*about 4 years ago*

Kai's POV

I stand off to the side of the set, behind their fancy equipment. The entire block, and the blocks surrounding it, are all closed off to make sure no one is close to our filming. It's night time, the stars twinkling above us, but there's plenty of fancy lighting to make sure we can be seen clearly by the camera.

The past day, the guys and I have gotten time off. In the episode we're currently filming, the ninja all get turned into children, so none of us are needed. Instead, they found children that look alarmingly like us to play the small ninja, about eight or nine years old.

"I can't wait to see how this comes out," Jay says from next to me. "Why are you wearing sunglasses? It's night time."

"Don't question my methods, Gordon. I look cool," I adjust my sunglasses over the bridge of my nose. He raises his slitted eyebrow at me, amused.

"Cool is one word for it," Cole adds, making Jay laugh next to me. His shoulders shake under his gi.

"You won't be making fun of me when my wonderful fashion choices score me a hot girlfriend."

"Nah, I still think we will," Jay claps his hand on my shoulder before walking off, probably to say something to Nya before the scene starts.

"Zane, do you like my sunglasses?" I ask him, crossing my arms.

"They are an interesting choice, but I think it fits you well," Zane informs me, and I choose to take it as a compliment.

As the set finishes getting ready, the actors in this scene all enter the comic book shop that's set up. Little versions of us, the man who is playing Mother Doomsday, a lot of random children, and Liam all start filming, doing some sort of comic book trivia thing.

"I can't wait to see how this all turns out. Last season had good special effects, but with this increased budged, it'll be insane," Cole whistles, his arms crossed just like mine.

Due to the show's increasing success, not only did it get extreme increases in funding, but we all experienced extreme increases in our paychecks, something I'm certainty not against.

When I hear one of the trailer doors open behind me, I turn around. Lloyd is walking out of the makeup trailer, ready to shoot. He is wearing a green gi identical to his little brother's, just bigger. The resemblance between the two is uncanny and absolutely perfect for what we're going to do. He's going to be the new Lloyd Garmadon.

I met Lloyd at the premier of the pilots. Garmadon brought his entire family to the small premier. We immediately clicked, so we started hanging out, and now I consider the guy to be one of, if not my, best friend(s).

"Damn, you're looking like a ninja already," I give him a smile as he walks over to us.

"I'm so sore. They've been training me so hard to catch up with you guys, even though it's only been like two seasons," he tells me, his nose scrunching up as he stretches out his arms.

"The beginning is the hardest by far. Once it becomes a routine, you'll be all set," Cole encourages him.

"Ooo, look at their cute little light swords. They look like lightsabers!" Jay shows out of nowhere, taking a sip of water as our attention shifts to the scene in front of us.

The little ninja battle the grundle, or should I say Green Screen Gary, who is on all fours growling at them. I have to give the guy credit; he sure is committed to his job.

Liam appears from behind a display on an office chair, rising. Then, he holds his hands apart and lets out an exasperated groan as if he's conjuring a ball of energy. He then gets "flung back" by the grundle, hitting the floor while little us get hit back too.

Green Screen Gary approaches them as little Cole yells, "uh gross! This is the end, isn't it?"

Nya then kicks a door down, looking like an absolute badass, with Wu behind her. The people in the store rush out on her command before she throws a bottle towards little Jay. After he gets instruction from Wu on how to use it, little Cole stops him from using it.

"No wait!" he sticks out his light sword, the only one left, at Green Screen Gary. "But what will happen to Lloyd? He'll grow old too!" The four of the ninja then look back at where Liam is lying.

"Just do it," he instructs them.

"You'll miss out on the rest of your childhood, dude."

"We can't do that to you! It's not fair," little me insists just before Green Screen Gary slaps the last swords away from them.

"Oh no!"

He lunges at the little us, causing them to fall backwards along with Liam. Little Jay throws up the bottle that someone above them catches. Then, someone drops an identical one on Liam.

"Fair, fair isn't a word from where I come from," Liam throws the bottle at Green Screen Gary.

"Cut, wonderful work everyone! Are my ninja ready?" our executive producer, Mr. Chambers, turns around to look at us. Us four original ninja look towards Lloyd who nods. "Great. Do it just like the run throughs we did earlier today. The earlier we can get out of here, the better."

The five of us walk to the locations of our younger counterparts that are wearing large gi. While we're switching spots, Liam wraps his arms around Lloyd.

