Author's Note/Disclaimer: Man, if only I owned Ninjago . . .

So . . . here's a thing. Set after season five, but before season six. The dream is based on one I had a while ago, though I did change a few of the details to fit the story a bit better. Also, yes, I am making fun of Final Fantasy. Nya's feelings are basically my own. Whoops. :)

EDIT: Also, a big thanks to Order of the Aether, for helping me edit this story so it could be the best it can be. :D

"Ship of Theseus"
By Skylark Starflower
Started March 17, 2016

Prologue

Cole groaned and squeezed his eyes shut against the sudden light from the open door. The door closed and he opened them once more to find Zane standing there, a tray in his hands. He could see that the tray contained a bowl of what he assumed to be soup, a plate of saltine crackers and a glass of ginger ale.

Zane was wearing his old, pink apron again, Cole noted with amusement, even as his stomach lurched at the thought of eating anything. You could be certain Cole was sick when the idea of food turned his stomach.

"How are you feeling, Cole?" Zane asked as he walked over to the side of the bed. He set the tray down on the bedside table.

"Ask me that again, Pinkie, and I'll make sure you find out first hand," Cole replied in good humour, though his exasperation was clear.

"Sorry," Zane replied sheepishly. "Anyway, I've brought you some dinner."

"Ugh, I don't know if I can eat that, Zane . . ."

"Well, at least try the crackers and ginger ale? They may help settle your stomach."

"Oh, all right. Hand them over."

Cole sat up in bed as Zane passed him the plate of crackers and cup of ginger ale. He began to nibble a cracker half-heartedly.

"I still don't understand how you're sick," said Zane after a moment of silence. "I would not have expected you to be able to become ill as a ghost."

"Yeah, well, we can't all be robots, can we?" Cole shot back. He didn't intend it as an insult, so he felt bad when Zane drew back in surprise and dropped his head. "Sorry."

"It's okay," Zane replied quietly. There was an awkward silence before he spoke again. "I'll leave the soup in case you change your mind about it. I'll check in on you later."

"Yeah, all right. Later, Zane."

As Zane turned to leave, he saw Cole set the food back down and lay down in his bed. He must have thought Zane wouldn't notice, so he pretended he hadn't, stepping out of the room before closing the door behind him.

Zane made his way slowly back to the kitchen, pulling off his apron as he entered the room. As he hung it up, he took stock of who else was there. Nya and Lloyd sat at the table, watching as Jay fiddled with a small device.

"It's never going to work, Jay," teased Nya.

"Yes, it will, just you wait," Jay replied, carefully attaching a tiny wire.

Zane turned a curious expression to Lloyd. "What is Jay making now?"

Lloyd smirked. "He says it's gonna keep mosquitoes away, but so far, all it does is catch fire."

"Oh, har, har," snapped Jay. "You'll all be thanking me when the little blood suckers won't come within five miles of us!" Something in his invention chose that moment to spark, sending up a plume of smoke. Jay coughed and swore mildly, waving the smoke away. Zane raised an eyebrow, but said nothing. Lloyd snickered.

It was Nya who spoke next. "How's Cole doing?"

"He hasn't been sick in a while, but he's still refusing to eat," replied Zane.

"Does it really matter?" asked Lloyd. The others gave him a strange look. "What? He's a ghost, it's not like he can die, right?"

"Kid's got a point," Kai's voice came from the doorway. "Except for water, as far as we know, nothing can hurt him."

The fire ninja joined the group at the table, ruffling Lloyd's hair playfully. This elicited an annoyed, "hey!" from the green ninja. Then Kai placed a bag on the table.

"Enough about Cole, I'm sure he'll be fine in no time. Guess what I got?"

Lloyd's eyes went wide. "No way!"

"Yup," replied Kai with a smirk. "I got the last copy in the store. Who wants to play Last Legend 18?"

That got Jay's attention. The blue ninja perked up, abandoning his invention entirely. "How in Ninjago did you manage that? That game's been sold out everywhere the moment it was released!"

"I could tell you, but then I'd have to kill you."

"Ha, ha, very funny. Seriously, though?"

"Really, Jay, does it matter how I got it? The fact is I did. Do you want to play or not?"

"Of course I do! Let's go!"

Nya rolled her eyes. "Seriously, I don't see what it is everyone sees in that game. The last halfway decent game in that series was twelve."

"Are you for real?" Jay stared at her like a goat had grown out of her forehead. "It's just the most anticipated sequel to seven, where Cirrus Rivalry and the gang have to face the ghost of their greatest foe, now inhabiting his mighty odachi blade!"

"Sounds riveting. Have fun, boys." With that, Nya got up and left the room.

