I had a dream the other night where I was Cole and was helping a flustered Kai learn how to dance in a park and then trying to stop Jay from catching fish (who seemed really eager to want to learn how to fish) with his bare hands… or a fishing rod. I can't quite remember. Anyway, this is a weird story about that dream.

I don't own anything to do with Ninjago and that includes the previous master of ice, Cole's grandfather and Cole's hammer. I just gave them names.

Passing On The Hammer

It was a nice warm day in Ninjago and the ninja were in a remote park on the edge of Cole's hometown… and Cole was nervous. His father had gotten word to him that his grandfather – his mother's father – had wanted to see him. The last time he had seen the old man was back at the funeral… and that was years ago. So why did he want to see him now of all times?

And the others didn't seem to want to help ease him from his predicament.

Kai, for all his confident cockiness, for some unknown reason, had it in his head that Cole's grandfather was like Cole's father and so loved dancing. He was wearing a suit eerily similar to the red striped suit he wore during the dance competition back when they were hunting for the fang blades.

Jay had seen some people fishing in the nearby lake and, even though he was dressed up for the occasion too, had decided he wanted to try fishing himself… that is, he wanted to try hand catching the fish. And Cole was not keen on seeing his best friend drenched from head to foot in water with a fish in hand when they first met his grandfather.

As for Zane, Lloyd and Nya, Cole had no idea where the three of them were. He hoped they weren't doing something stupid or embarrassing towards him. Knowing them, though, they wouldn't do that to him. If anything, they were probably talking with his father.

To make matters worse, Cole's grandfather had particularly wanted to see his team as well, which was weird because Cole had never actually mentioned being a ninja or even being part of a team to him (once more because he hadn't spoken to his grandfather since his mother's funeral). And the problem with that was that they were all off to go hunt for Master Wu very, very soon.

Like, supposed to be that afternoon, soon.

And, instead, Cole (and in turn, the rest of the ninja) found himself in a park on the outskirts of his hometown waiting for his grandfather to arrive. Thinking on it, he was surprised that neither his father nor his grandfather had decided to move away from the town after the funeral. He knew the two had stopped talking shortly after that day and not on kind terms either.

" What are you doing, Kai?" He heard Jay call out to the fire ninja.

" Trying to do the Triple Tiger Sashay, what does it look like I'm doing?" Kai replied.

Horror shot through Cole like one of Jay's lightning bolts through his body as he turned around to hunt for his brothers. His eyes widened as he witnessed Kai leap into the air and end up rolling over himself instead of completing the move. He was thankful that the idiot was a ninja and so knew how to land properly if things went wrong, but he still rushed over to where Kai was getting frustrated with himself.

" Kai, no!" He growled out a little more harshly than intended. " You don't need to know how to do the Triple Tiger Sashay."

" Uh… yeah I do." Was his cocky reply.

" My grandfather is not like my father. He's not going to care if you know how to dance or not."

" What if I catch him a fish?" Jay asked, stealthily inching back towards the lake. " Didn't you say he liked fishing?"

" You are not doing any fishing of any kind, Jay! I forbid it." Cole turned his hard gaze on the master of lightning.

It was a gaze so dark that it would kill if it was not obeyed.

" Come on, Cole. You need to lighten up." Kai tried to calm his friend down.

" Lighten up? My grandfather wants to see me. He wants to see all of us. And you want me to 'lighten up'?"

Kai and Jay turned to face each other. It was clear to them that Cole was panicking hard about this meeting. The only problem was that they didn't understand exactly why he was panicking.

He had done the same thing back in the Temple of Airjitsu when he had gotten the phone call from his father; his voice rising in clear panic once he had hung up as he hurried outside to try and calm himself down, carrying a number of food items in his arms as he did so. They hadn't seen him until dinner that night, and, even then, he still looked panicked for some reason.

Lloyd had an inkling of an idea, but he didn't say anything. And as the week progressed, so did Cole and his panic. The master of earth had actually woken up that morning feeling nauseous. He had also woken up the others when he had rushed to the bathroom only to start retching thanks to how nervous he was.

That was when Jay, at the very least, decided that he had to figure out a way to get his best friend to calm down… unfortunately, his attempts seemed to only make things worse. By the time the group of six had reached the park, the blue ninja still hadn't managed to get Cole to smile. And he was beginning to wonder if his best friend was ever going to smile again.

