Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Cole could honestly say that he had weird feelings about autumn.

Now don’t get him wrong; there were several things to enjoy about fall. He loved seeing the leaves change color before falling in dazzling showers. He also loved all of the sweet treats that came with the season—apple pies were always a staple, and nothing could beat Zane’s pumpkin spice muffins on a chilly October day. And of course, fall brought holidays with the goal of bringing together friends and family to celebrate.

But it was one of these holidays that was giving Cole pause.

In four days time, it would be Day of the Departed.

It would also be the anniversary of when Cole’s life changed.

Cole sighed and rubbed at his forehead. His scar—gently glowing its signature radioactive green—had begun to ache a few days ago, as if it could sense the coming holiday of the dead. It was slight enough to not really hurt, but enough to generally annoy. If Cole wasn’t so used to it, he’d probably be grumbling about it constantly. 

Still, in his mind, he couldn’t help but think, I kinda hate Day of the Departed….

Close to him, Kai let out a quiet curse. “Spinjitzu damnit ,” the red ninja grumbled, opening and closing his left hand a few times. “I’d really like it if my palm would quit going numb every five fucking seconds…”

Despite himself, Cole laughed. At least I’m not alone in this anymore…

“Language, Kai,” the black ninja scolded his teammate. “And... maybe it’ll get better if you put some heat or ice on it?”

Kai’s eyes lit up. “Why didn’t I think about that sooner?!” Concentrating, the red ninja sighed as his hand burst into carefully controlled flames. “Ahhhhh, that feels sooo much better. Thanks, Brookstone!”

“Heh, no problem Kai.”

At that moment, Jay sprinted up to them. “Guys, are you done putting up the decorations yet?” he asked, practically vibrating with excitement. “Nya says we’re less than 20 minutes away from Sensei Garmadon’s school and the Bounty has to look perfect—er, Kai? Why’s your hand on fire?”

“Pain relief,” Kai replied, extinguishing his fire. “For, y’know.” he clicked his tongue while gesturing vaguely towards his forehead.

Cole punched him in the shoulder for that.

“Ohhhhh, that makes sense! Lucky,” Jay said, rubbing at his arm. “I’ve just been trying to ignore it. Cole, please tell me that it stops being so annoying soon.”

Cole sighed and put down the lantern he was trying (and failing—stupid tape kept sticking to his fingers…) to attach to the railing. “It should stop after Day of the Departed. Though, I have to admit...it’s usually not this bad.”

Kai frowned and crossed his arms. “What’s making it so bad this year, you think?”

Jay giggled. “Maybe it’s because of you-know-who?” 

Cole tensed and quickly scanned the immediate area. When nothing happened, he relaxed slightly. “You’re lucky Morro’s not back yet,” he hissed quietly. “You know he hates when you call him that.”

“But it’s funny!”

“It won’t be funny when he decides to prank you back.”

“Well at least I don’t have an emotional attachment to my hair products like a certain someone .”

“Hey! My hair stuff is expensive!”

Before Kai could get into an argument with Jay, a brisk breeze suddenly blew by. A second later, Jay yelped when a second, much stronger gust, blew at his legs, causing the blue ninja to trip and fall onto his face. “Owwww,” he whined in pain.

An echoey voice cackled in response. “ That’s what you get, Bluebell,” Morro said before the ghost made his appearance, riding a current of wind up into the air before settling down a few feet above the ninja’s head. 

Despite himself, a smile tugged at Cole’s lips. It had been almost a month since he had last seen Morro, as the ghost had decided that he liked to travel. He would often either tag along with Lloyd on his ‘Ultimate Spinjitzu Master Visits’ or would go off on his own and explore by himself. Morro claimed that each trip was ‘okay’ but Cole could tell that the trips helped to calm the restlessness the ghost had felt post-Final Battle.

Still, it was really nice to see his friend again.

Hey, Mark,” Cole greeted, using the ghost’s code name in case Sensei Wu decided to sneak up on them. “How was your trip?”

“Didn’t you say you were meeting us at Garmadon’s place?” Kai asked.

Morro shrugged, flipping upside-down in the air. “ Meh, saw you idiots on my way there, figured I’d hitch a ride, save my energy. Also, Ignacia is a lot closer to how I remember it than I thought it would be. Not a lot has changed over there.”

Kai puffed up a little at the mention of his hometown. “Yeah, that’s Ignacia for you. Very traditional, but still a nice place to grow up in.”

“Assuming you ever grew up, Porcupine.”

“Hey!”

“Quit it, you two,” Cole interrupted, seeing an argument brewing already. “We still have to finish decorating and get our costumes on before we arrive, so no more bickering, okay?”

“He started it…” Kai muttered but complied, resuming his task.

Morro flipped him the bird, but the red ninja didn’t notice. “ Why do people wear such stupid costumes during this time of the year anyways?” the ghost asked, picking up a lantern and bouncing it in the air. “ The ones related to death, I can get, but why all the other stuff?”

“It’s mostly for kids, I think,” Cole mused. “I guess over time, Day of the Departed became just as much about celebrating those who are gone as it is wearing costumes and having fun.”

“And eating lots of candy!” Jay chimed in. “That’s the best part!”

“ Urgh, I really don’t understand your obsession with the stuff….”

“One, I’m not Lloyd, I’m Jay. Two, how can you not like candy?”

“ Waaaaay too much sugar. And it’s so sweet. Bleh,” Morro stuck out his tongue in disgust. “ My stomach feels sick just thinking about it!”

Kai rolled his eyes. “Drama queen…”

“ You wanna say that to my fucking face, Porcupine?!”

“Guys!”

At that moment, Nya walked onto the deck. “Are you guys almost done?” she asked, placing a hand on her hips. “We’re almost there. Oh,” she paused, noticing the extra member. “Hey Mark.”

“ Hey Princess. How’s the training going?” The ghost asked. “ You get the hang of that water trick you were talking about last time?”

“Spar with me, and I’ll show you,” Nya bantered back, smiling. “Later though. Come on, we need to get ready!”

“Coming, Nya!” Jay said, racing after his girlfriend. “Come on, guys! I want to be ready when we get there!”

“We’re coming, Motor Mouth!” Kai said, laughing. “Come on, Cole, we’ve put up enough of these, might as well get dressed.” He paused then smirked. “Maybe we can find an old bed sheet and Morro can join us.”

“Piss off, Porcupine,” Morro snapped, flipping the red ninja off again.

Still, as he followed them into the Bounty, the ghost found himself smiling ever so slightly.

As sappy as it sounded….he kinda missed them.

Kinda.

~~~~~~~

Lloyd frowned, looking at himself critically in the mirror. He fussed with his costume, unwrapping and rewrapping the worn-looking bandages he had wrapped around his wrists. He rubbed at his cheek, which was missing a bit of facepaint. He gave himself one last once over before nodding. “Perfect,” he declared, grinning. 

A knock sounded before the door opened to his room, his father entering a few moments later. “Ah,” Garmadon said, smiling at his son. “I was about to ask if you were ready for tonight’s festivities, but I can already see that you are. Nicely done, Lloyd.”

“Daaaaaad, I’m not Lloyd,” Lloyd complained, before smirking. “I’m a spooooky ghost ninja, oooooo~” He wiggled his fingers and shuffled across the floor. “Ahhhhhhh~, I’m gonna haunt this monastery for all of eternityyyyy~”

Garmadon laughed and gently swatted at Lloyd’s head. “Don’t let Morro hear you say that,” he chided. “Though it is a fine costume, in any case.”

Lloyd beamed. “Thanks! The fake blood took ages to dry properly, but it was sooo worth it!”

His dad laughed again, Lloyd quickly joining in. Not for the first time, the green ninja sent up a silent thanks to the First Spinjitzu Master for allowing him and his dad to be together without one of them being evil. These last few months reconnecting have honestly been the best in Lloyd’s life. 

The only way things could get better is if his friends would hurry up and get here already!

As if the Fates have heard him, his mom popped her head into the room. “Lloyd,” Misako said, smiling. “Are you almost done? Some of the younger students have spotted the Bounty coming.”

Lloyd’s eyes widened with glee. “They’re here!” he cheered before tearing out of the room, amid his parents’ laughter.

The students of his dad’s new school gasped and laughed as he ran through the halls, some calling out “Hi Lloyd!”, “Hi Mr. Green Ninja!” and, in a few cases, “Nice costume!”. Lloyd waved a couple of times, but didn’t stop until he had reached the courtyard. Concentrating, he summoned his golden dragon and hopped on. “To the Bounty!” he ordered, and the dragon roared before taking off. 

It only took a few moments before the flying ship—bigger and better than ever after the Final Battle—came into view. Lloyd laughed when he saw that much of the ship had been decorated in honor of the quickly approaching holiday. He quickly guided his dragon to land on the deck, letting it land before he hopped off and it vanished. Quietly snickering, he raced into the Bounty, towards the bedrooms. “Hi, Uncle!” he greeted as he zipped by Sensei Wu on his way. “Talk to you later!” he called out as he kept running. He was pretty sure his uncle said something in greeting, but he had already turned the corner and was out of hearing. 

Finally, he stopped right in front of the bedroom door. He knocked, muffling his giggles. 

“One sec!” he heard Jay call out. There was some muffled muttering, then Morro stuck his head through the door. He raised a questioning eyebrow at Lloyd. Lloyd held a finger up to his mouth and mimed jumping out at something. He made a begging face, silently pleading with the ghost to not say anything. Morro sighed, rolled his eyes, and phased back through the door. There were a few more muffled murmurs, and Lloyd tensed.

The door opened and Jay stepped out, decked out in a pirate costume (complete with an eyepatch over his right eye and a fake parrot on his shoulder). “Hi, Sensei—”

“BOO!” Lloyd yelled, jumping and making a scary face.

Jay shrieked and jumped backwards, tripping and falling on his back. 

Lloyd cackled, bending over from the force of his laughter. “You—You looked like you wet your pants!” he howled, clutching his stomach. “Hahaha, priceless!”

“Agh! Screw you, Lloyd!” Jay complained shrilly, clutching at his heart. “And Morro! You said it was Sensei!”

“ Whoops,” the ghost deadpanned, looking bored. “ My eyesight must be going. My bad.”

“Your mistake for believing him,” Kai told Jay, completely unsympathetic. He grinned and walked up to Lloyd. “Good to see you, you little shit,” he greeted, hugging his little brother-in-all-but-blood and ruffling his hair. “Nice prank!”

“Language,” Cole scolded, but the effect was limited since he was smiling too. “It’s nice to see you again, Lloyd!”

“Indeed!” Zane piped up, smiling. “It has been too long!”

“Hey guys!” Lloyd beamed, waving. “It’s good to see you too!” He noticed all of them were dressed as pirates and laughed. “I see you guys have a theme going.”

“Yeah, we figured we could reuse those old costumes from that thing with the Mega Weapon,” Jay said, finally recovered. “And Nya and I came up with something cool for Zane! Show him, Zane.”

“Must I?” 

“Pleeease?” Jay begged, giving the white ninja the biggest pair of puppy-dog eyes possible.

Zane sighed but relented. “Very well, but only for a bit,” he said, opening up the panel on his arm. “Until we get to the party, I am keeping it off.”

Lloyd waited as Zane flicked a switch before closing the panel. “Well?” he asked, not seeing anything happen.

“C’mon Zane, say it, say it!” Jay pleaded, jumping with excitement.

Zane sighed. “Arrrrgh, I be First Mate Zane Julien. And me cap’n will be makin’ ye walk th’ plank, ya scurvy landlubber.”

Lloyd burst out laughing. “Oh my god,” he wheezed. “That’s the most amazing thing ever, holy crap.”

“I know right?!” Jay giggled, looking pleased. “It took me ages to convince him to use it.”

“And we be in agreement—yargh!” Zane hurriedly switched it off. “We agreed that it’s only for tonight. Ugh, I cannot believe pirates talked like that. It is an affront to all languages everywhere.”

“Because it’s fun,” Kai replied, smirking before diving into his own (admittedly poor) pirate impression: “Arrrrr, me hearties. Swab the poop deck, walk the plank! Bar wench, bring me a hearty ale!”

“I heard that!” Nya shouted from across the hall.

“I wasn’t talking about you, sheesh!” Kai fired back.

“As the only girl on this ship,” his sister said, walking into the room—also dressed as a pirate—and fixing everyone with a glare. “If I hear anyone else say the word ‘wench’ or something along those lines, expect the offender to get a smack upside the head. That includes you too, ghost boy!”

“ Try that, Princess. I fucking dare you.”

“Didn’t she punch you in the face when you —”

“Shut the fuck up, Porcupine or I’ll make you!”

“Oh no, the emo ghost threatened me, I’m so scared—”

Morro abruptly tackled Kai, causing the red ninja to cut himself off with a yelp. Lloyd and Jay laughed as Cole and Zane tried to separate the fighting ninja. 

“Guys, stop laughing and help!” Cole ordered.

“No way, this is too funny!” Jay replied, giggling. “Get him, Kai!”

“Go Morro!” Lloyd cheered.

“Ow! Quit pulling my hair, you asshole! You’re ruining my costume!”

“ Like you can tell the difference—ACK! Let go of my cape, you dick!”

“You let go first!”

“Guys!”

“Sensei’s coming!” Nya suddenly hissed. “Stop  being idiots and act natural!”

That got everyone’s attention. Kai and Morro let go of each other, the ghost floating up and hovering in the corner of the room while the red ninja got up and started fussing with his hair and costume. Lloyd quickly pulled Jay into a conversation about what the best kind of Halloween candy was, while Cole asked Nya and Zane’s opinion on whether he should wear a captain’s hat or a simple red-and-white bandana.

A few seconds later, the familiar sounds of Sensei Wu’s staff could be heard and soon, their teacher poked his head into the room. “Ah,” he said, smiling. “There you are, nephew. You ran past me so fast, I could have mistaken you for the wind.”

“As if,” Morro quietly scoffed, rolling his eyes.

