#past selves

[M/n] and Wu were standing back against the wall, Wu giving out instructions, “Your new body is a fighting instrument. Listen to it."

The four moved in sync, attacking one after the other. Lloyd twisted out of their reach, stumbling slightly before correcting his stance to throw Cole and Jay around. He, unfortunately, overextended several times, but managed to correct himself as needed – a good start. 

Zane threw his, dulled, practice, shurikens at Lloyd, the young man bending backwards to avoid them, only for the shurikens to pass over him and slam into the watermelon Nya was holding. She gasped, turning a steely gaze on Zane, who winced, quickly apologizing. 

Joining Wu and [M/n] by the wall, she leaned back against it, “Seems he’s learning faster, now that he’s grown.”

“But will it be enough to challenge Lord Garmadon? Only time will tell,” Sensei mused, voice lowered. 

Kai drew his practice sword after Lloyd threw Zane into the other two, knocking the three out of the fight. Swinging the blade downwards, Lloyd managed to catch it between his palms, struggling to keep it still. He stepped back, lowering the blade to chest level as Kai began to push forward. Beginning to summon his energy, Lloyd began pushing back until Kai yanked it out of his grip, Lloyd losing his balance. Alarmed, he barely managed to catch himself with his hands, grunting at the impact. 

Taking the given opportunity, Kai pressed the flat of the sword against Lloyd’s throat in demonstration, “Hahaha, you're getting pretty good, but that move you fell for was basic 101." Kai pulled the blade away, offering Lloyd a hand. 

“Yeah, if I had focused more when I was little, I would've seen that coming," Lloyd admitted, laughing at himself. Kai patted him on the back.

“We cannot change the past, but we can improve for the future. Again, and this time, do not hold back," Wu ordered, but before they could begin, Zane straightened eyes glowing brighter.

“The Falcon has returned . . . with troubling news. We must go to the Bridge, I worry about the news they have brought back,” Zane said, turning to leave the room. 

As Lloyd passed [M/n], he was gently patted on the shoulder, “You’re getting better. “

Lloyd grinned, head ducking slightly, “Thanks, [M/n].”

The group headed up to the Bridge, Zane pausing on the deck to allow the Falcon to land on his arm, carrying him up the rest of the way. Inside, he plugged the Falcon up to show what he had seen. “What did you see, my mechanical-feathered friend?"

The screen changed, the Falcon flying over Ourobourus, showing the Serpentine working at building vehicles and weapons.

“That’s the Lost City of Ourobourus,” Nya realized. 

“Why did Garmadon return to the Serpentine? Why did they let him?” Kai asked, pointing out Lord Garmadon standing in the center of the city, barking out orders. 

“They’re preparing for the Final Battle. Nya, change course. We’ll head straight for them,” Wu ordered, eyes flashing gold. [M/n] was silent, incredibly calm. 

He knew this was not the Final Battle, knew deep in his soul that this was just one of many clashes they would continue to have. 

While the others steeled themselves, sharpened their weapons for, what they perceived as, the Final Battle, [M/n] was calmly preparing himself for a simple clash. Lloyd noticed, as he always did, how calm [M/n] was - even as he loaded multiple knives into the numerous sheaths across his entire body. 

As he helped adjust the buckles of the Green GI, that now properly fit him, [M/n] murmured, “Αυτό δεν είναι το τελευταίο.” Even without understanding the language, Lloyd had this intrinsic feeling of what he was being told and felt his shoulders drop in relief. He watched [M/n] check the blades of his Golden Tessens, cleaning the golden iron before sheathing them at his waist, tucking his backup pair into the sheath behind the Golden Weapons. Lloyd could not help but admire [M/n], but was quick to shake the thought from his mind, focusing on his own weapons. (This is not the last.)

The Bounty arrived in the late afternoon as the sun began to set, the sky darkening slowly. Leaving the conspicuous ship away from the city before creeping across the sands to slip into the city. They made their way to the Arena, where the Devourer had once burst through but now seemed repaired, finding Lord Garmadon still barking orders at the Serpentine soldiers.

“More firepower! When we attack the ninja, they won't see it coming. Our forces will be so strong, Ninjago will be mine!" 

Having climbed into the stands to give them a better vantage point, Wu was able to leap down onto the armored truck using Spinjitzu, “Ninja go!”

“Brother!” Garmadon snarled, tensing. 

“It is time we finish this, brother!” The five ninja and Nya leapt down, all holding their weapons out. 

“Bring it on fools!” Garmadon shifted his grip on the Mega Weapon, prepared to use it like a blunt weapon. Before he could attack, or signal the Serpentine Soldiers to attack, Lloyd leapt out from the stands behind Garmadon, freezing the Mega Weapon to his fathers hands. Staring at his son, older and clad in the Green GI, Lord Garmadon looked ready to keel over or have a heart attack. “Aargh! Lloyd? Is that you?"

“Yeah. I've grown a little since the last time you saw me, Dad."

Garmadon stepped back, “Stop them!” He fled as the Serpentine attacked. However, there were less than 20 who did so, making it easy for the 8 to knock them all out before chasing after Lord Garmadon. 

They shoved into a chamber outside of the arena, only to find a swirling portal inside that Garmadon disappeared into. Everyone froze, genuinely shocked to see a swirling mass of gold. [M/n] shuddered, feeling the power of the portal in his spine. 

“He used the Mega Weapon again!” Cole yelled, the portal making a strange sound that bounced off the walls, making it difficult to hear. 

“Oh swell. Every time he uses that thing, something really bad happens. Now what?" Jay asked. 

The ground beneath their feet began to shake, sand filling the room except it wasn’t coming from anywhere. 

“What's going on?"

"Is the city sinking?"

[M/n]’s eyes slid closed, “The city is returning to how it once was. Buried beneath the sand as if it had never been found.”

“Uh, what? What does that mean? Is that even possible?” Kai questioned.

“Why is the city sinking?” Nya demanded. Lloyd suddenly stumbled, leg literally giving out beneath him, quickly caught by [M/n]. 

“Garmadon's gone back in time to make it so Lloyd never turns into the Green Ninja," Zane explained.

“[M/n],” Lloyd croaked, eyes wide. “I can’t feel my hands.” When he held them up, his hands seemed to be fading as the warmth in his chest began to burn.

“Lloyd.” [M/n] held him up, eyes wide as the heat began to burn, feeling like lava was now sitting in his chest. The other ninja paled as well, horrified by the implications. 

“We have to go in!" Kai shouted,  already heading towards the portal. [M/n] gently curled a hand behind Lloyd’s neck, holding him tightly.

“Δεν θα επιτρέψω σε τίποτα να σε πληγώσει, ούτε καν στον πατέρα σου.” Nya took his place, supporting Lloyd so [M/n] could join the other ninja before the portal as it began to shrink. (I will not allow anything to hurt you, not even your father.)

As they jumped inside, Wu shouted a final warning, “If he changes anything, he changes everything! Protect the future, ninja!"

The portal pulled and jerked at them, making everyone feel sick as it spun them around before finally spitting them all out right beside a rice paddy field. [M/n], slightly more aware of his surroundings, managed to twist and land on his feet before dropping to his knees in the mud, the others landing in a pile behind him. 

Groaning, the four slowly separated, faces slightly green as they swayed once on their feet. 

“Remind me to pack a helmet next time we time travel," Jay grumbled, gagging slightly.

“Where are we?” Cole asked, looking around the rice field. 

“You mean when are we?” 

Kai spotted something in the distance, holding a hand over his eyes to squint and get a better look, “Four Weapons. Ha! My parents' shop. Nya and I used to work there. Hey, wait a minute, this is the day Garmadon ordered the Skeletons to take my sister. We need to warn them!"

He lunged forward, [M/n] quickly moving to grab onto his waist and haul him backwards, releasing him with a low growl, “Sensei explicitly stated that changing one thing, changes everything. Warning your past self could completely change our future, and Lloyds."

“Yeah, I don't understand what he really meant by that," Jay admitted.

“What he means is, our world is the result of past events that have already happened. If for whatever reason events in our past fail to happen, then the future could radically change," Zane explained.

“Uh, so what you're saying is we gotta stop Garmadon from changing anything? But of all the times, why did we land here?" Jay asked, face scrunching up.

Kai frowned, something clicking, “Cause this is where it all started. The day I met Sensei Wu for the first time and I began my training as a ninja. Somehow, Garmadon is gonna try to prevent that, but how?"

“If only Sensei were here to guide us,” Cole murmured.

Jay nodded along, only to stop when he spotted a familiar rice hat heading up the winding path to Four Weapons, “Oh look, there he is! Maybe he can!"

Cole perked up, “We could tell him what’s going on. He could help us stop Garmadon.”

“If we do this, we cannot allow the old Kai and Nya see that we talked to him, or else it will affect the future," Zane warned, seeing how reluctant [M/n] was. He quietly murmured to the ninja,  “Sensei is our best option right now. Even if we speak to him, he will not allow what we say to affect his decisions. He cares deeply for Lloyd.”

