"Ninja, the fate of Ninjago is on your shoulders."

"We understand ,Master Wu." Lloyd stated firmly. "We'll get it done."

"You must be fast." Wu added firmly. "Silent and swift."

"We can do that." Cole grinned, pumping his fist for emphasis.

"And your memory must be razor sharp." Wu added. "For the fate of all we hold dear rests on your shoulders."

"Right!" Jay nodded. Then he paused momentarily. "What did we need to do?"

Wu sighed and dragged a hand down his face while the other ninjas groaned in irritation.

"A triple caffeinated Coffee with three sugar and two cream."

"Oooh right." Jay smiled sheepishly. "My bad."

"Let's go." Lloyd huffed, opening the door to their uber secret base and stepping into the sunlight.

As he and his team took to the rooftops, they lapsed into the usual banter that accompanied missions such as these. Every since Lloyd's father had gone 'good guy,' they'd only had to deal with gangs and small guys. It was a rather refreshing new face compared to the chaos he was so used to dreading.

That's why the sound of screaming from the square below was both semi expected and surprising at the same time. The Ninja were torn. Should they pursue their quest for Wu's coffee and risk his wrath, or check out the possibly dangerous situation and actually save Ninjago.

What really irritated Lloyd was that the others seriously were wondering that. He just took off and left them to wonder what was going on. A smoldering crater now sat outside of city hall where the massive and ornate fountain should have been.

Thick and unnatural smoke had settled on across the ground, emanating from the pit in the ground. Lloyd checked over his shoulder to see that the others were trailing a few blocks behind.

Probably a meteor. Lloyd mused to himself as he jumped off the roof. He extended his arms, caught a lamp post and allowed momentum to give him a bit of a horizontal boost. He hit the ground and rolled to his feet, whipping his sword out at the same time and immediately started approaching the hole.

He was cautious of course, but curious. At about ten feet away, he could see a strange glimmer of blue light from the very center, pulsing and throbbing as if connected to something living.

"Lloyd!" Kai's voice called. "What are you doing?"

"Checking this thing out!" Lloyd called back. A roar suddenly echoed from the pit, prompting the green ninja to slap his hands over his ears and wince. The light suddenly pulsed and sent a wave of light which promptly blinded Lloyd. He felt… Fuzzy, his eyes burning and head throbbing.

Somewhere he could hear the others shouting, but that was before the buzzing in his skull became unbearable. His world went dark without much warning.

(A REALM VERY…VERY…FAR AWAY)

Lloyd was busying himself with kata practice, the practice of form. It was a choreographed set of moves designed to develop precision. The others were likely playing videogames; but this time they deserved the rest.

They had just retrieved Zane from the Never realm, and even though the 'big baddie' had been taken care of, they were still training daily. It was a far cry from the laziness they had adopted after the Oni attack.

He was hoping for a quiet evening, time to think. Not that he really wanted to. He'd been putting thinking off for a long time now. Actually he'd never stopped trying to avoid thinking. Well not thinking in general. That was required of a leader, but what he really avoided was remembering the past. He hated being forced to remember the fight against his father, nearly dying, losing his father, losing his family, nearly dying, losing Cole, actually dying, losing Zane, nearly dying.

He didn't want to even step on the slippery slope that led to being forced to remember. He wanted to bottle it all up and forget it ever happened. Maybe one day he would.

He knew it was a destructive pattern, but it was the only way he could escape the mind numbing pain. Remembering hurt.

It's not as if he could share his thoughts with the others. They simply couldn't understand the inner turmoil that plagued his mind. It was like a festering disease that got worse, but he didn't know how to treat it. In a way, when the gate received a beating, he was glad for the distraction.

The others poked their heads from the living room as Lloyd strode confidently over to the gate and tugged it open. A frazzled villager stood there wringing his grimy black tunic between in his hands.

"Master Lloyd!"

"Ah… hello?"