Lloyd’s lips twitched as he went to hug his uncle.  “Sorry Uncle. I just wanted to surprise the others!”

“He sure surprised the pants off of Jay!” Kai added, smirking.

Jay punched him in the shoulder for that. “Screw you!”

Lloyd laughed. “Okay, maybe I just wanted to prank them,” he admitted, smiling sheepishly.

Sensei just laughed. “Ah, on this night of tricks and treats, I am not terribly surprised that you chose to do the former,” he chuckled. “Though, I’m sure there will be plenty of the latter at the party.”

Lloyd’s eyes lit up. “Oh right! We should be close to landing right?! Let’s hurry up and get down there before all the good stuff is gone!”

“Alright, alright, Shorty,” Kai teased, making one last adjustment to his costume. “We’re coming!”

Everyone started to file out of the room. Cole, halfway through tying up his hair, was the last one in the room. “One sec guys,” he called out around a black scrunchie. “I’ve gotta put on my hat!”

“Hurry up, slowpoke!” Kai heckled back.

Rolling his eyes, Cole quickly tied up his hair, and grabbed his black captain’s hat. “You coming too?” he asked Morro, turning to face the ghost as he put it on.

Morro yawned and flipped himself upside-down, looking bored. “ Ehhh, go on without me,” he said. “ There’s nothing really for me to do down there. I’ll catch up with you guys later.”

Cole frowned, a little hesitant. “If you’re sure…”

“ Go.” Morro flapped a hand on him. “ Shoo. Be gone. Go fill your stomach with an ungodly amount of sugar. I’ll see you later, I promise.”

Still frowning, Cole nonetheless took the hint and left, throwing a quiet “See you later” over his shoulder as he closed the door.

Morro waited a few seconds to make sure he was actually gone before letting his shoulders slump a little. Lying to Brookstone wasn’t nearly as fun as it used to be. Even if he was only telling a small fib, an uncomfortable weight settled into his stomach almost the minute he started talking.

The ghost groaned and banged the back of his head against the wall. “ It’s not like I’m wrong,” he muttered. “ If I go, I’ll only be able to interact with them, and it’ll look too suspicious. Besides, Wu’s gonna be there and I am NOT staying in his presence longer than I have to….aaaaaaand I’m talking to myself. Fuck.”  

Morro banged his head against the wall a few more times (it didn’t really hurt, which was a bit of an upside) before sighing heavily. He flipped himself right-side-up, intent on floating around the halls to stall the boredom when something white caught the corner of his eye. 

Morro stared at it, something Porcupine had said earlier returning to his mind. He tried to shove it away, deeming it stupid, but it kept popping back up. He weighed the pros and cons in his head, trying to talk himself out of what seemed to be a really bad idea, but…

The ghost groaned, boredom finally winning him over. “ I can’t believe I’m about to do this,” he muttered.

Chapter Text

“YARGH!” Kai shouted, waving his cardboard sword around and chasing after a small group of kids. “Get back here ya scurvy landlubbers! First Mate Kai will capture ya and make ya swab the poop deck!”

The group of kids shrieked and kept running, clearly enjoying the chase. 

Cole laughed at the sight, taking a bit of a break from doing the chasing. He popped a few mini chocolate bars into his mouth, observing his surroundings for a bit.

The sun was only just beginning to set, but Sensei Garmadon’s Day of the Departed party was already in full swing. There were several tables and booths spread throughout the spacious grounds, offering games and treats for everyone to enjoy. Even now, Cole could spot Zane coaching several of the younger students through a memory game with candy for prizes (though the explanation seemed to be hampered slightly since the kids kept laughing at the nindroid’s pirate voice). A few booths away, Jay and Nya seemed to be bobbing for apples. Well, Jay was—Nya was eating a candy apple from a nearby table while cheering on her boyfriend. 

“Ah-HA!” Jay’s head surfaced, a bright red apple in his mouth. “Got one!” He cheered, smiling around the fruit.

“Nice one,” Cole congratulated him. “Mind if I give it a go?” 

“Just don’t take too long,” Nya piped up. “It took Jay ages to get that one.”

“Hey, those apples were slippery!” The blue ninja retorted. 

Cole rolled his eyes, ignoring the couple’s bantering for now. He bent over the barrel full of water, eyes locking onto a nearby apple. He took in a deep breath and dunked his head in. Seconds later he came back up, the apple tightly clenched in his teeth.

“Oh come on!” Jay complained, pouting.

Cole smirked and was about to gloat when something suddenly pushed against his head, forcing it into the water. The black ninja spluttered, flailing for a second before gaining his bearings and standing up, face and head soaked. 

A flash of green and an evil cackle was enough to identify the prankster. “LLOYD!”

“Can’t catch me!” The savior of Ninjago crowed, racing off with another evil laugh. 

“Let him go,” Nya laughed. “I haven’t seen him have this much fun in ages.”

“Did that ‘fun’ have to involve me getting wet?” Cole groused, wringing out his hair and redoing it. 

“At least it’s warm tonight,” Jay chirped, trying to be optimistic. “You won’t catch a cold!”

“Yippee,” the black ninja said drily, shaking off the water from his hat before putting it back on.

As he did so, Kai came jogging up to them, looking slightly winded. “Whew, these kids are giving me a work-out! Jay, you wanna tap in—whoa,” he did a double take when he saw Cole. “Why does it look like you fell overboard, Brookstone?”

“Lloyd,” the black ninja sighed.

Kai barked out a laugh, shaking his head. “Figured. Saw him sneak up on Zane and scare the crap outta him just now. Man, I never thought I’d ever see Tinhead swear like a sailor—Literally.”

“Ye be tellin’ lies, me heartie,” Said ice ninja growled, stalking up to them and glaring at the red ninja.

“Oh, so it wasn’t you who yelled out ‘Shiver me timbers!’ and called Lloyd a ‘bilge-sucking, lily-livered son of a biscuit eater’ before chasing him off?”

Jay almost choked on his apple from laughter, and Cole and Nya weren’t too much better. Zane’s eyes flashed twice—his version of a blush—and he kicked at Kai’s shin. 

“Oh my god,” Jay wheezed, clutching his stomach. “That pirate-voice switch was the greatest thing ever. Holy crap.”

“I be in disagreement,” Zane muttered, rolling his eyes and flicking said switch off, much to everyone’s disappointment. 

A cackle suddenly sounded and then Lloyd made his appearance known again. “Look guys!” he exclaimed, holding up a small plate. “Mom made tombstones out of Rice Krispie Treats and chocolate! She let me take some of the first batch to share!”

Cole eyed them warily. “....this isn’t a prank, right? You didn’t spike it with, like, wasabi or anything?”

“Mom wouldn’t let me…” Lloyd trailed off at the glares he received. “I mean, what, noooo, never! How could you think that I would do such a thing?”

Kai scoffed and ruffled the green ninja’s hair. “Lil’ devil,” he said fondly before taking a treat and biting into it. “Mmm, that’s good! Remind me to tell Misako when we see her.”

That persuaded the others that the treats weren’t tampered with and they all grabbed one. Cole had only taken one bite out of his, however, when a group of kids came squealing past. “Ghost!” one of the kids shrieked, sounding terrified. 

Cole tensed, and he saw the others do the same. “You don’t think…” Jay started to ask.

Lloyd straightened up, adopting a serious look, any and all traces of the goofy kid from earlier gone. “We better check it out.”