[M/n] sighed, eyes closing. “You are right, he won’t. Very well, let’s go.”

“Come on, this way,” Kai said, leading them up a side path that obviously was not more traveled, hiding behind two boulders on the sides of the path just a little ways down from Four Weapons. 

Past Kai could be heard arguing with Past Wu, “And the shop is called 'Four Weapons,' not 'For Browsing.' Either buy something or go pedal your insults somewhere else."

“Ha! Too bad. Thought I'd find something special here," Past Wu stated, turning and walking away. Scoffing, P!Kai went back inside his shop as P!Wu came down the path, the group preparing to get his attention without being spotted. 

Kai, without thinking, grabbed P!Wu by the shoulder with [M/n] seeing how tense the man became, preparing to fling his attacker off him, so he spoke up, “ Sensei.” He hoped his voice would be familiar enough to keep Wu from attacking them. 

The man froze, glancing behind him to see two of his current students - his eldest, [M/n], and Jay - as well as the one he was actively trying to recruit. Zane and Cole were quick to cross the path to join the others behind the boulder, further confusing P!Wu. 

“Sensei, we need your help,” Kai said, only for Jay to interrupt.

“Whoa, whoa, whoa. Wait a minute. If we're trying to stop Garmadon from changing anything, wouldn't talking to Sensei kind of be like altering the past, thus changing our future?"

Zane sighed, having been under the impression that everyone had known Sensei was a safe choice. 

“Yes and no.” [M/n] kept his gaze on his teacher, Wu full on facing him. “Sensei can keep a secret. And he will because what is happening now is a direct correlation to the prophecy and our future selves. Won’t you, Sensei?”

“I-yes, I will. But I don’t understand what is happening?”

“Ignore them,” Kai said. “We really need your help and I don’t know if we have a lot of time to explain.”

“All five of you . . . are from the future?”

“Yes. We are here to warn you,” Cole answered.

“Do you think you can help us?” Kai asked.

“I do not understand, but I can try to.”

“Okay. Any moment now, the Skeletons are going to attack and we think Garmadon may try to hurt me—I mean the past me.” As he spoke, the group moved from behind the boulders to a small, blocked off courtyard beside the Four Weapons shop that had stitched together dummies stuffed with weeds. 

“Garmadon?”

“Our Garmadon,” [M/n] added, hearing the confusion.

“We have to do everything in our power to protect my past self.” 

The Skulkin vehicles could be heard approaching, the Skulkin onboard cheering and jeering as the people fled back to their own homes to hide, but Kai held P!Wu back for a moment. He did not want his teacher to jump in at the wrong moment and accidentally change the future. 

“Boo!” Samukai yelled, laughing at the fleeing villagers. The massive Skulkin vehicle pulled up the road to Four Weapons, Samukai beginning the attack with a yell, “Attack!”

Kai peered around the corner as his past self was surrounded by a group of Skulkin, “Do you think we can fight them, Sensei?”

“Don't look at me. I'm wise, but not that wise,” P!Wu said, holding up his hands. Everyone looked to Zane, who was deep in thought.

“Uh, technically, since the past has already been altered, I don't see why we can't fight a few Skeletons. Just as long as your former self never sees you.”

“HA! You make my day, Zane!” Cole whooped, cracking the skulls of the Skulkin now in the small courtyard. [M/n] stayed back, keeping an eye on P!Kai. Just in case.

“I’ve missed beating up these guys!” Jay cheered, smiling like a loon. “Ninja go!”

Kai, itching to join the fight, began talking fast, “Watch for when Samukai throws his daggers. And don't forget to save me.”

“Huh?” 

Kai groaned, throwing his head back, “Uh, it'll make sense when it happens." [M/n] sighed, jerking his head to signal Kai to join the fight.

“I know how this goes. Go, help the others.” Kai grinned, immediately wading out into the fight. [M/n] saw the moment Samukai put his full attention on Kai, “Sensei, now.”

“I'm on it! Ninja go!"

[M/n] hummed, finally joining the fight as well, golden iron blades sinking into the skulls, absorbing the Nether that powered their bodies. Each Skulkin he faced collapsed. A second death.

A loud shout had the ninja finishing up their fights faster, piling up by the entrance of the courtyard to see what was happening.

“NO!” P!Kai cried out, frozen in place as the water tower began to fall. 

“Ninja go!” P!Wu snatched P!Kai up in his Golden Spinjitzu, getting him out of the way as a Skulkin took aim at Nya. But something went wrong. The shot went too far left, missing Nya entirely. 