"Oh, my apologies. I am Samuel Nin, a farmer in the nearby village at the base of this mountain."

"I know of that village. We get our supplies there. What's wrong?" Lloyd asked worriedly, eyes narrowing as he inspected the villager worriedly.

"A strange darkness has settled over the village. Something crashed into the farm lands and everything in the surrounding area is dying. Could you please investigate the matters? We are but simple farmers and-"

Lloyd placed two hands in the air to calm him down. The villager's voice had risen a few octaves as he waved his arms frantically. The green ninja suspected that it was some sort of radioactive meteorite, but it was also a distraction from the memories trying to erupt to the surface of his carefully crafted mental lock box.

"Alright. I'll look into it." Lloyd shrugged. He turned to look over his shoulderat the others, receiving confused stares in return. "Come on guys." If the others had anyobjections, they kept it to themselves.Perhaps this was because the villager was only a few steps ahead of them.

Half the trek was spent trudging through rice and corn fields to a location well off the beaten path.

"So how long has this thing been here?" Kai asked the villager.

"About a week." The man replied, never taking his eyes from the invisible trail ahead. "It crashed from the sky, but the smoke never faded."

"Okay well where is-" They came to a sudden stop as far as plants went. A circular fifty foot radius of dead plants surrounded a crater of billowing smoke.

"I'm not detecting any radiation from the hole."

"I'll check it out." Lloyd said quickly. "Just stay back and wait for my signal."

"Are you sure that's wise?" Cole asked. "Maybe I-"

"No!" Lloyd shook his head sharply, surprising Cole. "I'll do it."

"Be careful." Jay said.A brief glance at the others proved that they too were sensing something off about their young friend. None of them had specifically discussed it, but there was something clearly wrong with the youngest member of the team. He wasn't as approachable about his feelings these days. It was surprisingly difficult to breach the walls of his mental health, a topic he kept guarded more securely than fort brick.

On top of that, his reckless flare came and ebbed at the most inopportune moments. This one was no exception.

As Lloyd approached the crater, the ninja shared yet another concerned glance. "Should we…."

"No. He's our leader. Let's let him make this call. Just be ready to help him out if things go south and there's a face eating monster in that pit."

Lloyd stopped near the edge, keen green eyes narrowing in thought as he studied the crater. There was something at the very bottom, glowing brightly. He could have sworn he heard whispers from the pit, a chill vibrating down his spine and sending prickles of warmth down his arms.

"There's something-"

Before Lloyd could finishhis statement, a wave of shimmering light shot out from the crater, a force of unbelievable power knocking him off his feet like a car to the chest. The others went wide eyed as Lloyd flew about eight feet in the air, turning into a shadow amongst the light and vanishing before he hit the ground.

"Lloyd!" Every ninja shouted simultaneously as they charged forward.

(MOVIE REALM)

Lloyd groaned as he opened his eyes. Burning concrete was pressed into his cheek, ears ringing. Someone was calling his name, their voices hollow and echo. A hand was slapping his cheek roughly, prompting him to grunt and catch the hand with perhaps more force than strictly necessary.

"Ow!" The voice came into sharp focus as he opened his eyes to see Kai looming over him. That was odd. When had Kai pulled his old suit out of the attic? They hadn't worn these ones since the SOG attack a few months back.

He released Kai's wrist and sat up. "Ugh..." He groaned, shoving his hood back. Wait a sec. Why was he sitting in the middle of… Heck he didn't know where he was. It was reminiscent of ninjago, but very much off at the same time. "Where I am?" He mumbled, massaging the bridge of his nose as he blinked rapidly.

"Uh… Ninjago City?"

"This…Isn't Ninjago City."

Jay was peering over Kai's shoulder, eyes wide in confusion. "Dude..." He whispered over dramatically. "What happened to you?"

"I… Where's the cornfield?" He asked slowly. Something was off, very very off. As he got to his feet, he brushed himself off.

