tried to burn Garmadon but it didn't work. Garmadon created an explosion that sent the three and the three and the dragon flying. Firstborn caught Wu while Mia caught Lloyd with one hand, holding them both up as they dangled off the side of the building. Garmadon found them before they could climb up, taunting them. He grabbed Lloyd from Mia's hold and threw him across the roof, continuing the fight, while Mia continued to hang on for dear life.

Mia used as much of her strength as she dared to climb back onto the roof, panting. At this rate, she wasn't going to last much longer. She weakly watched as Lloyd continued to fight his father. Lloyd managed to take Wu’s new sword, which Garmadon had been fighting him with, and fought his father off. Mia weakly felt the sword with her powers and her eyes widened a little at what age discovered.

“The sword absorbs power!” She shouted at Lloyd.

Hearing this, Lloyd used the sword to block the purple power balls Garmadon was throwing at him and the sword absorbed the attacks like nothing happened. Garmadon then used his power to create a purple sword in each of his four hands which he attacked Lloyd with. Lloyd tried to talk his father down, saying this wasn't who his father really was, but Garmadon denied the statement. He knocked the sword out of Lloyd’s grip and the sword flew off the fortress.

Garmadon told Lloyd to get up and fight him but Lloyd told him “no. It's the fight that fuels you. I can't fight you.” This angered Garmadon who attached and Lloyd dodged, finishing “but I can resist you.”

Mia watched in fascination as Lloyd used the art of the silent fist, a technique Sensei Garmadon had taught him back in season 3, to defeat this version of Garmadon. Lloyd kept repeating “I can't fight you but I can resist you” as he dodged every attack until Garmadon ran out of juice and his power seemed to vanish while below the rest of the team took down the Colossus. Garmadon weakened just because Lloyd refused to fight him.

Then Lloyd’s eyes lit up a bright green and his own green power returned, as if just waiting for Lloyd to defeat Garmadon. Garmadon told Lloyd to finish him off, but Lloyd refused to kill his father, even if he was only the evil side of him. Garmadon claimed that it was only his own Oni power that was keeping a darker evil at bay, and now that he no longer had access to those powers, “they” would be coming and nothing would be left. Mia recognized the meaning of the words, growing nervous at the thought of more Oni coming to Ninjago with evil intentions.

Mia and Lloyd brought the now powerless Garmadon down to the ground level, where Garmadon was arrested by the police and both Lloyd and Mia met up with the team. Mia was happy to see everyone alive, well, and freed. The elemental masters and all of the allies had been freed from prison now that Garmadon was defeated. Skylor was also back to normal, which was a relief to see.

Lloyd had everyone on the team fixing the Palace of Secrets since they had played a role in destroying it. Mia was doing most of the work, but because Lloyd was worried about her overusing her powers again he made her take the most breaks. Wu, now looking like his season 1 self again ran in and made the ninja team, including Mia from now on, run outside to find the people of Ninjago throwing the ninja a party. It was a nice surprise.

Mia tried to stay at the back of the group, not quite feeling fully part of the team yet and thus not supposed to be in the limelight, but Lloyd pulled her to his side as the others pulled in Dareth, PIXAL, and Skylor to be honored as well. Mia just closed her eyes and hugged Lloyd, hiding her face in his shoulder. She wasn't used to being seen by the public in person like this, but she could hear people cheering with her name as much as the ninja. That was nice, she decided. She and Lloyd kissed, which resulted in several fans screaming. That wasn't likely to go away for a while.

What really stuck with Mia was Lloyd whispering “you're one of us now” into her ear. That made her grin excitedly up at him, returning his happy gaze.

As the celebration went on into the night, fireworks bursting overhead, Mia and Lloyd left the regular celebration in search of Wu. They found him on top of the roof with Firstborn. Wu explained how the dragons would need to return to the first realm but we're willing to return to Ninjago if they were ever needed again, which Mia appreciated.

Mia, Lloyd, and Wu all shared a worried expression, an unease settling in the air at the thought of the upcoming fight with the Oni. If Garmadon was so hard to defeat, how were they going to deal with an army just like him?

Chapter Text

Mia and Lloyd went to the new maximum security wing of the kryptarium prison the next morning. Mia cloaked herself invisible so Lloyd could interrogate his father without outside interference, and Lloyd would still have emotional support facing the evilest version of his father. This version of Garmadon didn't seem to care about Lloyd being his son at all, which Mia could clearly see was taking a toll on Lloyd. Any support she could give him, she would.

Garmadon only talked about the Oni coming and claimed that he alone could stop them if he was let out of jail. Lloyd refused to free his father, but as he turned to leave Garmadon insisted “you'll be back.”

Ninjago city was being repaired after the destruction Garmadon and his Colossus had caused, so it was a pleasant surprise when the people revealed that they rebuilt The Bounty for the ninja. The old monastery was also being built, under the watchful eye of Wu who was also commissioning a historical mural for the outer wall. While PIXAL, Cole, and Zane attended The Bounty’s unveiling, Kai was helping Jay practice how to propose to Nya, which everyone on the team except Nya was aware of.

Everything seemed to be going well until Faith and Firstborn arrived, warning that “a darkness is coming.”

The way the darkness was described didn’t sound like the oni, but must have had something to do with them. The ninja team did some researched and confirmed the darkness was oni doing, so they tried to warn Ninjago about the coming darkness but it arrived before they could. Borg tower went dark and people ran out screaming. Black clouds started covering the city and if anyone was caught in the dark cloud they turned to stone. This spread even more fear in the people.

The ninja mangade to save the police on The Bounty, but any attempts to fight the dark clouds using elemental powers had no effect. That was not a good sign. Mia didn’t bother trying to fight the clouds, more focused on rescuing people, but she didn’t think her abilities would fare better than the ninja at fighting the weird cloud. When the darkness tried to grab Cole, Lloyd managed to slice it away from him with just a regular sword, which was interesting. The team escaped the darkness untouched and rescued everyone they could.

Mia kept glancing at Lloyd’s plain sword, though, under the impression that technology may have a role to play in defeating whatever this was. She wasn’t completely sure, though, so she kept the tought to herself for the time being.

They went to talk to Garmadon, who claimed that the only way to defeat an oni was with another oni. Mia wasn’t sure she agreed with that argument, but didn’t say anything when Lloyd freed his father and brought him onto The Bounty, which needed some tuning even though it had just been fixed. Whoever fixed it didn’t fully understand it, which both Nya and Mia were quietly complaining about. At least they tried. Mia and Nya agreed to work on fixing the ship later when impending doom was no longer an issue.

No one on The Bounty trusted Garmadon, but Mia did feel a bit more at peace having him on the ninja’s team again. She always felt that was where Garmadon belonged: with his family.

Garmadon pushed a button that shut off all of The Bounty’s power, so the ninja scrambled to restore power before the ship could crash, Mia steadying the ship until the power was back on. Garmadon claimed the button should have been labled to which the ninja pointed out it was labled. Mia just laughed and Lloyd grumbled about having to babysit his own father as he followed him below deck.

Mia followed father and son quietly, cloaking herself invisible so she wouldn’t disturb, wanting to both support Lloyd and keep an eye on an impulsive and unpredictable Garmadon. As Garmadon was looking around, Mia couldn’t help think of Garmadon as adorable with how he was exploring in curiosity. He was like an overgrown toddler and it was funny. It was a bit difficult for Mia to keep from laughing and giving away her presence, though she suspected Lloyd already knew she was there like he always seemed to.

They ended up in the sleeping quarters of The Bounty and Garmadon noticed the pictures on the wall, which Garmadon couldn’t seem to figure out what they were for. Lloyd explained that the pictures were a way for the team to remember the past in a good way, which confused Garmadon. He didn’t recognize himself in one of the photos, since the photo included him as Sensi Garmadon with Lloyd after the Overlord had been defeated the first time.

Garmadon broke the picture, which made Lloyd angry. Mia quickly fixed the picture, which made Lloyd grin greatfully at her, even though he was looking at her shoulder rather than her face since he couldn’t actually see her at the moment. Mia turned visible again after Garmadon walked off, the two following after him to ensure he didn’t break anything else.

Everyone gathered on the bridge where Garmadon told the ninja he suspected the oni came through the realm crystal and that the crystal needed to be destroyed. Garmadon suggested going into the darkness alone, but Lloyd refused to let him go without him since he deemed Garmadon untrustoworthy, which was understandable. Garmadon warned Lloyd that because Lloyd was only part oni, he may not survive the cloud but Lloyd countered saying it was a risk he was willing to take.

Mia pointed out that Garmadon was only half oni, himself, since his father was the First Spinjitzu Master and thus was also both oni and dragon. Garmadon argued he only got the oni half from his father, crossing his arms over his chest in a pout, making Mia roll her eyes. Lloyd still insisted on going into the cloud with Garmadon, which made Mia bite her lip to keep from interjecting further. She was tempted to follow them, using her tech as potential protection, but didn’t voice that thought.

Zane gave Lloyd a head camera to wear so the team could keep in contact with him and see what was happening under the cloud. As soon as Garmadon was given a sword, he started attacking until his power came back, then he threw himself over the side of The Bounty. Lloyd recognized that conflict fueled Garmadon’s powers, then dove over the side of The Bounty after his father. Mia made an impulsive decision and jumped after him, morphing the tech on her to cover her entire body and filter her air supply in hope that the suit would protect her from being turned to stone by the cloud.

Mia found Lloyd not long later, seeming fine aside from light choking resembling asphyxiation for a few seconds. Mia wrapped him in a hug to help steady him until he could breathe properly. Lloyd didn’t bother lecturing Mia on recklessly following him, just took her hand and led her through the darkened streets after Garmadon. Mia felt the tech around them and noticed how PIXAL stayed floating above in the Samuri X mech while The Bounty flew off to rescue the last few survivors at the new station.

Lloyd, Garmadon and Mia came across some Oni and Garmadon came up with a plan. Using swords, the three fought the oni, with Garmadon saving Lloyd when he lost his sword. Father and son argued a little and Mia shrugged at the sight, determining that this version of Garmadon still had some love for his son that was slowly growing, regaining love into his heart whether he realized it or not. That was a good sign.

The three made it inside Borg tower and Garmadon pointed out that they had to follow the darkness to find the realm crystal. The found the crystal pouring the dark cloud out of itself. Garmadon went to destroy the crystal but was thrown back by something. A dark figure rose up from the cloud and revealed itself an an oni, but more powerful than any of the other oni. The three didn’t stand much of a chance against it. This oni called itself “the Omega.”

Garmadon told the Omega that he was only protecting Ninjago today because if anyone was going to destroy it he wanted it to be him, which was a normal evil Garmadon thing to be honest. Mia wasn’t surprised. The Omega told Garmadon that he would die with the other people of Ninjago then. It attacked and told them that the power of the First Spinjitzu Master would soon be destroyed, which Mia rolled her eyes at. Dragoni’s power was currently in Lloyd and the ninja, plus Wu and Garmadon if being honest, and Mia was not gonna let anything happen to any of them.

The Omega fought the three when Mia noticed the sword of sanctuary nearby. She snatched up the sword and tossed it to Lloyd, who tossed his plain sword to her in return, making a decent trade. The sword didn’t help him fight the Omega any better but Lloyd did use it to get closer to the realm crystal and stroyed it using the sword. Lloyd and Garmadon argued with each other again and the Omega told the three that destroying the crystal accomplished nothing since the oni only used it as the key to open the gateway. That was a bummer.

The Omega used it's staff to summon more oni, which was not good. Garmadon, Lloyd, and Mia ended up running in hopes of escaping the oni long enough to find something useful and regroup. Eventually they couldn’t run any further, father and son arguing all the while, as the oni grew closer. Then they found the armor of the golden master, which had once been the golden weapons reforged by the Overlord back in season 3.

Mia was surprised to note how the oni wouldn’t come closer to the golden armor and didn’t attack the three while they stood near it. Lloyd grabbed the armor and used it as a shield to keep the oni back as they worked their way out of the tower. The only downside of the armor was that it did not have the same effect on the Omega as it did the regular oni, but still worked to some degree. With the armor still in Lloyd’s hands, the three fled.

PIXAL did her best to rescue the three from the cloud, but her fuel reserves were low. Mia used her power to help keep PIXAL flying long enough for The Bounty to return, though they barely made it in time. It was a rough langing, but at least they were alive and Mia quickly let her suit transform back into normal. Sadly, the ninja informed the three that Cole had been lost during the rescue of the news people, which made the team mourn at the thought of Cole being gone. Mia tried to sense Cole’s gi but he must have been out of range so she couldn’t locate him and determine if he survived. Cole was one of the main cast, Mia thought to herself, there was no way he wouldn’t come back right? She didn’t know for sure, but hoped it was just a temporary death if a death at all.

Mia turned her attention back to Garmadon, wanting to keep an eye on him to keep him out of trouble. She found him talking to a cameraman named Denny about what was more important than survival. Mia smiled at Denny’s response, noting how Garmadon seemed to have a better understanding now. Seeing this, Mia headed back up to the bridge to check up on the others. Nya decided to set a course for the temple of light and told Kai that he would have to use his minimal blacksmithing skills to reforge the golden weapons out of the golden armor.

Hearing this, Mia turned her attention back to sensing for Cole’s clothes. Cole would need his scythe, she decided, so she had to locate him. She pushed herself to sense further than her average range, whimpering slightly at the pain and goraning at the exhaustion. She had just managed to locate Cole before she passed out and woke up to Lloyd holding her, offering a cup of healing tea. Mia drank before Lloyd coaxed her back asleep to finish regaining her energy.

“I’ll wake you when we get there,” Lloyd promised, so Mia closed her eyes to go back to sleep, but before drifting off she murmured “he’s alive. I could feel his chest move as he breathed.”

Mia heard Lloyd gasp before she drifted off. When she woke up, they were arriving back at the monastery. Mia got up as the team told Wu and Misako what was up and Kai set about reforging the four golden weapons of spinjitzu with Nya’s help. With Cole currently missing, Kai gave the scythe of quakes to Nya for the time being and Mia sensed the drill car moving.

“Cole’s on the move!” she announced, which sparked hope in the team.

The team headed to the thousand steps to face the oni, who were marching on the monastery. The fight began and Mia was pleased to discover that the oni were easier to fight outside their dark cloud. The ninja used their golden weapons, which were working well for everyone except Nya. The scythe was just not responding to her, which Mia suspected had to do with the fact that she was water and not earth. Then Cole drove up in the drill car and Nya gladly tossed him his scythe, which worked perfectly for him. With the whole team present and the golden weapons in use, it seemed like the tide had been turned in the ninja’s favor at last!

Garmadon face Omega and turned more oni in appearance. The Omega continued to say the team was only delaying the inevitable, which Mia did not appreciate. Garmadon was knocked down and Lloyd ran to his father. More oni kept coming so the ninja had to fall back into the monastery, just barely making it inside with Cole holding the doors closed using himself to bar the door.

Jay quickly turned to Nya and asked her to be his Yang, which Mia knew was the equivalent of asking her to be his partner for life. It was similar to asking her to become his wife without directly asking her to be his wife, though the intention to eventually marry was clear. He was proposing now since he pointed out there may not be another time and Nya said yes.

Lloyd looked over at the mural on the monastery wall while everyone else began saying their goodbyes in what they assumed was their final fight.

Mia watched as Lloyd came to the realization that they needed to do the tornado of creation to defeat the oni. The oni were destruction so the best way to defeat them was through creation. Everyone agreed to participate and Lloyd even convinced Garmadon to join. As they all joined inside the tornado of creation, the oni barged into the monastery only for the tornado to grow in size and power.

Mia blacked out at some point and woke up beside Lloyd under a pile of debris as the ninja were pulling them out. Lloyd wasn’t breathing, which put Mia and the others into a panic. Mia pulled Lloyd close, putting her ear to his chest in search of a heartbeat as she noticed a distant but familiar scent. Only Dragoni had ever smelt like that before. Mia looked up at Lloyd, tears streaming down her cheeks, just as Lloyd began breathing and woke up.

Lloyd immediately began talking about meeting the First Spinjizu Master and although the others didn’t seem to believe him, thinking he had been dreaming, Mia believed him. Mia smiled at Lloyd with a relieved yet knowing grin. Dragoni must have talked to him and sent him back to the land of the living, since there was more Lloyd still needed to do. Mia was grateful, pulling Lloyd into a tight hug in slight fear he would leave again if she didn’t hold him against her. Lloyd ran a hand through her hair in comfort. Garmadon left as Mia and the ninja brought Lloyd inside the monastery. When the others left the room to let Lloyd rest, Mia stayed beside him.

“You chose to come home instead of going with him,” Mia pointed out. “He gave you the choice to go with him into the afterlife, but you chose us.”

“Marry me,” was all Lloyd said, his eyes meeting her surprised gaze.

“Really?” Mia asked, double checking Lloyd was sure.

“Yes,” Lloyd replied. “Jay was right in that we don’t know how much time we may have, so I want to ask you now. Be my Yang and marry me.”

Mia kissed him, Lloyd quickly cradling her face and swiping away the tears from her cheeks with his fingers.

“I love you,” he whispered against her lips.

“I’m yours,” she promised, “always and forever, no matter what happens.”

“You’re never getting rid of me,” Lloyd promised with a grin.

“Never want to,” Mia admitted and Lloyd pulled her under the covers to celebrate.

Later, the team gathered back at the mural, Mia officially included as a ninja as the whole team added their handprints to the mural. Mia was overjoyed to be included as one of them, holding Lloyd’s hand as he intertwined their fingers. The fight against the oni was over and a new day was beginning.

With the oni gone, the dark cloud had lifted and everyone who had been turned to stone was revived without issue. Mia wasn’t sure what the next enemy would be, or what they would bring, but for now she was happy to enjoy the peace and relax in the arms of her Yin, her future husband.

Chapter Text

Six months of peace passed, during which Mia moved out of her apartment with Dani-who had just gotten himself a girlfriend-and moved into the monastery. Each of the ninja had their own rooms in the new monastery, as did Wu and PIXAL with two extra guest rooms. Mia moved directly into Lloyd’s room and no one complained, despite Jay and Nya still each having their own rooms.

What also happened during the time of peace included Mia and PIXAL working together to refortify the monastery and build a mission headquarters underneath the monastery, dug into the mountain, which somewhat resembled the Samurai X cave. Inside the mission headquarters, Mia and PIXAL also got to work on vehicles, mech, and some robots named after PIXAL that Mia deemed as PIXAL and Zane’s children created to help with the building and welding.

Mia also spent a few hours recording a few more songs, including “Skater Boi,” “Me and My Broken Heart,” “On and On,” and “Stutter.”

Ever since her face was revealed, back when Harumi and the Sons of Garmadon were hunting them, she showed her actual face in the music videos. Fans and critics alike were completing the videos and her facial expressions in particular, saying her intensity made the music even more powerful. Mia just kept singing and recording when she could.

She'd occasionally glance at the contents of her scroll to check on what was next to expect, but this wasn't very fruitful. There was only one odd day when the scroll was writing out something about visions through the scroll right before Kai accidentally set the scroll on fire while bumping Mia into Zane. Zane was quick to put the fire out but the scroll fell apart into cold ashes in Mia’s hands, some of which she accidentally inhaled.

Her dreams became more lucid and realistic, meanwhile she started getting freaky day dreams. Only when three of the day-dreams actually came true a few hours or days later did Mia realize she now had prophetic visions, similar to Zane’s prophetic dreams. With this new development, Mia wrote down details of anything she suspected to be a vision into a new journal, even if it was as small as a cup breaking. Not every “vision” came true, but enough did to warrant keeping track of this new development.

While Mia and PIXAL did all the work around the monastery, the rest of the ninja were lazing about. Rather than training, they all turned to video games, junk food, and using a giant bell as a hot tub. Not having any villains to fight for six months, it made sense they would take it easy but now they were just lazy. The muscle was turning to flab from lack of proper use and their mentality made it so anything that wasn't easy was too much work.

Mia was disappointed in them. They could at least help with chores and she and PIXAL were still meeting busy, why couldn't the ninja help out? She didn't say anything about it, though. She was new as an official member of the team, despite having been around for centuries and helping for years as an outside member of the team.

She didn't feel like she had a right to complain or even just comment on it, though. She had always been the fly on the wall and since she wasn't ever meant to be part of the team originally she didn't feel she had a right to make any of the decisions, especially now that she had passed her knowledge of the show events. She was in unknown territory and it left her faltering.

She and Lloyd were now Yin Yang partners but they hadn't yet talked about planning for their wedding. Nya and Jay hadn't married yet either, but then again they had only agreed to be Yin Yang partners and hadn't even mentioned the marriage side. Trauma from Nadakan may have played a role there, as well as the lack of enemies trying to kill everyone had relieved the pressure of wanting to get together properly as soon as possible.

