As the horns continued to blare, the sirens indicating imminent destruction, a beam of energy courses through the clock, reflecting off piece after piece, before passing through a magnification lens, increasing the output through dark magic as it fires off. The Stone Warriors push the ninja, Misako and Wu back far enough that the outcropping they stand on begins to fall, detaching from the rest, leaving Nya to the mercy of the army, as they fall into the ocean.
As the ninja return to the Bounty, Zane's father questions what has happened, and Wu explains everything.
"Ninjago? Who cares about Ninjago? Nya was my… she was my… you know…" Jay complains.
"And she's my Sister, Jay. I know it's difficult to move on when she's captured, but she's tough. Tougher than most of us. We'll get her back." Kai assures.
"Lloyd. Your focus gives you more power. Now that the final battle has begun, you must not lose it." Wu explains.
"But you saw what happened before. I just, froze." Lloyd worries.
"Your father is just as scared, Lloyd." Misako admits.
"Besides. You won't be alone. I'll have your back." Kai assures. "You have both my elements."
"You have my Earth." Cole adds.
"And my Ice." Zane steps forward.
"And my Lightning." Jay also steps forth.
"We're all in this together, kid." Cole states.
When the ninja arrive at Garmadon's base, all that remains are the tracks of a massive vehicle. With no other choice, the track Garmadon and his army.
"That's one big weapon." Lloyd notes.
"It's heading towards the coast." Zane tracks the direction.
"But why? Wouldn't he have tried to use it on us?" Lloyd questions.
"Not on us. On Ninjago." Wu corrects. "He's always wanted to turn our world into his own image. Now we know how it will be done."
"But if he turns things evil, the balance will shift." Misako states. "And it will allow the Overlord to cross into our world!"
"The balance shifted the moment those Warriors were made." Kai admits. "Just not enough for the Overlord to cross over."
"Then we need to stop my father from ever firing that weapon." Lloyd commands, leading the others towards the weapon.
"Is anyone else thinking how this might be our final fight together?" Jay asks as they follow the trail.
"Yeah." Everyone affirms.
"We've come a long way. And it's been just over a year since Sensei Wu found us." Kai admits. As they begin to reminisce about the past, Kai slows, a sensing a familiar presence, but darker, corrupted. "Guys, wait." He calls, causing them to stop and look to him. Before he can explain, a figure knocks Lloyd down, before a crimson vortex of spinjitzu covers them.
"What is that?" Cole asks.
"Not what, who." Kai corrects solemnly, holding his hand out, the Null forcing the vortex to disperse, revealing Nya.
"What did he do to her?" Jay asks in horror.
"That is no longer Nya. Garmadon used the weapon on her, turned her into his own soldier." Wu answers.
"Lloyd, take Wu and Misako. Stop Garmadon." Kai orders.
"But you said you'd always be behind me." Lloyd worries.
"We are, kid." Kai assures. "But if we don't keep my sister busy, Garmadon will have nothing to stop him from firing his weapon."
"We'll be fine." Cole adds.
"The ninja are right. Let's go." Wu orders, leading the other two away, while the ninja turn their focus on Nya, who takes out a ball and chain, immediately launching it at Kai, who stops it mid air with a gesture of his hand, before the Null begins to eat away at the metal.
"You aren't getting me that easily, sis." Kai admonishes, as Cole attempts to sneak up behind her, only to be tossed around like a rag-doll, and tied to a tree, before Zane freezes the metal, the Null having further weakened the chain to require less power. As Nya is flung back by physics, Cole uses his freedom to blind Nya, while Kai cuts down the tree that hung above her, with Zane using Ice to keep her contained.
"Sorry, Nya, but this club just became boys only." Jay apologizes, as the ninja move to catch up to Lloyd.
With the precarious balance shifting towards darkness, a portal opens above Garmadon, engulfing him as the evil spirit takes control of his body, changing it's shape, his voice, slowly removing Garmadon to the recesses of a cage in the mind.
"The metamorphosis has begun!" The glee in his voice carries through the island.