"What corn field? And… Why do you have a new outfit?"

Lloyd looked at himself in the mirror, realizing that his Gi was far different than theirs, set for a rough terrain. He turned and looked Kai in the eyes. That crystal had done something. This was different Ninjago.

"Take me to Master Wu." He said. The ninja could tell something was off about their young friend. He was off, dressed strangely, and clearly disoriented. What had happened when that light went off?

"Uh… What?" Cole asked. He was a bit unsure of what to do. They were equipped to deal with fighting situations, not this.

"I said take me to Wu." Lloyd snapped darkly. They all flinched back, eyes going wide.

(THE TV REALM)

The ninja weren't exactly sure what they were looking for. Lloyd had vanished, a thorough search and several Zane readings confirmed as much. They scouted the area relentlessly before cold dread finally settled in.

Lloyd was gone, probably dead too.

Cole looked away from the pit, covering his mouth as Kai's head sagged. "What do we do?" Nya whispered brokenly.

"What do we tell Wu or Misako?"

Before anyone could muster up the time to answer that question,another wave of light erupted from the hole. This light was far more intense than the first blinding blast, leaving everyone blinded for a full thirty seconds.

When they could finally blink the spots from their vision, sighs of relief filled the air. For there in dead field was none other than a blond mop of head in a green Gi. Kai was the first to scramble to the scene, sliding to his knees and shaking Lloyd by the shoulder.

"Come on Lloyd, wake up." No response came from the fallen ninja. Kai panicked, shaking the limp shoulder even harder. "Please, Lloyd."

A groan escaped the boy's mouth as he stirred. "Five m...re….minutes mom." He murmured quietly.

"Come on Lloyd. That's it."

"What's he wearing?" Jay asked. "And why is his hair longer?" They all took a moment to inspect the boy. His hair was longer, new scars lined his face, and his Gi was an old one they had all stopped wearing… Actually they had stuffed them into the attic entirely, as was customary every time they changed outfits.

"I don't know." Kai replied, helping the dazed teen sit up. Zane had wandered over to the hole, only to discover it now empty.

"The hole is empty." He remarked. "Whatever was here before is gone, and the smoke is beginning to dissipate."

"Not our biggest concern right now, Zane." Nya called, allowing irritation to slip into her voice un bidden. It wasn't like she meant to snap, but after a close call like this, she didn't want talk logistics with the nindroid. She was worried about her little brother more than anything.

"What happened?' Lloyd questioned, giving the corn field a wide eyed look. "How'd I get here? Where is Ninjago? Why are you guys in new outfits? What the heckwasthat thing?!"

Kai genuinely feared that Lloyd was going to hyperventilate.The panic on his face was disconcerting, but he was voicing a lot of the same questions they were.

"We need to get him to Wu and Misako." Nya said sharply. "The blast may have had some residual affects that we're unaware of."

"Who's Misako?" Lloyd asked, not entirely sure who they were referring to.

"Uh… your mother?" Jay said slowly.

"No…" Lloyd hesitated. The ninja were looking at him as if he'd gone off the deep end. Maybe he had; because to be fair, being the son of Garmadon was a sure fire way to wind up loony and everyone's worst enemy. He was almost afraid to finish what he was about to say, but felt it needed to be done.

"My mom's name is Koko."

"Guys… We might have a problem." Zane said. "A big one."

(MOVIE REALM)

"So he's from another realm?" Kai asked as he looked Lloyd up and down. Wu stroked his beard, somewhat deeply in thought.

"Indeed, an alternate version of Ninjago." Wu stated.

"Well I need to go back!" Lloyd ground out, pacing with an air of agitation. The ninja watched as he stalked around in a circle, rubbing his chin in thought. This was a far cry from the Lloyd they were used to, kind, quiet, yet calm. Sure his life had sucked, but for some reason or another, he always had a somewhat calm continence. This Lloyd radiated agitation, high levels of tensionwaftingoff his frameand polluting the air.