~~~~

It didn’t take long to find the ghost. 

Shortly after the ninja had set out, another group of kids ran past, screaming and shrieking about a paranormal specter. Then, a few minutes later, a third. Cole couldn’t make out if any of the kids had a green scar (if any of them did, it was certainly well hidden), but the fact did little to assuage his fears that an evil ghost had decided to attack the party.

The actual sight of the ghost, however, put his fears to rest.

A slight distance away from most of the booths and games, a lone, white bedsheet was floating underneath a tree. Someone had cut out two small holes at the top for eyes, which stared out forlornly into the distance. A small gaggle of children had circled around it, giggling and pointing. Every so often, a brave soul would approach the otherworldly specter, inching towards it constantly. The autumn breeze would eventually swirl, causing the ‘ghost’ to raise its ‘arms’ up threateningly, making the children gasp and run away, shrieking and laughing. 

Cole sighed, beyond relieved. “Oh thank goodness, I thought it was going to be an actual ghost,” he said, rubbing at his scar. 

“Huh,” Lloyd blinked at the spectacle. “Wonder when my parents set this up…” he shook his head. “Musta been when I was going up to the ship to greet you guys.”

“We should get a picture!” Jay exclaimed, bouncing up and down.

Kai raised a skeptical eyebrow. “Why? We live with a ghost everyday, you can literally get a picture of one any day.” He blinked. “Actually, would Morro show up in a photo? Or would we be the only ones to see him?”

“...good question,” Cole frowned. 

“I’ll test it later,” Jay decided. “But for right now, picture time! Who wants to go first?!”

Nya laughed. “I’ll go,” she said, indulging in her boyfriend’s enthusiasm.

“Would you like for me to take a picture of the two of you together?” Zane asked.

“Oh yes, please!” Jay practically shoved his phone at the nindroid. “Thanks!”

The couple took a few moments to situate themselves, arguing slightly (but fondly) over whether to take a serious picture or a silly one. Kai and Lloyd unhelpfully called out suggestions while Zane fiddled with the camera’s settings. Cole found his attention wandering to the ‘ghost’, unable to shake the sudden feeling that something was not quite right. 

The feeling grew stronger when Jay suddenly jolted. “Did you say something, Nya?” he asked.

The water ninja frowned slightly. “No?”

“Huh, thought I heard you whisper something….” Jay shook it off. “Never mind. You ready to take the picture?”

“Ready!”

“Take your positions then, please,” Zane gently instructed, holding up the camera. The duo did so—Jay on the left, frozen mid-stride as if running in terror; Nya on the right, hands on her hips and rolling her eyes skyward. 

Cole’s eyes narrowed as the ‘ghost’ was gently swayed by the wind. That feeling wasn’t going away.

“Alright, on three. One…”

...wait.

“Two…”

Was that…a flash of green?

“Three—”

The wind suddenly howled , making the bed sheet ‘ghost’ spin around and fly forwards. Jay disappeared, engulfed behind the white sheet, and a split second later he let out a shriek.

“JAY!” everyone exclaimed. 

Nya, being the closest, got to him first. She prepared to strike, only to pause when her boyfriend let out another shriek.

“St-STOP!” Jay pleaded. The bed sheet rippled as the blue ninja fought off his attacker. “PLEASE, I’M TOO TICKLISH!”

 Everyone froze. “Ticklish?” Kai mouthed in shock.

Jay shrieked again—and there was laughter hidden within the shriek—and the bed sheet was finally kicked off, revealing his attacker.

Kai groaned, facepalming. “Of-fucking-course.”

“ ‘Sup losers,” Morro greeted, not looking up from tickling Jay’s stomach. “ Trick or Treat.”

“THAT’S NAHAHAHT HOW THAT WORKS!” Jay protested, trying to wiggle away.

“Meh, whatever. This is way more fun,” Morro decided, not letting up his tickle attack in the slightest.

“What happened to staying on the ship?” Cole questioned. 

The ghost shrugged, finally letting Jay go in favor of rising into the air. “ Meh, I got bored. Figured I’d see what all the fuss was about. Besides,” he grinned and gestured to the bedsheet on the ground. “ Porcupine gave me the idea.”

“Yknow, I was joking when I brought up you being a bedsheet ghost,” Kai drawled, smirking. “But I’ll admit: it works. And it’s kinda funny.”

“Is it?” Cole crossed his arms, not convinced. “He was scaring all those kids earlier…”

“ They were asking for it.” Morro noticed the dirty look the earth ninja was giving him and threw up his hands. “ What?! They were! I — look, I’ll show you!”

The ghost quickly threw on his costume, adjusting it so it was on properly. A few moments later, three little kids—all boys, from the looks of it, and dressed as a red, black, and green ninja—approached, giggling and shoving each other. 

“You first!”

“No way, Takeshi said he was going first!”

“No I didn’t! That was Lucas!”

“Nuh uh, Mateo was first!”

There was a brief squabble before the one in black—Takeshi, if Cole was keeping them straight—was pushed in front. Gulping audibly, the boy inched closer to where Morro was standing, stopping within a meter of him.

“Closer!” the boy in green—Lucas—urged.

“Yeah, closer,” the red one—Mateo—echoed. “Unless you’re a scaredy-cat!”

“I’m not scared!” Takeshi protested. He turned to face Morro again and slowly moved closer.

When he was within a foot of the ghost, the wind suddenly picked up and Morro raised his arms. “Boooooo~” he moaned, even though none of the boys could have heard him.

Even still, all three of them shrieked in fright and Takeshi leapt back, racing to hide behind his friends.

Cole frowned and moved to comfort them, only to pause when the boys started laughing.

“That-that was awesome!” Lucas gasped. 

“Your face Takeshi!” Mateo giggled. “I thought you were going to faint!”

“Yeah well, you should have seen yours!” Takeshi fired back, trembling slightly but with a grin on his face. “Anyways, it’s your turn now!”

“Nuh uh, Lucas is going next!”

“No I’m not, you are!”

Morro, apparently too impatient to wait, floated closer to the boys. “ I’m gonna get you~” he said, the wind howling in time to his words.

Takeshi’s head shot up and he gasped as he noticed the ghost approaching. “GUYS RUN!” he cried out, grabbing his friends’ wrists and tugging them away. Lucas and Mateo, turning and noticing the “danger”, let out twin shouts and followed Takeshi’s lead.

Morro stayed in place until the frightened-but-laughing boys had run back to the main festivities before lowering his arms. “Told you,” he addressed the ninja, lifting up the bedsheet and smirking smugly. “ It’s been like that since I got here. These kids fucking love being scared shitless.”

“Language,” Cole scolded. “I hope you’re not swearing when you’re doing that.”

“Fuck off, nobody can hear me!”

“Aw, let him have some fun, Brookstone,” Kai added, smiling. “He’s not harming anyone. Besides, the kids seem to love it!”

“Yeah, I know those three,” Lloyd chimed in. “They love jump scares. Though, they’re usually the ones doing it to other people…”

Cole tried to keep a stern expression, but failed as amusement overtook him. “Alright, alright,” he conceded, shaking his head. “As long as you’re not traumatizing or hurting anyone, I don’t see a problem with what you’re doing, Morro.”

“ Yes,” the ghost quietly cheered, fist-pumping. He froze, blushed, then quickly adopted an aloof expression. “ I mean—Yeah, whatever. Like I was gonna let you stop me anyways.”

The others shared a look and collectively rolled their eyes. Typical Morro…

“Hey Morro….” Lloyd said, grinning mischievously.

Morro raised an eyebrow. “ What, Pipsqueak?”

“Betcha can’t scare more people with that costume than I can,” Lloyd challenged, grin turning into a smirk.

Morro narrowed his eyes at the green ninja. A slow smirk crept onto his face. “ Loser has to do whatever the winner says for a week?”

“Deal! 1-2-3, GO!”

Lloyd took off, leaving the ghost blinking in shock. “ Wh-YOU LITTLE SHIT! Get back here, that’s CHEATING!”

