Hey y'all! Sorry for not updating in a bit, I did say some stuff is going on. Anyway, this is the CLIMAX, and there are only TWO chapters left after this one!
To FireWriter316, if you are still reading this story (which I hope you are), I did manage to fit in one request, though it might not have been in the capacity you foresaw.
I own nothing.
Chapter 29: The End of an Era
On the battlefield, swords clang, blasts were shot, and the Dark Army forces were continuously falling. Kai noticed the advantage they were gaining as Jay's friends Rex and MoBy ran to his side, shooting at a few incoming Nindroids as they noticed the remaining Dark Army soldiers retreating.
"We've got them on the run, Commander Kai!'
The Master of Fire was perplexed by the title. "Commander?"
The clone captain looked to his droid companion with slight hesitation before explaining. "Apologies, sir... but we are used to official military titles, and seeing as how you are a Ninja like Jay, though not as skilled as we've seen him in action-"
"HEY! I resent that!"
"Sorry, sir!"
MoBy cut in. "We can discuss the greater details of who is what when we are all done, right now we need to- LOOK OUT!"
A stray flurry of arrows flew down upon them. Rex and MoBy managed to blast almost all of them, but as Kai had his back turned, one stray arrow went into his back. "AUGH!" He fell onto his knees, caught by the droid. "Medic!"
As Kix ran forward and lay Kai on his stomach to look at the wound, the remaining Ninja forces (Nya, Cole, Zane, Dareth, Pixal, The Mechanic, and Ronin) circled around to protect them with Rex and MoBy, realizing the remaining Nindroids, Sons of Garmadon, Vermillion, New Anacondrai, and Serpentine Warriors were all running forward in full force with the only faction that remained completely intact:
The Stone Army.
Kozu lead the charge, cutting through some stray Galactic Army warriors alongside the remaining faction leaders. "CHARGE!"
Dareth held his fists up in preparation. "Well, let's hold out for as long as we can..."
In the digital realm of Prime Empire, The First Spinjitzu Master opened the palm of his hand, releasing a single wave of golden energy that dissipated the tendrils that held onto Lloyd and Jay. As they landed to their feet, the two Ninja looked up at each other to see their appearances were slowly starting to change:
Lloyd's hair was starting to grow back into how it really was in his real-world appearance, and the green in his eyes were becoming predominant again.
The scars on Jay's face were re-appearing, as was his facial hair. His muscles broadened as well, and the eye that the scars laid over turned into a clear white orb.
They both nodded to one another, walking to each side of the First Spinjitzu Master as they faced a frightened Overlord. The Dark Master shook slightly in disbelief at the sight of his three greatest enemies standing together. "No! NO! THIS IS IMPOSSIBLE! I DON'T BELEIVE IT!"
The soothing voice of Ninjago's creator echoed around them as he spoke. "What you believe is irrelevant, Overlord. I am here, in this world between worlds, as a sign that you have gone too far. Fate itself has placed me here, for you have tipped the scales too far against the light. It is time for reconciliation."
Purple flames encompassed all four of the Dark master's fists. "THIS ISN'T FAIR! I'VE WON! THE BLANCE HAS BEEN KEPT!" He threw a series of purple fire balls at his first archnemesis, but just as they were inches away from the old man's face, they too dissipated into nothingness as he stepped forward.
"I lost to you all those thousands of years ago..." Another blast, to no avail as Lloyd blocked them with his own Green energy. "Then I won against Lloyd, however briefly before I was locked back in thanks to your golden power..." He tried to spin towards the First Spinjitzu Master this time, but Jay knocked him off his feet with lightning-fast speed, causing him to back away from the trio using both his legs and arms.
"And then... then I came back a third time... and took EVERYTHING from Jay, and took back your son - and your father - into my fold, just as Jay single-handedly locked me back once again, this time at his own expense, bringing the scales back to a balance..."
The dark figure stopped backing away and looked up, with almost visible distain in his eyes. "But at what cost, hmm? Years of unrivaled "peace" only lead to infighting amongst the people. Your pacifist views towards your subjects depletes the very essence of ruling peacefully. Thus, I returned in full force to establish a peaceful coexistence amongst all who have opposed you! I CREATED A PURE BALANCE!"
The First Spinjitzu Master held his hand up, signaling the other two to stop walking forward alongside him as he continued to approach the fallen villain. Once he was at his feet, he knelt down towards him. To everyone else's surprise, he held his hand out in a friendly manner.