As Cole started ranting about how much his grandfather hated dancing, responding to something that Kai had said, Jay looked back at the lake that he was attempting to use as a way to get his best friend to calm down. He was barely aware of Cole switching topics when he felt Kai's eyes on him and he turned to face the master of fire.

The message was clear. They had to stop.

So, they did.

" Alright, Cole. We'll stop with the dancing and the fishing." Kai said, holding his hands up in an attempt to placate the master of earth.

" Are you serious! You can't just– wait, what did you say?" Cole started, completely lost in his rant that he had to force himself to stop and look at his friends.

Kai gave a small smirk while Jay managed an actual smile.

" We'll stop, if that's what you really want." The master of fire repeated.

Finally, finally Cole smiled. Granted, it was only a small smile. But it clearly showed the thanks that he was feeling at not having to deal with his friends' antics.

" Cole!" A deep voice called over to the three ninja. " Don't think I can't see you down there! Now come up here so we can eat lunch!"

Cole visibly flinched at the voice, slowly turning around to face the set of picnic tables that he noticed Zane, Lloyd and Nya were already seated at… alongside his father and a grey-haired old man with a stern look in his eyes. The smile on Cole's face vanished and a chill seemed to settle within his stomach, but still he led the way up to the table.

The stern look never left the old man's eyes as he watched the three remaining ninja make their way up to the table and take their seats. The spikey haired teen was definitely the son of that blacksmith, Ray, they were almost identical, and the similarities between him and that Nya girl were clear indications to the fact that they were siblings. And if the television was correct, then the blue-clad boy could harness the power of lightning, just like his mother before him who was just barely an adult herself if he remembered the last time he saw her.

Cole, however, was nervous… and he could tell just from watching the way the boy moved.

" There is no need to be nervous, Cole." He said, trying to lighten the tone in his voice. " It's only me. Now who are your friends, here."

" Grandpa, this is Kai and Jay, masters of fire and lightning." Cole replied almost stiffly. " Kai, Jay, this is my grandfather."

" Magnar Burchard. Pleased to meet you both."

The silence was awkward after that, Cole not knowing what to do with everyone at the table watching his every move, even as they piled food onto their plates. He looked down at the food that Zane had prepared for the picnic and had obviously laid along the table with help from Nya and Lloyd. There were an assortment of sandwiches and salads alongside warmed strips of chicken, beef and fish. Scotch eggs, pastries with various fillings, and two loaves of herb and cheese focaccia were amongst the more gourmet items.

Drinks consisted of water, tea, Zane's non-alcoholic tropical punch and (of course) his grandfather's favourite bottle of low-grade alcohol. Cole eyed that bottle like it was all of his worst enemies rolled into one. It was true that he was never subjected to any violence from his grandfather because of it, but it was the reason behind the drinking that made him wary. Drinking was his grandfather's way of coping with the loss of his daughter, Cole's mother.

And one of the reasons why his father and grandfather were at odds with each other.

In fact, Lou was also glaring that the bottle from the other end of the picnic table.

The sight of both father and son scowling at the drink made Magnar laugh, a deep chortle that no one expected to come out of the older man. " It's only for special occasions, boys. And I only have one now, at that. Your grandmother had to hit me in the head with my own hammer when she realised what was happening, Cole. I was surprised she was able to lift it at all, to be honest. But that's not why we're here.

" Cole, I've been watching you. Your father may have been in his own world,"

" I'm right here, Magnar." Cole's father mumbled under his breath.

Magnar ignored his son-in-law and continued with what he had been saying, " but I've been watching you grow into a powerful Earth Master. And I couldn't have been prouder. Your mother would have been proud too."

Cole paused in his uncomfortable eating to look up at his grandfather. His scarred face no longer had a stern look to it but was filled with care and pride. It was almost unsettling but also welcoming at the same time. Suddenly, he didn't care that the rest of the team were watching him, either waiting for his next move or wondering why they had been summoned themselves to what seemed like such a personal matter.

" But I need to know, why did you keep this life from me? I could have helped you in your journey."

Cole's words were quiet, but even in the rather loud park, those around the picnic table could still clearly hear them. " You were still fighting with Dad. And I was angry with Dad. I guess I just… cut ties after Mum…"

Suddenly, Magnar's face grew melancholic. " I understand. Sometimes you just have to follow what your heart tells you. Just remember not to go making the same kind of mistake that I did back in the Serpentine War."

" You were in the First Serpentine War?" Jay finally spoke up, almost in awe.