Mia wondered if Lloyd was of the same mindset; if the lack of a villain trying to kill them made him feel like they had all the time in the world and that they'd just eventually get around to the marriage part but for now would enjoy the benefits of the relationship. Mia was enjoying being with Lloyd, but the lack of planning their future was making her feel a bit sour.

She had always wanted a husband and children even before Dragoni summoned her to Ninjago, but then she was focused on her job and didn't have time to settle down. Now that she was with Lloyd and he had proposed she was more hopeful and eager to finally be married, but with Lloyd not even bringing up the topic past the proposal miss wasn't sure he was even still interested in their future. Was he just enjoying her body and the feelings he claimed to have wore off?

They hadn't even had a proper date. They just spent time in the same room, defeated enemies together, lightly talked about feelings and events having to do with the show, and had sex. Could they even properly call what they had a relationship? Was it more of a friends with benefits thing and an extra title of Yin and Yang? Mia hoped that wasn't the case. She wanted a proper relationship, she just wasn't sure what to do about it. The problem was that she was too scared to bring it up to Lloyd, fearing that asking would reveal all her fears to be true.

The Yin Yang bond was the equivalent of a partner for life with romantic connotations. Marriage was similar but also different. Marriage, to Mia, would mean she had more of a say. With the Yin Yang bond, Lloyd could still find someone else to actually marry if he lost interest in her enough. Divorce was technically a thing in Ninjago, though Mia had never personally seen it happen. What she had seen before was a Yin Yang couple who separated and married different people. She didn't want that to happen to her and Lloyd, but bringing up the topic of marriage felt scary. Mia felt stuck and was just hoping to figure out a solution she could guarantee was safe.

Luckily PIXAL and Wu seemed to be of agreement that the ninja were being lazy and needed a wakeup call, voicing the opinion to each other rather than Mia having to bring it up. Wu was the one to point out to the ninja that they were letting themselves go, acting less like ninja as a result. The ninja denied this, but one fight against Wu proved that the ninja had lost their mojo on top of Wu torturing them with pranks he had Mia help set up. It got through to the ninja, at least.

After failing to defeat Wu, Lloyd agreed that the team needed to get back into shape, which he determined would be best accomplished by going on a quest. Mia was confused. Wouldn't training be better? They could go on a quest, sure, but they had barely held themselves against a chicken. What use would they be on a quest? They hadn't been using their muscles and so had lost them; they needed to work out and train to regain those muscles, but nooooo. Going on a quest was the best solution. Sure, Lloyd.

Wu gave Mia a look, which made Mia nod in reply. Of course she would go on whatever ‘quest’ the ninja came up with to make sure none of them died. In their current state, there was a higher chance of it happening. Again, this was a stupid idea but Mia didn't voice any complaints. She was the new ninja, wearing a turquoise gi with metal plating and lining. She would follow where the others led and dig them out of whatever mess they'd get into.

Wu went off to meditate as the ninja finally began to train as they brainstormed potential quests. Due to being lazy, they were extremely impatient and stopped training only a few minutes later. Lloyd went off to bug Wu about ideas for potential quests since when he asked Mia she just shrugged, meanwhile the other ninja were just waiting around for Lloyd to return while Mia actually trained on the training course. This was ridiculous.

Lloyd came back to tell the ninja Wu said to figure it out, which Mia silently agreed was the best response Wu could give to this whole situation. The ninja decided the next best option was to get back into the hot tub to brainstorm. Mia sat at the edge of the hot tub, only letting her feet dangle into the water as she sat and listened, admiring the view around them.

Eventually the ninja decided to talk to the police chief about stopping crime in the streets. Mia was confused about that, but didn't say anything. She followed unenthusiastically anyway. The chief revealed what Mia already knew: crime was currently at an all time low. The ninja decided to stick around in case something happened,

A tip miraculously came in about a minor crime that the ninja jumped on automatically. Mia followed, feeling bored. The ninja were disappointed to discover the tip was wrong. The ninja were both lazy and trigger happy, miss noted, as they returned to. When a call came in about an issue at kryptarium prison, Mia was more alert while the ninja were already running out the door. Turns out the issue was a minor argument between prisoners that was handled by the time the ninja arrived, which bummed the ninja.

They decided to check up on the big time criminals anyway, checking their progress. Killow was surprisingly cheery. Apparently all prisoners in Ninjago were learning how to be nice, friendly, polite, and overall being rehabilitated. Mia was impressed while the ninja were disappointed; if the criminals were behaving less like criminals then there wasn't anything for the ninja to do. As the ninja left, Mia noted Killow’s grin looking a little unsettling, though.

Back at the police station there was a call about a car stuck in a tree, which the ninja happily took care of. Then a bank looked like it was being robbed, only to turn out to be a film set where a movie was being shot. That was another disappointment for the ninja. Back at the police station there was nothing to do aside from assist with the police paperwork. After a few more hours of nothing to really do, the ninja headed back to the monastery.

Gale Gossip came on the new talking about Clutch Powers, which caught Mia’s attention. This was the first time she'd ever since him on the show. He had only been mentioned in the show once before when Cole needed to earn his true potential while the ninja searched for the fang blades. Now that he was being mentioned again, Mia supposed he may play more of a role in the show, if not the season. The man appearing on the news with Gale also pointed to this.

Gale Gossip was explaining how Clutch Powers had discovered an unexplored pyramid. On camera Clutch refused to explore the pyramid since he deemed it as clearly dangerous. The ninja were more than excited to explore the pyramid themselves. They started packing immediately while Mia kept watching the news reel which zoomed in on a relic with an image of a serpentine on it. An uneasy feeling settled in Mia’s stomach at the sight.

The news reel finished and Mia turned off the TV. Lloyd ran over and asked if Mia was coming. Mia nodded and got up from sitting on the floor. It didn't take her long to pack, she still wore most of her supplies and tech on her clothes, which helped. She still felt like something was going to go wrong with this trip, though. She mentioned as much to PIXAL who agreed the plan seemed dumb but neither felt like fighting the ninja on the matter. The ninja needed a wakeup call about being less lazy anyway, maybe this would help more than anything else? Mia wasn't sure but agreed with PIXAL and promised to keep the ninja as safe as she could.

Turns out the ninja were completely unorganized and kept packing unnecessary junk. When Wu questioned it all, Mia just shrugged. PIXAL suggested taking the new vehicles she and Mia had built together, saying it would be a good test run of the vehicles. Turns out the ninja had been too busy playing video games and being lazy that they hadn't noticed any of the work PIXAL and Mia had been doing for the past several months, which made Mia frown. She knew she had been at least updating Lloyd on her progress, had he been paying attention to anything she said? Good thing she never really voiced her opinions on ninja decisions.

The ninja were happy to agree to take the vehicles, though, not bothering to read the manuals first and ignoring PIXAL as she requested reading the manuals for guidance. The ninja drove off without Mia even in one of the vehicles, they were that impatient and lazy, which only made Mia roll her eyes. She quickly gave PIXAL an apology for the ninja's behavior and used her tech to magnetize herself to the Land Bounty the rest of the team was driving away in. She flew toward the vehicle a second later and she landed against the back of the Land Bounty, her tech holding her steady against the door without fear of falling off.

Mia laughed at the sight that junk luggage the ninja had packed for the trip was left with PIXAL at the monastery by sheer accident. Looks like she'd be the reasonable one on this “quest” like usual. She had all the tech and supplies she needed but was beginning to doubt it may be enough with how the ninja were acting.

The back door opened to let Mia in, which she appreciated. The ninja looked only a bit sheepish as she climbed inside. She was pleased to see Zane at least reading up on the desert they were entering. He had no data on it prior, which was unhelpfu and thus he was reading up on itl. They were entering the Desert of Doom, which was likely Ninjago’s version of Egypt or Sahara by the looks of it, including mythology about worshipping a giant beetle deity. That made Mia frown. She had no prior knowledge of this at all, but then again Wu spending time in the timeline had adjusted things in Ninjago slightly so there was a possibility Mia just hadn't been aware of this area or it was new with the timeline adjustments.

Cole noticed an oasis nearby and decided the team should stop there for lunch. Mia was surprised the ninja even had food on them when something else caught her attention. She sensed the shift in Zane’s sensors before he did and turned to see what had triggered his sensors. The sand was trying to steal the picnic basket and cooler. The others noticed too.

The ground shook and a giant beetle popped out of the sand. This must have been the giant beetle Zane had read about from the mythology earlier. Jay was screaming the same idea, and Mia frowned at the insinuation that the beetle was a god. She didn't even consider Dragoni to be a god and he had created all of the land in Ninjago. He had said there was nothing but water and sea creatures when he arrived so he had to create the land and most of the other stuff that evolved to today's stuff over the centuries. Mia had watched the evolution for at least three hundred years. She hadn't encountered anything that she seemed as a god even though some people thought some people or things were. Mia knew only one God and he was from her home world. Nothing she'd encountered in Ninjago or other realms thus far came close to being actual gods. These were just powerful creatures who people assumed were deities.

“There's only one God ma'am” she muttered a quote under her breath. “And I'm pretty sure he doesn't dress like that.”

They all jumped back into the vehicles and the beetle disappeared back into the sand. Then it appeared right under the them, trying to drag everyone away. Mia tried to keep the beetle away but quickly noticed the beetle was stronger and Mia only had so much tech around her. Kai used his ride to make the beetle angry, taking the heat off the rest of the team who rushed to Kai’s aid when the beetle attacked him. There was only so much they could do. Getting the vehicles onto the rocks instead of the sand had the best result, but the beetle kept circling and left the ninja trapped. Mia was not happy about this update.

Most of the tech was down aside from Mia’s personal stuff and Zane, so Mia didn't feel very helpful. Thankfully Lloyd was thinking more clearly and calm, which reassured Mia a little. He gave her a worried frown and pulled her into his shoulder for comfort, which Mia appreciated. He seemed to recognize Mia was feeling a bit powerless right now, so used to having her powers be useful and didn't have much experience in Ninjago not being able to use them. He whispered comforts into her ear before encouraging her to help Zane and Nya fix the vehicles. Mia happily complied, feeling more in control with tech to work with, especially tech she had assembled herself previously.

Mia was so focused on her work that she didn't notice the vultures until Jay mentioned them. Jay began carving notes into rocks in the “likely case someone found our bones.” Mia rolled her eyes and was pleased to find that Lloyd was a voice of reason in this chaos. Zane was sort of helpful. He pointed out that the giant beetle, which Jay named “Bernie” had swallowed a key component of the engine, which explained why Mia was having a difficult time getting the Land Bounty to work. Plus the long range coms were down so they couldn't call for help, and Lloyd refused to let Mia strain herself making the signal reach unless it was an absolute emergency.

Mia understood good hesitancy since last time she strained a signal like that she nearly passed out. Or had she actually passed out? Mia couldn't remember which. All she knew was that the situation was starting to feel like season 8 all over again with Mia’s anxiety rising and feeling a lack of control.

Next thing Mia knew was Bernie trying to drag Jay into the sand but Lloyd caught him in time. It took everyone's strength to pull Jay free and Kai’s fire to get Bernie to let go. Jay was complaining again as they pulled him up. Lloyd was once again the voice of reason, becoming the man and leader Mia recognized before the ninja all got lazy. Gradually, the ninja seemed to be coming back to their pre-lazy selves. Maybe this whole event was helping the ninja after all. Mia was relieved.

When night fell, Zane shared a stupid idea he had but no one else had a better one. Mia couldn't just locate the piece and make it fly to her out of the beetle’s belly because she hadn't seen the piece prior. She could sense tech inside the beetle and where the beetle was, but she couldn't identify any of the tech it had swallowed to single out the piece. She couldn't just drag all the tech out of the beetle since that would drag the beetle as well and then they'd have to fight it again and that wasn't a good option either. Because of this, Zane came up with the idea of one of the team playing Jonah from the story of Jonah and the whale to go get the piece needed to fix the Land Bounty. No one liked the idea but Lloyd was actually considering it.

Zane volunteered for the role of Jonah, followed by Lloyd. Kai announced that both of them were too valuable to lose if something went wrong so he volunteered Jay. An argument broke out, which Lloyd had to break up, saying “we'll settle this like adults.” What he meant was everyone would play rock paper clamp. Lloyd didn't even include Mia in the game, which no one complained about for some reason. Mia wasn't sure if she should be flattered Lloyd didn't want her as an option to get swallowed by the beetle or offended at not being included like she wasn't a ninja on the team. When she opened her mouth to ask at the start of the game, Lloyd quickly told her he needed her to be in charge of retrieving whoever went inside, which made sense and was reassuring.

Zane won, or maybe he lost? Anyway, Zane was determined as the one to be swallowed by the beetle, which made sense since he would be the easiest for Mia to retrieve. Being made of tech, Mia could sense Zane the easiest out of all the ninja. As soon as Zane was deemed the one to be swallowed, Mia placed her hand to Zane’s arm and closed her eyes, focusing her powers solely on Zane like she was mentally connecting a device to Wi-Fi. Having established a familiar connection, Mia stepped back to let Zane jump down to the sand to get swallowed. It didn't take long.

Mia closed her eyes and let herself sense Zane and his progress. Zane found the missing inverter but seemed to be having a vision. Mia focused on the vision, connecting her mental vision to his, which showed her a female serpentine with fire powers wanting revenge and an ice palace surrounded by an ice age. Mia wasn't sure what to make of it, but the next thing she knew was Zane waving to signal Mia. She used her power to drag Zane out of the beetle’s mouth to her hand like a magnet. Bernie was not happy with this and tried to hold onto Zane, so the ninja had to help Mia pull Zane to them and out of Bernie's reach. Two smaller beetles the size of cars approached, seeming hungry, which was not a good sign. Luckily, the ninja helped get Zane free and he and Mia quickly fixed the Land Bounty with a handful of extra tech Mia was worried might make the ninja lazy again.

Having escaped the beetles alive, everyone cheered and drove off into the unknown. Mia was tempted to request they turn back and grab more helpful supplies from the monastery before reimbarking on the quest, but decided against it. She'd take the small victory of slightly normalized ninja and survival for the time being. Feeling a bit tired from fighting the beetles and dragging Zane out of the biggest one, Mia decided she needed a nap to conserve energy. Lloyd voiced as much when he looked over at her.

“I'll wake you up when we get there,” he promised, pulling her into his arms while Nya drove. “I've got you.”

Mia grinned into his chest as she drifted off. As promised, Lloyd woke her up when the ninja were arriving at the pyramid. Clutch Powers had a tent right outside the pyramid, which the ninja ran to with intent on convincing him to guide them through the pyramid. At least they were acknowledging they didn't know anything about safely exploring dangerous monuments? Clutch wasn't interested in helping until he got a phone call from the “explorer’s club” saying if he didn't explore the pyramid he couldn't join their club. That convinced him, which was surprisingly convenient. Either the show was being weird or someone was pulling strings.

The ninja and Clutch entered the pyramid and Clutch was being dramatic, promoting his book. None of the ninja had read it and Mia muttered to Lloyd that they weren't missing anything by reading it. She already had and wasn't impressed. Mia was mentally calling Clutch’s bluff for half the things he said, especially in the book. Clutch seemed like a mix between Dareth and Ronin, which pretty much explained everything needed to know about him and how much to trust.

They came across a rickety bridge, which Clutch insisted everyone run quickly over. The ninja obeyed, but Mia took her time much to Clutch’s annoyance and the ninja's fear. The bridge held just fine and Mia could sense its state, knowing it would hold.

Everyone continued forward and came to downward sloping stairs with cobwebs, during which Clutch accidentally revealed his eye patch was just for show. Clutch was only slightly right about the cobwebs being untrustworthy since when Jay touched one the stairs turned into a slide. Because the temple was made of stone and sand by serpentine hand Mia could sense some technical mechanisms but was having a little difficulty properly identifying the tech, almost like she was seeing with blurry vision, hence why she didn't warn Jay in time.

The slide was leading directly toward a hole with spikes, which Kai decided to torch. Thankfully it worked and everyone survived. They also found a skeleton with Clutch Powers’s book, which was not a happy find. Jay took the book to read on the way while Cole moved a chunk of rock out of the way so the team could continue on, which was very helpful. Mia thanked him.

They came across a jigsaw puzzle covering one wall and hieroglyphics on the opposite wall, with a closed wall-door between them. Zane quickly determined the jigsaw puzzle was a locking mechanism for the door. Mia tried to sense the door but was having a little trouble while Jay and Nya tried to solve the puzzle, meanwhile the others were checking the hieroglyphics. Zane realized something was wrong but warned the others too late before Jay finished solving the puzzle and the wall door exploded.

A female blue serpentine in Egyptian looking dress slithered out, cackling with glee and wanting to know where the boy who imprisoned her was. None of the ninja knew the answer to that and Mia wasn't sure. Maybe Dragoni? Maybe one of his sons? Maybe someone completely unrelated? How long had this lady been imprisoned? That might narrow down the list of options.

The snake, who called herself Aspheera, attacked a moment later when the ninja were not forthcoming on the location of this “deceiver” and Clutch ran off to “get help.” Mia rolled her eyes at Clutch’s retesting frame but was unfortunately closest to Aspheera and was quickly thrown across the room just like Lloyd.

The ninja fought Aspheera and Mia was disappointed to note she couldn't control much of what Aspheera had on her. Must have been crafted by serpentine hand, which her powers found harder to work with, though it still touched the line of the definition of tech. It was just harder for her to work with. The fact that she turned out to be a sorceress who knew Spinjitzu was also interesting, so maybe her clothing had some magic to it that prevented Mia from controlling it? Mia wasn't sure.

Also, since when did serpentine know Spinjitzu? This deceiver must be Dragoni or one of his sons, though which was the question. Garmadon wasn't very evil when he was a “boy” so Mia wasn't sure the title automatically meant it was him. Then again, both sons of Dragoni had portrayed their fare share of sneaking around on occasion. It could be either one of them.

As soon as Aspheera realized Kai had fire power, she stole his elemental power for her own, knocking Kai out in the process. With the new fire power she turned from blue to gold with flames dancing around her, which Mia took as a bad sign.

Aspheera then used her magic to chain all of the ninja up in the air. Mia immediately attempted to break free but the chains were made of a material she didn't recognize so she was having trouble breaking it. She then swapped her attention to sensing for any tech nearby but didn't sense anything helpful.

The ninja talked about who was to blame for the predicament they were all currently in as well as Jay attempting to use Clutch’s book as guidance but that clearly wasn't helping. Lloyd was unamused but encouraged Mia to keep trying, clearly noticing her attempts to free them. Mia pushed herself a bit further, feeling a little bit like it was getting harder to breathe, which made sense since she was hanging with only the chain around her wrist holding her up. The others didn't seem bothered the same way as her, so it might have to do with the fact that her body was still somewhat Earthly and how humans can only hang so long by their arms before they'll begin to suffocate to death. Just because everything looked like normal to her, Ninjago looking like Earth rather than Lego and the same with the people didn't mean there were still clear differences.

Fearing suffocating for hanging there too long, Mia pushed further and blacked out. She caught a few flashes of vision involving Little Nelson, the honorary purple ninja for a day back in season six. He looked older now and was riding a bicycle while delivering newspapers. Just watching him reminded her of Lloyd when he was younger. Maybe one day she and Lloyd might have a son like Nelson? Mia hoped so one day.

Nelson was talking to Clutch Powers and dodging fireball attacks from Aspheera and a giant fire snake. Nelson made it to the monastery, talking to Wu and PIXAL. He seemed to be warning them, which was good. The next thing Mia noticed was blinking awake to Jay yapping some more and lava starting to enter the room.

“That's not good,” Mia decided.

“You okay, Mia?” Lloyd checked. “You blacked out for a moment there.

Mia just grunted and looked around more. The pyramid was clearly becoming unstable and the lava was getting closer, even rising a little. Kai was still knocked out. None of this was good. Jay dropped the stupid book into the lava by accident, at least.

Lloyd suggested everyone pull on the chain, which helped Mia break the chain off the wall, so that was something. Still chained together, Mia at lower energy and Kai still unconscious, they had to figure out a solution. Mia focused on lifting Kai by his clothes, levitating him in the air, as the ninja began to run back the way they came. Mia was just barely managing to run while focusing on keeping Kai floating so Lloyd lifted her onto his back to carry her, which Mia appreciated.

While running and a large rock nearly crushing Kai, Lloyd admitted the team had “gone soft” as Wu had put it. Lava nearly killed them all and as the lava approached it was awakening mummies and bringing them to life as fire Serpentine mummies to serve Aspheera. Not good.