"Come with me, Overlord... your time has come. Oblivion is not as bad as you would believe. I know it. My sons know it. Even Lloyd and Jay know it... they have both faced it against you, and Jay has seen it himself." The old man turned and winked at Jay, who was only now just realizing that vision/dream he had seen him in 10 years ago was in the afterlife of the Departed Realm.
Lloyd turned to Jay in slight confusion. His grandfather turned back to the Overlord. The Dark figure stared in hesitation at his old enemy for several moments...
Before summoning every inkling of power he could to blast him back between the two Ninja. "NEVER, you old fool! I have seen oblivion! We all have! I have stared into the never-ending pit, into the void itself, just as you did when you faced me millennia ago! And just as you did, Lloyd, when you flew your golden dragon into my very being. AND YOU DID, JAY, when you incinerated us both by absorbing my cosmic power!"
The pair ran back to help the First Spinjitzu Master back up, but by the time they got to him, he was already on his feet and staring directly against the Overlord. His own fists lit up with pure golden energy. "I cannot face him directly, as I have already passed into the next plane..." He looked to his right into his grandson's eyes. "But I can help in a different way..."
To the confusion of the Overlord, the First Spinjitzu Master blasted both Lloyd and Jay with his golden beams, encompassing the two. It took the Dark master only a moment to realize what he was doing. But it was a moment too late. "NO!"
The golden beams turned into full spheres, fully embracing the two Ninja. As it dissipated, Lloyd emerged with his Golden Master Gi, and Jay Emerged with his Stone Warrior Gi. Lloyd's eyes glowed with the Golden Energy he had used to defeat the Overlord. Both of Jay's eyes looked like galaxies within his eye sockets, as he was now re-imbued with the cosmic powers he himself used to defeat the Overlord.
"Now, Overlord..." Ninjago's creator stepped forward in the middle of the two all-powerful Ninja, the trio now facing their foe. "...We are all Gods here." He opened up his palms, and several blue streams of energy shot out and circled around the Dark figure.
"NOOO!" He let out a series of blasts at the surrounding light blue balls of energy, though they simply phased through them. The balls weren't attacking him, but instead approaching him slowly as faces began to appear on them, staring harshly at the Overlord.
The face of Ed.
The face of Edna
The face of Sensei Wu.
Sensei Garmadon.
Misako.
Ray.
Maya.
Mystake.
The Emperor.
The Empress.
Nelson.
Karlof.
In a chorus, the 12 voices all rang out one word loudly: "SHAME!" As if the word left a horrible ringing echo, the Overlord gripped his ears with two hands and continued to blast at them with the other two. Jay and Lloyd both started to approach him with their own hands raised, ready to blast. Unfortunately, he noticed.
"NICE TRY!"
He conjured every dark and golden power at his disposal and blasted two beams at Jay, and two at Lloyd. With his cosmic energy, Jay met the two purple beams. Lloyd followed suite with his golden energy. Even with their revived strength, the Overlord's power would outlast theirs.
Suddenly, four ghost appeared at their sides. Ed and Edna's transparent figures clutched onto Jay's shoulders, and Misako and Garmadon's transparent figures did the same with Lloyd.
"Lloyd! You both have to get to him yourselves! We can give you a moment, but you mustn't waste time! Only a moment, do you understand?!" Both Lloyd and Jay nodded frantically at Garmadon's shouting spirit.
Edna's ghostly hand caressed her son's cheek. "Sweetheart, let go. Jay, you are ready. Let go. Let go!" As the Overlord let out a defiant scream, both Lloyd and Jay stopped firing their beams and jumped to the side, giving the four spirits, as well as the eight others, a chance.
All 12 ghosts combined into one light and flashed in the Overlord's face, temporarily blinding him. At their chance, the two Ninja ran forward and lit up their fists with their powers.
The Overlord's sight came back just in time for him to see both Ninja standing in front of his kneeling form. Lloyd's two golden Fists were aimed at his chest, and one of jay's was aimed specifically at his heart. "It can't be..." Jay allowed himself a soft smirk.
"You were right Overlord: Our path's our eerily similar. But there is ONE key difference. When you looked at oblivion, and stared into the void..."
With a speed so fast only the Overlord could see it with his heightened senses, Jay's right hand phased straight into the Overlord's Golden Armor and his chest, clutching onto his heart.
"...you blinked."
The Master of Lighting removed his hand from the Overlord's chest, crushing his black heart into dust with a frying clutch of both lightning and cosmic energy. The Overlord stared in disbelief, but only for a moment as Lloyd let out two supreme golden blats at his chest, knocking him onto his back.