" That I was, young Jay, was it?" Though the past master of earth was a little confused at the mention of there being a first war.

The master of lightning nodded enthusiastically, forcing a sad smile onto the elder man's face at a distant memory.

" I fought in the war, as did Ray and Maya," Magnar looked over at Kai and Nya, " Wu and Garmadon," he turned to face Lloyd, " even Crispin Neveida, the previous Master of Ice, was there." Here he turned to face Zane, a knowing look crossing his eyes. " We held our own quite well against the snakes… that is until my family came under threat. And I could do nothing except follow orders I didn't want to follow. My mistake… my most regrettable mistake was betraying my friends when they needed me the most.

" But I made amends with the other Elemental Masters. I made sure that my family was safe from harm and went after the very man who had forced me to betray those I trusted the most. It was I who got Chen exiled from Ninjago." Magnar then reached to the jagged scar that raced across the left side of his face, cutting through his left eye until it reached his chin. " And this here scar reminds me every day of my failure to protect those most dear to me, Ninjago included, when they needed me the most. And it tells me to never make the same mistake again."

The ninja didn't know what to say about the story. Jay's eyes were wide at the thought of what had happened. Lloyd and Zane both seemed to take everything in without much of a reaction. Kai and Nya just looked at each other, almost as if silently talking to each other about some story that they had heard from their parents.

Cole, on the other hand, was trying not to look at the others. That story was the reason why he was so nervous of his friends meeting his grandfather, after all. He wasn't sure about how they would react to the fact that he had a traitor in his family. Heck he wasn't even sure if they would still like him… and this was despite the fact that Zane was actually a robot, Lloyd was the son of an evil warlord, and Kai's girlfriend was the daughter of the man who had pretty much started both Serpentine Wars.

It was Cole's father who broke the silence.

" So we were all invited to a picnic in the park just to listen to you tell your old war story?" He asked Magnar who was watching the reactions of the ninja intently.

" A good picnic cannot go without a good story, Lou." The old man said matter-of-factly, taking a swig of his drink. " It's like a campfire in that sense, if you think about it. Delicious food, peaceful setting, family and friends to enjoy it with you; you can't go wrong."

" And yet your war story doesn't have a 'good' vibe to it like one of my many performances with the Royal Blacksmiths."

" So you can sing and dance at the same time, whoopee. At least mine has some sort of moral behind it."

Lou could only scoff in disapproval at having his quartet disgraced in such a way. Even Cole cringed at his grandfather's words. But, like his friends, he wisely kept quiet, silently wishing that he was elsewhere despite still wondering why his grandfather had wanted to see him.

Kai leaned over to him and whispered, " Now I understand why you said that your grandfather wasn't going to care about dancing."

" Yeah. He supported Mum but that was as far as that went." Cole replied with a slight nod.

The current master of earth noticed his teammates all turn to him, apparently having heard the quiet exchange despite the clear argument starting to form between Lou and Magnar. It was rare that Cole ever talked about his mother. So to hear him talking relatively freely about her – albeit indirectly – was a surprise.

Of course, Cole didn't say another word about his mother afterwards. But that was okay with them. He knew that they would listen whenever he was ready to open up about his past.

" Now, back to business." His grandfather's voice pulled Cole from his quiet thoughts, fear dancing in the corner of his eyes.

" Business?" Cole almost squeaked.

Magnar merely nodded. " You have strong powers, Cole, very sturdy powers. And you know that. But I know just from looking at your friends that you have an even stronger and sturdier team by your side. Never take that for granted. I once did, thinking that my family troubles had to be kept away from my friends' knowledge, and I suffered greatly for it. Trust in each other as if they are your lives, all of you. You never know when it can end."

Cole hesitated slightly before he spoke next. " The team and I, we've… uh… we've been through a lot together, Grandpa." Magnar gained a curious look on his face but remained silent as his grandson continued to speak. " We've faced Garmadon and the Great Devourer and the Skulkin army and the Serpentine. We've also faced an army of unbeatable stone warriors that only listen to some Dark Helmet, an army of evil nindroids, an army of ghosts, Chen and his Anacondrai cultists… not to mention worked in his noodle mine. We've even fought the Time Twins, Krux and Acronix."

" Woah, woah, woah. Krux and Acronix returned? Weren't they lost in time? And since when did Chen start a cult… or own a noodle mine, for that matter? Plus, I thought we locked those Serpentine away? Finally, what is a nindroid?"