Climbing up the side that used to be stairs was exhausting. Lloyd had to let Mia climb on her own while Nya led the way up, dragging everyone with her while they held footing so as not to drag everyone back down into the lava. Mia focused on keeping Kai hovering, which the other ninja seemed to be thankful for when they originally suggested Mia could drop him and they'd drag him up since it was clear she was exhausted. Turns out he was heavy, who knew? Mia knew and the growing sweat on her face acknowledged this. The ninja quickly begged Mia to keep lifting Kai and they would do what they could to help her. Mia agreed without a word.

Lloyd was muttering about the chains blocking his powers so he couldn't help lend Mia some energy, which made Mia grin slightly. It was nice knowing Lloyd was thinking of her and wanting to help make things easier for her. It meant he still cared. Then again, of course he did. He was Lloyd.

When they got back to the bridge it was completely falling apart. Since there was no bridge left to use, Lloyd decided everyone would form a human chain and they would use themselves as the bridge. Mia’s knees crumpled so her knees hit the ground, looking out over the gap they would have to cross. The other ninja agreed that Mia would cross with Kai and drag them up on the other side. Mia just gave a tired nod of understanding as she got back to her feet and the other ninja climbed onto each other's shoulders.

All stacked, the ninja fell over the chasm and Mia was quick to crawl over, dragging Kai through the air with her. Jay was screaming as Mia pulled them all up using their clothes to lift them. All on the same side, they ran out of the pyramid, Kai still floating behind like a balloon at this point. Seeing the riding lava practically climbing the pyramid and pouring out of the pyramid in various areas, the ninja climbed the outside of the pyramid as high as they could. Eventually there was nowhere else to go.

“So what exactly counts as ‘tech?’” Cole asked while looking down at the lava, shaking the chain for clarity on why he was asking. “Why can't you control some of this?”

“Yeah,” Jay interjected. “Shouldn't you be able to control most of the stuff in the pyramid?”

“You're asking this now!?” Nya asked her Yang.

“Didn't think to ask,” was Jay’s reply.

Zane answered Cole’s initial question as Mia dropped Kai onto the pyramid beside them, Mia panting for breath as Lloyd pulled her into his arms in comfort.

“Technology is the application of knowledge for practical purposes, encompassing a wide range of tools, processes, and systems that help solve problems and improve human life. It is not limited to electronics, but includes physical items like utensils and machines, intangible aspects like software, and even methods such as engineering design, agriculture, and plumbing,” Zane explained.

Mia nodded in confirmation. “Pretty much anything man-made or machine-made with the purpose of being a tool, vehicle, or clothing I can control. However, Serpentine tech is harder for me to work with, always has been.”

“I've gotten better at it, but I can only really control the tech of Serpentine I'm familiar with,” Mia admitted, “like the five tribes. I don't have much issue with their tech these days but I have never met a serpentine like Aspheera before. Whatever kind she is made the pyramid and everything in it, so it's harder for me to figure out and takes more energy to do so.”

“That's okay,” Lloyd reassured, swiping her sweaty hair away from her eyes. “You did your best.”

Mia just hummed and nodded, allowing her eyes to close for a moment despite the lava still rising. The ninja were getting scared as the lava kept getting closer when Mia sensed a familiar and welcome piece of tech. She grinned.

“Nelson succeeded,” she muttered into Lloyd’s shoulder. “Help is almost here.”

Lloyd made a confused sound shortly before PIXAL’s mech was heard, exciting the ninja even before they saw her. Help had arrived. Mia let herself pass out as Lloyd told the team “Aspheera had no idea what she's gotten herself into.”

Mia woke up back in Ninjago City, where the fiery snakes were causing a ton of destruction and nearly toasting the police commissioner. The chains were off, so that was something. The other ninja were fighting while Mia was put on watching Kai duty. Feeling tired still, Mia was happy to comply. Kai was awake now, at least.

A kid named Jake was Kai’s biggest fan and asked Kai for his autograph, which Kai was happy to give. The two had a small argument while Mia watched and the kid managed to get Kai off his lazy butt. Just because he had temporarily lost his fire power didn't mean he couldn't still help. That taken care of, Mia threw down her cloak and used the tech to fly to Lloyd and the others, who were focused on driving to the history museum. Lloyd kept giving her worried looks during the drive over since Mia was clearly still exhausted.

Once they parked and Mia wrapped her cloak back around her shoulders, Lloyd told her “I won't keep you out of the fight, but after this is over you need rest.”

Mia just nodded in agreement and they entered the museum. Aspheera arrived at the museum shortly after, looking for some sort of scroll. The ninja decided to look for this scroll as well to stop her from getting it while a memory appeared in Mia’s mind. Wu and Garmadon, back when they still resembled little boys, “returning” powerful scrolls to Dragoni’s office despite their father having forbidden them from using those exact scrolls. Garmadon mentioned they had been “fixing a mistake.” Dread began to pool in Mia’s stomach.

“Don't let her get the scroll!” She screamed to the others and ran toward the museum wing knew held the forbidden scroll. She and Wu had agreed to donate the scroll to the museum decades ago to present as history, hopefully preventing anyone at the monastery from having easy access to it and thus temptation to use it. If Aspheera was indeed after that scroll, as Mia suspected, this was about to go really bad.

Mia found the scroll at the same time as Aspheera and a fight broke out. Lloyd managed to grab the scroll out of Aspheera’s each but he used it in the process, glowing unnaturally as he suddenly gained access to power he hadn't harnessed before. It was like his power had doubled and he accidentally blew a hole in the wall in the process.

Sadly, Aspheera got the scroll from him and tried to bury the ninja with the ceiling. Mia stopped the ceiling from crushing them all long enough for everyone to get out from under it, Lloyd pulling her out of the way before she dropped the rubble. Aspheera was making more fire mummies using Kai’s power, and was sending them after the ninja. Kai and Jake appeared in time to help stop the mummies. With some water and ice from Zane and Nya, the fire mummies turned to steam.

Everyone cheered at the destruction of mummies while Mia fought to maintain consciousness and Lloyd was still gathering his bearings from holding the scroll beside her. Zane asked Lloyd what happened with the scroll when he held it and Lloyd explained he wasn't sure, but he knew they needed to get it away from Aspheera. Mia just nodded in agreement.

“We need to get to Wu,” Mia muttered, though she wasn't sure anyone had heard her.

The ninja decided Jay, Cole, and Kai would go talk to Scales and try to learn more about Aspheera while the rest of the team would try to slow Aspheera down in her destruction of the city. Lloyd turned to Mia and asked her to go ahead and inform Wu about everything, technically connecting with Zane to keep communication flowing. Mia nodded in agreement and pulled her cloak back off.

Before she could get on it, though, Lloyd pulled her into a tight hug and kissed her deeply. “Be safe,” he whispered against her lips, making her grin.

“Alright you two,” Kai teased, “we've got work to do.”

Mia and Lloyd pulled away with grins and each set to work, Mia headed to Wu. Because of her exhaustion and mentally connecting to Zane's digital mainframe to keep up with the current information, Mia was taking longer to travel to the monastery than she normally would have. By the time she reached Wu, she was having trouble keeping her eyes open. She practically fell on Wu when she reached him at the monastery.

“Blue serpentine sorceress who knows Spinjitzu has the forbidden scroll” she managed to get out before Wu hushed her and urged her to rest.
“What do you know?” she pressed, her eyes falling closed as Wu lay her down to rest for the moment.

Wu didn't answer at first, urging her to rest for a moment while he hurried to make her a reenergizing tea. The tea helped, Mia was feeling better and more alert by the time Kai, Cole, and Jay arrived. Lloyd had panicked that Mia hadn't sent Zane any new information, clearly fearing her to be hurt as he had Zane mentally contact her. Mia just grinned at the concern and reassured him she was feeling better, letting Zane send the message back to Lloyd who Zane mentally told her was relieved to hear that. That taken care of, everyone physically present-including PIXAL-turned back to Wu for answers.

Wu confessed he was the deceiver. The mistake he had made was trusting Aspheera not to misuse Spinjitzu after he taught her in return for helping him. He and Garmadon had used their father's forbidden scrolls of Spinjitzu to enhance their power so they could take her down and enact justice, which caused Aspheera to be entombed as punishment for stealing the serpentine throne from the rightful Serpentine Pharaoh of the time, ensuring peace between humans and serpentine was renewed. Meanwhile Aspheera called Wu a traitor and “deceiver” for not freeing her like she had him. The boys had returned the scrolls to their father's office as soon as they could, though Mia remembered that day. Dragoni had known, of course, but didn't do much more than hide one scroll and had Mia guard the other until she and Wu agreed it should be fine in a museum.

“So that was the ‘mistake’ Garmadon said you were fixing,” she muttered to herself, nodding.

Wu must have heard her because he nodded as well, confirming Mia’s suspicion and looking very apologetic about this whole situation. Wu explained the scrolls ensured the user reached the power level of their full potential in a second, which was extremely dangerous and could affect the user’s mind if held for too long. That was good to know.

Aspheera was coming up the steps of the monastery as Wu finished explaining. Kai was angry at Wu for once again not telling the ninja vital information. The last time Wu didn't reveal information Wu was time punched and lost in the timestream. The time before that, Lloyd was possessed by Morro. Nothing good ever came from Wu having to say “there's something I haven't told you.”

Mia understood Kai’s anger, but knew Wu was centuries old and thus had too much history to just bring up all the vital information in regular conversation, especially when he hadn't thought it was relevant at the time. Aspheera and the scrolls weren't relevant until now, anyway. Mia, herself, hadn't thought to mention catching Dragoni’s boys sneaking some weird scrolls she hadn't thought about in years. What was the point?

Maybe she should go through her old journals and read the information to the ninja. Maybe having a better heads up on potential things coming back to haunt her would help the ninja in the future? But then again, what was relevant? Had she written everything relevant? She wasn't sure. It didn't matter, she didn't have time to worry about it. Aspheera was here and ready to fight.

Cole was asking Wu what happened to the other forbidden scroll, and Wu revealed he didn't know. Mia confirmed that Dragoni had hidden it after the boys had used it. The ninja wondered if Clutch Powers might know the scroll’s location since he was supposedly good at finding ancient artifacts. Mia sent this information to Zane, Lloyd and Nya as the team around her faced Aspheera, giving Mia time to focus.

Mia and PIXAL fired the water and shurikin sentry cannons, attacking Aspheera's forces. These did some damage, but not enough before Aspheera broke them using the scroll. The team ran inside into the hangar bay to buy some time for the other half of the team to locate the other scroll. Problem was, this half of the team was currently trapped inside the hangar bay because of Aspheera's forces blocking the only escapes.

Kai was frustrated and angry at his lack of power and the poor situation, so he blamed Wu. PIXAL revealed her mech she and Mia had been working on. Jay, Kai, Mia, and PIXAL worked quickly to finish up the mech in time to have Aspheera, since there was only so long before she would reach them. Aspheera discovered the elevator, which would bring her into the hangar soon, so Mia and PIXAL shut down the elevator quickly, preventing the elevator from moving. This bought a little more time.

Kai was blaming Wu again, though, and Wu was getting guilty about Aspheera so he agreed it was his fault. Mia was rolling her eyes and looking around for something helpful. Wu offered to give himself up to Aspheera but Kai refused, claiming the team would defeat the crazy snake as a family. Mia admired the optimistism but also wished the smarter half of the team was here to help. How long would it take until they could return with the scroll!?

The team managed to get the mech almost online before Aspheera made it downstairs. Mia checked in with Zane to discover the explorer's club wouldn't let them take the scroll so they broke in, finding interesting artifacts along the way: a chest that sucks relics into it like a black hole, a mirror that shows you your worst fear, a moving mummy hand, dangerous bugs and more. They finally found the scroll.

Mia turned back in to her surroundings to hear Cole suggesting hiding under the grate in the floor while PIXAL could use the mech. Agreement made, all but PIXAL hid there since PIXAL was booting up the mech just as Aspheera made it into the room. Mia boosted PIXAL’s mech to fight but the rest were discovered and the fight was not going as well as hoped, luckily Lloyd’s half of the team arrived to help in the nick of time.

Lloyd used the second scroll to fight Aspheera, having all the ninja take turns tossing it around to use it and causing their powers to light up around them.

Zane seemed to have the best effect with the scroll, which was interesting. Mia didn't do more than send the scroll to the next person, abstaining from using the scroll herself. She didn't want to tempt herself with too much power, especially with her own new vision abilities, and so was careful not to actually touch one of the scrolls. They were forbidden for a reason. If the scroll headed her way, she ducked so it went to the next ninja or used her power to move it to the next person. None of the ninja questioned her about this choice, too busy focusing on the fight.

Aspheera managed to blast the scroll at Wu, but Zane pushed him out of the way and took the blast just as the scroll was wrestled away from Aspheera. Zane vanished, the scroll in hand, as did the mech.

Aspheera was locked up and Kai’s fire was drained out of her. This was supposed to mean that Kai’s fire would return to him, but it hadn't yet.

That night was not very restful. Mia could sense PIXAL’s unease the most, though everyone was mourning the loss of Zane. Mia couldn't get the moment of his disappearance out of her head. Did the show mean for this to happen or did Mia screw up the plot? If it was intentional, there was no way Zane was gone forever. Zane always comes back one way or another in the show. This time can't be different. If it wasn't intentional… then Mia wasn't sure what to do.

Lloyd pulled Mia closer to cuddle and reassure her that she could sleep. But she couldn't sleep. Her thoughts wouldn't shut up and Lloyd couldn't seem to sleep well either, though he seemed to sleep longer than she did. Wu left to talk to Aspheera early the next morning. Mia knew because she heard him leave.

Wu visiting Aspheera in prison revealed that Zane, the scroll, and the mech weren't disintegrated. They were banished to the Never Realm. Wu explained that the Never Realm was a realm separate from the sixteen realms, unlike any of the others before. Dragoni himself had only been there once and warned against traveling there as it was difficult to return from.

Wu decided that since Aspheera was his fault, and since Aspheera was aiming for him when she banished Zane, he was to go retrieve Zane from the Never Realm himself. The team tried to argue into going with, but Wu refused. Wu claimed he would take a pouch of the traveler's tea leaves to get back to Ninjago with Zane once he found him. The ninja convinced Wu to wait until morning, which he conceded.

While Wu slept that night, Lloyd snuck the tea leaves away from him and the ninja prepped the Land Bounty for travel. PIXAL was prepared to use the scroll on them to Zane but they couldn't leave since Wu came rushing in with intent to grab the scroll of forbidden Spinjitzu, fighting the whole team for the tea leaves. He kept insisting he would go alone.

The team, finally back to good enough strength, managed to subdue Wu and tied him up to prevent him from stopping them. They even gagged Wu, which Mia thought was a touch dramatic but still climbed into the Land Bounty with the others. Wu was screaming through the gag, which made Mia started thinking it was more warning than arguing. She turned to inspect the bag of traveler's tea just as PIXAL zapped the Land Bounty with the forbidden scroll.

They landed on a cliff of snow and nearly died escaping the Land Bounty, which went over the side of the snow cliff with the tea leaves inside. Assured way home gone and shivering from the cold, the ninja focused on looking around for Zane.

Kai was sulking about his power still not working yet, so he couldn't warm anyone up. Mia did her best to make everyone's clothes feel a bit warmer but there was only so much she could do. No one would be freezing to death at the moment, though.

Hungry wolves showing up was not a pleasant development, chasing the ninja into an area where people were frozen in ice. At the sight of the frozen people, the wolves ran off and after walking for a bit they got a signal from the mech. More wolves found them shortly after but the ninja were saved by some native villagers. They brought the ninja to their village where they had warm hearths. Apparently they were the last surviving village ever since the “Ice Emperor” showed up.

The Shawoman named Sorla showed them an ice castle in the distance where she explained the Ice Emperor must have taken Zane, after they explained they were there to find him. The villagers explained that the Ice Emperor’s general could see things he shouldn't using magic that they called “dark ice.” Also, if the Ice Emperor knew about the ninja he would send his ice samurai after them and there would be no mercy.

“You just jinxed us,” Mia exclaimed, surprising and slightly confusing everyone else.

“In every film if you mention a bad outcome may happen or anything along the lines of ‘were safe’ or ‘lost them,’ then that's what's going to happen. They will come after us now,” she explained, “one way or another, it will happen.

The others were not pleased with this information. Lloyd was frowning even more since he was the most used to Mia referencing the events of their lives as part of the Ninjago TV show.

“So you're saying that the Ice Samurai are already coming for us?” he concluded.

Mia nodded, then closed her eyes and tried to sense the likely incoming samurai. She could feel something cold approaching, it was faint but she could still sense it, which made her skin physically rise in goose bumps.

“They're approaching from that direction,” she pointed.

“Can you control them?” Cole asked.

Mia tried to take control of one, or anything on them, but couldn't do more than make them wobble a little. She shook her head.

“Not enough tech,” she explained. “They’re definitely crafted, but mostly just made of ice as far as I can tell. I can't control natural elements, but once it's being crafted enough by hand or machine I gain control. There's barely anything I can do with these guys.”

This was bummer information but the ninja were still determined to find Zane, so they would fight the ice samurai and make it to the ice castle to rescue Zane. Sorla showed them a map of the area to help strategize the plan. Mia informed everyone of the samurai's approaching progress.

The way to the ice castle would take the ninja through a dangerous cave where silence was crucial for survival, which would be interesting. The ninja were putting on snow shoes, Mia focused on getting her shoes on, when the villagers sounded the alarm that the ice samurai were in sight.

Lloyd decided the ninja would stay and help protect the villagers, which the villagers appreciated. Everyone quickly got to work building towers out of snow and crafting weapons and defenses for the fight ahead. Mia sensed the ice samurai before they came into view. She yelled to warn the rest of the village the event had arrived so everyone could get in place to flight and defend.

The ninja fought to defend the villagers and the village. During the flight Mia noticed that the samurai were made out of ice but they also wore some armor and wielded weapons only half made out of ice. This close? She could work with that.

It was a little more difficult to control, but she could still whip these ice creatures around by their armor or weapons. She couldn't do more than throw them around by these things, though, again because they were made of ice or were once people now half ice and under a spell. Still, Mia seemed to do the most damage to the most enemies at once by throwing their own samurai back at them. This made the ninja and villagers cheer.

The ninja succeeded in protecting the villagers and for the most part their homes, but the fire from the hearth was extinguished before the samurai fled. The villagers feared they would die now without the fire to keep them warm, since it was their “source of life”in this icy realm, which is where Kai shined. He managed to re-harness his power and relit the hearth, which made the villagers cheer. He proceeded to be spoiled by the villagers for being the “fire maker.”

Mia pulled Sorla aside to talk for a moment.

“Are you the wife of the First Spinjitzu Master?” Mia asked.

Sorla had a surprised look on her face with a hint of something Mia couldn't make out.

“I am not familiar with that name,” Sorla explained, but the look in her eye suggested she knew something.

“It's what we call the creator of Ninjago,” Mia explained. “Perhaps he didn't go by that name. He once told me something cryptic about names and titles. He let me call him Dragoni because of his dragon and Oni ancestry, though that must have been long after the time he was here.”

“What did he look like,” Sorla asked curiously. “I once had a husband,” she admitted, “though he's been gone for a long while now.”

“He looked like an old man,” Mia explained, “but also kind of ethereal. Like, you could notice there was something different about him, which had to do with his heritage. But he also had power. Golden power to create things. He particularly used fire, Earth, lightning, and ice to create most things.”

“If he has power,” Sorla explained with a curious frown, “he never showed me.”

“He had two sons,” Mia tried, “one blonde, one brunette. There is lore about the First Spinjitzu Master creating them on his own like he did the rest of Ninjago, but there is also lore about him having a wife. I've been asking about his wife for centuries but he refused to tell me and my only previous suspicion claims she wasn't his wife. However, from the lore of his wife, there was an image of the wife and she looked kinda like you.”

Sorla hummed. “I did have two sons,” she admitted, “but that was long ago.”

“How long ago,” Mia pressed, “if I may ask? Dragoni and his sons are centuries old.”

Sorla hummed. “Probably not, then,” she suggested with a sad smile. “I'm not centuries old. I've only just reached my seventies.”

Mia was disappointed to hear this, but then wondered if time was different in this realm. That may be a possibility. But it also depended on whether time moves faster or slower here. If faster, then it couldn't be Sorla. If slower, it was still a possibility. Mia thanked Sorla for answering her questions, which Sorla gave an amused smile at.