As his form hit the ground, the very foundation of the digital world around them began to crumble. He was the very lifesource of the Prime Empire, just as the entrapped citizens were supposed to be his lifeforce. Smaller buildings began to crumble, and as debris fell on the trapped citizen's their avatars blinked out of digital existence.
The First Spinjitzu Master once again walked towards his old foe's fallen form, kneeling down as he held onto his hand in an affirming way. "So... this is how it ends for me... Surrounded by enemies."
"Death makes friends of us all, Overlord. I only wanted you to know that..." As the Dark Master's figure slowly began to dust away, the ashes in Jay's palm began to glow, which absorbed him. "Whoa!"
With his final breaths, the Overlord smirked at Jay. "H-heh... It seems... you will carry my mantle, Jay. Behold-" He mockingly held up his hands in praise and awe at Jay's figure.
"Jayson Walker, Master of Lightning... HEIR apparent to the Overlord." With his own name as his final word, his eyes shut and his body dusted away, embracing death like an old friend.
"LOOK OUT!" The Ninja and Galactic Army forces prepared to embrace the full might of the Stone Army warriors leading the charge, but just as Kozu jumped up to stab Dareth, his entire body crumbled into nothingness.
The Dark Army stopped dead in its tracks. Stone Army warriors looked to one another in fear as they unwillingly followed their General's lead. The Son's of Garmadon, Vermillion, New Anacondrai, and Serpentine all stared in a fearful shock as the remaining Nindroids began to twitch and spark until they fell down, destroyed from their Master's death.
With the last of the Nindroids falling down dead, and the Stone Army warriors crumbled into fragments of their indestructible material so much so that their could be no hope of ever putting them back together, the remaining Dark Army soldiers looked back up to the Galactic Army:
The Wisp's cannons were aimed down upon them, now without any risk of wasting ammunition on the indestructible warriors.
Gunships hovered above them, cannons aimed at each and every one of them.
The Jedi, Clones, Droids, Nightsisters, Hondo's Pirates, Nightbrothers, and Mandalorians flanked around them all, lightsabers and blasters aimed at steady levels.
As Kix continued to fix up Kai, the remaining Ninja continued to surround him for safety's insurance.
Nya, Cole, MoBy, Rex, and Ahsoka walked forward to the remaining faction leaders who weren't captured: Commander Blunck, Chen, and Killow. Rex and MoBy had their guns aimed Blunck and Chen, and Ahsoka ignited both her blades in Killow's direction. The trio of Galactic Allies stopped in front of the trio of faction leaders as Cole and Nya stopped in front of Killow, next to Ahsoka.
Cole looked around them with a triumphant smirk, noticing the Galactic Army forces enclose around the few hundred Dark Army soldiers. Nya stared daggers in Killow's eyes. "I believe surrender is in your best interest, Big Man."
The last of the Biker Generals looked at Chen, then to Blunck, nodding slowy at them both as all three dropped their weapons and raised their arms in surrender. "I think you are right, Master of Water."
Noticing what they were doing the Serpentine, Sons of Garmadon, Vermillion, and New Anacondrai that remained followed their lead, allowing several hundred Clones to run forward and cuff each and every one of them.
"-YEAUGH!" The last thing the Mailman remembered was seeing a building fall onto him. NO, wait- that's not true... it was a fake reality. Prime Empire.
He noticed the machine that had encased them in a wave of energy in front of him stopped humming, and was now sparking in a broken fashion. To his sides, the other slave-citizens of Ninjago's eyes were reverting back from the entranced white back to their original colors. Each person let out a sudden yell of fear as they "woke up" before realizing the actual situation.
"Mailman?" The purple-dragged public servant turned to see the Doc hold his head in confusion. "What happened?"
"I don't know, Doc. But I think..." They both looked up to see the smog that blacked the sky for years begin to dissipate, revealing a clear blue one. "I think they won!" Across the realm, every station that held prisoners or slaves had their own Prime Protocol machinery break down:
In Kryptarium, the Commissioner and the rest of the police force woke up startled, realizing that there were no Dark Army soldiers in the compound to hold them.
In hundreds of Dark Matter mines across the Dark Island and the Island of Ninjago, chains were being broken, and machinery was being demolished, promising that their terror would never again be put to use.
In Metalonia, Karlof's people let out roars of applause as they began to realize their now-hopeful reality.