[M/n]’s heart dropped into his stomach at the same moment the warmth began to burn again. 

“Retreat!” Samukai howled, running back to his vehicle as the five ninja hid behind the downed water tower, watching the Skulkin get away with panic in their eyes.

“Oh, this isn’t good,” Kai whispered, not even noticing P!Wu.

“Why? We saved you and your sister."

“No, the Skeletons were supposed to get away with Nya. Ah. The only reason you convinced me to become a ninja in the first place was to get her back," Kai explained, scrubbing his face. [M/n] was leaning back against the water tower, clutching at the center of his chest, the burning sensation a painful, terrible reminder. 

“I see.”

“I'm still confused," Jay admitted. "Why?"

“Because if Kai doesn't become a ninja, the world as we know it won't exist. The five of us will never unite. We'll never train Lloyd to become the Green Ninja. And Nya will never fall head-over-heels for Jay," Zane stated dryly. 

Jay froze, a comical look on his face. Lurching forward, he grabbed P!Wu by the shoulders, “NO MATTER WHAT, YOU NEED TO CONVINCE HIM TO GO WITH YOU!!"

This, of course, catches P!Nya and P!Kai’s attention, so P!Wu commands them to hide - Zane and Cole helping [M/n] jump over the water tower when they notice he is in pain. 

“Thank you for your help. If it wasn't for your Twistitzu or your Tornadzu, my sister might have been taken," P!Kai said, dipping into a short bow even as his eyes looked around for whoever had been shouting. 

“Spinjitzu,” P!Wu corrected. “Uhm, come, we must train. You must become a ninja.”

“Hahaha. Sorry, but I got a blacksmith shop to help get back on its feet, so I—" 

"No. You must come! It is very important that you become a ninja. Because, uh...we must harness the fire within you!" P!Wu declared awkwardly.

“Hold on, Kai. Maybe there's a reason this man came into our lives. Father always said the world works in mysterious ways. I think it sounds kind of exciting," P!Nya stated, nudging her brother. P!Kai’s scowl deepened. 

P!Kai sighed, “Okay, if you wanna become a ninja, fine by me. But I'm only going 'cause you want to.” Nya brightened, embracing her brother. 

“Oh, great. He's going. We saved the future!" Jay quietly cheered, the siblings returning to the Blacksmith shop to pack two bags each. “Now, let’s go home!”

The pain, the burning, had lessened, but it was still there - it felt like standing too close to a campfire. 

“No. We can not. We need to follow them. Kai was only so motivated last time because his sister was in danger. Now, he has nothing to fight for, no interest in fighting," [M/n] stated, expression dark. “We can not leave yet.”

“[M/n]’s right,” Kai said. “It’ll take more than Nya’s word to make me, past me, want to be a ninja.”

“Very well,” Zane stated, peering over the water tower. “Then let us get a move on. We do not know the way to the Monastery from here well, so it will be best if we get a head start.”

“Awww man, does that mean we have to go up the stairs?” Jay whined, earning twin groans from Kai and Cole. 

“Let’s go,” Kai grumbled, setting off. [M/n] quietly held his hand over the warmth as they walked, mind whirling. 

The more time that passed, the more obvious it became that the warmth in his chest was somehow related to Lloyd. Every time Lloyd was in danger it seemed to warn him or, maybe, urge him into action. When Lloyd was too far away, the warmth seemed to go cold, like a fire being put out in seconds, completely taking away the warmth in seconds. 

Over the two days it took to make it back to the Monastery, [M/n] had plenty of time to allow his mind to work over the strangeness of Time Travel. His most pressing question: ‘How was Lloyd disappearing if Kai never became a ninja?’ Jay, Cole, and Zane would have still been ninja, and they would have been a four man team rather than a group of five. The events would have happened, somewhat, similarly to how they had just lacking one member - though he wasn’t sure how they would have gotten the Fire Sword without the Master of Fire. 

So why was Lloyd being affected? 

By the time they made it to the Monastery, [M/n] was more confused than ever, unable to come up with a plausible explanation so he was forced to let it go in order to watch over P!Kai and try to make sure that he stayed on the right path. 

After three days of watching P!Kai get his ass whooped, prove over and over again that he had no interest in being a ninja, and his sister outdoing him at every turn, the ninja were growing increasingly more irritated and despairing. 

“You must harness the fire deep within you, Kai,” P!Wu lectured, tapping his staff on the cobblestone. Every sentence was laced with disappointment so palpable that it had the ninja wincing. 