"You're gonna do great, big bro," he looks up at his older brother with confidence in him.

If there's ever been something I've been jealous of, it's people with siblings. I've always wanted a sibling, especially as a child, but after my mom passed away when I was three, I gave up hope. Siblings provide a built in friend, someone to hang out with during family gatherings. They're someone that will be there to protect you.

The main cast is made up of primarily only children. Nya, Cole, Jay and I are all only children. Lloyd has Liam, clearly from their display, and Zane has an identical twin brother, Eliot.

"Thank you," Lloyd scrubs his little brother's hair. "Mom has some candy for you back in the trailer." Without another word, Liam starts sprinting over to the trailer, making a chorus of laughs fill the room.

"Places everyone!" Wu and Nya walk back towards the door while the five of us all crouch behind a shelf that's on its' side. "Action!"

"He used it," Wu says, looking at the blankness in front of him.

"And it's working!" Nya admires the "grundle turning to bones" in front of her. People sitting atop the roof sprinkle light rocks and rubble down from the ceiling.

When we get out cue from Mr. Chambers, Zane, Cole, Jay and I stand up from behind the shelf with our hoods on, leaving Lloyd crouching. We look around and take off our hoods.

"What happened?" I ask. I look around at my surroundings, specifically the open space where the grundle bones will be.

"We're not kids anymore!" Cole looks down at his body, significantly larger from little Cole's

"It worked!"

"They...are the real ninja!" Mother Doomsday walks into the frame, looking at us in awe.

"But what about Lloyd?" Wu asks, desperation in his voice.

Lloyd stands up in between Cole and Jay slowly. All of our eyes widen in shock. I look at Cole, and he looks just as shocked as I do.

"I'm...older," he looks down at his body, moving his hands that are now larger than his younger counterpart's.

"The time for the green ninja to face his destiny has grown nearer," Wu says to us all all. We walk up to Lloyd, comforting him and smiling. Cole puts his hand on Lloyd's shoulder, reassuringly.

"I'm ready," Lloyd says with conviction.

"Cut! That's a wrap on today. Tomorrow, we're going to start filming the time travel episode, so rest up!"

---

*current day*

Lloyd's POV 

"And for our final guests of the evening at our regional television convention, we have four very special guests from the hit TV show, Ninjago! Please welcome Lloyd Montgomery, Harumi Swanson, Zane Larsson, and Pixie Boyd!" the man on the center of the stage gestures our way. The four of us walk on stage to a round of applause and shouts. The feeling of it, the adrenaline of it all, it never gets old.

We each take our seats at the table, my spot between Rumi and Zane. I pull my emerald green bomber jacket closer to me, the room cold, ironically because it's packed to the brim. When I look out at the crowd, I see hundreds of excited fans, making me happy.

"We're going to call some fans up here to ask some questions for you for, if that's alright with you all," the man tells up.

"That sounds wonderful," Pix gives him a nice smile. Her hand is linked with Zane's just like mine is with Rumi's.

The man brings several fans off to the side where a microphone is. For the four of us on stage, we each have microphones in our hands, so everyone can hear us.

"Hi. My name is Johanna, and I have a question for all four of you. Which ship that you're not a part of is your favorite and why?"

"I'll go first," I readjust in my seat, "My personal favorite is Jaya. The two have been through so much, and I like their dynamic. Plus, I see Lloyd as their honorary child, so that might sway me a bit."

"I personally really like Pixane," Rumi starts to talk beside me. Her platinum hair is pulled back into a high ponytail, cascading down her back like a snowy waterfall. She has on a green romper, the same shade as my bomber on accident. "They have this youthful innocence to them that I find absolutely adorable."

"I personally think Kailor is my favorite. Skylor helps keep Kai grounded with his powers, and I genuinely enjoy their interactions," Zane explains.

"I was a large fan of the show before I joined the cast, and because Jaya was the only developed ship at that moment, they have maintained a special location in my heart," Pix answers, her blonde hair tied up in a bun. Looking at the four of us, I realize that they put all of the blondes together, making me slightly laugh to myself. Additionally, three of us have green eyes, Zane being the exception with his light blue eyes.

"Hi. I'm Sophia, and I have a question for Harumi," a girl with curly black hair says. Harumi's attention perks up. "You were the first female antagonist on the show, not including the Preeminent. How does it feel knowing that you inspired girls not by resurrecting evil warlords per say, but by showing them that girls can do anything."