The ninja helped repair the few damaged homes. During repairs and the ninja getting distracted, Mia noticed Lloyd approaching Nya to talk. Mia approached the two to learn Lloyd intended to continue searching for Zane on his own while intending for the rest of the team to stay and protect the villagers. They bigger group come keep the ice emperor focused on them while Lloyd snuck into the castle, which made sense. Nya went to protest before noticing the guys being loud and disruptive, which would not work well with whatever cavern requiring silence the team would need to go through.

Nya agreed to stay at the village and keep the boys in line, protecting the village. Neither she nor Lloyd mentioned anything about Mia explicitly staying put. One look at Mia, who was titling her head expectantly, and both knew Mia was going with Lloyd. Mia quickly grabbed her tech and she and Lloyd set off.

They walked through the snow in companionable silence for the most part. Mia ensured she and Lloyd were kept warm by their clothes, preventing frost bite or freezing to death from the cold. Mia let herself sense for Zane and the mech while Lloyd used the tracker the ninja brought specifically to track the mech.

The two had been walking for a while when a group of regular grey wolves attacked. It was a surprise when a white wolf with odd red markings saved them. Lloyd gave the wolf some fish while Mia thanked the wolf. They trudged on.

They ran into more ice samurai as they found the snowy cave/canyon where one sneeze from Lloyd revealed why silence was necessary for survival: sound created an avalanche. Lloyd screamed to intentionally cause an avalanche to bury the samurai but he and Mia got caught up in the avalanche as well. Mia was attempting to dig herself out when the white and red wolf dug toward her, helping her out. Mia sensed for Lloyd in the snow nearby and she and the wolf dug him out.

Both thanked the wolf and Lloyd introduced himself and Mia to the wolf. The wolf led them to the Land Bounty, where Mia was able to get the heat working. From there, Mia sensed the mech not too far off. Lloyd asked the wolf if she would go with them, though he then questioned his own sanity for asking. Mia reassured Lloyd that he was fine and told the wolf she was welcome to join them if she wanted. The wolf seemed to understand and seemed willing to go with, making Mia wonder if there was something unique about the wolf aside from the colors in her coat.

They stayed in the Land Bounty for the night and continued toward the mech the next morning. Mia was content to remain quiet during the journey but Lloyd was happy to tell the wolf about basically everything in Ninjago. He seemed to feel better about getting his feelings regarding his dad off his chest, which made sense. Then he decided the wolf needed a name and started suggesting various names that the wolf didn't seem to like. When Lloyd settled on “Red” the wolf seemed more willing to accept the name, so Lloyd and Mia called her Red.

Mia could feel the mech close by when Red started acting scared, almost urging Mia and Lloyd to run in a different direction. When Mia and Lloyd kept going, Red reluctantly followed. Bones littered the snow now and an odd giant bird attached from the sky. Mia was frustrated that her power was almost useless against it, unable to do more than throw pieces of metal from her cloak at it. Lloyd used his power to save Red from taking debris, which allowed Mia to grab the wolf and run. Entering an ice cave, the three barely escaped.

The bird taunted from outside but Mia was ecstatic to find the mech inside the ice cave. Lloyd used his power to provide light while Mia got to work checking on the mech and found a recorded message. Zane had recorded a farewell message, giving a short description of who he is, what he planned to do, and who he loves. It broke Mia and Lloyd’s hearts to watch but Mia could feel that Zane was still alive. Crying beside her, Lloyd vowed they would get the mech working and find Zane.

Lloyd turned to Mia and asked, “you with me?”

“Till death do us part,” Mia agreed.

Lloyd looked both pleased and a bit sheepish at that, rubbing his neck. “I've been meaning to make good on that promise,” he muttered.

Mia kissed him and replied, “we'll take care of it once we're back in Ninjago. For now, we've got a Nindroid to find.”

Lloyd nodded with a happy grin and they got to work. In what felt like no time at all. Lloyd used his energy to power the mech while Mia took care of making it functional. Once ready, Lloyd climbed into the mech and used it to scare off the giant bird, Mia using her power to enhance the mech’s fighting mechanics. Red did her best to help as well, but was scared of the mech at first. It took a bit of convincing before Red would willingly go near it, which made sense. Eventually Red was willing to be carried in one of the mech’s hands so the three could move quicker. Mia sat in the hand with her while Lloyd drove.

Lloyd kept talking as they made good time toward the ice castle. Storm clouds were beginning to threaten overhead by the time Lloyd got to the part about Harumi. Mia was amused by Lloyd’s rambling more than bothered by him mentioning Harumi or any of the other negative parts of Ninjago history.

There was a lightning strike and the ice below them began to move towards them like a centipede. This creature, kinda a stone mech, seemed to breathe blue fire but it was just ice. Mia and Red dropped down so Lloyd could use his mech to fight this creature. Lloyd managed to slice off one of its arms but it reformed the arm using lightning in seconds. That wasn't a good sign.

Mia focused on ensuring Lloyd’s mech continued working as he fought. Lloyd in the mech was knocked off a small cliff, which made Mia and Red hurry down to him. Lloyd was smart and sliced at the ice so the creature fell under, the ice quickly reforming in the cracks to keep the creature trapped under the ice. Mia checked both Lloyd and Red for injuries. Mia sensed Lloyd was fine but Red had a little damage. Mia was bandaging Red with part of her shirt by the time Lloyd got out of the mech. They camped there for the night, Mia using the power of the mech and their clothes to keep them warm, the makeshift bandage on Red doing the same.

The next morning, Red was a human girl with wolf characteristics and a pet on her shoulders with the same patterns as her wolf form. Lloyd was upset, feeling tricked at the girl not revealing herself as a shape shifter, or “formling” as the girl called herself, but Mia was just pleased the girl trusted them enough to shift with them. The girl called herself Akita and Mia reintroduced herself and Lloyd in turn, happy to properly meet the wolf girl who had been traveling with them the past two days. Lloyd was still upset.

Lloyd and Akita argued and new information was revealed. Akita was after the ice emperor for destroying her village and hurting her family. Going to the same location and Akita still being injured, the three agreed to continue going together. Lloyd was still being grouchy about it, but was acting a bit more reasonable. Mia suspected he was just embarrassed for revealing so much of his life story to a stranger he didn't know could understand him. There may also still be some underlying trauma from Harumi mixed in that was causing his reactions.

Akita revealed more at the next break. Her village resembled Brother Bear to Mia, with everyone having a special animal connection meant to guide them and be part of them through life. They could transform into their spirit animal. Akita was a wolf, as Mia and Lloyd knew, while she had a brother who was a bear. Literally Brother Bear right there. There was only one person in their village who never found an animal: his name was Vex. Upon Akita and her brother gaining their animal sides, they returned to their village to find all their people iced. Her brother fought a dragon made of ice sent by the ice emperor and she never saw him again. She wanted revenge, which is why she was headed to the ice palace.

Lloyd decided it was a good idea to have Akita as an ally and offered her a new home back in Ninjago. Mia wasn't sure how to feel with Lloyd saying this but didn't have long to think about it. Akita neither agreed nor denied the offer before catching the scent of the ice dragon approaching.

The three hid as the dragon flew by, circling around their area. The dragon’s icy breath trapped Lloyd inside the mech, so Mia did what she could to free him. The ice was tearing the mech apart. Lloyd was alive but the dragon was still coming after him. Akita and Mia tried to help Lloyd but could only do so much before the dragon snatched up loud and flew him to the palace. Mia cloaked herself invisible and pushed Akita out of the way so she wasn't grabbed either.

With the dragon flying off toward the castle, Mia decloaked herself and helped Akita up. Mia could still sense Lloyd well enough from that distance, through his clothes, even if it was faint. She could sense his chest rising and falling with each breath, confirming he was still alive and relatively okay. Knowing this, Mia supported Akita’s weight and the two trudged on toward the castle.

As they got closer, Mia felt around with her powers and was surprised to sense Zane. She was surprised because he didn't feel right. She dove into his memory bank as soon as she was close enough to do all without hurting herself. What she saw was messed up.

When Zane landed in the Never Realm Vex found him and interrupted his process of running diagnosis on the mech. The result was a total memory wipe. Vex then tricked Zane into believing whatever he said and turned him into the cold blooded ice emperor with no memories of his true past.

Understanding this, Mia knew she and Akita had to hurry or Lloyd would be in trouble. Mia could sense Lloyd and Zane fighting but then Lloyd seemed to go limp. Mia could still feel his heartbeat but his stillness was still worrisome. She tried to pick up the pace but Akita could only move so fast in her injured condition.

Mia’s vision shifted as they continued to walk. Mia saw Lloyd meet Akita’s brother and one of the ice samurai joining ‘the resistance.’ That samurai let the two out of their cells, which Mia thought was helpful. Then Mia blacked out.

She woke up with Akita sprawled on top of her in wolf form while the two were in the snow. Their only source of warmth was sharing body heat and Akita’s fur. Mia wasn't surprised at having blacked out. She had been sneaking her rations to Lloyd and Akita without them noticing, wanting to ensure they kept up their strength with what little food they had. She hadn't eaten in two days and what little sleep she had gotten was poor. She hadn't actually slept much, mostly keeping watch and dozing off occasionally before shaking awake from the cold. Most of the warmth she focused on the others, though she did her best to keep herself warm as well.

Mia blacked out again and woke up to Akita back in human form, suggesting they both keep moving. Mia got up and the two kept walking. Akita’s injury seemed to be doing better, at least, though they both supported each other as they walked through the snowy blizzard.

At last they reached the castle. Mia cloaked herself invisible again and Akita shifted into wolf form. Akita tried to win over the ice samurai guards by pretending to be a harmless, adorable puppy before knocking the guards out as Mia unlocked the door. Akita became human again and Mia uncloaked herself so Akita could see her. Akita’s leg was definitely better. The two snuck around inside, keeping quiet to prevent alerting any guards. Mia led them and Akita followed without question, which Mia appreciated.

Mia could sense Lloyd and his two allies headed toward Vex’s mirror but that was in a different direction than Zane. Mia also began to sense the other ninja approaching in the Land Bounty but they were awakening the ice dragon. Mia didn't have time to worry about the others at the moment. She needed to get to Zane and properly access his mind to fix his memories and put an end to all of this.

Mia could sense the Land Bounty team defeat the ice dragon while Lloyd and his group encountering Vex. She could feel Lloyd approaching, searching for Zane, while his two allies fought Vex. Mia was so focused on what she could sense she nearly got Akita and herself killed by falling off the castle. Akita stopped Mia from almost accidentally killing herself and the two finally found Zane in the throne room.

Mia didn't bother trying to stop Akita from attacking Zane. She knew Zane could handle himself. Mia instead focused on entering Zane’s mind and trying to fix his memories. Akita fighting him kept Zane detracted enough for Mia to work on him without him fighting her off. Mia climbed into Zane’s throne to be out of the way and get a sense of connection to who the current Zane was all she focused on forcing Zane to remember who he actually was.

Lloyd ran into the room just as Zane was about to freeze Akita. Mia grinned at Lloyd, overjoyed to see him alive and fighting with her own eyes. Lloyd fought Zane, trying to get him to remember, and ended up taking the ice blast aimed for Akita. Lloyd was trapped now so Akita continued to fight Zane as Mia and Lloyd tried to remind Zane who he was. Zane verbally denied being Zane, mentally trying to block Mia out of his head so it was harder for her to work. Mia did manage to gain some control though and was able to keep Zane from freezing Lloyd completely. That was a win, at least.

Vex began trying to fight Mia while taunting Lloyd about not being able to protect anyone. Luckily for Mia, his statement triggered the deepest and most crucial part of who Zane was: a protector of the innocent. Mia felt that spark and with it managed to reboot Zane’s true memory as Zane declared he was “built to protect those who cannot protect themselves.”

Mia and Lloyd both grinned at that statement. Mia used the last of her usable energy to finish fixing Zane, screaming at the strain before she dropped to the floor. At least she was still conscious. Zane fought Vex before any of the ice samurai could touch Lloyd or Mia. Zane then shattered his ice staff, breaking the spell on everything related to the ice emperor. Turns out the staff had been the forbidden scroll. Zane froze Vex to prevent him from hurting anyone again and everyone else who was frozen unfroze. The rest of the team ran in victoriously just as Mia passed out.

Mia woke up to Lloyd holding her in his arms, babying her with determination to ensure she got food and rest. Mia wasn't complaining since Lloyd taking care of her was nice.

The real king was put back on the throne and peace between the people and the formlings returned. Vex was banished, never to return to any village. The ninja remained for a few more days of rest by the fire before it was time to go. Turns out the traveler's tea leaves would never have been enough to make it back home to Ninjago. However, Cole’s new yeti friend had a food source of berries from the Traveler's Tree, where the leaves came from in the first place apparently, and these berries would apparently do the trick of making the correct portal home.

The portal was open and most of the ninja had already gone through when Mia turned to see Lloyd and Akita still talking. Mia grew worried for a second. Traveler portals only stayed open for a short time. Mia was standing beside the portal silently as she watched Akita kiss Lloyd’s cheek and him going stiff from the shock. Mia felt dread in her chest and quickly turned, walking through the portal to find Zane being welcomed home by PIXAL tackling him in a hug. Lloyd came through the portal a moment later before it closed.

Lloyd didn't mention the kiss so neither did Mia. Internally, she was worried. She was the one who gave herself to Lloyd and Lloyd had said he chose her. However, that was likely because he didn't know of any better options. Harumi was his only other love interest and she was horrendous. Meanwhile, Akita was new and exciting. Just because she was in another realm didn't mean she'd just stay there and she and Lloyd couldn't end up together. Lloyd had asked Mia to be his Yang, sure, but that just meant partner for life with romantic intention. It didn't guarantee Lloyd couldn't choose someone else to be his wife until an actual marriage ceremony was complete. At last to Mia.

Mia was definitely doubting herself again. After Harumi was Akita meant to be Lloyd’s actual love interest? Was Mia actually an imposter standing in the way of Lloyd’s true romantic happiness? Was this punishment for getting too involved and not sticking to the plot anymore? The fact she didn't even know where the plot was going didn't matter. Was she just in the way? Had she been meant to step back and leave after season eight? Was her desired life with Lloyd all just a fantasy going on too long. Sure, she had seen her and Lloyd with a baby in the future-protecting-ice back during season 5 but what if that was just her imagining things? What if she only saw a fantasy she wanted to see? What if Wu’s time stuck in the timeline changed that future? What if she was just in the way now?

The show didn't revolve around Mia. She knew that. She was supposed to protect the show and the people in it. She was supposed to keep it all on track. Whatever Lloyd needed she would accept, Mia told herself. They had been growing apart a little already, right? Maybe he needed some space to rethink their relationship. Maybe he wasn't as sure as he thought. Mia wouldn't ignore him, she promised herself, she wouldn't act petty or jealous or angry about Akita. It would be ridiculous to do that. No, she would simply do what she always did. She would be present but separate. She would just follow where the ninja led and ensure they all stayed alive. Yeah. She would do that. Lloyd could decide what he wanted and she would accept whatever happened.

Mia nodded to herself and snuck off from the welcome home celebration as soon as she could without arousing suspicion. She headed back to Lloyd’s room and crawled into bed. Lloyd wanted her to rest anyway. This way she was adhering to the request and staying out of the way at the same time. Two birds and everything.

When Mia woke up it was still dark outside. Lloyd was holding her in his arms, rocking her slightly and stroking her hair. He smiled down at her affectionately as she blinked up at him. She felt a lump in her throat. Had he chosen already? Lloyd swiped at her cheeks, clearing away tears she hadn't realized were falling. He lightly kissed her forehead before pulling away to meet her gaze.

“You know you can talk to me when something’s bothering you, right?” He asked softly, still rocking.

Mia just blinked back at him, sniffing lightly.

“I'm yours,” he promised softly, “always have been. Always will be.”

“But-” Mia started, but Lloyd shook his head.

“I know I don't always show it, and that's on me so I'll fix it, but you're the only one for me.” He looked earnest as he spoke, though his voice remained soft. “You're my love. No one else compares. You have nothing to worry about.”

Mia sniffed again, blinking her tears away.

“But I was never meant to be part of the story,” Mia insisted. “What if I'm standing in the way of someone else you're supposed to be with?”

Lloyd shook his head. “I choose you,” he promised. “I will forever choose you. You may not have been originally in the show but in this realm you're meant to be here. You don't know what happens after the season nine trailer, right?”

Mia nodded.

“Then anything past the Sons of Garmadon hunting us is for us to decide,” he explained. “You did your part in protecting destiny. You succeeded. We make our own destiny from here on out.”

Mia sniffed again and rubbed the tears from her face, turning back to Lloyd’s loving gaze.

“I asked you to marry me,” Lloyd reminded her. “I intend to honor that promise to marry you. You're already my Yang, but this will make us more, won't it?”

Mia nodded again.

“Then we'll get married as soon as we can,” Lloyd vowed. “I promise. Whatever enemy we have next won't get in the way of that. Any peace in between won't get in the way either. We can start properly planning tomorrow to ensure we do this. I don't want to keep you waiting any more. We will be together in every way possible, I promise you. I love you, Mia. I choose you.”

Mia kissed him and they got even more tangled in the sheets. Mia felt relief in more ways than one. As they dozed back to sleep, Mia was grinning and still curled up in Lloyd’s arms.

Chapter Text

The wedding planning was underway, though the ninja life was still ongoing.

Only two weeks after returning from the Never Realm, the ninja tracked down the mechanic and his lackeys who had broken into a storage house and stole a motherboard. This led to Jay disappearing and a visit to Cyrus Borg revealing that Jay was now stuck inside the Prime Empire Game Console. Just another day in Ninjago.

Most of the ninja assumed the creator of the game to be the culprit of Jay and other people getting sick inside the game, but Mia wasn't sure. She could sense something off about the game. She just wasn't sure what. Nevertheless, the ninja entered the game to go help Jay and the other people taken hostage by the game, meanwhile Zane and PIXAL would do some investigations on the outside.

Upon entering the game, Mia was disappointed to discover that all of their elemental powers were useless. Of course the game didn't allow their powers. That would've been too easy. However, Mia could still feel traces of her tech abilities, she just wasn't able to do much with them.

She was at an advantage compared to the others, though. Her power being tech seemed to have granted her a somewhat hacker-style ability. She was functioning like she was fully leveled up, not struggling like the others were with low level one stats. She could also adjust her appearance, or avatar, as she desired without having to pay for a new look.

Lloyd definitely liked Mia’s new avatar based on him staring at her hips until Kai snapped his attention away.

The advantage she had didn't seem to provide a whole lot more. She couldn't boost anyone else's stats and she didn't have any currency to give any of the others. She was just moving faster than the others without getting winded, seemed a bit stronger, and could change her avatar for free. She couldn't control any of the red visors or other NPCs.

Once the ninja figured out the life count limit, it also became clear that Mia was the only one without a life limit for the game. Must be another perk of her power. Although she couldn't give anyone else extra lives, she could take the hit for them to save them from dying in the game. Lloyd wasn't thrilled about Mia dying so often in the game, but he confessed he understood why Mia felt she had to take more hits because of it.

The ninja met Okino who managed to go against his programming and chose to help them. Unagami was not pleased, but the ninja were grateful. Mia took so many hits during that quest for the first keytana. When Unagami froze the ninja and spoke directly to Okino, Mia couldn't move but she did hear and see everything. She was beyond grateful to Okino for choosing to help them.

The next keytana would be in a dangerous race that reminded Mia of ninja-ball-run. The ninja didn't have enough credits or any vehicles so they had to find other resources. Nya and Jay danced in a competition which won enough credits for the speedway-five-billion race and worked with Scott, the first ever player of Prime Empire, to build almost enough vehicles.

Mia was with Lloyd while he was attempting to convince Racer 7 to help the ninja as well. Lloyd was careful with how he acted, Mia noticed, seemingly attempting to ensure Mia could tell he wasn't trying to make Racer 7 into another potential love interest like Akita or Harumi. Mia appreciated that. What she did not approve of was the stupid avatar hair he picked.

As soon as Lloyd had changed his avatar to a punk with a mohawk Mia had greatly expressed her displeasure of the mohawk, which only made Lloyd laugh in amusement. He promised to get rid of the offending mohawk as soon as possible but kept it until the disguise stopped working. Race 7 also managed to go against her programming and win the race for her first time ever, winning the ninja the keytana.

The only downside is Cole and Kai had to sacrifice themselves during the race so there would be “less people for Mia to carry.”

The ninja made it to the final level and Mia helped people make it to the top. Lloyd offered to fight the “final boss” in the ring even though Mia had infinite lives to spend. Lloyd insisted on being the one to fight, insisting Mia save her strength and could take over for him if he failed. Mia reluctantly agreed and started cursing when it was an almost exact copy of Harumi who appeared as the boss Lloyd had to face.

A forcefield kept Mia from jumping in to help Lloyd and clearly prevented him from hearing her, but he smiled at Mia reassuringly and faced Harumi. Lloyd defeated the Harumi copy and gave Mia another reassuring smile before he too was cubed like Kai and Cole had been, having been cut down in the process of winning. Jay and Nya pulled Mia into a comforting hug as she yelled despicable things about Harumi and Unagami.

The three keytanas were in Mia's inventory too ensure they made it to the end, just in case. She, Jay, and Nya pushed forward, hoping that winning the game would return the rest of their team and discover what actually happened when they were cubed. That was their only option.

The three ended up in some weird sushi restaurant where the food came to life and attacked them alongside the chef and waitress. It was just weird. Jay almost died one too many times during that fight, but Nya kept him alive and Mia focused on destroying everything attacking them as fast as physically possible.

At last, the keytanas were useful. Mia pulled them out of her inventory and was placing them in their key slots. Unfortunately, when she went to turn the keys one last enemy appeared and Nya took the hit for Jay, leaving only Mia and Jay as the last surviving ninja.

The two faced Unagami, discovering he was actually the consciousness of the game and not the creator. The cubes of dead players were the power source to the portal to leave the game and enter the real world. Mia and Jay tried to keep Unagami inside the game but Unagami managed to break free and escape to the real world. Jay summoned the dragon he earned back when Okino helped them win the first keytana. Jay flew his dragon out of the game, Mia sitting behind him on the dragon.

In the real world, they discovered the mechanic was using Zane as the power source on the outside of the portal. They quickly helped free Zane, who looked like he was about to die if they didn't free him quickly. He survived, but looked to be in bad shape. Dyer, the game creator, was also present alongside Wu and PIXAL.

Jay and Mia used Jay’s blue dragon to get Dyer to Unagami. The two clearly needed a father-son heart to heart. Jay helped the two reconnect and both forgiveness and understanding to occur.

As a result, everyone else from the game was set free. Everyone who was cubed was returned to normal and allowed back into the real world while several NPCs from the game were given free will and the choice to stay in the game or come to the real world to live. Everyone was pretty happy, all things considered. Meanwhile, Dyer and Unagami left together happily, the two officially father and son.

As soon as Mia found Lloyd and the others safe and sound, she pulled Lloyd into a tight hug and warned him she wasn't letting him out of her sight again. He just hummed in agreement. Content that the latest enemy was defeated and the fight over, the ninja headed home to the monastery.

Nya and Jay were working on plans for their wedding while Mia and Lloyd did the same. Cole and Kai played video games while Zane helped PIXAL with some work on the vehicles. Wu meditated and occasionally pouted.

Chapter Text

Nya and Jay had a simple and quick wedding ceremony two days after the events of Prime Empire. It was just them, their parents, Wu, PIXAL and the rest of the ninja at the ceremony. It was a small party, reminding Mia of Garmadon and Misako’s wedding all those years ago.

Mia and Lloyd were still planning their own wedding. They wanted to do something similar to Jay and Nya but pressure from fans wanting to attend created issues. Both Mia and Lloyd decided against informing fans of the wedding date and location to prevent wedding crashes, but still needed to make a few other decisions.

Lloyd wanted to invite the other elemental masters and his mom, and Mia at least wanted Dani there. Wu, PIXAL, and the rest of the ninja were obviously going to be there. Dareth too. The real question was whether or not to invite Garmadon and any of the other allies.

Mia and Lloyd had almost finalized their wedding plans when a different sort of invitation arrived while everyone else was cleaning up the monastery. The invitation came from the kingdom of Shintaro and was inviting the ninja to attend Princess Vanya’s birthday celebration. The ninja were all excited to go, since invitations to Shintaro were rare.

Wu was moping about not being needed for the past few adventures and so decided he wasn't going and should just retire. Lloyd tried to cheer him up saying he didn't look more than a hundred years old. Wu gave him an unamused look as a response and Lloyd continued saying “that's not old.”

“We are a couple centuries old,” Mia reminded Wu, “he means it as a compliment.”

Wu just grumbled. Misako talked some sense into Wu and decided he was going, whether he liked it or not, saying he was just feeling left out on the last few adventures and needed some adventure of his own. Wu on l got on The Bounty with the rest of the ninja.

While flying to Shintaro the ninja encountered dire bats which attacked The Bounty. A lot of damage was done to the ship and one dire bat flew off with Jay until Cole grabbed him. The situation was not looking good until Shintaro’s flying warriors came to the ninja’s aid.

The kingdom of Shintaro was beautiful. Their flying technology fascinated Mia to no end. The king and princess were very welcoming and nice. The brief interaction between Cole and Princess Vanya made Mia wonder if this princess would be Cole’s love interest. She wasn't completely sure, though. She did notice Lloyd being wary of the princess, though. He was likely reminded of Harumi, so Mia could understand the reason for caution. She didn't sense any ill will from this princess, though.

That night Mia and Lloyd talked about how not every princess in Ninjago was like Harumi. Lloyd was still hesitant to trust Vanya, though. Their discussion was interrupted by Cole running into their room, saying some creature had been in his room. He said the creature was purple and was wearing his mother's necklace that had his family's photo inside it. Lloyd and the other ninja didn't believe Cole, thinking he had been dreaming, but Mia believed him. Anything was possible in Ninjago.

Lloyd pulled Mia back to bed. While in bed, Mia reached out with her powers to sense the ninja and anything similar. She could sense Cole and Vanya meeting up outside near a grate of some sort.

She sensed them moving underground while she dozed until she couldn't sense them anymore, but by then she was too asleep to react.

When she woke up it was to find Lloyd’s side of the bed empty. He must have let her sleep in. Mia sat up and focused on the ninja in her mind, trying to figure out what happened and trigger a vision of the show's most recent events.

She saw that Lloyd had let her sleep in while he and the rest of the ninja went for a walk. While on that walk Vanya came running to them and told them what she and Cole found under the mountain. They all went to King for council but he was no help. The ninja decided to enter the mountain like Cole and Vanya did earlier, intending to find Cole with Vanya and Wu covering for them. They didn't think they would be gone long but weren't back yet and it had been at least two hours already.

Mia grumbled to herself about being left behind, none of the ninja thinking to wake her to help, as she climbed out of bed. She changed into some clean clothes and went to meet Wu and Vanya. After going over the facts with them, Mia hurried into the mountain after the ninja.

She sensed them before she saw them. The ninja were locked up in cages alongside other unusual creatures. They seemed to be either in cages or mining. She assumed the ninja had attempted a rescue mission of the creatures and failed, somehow. The material being mined looked like vengestone, though, which would explain the ninja’s lack of success.

Mia cloaked herself invisible once more and snuck down to where the ninja were being forced to mine the vengestone. She overheard Cole tell the creatures about a secret meeting about blades. Mia kept quiet about followed the groups to the not-so -secret meeting where Mia figured out what was going on.

The creatures were either Geckles or Munce depending on species. Each of these two species had once had a sword stolen from them and blamed the other species for the theft. Likely it was this “skull sorcerer” who had stolen the blades and hid them and was now forcing these creatures to work as slaves for him mining vengestone. The ninja were trying to convince the creatures to work together to defeat the skull sorcerer but the Geckles and Munce were not happy with the idea of working together.

Mia revealed herself, asking “how can I help?” startling most of the creatures and some of the ninja, but the ninja were definitely happy to see her.

Together they figured out a plan of escape but they had to have enchanted skeletons to do so. At least they all escaped, though the team and creatures ended up split up throughout the tunnels. Mia saw Lloyd, Jay, and Nya escape with the Munce while Zane and Kai escaped with the Geckles. Mia escaped with Cole who ended up leading them off a cliff, holding onto a tree branch for dear life.

Mia noticed a grappling hook before Cole did and used her power to fly out onto her hand. She used the grappling hook to reach Cole as dire bats began attacking. It was a pure accident using the dire bats as a ride further down into the mountain where they ended up tangled in a giant spider web.

They had to fight the giant spider when Vanya showed up to help. She brought her pet dragon, Chompy, who grew in size to scare off the spider before reverting back to its small size. Mia just stared down at the little dragon in shock but did not question the change. The three plus the baby dragon discussed the next course of action.

Cole, Vanya, and Chompy would return to the palace to meet Wu and the king, requesting assistance. Meanwhile Mia would explore the caves and try to find the rest of the ninja.

Mia left her senses on alert to sense the ninja though all the rock made it difficult to sense any of the team for a while. She wasn't sure how long she was alone, wandering through caves, but she assumed it was at least a day with how hungry and thirsty she was, plus needing to rest for a bit twice. She hadn't bothered to eat anything before looking for the ninja under the mountain, which in hind sight was a bad call. She should have brought more supplies before running off blindly after the ninja. She knew better than this.

She was starting to worry about potentially dying down in the caves when she came across a few Geckles. Cloaking herself invisible, she followed them back to their home where she found Kai and Zane. That was a relief. She was confused at the sight of the slug race going on and noticed Zane freeze the way to make one slug move faster.

Mia revealed herself to Zane who took one look at her and immediately made her some ice to suck on to rehydrate. Mia was grateful and let Zane carry her to the meeting for a truce between the Munce and Geckles. Turns out Kai and Nya were now the leaders of the creatures, Kai in charge of the Geckles and Nya in charge of the Munce. Mia didn't bother asking how or why. Just happy to see everyone alive and together again.

Lloyd was hugging Mia tightly when the skull sorcerer appeared with his skull army and bone dragon called Grief Bringer. Lloyd exhausted himself while fighting the dragon but quickly recovered. Mia had regained enough strength from eating ice to run on her own alongside the others, but she was still exhausted and upset that she wasn't being much help.

Everyone ended up in a stronghold cave. The Geckles nearly couldn't seal the door but the contraption fell under the qualifications of being tech so Mia helped close the door quickly. Everyone safely sealed inside the stronghold, Lloyd hurried over to Mia to check up on her. He was upset to see Mia in such a weak state.

Zane checked Mia’s vitals and gave her more ice to eat while Lloyd had her lay down to rest, holding her in his arms. Mia dozed off as lots of yelling occurred. Banging on the walls startled Mia awake to see Nya getting everyone to work on clearing away a rock wall that only led to another room.

Mia was attempting to get up but Lloyd encouraged her to rest just a little longer while the Geckles and Munce made peace with one another, though it took help from Nya and Kai to make it happen. Just as the rock door to the stronghold burst open, Mia cloaked herself invisible just in time for the skull sorcerer to barge in. Lloyd surrendered to keep the Geckles and Munce alive.

As the ninja were being led away through the caves, the Munce and Geckles all being enslaved again, Mia followed close by. She remained invisible to keep the skull sorcerer from knowing she was there. Mia noticed Lloyd making some odd moments with his hands and shoulders while looking around, subtle enough to look natural but also recognizable enough for a ninja to know he was trying to communicate. His eyes scanning around indicated he was trying to get Mia’s attention.

Mia hurried over to Lloyd as everyone continued to trudge through the tunnels. She placed her hand lightly on his shoulder to alert him of her presence without startling him. He merely turned his head to glance back in her direction and adjusted his walking stance as if carrying something on his back. Mia understood and climbed onto his back for him to carry her. He was clearly worried about her weakened state. They continued like that until they reached the earlier cavern and the ninja began being placed in a cage.

Mia hopped off Lloyd’s back before he was put into the cage, though Mia kept close to be ready to act. Mia sensed Cole nearby and hurried over to him, keeping silent and invisible. Cole barely flinched when Mia revealed herself, though the rest of the people with him did. They looked like characters out of a d&d campaign.

Cole revealed a fun fact that it was his mother who had once defeated Grief Bringer and given the Munce and Geckles her swords. Those same swords now were being held by the skull sorcerer who was actually the king of Shintaro in disguise.

Cole sent his makeshift team of adventures to free the Geckles and Munce while he would get back his mother's blades. Mia was to free the other ninja. Mia hurried back to the ninja and quietly unlocked their cage while gently lowering it while the skull sorcerer attempted to free the bone dragon to attack everyone.

Cole fought the skull sorcerer while the creatures fought the enchanted skeletons alongside the ninja and Cole’s new adventure friends. Mia hurried over to the bone dragon’s cage and did her best to keep it trapped while it fought its captivity. Eventually the dragon burned through its cage and Mia fought to hold it back, uncloaking herself in the process.

Mia only partially succeeded in holding the dragon back. The ninja rushed to help where they could. Wu, Vanya, Chompy, and the Shintaro warriors came to help as well, which Mia appreciated. The fight was being turned in the ninja’s favor at last!

Mia was close enough to Cole to overhear him realizing something special about his mom. Cole then did some sort of burst power with his earth ability that defeated the skull sorcerer and the ninja won the fight.

Lloyd ran to Mia and held her close to make sure she was okay.

Vanya assumed power over the kingdom and locked her father away where he couldn't cause any more problems. Vanya was crowned later that day and had welcomed the Geckles and Munce to visit above the mountain as often as they wished while also giving them free reign over everything under the mountain. It was a lovely ceremony and Lloyd made sure Mia had enough to eat during the reception.

Lloyd apologized to Vanya for being suspicious of her earlier and she graciously forgave him, making Mia smile. Vanya told Lloyd she was grateful for having earned his trust, which made Mia grin even more. Mia kissed Lloyd and praised him not long later for his maturity in recognizing Vanya as a friend and not at all like Harumi. Lloyd seemed pleased with himself at Mia’s praise.

Vanya offered her army to Cole should he ever ask for it, which Mia thought to be a big honor. The two were definitely close friends for sure. If romance ever bloomed between them, Mia would be happy to see it. If not? Their friendship was already beautiful.

After celebrating Vanya’s coronation and birthday, the ninja headed out for another adventure and ended up heading home to the monastery. Lloyd and Mia finished their plans and the wedding finally happened.

They had a quiet wedding ceremony at the monastery with the ninja, Wu, PIXAL, Misako, Dareth, Skylor, Karloff, Jacob, Neuro, Paleman, Camille, Toxicita, Shadow, Dani and his girlfriend Felicity. They had invited Garmadon after all but he didn't show up. Overall, the wedding was an enjoyable occasion.

For a few weeks there was peace. Wu and Misako left with Clutch Powers on an expedition to a remote island while the ninja were left in charge of the monastery.

It was a month after leaving Shintaro that anything unusual happened. PIXAL, Lloyd, and Mia were in the monastery ninja cave reviewing information about missing criminals that had escaped prison and how Ronin had been hired to hunt them down. It was during this debrief that a visitor from the explorer's club arrived at the monastery.

Turns out Misako hadn't checked in with the club for a while and the club was now revoking her membership, deeming her lost or dead. Learning this, the ninja focused on locating Misako and Wu. The two had last been located at the Storm Belt, aka Ninjago’s Bermuda Triangle. Only one person had ever been known to escape the Storm Belt, so the ninja hurried to find him.

The guy went by the name of “Twitchy” because of the storm still having an electrical shock effect on him, making his memory flimsy and adjusting his mind on a regular basis. The poor guy was regularly being shocked by static and it kept warping his mind. The ninja managed to trick him into joining them on a journey into the Storm Belt, taking The Bounty as far as they could, Twitchy telling his story on the way.

There was purple lightning everywhere and the ninja took smaller vehicles through the fog bank until they reached the shore. The island itself was beautiful, with blue sand, though the lightning seemed to be working as a defense to keep people from getting too close to the island.

The ninja used the jumbo choppers to search the island quickly and located Misako and Wu’s campsite where a message for help had been left. There was no sign of Misako, Wu, or the rest of the group, though.

Twitchy warned the ninja about statue monsters as they began searching the jungle for Misako and Wu. Lloyd noticed a dragon-like creature that liked playing fetch. Jay named it Zippy while Lloyd was eager to find his mom and uncle. Everyone kept searching while Cole mentioned being hungry.

The ninja came across an area Mia quickly identified as a location where Misako and Wu must have been attacked. An odd statue was there, which gave Mia an odd sensation. She couldn't identify what the sensation was, but the sight of the statue made her wary. It wasn't quite tech but it wasn't naturally made either, Mia could tell. Mia was trying to figure out what it was when it seemed to come to life and attack.

Everyone ran for their lives upon discovering that fighting it was useless. The statue could channel elemental energy, which was not a good sign. Mia stayed near Lloyd as everyone ran, getting separated. Mia started sensing some light tech nearby and guided Lloyd in that direction as the two kept running.

They found Twitchy and rested for a bit before continuing toward where Mia sensed tech. They found a village of purple people when Zippy showed up again, wanting to play.

Lloyd used Zippy’s love of fetch to take out some of the guards while Mia found the rest of the team in an odd jail cell. Mia easily freed them and went in search of Jay who was missing. Turns out Clutch was trying to steal some sort of amulet. The ninja tried to stop him but ended up getting caught by the guards and shocked into unconsciousness.

Everyone woke up tied to stakes while Jay was being offered up as a sacrifice to Wojira, a supposed ancient sea serpent meant to be sleeping under the ocean. Jay was being put on the raft as Mia began untying herself and then released the others.

While trying to rescue Jay, Mia sensed tech from the supposed sea serpent which really confused her. Jay was pulled into the fog and the sea serpent seemed to vanish, though Mia could still sense tech nearby. Lloyd convinced the villagers to humor the team as Mia led the group toward where she sensed the most tech.

Turns out Ronin was behind this whole issue, using the escaped prisoners as his workers. He was scamming treasure out of the poor villagers using a mechanical fake sea serpent based on the locals’ legends to scare them into giving up their treasure to appease it. The ninja stopped him and the prisoners, intending to take them all back to jail.

Clutch tried to steal the amulet from the villagers again but it looked like the ninja succeeded in stopping him. Everything seemingly back in order, the ninja returned home, dropping off Ronin and the escaped convicts at prison on the way.

Just because Ronin had made a mechanical sea serpent didn't mean the villagers’ legends weren't true. Mia recalled the cavern of ice that would avalanche if sound was too loud back in the Never Realm had a similar name. Just because Mia was unfamiliar with the name and had never heard anything about it from Dragoni didn't mean there wasn't a creature from legend lurking below the water. Mia hoped she'd never have to see Wojira rise.

Chapter Text

It was barely three days later when disaster stuck. The ninja were going after Misdemeanor, a new upstart criminal with her own lackeys, smuggling and selling vengestone for some reason. Nya’s control over her water powers started malfunctioning, growing uncontrollable and causing large water issues she couldn't seem to stop. The perps got away while the ninja barely saved a village from a water tornado Nya couldn't seem to control.

Back at the monastery Nya was on edge as every water source malfunctioned. Mia did her best to stop the water by using her power on the pipes, but there was only so much she could do with so much pressure from the water. Wu found information on Wojira and recommended Maya come help Nya with her powers. Nya was clearly not thrilled at the idea of her mom coming to help.

Maya did her best to bond with her daughter and did her best to help but it was clearly too much too soon. Nya wasn't interested in having her mom around, likely because she grew up without her. Mia sympathized with Nya for wanting to have control over her own life but also sympathized with Maya wanting to bond with her daughter.

Lloyd helped Mia take her mind off the masters of water by getting her to help fix the monitors and computers in the HQ below the monastery. While doing so, Mia sensed a power surge that messed up all of the plumbing and left Mia feeling a bit unusual. Mia was helping the rest of the ninja clean up the water and was repairing what damages she could when Zane and PIXAL returned from a scouting mission. Apparently a power surge had emitted from the ocean.

PIXAL showed the team a submarine she had been building and the team decided on the next course of action. They split off into two teams. Cole, Kai, and Wu would stay behind at the monastery with Ray and Maya while the rest went in the submarine to search for the cause of the power surge. Most likely, that was what was causing the problems for Nya’s powers.

Mia was pleased to be assigned the task of keeping the submarine intact and stable. She could do that. Zane made himself captain. Before leaving the dock, Mia sensed Maya climbing aboard, but didn't say anything. It wasn't until people noticed their chores being done before they could do them that the stowaway was noticed.

When the ninja actually found Maya, Lloyd turned to Mia and asked why she hadn't mentioned Maya was aboard. He knew Mia would have sensed her. Mia just shrugged and replied, "I didn't think it was important.”

Both Lloyd and Jay grew excited when Maya offered to make muffins, which made Mia grin.

It wasn't too long later that the sub came across a ship graveyard and they were attacked by some sort of manta ray. The sub lost a lot of power and was beginning to sink, though Mia managed to get it to a rock ledge. Everyone worked on repairs but some of the batteries were dead and there was only so much Mia could do with dead batteries in a battery powered sub.