Turning to snap back, P!Kai was caught off guard when the punching bag he was using smacked him in the back, knocking him over. “Ow! Argh. Yeah, yeah, yeah.”

“Oh, I’m worthless,” Kai whispered, dropping his face into the shingles of the roof. 

“It’s like you don’t even want to be a ninja,” Jay said, watching with morbid fascination as P!Kai dragged himself up. 

“Look, [M/n] told you, I told you: The only reason I ever became a ninja in the first place was to save my sister,” Kai reminded him. 

“Ugh, even when Lord Garmadon does something good, it’s always evil! Whatever Sensei’s doing is not working. I think it’s time for us to step in, get things back on track,” Cole decided, tapping on the shingles. 

“I thought we were told not to get ourselves involved. ‘Change anything, change everything’. Ringin’ any bells?” 

“Too much has already been changed,” [M/n] retorted. “The moment Lord Garmadon kept Nya from being caught, things changed. If we do not do something, anything, then everything will change. And not for the good. Our entire future is at risk of disappearing. We need to act.”

“[M/n] and Cole have valid points,” Zane agreed. “The only way to save our future is for Kai to, as Sensei says, find his fire.”

“Okay, fine. What’re we gonna do to help Kai ‘find his fire’?” Jay asked, using air quotes. 

“Bluntly? I say we kidnap Nya ourselves and deliver her into the hands of the Skulkin. It gave Kai the motivation the first time, it should do so again.” Kai winced at Zane’s suggestion.

“I hate this, but if this is what it takes,” Kai sighed. “Okay. But if it’s alright with you guys, I’ve got an idea on how I could talk some sense into myself.” 

Settling down, the five waited for night to fall, continuing to watch Kai fail miserably on the courses set for him as Cole and Zane worked on making Skulkin masks. 

[M/n] was the only one to notice the movement in the hall - the one that gave one a view right into the courtyard. He could see someone pacing the length of the hall, every once in a while something flashing. Something silver. It only took two flashes of the light for him to realize it was him, except he’d never done that in his past life. In fact he’d been incredibly detached from all but Zane at this time. 

With masks carved from white wood, the five prepared themselves as the moon slowly climbed higher. [M/n] gave the signal to move once the moon had reached its highest point, casting enough light for them to have no trouble navigating. Kai split away to head to his room, the four quietly slipping towards Nya’s room. 

“Time to play our parts,” Cole muttered, pulling down his mask. 

“We will have to act quickly while Kai is keeping himself busy,” Zane whispered, before slipping into the room. He and Jay held open the massive sack they’d stolen from the storage room, Cole and [M/n] moving as one to dump Nya inside the bag before she was aware of what was happening. 

Restraining her was more difficult than the four had anticipated, Nya managing to kick Jay in the thigh through the bag. Cole tied the top closed to keep her from climbing out, but she continued to wiggle around, making it difficult for him to make it out the window. 

“Unhand me, Skeletons!” 

“Oh, I’m sorry, Nya,” Jay whispered, earning a sharp glare from [M/n] through his mask.

“How’d you know my name?! Oh, when my brother finds out about this, you'll be sorry!"

“Στην πραγματικότητα, θα ανακουφιστεί αρκετά,” Cole mumbled to himself, voice low. Zane and [M/n] climbed up onto the roof first, reaching down for the bag so Cole could climb up himself. The four had barely made it up onto the roof when the door was thrown open, P!Cole leading P!Zane and P!Jay outside. (Actually, he will be quite relieved.)

P![M/n] was nowhere in sight. 

“We have company,” Zane hissed, tensing. 

“Uh, isn't that, uh, us?"

“Keep our masks on,” Cole hissed. “We do not need them recognizing us. Uhh, hold on. Where's the past [M/n]?” 

“Focus on yourselves,” [M/n] growled, hairs on the back of his neck raising. 

“Oookay. Well, let’s keep them away from N-uhh our prisoner,” Jay awkwardly corrected himself. 

The others readied themselves to face . . . well, themselves, but before anyone could engage, something moved on the roof nearby. 

[M/n] ducked away as his past self leapt from the shadows, Golden Tessens glowing, dropping down from the roof. Following, he immediately noticed something was off. He’d always been violent, you had to be to kill someone, but this wasn’t the kind of violence he was used to. His past self seemed . . . untamed. Wild. Was practically frothing at the mouth like a wild animal. With rabies. 

Wearing no GI, P![M/n] only had on the sleeveless summer underlayer and the pants from a Duan Da set, revealing odd scratches and shallow wounds along the very center of his chest. As if he had been attempting to tear open his own chest. 

