The cavern erupted into chaos. The rumble intensified, shaking the ice floor with such violence that Nelson and Mia were thrown off their feet. Groaning in pain, Mia clutched her ankle, a fresh wave of agony shooting through it.

Nelson scrambled to his side, shielding her with his body as a monstrous stone creature lumbered into view. Its body, formed from jagged boulders and glowing with an unnatural light, towered over them, its massive stone arms flailing wildly.

" Do we encounter monsters everywhere we go?!" Nelson cried, his voice a mix of terror and frustration as he ducked from a swipe of the creature's giant stone fist.

Mia, ever the resourceful one, pushed herself up, ignoring the throbbing pain in her ankle. "You asking, or telling?" she yelled back, summoning a swirling vortex of wind that deflected a shower of falling debris.

" Asking!"

Mia paused and turned to Nelson while keeping her wind barrier intact" Are you seriously asking me?! I don't know! I'm not Zane, Nelson. I'm a girl!"

" And that, my fair maiden, is why I decided to give you a Yin-Yang medallion."

" That was Jake."

" Also me!"

" Yeah, yeah-"

" Can we please stop this disgusting love thing and start fighting, humans?!" Blackie called, slicing a stone arm in half.

Nelson scrambled back, a shower of snow cascading down his neck. He glared at the monstrous stone creature lumbering towards them, its single glowing eye burning with a malevolent light. Its body, a twisted amalgamation of jagged boulders, pulsed with an otherworldly energy, each step shaking the cavern floor.

"Asking or telling?" Blackie retorted, her voice laced with a desperate edge. With a flick of his paw, he sliced the beast's foot "It doesn't matter who gave you the medallion, Mia! We need to use it!"

"How are we supposed to use it in this chaos?!" Nelson yelled back, searching for an opening amidst the flurry of falling debris.

Blackie, his tiny fur bristling with static electricity, zipped between the stone giant's legs, slashing at its rocky hide with his razor-sharp claws. "Enough bickering! This thing is made of stone! Use your Earth powers, you big oaf!"

Nelson roared in frustration. 

" I don't have Earth powers! That's Cole!"

" Then use your powers!" Blackie meowed.

Nelson sighed, shaking his head. Then, he lunged forward to kick the beast's chest. It was rock solid.

"It's no good," he yelled, his voice hoarse. "I can't do anything!"

Panic gnawed at the edges of Mia's mind. They were trapped in a confined space with a raging monster, and their usual tactics were failing them. Her eyes darted around the cavern, searching for a weakness, a strategy. Suddenly, a glint of light caught her eye. Ice crystals, hanging like glittering chandeliers from the ceiling, reflected the firelight back in shimmering shards.

"Nelson!" she cried, an idea forming in her head. "The ice! Use your Earth jutsu on the ice!"

Nelson roared in frustration. " I don't HAVE earth powers! That's Cole!"

Mia sighed. " Then do something!"

Nelson, who had nothing in mind, ran around the big oaf, confusing it, while Mia, woth her bow and arrow, struck the beast in numerous places.

Blackie, seizing the opportunity, landed on the creature's shoulder and unleashed a torrent of electricity, further weakening the already damaged areas. The creature writhed in pain, its movements becoming erratic.

"Now!" Mia cried, pulling the Yin-Yang medallion from around her neck. With a surge of wind energy, she propelled the medallion forward, aiming for the center of the creature's glowing eye.

Nelson copied. " You sure this'll work?!" He asked. 

" Dunno. Let's just hope!" Mia replied.

The medallion struck true, a blinding light erupting from the point of contact. Mia and Nelson had the shield their poor eyes, so they wouldn't go blind.   The cavern floor trembled violently as the creature let out a deafening screech. Then, with a final, earth-shattering groan, it crumbled to dust, scattering across the cavern floor.

Silence descended, broken only by the ragged gasps of Nelson and Mia. They had survived, but the victory tasted hollow. They were injured, exhausted, and further from their goal than ever before.

Blackie, perched atop a small pile of rubble, coughed, a plume of black smoke curling from his fur. "Well," he rasped, his voice raspy, "that was... unpleasant."

Mia managed a weak smile. "You could say that again."

Nelson, leaning heavily against the cavern wall, pulled Mia close. "We did it," he whispered, his voice thick with relief.