Jay offered to use his lightning to zap the main battery but Zane and PIXAL both said it was too risky. PIXAL had two APS suits for Nya and Maya to use to search for the ocean power source that was causing the surges, though. Mia would have offered to go too but with only two suits and Mia needing to help keep the submarine from completely dying at the moment she had to stay.

Mia used her tech to sense the APS suits and amplified their comms to transmit to the sub so everyone could hear. With this they learned about the Temple of Wojira, which apparently houses a sleeping sea serpent by the name of Wojira, and had octopi people trying to wake the bloody thing. Their attempts to wake Wojira was what was causing the power surges, messing with Nya’s power, though waking the serpent had yet to succeed.

They lost contact with Nya and Maya for a bit while the sub started taking on water. Jay managed to sneak his way into shocking the battery while Mia did her best to keep him safe. Luckily, shocking the battery got the submarine back to and running. They steered the sub toward where Maya and Nya disappeared and managed to rescue them from some sort of sharks. Mia kept the guys’ suits from crushing under the water pressure.

Not long later the sea creature people forced the ninja to appear before their sea king. The ninja were successfully explaining themselves and warning the king’s favor when the Prince, Kaalmar, overthrew his father before the ninja's eyes. That was unexpected, but Mia decided she should have guessed something would happen. Apparently royals living in Ninjago, the realm not just land, didn't seem to go well.

Kaalmar tricked the guards into thinking the ninja had killed the king and thus the ninja were on the run. The ninja were lost in the maze that made up the castle when the whole place began flooding. Luckily the ninja masks were equipped to allow the ninja to breathe, which Mia triggered as soon as the room began filling with water. With everyone but the nindroids of the team breathing, the ninja focused on escape. Zane fought some sharks while Mia opened a door.

The adopted Prince Benthomar helped the ninja escape. Kaalmar tried to kill the ninja and declared Benthomar a traitor to Merlopia, the underwater kingdom the ninja were currently trapped in. The ninja barely escaped in the sub. Lloyd was nearly left behind in the mech but Mia ensured he was dragged along. Once they were far enough away from Merlopia Mia managed to get Lloyd back inside the sub and out of the mech.

Everyone properly introduced themselves to Benthomar and they traded information. The ninja set a course for the island of the keepers to get to the purple people's amulet before Kaalmar could. Mia pointed out that heading directly to the amulet might lead Kaalmar right to it, but everyone else decided getting the amulet first was the best idea. Mia just grumbled to herself that this would be a disaster as she focused on keeping the sub steady.

Benthomar shared his story about being found and adopted by the king, as well as Kaalmar convincing him to find Wojira’s temple, which led to this whole situation. The ninja declared Benthomar a friend and soon they arrived at the island of the keepers.

The keepers were determined to keep the amulet safe with them but the ninja insisted on taking the amulet elsewhere so Kaalmar couldn't get to it. The leader of the keepers eventually gave the amulet to Nya only for the ninja to discover it was a fake. Apparently Clutch had successfully stolen the real amulet the last time the ninja were here and “got caught” trying to steal the fake one he made.

The ninja tried to warn Kai’s side of the team, Kaalmar showed up and damaged the sub so the ninja wouldn't be able to head back to Ninjago. He also ended up with the fake amulet even though he knew it was a fake. Why he still wanted the game amulet, Mia didn't know, but there were bigger issues to worry about.

Mia could get the sub moving but it would only move at a snail’s pace and would not survive any more damage to it if they encountered anything. Maya gave Nya a pep talk and Benthomar asked Nya why she wasn't summoning whales to come pull the sub.

At the ninja's confusion, Benthomar explained the story of the very first elemental Master of water, one of the Islanders-later known as keepers-named Nyad, who had been around Ninjago and helping both the keepers and the sea creatures against Wojira back when Dragoni first arrived in this realm. Before Dragoni created the main land known to be Ninjago, the keepers had the only land and the sea creatures ruled the rest, which was all water. Dragoni and Nyad had teamed up to defeat Wojira, Nyad dealing the final damage by becoming one with the ocean itself, and disappearing after Wojira was sent to sleep. Dragoni gave one of the two smoker amulets to the keepers and one to the Merlopians, each intending to guard the amulets and keep Wojira asleep. Afterwards, Dragoni created the land that became Ninjago.

Mia was astonished at this new information. It put a few new things in perspective. Dragoni had never really had a connection to the elemental power of water the way he had a connection to the other elemental powers. The golden power was a combination of Earth, fire, lighting, and ice to create things plus some dragon power. Tech was tied to creation, though not the act of creation itself. The other elemental masters' abilities were tied to dragons, but the only real water dragon would be a sea serpent. Wojira was exactly that sea serpent, which is why Kaalmar messing with Wojira was messing with Nya's powers. It all made sense!

Benthomar convinced Nya to try summoning whales. It took a bit, making Nya frustrated, but whales did show up and were surprisingly happy to pull the sub all the way back to Ninjago. While the whales pulled, both Mia and PIXAL worked on fixing the internal issues of the sub as best they could with what materials they had on hand. Benthomar explained more about Nyad on the way, which continued to fascinate Mia as she worked.

They arrived back in Ninjago just in time to discover Kaalmar had the real amulet and was fighting the rest of the ninja team with his army. The team was tied to an anchor and being dropped into the water to drown just as Mia’s team saved them by lifting them up to breathe using the sub. That was a close one.

Mia quickly freed them and all the ninja joined the flight. It was a nasty fight, Mia getting at least a concussion from Kaalmar if not just exhaustion from using her power to move people out of danger while also hurtling large vehicles and objects at Kaalmar and his army. Nya managed to get one of the amulets from Kaalmar before he escaped. Sadly, it wasn't the real one. Having been near both, Mia sensed the fake and just slumped against the ground with a groan, exhausted and worried about what was to come.

She let her eyes closed and woke up in Lloyd’s arms in headquarters back at the monastery, with Ray and Maya leaving for home at the Four Weapons Smithy. Meanwhile Cole had brought the fake amulet to Queen Vanya for safe keeping, thinking it was the real amulet. This was a disaster! Mia berated herself for falling asleep rather than warn everyone they had the wrong amulet. At least Benthomar had been welcomed into the monastery; he deserved a happy home. The problem was that Mia had apparently been sleeping for two days!

Mia looked up at Lloyd’s concerned face as he informed her on what she missed and grew confused at her fearful expression. It wasn't long later that a report about a giant sea serpent came from the commissioner, which confirmed Mia’s fears. Lloyd had Mia eat some food while he and the others went back to working on small subs, meanwhile PIXAL began the city-wide evacuation protocols.

Food on her belly, Mia used her powers to finish up the work on the subs quickly, despite Lloyd urging her to take it easy and not strain her powers too much. Mia argued that there wasn't time to waste with Wojira awake and managed to help the ninja finish the small subs just before the flooding began.

The ninja each got into a small sub and hurried to rescue the people who couldn't evacuate in time. Lloyd kept close to Mia, each in their own small subs, intending to keep an eye on his wife and ensure she was still okay. Mia wasn't bothered by his worry or protectiveness. She had been overexerting her powers since joining the ninja team, if not before, and knew she wasn't without limits. The fact that she failed to warn the ninja about the wrong amulet in time was a sign of that.

Mia caught sight of Kaalmar riding and controlling Wojira. The sea serpent was massive, probably as big as the Great Devourer had been. The Merlopians were also attacking, which was not helpful. Benthomar tried to talk to the Merlopians and explain the truth while the ninja focused on saving the people of Ninjago from attacks and drowning. The ninja got everyone they could onto The Bounty or higher building levels.

The ninja tried to fight Wojira but couldn't seem to do much. Kai kept saying everything Zane did but in simpler terms, which was both kind of funny and a tiny bit annoying. Jay’s small sub got chewed up and sunk under the water while Nya faced Wojira and Kaalmar head on. Mia noticed Jay was taking too long coming back up to the surface and his comms were down, so she focused on locating him while the others continued fighting.

With all the water logged tech surrounding her, it took way longer than Mia liked to properly locate Jay. He was drowning when she found him so she fought against her exhaustion and pulled him out of the wreckage, bringing him to the surface for air. Benthomar and Cole arrived to help with the rescue, then led her with an unconscious Jay to the hiding place the rest of the team was at. They had distracted Kaalmar and Wojira with the autopiloted Bounty, buying some reprieve from the battle.

Checking Jay over, it was clear he had inhaled too much water and Nya couldn't seem to command the water out of his lungs. Wojira was still messing with her powers and she was frustrated and scared at this discovery. The whole team feared the possibility that they may lose Jay because of this. Mia was feeling lightheaded, herself, and was having trouble keeping herself awake.

Everyone rested for the night, knowing they should rest while they still could. Mia woke up screaming for Nya to stop whatever she was doing, only to open her eyes and actually see the horror in reality. The others were waking up as Mia got to get feet, rushing to the window as Jay sat up, conscious again now that the water was successfully pulled from his lungs. He and all the others looked on in awe and fear at the sight of Nya now being made of water, having become one with the sea.

Now fused with the ocean, Nya went after Wojira and all the ninja followed as best they could. They watched in awe and horror at the fight they commenced. Accidentally distracting Nya made Kaalmar and Wojira land a hit so bad it cost Nya her watery physical form, only for her to return as a dragon made of water while the ninja fought both Wojira and the Merlopians. Nya focused her fight on Wojira while the ninja fought off the Merlopians, even with Mia and Jay in bad shape. There wasn't a better option.

Benthomar fought Kaalmar and Nya destroyed the only thing showing Kaalmar to control Wojira. This led to Wojira swallowing Kaalmar, much to Mia’s excitement, making Wojira the only real enemy now.

Nya finally managed to defeat Wojira by removing the amulets from her head again, sending Wojira back to sleep and exploding.

When Nya rejoined the ninja on top of a building, it was clear that her mind had been warped from being made of water for too long. She told the ninja farewell and there was nothing they could do to stop her from jumping back into the sea and swimming away, saying she was one with the sea. As she left, so did the water that had flooded Ninjago, making the water retreat to the sea and leaving the land dry once more.

The ninja had a funeral back at the monastery a little while later, using cups of water instead of soil. Just because Nya wasn't entirely dead didn't mean it didn't feel like they had lost her. Everyone around Ninjago came to pay their respects, grateful for Nya having literally saved the world through her sacrifice. She may have lost herself, but she would always be one of the ninja.

This wasn't the first time one of the ninja was considered dead or lost, but this was still different. With Nya’s absence everything had changed.

Chapter Text

Over the course of a year, so much changed in Ninjago.

Benthomar returned to the sea, now king of Merlopia and continuing the search for Nya. The rest of the ninja were depressed at Nya’s loss, leading to focus on other things and the rise of “new ninja” who decided to pick up the slack of keeping Ninjago safe. The new ninja didn't have any powers, just training and confidence and they were doing a decent job all things considered. They only had to deal with small-time crimes, though. The real ninja had taken care of all the big time criminals already.

Lloyd was the first of the real ninja to fall apart with Nya gone. He got a job as a window washer, trying to distance himself from being the green ninja, not wanting to be responsible for anyone since he felt responsible for Nya being gone even though there was nothing he could do about it. He began distancing himself from everyone but Mia only a week after Nya was gone.

Mia didn't try to force him back into the green ninja role. He had been through so much already and deserved a break. She just held him and comforted him when he let her, the two staying in a little apartment Mia paid for through her music career.

During the day while Lloyd worked Mia focused on her music, creating new songs for the public, many of which were in honor of Nya. When she could, she also kept an eye on the ninja to see how everyone was doing.

Misako and Wu focused on research, trying to find a way to get Nya back. Kai created a self defense class focused on no mercy, which was weird but also kind of understandable. Zane turned off his emotions, literally, and was a downer. Jay was hiding out at Dr Julian's old lighthouse prison. He grew a beard, painted pictures of Nya, and went a little crazy while talking to glasses of water as if he was talking directly to Nya. Cole was the only one still thinking clearly and tried to gather the team to investigate a vengestone smuggling thing.

Mia appreciated Cole’s attempts, and did her best to help, though she was feeling a little nauseous. On the anniversary of Nya’s sacrifice the people of Ninjago set out water lanterns in her honor, which floated toward the ninja who were gathered at Dr Julian's old prison. This helped convince Jay, Kai, Zane, and Lloyd to help Cole with the vengestone investigation. Mia even managed to convince Lloyd that Nya wouldn't want him to quit being a ninja or helping people, which helped improve his mood. Jay ripped his beard out, which looked painful and unnecessary since he could have just shaved, but okay.

The ninja headed back to the monastery to strategize but Jay was still a downer, pointing out that the ninja were never truly a team until Nya was with them, which was the reason Kai became a ninja in the first place. Without Nya they weren't really a team. However, Jay did manage to come up with a helpful idea about the vengestone being smuggled through abandoned subway tunnels.

They found some vengestone provided by a dealer while in the subway, but Misdemeanor and her crew showed up. Because of the vengestone Mia was the only one with access to her power during the fight. At least the rest of the ninja had weapons they could use while also dodging Misdemeanor’s flamethrower attacks. The fight also revealed that due to the year without Nya, the ninja were out of sync with each other and thus had some difficulty during the fight. Mia did her best to pick up the boys’ slack.

Then the new ninja showed up to crash the party and stole the real ninja’s thunder. The real ninja were not happy about the new ninja now, which Mia kinda agreed with. These new ninja had picked up the slack, which she appreciated, but now that the real ninja were trying to do their job the new ninja were in the way.

The fact that the new ninja were supported by the mayor and were acting like they were superior to the real ninja was also irritating. If they weren't as self centered and bragging so much Mia might have been less bothered by them. She was also a little bothered by the fact that the supposed leader of the new ninja was technically wearing Mia’s color, though it could be argued that he was wearing turquoise while she was teal. The color shading was still too close for Mia’s comfort. At least the rest of the new ninja wore different colors than the real ninja, of which Mia was now a part of… Mia didn't like this new upstart having a color so close to hers, okay? She liked rotating between teal and turquoise depending on the outfit. It was her color(s)!

The real ninja headed back to the monastery to regroup, complaining about the behavior of the new ninja and feeling replaced by them. Jay and Kai started fighting, Mia snacking on some cheesy chips, and that was when Nya actually appeared. She was coming out of one of Jay’s spilled cups of water, talking about needing to drain her powers away before she loses shape. Zane quickly froze her to keep her in one piece, but she couldn't say more in that state.

It was determined that Nya had figured out the solution to get her back to normal: her power needed to be taken away. Vengestone wouldn't do the trick. The only times anyone had lost their powers otherwise was from Chen’s staff and his crystals, as well as Aspheera taking Kai’s power with her staff.

Chen was gone along with his staff and the crystals in the cave on his island had been altered to be used. Mia wasn't sure how to do that, which is why she wasn't as bothered by the decision the boys came up with. They would get Aspheera to remove Nya’s powers, hopefully saving Nya in the process. Wu refused to help at the decision to use Aspheera, which made Mia roll her eyes.

Mia, PIXAL, and Zane stayed at the base to keep Nya from thawing while the others went to ask the mayor for permission to let Aspheera out long enough to help. The mayor refused, so Lloyd came up with the brilliant idea to break Aspheera out of jail and stealing her staff. Mia face palmed at the decision, but didn't argue against it. She just ate some potato chips.

Lloyd called Skylor to come help PIXAL keep Nya frozen while the rest of the ninja focused on getting Aspheera and her staff to Nya.

The ninja split into two teams: Lloyd, Kai, and Zane went after Aspheera while Jay, Cole, and Mia went after the staff.

The boys forgot the bypass code but Mia didn't need it. She just moved the elevator to the correct floor. They got into the vault only to find it empty. Mia kicked a wall in frustration and annoyance. The three headed back to the base to find the others had managed to free Aspheera who was slithering around in both curiosity and boredom. She had agreed to take Nya’s powers at least, but still required her staff to do so.

PIXAL called Cyrus Borg to ask where Aspheera’s staff had been moved to and he was very helpful. Mia was eating pickles. Why he couldn't just send them the staff, Mia didn't understand. Why was the mayor suddenly in charge of such artifacts while the ninja had entrusted Borg with the stuff? It didn't make sense. Anyway…

Mia and PIXAL worked with the MiniPix to create new vehicles. Although Mia had helped PIXAL build the MiniPixes, she still thought of them as PIXAL and Zane’s children.

The boys took the vehicles to go after Aspheera's staff while Mia stayed at the base with the girls and Wu to keep Nya from thawing. Mia also snacked on some caramel popcorn during the wait. Aspheera got bored and forced Wu into sparring with her to pass the time. Wu claimed he was letting her beat him, but Mia wasn't completely sure he was telling the truth. Aspheera was a skilled warrior and Mia needed more popcorn.

Skylor was draining her energy by keeping Nya frozen, which was not good. Mia and PIXAL did everything they could to keep the area around Nya cold to help keep her frozen, but over time the ice kept melting. Mia was getting tired keeping the fans and cooling machines working at their highest level without overheating. This is why Mia was pleased to see the guys came back with the staff, but they unfortunately had an angry tail following them. Apparently they had been caught during the theft and identified, so the police and mayor were now after them. Not good.

Aspheera attacked the ninja as soon as she had her staff, but with the police right outside the base she remained cornered. Aspheera was forced to take Nya's powers, as promised, in return for the ninja letting her escape. Nya returned to her flesh and blood self but without her powers just before the ninja were arrested, which kept the police and new ninja distracted long enough for Aspheera to escape out the secret exit.

Mia noticed how the boys were happy to be arrested just to see Nya okay and safe at home, though she was asleep. As soon as the guys were taken away, Nya woke up. Mia and PIXAL looked her over and ensured she was okay while they brought her up to speed on everything that happened.

Dareth was the ninja’s lawyer, just like back in season six, and still couldn't keep the ninja out of jail. The judge sentenced the ninja to five years in kryptarium prison for freeing Aspheera and stealing her staff, saying that it was only because of all the good things the ninja had done for Ninjago previously that kept the sentence from being life in prison. Mia still thought the situation was unfair.

Mia snuck into kryptarium prison, cloaking herself invisible on the way and trying not to barf at some of the smells on the way, to check up on the guys. She arrived in the boys’ cell in time to overhear Lloyd deciding that they would be on their best behavior until Dareth could get them out legally. Mia decided to stay in the cell with the boys to be a constant contact between them and the others, sending PIXAL mental updates. Mia slept on top of Lloyd, who just held her without questioning why she wasn't making herself visible. Lloyd didn't stink like some of the other prisoners Mia had passed on her way in, so she kept her face tucked close to him to keep the stinky smells away. Plus Lloyd was a comfortable pillow and didn't seem bothered.

Mia stayed invisible the next morning, fighting nausea at the smell of the prison food, and followed the guys as they were let out into the yard for exercise where they found Ronin. Mia held onto Lloyd’s sleeve to let him know of her presence, which seemed to reassure him. A guard came with a message for Lloyd about a visitor. Lloyd assumed the visitor must be Dareth or Wu with news, so he whispered for Mia to stay with the guys and keep them out of trouble. Mia wanted vinegar chips.

When Lloyd rejoined the ninja back in the cell later, Mia decided she should have gone with Lloyd instead. Turns out the mysterious visitor was someone working against Ninjago, doing the bidding of some “crystal king” and was there to threaten Lloyd. Mia was not pleased at this turn of events. Clearly, this was a new season and had a new villain the ninja would need to face. Being in jail would hinder their success, so getting the ninja out of jail as soon as possible was the best solution.

Dareth arrived the next day with a poor strategy to get the ninja out. A mistrial wouldn't have worked. Vangelis, aka the skull sorcerer, had also been broken out of jail recently, somehow. That wasn't a good sign. Turns out Nya was taking the ninja being in jail hard alongside missing her powers. Lloyd asked Mia to go check on Nya for them.

Mia found Nya and PIXAL, alongside the MiniPix, working on a new Samurai X suit back at the base. Mia did her best to comfort the girls and let them know the guys were doing better than expected, which was only a little helpful. Mia ate a steak and fries before she headed back to kryptarium prison to check in on the guys that night only to find Pythor escaping with the help of mechanical crystal spiders.

The sight of the spiders triggered something in Mia's brain, making Harumi’s spider lullaby play out in her mind: “spider’s in the house, sleep, sleep. The mouse bit the mouse, sleep deep. Don't wake up or else you'll find the spider in your mouth…”

Mia shook her head to clear out the song, which made her a little nauseous, and focused on the issue at hand. Mia tried to help but the ninja got busted for trying to escape even though they were just trying to prevent Pythor from escaping. Mia almost stopped Pythor’s escape helicopter but Kai accidentally setting a tower on fire distracted her and Pythor got away.