In the Prime Empire, Jay and Lloyd looked around to see the world start to crumble into nothingness. "It's all right, boys." The both looked to see the First Spinjitzu Master stand up, reaching into the ashes of the Overlord to pull out the Golden Armor.
"This Armor was made from the Golden Weapons of Creation and my very own Dragon Armor. Their purpose has been tainted. I trust you know what to do with it, Jay." The Blue Ninja took the armor with both hands, nodding. "Yes, sir."
"Grandfather?" Lloyd looked confused as the form of Ninjago's creator began to dust away in a similar fashion to the Overlord. "Will I see you again?"
The old man smiled at his legacy. "Not in this lifetime, grandson. But have no fear..." He held onto Lloyd's now-golden shoulder while looking at both him and Jay. "You both have great power now: Lloyd, you once again carry my own Golden power. Jay, along with your own gift of Lightning, you have inherited the Overlord's Dark Cosmic powers. You are now two sides of the same coin: Ninjago's saviors. Use your powers well, and all will be good."
The pair nodded and began to bow down on one knee in respect. "No, no!" Bringing them back onto their feet, he backed up and began to descend onto one knee himself. "It is I who should be bowing to you. Jay Walker and Lloyd Garmadon: Ninjago's heroes."
Before Jay or Lloyd could respond, the body of the First Spinjitzu Master dusted away into a flurry of lights, and the last of the Prime Empire "realm" fell down upon them.
*IN THE REAL WORLD*
Brad had just finished placing Jay and Lloyd's unconscious bodies comfortably against the balcony's wall as he began to hear cheers from the people below. Standing up, he could see that the people were now freed from whatever enchantment they were being held in. They did it!
"-YEAUGH!" A sudden shriek of surprise from Lloyd caused Brad to jump back, his heart racing. "LLOYD! You did it!" Lloyd got onto his feet, and to the surprise of his young student, his green Gi shimmered into a golden glow. "Whoa."
"-AAUGH-oh, we're here." Jay too stood onto his feet, noticing Lloyd's new look in the real world. "Nice, but what about-" Before he could even finish his sentence, his entire body began to glow with a white outline, and as his fingertips lit up with blue lightning, both of his eyes turned into galaxy's. The cosmic Power had returned with him. Looking down, he watched the Golden Armor materialize in his hands.
Brad was at a loss for words. "Is the Overlord...?" The silent smiles from both his teachers confirmed his deepest wish. Then suddenly, he regained his serious expression as he turned to the only remaining Dark Army member in the Palace that was still alive: Pythor, now tied up. "What do we do about him?"
Jay stared at the snake that plunged a knife into his fathers back with a grin as he watched. His fist momentarily lit up in anger before the rage dissipated. The Cosmic Ninja looked from Pythor's unconscious form to the surrounding dead Dark Ninja. This isn't what Dad would want. "There's been enough death for one day. Pythor will face justice."
Brad and Lloyd both nodded, picking up the Anacondrai's form.
"...Whu-what happened?" All three Ninja stared down at Cyrus, who was finally waking up from his knocked out state. The very first thing that Ninjago's smartest man saw was the scarred-and-glowing Master of Lightning kneeling down with one hand extended. "J...Jay?"
With a bright smile "Hey, Cyrus. I told you I'd see you again."
With Killow being loaded onto a gunship, the last of the Dark Army was now captured. Nya and Kix were helping a bandaged Kai walk without falling over as his wound healed. Cheers rang across the battlefield, though some couldn't help but focus on the dead. Ronin and the Mechanic knelt down at Karlof's body.
"Their sacrifices won't be forgotten."
The others nodded in agreement as Bo-Katan, Hondo, Boba Fett, and others began to walk forward towards Jay's original friends. "What now?"
A black-purple sphere appeared in front of all of them, causing everyone to raise their respective weapons in preparation, recognizing what it was. "It's one of the Overlord's portals!"
But just as it appeared, the sphere of energy disappeared, revealing five figures:
Brad, who was holding onto an unconscious Pythor.
Lloyd, who was glowing with Golden energy.
Cyrus Borg, who was being held onto by Lloyd...
and Jay, who closed his palm as the Realm-Crystal powered portal dissipated. In his other hand, the Golden Armor was lightly glowing, and both his eyes resembled the black void of space with a flurry of stars.
All four were smiling at a shocked crowd, looking at the victory that signified the end of an era. Without hesistation, Jay stepped forward at his old friends and his Galactic Army.
"OK... there's still much to do. Let's get to work."
There we go. Two chapters left, I will be done by Monday. PLEASE REVIEW.