The ninja turned to face each other, Lloyd even cringing at the mention of the Serpentine, unsure of how to proceed but also slightly amused by the confusion that was clearly imprinted on the old man's face. Looking to Lou they noticed that he had paled considerable upon hearing the ease that his son had listed off what had happened since becoming a ninja.

Yeah, this was going to be a fun explanation.

Lloyd started first, rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly. " We'll just say that the Serpentine found a way out."

" And the Nindroids were actually evil copies of Zane." Jay tried to explain. Magnar looked over to said ninja, still clearly confused. " They're robots that look human and know how to kick some serious butt."

" I see. And what about Chen, and Krux and Acronix?" Magnar asked.

Kai stepped up to the plate, this time. " Well, it turns out that when the Elemental Masters first fought Krux and Acronix, they weren't lost in time. Krux got spat out of the weird time warp thingy quite early on and grew old and Acronix arrived forty years later not having aged at all. Krux also kidnapped mine and Nya's parents-"

" And Dad and the rest of the Royal Blacksmiths." Cole added as Lou hung his head in shame.

Kai glared at the black ninja before continuing, " and forced them to build armour for yet another snake army. They almost won but Nya and I followed them into another time portal. Somehow we managed to win against them in the time portal but then we got knocked off this massive robot snake thing that they had built and now they really are lost in time… hopefully…"

No one wanted to mention the fact that Master Wu had also been with Kai and Nya on their 'journey' through time and so was the one who had knocked them back into the present where they belonged, in doing so getting himself lost in time. That memory and the fact that they would be splitting up to find him after this was just too strong for them.

Magnar noticed their silence and his mouth grew thin. They were keeping something from him. Though he wasn't sure if it was a good thing or a bad thing. He knew that keeping secrets was a bad thing, especially when you kept them from your team. But he wasn't part of that team, so he had to accept their silence on whatever matter they were keeping from him.

And yet, he was still confused about how Chen had managed to start his own cult and owned a noodle mine. Not to mention, he was worried about how Cole knew this. He didn't realise that his worry was starting to seep through his strong persona.

Cole noticed, but he continued with the explanations. " Chen had captured Zane and lured the rest of us to his island. He said he was hosting a tournament of elements, but it was a trap for all the current elemental masters so that he could take their powers and turn all his followers into fake Anacondrai in order to try and take over Ninjago. Those that had their elements taken were forced to work for him by making noodles and other foods he sold in his chain of restaurants 'Master Chen's Noodle House'. None of us know exactly how he managed to start a restaurant chain from his island… unless Skylor's told Kai."

" Hey, you leave Skylor out of this!" Kai growled.

Magnar could only guess that Skylor was related to Chen in some way by the reaction of the fire master. And it, surprisingly, amused him. The way young Kai was defending the one of his dreams was a lot like how young Ray would defend Maya from pretty much anything. It honestly brought a smile to his face as he watched the two teenagers squabble.

Eventually Cole shoved his hand in Kai's face to signify the end of the squabble before turning back to face his grandfather. " And we've stuck together through all of those things. My team and I, Grandpa, we're family. And a ninja never leaves another ninja behind."

Magnar closed his eyes and let loose a soft sigh. " I see."

The picnic table fell silent again as everyone finished their meals. Lou ended up telling his own stories about earlier times as a member of the Royal Blacksmiths with the ninja throwing their own team stories into the mix as soon as he had finished his first story (much to his chagrin). The most intriguing story, at least in Magnar's opinion, was when Cole's walliper mount had been turned into a ghost.

Cole was so animated about the animal having been lost that he got into a fight with Kai and Jay over it, leaving Zane to attempt to split up the trio before the picnic table was overturned or destroyed in some way. It was during the tumble that Cole let slip that he had also been turned into a ghost… and nearly gave his grandfather a heart attack when the words reached his ears. Needless to say, it was Magnar who stopped the fight, demanding to know why his grandson had not bothered to include that in his earlier explanation of what he had done as a ninja.

Eventually, with the sun beginning to set, it was time for everyone to head home. But there was still a couple of more surprises that Magnar had to share with his grandson. And with the other ninja talking amongst themselves about their own plans and Lou off to gather the car, the elder master of earth pulled his grandson back to their picnic table and handed him a soft pouch that seemed to clink as it was moved to the younger hands.

" Grandpa?" Cole asked quietly.