Mia let PIXAL know of the update and PIXAL replied that they had a new plan to free the ninja.

The next morning the ninja were forced onto a bus to do work detail. Mia sat on top of the bus, keeping an eye out, snacking on gummy worms and trying to keep the occasional nausea down by keeping an eye on the road. Dareth showed up in disguise with a truck while Nya showed up in the new samurai x suit to set the guys free. Without her powers, Nya was going back to being a samurai, apparently. Mia helped with the prison break, though she kept herself invisible just in case.

The guys got into the back of Dareth’s truck while Mia sabotaged the prison bus so the officers couldn't follow. FugiDove stowed away with the ninja, since he was also on the bus at the time, and seemed to have a weird fascination with Jay. A police chopper tried to follow Dareth’s truck but Mia shut down its engine and forced it to the ground without killing anyone inside.

Dareth’s truck died not too long later, having blown a piston, so they had to stop. Mia found that despite the fact she could get the truck to move, it would only be able to inch a few feet before needing to stop and rest, then could repeat the process. It would be too slow, so the team would have to walk from there. PIXAL had packed new ninja suits for the guys in the back of the truck, so the ninja changed into the new uniforms before everyone began walking.

Identifying their current whereabouts, Lloyd determined that Twitchy’s gas station was only a few miles away so everyone should head there. Also, it was probably best for the team to split up into groups, creating tracks in different directions, and this hopefully leading the police astray. Splitting up surely had less chance for all of them to be caught, was his reasoning.

They decided two groups was fine. Mia stayed with Lloyd, Jay, Cole, and FugiDove. As they walked, Mia noticed how FugiDove was more focused on Jay and thus no one but Lloyd seemed to notice Mia’s footsteps in the sand, indicating her presence. Lloyd took her hand in his without much difficulty, despite not being able to see her. Mia grinned at the feel of her and Lloyd’s wedding rings touching as they held hands.

As they walked, it was clear everyone was dehydrating. Mia only had a small canteen of water on her and drank what she could before sneaking some to Lloyd, then Cole who looked ready to pass out and thus didn't question where the water came from. Jay was too distracted by FugiDove and Mia didn't want to reveal herself to the odd criminal yet, so she didn't try to give some to Jay. Cole nearly drank the rest of her canteen, though, so there wasn't much she could offer if she tried. Wearing her cloak was not helping her own dehydration, hence why she nervously kept the last few sips for herself. She was really thirsty, okay?

At last both teams made it to Twitchy's and everyone got as much water to drink as they wished. Mia also grabbed some chocolate and nuts to snack on. FugiDove knew about a supposed “crystal council,” surprisingly, so the team began thinking of a plan and tried to guess who the next criminal to be invited to the counsel might be. Then detective McBrag showed up and it was a scramble to escape. This was exactly why Mia hadn't revealed herself. She sabotaged all but one cop car, which the ninja plus Dareth managed to escape in while FugiDove kept the cops distracted.

The ninja, plus Dareth, made it to the mechanic’s hideout. Mia helped the ninja take down the mechanic, himself, by cutting off his power controls. She didn't reveal herself, though. Lloyd came up with a plan to disguise himself as the mechanic and infiltrate the crystal counsel. A crystal spider arrived not long later, so Lloyd followed it while the rest of the ninja held back the real mechanic. Zane tracked Lloyd while Mia followed a step behind Lloyd as backup. There was no way she was letting him go alone, even if she was feeling a bit nauseated.

The crystal spider led the couple to a secret subway and Mia slipped into the car on Lloyd’s lap. Lloyd wrapped his arms around her to keep her steady as the car moved them at rocket speed to another location with purple crystals and vengestone inanimate soldiers. That wasn't good. Whoever had been collecting the vengestone was building an army out of it, plus the crystals for some reason. Mia was feeling even more nauseous as they climbed out of the car.

Cole warned about the mechanic escaping over Lloyd’s comm just before the comm shut off, indicating Lloyd and Mia would need to get in and out fast. Mia squeezed Lloyd’s hand real quick in reassurance before letting go and staying just behind him. They walked into the counsel room to find Mr F-a robot similar to Mr E-Pythor, former King Vangelis, and Aspheera waiting for the host. The “messenger” showed up with some helpful information and revealed that an imposter was among those gathered. Mia felt a sinking feeling in her gut.

A crystal spider revealed that Lloyd was the imposter, which made Mia angry. She helped Lloyd escape as far as she could before they were surrounded, Mia keeping invisible to prevent focus on herself and thus give them both a better chance at escape in the likely chance they were about to get captured. Lloyd was knocked out just as the messenger revealed herself to be Harumi, alive and well and clearly still twisted in the head.

Mia kept quiet and out of the way of discovery as Harumi locked Lloyd up in the Oni temple, which was now covered in purple crystals.

When Lloyd woke up, Harumi explained her side of what had happened since her supposed “death.” Mia remembered that night. After Garmadon had been defeated, Lloyd had insisted on searching through the rubble to see if Harumi had survived. He needed to know, but her body hadn't been found so he thought he had the answer.

Turns out Harumi had been in Shintaro at the same time the ninja were, but she was working with Vangelis to gather vengestone. Lloyd was clearly frustrated and confused at Harumi's words, arguing that he had searched for her that night, mentioning how he cared about her despite what she did to him. Mia wasn't sure how to feel about the statement, but decided to ignore the rising doubts in her head. Harumi didn't seem to believe him anyway, or she was just being her usual blame-Lloyd-for-everything self.

She at least revealed the plan to break into the monastery to go after the golden weapons of Spinjitsu, so there was that. Mia tried to mentally warn Zane and PIXAL but wasn't sure if her signal was working. She managed to free Lloyd of his chains but without his powers he didn't last as long as he should have against Harumi's minions.

Lloyd was put into a vengestone cage next, which hung over lava.

Lloyd tried to appeal to Harumi's better nature while Mia tried to figure out a safe way to free Lloyd without getting caught, herself, but Harumi didn't seem to have a better side. She riled up Lloyd and revealed she was sending suicide bombing spiders to kill the ninja where they were currently trapped in a tunnel. Lloyd whisper-begged Mia to go save the ninja at the sound of that. Mia obeyed.

Mia went after Harumi's console, fighting Harumi and Mr F’s programming while the two tried to figure out where the sudden virus came from. Harumi was growling and screaming in her usually frustrated was when Mia managed to shut down half the spiders. The other half still managed to explode, though. Mia silently prayed that the ninja were alright.

Harumi tried to convince Lloyd to join her in her stupid mission even though she literally just tried to kill Lloyd’s found family and expressed how much she hates Lloyd. When Harumi revealed she was now going to send more spiders to attack the monastery, Lloyd’s Oni side kicked in from his anger. Mia watched in fascination and horror as Lloyd broke out of the cage and attacked Harumi.

Mia could see Lloyd fighting himself for control, as well. His Oni side wanted to be free but he kept pushing it back down. Mia turned her attention back to trying to stop the spiders while Lloyd and Harumi fought, Harumi asking where Lloyd’s “bitch” was hiding. That made Lloyd even more angry and attack Harumi more forcefully while Mia did her best to focus on the task at hand. It seemed like Harumi was trying to turn Lloyd into his father.

She tried to mentally alert PIXAL of the incoming bomb spiders but PIXAL didn't respond, so she wasn't sure if the message had gone through. Feeling around, Mia couldn't sense anyone on the team exactly Lloyd because he was literally in the same room as her. The vengestone didn't suppress her power, but the crystals might be weakening the signal.

Or she was too late. She didn't want to think like that.

Lloyd was chained up again and the counsel returned with the golden weapons of Spinjitzu. Harumi claimed everyone in the monastery was now dead, but Mia refused to believe that. Mia kept close to Lloyd, trying to figure out a way to get him out of the temple let alone the chains while Harumi kept antagonizing Lloyd’s darkness out while Lloyd kept fighting the Oni side down.

Harumi and her crystal counsel did some sort of ritual with the golden weapons to awaken the crystal king. Turned out it was the Overlord this whole time. He was back again. Mia did not miss him. The Overlord looked more Oni this time with a physical body. Mia wasn't sure if it was a writing choice because of the new writers or if he was always an Oni, but it made sense.

The Overlord taunted Lloyd, who didn't waver in his courage. Mia had to fight to keep the Overlord from sensing her. The Overlord used the crystals to give the counsel and the golden weapons a weird crystal power, making it difficult for Mia to feel connected to what little tech they had on them. That wasn't good. The crystal was literally trying to block Mia’s tech connection, making it more difficult for her to fight them.

The Overlord then zapped more crystals and turned the temple into a floating fortress while the counsel fought over who could kiss up to the Overlord the best. Mia saw potential in their bickering, wondering if there was a way to divide them. She placed a comforting hand on Lloyd and got to work on his chains while the Overlord turned his attention back to Lloyd.

The Overlord gave Lloyd an ultimatum: join Harumi in serving the Overlord or die. Lloyd quipped about ordering off the menu, choosing escape to fight another day just as Mia freed him. After damaging the big crystal to mess with the fortress enough to distract their enemies for a bit, Mia and Lloyd fought their way out of the fortress. The Overlord fixed the fortress while the counsel fought Lloyd, Mia revealing herself in flashes to take the heat off of him and alert him where she was before she cloaked herself again for a better advantage in the fight.

The crystals didn't suppress elemental power, at least. It just covered up tech to make it harder for Mia to control. Away from his chains, Lloyd had access to his powers, which was a great help during the fight. Mia decided that after all this was over she and Lloyd should train to fight more without the use of his powers so he wouldn't be so reliant on them. After losing his powers for a bit back during Hunted, he should know that relying too much on his green energy power could be a problem for when he didn't have access to it. Training both with and without powers was always helpful.

While surrounded, Lloyd tried to warn the counsel of the Overlord being bad news for everyone in Ninjago, not just the ninja. The counsel thought they were safe from the Overlord’s destruction of the rest of Ninjago, so they didn't believe Lloyd’s warning. All five threw their weapons at Lloyd, so Lloyd and Mia jumped up out of the way. The explosion from the weapons knocked out the counsel so Mia and Lloyd could escape. Mia sensed the vengestone crystal soldiers being brought to life, which was not a good feeling.

They made it outside enough to see the fortress was floating hundreds of feet in the air. Mia started prepping her cloak to fly them both down when Harumi showed up and tried to offer Lloyd another chance to join her. Lloyd refused but Harumi held back the approaching counsel with just words. Mia was grateful she was invisible again, and her cloak was almost ready. She squeezed Lloyd’s hand in hers to comfort him while he and Harumi argued.

Mia tapped Lloyd’s shoulder to let him know she was ready, so Lloyd grabbed Harumi and pulled her off the side of the fortress with him. Mia jumped after them, using her cloak to fly and reached Lloyd quickly. She slowed his fall and Lloyd held onto Harumi's arm to keep her from falling too quickly as well. Mia dropped them into the river and kept a close eye on the two. She wasn't sure what Lloyd was up to in bringing Harumi, but she would support Lloyd in whatever he was trying to do. She trusted him.

Harumi was knocked out when they hit the water, so Lloyd had to keep her afloat and swim to shore. Mia helped, hovering over the water until she helped pull them up into dry land. Lloyd took Harumi's sword, disarming her, before she woke up, which was a good idea.

“What's the plan?” Mia whispered, still cloaked.

“The Overlord likes her,” Lloyd explained. “She's the closest thing to a shield we have right now. Not to mention she's a criminal. Stay hidden so she doesn't know you're here, but make sure she doesn't escape. She's our ticket out of here. We'll figure this out.”

Mia nodded just as Harumi woke up. Mia focused on making sure Lloyd’s tracker was working and tried to reach out to PIXAL or Zane. She was relieved to finally sense them again, though they were a far way off. It was at least something. Harumi tried to play more mind games as Lloyd made her keep walking. Mia followed close behind.

Harumi tried to convince Lloyd that she and he could be together, momentarily making Mia doubt her place as Lloyd’s chosen partner, but Lloyd quickly told Harumi no. Harumi tried to escape but ended up getting herself and Lloyd stuck in quick sand but Mia pulled him out quickly but while getting Harumi out Harumi ended up on top of Lloyd. Mia was not amused.

Lloyd threw Harumi off of him and tried to tie her up but Harumi attacked again. Together Lloyd and Mia managed to successfully tie her hands and keep moving. The crystal counsel nearly spotted them, though. Harumi was not a quiet prisoner, though and led the crystal counsel right to them. Mia helped Lloyd fight his way to The Bounty where the rest of the ninja showed up just in time for a perfect rescue. Mia and Lloyd were both relieved at the sight.

Mia helped Lloyd reach the ship and Nya helped pull them both aboard, Mia finally uncloaking herself among friends even though enemies still surrounded The Bounty. Zane and Nya chased off the counsel, but one look at the Overlord's flying fortress made Wu call off the rest of the ninja from beginning the rest of the attack. Lloyd glared at Harumi over the side of The Bounty as the ship took off.

Mia turned her attention back to ensuring the ship was flying smoothly and locating the rest of the ninja nearby. She also searched the ship for some more chips.

She sensed the guys driving directly toward the fortress, which Mia was worried about. Zane updated Mia on the new information. The fortress was firing down the crystal warriors to attack the people of Ninjago. The vengestone protected the warriors from elemental powers and the crystals turned people into crystal zombies. Not a good development. Mia was worried.

Lloyd, Nya, Wu, and Mia checked on the news to find Gale Gossip reporting about the ninja fighting the crystal army and crystal fortress despite being wanted fugitives. Mia thought the news reel was good publicity for the guys and hopefully would turn the people of Ninjago back in their favor. Hopefully everything will work out. Plus the popcorn she found was a great snack to watch the news to.

The four discussed how it was possible for the Overlord to return. Wu explained how the Overlord is the embodiment of evil, not just an Oni, and so can never be permanently destroyed. So long as anger, hatred, and conflict exists, the Overlord will return and good will need to rise up to stop him. The battle will never truly be over until the end of time. Mia had a feeling that since Ninjago was originally just supposed to be two seasons and the “final battle” occurred then, that it was the fault of the new writers that the Overlord could return. Thanks writers. Mia is soooo happy with this outcome.

This meant that Lloyd defeating the Overlord as the Ultimate Spinjitzu Master and later Zane sacrificing himself to defeat him only sent him back into darkness for a while. However, every enemy and attack the ninja have had to face since revived the Overlord, making him return sooner than he should. The Overlord should have had to wait several generations before returning again, but Ninjago was never as peaceful as it could be and it led to the Overlord's return. Great. Just great.

Wu then revealed that someone had been anonymously sending him news clippings about the big enemies and big fights the ninja had fought. Even petty crimes like thefts and vandalism were included. Apparently it was a warning about the Overlord's soon return and Wu hadn't figured it out until now.

Lloyd suggested that whoever figured out this was coming might know a way to defeat the Overlord this time, but there wasn't a return address. Luckily, the clippings had a delivery code on them, which meant they were going to need to talk to Little Nelson and the newspaper delivery kids. Turns out these particular clippings were from Nelson’s route and he gave the address to Lloyd without a problem. Mia loved these kids. She gave each of them a chocolate bar as a thank you, eating a bar of chocolate herself while Lloyd gave her a confused but amused smile.

Turns out the clippings came from Vinny’s apartment; the news camera guy. Lloyd, Mia, and Wu decided to follow up on the lead while the rest of the team fought the crystal army. When the three knocked on Vinny’s apartment it was Garmadon who opened the door. Apparently he was expecting the pizza delivery man, but still hadn't gotten his pizza yet. No one was amused but Mia now wanted pizza.

Turns out that ever since Garmadon left after the March of the Oni, Vinny had been letting Garmadon live with him and was teaching Garmadon how to be good. Garmadon was doing better now that he had plants to take care of. Mia was impressed by Vinny’s patience, sure that she wouldn't have had the patience to do the same. Also, she needed to use the bathroom. She excused herself from the conversation and found the bathroom.

While washing her hands she noticed she was looking a little bloated according to the mirror. That was odd. She wasn't on her period. Though, come to think of it, her period might be late. Thinking it over, she had been snacking a lot more as well and some smells seemed more bothersome or appealing than normal, right? Plus she had been feeling on and off nausea for the past two weeks. Put together the symptoms painted a particular picture.

Just to be sure, Mia used her tech to scan her body. Although it was only 82% sure, the scan confirmed her hunch. She wasn't bloated, she was pregnant.
The news stunned her.
She'd like to double check with an actual pregnancy test later, but for now she was inclined to believe her findings.

Thinking it over, she was excited but also worried. Should she even be fighting like this? The Overlord is literally rampaging Ninjago right now. She has a job to do, but pregnancy changed everything right? She knew with pregnancy you were allowed to exercise so long as it was the same kind you had been prior to pregnancy, just bring careful not to hurt yourself or the baby. Surely this situation fell under that, right? She'd be fine to continue helping?

What was she going to tell Lloyd? Would he be happy? Excited? Scared? Would he be mad? Surely not, right? They had talked about wanting kids one day. They just hadn't accounted for getting pregnant while having to fight the Overlord. This was going to stress Lloyd out, wasn't it? Oh no. Lloyd was gonna be stressed and worried and try to keep Mia out of trouble and thus be distracted and it would get him hurt and the Overlord would win and Ninjago die making the world end and-

Wu knocked on the door, asking Mia if she was okay.

“I'm fine,” Mia replied, trying to sound reassuring, before looking back at herself in the mirror.

It was probably best to wait to say anything. Lloyd needed to focus and he probably wouldn't be able to if she said anything now. She'd wait until a better moment arrived, probably after the Overlord is defeated, to say anything. Yeah. That was a good plan. Keeping it a secret for a little while wouldn't hurt anyone.

Taking a deep breath to calm herself, Mia nodded at her reflection and excited the bathroom. Lloyd and Garmadon were arguing. Lloyd was angry about Garmadon running off without a word and being a nuisance. Garmadon had a favorite plant he named Christophern, which was cute. He had even gone down to two arms again, which was an encouraging sight.

The pizza delivery guy finally arrived and Garmadon gave the man a camera instead of cash. He clearly didn't understand money but he clearly had learned manners since he was polite with the delivery man. Lloyd was still angry at his father and skeptical of his behavior, thinking there was no way Garmadon would ever change even though he had been the one to send Wu the news clippings.

Garmadon said he didn't want to help fight anymore, which Mia both appreciated and was confused by. She suspected he would have to fight eventually, whether he wanted to or not. She was pleased that Garmadon let her have a slice of pizza, though. Lloyd was bothered at how Garmadon claimed to see Harumi as a daughter to him, which Mia could understand. Harumi was the worst.

Lloyd was just trying to convince Wu and Mia to leave when the wall was blown apart from one of the crystal fortress’s attacks, which also destroyed the pot of Garmadon's beloved Christophern. Garmadon raged, fighting a lot of crystal warriors without being harmed. This led to Wu deciding Lloyd would need to embrace his Oni side in order to fight the crystal warriors. Lloyd was not pleased.

The three plus Garmadon headed back to the Samurai X cave. They explained the new information to the rest of the team and explained the plan for Garmadon to train Lloyd in harnessing his Oni side. Lloyd wasn't pleased with the plan but still gave it a shot. Garmadon kept trying to rile Lloyd up since anger is supposed to unleash the Oni side but Lloyd kept fighting it so it wasn't working.

Garmadon also mentioned opposites, which gave Wu the idea to look at a dragon power. He began looking into this idea for a dragon form the other ninja could potentially harness, or so he claimed. Mia just watched Lloyd while eating a bag of pretzels she refused to share. On the news it was clear the mayor was being a dumbass and the new ninja became more crystalized zombies.

Lloyd finally tapped into his Oni side with purple glowing power hands when Garmadon mentioned Harumi. Despite the Oni side coming out a little, Lloyd got scared and stuffed it back down. Garmadon chastised him for holding himself back. The whole point of him teaching Lloyd how to harness the Oni power was for Lloyd to use that power.

PIXAL created shielding that boosted the power on the ninja's vehicles. The excited ninja hurried out to use the vehicles on the crystal army. Even with the extra protection, Mia was worried about them. The news showed the ninja and their vehicles doing well, though, and it looked like the citizens were cheering at having the ninja back. That was good. Wu put his golden armor back on. That was something?

Garmadon was being a downer, but honest at least and was carrying around Christophern in a new pot. He accidentally revealed that he metaphorically saw the plant as a reminder of Lloyd and was hoping to seek redemption. Mia grinned at learning this information.

Needing to help, the rest of the team in The Bounty went after the crystal fortress. Despite the new shielding, it was clear the team wasn't making much progress. The Bounty lost the thrusters as Lloyd was yelling at Harumi to stop attacking while Wu went to face the Overlord alone. Mia thought that was a stupid decision, but okay. Wu fell toward the city but used his glider to stop himself from crashing.