"Bah, her loss." Jay got up to follow Kai and Lloyd down the hall. He paused for a moment when he noticed Zane hadn't moved. "You coming, Zane?"

Zane blinked and looked up, startled. Jay figured he must have been talking to PIXAL. "Oh, I'm sorry. Um . . . sure, I suppose."

He stood and followed after the others. By the time he caught up with them, Kai and Lloyd already had the game set up and ready to go.

"Seems they stuck with the three person battle system, so I guess we'll have to take turns," Lloyd said as he passed the last controller to Jay. "Sorry, Zane. First come, first served."

Zane wasn't particularly bothered. "I am content to watch for now." He sat down, not really paying attention as the others argued over who got which character.

"I wish I could play," said PIXAL wistfully, drawing his attention inwards. "I've never played a video game before. I don't understand how you can just watch."

Zane shrugged, responding internally so only she could hear. "Honestly, I am more interested in the plot than the game play."

"I suppose that makes sense." PIXAL paused as a small alert popped up. "I should take care of this maintenance check. I will return to watch with you once it is complete."

"I will be sure to fill you in on any important plot points you may miss," he replied. She smiled before disappearing from his display. He turned his attention back to the screen in time for the opening movie to begin.

X X X

Something was wrong. The others continued to press on through the snow, but none of them seemed to notice as Zane fell behind. Something held him, some unseen force, and it would not let go. It made it difficult to move forward. The more he fought it, the stronger it became, pulling him backwards and away from his friends.

Zane reached out, yelling for help in a panicked voice, but no one seemed to hear him.

"Please," he heard himself say in a last, desperate whisper. "Help me."

One of his friends stopped, standing still for a moment before turning to face him. Jay had the falcon perched on his arm, the bird's metallic finish glinting in the sun. Jay's eyebrows knit in a mix of regret and sorrow as he stared at the ground.

"I don't know if we can."

Zane could no longer resist the force. He was snapped backwards through the snowy forest at great speed. Soon, he came to an ice-covered lake. His momentum slowed but didn't stop as he was drawn into an opening in a nearby cliff face. It led downwards, to a frozen, crystalline cavern. If he hadn't been terrified, Zane would have found it quite remarkable.

There was a chair, formed of ice and stalagmites, in the middle of the cavern. It was into this that the force finally deposited the frightened nindroid. Zane tried to stand, but he was held firm, though no restraints were visible.

A figure detached itself from a shadowy recess in the side of the wall, unfurling as it came to stand before him. Though Zane tried to study their features, he could never quite remember what they looked like, or even if this person was male or female. All he could be certain of was their expression. Right now, they seemed pleased to see him.

"Ah, Zane. We meet again," they said in a voice that was as androgynous as their features.

"Do I know you?"

They ignored the question, suddenly frowning. Reaching out a hand, they touched it to Zane's chest. His eyes went wide and he let out a gasp before screaming.

X X X

Zane started awake with a yelp, nearly kicking Kai in the head.

"Whoa, hey!" Kai exclaimed, dodging. He hit pause on the game as he, Jay and Lloyd turned to regard the nindroid. "What the heck, Zane?"

Zane blinked. He couldn't remember falling asleep, but he must have. There was no other explanation. "Sorry, Kai . . . When did I fall asleep?"

"Shortly after we fought the first sub boss," replied Lloyd. "You seemed so tired, we just left you. I mean, you've been spending so much time looking after Cole, I guess we figured you deserved a nap."

"But I . . ." Zane trailed off. Still unnerved by his dream, he didn't feel up to talking, even if only to explain that he didn't really need sleep, or at least not as much as his human friends. He certainly didn't feel up to telling them about the dream itself. "Never mind. I think I will go check on Cole one last time and then turn in for the night."

Lloyd frowned. He could tell something was bothering Zane, but he wasn't going to force the issue unless it became a problem. He turned to Kai and Jay, and the two shrugged in response. "Goodnight then, Zane," he said finally.

Zane gave a small nod and left the room, heading to sickbay. He waited for PIXAL to say something, perhaps scold him for brushing off his friends the way he had, but then he noticed she wasn't there. He hoped the maintenance check wasn't anything serious; she usually didn't take longer than an hour and a half to deal with them. Admittedly, she still had fifteen minutes before he would consider her late.

He pushed those thoughts aside as he reached sickbay. Opening the door, he peeked inside. Cole was lying on his side, asleep. Quietly, Zane entered and walked over. He was surprised to find that the dishes he'd brought in earlier were empty and neatly stacked on the bedside table. Cole had eaten his food, and there was no evidence that he'd been ill again. Zane smiled, hoping this meant the black ninja was finally starting to feel better.

Gathering up the dishes, he took them to the kitchen before heading to bed himself.