Onyx and the Legacy of the Green Ninja

Cause and Effect

Onyx heard a cracking noise from above her head as the other occupants of the building started screaming and shouting in terror. She slowly looked up, afraid of what she would see. And just as she thought, there it was in all its grotesque majesty. "Not the Grundal!" Rufus cried in terror. "We've got to get everyone out!" Onyx whisper-yelled, dashing over to the door, but it wouldn't open. "The door is jammed by the sign! We can't get out," Zane said. Suddenly there was the sound of glass shattering. "Get down!" Onyx screamed, dropping down to the floor and covering her head.

Glimmering shards of glass fell around her, tinkling and clattering on the floor. "We're doomed!" Jay screamed. "Doomed as Britts Subskian in Phoenix War page 15," Rufus said. Onyx didn't know what Phoenix War was, but she knew it was a comic Wu would never let her read. Though she wasn't supposed to have read Ninjago Ghoul or Attack on Giants either. Onyx ducked under the Grundal's swinging tail. "Get to the swords!" She cried, dashing for the display case.

Onyx and the others each grabbed one. They edged in front of the kids, waving them as they flowed vibrant pink. "Hey, McNasty, I thought ninja were on your menu!" Cole taunted. The Grundal backed away from the light of the swords, squinting its milky white eyes. "It's working!" Jay cried. He leapt at the beast and tried to stab it with his illumasword. Instead, the cheap plastic toy broke, its light winking out. The others followed suit, only to have the same result. "Stupid plastic junk!" Onyx hissed as hers began to run out of batteries. "We have a problem, guys," Jay squeaked.

The Grundal swung its tail, knocking the ninja into the register and advancing on them, its rancid hot breath washing over them. Onyx's mouth went sticky with fear. "I'll take care of this!" Lloyd cried, raising himself up on the chair behind the register and summoning a ball of energy. But before he could fire it, the Grundal swung its tail again, sending the ninja flying. Onyx landed on top of Lloyd in the corner of the shop, the other ninja in front of them. "This is the end, isn't it?" Cole whispered.

Onyx slid off of Lloyd. He was frozen in terror at the sight of the Grundal's open mouth coming towards them, the stench of rotting meat on its breath. Onyx grabbed Lloyd's hand and squeezed it as tightly as she could, looking for any sort of comfort. Lloyd squeezed back.

Suddenly, Nya kicked open the door and dashed into the store, Wu behind her. "Everyone out!" Nya screamed. The children and Rufus obliged, evacuating the store within moments. "Use this!" Wu shouted, flinging a jar of purple liquid at the ninja. Jay just barely managed to catch it. "What is it?" He asked. "It'll turn forward the hands of time, turning you old and reducing the Grundal back to dust and bones. But be careful, there's no turning back!" Wu answered.

"Grundal, prepare to be extinct!" Jay wound up and prepared to throw it, but Cole grabbed his arm, holding up the last illumisword. "No, wait. What about Lloyd and Onyx? They'll grow old, too!" He said. Jay hesitated. "Just do it!" Lloyd cried. "Yeah!" Onyx agreed. "You'll miss out on the rest of your childhood!" Jay cried, the four others looking back at them. "We can't do that! It's not fair," Kai said. "Life's not fair!" Onyx shouted. Jay faltered, staring at the jar in his hand.

The Grundal snapped at them, knocking the four backward and sending the tea spiraling up into the air. It landed on Lloyd's chest. He stared at it and then looked over at Onyx, who nodded. "Do it," she whispered. Lloyd gritted his teeth and stood. "Fair? Fair isn't a word where I come from," he growled, flinging the jar at the Grundle. It shattered to pieces, sending spatters of the liquid everywhere.

The Grundal shrieked and began thrashing around. Its tail caught Onyx in the chest and flung her into a shelf, which collapsed, covering her in a cascade of comics and manga. Onyx blacked out for a moment. It was quick. So quick it was like blinking, and when she came to, everything was quiet. She felt...different. She could quite put her finger on how, but she did. Onyx looked at her hands. They were different. The fingers longer and less stubby. "Ngh..." her voice was different too. Lower and less squeaky.

"Onyx!" Someone was calling her. The voice was familiar. '...Lloyd?' Onyx pushed herself to her feet and immediately staggered. She was more top-heavy than she used to be. Someone caught her. "Are you okay?" Now she was sure it was him. "Yeah... I'm fine. Just... discombobulated," she said, looking at him. At Lloyd. His hair had gained a slight wave, and his face had matured, but other than that, he was almost exactly the same. He looked... good.