Mia rested her head against his shoulder, the adrenaline slowly draining from her body. "For now," she corrected. They knew their journey wouldn't be easy. This encounter was just the beginning, a taste of the dangers that lurked within the heart of the mountain. But as long as they had each other, and their trusty, albeit slightly singed, feline companion, they would face them head-on.

" But, first," Mia added. " let's go rest somewhere. With no monsters."

Nelson nodded, and helped Mia up. Mia grunted when she put pressure on her leg, but it was better than the one she was feeling weeks ago, when she was attempting to rescue him from the Land of Horrors. Turns out, it was some really nice place where snails live.

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 Mia looked in their supply of food. Almost done. She sighed. 

Then she checked her compass. The pups were 95 degrees North. If they travelled in that direction long enough......

" Mia!" Nelson yelled, cutting Mia's thoughts short. " What are we going to do about the food?!"

Mia turned to Nelson with a cross look.

" Well, Mister Ninja, if you really were worried, you could have seen my face! I was deep in thought about it!" She exclaimed.

Nelson sighed sheepishly.

" Right. Sorry." He said, scratching his neck.

Mia smiled softly and planted a small kiss on his cheek.

" It's a good thing I love you." She said, dreamily.

Nelson smiled back to her, and Mia leaned into his embrace.

" What, in the love of Ninjago is happening around here?!" Blackie addressed, sauntering into the room.

Mia and Nelson, started, recoiled from each other and acted normally. Or, tried to.

( You know the movement Zane was doing, rocking on his feet  , 18:54 of the episode Secrets of the Wyldness? They were both doing that).

" Oh, nothing." Mia sauntered. " Just.... speaking."

" Oh, really?" Blackie raised his eyebrows ( if he had any).

" Yep. Just speakin'." Nelson said.

" Uh-huh. Because, by the looks on your faces, you really want a kid."

Mia and Nelson widened their eyes and looked at each other, eyes wide open.

" Uh... um.... you must be.... uh...." Mia thought of the right words to say.

" Dreaming! Yeah, uh, dreaming! You must have been dreaming, old chap." Nelson filled in the blanks.

" I am NOT an old chap, thank you very much."

" Really? How old is he, anyway?" Nelson turned to Mia, who gave him a look.

" He's one million years old."

" Really?" Nelson looked intrigued.

" Yeah." Mia replied, sarcastically. " He's that old."

" Wait.... you're joking, right?"

Mia just rolled her eyes.

Blackie, unimpressed by their flustered attempts at normalcy, swished his tail dismissively. "Whatever lovey-dovey charade you two are playing, save it for later. We have bigger problems."

Mia, her face flushed with more than just the exertion of searching for food, straightened up and adopted a more serious demeanor. "Right. Food." She dug through their remaining supplies, pulling out a meager collection of granola bars and a few energy packets. "This isn't going to last long."

Nelson, ever the optimist, tried to lighten the mood. "Relax, Mia. We're ninjas! We can survive on less." He puffed out his chest, only to wince as a pang of hunger rumbled through his stomach.

Blackie scoffed. "Oh, yes. That ninja training that magically turns air into protein shakes. Brilliant."

Mia shot Blackie a withering look before turning back to her compass. "According to this," she said, tracing a line across the map with her finger, "if we follow this direction for another day or so, we should reach a mountain pass. The pups are there."

Nelson's eyes lit up. The pups? With food?"

Mia smirked. "Hopefully."

Blackie, however, didn't share their enthusiasm. "Traveling for another day with an injured ankle and dwindling supplies? Sounds like a brilliant plan. What about the... rock monster... thing we just fought?"

Mia and Nelson exchanged a worried glance. The monstrous creature they'd encountered had been a wake-up call, a harsh reminder of the dangers that lurked beneath the mountain's surface.

"We can't stay here," Nelson said, his voice firm. "It's too dangerous. We have to keep moving, even if it's slow."

Mia nodded in agreement. Suddenly, a tremor shook the cavern, sending a shower of dust raining down from the ceiling. Their nerves, already on edge, jangled with fresh anxiety.

"See?" Blackie hissed. "This mountain is unstable. Who knows what other creepy-crawlies are waiting to attack us?"

Mia took a deep breath, trying to project a sense of calm despite the rising panic in her chest. "We'll deal with them when we come to them. But for now, we need to focus on getting out of here."

Blackie sighed. " Fine. Lead the way, oh fair leader." 

Mia smiled, and with Nelson's help, packed their materials and rolled out.