"Father." Lloyd goes to move forward, only for Wu to stop him.
"That is no longer your father." He corrects.
"But the prophecy…" Lloyd begins.
"You'll still fight your father, but the Overlord has his body, and is changing it." Kai interrupts. "If your father was in control, he would do whatever he could to stop the fight. The Overlord was always your true opponent. He will not hold back." Lloyd stands still for a moment, before he becomes determined.
"Then let's get to work." He orders, the ninja becoming covered in their respective vortexes as they clear a path for Lloyd. Cole and Zane work together, taking out a squadron of Warriors with their combined powers, while Kai and Jay focus on the vehicles, destroying them with ease. The Overlord looks over the side of his vehicle, and orders his subjects.
"See to it personally that the cannon is loaded!" The General nods, before moving to Wu and Misako, who were stopping the load process, only for Wu to load him instead. The Overlord, believing the cannon to be loaded, fires, sending the general into the ocean, his weight sinking him to where no one would be able to reach for centuries to come. "Fine! I'll load it myself." Before the Overlord can move, however, Lloyd stops him.
"This ends now." He declares, summoning the energy imbued within, as Kai hijacks one of the turrets, using it against the Stone Warriors with surprising effectiveness.
"Jay! We're gonna have to steal this thing!" He calls, his grin hidden by his headgear, only for an explosion to take their attention, as Lloyd is sent to the ground by the Overlord, who faces him, hands covered in dark energy. As the two destined enemies fight, it is clear that the Overlord was more powerful, more prepared, for the fight. Lloyd was simply not ready.
"The battle between good an evil. I can do this for eternity. But can you?" The Overlord asks. "Your friends can't help you now. You are all alone!" He taunts.
"No! I am never alone. My father will fight with me." Lloyd denies, and it shows to be true, as the Overlords form flickers between the metamorphosis and Garmadon, his fathers voice telling him to stay strong. Once the flickering stops, Lloyd begins to attack, flurry after flurry of fists, feet, and energy, but it still isn't enough. With a clash of energy, the Overlord captures Lloyd in the air, held by a purple energy field, before he is thrown to the ground, a sickening snap echoing through the coast as something breaks, and Lloyd screams in pain before blacking out.
The Overlord's echoing laugh sends shivers down everyone's spine, as he loads another Dark Matter warhead, and fires it, the canister heading for Lloyd's unconscious form, surrounded by Wu and Misako, only for Zane's father to bring the Bounty before it, blocking the shot, and trapping them on the island as their home once again goes down.
"ENOUGH! WE DON'T NEED TO WASTE TIME WITH THEIR PERSTERING! WE'LL GO TO NINJAGO CITY TO FINISH THIS ONCE AND FOR ALL!" The call of the Overlord spurns his troops on, opening a portal for all of them to pass through, sending them straight to their destination. Kai tries to jump through, but the portal closes, letting him drop to the grou8nd, as he rolls out of it.
"Motherfuckers." He curses, looking out to the ocean.
As an injured Lloyd wakes up, he asks if he won, with Wu telling him he did not, but that he was alive.
"But, the prophecy." He tries to stand, only for his leg to give out. "Did we lose the final battle?"
"What's important, is we didn't lose you. We can recover, and fight another day." Wu assures.
"Destiny showed us who was stronger today." Lloyd notes.
"But there is still tomorrow, and the day after, as long as we still live and breathe." Kai adds.
"We didn't lose the battle. Today, we just lost the fight." Lloyd agrees.
As Zane's father wraps up Lloyd's leg, he questions if he can still fight, to which he is told that the leg will take weeks to heal. The others simply watch in the direction of the mainland, wondering whether they would see their loved ones again.
"Perhaps it's best to think of our friends and family as we remember them, not necessarily as they are now that the Overlord has likely converted them." Zane tries to offer.
"But I don't remember my father any other way." Lloyd admits.
"Trust me, Lloyd. He loves you. You are his world. I've seen something almost identical to this before." Kai assures Lloyd, and Misako agrees.
"It was the venom of the Devourer that corrupted him. Made him evil." She states.
