Emma paced around the garden, looking at her watch. " Annie, are you SURE you have a cousin?"

Annie blinked. " ... What's that supposed to mean?"

Emma paused, trying to find the best way to say what she wanted to say. " Well... maybe... you're.... hallucinating....?"

Annie deadpanned. " Really?"

Emma held her hands up in surrender. " Th- that's not what I meant!"

Mia sighed, pacing around. " So, let's get this straight. Your cousin is somehow related to the FSM?"

Annie nodded.

" And you think she'll be the best for this?"

Annie winced. " ... Maybe?"

Mia gave her a flat look but sighed. " Fine. BUT she must at all times stay in your view. Understood?"

Annie saluted. " Yes ma'am!"

Emma sighed. " You SURE you have a cousin named Amy? I mean, there're a lot of Amy's in this world, and...."

Annie groaned. "Yes, Emma, I do have a cousin named Amy! I didn't just make her up for fun!"

Mia crossed her arms. "Well, where is she then?"

Annie glanced around the empty garden and winced. "Uh... fashionably late?"

Emma let out a dramatic sigh. "If she doesn't show up soon, I'm officially calling this a wild goose chase."

Mia raised a brow. "Or a ghost chase."

Emma shuddered. "Please don't say that."

Just then, a gust of wind whooshed past them, rustling the trees. The air grew unnaturally still for a moment. Then, from seemingly nowhere, a voice called out—

"You guys really need to have more faith in me."

All three girls spun around to see a young woman standing casually with her arms crossed, a confident smirk on her face.

Annie gasped. "AMY!"

Amy gave a little wave. "In the flesh. Well, mostly in the flesh."

Emma stared at her in confusion. "Wait... what do you mean mostly?"

Amy simply grinned. "Long story. But hey, let's focus on the bigger issue—giant doom skull in the sky, right?"

Mia pinched the bridge of her nose. "Great. Another cryptic family member."

Annie clapped her hands together. "So! Let's get started, shall we?"

Amy nodded. "Absolutely. But first—" She turned to Emma with a smirk. "Do you believe me now?"

Emma threw her hands up. "Okay, okay! You exist! Happy?!"

" Very."

" Guys, meet Amy. Amy, Mia's brothers and their team. The ninja." 

Amy waved. " Hi guys! Annie's told me SO much about you, a- where's Mia?"

Emma pointed up. " She's scouting the area."

Amy blinked. " ... She is REALLY impatient."

" Nah. More like wants to protect everyone but will risk her life for everyone because she thinks she doesn't belong."

Amy raised an eyebrow. "Yikes. That's... heavy."

Annie nodded. "Welcome to our world."

Just then, a gust of wind whooshed past, followed by the sound of someone landing with a thud.

Mia stood there, arms crossed, looking unimpressed. "You guys are just standing around?"

Amy turned to her with a grin. "Hey, I just got here, and I've already learned three things about you. One, you're impatient. Two, you have a hero complex. And three, you disappear way too fast for normal conversation."

Mia narrowed her eyes. "And you talk way too much for someone I just met."

Emma quickly stepped between them. "Alright, alright, let's not start bickering five minutes in. Mia, did you see anything?"

Mia sighed, shaking her head. "Nothing. No movement, no spooky sky updates, no 'world ending in five minutes' signs."

Amy crossed her arms. "Soooo, what is the plan then?"

Jay cleared his throat. "We were trying to figure that out before you guys ran off like it was a scavenger hunt."

Mia waved him off. "Jay, we literally saw a skull in the sky. That's not exactly something you ignore."

Lloyd rubbed his temples. "Okay, okay—let's focus!" He turned to Annie. "You said your cousin—Amy—is somehow connected to all this?"

Annie nodded. "She's related to FSM. Distantly. I think."

Mia pinched the bridge of her nose. "You think? Annie, we're facing potential doom, and you think she's related to the guy who literally created Ninjago?"

Annie winced. "Hey, family trees get complicated!"

Amy shrugged. "To be fair, I am the only one in my family who can do this." She snapped her fingers, and a faint golden light shimmered around her hand before disappearing.

The ninja stared.

Kai groaned. "Oh great. Another glow-y, all-powerful family member."

Jay muttered under his breath, "Why is it always the long-lost relatives that have cool powers?"

Mia, ignoring them, stepped forward. "Okay, if you have some kind of connection to FSM, maybe you can help us figure out what's happening."

Amy grinned. "Finally, someone speaking my language! Now, where do we start?"

Mia smirked. "Easy. We find out who decided to put a giant skull in the sky. And then?" She cracked her knuckles. "We stop them."

" What's going on here?"

Everyone turned to see... the ghost.

" MORROOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" Emma screeched, lunging to him and making him almost drop his juice.

TOMATO juice, to be exact.

Annie sighed. " Amy, Morro. Morro, Amy. Amy's my cousin and Morro is Emmy's husband."

Amy blinked. "Wait. You're married?!"

Emma rubbed the back of her neck, glancing at Morro, who was sipping his ever-present tomato juice like he didn't have a care in the world. "Yeah, uh... long story."

Mia sighed dramatically. "It's... complicated. VERY complicated. Point is—"

Before she could finish, a loud screech echoed from outside.

"MIIIIIIIAAAAAAAAAA!"

Mia's head snapped toward the sound. "Oh no."

Without another word, she bolted out the door, the others scrambling to follow.

Outside, Nelson stood frozen in the street, his newspaper bag hanging off his shoulder, pointing up at the sky with a look of absolute terror. "WHAT IS THAT?!"

Mia skidded to a stop next to him and looked up—just in time to see...

Something massive. Dark. Menacing.

Clouds churned, swirling around an enormous, shadowy figure looming over Ninjago City. Its form wasn't fully solid, shifting and twisting like smoke, but its eyes—cold and hollow—were very real.

Mia's heart pounded. "What in the name of Spinjitzu—"

Behind her, Morro stepped outside, took one look at the figure, and sighed, sipping his juice. "Oh. That thing."

Emma turned on him. "You know what that is?!"

Morro shrugged. "Kinda. It's, uh... well. Bad." He took another sip, unfazed. "Welp. Good luck."

"MORRO!" Emma smacked his arm. "Explain!"

Nelson grabbed Mia's hand, his grip tight. "Mia... is that... is that a ghost?"

Mia's jaw tightened as she stared up at the looming entity. "I dunno, Nels..." She reached for one of her many weapons. "But we're about to find out."

What happens next?

hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm