After following the Nindroids to a comet, holding the remains of the Golden Weapons, the ninja are stranded, the parasites that inhabit the moving debris having eaten through the ship they arrived on. With a bit of ingenuity the ninja were able to jury rig a spaceship out of the remains of the previous one, allowing them to return to Earth, and Ninjago. As they land, their elemental shields keeping them alive through reentry, they bear witness to the Overlord lifting the city, the power of the Golden Weapons giving him unlimited power. But the tendril of Null from the Digiverse still courses through the Overlord, analyzing him over and over.
"I have eyes on the city." Zane notes.
"That's not a city! That's an impenetrable fortress!" Jay corrects animatedly.
"Well, I've got some news." Kai admits. "That Null tendril has found a weakness. The Golden Weapons were melted down and forged into an armour, but they are unstable. If we can overload it, we should be able to destroy the Overlord." Before anyone can say anything, Cyrus appears in a message, explaining his location, and how he found a safe place that can resist the powers that the Overlord now holds.
"Kai, Zane, Nya, take to the skies. The rest of us will make our own path." Lloyd orders. As the groups split up, Kai begins to shake. He knows how this will go, and he still doesn't have a way to prevent it. As they fly higher, the walls follow, trying to keep them out, but to no avail. The aircraft and suit are faster, even if a trail of debris chases them.
As Nya saves a citizen, she leaves herself open, resulting in a car being used as a projectile.
"Nya's down. I repeat, Nya's down!" Kai warns. Jay and Cole move to help her.
"If we go back, our chances of success will fall!" Zane warns.
"This isn't about numbers, Zane, it's about family." Kai explains. "Jay, go get Nya. Cole, you don't have enough room or space in your vehicle to help her." Before anything else can be said, a blast of Golden Energy fires, hitting Kai's thruster. "Fuck, I'm hit. I'm going down." He alerts, ejecting as the aircraft plummets, detonating on a building as he lands. The same happens to the others, as a blast takes out their vehicles, sending them dirt-side.
"The famous ninja have come for a meet and greet." The Overlord cheers. "Let's dance!" A golden vortex begins to coat the Overlord, as he uses the Spinjitzu of the First, chasing the ninja as they retreat. Falling back to the temple, leaping inside moments before the doors close, and the shield activates, keeping the Overlord away, much to his frustration.
Inside, Cyrus reveals his weapon, a pill laced with nanobot-technology, which can shrink the person who ingests it. Wu and Garmadon reminisce slightly, before revealing that if they can get close, they'll be able to get the Overlord to take it. The ninja equip themselves with armour used by the Stone warriors, each having it equip and merge with their current gear.
As the shield falls, Nya arrives, using a hijacked Nindroid vehicle to clear a path. With the immediate area clear, the ninja push through to the city. As they push on, the Overlord begins to terrorize the population, until Skales opens up a sewer top.
"PEOPLE OF NINJAGO! FOLLOW ME! I CAN GET YOU TO SAFETY WHILE THE NINJA DO WHAT THEY DO BEST!" He calls, and to everyone's surprise, it works. The people go underground. Skales looks towards Kai, nodding in respect, as he disappears below. As the ninja return their attention to the Overlord, they begin to worry.
"We'll never get close enough!" Kai exclaims in frustration.
"We don't need to." Garmadon assures, turning to Wu. "Ready to thread the needle one more time?"
"Let's show them what us old timers can do." Wu affirms. They both leap off the building, using the golden threads as a trampoline as they launch the pill towards the Overlord. Pythor comes out of nowhere and takes the hit, swallowing the pill, and shrinking in size, before running from a bird.
"That… was it? That was all you've got?!" The Overlord boasts, sending Golden threads to ensnare the ninja, except for Zane, who manages to dodge the threads and fall back to the roof.
"Why isn't the armour working?" Jay asks.
"BECAUSE YOUR TIME IS OVER!" The Overlord screams in response. As Zane analyzes the situation, he speaks up.
"Support me, brothers, one last time." He sighs, leaping from ninja to ninja, before leaping to grasp the Golden Armour, it's power coursing through him, as he directs it towards his heart.