Seeing that in real time, it clicked for [M/n]. His past self was aware, on some level, that something was wrong with Lloyd, or rather, with the Green Ninja. His past self had only been awake for a year at this point, and already felt he had failed his entire purpose as the Silver Ninja. 

Snarling, P![M/n] threw himself forward, forcing [M/n] on the defense. Backing away, he did his best to get his past self away from the others, hoping to maybe calm him down before he went completely berserk. 

Once far enough away, he began to speak, “Please listen to me. I know-”

“You know nothing!”

“I know more than you! I am you!”

This brought his past self to a grinding halt, obviously confused. “That is impossible!”

“Nearly 6 days ago you felt a surge of power, did you not? That was the five of us and Lord Garmadon returning.”

“Why would you return here?”

“We did not choose to come here, Lord Garmadon did. But his actions are causing harm to the Green Ninja. We are here to save him.”

P![M/n] growled, “He is dying! I can feel it! It burns in this-this hollow space in my chest!”

“I am sorry. We are doing what we can. Let us leave.”

“With the girl? Nya?”

“Yes. She was not supposed to come here yet.”

P![M/n] closed his eyes, debating. But something rang true in the other’s words. “Go. But make my defeat look real.”

“I will toss you into the hall.”

“Very well.”

[M/n] and P![M/n] switched positions, the younger teen reaching out to grab onto his arms in a simple grappling move, the two falling to the ground. On his back, [M/n] managed to bring up his feet and throw the other through the windows behind him, before jumping up to his feet. 

Climbing out the window himself, [M/n] quickly climbed back onto the roof. P![M/n] made a show of struggling to climb back to his feet, as if he were dazed from crashing through the window and slamming onto the cobblestone. Kai came running out from his past self’s bedroom, looking around to see the ninja fighting, Nya still fighting to free herself of the bag.

Quickly grabbing onto the bag, swinging it over his shoulder, he called out, deepening his voice, “Guys, let’s get out of here.”

The other three were quick to disengage with themselves, retreating as P!Wu called the others back before they could be followed. “What is going on?!”

Hiding behind the wall, just outside the Monastery, [M/n] was quick to open the bag to knock Nya out - using the points behind her ears to do so. Slumping, he checked her pulse before tying the bag back up. 

“There were intruders, Sensei! Skulkin!” P!Jay announced.

“They were carrying an odd bag,” P!Zane added. “I believe it was a person.”

“Then they must have taken Nya.”

P!Kai came stumbling out, “They took my sister? NOOOO!”

The burning in his chest began to fade, and [M/n] hoped it was fading for his past self as well. Kai sighed, relieved, “Looks like my fire returned.”

“All we have to do now, is drop Nya off with the Skulkin and everything should be back to normal, right?” Cole asked, curious. 

“I hope so,” Zane said, sighing. “But I have a feeling that this will not fix everything. Lord Garmadon is not one to give up easily, I do not believe this to be the end of our journey."

“Then let’s fix what we can for now. Plus, we have no idea when Nya will wake up. So let’s get going,” Kai decided, turning to set off down the stairs. Cole carefully hefted Nya up onto his shoulder. 

“Once we are far enough away from the Monastery, we can use the Nethercopter to make it to the Wildwoods,” [M/n] offered, gesturing to the Golden Tessens sitting on his hip. 

“Oh, thank the FSM,” Jay said, slumping. “I did not want to walk all that way.”

A few miles away from the base of the Mountain, [M/n] summons his Nethercopter, allowing the others to climb inside before taking off. This made the trip to the Wildwoods much shorter, though he had to land on the outskirts so they wouldn’t be caught by any Skulkin or by Lord Garmadon himself. 

[M/n] and Cole were the ones to carry Nya through the trees to drop her off at the feet of the Skulkin, both finding it easier to carry her than the others did. The Skulkin are all gathered around a fire, before Kruncha separates from the group, grumbling about Samukai. Using a rope, the two ninja lower Nya, who is now waking up, to set her down beside him, before quickly fleeing the scene before they’re caught. 

But they still could not leave. So for a long month, they followed after their past selves, watching as they gathered the first three of the Five Golden Weapons - from the Frozen Wasteland, the Floating Ruins, and the Caves of Despair - before traveling to the Temple of Fire, attached to Kaiji Volcano. 

At the moment, the past ninja were down below celebrating - well, most of them were. P![M/n] had silently slipped away and into the trees. So, [M/n] followed. 

“The burn has eased,” P![M/n] murmured, looking up to the moon. 

“But it is not gone. We are not yet sure that Garmadon has given up, so we have not left.”

“Very well.” P![M/n] pushed off, disappearing deeper into the trees as [M/n] returned to the others, Zane giving him a curious look.

“Is everything alright?”

“Yes. Just reassuring myself.”

“Ugh, why are we still here? I thought everything was back on track," Jay whined, leaning against the trunk.

“Yeah, but we have to stay and make sure all goes as planned," Cole said, rolling his eyes. “Beside, we don't know how to get home. We're just gonna have to wait until we find Garmadon to get that Mega Weapon from him."

“Besides.”

It took a good hour for the past ninja to wind down, past [M/n] returning, and all going to sleep in their sleeping bags. P!Wu silently climbed the tree to join them, asking, “So what exactly happens next?"

“Our former selves have most of the Golden Weapons. Shadow Garmadon should have my sister by now, which means in about one minute, I get woken up and tricked into taking the Sword of Fire, which will eventually lead to his release into the world as our nemesis,” Kai remembered.

“Succinct,” Zane complimented. 

Below, “Nya? Nya, wait up!” P!Kai scrambled to follow the shadow of his sister, unaware of the ninja following after him. P!Wu stayed behind to watch over their past selves.

Slipping into the Temple, the group gathered in a separate path behind stalagmites. “Ah. This is when I steal the Fire Sword and cut my sister down. Then I get attacked by my own shadow." 

Nya, wrapped in chains, dangles precariously over a pool of lava just behind the pedestal for the Sword of Fire. "Aaah! Kai!"

"Nya!"

“Tick tock, tick tock,” Shadow Garmadon hissed, slinking along the wall. Grinning, the chain holding Nya up dropped her down a few feet as she screamed.

P!Kai panics, looking around. Then something clicks. Backing up a few steps, he takes a running start, “Ninja, go!” Pulling the Sword of Fire free, he cuts through the chain like a knife through butter, catching Nya using his Spinjitzu. “Stay close!”

“Trust me. I’m not going anywhere,” P!Nya muttered. 

P!Kai led her down the path, P!Nya holding tight to the back of his GI, “You can't hurt us! You're only a shadow!"

“This time, I am actually much more!" Shadow Garmadon declared, laughing.

“Wait, that’s not right. Something’s different,” Kai said, confused. “He didn’t say that before.”

Their Garmadon revealed himself, laughing as well.

“G-Garmadon? But you're supposed to be trapped in the Underworld," P!Kai cried out, pushing Nya back when he stepped back in alarm. 

“Oh, there's so much more you don't know," Lord Garmadon stated, pointing his Mega Weapon at the young ninja. 

“Go, future me. Destroy him!" 

Lord Garmadon lunged forward, swiping the Mega Weapon as P!Kai struggled to keep out of range of the weapon, pushing him and Nya back further and further.

Kai panicked over his past self, “Ugh, we have to do something. I don't stand a chance against Garmadon's four arms. Wait, that's it!"

Kai unsheathed his sword, leaping over the rocks to catch the Mega Weapon on the blade. 

“Two Kai’s?!” Shadow Garmadon asked, shadow form twisting.

“Yeah!” P!Kai said, even though he had no idea what was happening. 

“I guess I have four arms too," Kai joked, making his past self laugh. P!Nya retreated towards the entrance as Cole crossed over to try and grab onto the Mega Weapon. Crying out at the pain sparking up his hands and arms, Cole was flung over Lord Garmadon’s head, the man snarling. 

Cole winced, shaking out his hands, “I think it's safe to say the past has drastically changed!”

Both Garmadons cackled maniacly, ignoring Zane and [M/n] dropping in to begin helping the others. 

“I was thinking about that,” Zane said, before explaining his theory. “It could be possible to erase the events that have transpired so far by destroying the Mega Weapon that brought us here in the first place.”

“You mean if we destroy that weapon, everything goes back to normal?" Kai asked eagerly.

"Theoretically," Zane corrected.

“But nothing can destroy the Mega Weapon! Only a weapon of equal power has any chance of stopping it," Cole reminded them. Jay and P![M/n] entered the Temple, with Jay holding a bundle of something in his arms and the smuggest look on his face.

“I was thinking about that,” Jay said, unknowingly parroting Zane. “So, how about using the weapons forged to create the Mega Weapon in the first place?” He tossed out the Weapons to their holders, taking his Nunchucks. 

P![M/n] crossed the rocks to stand by his future self, calmly meeting his gaze, “I feel like I have failed before I have even begun my duty. So I am here to fix it, to make sure the Green Ninja survives.”