The Overlord covered the city in crystal and shot The Bounty, slicing it in half. Mia stayed with Lloyd and Garmadon as they crashed. Nya was on the other side. Mia did her best to ease their fall, but there was only so much she could do. Mia woke up stuck in rubble alongside Lloyd. Garmadon offered help but Lloyd refused. Mia took Garmadon's hand to help her out while Lloyd Spinjitzued his way out.

Lloyd and Garmadon were arguing again when McBrag showed up, intending to arrest Lloyd. Garmadon, Mia and Lloyd escaped down in the sewer. Lloyd saved McBrag from being crystalized and the man stopped chasing the ninja. That was something.

Mia, Lloyd and Garmadon ended up in a serpentine library in the sewer, but Lloyd was upset to see no one else there. Garmadon insisted that the Oni form was the only way to succeed but Lloyd refused, confessing he was scared of becoming like his father. His fear came from not caring about others more than the Oni physical appearance, though. Lloyd was still mad at Garmadon and said some hurtful things. The metaphor of the plant being a stand in for Lloyd came up again, which Mia found interesting.

Mia tried to comfort Garmadon a little. She was thrilled to see how much Garmadon had grown and was a little excited at the idea of Garmadon becoming good grandfather material. Mia didn't mention that bit, but Garmadon did seem to perk up a little at Mia treating him with kindness whereas Lloyd and the rest of the ninja only seemed to see the evil in him.

Wu came over the comms, finally connecting all the ninja through communication contact. Turns out Wu, Cole, Kai, Skylor, and several other people were located where “the news never sleeps,” which indicated to the ninja that they were at the newspaper delivery warehouse. PIXAL and Zane were with Borg, trying to fix whatever damage Zane had gotten himself into this time. Jay and Nya were headed to the harbor since Nya’s powers were coming back a little and she was trying to contact Benthomar and the Merlopians for help. Lloyd relayed his, Mia, and Garmadon's status of being in the serpentine library. It was decided that Cole would try to get a message to Shintaro to ask Vanya and her army for help while Lloyd and Mia would continue looking for the Serpentine to help.

Comms off, Garmadon was nitpicking at the plan to keep looking for allies, let alone serpentine. He kept pushing for Lloyd to embrace his Oni side and Lloyd refused. He explained that his human side, needing help from allies, and showing compassion were not weakness like Garmadon thought. Garmadon was confused by the word compassion, but after Lloyd said it meant caring he seemed to understand better. Garmadon tried to explain he was learning compassion but Lloyd claimed Oni were incapable of caring.

“I need to stop you right there,” Mia spoke up, gaining both father and son’s attention. “Oni can learn compassion, or did you forget about Mistaké? She was 100% Oni and she sacrificed herself to save Ninjago. Garmadon, Wu, and Dragoni himself are all part Oni. You are part Oni. Garmadon is just more in touch with his Oni side, but that never stopped him from caring about you back before and after you defeated the Overlord the first two times. You know that.”

She pointed at the version of Garmadon next to her, “he may not have all his memories and be closer to his Oni side than ever before but that doesn't mean he's just evil. He is learning and he is doing better. He's not perfect but he does care. He just doesn't know how to show it. HE IS LEARNING. Oni are not just heartless. They can learn compassion. They just need the opportunity.”

Lloyd pouted with his arms crossed over his chest and grumbled while Garmadon looked confused.

“Drug-oni?” He asked.

“Dragoni,” Mia corrected. “It's the nickname I gave your dad centuries ago.”

Garmadon still looked confused and Lloyd was grumbling to himself while writing a message for the Serpentine on a chalkboard. Lloyd heard something and ran to check it out. Garmadon set down Christophern, but Mia picked the plant up and carried it after father and son. The three found crystalized serpentine and both father and son rushed in to fight them.

Lloyd tried to prevent Garmadon from hurting the Serpentine but was surprised to see his father merely put the infected serpentine into a barrel. Mia could see Lloyd starting to doubt his initial belief that Garmadon was now incapable of caring, but refused to acknowledge Mia’s knowing grin.

Garmadon was quiet and Lloyd finally noticed that Garmadon didn't have Christophern with him anymore. Father and son talked. Lloyd somewhat apologized, or at least took back his earlier words. Garmadon asked Lloyd if he really thought Oni could learn to care.

Lloyd said “maybe,” but Mia coughed “Mistaké” and gave him an annoyed look. Lloyd amended his statement bl by saying, “fine, I guess they can.”

Mia nodded her approval and Lloyd looked relieved, giving his wife a small grin. Lloyd mentioned they should backtrack to get the plant, but Mia held out Christophern to Garmadon who grinned excitedly at seeing the little plant. Lloyd blinked in surprise as Garmadon actually told her “thank you,” but Mia just told Garmadon “you are very welcome.”

Wu checked in on comms again, asking for status reports. Everyone called in saying they left messages but there was no way to tell if the message got through. This meant there was no guarantee of ally reinforcements. With this in mind, everyone headed back to the newspaper warehouse.

The ninja team arrived at the paper warehouse all at the same time, which was cool. There were warm hugs all around, but only Mia gave Garmadon a hug to not leave him out. Garmadon was clearly confused by the hug, but didn't push her away. Turns out Ronin and some of the criminals were on the ninja's side, so that was something. Weird, but something.

Wu brought everyone inside and showed them a scroll from Quanish the Elder. Garmadon's immediate response to the name was “Quanish was a fool” and Wu agreed.

“Who's Quamish?” Mia asked the two old guys, “I don't remember him.”

“He was an old lunatic who supposedly could see the future,” Wu explained. “Garmadon and I met him once as boys, shortly before you arrived. We never saw him again.”

“Weird,” Mia decided with a shrug, silently wondering if Quanish had been from the Cloud Kingdom or was gifted. Perhaps Mia’s new occasional foresight ability from her own burnt scroll had any resemblance to this Quanish and his own foresight. That would be interesting.

Wu explained the scroll was written in gibberish and thus couldn't be translated, though it did have pictures that he was using as a guide. He pointed out how the images showed a person jumping up, kicking, back, whipping around, and spinning. As soon as he finished speaking, Mia squealed and jumped around excitedly in a circle, making everyone else stare at her in confusion.

“Jump up, kick back, whip around and spin!” She sang, then excitedly explained, “ That's literally the theme song! Not just that. That's the OG theme song! This is awesome! I am loving the writers right now!”

The others shrugged but the ninja looked amused. Mia began singing the theme song as Kai, Jay, Cole, Zane, and Lloyd tried the moves. The guys weren't having much success with the dragon form but the people around seemed to be enjoying the song. The ninja tried a couple times but didn't succeed. Out of frustration, Wu threw down the scroll and walked off. Nelson noticed the paper folding as it fell and pointed it out. Cole and Lloyd folded it, then gave it to Wu.

Turns out the writing wasn't gibberish after all. It has been written in the old tongue, the original Ninjago language Dragoni started teaching Mia when she first arrived, but was written on the folded areas so you had to fold it to read it. Mia laughed at the discovery, but quieted down to hear Wu read it.

“Only if the allies unite through a selfless act, will main and might prevail the light, and dragon take flight.”

“Definitely a prophecy,” Mia muttered to herself.

Borg called in on the radio to warn that the crystal fortress and crystal army were headed their way. Somehow the Overlord had discovered their location. The ninja decided they needed to get all the people out of the warehouse for safety. Garmadon volunteered to distract the Overlord and thus give the ninja time to get the people out. Lloyd volunteered to go with him. Mia volunteered as well, and Lloyd gave her a nod in response.

The other ninja wanted to help too but Wu decided that the ninja needed to keep the Overlord's attention on them while Garmadon, Lloyd and Mia would attack from behind. That was a decent plan, Mia decided.

Lloyd got a mech updated to withstand the radiation from the crystals while Garmadon was pouting about Lloyd and not being wished good luck like the others. Lloyd quipped back about “not being used to having you on the team” while Mia rolled her eyes and climbed into the mech with Lloyd. Garmadon revealed that he didn't like the fact he wasn't trusted and Mia quickly told him that she trusted him.

Garmadon asked Lloyd if he trusted him and Lloyd complained about the timing of the question, since they were literally about to fight the Overlord at what may be the end of the world. Garmadon told Lloyd he was stalling to answer and Lloyd eventually admitted that he trusted Garmadon a little bit. Father and son argued over the details until Lloyd pushed the button on the mech and they made their way to the flying crystal fortress. Garmadon transformed and was close behind.

Garmadon shot the Overlord from behind and the three joined the fight. The Overlord transformed into a crystal mech somewhat resembling a centaur while Lloyd tried to convince Harumi to choose the side of good. Harumi, of course, refused. Mia wasn't sure why Lloyd kept trying, but this was not the time to ask. She focused on keeping the mech working during the fight. The Overlord damaged the mech, though, and nearly killed them. Mia managed to keep both Lloyd and herself alive and from completely falling off the fortress, Garmadon running over to help, but it was a close thing. Mia, Lloyd, and Garmadon fought together against the Overlord while Harumi watched.

Mia heard a dragon roar and looked below to see the allies arriving to help. Vanya and her Shintaro warriors, Benthomar and the Merlopians, Scales and the Serpentine, Unagami and various characters from Prime Empire, the Keepers, the elemental masters, the ninja’s parents, and even various local citizens the ninja had met at one point or another; everyone had come to help!

Mia watched as Kai, Jay, Zane, and Cole attempted the actions on the scroll, turning golden in the process. A golden blast from their transformation pushed back the crystal counsel and Mia felt an odd sensation flow through her that she did her best to ignore as she watched on. She was amazed to see the ninja now had golden dragon wings that allowed them to fly. This dragon form protected the ninja against the crystal, allowing them to attack the crystal counsel and army without fear of being turned into zombies.

As Mia watched, the sensation grew stronger, making her groan a little and clutch at her heart. It didn't hurt, but did feel like an unusual pressure that wanted out. She could feel a scream building up in her throat. Looking up at Garmadon and Lloyd still fighting the Overlord, Mia called on her power as she jumped up, kicking back to push herself off the ground, and whipped around to spin into Spinjitzu toward the Overlord. She let out a scream as she struck the Overlord in the face, successfully pushing him back a bit, and felt more powerful than she ever had before while Lloyd gasped in surprise.

Mia gave herself a quick glance and was surprised to see she was glowing turquoise. Her armored suit had transformed into metallic dragon scaled armor, with her cloak falling around her waist to act as an overskirt on the backside of her pants. Turquoise drain scaled horns grew from her head and her hair had turned from dark brunette to turquoise. Her hands and feet were also glowing turquoise and had dragon scales for skin and claws for nails. A dragon tail grew from her tailbone and swished under her overskirt. The only thing she hadn't noticed yet was wings, though the turquoise light around her seemed to be forming into the right shape.

Having completed a quick look at her own dragon form, Mia jumped back into the fight just as Lloyd and Garmadon were electrocuted. The Overlord tried to electrocute Mia as well, which hurt but didn't stop Mia from fighting him. The Overlord began monologuing as he and Mia wrestled, during which the Overlord revealed that he had created the Great Devourer, which started the first issue with biting Garmadon in the beginning.

Leaning this, Harumi attacked the Overlord, saving Garmadon in the process and now officially on the ninja's side. That was interesting. Lloyd, Garmadon, Mia, and Harumi now fighting the Overlord together, Mia felt a shift in her power. She could sense everyone below better than before. She felt it as Kai, Cole, Jay, and Zane reclaimed and repowered the golden weapons of Spinjitzu, which made Mia feel even more power flowing through her. In only a moment she realized what the Overlord was really trying to do: he was trying to corrupt the powers of creation and thus doom all of Ninjago. Mia refused to let that happen.

Lloyd saved Garmadon from being crushed, but Garmadon faked being hurt. In just a glance Mia could tell he was faking, though Lloyd obviously believed it for some reason. Lloyd gave into his Oni side, thinking Garmadon was severely injured, and fought the Overlord in a righteous fury.

It wasn't until he caught sight of his own reflection that he fought off the Oni side and got back to fighting normally.

The Overlord pushed him over the edge of the fortress as Mia sensed the ninja below uniting the weapons of Spinjitzu, which destroyed the weapons but unleashed immense power directly at Lloyd. The power hit Lloyd in the chest and a golden ultra dragon formed, which Lloyd flew back up to fight the Overlord and rejoined the fight with this dragon form as the Golden Ultimate Spinjitzu Master once again.

It made sense since the ninja were his four protectors and had to give their power to Lloyd last time to defeat the Overlord. Together Lloyd and Mia vanquished the Overlord. Lloyd hugged and kissed Mia, then turned his attention to getting Harumi and Garmadon off the fortress before it collapsed. Lloyd was upset to discover Garmadon had been faking that he had been dying, but Mia made him focus on the task at hand. Together the four got onto the golden ultra dragon and flew down to join the others below as the fortress exploded.

Lloyd landed the dragon on the rooftop the guys were on. The ninja hugged Lloyd and Mia, marveling at Mia's transformation and Lloyd’s golden dragon but looked skeptical at Harumi. Lloyd told the guys, “it's okay. She's with us,” and Mia reluctantly nodded. Garmadon quipped that he helped more than Harumi but details didn't matter, which made Mia giggle.

Lloyd took Mia's hand in his, lightly squeezing in a sign of comfort. He was probably worried about her feeling out of place again, but Mia just grinned at him. She had reassurance in the ring on her finger, the baby growing inside her, and Lloyd's hand in her own. She knew where she belonged.

Wu, Misako, Nya, PIXAL, and Skylor reached the group at this time. Garmadon was surprised when Wu hugged him, but didn't seem too bothered by it. Misako hugged Lloyd and Mia hugged everyone. The ninja petted the heads of the golden ultra dragon that represented their powers, then the dragon dissolved. Wu said it was the elemental powers returning from where they came, hinting at the ninja no longer having their powers at the moment.

Mia’s dragon form faded from her body as well, returning her to normal. A quick use of her power to sense the tech around her made her hair light up turquoise, though, which turned back to brunette the moment she stopped using her power. That was interesting. She still had her powers, but the ninja had temporarily lost theirs again. Power is never truly lost, so the ninja’s powers would return eventually. Mia could feel it.

A few days of rebuilding later, the ninja were working on rebuilding the monastery. Harumi had managed to blow it up, turns out, but the monastery had been torn down and rebuilt before. There was nothing in it that couldn't be fixed. Dareth and many people from all over Ninjago, including many of the allies, came to help out of gratitude to the ninja for everything they've done. Even Garmadon helped. This helped fix up the monastery faster than Zane originally calculated.

During the build, Mia noticed Garmadon and Lloyd happily working together as she sat down to rest for a minute. Lloyd looked over and looked a little worried when he saw her. He walked over and asked if she was okay. Mia nodded and gently rubbed her belly as Lloyd sat down beside her.

“I'm fine,” she reassured, “though I do have something I've been meaning to tell you.”

“What is it?” Lloyd asked, taking her free hand in his.

Garmadon walked over and asked “are you implying that you are with child?” He grunted while looking down at her belly, which was not yet showing as he added, “I thought that was obvious.”

“What!?” Lloyd asked, looking down at Mia’s belly in astonishment.

Mia nodded with a grin and placed Lloyd’s hand onto her belly. “You're gonna be a father, Lloyd.”

Lloyd made several sounds that might have been part of words before pulling Mia up and spinning her around excitedly, making Mia giggle. This drew the attention of many people, especially as Lloyd set Mia back down carefully and kissed her passionately before announcing “I'm gonna be a father!”

Cheers erupted and many people came up to congratulate Lloyd and Mia on the pregnancy. Several fans were screaming in excitement, but several allies kept the fans from swarming the happy couple. Lloyd had Mia sit down and rest with snacks while Mia expressed her excitement to Misako and Garmadon for becoming grandparents. Both were excited.

Wu came over to sit with her as the work on the monastery continued. They talked about this new beginning for Ninjago, in more ways than one. Looking over at Lloyd working away, looking over at her occasionally to ensure she was still okay, Mia felt warm and happy. Looking down at her belly, rubbing it lightly once more, she was excited for what next was in store.

Chapter Text

Mia's power was different after the pregnancy. She could still control tech, able to control anything made by man or machine, plus some other creatures that weren't man like the Serpentine or Merlopians. That power didn't change, but her prophetic visions did.

The visions became more frequent and prominent shortly after she gave birth to her son Tyler. Tyler was born with a full head of dark hair and only a few hours after his birth did Mia get a vision of herself, Lloyd, and seven children. Five boys and two girls, some blonde like their dad and some brunette like their mom. Each of the children clearly had powers.

At first Mia wanted to write off the vision as just an idea popping into her head while her hair glowed for some reason, but after several more visions appeared it became clear that these were visions and not just fantasies. It was when Mia began having prophetic visions of crimes the ninja would go after that she began writing down notes on what she saw. After a few weeks of this, the ninja began joking that Mia was becoming more of a master of destiny. Her hair glowing turquoise during visions, but stayed a dark brunette when using her tech power or doing anything else, may have played a role in that.

Some visions came to her as just flashes of images or words in Dragoni’s handwriting but in a language he never taught her. Mia wrote down what she could for Wu or Misako to decipher. Wu could read Dragoni’s handwriting better than Misako, so he translated these more often than not.

Time went on and although Ninjago was mostly at peace, there was always a need for the ninja in one way or another. Ninjago had been rebuilt and people were finding a new normal. The ninja regained their powers only a couple weeks after the Overlord was destroyed.

Mia continued her music career as Lovesick Heart, with Lloyd taking care of Tyler while Mia performed. When Lloyd needed to head out to help people, Mia ensured Tyler and the monastery were well taken care of. Misako and Garmadon doted on their grandson, spending as much time with him as they could. Lloyd and Garmadon had repaired their relationship, which made Mia smile. Kai and Cole were the best at taking care of Tyler when Mia and Lloyd had date nights, though each of the ninja spoiled the little guy.

Despite the slight adjustments in her abilities, Mia was happy and content with her life. The best part was falling asleep in Lloyd’s arms and getting to hold her baby each morning.

As Tyler passed his first birthday Mia's visions of Dragoni’s handwriting grew more frequent and Wu became more worried. He didn't explain much, but it was clear he thought something was coming. This worried Mia, as well as Lloyd.

Wu seemed to finally have figured something out one day while he, Lloyd, Mia, and Tyler were in the monastery library. Tyler was napping on a pallet next to Mia on the floor, who was reading when it happened. Wu was reading from one of Mia's just recent Dragoni handwriting prophecies, Lloyd bringing over a box of scrolls, when Wu seemed to panic. He was just mentioning how he was expecting whatever was coming to take longer when the sky split and the ground shook.

Tyler woke up crying. Mia pulled Tyler into her arms, looking at Lloyd with fear in her eyes.

“Stay here,” Lloyd told her, kissing her and then kissing Tyler’s forehead before placing his hand lightly over Mia's flat belly and meeting her eyes again. They had only just found out yesterday that she was pregnant again.

“Look after each other,” he told her. “The others and I will take care of this and be back shortly.”

Mia nodded and watched as he ran out of the room, the newly fixed Bounty taking flight toward the split in the sky. Mia clutched Tyler close to her chest, lightly rocking him to soothe him as he grew restless from the odd light and sounds from outside. At eighteen months he was growing bigger, was talking and walking but still wanted to be held, now especially. Mia had no intention of setting him down for a while.

She was glad she was holding him when the crack in the sky grew brighter because one moment she was standing in the monastery and the next she was waking up on top of a rock with Tyler on her chest, clinging to her with all his might. Looking around, she identified that she and Tyler were back at the Golden Temple on the Dark Island. A quick look around confirmed that she and her baby are otherwise alone.

What happened? Mia wasn't sure but she was going to find out. Her hair glowed turquoise as she sat Lloyd waking up alone at the monastery, looking around in panic. The vision faded, her hair returning to a dark brunette, and she began looking over what materials she had with her.

She was only wearing a loose sea green dress, a green ribbon holding her hair back, and soft slippers on her feet. Her cloak had been in her and Lloyd’s room that morning, she recalled. She didn't have any of the comms on her or anything else useful she could sense nearby. Tyler was just in a small green shirt and pants. They didn't have any food or water on them, either. They were low on resources and it was not good.

Without a better solution, Mia held Tyler close and began walking. She'd find something helpful to get a message to Lloyd on her way back to the monastery. She was sure of it. Randomly teleporting across the planet was nothing. If she could get back get back to Garmadon's old camp by nightfall she should be able to find food and water without issue and hopefully make a way back to Ninjago within two days.

How hard could it be?