"LET THEM GO!" Zane shouts in agony.
"Go where, doomed ninja?" The Overlord asks. As the power continues to run through Zane, he begins to fall apart, half of his face covering falling off. "The Golden Weapons are too powerful for you to behold! Your survival chance is ZERO!"
"This isn't about numbers." Zane recites, as tears fall down Kai's face. "It's about family!" Zane begins to neutralize the threads, freeing the ninja.
"He's not letting go!" Lloyd notes with worry.
"His heart! It's reaching critical mass!" Jay adds.
"If his heart overload's, he'll blow!" Cole exclaims. "He'll never survive!"
"Zane!" Kai cries out, his vision coming true. "LET GO!"
"He's protecting us!" Wu notes. Zane unleashes his power, the Ice encasing the Overlord, preventing his escape.
"What are you doing? Let me go, you fool!" The Overlord groans, as Zane continues to keep them in place. Kai falls to the ground in tears, as Jay tries to go after Zane, only for Wu to stop him.
"We have to get out of here." He orders, gesturing for Cole to grab Jay, who struggles against him, while Nya gets Kai, who does nothing, watching everything numbly as tears continued to fall. As they get in cover, the resulting explosion rocks the ground beneath them, as Zane, and the Overlord, are destroyed.
"I used to think technology would be the answer to all of our problems. But then I saw technology invent new problems." Cyrus explains, standing before Zane's memorial. "Devastating problems. And then, a Nindroid named Zane saved us all. He was the perfect balance between us and technology. He taught us, that life should be a balance. Technology can improve our lives, but, so can people. And if we focus on one at the expense of another, that is when the balance is off. Our city will find its way again, but this time, with Zane as our compass. With that, I give to you, the Titanium Ninja." He finishes. Zane's falcon, now alone, perches on the memorial's shoulder, lowering it's head.
"So, what happens after this?" Nya asks.
"I don't know." Cole admits.
"And I don't care. Today is about Zane." Jay adds.
"And now, Kai would like to speak, for those who knew him best." Cyrus gestures Kai up, as he takes the stage.
"Everyone wondered what powered Zane. I don't think we'll ever know, but I would like to think it was brotherhood. Family. He powered us, and will still power us all, as we move on. Ninja never quit, and never be forgotten. Wherever you are Zane, you will always be with us." Kai finishes, tears falling once again.
As the days pass, Kai continues to visit the memorial, remembering the times he had with Zane. He took to looking after the Falcon, believing it the least he could do, as he still felt responsible for his death, for failing to prevent it.
"He wouldn't want you to be like this, you know." Skylor states, coming up behind Kai, who sighs.
"I didn't think you would want to see me again after what I did." Kai admits solemnly.
"Don't get me wrong, I'm livid, but I do understand why you did what you did. You knew, deep down, that Zane was going to die. You did everything you could to stop anyone else from sharing his fate. You're afraid to lose your family." She notes.
"It's funny." Kai admits. "I never used to fear such a thing. Growing up without my parents, having only Nya, I thought I had learned to accept loss, and to move on. But it didn't. I still feel as though I could have prevented his death."
"Maybe you could have, maybe it was always going to happen. But he found the moment when he was needed most. And he did what he had to do. For his family. For you." Skylor adds, placing a hand on Kai's shoulder. "You'll get through this." Kai looks up to her.
"And what about you? What are you going to do?" He asks. She sighs.
"My father has ordered me back to his island. I'll be gone for who knows how long." She reveals. Kai nods in understanding.
"Just be careful." He states, to which she smiles softly.
"You know me, I can't promise that." She walks away, leaving Kai alone once more.
A year later, and Skylor has still not returned. But not only that, not long after she left, Pixal went missing. Kai began to search for her, and found some interesting clues. But the biggest one of all came in a message from Skylor.
"Zane is Alive."
A/N - Yes, I know I skipped over Codename Arcturus. It's a difficult one to write, as it is a part that can still be skipped, as other than the Golden Weapons being retrieved, nothing happens that has importance. Take care and stay safe.