"I don't understand. The prophecy said the Green Ninja would defeat this evil." Cole notes, earning a chuckle from Kai. "Why didn't we win?"
"I… don't know." Wu admits.
"Don't know?! You're Sensei! You always know! You have a long white beard!" Jay complains.
"There must be some… message to learn. A lesson. A word of wisdom. Something." Cole rambles.
"For once, there is nothing to learn. Only, that evil has won." Wu admits in defeat, earning a louder laugh from Kai.
"Come on, you lot. We're not out of this yet." He assures. "We are alive. We can still fight, even if injured. We just need a way off this place."
"Kai is right. Think of how this first started. When the First Spinjitzu Master had his back against a wall, surrounded and outnumbered. Did he quit? Hell no. He found a way to keep the fight going. He passed the most important powers to your parents, then to you, so you could help me, who inherited his powers. I'd like to think we were chosen for a reason." Lloyd agrees.
"He chose us because he knew, while we might have difficulties, we would always get back up. One of us would lift up the others when they felt defeated. Whether that be me, and Lloyd, here and now, or Nya, and Jay, when making their inventions, when building the Bounty for flight, or Zane and Cole, who were determined to make peace with their past. We all fight our battles, we never give up, we support each other." Kai adds. "Even if that means we have to swim across the ocean."
"Uh, really? But I didn't bring my floaties." Jay complains.
"You got a better plan?" Cole asks.
"I don't. But he may." Zane gestures to his falcon.
The falcon leads everyone back to the Temple of Light, where Misako begins to piece things together. She shows the scroll to the Ninja, and Kai's trained eyes notice something immediately.
"It's a slot for our weapons." He notes, sliding his own elemental sword in, a clicking mechanism echoing throughout the Temple. The other three manage to find their own as well, and place their own weapons in. The room shakes, as the center opens, revealing a rusty mech that was once used by the First Spinjitzu Master.
"How do we make it work?" Cole asks, jumping in the pilots seat.
"I'm afraid that time has done her in. She's only a relic now." Zane's father sighs.
"If it worked for the First Spinjitzu Master, perhaps it will work for the next Spinjitzu Master." Wu offers. Lloyd takes Cole's spot, taking the helm. With a golden glow, the Mech comes to life, the rust returning to it's original golden hue, as pure energy courses through it.
"Leg definitely feels stronger now." Lloyd admits, showing of the boosters of the feet.
"Well, we know how he is getting back to Ninjago, but what about us?" Misako questions, before a familiar roar catches everyone's attention.
"I know that roar." Jay admits, rushing to the front of the Temple, where the Ultimate Dragon flew to, perching atop the courtyard.
"I believe we just found our way off this rock." Wu notes.
Ninjago was cloaked in darkness, clouds covering it from the sky, and colour being almost completely drained from the surroundings. In the center of the City, a fortress stands, the Overlord seemingly missing, however, from the equation. Deciding to scout around, the Ninja dismount, scouring the city, finding the townsfolk to all be corrupted.
"I can't wait to see the Overlord's face when he finds us back here." Jay boasts, until a horn blares, and a dragon as big as the Ultimate Dragon fires a blast of Dark Matter right at the feet of the ninja.
"Is that the look you were hoping for?" Zane asks with a smirk.
"No, Zane, it isn't." Jay answers in frustration.
"The metamorphosis is complete. The Overlord is back in his original form." Misako explains. As Kai sees the form, he can't help but ask a question.
"Anyone else feel like this might have been the first dragon that the Fist Spinjitzu Master found and wanted to tame and take care of, but managed to just piss it off instead?" His question raises eyebrows. "What? It's gotta be a possibility."
"Well, we can't fly up there." Cole notes.
"Lloyd has my father's golden mech. We just need to draw the Stone Army and the corrupted townsfolk away, while Lloyd uses the mech to fight the Overlord." Wu explains.
Lloyd tries to attack, but the blast of a turrets takes off the mech's sword arm, rendering it useless, before it's hit yet again, taking it down properly.