Lloyd coughed. "Onyx," he murmured, glancing at the others. 'Oh! Right. Not little kids anymore,' she thought, quickly stepping away. The others were staring at them. Mainly her. Onyx glanced down at herself and immediately realized why. Unlike Lloyd, she had changed a lot. Her hips were wider, and-'oh Spinjitzu Master... .' Onyx wasn't sure what to think. She glanced back up at the others. They were flushing slightly and determinedly looking anywhere except her. Onyx flushed as well. Unlike Lloyd, her suit hadn't been sized for a teenager's body, and it was now far too tight for both breathing and public areas.

Onyx coughed and awkwardly crossed her arms over her chest. "Um... Nya. Help," she whispered, looking over at the other girl, who quickly snapped out of her surprise and hurried over to Onyx. "Come on-you can borrow my clothes and female items until we can get you your own," she said, taking Onyx's arm and leading her away.

(=^･ｪ･^=)(=^･ｪ･^=)(=^･ｪ･^=)(=^･ｪ･^=)

Lloyd lay on his back, staring up at the bottom of Kai's bunk above his. Now that he had time to process what had happened, what he had done was finally hitting him. He was older now, which meant that he had to start taking more responsibility. Lloyd realized that he had to grow up and begin taking his training far more seriously. This body was more suited to fighting, which meant that the battle between him and the forces of darkness could be even closer than ever before.

And speaking of darkness, Onyx. Lloyd wasn't sure what to think about how she had changed. He couldn't deny that she was rather pretty, but that wasn't something he should be dwelling on. He also felt somewhat guilty. He sighed in frustration. "You alright, Lloyd?" Cole asked. "Yeah. I'm just thinking," Lloyd answered. Kai leaned over the edge of his bed. "About what?" He asked. Lloyd shrugged slightly. "Just... everything that happened today. It's a lot. And I feel kind of bad for dragging Onyx into it. She said she was fine with it, but still," he said.

"Yes, but what is done is done," Zane said. "What do you guys think about... you know?" Jay asked. It was obvious what he was talking about. "It's kind of awkward. She was a little kid, and now she's... not. I'm not saying I'm attracted or anything, but... yeah," Kai said. "I agree. Onyx is a little sister to me," Zane said. "Ditto," Cole agreed. "What about you, Lloyd?" Jay asked. Lloyd frowned. "I don't know how I feel about it," he said. "I bet you like her," Kai ribbed. Lloyd flushed. "No! I like her, but not like that. I mean, sure, she's pretty, but that's different," he argued.

Jay snickered. "Suuure," he said. Lloyd huffed. "You guys are terrible. Besides, I don't want to talk about it right now. I'm tired," he said, rolling over and not saying anything more. The others decided to let him rest. It really had been a long day, and there would be plenty of time for teasing him later.

Meanwhile, Onyx was shifting uncomfortably in her bed, trying to get settled with the weight on her chest before giving up with a frustrated sigh. "Are you alright?" Nya asked. "No. How are you supposed to sleep with these things?" Onyx mumbled. Nya laughed softly. "I know, right? You really just have to get used to them," she said. Onyx frowned and tried lying on her stomach. That was slightly more comfortable. "I'm just worried about training tomorrow. Balancing is harder," she said. "Mm. Don't worry. You'll figure it out eventually," Nya assured. "I hope so," Onyx said.

She took Fishy and set her by her pillow. It was childish to still sleep with a stuffed animal. Onyx lay there for a moment before grabbing the battered fox. Yes, she was older now and had to act accordingly, but surely no one would fault her for this. The fox was the one thing she had left from her original life and was comforting on a subconscious and aware level. Onyx got herself as comfortable as possible before closing her eyes.

Then they flew open again with a gasp. "What!? What's wrong?" Nya exclaimed, sitting up. "Yesterday, I swapped some of the ingredients in the kitchen!" Onyx groaned.

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THE TEN HOURS OF SLEEP ARE STILL CARRYING ME!!!! I HAVE BEEN LISTENING TO THE GHOSTBUSTERS THEME ON LOOP FOR THE PAST TWO HOURS. And puberty sucks. Also, seriously. If you have any thoughts on the story I mentioned in the previous chapter, please. I am serious. Should I publish it? (I don't know why I'm so unsure about this. It's probably my best work ever).