Lloyd simply cackled, not stopping. Growling, Morro yanked on his costume and flew off after him, cursing up a storm.

“....anyone else just feel a sense of doom washing over them just now?” Jay asked.

“I calculate a 99.9% probability that those two will cause a lot of chaos at the party,” Zane replied. 

“What are the chances that we can keep this from Sensei Wu?” Cole asked, almost dreading the answer.

“Surprisingly enough, there is a less than 20% probability that Sensei Wu will suspect something is happening, and the probability that it’ll lead to Morro’s reveal is less than 10%.”

“Huh.” Kai blinked. “I thought it would’ve been worse.”

“That’s just with Sensei Wu, however. Sensei Garmadon on the other hand…” Zane paused, blinked hard, then knocked the side of his head.

“You okay?” Nya asked, concerned.

“How am I coming up with a 110.4% probability?” the nindroid remarked, looking bewildered.

~~~~~

To no one’s surprise, Zane’s first prediction turned out fairly correct. 

Several times during the next few hours, either Lloyd or Morro could be spotted chasing after a group of children, cackling maniacally. Once or twice, they both seemed to have teamed up to terrify whatever group they had decided to target at that moment. Though that backfired slightly when a brave few — led by Takeshi, Lucas, and Mateo — led a charge and managed to bury Lloyd underneath a pile of shrieking kids. 

Morro, unable and unwilling to help, simply laughed at the green ninja’s predicament. 

At least until Takeshi got the idea of pelting the currently-a-bedsheet-ghost with stray candy. 

“ That kid is the fucking worst,” Morro grumbled once he and Lloyd had gotten away. He  took off his now soiled costume and gave it a critical look. “ Fuck, now I’ve got sticky crap on this thing. What the fuck is even half of this stuff?”

“Hmmm,” Lloyd looked it over. “I see Skittles, M&Ms, Swedish Fish — ugh, gross — ”

“Hey,” Nya complained. “I like Swedish Fish…”

“Oh, no not them,” Lloyd amended. “I’m talking about the frankly terrifying amount of candy corn that’s stuck on here...and I think that’s a jawbreaker.”

“Disgusting,” Morro proclaimed, sighing and dropping the bed sheet onto the nearest bench. “ Oh well, that was fun while it lasted.”

“You kinda deserved that for scaring all those kids,” Kai piped up, smirking with amusement. 

Jay’s eyes glinted. “I guess you could say that Morro got his….” He struck a pose, doing jazz hands. “just desserts .”

There was a collective groan. “Booooo,” Lloyd heckled.

“I HATE you, Bluebell,” Morro growled, looking mildly murderous.

“I set him up for that, I’m sorry,” Kai said, facepalming.

“ You’re right, you did. You should feel ashamed of yourself, Porcupine.”

“Okay, that’s enough,” Cole interrupted, seeing Kai’s offended look and hoping to stop an argument. 

“Mr. Lloyd!” a voice called. Seconds later, a by-now familiar trio ran up to them. “Mr. Lloyd,” Takeshi said. “Sensei Garmadon is looking for you!” 

“Yeah!” Lucas added. “He’s looking for you and everyone else! He says he needs help because—”

“ — he says it’s almost story time!” Mateo cut in. “He says he’s got a special story tonight — ”

“ — for Day of the Departed! And — ”

“Guys,” Takeshi tapped his two friends on the shoulder. “You’re doing the twin thing again.”

“Whoops, sorry,” the two muttered in unison. 

“You guys are twins?” Jay exclaimed. “That’s soooo cool!”

Lucas and Mateo perked up. “Yeah! It’s great for pranking people!” Lucas said. “Like, no one can tell the difference between Lucas and I!”

“Yeah, people confuse Mateo and I all the time!” Mateo added, grinning.

“But wait, weren’t you — but I thought you were—” Kai pointed fingers at the two, going cross-eyed for a second. “Ack, my brain…”

Morro snorted in amusement. “ Dumbass…”

Takeshi laughed, which had the ghost whipping to look over at him. But the boy’s gaze was firmly on the red ninja as he said, “They’re only joking, Mr. Red Ninja. Besides, there’s a trick to telling them apart! Look,” he pointed to the twins’ faces. “Mateo’s got freckles on his nose and Lucas doesn’t.” 

Cole leaned forward, squinting a little. “Huh, you’re right,” he said, blinking in surprise. “Can’t believe I missed that.”

“A lot of people do,” Mateo replied, smirking. “It’s why the swapping thing works out so well!”

“Takeshi’s the only one who noticed without us telling him about it,” Lucas added, smiling widely. 

Their friend blushed, rubbing the back of his head. “I just notice little things others don’t…”

Was it Cole’s imagination, or did Takeshi glance at him for a split second?

“While I do enjoy having this conversation with you three,” Zane suddenly piped up, looking apologetic. “I believe it would be wise to go and see what Sensei Garmadon wanted from us.”

“Oh yeah! Any idea where Dad is, guys?” Lloyd asked, addressing the three boys.

“He said he’ll wait for you guys in the monastery,” Takeshi replied, pointing in the direction of said monastery.

Lloyd smiled. “Thanks guys,” he said, offering the boys a high-five, which they all eagerly returned. “We really appreciate it! Now, go have fun before it’s time for the story!”

“We will!” the trio chorused. 

“Bye Mr. Lloyd! Bye Misters and Miss Ninja!” Takeshi added before he took off, Lucas and Mateo following him.

“Wait, I’m technically not-” Nya cut herself off when it became clear they had not heard her. She huffed and sighed. “I’m not technically a ninja yet…”

“Course you are sis!” Kai immediately retorted.

“Princess, I’m pretty sure the only reason Garmadad hasn’t given you a proper gi yet is because he’s waiting for ‘the appropriate time’,” Morro told her, rolling his eyes and using air quotes as he spoke.

“....Garma dad ?” Cole questioned.

“Because my dad is apparently ‘the dadest dad to ever be a dad’,” Lloyd answered, laughing a little. “I think Dad annoyed him with too many Dad jokes the last time Morro was here.”

Morro’s eye twitched a little. “ I swear, the next time I hear a Dad joke from him, I’ll fucking rearrange his entire scroll collection when he’s not looking.” He shook himself then shrugged. “ Besides, I couldn’t think of a better nickname. It suits him.”

“Y’know, I’ve always wondered: how come neither Wu or Cole have a nickname?” Jay asked, pouting a little.

“ Because Wu’s a bastard and doesn’t fucking deserve one—”

“Understandable,” Kai muttered. 

“ —and because it annoyed Cole in the beginning when I called him Brookstone.”

Cole rolled his eyes. “That’s because you kept laughing about how ironic my entire existence is.”

“Well duh. Cole Brookstone, born April 22nd, the freaking Master of Earth . You’re almost as much of a walking punchline as Bluebell.” The ghost then winced. “ Wait, fuck—”

“But I’m a literal walking pun!” Jay Walker pronounced, smirking.

Everyone groaned, then Kai chuckled a little. “Hey Morro, how does karma feel?”

“ Fuck you, Porcupine…”

By that time, they had arrived at the door of the monastery. Lloyd raised his hands, about to knock on the doors, only to jump back when the left one creaked open without warning. “Uh, hello?” the green ninja called, cautiously opening the door further. “Dad? Are you here?”

Morro phased through the other door, frowning slightly. “ I don’t see anything…”

“Sensei Garmadon?” Cole called as he and the others pushed through the doors into the greeting area. “Where are you?”

The door suddenly slammed shut, making Jay — the last one through — yelp in shock. A second later, the lanterns lighting up the small room went out, plunging the ninja and the ghost into total darkness.

“Way to go, Morro,” Kai mocked. “You blew out the flames.”

“ Fuck you, that wasn’t me!”

“Then who — ” 

A growl suddenly sounded, making Kai go quiet and sending a chill down everyone’s backs. It seemed to come from everywhere and nowhere all at once. 

“Zane….” Jay whimpered. “We could use some light right about now!”

“I am trying!” the nindroid replied, sounding slightly frantic. “But something appears to be blocking my systems. Every time I try, nothing happens!”

“ Idiots!” Morro snarled. “You have a Master of Fire with you! Make a flame, Porcupine!”

“Oh yeah!” Kai concentrated, a flame suddenly bursting from his hand. It lit up a small part of the room and everyone’s faces.

….including that of a monster.

A hooded figure loomed over the ninja, a white-and-red Oni mask covering their face. The mask’s face was twisted into a fearsome smirk, yellowed fangs tipped with red. The ends of their black cloak were ragged and seemed to be tipped in something dark red.

The figure fixed its gaze on the group, slowly raising its arms — tanned with long, spindly fingers and completely covered with strange red symbols — towards the ninja, as if it were about to claw at them. A horrific shriek filled the air, spine-chilling and blood-freezing.

The ninjas’ reactions were immediate.

“AHHHHHHHH!!!!”

Chapter Text

“AHHHHHHHHHH!!!!”

Everyone screamed as they beheld the monstrous figure looming over them. Jay and Nya clung to each other in terror. Kai pushed the two of them behind himself, dropping into a very shaky fighting stance, the flame in his hand flickering wildly. Cole had dropped to the floor, covering his head and quaking, muttering frantically in Spanish. Lloyd was cowering behind Zane, while the nindroid seemed to be as frozen as his element. 

Morro was nowhere to be seen, but Cole peeked through his arms and thought he saw a hint of green from behind Kai.

The Oni made no further moves, just stood there, looming over the terrified ninja...before its shoulders began to shake. A familiar chuckle filled the air before the Oni reached up, pulled off its hood—revealing silvery-gray hair — and pushed back its mask, revealing a familiar face.

“Boo,” Sensei Garmadon said, a mischievous smile on his face.

The group let out a collective sigh. “Dad,” Lloyd gasped, clutching at his chest. “Holy crap, that was—”

“WHAT THE EVER-LOVING FUCK , GARMADAD!” Morro shrieked, floating up so he could point an accusing finger at the disguised sensei. “WHAT THE FUCK WAS THAT FOR?!”

Garmadon’s smile grew a little wider. “Well, it is nearly Day of the Departed,” he replied. “I thought I would follow my son’s lead and play a few tricks.”

Nya huffed, letting go of her death grip on Jay. “Well, you definitely mastered that. That was a good scare!”

“Indeed,” Zane agreed, letting out a slow breath. “I feel as though I experienced the nindroid equivalent to a heart attack.”

“Seconded,” Cole said, uncurling so he could sit down, a hand over his heart. “Er, well, minus the nindroid bit. Díos mio, my heart’s still racing…”

“You managed to scare Morro, Dad!” Lloyd exclaimed. “That’s awesome!”

“ NO THE FUCK IT’S NOT!” A pause. “ AND I WAS NOT FUCKING SCARED!”

“Then why are you screaming?” Jay asked, still a little pale but starting to smile.

“ I’M YELLING AND IT’S BECAUSE I’M FUCKING FURIOUS!”

“I’m pretty sure I heard you scream along with everyone else,” Kai said, starting to smirk. “Also, you were absolutely hiding behind me.”

“I did see something green…” Cole added quietly.

Morro’s face turned a dark shade of green. “ I-I-I-FUCK YOU ALL! AND MEGA FUCK YOU, GARMADAD!”

Everyone had a little laugh at that, further embarrassing the ghost and making his face darken further.

“Was this why you asked us to come to you, Sensei Garmadon?” Zane asked once it was relatively quiet again. 

“Well, in part,” Sensei Garmadon admitted. “But I did truly want some help. Or, well, I specifically wanted young Morro’s assistance.”

“ After that fucking display? Go to hell,” Morro snarled, crossing his arms and turning his back on Garmadon. 

“Aw c’mon, Morro,” Kai said, reaching up to (gently) punch the ghost in the arm. “You gotta admit he got us good!”

Morro became intangible, making the red ninja’s punch phase right through him. “ I admit nothing,” the ghost growled, looking murderous.

“...would an apology make you reconsider?” Cole lightly suggested. 

Morro flipped him off, which was answer enough.

Sensei Garmadon sighed. “A shame,” he said, looking faintly disappointed. “I thought adding some special effects would instill some drama into the story. Alas, if Morro does not wish to help…”

Morro’s expression twitched for a split second. “ ...what kind of effects?” he asked, voice flat but everyone could hear the hint of curiosity in it.

Garmadon started to smile a little. “Well,” he said, turning to face the ghost. “I was thinking of adding some smoke effects, but I need someone who can manipulate it just so…”

“ Going for something spooky, huh?”

“Yes, exactly. In addition, if the wind blew in such a way that, say, it howled and produced other noises….”

Morro started to smirk a little. “ I’m listening…”

~~~~~~

It was fully dark when a gong gently sounded from the monastery. All of the activity at the party ceased before everyone started making their way towards the sound. Kids, shaking with excitement (and likely the remnants of a sugar rush), raced through the doors, giggling and gently shoving each other.

“This way,” Misako gently directed the large crowd to the monastery’s big inner courtyard, where small cushions had been arranged in a semi-circle in front of a big, currently unlit fire pit. “There’s no need to rush, there’s plenty of seats.”

Cole, who was sitting with the others in the back-and-center of the make-shift amphitheater, watched as the other seats steadily filled up. He caught a glimpse of Takeshi, Lucas, and Mateo as the trio sat in the front row, giggling and jostling each other in a joking fashion. Sensei Wu was seated in the back towards the left, where Misako joined him once everyone else had been seated.

“Decent crowd,” Kai murmured over the quiet chatter of the audience. 

Jay was bouncing in his seat, looking excited. “I can’t wait for the story to start!” he gushed. 

“Jay, you have already heard the story,” Zane gently chided. “Or were you not paying attention while Sensei Garmadon and Morro were practicing?”

“I was!” the blue ninja cried, slightly indignant. “But they only did a few parts of it and it was mostly just the beginning anyways!”

“Jay has a point,” Nya said, coming to her boyfriend’s defense (and earning her an adoring look). “If they looked that good in practice and it’s just the first part, imagine how good it’s going to look towards the end of the story.”

“Fair point,” Zane conceded, smiling. “I retract my former statement, then.”

“Guys, shhh,” Lloyd shushed him. “I think it’s showtime!”

Cole was about to ask him how he knew when there was a quiet fwoosh. The quiet chatter quickly died as the fire pit suddenly came to life, an emerald green flame shooting up into the sky. 

Flying off to the side, unseen by everyone except for the ninja, Morro had his hands held out. He flicked his right hand, and a short burst of wind made the fire in the pit dance wildly—enough so that Cole almost missed the small smoke bomb that rolled in front of the pit.