"He's been hit. We need to get down there and help him." Kai exclaims, immediately leaping off the dragon, landing on the ground and embedding his sword into the earth, sending a shock-wave of fire energy outwards, destroying the first wave of Stone Warriors, making room for the other ninja to join. As they fight, protecting Lloyd, they fight as one, until Nya blasts them apart with the turret.
"Oh, we're doomed." Jay states in fear. The Stone Warriors begin to strike at the ninja, before they simply stop, and freeze, before the General speaks up.
"All hail the Brown Ninja. What do you command?" He asks.
"Oh you've got to be kidding me." Kai laughs. "Dareth! You're still normal!"
"It takes more than a little darkness to take me down." Dareth boasts, making Kai shake his head.
"We need to get to the top of this fortress, but I can't make it alone. With your help, we can do this." Lloyd explains. The ninja cross swords over Lloyd's head.
"We'll get you there, kid." Cole assures.
"Ooh, where'd you get those. I want one!" Dareth jumps, pointing at their new blades. Kai chuckles again, opening up his pocket dimension.
"I got a prototype made. I think it might help to have an extra fighting hand." He hands it to Dareth who ignites it.
"Stone Army! ABOUT FACE!" He orders, and the army obeys. "ATTACK!" In ordered lines, the army begins to climb the stairs of the fortress. Nya begins to attack, her turret decimating the Stone Warriors, and knocking the rest off, instantly destroying the general. As Wu guides the dragon up, she obtains a hit to its tail, forcing them to land. As the ninja climb, a projectile of dark matter lands on Cole, hitting him, and beginning to convert him.
"Cole, come on, get up." Lloyd urges.
"It's too late." Cole warns. "Go." Kai takes his spot in helping Lloyd stand.
"He's right. We need to gain as much distance as possible from him before he turns." Kai adds, as the ninja continue on. The next shot hits Jay. Without hesitation, they continue top move on, wasting no time.
"I calculate only one of us will make it to the top to fight the Overlord. The rest will either be turned or occupied." Zane advises. Kai turns to look behind them, where a now converted Jay and Cole are chasing them.
"How much time can you buys us?" Kai asks, as Zane ignites his weapon.
"Enough." He answers, blocking the other blades, as Kai and Lloyd continue, before Nya blocks their path. As she fires, Kai draws his weapon, deflecting the shots away.
"You need to go on. I can keep the others busy." Kai explains.
"But-" Kai cuts Lloyd off.
"There's only one Green Ninja. You'll do fine." He assures, deflecting a bolt right back at the turret, taking it out of commission, before Nya grabs a sword of her own and attacks. As they fight, the other three ninja catch up,. Zane now converted, and slicing through Kai's back, barely missing his spine. With a scream, and a burst of energy, the ninja are sent back down the stairs, while Kai's eyes change colour, becoming a crimson red. Everyone's attention is taken, however, when an energy signature grows in power, revealing a gold, glowing Lloyd. Kai laughs maniacally.
"The Overlord was never going to win this battle. Fate and destiny cannot be avoided. Not by traditional means." He admits, facing his corrupted sister, and holding out his hand. "Now to see if this works." He begins to draw the dark energy, the corrupted Null, from Nya, her colours returning as each drop of darkness is harnessed into Kai, before being crystallized and sent into a pocket dimension.
"YOU CANNOT DEFEAT ME! WHERE THERE IS LIGHT, THERE WILL ALWAYS BE SHADOW!" The Overlord screams in defiance.
"But not if the Balance is restored." Kai mutters, before his powers backfire, sending him unconscious from the feedback loop of removing one's powers sapping his own.
As the fortress disintegrates, and colour returns to Ninjago, the ninja begin to wake up. Energy restored from the burst of light power, Kai is the first to return, followed by Jay, both of them rushing to an awakening Nya. Cole and Zane embrace in a brothers , Misako and Zane's father land on the dragon, with Lloyd not far behind.
"You did us all proud, Lloyd." Kai assures.
"Because of you, there will be a tomorrow." Wu adds.