Lord Garmadon spotted the golden glint of the Golden Weapons, eyes going wide, “NO!”

“Guess you had the right idea,” Cole complimented, lifting the Scythe of Earth.

“I thought so.”

Both [M/n]’s unsheathed their Tessens, their matching golden glow soothing. 

“Alright, no time to find out how you got these. We have to destroy the Mega Weapon once and for all. Fire!"

“Lightning!”

“Earth!”

“Ice!”

Neither [M/n] knew what their Element to the mix would do, but they weren’t going to just stand to the side and leave the Green Ninja’s fate up to anyone else. From the Tessens, purple smoke began to pour forth, moving along the other elements before snaking around the Mega Weapon. The golden metal seemed to turn black where the Nether touched, the Mega Weapon already trembling as it was overloaded with power. 

“No! What are you doing?!"

No one noticed P!Wu entering, “This ends now!” His words startled everyone, but they proved true. The weapons began to glow, brighter than ever, slowly lifting from everyone’s hands, the Mega Weapon and the Golden Weapons reunited in the air, golden light curling around each other before they shot off into space. 

Cole and Jay both let out little laughs, Kai and Zane grinning in relief, as the two [M/n]’s felt the warmth settle down, calming. They all looked up at the hole in the Temple roof, a little awed, but then a strange energy began to fill the space. Confused, everyone began to share odd looks. 

P!Nya cried out for her brother, looking down at her hands and body as they faded. “Nya! What's happening!?" P!Kai cried out, trying to grab onto his hands only for Nya to fade completely. P![M/n] looked down at his own hands, seeing they were fading. 

He met [M/n]’s eyes, one last time, “Make sure the Green Ninja is safe.”

“I will.”

The world around the five ninja warped, inducing that same nausea and confusion as they were spun around. All five were spat out into the bowels of the Bounty, everyone groaning. 

“I hate time travel,” Jay groaned, dragging himself out from under Zane. Looking around as he drags himself out from the pile [M/n] is surprised to see them in the training from . . . 5 weeks ago. Slumping back against the wall, his eyes sliding closed, [M/n] finally relaxed. The other four slumped onto the wall and the ground, everyone exhausted - both mentally and physically. “Did we just - Is this the Bounty?”

“Return to the future?” Kai finished, looking around. “And it looks like the Bounty.”

“This feels familiar, but weren't we training Lloyd?" Cole asked, anxiously. Everyone looked to [M/n], who still had his eyes closed but he seemed at ease. His sensitive ears caught the slightest creaking of one of the boards outside of the room and [M/n] completely relaxed, reassured.

“Sorry I'm late, guys. Are we ready to get training?" Lloyd walked in, happy expression dropping as he looked around at them all. He quickly grew concerned.

“Ha! You’re still here!” Kai cheered, finally slumping onto the ground. 

“Uh, yeah. Why wouldn't I be?" Lloyd asked, very genuinely worried. "Also, why are you all on the floor? Are you all okay?"

“So when we went back in time and destroyed Garmadon's Mega Weapon, that didn't change anything?" Jay lazily watched as Kai dragged himself up to grab the watermelon Nya must have left. 

“Mega Weapon? What’s a Mega Weapon? And why does my father have one?” Lloyd turned to [M/n], alarmed.

“Oh, wait a minute, you've never heard of it?" Kai asked, faltering for a second before he tossed the watermelon up, using his sword to cut it into pieces. Everyone caught the pieces tossed their way, eagerly digging into the cool, juicy watermelon after surviving on the bare rations P!Wu had managed to get to them. 

"I-I think I would've remembered that. Why? What is it? Should I be concerned?" 

Everyone shared a look before Jay burst into a fit of  hysterical giggles that had them all dissolving into laughter, even [M/n].

“Hey, what are you guys laughing at? What's so funny?" Lloyd used his own sword to carve a dragon into his watermelon slice. None of them could stop laughing.

[M/n] shook his head, still chuckling, "Just an inside joke about the past, Lloyd."

That had them all dissolving back into laughter, nearly cackling as Lloyd looked around, completely lost. 

"I don't get it," Lloyd whined, slinking over to [M/n] with his watermelon carving. He slid down the wall to sit beside [M/n], offering his dragon slice to him, receiving [M/n]’s mostly uneaten watermelon slice. Chuckling, [M/n] leans over to gently bump their heads together. 

“I will explain later.”

“Oh, oh,” Cole’s laughter petered off. “Who else is hungry?”