Murmurs from the crowd gave way to a gasp when the bomb went off, and white smoke—aided by another subtle breeze from Morro—billowed up in a giant plume. A dark shape began to grow from behind the smoky veil, tall and sinister looking. A shadowy, clawed hand reached out towards the audience, making several people yelp in fear—

—only for a smaller, more normal looking hand to pierce through the smog. The hand swept to the side—Morro doing the same movement with his arms in tandem—and the smoke followed the movement. Sensei Garmadon emerged, the smoke curling around him like a long-lost friend. He still had his costume on, but his Oni mask had been pushed up and to the side of his head, exposing his face.

The former evil lord looked at his audience, smiling slightly. “Good evening, everyone,” he greeted, his voice soft but loud enough that even in the back, Cole could hear him clearly. “I welcome you to this place, and thank you for allowing me to entertain you this evening.” He clasped his hands in front of him, his smile growing wider. “Now, before I begin, I wish to ask you one question...does anyone know what is happening in just a few short days?”

“Day of the Departed!” a little girl immediately answered, leading to some chuckles from the rest of the audience.

Sensei Garmadon laughed too. “Well, yes, that is true,” he allowed, smiling kindly. “But not quite what I was going for.”

Takeshi raised his hand, waiting patiently for Sensei Garmadon to call on him. “My dad said that there’s gonna be an...an eclipse,” he said, pronouncing ‘eclipse’ carefully. “He says that it’s gonna look like the moon’s disappeared!”

There were murmurs at that, the kids especially looking awed and a little spooked at the prospect of the moon vanishing. Sensei Garmadon smiled wide, and nodded at Takeshi. “You are correct,” he said, making Takeshi beam in pride while Lucas and Mateo bumped shoulders with him congratulations. Sensei Garmadon patiently waited for them to calm down before turning back to the audience. “There is indeed a lunar eclipse scheduled to occur on Day of the Departed. For those who do not know, a lunar eclipse occurs when the sun, earth, and moon are in alignment.” He held up both of his hands, curled up into fists and moved one slowly behind the other. “The moon moves behind the earth, into its shadow, and the earth blocks the sun from reflecting its light onto the moon. This makes it appear as though the moon is slowly disappearing from the night sky.” He lowered his hands and clasped them behind his back. “Lunar eclipses are rare, and to have one fall on Day of the Departed is rarer still. In fact,” he lowered his voice to a hush. “The last time a lunar eclipse occurred on Day of the Departed was one thousand years ago….”

At some unseen signal, Morro flicked his hands, causing the smoke to rise up and roll forwards, obscuring Sensei Garmadon from view. The crowd let out soft gasps at that. The gasps grew louder when, under Morro’s careful command, the smoke started shaping itself. A figure made of smoke, with a hat similar to Sensei Wu’s on its head, formed. It held up a hand, as if waving hello.

“One thousand years ago,” Sensei Garmadon spoke, emerging from the smoke and waving a hand at a smoky figure. “My father, the First Spinjitzu Master, wandered over the land he had created. After he had defeated the Overlord, he led the people of Ninjago and for a time, there was peace and prosperity in the land.”

The smoke shifted to reflect the events, the smoky FSM puppet wandering over the land, defeating a cartoonish-looking Overlord (which caused many people in the audience to laugh), and eventually helping other shadowy people form large towns and villages, houses springing up from the smoke. Even though it was all fake, the whole scene seemed to radiate with calm and peace, and Cole made a mental note to tell Morro just how well he was doing. It was a testament to the ghost’s mastery of his element to make the performance come to life.

“However…” Sensei Garmadon’s voice broke through the relative calm, and the audience gasped as the wind blew and the smoky image was erased. “It did not last long.”

The smoke darkened, the cloud it formed growing spikier and more sinister. Smoky figures emerged, with long claws for hands and gaping mouths full of pointy teeth. The wind howled, only adding to the evil atmosphere.

“Dark spirits, the souls of those barred from the Departed Realm, roamed the land,” Sensei Garmadon said. “They attacked anything and anyone, intent on inflicting their pain on others.”

The smoky villages were back, but they were quickly overrun by the dark figures of the evil souls. Cole winced as he watched the dark cloud overtake a shadowy villager, absently rubbing at his scar in sympathy. 

“My father pushed them back, sending them to the Cursed Realm over and over again. But the barriers between the realms, though strong, still had cracks—weak points where those damned souls could slip through. And try as my father might, he couldn’t seal the cracks from the outside….”

The smoky FSM returned, sending the dark cloud of evil spirits flying back and down, into a small dark orb that represented the Cursed Realm. The orb had small ‘cracks’ made of dark smoke webbing the edges and the FSM figure paused and tilted its head in consideration. Then, it jumped and snapped its fingers, as if it had had an idea.

“So, he decided to try it from the inside.” Sensei Garmadon held up a fist. “He gathered up small bits of power from all the realms and condensed them. The combined power grew strong and hardened, forming the shape and appearance of a polished gemstone.” He lowered his voice. “This became known as the Realm Crystal.”

The smoke-puppet FSM pulled in brightly colored smoke into one of his hands, seemingly concentrating before the smoke congealed and formed into the shape of a big gemstone. The kids in the crowds let out gasps of awe at the sight of the ‘Realm Crystal’. Gem in hand, the FSM puppet vanished in a cloud of colored smoke, only to reappear in the ‘Cursed Realm’. With a wave of his hand, the shadowy beasts were forced back and the ‘cracks’ were sealed. 

“With his new tool in hand,” Garmadon intoned, as the shadow puppet FSM ‘teleported’ back out. “My father was able to move between realms with ease, and with his other power, seal any leaks and cracks in order to keep out evil spirits.” He paused. “However…”

Morro flicked out his hand and the smoke swirled around, obscuring Garmadon for a second. Suddenly, the smoke-puppet FSM leapt out of the smoke, followed quickly by another smoky figure. The crowd gasped as the smoky figure climbed on top of the FSM, reaching for the Realm Crystal in his hand. The FSM held out a hand and blasted the figure away in a burst of colored smoke…only for another figure to leap out and attack him from behind. The FSM blasted them away as well, but a collection of dark, smoky figures crowded around him. 

“Others heard what my father had accomplished,” Garmadon continued, stepping out from the smog. “They attempted to snatch the Realm Crystal from him, in order to use it for their own, selfish desires. My father held them all off, but that only made them bolder. Until one day…one of them attempted to make their own.” 

The scene vanished again, only for a new figure to emerge. At first, Cole thought it looked like an evil Wu (and he was about to make a mental note to scold Morro for that later). But after a moment, he remembered who it was supposed to be.

“A man, known as Master Yang, had spent several years amassing a vast collection of knowledge,” Garmadon said, gesturing to the new smoke figure. “He had done research on the formation of rifts between our world and the realms of the dead, and had noted that the rifts were more likely to form during select celestial events and around certain times of the year.” He lowered his voice. “And the times where they were most prevalent…were around Day of the Departed.”

Several gasps came at that, mostly from the kids. Morro swept out his hands, the wind manipulating the Master Yang puppet into a thinking pose. Just like the FSM puppet before him, ‘Master Yang’ perked up before spreading out his hands. A long, thin rod made of dark smoke formed in his grasp and—with a quick flick of the wrist from Morro—greenish smoke formed on one end, forming a jagged, teardrop-shaped blade. 

“Utilizing this, as well as several rare materials he had collected over the years, Master Yang crafted a special weapon. The blade of the device was made with a special stone, one said to have been left behind by my father after he had expended an extraordinary amount of power.” Garmadon clasped his hands in front of his chest, looking grave. “This terrible weapon became known as…the Yang Blade.”

The name sent a shiver down Cole’s spine, and set the crowd off muttering. The smoke-puppet Sensei Yang held the Blade aloft, seeming to laugh maniacally.

“With his new weapon in hand, Master Yang set off to wait for Day of the Departed, so that he might test out its powers.” Garmadon disappeared into the smoke, as ‘Master Yang’ started running towards the west. Behind him, the puppet of the FSM appeared, looking troubled. “At that time, however, my father received a horrible vision. A lunar eclipse was going to occur on Day of the Departed. If Yang managed to use his weapon as it was occurring… disaster would befall Ninjago.”

The smoke FSM puppet held his head in his hands as if in fear before abruptly turning and sprinting in the same direction ‘Master Yang’ had gone. Said man was standing on a hill, blade held aloft. 

“As Day of the Departed dawned, my father went after Master Yang. As the sun began to set, he finally caught up to him and tried to tell him not to use the weapon.”

The FSM puppet ran up to the base of the hill where ‘Master Yang’ was standing, holding out a hand. The Master Yang puppet seemed to falter, the Blade in his hand seeming to dip some. Then, his hands clenched and he seemed to shout at the FSM.

“But Master Yang’s lust for knowledge and power overtook him,” Garmadon said. As he did, Morro swept out his arms. The smoke above the two puppets rippled and separated, revealing a circle of pure white smoke. Almost immediately, a deep black circle of smoke started creeping up on the white one. “As the lunar eclipse reached its zenith…Master Yang struck with his Blade.”

The puppet Master Yang slashed the air in front of him with his blade, just as the smoky ‘moon’ was totally eclipsed. Almost immediately, a green glow overtook it, sweeping out and covering the entire scene. A jagged, dark green crack appeared where the Yang Blade had slashed. 

“A rift, bigger and wider than any that had come before it, opened. From the other side, spirits of the deceased rose up and exited the rift.” Garmadon’s expression grew even more grave, as dark, smoky, sinister-looking figures gathered in the middle of the rift. “That’s when my father realized just what the Yang Blade had done…and how dangerous it was.”

A shadowy figure broke free from the crowd and exited the rift…and the crowd gasped as the dark smoke that made up the puppet grew lighter, matching that of the FSM and Master Yang puppet.

“The Yang Blade had not just opened a rift straight into the Cursed Realm…it had also returned those wretched spirits to life. ”

The crowd burst into gasps and shouts of dismay. ‘The FSM’ and ‘Master Yang’ looked at the revived spirit in shock, who appeared to be laughing maniacally. The spirits still on the other rift shifted, before another stepped out, ‘revived’ in an instant.

Then another stepped out. Then another. Then two more. Soon, the spirits surged out from the rift, all clamoring for violence and blood. ‘Master Yang’, faced with the wave of revived spirits, dropped his blade and fled.

‘The FSM’ did no such thing.

“Terrified by what his creation had wrought, Master Yang ran away. My father, however, held his ground and fought against the horde.”

The crowd ‘ooh’ed and gasped as the FSM puppet fought against the wave of revived spirits, Morro expertly weaving the smoke into a dynamic, epic scene.

“My father was powerful,” Garmadon narrated. “But even he struggled against the sheer numbers of those revived, cursed souls. For a moment, it seemed as if he would be overwhelmed…”

The crowd gasped as ‘The FSM’ quickly became buried underneath a massive pile of writhing bodies. Cole found himself leaning forwards, completely immersed and invested in the story. 

“But, just as all seemed lost, something miraculous happened.” Garmadon waved a hand, and the smoke near it, guided by Morro, shifted into a whole legion of smoke puppets. Some had swords, others pitchforks and torches. All looked ready to fight. “The nearby villagers, seeing the battle taking place, bravely fought alongside my father. With their aid, he was able to turn the tide.”

 A cheer went up as ‘The FSM’ broke through the pile of bodies he had been buried under and resumed fighting.

 “Until finally, as the eclipse entered its ending stages and the rift sealed itself…”

The crowd watched with bated breath as ‘The FSM and his reinforcements fought against the revived evil spirits. Slowly, but surely, the spirits were pushed back. As the ‘moon’ came back into view, the FSM attacked one last time…vanquishing the last of his foes.

“…they emerged, victorious.” Garmadon grinned.

The crowd cheered, many clapping. Garmadon waited for a few moments before holding up a hand for silence. “After the battle was over, my father went after Master Yang and seized the Yang Blade.”

The smoke swirled, showing just that. ‘Master Yang’ cowered before ‘The FSM’, who was looking over him angrily.

“Angered by his foolish and cowardly actions, my father punished Master Yang with a curse: never again shall he leave his monastery. He was to remain there until he had understood the folly of his ways.” Garmadon’s voice dropped and his expression grew grave. “They say that even to this day, Master Yang’s spirit remains, haunting his monastery and rotting along with the knowledge he collected. Too proud to admit that he made a mistake, he will never know rest nor peace.”

A flick of Morro’s hand, and the smoke puppet of Master Yang was blown away. Cole couldn’t help but shiver as it happened, a twinge of pain going through his scar. He made a note to find out where Master Yang’s monastery was supposed to be and avoid it like the plague.

“As for my father,” Garmadon’s voice took on a lighter tone. “He hid the Yang Blade in a secure place, keeping it away from anyone who might wish to use its power. With the aftermath of the battle leading to record low numbers of evil spirits wandering the land and wary that someone might try again to replicate the power of the Realm Crystal, my father kept its use and presence extremely private, until to the public, it became nothing more than mere myth. Even I am not sure what its ultimate fate was. Perhaps my father destroyed it; perhaps he hid it as he did the Yang Blade. Whatever the case, the Realm Crystal has been lost to the mists of the past…”

Garmadon paused, smiling at the crowd. “Many of you may wonder if the story I just told was true. To that, I will just say this.” He gestures with his hand. “Somewhere out to the west, secluded somewhere along the coast, there is a village known as Stiix. They say there, the people tell tales about my father, and how he and their ancestors defeated more than a thousand spirits, revived by the Yang Blade and the eclipse’s power. They say that parts of the village were built on the very ground where the fight took place. And they say that there, on every Day of the Departed, they celebrate the success of my father against the Yang Blade’s might…under the light of the Yin Eclipse.”

Garmadon bowed his head, smoke rolling over him and obscuring him from view. Morro waited for a few moments before sweeping out with his arms. The smoke, guided by the wind, swirled away…revealing an empty space where Garmadon had been.

There was a pause before one little kid started to hesitantly clap. Another joined in, and soon everyone was applauding. Garmadon popped up from…somewhere, smiling and bowing. “Thank you,” he said quietly. “Thank you all for listening.”

Cole was standing and cheering, his friends doing the same. “Awesome job, Dad!” Lloyd yelled, grinning.

Cole couldn’t help but look up. Morro had floated closer to the ground, his arms crossed but something satisfied and even proud in his stance.

“Well done, Mark,” Cole murmured, smiling.

If only everyone else had seen what his friend had done. Then he’d be getting applause too…

Ah, well. Cole and the others would make sure that Morro knew that he had done an excellent job.