"And if the Overlord manages to tip the balance ever again, we will be ready to fight him off yet again." Cole notes, earning cheers from the others, before movement within the rubble catches everyone's attention. From beneath, an elderly figure stumbles out.
"Lloyd." He gasps. "What… What happened?"
"Garmadon? Is that really you?" Misako asks.
"DAD!" Lloyd exclaims, immediately rushing over and hugging him, with Misako close on his heels.
"Every ounce of evil and venom is… gone!" She laughs in pure happiness.
"I feel good." Garmadon laughs. "It's been so long."
"Good to have you back, brother." Wu admits, joining in on the hug.
"Wu. Good to be back." Garmadon assures.
"Well, would you look at that. Who'd have ever though we'd see the day. Should we dog pile 'em?" Jay asks, earning a gentle punch to the shoulder from Kai.
"Let them have their moment. They've deserved it." He states.
"Well, it's been quite a ride, fellas." Cole notes.
"You think there'll be others?" Zane asks.
"I hope so. I like being a ninja. I like being around everyone. Being a part of something bigger than just myself." Cole admits.
"We all feel the same way." Kai assures. "But until then, we'll have our duties to attend. Training, work, family."
"But we'll be ready for when we're needed." Jay adds.
It's been two years since the Overlord was defeated. The ninja were settling into their lives once more, but Kai seemed more distant. He was bothered, wracked with nightmares. Some nights he was away from the others, and sometimes gone for days. Something was going on, and while the others weren't sure what it was, they were concerned for their brother.
Prologue to next season.
"Support me, friends, for one last time." Zane leaps from each Ninja, before taking a grasp of the golden claws, pain lighting up in his features. "Let my friends go!"
"Go where, doomed ninja?" The familiar, yet distorted voice of the Overlord asks. Zane begins to fall apart, half of his face coverings falling off, revealing his nindroid features. "The Golden Weapons are too powerful for you to behold. Your survival chance is low."
"This isn't about numbers. It's about family. The golden chains and ropes around the ninja drop, freeing them.
"He's not letting go!" Lloyd shouts.
"His heart's reaching critical mass!" Jay exclaims.
"If his heart overloads, he'll blow!" Cole adds. "He'll never survive!"
"Zane! LET GO!" Kai cries out, tears falling down his face.
"He's protecting us." Wu notes solemnly.
"I'm a Nindroid. And ninja never quit!" Zane begins to unleash his element on the Overlord, keeping them attached, as his heart continues to overload.
"NO!" Kai screams, moving to stop Zane, only for Wu to hold him back.
"We have to get out of here." Wu orders. Wu and Garmadon drag Kai away, moments before the Overlord, and Zane, are engulfed in flames, destroying them both.
Kai screams awake, for the fourth night in a row. Knowing he won't be able to sleep again, he heads off to Ninjago City, heading to Chen's Bar as always. The bartender there, Skylor, was used to seeing him around this time of night/early morning. After several other, more rare occasions, she started to stay back, going as far to sleeping at the bar when it's closed until Kai arrived on his nights of pain.
"The usual, Skylor." Kai groans, taking his normal seat.
"Same nightmare?" She asks.
"Yeah." Kai answers, downing his first shot immediately. "I'm starting to fear that these really are premonitions. They become clearer each time, more detailed." Skylor puts a hand on his shoulder, and Kai once again feels the Amber Element at work, mimicking his powers yet again. "You know that whatever you need my po9wers for, the ninja can help you get out of it." He tries. Ever since he first discovered Skylor's power, and deduced that she was being coerced, he tried to get her to ask for help. But still with no success.
"I'll get help once you do the same." Skylor retorts, to which Kai chuckles.
"You know well that what I am going through can't be helped. Not properly." He explains yet again, as solemn as every other time. This would continue to occur, until the Ninja were finally invited to Borg Tower.
A/N - Much longer chapter, but this one is not only two episodes, but will bring a bit of a difference in events in future. Did a little more digging into the stories after Harumi arc, and will try to actually use them, but again, fuck Harumi. She doesn't exist in my eyes. Spoiled piece of shit. Take care and stay safe.