"It feels amazing that I could help give someone else confidence in their abilities. I feel that Nya, Pix, and Skylor also have done amazing things for this show while also helping me get comfortable in my own role. Without them, I don't think I would've been able to be as strong of a presence."

Next, a man, looking in his late thirties with a Ninjago t-shirt, gets the microphone. "Hello, I'm Austin. This show helped me relax when I was wrapping up my Master's degree, the Oni trilogy having a special place in my heart. What season has a special place in your hearts?"

"My favorite season is Rebooted. It was my first season on set, and everything was so surreal. It truly cemented in my head that this is the career path I wish to be on for the rest of my life," Pix explains, her green eyes lighting up as she talks.

"My favorite has to be Hunted. When I first read the script, I was blown away by the writing, and I really enjoyed the message behind it: that you don't need powers to be powerful. There was so much character growth for everyone," I answer honestly.

"This may seem like a peculiar choice for me, but my personal favorite was the Tournament of Elements. Not only did it exponentially expand the lore, but it was used to reconvene the team and prove that they are durable. Additionally, I still think that turning Zane titanium was an amazing twist," Zane elaborates.

"I was only in two seasons, but I think that Sons of Garmadon has to be my favorite out of the two. Not only did I get to meet all of my cast mates, but I also got to expand my acting with a dynamic character like Harumi. It was also amazing to see how everyone plays off of each over. It was surreal."

---

The line has slowly dwindled down, so only two fans are left. One is a younger girl, the other being someone completely covered in a costume. The costume consists of a black mask, leotard, and cape. It's covered in what I can see from here as rhinestones.

"Ninja are clearly very strong. We have seen that in the past, but what are their weaknesses? What makes them vulnerable?" they ask a question I haven't thought much about. We typically focus on their positives, not their negatives.

"Looking back at their previous adventures, their weakness as a whole has to be their reliance on elemental powers. While they overcame it each time, every single time their powers were taken from them, they panicked and did not know how to react. Because it is their first instinct, it is hard for them to rewire that," Zane gives him an answer that I think makes sense. They nod, walking over to the rest of the fans.

"Hello, I'm Giovanni, and I have a question for all of you. Which episode was your favorite to film and why?" he asks excitedly, warming my heart.

"My favorite has not aired yet, so I cannot divulge too much information, but the episode 'Ninjago Confidential' was so much fun to film," PIXAL answers, obviously catching the crowd's attention. Through all of the questions, they've perked up at any mention of the new season.

"I enjoyed filming 'Saving Faith' because of how dramatic everything is. Skylor taking the Oni Titan from Garmadon, Harumi's redemption by saving that family, it was just so fun to film. The energy on set that day was amazing, even if half of the main cast wasn't there," Rumi explains, the crowd thinking that that episode is going to be the last episode she's ever in, but little do they know that she makes an appearance this season.

"Tick Tock was my favorite to film. The entire true potential aspect still interests me, and the reveal of Zane being a robot pushed me to the brink of my acting limits."

"Child's Play is forever going to be my favorite because of how surreal the entire situation was. It was one of the biggest surprises in the show, the sudden age jump, and although I had few lines, it made me so happy to be out there."

"Thank you for coming! Let's give these four one last round of applause as they exit the stage!" as we stand up, the crowd erupts in cheers and clapping. We wave to everyone as we leave the stage, and once we do, I still feel the adrenaline.

"We finished over an hour prior to our scheduled time," Zane looks down at the watch on his wrist.

"I say we go to lunch. I'm so hungry. I could take down the whole buffet at Soup Plantation," Rumi suggests. I wrap my arm around her shoulders. She then rests her head against me.

"I'm down."

"That is a great idea."

"Great, to Soup Plantation we go!"

A/N it's been a while but hey, finally! This was kind of a filler, just a glimpse into their lives, but I hope you all enjoyed it nonetheless.

I still need to finish the alt ending of Unanimity. Then, this will have my full attention. I've been busy lately, but I'll try to make this a priority.

Anything you're hoping to see in this book?

Also I'd like to say this book IS going to have some mature themes in it (violence, abuse (mental and physical), sexual references/actions, body issues, and swearing), so you have been warned! It won't be anything too bad, but I don't want people to feel taken off guard when they find it.

Thank you so much for reading! You're all so awesome