" In that pouch are the last six gems that I created with my powers before your mother was born." Magnar explained. " Don't open it now. I wish not to relive so many painful memories. I don't know what compelled me to make them, but I want you and your friends to have them, to help strengthen the bond that I have seen in you all today."

" Thank you, Grandpa. I'll make sure to hand them out when we get home."

Magnar nodded his weary head before letting loose a soft sigh and hefting the thing that he had hidden under the bench onto the now cleared table. It was an old friend of his and despite having gone through many hard times, he knew that it was time for him to pass it on. Cole could only stare, wide eyed, at the thing that now lay on the picnic table.

It was an old war hammer, more specifically a maul. The stone head, though clearly well cared for, was rough and looked like it had seen plenty of tough times. It even had a stone wedge on one side of the head that Cole guessed could be used as a form of spike. The haft looked to be made of really durable and magically enhanced black wood, but one touch explained that it was actually made of blackened iron. Gold accents held the hammer together in the centre and on each end with the piece holding the head to the haft looking like it was seeping downwards like golden stalactites. The finishing flare was the jagged stone reaching upward from the base of the haft like a stalagmite.

" You know who this is, don't you Cole." Magnar asked quietly.

Cole could only nod, dumbstruck at what his grandfather was doing.

" I want you to have her."

" B-but, Grandpa… I can't just… Seismos is your pride and joy!" Cole stuttered.

" Then it is only fitting that she goes with another of my pride and joys." Magnar smiled gently, a shine to his eye that Cole couldn't place. " Cole, I no longer have a need to keep Seismos. I'm no longer the master of earth and my strength has waned considerably over the years. I am not the spry, young man I used to be. But I know that this hammer needs to be in battle and not on a shelf collecting dust. That is why I'm giving her to you to wield in battle and help you protect those who cannot protect themselves. Consider it my last gift to my only grandson."

" Grandpa, I…"

Cole looked down at the war hammer. To be honest, it seemed to be calling him, begging him to lift it up and give it a swing. Looking up at his grandfather, he noticed a similar expression. The look in the old man's eyes seemed almost hopeful that he would carry on the tradition, that he would wield the hammer for good and defend against evil.

He looked back at the hammer…

" I still can't believe your grandfather wanted to see us, Cole. Us! A group of teenage ninja who he barely even knew!" Jay exclaimed as he walked into the kitchen of the Temple of Airjitsu.

It was the next morning and Zane was already cooking up the best breakfast he could considering it was probably going to be the last one that the team had in what could only be a long time. Cole looked up from where he was twirling the pouch that his grandfather had given him the day before in his hands, listening to the soft clinking that came from within. Kai, Lloyd and Nya were already sitting at the table, watching him as they tried to figure out what it was he had.

" Ooh, what's in the pouch?" Jay asked, taking a seat next to his friend.

" Don't know. He hasn't said a word about it." Kai explained.

" A gift from my grandfather." Cole finally said once he was sure everyone was in the room.

Jay looked at the pouch, a little confused. " So, let me get this straight, your grandfather gave you a gift and you have yet to open said gift?"

" He didn't want me to open it back at the park. But he wanted all of us to have whatever's inside. Said he hoped it would strengthen the bond we have."

" Well, open it." Kai urged.

Cole unstrung the pouch and carefully tipped the contents out onto the table. Almost instantly the others were awed at the dazzling colours that spilled out. Flecks of red and white, green and blue, purple and black, all colours of the rainbow glistened under the lights of the kitchen. Cole spread them out so that each of the six gems could be seen equally.

" Opals?" Nya asked softly.

" The last things he made before his powers were transferred." Cole nodded.

Glistening on the table was a white opal shaped like a snowflake, a lightning bolt shaped opal that looked like it had captured the night sky, a six pointed star with shades of green and blue dancing within, a pale blue opal shaped like a water droplet with darker blue specks hidden within, a fire opal with glistening oranges and yellows against the mostly red flame shape, and finally a three peaked black opal with streaks of orange blazing through it.

An opal for each element.

An opal for each ninja.

Very tentatively, as if afraid he was going to break them, Cole passed around the opals to his friends. It was weird, though. Upon touching the hand of their respective elemental master, the gems seemed to glow brighter in the light. But the awe never left the room as everyone examined their opals to the minutest detail.

Quietly, Cole looked away from his mountain shaped opal, his eyes landing on the kitchen doorway. There, resting against the wall, somehow looking both proud and innocent at the same time, was Seismos. A small smile crept across the earth master's face.

" Thanks, Grandpa." Was all he said.