"I do not believe there is any way to send you back. The object that brought you here is now gone."

"Tea of tomorrow! How about that?" Lloyd tried, practically begging Wu at this point. There was a frenzied terror in his eyes that Wu couldn't quite understand.

"I don't have any." Wu sounded briefly apologetic before his face went stern. "Enough, Nephew."

"I'm notyournephew!" Lloyd cried in frustration. "Look, I have to go back!"

"Perhaps… Perhaps not. Fate and destiny have a strange way of working." Wu told him, tapping into deep roots of wisdom. "For now it seems that you are meant to be here. Perhaps you should make the most of it."

There was a vein pulsing on Lloyd's forehead. He didn't know it even existed. What choice did he have though? He couldn't wish his way back by berating his uncle's currently useless doppleganger. He forced himself to let out a breath before nodding.

"Alright… It's not like I really have a choice anyway. I mean, there's no way back. So what do I do?"

"You can always fill our Lloyd's shoes." Jay suggested timidly.

"Well… I suppose that couldn't be too hard." Lloyd said. He hadn't quite realized the ramifications of being the Lloyd of this universe. Not yet at least.

(TV REALM)

"I'm… not really sure you want me to try filling in for your Lloyd." The Lloyd from the alternate dimension said quietly.Wu had immediately sensed that the boy was not from here. This alongside the boy's brief and really notthatinsightful history of himself had only confirmed it all.

Garmadon and Misako had kept their distance from the situation, unsure if the new Lloyd would be benefited by their presence or not.

"Come on. You're basically him right?" Kai said, wrapping a steadying arm around the kid's shoulders.

"No." Lloyd shook his head. "I'm just bad luck."

That bothered everyone in the room as a stony silence descended. Lloyd half expected someone to shrug it off, as they did in his own world. But they weren't doing that at all. No witty come backs, no awkward laughs, no shrugs. They gave him a genuinely concerned gazes.

As for them, this was the most honest Lloyd had been in months. Okay, granted this wasn't their Lloyd; but still…

"Uh.. did I say something wrong?" Lloyd asked timidly.

"No no buddy." Cole shook his head. "It's just… Our Lloyd's been closed off for a really long time. We weren't sure how to help him before he vanished."

"Oh." Lloyd whispered. These guys were so serious.

(TV VERSE)

Lloyd had been convinced to settle in for a match of videogames. It lasted an hour before Wu walked into the warehouse. Lloyd had to admit the place was pretty awesome, but nothing compared to the monastery. As far as ease of access went, it was right in the city, meaning quick reaction times to any and all threats.

"Ninja. We have an emergency!" Wu stated loudly, a red alert alarm lighting the base up and deafening everyone inside. Everyone including Lloyd was on their feet in mere seconds.

"What is it?" Lloyd demands sharply.

"So intense." Jay whispered.

Cole rolled his eyes. The alternate version of the green ninja was way to serious.

"I need coffee." Wu said.

"Your… end of the world threat… Is Coffee?"

Lloyd shook his head ruefully.What is wrong with these people?

"We'll get it for you master, then swing by my place and get Lloyd's homework assignment."

The Green ninja went wide eyed in alarm.School? He must have said this aloud, because they shrugged calmly as if this was the most common thing in the world. Ninja going to school?

"Yeah… As in the mental torment of a prison that keeps us occupied five days out of the week. As in tomorrow's monday. Don't you go to school?"

"Are you kidding? I haven't been to school since Darkley's. We homeschool at the monastery."

"Well…Not anymore you aren't."

Lloyd's eyes narrowed in horror. How could this possibly get worse?

Hey folks. So I posted this story and somehow wound up with mumbo jumbo. So here's the fixed version. Will the Lloyds surve each others realities? A question that is yet to be answered. Stay tuned for more and have an awesome day. -Evelyn Out.